Hunter-Gatherer Studies: The Importance of Context

Anthropological and behavioral ecological studies of living hunter-gatherers have flourished since the 1960's. Researchers have developed and followed a variety of paradigms, each with its own assumptions and objectives, based on the behavior of hunter-gatherer communities. I agree here that in order to evaluate the validity of the use of a specific hunter-gatherer group for particular paradigmatic purposes, details of the historical and social context of the group are needed. The use of an inappropriate group, as determined by its context, can call into question the conclusions of a study. A method for classifying hunter-gatherer groups according to progressive stages of historical contact and interrelations with agricultural neighbors is proposed. The use of this classification system can aid in analyzing important questions concerning the hunter-gatherer adaptation: what explains immediate return and delayed return systems? Why do hunter-gatherers persist today? Can contemporary hunter-gatherers be used as valid models or analogues for prehistoric human behavior? The answers to these questions are related to the ultimate question: Why study hunter-gatherers

An Ethno-Botanical Study of Gabra plant use in Marsabit district, Kenya

Volume: 8

Biomechanical responses to changes in friction on a clay court surface

Objectives: To examine the influence of clay court frictional properties on tennis players’ biomechanical response. Design: Repeated measures Methods: Lower limb kinematic and force data were collected on sixteen university tennis players during 10 x 180° turns (running approach speed 3.9 ± 0.20 m.s-1) on a synthetic clay surface of varying friction levels. To adjust friction levels the volume of sand infill above the force plate was altered (kg per m2 surface area; 12, 16 and 20 kg.m-2). Repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni’s corrected alpha post-hoc analyses were conducted to identify significant differences in lower limb biomechanics between friction levels. Results: Greater sliding distances (ŋp2= 0.355, p = 0.008) were observed for the lowest friction condition (20 kg.m-2) compared to the 12 and 16 kg.m-2 conditions. No differences in ankle joint kinematics and knee flexion angles were observed. Later peak knee flexion occurred on the 20 kg.m-2 condition compared to the 12 kg.m-2 (ŋp2 = 0.270, p = 0.023). Lower vertical (ŋp2 = 0.345, p = 0.027) and shear (ŋp2 = 0.396, p = 0.016) loading rates occurred for the 20 kg.m2 condition compared to the 16 kg.m2. Conclusions: Lower loading rates and greater sliding distances when clay surface friction was reduced suggests load was more evenly distributed over time reducing players’ injury risks. The greater sliding distances reported were accompanied with later occurrence of peak knee flexion, suggesting longer time spent braking and a greater requirement for muscular control increasing the likelihood of fatigue

A systematic review of the effect of therapists’ internalised models of relationships on the quality of the therapeutic relationship

The quality of the therapeutic relationship has been identified as a key factor in predicting client outcomes, accounting for around 8% of variation (Horvath, Del Re, Flückiger, & Symonds, 2011; Martin, Garske, & Davis, 2000; Wampold, 2001). Although therapist factors have been seen as less relevant to therapeutic relationship quality than client factors, focus on therapist factors has steadily increased in line with the view that the therapist responds differently to different clients, due to their own personal characteristics and unconscious processes. Relational theory suggests that the therapist’s particular qualities combine with the client’s particular qualities to form a unique interpersonal context (e.g. Wachtel, 2008). Safran and Muran (2000) suggest that the interpersonal context is heavily influenced by client and therapist internalised patterns of relating formed in early childhood. Evidence shows that certain therapist factors do affect therapeutic relationship quality; the qualities of dependability, warmth and responsiveness in therapists have all been found to create stronger alliances (Ackerman & Hilsenroth, 2003). The importance of these mostly interpersonal characteristics imply that the internalised relational models of therapists may also be important in determining the type of relationship that is built and the therapeutic processes occurring within

Status and trends of the ivory trade in Africa, 1989-1999

"Based on the authors' 2000 report ""The ivory markets of Africa"", this article reviews data collected during surveys and interviews undertaken in 22 cities in 15 African countries 1997-1999. Over 100,000 elephant ivory items for retail sale were observed with the largest number noted in Abidjan (20,114), Harare (19,958) and Cairo (11,627). Except for Egypt, Gabon and Sudan domestic trade is legal. However, most buyers are foreign tourists (mostly French, Spanish and Italian), Chinese and Korean workers and businessmen, French military, United Nations officials and national diplomats. Except for Zimbabwe, the export of ivory commodities is illegal. There is a significant movement of illicit tusks within Africa., particularly from central to west to satisfy local carving industries. Countries with the cheapest tusks include Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Mozambique where relatively large elephant populations and little law enforcement exist. Illegal trade of tusks off the continent exists, mostly to countries in eastern Asia. Since 1988 the price for most retail ivory items has decreased due to decline in demand and devaluation of local currencies. The price of tusks has also sharply declined. The only surveyed city with increased retail sales since 1990 was Lagos, but it seems Abidjan has retails have expansed since the mid-1990's.

The trade in African and Asian ivory in South and South East Asia

In late 2000 and early 2001 the authors collected data on the numbers of retail outlets, ivory items, workshops, craftsmen, and the prices of raw and worked ivory in eight south and south east Asia countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. This study serves as a followup to their African review published in 2000. Although all the nations studied except Laos are members of CITES and have domestic laws regarding ivory as well enforcement is weak, 'None of the governments for the countries surveyed have control over the ivory trade'. However, the ivory trade has declined since 1990, largely because the demand for ivory has generally been reduced, except for Thailand where it has probably remained about the same, and Myanmar where it has increased. Results indicate Thailand is the largest market and is fueled mainly by illegal imports of African raw ivory plus some tusks from Myanmar. The wholesale price of raw ivory was higher in 2001 than in the late 1980s and in 2001 the average tusk price in the Asian countries surveyed it was five times higher than in Africa (USD 250 versus USD 45). The authors note 'It is important to stop the illegal ivory sale to tourists and businessmen in the two regions (a earlier reported focused on Africa) in order to reduce elephant poaching in Africa and Asia, especially Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam where wild elephant numbers have declined by over 75% since 1988'. The original reports for both Africa and Asia are in file (Martin and Stiles. 2000: Martin and Stiles 2002)

Validating an Operational Flood Forecast Model Using Citizen Science in Hampton Roads, VA, USA

Changes in the eustatic sea level have enhanced the impact of inundation events in the coastal zone, ranging in significance from tropical storm surges to pervasive nuisance flooding events. The increased frequency of these inundation events has stimulated the production of interactive web-map tracking tools to cope with changes in our changing coastal environment. Tidewatch Maps, developed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), is an effective example of an emerging street-level inundation mapping tool. Leveraging the Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydro-science Integrated System Model (SCHISM) as the engine, Tidewatch operationally disseminates 36-h inundation forecast maps with a 12-h update frequency. SCHISM’s storm tide forecasts provide surge guidance for the legacy VIMS Tidewatch Charts sensor-based tidal prediction platform, while simultaneously providing an interactive and operationally functional forecast mapping tool with hourly temporal resolution and a 5 m spatial resolution throughout the coastal plain of Virginia, USA. This manuscript delves into the hydrodynamic modeling and geospatial methods used at VIMS to automate the 36-h street-level flood forecasts currently available via Tidewatch Maps, and the paradigm-altering efforts involved in validating the spatial, vertical, and temporal accuracy of the model. Supplementary material: Catch the King Tide GPS data points were collected by volunteers to effectively breadcrumb their path tracing the tidal high water contour lines by pressing the \u27Save Data\u27 button in the free Sea Level Rise Mobile App every few steps along the water\u27s edge during the high tide on the morning of November 5th, 2017. https://doi.org/10.25773/276h-2b4

Mode of delivery of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial of digital and face-to-face therapy

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