Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne – Rocher des Aures

Le Rocher des Aures, qui s’élève au pied du massif de la Lance, est un contrefort des Préalpes françaises, dans la partie méridionale de la Drôme ; l’occupation de son plateau appartient au type « éperon barré », avec un mur de fortification, apparemment construit en pierres sèches, ainsi qu’au moins un mur intermédiaire, construit avec la même technique, structurant l’occupation en une sorte de ville haute et de ville basse. En 2011 et 2012, nous avions constaté l’existence de structures rec..

Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne – Rocher des Aures

Le Rocher des Aures, qui s’élève au pied du massif de la Lance, est un contrefort des Préalpes françaises, dans la partie méridionale de la Drôme, sur la commune de La-Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne. L’occupation de son plateau appartient au type « éperon barré », avec un mur de fortification, construit en pierres sèches, ainsi qu’au moins un mur intermédiaire, construit avec la même technique, structurant l’occupation en une sorte de ville haute et de ville basse. Entre 2011 et 2013, trois campa..

L’eau à Pétra : l’exemple du Wadi Farasa Est

La ville antique de Pétra, ancienne capitale des Nabatéens au sud de la Jordanie, constitue un endroit a priori plutôt hostile à l’emplacement d’une agglomération. Une mauvaise visibilité rend la défense de la ville difficile par les occupants du site et, d’autre part, son implantation dans une sorte de cuvette entourée de montagnes crée de grands problèmes concernant la gestion des eaux.Le Wadi Farasa est, situé à la périphérie sud-ouest de la ville, sera étudié à titre d’exemple. Peu après le milieu du Ier s. apr. J.-C., la construction d’un complexe funéraire monumental dans ce secteur posait un double problème en vue de la gestion des eaux. D’une part, il fallait faire venir de l’eau potable pour les occupants du site, et d’autre part, il était nécessaire de protéger les structures et leurs occupants des violentes averses. En outre, une fois la gestion de l’eau maîtrisée dans le Wadi Farasa est, on s’est assuré que les secteurs situés en contrebas, dans la ville, puissent également en profiter.Les solutions qui ont été adoptées sont multiples et complexes. Leur mise en place montre clairement – et ceci vaut pour toute la ville – qu’il a dû exister une autorité centrale qui gérait l’aménagement en eau de la région. On constate pourtant une certaine décadence dans l’entretien de ce système, et ceci assez tôt, c’est-à-dire à partir du IIe s. apr. J.-C.The city of Petra, ancient capital of the Nabataeans in southern Jordan, is at first sight a rather hostile place for the installation of an agglomeration. A bad visibility makes the defence of the city a difficult task and its implantation in a valley surrounded by mountains creates serious problems as for the water management.The Wadi Farasa East, situated at the south-western outskirts of the city, can be studied as an exemplary case. The construction of a monumental funerary complex in the area, shortly after the middle of the 1st century AD, resulted in a double problem related to water management. On the one hand drinking water had to be brought in for the people using the site, and on the other hand the monuments and their users had to be protected against spring floods. Further, once these problems were resolved for the area of Wadi Farasa East, the water had to be brought to areas located further down the slope.The solutions that were adopted are multiple and complex. Their installation clearly shows that there must have been a central authority controlling the water management of the area, a conclusion that is valuable for the entire city and the region beyond it. Yet, already from the 2nd century AD onwards one can observe a certain decline in the maintenance of the system.خلاصة – تشكل مدينة البتراء القديمة، وهي العاصمة القديمة للأنباط جنوبي الأردن، موضعاً لم يكن في البداية ملائماً بل بالأحرى غير مؤات لنشوء تجمع سكني فيه. فالرؤية السيئة تجعل الدفاع عن المدينة أمراً صعباً، كما أن إنشاءها في نوع من التجويف المحاط بجبال يخلق مشاكل كبيرة تتعلق بإدارة المياه. يقع وادي فرسه الشرقي في المحيط الجنوبي الغربي للمدينة، وسوف يدرس كنموذج. كان بناء مجمع جنائزي ضخم في هذا القطاع بعيد منتصف القرن الأول بعد الميلاد قد طرح إشكالية مزدوجة فيما يتعلق بإدارة المياه. فمن جهة، كان لا بد من جلب المياه العذبة لسكان الموقع، ومن جهة أخرى، كان من الضروري حماية البنى والسكان من المطر الغزير. أضف إلى ذلك أنه ما أن تم التحكم بإدارة المياه في وادي فرسه الشرقي حتى تم التأكد من أن القطاعات الواقعة في الأسفل من المدينة يمكن أن تستفيد هي أيضاً من ذلك. إن الحلول التي اعتمدت متعددة ومعقدة. ويبين تنفيذها بوضوح ـ وهذا ينطبق على المدينة كلها ـ أنه كانت قد وجدت سلطة مركزية كانت تدير تجهيزات المياه في المنطقة. ومع ذلك نستنتج نوعاً من الإنحطاط في صيانة هذه المنظومة، وذلك منذ فترة مبكرة أي ابتداء من القرن الثاني بعد الميلاد

Is there a correlation between 18F-FDG-PET standardized uptake value, T-classification, histological grading and the anatomic subsites in newly diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck?

18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET)/CT imaging of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) renders the possibility to study metabolic tumor activity by measuring FDG-uptake expressed as maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). A correlation between SUVmax and several factors including T-classification, histological tumor differentiation or different anatomic subsites is of potential interest in HNSCC. The aim of this study was to evaluate how metabolic tumor activity derived from FDG-PET correlates with prognostic clinical and pathological parameters including these factors. 262 patients with HNSCC undergoing PET/CT for initial staging were assessed separately for a potential correlation between SUVmax and T-classification, histological grading, and anatomical subsites of the primary tumor. Nonparametric testing showed a significant correlation between SUVmax and T-classification (P<0.001). On the contrary, no statistically significant correlation was found between SUVmax and histological tumor grading. Furthermore, no statistical significant correlation between the different anatomical subsites and SUVmax were found. There was no significant correlation of SUVmax and tumor grading after adjustment for T-stage and anatomical localization of the tumor, neither. Conclusion: Metabolic tumor activity correlates with T-stage of HNSCC. However, histological tumor grading does not correlate with SUVmax. The role of primary tumor SUVmax as a predictor of outcome or survival remains unclear. Clinicians should therefore exercise caution in attributing any clinical importance to SUVmax obtained from a single PET/CT exa

The Coming of Iron in a Comparative Perspective

The paper deals with the introduction of iron as a new raw material in the transition period between the outgoing Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Objective of the paper is to introduce the interdisciplinary research group A5: Iron as a new raw material of the Excellence Cluster Topoi. The Formation and Transformation of Space and Knowledge in Ancient Civilizations. After a short overview of the history of the spread of iron technology after the decline of the Hittite empire, the central research categories of the group: space, knowledge, innovation and resource are introduced. The interdisciplinary composition of the group enables the integration of different methodological approaches from the archaeological sciences, ancient oriental studies and physical geography. Furthermore, the spatio-temporal potentials and limitations of the single disciplinary methodological approaches are discussed and a brief overview of the regions under investigation is given. The introduction of iron as a new raw material is in detail presented in the light of two case study regions: the Ancient Orient and the Teltow region

Development, manufacturing and testing of small launcher structures from Portugal

During the last decades the industry has seen the number of Earth orbiting satellites rise, mostly due to the need to monitor Earth as well as to establish global communication networks. Nano, micro, and small satellites have been a prime tool for answering these needs, with large and mega constellations planned, leading to a potential launch gap. An effective and commercially appealing solution is the development of small launchers, as these can complement the current available launch opportunity offer, serving a large pool of different types of clients, with a flexible and custom service that large conventional launchers cannot adequately assure. Rocket Factory Augsburg has partnered with CEiiA for the development of several structures for the RFA One rocket. The objective has been the design of solutions that are low-cost, light, and custom-made, applying design and manufacturing concepts as well as technologies from other industries, like the aeronautical and automotive, to the aerospace one. This allows for the implementation of a New Space approach to the launcher segment, while also building a supply chain and a set of solutions that enables the industrialisation of such structures for this and future small launchers. The two main systems under development have been a versatile Kick-Stage, for payload carrying and orbit insertion, and a sturdy Payload Fairing. Even though the use of components off-the-shelf have been widely accepted in the space industry for satellites, these two systems pose different challenges as they must be: highly reliable during the most extreme conditions imposed by the launch, so that they can be considered safe to launch all types of payloads. This paper thus dives deep on the solutions developed in the last few years, presenting also lessons learned during the manufacturing and testing of these structures.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures, Manuscript presented at the 73rd International Astronautical Congress, IAC 2022, Paris, France, 18 - 22 September 202

Impact of Age and Body Site on Adult Female Skin Surface pH

Background: pH is known as an important parameter in epidermal barrier function and homeostasis. Aim: The impact of age and body site on skin surface pH (pH(SS)) of women was evaluated in vivo. Methods: Time domain dual lifetime referencing with luminescent sensor foils was used for pH(SS) measurements. pH(SS) was measured on the forehead, the temple, and the volar forearm of adult females (n = 97, 52.87 +/- 18.58 years, 20-97 years). Every single measurement contained 2,500 pH values due to the luminescence imaging technique used. Results: pH(SS) slightly increases with age on all three investigated body sites. There are no significant differences in pH(SS) between the three investigated body sites. Conclusion: Adult pH(SS) on the forehead, the temple and the volar forearm increases slightly with age. This knowledge is crucial for adapting medical skin care products. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Change in school ethnic diversity and intergroup relations: The transition from segregated elementary to mixed secondary school for majority and minority students

This research examined the impact of a change in school diversity on school children’s intergroup relations. A longitudinal survey tracked 551 White British and Asian British students (Mage = 11.32) transitioning from elementary (time 1) to secondary (time 2) school in an ethnically segregated town in the United Kingdom. We estimated a multivariate, multilevel model. A cross-sectional comparison of segregated schools and a mixed elementary school at time 1 revealed that both Asian and White British in the mixed school reported more positive intergroup relations. A longitudinal analysis found that the transition from segregated elementary to mixed secondary schools was associated with Asian British developing more positive intergroup relations. White British reported overall less positive intergroup relations, although only trust decreased, evidence from other measures remains inconclusive. The findings are important for understanding early stages of diversity exposure, and the impact of changing diversity levels on majority and minority groups

A Comparative Analysis of Case Studies from the Old World

The present contribution deals with the concepts of marginal habitats in selected regions of the ancient world, ranging from modern Spain to the Jordanian desert and from Turkey to the Ethiopian highlands. Central to this research is the hypothesis that the occupation of areas beyond the ‘normal’ settlement patterns corresponds to colonization processes which reflect specific social strategies and may have stimulated the development of new technological skills. A review of ‘marginality’ research in various disciplines indicates that there is no comprehensive definition of the concept, which can be approached from a multitude of perspectives and with manifold objectives. A survey of the eight case studies and two more in-depth discussions of the sites of Musawwarat (Sudan) and Ayamonte (Spain) highlight the potentials as well as the limits of the archaeological investigation into past marginalities. Patterns of spatial marginalization are the easiest to detect. The studies also show that we must not limit our analysis to the adverse factors connected to different kinds of marginalities. Instead, our analyses suggest that spatially marginal areas were deliberately chosen for settlement – an integration with core-periphery approaches may help us to understand these scenarios, which have received little attention in ‘marginality’ research in archaeology or elsewhere so far

Cyclosporine A Impairs Norepinephrine-Induced Vascular Contractility

Usage of cyclosporine A (CsA) after kidney transplantation may be associated with development of nephrotoxicity and vasculopathy, but the mechanisms by which CsA causes vascular dysfunction are still under scrutiny. We established a transplantation model and investigated the effect of CsA on vascular contractility with the aid of a pressurized myograph in comparison with control and unilaterally nephrectomized rats. Results were correlated with mRNA expression studies of α- and β-adrenoreceptors, in mesenteric resistance arteries versus the thoracic aorta. Consequences of everolimus on functional properties as well as adrenoreceptor expression were also studied. CsA significantly downregulated expression of mesenteric adrenoreceptors, whereas no effect on aortic adrenoreceptors was seen. Administration of everolimus had no influence on mRNA adrenoreceptor expression in mesenteric resistance arteries. Furthermore, contractile responses of mesenteric resistance arteries to norepinephrine were markedly reduced after treatment with CsA, while there was no difference in contraction by endothelin. Everolimus did not alter the contractility response at all. In summary, norepinephrine-induced, but not endothelin-induced, contractile responses of mesenteric resistance arteries are blunted in CsA-treated rats. This finding was accompanied by a marked downregulation of adrenoreceptors in mesenteric resistance arteries and was limited to the usage of CsA