Millican Bench (41TV163) A Multicomponent Site in Travis County, Texas

Between September of 1970 and February of 1971, the Texas Highway Department, now the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), carried out extensive hand and mechanical excavations at 41TV163, the Millican Bench site. The highway maintenance crew was ably directed by Frank Weir. Millican Bench represented the first archeological site excavated by the then Texas Highway Department (THD) under their archeological program. In 2001, TxDOT contracted with the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio to provide an assessment of the documents and data and develop research topics that may be successfully pursued with the materials from the site. Based on the assessment it was determined that dependent on data types, four broad analytical units could be defined (Late Prehistoric, and Late, Middle and Early Archaic), and two diachronic and one synchronic research topic would be pursued: changes in subsistence strategies and lithic technological organization, and the evaluation of Feature 3, a possible structure noted at the site. The analysis of the faunal material from the site and comparison with other archeological collections indicates that hunter-gatherers may have pursued a broad-spectrum adaptation, even when bison were present in the region. The lithic assemblage, characterized by predominantly expedient and minimally retouched tool forms, supports this contention. The percentages of what we think are nonlocal raw materials increases through time. This increase hints at changes in the level or scope of mobility. Patterns in projectile point discard and replacement strategies suggest some premium on preventive tool replacement. Although the photographic documentation strongly supports the likelihood of Feature 3 representing a structure, we have little surviving direct data in support of this possibility. The artifactual data that we can investigate suggests, however, that the circular area may have at least represented some type of maintained space. All artifacts retained, in consultation with the Texas Historical Commission and TxDOT, and all site documentation are permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research. The remains of the single skeleton recovered from the site are also permanently curated at the Center

An Archaeological Survey of 35 Acres Near Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Texas

On April 22 through 24, 1998, staff archaeologists from the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) conducted a 100 percent pedestrian survey with limited shovel and backhoe testing on two parcels near Eagle Pass, Texas (Figure 1). The archaeological investigation was conducted at the request of the Eagle Pass Independent School District as part of a plan to construct two new elementary schools on the parcels (Figures 2 and 3). The purpose of the survey was to identify archaeological sites visible on the surface as well as areas where sites are potentially buried. CAR archaeologists recorded 27 isolated finds on the 20-acre parcel south of the city. On the 15-acre parcel north of the city they discovered and recorded one archaeological site, with an additional nine isolated finds (Figures 2 and 3). The site has been heavily disturbed due to natural and artificial causes; therefore CAR recommended that the planned construction should be allowed to proceed with no further consultation with the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) or the Texas Historical Commission (THC)

Cement Embolization into the Vena Cava and Pulmonal Arteries After Vertebroplasty: Interdisciplinary Management

AbstractPurposeTo report interdisciplinary management in a case of cement embolization into the inferior vena cava and peripheral pulmonary arteries after percutaneous vertebroplasty.Case reportA 50-year-old female patient with an osteoporotic compression fracture of the second lumbar vertebra underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty with polymethylmetaacrylate. Thereafter, CT scanning revealed small asymptomatic cement emboli in peripheral pulmonary arteries, along with a hook-shaped cement fragment in the inferior vena cava. Due to the risk that the large cement fragment could migrate to the pulmonary arteries and cause serious complications, they were retrieved from the inferior vena cava by an endovascular technique and extracted through a surgical groin incision. The patient received anticoagulant treatment for 3 months and is free of complaints after 1 year.ConclusionThis case shows that this rare complication following vertebroplasty can be successfully managed with an interdisciplinary approach

Direct evidence for the magnetic ordering of Nd ions in NdMn2_2Si2_2 and NdMn2_2Ge2_2 by high resolution inelastic neutron scattering

We have investigated the low energy nuclear spin excitations in NdMn$_2$Si$_2$ and NdMn$_2$Ge$_2$ by high resolution inelastic neutron scattering. Previous neutron diffraction investigations gave ambiguous results about Nd magnetic ordering at low temperatures. The present element-specific technique gave direct evidence for the magnetic ordering of Nd ions. We found considerable difference in the process of the Nd magnetic ordering at low temperature in NdMn$_2$Si$_2$ and NdMn$_2$Ge$_2$. Our results are consistent with those of magnetization and recent neutron diffraction measurements

4f spin density in the reentrant ferromagnet SmMn2Ge2

The spin contribution to the magnetic moment in SmMn2Ge2 has been measured by magnetic Compton scattering in both the low and high temperature ferromagnetic phases. At low temperature, the Sm site is shown to possess a large 4f spin moment of 3.4 +/- 0.1 Bohr magnetons, aligned antiparallel to the total magnetic moment. At high temperature, the data show conclusively that ordered magnetic moments are present on the samarium site.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, transferred from PRL to PRB (Rapid Comm.

Pedestrian Survey and NRHP Eligibility Testing of Sites within a Proposed Detention Facility in Webb County, Texas

The Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by MACTEC Engineering & Consulting, Inc. (hereafter, MACTEC) to perform Phase I archaeological survey and Phase II testing prior to the construction of a detention facility in Webb County, Texas. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requires federal agencies to take into consideration the effects of proposed undertakings on cultural resources within the Area of Potential Effect (APE). While the proposed undertaking is being developed by The GEO Group, Inc. on privately owned property and is funded by private resources, the anticipated use of the facility by the United States Marshals Service makes this project a federal undertaking as defined under 36 CFR part 800.16(y). As such, the project must comply with Section 106 of the NHPA. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is the reviewing agency for the project. In December, 2004, CAR conducted an intensive survey of the APE for the proposed construction of the detention facility. The survey followed MACTEC’s preliminary cultural resources assessment and included pedestrian survey with shovel testing within an approximate 160-acre tract, and backhoe trenching of selected locations within the approximate 30-acre APE of the proposed undertaking. Eleven field sites were defined as a result of the intensive survey (Field Site 1 [41WB634], Field Site 2, Field Site 3 [41WB636], and Field Sites 4–11). Subsequently, Phase II investigations were conducted by CAR to evaluate National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility and State Archeological Landmark (SAL) designation for eight of the originally identified field sites (numbers 2 and 5–11). The Phase II investigations included the hand excavation of test units as well as mechanical auger testing. Based on the combined results of the Phase I survey and Phase II investigations, seven sites were reported to the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory and assigned trinomials (41WB634 through 41WB640). Site 41WB639 was identified as containing archaeological components with significant research potential and therefore is recommended eligible for nomination to the NRHP and for formal designation as a SAL. The site contains a Middle Archaic component buried between 100 cm and 130 cm below surface that may yield information on a regional level. Based on the findings within the proposed project area, the site is interpreted as eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion D. Likewise, the site is interpreted as having the potential to contribute to a better understanding of the prehistory of Texas, and therefore eligible for SAL designation based on Criterion 1. Given the depth of the component and the shallow nature of the anticipated disturbances in the vicinity of the site (two feet or about 60 cm below surface), no construction impact is likely to effect the buried component and no further work is recommended at the site. However, in the case that construction parameters are changed and anticipated impacts reach below two feet (60 cm) in depth, data recovery efforts are recommended at the site. In addition, site 41WB634 was identified during the survey as having some research potential, although the NRHP and SAL eligibility of the site has not been determined. According to present construction plans, the site falls outside of the facilities footprint and will not be disturbed by construction activities. No additional archaeological investigations are recommended at the present time. The site contains a temporally unassigned, shallowly buried (10–50 cm below surface) archaeological component. If at a future date the facilities footprint is relocated or hitherto unanticipated subsurface disturbances are planned in the vicinity of this site, Phase II testing is recommended to establish the NRHP eligibility of the site. Finally, archaeological components buried at a depth of 70 cm below surface or deeper have been identified at sites 41WB637, 41WB638, and 41WB639. The NRHP/SAL eligibility of these deposits has not been fully assessed. However, the impacts of activities above these sites will consist of the planting of a grass cover and will otherwise be limited to foot traffic and therefore will be consistent with the guidelines set in the Intentional Burial of Sites as defined by the Texas Historical Commission. Therefore, no adverse affects will come to the deeply buried deposits at sites 41WB637, 41WB638 and 41WB639. The cultural materials recovered during these investigations were processed at the CAR laboratory. Following analysis, several artifact classes possessing little scientific values were discarded in consultation with MACTEC and the landowner. These artifact classes included snail shells, unburned rocks, heat spalls, modern glass, plastic, and unidentified metal fragments. In all instances, discarded materials were documented and their counts included in the report and curation documentation. All data was entered into Access and Excel spreadsheets, and copies of electronic and paper records were submitted to the client. All artifacts, including human remains, were returned to the landowner and all copies of project records are permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research

And the first shall be the last

This study analyzes the puzzle of Hungarian economic drifting in a long run perspective. The underlying puzzle for the investigation is why bad policies are invariably popular and good policies unpopular, thus why political and economic rationality never overlap. The first part of the article summarizes in eight points the basic features of the postwar period. Then six lessons are offered, which might be useful for other countries in transition or for students of comparative economics and politics, lessons that can be generalized on the basis of the individual country experience

Royal Coachman (41CM111) An Early Middle Archaic Site along Cordova Creek in Comal County, Texas

The Royal Coachman site, 41CM111, is bisected by FM 306 near the highway’s eastern crossing of the Guadalupe River. Archeologists from the Texas Department of Transportation conducted extensive excavations at the site in 1980 and the Center for Archaeological Research carried out fieldwork related to geomorphic assessment of the deposits in 2002. The site contains at least three archeological components, an upper zone that may be of late Middle Archaic age and two commingled lower zones that are early Middle Archaic in age and contain a mix of Nolan/ Pandale and Bell-Andice/Early Triangular points. The deeper, more strongly manifested archeological components are associated with a dense burned rock sheet midden composed of two in situ features among a dense scatter of highly disturbed burned rock. Radiocarbon assays place this zone at between 5320–5880 years BP. The lithic assemblage is suggestive of tool manufacture and retooling activities and the projectile point collection is dominated by Early Triangular points and preforms. It is the recommendation of CAR that site 41CM111 warrants designation as a State Archeological Landmark and is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places because of its significant contribution to a better understanding of the regional archeological record. We believe that these investigations have resulted in an appropriate level of work to evaluate the archeological property within the highway ROW and no further work is currently recommended. We also recommend that TxDOT consider avoidance as an option during future construction activities to avert impact to remaining deposits. In addition, if new ROW is acquired, additional work is warranted to determine the extent and significance of currently unidentified material. This work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 2807

A system for controlling vocal communication networks

Animal vocalizations serve a wide range of functions including territorial defense, courtship, social cohesion, begging, and vocal learning. Whereas many insights have been gained from observational studies and experiments using auditory stimulation, there is currently no technology available for the selective control of vocal communication in small animal groups. We developed a system for real-time control of vocal interactions among separately housed animals. The system is implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and it allows imposing arbitrary communication networks among up to four animals. To minimize undesired transitive sound leakage, we adopted echo attenuation and sound squelching algorithms. In groups of three zebra finches, we restrict vocal communication in circular and in hierarchical networks and thereby mimic complex eavesdropping and middleman situations

Multimodal system for recording individual-level behaviors in songbird groups

In longitudinal observations of animal groups, the goal is to identify individuals and to reliably detect their interactive behaviors including their vocalizations. However, to reliably extract individual vocalizations from their mixtures and other environmental sounds remains a serious challenge. Promising approaches are multi-modal systems that make use of animal-borne wireless sensors and that exploit the inherent signal redundancy. In this vein, we designed a modular recording system (BirdPark) that yields synchronized data streams and contains a custom software-defined radio receiver. We record pairs of songbirds with multiple cameras and microphones and record their body vibrations with custom low-power frequency-modulated (FM) radio transmitters. Our custom multi-antenna radio demodulation technique increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the received radio signals by 6 dB and reduces the signal loss rate by a factor of 87 to only 0.03% of the recording time compared to standard single-antenna demodulation techniques. Nevertheless, neither a single vibration channel nor a single sound channel is sufficient by itself to signal the complete vocal output of an individual, with each sensor modality missing on average about 3.7% of vocalizations. Our work emphasizes the need for high-quality recording systems and for multi-modal analysis of social behavior