Serious mortality: the date of the Fussell's Lodge long barrow

Twenty-seven radiocarbon results are now available from the Fussell’s Lodge long barrow, and are presented within an interpretive Bayesian statistical framework. Three alternative archaeological interpretations of the sequence are given, each with a separate Bayesian model. It is hard to decide between these, though we prefer the third. In the first (following the excavator), the construction is a unitary one, and the human remains included are by definition already old. In the second, the primary mortuary structure is seen as having two phases, and is set within a timber enclosure; these are later closed by the construction of a long barrow. In that model of the sequence, deposition began in the 38th century cal BC and the mortuary structure was extended probably in the 3660s–3650s cal BC; the long barrow was probably built in the 3630s–3620s cal BC; ancestral remains are not in question; and the use of the primary structure may have lasted for a century or so. In the third, preferred model, a variant of the second, we envisage the inclusion of some ancestral remains in the primary mortuary structure alongside fresh remains. This provides different estimates of the date of initial construction (probably in the last quarter of the 38th century cal BC or the first half of the 37th century cal BC) and the duration of primary use, but agrees in setting the date of the long barrow probably in the 3630s–3620s cal BC. These results are discussed in relation to the development and meanings of long barrows at both national and local scales

Once in a lifetime: the date of the Wayland's Smithy long barrow

Twenty-three radiocarbon results are now available from the Wayland’s Smithy long barrow, and are presented within an interpretive Bayesian statistical framework. Four alternative archaeological interpretations of the sequence are considered, each with a separate Bayesian model, though only two are presented in detail. The differences are based on different readings of the sequence of Wayland’s Smithy II. In our preferred interpretation of the sequence, the primary mortuary structure was some kind of lidded wooden box, accessible for deposition over a period of time, and then closed by the mound of Wayland’s Smithy I; Wayland’s Smithy II was a unitary construction, with transepted chambers, secondary kerb and secondary ditches all constructed together. In the Bayesian model for this interpretation, deposition began in the earlier 36th century cal BC, and probably lasted for a generation. A gap of probably 40–100 years ensued, before the first small mound was constructed in 3520–3470 cal BC. After another gap, probably of only 1–35 years, the second phase of the monument was probably constructed in the middle to later part of the 35th century cal BC (3460–3400 cal BC), and its use probably extended to the middle decades of the 34th century cal BC. Results are discussed in relation to the local setting, the nature of mortuary rites and the creation of tradition

The Weights of Young African Children in a Township in Rhodesia

A CAJM article on the standard weight of Zimbabwean (Rhodesian) children vis-a-vis the avarage incomes of their parents.No standards of normal weight for young children exist for the African population in Rhodesia. Ford (1964) suggested that the Havard Standards (Stuart and Stevenson, 1959) could be used as a guide in assessing malnutrition in different ethnic groups when no local standards of reference are available. This idea has been further elaborated by Jelliffe (1966), who suggested a General Standard of Reference, which was derived from the Havard data. This study establishes a standard for African children in Rhodesia and also compares the weight-for-age curve of these young children of mixed genetic background with that derived from the Havard data

The Locus of Highly Accreting AGNs on the M_BH--sigma Plane: Selections, Limitations, and Implications

We re-examine the locus of narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies on the M_BH--sigma (black hole mass--bulge velocity dispersion) plane in the light of the results from large new optically selected samples. We find that (1) soft X-ray selected NLS1s have a lower ratio of BH mass to \sigma^{4}_{[OIII]} than broad line Seyfert 1 galaxies; this remains a robust statistical result contrary to recent claims otherwise; (2) optically selected NLS1s have systematically lower Eddington luminosity ratio compared to X-ray selected NLS1s; and (3) as a result, the locus of NLS1s on the M_BH--sigma plane is affected by selection effects. We argue that there is no single explanation for the origin of the M_BH--sigma relation; instead tracks of galaxies on the M_BH--sigma plane differ with redshift, consistent with the downsizing of AGN activity. If these results at face value are incorrect, then the data imply that AGNs with high Eddington accretion reside preferentially in relatively late type galaxies at the present epoch, perhaps a more interesting result and a challenge to theoretical models.Comment: To appear in Ap

Dispositional Abilities

Dispositional compatibilists argue that a proper understanding of our abilities vindicates both compatibilism and the principle of Alternate Possibilities (the claim that the ability to do otherwise is required for freedom and moral responsibility). In this paper, I argue that this is mistaken. Both analyses of dispositions and abilities should distinguish between local and global dispositions or abilities. Once this distinction is in place, we see that neither thesis is established by an analysis of abilities

Minimal energy control of a nanoelectromechanical memory element

The Pontryagin minimal energy control approach has been applied to minimise the switching energy in a nanoelectromechanical memory system and to characterise global stability of the oscillatory states of the bistable memory element. A comparison of two previously experimentally determined pulse-type control signals with Pontryagin control function has been performed, and the superiority of the Pontryagin approach with regard to power consumption has been demonstrated. An analysis of global stability shows how values of minimal energy can be utilized in order to specify equally stable states

Human response to vibration in residential environments (NANR209), technical report 2: measurement of response

Based on a review of the literature and the best practice guidance available, a social survey questionnaire was developed to measure residents’ self-reported annoyance and to provide data suitable for establishing exposure-response relationships between levels of annoyance and levels of vibration. The development of the questionnaire was influenced by a number of previous studies such as: the social survey questionnaire developed for the NANR172 Pilot Study of this research (Defra, 2007); best practice guidelines for the development of socio-acoustic surveys issued by ICBEN and presented in the current International Standard (Fields et al., 2001; ISO/TS 15666:2003); the Nordtest Method (2001) for the development of socio-vibration surveys, and a peer review of the social survey questionnaire by international experts in the field. In order to avoid influencing responses and reasons for participation in the research, the survey was introduced as a survey of neighbourhood satisfaction. The questionnaire design, through the use of sections, enables new sections to be added to the questionnaire so that specific vibration sources can be investigated in more depth. In addressing the ‘response’ component in the ‘exposure-response’ relationship, the questionnaire was designed to yield interval-level measurement data suitable for analysis with vibration measurement data via two response scales: the five-point semantic and the eleven-point numerical scales. This decision was largely founded upon the ability of the two scales to meet the criteria established by ICBEN (Fields et al., 2001) for socio-acoustic survey design. Detailed procedures were documented, following the field trial of the questionnaire, in terms of the role of the interviewer, the recording of information and the transfer of the data to the relevant database for subsequent analysis and to inform the vibration team responsible for the ‘exposure’ component of this research project

The Nuclear Outflow in NGC 2110

We present a HST/STIS spectroscopic and optical/radio imaging study of the Seyfert NGC 2110 aiming to measure the dynamics and understand the nature of the nuclear outflow in the galaxy. Previous HST studies have revealed the presence of a linear structure in the Narrow-Line Region (NLR) aligned with the radio jet. We show that this structure is strongly accelerated, probably by the jet, but is unlikely to be entrained in the jet flow. The ionisation properties of this structure are consistent with photoionisation of dusty, dense gas by the active nucleus. We present a plausible geometrical model for the NLR, bringing together various components of the nuclear environment of the galaxy. We highlight the importance of the circum-nuclear disc in determining the appearance of the emission line gas and the morphology of the jet. From the dynamics of the emission line gas, we place constraints on the accelerating mechanism of the outflow and discuss the relative importance of radio source synchrotron pressure, radio jet ram pressure and nuclear radiation pressure in accelerating the gas. While all three mechanisms can account for the energetics of the emission line gas, gravitational arguments support radio jet ram pressure as the most likely source of the outflow.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures; accepted to MNRA