The Ornaments of the Arma Veirana Early Mesolithic Infant Burial

Personal ornaments are widely viewed as indicators of social identity and personhood. Ornaments are ubiquitous from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene, but they are most often found as isolated objects within archaeological assemblages without direct evidence on how they were displayed. This article presents a detailed record of the ornaments found in direct association with an Early Mesolithic buried female infant discovered in 2017 at the site of Arma Veirana (Liguria, Italy). It uses microscopic, 3D, and positional analyses of the ornaments as well as a preliminary perforation experiment to document how they were perforated, used, and what led to their deposit as part of the infant’s grave goods. This study provides important information on the use of beads in the Early Mesolithic, in general, as well as the relationship between beads and young subadults, in particular. The results of the study suggest that the beads were worn by members of the infant’s community for a considerable period before they were sewn onto a sling, possibly used to keep the infant close to the parents while allowing their mobility, as seen in some modern forager groups. The baby was then likely buried in this sling to avoid reusing the beads that had failed to protect her or simply to create a lasting connection between the deceased infant and her community.publishedVersio

Childhood predictors of adolescent behaviour: The prospective association of familial factors with meeting physical activity guidelines

Little is known about the longitudinal association of familial socio-demographic factors, behaviours, attitudes, or home environment with meeting physical activity guidelines. Our objective was to a) describe 4-year change in the prevalence of meeting guidelines, and characteristics of participants across categories of physical activity maintenance, and b) identify familial factors in childhood that are longitudinally associated with meeting guidelines in adolescence. Data on 17 parent- and child-reported family variables and objectively measured physical activity (ActiGraph GT1M) were available from 406 children (10.3 ± 0.3 years, 53.5% female) participating in the SPEEDY study. Average duration of week- and weekend day moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA, ≥ 2000 cpm) at baseline and follow-up (14.3 ± 0.3 years) were calculated to determine whether participants met 60 min MVPA/day guidelines at each assessment. Descriptives were calculated across four MVPA change categories. Multi-level logistic regression examined the association of baseline familial factors with meeting guidelines at follow-up, adjusting for sex, baseline physical activity, family socio-economic position, and school clustering. At follow-up, 51.5% and 36.1% of adolescents met guidelines on weekdays and weekend days, respectively (baseline: 68.0%, 67.2%). Girls were less likely than boys to remain sufficiently active, particularly on weekdays. Family social support was positively associated with adolescents meeting guidelines at weekends (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.0-1.4). The presence of play equipment at home was negatively associated with meeting guidelines on weekdays (OR 0.5; 95% CI 0.3-0.8). Interventions that foster parent's facilitation of physical activity may help to encourage the upkeep of healthy behaviours during the transition from childhood to adolescence.The SPEEDY study is funded by the National Prevention Research Initiative (G0501294) (http://www.npri.org.uk), consisting of the following Funding Partners: British Heart Foundation; Cancer Research UK; Department of Health; Diabetes UK; Economic and Social Research Council; Medical Research Council; Health and Social Care Research and Development Office for the Northern Ireland; Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government Health Directorates; Welsh Assembly Government and World Cancer Research Fund. The work was also undertaken under the auspices of the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence which is funded by the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust. Kirsten Corder reports receiving the following grants: Lead Applicant - A cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the GoActive programme to increase physical activity among 13–14 year-old adolescents. Project: 13/90/18 National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research Programme Sept 2015 – Feb 2019. Co-Applicant - Opportunities within the school environment to shift the distribution of activity intensity in adolescents. Department of Health Policy Research Programme. Dec 2013 – Nov 2016. Kirsten Corder is a Director of Ridgepoint Consulting Limited, an operational improvement consultancy

Different strategies for mechanical VENTilation during CardioPulmonary Bypass (CPBVENT 2014): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: There is no consensus on which lung-protective strategies should be used in cardiac surgery patients. Sparse and small randomized clinical and animal trials suggest that maintaining mechanical ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass is protective on the lungs. Unfortunately, such evidence is weak as it comes from surrogate and minor clinical endpoints mainly limited to elective coronary surgery. According to the available data in the academic literature, an unquestionable standardized strategy of lung protection during cardiopulmonary bypass cannot be recommended. The purpose of the CPBVENT study is to investigate the effectiveness of different strategies of mechanical ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass on postoperative pulmonary function and complications. Methods/design: The CPBVENT study is a single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. We are going to enroll 870 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with planned use of cardiopulmonary bypass. Patients will be randomized into three groups: (1) no mechanical ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass, (2) continuous positive airway pressure of 5 cmH2O during cardiopulmonary bypass, (3) respiratory rate of 5 acts/min with a tidal volume of 2-3 ml/Kg of ideal body weight and positive end-expiratory pressure of 3-5 cmH2O during cardiopulmonary bypass. The primary endpoint will be the incidence of a PaO2/FiO2ratio <200 until the time of discharge from the intensive care unit. The secondary endpoints will be the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications and 30-day mortality. Patients will be followed-up for 12 months after the date of randomization. Discussion: The CPBVENT trial will establish whether, and how, different ventilator strategies during cardiopulmonary bypass will have an impact on postoperative pulmonary complications and outcomes of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02090205. Registered on 8 March 2014

Tool Function in the Past: Use-Wear, Residues and Techno Morphological Analysis of Stone and Ceramic Materials

L’obiettivo del Corso di Alta Formazione è quello di fornire le basi teoriche e applicative indispensabili per iniziare un percorso di specializzazione in analisi funzionale delle industrie litiche e ceramiche di contesti archeologici. Il corso offre un panorama delle tecniche di analisi archeologiche e archeometriche che concorrono a formare l’approccio integrato che premette di interpretare come sono stati prodotti e utilizzati gli strumenti del passato. Oltre alle lezioni frontali il corso offre una parte applicativa di laboratorio che crea nello studente una prima fondamentale esperienza diretta di osservazione microscopica di tracce tecnologiche e d’uso, di osservazione dei residui del materiale lavorato, di applicazione di tecniche spettroscopiche per l’analisi chimica dei residui, di applicazione di tecniche di analisi quantitativa delle superfici litiche e ceramiche

Corrigendum: Early evidence of stone tool use in bone working activities at Qesem Cave, Israel

Corrigendu

Valle Giumentina (Abruzzes, Italie) Deuxième mission : étude des comportements techno-économiques au Pléistocène moyen

Valle Giumentina est un gisement des Abruzzes du Paléolithique ancien et moyen en plein air, fouillé brièvement dans les années 1950 par le Professeur A. M. Radmilli de l’Université de Pise, en collaboration avec le géologue J. Demangeot. Sept horizons archéologiques ont été mis au jour en contexte globalement lacustre, à la faveur d’une ravine profonde qui a incisé les dépôts du pléistocène jusqu’à 25 m de profondeur1. Dans le cadre du programme quinquennal de l’École française de Rome (2012-2016), les recherches pluridisciplinaires ont repris sur le terrain en collaboration avec la Soprintendenza per i Beni archeologici dell’Abruzzo (S. Agostini) afin de préciser la chronostratigraphie du gisement, de déterminer la nature technique des industries lithiques présentes et les modalités d’occupation du site. Il s’agit à terme, d’insérer ces données renouvelées dans le contexte régional, national et européen du Paléolithique ancien et moyen, puisque Valle Giumentina est depuis sa découverte, considéré comme un gisement de référence à chacune de ces échelles. Lors de la première mission de septembre et octobre 2012, un carottage a été effectué jusqu’à 45 m de profondeur dans les dépôts quaternaires de Valle Giumentina et le premier niveau noirâtre, apparaissant à plus de 3,5 m de profondeur, a fait l’objet d’une fouille manuelle sur 1 m2. Cette fouille a livré les premières industries en contexte stratigraphique dans le cadre de ce nouveau programme de recherche. La coupe a été avivée dans la ravine jusqu’à 7 m de profondeur. La deuxième mission (22 avril – 10 juin 2013), quant à elle, avait trois objectifs majeurs, tout à fait atteints : fouiller le premier « paléosol » sur une aire significative, compléter les données chronostratigraphiques et déterminer la morphologie du bassin calcaire de Valle Giumentina et la géométrie des dépôts (fig. 1)