Animating archaeology: local theories and conceptually open-ended methodologies

Animists’ theories of matter must be given equivalence at the level of theory if we are to understand adequately the nature of ontological difference in the past. The current model is of a natural ontological continuum that connects all cultures, grounding our culturally relativist worldviews in a common world. Indigenous peoples’ worlds are thought of as fascinating but ultimately mistaken ways of knowing the world. We demonstrate how ontologically oriented theorists Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, Karen Barad and Tim Ingold in conjuncture with an anti-representationalist methodology can provide the necessary conditions for alternative ontologies to emerge in archaeology. Anthropo-zoomorphic ‘body-pots’ from first-millennium ad northwest Argentina anticipate the possibility that matter was conceptualized as chronically unstable, inherently undifferentiated, and ultimately practice dependent

The influence of gender on the primary care management of diabetes in Tunisia

Background: Gender differences in access to high quality care for chronic illnesses have been suggested yet little work in this potentially vital area of health care inequality has been undertaken in Africa. We explored the influence of patient gender on the care of people with diabetes within a multi-method, national study of diabetes management in primary care in Tunisia. Methods:Methodologies used were quantitative (nationwide randomized study of 2160 medical records) and qualitative (participant observation, focus groups and interviews of patients and health care professionals) Results:Differences in patient characteristics, treatments prescribed, process and outcome data and access to care variables were demonstrated. The most striking disparity found was the high female to male ratio of patients attending for diabetes care (61.1%). A number of possible explanations for this emerged: Men were thought to under-attend for practical, financial and behavioural reasons whereas women were thought to have increased morbidity and potentially over-attend for social and psychological reasons. Conclusion:We have demonstrated a number of disparities in the care of men and women with diabetes in Tunisian primary care. In particular, a dual but related problem emerges from the data: more women than men attend for diabetes care and yet women do not get the same level of risk factor control as men. A number of local explanations for these disparities have emerged, which inform our analysis of the impact of gendered beliefs on diabetes care. Strategies to address these disparities will require a careful consideration of local beliefs and practices

Faience Goddesses and Ivory Bull-Leapers: The Aesthetics of Sexual Difference at Late Bronze Age Knossos

In the figurative art of Late Bronze Age Knossos one recognizes a singular form to the human body which cuts across all other distinctions. Contrary to popular and academic interpretations, sexed differences are not marked in a clearly binary fashion. Drawing on this observation, the current paper analyses the relationship between two sets of figurines from the Bronze Age Palace site of Knossos: the faience figurines from the \u27Temple Repositories\u27 and the ivory bull-leaper figurines from the \u27Domestic Quarter\u27. The interpretation of these figurines elucidates: a) how the appearance of sexual characteristics is context specific and not a general feature of the imagery; and b) the differing aesthetic responses motivated by and surrounding these two sets of artefacts and hence the social contexts in which representations of sexed differences were mobilized

Archaeology of the body in the modern world

Con el propósito de responder qué puede aportar una arqueología del cuerpo en la modernidad, necesitamos efectuar un breve recorrido por la historia de la arqueología del cuerpo como campo de estudio. Esta historia puede explicar, al menos, dos rasgos particulares sobre el estudio de los cuerpos modernos en arqueología: su relativa ausencia, y la relación entre teoría del cuerpo y modernidad. La propia noción de mundo moderno puede producir una confusión entre modelo y realidad. De este modo, la imagen que tenemos del cuerpo moderno puede sugerir una falsa homogeneidad de los cuerpos en la modernidad. Tal como señalamos posteriormente, las motivaciones para el desarrollo de una arqueología del cuerpo fueron modernas, incluyendo el impacto del feminismo, los estudios sobre la sexualidad, la teoría queer, los abordajes bioarqueológicos, la demografía, entre otros. No obstante, las mismas críticas que produjeron aproximaciones novedosas y enriquecedoras sobre el pasado distante no tuvieron el mismo impacto sobre el estudio de los cuerpos modernos. La mayor parte de los trabajos sobre el cuerpo en arqueología, así como el ímpetu original del enfoque, centraron su atención en la prehistoria y la antigüedad. Mientras tanto, en el contexto de la arqueología del mundo moderno, el cuerpo implicó una presencia frecuentemente ausente. Sin lugar a dudas, esto resulta especialmente claro cuando se compara la atención que la arqueología histórica (sensu Orser, 1996) ha prestado a otros temas de investigación.Fil: Salerno, Melisa Anabella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Historia y Ciencias Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Alberti, Benjamin. Framingham State University; Estados Unido

Dwelling empty spaces. Bodies, landscapes and ontologies in the early peopling of central Argentina

Los modelos de poblamiento inicial de territorios desconocidos implícitamente ponen en juego ontologías del cuerpo y del espacio o la naturaleza, con dos ideas fuertes: la de espacios vacíos de humanos y la de un medio desconocido, una "terra ignota". Se trata siempre de un encuentro entre grupos humanos y un espacio a descubrir, a experienciar, y en cuyo recorrido las poblaciones van relacionándose activamente con materialidades particulares y construyendo sus paisajes. Nuevas indagaciones nos llevan a cuestionar esta visión y la de una arqueología del paisaje que no considere la particularidad ontológica de la idea de cuerpo. Nos remitimos a un caso de estudio en San Luis, Argentina, y veremos qué sucede cuando el mismo es visto desde una ontología particular situada -en este caso el perspectivismo sudamericano. Entendemos que poblar "terra ignota" desde un cuerpo y una ontología perspectivista no es crear paisajes, sino habitar un espacio de interrelaciones que, si bien se va definiendo y manteniendo activa y constantemente a través de relaciones, prácticas y experiencias entre sujetos, humanos y no humanos, en definitiva es un mundo de interrelaciones pre-constituidas, a partir de la propia ontología de los sujetos en cuestión.Models of initial peopling of unknown territories implicitly bring into play ontologies of the body and of space or nature, with two strong ideas: that of empty spaces of humans and of an unknown milieu, a “terra ignota”. It is always about an encounter between human groups and a space to be discovered, to be experienced. In that path people actively interact with particular materials while building their landscapes. New inquiries lead us to question this vision and that of a landscape archaeology that does not consider the ontological particularity of the idea of the body. We refer to a case study in San Luis, Argentina, and we will see what happens when the same is seen from a particular situated ontology – South American perspectivism. We understand that peopling ‘terra ignota’ from a perspectivist body and ontology is not to create landscapes but to dwell a space of interrelations that, although defined as well as actively and constantly maintained through relations, practices and experiences between human and non-human subjects; ultimately it is a world of pre-constituted interrelations, based on the own ontology of the subjects in question.Fil: Laguens, Andres Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Alberti, Benjamin. Framingham State University; Estados Unido

Improving Ambulance Compartment Insulation, Energy and Lighting Design

The goal of this project is to improve the ambulance compartment design in the areas of insulation, lighting and energy efficiency while abiding by the standards specified by the Federal specifications.Modern ambulances implement light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are known to be power efficient.However, Hybrid lighting systems (LED-Incandescent) are suggested in order to reduce overall power consumption while maintaining the light quality that is necessary for optimal EMT working performance. The outcome of this research in regards to efficient insulation material suggests that implementing closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation greatly improves sound attenuation and energy efficiency

On quantum coding for ensembles of mixed states

We consider the problem of optimal asymptotically faithful compression for ensembles of mixed quantum states. Although the optimal rate is unknown, we prove upper and lower bounds and describe a series of illustrative examples of compression of mixed states. We also discuss a classical analogue of the problem.Comment: 23 pages, LaTe

Investigation of spaceborne trace gas products over St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, Russia, by using COllaborative Column Carbon Observing Network (COCCON) observations

This work employs ground- and space-based observations, together with model data, to study columnar abundances of atmospheric trace gases (XH$_2$O, XCO$_2$, XCH$_4$ and XCO) in two high-latitude Russian cities, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Two portable COllaborative Column Carbon Observing Network (COCCON) spectrometers were used for continuous measurements at these locations during 2019 and 2020. Additionally, a subset of data of special interest (a strong gradient in XCH4 and XCO was detected) collected in the framework of a mobile city campaign performed in 2019 using both instruments is investigated. All studied satellite products (TROPOMI, OCO-2, GOSAT, MUSICA IASI) show generally good agreement with COCCON observations. Satellite and ground-based observations at high latitudes are much sparser than at low or mid latitudes, which makes direct coincident comparisons between remote-sensing observations more difficult. Therefore, a method of scaling continuous Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) model data to the ground-based observations is developed and used for creating virtual COCCON observations. These adjusted CAMS data are then used for satellite validation, showing good agreement in both Peterhof and Yekaterinburg. The gradients between the two study sites (ΔXgas) are similar between CAMS and CAMS-COCCON datasets, indicating that the model gradients are in agreement with the gradients observed by COCCON. This is further supported by a few simultaneous COCCON and satellite ΔXgas measurements, which also agree with the model gradient. With respect to the city campaign observations recorded in St Petersburg, the downwind COCCON station measured obvious enhancements for both XCH$_4$ (10.6 ppb) and XCO (9.5 ppb), which is nicely reflected by TROPOMI observations, which detect city-scale gradients of the order 9.4 ppb for XCH$_4$ and 12.5 ppb for XCO

Occupational differences, cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle habits in South Eastern rural Australia

BACKGROUND: In rural and remote Australia, cardiovascular mortality and morbidity rates are higher than metropolitan rates.This study analysed cardiovascular and other chronic disease risk factors and related health behaviours by occupational status, to determine whether agricultural workers have higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk than other rural workers. METHODS: Cross-sectional surveys in three rural regions of South Eastern Australia (2004-2006). A stratified random sample of 1001 men and women aged 25-74 from electoral rolls were categorised by occupation into agricultural workers (men = 214, women = 79), technicians (men = 123), managers (men = 148, women = 272) and 'home duties' (women = 165). Data were collected from self-administered questionnaire, physical measurements and laboratory tests. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk were assessed by Framingham 5 years risk calculation. RESULTS: Amongst men, agricultural workers had higher occupational physical activity levels, healthier more traditional diet, lower alcohol consumption, lower fasting plasma glucose, the lowest proportion of daily smokers and lower age-adjusted 5 year CVD and CHD risk scores.Amongst women, managers were younger with higher HDL cholesterol, lower systolic blood pressure, less hypertension, lower waist circumference, less self-reported diabetes and better 5 year CVD and CHD risk scores.Agricultural workers did not have higher cardiovascular disease risk than other occupational groups. CONCLUSIONS: Previous studies have suggested that farmers have higher risks of cardiovascular disease but this is because the risk has been compared with non-rural populations. In this study, the comparison has been made with other rural occupations. Cardiovascular risk reduction programs are justified for all. Programs tailored only for agricultural workers are unwarranted