Excavations at Pecica ?an?ul Mare, Arad county, Romania : 2005-2010

Includes bibliographical reference

Obsidian Procurement at Pecica S ?an ?tul Mare, Romania

"Since its founding the Museum of Art and Archaeology has actively pursued archaeological field research projects and reported the results in Muse. Here we present the initial results of characterization studies on obsidian recovered during the course of the 2008 field campaign at Pecica S?ant?ul Mare, a major Middle Bronze Age tell settlement in western Romania, sponsored by the Museum of Art and Archaeology as an international collaborative project. This research reflects collaborations both in the field (among multiple museums in Romania and the United States) and in the laboratory (between the Museum of Art and Archaeology and the University of Missouri Research Reactor [MURR] Archaeometry Laboratory)."--First paragraph.Includes bibliographical reference

Social identity change in people with multiple sclerosis: a social identity approach to the role of the family in identity reconstruction

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) undergo changes to their identity and this might have an effect on mood. The subjective experience of this identity change is currently not well understood. Past research highlights that social groups, established prior to diagnosis, might protect against the harmful effects of identity change. No studies have specifically investigated this and the implications this may have for psychological interventions for mood in people with MS. This thesis first presents a systematic review of the efficacy of group based psychological interventions for low mood in people with MS compared to individual based interventions. Group based interventions were found to be more effective as treatments for depression in people with MS and this may be due to the peer support available. Previous research has highlighted that people may be more willing to accept peer support from people with whom they share a social identity. People undergo changes to identity due to MS, this thesis focuses on identity change following diagnosis. The family is seen as an important source of social support. A meta-synthesis of the role of the family in acting as a secure base for identity reconstruction was undertaken. The family may provide a secure base for identity reconstruction, as long as the coping strategies used by the person with MS and the family are aligned. Sixteen interviews were conducted with people with MS to examine changes to identity over time and what factors might have influenced this. Social support was important for incorporating the MS identity into overall sense of self. A survey study (n = 203) was then conducted to examine whether family identity may have an effect on mood through social support and connectedness to others, as hypothesized on the basis of the Social Identity Model of Identity Change. Family identity was directly negatively correlated to mood; however, it had an increased effect on mood through the mediators of social support and connectedness to others. This research in this thesis found that, if coping strategies are aligned, the family provides a secure base for identity reconstruction through social support, which can lead to self reflected appraisals in the person with MS. Identifying with the family group can have a positive effect on mood and can lead to increased interaction with other people with MS following adjustment. The implications of this research are that people do experience changes to their identity following a diagnosis of MS and that social support can help a person to incorporate this into their sense of self. The family can provide a secure base for identity reconstruction. Identifying with the family group can have a direct positive effect on a person’s mood, in line with the SIMIC. Family identity can also have an indirect effect on a person’s mood through the parallel mediators of family social support and willingness to join new social groups. Group psychological interventions have a greater effect on depression and anxiety in people with MS compared to individual interventions. People may be more willing to engage in-group interventions after an initial period of adjustment. Further research should investigate the SIMIC in people with other chronic conditions. The increased inclusion of the family in support for the person with MS could facilitate the adjustment process

Mother and father depression symptoms and child emotional difficulties: a Network model

INTRODUCTION: Enhancing understanding of depression symptom interactions between parents and associations with subsequent child emotional difficulties will inform targeted treatment of depression to prevent transmission within families. OBJECTIVES: To use a network approach to identify ‘bridge’ symptoms that reinforce mother and father depression, and whether bridge symptoms, as well as other symptoms, impact subsequent child emotional difficulties. METHODS: Symptoms were examined using two unregularized partial correlation network models. The study included 4,492 mother-father-child trios from a prospective, population-based cohort in the United Kingdom. Mother and father reports of depression symptoms were assessed when the child was twenty-one months old. Child emotional difficulties were reported by the mother at ages nine, eleven and thirteen years. RESULTS: Bridge symptoms mutually reinforcing mother and father depression symptoms were feelings of guilt and self-harm ideation, whereas anhedonia acted as a bridge from the father to the mother, but not vice-versa (fig.1, network 1). The symptom of feelings of guilt in mothers was the only bridge symptom which directly associated with child emotional difficulties. Other symptoms that directly associated with child emotional difficulties were feeling overwhelmed for fathers and anhedonia, sadness, and panic in mothers (fig.1, network 2). CONCLUSIONS: Specific symptom interactions are central to the co-occurrence of depression symptoms between parents. Of interest, only one of the bridge symptoms associated with later child emotional difficulties. In addition, specific symptom-to-child outcomes were identified, suggesting that different symptoms in mothers and fathers are central for increased vulnerability in children. DISCLOSURE: No significant relationships

Social identity change in people with multiple sclerosis: a social identity approach to the role of the family in identity reconstruction

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) undergo changes to their identity and this might have an effect on mood. The subjective experience of this identity change is currently not well understood. Past research highlights that social groups, established prior to diagnosis, might protect against the harmful effects of identity change. No studies have specifically investigated this and the implications this may have for psychological interventions for mood in people with MS. This thesis first presents a systematic review of the efficacy of group based psychological interventions for low mood in people with MS compared to individual based interventions. Group based interventions were found to be more effective as treatments for depression in people with MS and this may be due to the peer support available. Previous research has highlighted that people may be more willing to accept peer support from people with whom they share a social identity. People undergo changes to identity due to MS, this thesis focuses on identity change following diagnosis. The family is seen as an important source of social support. A meta-synthesis of the role of the family in acting as a secure base for identity reconstruction was undertaken. The family may provide a secure base for identity reconstruction, as long as the coping strategies used by the person with MS and the family are aligned. Sixteen interviews were conducted with people with MS to examine changes to identity over time and what factors might have influenced this. Social support was important for incorporating the MS identity into overall sense of self. A survey study (n = 203) was then conducted to examine whether family identity may have an effect on mood through social support and connectedness to others, as hypothesized on the basis of the Social Identity Model of Identity Change. Family identity was directly negatively correlated to mood; however, it had an increased effect on mood through the mediators of social support and connectedness to others. This research in this thesis found that, if coping strategies are aligned, the family provides a secure base for identity reconstruction through social support, which can lead to self reflected appraisals in the person with MS. Identifying with the family group can have a positive effect on mood and can lead to increased interaction with other people with MS following adjustment. The implications of this research are that people do experience changes to their identity following a diagnosis of MS and that social support can help a person to incorporate this into their sense of self. The family can provide a secure base for identity reconstruction. Identifying with the family group can have a direct positive effect on a person’s mood, in line with the SIMIC. Family identity can also have an indirect effect on a person’s mood through the parallel mediators of family social support and willingness to join new social groups. Group psychological interventions have a greater effect on depression and anxiety in people with MS compared to individual interventions. People may be more willing to engage in-group interventions after an initial period of adjustment. Further research should investigate the SIMIC in people with other chronic conditions. The increased inclusion of the family in support for the person with MS could facilitate the adjustment process

Investigating possible retinal biomarkers of head trauma in Olympic boxers using optical coherence tomography (OCT)

Purpose: Changes to retina have been reported after a number of neurodegenerative conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate retinal structures in Olympic boxers exposed to frequent head blows. Methods:Retinal imaging offers potential as a non-invasive biomarkers of neuropathology. Macula and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness was measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in UK Olympic boxers attending two mandatory eye screening programs, 18 months apart. Data from the two eye-screenings provide longitudinal data of retinal change over time. Sedentary healthy subjects (controls) without past or present history of concussion were also screened at the time of the second boxer screening to provide comparison cross-sectional data. Results: Sixteen Olympic boxers aged 20-33 years and 20 sedentary healthy controls, aged 24-45 years were recruited. Significant macula thickening was observed over time (18 months) in 75% of right and 50% of left eye sectors. For RNFL, left eye quadrants thickened. For right eye RNFL quadrants, thickening and thinning of this layer was observed. Cross-sectional results showed thinner macula sectors and RNFL quadrants in Olympic boxers compared to controls. Conclusion: Significant change to macula and RNFL densities, occurring over an 18 month interval is an unexpected finding in otherwise heathy elite sportsmen. In addition, macula and RNFL were thinner than healthy sedentary controls. OCT may prove clinically useful as a candidate retinal biomarker of neuropathological change after mild traumatic brain injury and/or repeat head blows

Blip glitches in Advanced LIGO data

Blip glitches are short noise transients present in data from ground-based gravitational-wave observatories. These glitches resemble the gravitational-wave signature of massive binary black hole mergers. Hence, the sensitivity of transient gravitational-wave searches to such high-mass systems and other potential short duration sources is degraded by the presence of blip glitches. The origin and rate of occurrence of this type of glitch have been largely unknown. In this paper we explore the population of blip glitches in Advanced LIGO during its first and second observing runs. On average, we find that Advanced LIGO data contains approximately two blip glitches per hour of data. We identify four subsets of blip glitches correlated with detector auxiliary or environmental sensor channels, however the physical causes of the majority of blips remain unclear

Comparing Tree‐Ring and Permanent Plot Estimates of Aboveground Net Primary Production in Three Eastern U.S. Forests

Forests account for a large portion of sequestered carbon, much of which is stored as wood in trees. The rate of carbon accumulation in aboveground plant material, or aboveground net primary productivity (aNPP), quantifies annual to decadal variations in forest carbon sequestration. Permanent plots are often used to estimate aNPP but are usually not annually resolved and take many years to develop a long data set. Tree rings are a unique and infrequently used source for measuring aNPP, and benefit from fine spatial (individual trees) and temporal (annual) resolution. Because of this precision, tree rings are complementary to permanent plots and the suite of tools used to study forest productivity. Here we evaluate whether annual estimates of aNPP developed from tree rings approximate estimates derived from colocated permanent plots. We studied a lowland evergreen (Howland, Maine), mixed deciduous (Harvard Forest, Massachusetts), and mixed mesophytic (Fernow, West Virginia) forest in the eastern United States. Permanent plots at the sites cover an area of 2–3 ha, and we use these areas as benchmarks indicative of the forest stand. We simulate random draws of permanent plot subsets to describe the distribution of aNPP estimates given a sampling area size equivalent to the tree-ring plots. Though mean tree-ring aNPP underestimates permanent plot aNPP slightly at Howland and Fernow and overestimates at Harvard Forest when compared with the entire permanent plot, it is within the 95% confidence interval of the random draws of equal-sized sampling area at all sites. To investigate whether tree-ring aNPP can be upscaled to the stand, we conducted a second random draw of permanent plot subsets simulating a twofold increase in sampling area. aNPP estimates from this distribution were not significantly different from results of the initial sampling area, though variance decreased as sampling area approaches stand area. Despite several concerns to consider when using tree rings to reconstruct aNPP (e.g., upscaling, allometric, and sampling uncertainties), the benefits are apparent, and we call for the continued application of tree rings in carbon cycle studies across a broader range of species diversity, productivity, and disturbance histories to fully develop this potential