The origins and spread of stock-keeping: the role of cultural and environmental influences on early Neolithic animal exploitation in Europe

It has long been recognised that the proportions of Neolithic domestic animal species—cattle, pig and sheep/goat—vary from region to region, but it has hitherto been unclear how much this variability is related to cultural practices or to environmental constraints. This study uses hundreds of faunal assemblages from across Neolithic Europe to reveal the distribution of animal use between north and south, east and west. The remarkable results present us with a geography of Neolithic animal society—from the rabbit-loving Mediterranean to the beef-eaters of the north and west. They also demonstrate that the choices made by early Neolithic herders were largely determined by their environments. Cultural links appear to have played only a minor role in the species composition of early Neolithic animal societie

The mother of all sudden stops: capital flows and reversals in Europe, 1919-32

New data documenting European bond issues in major financial centres from 1919 to 1932 show that conditions in international capital markets and not just in borrowing countries are important for explaining the surge and reversal in capital flows. In particular, the sharp increase in stock market volatility in the major financial centres at the end of the 1920s figured importantly in the decline in foreign lending. This article draws parallels with Europe after 200

Особенности протекания процесса выброса угля и метана в забое выработки при различных способах ее проведения

Виконано чисельне моделювання процесу викиду вугілля та метану у вибої одиночної гірничої виробки, для випадків, коли вона проводиться комбайновим та буропідривним способом по викидонебезпечному пласту. Проаналізовано зміну розподілів коефіцієнтів проникності поперед вибоєм, значень тиску та швидкості руху газу.Numerical modeling of process of coal and methane outburst in a working face of single opening, what is driving by cutter-loading or drill and fire system on the seam dangerous on coal and gas outbursts, is executed. Change of distribution of permeability coefficient ahead of a face, pressure values and speed of gas motion is analysed

The Lunacy Commission.

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Biogenic gas nanostructures as ultrasonic molecular reporters

Ultrasound is among the most widely used non-invasive imaging modalities in biomedicine, but plays a surprisingly small role in molecular imaging due to a lack of suitable molecular reporters on the nanoscale. Here, we introduce a new class of reporters for ultrasound based on genetically encoded gas nanostructures from microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Gas vesicles are gas-filled protein-shelled compartments with typical widths of 45–250 nm and lengths of 100–600 nm that exclude water and are permeable to gas. We show that gas vesicles produce stable ultrasound contrast that is readily detected in vitro and in vivo, that their genetically encoded physical properties enable multiple modes of imaging, and that contrast enhancement through aggregation permits their use as molecular biosensors

Incidence, healthcare-seeking behaviours, antibiotic use and natural history of common infection syndromes in England:results from the Bug Watch community cohort study

Background: Better information on the typical course and management of acute common infections in the community could inform antibiotic stewardship campaigns. We aimed to investigate the incidence, management, and natural history of a range of infection syndromes (respiratory, gastrointestinal, mouth/dental, skin/soft tissue, urinary tract, and eye). Methods: Bug Watch was an online prospective community cohort study of the general population in England (2018–2019) with weekly symptom reporting for 6 months. We combined symptom reports into infection syndromes, calculated incidence rates, described the proportion leading to healthcare-seeking behaviours and antibiotic use, and estimated duration and severity. Results: The cohort comprised 873 individuals with 23,111 person-weeks follow-up. The mean age was 54 years and 528 (60%) were female. We identified 1422 infection syndromes, comprising 40,590 symptom reports. The incidence of respiratory tract infection syndromes was two per person year; for all other categories it was less than one. 194/1422 (14%) syndromes led to GP (or dentist) consultation and 136/1422 (10%) to antibiotic use. Symptoms usually resolved within a week and the third day was the most severe. Conclusions: Most people reported managing their symptoms without medical consultation. Interventions encouraging safe self-management across a range of acute infection syndromes could decrease pressure on primary healthcare services and support targets for reducing antibiotic prescribing

The Catalhoyuk obsidian industry: A study of technology, typology and context.

This thesis presents an analysis of a body of knapped-stone from Çatalhoyuk, the largest known Neolithic site both in Turkey and the Near East. The study contributes to an increasing trend in lithic studies towards more contextual analyses, in which the wider social framework of knapped-stone production, use and deposition is a focus of discussion. The first chapter of the thesis outlines the archaeological background of Çatalhöyük and the Anatolian Neolithic. This is followed by an extended theoretical discussion, where it is argued that social and symbolic factors play a fundamental role in shaping technological behaviour. The introductory chapters finish with a review of conventional methods used for knapped-stone analyses in the Near East, and an outline of the methodology used in this thesis. The central chapters of this thesis present a comprehensive account of the technological characteristics of the Çatalhöyük knapped-stone assemblage, focusing on techniques of production and the typology and technology of retouched tools. This is assisted by attribute analysis and multivariate statistical methods. The results of this analysis show that several different methods and techniques were used for core reduction and tool production at Çatalhöyük. Later chapters examine the temporal and spatial patterning of the assemblage, and its wider regional relationships within the Neolithic of Anatolia. The results of this show that, in addition to some changes in tool typology, Çatalhöyük underwent a significant technological transformation from a flake based to a blade based industry. The observations made here are an important contribution to our understanding of the archaeology both of Çatalhöyük and the Anatolian Neolithic. In the final part of the thesis, patterning between knapped-stone and domestic structural features is discussed, the depositional context of obsidian and flint artefacts is examined, and the symbolic importance of some obsidian and flint objects such as projectile points, cores and prismatic blades are considered in detail. Several significant patterns are identified, largely relating to the differential use of space within, and between, individual buildings. Finally, in the concluding chapter, the technological and typological characteristics of the knapped-stone are discussed in relation to their temporal, spatial and contextual organisation. This leads to a broader discussion of the socio-economic context of knapped-stone production, technical change, and its symbolic meaning