Simple bucket flotation and wet-sieving in the wet tropics

Flotation and wet-sieving are simple techniques for recovering plant remains, animal bones, shells, small artefacts etc from archaeological deposits. Many different methods and machines have been designed to facilitate flotation and wet-sieving (see Pearsall 2000 for the best review of the subject). The author has successfully used the following method in numerous archaeological projects across the world, including Papua New Guinea. I do not claim to have invented this method. It is an amalgam of ideas and techniques derived both from methods taught to me by a variety of people, such as Gordon Hillman, John Giorgi and Mark Nesbitt, and my own experimentation. The method is simple, requiring either equipment available in even the most remote locations or that which is light and easy to carry, but is very effective, even in the, sometimes difficult, conditions seen in the tropical regions. In fact, the close control over the flotation process that this method affords is perfectly suited to the many archaeological deposits found in the area containing plant remains that do not float! The example used to illustrate the method is that of excavations at Lachitu Cave and Taora Rockshelter, Fichin Village, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea, undertaken in May and June 2004. I end this introduction with a cautionary note: no single method is suitable for every site and soil the archaeologist encounters; experimentation, practice and persistence, with reference to key principles, are the keys to success. Bearing this in mind, this guide should be seen as a starting point for experimenting with suitable techniques for your site

Rugby, School Boys and Masculinities: In an American School in Taiwan.

Gender research throughout the last two decades has positioned sport as one of the central sites in the social production of masculinities. In particular, body contact, confrontational sports have been identified as central to the reproduction of a dominant but problematic form of masculinity, typically known as hegemonic masculinity. Whether it is through participation, opposition, resistance, complicity or media consumption, contact sports have been identified as constructing individual understandings of masculinity as well as contributing to the continued marginalization and subordination of other types of masculinities. Researchers working within schools have also linked rugby to similarly negative understandings of masculinities. The majority of these school based studies have been conducted in countries where contact sports are traditionally respected or in schools where rugby is tied to traditional and institutionalized understandings of masculinity. As yet little attention has been paid to boys who play rugby in countries or schools where rugby is not tied to traditional and institutionalized understandings of masculinity. As a New Zealand teacher working in an American school, in Taiwan, I set out to examine the rugby experiences of high school boys and to investigate the influence that rugby has on their understanding of masculinities. My study employed in-depth interviews with seven boys. Cognizant of the fact that the majority of gender based sport research has utilised Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity, I adopted a 'Foucauldian method' to analyse the data. In doing so it was my intention to contribute to the field of sport and gender studies by utilising an alternative perspective instead of creating repetitive and redundant research which could lead to some problems being explored exhaustively. My main findings revealed a number of dominant discourses surrounding and constituting rugby within the American School of Taiwan. These included discourses of rugby as a masculine sport, as a foreign/western sport, and as a low status sport. Drawing upon these discourses I examined how the participants' gendered subjectivities were influenced by their rugby participation. The results revealed that within the general context of the school, rugby players were generally regarded as low status male athletes. However, within the western cultural group of students, rugby players were regarded as high status male athletes. This study contributes to gender and sport studies by suggesting that contact sports such as rugby need not always contribute to structured and hierarchical understandings of masculinities

The animate house, the institutionalization of the household in Neolithic central Anatolia

This paper explores the effectiveness of a domestic mode of production model in explaining the development of Neolithic households in South-west Asia, using evidence from the site of Boncuklu in central Anatolia. We present evidence that Boncuklu households were institutionalized through repetitive practice, highly structured and symbolically charged domestic activity, ritual and symbolism stressing the animate and transcendental nature of the house, relating to continuity and idiosyncratic identity display. The Boncuklu evidence also suggests supra-household groups, possibly bound together by certain landscape exploitation activities, were reinforced by their own distinctive ritual practices and symbolism in parallel with and probably in a certain tension with the cohesive tendencies of individual households, even in the absence of evidence of monumental non-domestic communal structures seen at some Neolithic sites. This suggests the domestic mode of production model does not apply well to Neolithic South-west Asia, certainly for long time periods and in certain regions

Combining a high DHA multi-nutrient supplement with aerobic exercise: protocol for a randomised controlled study assessing mobility and cognitive function in older women.

There is a complex interplay between cognition and gait in older people, with declines in gait speed coexisting with, or preceding cognitive decline. Omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin E, phosphatidylserine, and Ginkgo Biloba show promise in preserving mobility and cognitive function in older adults. Exercise benefits mobility and there is evidence suggesting positive interactions between exercise and omega-3 fatty acids on physical and cognitive function in older adults. Non-frail or pre-frail females aged ≥60 years are included in a randomized placebo controlled study. Intervention groups are: high DHA multi-nutrient supplement and exercise, placebo supplement and exercise, high DHA multi-nutrient supplement, and placebo supplement. Dietary supplementation is 24 weeks. The exercise intervention, two cycle ergometer classes per week, is for the final 12 weeks. The primary outcome is habitual walking speed, secondary outcomes include gait variables under single and dual task, five times sit to stand, verbal and spatial memory, executive function, interference control and health related quality of life. Blood fatty acids, serum homocysteine, dietary intake, physical activity, and verbal intelligence are measured to assess compliance and control for confounding factors. The study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03228550)

Effects of a high DHA multi-nutrient supplement and exercise on mobility and cognition in older women (MOBILE): A randomized semi-blinded placebo controlled study

© 2020, The Author(s). This is an author produced version of a paper accepted for publication in the BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it

Re-assessing the infection strategies of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema feltiae (Rhabditidae; Steinernematidae)

Previous studies have indicated that between 60 and 80% of a population of entomopathogenic nematodes do not infect their insect hosts at any one period in time. Two hypotheses explain this behaviour: the first that there is a subpopulation of non-infectious nematodes and the second that the non-infectious group is created by inhibitory cues derived from infected insects. Through an experimental approach with the Galleria mellonella-Steinernema feltiae system we show that both mechanisms operate together. When conditions for infection were optimized, the sum of individual infection behaviours was similar to the number infecting as a population, implying observed infection rates are driven by intrinsic mechanisms. In addition, there was evidence that an infected host released a chemical cue into the environment which inhibited subsequent levels of infection. This degree of inhibition was independent of the number of infecting nematodes. Both these mechanisms are dynamic, so the observed proportion of infectious nematodes depended heavily on the time of exposure. The implications of these findings for both the design of laboratory trials and the use of entomopathogenic nematodes in biological control are discussed

Evaluating the efficacy of entomopathogenic nematodes for the biological control of crop pests: A nonequilibrium approach

The efficacy of entomopathogenic nematodes for biological control is assessed using deterministic models. Typically, the examination of such models involves stability analyses to determine the long‐term persistence of control. However, in agricultural systems, control is often needed within a single season. Hence, the transient dynamics of the systems were assessed under specific, short‐term control scenarios using stage‐structured models. Analyses suggest that preemptive application may be the optimum strategy if nematode mortality rates are low; applying before pest invasion can result in greater control than applying afterward. In addition, repeated applications will suppress a pest, providing the application rate exceeds a threshold. However, the period between applications affects control success, so the economic injury level of the crop and the life history of the pest should be evaluated before deciding the strategy. In all scenarios, the most important parameter influencing control is the transmission rate. These findings are applicable to more traditional biological control agents (e.g., microparasites and parasitoids), and we recommend the approach adopted here when considering their practical use. It is concluded that it is essential to consider the specific crop and pest characteristics and the definition of control success before selecting the appropriate control strategy

Early Lapita subsistence: the evidence from Kamgot, Anir Islands, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea

Over several decades there has been much discussion regarding the nature of Early Lapita subsistence, and in particular whether domesticated animals and horticulture were central components or whether initial Lapita subsistence strategies relied primarily upon marine resources. Here, we assess the evidence for subsistence during the earlier phases of occupation at Kamgot, Anir Islands, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, particularly through the lens of terrestrial versus marine components

A Holocene sequence from Walufeni Cave, Southern Highlands Province, and its implications for the settlement of the Great Papuan Plateau, Papua New Guinea

This paper presents preliminary results from the 2019 excavations at Walufeni Cave, at the eastern end of the Great Papuan Plateau (GPP) in western Papua New Guinea. Preliminary dating and analysis of the unfinished excavations at Walufeni Cave span the Holocene and probably continue into the Late Pleistocene, confirming the presence of people on the Plateau from at least the Early Holocene and potentially much earlier. The data presented here offer a site-specific model of early intensive site use from at least 10,000 years ago, then ephemeral use, followed by a sustained Late Holocene occupation. Although there are significant changes in the quantity of material discard over time, there is little evidence for significant change in the subsistence base or technology, reflecting a degree of relative homogeneity until the Late Holocene, when we see the introduction of pig, a change of focus in the plant economy and the presence of marine shell from the southern coast

Woodland modification in Bronze and Iron Age central Anatolia: an anthracological signature for the Hittite state?

The Bronze and Iron Ages of central Anatolia encompass a period of significant social and political change. In contrast to the well-documented changes in the social landscape, the environmental landscape for the region at this time is poorly understood. The limited temporal and spatial coverage from environmental records means it is difficult to understand the finer details of environmental change, especially in relation to the archaeology of specific sites. This paper offers a complete and continuous diachronic wood charcoal assemblage for the Middle Bronze Age to Late Iron Age from Kaman-Kalehöyük in central Anatolia. Results show a significant decline in taxa richness from the Middle Bronze Age to the Late Iron Age, particularly during the Hittite Empire period. The decline in richness is followed by a dramatic increase in pine use from the beginning of the Iron Age. The timing and exploitation of key taxa in the Kaman-Kalehöyük assemblage do not match that indicated in the regional pollen data but rather show a clear local signature chronologically matched to the Hittite Empire