Two decades of progress towards understanding fossilization processes and isotopic signals in calcified tissue minerals

Techniques for dietary and palaeoclimate reconstruction based on stable isotope ratios in the mineral phase of calcified tissues show great promise, but their pathways of development have not been smooth. Two separate trajectories, based on the phosphate and carbonate compartments respectively, have been pursued,usually by different protagonists. There are parallels in the development of these two ‘fields’, however. A fundamental commonality lies in the constraints imposed by the nature of calcified tissue minerals and by diagenesis, although realization of their significance has perhaps been slower amongst phosphate practitioners. In this paper I show how incomplete understanding of the nature of biological apatites, coupled with our often limited understanding of natural variability in carbon and oxygen isotopes in animals, has impeded progress in both areas. Nevertheless, enormous strides have been taken over the past two or so decades. Some of the important milestones in the development of these two techniques are chronicled. With emerging understanding of oxygen isotope variation in mammalian biological apatites and their consequences for behavioural and palaeoclimate interpretations, the two fields are drawing closer together.     

The Sahara in northern Mali: man and his environment between 10,000 and 3500 years bp. (Preliminary results)

This article sets forth the preliminary results of reconnaissance in a totally desertic part of the Malian Sahara, located between 19°30 N. to 22° N. and 0° to 6° W. Pleistocene sites with Acheulian and Aterian materials and Holocene sites are abundant and very rich. The latter, dating from 10,000 to 3500 bp, are correlated with two lacustrine periods and are associated with Sahelian floras and faunas. Burials have given well-preserved human remains. The economy included fishing, hunting and the collection of grass seeds. Certain sites raise the question of the chronological relationship between the Epipalaeolithic and the Neolithic.

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Résumé Cet article présente les résultats préliminaires de la prospection d'une zone totalement désertique du Sahara malien, située entre 19°30 à 22° N. et 0° à 6° W. Les sites préhistoriques pléistocènes (acheuléens, atériens) et holocènes y sont très nombreux et très riches. Les plus récents (10,000 à 3500 bp), qui correspondent à deux périodes lacustres, sont associés à des faunes et des flores sahéliennes. Des sépultures ont livré des restes humains bien conservés; ces populations vivaient de la pêche, de la chasse et de la cueillette des graminées. Certains sites posent nettement le problème des relations chronologiques entre l'épipaléolithique et le néolithique.

     

Investigation of the temporal change of the sources of Aeolian dust delivered to East Asia using electron spin resonance signals in quartz

The temporal change in the number of oxygen vacancies in quartz was investigated by ob-serving the E1’ center in the atmospheric depositions collected at two cities in Japan in the recent past. The depositions collected at Fukuoka in March show the ESR intensities being correlated with the sum of the number of the days, in the month, on which Kosa was observed while no such correlation was found in the deposition those collected at Akita but a trend of decrease with time. The present results suggest that the number of oxygen vacancies in quartz might be useful to estimate quantitatively the contribution of the dust originated from China to the atmospheric deposition in Japan.     

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating investigations of rock and underlying soil from three case studies

Three rock samples and associated underlying surface (floor) soils of geoarchaeological significance from Greece, Sweden and a modern surface stone-sample from a Danish site were investigated using OSL dating. Thin slice, sub-samples, from drilled core surfaces were prepared. A single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol was used on whole rock slices to estimate the laboratory equivalent dose. Laboratory tests showed that the SAR protocol successfully corrected for sensitivity changes and that a known laboratory dose could be measured accurately.     

Characteristics of ESR signals and TLCLs of quartz included in various source rocks and sediments in Japan: A clue to sediment provenance

The variation of electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensities and thermoluminescence colour images (TLCIs) of quartz was investigated in the present study for various rocks and sediments in Japan, to discuss the possibilities of identifying the sediment provenance. The ESR signal intensity of the E₁’ centre in the same grain size in granitic quartz varies from sample to sample, except for that in Quaternary samples of volcanic sediment, which is very low, close to the noise level. It was found that the diagram, ESR intensities of Al versus Ti-Li centre signal intensities, distinguish volcanic from the same grain size in granitic quartz as well as distinguish individual tephra from another. The TLCIs from volcanic quartz and some granitic quartz samples is almost red and that from the rest of granitic and metamudstone quartz is blue as results of TLCIs although the emission intensities are different. Our results suggest that examining the multiple-centre signal intensities of ESR and the TLCIs are effective to identify the source of quartz and to estimate the sediment provenance.     

Roots and routes of Russian neurosurgery (from surgical neurology towards neurological surgery)

Regular and purposeful neurosurgical interventions started at the end of the nineteenth century. Both surgical and neurological roots of the emerging speciality could be traced. The surgical roots of neurosurgery were the invention of anaesthesia, aseptics and antiseptics which made brain operations relatively safe and markedly reduced postoperative mortality. The neurological roots were the improvement of topical diagnosis in neurology and the understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. The first operating room at the neurology department of the Russian Military Medical Academy was established in 1897 by the famous Russian neurologist and psychiatrist Vladimir Bekhterev (1857-1927). According to Bekhterev, neurology should become a surgical speciality like gynaecology or opthalmology and "neurologists will take a knife in their hands and do what they should do". Bekhterev's pupil Ludwig Puusepp (1875-1942) became the first full-time Russian neurosurgeon ("surgical neurologist"). He headed the first university course in surgical neurology in the world organised in 1909 at Bekhterev's Psychoneurological Institutte in St. Petersburg and bacame professor of surgical neurology in 1910. The role of neurologist might be illustrated by the development of a sterotactic instrument named "encephalometer" designed by D. Zernov in 1889 and improved by G. Rossolimo in 1907. The idea was to map cerebral structures in degrees of latitude and longitude similar to mapping the terrestrial globe in order to localise the brain lesion and enhance its minimally invasive removal....     

江苏泰州宋代涵洞发掘简报

江苏泰州城历史悠久,有"汉唐古郡,淮海名区"之称,但是唐宋时期的城市布局不明。2006年8月,泰州市博物馆对泰州城宋代涵洞进行了考古发掘,发现不同时期灰坑、墓葬,出土了一批汉、五代、宋、明时期的陶瓷器、擂球。此次发掘不仅解决了不同时期涵洞和城墙的建筑年代问题,而且为研究宋代泰州的城市规模和布局、研究古代城墙配套设施提供了新的资料。     

Construction of a quartz OSL standardised growth curve (SGC) for aeolian samples from the Horqin dunefield in northeastern China

It has been suggested that the standardised growth curve (SGC) method can be used to de-terminate D_e accurately and reduce the measurement time. However, different opinions regarding the applicability of the SGC method exist. In this paper, we report the construction of quartz OSL SGC for 35 aeolian samples from different parts of the Horqin dunefield in northeastern China, and then test their applicability for D_e determination. Our results suggest that: 1) up to a regeneration dose of 80 Gy, the SGC of the Horqin dunefield can be fitted using the exponential plus linear equation, with the r² value of 0.97, and all the regeneration dose points closely stick to the fitting line, implying that all samples share a very similar dose-response curve; 2) for samples with Des ranging from 1 to 50 Gy, the ratios of SAR D_e to SGC D_e fall within the range of 0.9–1.1, and the average ratio of SAR D_e to SGC D_e is 1.01±0.01, close to unity. Therefore, the construction of SGC is correct, and the SGC is an effective procedure for accurate D_e determination for samples from the study area.     

试析美国对俄国革命的反应(1905-1920)

在1905年和1917年俄国革命期间,美国的态度曾发生过极大的变化.对1905年革命,美国先是表示欢迎与支持,后又希望俄政府给予强力镇压;1917年,美国先是支持二月革命并立即承认了临时政府,后却对十月革命表现出了极度的反感与敌视.本文在对这一历史现象进行深入分析的基础上指出:美国的俄国观、使命观及其革命观是导致它在此问题上立场变化的重要原因.19世纪80年代以来,美国便将俄国看做是一个与文明世界相对立的野蛮的、残暴的国家,一直期望着按照自己的模式塑造一个新的"自由的俄国",然而俄国的历史有其自身的发展规律,塑造一个美国式的俄国,仅仅是美国人关于俄国的一厢情愿的设想.     

西周金文“白金”初探

1.引言 西周金文中有"白金"一词,指一种白色金属材料,但具体指何种金属材料尚待深入探究.<说文>将"银"、"鋈"和"镣"都解释为"白金也"."镣"的含义不明,可另作讨论.张子高认为在当时知识范围内只有银、锡两种白色金属,铅的颜色较暗,不入白金之列,结合考古证据,"鋈"其实是在青铜器上镀锡的工艺,释"鋈"之"白金"指锡[1].     

东北地区古代火炕初探

本文通过整理考古发现的火炕遗迹,并与文献相结合来探讨火炕形制的演变、建筑材料的变化、功用以及起源等几个问题,阐明作为北方古代居民御寒的主要取暖设施--火炕的演变规律.     

汉代墓葬出土鸱枭俑(壶)浅析

最近笔者在对河南汉代中小型墓葬进行梳理的过程中发现在新乡地区的西汉早中期墓葬中出土一种特殊的随葬品——鸱枭俑,该类随葬     

The Environmental History of Tigray (Northern Ethiopia) in the Middle and Late Holocene: A Preliminary Outline

This paper outlines the environmental history of the Tigrean Plateau (northern Ethiopia) during the Holocene, based on the available geomorphological, palynological, archaeological, and historical evidence. At present, it seems that (1) the plateau experienced a more humid climate with a denser vegetation cover during the Early Holocene; (2) Soil erosion due to clearing vegetation began in the Middle Holocene; (3) agricultural activity was intensified in the Late Holocene, as a consequence of the rise of a state; (4) demographic pressure increased from the early first millennium BC to the mid–first millennium AD, causing soil erosion; (5) environmental degradation and demographic decline occurred in the late first millennium AD; (6) the vegetation cover was regenerated in the early second millennium AD; and (7) progressive vegetation clearance started again in the second half of the second millennium AD.Cet article trace l'histoire ambiante du Plateau Tigréen dans l'Holocène en utilisant les données géomorphologiques, palynologiques, archéologiques et historiques. Il semble que (1) dans l'Holocène ancien le plateau était caractérisé par une phase humide avec une dense végétation; (2) l'érosion causée par l'abbattage de la végétation commen¸a dans l'Holocène moyen; (3) l'activité agricole s'inténsifia à la fin de l'Holocène, par conséquence de l'essor d'un état; (4) la pression démographique augmenta de plus en plus du début du premier millénaire av. J.-Ch. à la moitié du premier millénaire ap. J.-Ch.; (5) la dégradation ambiante et la diminution démographique se vérifièrent à la fin du premier millénaire ap. J.-Ch.; (6) une régéneration de la vegetation se vérifia au début du seconde millénaire ap. J.-Ch.; et (7) l'abbatage de la végétation recommen¸a dans la seconde moitié du seconde millénaire ap. J.-Ch.     

ESR dose response of Al center measured in quartz samples from the Yellow River (China): Implications for the dating of Upper Pleistocene sediment

The ESR dating method requires to describe the evolution of the ESR signal intensities vs. increasing gamma doses, then to extrapolate the equivalent dose of radiation received by the sample since its deposition using mathematical fitting. The function classically used to describe the growth curves of ESR aluminium signal in quartz was recently discussed and challenged for Lower Pleistocene sediments. In the present work, some alluvial sediments sampled in Upper Pleistocene fluvial terraces of the Yellow River system (China) permit us to test the application of another extrapolation function (linear + exponential) recently proposed for Lower Pleistocene sediments. The equivalent doses obtained here for the recent deposits of the Yellow River system and the corresponding ages are promising and indicate the potential of ESR to date quartz deposits from Upper Pleistocene times.     

Stimulated Variation and Cascades: Two Processes in the Evolution of Complex Technological Systems

Michael Schiffer’s theoretical and methodological contributions to archaeology are substantial. For the last two decades, Schiffer has become increasingly interested in the history of electrical technology, including portable radios, electric automobiles, eighteenth-century electrostatic technology, and, most recently, nineteenth-century electric light and power systems. Schiffer has long held a behavioral view, which focuses analytical attention on interactions between humans and material things, including complex technological systems (CTSs). For Schiffer, two key aspects of the evolution of CTSs are stimulated variation, defined as an increase in invention resulting from changing selective conditions, and cascading, defined as sequential spurts of invention that occur through the recognition of emergent performance problems in a CTS. To attain maximum usefulness, these concepts should be placed in a modern evolutionary framework that correctly identifies, and does not oversell, the role played by cultural selection. Research on individual and social learning provides the critical link between Schiffer’s stimulated variation and cascade models and the diffusion of CTSs.     

试论1949-1951年中国的印度政策与西藏的和平解放

新中国建立前夕 ,美国积极侵略西藏 ,独立后的印度也企图延续它从英国继承的西藏政策和在藏权益 ,西藏地方分裂分子在美印等国的支持下蠢蠢欲动 ,西藏面临更为严峻的形势。以毛泽东为首的中国领导人决定以军事力量为后盾和平解决西藏问题 ,他们精辟地分析了有关国家在西藏问题上的矛盾冲突 ,利用印度维持其在藏利益的政策 ,找出了外交上的突破口 ,在坚决反对其干涉内政的同时争取与之早日建交并修正此前的对印政策 ,有效地制约了美国对西藏的干涉 ,使西藏和平解放顺利实现。     

明代卫所经历司制度浅析

经历司是明代在卫所中设置的一个职能广泛但级别很低的文职机构。由于制度设计上的缺陷,经历司并没能充分发挥其职能。从明中叶开始,明朝政府开始着手改良经历制度,但囿于祖制,未能对其进行彻底的改革。     

Assessing Effectiveness of Veto Threats in the Bush Administration (1989-1993): Preliminary Evidence from Case Studies

Presidents have many tools in the policy-making process. One of the most powerful of these is vetoing legislation. Although presidents can veto legislation at will, the use of the veto is costly as it can be perceived as a sign of weakness. Veto threats may provide the president with a bargaining tool relying on the power of the veto without incurring its costs. This article provides a framework for understanding the use and effectiveness of veto threats. First, the present understanding of the use of veto threats is discussed, including the conditions under which they are most likely to occur and to be effective. Next, we provide a conceptualization of the context in which a veto threat is issued and the result of such a threat. Finally, using the Bush administration (1989-1993), we illustrate two possible results with case studies of civil rights and child care legislation.