Women and Family Property: A Review of U.S. Inheritance Studies

Historians can use the concept of causation in a variety of ways, each of which is associated with different historiographical claims and different kinds of argumentation. The author shows that, contrary to the usual view, historical narratives are causal (in a specific way), and microhistory can be seen as a response to a very specific causal problem of Braudelian macrohistory.     

Les Ombres Portées et la Renaissance. Un Trait Culturel Peut-Il Revivre ?

The history of art reveals that painters have rarely tried to depict projected shadows. They appeared in the art of ancient Greece, in Greco-roman art, and then disappeared until the 15(th) century. None can be found in Asian art or any other non European art. Yet to date, no scholar has reflected on this troubled history, one that provides a specific link between the Renaissance and classical antiquity. This paper seeks to fill this gap by studying projected shadows as "cultural markers" with a specific history.     

Identifying Chemical Activity Residues on Prehistoric House Floors: A Methodology And Rationale For Multi‐Elemental Characterization of a Mild Acid Extract of Anthropogenic Sediments

Archaeologists have employed sediment chemistry in site prospection for nearly a century. For example, phosphorus is a good indicator of human occupation, because it is a generic indicator of human activity. Recently, multi‐element studies of sediments have successfully identified specific activity areas by analysing other elements in addition to phosphorus. To reach its full potential, however, sediment chemistry must be undertaken with an understanding of how these residues are formed and of the chemical indicators that can be used to identify specific activities. Methodologies that optimize the extraction of specific residues must be employed. Not to do so is a naïve application of the technique.     

Archaeological material and ethnic identification. A study of Lappish material from Varanger,Norway

The term Lappish Iron Age has been established in Scandinavian archaeology but the ethnic affiliation of the body of archaeological material labelled so has never been discussed in detail. In this article two questions arc discussed: Is it possible from archaeological material to verify a hypothesis about a specific ethnic affiliation? And is it appropriate to refer to this archaeological material as iron age finds? A general discussion about problems involved in identifying ethnic groups is given, after a brief presentation of the empirical material. Attention is drawn to Barth's analysis, where he shows that the cultural content seems to be of two orders: (i) overt signs and signals, and (ii) basic value orientations. The discussion is carried out in accordance with these two orders. It is argued that this analysis cannot provide us with information about a specific ethnic affiliation; although it cannot tell us which group, it can verify that the material in question does represent one specific ethnic group. If we want to identify one specific ethnic group we have to use other sources besides the archaeological record. The use of sources like written documents, linguistics, place names and physical anthropology is discussed. The conclusion is drawn that by the use of various sources we can trace the identity of one specific ethnic group.     

TESTING ANALOGICAL TAPHONOMIC SIGNATURES IN BONE BREAKING: A COMPARISON BETWEEN HAMMERSTONE‐BROKEN EQUID AND BOVID BONES

Current analogical data used to infer prehistoric human bone breakage rely on a plethora of experimental hammerstone‐broken bovid bone sets. Several criteria have been argued to be diagnostic of bone breakage by humans, among which the most important are: a specific range of broken specimens bearing percussion marks, a specific distribution of different percussion mark types, metric properties of notches, differential notch type distribution, and the angle of oblique breakage planes. The present work shows that those properties derived from the breakage of bovid bones cannot be universally applied to all types of animals. As an example, here it is experimentally demonstrated that hammerstone‐broken equid bones (with different thickness and structural properties compared to bovid bones) show different values in all these variables and some of them overlap with criteria documented in bones broken by static loading. This suggests that the agents of equid bone breakage are more difficult to identify, and that the number of variables that can be successfully used to that end is smaller than in bovid bones.     

The Role of Culture and Technology in Civil Society Promotion in the Middle East: A Case Study Approach

For over a decade, the U.S. administration has been sponsoring capacity‐building efforts focusing on technology to support democracy activists in Middle Eastern societies; such efforts have often fallen short in their effectiveness. In this article, using a case study approach, we argue that capacity‐building efforts must be approached in a culture‐specific manner. It is imperative to begin exploring the specific nature of civil society in different Middle Eastern societies and translate the Western concept of “civil society” into terms appropriate to Middle Eastern contexts. Based on a culture‐specific understanding, programs involving technology to promote democratic institutions in Middle Eastern societies can be designed.     

Slag inclusion analyses for studying ferrous alloys employed in French medieval buildings: supply of materials and diffusion of smelting processes

This paper aims to propose a data treatment method in order to efficiently exploit the major element compositional analyses made on slag inclusions (SI) of ferrous archaeological artefacts. This method is employed to study the reinforcements used in medieval monuments. The first part of the paper shows: (i) that SI composition can be very variable in an artefact and that it is necessary to analyse a sufficiently redundant number of inclusions; and (ii) that on the one hand a local concentration effect and, on the other hand additives during forging can cause this variability. Nevertheless, after filtering this data, it is showed that specific compounds (called here Non-Reduced Compounds – NRC) have in most of cases a constant ratio in the SI. This allows to evidence the signature of the system (ore, charcoal and pollutant) that produced the ferrous alloys. Moreover, a weighted average compound can be extracted from the results. It is demonstrated that, considering some specific elements with a different behaviour in the direct and indirect processes, it is possible to differentiate the two processes. A methodology is then proposed and applied to several samples gathered on different French medieval buildings to follow the diffusion of the indirect process in France.     

氯离子选择性电极测定铁器碱性脱盐溶液中 氯离子的含量

在铁质文物的保护过程中,脱盐是重要的保护程序之一。通常铁器的脱盐溶液为碱性。本工作主要研究氯离子选择性电极法在测定碱性脱盐溶液中的氯离子含量时,溶液pH值和复配溶液中的表面活性剂对测定结果的影响。实验结果表明:(1)用氯离子选择性电极法测定碱性脱盐溶液或复配碱性脱盐溶液中的氯离子浓度是可行的;(2)溶液的pH值对测量结果有一定的影响,当溶液pH值在2～7范围内时,其对电位值影响不大;(3)表面活性剂对测量结果影响较小,在实际应用中,应配制与待测溶液组分相同的氯离子标准溶液,后期数据处理并绘制标准曲线,以使测量结果尽可能接近实际值。精密度和回收率实验表明,该方法准确度满足定量分析的要求。由此可见,当脱盐溶液为碱性NaOH或复配碱性NaOH溶液时,用氯离子选择性电极实时监测脱盐溶液中的氯离子含量能较好地反映器物脱盐程度。     

Transnational (Counter) Topographies

Noting that much of the literature on transnationalism is gender blind, we consider what a focus on gender brings to understanding transnationalism. Tracing a feminist itinerary shows that there is nothing inherently transgressive or emancipatory about transnationalism. Rather, the effects are contradictory and complex, and must be assessed within specific times and places. Gender relations are often transformed through transnational migration, although 'gains' in gender equity tend to be uneven, hard fought for, and sometimes impermanent. Rather than weakening the nation-state, transnationalism is bound up with remaking the nation, often within renewed patriarchal norms of national belonging. So too, while transnationalism can open up new spaces of belonging, we argue that this is accomplished through specific connections between places rather than through (an often romanticised) deterritorialised mobility. Finally, we consider what feminist counter topographies can bring to transnational feminist politics.     

Geospatial modeling of pedestrian transportation networks: a case study from precolumbian Oaxaca,Mexico

Using accumulated cost surfaces and various pathfinding techniques within Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, archaeologists and other spatial scientists have developed increasingly sophisticated models of human movement. Despite their utility, these approaches can be limited because standard GIS software cannot model movement (1) from many origins to many destinations or (2) without specific origins and destinations. Absent these capabilities, it is particularly difficult to model networks of movement over a given tract of land if you are interested in obtaining a more general sense of movement dynamics, not specific site-to-site patterns. In this paper, we present an innovative way of modeling past movement that generates both natural-looking networks and also indicates the degree of traffic that may have existed on any particular segment of those networks. The “From Everywhere to Everywhere” (FETE) model generates networks based on topography and landcover without requiring that origin and destination points be supplied in advance. We apply the FETE model to a case from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, a region that has extensive archaeological and ethnohistoric data sets that serve as a test of the efficacy of our technique. A comparison of the FETE output with known late precolumbian and early colonial movement corridors indicates that the method is effective and should be useful for modeling networks in other areas.     

Animal Bodies and Ontological Discourse in the Greek Neolithic

The present article tries to assess the ways that animal bodies were represented in the Neolithic of Northern Greece. Contending that representations always have a material presence (be they spoken, depicted or anything else), an attempt is made to sort out how the specificity of this presence constitutes a frame of reference for the deployment of social action. Animal representations seem to be particularly related with certain materials, especially clay, and certain objects, mostly clay vessels. It is suggested that these objects allow animals to be incorporated in social action in a very specific manner, one that is further defined by the contexts of their use.     

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MINERAL INDUSTRIES

A research design for the study of environmental pollution by mineral industries is proposed, with particular reference to oil and gas extraction in the Volga region. In evaluating the environmental impact, three basic stages need to be distinguished: the impact proper, the environmental reaction and the longer-term consequences for the environment and for human activity. Pollution by mineral industries involves aspects common to most such industries and specific aspects associated with a particular mineral industry. Impacts may be examined from a quantitative and qualitative point of view and in the space-time perspective. Various productive facilities of a mineral industry (production wells, strip mines, deep mines, spoil banks, pipelines, railroads, highways) may have specific impacts on particular environmental components (land, air, water, biological communities). The specific impacts of the oil industry and the coal industry are compared.     

THE ACCURACY OF THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF GOLD ALLOYS

Two possible sources of error in the measurement and interpretation of the specific gravities of gold coins are investigated. First, the effect of the presence of copper was measured and found to be more significant than previously thought. It is shown that the presence of 5% of copper in a gold-silver alloy results in a measured gold content which is 3.3% too low when the coin is analysed by the specific gravity method. Secondly, the importance of cleaning the coins before measuring the specific gravity is also demonstrated.     

A Fully Graphical Approach for Limit State Analysis of Existing Structures: Application to Plane Elastic-Plastic Bended Structures and to Plane Masonry Arches

ABSTRACT

When classical elastic analysis fails to model correctly the structural behavior of historical masonry structures because of the brittle, rigid, anisotropic, and inhomogeneous characteristics of their building material, equilibrium-based limit state analysis constitutes an efficient alternative for their structural assessment. The lack of knowledge about the history of loading makes the actual state of stresses impossible to determine for these statically indeterminate structures. However, Plastic Theory provides a powerful theoretical framework that defines in a rather simple way the structural safety level. The lower-bound theorem of plasticity can be applied using graphic statics because it ensures that equilibrium and yield conditions are respected when applying specific constraints to the nodes of the reciprocal diagrams.

This article focuses on limit stat analysis of statically indeterminate structures by means of geometrical considerations using graphic statics reciprocal diagrams. For linear-bended structures, we show that: (1) the conditions of stability can be defined graphically by constructing safety domains; (2) collapse modes can be identified and related to specific reciprocal polygons; and (3) the exact value of the collapse load factor can be deduced graphically from the diagrams. Finally, we extend these results to plane masonry arches in relation with the classical thrust line approach.     

Non‐specific indicators of stress and their association with age at death in Medieval York: Using stature and vertebral neural canal size to examine the effects of stress occurring during different periods of development

Selective mortality can occur towards individuals who survive episodes of physiological stress, such as disease and malnutrition, during development. The skeletal elements affected depend on the timing of these stressful episodes. Studying multiple non‐specific indicators of stress can show which periods of development were affected and whether certain periods can be linked with selective mortality. To examine this method a preliminary study of 61 adult individuals from the Medieval population of Fishergate House, York was undertaken to examine small vertebral neural canal size and reduced adult stature. Previous studies have shown that selective mortality occurs towards individuals who display these non‐specific indicators of stress. Statistical analysis showed that small transverse neural canal diameter was significantly associated with early adult mortality for males and females and there was evidence of selective mortality towards females with reduced stature. This suggests that individuals who died in early adulthood experienced health insults during late childhood which stunted VNC growth but males in particular were not significantly affected by health insults after this age as they achieved a normal adult stature. Therefore it appears that health insults which occurred during late childhood had a greater influence on adult health in the Fishergate House population. This method could be expanded to provide more detailed information by using a greater variety of non‐specific indicators of stress which will allow more specific periods of development to be investigated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PLACE‐BASED ATTRIBUTES AND SPATIAL EXPENDITURE BEHAVIOR IN TOURISM

In recent discussions on local sustainable development, notions like “local for local” and “home bias” have often played a role. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether preferences for specific place‐based attributes might constrain or support tourism participation and tourism destination choice of distinct socioeconomic groups of visitors. To test this proposition, a large data set from the Italian Households Budget Survey for the period 1997–2007 has been used and, by means of the double‐hurdle model, tourism participation and expenditure are modeled over the life‐cycle of tourists. These data are next merged with location‐specific attributes including natural amenities and infrastructural and regional‐economic context variables. Our results show that location‐specific or place‐based characteristics affect intra‐ and interregional tourism differently, as well as destination choices. Regional differences between residents in two different macroareas in Italy (North and Center‐South) are investigated. Location‐specific characteristics may be either push or constraint factors for tourism participation. For families living in the North, participation in the tourism market is supported by the tourist characteristics of their home region. For families living in the central and southern regions however, economic conditions of the area where they reside appear to be more significant.     

How Regional Innovation Systems Play a Relative Competitive Role Within Knowledge Networks

This study aims to explain how specific regional innovation systems (RISs) play relative important role in the knowledge network within European regions. EC encourages the interactions between regions and develop toward a cohesion balance. The whole Europe can be taken as a knowledge network that consists of different RISs possessing diversified resources. The existences of hierarchical relationships between different regions seem to lead us to explain whether the path toward higher-order position can be done by RISs to shape the regional competence in specific technological fields. We establish the datasets on the basis of patent data (from EPO) and REGIO database. Regional-level dataset, including 129 regions, helps to explore how different RIS develop their technological paths, and whether locational economic factors, technological conditions, and local innovativeness help RISs toward high-order position in the network. In addition, we also explore the role of the interaction of local factors for RISs in developing network position in Europe.     

Suku and the Self-Valorization of Chinese Women Workers: Before,during, and after Enterprise Privatization

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used suku (speaking bitterness) in ideological education movements to teach subaltern women to give voice to their personal narratives of oppression in accordance with Maoist political doctrine. Suku is thus a historically specific practice and a culturally specific form of women’s narrative practice. By listening to and observing the post-Mao suku narrative performance of my grandmother, a retired State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) worker, I show that her suku is a gendered performance, a form of labor that blurs production and reproduction, and a form of embedded personhood; and that suku as a form of narrative persisted through the period of economic reforms, even though its intent and audience became transformed. My kin relationship with this particular suku performance allows an analysis of the impact of suku on cross-generational relationships—those between first-generation SOE workers and laid-off SOE workers in former SOE families. Furthermore, I argue that suku can be seen as a form of labor and self-valorization of Chinese women workers discarded in the new economy, and contrary to its original disciplinary purposes, as a form of resistance.     

A PL/I Free-Field Handling System

Integration of mortality data by cause of death is typically problematic for researchers because of the inadequacies of historical records. Two aspects of cause-of-death (or disease) data processing are discussed here: vocabulary and specificity. By developing a system of processing in which causes of death are in nested tables that are linked with a relational database program, the researcher can integrate highly specific and sensitive disease data with data that are less specific. Vocabulary variations can also be maintained by the system. The result of integrating data of differing specificity levels and vocabularies allows one to use mixed data for longitudinal analyses. The author developed the present system to allow the use of nineteenth-century British army statistical data, and an example of the application is presented.