Linguistic boundaries and geopolitical interests: the Albanian boundary commissions, 1878–1926

Since 1999, there has been much debate within the international community on what the future status of the autonomous province of Kosovo should be. However, there seems to have been little consideration as to why the Ottoman vilayet of Kosovo and the other majority Albanian-speaking areas (now parts of Montenegro, western Macedonia and north-western Greece) did not become either independent or part of an independent Albanian state, despite the legacy of these decisions. Focussing on British policy and perceptions, this article explores the role of the great powers in the delimitation of Albanian boundaries, particularly in two boundary commissions in 1913 and 1914: one determining the southern Albanian boundary with Greece and the other concerning the northern and north-eastern boundary with Serbia and Montenegro. The first part of the article considers the influences and interactions of two sets of factors in the boundary deliberations: the declared rationale of creating nation-states in south-eastern Europe based upon ethnographic criteria (linguistic boundaries) and the competing role of geopolitical interests in their decision-making, focussing particularly upon British interests. It illustrates that the decisions made to delimit the newly independent Albanian state primarily reflected the resulting great power conflicts and compensations, rather than the professed ethnographic rationale. The second part of the article explores some of the consequences of the decisions made to delimit Albanian boundaries, especially in ‘ethnic’ or national terms.     

The craniology and relationships of four species of Bos,: 4. The Relationship between Bos primigenius Boj. and B. taurus L. and its implications for the Phylogeny of the Domestic Breeds

The three previous papers in this series Grigson, 1974, Grigson, 1975, Grigson, 1976 were a study of the basic craniology of the genus Bos using B. taurus as an example. This paper deals with B. primigenius from Holocene deposits in northern Europe, studying the relationship of absolute size, cranial proportions, angles and non-measurable characters to age and sex. It concludes that the two size forms of B. primigenius are merely the expression of sexual dimorphism, that the two forms B. primigenius and B. taurus are so similar that they form a continuum and should be considered to be of the same taxon, and that where B. taurus does differ from B. primigenius the differences can usually be ascribed to breed and can be described as specializations.     

Electron temperature and electron density in the F-region of the ionosphere. I. Observed relationship

Ionospheric data from three incoherent scatter stations over the height range 225–450 km were studied for all daylight hours over a wide range of solar conditions. The relationship between electron temperature T_e, electron density Nand solar flux at 10.7 cm wavelength S_10.7 was expressed as T_e = A−B·(N−5 × 10¹¹) + C·(S_10.7−750), where N is in units of m⁻³ and S_10.7 in kJy.This provided a very satisfactory expression for all data taken at Malvern and St. Santin between 0800 and 1600 LT. For data taken at Arecibo, however, the linearity broke down at low electron densities. The data from all three stations were therefore divided into two sets according to electron density and reexamined.ForN < 5 × 10¹¹ m⁻³ B increased steadily with height and decreased steadily with latitude.For N > 5 × 10¹¹ m⁻³ B did not appear to vary with height, with season or with latitude. C was approximately constant for all sets of data.The different mechanisms involved in the heat balance of the electron population are discussed and a qualitative explanation for the relationship is proposed.     

Starch grain characterization of Prosopis chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz and P. flexuosa DC,and the analysis of their archaeological remains in Andean South America

The fruit (pods) of Prosopis (Fabaceae) are frequently recovered from pre-Hispanic Argentinian archaeological sites, suggesting that this genus was of importance in ancient economies in this region. Yet it is only recently that archaeobotanists have begun to carry out systematic research into this genus. Therefore many questions remain to be addressed concerning the food value of Prosopis fruit, and its potential contribution. This paper examines starch from the pods of two species, Prosopis flexuosa and Prosopis chilensis, for the purposes of describing and classifying their morphological features and biometrical parameters. Pods of both species were gathered from two extremes (northern and southern) of the Hualfín Valley, Catamarca, Argentina. Starch abundance is estimated and compared with that of Zea mays, an economically important plant with high concentrations of starch. This paper reveals that Prosopis pods contain very low amounts of starch compared to starch-rich edible species. Despite this, the recovery of Prosopis starch grains can be successfully used to assess archaeological tool uses. Prosopis starch grains were found to be highly variable in shape. Grain size ranged between 10 and 20 μm. Granule irregularity and the high birefringence under polarized light are two of the most important diagnostic features. No significant statistical differences were found in the structure (morphology, size and hilum) of the starch of the same species from both localities. Finally, the implications for the role of this plant in past societies are discussed.     

Assessing diet and seasonality in the Lower Pecos canyonlands: an evaluation of coprolite specimens as records of individual dietary decisions

This article presents an evaluation of coprolite specimens from the Lower Pecos canyonlands as records of individual dietary decisions. Prior studies of coprolites from this region have greatly expanded our knowledge of Archaic subsistence patterns, but have not taken full advantage of the record of individual dietary decisions recorded in each coprolite specimen. The menu, or dietary combinations, reflected in individual coprolite specimens are assessed through the identification of several congruent botanical components derived from the same food resource, phytoliths, fiber ultimates, and epidermal sheets. The data is analyzed with hierarchical cluster analysis, an exploratory statistical technique. The resultant menus reflected in these clusters are evaluated with reference to a diet-breadth model developed for the known staple resources of the canyonlands.Three main menus are apparent in the specimens. The first menu consists of prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) cladodes, or nopales, and was principally, although not exclusively, consumed in the late spring. This menu is primarily consumed when other resources were not readily available and may be considered a dependable but undesirable meal. The second menu consists of pit-baked lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla) and sotol (Dasylirion sp.) caudices, or hearts, common throughout the cool season. This menu entails high processing costs, but would provide a reliable caloric return. The third menu exhibits a monolithic reliance on prickly pear fruits, or tunas, during the summer. The ease of harvest and consumption is reflected in the seasonal dominance of this resource, which was assuredly a highly desirable meal. The dietary patterns recorded in the coprolite specimens from the Lower Pecos canyonlands demonstrate a seasonally variable diet-breadth that incorporated low-ranked resources during times of seasonal scarcity as well as a monolithic dependence on high-ranked resources when they were available in the local landscape.     

The Quaternary fossil record of the genus Testudo in the Iberian Peninsula. Archaeological implications and diachronic distribution in the western Mediterranean

This paper explores the presence of tortoise remains and its meaning in Palaeolithic archaeological contexts. We focus on two topics: (1) the presence or absence of the genus Testudo from the Early Pleistocene to the Holocene in SW Europe; and (2) the relationship between Testudo and the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions diachronically. In order to address this objective, we collected published and unpublished data from different sites on the eastern Iberian Peninsula. The results obtained by this study demonstrate that Testudo hermanni was the only tortoise present in this area until recent times and its presence in archaeological sites is almost always related to anthropic activities. Finally, the disappearance of Testudo from archaeological sites in some areas is related to climatic changes and events that occurred during the last stages of the Pleistocene.     

Molecular markers for the discrimination of Triticum turgidum L. subsp. dicoccum (Schrank ex Schübl.) Thell. and Triticum timopheevii (Zhuk.) Zhuk. subsp. timopheevii

The persistent uncertainty on the classification of the “new” glume wheat found in Neolithic and Bronze Age sites from Greece and other European settlements might be resolved only through analysis of its ancient DNA. Tools able to discriminate among different Triticum species on the basis of scarce, very damaged DNA, are therefore essential. While current attempts concentrate on DNA fragments sequencing and comparison, in some instances PCR-based selective amplification techniques might offer a cheaper and quicker alternative. The purpose of this research was therefore the identification of species-specific primers, able to distinguish caryopses of Triticum timopheevii subsp. timopheevii from those of Triticum turgidum subsp. dicoccum. Primers and their working conditions were defined and optimized using DNA from modern accessions. The ribosomal primers ITS1 tim and ITS2 tim, and the nuclear primer acetyl-coenzyme A tim clearly discriminated the sequences of Triticum timopheevii from other species. Finally, Neolithic charred wheat grains found in the sites of Sammardenchia (Pozzuolo del Friuli, Udine) and La Marmotta (Lago di Bracciano, Roma), belonging to the “new” wheat type or to emmer, were tested with the three selected primers. However, the results were not conclusive, because the samples analysed were apparently too degraded to yield useful DNA.     

For love or money? Assessing outcomes from direct public investment in film

ABSTRACT

This study examines Australian domestic film performance under two distinct policy regimes with respect to direct investment strategy. In particular, we contrast film performance under two public funding agencies with noted differences in (i) the number of films financed annually, (ii) the average (and maximum) funding per film, and (iii) the involvement of an expert review panel in funding decisions. In addition to box office returns, we consider performance benchmarks related to major film festival screenings, nominations and awards; critical acclaim based on IMDb user and critic reviews; and whether or not the film received a release in the major UK and/or US markets. Finally, we exploit a subset of our data where a ‘two-door’ policy was used for investment decisions that allows us to reflect on our more general results.     

Using the STARE double pulse system to obtain the mean velocity and velocity of long-lived irregularities

The STARE and SABRE auroral radars use double pulses to measure one value of the autocorrelation function (ACF) to obtain the Doppler velocity of the irregularities in the E-region auroral zone. If the pulse separation of each double pulse is τ, then the measured velocity tends towards the mean velocity V_DP as τ → 0, and towards the velocity of the long-lived irregularities V_LL as τ → ∞. A practical implementation using these results is presented, which allows measurement of these two physically important velocities from just four pulse spacings, rather than the 11 or 15 currently used to obtain the full velocity spectrum in the STARE and SABRE radars, and thus gains greater precision or better time resolution. The two line-of-sight velocities, V_DP and V_LL, are in general not equal, with V_LL greater in magnitude than V_DP (sometimes much greater). Comparison of V_DP and V_LL for the two STARE stations and one of the SABRE stations shows interesting differences, and a number of statistically significant features. V_LL probably measures the velocity of primary irregularities whenever these exist with the appropriate k vector. Both velocities ought to be measured routinely, and also for comparison with other techniques.     

Geomagnetic storms in the Antarctic F-region. I. Diurnal and seasonal patterns for main phase effects

New analysis procedures are used to show that the main phase mid-latitude storm effects conform to consistent patterns in local time when suitable selection rules are applied, with averaging over several years. Changes in $\text{ƒoF2}$, with respect to estimated quiet-time values, are analysed in terms of a_p(τ), a new geomagnetic index derived to take account of integrated disturbance. Reduction of $\text{ƒoF2}$ is greatest during the early morning hours, in summer, at higher geomagnetic latitudes, near solar minimum and through the more active periods. The various dependencies are quantitatively determined for the first time by creating an average ‘steady state’ disturbance, rather than following specific storm events. This approach will permit tests of competing theories using available modelling programs.     

Aratea: a review of the literature concerning MS. Vossianus lat. q. 79 in Leiden University Library

The beautiful, well-known, but highly problematical, illuminated Carolingian MS. of the classical astronomical work called the Aratea or the Syntagma Arateorum, once owned by Isaac Vossius, has long been a prized possession of Leiden's University Library. Aratos of Soli, the Greek poet (about 315-270/23;9 B.C), was the author of the earliest version of this work, which he called the Phaenomena; Germanicus Caesar, Cicero and Festus Rufus Avienus produced Latin translations of it. Over the years an extensive literature has developed concerning the many problems raised by this MS. This literature is reviewed in detail in what follows and an attempt made, as it were, to clear the air ready for the further research which is shown to be necessary.     

What America Needs in 2008: Educated Problem-Solving and Kitchen Table Values

Abstract

Given a set of issues like racism, sexism, poverty, gun control and ongoing international conflicts around Iraq and US foreign policy in general, America in 2008 needs a president who is equipped to effectively understand history, critically analyze present situations and clearly articulate complex solutions to complex problems. It is not just a platform or a specific position on one or two issues that is most needed. It is a person with a set of skills that enables him or her to synthesize vast amounts of information, understand the far-reaching implications of decisions made by the American president and make decisions that benefit the common good understood as broadly as possible. Along with educated problem-solving skills, the next president must also pay attention to a set of values that have been called "kitchen table values." Looking at these two elements in turn requires acknowledging where the US has been for the past eight years as evidence for where it must go in the next four or eight years.     

The maintenance of the night-time ionosphere at mid-latitudes. II. The ionosphere above St. Santin

The total rate of recombination in the night-time ionosphere above St. Santin (at L = 1.8) was estimated using a model atmosphere and the results were compared with the observed rate of change of total electron content to determine the net influx of plasma. Horizontal transport under the influence of electric fields was measured but at the latitude of St. Santin this was always small and averaged over the night as a whole the contribution was negligible. Downward diffusion provided the main source of plasma and the flux predicted was compared with the flux measured at 450 km. The comparison was good provided the model atmosphere was modified to use exospheric temperatures based on actual measurements by the incoherent scatter radar. A comparison with the results obtained at Malvern (Paper I) confirmed that the saturation time for the protonosphere at L = 1.8 is far less than at L = 2.6 and that the downward flux from the saturated protonosphere was also less.     

What Explains the Carcass Field Processing and Transport Decisions of Contemporary Hunter-Gatherers? Measures of Economic Anatomy and Zooarchaeological Skeletal Part Representation

This paper uses rationale derived from central place foraging models to explore the factors that guide the carcass processing and transport decisions of modern hunters. Using data derived from butchering experiments, I test different economic indices that purportedly reflect the field processing and transport decisions of contemporary African Hadza hunter-gatherers. The results show that no single index predicts part processing and transport for the species examined in this analysis. Processing and transport decisions are, however, patterned in ways that are consistent with theoretical predictions. While similar processes likely guide carcass treatment and transport decisions among all hunter-gatherers, different ecological, social, and historical constraints define the range of solutions to problems involving carcass treatment. In this specific example, intertaxonomic differences in carcass size and bone properties constrain how the trade-offs between field processing and transport costs are resolved. I conclude by suggesting ways in which analysts might make use of central place foraging rationale and models to explain variation in skeletal representation and abundances across time and space.

British library Harleian manuscript 433, 1. Register of grants for the reigns of Edward V and Richard III: Rosemary Horrox and P.W. Hammond. xlvii + 289 pages, 1 plate; £25 to non-members. Published by the Richard III Society, 1980. Orders to Thomas Thorp,Antiquarian Booksellers, 170, High Street,Guildford, Surrey,GU1 3HP

The purpose of this section of the Journal of medieval history is to include a brief notice of new books in medieval history, and to list new editions and reprints, appearing during the months immediately preceding the date of publication of each issue. The Journal will not carry reviews; it asks publishers to send, instead of copies of new books, brief notices about them of not more than 150 worss in length. To meet the cost of this exercise, the Journal is obliged to charge a fee of $10 (£5) for a brief announcement (max. 150 words) and $5 (£2.50) for listing a reprint or new edition. Texts of such announcements and details of reprints, together with remittance, should be sent to the Publisher, from whom futher details of the scheme may be had.     

Co-ordinated EISCAT-MICADO interferometer measurements of neutral winds and temperatures in E- and F-regions

The MICADO instrument has been built to measure temperature and wind in the E- and F-regions. It employs a thermally stable field-compensated Michelson interferometer to allow wind measurements. During the winter of 1988–1989, the MICADO instrument was operated at Sodankylä (67°22′N, Finland). Measurements were made by observing the O¹S (low thermosphere) and the O₁D lines (high thermosphere) emission. Two co-ordinated campaigns were organized with the EISCAT radar, which operated in special modes. Neutral wind and temperature are derived from EISCAT data. Results of the two instruments are shown. The differences between the two sets of results are discussed and show that most of the discrepancy is due to the presence of vertical winds during the observations where the magnetic activity was high.     

Palaeoenvironmental and chronological investigations of the Magdalenian sites of Goyet Cave and Trou de Chaleux (Belgium), via stable isotope and radiocarbon analyses of horse skeletal remains

Trou de Chaleux and Goyet are caves situated less than 30 km apart in Belgium that contain stratified Magdalenian artefacts and butchered faunal remains. Published radiocarbon dates suggest that both sites were contemporaneously occupied during to the Late-glacial interstadial. It has previously been suggested that the Trou de Chaleux Late-glacial faunal remains might be slightly older than those at Goyet Cave, and that Trou de Chaleux has two phases of occupation during the Late-glacial interstadial. However, the limited number of radiocarbon dates currently available makes it impossible to determine whether the sites are truly contemporaneous, and the assessment of their absolute chronologies is complicated by a plateau in the calibration curve. In this paper, bone collagen δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures of horse bones from the two sites are used to reconstruct local palaeoenvironments. We hypothesise that if occupations at the two sites were contemporaneous, the horse collagen δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope signatures from both sites will be similar, since comparable carbon and nitrogen isotopic values would reflect similar diets, ecologies and environments. To provide clear dating parameters, new AMS radiocarbon determinations are also presented. Results show that horse collagen δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope signatures at the two sites are different, indicating that the populations were not subject to similar diets, ecologies and environments. The new radiocarbon dates confirm that the horse bones from Trou de Chaleux date to the Late-glacial interstadial, but they also show that in Goyet Cave Horizons 1 and 2, older horse remains dating to ca. 32?000–27?000 ¹⁴C yr BP are mixed with Late-glacial horse remains. The δ¹⁵N values of the Goyet Cave horse bones radiocarbon dated to the Pleniglacial are substantially higher than those that have Late-glacial radiocarbon dates. Therefore, we now hypothesise that the majority of the horse bones isotopically analysed from Goyet Cave Horizon 1 are Pleniglacial in age. Statistical analysis of the radiocarbon dates indicates that the Late-glacial occupation at the two sites was contemporaneous, and that while there may appear to be two phases of occupation at Trou de Chaleux, this may be an artefact of the radiocarbon calibration curve.     

Prosaic state governance of community low carbon transitions

This paper unpacks the complex relations between community low carbon transitions, the prosaic state, neoliberal modes of governing, and the role of numbers therein. It aims to outline the ways in which the prosaic state can, through everyday tasks, decisions, measurements and demonstration requirements, force a calculative logic onto and into community based movements and groups in ways that can be counterproductive. It centrally argues that the will to quantify, in particular the accompanying demonstration requirements (most often a number), enacts three fundamental shifts in the collective subjectivity integral to community groups and movements. First, the preferred form of knowledge becomes abstract, disembodied and fungible (episteme) over and against relational ways to understand and conceive togetherness (mētis), including ecological relationships. Second, the vision of community shifts from a search to belong, an intrinsic end in itself, towards an instrumental means to achieve specific targets. Finally, third, the splitting of means from ends. These can all be traced from the demonstration requirements, and numbers, accompanying neoliberal prosaic state engagement with community groups.