Chemical Alteration and Use of Beeswax Through Time: Accelerated Ageing Tests and Analysis of Archaeological Samples from Various Environmental Contexts

In order better to interpret the chemical composition of ancient organic residues and artefacts containing beeswax, the degradation of this raw material was accelerated in the laboratory by controlled heating. During the course of degradation, deposits were condensed above the beeswax. Both degraded beeswax and these deposits were analysed. These experiments definitively proved that n‐alkane depletion is due to a sublimation process that depends on the molecular weight of these hydrocarbons. The formation of benzoic and cinnamic derivatives due to the degradation of flavonoid precursors initially present in beeswax has also been highlighted for the first time. The analysis of samples from Neolithic and Roman periods led to the identification of beeswax characterized by different degradation patterns linked to their environmental context.     

Buddhist (Hybrid) Sanskrit Three Articles from a Panel of the XIIth Conference of the International Association of Buddhist Studies

Indo-Iranian Journal -     

Local Government Portfolios and Regional Growth: Some Combined Dynamic CGE/Optimal Control Results

A theoretical policy model is presented that combines regional dynamic CGE modeling and optimal control to explore the role of local government taxation and expenditure in enhancing regional growth. It contributes to the regional CGE literature by explicitly solving for an optimal policy and augments earlier regional optimal control models by adding endogenous optimization of producer and consumer agents in response to endogenously determined prices. Results of three policy regimes are analyzed in terms of gains in the objective function, impacts on income inequality, and sensitivity to model parameterization.     

The Pursuit of Coordination: The Organizational Dimension in the Response to Homelessness

The pursuit of "coordination" has been a prominent theme both in local responses to homelessness and in the current incentives in federal housing policy. This article reviews some of the conditions that make coordination important yet difficult to achieve in the homeless area. A variety of approaches for achieving coordination at the local level are reviewed, ranging from point-of-service coordination to system-design. The local examples are drawn from the cities participating in the evaluation of The Robert Wood Johnson and the Department of Housing and Urban Development Homeless Families Program. The questions of effectiveness and future prospects for homeless service coordination are raised.     

The oldest human remains from the Beagle Channel region,Tierra del Fuego

The biohistory of the human peopling of the Fuegian Archipelago and the processes of biocultural adaptation and microdifferentiation of the ethnohistorical ‘canoe’ (‘sea nomad’) and ‘foot’ natives are poorly known. Here we report the oldest human remains of a ‘sea nomad’ native discovered so far in the Beagle Channel region. The specimen consists of a deciduous molar from the site of Imiwaia I, dated to 5870 ± 145 years BP. The microwear pattern indicates the consumption of hard food processed by long chewing cycles. The histomorphometric analysis shows the presence of at least three episodes of stress between 8 and 10.5 months after birth, and an unusually thin neonatal line, suggesting a mechanically non‐stressing birth event. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of warfare and interpersonal conflict in the protohistoric period: a case study from Mississippi

Analysis of a bundle burial of a young male recovered from 22OK905, a late prehistoric/protohistoric site located near Starkville, Mississippi, is discussed. AMS dating of the burial places it between AD 1640 and AD 1814, a time when Native American and European conflicts are well documented. One interesting finding is the presence of cut marks on the frontal bone of this individual. These marks were determined to be the result of scalping rather than defleshing marks associated with secondary burial treatment. Comparisons of bone element frequency among several bundle burials suggest that this individual died away from his village and the body was later collected for burial. A second study indicates that a stone tool may have been used to scalp the victim. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Skeletal evidence for hyperparathyroidism in a 19th century child with rickets

The skeletal remains of a child aged 2.5–3.5 years, recovered during archaeological excavations at the churchyard of St Martin's Church, Birmingham, UK, were examined using gross observation, radiography and scanning electron microscopy. Lesions suggestive of the presence of rickets and of secondary hyperparathyroidism were found. This appears to be a first report of secondary hyperparathyroidism in response to rickets in a palaeopathological specimen. The potential of microscopic examination of bone for interpreting disease processes is emphasised. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lysis at the anterior vertebral body margin: evidence for brucellar spondylitis?

Recently, palaeopathologists have begun to diagnose brucellosis in skeletal remains from minor lytic lesions located on the anterior margins of one or some few vertebral bodies, taking these lesions to represent brucellar epiphysitis. However, review of the literature indicates that these lesions have been sporadically noted for some time by palaeopathologists and various different interpretations have been placed upon them. In view of this, a study of these vertebral marginal lesions (VML) was undertaken in a large series of archaeological skeletons from England, with the aim of characterising their morphology and frequency and shedding light upon their causes. In the study material, VML were found only in the lumbar spine, where they occurred with a prevalence of approximately 4%. It was argued that VML are consistent with two principal alternative diagnoses: brucellosis and traumatic anterior disc herniation. Differentiating these possibilities for the VML in the study material was difficult, but the balance of the evidence seemed to favour traumatic anterior disc herniation as the more likely cause. It is concluded that VML should not be used to identify the presence of brucellosis in skeletal remains unless there is further evidence, in the form of additional skeletal lesions or biomolecular evidence for residual brucella bacterial DNA, to support such a diagnosis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.