Apor, Éva and Helen Wang [Edd.], Catalogue of the Collections of Sir Aurel Stein in the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Siences compiled by John Falconer,Agnes Kárteszi,Agnes Kelecsényi,Lilla Russell-Smith

Indo-Iranian Journal -     

Enhancing spatial learning and mobility training of visually impaired people—a technical paper on the Internet-based tactile and audio-tactile mapping

Thanks to advances in technology such as Internet-based mapping and the development of special inks, papers and global positioning systems, map making for vision impaired people can provide a range of products (e.g., tactile, haptic and audio-tactile maps) that can improve their independence, self-confidence and everyday life. The applications of tactile maps include learning spatial concepts and geography; audio-tactile maps combined with access to geospatial information can enhance mobility and independence. In 1998, the Mapping Services Branch (MSB) of the Earth Sciences Sector of Natural Resources Canada initiated a tactile mapping program. Now referred to as the Government on Line—Mapping for the Visually Impaired Project (Natural Resources Canada 2003a), it aims to serve the community with special needs, with emphasis on those who are blind or visually impaired, their teachers and mobility instructors. This technical paper discusses the various types of tactile and audio-tactile maps of Canada developed by the MSB in cooperation with its partners and describe the current research and development activities carried out within the project. It also leads the reader to further information on audio-tactile maps and touch- and sound-based computer interfaces.     

AN ARCHAEOMAGNETIC STUDY OF POTTERY KILNS FROM BRÜHL-PINGSDORF (GERMANY)*

Four pottery kilns from Brühl-Pingsdorf (Germany) were dated by comparing their characteristic remanent magnetization with a curve of the palaeo-secular variation of the geomagnetic field. Archaeomagnetic results suggest last heating events between AD 775 and 1020. The archaeological evidence generally supports the relative temporal succession and the duration of use, but indicates that the kilns are about 150 years younger on average. Hence, a systematic offset between these independently developed chronologies must be considered. Rock magnetic parameters display radial variations through the kiln walls. These variations are controlled by the maximum temperature the rock was exposed to. These parameters were used to identify specimen which acquired a thermoremanent magnetization.     

Periapical lesions and dental wear in the early Maori

Dental wear and intrabony lesions were evaluated in a sample of 225 skulls (136 male) of pre‐contact New Zealand Maoris. The degree and direction of surface wear was scored according to the method of Molnar ( Molnar 1971 . Human tooth wear, tooth function and cultural variability. American Journal of Physical Anthropology34: 175–190) and revealed severe surface loss in both males and females with horizontal wear being the dominant pattern (62.4% male, 57.5% female). The width of coronal tissue above the pulp chamber, as well as the maximum depth and width of periapical lesions, was measured from both standard radiographs and digital images. The high prevalence of periapical pathology in the Maori underlined the extreme nature of dental wear in these people. It is postulated that this degree of tooth loss may be attributable to a change in diet from large birds to marine‐dependence, the introduction of the kumara to New Zealand, dental erosion and finally, to the excessive masticatory forces exerted by a robust facial complex on normally sized teeth. Fenestrated lesions were highly prevalent (83% of skulls) and were centered mostly on the maxilla, with an even distribution among tooth classes. The finding of periapical lesions in teeth with minimal observable wear was attributed to traumatic occlusion. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotopically distinct modern carbonates in abandoned livestock corrals in northern Kenya

We report δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C data from modern carbonate in soils and dung samples from 3 recently abandoned livestock corrals in northern Kenya. Calcium carbonate content is higher within ∼5 cm depth that contains a mixture of dung and surface soils of corrals than in soils below 5 cm depth. We radiocarbon dated carbonates from 0.5 to 40 cm depths in two corrals and one control site. Surface carbonates (0.5 cm) from the two corrals were formed from modern carbon (>1955) when the corrals were active, while all other carbon is >16,000 years (BP) old. Shallow carbonate is also enriched in ¹⁸O (δ¹⁸O up to 3.0‰) and depleted in ¹³C (δ¹³C up to −12.0‰) with respect to carbonate at deeper levels and at two control sites. The δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C of soil carbonates (δ¹⁸O_SC and δ¹³C_SC respectively) in corrals are inversely correlated for depths up to about 15 cm where organic carbon is greater than 0.5%. Below that depth, there is a positive correlation between δ¹⁸O_SC and δ¹³C_SC values, similar to that observed in a control site.