On the accuracy of estimating living stature from skeletal length in the grave and by linear regression

This study evaluates a method for obtaining stature estimates for populations represented by skeletal material, with individuals buried in a supine position. During the excavation of a Danish mediaeval cemetery, in situ skeletal length in the grave was measured from a point above the cranial point farthest from the body to the most distal point of the talus. The measurement was made with a folding rule placed on the sagittal midline of the skeleton, allowed to follow any curvature of the skeleton in situ. In the laboratory, stature was reconstructed anatomically, and this stature was regarded as an accurate estimate of living stature. Stature was also reconstructed from femur length by two linear regression procedures: 1) by sample and sex specific formulae, employing a leave‐one‐out approach, and 2) by sex wise formulae for Euro‐Americans from Trotter & Gleser (1952, American Journal of Physical Anthropology 10 : 463–514). Skeletal length in the grave and the two stature estimates based on linear regression were compared to anatomically reconstructed stature. Skeletal length in the grave estimated anatomically reconstructed stature with practically no bias (95% CI: −1.3–1.5 cm). Sample specific regression formulae estimated anatomically reconstructed stature also with no bias (95% CI: −1.2–1.1 cm). In contrast, statures calculated from Trotter & Gleser's regression formulae estimated anatomically reconstructed stature with a bias of about 4 cm (95% CI: 3.3–5.0 cm). Estimates of stature variance were biased for all three estimation procedures. However, for samples of adults, an adjusted variance estimate can be obtained by subtracting 8.7 cm² from the variance obtained from skeletal lengths in the grave. It is recommended to measure skeletal length in the grave whenever possible, and use this measurement for estimating statures for prehistoric and early historic populations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

NON‐DESTRUCTIVE PORTABLE GAMMA RAY SPECTROMETRY USED IN PROVENANCING ROMAN GRANITOID COLUMNS FROM LEPTIS MAGNA,NORTH AFRICA*

Portable gamma ray spectrometry (PGRS) provides a non destructive means to analyst quantitatively large artefacts, such as building stones, for the radioelements K. U and Th. Nine Raman granitoid columns at the Leptis Magna Ruins in Windsor Great Park, London, were measured in situ by PGRS. Corrections for the environmental background contribution to the gamma ray flux measured, and for the shape and size of the columns, are described Comparison of the PGRS data with a radioelement data base for Roman granite sources indicates that most of the columns originated in the Troad area of Turkey. Two columns could not be unambiguously provenanced using PGRS alone because there is insufficient difference between radioelement concentrations in certain sources. However, non‐destructive measurements of magnetic susceptibility, used in conjunction with PGRS data, suggest that these two columns originated in the Kozak Daǧ, also in Turkey.     

Location Determinants of New Foreign-Owned Manufacturing Plants

In this paper we examine the county-level pattern of new foreign-owned manufacturing plants in the United States from 1989 through 1994. We construct a model to produce insights into the differences in the location of these plants among Bureau of Economic Analysis regions, as well as between rural and urban counties. Higher levels of economic size, educational attainment, the existing manufacturing base, and transportation infrastructure are found to be associated with larger numbers of new foreign-owned plants. Meanwhile, higher levels of taxes and labor-intensiveness are found to be associated with smaller numbers of new plants. Comparing regions, we find that the main advantages of the Southeast region stem from a relatively high manufacturing base and relatively low taxes. Comparing urban with rural counties, we find that urban counties possess more favorable average values for nearly all the explanatory variables.     

深圳市民工作日生活活动时空结构特征研究

选取居民工作日的日常生活活动作为研究对象,通过对深圳市抽样居民的实证研究,分析居民工作日生活活动的一般特征,探讨居民属性与居民生活时间利用和活动空间分布的相关性,比较分析了不同类型及不同地区之间深圳市民日常生活活动时空结构的差异性。     

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。     

The Use of Menthol as Temporary Consolidant in the Excavation of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army

Temporary consolidation is widely used to protect delicate artefacts or other fragile relics in art conservation. Although cyclododecane is extensively accepted, the safety‐related issues have become an increasing concern and its short working time is always annoying. Inspired by its low melting point, polar structure, well‐established safety profile, easy local availability and low cost, we propose menthol as a new temporary consolidant on the new excavation site of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army. In this paper, we offer a preliminarily exploration of the kinetics of menthol sublimation on two different matrices, its residue after volatilization, its penetrability and distribution in simulated terracotta samples, as well as other important properties in the laboratory. The results obtained from these tests reveal that the sublimation of menthol can be a zero‐ or a first‐order process, depending on the porosity of the matrices, and its best operational temperature resides in the range of 60–80°C. Finally, two field cases at the archaeological site of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army are presented to show that menthol is a very effective temporary consolidant.