Geographic Factors Affecting the Presence of Transhipment Services in Regional Maritime Container Markets

The presence of transhipment services in a region has previously been analyzed relative to ports and shippers with no consideration to the geographical factors of the sea basin serving the region. We hypothesize that attributes related to basin morphology also should be considered, as the processes involved in the maritime container freight market are comparable to processes in other transport markets. We show that transhipment services are relevant in those regions with closed sea basins. This article addresses the following issues: the traditional analytic methods used to determine, directly or indirectly, the presence of transhipment services; the role of transhipment in some geographic regions by estimating the rate of transhipment relative to throughput for each region; and the estimation of a statistical model that can determine the presence of transhipment by means of aggregate variables related to the morphology of a sea basin serving each region and to the socioeconomic characteristics of the region served. La presencia de servicios de transbordo en una región ha sido analizada en relación a los puertos y cargadores, sin considerar los factores geográficos de las cuencas marítimas al servicio de una región. Nuestra hipótesis es que los atributos relacionados a la morfología de las cuencas también deberían tomarse en cuenta, ya que los procesos involucrados en el mercado de contenedores de carga marítima son comparables a los procesos de otros mercados de transporte. Mostramos que los servicios de transbordo son relevantes en aquellas regiones con cuencas marítimas cerradas. El presente artículo aborda los siguientes temas: los métodos analíticos tradicionales generalmente usados para determinar, directa o indirectamente, la presencia de servicios de transbordo; el rol del transbordo en algunas regiones geográficas, a partir de la estimación de las tasas de transbordo relativas a su rendimiento (throughput) en cada región; y la estimación de un modelo estadístico que pueda determinar la presencia de transbordo a partir de variables agregadas relacionadas a la morfología de la cuenca marítima al servicio de cada región, y a las características socioeconómicas de cada región. 区域海运转运服务的分析已经将港口和航运商纳入研究范畴,但忽视了区域海洋盆地地理因素的影响。由于参与海运集装箱货运市场的过程与其他运输市场的过程具有可比性,因而本文认为和海盆形态有关的属性也应考虑在内。研究结果显示,转运服务与那些靠近海盆的区域具有相关性。本文将重点对以下问题进行阐述：过去经常用来直接或间接判断转运服务的传统分析方法;通过估计一个地区相对于自身吞吐量的转运率来判断部分地理区域在转运服务中的角色;通过区域海盆形态和社会经济属性相关的综合变量,构建能够判别转运服务的统计模型.     

An ethnoarchaeological inductive model for predicting archaeological site location: A case-study of pastoral settlement patterns in the Val di Fiemme and Val di Sole (Trentino,Italian Alps)

In this paper I propose a novel integration of inductive predictive modelling and ethnoarchaeology. The case study concerns seasonal upland pastoral settlement patterns in the eastern Italian Alps. A sample of modern pastoral sites has been selected, and their relationships with environmental variables have been analyzed in order to create a model to predict the location of archaeological upland pastoral sites. The model has been tested with modern and archaeological control samples. It has proved to be useful for predicting the location of specific site categories. Ethnoarchaeological fieldwork has been carried out in the same alpine sample area, which has enhanced the interpretative potential of the proposed model, suggesting that the spatial of the analyzed sites could well be related to their dairying function. The creation of ethnoarchaeological locational models with a predictive potential may be very important not only in helping to tackle some theoretical and methodological problems in predictive modelling, but also in enhancing the importance of ethnoarchaeology in landscape archaeology projects.     

Geoarchaeological investigations at Diepkloof Rock Shelter,Western Cape,South Africa

The sedimentary sequence at Diepkloof Rock Shelter formed through a complex interaction of depositional and post-depositional processes and was variously influenced by biogenic, geogenic, and anthropogenic agents. Here, we present the results of a micromorphological study of the sediments at Diepkloof, focusing in particular on the numerous anthropogenic inputs and modifications recorded within the sequence. By applying the microfacies concept, we were able to identify hearth burning and maintenance, bedding construction and burning, and surface modification by trampling as major processes that contributed to the formation of the site. The human activities recorded within the sediments show a marked change throughout the sequence, implying a shift in the use of the site over time. The present study also provides a context for evaluating other classes of artifacts and data collected from the site.     

Non-invasive characterization through X-ray fluorescence and neutron radiography of an ancient Japanese lacquer

Oriental lacquer artefacts represent very interesting objects of investigation, involving a huge variety of materials and manufacturing techniques. Lacquers are very attractive not only for their stylistic features but also for understanding the variety of production processes, time evolution, use and artistic applications involved in their manufacturing. Till recently, the research activity on these materials has been mainly based on standard, more or less invasive, analytical methods. With the aim to characterise a nineteenth century Japanese lacquer in a totally non-invasive and non-destructive way, in situ X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and neutron radiography (NR) have been employed. While XRF suggested an identification of the pigments embedded into superficial layers, NR allowed revealing, in a single measurement, the average bulk properties of the sample.     

Successful Cervical Disc Surgery by Professor Angelo Chiasserini Sr of Rome in 1937: A Historical Case Report

Although resection of cervical “chondromas” had been reported since the late twenties, the true nature of this condition was not recognized at that time. This paper reports a case of “inferior cervical radiculitis by herniation of nucleus pulposus” operated by Prof. Angelo Chiasserini Sr, one of the founders of Italian neurosurgery, in January 1937. To our knowledge this represents one of the first examples of correct etiopathogenetic interpretation of cervical disc disease. Surgery was followed by excellent recovery, a quite remarkable result in those times. The case history is reported in detail, and a short historical sketch of cervical disc disease is depicted.     

Large-Scale Experimental Investigation on Mustafa Pasha Mosque

To evaluate the seismic stability of Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Skopje strengthened by an advanced mixed technology, shaking table tests were carried out on a model in scale 1:6. The investigation was performed within the activities of the Sixth Framework Program PROHITECH – “Earthquake Protection of Historical Buildings by Reversible Mixed Technologies”. To define the effectiveness of the proposed strengthening the testing procedure consisted of two main phases: testing of the original model and testing of the strengthened model. The observed seismic behavior and damage during each phase of the testing program were analyzed on the basis of the obtained experimental results.     

Average and core silver content of ancient-debased coins via neutron diffraction and specific gravity

The measurement of the fineness of debased ancient silver coins has proven to be a very difficult issue, which has been studied for a long time. In this paper, this subject is analysed, and the various consequences of the silver surface enrichment (SSE) are discussed exploiting the most recent investigations. A new model is proposed for the complex object that is an ancient-debased silver coin, based on the silver profiles measured on some sectioned specimens. The model is applied to a sample of 43 coins, mainly Roman victoriati, Cisalpine and Illyrian drachms (from late III to I century B.C.). The coins are investigated in two different ways: neutron diffraction (ND) and specific gravity (SG). The results of the two measurements are combined via the proposed model to provide a more complete numismatic information of the original fineness of the monetary alloy. As a result, a relation between SSE thickness and SG is derived, which, for these coinages, allows to estimate the original alloy silver content from a simple SG measurement; the same method can be used to study other debased coinages, provided that all the procedure (ND and SG) is applied.     

Sequential Incisions on a Cave Bear Bone from the Middle Paleolithic of Pešturina Cave,Serbia

We present the detailed analysis of a cervical vertebra from a cave bear, found at Pe?turina cave, Serbia, in a Mousterian archaeological level dated by radiocarbon at 43.5–44.6 kyr cal BP, and by ESR to between 93.5 and 102.5 kyr BP. Identified as a portion of the cranial articular facet, the fragment displays ten subparallel grooves. The microscopic study of these grooves and other surface modification present on the bone fragment, conducted with multifocus optical and confocal microscopes and complemented by a taphonomic analysis of the associated faunal assemblage, supports the hypothesis that the incisions were made by humans. Results are used to critically examine ambiguities implicit in the analysis and interpretation of early engravings, a category of material culture that has been playing a key role in the identification of early instances of symbolically mediated behavior.