Carnival and Literature in Early Modern England

A FOLKLORE SAMPLER FROM THE MARITIMES: WITH A BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY ON THE FOLKTALE IN ENGLISH. Ed. by HERBERT HALPERT. Mount Allison University and Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1982. 273 pp., appendices and bibliography. Reviewed by Georgina Boyes.

THE DRUNKEN KING, OR, THE ORIGIN OF THE STATE. By LUC DE HEUSCH, translated and annotated by Roy Willis. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982. Pp. xv + 50 (£16.50). Reviewed by Loreto Todd.

RITES AND RELIGIONS OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. By GALE R. OWEN. David and Charles, London, and Barnes and Noble Books, New Jersey, 1981. Pp. 216, 24 plates, 40 figs. £12.50. Reviewed by H. R. Ellis Davidson.

SIJOBANG: SUNG NARRATIVE POETRY OF WESTERN SUMATRA. By NIGEL PHILLIPS. Cambridge Studies in Oral and Literate Culture, Cambridge University Press, 1981. Pp. 255. 2 maps. 8 plates. £22.50. Reviewed by H. R. Ellis Davidson.

THE CULT OF THE SERPENT: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SURVEY OF ITS MANIFESTATIONS AND ORIGINS. By BALAJIMUNDKUR. State University o f New York Press, Albany, 1983 ISBN 0-87395-631-1. 363 pp., 107 ills. Cloth $39.50, paper $12.95. Reviewed by Jacqueline Simpson.

BRÜDER GRIMM KINDER-UND HAUSMÄRCHEN. Textkritisch revidiert und mit einem Nachwort herausgegeben von HEINZ RÖLLEKE. Cologne (Eugen Diederichs Verlag), 1982. 2 volumes, pp. 592; with 4 illustrations by Ludwig Emil Grimm. Reviewed by Ellen Ettlinger.

LEGENDS OF THE WORLD. Ed. by RICHARD CAVENDISH. Orbis Publishing, London, 1982. Pp. 433, ill. £12.50. Reviewed by Alicia C. Percival.

THE RIVER'S IN MY BLOOD: RIVERBOAT PILOTS TELL THEIR STORIES. By JANE CURRY. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 1983. Pp. 288. £10.00. Reviewed by Ruth Glass.

PERFORMED LITERATURE: WORDS AND MUSIC BY BOB DYLAN. By BETSY BOWDEN. Indiana University Press, 1982. Pp. 239. $18.95. 0 253 34347 X. Reviewed by Brian Hinton.

LEYENDAS, TRADICIONES, CUENTOS FABULOSOS, Y OTROS RELATOS FANTASTICOS DE LAS ISLAS CABRERA, FORMENTERA, EIVISSA, MENORCA Y MALLORCA. By GABRIEL SABRAFIN. Archivo de Tradiciones Populares, vol. 35. Apartado 296, Palma. 1982. 8vo. Pp. 237 + 3 folding maps. ISBN 84-85354-87-6. 1100 pesetas. Reviewed by Leslie Grinsell.

MYSTERIOUS WALES. By CHRIS BARBER. David and Charles, Newton Abbot, Devon. Pp. 243, 143 illus. and map. Hardback. 1982. £8.95. Paperback, 1983 (Paladin), £2.50. Reviewed by L. V. Grinsell.

OURS ONCE MORE: FOLKLORE, IDEOLOGY, AND THE MAKING OF MODERN GREECE. By MICHAEL HERZFELD. Austin: University of Texas Press 1982. x, 197 pp. Reviewed by Charles Stewart.     

Developing Spatial Weight Matrices for Incorporation into Multiple Linear Regression Models: An Example Using Grizzly Bear Body Size and Environmental Predictor Variables

In this study, we develop spatial autoregressive (SAR) models relating grizzly bear body length to environmental predictor variables in the Alberta Rocky Mountains. We examine the ability of several different spatial neighborhoods to model spatial dependence and compare the estimated parameters and residuals from a standard linear regression model (LRM) with those from three types of SAR models: error, lag, and Durbin. Further, we examine variable selection in the presence of negative dependence by repeating the modeling process using a SAR model. Two findings are that significant negative spatial dependence was present in the residuals of the LRM and that the choice of spatial neighborhood greatly affects the ability to detect spatial dependence. The incorporation of appropriate spatial weights into SAR models improves the fit and increases the significance of the parameter estimates vis‐à‐vis the linear model. The results of this study indicate that negative dependence may not have as severe negative effects on variable selection and parameter estimation as positive dependence. An examination of spatial dependence in regression modeling appears to be an important means of exploring the appropriateness of a sampling framework, predictor variables, and model form. En este estudio desarrollamos modelos espaciales autorregresivos (SAR) que vinculan la longitud del cuerpo de osos grizzli con variables predictivas ambientales en las montañas rocosas de Alberta, Canadá. Examinamos la capacidad de varias vecindades espaciales para modelar la dependencia espacial y la comparación de los parámetros estimados, así como los residuos de un modelo de regresión lineal estándar (LRM) versus tres tipos de modelos SAR: error, retraso (lag) y Durbin. Además, se examina la selección de variables en la presencia de dependencia negativa mediante la repetición del proceso de modelado con un modelo de SAR. El estudio concluye que: 1) existe dependencia espacial negativa significativa en los residuos de la LRM y; 2) la selección de la vecindad espacial afecta en gran medida la capacidad de detectar la dependencia espacial. La incorporación de ponderaciones espaciales correspondientes a los modelos SAR mejora el ajuste y aumenta la importancia de los parámetros estimados versus el modelo lineal. Los resultados de este estudio indican que la dependencia negativa puede no tener los graves efectos negativos en la selección de variables y la estimación de parámetros si se comparan dichos efectos con = la dependencia positiva. Los autores recomiendan un examen de la dependencia espacial en modelos de regresión como medio importante para explorar la conveniencia de un marco de muestreo, de variables de predicción, y de la forma del modelo. 本文构建了阿尔伯达省落基山脉地区的灰熊体态大小与环境预测变量之间的空间自回归模型（SAR）,检验了几种以不同空间邻域矩阵拟合变量的空间相关性,并比较了标准回归模型(LRM)与几种不同类型的SAR模型（空间残差模型、空间滞后模型和空间杜宾模型）的估计参数和残差大小。进而利用一种SAR模型重复模拟过程,进一步测试变量选择对负相关性存在的影响。研究表明,显著的空间负相关存在于LRM的残差中,且空间邻域权重的选择很大程度上影响模型空间相关性的探测能力。将适当的空间权重引入SAR模型中可提高拟合精度,增加相对于线性模型参数估计的显著性。研究结果表明,负相关性在变量选择和参数估计上严重负影响的程度不如正相关性强。回归模型中空间相关性检验似乎是采样结构、预测变量和模型形式适用性分析的一个重要途径。     

Response

Cervantes's deathbed novel, The Trials of Persiles and Sigismunda: A Northern Story, uses the pilgrimage of the two eponymous protagonists to show them as exemplars of the virtues not only necessary for ordinary life, but also those qualities essential to true leadership. The novel constitutes Cervantes's final written words, barely completed in partial rough draft before he expired, and accordingly might be considered his last words on the ideas and traits most important for human flourishing.     

The context,form and significance of the MSA engraved ostrich eggshell collection from Diepkloof Rock Shelter,Western Cape,South Africa

Broken ostrich eggshells are commonly found in Middle Stone Age sites of southern Africa, presumably collected for food consumption, and later used as artefacts. At Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Middle Stone Age inhabitants used ostrich eggshells as a medium to convey abstract depictions. Since 1998, excavations at Diepkloof have recovered 408 engraved pieces of ostrich eggshells. The study of these shows that Diepkloof inhabitants applied a restricted set of geometric engraving patterns, with the dominance of 2 main motifs, one using a hatched band and the other sub-parallel to converging lines. These motifs coexisted, but shifted in frequency toward the latter through time. Together with evidence that ostrich eggshells were used as containers, these patterns support the hypothesis that engravings were made with respect to clear but flexible social conventions and were part of a complex system of visual and symbolic communication. Since our last report (Texier et al., 2010), a few engraved pieces have been found in lower stratigraphic units, expanding substantially the time-range of the engraving practice on ostrich eggshells at Diepkloof. The earliest engravings appear at the end of the Early Howiesons Poort phase, but become numerous only during the Intermediate and Late phases of the Howiesons Poort. The collection from Diepkloof is presently unique and likely underlines the existence of regional traditions within the Howiesons Poort. Interestingly, and significantly in our view, the engraving disappears at the same time as the Howiesons Poort technology. We argue that this disappearance may reflect a modification in the way late Middle Stone Age inhabitants interacted with one another.     

Mycobacterium leprae genotype amplified from an archaeological case of lepromatous leprosy in Central Asia

We have amplified Mycobacterium leprae DNA from the skeleton of an adult human female exhibiting signs of lepromatous leprosy (LL). The remains were excavated from the site of Devkesken 6 on the Ustyurt plateau of Uzbekistan and date to between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Recovered DNA was fragmented but of sufficient quality and quantity to allow a series of biomolecular genotyping methods to be applied. These methods included variable nucleotide tandem repeat (VNTR) typing of two microsatellite and one minisatellite regions and also single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing for nine informative loci.Genotyping showed that the causative strain of M. leprae exhibited a SNP-type 3 profile, characteristic of cases associated geographically with Europe and North Africa. Further SNP sub-typing was performed and the data obtained from the Uzbek leper was compared with the same loci amplified from a case of LL recovered from Blackfriars, Ipswich, UK dating to between the 13th and 16th centuries AD. Unique group 3 subtypes were found in both the Uzbek case and Ipswich 1914. These appear to be ancestral to recent type 3 strains. Mycolic acid analysis confirmed the presence of M. leprae in the Uzbek samples. Phylogenetically informative SNPs and other polymorphic loci will contribute to the study of human migrations, as well as the origin and spread of leprosy.     

Millet cultivation history in the French Alps as evidenced by a sedimentary molecule

We report on the detection, in a sediment core drilled in Lake Le Bourget (French Alps), of a fossil molecule (miliacin) that was synthesized by broomcorn millet cultivated in the watershed, and then exported to the sediment. The variation in abundance of this molecule allows us reconstructing the history of millet cultivation around Lake Le Bourget. Our results support the introduction of millet around −1700 BC in the region. After an intensive cultivation during the Late Bronze Age, the failure of millet cropping during the Hallstatt period coincides with a phase of climatic deterioration. Millet cultivation recovers during the Roman and Mediaeval periods before falling most probably due to the introduction of more productive cereals. These pioneering results constitute the first continuous record of an agrarian activity covering the last 6000 years and emphasize the close relationships between local hydrology, land use and agro-pastoral activities around Lake Le Bourget.