Thermoluminescence dates for the Middle Palaeolithic site of Chez-Pinaud Jonzac (France)

Thermoluminescence dating of heated flint artefacts from the Middle Palaeolithic sequence of Chez-Pinaud Jonzac (France) places an assemblage of Quina type Mousterian into MIS 4, while the overlying assemblage of Denticulate Mousterian which is followed by two layers with Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition are all assigned to MIS 3. TL dating is used to verify the mixed nature of deposits from which diagnostic Middle as well as Upper Palaeolithic tools were recovered. The TL ages are significantly different for samples from this layer and broadly agree with the archaeological attributions. While the study is generally limited by the low number of heated samples available, a correlation with a generalized chronostratigraphic sequence is possible by including proxy data from the faunal remains associated with the lithic assemblages in question. The Quina Mousterian in southwestern France, therefore, can be placed by chronometric dating methods in MIS 4 to MIS 3.     

RESEARCH NOTES AND APPLICATION REPORTS ELEMENT DISTRIBUTION MAPS IN FOSSIL BONES

The combined application of fission track analysis and neutron activation-induced β-autoradiography to map the trace element distributions of scandium, cobalt, uranium and rare earth elements in fossil bone samples from East Africa is described. Both uranium and the rare earth elements are incorporated into bone apatite during fossilisation, whereas scandium and cobalt occur additionally in any iron-manganese minerals precipitated in pore spaces within the bone cortex. The distribution of uranium is different from that of the rare earth elements in the fossil bone cortices; it enters fossil bone more rapidly and is sensitive to changes in the redox potential of the palaeogroundwater.     

HYPERTENSION et 'MODERNITÉ CHEZ LES CRIS et LES INUIT DU NORD DU QUÉBEC

Chez les autochtones, l'hypertension serait endémique mais les statistiques sur la fréquence de ce phénomène sont rares. Dans cette recherche nous avons essayé d'intégrer les données d'une enquête sur la pression artérielle à une échelle de modernité appliquée à la population Papoue de Nouvelle-Guinée. L'hypothèse générale est la suivante: une tension actuelle élevée serait liée au stress induit par les changements économiques et culturels des autochtones depuis quelques années. Les relations entre les attributs du modèle et la pression artérielle ne sont pas statistiquement concluantes. Une des raisons tient à la difficulté de différencier les communautés traditionnelles des modernes à partir des attributs du modèle. Néanmoins, les données de l'enquête démontrent clairement les différences dans les distributions des données de la pression artérielle entre les Inuit et les Cris. la prévalence de l'hypertension est plus élevée chez les Cris que chez les Inuit. Cette étude suggère plusieurs facteurs qui pourraient rendre compte de ces différences. Although the presence of high blood pressure in native people is well documented, data on its frequency are relatively scarce. This research attempts to integrate the data concerning high blood pressure into a modernity scale developed for the population of Papua—New Guinea. The general hypothesis is that increasing blood pressure levels are related to the stress engendered by the economic and cultural changes that these people have known in recent times. This research shows that the relations between the components of the model of modernity and those of high blood pressure are not conclusive. One reason for this is the difficulty of distinguishing modern communities from traditional according to the attributes of the model. Nevertheless, the data demonstrate clearly the difference in blood pressure between the Inuit and Cree. The preva lence of hypertension is higher among the Cree than the Inuit. This study suggests several factors that may explain these differences