Bone weight: new reference values based on a modern Portuguese identified skeletal collection

Skeletal weight and/or weight of the different bones of the human skeleton are currently used in a wide range of applications such as archaeological cremations and forensics. Still, few reference values are available that compare the mean weights for the different skeletal parts. In this paper we present new reference values for total skeletal weight, including the weight of the different skeletal bones based on a modern Portuguese Identified Skeletal Collection (CEI) curated in the Museum of Anthropology of the University of Coimbra (Portugal). The mean weight of the entire skeleton for the CEI pooled sample is 3323.8 ± 779.6 g. Sex and age differences were investigated. As expected, males display heavier bones, at a statistically significant level. The mean weight of the male skeletons is 3850 g, and 2797.6 g for the female sample. Age differences were found, especially for the female samples in the 29–39 versus 50–59 and/or >60 age groups, probably as a consequence of age‐related bone loss in post‐menopausal women. For the male sample, no clear age‐related trend was observed but for the unexpected result that the second highest bone weight recorded is in the oldest age group (>60 years). This could result from high mechanical loadings and thus greater bone robusticy and amount of cortical bone. The percentage of weight of the different parts of the skeleton was also calculated. These new values can be quite useful in the study of very fragmentary and/or commingled human remains, recovered from historic or forensic contexts, since the complete identification, by side, of the remains is not necessary. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bringing republican ideas back home. The Dewey–Laski connection

This article explores J.G.A. Pocock’s insight that “traces” of civic republican discourse survived within the dominant liberal paradigm of modern political thought. It does so by tracking classical republican themes in the works of American pragmatist John Dewey and English pluralist Harold Laski. The main contribution of the article is to show that the 1920s pluralist theory of the state can be interpreted as a reformulation of the classical republican critique of modern liberal conceptions of state sovereignty. In particular, I suggest that Laski can be viewed as a kind of republican pluralist inspired by Aristotle and Harrington as well as by American pragmatism, itself a late outgrowth of the republican tradition in US history.     

Critical Issues in Earthquake Scenario Loss Modeling

The assessment of human or economic losses due to single events (scenario) may effectively support decision makers in the development of important risk mitigation actions. The study presented herein sheds light on several problems and limitations in the current practice of scenario loss modeling, such as: the number of simulations required to achieve convergence; epistemic and aleatory uncertainty in the ground motion prediction and vulnerability models; and consideration of the earthquake rupture geometry. These issues are investigated using the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon (Portugal), and it has been observed that distinct assumptions in the loss modeling can lead to considerably different results. The findings of this study are also pertinent for probabilistic seismic risk analyses in which a large number of stochastically generated events are employed to assess probabilistic losses.     

National functions of the imperial institute

Fragments of Earth Lore. By Professor Geikie, D.C.L., LL.D., F.R.S., etc. Edinburgh: John Bartholomew and Co., 1893. Pp. 428.

Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical, and Historical. New Edition. Edited by Francis H. Groome. London: William Mackenzie, N.D. Vols. 1. and 11. Aan to Eynort. Pp. 288 and 272.

Geografia y Geológia del Ecuador. Publicada por Órden del Supremo Gobierno de la Kepública por Teodoro Wolf, Dr. Phil., Antiguo Profesor de la Escuela Politecnica de Quito y Geó1ogo del Estado. Con 12 Laminas autotípicas, 47 Ilustraciones en el texto, y 2 Cartas. Leipzig: Tipografía de F. A. Brockhaus, 1892. Pp. xii + 671.

Venice: An Historical Sketch of the Bepublic. By Horatio F. Brown. With Maps and Plan. London: Percival and Co., 1893. Pp. xxiii + 434. Price 16s.

Lettres sur l'Inde. Par Monseigneur Laouenan, de la Société des Missions‐étrangères, Archevêque de Pondichéry. Publiées par Adrien Launay, de la même Société. Paris: Librairie Victor Lecoffre, 1893. Pp. 296.

Russia. Note e Ricordi di Viaggio. Di Giuseppe Modrich. Torino‐Roma: L. Roux e C., 1892. Pp. 550. Price 5 L.

Historic Towns: York. By James Raine, M.A., D.C.L. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1893. Pp. xi + 223. Price 3s. 6d.

Scotland Before 1700: From Contemporary Documents. Edited by P. Hume Brown. Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1893. Pp. xx + 368.

Sunny Manitoba: Its Peoples and its Industries. By Alfred 0. Legge. With Map and Iilustrations. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1893. Pp. 297.

Carnet d'un Voyageur. Au Pays des Veddas, Ceylan. Par Emile Deschamps, Officier d'Académie, etc. etc. Avec 116 figures d'après les croquis et photographies de l'auteur, et une carte. Paris: Société d'Editions Scientifiques, 1892. Pp. iv + 492.

A Collection of Treaties, Engagements, and other Papers of Importance relating to British Affairs in Malabar. Edited with notes by W. Logan, Madras Civil Service. Second Edition. Madras: Printed by the Superintendent, Government Press, 1891. Pp. xxvi + 402 + xlv.

Four Months in Persia, and a Visit to Transcaspia. By C. E. Biddulph, M.A., etc. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Co., 1892. Pp. 137. Price 3s. 6d.

Letters from Queensland. By The Times Special Correspondent. London: Macmillan and Co., 1893. Pp. 110. Price 2s. 6d.

Amerika. Eine allgemeine Landeskunde. In Gemeinschaft mit Dr. E. Deckert und Professor Dr. W. Kükenthal herausgegeben von Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Sievers. Leipzig und Wien, 1893.

Longmans’ School History of India. By the Rev. G. U. Pope, D.D., sometime Fellow of the Madras University. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892. Pp. 303. Price 2s. 6d.

Philips's Geographical Manuals. The Geography of the British Colonies and Dependencies, Physical, Political, Commercial. By William Hughes, F.R.G.S., and J. Francos Williams, F.R.G.S. London: George Philip and Son, 1892. Pp. viii + 232. Price 2s. 6d.

Practical Guide to the Geography of the British Isles and General Geography. By R. Burnett. Aberdeen: John Adam, 1893. Pp. 132. Price 1s. 6d.

The Geography of Asia: A Brief Handbook for Students. London: Blackie and Son, Limited, 1893. Pp. 38. Price 6d.

The Elements of Physiography. By John I. Prince. Part II.: Advanced Stage. Seventh Edition. London: John Heywood, 1889. Pp. 176. Price 1s. 6d.

To the Other Side. By Thomas Rhodes. With Maps and Illustrations. London: George Philip and Son, 1893. [Edinburgh: Sold by J. and H. Lindsay.] Pp. 106. Price 1s.

Carlsbad: A Medico‐Practical Guide. By E. Kleen, M.D. Pp. 101. G. P. Putnam's Sons: New York and London, 1893.

Where to Go Abroad: A Guide to the Watering‐Places and Health‐Resorts of Europe, the Mediterranean, etc. Edited by A. E. Hope Moncrieff. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1893. Pp. 466. Price 3s. 6d.

Liberton in Ancient and Modern Times. By George Good. With Introduction by Kev. W. H. Gray, D.D. Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1893. Pp. xx + 185.

A Ride from Land's End to John o’ Groats. By Evelyn Burnaby, M.A., S.C.L. London: Sampson Low, Marston, and Company (Limited), 1893. Pp. xxiv + 146.

Kamerun und Sudan. Von H. Jäger. Berlin: F. K. Beuge, 1893. Pp. 162.

Un Voyage au Yunnan. Par le Dr. Louis Pichon (of Shanghai). Paris: Plon, Nourrit et C^ie., 1893.

Louis Agassiz: His Life and Work. By Charles Frederick Holder, LL.D., Author of The Life of Charles Darwin, Living Lights, etc. (Leaders in Science Series.) 12mo, pp. xviii + 327. 28 Illustrations. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1892. Price $1.50.

Argentine, Patagonian, and Chilian Sketches, with a Few Notes about Uruguay. By C. E. Akers. London: Harrison and Sons. N. D. Pp. vi + 190.

The Australians: A Social Sketch. By Francis Adams. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1893. Pp. 314.

Letters from South Africa. By The Times Special Correspondent. London: Macmillan and Co., 1893. Pp. 116.

Tropical America. By Isaac N. Ford. London: Edward Stanford, 1893. Pp. 409. Price 10s. 6d.

Shearer's Illustrated Guide to Stirling, Stirling Castle, Bannockburn, Wallace's Monument, and Neighbourhood. Stirling: K. S. Shearer and Son, 1893. Pp. 108.

Northumberland: its History, its Features, and its People, by the Rev. James Christie, B.A. London. Carlisle: Charles Thurnam and Sons; Newcastle: Mawson, Swan, and Morgan; London: Presbyterian Publication Committee, 1893. Pp. 152.     

Modified Moran's I for Small Samples

The most common indicator used to measure spatial dependence is Moran's I proposed by statistician Patrick A. P. Moran in 1950. The index is simple to use and applies the principle of the Pearson correlation coefficient, although it incorporates a proximity measure between elements. However, Moran's I tends to underestimate real spatial autocorrelation when the number of locations are few. This study aims to present a modified version of Moran's I that can measure real spatial autocorrelation even with small samples and check for spatial dependence.     

A Compositional and Microstructural Study of Eighth‐Century BC Bronzes from Moita Da Ladra (Tagus Estuary): How Did the Spread of the Phoenician Metallurgy Take Place in Western Iberia?

Metals from a votive deposit at Moita da Ladra (Tagus Estuary) dating to the eighth century bc were studied by micro‐EDXRF, optical microscopy and Vickers testing to investigate the adoption of Phoenician innovations by indigenous communities. Artefacts are made of bronze alloys with suitable tin contents (11.6 ± 2.3 wt%) and very low iron impurities (<0.05 wt%), and were often manufactured using the long post‐casting sequence. Comparisons with indigenous and Phoenician metallurgies from western Iberia revealed a conservative technology suggesting that the spread of Phoenician innovations was very slow. In this region, the adoption of a diversified copper‐based metallurgy and reduction furnaces only seems to occur during the Post‐Orientalizing Period, c. sixth to fourth centuries bc .