Conventions of climate change: constructions of danger and the dispossession of the atmosphere

Climate change has emerged as one of the key issues of the early years of the twenty-first century, bringing together concerns about human relations to nature, the responsibility of rich nations to poorer, the links from local activities to global conditions, and the obligations of present to future generations. This paper focuses on three key ‘narratives’ that are enshrined in international climate policy – asserting that ‘dangerous climate change’ is to be avoided; that the responsibility for climate change is common but differentiated; and that the market (in the form of carbon trading) is the best way to reduce the danger. The goal of the paper is to analyse the origins of these narratives, the power relations they reflect and promote, and some of the concepts and images used to support them, including those of climate determinism, climate stabilisation, ‘burning embers’, ‘tipping points’, Global Warming Potentials, targets and timetables, and carbon credits. I argue that by choosing the market solution of trading carbon we have created a new and surreal commodity, unfairly allocated pollution rights to nation states based on 1990 emission levels, and established a new set north–south relations and carbon transactions in the name of sustainable development.     

The effect of parity status on δN: looking for the “pregnancy effect” in 18th and 19th century London

This study examined the effect of parity status on δ¹⁵N using the well-characterised 18th and 19th century skeletal collection from the crypt of Christ Church, Spitalfields, London. We tested whether the cumulative effect of multiple pregnancies and breastfeeding could significantly reduce female δ¹⁵N values compared to males. The results from stable isotope analysis of 92 adult ribs show that the population of Spitalfields had relatively little variation in diet, compared to contemporary urban populations, and had abundant animal and marine protein. We were able to rule out any effect attributable to socio-economic status, date or age at death on the stable isotope ratios. There were no significant differences in δ¹⁵N due to parity status, nor were there any differences between males and females. Models of collagen turnover rates in ribs suggest that the effect of δ¹⁵N depletion due to pregnancy would be undetectable except in ideal circumstances, where bone of the optimal turnover period was sampled, and in cases where multi-parous individuals died shortly after parturition.     

Analysis of Carbon Fiber Sheet-Retrofitted RC Bridge Columns Under Lateral Cyclic Loading

In recent years, the use of carbon fiber sheet (CFS) to provide lateral confinement for enhanced ductility and strength of reinforced concrete bridge columns has been increasing. While the monotonic behavior of CFS-confined concrete has been studied extensively, its cyclic response has not been fully understood. Most of the available studies are experimental investigations, hence there is a need to develop an analytical model to simulate the experimental results. Analysis of the hysteretic behavior of CFS-retrofitted circular columns is presented in this article using the fiber element that is based on cyclic constitutive models of longitudinal reinforcement and concrete confined by both CFS and tie reinforcement. The analysis was verified based on available cyclic test data and the analysis provides good agreement with the experimental results. Results show that flexural strength and ductility of columns wrapped with CFS increases as CFS ratio increases. However, as tie reinforcement ratio increases, there is no much difference on the hysteretic response for low tie reinforcement ratios. Using the fiber element analysis, the effect of CFS retrofit on the seismic response of a 7.5 m tall prototype pier built in the 1970s to 1980s is also clarified.     

Food for Rome: A stable isotope investigation of diet in the Imperial period (1st–3rd centuries AD)

During the Empire, the population of Rome was composed mostly of lower-class free citizens and slaves. Viewed from historical records, the Roman diet included primarily olives, wine, and wheat, but poor and enslaved Romans may have eaten whatever they were able to find and afford, leading to significant heterogeneity in the Roman diet. Previous carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of skeletons from Imperial Italy have begun to reveal variation in diet, but little is known about what people ate in the capital city. This study complements previous work by adding new isotope data from human skeletons found in two Imperial-period (1st–3rd centuries AD) cemeteries in Rome. These data suggest that urban and suburban diets differed, most notably in the consumption of the C₄ grain millet. Comparing these new data with all published palaeodietary data from Imperial Italy demonstrates that significant variation existed in the diet of the common people.     

Ascetic or affluent? Byzantine diet at the monastic community of St. Stephen’s,Jerusalem from stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen in skeletons from the Byzantine (5th–7th century AD) monastery of St. Stephen’s in Jerusalem were examined in conjunction with a review of historical sources detailing dietary practices during this period in the Levant. Relatively low δ¹³C ratios (−19.0 ± 0.5‰, 1σ) indicate a diet consisting primarily of C₃ sources and display continuity with textual records describing monastic daily life. Conversely, human δ¹⁵N values (9.6 ± 1.2‰, 1σ) are enriched in ¹⁵N relative to local fauna (7.3 ± 1.1‰, 1σ) and point to the contribution of animal protein to the diet, an unexpected result based on both the rarity and expense of these luxury food items as well as dietary prohibitions associated with an ascetic monastic lifestyle. No sex-based differences in diet were detected for either δ¹³C or δ¹⁵N values, suggesting that men and women consumed isotopically similar foods. As the vast majority of monastic communities in the ancient Near East were located in the desert, the urban setting of St. Stephen’s monastery allows for a unique glimpse into a rarely-explored facet of Byzantine life.     

A new approach to tracking connections between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia: initial results of strontium isotope analyses from Harappa and Ur

Exchange and interaction between early state-level societies in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley during the 3rd millennium BC has been documented for some time. The study of this interaction has been dominated by the analysis of artifacts such as carnelian beads and marine shell, along with limited textual evidence. With the aid of strontium, carbon, and oxygen isotopes, it is now possible to develop more direct means for determining the presence of non-local people in both regions. This preliminary study of tooth enamel from individuals buried at Harappa and at the Royal Cemetery of Ur, indicates that it should be feasible to identify Harappans in Mesopotamia. It is also possible to examine the mobility of individuals from communities within the greater Indus Valley region.     

Obtaining Black Carbon—A Simple Method for the Safe Removal of Mineral Components from Soils and Archaeological Layers

In this study, we present a novel, safe method for how to remove inorganic components from soil samples studied for archaeological purposes, in order to improve studies of the distribution of black carbon in the sedimentary record. As the depositional history of this material depends on the interaction between humans and the natural environment, this method can be widely used in archaeology, landscape archaeology, palaeoecology, environmental geology and sedimentology. Our method does not require the use of dangerous hydrofluoric acid, which is commonly used for the removal of silicon oxide from such samples; therefore, this procedure allows even less chemically trained scientists to analyse soil samples with an increased level of work safety.     

Mummies, maize, and manure: multi-tissue stable isotope analysis of late prehistoric human remains from the Ayacucho Valley, Perú

This paper reports the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of bone collagen, muscle and skin from several late prehistoric–early colonial (AD 1490–1640) mummies from Perú's Ayacucho Valley. The mean of the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of bone collagen are −11.5 ± 1.4 and 11.1 ± 0.7‰, respectively. The mean of the δ¹³C values for Vinchos skin is −11.8 ± 1.2‰ and the mean of δ¹⁵N values is 13.2 ± 0.5‰. The samples of muscle tissue have a δ¹³C mean of −11.9 ± 0.9‰ and a δ¹⁵N mean of 12.7 ± 0.3‰. The data from bone collagen indicate maize was the basis of the region's subsistence economy. A significant correlation between δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of bone collagen (R² = 0.75) is consistent with the preferential fertilization of maize with composted manure. Both skin and muscle samples are consistently enriched in δ¹⁵N relative to paired samples of bone (2.1 ± 0.5 and 1.6 ± 0.7‰, respectively), possibly as a result of short term physiological stress or differential decomposition.     

Paleodietary implications from stable carbon isotope analysis of experimental cooking residues

The regional timing of maize introduction in eastern North America is a long-standing topic of archaeological interest. Most recently, Morton and Schwarcz [2004. Paleodietary implications from stable isotopic analysis of residues on prehistoric Ontario ceramics. Journal of Archaeological Science 31, 503–517] investigated the timing of maize introduction in Ontario through isotope analysis of charred cooking residues adhering to the interior of prehistoric ceramic containers. They interpret their results to suggest maize was incorporated into diets after A.D. 600. We assess their approach and conclusions with stable carbon isotope assays on three sets of experimental cooking residues, evaluating the variable combustion of carbon fractions, contributions of fats and carbohydrates, and the contribution of total carbon. We also undertake multiple resource modeling of two part food mixes with green maize and maize flour. Our results suggest that systematic under representation of maize can result depending on residue composition and that some prior knowledge of C3 plant and animal contents is necessary to interpret stable carbon isotope values on cooking residues. We question the independent use of stable carbon isotope analysis of charred cooking residues as a viable technique for extracting paleodietary information.     

略论美国黑人解放的道路问题

自由与平等是所有美国黑人的共同理想。但是,以什么方式来达到目的,在美国黑人内部却一直有着三种不同的意见,即道德说教,暴力反抗和合法主义改革战略。纵观美国黑人解放斗争历史,在所有主张中,只有道格拉斯的合法主义改革战略才真正代表了黑人解放的方向。