Evaluating copper isotope fractionation in the metallurgical operational chain: An experimental approach

Until today, raw material information of copper (Cu) objects is mostly gained from impurities and trace elements and not from the Cu itself. This might be obtained using its stable isotopes. However, isotopic fingerprinting requires the absence of fractionation during the smelting process. The Cu isotope evolution during outdoor smelting experiments with Cu sulphide ore was investigated. It is shown that external materials, in particular furnace lining, clay, manure and sand, alter the isotopic composition of the smelting products. Cu isotopes are fractionated within low viscosity slag derived from matte smelting. The produced metallic Cu has a Cu isotope signature close to the ore.     

Evidence from the Yana Palaeolithic site,Arctic Siberia,yields clues to the riddle of mammoth hunting

It has become commonplace to talk about humans hunting mammoths, and overhunting is thought to have been one of the causes of the mammoth extinction. However, definite evidence of mammoth kills by humans remains surprisingly scarce. Here we show convincing evidence of mammoth hunting in the Siberian Arctic between 29 000 and 27 000 ¹⁴C years BP. Our data set, from the Yana Upper Palaeolithic site (Siberian Arctic), includes the following: fragments of lithic points and ivory shaft embedded in two mammoth scapulae; two identical holes made by projectiles in a mammoth scapula and a pelvic bone; mammoth tongue bones found in the cultural layer far away from the main mammoth bone accumulation, indicating the consumption of fresh mammoth meat; and a narrow mammoth bone size distribution, implying hunting selection based on animal size. The data suggest that Palaeolithic Yana humans hunted mammoths sporadically, presumably when ivory was needed for making tools. Such non-intensive hunting practiced by humans over millennia would not be fatal to a sustainable mammoth population.     

Molecular evidence of bitumen in the Mousterian lithic assemblage of Hummal (Central Syria)

Evidence for bitumen use in Middle Palaeolithic sites is an exception in Pleistocene archaeology. This paper presents the discovery of three tar-bearing Levallois artefacts found in the Mousterian sequence in Hummal (Central Syria). The organic residues were submitted to geochemical study. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons and isotopic data show the presence of bitumen. The most likely location of natural asphalt provisioning is the Shaaf outcrop in the Bichri desert. The bitumen-bearing stone tools add further important data to the growing knowledge about bitumen processing in the Middle Palaeolithic spring sites of El Kowm. Identification of the provisioning place for natural asphalt enables a more precise assumption about the site's catchment area. From a technological point of view, the tar-bearing specimens provide information on the range of tool forms selected for hafting. Ballistic features arguably indicate that the pointed Levallois blanks seem to be spear points that were fitted to a wooden handle. In at least one case, this technical procedure was seemingly executed during a brief episode of occupation and replacement of worn out implements. This small, bracketed window of detailed insight into Mousterian technology is linked with the more general relationship between Levallois technology and stone tool hafting.     

Restructuring Beijing's Social Space: Observations on the Olympic Games in 2008

Two American geographers comment on the preceding analysis of restructuring of Beijing's social space (Feng et al., 2007) by presenting observations on the city's Olympic Games, forthcoming in the summer of 2008. The authors focus on some of the more salient geographical impacts stemming from construction, relocation, and related measures undertaken by the authorities to accommodate the event. Included in the paper are sections on environmental concerns (particularly air pollution), infrastructure (water supply, automobile traffic, and mass transit), and relocation and displacement of residents (particularly of migrants and other disadvantaged segments of the population). Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: I31, O15, O18, P20. 2 figures, 2 tables, 44 references.     

Soldiers Mistakenly Reported Killed in Action: Three German World War II Examples Related to Operation Dragoon in August 1944

Abstract

While researching the histories of 492 German soldiers killed in Southern France in August and September 1944, three cases of soldiers having falsely been reported as killed in action were discovered. There were different reasons for each of the misidentifications; in the first case, the precise circumstances are unclear, but may have occurred after an accidental exchange of identification tags with a fellow soldier; the second case was probably caused by a mistaken report from a witness; the third seems to have been misidentification by medical personnel unfamiliar with the bodies they were dealing with. The Wehrmacht used poorly designed identification tags, while there was no use of methods such as fingerprinting and tooth charts when identification tags were not available. Unreliable methods such as visual identification or witness testimony were deemed to be sufficient to report a soldier dead. As a consequence, false reports of death seem to have been relatively commonplace.     

Sex,Socioeconomic and Regional Disparities in Age Trajectories of Childhood BMI,Underweight and Overweight in China

Using a longitudinal dataset from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), growth-curve models were employed to examine age trajectories of body mass index (BMI) for 1694 subjects in China, who were aged 2–11 in 1993 and followed in four waves (1997, 2000, 2004 and 2006). Based on age- and sex-specific BMI cut-points recommended for international use, the prevalence rates of overweight and underweight in the transition from childhood to adulthood (age 6–18) were also predicted. Sex, family income, rural–urban residency and geographical location were found to be significantly associated with the onsets, slopes, and acceleration of age trajectories in BMI, overweight, and underweight (p < 0.01). Children who had lower prevalence of underweight in the transition from childhood to adulthood exhibited higher prevalence of overweight than their counterparts. Moreover, the age interval during which children were more vulnerable to an increase in underweight was different from that for overweight. There were substantial regional disparities in the age trajectories of childhood overweight and underweight. Whereas the analyses suggest that the dual burden of nutritional problems (the coexistence of overweight and underweight) in China, is more like two sides of a coin than two separate health issues; the critical age period for intervening in childhood overweight is different from that of childhood underweight. Geographical indicators of childhood obesity in China deserve further attention.     

Identification of psychoactive alkaloids in ancient Andean human hair by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Various ethnographic sources have demonstrated the symbolic and ritualistic importance of psychoactive plants in Native American societies. The social milieu of these mind- altering plants appears to be ancient. Archaeological evidence during the Tiwanaku empire expansion along the Atacama Desert of Chile, circa 500–1000 A.D., shows the presence of highly decorated snuffing tablets and tubes as grave goods. The preservation of mummified human bodies in the Azapa Valley, northern Chile, provided an opportunity to test the exact nature of the psychoactive plants used in this region. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS), here we show that ancient Andean populations from northern Chile consumed Banisteriopsis, a vine that contains harmine. This is the first direct archaeological evidence of hallucinogenic and medicinal ethnographic practices. Interestingly enough, this rainforest plant does not grow along the Atacama coast, thus our findings suggest extensive plant trade networks in antiquity as far as the Amazon.     

三十年改革开放是坚持群众路线的生动体现

30年改革开放是坚持群众路线的生动体现,即“一切为了群众,一切依靠群众”是改革开放的根本出发点和落脚点;“从群众中来,到群众中去”是改革开放的重要保证。由此可见,改革开放和坚持群众路线是有机的统一体。     

中共建党初期扩大群众基础的认识和实践发展

中共建党初期对扩大群众基础和社会影响力的认识与实践有三次飞跃：第一次由不与其他党派联系到与其他党派建立联合战线。第二次由与其他党派建立联合战线到在其他党派中发展自己的党员。第三次由对土匪、会党的偏面认识到客观认识,在会党中发展自己的党员。     

关于市场经济条件下利益群体多元化矛盾的分析和思考

本文通过阐述现阶段利益群体多元化矛盾现状、特点,分析了利益群体多元化矛盾的性质和化解利益群体多元化矛盾的意义,提出了化解利益群体多元化矛盾的基本思路。