European Capitals of Culture: elitism or inclusion? The case of Stavanger2008

Who participates in the European Capital of Culture? This article analyses participation in Stavanger, European Capital of Culture (ECOC) in 2008, drawing on data from a survey conducted among a cross-section of the population of the city and its closest surrounds. It examines whether there is systematic variation in the number and type of events attended across key social background characteristics such as gender, age, education and income, as well as interest in culture. It finds systematic, but small differences between the genders, age groups and people of different educational attainment, and no differences between people with high and low income. Participation levels are high in all social strata. However, interest in culture is an important predictor of participation. Differences in social background and cultural interest matter more for participation in high-brow events. The authors conclude that the ECOC event was fairly inclusive of different population segments.     

Size and form in the analysis of flake debris: Review and recent approaches

Flake debris — the by-product of lithic reduction — is abundant, not subject to uncontrolled collection, and sometimes culturally diagnostic. Its greatest virtue, however, is in registering the kinds and amounts of toolmaking and tool-using behavior that curated tools themselves may not. Most debris studies emphasize formal dimensions, yet even the best approaches assume rather than demonstrate a relationship between behavior and formal variation. Moreover, the diversity of formal typologies hinders interassemblage comparison. Progress in debris analysis has two prerequisites: (1) a minimum attribute set for individual flakes and (2) the combination of formal and continuous approaches to variation. Preliminary study suggests that Ahler's mass-analysis model and log skew Laplace functions hold particular promise for behavioral interpretation from debris assemblages.     

Theatres of Violence on the Ottoman Periphery: Exploring the Local Roots of Genocidal Policies in Antep

This article explores how and why deportation and elimination of the Armenians of Antep were carried out during World War One (WWI). In particular, it scrutinizes the political and social context in which local authorities, provincial elites, and ordinary Muslims radicalized their views and policies against Armenians. It highlights the crucial role played by local elites and actors who prospered through acquisition of Armenian property and wealth. In this respect, the article argues that the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP)’s genocide and deportation decision enjoyed a certain level of social support through the practice of effective power and control mechanism(s) at the local level.     

Extinct species identification from late middle Pleistocene and earlier Upper Pleistocene bone fragments and tools not recognizable from their osteomorphological study by an enhanced proteomics protocol

Ancient preserved molecules offer the opportunity of gaining a deeper knowledge on their biological past. However, the development of a proteomic workflow remains a challenge. The analysis of fossils must involve a low quantity of material to avoid damaging the samples. In this study an enhanced proteomic protocol was applied to 5-milligram samples of about 130,000-year-old mammalian bones ranging from the end of the Middle Pleistocene up to the earlier Upper Pleistocene, excavated from Scladina Cave (Sclayn, Belgium). Using sequence homology with modern sequences, a biological classification was successfully achieved and the associated taxonomic ranks to each bone were identified consistently with the information gained from osteomorphological studies and palaeoenvironmental and palaeodietary data. Amino acid substitutions on collagens were identified, thus providing new information on extinct species sequences and helping in taxonomy-based clustering. Considering samples with no osteomorphological information, such as two fragments of bone retouchers, proteomics successfully identified the families providing paleontologists new information on these objects. Combining osteomorphology studies and amino acid variations identified by proteomics, one of the retouchers was potentially identified as belonging to the Ursus spelaeus species.     

Physico‐Chemical Characterization of Pigments and Binders of Murals in a Church in Ethiopia

Here, we report the physico‐chemical characterization of wall paintings from the Petros and Paulos church in Ethiopia. This work represents the first technical study of paintings located in Ethiopia, rather than paintings in museum collections outside the country, using diverse analytical techniques. In situ examination with a portable X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) was followed by analysis of samples using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), micro‐Raman spectroscopy (MRS), attenuated total reflection – Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FT–IR), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) and pyrolysis gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (Py‐GC/MS). The paint stratigraphy, the compositions of the support material, the preparatory and painting layers were studied, as well as the morphology of the pigment particles. The results revealed the use of earth pigments and carbon black. The preparatory layer was uncommon; composed of dolomite, clay rich in clinochlore and sand, in contrast to the more common gypsum and calcite. The binder and the stratigraphic analyses suggested a distempera technique.     

An examination of the impact of neighbourhood walking environments on the likelihood of residents of dense urban areas becoming overweight or obese

With the development of urbanization in China, obesity is becoming a serious problem, and the relationship between walking environments and obesity has attracted considerable interest. Using data from questionnaires (n = 418) gathered in 2017 from eight neighbourhoods in Guangzhou, China, a typical high-density city, this study developed an Ordered Logit Model (OLM) to explore the effects of walking environments on the likelihood of residents becoming overweight or obese. The results demonstrate that body mass index (BMI) of individuals living in central urban areas is higher than those of suburban residents. After controlling for the effects of socio-economic factors, it was found that the impact of walking environments at the scale of 1-km buffer on individual BMI is the most significant. Variables of walkability, road network density, bus stop density, metro stop density, green coverage rate, and distance to the park have negative effects on BMI. Based on these findings, it is suggested that planning interventions should focus more on the areas through which residents walk in their daily travel routines. The selection of neighbourhoods surveyed and the sample size limit this study, but the conclusions do provide a scientific basis for the construction of neighbourhoods that encourage walking and decrease the probability of becoming overweight or obese.     

Investigating the presence of ancient absorbed organic residues in groundstone using GC–MS and other analytical techniques: a residue study of several prehistoric milling tools from central California

Analysis of absorbed organic molecules in groundstone could provide a valuable means to study resource use and processing in antiquity. The following study analyzed extracts from the surfaces of several central California milling tools to assess whether organic residues remained from prehistoric resource processing. It also sought to determine which source identification methods are likely to be successful at providing information about the type, or even the specific identify, of resources that were processed. Lipids (primarily fatty acids) were analyzed using GC–MS and the presence of phenolic compounds was assessed with UV-Vis spectroscopy. Milling surfaces were compared to previously broken surfaces from the same tool with the assumption that both surfaces had been exposed to similar post-depositional conditions. Results supported the presence of ancient residues in milling tools. A higher concentration of fatty acids was recovered from milling surfaces than paired broken surfaces. Furthermore, measurable amounts of azelaic acid (an oxidation product of some unsaturated fatty acids) were present in most milling surfaces, but not in broken surfaces. However, results also indicated that environmentally absorbed lipids formed a significant portion of the total lipid content. Thus, it is suggested that future analyses employ a biomarker approach, rather than criteria based on ratios of common fatty acids, to identify sources of organic residues in prehistoric milling tools.     

现代大众政治的兴起与其欧洲国际政治效应

以选民范围急剧扩大为主要的直接由来,中、西欧国家政治在19世纪末至20世纪初年普遍转变为现代大众政治。与此相伴,公众舆论对国家对外政策的影响变得显和频繁;各类(特别是殖民、经济和军事三类)利益集团积极干预甚至操纵对外政策的形成;很大程度上植根于大众非理性情感、并且多半由大众传媒表述和助长的极端民族主义和帝国主义则构成欧洲及世界政治中的一大恶性力量。总之,现代大众政治的兴起是欧洲传统外交和国际政治变更的一项重要原因。