Archeological and Historical Approaches to Complex Societies: The Islamic States of Medieval Morocco

The study of complex societies, especially those with documentary sources, provides an unparalleled opportunity for the archeologist to contribute to an understanding both of the past and of contemporary society. We argue that available documentary sources for early North African state societies can be effectively combined with anthropological insight to formulate interpretive models to derive more meaning from the archeological record. The illustration we provide comes from early Islamic North Africa. We postulate that during the Medieval period two widely different sociopolitical contexts existed, giving rise to diverse urban patterns. Most importantly, we argue that the second of these patterns represents a widespread situation that is inadequately treated in the literature.     

White Contact And Cultural Disintegration Among The Kiow A Apache

Abstract

By means of documentary sources and field data, the history and white contactsof the Kiowa Apache are traced from 1837 to about 1910. A reconstruction is presented, in broad outlines, of the impact of removal, diminished sources of subsistence, disease and land allotment, upon Kiowa Apache society and culture. Nativistic movements, towards the close of the period, are briefly mentioned asresponses to cultural disintegration.     

Tissue Explants Used for Enhancement of Herpesvirus Isolations

Herpesvirus recovery from normal and experimentally infected simian tissues prepared into 10 to 20% homogenates was compared with that obtained by explanting these same tissues. The explant procedure was by far the more sensitive of the two methods. As a result, 8 herpesvirus isolations were obtained by conventional virus isolation procedures in contrast to 74 isolates when explants were made from these same tissue sources. There is also evidence to suggest that the explant method is more sensitive than the use of tissue homogenates for recovery of other viruses as well.     

Bacterial Fatty Acids Enhance Recovery from the Dauer Larva in Caenorhabditis elegans

The dauer larva is a specialized dispersal stage in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that allows the animal to survive starvation for an extended period of time. The dauer does not feed, but uses chemosensation to identify new food sources and to determine whether to resume reproductive growth. Bacteria produce food signals that promote recovery of the dauer larva, but the chemical identities of these signals remain poorly defined. We find that bacterial fatty acids in the environment augment recovery from the dauer stage under permissive conditions. The effect of increased fatty acids on different dauer constitutive mutants indicates a role for insulin peptide secretion in coordinating recovery from the dauer stage in response to fatty acids. These data suggest that worms can sense the presence of fatty acids in the environment and that elevated levels can promote recovery from dauer arrest. This may be important in the natural environment where the dauer larva needs to determine whether the environment is appropriate to support reproductive growth following dauer exit.     

Dendroprovenancing: A preliminary assessment of potential to geo-locate kauri timbers in northern New Zealand

After 1840, New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) became the focus of a large-scale timber industry in the upper North Island, which converted trees into timber that was then used in construction. Cities such as Auckland and Wellington relied on importing kauri to meet local demand for construction and other uses. Kauri timbers from buildings and in-ground features, mostly in Auckland city, have been collected for tree-dating and master chronology development. Although the use of timber at archaeological sites is understood, the geographic origin of the timber from within the natural range of kauri (north of 38 °S) is largely unknown. This limits interpretation of archaeological wood and constrains use of the tree-ring data in dendroclimatology. In this paper, we consider the potential to provenance kauri timbers used in 19^th and early 20^th century New Zealand buildings, using a combination of documentary sources, t-value mapping, and refined statistical matching using spatial patterns of correlations. Analysis of documentary sources for a test period of 1861–1865 CE indicates that there is sufficient information about the kauri timber industry to provide a geographic context for provenancing kauri in the upper North Island. The use of t-values for provenancing may be confounded by the relatively small size of the kauri growth region and a lack of sufficient spatial differentiation in growth patterns between the sub-regions. However, a new approach of using indexed residual chronologies and field correlations has promise for geo-locating timber in a relatively small region. The research highlights the value of establishing kauri provenance to New Zealand dendroclimatology, dendroarchaeology and environmental history.     

Drought impact assessment on rural livelihood systems in Iran

The present study aimed to analyze the effects of drought on rural livelihood systems in Iran with an emphasis on the mediator role of livelihood assets in relationship between drought and livelihood outcomes. The relationships between these concepts were explored through the lens of sustainable livelihoods approach. A conceptual model was developed based on the literature review and was evaluated using cross-sectional data based on 11 years average of each variable from 2002 to the end of 2012. Regarding research objectives, a documentary review was applied to collect necessary data and information. So, secondary data were obtained from national surveys and statistical sources of governmental organizations. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. We followed the Baron and Kenny’s (1986) three-step procedure to test mediating relationships between variables. Results generally showed that drought duration had destructive effects on rural livelihood capitals and outcomes, while the negative influences of drought severity were far more restricted than drought duration. Complete mediation of livelihood assets in the relationship between drought intensity and inequality was confirmed. We also found support for partial mediation of livelihood assets in the relationship between drought severity and duration with the added value of the agricultural sector as well as in the relationship between drought duration and inequality.     

The science behind pre-Columbian evidence of syphilis in Europe: research by documentary

This article discusses the presentation of scientific findings by documentary, without the process of peer review. We use, as an example, PBS's "The Syphilis Enigma," in which researchers presented novel evidence concerning the origin of syphilis that had never been reviewed by other scientists. These "findings" then entered the world of peer-reviewed literature through citations of the documentary itself or material associated with it. Here, we demonstrate that the case for pre-Columbian syphilis in Europe that was made in the documentary does not withstand scientific scrutiny. We also situate this example from paleopathology within a larger trend of "science by documentary" or "science by press conference," in which researchers seek to bypass the peer review process by presenting unvetted findings directly to the public.     

First phylogenetic analysis of the tribe Phyllotini (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) combining morphological and molecular data

Previous phylogenetic analyses of the tribe Phyllotini, one of the largest components of the subfamily Sigmodontinae, have been based on a single source of evidence. In particular, morphological analyses were largely based on craniodental data, almost neglecting the potential phylogenetic information present in the postcranium. Despite the significant advances made in relation to the knowledge of phyllotine phylogeny in recent times, there are several unsolved issues that highlight the importance of a phylogenetic analysis that integrates multiple sources of evidence, including previously considered sources as well as new sources of data. We present here the first combined phylogenetic analysis (morphological and molecular) of phyllotines, which includes the widest taxon and character sampling to date. Our dataset includes 164 morphological characters, of which 83 are postcranial characters, plus 3561 molecular characters, scored for 52 species from 34 genera of Oryzomyalia. In this study 75 postcranial characters not previously considered in this group are thoroughly described, and their utility for solving the relationships within Phyllotini is evaluated by means of different complementary analyses. Phyllotini was retrieved as a monophyletic clade in the combined analysis, with a composition that matches that obtained in most other recent analyses. All genera of phyllotines were monophyletic and show high support values. Abrotrichini, Akodontini and Oryzomyini were also monophyletic. The inclusion of postcranial data appears to be of limited utility to solve the phylogenetic relationships within Phyllotini.     

Prediction of long-term fertilizer nitrogen requirements of maize in the tropics using a nitrogen balance model

A simple N balance model was used to calculate fertilizer requirement for a target N uptake by maize. Nitrogen uptake from soil sources and target uptake of N with fertilizer N additions were obtained from fertilizer trials in Africa and Latin America. Most experiments had data for only one cropping period, although some from Latin America had data for four to six crops. The transfer coefficient of fertilizer N to the crop was adjusted to realize maximum recovery of fertilizer N under best methods of fertilizer application. The time constants of transfer of soil N to the crop were allowed to vary and were affected mainly by soil texture. Where 4 to 6 cropping periods were available good agreement between actual and predicted fertilizer N requirements was obtained. With this approach long-term fertilizer N requirements for 14 sites were predicted using first cropping period N uptake. This study showed that pools of organic N in more coarse-textured soils were usually smaller and declined more rapidly than in fine-textured soils. Labile organic N pools declined with time under all simulations, but approached equilibrium within 10 croppings seasons. Equilibrium N uptake from the soil organic N pool was predicted to be 31 kg ha^–1 for the more coarse-textured soils and 36 kg ha^–1 for the fine-textured soils. Long-term projections of fertilizer requirements using input data of the field experiments were reasonable, and effects of legume green manures and other amendments could be clearly evaluated.     

Effect of renutrition on the proliferation kinetics of PHA stimulated lymphocytes from malnourished children

The fraction of lymphocytes that responded to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation and initiated cellular proliferation (stimulation index or SI) was determined in groups of healthy and severely malnourished children. SI was determined again in the latter group after a period of nutritional recovery. The proportion of interphasic cells showing PHA response was assessed adding bromodeoxyuridine to the culture, so proliferative nuclei appear big and stain light blue, with dispersed granular chromatin and apparent nucleoli, while non-proliferative nuclei look small, stain red, and have compact and homogeneous chromatin. In mitotic nuclei, differential staining of sister chromatids made it possible to distinguish cells that had gone through one, two and three or more proliferation cycles. Based on the data obtained from interphase nuclei and mitosis, the SI was estimated 48 and 72 h of culture. SI were higher in lymphocytes from healthy children than in those from children with severe malnutrition, even after the period of nutritional recovery. However, the SI was significantly higher in lymphocytes from malnourished children after nutritional recovery. Although in these children more cells are stimulated, there seems to be still damage that causes a cycling delay.     

Elimination of overgrowth in delayed-incubation membrane filter test for total coliforms by m-ST holding medium.

Two holding media were compared for their effects on total coliform recovery by the delayed-incubation membrane filter procedure. LES-MF holding medium contains tryptone, m-Endo broth, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, sodium benzoate, sulfanilamide, para-aminobenzoic acid, and cycloheximide (pH 7.0). m-ST holding medium contains ethanol, sodium monophosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, sulfanilamide, and Tris (pH 8.6). In tests with natural water and wastewater samples from various sources, recovery with LES-MF and m-ST were similar after a 1-day holding period. With LES-MF, however, after a 2- or 3-day holding period, coliform bacteria frequently were partially or totally overgrown by noncoliforms, causing significant reductions in coliform counts. No significant overgrowth was observed with m-ST. We propose that m-ST be used for all holding periods longer than 1 day.     

Elimination of overgrowth in delayed-incubation membrane filter test for total coliforms by m-ST holding medium

Two holding media were compared for their effects on total coliform recovery by the delayed-incubation membrane filter procedure. LES-MF holding medium contains tryptone, m-Endo broth, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, sodium benzoate, sulfanilamide, para-aminobenzoic acid, and cycloheximide (pH 7.0). m-ST holding medium contains ethanol, sodium monophosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, sulfanilamide, and Tris (pH 8.6). In tests with natural water and wastewater samples from various sources, recovery with LES-MF and m-ST were similar after a 1-day holding period. With LES-MF, however, after a 2- or 3-day holding period, coliform bacteria frequently were partially or totally overgrown by noncoliforms, causing significant reductions in coliform counts. No significant overgrowth was observed with m-ST. We propose that m-ST be used for all holding periods longer than 1 day.     

A Preliminary Energy Return on Investment Analysis of Natural Gas from the Marcellus Shale

An analysis of the energy return on investment (EROI) of natural gas obtained from horizontal, hydraulically fractured wells in the Marcellus Shale was conducted using net external energy ratio methodology and available data and estimates of energy inputs and outputs. Used as sources of input data were estimates of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted from the gas extraction processes, as well as fuel‐use reports from industry and other sources. Estimates of quantities of materials used and the associated embodied energy as well as other energy‐using steps were also developed from available data. Total input energy was compared with the energy expected to be made available to end users of the natural gas produced from a typical Marcellus well. The analysis indicates that the EROI of a typical well is likely between 64:1 and 112:1, with a mean of approximately 85:1. This range assumes an estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) of 3.0 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per well. EROI values are directly proportionate to EUR values. If the EUR is greater or lesser than 3 Bcf, the EROI would be proportionately higher or lower. EROI is also sensitive to the energy used or embedded in gathering and transmission pipelines and associated infrastructure and energy used for their construction, energy consumed in well drilling and well completion, and energy used for wastewater treatment.     

Embryo cloning in sheep: work in progress

We summarize here the procedures for nuclear transfer using S-phase cytoplasts and describe a new method for avoiding loss of reconstructed embryos from the oviducts during in vivo culture. We obtained 2 clones of 5 genetically identical animals following the transfer of blastomeres from 16-cell embryos into enucleated preactivated cytoplasts. Metaphase II oocytes and embryos were surgically collected from superovulated Sarda breed ewes 54 and 120 h after sponge removal, respectively. Oocytes were exposed for 15 min to 5 mug/ml of Hoechst 33342 and were micromanipulated at room temperature. Efficiency in embryo reconstruction was 100% for enucleation and 98% for fusion. Embryos were embedded in agar as separate clones and transferred into the oviducts of temporary recipients. The fimbriae were closed with glass-nylon made filters. Embryo recovery from the temporary recipients was 97.3%, with a cleavage rate of 81.4%; development to morula-blastocyst stage was 70.6%. A total of 29 Grade 1 blastocysts corresponding to 5 clones were transferred into 13 naturally synchronous ewes, and scanning was performed at 30 and 90 d. Ten ewes were pregnant at the first scanning and nine at the second for a final pregnancy rate of 71.4%; the survival rate at term was 48%. Overall, we obtained 4 clones of identical lambs: two sets of 5 (one male set and one female set) and two sets of twins (both sets male). Pregnancy length in recipients carrying clones was longer than the standard period in Sarda breed (153 vs 150 d, respectively). Weight at birth was higher for male lambs obtained from nuclear transfer than for normal males (4.1 vs 3.6 kg), while the weight for females was normal.     

Therapeutic and prophylactic uses of invertebrates in contemporary Spanish ethnoveterinary medicine

Zootherapeutic practices in ethnoveterinary medicine are important in many socio-cultural environments around the world, particularly in developing countries, and they have recently started to be inventoried and studied in Europe. In light of this, the purpose of this review is to describe the local knowledge and folk remedies based on the use of invertebrates and their derivative products in contemporary Spanish ethnoveterinary medicine. An overview in the fields of ethnozoology, ethnoveterinary medicine and folklore was made. Automated searches in the most important databases were performed. All related works were examined thoroughly and use-reports were obtained from 53 documentary sources. The traditional use of 18 invertebrate species and five ethnotaxa and a total of 86 empirical remedies based on the use of a single species was recorded. The two most relevant zoological groups were found to be insects and molluscs. A broad diversity of body parts or derivative products have been and are used to treat or prevent ca. 50 animal diseases or conditions, in particular diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, different infectious livestock diseases, and disorders of the eye and adnexa. Cattle, sheep and equines form the group of domestic animals in which the greatest number of remedies are mentioned. In addition, seven magical remedies and practices are documented. In comparison with other culturally related areas, this is a rich heritage. The use-reports included here will help in the search for new and low-cost drugs for treating livestock and alternative materials for pharmaceutical purposes, future research addressing the validation of the effects and the development of organic farming.     

Evaluation of the properties of potassium ferrate used for water purification by luminescence bioassay

Characteristics of four natural water samples from urban and rural areas and the efficiency of a new purifying agent, potassium ferrate K₂FeO₄, were studied by bacterial luminescence bioassay for 30 minutes. It was revealed that two samples of water from the urban areas are toxic, while the other two samples (one from urban and one from rural environment) are nontoxic. Numerous data obtained on the increase in toxicity index with time allow reasonable conclusions to be made about the chemical nature of substances present in the test water samples. Toxic natural water samples were likely to contain heavy metals and were well purified using potassium ferrate, including via their adsorption. In nontoxic natural water samples, toxic complexes with organic compounds present in water could form at the addition of potassium ferrate. The obtained data call for further studying the properties of potassium ferrate complexes with organic compounds. Bacterial luminescence bioassay is a promising method for the rapid assessment of properties of various water sources (their integral toxicity and presumable chemical composition) and new reagents for their purification (effective concentrations, bactericidal properties, and mechanisms of interacting with heavy metals and organic substances in water).     

A fluorescence photobleaching study of the microsecond reorientational motions of DNA.

We have conducted a polarized fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR) study of the rotational dynamics of ethidium azide labeled DNA. Polarized photobleaching experiments provide data on microsecond and millisecond molecular reorientation that complement the information available from nanosecond fluorescence depolarization studies. In polarized FPR experiments an anisotropic angular concentration of fluorophore is created by bleaching dye molecules in a preferred orientation with a short, intense pulse of polarized light. The sample is then weakly illuminated, and the temporal variation in the emitted fluorescence is monitored. The fluorescence signal will systematically change as molecules undergo post-bleach reorientation and the angular distribution of dye tends toward isotropy. We have observed that the time dependence of our microsecond FPR curves is also determined in part by nonrotational phenomena. To isolate the reorientational recovery we conduct our FPR experiments in two modes (called parallel and perpendicular) that differ only in the polarization of the bleaching light. A quotient function, R(t), is constructed from the data obtained in these two modes; the variation with time of this new quantity is governed solely by processes that are sensitive to the polarization of the incident light (e.g., molecular rotation). It is found experimentally that R(t) remains constant, as expected, for rotationally restricted DNA systems despite a temporal recovery in the parallel and perpendicular FPR curves. We also follow the dynamics of solutions of phage lambda DNA as revealed in the temporal dependence of R(t). This DNA system rotationally relaxes after approximately 100 microseconds and the dye/DNA complex reorients substantially during the 10-microseconds bleach period. Our FPR data are interpreted in terms of dynamic models of DNA motion.     

Visualizing clinical evidence: citation networks for the incubation periods of respiratory viral infections

Simply by repetition, medical facts can become enshrined as truth even when there is little empirical evidence supporting them. We present an intuitive and clear visual design for tracking the citation history of a particular scientific fact over time. We apply this method to data from a previously published literature review on the incubation period of nine respiratory viral infections. The resulting citation networks reveal that the conventional wisdom about the incubation period for these diseases was based on a small fraction of available data and in one case, on no retrievable empirical evidence. Overall, 50% of all incubation period statements did not provide a source for their estimate and 65% of original sources for incubation period data were not incorporated into subsequent publications. More standardized and widely available methods for visualizing these histories of medical evidence are needed to ensure that conventional wisdom cannot stray too far from empirically supported knowledge.     

Black Brant Harvest,Density Dependence,and Survival: A Record of Population Dynamics

ABSTRACT We analyzed 53 years of banding and band recovery data along with estimates of harvest and population size to assess the role of harvest and density dependence in survival patterns and population dynamics of black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) over the period 1950–2003. The black brant population has declined steadily since complete annual surveys began in 1960, so the role of harvest in the dynamics of this population is of considerable interest. We used Brownie models implemented in Program MARK to analyze banding data. In some models, we incorporated estimated sport harvest to test hypotheses about the role of harvest in survival. We also examined the hypothesis of density-dependent regulation of mortality by incorporating estimates of population size as a covariate into models of survival. For a shorter period (1985–2003), we also assessed hypotheses about the role of subsistence harvest and predation as sources of mortality. The best supported model of variation in survival and band recovery allowed survival rates to vary among 2 age classes (juv, second-yr plus ad brant) and the 2 sexes. We constrained survival probabilities to be constant within decades but allowed them to vary among decades. We also constrained band recovery rates to be constant within decades and to vary in parallel among age and sex classes. We were limited to decade-specific estimates of survival and band recovery rates because some years before 1984 lacked any banding, and banding in some other years was sparse. A competitive model constrained survival estimates to be the same for males and females. No model containing harvest or population size was competitive with models lacking these covariates (relative quasi-Akaike's Information Criterion adjusted for small sample size [βQAIC_c] > 13). In the best supported model, band recovery rates declined from 0.038 ± 0.0028 (F) and 0.040 ± 0.0031 (M) to 0.007 ± 0.0007 (F) and 0.007 ± 0.0007 (M) between the 1950s and 2000s, a clear indication that harvest rates declined over this period. Survival rates increased from 0.70 ± 0.02 and 0.71 ± 0.02 for adult males and females, respectively, in the 1950s to 0.88 ± 0.009 and 0.88 ± 0.01 for males and females, respectively, in the 1990s. Survival rates in the 1990s were among the highest estimated for brant and did not increase in the 2000s with additional reductions in sport harvest. For the shorter data set from 1985 to 2003, models containing covariates for either sport or subsistence harvest were less competitive than models lacking these terms (βQAIC_c > 3). For the best model containing subsistence harvest, the estimate of β linking subsistence harvest to survival, although imprecisely estimated, was near zero (β = −0.04 ± 0.30), consistent with the hypothesis that subsistence harvest had little impact on survival during this period. We conclude that while harvest likely influenced survival and population dynamics in earlier decades, it is most likely that continued population decline at least since 1990 is a result of low recruitment.