Infrared and Raman spectroscopic studies of archaeological materials

The use of vibrational spectroscopic techniques to characterise historical artefacts and art works continues to grow and to provide the archaeologist and art historian with significant information with which to understand the nature and activities of previous peoples and civilizations. In addition, conservators can gain knowledge of the composition of artworks or historical objects and so are better equipped to ensure their preservation. Both infrared and Raman have been widely used. Microspectroscopy is the preferred sampling technique as it requires only a very small sample, which often can be recovered. The use of synchrotron radiation in conjunction with IR microspectroscopy is increasing because of the substantial benefits in terms of improved spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. The key trend for the future is the growth in the use of portable instruments, both IR and Raman, which are becoming important because they allow non-destructive measurements to be made in situ, for example at an archaeological site or at a museum.

Mid-Holocene Aboriginal occupation of offshore islands in northern Australia? A reassessment of Wurdukanhan, Mornington Island, southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia

Claims for mid-Holocene Aboriginal occupation at the shell matrix site of Wurdukanhan, Mornington Island, Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, are reassessed through an analysis of the excavated assemblage coupled with new surveys and an extensive dating program. Memmott et al. (2006, pp. 38, 39) reported basal ages of c.5000–5500 years from Wurdukanhan as 'the oldest date yet obtained for any archaeological site on the coast of the southern Gulf of Carpentaria' and used these dates to argue for 'a relatively lengthy occupation since at least the mid-Holocene'. If substantiated, with the exception of western Torres Strait, these claims make Mornington Island the only offshore island used across northern Australia in the mid-Holocene where it is conventionally thought that Aboriginal people only (re)colonised islands after sea-level maximum was achieved after the mid-Holocene. Our analysis of Wurdukanhan demonstrates high shellfish taxa diversity, high rates of natural shell predation and high densities of foraminifera throughout the deposit demonstrating a natural origin for the assemblage. Results are considered in the context of other dated shell matrix sites in the area and a geomorphological model for landscape development of the Sandalwood River catchment.

Encounters and content sharing in an urban village : reading texts through an archaeological lens

Archaeology provides a framework of analysis and interpretation that is useful for disentangling the textual layers of a contemporary lived-in urban space. The producers and readers of texts may include those who planned and developed the site and those who now live, visit and work there. Some of the social encounters and content sharing between these people may be artificially produced or manufactured in the hope that certain social situations will occur. Others may be serendipitous. With archaeology’s original focus on places that are no longer inhabited it is often only the remaining artefacts and features of the built environment that form the basis for interpreting the social relationships of past people. Our analysis however, is framed within a contemporary notion of archaeological artefacts in an urban setting. Unlike an excavation, where the past is revealed through digging into the landscape, the application of landscape archaeology within a present day urban context is necessarily more experiential, visual and based on recording and analysing the physical traces of social encounters and relationships between residents and visitors. These physical traces are present within the creative content, and the built and natural elements of the environment. This chapter explores notions of social encounters and content sharing in an urban village by analysing three different types of texts: the design of the built environment; content produced by residents through a geospatial web application; and, print and online media produced in digital storytelling workshops.

L'Impatto delle Condizioni Interne ed Esterne sul Ruolo del Cda : un'Analisi Empirica sulle Grandi Imprese Italiane [The impact of internal and external contingencies on board tasks performance : an empirical investigation of Italian companies]

Il Consiglio di Amministrazione (CdA) è il principale organo di governo delle aziende. La letteratura gli attribuisce tre ruoli: controllo, indirizzo strategico e collegamento con l’ambiente (networking). Precedenti studi empirici hanno analizzato se un Consiglio di Amministrazione è attivo o meno in tutti e tre i ruoli in un dato momento. Nel presente lavoro, invece, si propone un approccio «contingente» e si analizzano i ruoli svolti dal CdA al variare delle condizioni interne (aziende in crisi o di successo) ed esterne (aziende in settori competitivi o regolamentati).. L’indagine empirica è stata condotta su un campione di 301 imprese italiane di grandi dimensioni. I risultati supportano la tesi iniziale secondo cui le condizioni interne ed esterne incidono sul ruolo svolto dal CdA. In particolare i risultati evidenziano che il CdA non svolge sempre tutti e tre i ruoli nello stesso momento, ma esso si concentra sul ruolo o sui ruoli che assumono grande importanza nella situazione in cui si trova l’azienda. Con riferimento alle condizioni interne, nelle imprese in crisi il CdA è attivo in tutti e tre i ruoli, mentre in quelle di successo prevale un orientamento verso la funzione strategica. Nelle aziende che operano in settori competitivi il ruolo di controllo è più pressante mentre nei settori regolamentati prevale una funzione di networking.

Raman spectroscopic study of the mineral thorikosite Pb3(OH)(SbO3,AsO3)Cl2 : a mineral of archaeological significance

The mineral thorikosite Pb3(OH)(SbO3,AsO3)Cl2 is named after the ancient city of Thorikos, in the region of Attica, where the ancient mine sites dating back to the bronze ages are found. Raman spectra of the antimonate bearing mineral thorikosite Pb3(OH)(SbO3,AsO3)Cl2 were studied, and related to the structure of the mineral. Two intense Raman peaks are observed at 596 and 730 cm-1 and are assigned to the Sb3+O3 and As3+O3 stretching vibrations. A peak at 1085 cm-1 is assigned to the Sb3+OH deformation mode. Raman band at 325 cm-1 is assigned to an OAsO bending vibration of the As3+O3 units and the bands at 269 and 275 cm-1 are attributed to the OSbO bending modes of the Sb3+O3 units. The intense Raman bands at 112 and 133 cm-1 are associated with PbCl stretching modes. Minerals such as nealite and thorikosite are minerals of archaeological significance. Yet no spectroscopic studies of these minerals have been undertaken.

Le vie dell'Impero. Le strade coloniali italiane e il loro rapporto con la manualistica del Ventennio

Imperial roads. The Italian colonial routes and their relationship with 1920-40 manuals

Raman spectroscopy of the multi-anion mineral mallestigite Pb3Sb5+(SO4)(AsO4)(OH)6•3H2O – a mineral of archaeological significance

Some minerals are formed which show poorly defined X-ray diffraction patterns. Vibrational spectroscopy offers one of the few methods for the assessment of the structure of the oxyanions in such minerals. Among this group of minerals is mallestigite with formula Pb3Sb5+(SO4)(AsO4)(OH)6•3H2O. The objective of this research is to determine the molecular structure of the mineral mallestigite using vibrational spectroscopy. Raman and infrared bands are attributed to the AsO43- , SO42- and water stretching vibrations. Mallestigite is a mineral formed in ancient waste dumps such as occurs at Mallestiger, Carinthia, Austria and as such is a mineral of archaeological significance.

Varianza analitica y aproximada del costo total de un proyecto

La varianza estadística del costo total de un proyecto usualmente se estima por medio de la simulación de Monte Carlo, bajo el supuesto de que los acercamientos analíticos son demasiado complicados. Este artículo analiza este supuesto y muestra que, contrario a lo esperado, la solución analítica es relativamente directa. También se muestra que el coeficiente de variación no se ve afectado por el tamaño (área superficial) del proyecto cuando se usan los costos de los componentes estandarizados. Se provee un caso de estudio en el cual se analizan los costos reales de los componentes para obtener la varianza del costo total requerida. Los resultados confirman trabajos previos al mostrar que la aproximación del segundo momento (varianza) bajo el supuesto de independencia subestima considerablemente el valor exacto. El análisis continua examinando los efectos del juicio profesional y con los datos simulados utilizados, la aproximación resulta razonablemente exacta - el juicio profesional absorbe la mayor parte de las intercorrelaciones involucradas. También se da un ejemplo en el cual las cantidades de los componentes unitarios son valoradas por sus costos unitarios promedios y muestra, una vez más, que la aproximación es cercana al valor real. Finalmente, el trabajo se extiende mostrando cómo obtener, para cada proyecto, las varianzas exactas del costo total.

Proposing and developing a definition and conceptual framework for health care resilience to cope with disasters [Resiliencia: Propuesta y desarrollo de la definicion y del marco conceptual en relacion a los desastres en el ambito sanitario]

La creación del término resiliencia en salud es un paso importante hacia la construcción de comunidades más resilientes para afrontar mejor los desastres futuros. Hasta la fecha, sin embargo, parece que hay poca literatura sobre cómo el concepto de resiliencia en salud debe ser definido. Este artículo tiene como objetivo construir un enfoque de gestión de desastres de salud integral guiado por el concepto de resiliencia. Se realizaron busquedas en bases de datos electrónicas de salud para recuperar publicaciones críticas que pueden haber contribuido a los fines y objetivos de la investigación. Un total de 61 publicaciones se incluyeron en el análisis final de este documento, que se centraron en aquéllas que proporcionan una descripción completa de las teorías y definiciones de resiliencia ante los desastres y las que proponen una definición y un marco conceptual para la capacidad de resiliencia en salud. La resiliencia es una capacidad inherente de adaptación para hacer frente a la incertidumbre del futuro. Esto implica el uso de múltiples estrategias, un enfoque de riesgos máximos y tratar de lograr un resultado positivo a través de la vinculación y cooperación entre los distintos elementos de la comunidad. Resiliencia en salud puede definirse como la capacidad de las organizaciones de salud para resistir, absorber, y responder al impacto de los desastres, mientras mantiene las funciones esenciales y se recupera a su estado original o se adapta a un nuevo estado. Puede evaluarse por criterios como la robustez, la redundancia, el ingenio y la rapidez e incluye las dimensiones clave de la vulnerabilidad y la seguridad, los recursos y la preparación para casos de desastre, la continuidad de los servicios esenciales de salud, la recuperación y la adaptación. Este nuevo concepto define las capacidades en gestión de desastres de las organizaciones sanitarias, las tareas de gestión, actividades y resultados de desastres juntos en una visión de conjunto integral, y utiliza un enfoque integrado y con un objetivo alcanzable. Se necesita urgentemente investigación futura de su medición

Exploring young student's functional thinking (Exploración del pensamiento funcional de estudiantes jóvenes)

The Early Years Generalizing Project (EYGP) involves Australian years 1 to 4 (age 5 to 9) students and investigates how they grasp and express generalizations. This paper focuses on data collected from 6 Year 1 students in an exploratory study within a clinical interview setting that required students to identify function rules. Preliminary findings suggest that the use of gestures (both by students and interviewers), self-talk (by students), and concrete acting out, assisted students to reach generalizations and to begin to express these generalities. It also appears that as students became aware of the structure, their use of gestures and selftalk tended to decrease.

Application of XRF and correspondence analysis to provenance studies of coastal and inland archaeological pottery from the Mngeni river area, South Africa

XRF spectrometry was applied to provenance studies of Iron Age pottery specimens that originated from the Mngeni river area in South Africa. Ten transition metals (Sc to Zn) mere determined in 107 potsherds, excavated from four different sites. The data were subjected to a computerized mathematical technique (correspondence analysis), which was used to group the samples according to the similarity of their elemental distributions. The groupings were interpreted in terms of social or cultural interaction between the sites. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Contribución de la fuerza y el dolor en la función del paciente con artrosis trapecio metacarpiana. Estudio transversal

Objetivo Establecer una posible relación entre la fuerza (Jamar), el dolor (EVA) y la capacidad funcional referida por el paciente (DASH) determinando en qué grado influyen unas en otras. Estudio observacional transversal analítico. Participantes Muestra de 72 pacientes que presentaban una artrosis trapecio metacarpiana grado 2-3 de Eaton. Los pacientes fueron reclutados cuando acudían a la Unidad de Cirugía de mano. Método Se realizaron mediciones de fuerza de agarre, pinza, valoración del dolor y funcionalidad, y se establecieron las correlaciones entre cada una de ellas. Resultados El modelo más significativo para la función (R2 =0.83) incluye la variable dolor y la fuerza. Pero es la fuerza punta contra punta la que presenta una mayor correlación con el cuestionario DASH (B-estandarizado: –57). Respecto al dolor, influye en todas las mediciones de fuerza realizadas con el dinamómetro, siendo también la fuerza de la pinza punta contra punta la que presenta una mayor correlación. Conclusiones Los hallazgos corroboran que existe una correlación significativa entre la función referida por el paciente y variables que podemos medir en consulta, como la fuerza del puño y la pinza. Pero también esta correlación es significativa entre las variables función y dolor entre sí, pero es la pinza punta contra punta la que presenta una mayor asociación con el cuestionario DASH. Abstract in English Objective To assess the relationship between muscle strength (Jama), and pain (VAS) levels with hand function (DASH) in patients with trapeziometarcapal osteoarthritis. Cross-sectional study. Participants Sample of 72 patients with osteoarthritis stage 2-3 (Eaton) and trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis. Patients were recruited when they came to the Hand Surgery Unit. Method Grip strength, pinch, pain and hand function were measured, and correlation and regression coefficients between them were obtained. Results For function, the most significant model (R2 = 0.83) included pain and strength. But it is tip to tip pinch force which has a stronger relationship with DASH (Standardized B: –57) questionnaire. Pain also influenced strength measured with the dynamometer but it was tip to tip pinch force that was the most affected. Conclusions Findings confirm that there is a significant correlation between function referred by the patient and variables that can be measured in the clinic such as grip strength and pinch. The correlation between pain intensity and function was also significant, but tip to tip pinch strength had the greatest impact on the function.

Etapas del cambio en personas inactivas tras un programa de promoción de la actividad física en Atención Primaria

Objetivo El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar las Etapas del cambio en relación con la actividad física y el estado de salud general entre personas que participaron en un Programa de promoción de la actividad física (PPAF) de 12 semanas frente a un grupo control. Diseño Ensayo clínico aleatorizado. Participantes Noventa y ocho personas inactivas de ambos sexos con una edad media de 62,82 años procedentes de 2 centros de Atención Primaria del Distrito Sanitario Costa del Sol. Intervención Un PPAF organizado en grupos y siguiendo los criterios del Colegio Americano de Medicina del Deporte, 2 sesiones semanales de 60 min durante 12 semanas. Mediciones principales La variable principal de resultado fue resistencia al cambio en relación con la actividad física. La variable secundaria fue el estado de salud general (componentes físicos y mentales), determinado con el cuestionario de salud general SF12. Resultados Se encontraron diferencias significativas en las etapas del cambio a favor del grupo experimental (p < 0,05). No se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre grupos después de la intervención en el estado general de salud. Conclusión Las etapas del cambio se modificaron en las personas inactivas que realizaron el PPAF en Atención Primaria. Futuros estudios son necesarios para identificar qué factores del entorno de los participantes influyen en la resistencia al cambio de la actividad física. Abstract Objective This study has aimed to evaluate the stages of change in relation to physical activity and overall health status among persons who participated in a 12-week Physical activity promotion program (PAPP) compared to a control group. Design Randomized clinical trial. Participants The study included 98 inactive persons of both sexes with a mean age of 62.82 years from 2 of Primary Care Centers of the Malaga Health Care District. Interventions A PAPP organized in groups according to the American College of Sports Medicine criteria including two weekly sessions of 60 minutes each for 3 months. Main measures The primary outcome was to assess resistance to change in relation to physical activity. The secondary variable was overall health (physical and mental components) determined with the SF12 general health questionnaire. Results Significant differences were found in the stages of change (P<.05). There were no significant differences found in general health status improvement in regards to the initial assessment. Conclusion The stages of change were modified in the inactive persons who carried out the PAPP in Primary Care. Future studies are needed to identify which environmental factors influence the resistance to change in physical activity of the participants.