Quaternary continental weathering geochronology by laser-heating Ar-40/Ar-39 analysis of supergene cryptomelane

Incremental laser-heating analyses of supergene cryptomelane clusters extracted from three distinct weathering profiles from the Mary Valley region, southeast Queensland, Australia, yield reproducible and well-defined plateau ages ranging from 346 +/- 15 to 291 +/- 14 ka (2 a). Precipitation of supergene cryptomelane in this period implies that relative humid climate prevailed in southeast Queensland from 340 to 290 ha, a result consistent with oxygen isotope analyses of marine sediments from Ocean Drilling Program Site 820 and with regional pollen and spore records. These results, the first report on the precise Ar-40/Ar-39 dating of Quaternary supergene cryptomelane, indicate that Ar-40/Ar-39 analysis of pedogenic minerals provides a reliable geochronometer for the study of Quaternary surficial processes useful in the study of soil formation rates, continental paleoclimates, and archaeological sites devoid of datable volcanic minerals.

U-Series dating of Liujiang hominid site in Guangxi, Southern China

It has been established that modern humans were living in the Levant and Africa ca. 100 ka ago. Hitherto, this has contrasted with the situation in China where no unequivocal specimens of this species have been securely dated to more than 30 ka. Here we present the results of stratigraphic studies and U-series dating of the Tongtianyan Cave, the discovery site of the Liujiang hominid, which represents one of the few well-preserved fossils of modern Homo sapiens in China. The human fossils are inferred to come from either a refilling breccia or a primarily deposited gravel-bearing sandy clay layer. In the former case, which is better supported, the fossils would date to at least similar to 68 ka, but more likely to similar to 111-139 ka. Alternatively, they would be older than, similar to 153 ka. Both scenarios would make the Liujiang hominid one of the earliest modem humans in East Asia, possibly contemporaneous with the earliest known representatives from the Levant and Africa. Parallel studies on other Chinese localities have provided supporting evidence for the redating of Liujiang, which may have important implications for, the origin of modem humans. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Links between attachment orientations and dispositional and diary-based measures of disclosure in dating couples: A study of actor and partner effects

Issues concerning the influence of attachment characteristics on own and partner's disclosure were addressed using a sample of 113 couples in medium-term dating relationships. Individual differences in attachment were assessed in terms of relationship anxiety and avoidance. Disposition to disclose was assessed using questionnaire measures of self-disclosure, relationship-focused disclosure, and the ability to elicit disclosure from the partner; in addition, structured diaries were used to assess aspects of disclosure (amount, intimacy, emotional tone, and satisfaction) in the context of couples' everyday interactions. Couple-level analyses showed that avoidance strongly predicted dispositional measures of disclosure, whereas anxiety (particularly partner's anxiety) was related to negative evaluations of everyday interactions. Interactive effects of attachment dimensions and gender were also obtained, highlighting the complexity of communication behavior. The results are discussed in terms of the goals and strategies associated with working models of attachment.

Speleothem U-series dating of semi-synchronous climate oscillations during the last deglaciation

Evidence for nearly synchronous climate oscillations during the last deglaciation has been found throughout the Northern Hemisphere but few records are based on independent time scales of calendar years. We present a rare uranium-series dated oxygen-carbon isotope record for a speleothem from Tangshan Cave, China, which demonstrates that abrupt deglacial climatic oscillations from 16 800 to 10 500 yr BP are semi-synchronous with those found in Greenland ice core records. Relatively rapid shifts in speleothem oxygen isotope ratios demonstrate that the intensity of the East Asian monsoon switched in parallel with the abrupt transitions separating the Bolling-Allerod, Younger Dryas, and pre-Boreal climatic reversals. However, the dated isotopic transitions appear to have lasted longer. Our results demonstrate the dominant role of atmospheric teleconnections in the rapid propagation of deglacial climatic signals on a hemispheric scale, and highlight the importance of U-series dated speleothems in the timing and characterization of abrupt climate change. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Avaliação do efeito da luz e temperatura no crescimento in vitro de Ulva rigida C. Agardh (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae)

Dissertação de Mestrado em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia Vegetal

Chemical analysis of 17th century Millefiori glasses excavated in the Monastery of Sta. Clara‐a‐Velha: comparison with Venetian and façon‐de‐Venise production

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Conservação e Restauro,Área de especialização Cerâmica e Vidro

Real fábrica de vidros de Coina – Chemical analysis of archaeological glass fragments

Actas do 17º Congresso da Associação Internacional para a História do Vidro

Archaeological roman glasses: comparative characterisation by non-destructive analytical techniques

Dissertation presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration

Animal helminths in human archaeological remains: a review of zoonoses in the past

The authors present a review of records of intestinal parasitic helminths from animals in human archaeological remains, reported since the emergence of paleopathological studies. The objective was to relate paleoparasitological findings to geographic, biotic, and abiotic factors from the environment in which the prehistoric populations lived, and understand some aspects related to the process of human dispersion and biological and cultural evolution. Modification of eating habits and the incorporation of new cultural practices are analyzed from the perspective of zoonoses from prehistory to the present day, especially in Brazilian indigenous populations. Three tables identifying the helminths, their natural hosts, dates, and sites of archaeological findings complete this review. In conclusion, various zoonoses known today have occurred since antiquity, and these data, combined with studies on the emergence and reemergence of diseases, could make possible to compose scenarios for the future.

THE PROCESS OF Leishmania INFECTION - DISEASE AND NEW PERSPECTIVES OF PALEOPARASITOLOGY

Species of the genus Leishmania (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) are causative agents of leishmaniasis, a complex disease with variable clinical spectrum and epidemiological diversity, constituting, in some countries, a serious public health problem. The origin and evolution of leishmaniasis has been under discussion regarding some clinical and parasitological aspects. After the introduction of paleoparasitology, molecular methods and immunodiagnostic techniques have been applied allowing the recovery of parasite remains, as well as the diagnosis of past infections in humans and other hosts. The dating of archaeological samples has allowed the parasitological analysis in time and space. This manuscript presents the state of the art of leishmaniasis and prospects related to paleoparasitology studies and their contribution to the evolutionary and phylogenetic clarification of parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania, and the leishmaniasis caused by them.

Archaeological Remains Accounting for the Presence and Exploitation of the North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena glacialis on the Portuguese Coast (Peniche, West Iberia), 16th to 17th Century

The former occurrence of the North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis on the Portuguese coast may be inferred from the historical range of that species in Europe and in NW Africa. It is generally accepted that it was the main prey of coastal whaling in the Middle Ages and in the pre-modern period, but this assumption still needs firming up based on biological and archaeological evidence. We describe the skeletal remains of right whales excavated at Peniche in 2001-2002, in association with archaeological artefacts. The whale bones were covered by sandy sediments on the old seashore and they have been tentatively dated around the 16th to 17th centuries. This study contributes material evidence to the former occurrence of E. glacialis in Portugal (West Iberia). Some whale bones show unequivocal man-made scars. These are associated to wounds from instruments with a sharp-cutting blade. This evidence for past human interaction may suggest that whaling for that species was active at Peniche around the early 17th century.

As Necrópoles alto-medievais do concelho de Cascais : séculos VI e VII

A presente dissertação teve como finalidade estudar os testemunhos arqueológicos respeitantes às práticas funerárias levadas a cabo no atual concelho de Cascais durante os séculos VI e VII. As necrópoles em estudo são sítios bem conhecidos pelos investigadores, uma vez que a descoberta de algumas é precoce, datando de finais do século XIX. Com este trabalho, pretendeu-se introduzir uma série de componentes que a investigação privilegia atualmente, sobretudo no que respeita às vivências nos espaços rurais entre o fim do Império Romano e o domínio muçulmano na Península Ibérica. A investigação desenvolvida baseou-se no estudo preliminar das coleções osteológicas de quatro das cinco necrópoles, bem como na prospeção e no levantamento arqueológicos. O inventário antropológico teve como objetivo apurar o número mínimo de indivíduos por necrópole e por sepultura e fazer uma caracterização básica do sexo e da idade dos inumados. A prospeção assentou na análise das fontes bibliográficas sobre os sítios. Os trabalhos de campo desenvolveram-se no sentido de apurar o estado de conservação dos vestígios, na eventual identificação de outros novos e no consequente levantamento gráfico e fotográfico dos mesmos. Foi igualmente examinado o espólio cerâmico e metálico recolhido aquando da escavação das necrópoles, de modo obter uma visão abrangente sobre os rituais funerários e a estabelecer cronologias mais precisas. Embora se trate de um estudo limitado devido à inexistência de um registo mais rigoroso dos vestígios, foi possível tirar algumas conclusões e constatar alguns padrões. Os resultados possibilitaram apontar um conjunto de condições que se repetem nos locais onde estes cemitérios se implantam, percebendo dinâmicas em relação a fatores de caráter natural e de carácter antrópico. Também se apurou que existiriam diferentes formas de organizar os espaços funerários e que estes seriam constituídos por sepulturas muito diversas do ponto de vista construtivo. Além disso, começa-se a desvelar as razões para a reutilização de sepulturas para vários enterramentos e a entender a forma como as comunidades rurais conduziam os rituais funerários, ainda muito enraizados numa antiga matriz pagã.