bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systems Engineering and Contractual Individualism
Authors: Sato Yasushi
Published: November 2007

After eminent thinkers in the 1960s submitted critical views on technology, some philosophers of technology extended their macro perspectives. Since then, many historians and sociologists of technology steadily marginalized their general claims through richly empirical, constructivist case studies of concrete engineering processes. Some recent efforts have begun to bridge these two diverging orientations. This paper participates in such efforts with a case study of relationships between macro cultures and engineering processes. It shows that behind the adoption of systems engineering by engineers and managers who led the Apollo programme was a macro current of social values in the USA. Post-war American society saw the rise of highly individualistic social norms that valued mobility, meritocracy and clear-cut contractual working relationships. Such norms triumphed most conspicuously in the federal government during the 1960s. Engineers and managers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters, who tended to share such values, refined the formalized, depersonalized methods of systems engineering, which enabled them to perfect space technology. In order to show such a correlation between macro values and micro practices, this paper draws a comparison between engineering communities in different cultural settings in the USA and Japan. This paper thus explores the macro social environment that gave rise to systems engineering, which, in turn, continues to function as a skeletal structure for our technological society today.
Lively Streets
Authors: Mehta Vikas
Published: November 2007

Increasingly, scholars suggest thinking of the street as a social space, rather than just a channel for movement. Studies that address the relationships between social behavior and environmental quality of the street tend to separate the study of physical features from land uses and hence do not address the interrelationships between behavioral patterns and physical features of the street and its sociability. This article is an empirical examination of behavioral responses of people to the environmental quality of neighborhood commercial streets. Structured and semistructured observations are used to study stationary, lingering, and social activities on three neighborhood commercial streets. Eleven land use and physical characteristics of buildings and the street are identified based on the literature review and extensive observations. These are measured and tested to understand which characteristics support stationary, lingering, and social activities. The findings reveal that people are equally concerned with the social, land use, and physical aspects of the street. Seating provided by businesses, seating provided by the public authorities, businesses that are community places, personalized street fronts, and sidewalk width particularly contribute to stationary and social activities on neighborhood commercial streets.
Bioaerosols study in central Taiwan during summer season
Authors: Wang Chun-Chin , Fang Guor-Cheng , Lee LienYao
Published: November 2007

Suspended particles, of which bioaerosols are one type, constitute one of the main reasons to cause severe air quality in Taiwan. Bioaerosols include allergens such as fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes, arthropods and protozoa, as well as microbial products such as mycotoxins, endotoxins and glucans. When allergens and microbial products are suspended in the air, local air quality will be influenced severely. In addition, when the particle size is small enough to pass through the respiratory tract entering the human body, the health of the local population is also threatened. Therefore, the purpose of this study attempted to understand the concentration and types of bacteria during summer period at four sampling sites in Taichung city, central Taiwan. The results indicated that total average bacterial concentration by using R2A medium incubated for 48 h were 7.3 × 102 and 1.2 × 103 cfu/m3 for Chung-Ming elementary sampling site during daytime and night-time period of summer season. In addition, total average bacterial concentration by using R2A medium incubated for 48 h were 2.2 × 103 and 2.5 × 103 cfu/m3 for Taichung refuse incineration plant sampling site during daytime and night-time period of summer season. As for Rice Field sampling site during daytime and night-time period of summer season, the results also reflected that the total average bacterial concentration by using R2A medium incubated for 48 h were 3.4 × 103 and 3.5 × 103 cfu/m3. Finally, total average bacterial concentration by using R2A medium incubated for 48 h were 1.6 × 103 and 1.9 × 103 cfu/m3 for Central Taiwan Science Park sampling site during daytime and night-time period of summer season. Moreover, the average bacterial concentration increased as the incubated time in a growth medium increased for particle sizes of 0.65—1.1, 1.1—2.1, 2.1—3.3, 3.3—4.7 and 4.7—7.0 μm. The total average bacterial concentration has no significant difference for day and night sampling period at any sampling site for the expression of bacterial concentration in term of order. The high average bacterial concentration was found in the particle size of 0.53—0.71 mm (average bioaerosol size was in the range of 2.1—4.7 μm) for each sampling site. Besides, there were exceeded 20 kinds of bacteria for each sampling site and the bacterial shape were rod, coccus and filamentous. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 133—139.
Clinical evaluation of 1,3-butadiene neurotoxicity in humans
Authors: Khalil Mohamed , Abudiab M. , Ahmed Ahmed E.
Published: November 2007

1,3-Butadiene is one of the most commonly produced chemicals in the United States. It is also a known human and animal carcinogen. Information about 1,3-butadiene induced neurotoxicity is scarce. In this study, we evaluated the outcome of 1,3-butadiene accidental contact on neurological function in humans known to be environmentally exposed to the chemical. Known clinical neurological criterions were applied for the identification and evaluation of 1,3-butadiene neurotoxicity. Statistical analysis was conducted on the collected neurological parameters from a random cohort of 310 patients who had been environmentally exposed to 1,3-butadiene and compared with a cohort of 50 matched individuals with similar backgrounds but who were not exposed to 1,3-butadiene (control). Results indicate that 1,3-butadiene has met the criteria and features of a neurotoxin. Exposure to 1,3-butadiene provokes neurological risks that were reversible in most patients. About 6% (18 patients) of the exposed patients demonstrated irreversible neurotoxicity that may need to be longitudinally scrutinized. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 141—146.
A review of dioxins/furans and methyl mercury in fish from the Penobscot river, located near Lincoln, Maine
Authors: Williams Robert L. , Cseh Larry
Published: November 2007

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) was requested to review the analytical results of tissue samples from fish caught in the Penobscot river in Maine, calculate fish consumption limits and provide a public health opinion regarding the health implications associated with eating the contaminated fish. Fish consumption limits were calculated to provide guidance on the amount of fish that a person may eat monthly that would probably not pose a public health threat. Earlier, in 1987, the Maine Bureau of Health (BOH) issued a fish consumption advisory for portions of the Penobscot river to protect the public from exposures to dioxins/furans and methyl mercury-contaminated fish. From 1988 to 2003 the state of Maine conducted fish surveys at four locations along the Penobscot river to monitor the levels of dioxins/furans and methyl mercury contamination. In 2005, ATSDR reviewed the sampling results for two fish species (i.e., bottom feeders and predators) collected from the Penobscot river that revealed various levels of dioxins/furans and methyl mercury. The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA) guidance for evaluating potential health threats associated with contaminated fish recommends that a minimum of two target species be sampled including one predatory and one bottom feeding species. Target species are chosen to meet the following criteria: (1) known to accumulate high concentrations of target contaminants in their tissues; (2) normally populate the freshwater system being studied; (3) are routinely caught and consumed by anglers; (4) nonmigratory; (5) pollutant-tolerant; (6) easily identified; (7) abundant and easy to collect and (8) of sufficient size to provide adequate tissue samples for analyses of contaminants (US EPA, 2000). The analytical results of these fish tissue samples appear to indicate that toxic equivalency quotients concentrations of dioxins/furans have slightly decreased since 1988. In contrast, fish tissue levels of methyl mercury appear to have increased slightly since 1988. Dioxins/furans and methyl mercury levels detected in fish tissue samples caught in the Penobscot river located near Lincoln, Maine, may continue to pose a public health hazard to persons who consume the fish daily, depending on the amount consumed. The ATSDR concurred with Maine BOH's fish advisory for dioxins/furans and methyl mercury, that is, currently in place for portions of the Penobscot river near Lincoln. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 147—153.
Competing Institutional Logics? Local Accountability and Scale and Efficiency in an Expanding Non-Profit Housing Sector
Authors: Mullins David
Published: November 2007

Housing associations provide an example of the non-profit sector taking a major role in public service provision. This article tracks the implications for public accountability of their growth over the past 25 years to become the main providers of social housing. It uses the concept of institutional logics to highlight the conflicting accountability drivers they face and the organisational choices this is forcing them to make. Two competing logics are dominant in the current period: scale and efficiency and local accountability. Case studies map the impact of these competing logics on organisational change. The future development of the sector could involve displacement of one logic by the other, continued co-existence of the two logics or fragmentation of the field. A fourth possibility is that existing logics will be transformed by private sector market entry.
The Emperor's New Clothes: Why Boards and Managers Find Accountability Relationships Difficult
Authors: Mordaunt Jill
Published: November 2007

In their book on corporate governance, Lorsch and McIver (1989) document that board members said they felt confident in their ability to question the CEO of their organisation about matters of concern. Yet in their observed performance, board members rarely did this. If board members raised problems, this was generally done covertly and outside the board. Similar accountability issues occur in nonprofit organisations. Board performance rarely reflects the rhetoric implicit in regulatory and legislative requirements. There are competing and at times contradictory expectations and demands. How do boards and managers seek to balance these in ways that allow them to maintain their integrity and yet still satisfy the expectations of different stakeholders?

This paper explores some of the issues that make accountability problematic for boards and managers. It then outlines how different stakeholders have differing capacities to enforce accountability demands. This creates complex dilemmas for boards and for managers because there are not options to fulfil one demand and not the other. However, the paper also suggests that there is a game played that raises interesting issues about how accountability is enacted in organisations. Finally, it outlines the issues that need investigation to understand the strategies boards and managers adopt to deal with these problems.
New Labour, Participation and the Policy Process
Authors: Bochel Catherine
Published: November 2007

This article explores a key element of New Labour's modernisation programme - that of participation in the public policy and decision making processes. Whilst this may appear to be a relatively straightforward concept, its translation into practice can be complex and confusing, which may in turn impact on the policy making process and potentially on policy outcomes. The involvement of groups such as 'users' might be seen as a rational approach to the policy process, however little consideration has been given to the process once people are involved, on the effects this may have on participants, or on the relevance and usefulness of policy outcomes. This article argues that one dimension that has been largely neglected is the capacities in which people participate in the decision making processes and argues for the need to develop a more focussed approach. This would require much greater consideration than at present of the distinction between participation undertaken by individuals and that carried out through groups. This would make a significant contribution to policy making as it would help to clarify the focus and intention of participation for different initiatives; for those who seek to encourage participation; and for those who participate, so that they are clear in what capacity they are participating.
PFI and the Implications of Introducing New Long- Term Actors into Public Service Delivery
Authors: Asenova Darinka , Hood John
Published: November 2007

Public Private Partnerships / Private Finance Initiative (PPP/PFI), play a significant role in the renewal of the UK's public services. For some commentators, the policy has been associated with poor value for money for the public sector while the private sector is virtually guaranteed steady profits over extended periods of time. This paper explores a policy aspect which so far has not attracted so much attention; that of the PPP/PFI market and more specifically the possibility of failure of private sector companies which have undertaken responsibility for the provision of public services. It concludes that the long term success of PFI projects is linked to the sustained involvement of the private sector companies. Failures of private companies can result in service deterioration, disruptions and increased costs to the public sector.
Governance, Administrative Science, and the Paradoxes of New Public Management
Authors: Mehde Veith
Published: November 2007

The aim of this article is to determine the role of administrative science with regard to the governance concept. It is argued that governance in the way it is employed in current discussions is not restricted to an analytical function, but comprises certain normative connotations. This leads to risks and potential distortions in the analysis of administrative structures. The paradoxes of New Public Management serve as an example of governance offering an interpretation whose coherence is at least questionable. Against this background, administrative science is depicted as the discipline which offers the methodological tools for preventing possible new interpretations from becoming misconception.
'Promises, Promises': The Experience of the Voluntary and Community Sector within the Liverpool Children's Fund
Authors: O'Brien Mark
Published: November 2007

This article examines the experience of the VCS within the context of the Liverpool Children's Fund. Its aim is to use a local case study to measure the reality of the Government's promises to the sector in a series of legislative and policy enactments in recent years. It argues that the gap between Government policy rhetoric and the promises made, and the real experience of VSCOs working in children's services in Liverpool, is still very great indeed. It further argues that the real legacy of the Children's Fund will not be that of local relevance, 'bottom- up' working and community participation but rather one of 'sectoral realignment' as selected VCSOs become increasingly locked in to mainstreamed service structures and processes with statutory agencies and as others are left behind and effectively 'locked-out' of this mainstreaming agenda.
Proxy records of climate from blanket mires: evidence for a Dark Age (1400 BP) climatic deterioration in the British Isles
Authors: Blackford J.J. , Chambers F.M.
Published: November 2007

Pioneer studies of peat stratigraphy in Scandinavia led to division of the Holocene into climatic periods, and though this scheme was later re-evaluated and partly rejected, studies in Denmark and England have demonstrated a link between the stratigraphy of lowland raised mires and past climatic change. Recent work has indicated the potential also for proxy climatic records from upland blanket mires. In a new study, radiocarbon dating of changes in the degree of humification of peat from blanket mires in the British Isles appears to show a change to wetter conditions around 1400 BP. Five sites, from western Ireland to North Yorkshire, all show this change. These data reinforce other evidence for climatic change in northwest Europe in the mid-first millennium AD. Results demonstrate the potential of blanket peats as a new source of proxy climatic data, covering an intermediate time-scale between recent meteorological records and long-term 'Milankovitch-scale' variations in climate.
Late Holocene erosion in upland Britain: climatic deterioration or human influence?
Authors: Ballantyne Colin K.
Published: November 2007

The evidence for enhanced erosion in upland Britain during the Late Holocene is evaluated. Though there is widespread evidence for recent soil erosion on high plateaux, this has not been precisely dated. Radiocarbon dating confirms the occurrence of Late Holocene solifluction on high ground, but at only one site has evidence been found for recent accelerated activity. Several areas, however, have yielded evidence of Late Holocene debris cone accumulation, and parts of the Scottish Highlands experienced a drastic increase in debris flow activity over the past few centuries. Climatic deterioration and vegetation degradation resulting from overgrazing or burning are frequently cited as the causes of enhanced erosion, but cause and effect are often related only by coincidence of timing. In consequence, only circumstantial evidence links erosion with climatic deterioration, though anthropogenic influences have been more firmly established at a few sites. The role of extreme events in initiating phases of upland erosion is uncertain.
A 1000-year record of winter precipitation from northwestern New Mexico, USA: a reconstruction from tree-rings and its relation to El Niño and the Southern Oscillation
Authors: D'Arrigo Rosanne D. , Jacoby Gordon C.
Published: November 2007

A 1000-year reconstruction of winter (cool season) November-May precipitation for northern New Mexico is developed for AD 985-1970 based on six millenium-long tree-ring records from moisture-sensitive coniferous sites in New Mexico and southern Colorado. Two of the most prolonged and severe droughts occurred during the last 100 years: in the AD 1890s-1904 and the AD 1950s-early 1960s. These were exceeded in length and severity only once in the 1000-year reconstructed record, in the late 1500s, and almost equaled in the early 1200s. The five decadal-scale intervals of greatest drought were, in descending order, AD 1577-1598, AD 1955-64, AD 1895-1904, AD 1217-1226, and AD 1778- 1787. The wettest periods were AD 1835-49, AD 1905-28, AD 1429-1440, AD 1609-23, and AD 1487- 98. The most abrupt shift from severe sustained drought to extremely high precipitation occurred in the 1890s to early 1900s. The intensity of this shift is unprecedented over the 1000-year period of the reconstruction. Relatively dry conditions are indicated for part of the 1400-1600s period around the onset of the Little Ice Age, and the reconstruction indicates average conditions during the Medieval Warm Period.

The southwestern US is an area of known teleconnection with the El Nine-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), coinciding with a tendency for wetter conditions to occur during ENSO years (warmer events) and drier conditions during colder events. The chronologies and reconstruction show correspondence with indices of ENSO, including Wright's Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). The years AD 1720, 1484, 1816 and 1941 (interpreted as ENSO-related events in instrumental or historical data) are the four wettest individual years in the reconstruction. Variance spectral analysis of the chronologies and reconstruction reveals significant peaks at approximately 2-7 year, 22 year and 80-100 year. There is potential for modelling the amplitude and frequency of the ENSO signature in the southwestern US over the past 1000 years or more, particularly by integrating tree-ring data from this region with other sources of high-resolution palaeoclimatic information.
Pollen studies at Lake St Croix, a river lake on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, USA
Authors: Eyster-Smith Nancy M. , Wright H.E. , Cushing E.J.
Published: November 2007

Lake St Croix at the downstream end of the St Croix River was formed when a natural dam was constructed across its mouth by the Mississippi River, which has aggraded its floodplain in Holocene time since the termination of deep erosion by the Glacial River Warren, the outlet for Glacial Lake Agassiz until about 9500 BP. Pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating of a 19 m core from the uppermost basin of the lake shows a rapidly increasing rate of sedimentation and pollen influx since 3000 BP and especially since 1300 BP, as the delta of the St Croix River approached the coring site. The pollen sequence closely resembles that for Lily Lake which is located on the moraine upland a few kilometres to the west. Its pollen assemblage differs from that for Lake St Croix more because of its upland location slightly to the west than to influx of river sediment in Lake St Croix.
Relative-age dating of inorganic deposits: the need for a more critical approach
Authors: McCarroll Danny
Published: November 2007

Relative-age dating (RD) techniques rely on indices of post-depositional change; principally degree of rock surface weathering or soil development. In the chronosequence approach, where a measured parameter displays a trend in values that parallels a trend in surface age, the parameter is commonly assumed to be age-dependent. Such an assumption may be invalid. This is demonstrated with particular reference to glacier forelands, where environmental and sedimentological factors, that can influence commonly used RD parameters, may exhibit systematic variations in parallel with, but independent of, surface age. Where some independent dating control is available, regression analysis may be used to define chronofunctions, providing numerical ages based on RD parameters. However, the error limits of such 'ages' are often underestimated. The use of modal rather than mean values is particularly problematic. A more critical approach is suggested, involving deductive experiments to examine the influence of non-temporal controls and to test the assumptions and predictions implicit in a given interpretation. A procedure for standardizing error limits associated with chronofunctions is proposed. It is stressed that the influence of systematic errors can only be assessed by adopting a critical, deductive methodology and that attaching spurious accuracy to dates will only lead to confusion.
The late Neoglacial ('Little Ice Age') glacier maximum in southern Norway : new 14C-dating evidence and climatic implications
Authors: Matthews John A.
Published: November 2007

Critical evidence is presented for the timing and extent of Holocene glacier variations in southern Norway based on end-moraine stratigraphy and 22 new 14C dates. Dates have been obtained from moss layers, other plant remains, peat and soil associated with outermost moraines delimiting the Neoglacial maximum extent of four glaciers in the Jotunheimen-Jostedalsbreen region. There is conclusive evidence for a late Neoglacial ('Little Ice Age') maximum within the last 400-600 years; maximum age estimates for outer moraines are AD 1516 (Sagabreen), 1450 (Storbreen), 1440 (Bøverbreen) and about 1424 (Haugabreen). The last three glaciers have not exceeded their 'Little Ice Age' limits since at least 3205 ± 60, 5670 ± 80 and 6470 ± 80 BP, respectively. Onset of peat growth at these times is consistent with a deteriorating climate after the 'Climatic Optimum' of the early Holocene. Subsequent deterioration is indicated by the accumulation at Bøverbreen of poorly-humified peat from 4295 ± 49 to at least 3250 ± 70 BP, and from 1740 ± 60 to at least 1300 ± 60 BP. Southern Norwegian glaciers appear to have been larger at their 'Little Ice Age' maxima than at any time since regional deglaciation about 9000 BP. It is inferred that the relatively large scale of the 'Little Ice Age' glacier expansion in southern Norway was related to the most southerly migration of oceanic and atmospheric polar fronts since the early Holocene.
Towards a tephrochronology for the Holocene of the north of Ireland
Authors: Pilcher Jonathan R. , Hall Valerie A.
Published: November 2007

Discrete layers of tephra have been found in both raised and blanket bogs in the north of Ireland. Some of the layers have been identified to an Icelandic source and, in two cases, specific eruptions of known radiocarbon age are suggested. Nine layers spanning the Holocene are replicated in three lowland raised bogs. One of the major layers has also been identified at a number of sites in two separate upland blanket peat systems and in a lake sediment.
Emergence of the Varanger Peninsula, Arctic Norway, and climate changes since deglaciation
Authors: Fletcher Charles H. , Fairbridge Rhodes W. , Moller Jakob J. , Long Antony J.
Published: November 2007

Fields of glacioisostatically uplifted beach ridges on the eastern Varanger Peninsula coast in northern Norway record the occurrence of major storms since deglaciation. More than 70 radiocarbon dates of palaeoshoreline indicators establish the Late Weichselian and Holocene history of beach-ridge building and relative sea-level change. Optimal ridge-building in the region requires sustained, strong easterlies driving high waves across the Barents Sea. Such winds occur when low pressure systems are forced across the North Sea and the Baltic landmass to the region of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Kola Peninsula. This situation probably frequently occurs during transition periods from milder to cooler climate in the region. The beach-ridge morphology reveals a fall of local sea level following the stormy episodes. Over the short term, this is related to the end of storm-induced set-up and the termination of mild-phase-related warm coastal currents. Over the long term, local sea-level falls with the onset of sustained calm winter-type conditions and continued glacioisostatic uplift. Pre- and early-Holocene changes in climate regime occurred with a frequency of several decades to several centuries. The mid- to late-Holocene records show increased climatic stability, transitions occurring with less frequency, and mild phases frequently lasting many hundreds of years.
The response of vegetation to changing fire regimes and human activity in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
Authors: Gell Peter A. , Stuart Iain-Malcom , Smith J. David
Published: November 2007

Three fine-resolution pollen, charcoal and statigraphic records are presented from Tea Tree Swamp, East Gippsland, Victoria. There is evidence for low levels of burning before European contact in Eucalyptus forest with an understorey dominated by shrubs and grasses. The burning activities of leasehold settlers, as well as burning and clearing by miners and timber cutters significantly increased the incidence of fire, reducing the cover of shrubs and permitting grasses to dominate the understorey. This is associated with a minor hydrological change indicated by increased representation of Myriophyllum, as well as an increase in the rate of sediment accumulation. Evidence is presented for the recovery of the shrub vegetation and a decline in the dominance of grasses after the inception of fire suppression measures invoked in response to severe fires in Victoria in AD 1939. All three cores show a substantial increase in the abundance of either Sphagnum or Myriophyllum pollen in recent times. These changes are interpreted as responses to hydrological changes associated with recent intensive forestry activities in the catchment above the site.
Northern North Sea benthic Ostracoda: modern distribution and palaeoenvironmental significance
Authors: Penney David N.
Published: November 2007

The ostracod faunas of the northern North Sea exhibit a depth-related distribution that is controlled by substrate and hydrographic conditions. Four biofacies are defined on the basis of total (live + dead) counts. Sandy substrates shallower than 110 m are characterized by Robertsonites tuberculatus and Cytheropteron latissimum. These species are replaced by Acanthocythereis dunelmensis and Palmenella limicola on sandy muds in the Fladen Ground (110-150 m). Muellerina abyssicola dominates from 175-250 m in the Norwegian Channel, giving way to Krithe praetexta at greater depths on soft-bottom substrates. The results are compared with data from the Skagerrak and the western European shelf area. Temperature ranges for the commonest taxa show that North Sea faunas contain endemic western European species (temperature range on average 2-20 °C), some southern species (5-26 °C) and taxa that range to high latitudes (-2 to +14 °C). Southern species are confined to the southern and western margins of the North Sea due to low summer bottom temperatures (<6 °C) in the central North Sea and low winter bottom temperatures (<4 °C) in the shallow waters off Germany and Denmark. The applicability of species temperature ranges and of sublittoral faunal provinces in palaeoenvironmental studies in the eastern Atlantic is assessed.
The environmental impact of prehistoric mining at Copa Hill, Cwmystwyth, Wales
Authors: Mighall Tim , Chambers F.M.
Published: November 2007

A recent upsurge of interest in early mining and metal working sites in Europe led to experimental quantification of their apparently prodigious demand for fuelwood. However, the real impact of prehistoric mining on woodland remained unknown. Excavation of a prehistoric copper mine at Copa Hill, Cwmystwyth, from 1986-91, afforded an opportunity for linked palaeoenvironmental investigations. Pollen analytical methods were applied in a pilot study of blanket peat deposits adjacent to the prehistoric mine at Copa Hill. Results provide circumstantial evidence linking prehistoric human activity at the mine in the Early Bronze Age both to selective woodland removal and to upland peat initiation close to the site. Woodland clearances seem to have been relatively small-scale during the inferred period of mining, with limited overall impact, suggesting either protracted small-scale mining operations, or active management of woodland resources. Future directions for study of the impact of early mining on woodland are suggested.
Tephra geochemistry: a discussion of some persistent analytical problems
Authors: Hunt John B. , Hill Peter G.
Published: November 2007

Distal tephrochronological studies are reliant upon precise and accurate geochemical quantitation. This quantitation can involve difficulties not often encountered in more conventional petrology. Solving these problems is of particular importance in the Holocene (and Late Quaternary) of northwest Europe, where numerous tephra layers of Icelandic origin have been detected in peat bogs and lake and marine sediments. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) has proved the most applicable analytical technique when insufficient quantities of tephra are available for bulk analysis. Standard EPMA techniques require fine tuning to the tephra problem as the geochemical instability of glass is a common feature.

In many previous studies, geochemical data of avoidably low quality have been produced, and little attention appears to have been directed to modification of EPMA methods. It is suggested that the 'black box' approach to geochemical analysis should be avoided by the consideration of several factors. These include minimization of sodium mobility during analysis, prevention and nonacceptance of low analytical totals, non-normalization of data, and making provision for the acceptable presentation and statistical treatment of data. Amongst tephrochronologists, these suggestions may not receive universal acceptance, but it is hoped that they will serve to promote further discussion on a much neglected topic. Until reliable analytical techniques are universally adopted, there is a real possibility that erroneous tephrochronologies will be established.
The magnetic record of particulate pollution in a saltmarsh, Dee Estuary, UK
Authors: Hutchinson Simon M.
Published: November 2007

In the sediments of a rapidly accreting salt marsh at the head of the Dee Estuary (northwest England) magnetic measurements reveal a strong and persistent signal which can be related to the historical effluent discharges of a large iron and steel works. The iron oxide content of the pipeline emissions from the works permits their detection by rapid and simple measurements of the weak remanent magnetization of sediments. The spatial extent of contamination of the saltings has been determined. A clear distance-decay effect from the point source has been observed in those parts of the saltings which accumulated during the period of strongest emissions from the plant. Furthermore, down core, a marked and spatially consistent 'spiked' magnetic profile has been recorded. This distinctive pattern of changes in magnetic concentration and grain size mirrors the past activities and discharges of the works. This supposition is corroborated by a supporting chronology based on the record of 137CS emissions from the Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and by historical maps of the intertidal area. Thus, the magnetic properties of these salt marsh monoliths record spatial and temporal variations in discharges from the works to the saltings. In addition, they provide unique stratigraphic markers which can assist in the determination of net sediment accretion rates and the reconstruction of the evolution of the saltmarsh.
'Little Ice Age' glaciation of Tröllaskagi peninsula, northern Iceland: climatic implications for reconstructed equilibrium line altitudes (ELAS)
Authors: Caseldine Chris , Stötter Johann
Published: November 2007

Comparison of the equilibrium line altitudes (ELAS) for the present (1980s) and the maximum 'Little Ice Age' depression determined for glaciers in the Skíõadalur/Svarfaõardalur area of the Tröllaskagi peninsula, northern Iceland, shows a rise of c. 50 m over the last 100-150 years. Meteoro logical data suggest that over the same period the mean summer temperature at the equilibrium line changed by at least 2.0°C. Application of a model of the relationship between mean summer temperature and winter accumulation at the ELA for glaciers in southern Norway suggests that such a temperature change should have led to a movement of up to 300 m in the ELA. The discrepancy between the observed and expected results is accounted for by an almost two-fold increase in winter accumulation. The application of this model highlights the potential importance of interpreting changes in ELA in terms of both temperature and precipitation, and the results from northern Iceland demonstrate that in some areas accumulation changes can almost balance considerable changes in temperature. There is also potential through this method for hypothesizing atmospheric changes as explanations of the climatic changes interpreted.
Glacier variations, mudflow activity and landscape development in the Aksay Valley (Tian Shan) during the late Holocene
Authors: Solomina O.N. , Savoskul O.S. , Cherkinsky A.E.
Published: November 2007

The object of this paper is to reconstruct the history of glaciation and the dynamics of mudflow activity as part of the development of landscapes in the Aksay Valley, Kirgizsky Ridge, over the last 2000 years. Glacial, mudflow and slope deposits were dated by lichenometry and the radiocarbon method. The results of 14C dating of buried soils shows that at about 1700 BP a period of activization of slope processes took place in the valley. The zone of alpine meadow was situated at that time at an elevation of about 2750 m and glacier termini were situated at about 3100-3200 m. The oldest mudflow surface, which was investigated by lichenometry, dates from the same time.

New equations for the rate of growth of the lichens Aspicilia tianshanica and Rhizocarpon geographicum use the oldest mudflow surface as a control point. Two periods of reduced mudflow activity are identified by lichenometry, i.e., 350-450 and 130-240 BP, and the latter is confirmed by 14C dating of peat-soil interlayers in a mudflow stratum with the specific activity of samples exceeding NBS standard. Thus, a new modification of the 14C-dating method is demonstrated. Lichenometry on moraines of the Aksay Glacier shows that advances of the glacier took place in the fourteenth and late- nineteenth centuries as well as at the beginning of this century. The depression of equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) for the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries was 150-170 m and 100-120 m, respectively.
Holocene palaeochannels at SiSatchanalai, north-central Thailand: ages, significance and palaeoenvironmental indications
Authors: Bishop Paul , Godley David
Published: November 2007

Radiocarbon dating of sediments infilling palaeochannels in the northern part of the Central Plain of Thailand shows that they probably date from the early to mid-Holocene. The composition of bed material of the palaeochannels and the Yom River (the modern river) confirms that the palaeochannels represent earlier courses of the Yom. The most recent palaeochannel was abandoned about 1700 years ago when the modern course of the Yom was established, probably by avulsion during a period of increased runoff and flood activity which has also been identified in northeast Thailand.

Bankfull discharges ( Qbf) of the palaeochannels are estimated in two ways. The 'hydraulic' approach combines a palaeochannel's bankfull cross-sectional area and an estimate of the average velocity needed to transport the coarse fraction of the channel's bed material. The 'geomorphological' approach relies on published equations relating Qbf and channel dimensions. When applied to the grain-size and dimensional characteristics of the modern Yom, both methods give results consistent with modem gauging data. The palaeodischarge estimations indicate the greatest bankfull discharges in the early- to mid-Holocene palaeochannel; slightly lower, but still comparable, discharges in the present channel; and lower to substantially lower discharges during the mid- to late-Holocene. The modem discharge may be affected by human activity, indicating that the highest discharges of the Holocene occurred during the early- to mid-Holocene. This sequence of Holocene environments is in close agreement with independ ently derived regional palaeoclimatic reconstructions, suggesting that these fluctuations in discharge have been externally climatically controlled, and that they are not the result of internal adjustments associated with multiple channels during phases of channel avulsion. The possibility of one phase of coeval distributary flow through the two mid- to late-Holocene palaeochannels does not change this conclusion, but it lessens the inferred decline in precipitation between the early and late-Holocene.
Origin, chronology and environmental significance of Holocene aeolian and alluvial sands at Blue Mountain, Falkland Islands
Authors: Wilson Peter
Published: November 2007

Extensive and thick sand accumulations, containing organic-rich horizons, at Blue Mountain, Falkland Islands, are most probably derived from weathering of local bedrock under late Pleistocene periglacial conditions. Weathering and subsequent deflation produced several shallow basins that are now occupied by lakes. Sand morphology, sedimentary structures and site characteristics indicate that the sand deposits are predominantly aeolian, although some alluvial sands are also present. Deflation occurred either before the lakes existed or at times of lower lake levels. Sixteen 14C dates from organic- rich horizons show that some sand accumulated in the early Holocene or late Pleistocene, but that most is of mid- to late Holocene age. Landscape stability/instability phases were not synchronous between sites and cannot be explained by the regional trends of Holocene climate change. A period of significantly lower lake levels and major aeolian erosion at c. 5000-4500 BP is proposed, but is not supported by regional evidence of greater warmth and/or aridity. More environmental data concerning periods of increased aridity and windiness are required before the relationship between landscape evolution and climatic change can be established.
Holocene mire development and climatic change from a high Andean Plantago rigida cushion mire
Authors: Bosman A.F. , Hooghiemstra H. , Cleef A.M.
Published: November 2007

A pollen diagram of a 225 cm long core from a small Plantago rigida cushion mire (Turbera de Calostros) in the grassparamo belt at 3730m altitude in the Paramo de Chingaza, Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, records the last 8500 years of Holocene vegetational history. Three radiocarbon dates (8410 ± 160 BP, 7230 ± 1340 BP and 5980 ± 75 BP) provide a time frame. Pollen of taxa of zonal grassparamo and subparamo vegetation are dominant and pollen of subandean (lower montane) forest elements are overrepresented due to upslope aeolian pollen supply to this high-elevation site. Eight pollen zones were recognized and reflect, on a regional scale, a sequence of altitudinal shifts of the upper forest line (oscillating between 3000-3100 and 3500m) and synchronous changes in the composition of the Andean (upper montane) forest. Based on the radiocarbon dates and using the pollen density record, dates of changes in environmental conditions are estimated c. 8700, 8600, 7800, 7500, 6650, 5200, 300 and 100BP. Correlation with other palaeoecological records from this part of the Eastern Cordillera is discussed. Each pollen zone represents a characteristic phase in the local development of the Plantago rigida mire.
Holocene glacial activity and climatic variations in the Swiss Alps: reconstructing a continuous record from proglacial lake sediments
Authors: Leemann Andreas , Niessen Frank
Published: November 2007

Cores recovered from proglacial Lake Silvaplana (Swiss Alps) were investigated to examine the influence of Holocene glaciers on lacustrine sedimentation. During times of glacial activity in the catchment the sedimentation in the lake is dominated by the input of silt and clay-sized material delivered by glacial meltwaters. The deposition of fine-grained material and the formation of varves reflect the existence of glaciers in the catchment and can therefore be used for the reconstruction of glacial history. Sedimentation rates are up to nine times higher in the varved than in the non-varved sediments, indicating significantly higher erosion rates under glaciated catchment conditions.

Glacial varves were deposited in Lake Silvaplana during glacial retreat in the latest Pleistocene and early Holocene until 9400BP. Non-varved deposits having a higher organic content and coarser grain- sizes accumulated at lower rates when glacial activity was absent or negligible within the catchment between 9400 and 3300 BP. The continuous deposition of varves after 3300 BP indicates that Neoglacia tion provided glacial cover for part of the catchment since then. Long-term variation in varve thickness is interpreted as being controlled by the size of the glaciers in the catchment. Maximal varve thicknesses are observed from AD 1790 to 1870. Since the changes in glacial activity for this area seem to be mainly controlled by temperature rather than precipitation, we suggest that the entire lacustrine sediment record of Lake Silvaplana reflects relative changes of summer air temperature during the Holocene.
Dendroclimatic reconstruction of summer precipitation at Srinagar, Kashmir, India, since the late-eighteenth century
Authors: Borgaonkar H.P. , Pant G.B. , Rupa Kumar K.
Published: November 2007

The extensive coniferous forests of the western Himalayas provide great potential for dendroclimatic research. Abies, Cedrus, Picea and Pinus are the main tree genera of the region, consisting of many old and living trees. The annual growth-ring patterns of these trees, which can be precisely dated, contain valuable high-resolution information on climate variability over the past few centuries. This paper presents an analysis of the ring-width data of Abies pindrow and Picea smithiana based on samples collected from forest sites around Pahalgam in the Kashmir Valley in 1982. The non- climatic variations have been filtered out of the raw ring-width series using a cubic spline smoothing, and ring-width index series have been obtained. The mean ring-width index chronologies have been prepared by averaging the indices of 13 samples for P. smithiana and eight samples for A. pindrow. The maximum lengths of mean ring-width index chronologies are 208 years (1775-1982) for P. smithiana and 371 years (1612-1982) for A. pindrow. Response functions have been developed using the instrumental record of monthly mean temperature and rainfall at Srinagar during the period 1893-1982. Both ring- width chronologies indicate a significant negative response to summer temperature and a significant positive relationship with summer precipitation. Calibration and verification analysis has been carried out for different combinations of months using a multiple species ring-series network and the summer precipitation at Srinagar has been reconstructed back to the eighteenth century.
Tephrochronology, lichenometry and radiocarbon dating at Gulkana Glacier, central Alaska Range, USA
Authors: Begét James E.
Published: November 2007

Multiple geochronologic techniques, when used in an integrated approach, provide a powerful means of deciphering the stratigraphy of Holocene moraine sequences. The Jarvis Creek Ash, deposited across central Alaska at 3650 ± 125 BP, underlies a mid-Holocene lateral moraine of the Gulkana Glacier. This tephrochronological datum provides new control on long-term Rhizocarpon geographicum growth rates in central Alaska, and suggests that this species grows at approximately 4mm per century in the central Alaska Range. Lichenometry, together with tephrochronology and radiocarbon dates from buried organic horizons, indicate Holocene advances of the Gulkana Glacier occurred c. 5700 ± 260 BP, 4100 ± 800 BP, 3600 ± 700 BP, 800 ± 125 BP and 150-200 years ago.
Holocene glacier activity at the southwestern part of Hardangerjøkulen, central-southern Norway : evidence from lacustrine sediments
Authors: Nesje Atle , Dahl Svein O. , Løvlie Reidar , Sulebak Jan R.
Published: November 2007

Lacustrine sediments from Lake Isdalsvatn downstream from the southwestern margin of the plateau glacier Hardangerjøkulen, central-southern Norway, show that the lake received glacial meltwater until 7890 ± 95 BP. A thin, bluish-grey minerogenic silt layer probably reflects a short glacial (re)advance between 7005 ± 90 and 6835 ± 150BP. After the latter date, inflow of glacial meltwater ceased, indicating that small or, more probably, no glaciers existed on the southwestern Hard angerjøkulen plateau. A drop in organic content and a slight increase in detrital content inferred from magnetic susceptibility at 120cm depth in the core, may indicate some glacier activity in the catchment from about 3400 BP. Textural changes at 50cm depth indicate increased Neoglacial activity in the upper catchment area from 2265 ± 80 BP. Differences in glacier chronologies between the southern and northern sectors of Hardangerjøkulen may be explained partly by different glacier responses to the precipitation and wind distribution at opposite sides of the ice cap.