bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clay Sources, Pottery Production, and Regional Economy in Chalchihuites, Mexico, A. D. 200-900
Authors: Strazicich Nicola M.
Published: April 2006

Pottery and clays from the Chalchihuites region of northwestern Zacatecas are characterized to examine ceramic production and exchange among settlements between A. D. 400 and 900. Instrumental neutron activation and petrographic analysis of 134 pottery and 26 clay samples from three Chalchihuites ceremonial centers identify pottery made from local clays and distinguish pottery found at each center that was not made from local clay deposits. Residents of Alta Vista, the region’s main center, acquired an elaborate painted ware from a second center located 30 km away after A. D. 650. The ceramic compositional data provide a basis for understanding the distance and direction that pottery was exchanged in Chalchihuites as economic activities increased in the region.
Imperial and Social Relations in Postclassic South-Central Veracruz, Mexico
Authors: Garraty Christopher P. , Stark Barbara L.
Published: April 2006

We explore social and imperial relations in the western lower Papaloapan Basin, especially along the lower Blanco River, using statistical analyses of ceramic rims from recent surveys. This region is sandwiched between two known tributary provincial centers of the Aztec empire, but its relationship to the empire is uncertain in colonial documentary materials. Our analyses illuminate changes in social relations from the Middle (A. D. 1150–1350) to Late Postclassic (A. D. 1350–1520) periods and shed light on the impact of Aztec imperialism. We use a ceramic unmixing procedure to assign collections to the Middle and Late Postclassic periods for assessment of settlement patterns. Next we use cluster analyses to examine vertical wealth and status differentiation. In the Middle Postclassic period, we observe a concentric gradation of wealth and status away from the small center of El Sauce. Late Postclassic changes include the decline of El Sauce and the founding of a new center at Callejón del Horno. The concentric model does not apply to the Late Postclassic period, however, and wealth and status became more highly concentrated at Callejón del Horno compared to its hinterland. We also investigate sparse collections-those with few Postclassic rims-to evaluate whether these collections represent poor residences or, rather, sherd scatter from possible field manuring. The lower Blanco region was likely integrated into the Aztec empire on the basis of changes in vertical social differentiation from Middle to Late Postclassic times and percentages of Aztec-style ceramics compared to known Aztec provincial centers, especially Cotaxtla.
Out of Many, One: Style and Social Boundaries in Tiwanaku
Authors: Janusek John Wayne
Published: April 2006

Archaic state formation simultaneously involved political integration and socioeconomic differentiation, which many archaeologists consider mutually reinforcing processes. Differentiation is considered to have consisted primarily of status and specialization, forms of heterogeneity that ultimately supported state integration. This paper addresses the role of differentiation in the Andean polity of Tiwanaku (A. D. 500–1150). Specifically, it evaluates expressions of social identity in relation to differences in status and specialized production in the urban settlements of Tiwanaku and Lukurmata. Patterns of ceramic style are compared with other types of material culture and residential activities. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that, in the context of a potent and ubiquitous state culture, significant social boundaries persisted at multiple social scales, ranging from urban corporate groups to more encompassing regional affiliations. At larger scales identity potentially involved some degree of political autonomy, as it did in later sociopolitical organizations in the south-central Andes. For several hundred years, Tiwanaku rulers, facing profound social diversity and enduring local identities, emphasized incorporative strategies of integration, leaving a great deal of productive management and sociopolitical organization in the hands of local groups. Social boundaries played critical roles in state formation and centralization, and ultimately may have precipitated its disintegration.
Late Pre-Inkaic Ethnic Groups in Highland Peru: An Archaeological-Ethnohistorical Model of the Political Geography of the Cajamarca Region
Authors: Julien Daniel G.
Published: April 2006

A model of late pre-Inka political geography of the region surrounding Cajamarca, in the north highlands of Peru, is presented. This model, based on ethnohistoric data and archaeological research, can be projected back through time to help delineate the culture history of the Cajamarca ethnic group. Several chiefdoms emerged during the Late Intermediate period, following a time of sociopolitical disintegration. The region that became the Inka province of Cajamarca had been occupied by five or six chiefdoms during the latter part of the Late Intermediate period. The data are equivocal on the subject of whether political centralization had developed in the region before the Inka conquest, but suggest that at least some form of confederation existed. Comparison with other regions of the Peruvian Highlands reveals that the Cajamarca ethnic group was modest in population, but controlled a very large area. Other groups, such as the Wanka and Lupaqa, appear to have been undergoing a similar process of sociopolitical centralization. The Inka reorganized the region upon its incorporation into the empire, creating an economic and religious center for several surrounding provinces.
Calakmul: New Data from an Ancient Maya Capital in Campeche, Mexico
Authors: Folan William J. , Marcus Joyce , Pincemin Sophia , Carrasco María del Rosario Domínguez , Fletcher Laraine , López Abel Morales
Published: April 2006

In this paper we summarize more than a decade of interdisciplinary work at Calakmul, including (1) the mapping project, which has covered more than 30 km2; (2) the excavation project, which has uncovered major structures and tombs in the center of the city; (3) the epigraphic project, whose goal is to study the hieroglyphic texts and relate them to the archaeological evidence; (4) the analysis of the architecture, ceramics, and chipped stone to define sacred and secular activity areas and chronological stages; and (5) a focus on the ecology, hydrology, and paleoclimatology of Calakmul and its environs with the aim of understanding more fully its periods of development and decline.
Ecuadorian Obsidian Sources Used for Artifact Production and Methods for Provenience Assignments
Authors: Asaro Frank , Salazar Ernesto , Michel Helen V. , Burger Richard L. , Stross Fred H.
Published: April 2006

A study by neutron activation analysis and X-ray fluorescence measurements of 116 Ecuadorian obsidian artifacts as well as primary and secondary source samples has shown that the material originated from two Andean sources in north-central Ecuador, a flow in the valley of Mullumica, and deposits found on Yanaurco Chico and the nearby Quiscatola crest. The Yanaurco-Quiscatola deposit complex, homogeneous within our ability to measure, is represented by 18 percent of the artifacts. The Mullumica source has variable, apparently linearly related element abundances that may have resulted from the incomplete mixing of two magmas within a magma chamber. Seventy-eight percent of the samples studied are deduced to have originated from that source. Five artifacts from La Chimba cannot be assigned an origin, but four of them have the same provenience. To test the validity of the mixed-magma theory, we present equations to calculate the abundance of any measured element from that of iron. On the average, agreement within about 3 percent is obtained for artifacts.
Filtration-Gallery Irrigation in the Spanish New World
Authors: Barnes Monica , Fleming David
Published: April 2006

It has been claimed that the puquios, a subterranean irrigation system of the Nasca drainage, are a unique Prehispanic innovation. However, documentary evidence indicates that many puquios were constructed and managed by Spaniards. In Iberia such systems were built by Islamic engineers and were extended by Christians after the Moors were expelled in 1492. The Spaniards brought this technology to Mexico and the Andes, beginning in the mid-sixteenth century. They employed it in agriculture, in urban water systems, and to drain mines. This paper presents new evidence on the 21 Andean areas where puquios were constructed and controlled by the Spaniards and evaluates arguments pertaining to the origin of the Nasca puquios.
High-Precision Trace-Element Characterization of Major Mesoamerican Obsidian Sources and Further Analyses of Artifacts from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Mexico
Authors: Cobean Robert H. , Vogt James R. , Glascock Michael D. , Stocker Terrance L.
Published: April 2006

High-precision trace-element analyses for 208 geological samples representing 25 mesoamerican obsidian sources were obtained using instrumental neutron-activation analysis to measure a total of 28 elements per sample. These are the first detailed chemical studies ever published for many of the source areas. Especially intensive analyses were made for six sources in the states of Veracruz and Puebla in Mexico from the region of Pico de Orizaba volcano. In addition, source determinations are provided for 65 artifacts from the Olmec site of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, Veracruz. The investigations presented here constitute an important basis for associating obsidian artifacts with specific sources, thereby making possible the reconstruction of Prehispanic trade system.
Archaeological Evidence of Rodent Consumption in Central Chile
Authors: Simonetti Javier A. , Cornejo Luis E.
Published: April 2006

We analyzed the remains of small mammals from two rockshelters in the pre-Andean mountains of central Chile. A significant fraction of the remains exhibited evidence of burning. Burned remains were present from 4460 to 1520 B.P. and belong to rodent species of large body size and weight that are either diurnal or colonial. We suggest that rodents were a constant food item for humans in central Chile, and that rodent species were selected based on body size and conspicuousness.
Formation Processes of Large Earthen Residential Mounds in La Mixtequilla, Veracruz, Mexico
Authors: Hall Barbara Ann
Published: April 2006

Residential mounds are basic units of archaeological analysis, yet their formation rarely is considered systematically. Large earthen residential mounds, classified by Tourtellot (1983:43, 50) as “tells,” are characteristic of Veracruz and of many Preclassic sites. These low, broad mounds are larger than a house mound, commonly the size of a Maya plazuela group (Stark 1991a:45), and represent the remains of one or more structures. Data on the stratification and artifact characteristics of a Classic-period mound in La Mixtequilla, Veracruz, permit reconstruction of six major formation processes that contribute to the growth of earthern residential mounds. The formation processes of these "tells in miniature" and the relative quantity of fill vs. accretionary growth have important implications for the interpretation of household size, status, and other demographic and social variables.
Power without Bounds? Middle Preclassic Political Developments in the Naco Valley, Honduras
Authors: Urban Patricia , Schortman Edward , Ausec Marne
Published: April 2006

Recently completed investigations in the Naco Valley, located within the Rio Chamelecon drainage of northwestern Honduras, suggest that, by 1200 B. C., emergent elites were experiencing variable success in their efforts to construct sociopolitical hierarchies. Though able to harness labor in the construction of large platforms, these scions apparently did not monopolize crucial economic processes nor could they command the exclusive allegiances of their subordinates over protracted periods. Political centralization, social heterogeneity, and boundary formation processes were, therefore, not mutually reinforcing and the polities that resulted were small and ephemeral. Comparison of Naco"s trajectory with contemporary developments in neighboring portions of southeastern Mesoamerica hint at the varied developmental paths that ultimately laid the foundation for the emergence of relatively stable, hierarchically organized polities in the subsequent Classic period (A. D. 200–900).
Early Coastal Subsistence Patterns in Central Chile: A Systematic Study of the Marine-Invertebrate Fauna from the Site of Curaumilla-1
Authors: Jerardino Antonieta , Castilla Juan C. , Ramírez José Miguel , Hermosilla Nuriluz
Published: April 2006

Curaumilla-1 presents the earliest date for Archaic coastal occupation and marine exploitation in central Chile (8,500 years B. P.). The remains of marine invertebrates from this site at Punta Curaumilla were studied. The number of present species, minimum number of individuals for 14 species, and mean sizes of two of these species were established. Recent studies have demonstrated that modern shellfish gatherers are important modifiers of rocky-intertidal communities in central Chile. Consequently, we attempt here to define the probable ecological role of past people at Punta Curaumilla as shellfish gatherers. The molluscan species present at Curaumilla-1 are much the same as those exploited at present by shellfish gatherers in central Chile. Two pulses of occupation were identified within the Archaic and Early Ceramic periods respectively. During these events it is likely that Precolumbian people may have temporarily or permanently modified sectors of the rocky intertidal at Punta Curaumilla.
Pattern and Meaning in Prehistoric Peruvian Architecture: The Architecture of Social Control in the Chimu State
Authors: Moore Jerry D.
Published: April 2006

Archaeologists have studied buildings for decades, but a very narrow range of analytical approaches has been applied to prehistoric architecture. This paper presents a basic theory of architectural meaning, which has as its principal focus the role of access patterns within buildings as a medium of social control. On the north coast of Peru, Andeanists have held an implicit notion about the relation between access patterns and social control, but have lacked the analytical tools to explore this question further. A set of basic tools borrowed from graph theory and locational geography is presented, and discussed, and then applied to a specific set of Prehispanic constructions—the monumental compounds of Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimu state (A. D. 900-1470). The methods illuminate differences and similarities in the organization of access within the compounds, and they are used to test a hypothesis about the role of a specific architectural element—the U-shaped room—in controlling access within royal compounds at Chan Chan. The results have implications for understanding the nature of social control in the Chimu state and suggest the potential that new analytical methods may have for the study of prehistoric constructions.
House Structure and Cultural Change in the Caribbean: Three Case Studies from Puerto Rico
Authors: Curet Luis Antonio
Published: April 2006

Due to the poor conservation of domestic structures in tropical and subtropical environments, the study of households has received little attention from Caribbean archaeologists. However, recent studies have produced good quality household data in the form of post-mold distributions that can be used to address this topic. A method for the definition of houses using the post-mold data is introduced, and three cases from Puerto Rico are used to investigate changes in house shape and size through prehistoric times. These changes are discussed in the context of sociocultural and political trends in Precolumbian social formations.
The Tuxtla Script: Steps toward Decipherment Based on La Mojarra Stela 1
Authors: Méluzin Sylvia
Published: April 2006

The existence of the mesoamerican Tuxtla script is based primarily on inscriptions from five objects in addition to very scant epigraphic evidence on 16 other items (Méluzin 1992). The name “Tuxtlatec” is used to refer to the language rendered by this script. The longest inscription so far known in this writing system is on the recently discovered La Mojarra, Veracruz, Stela 1, which also reveals two Initial-Series-style dates. A bilingual approach is attempted using the month and day glyphs in the stela dates and their presumably equivalent glyphs and names in the Yucatec Maya calendar. Meanings of the four calendar names in the Tuxtlatec system are suggested. The four corresponding Maya glyphs are reinterpreted with alternate Yucatec translations offered for two of them. In two of the analyses Zoque words are pivotal, but it is argued that this in itself does not prove that Tuxtlatec was a dialect of Zoque.
Form and Function of Bipolar Lithic Artifacts from the Three Dog Site, San Salvador, Bahamas
Authors: Berman Mary Jane , Sievert April K. , Whyte Thomas R.
Published: April 2006

The significance of a microlithic assemblage composed of imported, nonlocal materials is discussed for the Three Dog site, an early Lucayan site located on San Salvador, Bahamas. The Bahama archipelago is an interesting area in which to examine the organization of technology because the islands lack cherts and other suitable materials for chipped stone manufacture, suggesting that economizing strategies may have been practiced. The artifacts were manufactured by bipolar production and a few show evidence of recycling and reuse. Microwear analysis, undertaken to determine function, was inconclusive due to heavy weathering from the depositional environment. Traces of an organic adhesive suggest that some of the objects were used as hafted or composite tools. The presence of starch grains, most likely Xanthosoma sp., and other plant residues on some artifacts suggests they were used in plant processing. The morphological similarities of the flakes produced through bipolar reduction with those from ethnographic sources suggest that most of them probably were used as grater chips to process root or tuber foods. The assemblage was compared to other bipolarly-produced microlithic assemblages from nearby islands.
Some Formal Correspondences between the Imperial Architecture of the Wari and Chimu Cultures of Ancient Peru
Authors: McEwan Gordon F.
Published: April 2006

The degree and nature of the influence of the Middle Horizon Wari empire (ca. A.D. 540-900) on the culture history of Peru's north coast has been a topic of much heated debate over the past two decades. The arguments have tended to polarize around the issue of whether or not there was a Wari invasion of the north coast. Those arguing against the invasion hypothesis have claimed that there was no direct Wari influence on north coast cultural history. Those arguing in favor of the invasion hypothesis have attributed nearly all changes evident in the archaeological record to the results of a Wari military conquest. An attempt is made here to decouple the issues of Wari influence and Wari invasion. In an analysis of the architecture of the Wari imperial administrative sites and theciudadelaarchitecture of Chan Chan, capital of the north coastal Chimu empire, some remarkable similarities are seen. The shift from the pre-Middle Horizon Moche (ca. 100 B.C.-A.D. 650) pattern of pyramid-dominated ceremonial centers to the Late Intermediate period (ca. A.D. 900-1476)ciudadelaform of the Chimu is seen as a result of conscious imitation of the prestige Wari imperial style. It is argued that this imitation is a likely result regardless of whether or not there was a Wari invasion.
Differential Bone-Refuse Accumulation in Food-Preparation and Traffic Areas on an Early Ecuadorian House Floor
Authors: Stahl Peter W. , Zeidler James A.
Published: April 2006

Ethnographic observations of floor formation in an occupied and an abandoned Achuarjeadwelling structure are combined with contemporary taphonomic studies of swept and trampled surfaces. These studies suggest that refuse accumulation and incorporation are markedly different in food-preparation areas with ash deposits around fixed hearth features when compared to regularly trampled traffic areas of domestic earthen house floors. These points are examined in the horizontal and vertical analysis of highly fragmented bone remains in an Early Formative domestic house floor at the site of Real Alto, in the coastal lowlands of southwestern Ecuador. The food-preparation area of the Structure 1 house floor contained high concentrations of bone specimens characterized by their large size (over 25 mm), broad surface area, low bulk density, and greater total weight, vertically distributed throughout the ash matrix. The traffic area contained bone specimens characterized by their small size (under 25 mm), narrow surface area, high bulk density, and lower total weight, distributed unevenly in vertical profile. The horizontal distribution of fish bone only partially followed the observed pattern, as a proportionately greater amount of large fish bone was located in the traffic area. This analysis demonstrates the potential utility of bone refuse as a sensitive and reliable taphonomic indicator for inferential arguments regarding house-floor deposition.
Astronomical Alignments at Teotihuacan, Mexico
Authors: Šprajc Ivan
Published: April 2006

It is known that the grid pattern characterizing the city layout of Teotihuacan incorporates two slightly different groups of alignments, skewed approximately 15.5° and 16.5° clockwise from cardinal directions. I argue that these alignments were dictated by deliberate and astronomically functional orientations of the Pyramid of the Sun and the Ciudadela. The two structures recorded sunrises and sunsets on two different sets of dates, allowing the use of an observational calendar composed of intervals that included multiples of 20 days and a 260-day period. The evidence presented suggests also that the location of the Sun Pyramid was not determined by the cave that is now underneath the structure and is probably human-made, but rather by a combination of astronomical and topographic criteria: the place allowed the temple built there to be oriented both to sunrises and sunsets on significant dates and, in the perpendicular direction, to Cerro Gordo to the north; furthermore, sunrises on the so-called quarter-days of the year could be observed from the same spot over a prominent mountain on the eastern horizon. The dates corresponding to the Teotihuacan alignments are attested also at other central Mexican archaeological sites and must have been employed, primarily, for scheduling agricultural and associated ritual activities in the yearly cycle.
Alfarería temprana en sitios de cazadores—recolectores de la región pampeana (Argentina)
Authors: Politis Gustavo G. , Martínez Gustavo A. , Bonomo Mariano
Published: April 2006

Este trabajo revé el problema del surgimiento, adopción y cronología de la tecnología cerámica en las tierras bajas del Cono Sur sobre la base de los resultados obtenidos de la investigación del sitio arqueológico Zanjón Seco 2 (Región Pampeana, Argentina). Se resume la información cronológica, los aspectos estratigráficos y artefactuales del sitio, con especial énfasis en la interpretación y discusión de las implicaciones del hallazgo de tiestos cerámicos lisos e incisos en un contexto de cazadores recolectores fechado en ca. 3,000 años A. P. La información obtenida es relevante para entender dos problemas que han sido frecuentemente objeto de debate. En primer lugar, el referido a los centros de surgimiento y/o invención de esta innovación tecnológica, ya que los fechados de Zanjón Seco 2 son tan antiguos como los del noroeste Argentino. En segundo lugar, se discuten las condiciones para la adopción de esta innovación tecnológica. En este sentido, se comparan los resultados de distintos sitios de la Región Pampeana, se discuten las posibles vías de incorporación y los contextos de integración de la cerámica en el marco de una complejización en las condiciones socioeconómicas que habrían estado operando en las sociedades de cazadores-recolectores pampeanos del Holoceno tardío.
Rebuilding the State in Highland Peru: Herder-Cultivator Interaction during the Late Intermediate Period in the Tarama-Chinchaycocha Region
Authors: Parsons Jeffrey R. , Hastings Charles M. , M. Ramiro Matos
Published: April 2006

We address the general problem of sociopolitical evolution in highland Peru during the Late Intermediate period (ca. A.D. 1000-1470) from the perspective of changing relationships between herders and cultivators in the Tarama-Chinchaycocha region. First, we use ethnographic and ethnohistoric information to help model central Andean herder-cultivator interaction. Here we emphasize the ecological and sociological foundations for economic specialization, the ritually based integration of pastoral and agricultural groups in the absence of strong state organization, and how the ritually interactive units define and maintain their borders. Second, in the light of these perspectives, we examine archaeological settlement pattern data from our study area in the central highlands of Peru. We conclude that the Late Intermediate period was a time of significant organizational change that included new forms of ritually based local and regional integration of pastoral and agricultural economies. Third, we briefly consider the general implications of our findings for understanding organizational change throughout the central Andean highlands during the Late Intermediate period. We suggest that the largest and most complex Late Intermediate highland polities depended on the full integration of specialized pastoralists and agriculturalists in those regions where both economies could attain maximal combined productivity in the aftermath of the breakdown of large states at the end of the Middle Horizon (ca. A.D. 600-1000).
Domestic and Political Lives of Classic Maya Elites: The Excavation of Rapidly Abandoned Structures at Aguateca, Guatemala
Authors: Inomata Takeshi , Triadan Daniela , Ponciano Erick , Pinto Estela , Terry Richard E. , Eberl Markus
Published: April 2006

The Aguateca Archaeological Project conducted extensive excavations of elite residences at the Maya center of Aguateca, which was attacked by enemies and abandoned rapidly at the end of the Classic period. Burned buildings contained rich floor assemblages, providing extraordinary information on the domestic and political lives of Classic Maya elites. Each elite residence served for a wide range of domestic work, including the storage, preparation, and consumption of food, with a relatively clear division of male and female spaces. These patterns suggest that each of the excavated elite residences was occupied by a relatively small group, which constituted an important economic and social unit. In addition, elite residences were arenas where crucial processes of the operation of the polity and court unfolded through political gatherings, artistic production, and displays of power.
Tiwanaku Temples and State Expansion: A Tiwanaku Sunken-Court Temple in Moquegua, Peru
Authors: Goldstein Paul
Published: April 2006

Until recently, an entrenched view of Tiwanaku expansion in the south-central Andes as a primarily cultic phenomenon precluded discussion of state-built ceremonial facilities outside of Tiwanaku’s immediate hinterland of the Bolivian altiplano. However, recent research in the Tiwanaku periphery has found specialized ceremonial architecture that reflects the solidification of central control and the development of a provincial system. Excavation at the Omo M10 site, in Moquegua, Peru, has exposed the only Tiwanaku sunken-court temple structure and cut-stone architecture known outside of the Titicaca Basin. A reconstruction of the Omo temple complex demonstrates direct parallels with Tiwanaku ceremonial centers of the altiplano in architectural form and ceremonial activities. This suggests that patterns of state-centered ceremony and peripheral administration underwent a dramatic transformation with the explosive expansion of the Tiwanaku state during the period known as Tiwanaku V (A. D. 725–1000).
The Long Goodbye: Middle Preclassic Maya Archaeology at Cuello, Belize
Authors: Hammond Norman , Clarke Amanda , Donaghey Sara
Published: April 2006

Completed excavations at this important Preclassic Maya site have produced 350 m2 of Middle Preclassic (1200-400 B. C.) deposits dug to bedrock; a continuous section 47 m long through the Preclassic deposits documents the architectural history of the site. Nine more Middle Preclassic burials, the remains of earth- and plaster-floored houses with associated yard surfaces, and a chultun chamber containing well-preserved plant remains document economic and ritual behavior in the Swasey and Bladen phases (1200-650 B. C.).
Continuity and Change in Ceremonial Structures at Late Preceramic Asana, Southern Peru
Authors: Aldenderfer Mark
Published: April 2006

A 500-year record of changes and continuities in structures defined as ceremonial has been discovered in the Qhuna phase (5000-4400 B. P.) of Late Preceramic period Asana in the Moquegua drainage of southern Peru. These are the earliest known ceremonial structures in the south-central Andes, and their existence raises new questions about the trajectory of cultural change in the region. In its earliest construction around 4800 B. P., the ceremonial complex appears to be a “dance ground,” similar to the sometimes-enclosed spaces used by ethnographically known mobile foragers for periodic feasts and social exchanges. By 4500 B. P., however, the complex appears to be more formal in its construction, with a clear inside-outside dichotomy of feature placement and presumed activity performance. In this paper, the structural features of the ceremonial complex are described, compared to other, roughly contemporaneous expressions of ceremonial structures in the Andes, and their function interpreted.
Modified Human Skulls from the Urban Sector of the Pyramids of Moche, Northern Peru
Authors: Verano John W. , Uceda Santiago , Chapdelaine Claude , Tello Ricardo , Paredes María Isabel , Pimentel Victor
Published: April 2006

Recent excavations in the urban sector of the Pyramids at Moche in northern coastal Peru exposed two modified human skulls that were placed in an adobe niche within a domestic structure 100 m west of the Pyramid of the Moon ca. A. D. 400-650. A portion of the cranial vault is cut away from the top of each skull, and one shows drilled holes for attachment of the mandible. The skulls show a close resemblance to certain Moche ceramic skull jars that have a similar opening at the top of the vessel. Osteological analysis indicates that both skulls are of young adult males. Cut marks on the external surfaces of the cranial vault, face, and mandible indicate that they were prepared from fleshed heads and not from dry skulls. The finds at Moche are the first documented examples of this form of cranial modification, although an early Spanish account describes a similar trophy vessel that belonged to the Inka Atahualpa. Comparison of the Moche modified skulls with Nasca trophy heads reveals that the two were prepared and used differently.
Evidence for Early Long-Distance Obsidian Exchange and Watercraft Use from the Southern Lake Titicaca Basin of Bolivia and Peru
Authors: Stanish Charles , Burger Richard L. , Cipolla Lisa M. , Glascock Michael D. , Quelima Esteban
Published: April 2006

Excavations at two sites on the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca, called Ch'uxuqullu and Titinhuayani, discovered significant preceramic (ca. 2000 B. C.) through Formative period (up to ca. A. D. 400) occupations. Excavation data indicate that there was a continuous occupation from the first known settlements on the island up to the present day. The early occupations on the island were culturally linked to the populations on the mainland, as indicated by ceramic analysis and the presence of nonlocal obsidian from the Colca Valley source, 275 km to the northwest. Our excavation data also reveal that there was a brisk exchange network between the island and mainland beginning at least during the Formative period, and probably earlier during the end of the Late Archaic period. Furthermore, paleoenvironmental data indicate that the island has been isolated from the mainland during most or all of the human occupation. The Lake Titicaca region of Peru and Bolivia was characterized by a system of exchange that relied, in part, on watercraft beginning at least by 1600 B. C.
Postoperative results of unilateral arytenoid lateralization for treatment of idiopathic laryngeal paralysis in dogs: 39 cases (1996–2002)
Authors: Hammel Scott P. , Hottinger Heidi A. , Novo Roberto E.
Published: April 2006

Objective—To evaluate postoperative results for dogs with idiopathic laryngeal paralysis that underwent unilateral arytenoid lateralization (UAL).

Design—Retrospective case series.

Animals—39 dogs with idiopathic laryngeal paralysis.

Procedure—Medical records were reviewed, and information on surgical technique, hospitalization time, postoperative treatment, and complications was obtained. Owners were contacted by telephone for additional information if necessary.

Results—In all dogs, UAL had been performed by a single surgeon who used a standard surgical technique. Long-term follow-up information was available for all 39 dogs; mean follow-up time was 29.6 months (range, 3 to 61 months). Seven (18%) dogs developed postoperative pneumonia, and 6 of the 7 recovered with treatment. Twenty-two of the 39 (56%) dogs had minor complications, including unresolved coughing or gagging, continued exercise intolerance, vomiting, and seroma formation. Owners of 35 of the 39 (90%) dogs reported an improvement in postoperative quality-oflife score. Median survival time was 12 months; only 1 dog was euthanized because of respiratory tract disease following surgery.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggest that UAL will improve quality of life in most dogs with idiopathic laryngeal paralysis. However, the complication rate is high, with postoperative pneumonia being the most important major complication. Minor complications were common but did not adversely affect owner-assigned quality-of-life scores in most dogs.
Management of hydrops amnion in a mare resulting in birth of a live foal
Authors: Christensen Bruce W. , Troedsson Mats H. T. , Murchie Tracy A. , Pozor Margorzata A. , Macpherson Margo L. , Estrada Amara H. , Carrillo Natalie A. , Mackay Robert J. , Roberts Gregory D. , Langlois John
Published: April 2006

Case Description—A 19-year-old Thoroughbred mare was evaluated at 265 days of gestation with a markedly distended abdomen and edema of the ventral portion of the abdomen.

Clinical Findings—The uterus was distended over the pelvic rim, making transrectal palpation of the fetus impossible. Transabdominal ultrasonography revealed excessive amounts of fetal fluid. Results of analysis of fluid obtained via amnio- and allantocentesis confirmed that the amniotic cavity was large.

Treatment and Outcome—The mare was monitored for signs of weakness of the prepubic tendon and abdominal wall. The fetus and placenta were monitored for signs of stress and pending abortion. Flunixin meglumine and altrenogest were administered to the mare. Parturition was attended and occurred at 321 days' gestation. Postpartum complications in the mare included hypovolemic shock and cardiac arrhythmias. Both conditions were treated, and the mare recovered. The foal was considered small, had bilateral angular limb deformities, and was unable to nurse. The foal was given plasma for failure of passive transfer of immunity. Ten months later, the foal underwent procedures to correct limb deformities.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Hydrops conditions are rare in horses, with hydrops allantois occurring more frequently than hydrops amnion; reportedly result in fetal or neonatal death; and may result in death of or injury to the mare. Close monitoring of maternal and fetal health in combination with supportive treatment of the mare can result in the safe progression of a hydrops pregnancy and the birth of a live foal.
Morphology and barrier mechanism of biaxially oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate) blends
Authors: Wu Wei , Wagner Manfred H. , Qian Qi , Pu Weiguang , Kheirandish Saeid
Published: April 2006

To improve the barrier properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), PET/poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate) (PEN) blends with different concentrations of PEN were prepared and were then processed into biaxially oriented PET/PEN films. The air permeability of bioriented films of pure PET, pure PEN, and PET/PEN blends were tested by the differential pressure method. The morphology of the blends was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation of the impact fracture surfaces of extruded PET/PEN samples, and the morphology of the films was also investigated by SEM. The results of the study indicated that PEN could effectively improve the barrier properties of PET, and the barrier properties of the PET/PEN blends improved with increasing PEN concentration. When the PEN concentration was equal to or less than 30%, as in this study, the PET/PEN blends were phase‐separated; that is, PET formed the continuous phase, whereas PEN formed a dispersed phase of particles, and the interface was firmly integrated because of transesterification. After the PET/PEN blends were bioriented, the PET matrix contained a PEN microstructure consisting of parallel and extended, separate layers. This multilayer microstructure was characterized by microcontinuity, which resulted in improved barrier properties because air permeation was delayed as the air had to detour around the PEN layer structure. At a constant PEN concentration, the more extended the PEN layers were, the better the barrier properties were of the PET/PEN blends. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1309–1316, 2006
Grafting of butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate on butyl rubber using electron beam radiation
Authors: Haldar S. K. , Singha Nikhil K.
Published: April 2006

Being nonpolar in nature, butyl rubber (IIR) has poor compatibility toward polar polymers and fillers. It can be improved by grafting polar substrates on the butyl elastomer. Radiation‐induced polymer processing is getting increasing interest, as it leads to new and improved polymers with desirable and interesting properties. In this investigation, electron beam radiation has been used to graft methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA) on IIR. This process has several advantages over conventional grafting processes such as cationic polymerization (which needs very low temperature and stringent reaction conditions) and solution radical polymerization (which often needs solvent removal and recycling). The grafted polymers were characterized by using 1H NMR, IR, TGA, and SEM analysis. The degree of grafting increases with a decrease in irradiation dose as well as with an increase in monomer concentration. It was observed that there was a decrease in intrinsic viscosity in irradiated IIR samples, indicating the chain scission. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1340–1346, 2006
Visual inspection as a cervical cancer screening method in a primary health care setting in Africa
Authors: Sangwa‐Lugoma Ghislain , Mahmud Salaheddin , Nasr Samih H. , Liaras Jean , Kayembe Patrick K. , Tozin Rahma R. , Drouin Pierre , Lorincz Attila , Ferenczy Alex , Franco Eduardo L.
Published: April 2006

We evaluated the feasibility and performance of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and Lugol's iodine (VILI) for cervical cancer screening in a primary health‐care setting in Kinshasa, Congo. Women (1,528) aged ≥30 years were screened independently by nurses and physicians by VIA and VILI and Pap cytology. Biopsy samples were obtained from women with abnormal colposcopies and from 290 randomly chosen women with normal colposcopy. Cytological and histological examinations were performed in Lyon and Montreal, respectively. The prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) of grades 1, 2 and 3 was 4.5, 1.3 and 4%, respectively. Using biopsy as the reference, the sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value (NPV) for ≥CIN 2 for VIA‐nurse were 55.5% (95% CI: 34.7–76.2), 64.6% (95% CI: 62.0–67.1) and 96.8% (95% CI: 93.5–98.7), respectively. The corresponding values for VILI‐nurse were 44.0% (95% CI: 24.2–63.8), 74.6% (95% CI: 72.3–76.9) and 96.7% (95% CI: 93.7–98.6). The equivalent parameters for physicians were 71.1% (95% CI: 46.7–95.5), 71.3% (95% CI: 68.9–73.6) and 98.6% (95% CI: 96.0–99.7) for VIA and 68.3% (95% CI: 42.5–94.0), 76.2% (95% CI: 74.0–78.4) and 97.2% (95% CI: 95.3–98.5) for VILI. The sensitivity of cytology ranged between 31 and 72%, depending on the abnormality threshold used to define positivity, with a corresponding specificity range of 94–99% and a NPV range of 97–99%. Our results show that VIA and VILI performed by nurses and physicians are slightly more sensitive but less specific than Pap cytology across multiple combinations of test and lesion thresholds. Given their lower cost and easy deployment, visual inspection methods merit further assessment as cervical cancer screening methods for low‐resource countries. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A comparison of bone formation in biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) and hydroxyapatite (HA) implanted in muscle and bone of dogs at different time periods
Authors: Yuan H. , van Blitterswijk C.A. , de Groot K. , de Bruijn J.D.
Published: April 2006

Physicochemical modification could implement synthetic materials into osteoinductive materials, which induce bone formation in nonosseous tissues. We hereby studied the relevance between the osteogenic capacities of osteoinductive materials in nonosseous tissues and in osseous sites. Biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic (BCP) and hydroxyapatite ceramic (HA) were implanted in femoral muscles and femoral cortical bone of dogs for 7, 14, 21, 30, 45, 60, 90, 180, and 360 days, respectively. Two dogs were used in each time point. In each dog, four cylinders (ϕ5 × 6 mm) per material were implanted in femoral muscles and 2 cylinders (ϕ5 × 6 mm) per material in femoral cortical bone. The harvested samples were processed for both histological and histomorphometric analyses. Bone was observed in BCP implanted in femoral muscles since day 30, while in HA since day 45. Quantitatively, more bone was formed in BCP than in HA at each time point after day 30 (p<0.05). The earlier and more bone formed in BCP than in HA suggests BCP a higher osteoinductive potential than HA in muscle. In femoral cortical bone defects, a bridge of bone in the defect with BCP was observed at day 21, while with HA at day 30. At days 14, 21, and 30, significantly more bone was formed in BCP than in HA (p<0.05). The results herein show that osteogenic capacities of osteoinductive materials in nonosseous tissues and osseous sites are correlated: the higher the osteoinductive potential of the material, the faster the bone repair. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2006
Mesenchymal stem cells as trophic mediators
Authors: Caplan Arnold I. , Dennis James E.
Published: April 2006

Adult marrow‐derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are capable of dividing and their progeny are further capable of differentiating into one of several mesenchymal phenotypes such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myocytes, marrow stromal cells, tendon‐ligament fibroblasts, and adipocytes. In addition, these MSCs secrete a variety of cytokines and growth factors that have both paracrine and autocrine activities. These secreted bioactive factors suppress the local immune system, inhibit fibrosis (scar formation) and apoptosis, enhance angiogenesis, and stimulate mitosis and differentiation of tissue‐intrinsic reparative or stem cells. These effects, which are referred to as trophic effects, are distinct from the direct differentiation of MSCs into repair tissue. Several studies which tested the use of MSCs in models of infarct (injured heart), stroke (brain), or meniscus regeneration models are reviewed within the context of MSC‐mediated trophic effects in tissue repair. J. Cell. Biochem. 98: 1076–1084, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Roles of COX‐2 and iNOS in the bony repair of the injured growth plate cartilage
Authors: Arasapam G. , Scherer M. , Cool J.C. , Foster B.K. , Xian C.J.
Published: April 2006

Growth plate injuries often lead to bone growth defects, which primarily occur due to bony repair at injury sites. Bony repair is preceded by an injury‐induced inflammatory response, which could play a role in regulating the repair process. Here, roles of two inflammatory mediators, cyclo‐oxygenase 2 (COX‐2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), in the injury responses were analysed by examining their gene expression and effects of blocking their activities, respectively, with celecoxib and aminoguanidine during 2 days prior to and until 7 days after injury in a rat tibial growth plate injury model. Quantitative RT‐PCR assays revealed upregulated expression of COX‐2 on days 1 and 4 and iNOS on day 1. Histological analysis of injury sites revealed significant reductions in inflammatory infiltrate (particularly neutrophils) on day 1 in treated groups compared to saline control. While bony tissue proportions at injury sites were unaffected by either treatment, mesenchymal tissue proportions were larger but cartilaginous tissue proportions were smaller on day 8 (though statistically insignificant), and bone remodelling appeared delayed with a smaller bone marrow proportion on day 14 in both treatment groups. These findings suggest that COX‐2 and iNOS mediate injury‐induced inflammatory response, and may play a role in enhancing mesenchymal cell differentiation to cartilaginous cells and in promoting bone remodelling during bony repair of growth plate injury sites. Furthermore, increased expression of cartilage‐related (collagen‐2, collagen‐10, SOX‐9) and bone‐related molecules (osteocalcin, cbfα‐1) suggest involvement of both endochondral and direct bone formation mechanisms during bony repair. J. Cell. Biochem. 99: 450–461, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation of dHAND protein expression by all‐trans retinoic acid through ET‐1/ETAR signaling in H9c2 cells
Authors: Li Weixin , Li Yong
Published: April 2006

dHAND is thought to be a cardiac‐restricted transcription factor during embryonic development. Vertebrate heart development involves many transcription factors such as Nkx2.5, GATA, and tbx5. All‐trans retinoic acid (AtRA), the oxidative metabolite of vitamin A, can regulate the expression of these factors to affect embryonic heart development. However, the action of atRA on the expression of dHAND is rarely reported. To clarify whether atRA regulate the dHAND expression, we exposed cultured H9c2 cells (rat embryonic cardiomyocytes) to atRA and detected the protein expression of dHAND by Western blot analysis. We observed atRA can regulate the dHAND expression in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. AtRA also inhibited endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) expression in a time‐dependent manner. Further studies revealed that pretreatment with 10 µM BQ‐123, a selective endothelin‐1 receptor (ETAR) antagonist, for 2 h can significantly counteract the inhibition of 5 µM atRA treatment for 2 h of dHAND mRNA and protein expression. Taken together, these results suggest that atRA regulates dHAND expression by ET‐1/ETAR signal transduction pathway in H9c2 cells. The mechanism of ET‐1/ETAR signaling in controlling the level of dHAND protein is to reduce the levels of dHAND mRNA. It is possible for atRA to exert its cardiac teratogenesis during vertebrate embryonic development in this way. J. Cell. Biochem. 99: 478–484, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.