bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electronic clinical laboratory test results data tables: lessons from Mini‐Sentinel
Authors: Raebel Marsha A. , Haynes Kevin , Woodworth Tiffany S. , Saylor Gwyn , Cavagnaro Elizabeth , Coughlin Kara O. , Curtis Lesley H. , Weiner Mark G. , Archdeacon Patrick , Brown Jeffrey S.
Published: February 2014

Purpose

Developing electronic clinical data into a common data model posed substantial challenges unique from those encountered with administrative data. We present here the design, implementation, and use of the Mini‐Sentinel Distributed Database laboratory results table (LRT).

Methods

We developed the LRT and guided Mini‐Sentinel data partners (DPs) in populating it from their source data. Data sources included electronic health records and internal and contracted clinical laboratory systems databases. We employed the Logical Observation Identifiers, Names, and Codes (LOINC®) results reporting standards. We evaluated transformed results data using data checks and an iterative, ongoing characterization and harmonization process.

Results

Key LRT variables included test name, subcategory, specimen source, LOINC, patient location, specimen date and time, result unit, and unique person identifier. Selected blood and urine chemistry, hematology, coagulation, and influenza tests were included. Twelve DPs with outpatient test results participated; four also contributed inpatient test results. As of September 2013, the LRT included 385,516,239 laboratory test results; data are refreshed at least quarterly. LOINC availability and use varied across DP. Multiple data quality and content issues were identified and addressed.

Conclusion

Developing the LRT brought together disparate data sources with no common coding structure. Clinical laboratory test results obtained during routine healthcare delivery are neither uniformly coded nor documented in a standardized manner. Applying a systematic approach with data harmonization efforts and ongoing oversight and management is necessary for a clinical laboratory results data table to remain valid and useful. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Insights on tunneled electrons for electrical and photoelectric behaviors in conducting multilayer films
Authors: Cai Hongyuan , Tang Qunwei , He Benlin , Yuan Shuangshuang
Published: February 2014

We demonstrate here the layer‐by‐layer (LbL) self‐assembly of conducting [poly(styrene sulfonate)‐poly(vinyl alcohol)/polypyrrole]n [(PSS‐PVA/PPy)n] multilayer film with interesting electrical and photoelectric features. Increments in sheet conductivity and photoelectric response with increasing bilayer number are pioneerly recorded. The fantastic phenomenon is determined as the accumulative electrons tunneled across insulating PSS from bottom to top PPy chains. The resulting multilayer films give a linear growth in bulk conductivity and maximum photocurrent density. Careful examination of data and characterizations indicates that the fantastic effects in electrical conduction and photocurrent are accumulative electrons tunneled across PSS from bottom to top PPy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:107–112, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
Assimilation of oceanographic observations with estimates of vertical background‐error covariances by a Bayesian hierarchical model
Authors: Dobricic Srdjan , Wikle Christopher K. , Milliff Ralph F. , Pinardi Nadia , Berliner L. Mark
Published: February 2014

A new method to estimate the vertical part of the background‐error covariance matrix for an ocean variational data assimilation system is presented and tested in the Mediterranean operational daily analysis system. The operational, seasonally varying error covariances are compared with high‐frequency estimates from a Bayesian Hierarchical Model (BHM) which estimates distributions for the vertical error covariances from two data‐stage inputs: model anomalies and differences between model background and observations, i.e. so‐called misfits. It is found that the posterior mean BHM‐error covariance estimates that vary on 5‐day time‐scales reduce the misfits root mean square of the analysis vertical profiles of temperature and salinity by 10–20% versus analyses arising from covariances that vary on seasonal time‐scales or those from the BHM given only model anomalies as data stage inputs.
Probing Bunyavirus N protein oligomerisation using mass spectrometry
Authors: Shepherd Dale A. , Ariza Antonio , Edwards Thomas A. , Barr John N. , Stonehouse Nicola J. , Ashcroft Alison E
Published: February 2014

RATIONALE

Bunyaviruses have become a major threat to both humans and livestock in Europe and the Americas. The nucleocapsid (N) protein of these viruses is key to the replication cycle and knowledge of the N oligomerisation state is central to understanding the viral lifecycle and for development of therapeutic strategies.

METHODS

Bunyamwera virus and Schmallenberg virus N proteins (BUNV‐N and SBV‐N) were expressed recombinantly in E. coli as hexahistidine‐SUMO‐tagged fusions, and the tag removed subsequently. Noncovalent nano‐electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry was conducted in the presence and absence of short RNA oligonucleotides. Instrumental conditions were optimised for the transmission of intact protein complexes into the gas phase. The resulting protein‐protein and protein‐RNA complexes were identified and their stoichiometries verified by their mass. Collision‐induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry was used in cases of ambiguity.

RESULTS

Both BUNV‐N and SBV‐N proteins reassembled into N‐RNA complexes in the presence of RNA; however, SBV‐N formed a wider range of complexes with varying oligomeric states. The N:RNA oligomers observed were consistent with a model of assembly via stepwise addition of N proteins. Furthermore, upon mixing the two proteins in the presence of RNA no heteromeric complexes were observed, thus revealing insights into the specificity of oligomerisation.

CONCLUSIONS

Noncovalent mass spectrometry has provided the first detailed analysis of the co‐populated oligomeric species formed by these important viral proteins and revealed insights into their assembly pathways. Using this technique has also enabled comparisons to be made between the two N proteins. © 2014 The Authors. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
High‐speed parallel implementations of the rainbow method based on perfect tables in a heterogeneous system
Authors: Kim Jung Woo , Seo Jungjoo , Hong Jin , Park Kunsoo , Kim Sung‐Ryul
Published: February 2014

The computing power of graphics processing units (GPU) has increased rapidly, and there has been extensive research on general‐purpose computing on GPU (GPGPU) for cryptographic algorithms such as RSA, Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem (ECC), NTRU, and Advanced Encryption Standard. With the rise of GPGPU, commodity computers have become complex heterogeneous GPU+CPU systems. This new architecture poses new challenges and opportunities in high‐performance computing. In this paper, we present high‐speed parallel implementations of the rainbow method based on perfect tables, which is known as the most efficient time‐memory trade‐off, in the heterogeneous GPU+CPU system. We give a complete analysis of the effect of multiple checkpoints on reducing the cost of false alarms and take advantage of it for load balancing between GPU and CPU. For GTX460, our implementation is about 1.86 and 3.25 times faster than other GPU‐accelerated implementations, RainbowCrack and Cryptohaze, respectively, and for GTX580, 1.53 and 2.40 times faster. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recovery of cellulase activity after ethanol stripping in a novel pilot-scale unit
Authors: Skovgaard Pernille Anastasia , Christensen Børge Holm , Felby Claus , Jørgensen Henning
Published: February 2014

Recycling of enzymes has a potential interest during cellulosic bioethanol production as purchasing enzymes is one of the largest expenses in the process. By recycling enzymes after distillation, loss of sugars and ethanol are avoided, but depending on the distillation temperature, there is a potential risk of enzyme degradation. Studies of the rate of enzyme denaturation based on estimation of the denaturation constant K  D was performed using a novel distillation setup allowing stripping of ethanol at 50–65 °C. Experiments were performed in a pilot-scale stripper, where the effect of temperature (55–65 °C) and exposure to gas–liquid and liquid–heat transmission interfaces were tested on a mesophilic and thermostable enzyme mixture in fiber beer and buffer. Lab-scale tests were included in addition to the pilot-scale experiments to study the effect of shear, ethanol concentration, and PEG on enzyme stability. When increasing the temperature (up to 65 °C) or ethanol content (up to 7.5 % w/v), the denaturation rate of the enzymes increased. Enzyme denaturation occurred slower when the experiments were performed in fiber beer compared to buffer only, which could be due to PEG or other stabilizing substances in fiber beer. However, at extreme conditions with high temperature (65 °C) and ethanol content (7.5 % w/v), PEG had no enzyme stabilizing effect. The novel distillation setup proved to be useful for maintaining enzyme activity during ethanol extraction.
Constant high adrenal FDG uptake in PET/CT associated with mitochondrial disease
Authors: Martikainen Mika H. , Hohenthal Ulla , Pirilä Laura , Kemppainen Jukka
Published: February 2014

We describe a patient with the m.3243A>G mitochondrial DNA mutation who developed sepsis caused by Streptococcus constellatus. In the acute phase of illness, abnormally high uptake of 18F‐FDG was observed in both adrenal glands that appeared anatomically normal. In repeated imaging six months later the adrenal uptake had diminished but remained clearly elevated. We did not observe high adrenal FDG uptake as in the patient described here among 30 patients with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis that were investigated with identical imaging protocol. In sepsis, oxygen consumption and metabolic rate are increased compared to normal metabolism. The observed high adrenal FDG uptake during sepsis in this patient probably reflects the acute metabolic stress induced by the infection. Interestingly, in repeated imaging six months later, the adrenal SUVs had diminished but were still abnormally high: this suggests constant high levels of metabolic stress associated with the mitochondrial disorder.
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction, Fatty Acid Composition, Oxidative Stability, and Antioxidant Effect of Torreya grandis Seed Oil
Authors: Dong Didi , Wang Hongfei , Xu Feng , Xu Chao , Shao Xingfeng , Li Hesheng
Published: February 2014

Torreya grandis seed oil (TGSO) extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide was explored from the extraction conditions, fatty acid composition, its oxidative stability and antioxidant activity in a bench‐scale apparatus. An L9(34) orthogonal design was applied to optimize extraction parameters. The results demonstrated that the maximum yield of 94.57 % was obtained at 45 MPa, 4 h and 50 °C. There were 18 kinds of compounds found within TGSO; the predominant ingredient was linoleic acid (42.02 %), followed by oleic acid (32.14 %) and dihomo‐γ‐linolenic acid (9.80 %). The IC50 values for 1,6‐bis(diphenylphosphino) hexane radical (DPPH), hydroxyl radical (HO•) and superoxide radical (O2·−) were 5.61, 3.16 and 4.20 mg/mL, respectively.
USING MODEL-INDEPENDENT LOWER BOUNDS TO IMPROVE PRICING OF ASIAN STYLE OPTIONS IN LÉVY MARKETS
Authors: Deelstra Griselda , Rayée Grégory , Vanduffel Steven , Yao Jing
Published: February 2014

Albrecheret al. (Albrecher, H., Mayer Ph., Schoutens, W. (2008) General lower bounds for arithmetic Asian option prices.Applied Mathematical Finance,15, 123–149) have proposed model-independent lower bounds for arithmetic Asian options. In this paper we provide an alternative and more elementary derivation of their results. We use the bounds as control variates to develop a simple Monte Carlo method for pricing contracts with Asian-style features. The conditioning idea that is inherent in our approach also inspires us to propose a new semi-analytic pricing approach. We compare both approaches and conclude that these both have their merits and are useful in practice. In particular, we point out that our newly proposed Monte Carlo method allows to deal with Asian-style products that appear in insurance (e.g., unit-linked contracts) in a very efficient way, and outperforms other known Monte Carlo methods that are based on control variates.
Examining the range of validity of the Bohm criterion
Authors: Crespo R. Morales , Franklin R. N.
Published: February 2014

This work shows that there is no such thing as a formulation of the Bohm criterion for the case of a collisional plasma. It examines critically the work of several authors who have sought to promote their own version of what has come to be called a collisionally modified Bohm criterion.
Distinctive histopathology and modulation of cytokine production during oral and intraperitonealTrypanosoma cruziY strain infection
Authors: KUEHN CHRISTIAN C. , OLIVEIRA LUIZ GUSTAVO R. , MIRANDA MARIZA ABREU , PRADO JOSÉ CLÓVIS
Published: February 2014

Acute Chagas disease outbreaks are related to the consumption of food or drink contaminated by triatomine feces, thus making oral infection an important route of transmission. Both vector-borne and oral infections trigger important cardiac manifestations in the host that are related to a dysregulated immune response. The aims of this work were to evaluate possible alterations of lymphocyte CD4+/CD8+sub-populations, Th1 and Th2 cytokines, nitrite concentrations and cardiac histopathology. One group of male Wistar rats was intraperitoneally infected (I.P.) with 1×105metacyclic trypomastigotes of theT. cruziY strain, and another group of Wistar rats was orally infected (O.I.) with 8×105metacyclic trypomastigotes of the same strain. The intraperitoneal infection triggered statistically enhanced parasite and peritoneal macrophage numbers, increased concentrations of NO and IL-12 and elevated cardiac inflammatory foci when compared with the oral infection. However, proliferation of CD4+and CD8+T cells were not statistically different for oral and intraperitoneal routes.
Megalithic Art and Society
Authors: Eogan George
Published: February 2014

Megalithic art is associated with passage tombs in Atlantic Europe. But it is not found in all areas, rather it has a restricted distribution. In those areas where it occurs it is very often associated with large and, therefore, prestigious tombs. These tombs have a confined distribution within defined areas. It can be argued that such areas indicate tribal regions within which elite societies existed and where cohesion was provided by a leader, possibly in the form of a chief.
Honor the Past and Imagine the Future
Authors: Wainwright Geoffrey
Published: February 2014

This paper considers the future for cultural heritage in the new Millennium. It briefly discusses recent developments towards the protection, management, and conservation of archaeological remains and monuments at an international level and of public attitudes towards cultural heritage. The power of certain heritage sites to attract visitors and their indispensible role in the tourist industry is considered, with the current plans for Stonehenge presented as a case study. Research Frameworks for archaeology were defined in the early 1980s and the role of the Prehistoric Society in formulating these, and the extent to which they have been implemented, is described. The paper concludes with the author's suggestion of four main themes for the next Millennium which should be the concern of the discipline in general and of the Society in particular.
The Late Chalcolithic Pottery from the Sites of Kavaklı and Yumurta Tepe in the Province of Edirne, Eastern Thrace
Authors: Erdoǧu Burçin
Published: February 2014

Eastern Thrace acts as a land bridge between Southeast Europe and Anatolia. Along this land bridge, it might be expected that there has been movement of objects and materials, transference of ideas, trade, and migrations of peoples between two continents.

In 1995 a prehistoric survey was carried out in the province of Edirne, Eastern Thrace, by the University of Thrace, Department of Archaeology. The Late Chalcolithic pottery from Yumurta Tepe und Kavaklı presented here was collected during this survey. This group supplies a missing link in the pottery sequence of Eastern Thrace.
Iron Age Riverside Pit Alignments at St Ives, Cambridgeshire
Authors: Pollard Joshua , Fryer Val , Murphy Peter , Taylor Maisie , Wiltshire Patricia
Published: February 2014

Excavations at a deeply alluviated site near St Ives, Cambridgeshire, revealed a complex sequence of boundary works of later prehistoric and Roman date running along the edge of a former course of the river Great Ouse. The most significant of these were two successive pit alignments constructed in the early-mid 1st millennium BC. One alignment ran along the very edge of the channel and was waterlogged over much of its length; upon excavation producing a rich assemblage of worked wood, including hedging debris. Broader discussion on the social context of pit alignments as boundary systems is offered.
Ritual and Landscape on the West Coast of Scotland: an Investigation of the Stone Rows of Northern Mull
Authors: Martlew R.D. , Ruggles C.L.N.
Published: February 2014

In view of the theories of the astronomical significance of standing stones proposed by Alexander Thom, extensive fieldwork was undertaken during the 1970s and early 1980s in the west of Scotland to reassess the field evidence. Two groups of sites were identified from this work that seemed to support an astronomical interpretation, but the poor condition of many of the sites made identification of their original orientation problematical. Excavations were carried out at two damaged sites in one of the groups, in northern Mull, in order to identify the original positions of the stones. Radiocarbon dates from one of the sites, the first for a Scottish stone row, suggest construction in the Late Bronze Age. The alignment of the excavated rows, and the results of detailed theodolite surveys at and around the north Mull sites, suggest a more complex relationship between site locations, astronomical events, and the landscape than has hitherto been appreciated.
Bramcote Green, Bermondsey: a Bronze Age Trackway and Palaeo-Environmental Sequence
Authors: Thomas Christopher , Rackham James , Barham A.J. , Branch N. , Glorgi J. , Goodburn D. , Lowe J. , Neal V. , Rackham J. , Smith D. , Thomas C. , Tyers I. , Wilkinson K. , Williamson V.
Published: February 2014

An archaeological evaluation and excavation were carried out prior to a housing development in 1992, at Bramcote Green, in the London Borough of Southwark. Up to 3 m of organic rich, alluvial clay silts were deposited during the late Glacial period between about 12,000 BP and 9000 BP. A wide, shallow channel flowing south towards the Thames cut through the clay silts during the early Holocene and was filled with a series of clay and peat layers. Between 6000 BP and 4000 BP fast moving water channels formed on the marshy ground on the east side of the site and broader channels on the sand and gravel outcrop on the west side of the site. A subsequent rise in water levels, possibly seasonal, deposited inorganic muds across most of the site until c. 3500 BP. Over the filled-in channel were laid two phases of a wooden trackway which may have been laid across the marsh between high ground to the south and Bermondsey Island to the north. The earlier trackway consisted of two parallel lines of alder logs held in place by alder stakes. The second consisted of a single line of oak logs with alder stakes along one side. Radiocarbon dating of the second trackway places it in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. The site was covered by a thick layer of peat dated to the Late Bronze Age.
The Production of Copper Alloys in Iron Age Britain
Authors: Dungworth D.B.
Published: February 2014

This paper presents a selection of compositional analyses of Iron Age copper alloy artefacts from northern Britain. The results were obtained as part of a larger project which examined Iron Age and Roman copper alloys in northern Britain (the region from the Trent-Mersey to the Forth-Clyde). The quantitative analyses were carried out using EDXRF on drilled or polished samples. Comparisons are made with results from the late Bronze Age and early Roman period in northern Britain. The results are also compared with those already published from a range of Iron Age sites in southern England. The large total number of copper alloy analyses from the British Iron Age has made possible a synthesis of the data which has largely been assembled piecemeal. It is now clear that a tin bronze was the principal copper alloy for much of the Iron Age. The composition of this alloy is distinct from the alloys used in the Late Bronze Age and during the Roman period although there is considerable ‘blurring’ at the transitions. A brief outline of the analytical method employed and the analytical results are included.
A Bronze Age settlement and ritual centre in the Monavullagh Mountains, County Waterford, Ireland
Authors: Moore Michael J.
Published: February 2014

A complex of settlement and ritual monuments with chronological depth covering a core area of c. 4 km2on the western side of the Monavullagh mountains in Co. Waterford is described. The morphology of the monuments is portrayed and the development of the settlement and ceremonial areas is elucidated. The ritual monuments are situated in three cemeteries or sanctuaries, one of which is united through elaborate geometric themes. This ritual geometry and the religious insights which this affords raises the importance of this complex to an international level. Analogies with similar monuments from Ireland and the upland regions of Britain are discussed. The overseas parallels demonstrate close contact throughout the Early Bronze Age with many parts of Britain, especially Wales. The unique character of the complex amongst Irish prehistoric landscapes is stressed as it fills an apparent gap in the Irish monumental record of the period.
Plant Use in the Mesolithic and its Role in the Transition to Farming
Authors: Zvelebil Marek
Published: February 2014

The purpose of this paper is to review the current evidence for plant use in Mesolithic Europe and to summarize its implications. In order to do so, four sources of data are examined: macrobotanical remains, palynological data, artefactual evidence, and the human biological record.

A prelimary survey of palaeobotanical evidence for plant use in the Mesolithic indicates that the evidence is far more extensive than expected hitherto and that accumulations of plant food, especially of nuts, point to their regular and extensive use. In those areas such as Britain, where a large number of fine-resolution palynological studies have been carried out, the incidence of clearance and burning phases seems to be too high to be explained by acts of nature alone. A good case can be made for deliberate forest clearance and the maintenance of a more open landscape by Late Mesolithic groups as part of a promotional strategy to increase the productivity of nut and fruit trees and shrubs, wetland plants, and possibly native grasses.

Artefactual evidence points to a widespread distribution of soil-working tools (hoes and antler mattocks), especially in temperate Europe, and to a greater than expected presence of reaping and grinding equipment, lending conditional support for the existence of a specialized plant processing tool kit for digging, reaping, and plant processing.

Palaeopathological evidence indicates the existence of a dietary pattern in the west Mediterranean making extensive use of starchy and carbohydrate foods which resulted in a high caries rate among the Mesolithic population of that area.

In discussing the signiftcanse of these four lines of evidence, it is argued that, by the Late Mesolithic, the patterns of plant use support the notion of wild plant food husbandry instead of the incidental and opportunistic use of plants for food which has implicitly been accepted as a norm for the Mesolithic in Europe. Three geographical areas can be identified with their specific pattern of plant use: temperate Europe, Mediterranean Europe, and the south-eastern Balkans/Pontic Steppe. The patterns of plant use suggested in this paper emphasize the additive nature of the adoption of the agro-pastoral Neolithic farming practices in Europe.
A Reindeer antler or ‘Lyngby’ axe from Northamptonshire and its context in the British Late Glacial
Authors: Cook Jill , Jacobi Roger
Published: February 2014

A reindeer antler object found in Northamptonshire possesses the characteristic traits of a Lyngby axe. Such implements are themselves characteristic of the Late Glacial of northern Europe but hitherto unknown in Britain. A direct radiocarbon accelerator date of 10, 320±150 BP (OxA–803) confirms the typological dating and places it amongst a small number of finds which link Britain with the Ahrensburgian phase in Europe. The function of the axe cannot be determined, but consideration of its features throws some light on this problem.
Survey and Test Excavations in the Badari Region, Egypt
Authors: Holmes D. L. , Friedman R. F.
Published: February 2014

More than 70 years ago an early Predynastic culture was discovered in the Badari region near Asyut. It was named the Badarian and it represents the oldest known agricultural tradition in the Nile Valley of Upper Egypt. However, much remains to be learned about the Badarian as well as subsequent Predynastic developments in the region which may be expected to throw light on the adoption of agriculture in the Nile Valley and the rise of the Egyptian state. Consequently, new field investigations were initiated in 1989. A large part of the area was field surveyed and test excavations were carried out at the site of Hemamieh, originally excavated by Gertrude Caton-Thompson in the 1920s and famous for its stratified sequence of Predynastic levels.

During the 1989 season, the authors visited 42 sites, the majority of which have Predynastic remains. Most of the Predynastic occurrences date to the Badarian or Gerzean phases. Very little material was seen that could be assigned to the intervening Amratian phase, raising the possibility that elements of the Badarian culture remained prevalent in the Badari region at a time when only the Amratian was represented elsewhere in Upper Egypt. Our test excavations at Hemamieh revealed a stratigraphy similar to that described by Caton-Thompson with cultural deposits sandwiched between a surface scree layer and a cemented Limestone gravel deposit or ‘breccia’. The pottery recovered shows a continuous sequence beginning with the Badarian and ending with the Gerzean. Four radiocarbon dates were also obtained. Two of these are on samples from levels with Badarian ceramics and provide calibrated age estimates spanning c. 4400–4000 BC.
An Iron Age Barrow Burial at Bromfield, Shropshire
Authors: Hughes Evan Gwilym
Published: February 2014

Excavation of a small ring-ditch in advance of gravel extraction at Bromfield, Shropshire, produced rare evidence for an Iron Age inhumation burial associated with a barrow. The burial, identified from a soil stain, was associated with fragments of a La Tene I iron brooch and a penannular iron bracelet with adhering textiles, and a bronze pendant, suggesting a date in the 5th–4th century BC.
Aspects of Ritual Deposition in the Late Neolithic and Beaker Periods at Newgrange, Co. Meath
Authors: Mount Charles
Published: February 2014

The passage tomb at Newgrange served as a focus of ceremonial activity in the Late Neolithic and Beaker periods. A complex of monuments was constructed around the mound, consisting of a timber circle or woodhenge to the south-east and a smaller, possibly roofed, timber circle to the west; an enclosing bank constructed along the southern and western sides, and a free-standing circle of great stones encircling the monument. In this paper the view that the faunal and material remains from the Newgrange excavations are domestic refuse is questioned. The deposition and spatial patterning of the faunal material is interpreted as having a ritual significance and the use of this material as representative of the Late Neolithic/Beaker period economy is rejected
The Excavation of Caesar's Camp, Heathrow, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, 1944
Authors: Grimes W. F. , Close-Brooks Joanna , Cotton J. , May J. , Williams D. F.
Published: February 2014

W. F. Grimes excavated a rectangular earthwork in advance of airport construction in 1944, at Heathrow, Middlesex, and found a timber building of unique ‘concentric-rectangle’ plan, together with penannular house gullies; all these features were thought to be part of the same settlement except for two Neolithic pits. Now it can be seen that a Late Bronze Age occupation attested by scattered pottery and small finds but next to no identifiable structures, was followed by 11 Middle Iron Age round houses, and one or two features that may be Late Iron Age. The rampart of the earthwork overlay at least some of the houses. The rectangular building may be Middle or Late Iron Age: though other Iron Age rectangular buildings are now known, its concentric plan remains unique in Britain and resembles that of some Romano–Celtic temples. The precise chronological relationship of the strong earthwork, the round houses and the rectangular building remains uncertain.
The Penrith Henges: A Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England
Authors: Topping P.
Published: February 2014

Detailed topographical surveys and geophysical examinations of the Penrith ‘henges’ were undertaken in order to assess the present state of the monuments for management purposes. At Mayburgh geophysical prospection was designed to assess the validity of the early reports of the presence of two concentric settings of stones. Some possible parallels in Ireland are noted. The nearby site of King Arthur's Round Table was also sampled by geophysical techniques, but was found to be too disturbed for the recovery of any further information as to its original form. The ‘cremation trench’ discovered in pre-War excavations at this site was relocated. The position of the enigmatic Little Round Table was re-established by both topographical and geophysical methods, and its north entrance firmly located. The classification of Mayburgh and of the Little Round Table is considered. The apparent disunity of these three distinctly different monuments within one complex is emphasised—all are traditionally classified as ‘henge-related’, yet the structure and orientation of each site is markedly different. Contemporary topographical considerations are now difficult to reconstruct.
Excavations and Metal-working at Llwyn Bryn-dinas Hillfort, Llangedwyn, Clwyd
Authors: Musson C. R. , Britnell W. J. , Northover J. P. , Salter C. J. , Dresser P. Q. , Fitt J.
Published: February 2014

Small-scale rescue excavations at Llwyn Bryn-dinas hillfort, on the Welsh Borderland, showed that the earliest fortification belonged to the late Bronze Age, with radiocarbon dates in the late 9th and 8th centuries be. A terrace, subsequently cut into the rear of the rampart to accommodate a metal-working floor, was associated with a radiocarbon date centred in the late 3rd century bc. Detailed analysis of the metal-working debris suggests that copper-alloy casting, iron forging and possibly bronze production were carried out within a single workshop. The finds include a distinctive form of handled crucible. The industry appears to have been fairly small-scale, of short duration, and probably only designed to meet the internal needs of the hillfort population. The excavation adds significantly to the local evidence for metal-working during the later prehistoric period. A distinctive zinc-impurity pattern in the copper alloy and raw copper, previously identified in material from other sites nearby, confirms the suggestion of an Iron Age bronze-working industry based on a specific metal source in the north Powys area. In addition, analysis of the iron-working debris suggests the exploitation of a distinctive local ore body. The metal-working activity appears to have come to an abrupt end, possibly with the enlargement or local repair of the rampart. Later phases of activity include a final occupation deposit with an associated radiocarbon date centred in the mid 2nd century bc.
Lithic Distributions in the Upper Meon Valley: Behavioural Response and Human Adaptation on the Hampshire Chalklands
Authors: Schofield A. J.
Published: February 2014

The results of an area-intensive surface collection survey are described and evidence for a coarse-grained response to the distribution of resources is presented. Surface collection surveys have occurred over many areas of southern England with attention focused especially on the neolithic landscape of the monument zone. The results of such surveys provide an indication of the social landscape within which monument building occurred. However, to fully appreciate human behaviour in an active and emergent landscape, the results of similar investigations from what appear passive landscapes must be available as well as evidence for human exploitation in earlier and later periods. The upper Meon valley survey represents one of only few attempts to redress that imbalance and to assess objectively the nature of occupation away from the monument zone throughout the prehistoric period. The results demonstrate an intensity of occupation equal to that in other parts of Wessex but confined, predominantly, to the mesolithic and earlier neolithic periods. The survey also provides a case-study in interpretation. The emphasis is less on places than on the space in which they occurred.
Proceedings of the Conference on Palaeolithic Art, held in Oxford, 1989: Introduction.
Authors: Lawson A. J.
Published: February 2014

This volume contains papers from twelve authors who were invited to speak at the Prehistoric Society's conference on Palaeolithic Art held at the Oxford University Department for External Studies in November 1989. Such conferences are a regular feature of the Society's activities and are organized to review and debate important themes in prehistory. In this instance interest in Palaeolithic art had already been heightened through the Society's study tours to the Dordogne (in 1980) and Northern Spain (in 1987). Despite this interest, no major conference on the theme had been organized in Britain since the Society's London Conference of April 1967 on ‘Prehistoric Art in the Western Mediterranean to the Second Millennium BC’. Unfortunately, the papers of that conference were not published and it is difficult now to assess their contribution to the subject. By contrast, some of the Society's subsequent conferences have been published by commercial houses (for example, Mellars 1978; Chapman, Kinnes and Randsborg 1981; Champion and Megaw 1985; Coles and Lawson 1987). This volume marks a different approach, namely for the Society to publish the proceedings of its own conference. Hopefully, this will enable members who were unable to participate in the conference to benefit from the expertise of the authors, and encourage others with an interest in prehistory to join the Society.
Wrestling with Analogy: A Methodological Dilemma in Upper Palaeolithic Art Research.
Authors: Lewis-Williams J. D.
Published: February 2014

In 1902 Emile Cartailhac published hisMea Culpa d'un Sceptique. His acceptance of the high antiquity of prehistoric art in western Europe followed Capitan and Breuil's convincing discoveries in Font de Gaume and Les Combarelles and reflected a widespread change of opinion. Despite previous scepticism, researchers were beginning to allow that the parietal as well as the mobile art did indeed date back to the Upper Palaeolithic. But this swing in scientific opinion opened up an even more baffling problem: why did Upper Palaeolithic people make these pictures? In the year following Cartailhac's turn-about Salomon Reinach tried to answer this question by developing an analogical argument based on ethnographic parallels. He could see no other way of approaching the problem: ‘Our only hope of finding outwhythe troglodytes painted and sculpted lies in asking the same question of present-day primitives with whom the ethnography reveals connections’ (Reinach 1903, 259; my translation, his emphasis).
The Location of Baker's Hole
Authors: Wenban-Smith Francis
Published: February 2014

A map made by F. N Hayward showing the location of the Lower Palaeolithic site of Baker's Hole, found in the Hayward Archive stored by the British Museum at Franks House, shows that the site was not at the location suggested by modern authors. The new location, near some remnant Pleistocene deposits, opens the possibility of using modern techniques to date the archaeological material recovered from the site in 1909.
A Model for the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition in the Upper Kennet Valley, North Wiltshire
Authors: Whittle Alasdair
Published: February 2014

The general nature of explanations for the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain and the current support for the notion of indigenous change are noted. The need for a more regionalized view of the transition is argued with reference to the upper Kennet valley and surrounding chalk downland in north Wiltshire. Problems in the recovery and presentation of later Mesolithic settlement are discussed. A model of later Mesolithic exploitation of the area from camps or bases outside it leads to the view that, whatever the cultural identity of those involved, there was a genuine agricultural colonization of the valley, involving new adaptations and new skills. Such infill is unlikely to have belonged to the primary phase of the establishment of agricultural settlement, and other possible cases of secondary infill in southern England and western Europe are noted.
Two Cordoned Urns from Fan y Big, Brecon Beacons, Powys
Authors: Briggs C. Stephen , Britnell William J. , Gibson Alex M.
Published: February 2014

Late in November 1981, Mr M. Wright of the Danywenallt Centre, Talybont, noticed fragments of prehistoric pottery and an associated cremation burial in an area eroded by walkers in the pathway on Fan y Big (SO 03712057; fig. 1). The site lies at a height of 655 m on one of the denuded spurs of the northern escarpment of the Beacons (pl. 12). The find itself lay next to a small dry-stone beacon about 1 m high, on the knife-edge of the spur and less than 10m away from the precipitous cliffs which drop away for about 100 m to either side. Behind the spur, to the south, is a slight plateau covered in eroding peat hags with a little cotton grass.

The ground was frozen at the time of the discovery to a depth of about 3 cm, and the obvious vulnerability of the pottery to destruction by the weather or the passage of human feet necessitated immediate action to preserve it. A small excavation team supervised by C. S. Briggs was hastily assembled to undertake this task in bitter weather several days later.
Two Late Prehistoric Circular Enclosures near Harlech, Gwynedd
Authors: Kelly Richard S. , Conway J. S. , Williams D. , Yassi N. Hammo
Published: February 2014

Two late prehistoric circular enclosure settlements near Harlech, Gwynedd were excavated by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust in 1980–81 in advance of upland pasture improvements. Both produced evidence for the change from timber to mainly stone as a building material, commonplace in upland Britain at this time. At Moel y Gerddi there was some evidence for earlier activity in the Neolithic period, but the principal occupation occurred in the mid-first millennium BC, and comprised a roughly circular timber palisade enclosing a fairly substantial timber roundhouse. As these structures deteriorated, they were consolidated and embanked with stone, but despite this the occupation did not last very long and the site was abandoned. Erw-wen a short distance away produced similar evidence but there was no Neolithic phase and the site was re-used in the Medieval period. The principal late prehistoric settlement there comprised a single large roundhouse standing within an imposing enclosure wall but whether or not this had been preceded by a timber palisade is not known. It was clear, however, that the stone roundhouse was a replacement for an earlier timber counterpart and, quite unlike Moel y Gerddi, the occupation lasted a considerable period of time, possibly two or even three centuries. Dating evidence from either site was poor, and acid soil conditions mitigated against the preservation of most finds. The sites were apparently aceramic and probably relied on pastoralism rather than arable farming. The environmental setting and background has been considered in some detail in the preceding paper with particular reference to soil pollen studies and a bog core dug near Moel y Gerddi. Typologically the sites belong to the Gwynedd stone-built hut-circle settlements and it is argued that they could mark the first appearance of these monuments in the landscape. But in any case, the use of timber as witnessed here, was far more commonplace than has previously been supposed on these sites.
Bronze Age Cremation Cemeteries in the East Midlands
Authors: Allen Carol S. M. , Harman Mary , Wheeler Hazel
Published: February 2014

Two Bronze Age cremation cemeteries excavated between 1968 and 1975 are reported and discussed. At Coneygre Farm, Notts., fifty-one cremations were excavated, thirty-one in pots, six in cists, and fourteen uncontained. Cremations were deposited in a roughly linear arrangement and no barrow was found. At Pasture Lodge Farm, Lincs., twenty-seven pots were found, of which twenty-five had associated cremations, and fifteen further sherds could represent burials. Vessels in this cemetery form a small cluster. Pottery from these two cemeteries is broadly similar to Deverel-Rimbury ware and with vessels from other sites in the region is considered to form an East Midlands group of Bronze Age pottery. Vessels of this type from Frieston and Grantham, Lincs., are illustrated for the first time. Examination of thin sections of the pottery from the two cemeteries suggests that most, although not all, of the materials used could have been found locally. Organic remains found in thin sections provide environmental information. The effect of soils on durability of pots and their probable function is discussed. A direct relationship is noticed for the first time between the age of the cremated individual and the capacity of the pot in which the cremation was deposited.
The Bronze Age Settlement at Thorny Down: pots, post-holes and patterning
Authors: Ellison Ann
Published: February 2014

The structures and artefact patterning of the Bronze Age settlement at Thorny Down are re-examined in the light of newly discovered documentation from the original excavation. Two phases of settlement are recognized, the earlier one pre-Deverel-Rimbury. Analysis of artefact patterns allows the functional interpretation of different structural types. Four settlement units can be identified, similar to recurring modules previously defined on Middle Bronze-Age sites in southern England.
Further Finds from the Le Câtillon Hoard
Authors: Fitzpatrick Andrew , Megaw J. V. S.
Published: February 2014

Previously unrecorded finds from the Le Câtillon hoard are documented. It is now clear that the hoard was not found in three lots but in a single closed group. The brooches in the hoard suggests a date of c. 40–20 BC rather than during the Caesarian campaigns. The suggestions that the silver brooches in the hoard and others like them are Italian and that most Gallo-Belgic coinage arrived in Britain during the Gallic Wars are reviewed critically.
Colonization and Succession: The Earlier Neolithic of Central Europe
Authors: Starling N.J.
Published: February 2014

Models of population and resource pressure to explain developments such as technological innovation, increasing cultural complexity and competition and warfare, have been commonly used in studies of the earlier neolithic (Bandkeramikand early TRB) of Central Europe, in the fifth and fourth millennia bc. The usefulness of such models is questioned for this period, with reference in particular to Central Germany. After initial colonization, there was no simple pattern of continuous settlement expansion; rather, initially widespread settlement developed generally into a more aggregated pattern, with a contraction of the settlement area and virtually no internal or external expansion of settlement. Models of environmental change or resource exhaustion to explain these developments are also challenged, and emphasis placed on social and subsistence changes which provided the impetus for the dynamics of the settlement pattern. Changes in settlement, with the emergence of larger villages and enclosures, culminating in the appearance of major enclosure sites and a break in settlement continuity in the early TRB, are linked with other developments; the regionalization of culture, changes in material culture and burial types, and social organization. The origins of the settlement and social patterns in this period can be seen, not in the changes forced by external factors, but in the internal developments of the neolithic groups themselves.
Ritual Enclosures at Whitton Hill, Northumberland
Authors: Miket Roger , van der Veen M. , Weyman J.
Published: February 2014

To the north of Milfield, Northumberland the A697 cuts through a cluster of ring-ditches centred at NT933347. Discovered during aerial survey by Professor N. McCord, these were included in Dr A. Harding's survey of the ritual henges and related monuments of the Milfield Basin (Harding 1981, 101). Subsequent aerial reconnaisance by Mr T. Gates has increased the number of visible ring-ditches to at least eleven and, of these, three types may be tentatively isolated (fig. 1). The smallest appears to have a diameter no greater than 3.5 m, but with a ditch some 2 m in width (3 examples); in the second type the ditch appears less than a metre in width, but enclosing a larger area estimated at between 9 and 20 m (3 examples). A single example (Site 1 below) lies outside these dimensions and it was this, together with an example from the second group, that was chosen for excavation in 1982 and 1983.
Excavations at Copse Farm, Oving, West Sussex
Authors: Bedwin Owen , Holgate Robin , Drewett P. L. , Cartwright C. R. , Hamilton S. D. , Oldham B. , Williams D. F. , Brown K. , Browne S. , Roberts M. B. , Middleton H. R. , Rudling D. R.
Published: February 2014

Two farmsteads, one of late Iron Age (second-first centuries BC) date and the other dating to the early Romano-British period (first-second centuries AD), were excavated at Copse Farm, Oving. The site is situated within the Chichester dykes on the Sussex/Hampshire Coastal Plain. The Iron Age farmstead produced pottery spanning ‘saucepan’ and ‘Aylesford-Swarling’ traditions, a transition in ceramic production which is poorly understood in Sussex. Information on the agricultural economy and small-scale industries (principally metalworking) practised at this site give an insight into the way the Coastal Plain was settled and exploited at the end of the first millennium BC.
Usefulness of real-time three-dimensional trans-oesophageal echocardiography for detection of isolated unroofed coronary sinus
Authors: Nakano Yusuke , Iwamoto Mari , Masuda Munetaka
Published: February 2014

We report a case of unroofed coronary sinus not associated with the persistent left superior vena cava. Definite diagnosis of the unroofed coronary sinus was obtained by trans-oesophageal echocardiography, which revealed the unroofed portion with left-to-right shunt. Real-time three-dimensional trans-oesophageal echocardiography could show the whole pictures of the defect, which was useful information for surgical repair.