bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hallucinations and Illusions
Authors: Parish Edmund
Published: February 2014

The psychologist Edmund Parish makes a valuable contribution to the study of the psychology of perception as well as introducing a theory of insanity in this 1897 work. The author tells the reader that it grew out of an examination of the German 'International Census of Waking Hallucinations in the Sane', the results of which he had analysed. Rather than merely translating the German original, Parish has added new information and considered criticism of his own previous work. The book is a sustained effort to define 'the common organic principle which, under whatever diversity of conditions, underlies alike normal and fallacious perception', by incorporating the most recent psychological and neurological research. Parish is especially interested in casting light on the waking hallucinations of healthy persons, as he regards this phenomenon as having been largely ignored by previous research.
The Farmer's Calendar
Authors: Young Arthur
Published: February 2014

A prolific writer, farmer, and secretary to the Board of Agriculture, in the closing decades of the eighteenth century Arthur Young (1741–1820) encouraged a generation of farmers to embrace new agricultural technologies. Books deriving from his tours of Britain, examining in detail the agricultural practice of various parts of the country, were immediately successful and remain a valuable historical resource. In 1771 Young produced the first edition of his Farmer's Calendar. Another overnight success, his well-informed and accessible timetable of the farming year went through ten editions in the author's own lifetime. Arranged by month, the chapters provide a valuable account of British arable and livestock farming at the height of the Agrarian Revolution. This edition, from 1804, contains additional notes on agricultural improvements developed in the decades since the book's original publication, as well as a substantial appendix containing clear explanations and practical advice that remain of great interest today.
The transfer of IgA from mucus to plasma and the implications for diagnosis and control of nematode infections
Authors: DE CISNEROS JOAQUÍN PRADA JIMÉNEZ , MATTHEWS LOUISE , MAIR COLETTE , STEFAN THORSTEN , STEAR MICHAEL J.
Published: February 2014

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) activity has been associated with reduced growth and fecundity of Teladorsagia circumcincta. IgA is active at the site of infection in the abomasal mucus. However, while IgA activity in abomasal mucus is not easily measured in live animals without invasive methods, IgA activity can be readily detected in the plasma, making it a potentially valuable tool in diagnosis and control. We used a Bayesian statistical analysis to quantify the relationship between mucosal and plasma IgA in sheep deliberately infected with T. circumcincta. The transfer of IgA depends on mucosal IgA activity as well as its interaction with worm number and size; together these account for over 80% of the variation in plasma IgA activity. By quantifying the impact of mucosal IgA and worm number and size on plasma IgA, we provide a tool that can allow more meaningful interpretation of plasma IgA measurements and aid the development of efficient control programmes.
Gastrointestinal parasites in relation to host traits and group factors in wild meerkatsSuricata suricatta
Authors: LECLAIRE SARAH , FAULKNER CHARLES T.
Published: February 2014

Meerkats are one of the most endearing of South African's wildlife celebrities and one of the most highly studied social mammals. However, although parasites are widely recognized as important regulatory factors in animal population, basic knowledge on meerkats’ parasites is lacking. Here 100 fresh fecal samples of wild meerkats were examined for the presence of endoparasitic infection. Endoparasitic taxa identified by the presence of eggs or oocysts includedToxocara suricattae,Oxynema suricattae,Pseudandrya suricattae,Cystoisosporasp. andEimeriasp. Non-specific diagnoses were made for parasites in the Order Strongylida, Order Spirurida and coccidian based on the morphology and size of the eggs and oocysts. The prevalence of infection withT. suricattaeand the strongylate species increased with age, while prevalence of coccidia and intensity of infection by the strongylate species increased with decreasing group size, suggesting that stress associated with living in smaller group may increase susceptibility to parasitism. Moreover, parasite communities were more similar between individuals from the same group than between individuals from different groups, suggesting an important role of the environment in parasite infestation. We did not detect any differences between males and females. This study represents the first detailed report of gastrointestinal parasites in wild meerkats, and is a key starting point for future studies on the effect of endoparasite load in the life history of this species.
A Cache of Flint Axeheads and Other Flint Artefacts from Auchenhoan, near Campbeltown, Kintyre, Scotland
Authors: Saville Alan , Flnlayson Bill , O'Neil Marion
Published: February 2014

The unique discovery in Scotland of a cache of five flint axeheads and other flint artefacts is described and the contents analysed in detail. It is concluded that the cache represents artefacts imported from the north of Ireland during the Neolithic period. Two earlier finds of caches of flint artefacts from south-west Scotland are also described.
Late Pleistocene Megafauna and Archaeology from Cuddie Springs, South-eastern Australia
Authors: Field Judith , Dodson John
Published: February 2014

The Cuddie Springs site in south-eastern Australia provides the first evidence of an unequivocal association of megafauna with humans for this continent. Cuddie Springs has been known as a fossil megafauna locality for over a century, but its archaeological record has only recently been identified. Cuddie Springs is an open site, with the fossil deposits preserved in a claypan on the floor of an ancient ephemeral lake. Investigations revealed a stratified deposit of human occupation and fossil megafauna, suggesting a temporal overlap and an active association of megafauna with people in the lead up to the Last Glacial Maximum, when conditions were more arid than the present day. Two distinct occupation phases have been identified and are correlated to the hydrology of the Cuddie Springs lake. When people first arrived at Cuddie Springs, sometime before 30,000 BP, the claypan on the lake floor was similar to a waterhole, with five species of megafauna identified. Flaked stone artefacts were found scattered through this level. After the lake dried, there was human occupation of the claypan. The resource base broadened to include a range of plant foods. Megafauna appear to be just one of a range of food resources exploited during this period. A return to ephemeral conditions resulted in only periodic occupation of the site with megafauna disappearing from the record around 28,000 BP. The timing of overlap and association of megafauna with human occupation is coincident with the earliest occupation sites in this region. The archaeological evidence from Cuddie Springs suggests an opportunistic exploitation of resources and no specialised strategies for hunting megafauna. Disappearance of megafauna is likely to be a consequence of climatic change during the lead up to the Last Glacial Maximum and human activities may have compounded an extinction process well under way.
Constructing Houses and Building Context: Bersu's Manx Round-house Campaign
Authors: Evans Christopher
Published: February 2014

Bersu's war-time excavation of three ‘great’ Iron Age round-houses on the Isle of Man are considered. Their archive includes letters from colleagues (eg Hawkes and Childe) which offer unique insights into the construction of fieldwork context, particularly, in this case, a Celtic paradigm. Concerned with house studies and the possibility of ‘reconstruction’, Bersu's methodology is analysed. Site documentation shows him to be a ‘graphic archaeologist’, thinking and interpreting visually, and as such contrasts with concepts of ‘archaeology as text’.
A Late Iron Age Mirror Burial from Latchmere Green, near Silchester, Hampshire
Authors: Fulford Michael , Creighton John
Published: February 2014

The discovery by Mr David Walsh, a local metal detectorist, of what proved to be a Late Iron Age, decorated bronze mirror was reported to us on its discovery in the autumn of 1994 and led to a small excavation of the context and immediate environs of the find (Figs 1–2). It was made on the south-facing slope of a low hill, at about the 75 m contour, at SU 632 603 in LP 3516 which lies just within the parish of Bramley and at the southern extremities of a Roman settlement that developed around the junction of the Roman roads leading from Silchester to Winchester and Chichester. The findspot is thus some 2 km south-south-west of the walled area of the Roman town which overlies the heart of the Late Iron AgeoppidumofCalleva. The overall extent of the site as revealed by the distribution of artefacts in the ploughsoil has been plotted by Corney over an area in excess of 6 ha (1984, 283–5, figs 81–3). Although some Silchester Ware of latest Iron Age and earliest Roman date had been recovered from around the centre of the settlement, the bulk of the pottery suggested occupation lay principally between the late 1st/early 2nd century AD and the late 4th century AD.
37,000 Years and More in Tropical Australia: Investigating Long-Term Archaeological Trends in Cape York Peninsula
Authors: David Bruno , Lourandos Harry
Published: February 2014

The prehistory of Cape York Peninsula, in tropical northern Australia, has been more intensively investigated than that of most other parts of the continent. As a result, a considerable database now exists by which long-term archaeological trends can be evaluated. In this paper we investigate temporal trends in occupational intensities and patterns of land use during the last 37,000 years by employing: 1, the temporal distribution of all radiocarbon dates obtained for the region; 2, the numbers of sites occupied through time; and 3, rates of establishment of new sites during the course of prehistory. These archaeological trends are then compared with the palaeo-environmental record of the region to determine its potential influence on the trends. We conclude that an initial, long period of regional occupation occurred (c. 37,000–4000 BP) when cultural trends varied in tandem with gross environmental fluctuations. This was followed by a late Holocene period (post 4000 BP) when cultural trajectories diverged significantly from environmental trends. This suggests that more complex Aboriginal demographic processes were set in train during the late Holocene, associated with social structures that were more dynamic than previously. We suggest that while changing patterns of land use may be apparent, their understanding requires an enquiry into periods of emergence — that is, their immediate historical antecedents. These results have broader implications for our understanding of Australian prehistory and the prehistory of other hunter-gatherer societies.
Radiocarbon evidence for the Lateglacial Human Recolonisation of Northern Europe
Authors: Housley R.A. , Gamble C.S. , Street M. , Pettitt P.
Published: February 2014

This paper examines, through the use of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry dating, the database of Lateglacial cultures involved in the recolonisation of northern Europe. The aim is not only to determine the timing of that recolonisation, but also to propose a general model of hunter-gatherer colonisation at a sub-continental scale. The question is addressed of how long the period of abandonment of northern Europe during the Würm/Weichsel glaciation may have lasted, and when it both started and came to an end. A series of questions is asked concerning the processes and mechanics of recolonisation and the sequences for specific areas are examined. AMS radiocarbon dating shows that a two stage process was involved, which has important implications for our analysis of regional settlement patterns and the changing scale of Lateglacial hunting systems. Recolonisation was a dynamic process, integral to, and internally driven by, the social life of Lateglacial hunters. It may have been constrained by environmental and resource factors, which we have emphasised here, but ultimately it was an historical, social process and should be similarily regarded to that of the farmers. By measuring rates of expansion data are provided for use in other studies of hunter-gatherer colonisation.
Inscribing Space: Formal Deposition at the Later Neolithic Monument of Woodhenge, Wiltshire
Authors: Pollard Joshua
Published: February 2014

This paper presents evidence for intentionally structured deposition at the later Neolithic earthwork and timber setting of Woodhenge, near Amesbury, Wiltshire. Deposition is seen as a process through which a variety of connotations and symbolic references were incorporated in the monument, in addition to contributing towards a complex classification of space that served to order ceremonial and ritual practices. The evidence for formal deposition is also considered in the context of comparable, contemporary, activity at two other extensively excavated monuments in the region — Durrington Walls and Stonehenge I. Finally, complementarity and contrast in such special practices are viewed in relation to individual monument histories and the possiblity that, whilst the product of a general sacred tradition, the way in which each of the monuments was used was structured by different sets of meanings.
Vessey Ponds: a ‘prehistoric’ water supply in East Yorkshire?
Authors: Hayfield Colin , Pouncett John , Wagner Pat
Published: February 2014

Vessey Ponds are a pair of irregularly-shaped hollows high on the Chalk Wolds of East Yorkshire at about 220 m OD (Fig. 1). Recent fieldwalking recovered a large flint scatter in the vicinity of these hollows. Mesolithic activity was represented by worked flint displaying soft hammer technology whereas hard hammer technologies indicate Neolithic and Bronze Age tool production and usage. The presence of large numbers of cores and a vast quantity of industrial waste indicates on-site preparation of tools. Statistical analysis of the fieldwalking data implies that the flints are concentrated around the hollows. Auger sampling across the ponds revealed natural clay deposits that still hold water close to the pond surface. Consideration of exploitation of mineral resources on the Wold top and possible mechanisms of formation of Vessey Ponds highlights the complex effects of glacial activities on the local surface geology. Karstic origins for some features of surface geology are suggested. The nature of the ‘prehistoric’ economies represented by the flint scatter is considered along with ethnoarchaeological evidence to support the assumption that the ponds at Vessey were a potential water supply during the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Ages. Evidence from Vessey Ponds and elsewhere in Yorkshire implies an association between areas of ‘prehistoric’ activity and the availability of surface water. Above all else, this work highlights the impact of water supply on settlement pattern and land use on the Chalk of the Yorkshire Wolds.
Redating Rams Hill and reconsidering Bronze Age enclosure
Authors: Needham Stuart , Ambers Janet
Published: February 2014

A new set of radiocarbon measurements for the three phases of Bronze Age enclosure at Rams Hill allows refinement of their chronology. Phase 1 is radiocarbon dated for the first time and appears, contrary to previous indications, not to be very much earlier than phases 2 and 3. The dates are on carefully selected bone samples and give a rather later timespan overall than an earlier set of dates on charcoal, within the 13th–10th centuries cal BC. This span bridges the formal Middle–Late Bronze Age transition, overlapping the use ofPenard and Wilburton metalwork. The opportunity is taken to clarify some confused aspects of Bronze Age periodization.

The development of Bronze Age enclosure in Britain is reviewed. A former suggestion that Rams Hill is representative of a class of Middle Bronze Age high-status enclosure is re-examined. Current evidence does not support the idea of a coherent set of sites either functionally or chronologically. It is considered likely that Rams Hill represents an emergent state of larger-scale enclosure, perhaps after the regular embanking of small domestic sites. However, the precise role of Rams Hill in the regional economy remains enigmatic.
A Newly Discovered Female Engraving from Courbet (Penne-Tarn), France
Authors: Cook Jill , Welté Anne-Catherine
Published: February 2014

An Upper Palaeolithic engraving of a female figure has recently been discovered on the base of a naturally hollowed limestone slab possibly used as a bowl or lamp, found in the cave of Courbet (Penne-Tarn, France) and preserved in the British Museum. The slab, decorated on the dished side with linear incisions, and the female figure are described in detail. The occurrence of a female engraving on a utilised slab is found to be unique to date but the relationship of the figure to the support is questioned and discussed. The female engraving is compared with others known from Germany, as well as Quercy and Périgord, France. On the basis of these comparisons and radiocarbon age estimates, the engraved slab is attributed to Magdalenian VI.
Excavations at Mad Mans Window, Glenarm, Co. Antrim: Problems of Flint Exploitation in East Antrim
Authors: Woodman P. C.
Published: February 2014

This study examines the archaeological significance of the material from a group of Neolithic chipping floors rescued during the rebuilding of the Antrim coast road, at Mad Mans Window, south of Glenarm, Co. Antrim. It shows that the lithic production strategies vary significantly between assemblages although it is presumed that they are all Neolithic in date and come from the same area of coast. It is apparent that flint axe production was of limited importance on these sites and that in spite of the abundance of flint available along the Antrim coast, relatively few polished flint axes were manufactured. Instead the numerous flint caches found in adjacent parts of the north-east of Ireland tend to produce scrapers and blades. Hoards containing arrowheads may be confined to the Bronze Age.

Around 300 polished flint axes and roughouts are known from Ireland. These are frequently small and only partially polished. A limited number of highly polished axes with ground flat side facets have been designated sub-type A. The tendency to use porcellanite rather than flint for axe manufacture may be due to its ability to withstand robust shock.

During the last 100 years, the role of flint as a key resource in the stone age of north-eastern Ireland has always been recognized but this has usually led to an uncritical assumption as to the paramount importance of flint. Work in recent years has shown that its significance in attracting and retaining Mesolithic settlement may have been over-emphasized.

The role of the flint industries in the Irish Neolithic in this region has never been properly assessed, either in relation to older Mesolithic manufacturing traditions or in the broader context of supply to the Neolithic communities of this part of Ireland.

In particular, good or even reasonable quality flint is usually only exposed in Cretaceous outcrops along a narrow strip on the edge of the basalt plateau and, therefore, has a very limited availability in parts of Co. Antrim as well as parts of Counties Down and Deny. As a contrast, erratic and beach flint is available in some quantity down the east coast of Ireland from Co. Down to Wexford. A second potential constraining factor is that unlike Britain, where flint was exploited for axe manufacture in the east and other rocks in the west, flint sources and porcellanite for axe manufacturing are both found adjacent to each other in the same corner of Co. Antrim. In particular, a number of more substantial chipping floors of Neolithic age are known, e.g. the opencast quarry sites at Ballygalley Head. The purpose of this study is to assess the role of flint production on the Antrim coast with particular reference to its significance in the Neolithic. This topic will be developed in the context of an analysis of the material found at Mad Mans Window near Glenarm.
The Bronze Age Round Barrows of Kent
Authors: Grinsell L. V.
Published: February 2014

About 170 round barrows and 15 flat graves from Kent are here recorded, almost all on the Chalk. In addition there are at least as many ring-ditches, mostly of ploughed-out round barrows, in Thanet, only a small selection of which are here included as a full list is being prepared by the Trust for Thanet Archaeology. Nine sites have yielded primary central inhumations and ten have contained primary central cremations. Four sites have yielded burials in their encircling ditch. Warrior equipment has come from two sites, and ‘Wessex’ interments from another two. Barrow Wouldham 1/THAN contained a central primary cremation in a four-post mortuary structure with parallels in the Toterfout-Halve-Mijl cemetery in the Netherlands, with which area relations are suggested. One site (Lydden 1/DOV) is identified as the Ellenbeorge of an Anglo-Saxon land charter. Several Bronze Age round barrows were used by the Jutes and Saxons for their intrusive burials, and there are two instances of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery being sited to adjoin a Bronze Age round barrow. More than twenty sites have recorded local names of which the most frequent general name is Mount. Some of the best surviving barrows are beside or near the North Downs Way and the Pilgrims' Way.
The Rock-Paintings of Tikadiouine (Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria) and the Iheren-Tahilahi Group
Authors: Muzzolini A. , Boccazzi A.
Published: February 2014

A shelter in the Tassili shows many rock-pictures which are all executed in the same style, the style of the Iheren-Tahilahi group. It is therefore possible to confirm the characteristic features of this very distinct and lively group, which is mainly distributed throughout the central and the northern Tassili. The physical type of the figures it represents is exclusively europoid. The distribution area, the age of the group and its position on the general climatic oscillation curve are specified.
A Preliminary Study of Polished Stone Artefacts in Prehistoric Southern Italy
Authors: O'Hare Graham B.
Published: February 2014

This paper is based on work carried out in 1984 to 1986 for an M.Phil, degree at the University of Lancaster. Virtually no work had been done on the subject for over seventy years and, with the exception of one article (Evett 1973), nothing showing the influence of the work of the Implement Petrology Committee of the Council for British Archaeology. Consequently little information was available which could be used as a basis for further research. Three problems were immediately faced: the time available in which to study artefacts in south Italian museums was severely limited; thin-sectioning could not be used; and due to lack of earlier studies data collection would have to be made blind, without reference to any formal model designed to answer previously formulated questions. These problems were all solved, and this paper outlines the development of, and theoretical and practical justifications for, my methodology, the methodology itself, its application to a sample of polished stone artefacts, the data thus obtained and their interpretation, and wider concerns such as the application of this methodology to other areas.
An Archaeological Survey of Skomer, Dyfed
Authors: Evans J. G.
Published: February 2014

Skomer is an island off the west coast of Dyfed, the archaeology of which, consisting of fields, small enclosures, cairns, huts and dams, is well preserved. The broad outline and much detail was recorded by W. F. Grimes in 1950 and it was demonstrated that about two-thirds of the island is covered in a more or less undisturbed prehistoric landscape, preservation being due to the absence of Medieval and later settlement. The fieldwork described in the present paper was designed to record in detail small enclosures, or pounds, and habitation sites, mainly at a scale of 1:100 which was not done by Grimes. In addition two sets of air photographs were used to make a map of the fields. The work was done as a student exercise and is accordingly largely descriptive. However, analysis at two spatial levels has been attempted, one for huts and pounds and one for settlement complexes as a whole. But beyond the island itself there has been no comparative survey. The remains could be of any age from the Neolithic to early Roman period.
Prehistoric Copper Mining in South-West Ireland: The Mount Gabriel-Type Mines
Authors: O'Brien William F.
Published: February 2014

This paper examines the Mt Gabriel-type exploitation of sedimentary mineralization in the West Cork region of south-west Ireland. It includes a consideration of the physical setting of the mines, their distribution, morphology, technology, dating and cultural affinities. Mt Gabriel, the highest mountain of the Mizen Peninsula in south-west Cork, was the setting for extensive mining of surface copper beds during the closing stages of the Early Bronze Age. Recent radiocarbon dating of wood and charcoal from these sites confirms that the main period of mining activity on this mountain was between 1700–1500 cal. BC, making these the oldest copper mines presently known in north-west Europe. The importance of these sites lies not only in their antiquity, but in their unique preservation in upland blanket bog environments.

A recent programme of survey and excavation culminated in the investigation of the mine 3/4 site on the eastern slopes of the mountain. The removal of a large peat-based infill deposit from mine 3 revealed an 11 metre deep inclined opening, in which the transition from a strata-bound drift-mine to a cross-cutting tunnel was visible. Waterlogged sediments within this mine contained a large assemblage of roundwood fuel and wooden mining equipment, including a shovel, pick, wedges, lighting chips and handles for the many stone-hammers which were also found. The excavation of a large spoil mound outside this mine has provided important evidence on ore treatment in these operations, an important element of which involved the repeated crushing of rock using stone cobble-hammers. Activity areas located on the periphery of this dump included further dressing floors, concentrations of broken stone tools and a posthole structure with associated water trough.

This mining, together with an expanded Early Bronze Age metal production in south-west Ireland, may be directly associated with an important intensification of agricultural production and human settlement in this region, which also finds expression in the adoption of new sepulchral and ceremonial traditions. The ore sources constituted an important resource during this period, contributing to the emergence of controlling élites who had an important managerial role in the production and distribution of metal.
Survey and Excavation of Ring Cairns in SE Dyfed and on Gower, West Glamorgan
Authors: Ward Anthony H.
Published: February 2014

Ring cairns in Wales have been viewed as a discrete form of structured cairn, a stony ring enclosing an open central area, dating to the second millennium be, whose distinctive character may reflect a particular role not primarily connected with the interment of the dead. Fifteen likely ring cairns were noted in cairn groups on five ridges in SE Dyfed and on the Gower Peninsula. Although the position of ring cairns on these ridges to some extent overlaps that of other cairns, ring cairns tend towards locations particularly dominated by higher ground which are not so favoured by the other cairns. A range of structural elaborations was present amongst the ring cairns including kerbing, in-filled interiors, orthostats in the bank, and breaks in the ring possibly representing entrances.

Two ring cairns adjacent to each other, GCRC I and II, on Cefn Bryn, Gower were excavated. GCRC I was a stony ring bank, originally with two entrances, one of which had been blocked in antiquity. It enclosed an open area at the centre of which was a pit containing a very little burnt bone. GCRC II comprised a ring bank of stone with inner kerb, against which was a pit containing earth and charcoal flecks. It certainly had one entrance, which was deliberately blocked perhaps at the same time as the interior was filled with stone to the level of the top of the kerb. The pit contents at the rings each gave mid-ind millennium be radiocarbon dates. It is possible that the pit fill at GCRC I came from an earlier burial elsewhere so the determination may not reflect the time of deposition at GCRC I.

A case can be argued that ring cairns in the area were built for the public performance of ceremonial on the basis of the apparent absence of formal burial at GCRC I and II, and the structure and siting of the monuments suggesting their suitability as arenas. Ceremonial may have been connected with mortuary ritual, although undated evidence for early agricultural activity in the vicinity of the rings indicates a potentially wider social and economic context for their use. While aspects of the evidence for activity at the two excavated ring cairns may be paralleled at structurally similar monuments in N Wales and S W England, some variations in form and activity are apparent which could indicate differences of emphasis during the time they were in use across the region. Finally, ring cairns are not the only form of broadly contemporary monument to which a ceremonial role can be assigned, and the differences in monumental form could well reflect different ritual requirements, or even social distinctions though too little work has been undertaken as yet on possible social models for the region for this idea to be developed.
The Archaeology of Social Complexity in South-east Queensland
Authors: Morwood M. J.
Published: February 2014

The widespread alliance systems of Australian Aboriginal society had an economic and survival value in harsh environments, but in resource-rich areas such as South-east Queensland it is more a question of strategies for increasing regional carrying capacity. Recent archaeological results in the area, with evidence of increases in site numbers and artefact deposition rates and diversification of subsistence resources to include small-bodied species, show the development of new patterns of technology, economy and demography following major environmental changes in the post-Pleistocene period. Widespread changes in Australian prehistory around 4000 years ago may have been triggered in certain key areas such as South-east Queensland.
The Excavation of a Neolithic Oval Barrow at North Marden, West Sussex, 1982.
Authors: Drewett Peter , Cartwright C. , Browne S. , Thomas K. D. , Thompson A. , Thorpe S. , Tucker S. , Whittaker K.
Published: February 2014

An extensively plough-damaged oval barrow of the third millennium bc was excavated. The entire mound had been removed by ploughing. No burials were found under the site of the mound but disarticulated human skeletal material was found in the ditches. The main flanking ditches appear to have silted in naturally with evidence of Beaker activity and Romano-British agriculture in the higher levels. Some evidence of deliberate back-filling, including the burial of carved chalk objects, was found in the ditches at the east end. A single Saxon hut was excavated in the north-east corner of the barrow and a rubbish deposit containing Middle Saxon pottery was found in the upper levels of the ditch in the south-west corner of the barrow.
Excavation of the Lower Palaeolithic Site at Amey's Eartham Pit, Boxgrove, West Sussex: A Preliminary Report.
Authors: Roberts M. B. , Bates M. R. , Bergman C. , Currant A. P. , Haynes J. R. , Macphail R. , McConnell A. , Scaife R. , Unger-Hamilton R. , Whatley R. C.
Published: February 2014

The acheulian site at Boxgrove contains one of the most extensive areas of in situ fauna and flintwork yet discovered in Britain. This material is found in a complex sequence of sediments which represent depositional conditions from a 42 m sea level rise to the onset of a full periglacial climate. Excavation of the archaeological horizon has been accompanied by a programme of multidisciplinary research examining site formation processes, palaeolandscape and palaeoecological development, using sedimentological and environmental reconstruction techniques. Dating of the site is tentative as no absolute dates are available at present. However, comparative analysis with other British sites would suggest a position for the Boxgrove sequence within the Middle Pleistocene. The archaeological horizon is interpreted as being deposited towards the latter part of an interglacial or an interstadial period.
Roxby Iron Age Settlement and the Iron Age in North-East Yorkshire
Authors: Inman R. , Brown D. R. , Goddard R. E. , Spratt D. A.
Published: February 2014

Round houses and an enclosure, surviving parts of a nucleated settlement on boulder clay terrain at Roxby (near Staithes, north-east Yorkshire), discovered from the air in 1972, were excavated 1973–81. Most were dated to the immediately pre-Roman Iron Age, but one round house, standing in an area of marks of former cross-ploughing, had native Romano-British pottery, and in the last phase of ditch silting, sherds of sixth century AD Anglo-Saxon stamped ware. The economy was based on mixed farming, but two of the Iron Age houses also contained iron working comprising both smelting and smithing. These houses also yielded fragments of jet and glass and were interpreted as a repair workshop, rather than a production unit. Great structural detail had been preserved and was recorded. The houses were architecturally different and represent a significant addition to the prehistoric round house data. They lie in that part of the township of Roxby which escaped medieval ploughing, and probably represent a fraction of the total original settlement. This and other data in north-east Yorkshire show that an economy based on settled mixed farming, not on semi-nomadic pastoralism, was widespread across the boulder clay encircling the North York Moors.
Acute gastroenteritis outbreaks associated with ground-waterborne norovirus in South Korea during 2008–2012
Authors: CHO H. G. , LEE S. G. , KIM W. H. , LEE J. S. , PARK P. H. , CHEON D. S. , JHEONG W. H. , JHO E. H. , LEE J. B. , PAIK S. Y.
Published: February 2014

Epidemiological and virological studies indicate that noroviruses-contaminated groundwater was the primary source of four acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in South Korea between 2008 and 2012. Furthermore, cabbage kimchi was first identified as the vehicle of transmission between groundwater and infected patients in an outbreak in 2011. The proper treatment of groundwater sources prior to use for drinking or in food preparation is necessary to prevent further outbreaks.
Recent trends in the epidemiology of shigellosis in Israel
Authors: COHEN D. , BASSAL R. , GOREN S. , ROUACH T. , TARAN D. , SCHEMBERG B. , PELED N. , KENESS Y. , KEN-DROR S. , VASILEV V. , NISSAN I. , AGMON V. , SHOHAT T.
Published: February 2014

We provide an update on the epidemiology of shigellosis in Israel using data generated by a sentinel laboratory-based surveillance network for the period 1998–2012. The average annual incidence of culture-proven shigellosis was 97/100 000. We estimated that each case of shigellosis accounted for 25 cases in the community indicating the high burden of disease. Orthodox Jewish communities, living in highly crowded conditions and with a high number of children aged <5 years were the epicentre of country-wide biennial propagated epidemics ofS. sonneishigellosis.S. flexneriwas the leadingShigellaserogroup in Israeli Arabs.S. flexneri2a andS. flexneri6 alternated as the most common serotypes. BothS. sonneiandS. flexneriisolates showed high rates of resistance to ampicillin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and very low rates of resistance to quinolones and third-generation cephalosporins. Shigellosis due toS. sonneiconferred 81% (95% confidence interval 69–89) protection against the homologousShigellaserotype when epidemic exposure re-occurred 2 years later. These data are of value in the process ofShigellavaccine development.
CoRoT target HD 51844: a δ Scuti star in a binary system with periastron brightening
Authors: Hareter Markus , Paparó Margit
Published: February 2014

The star HD 51844 was observed in the CoRoT LRa02 as a target in the seismology field, which turned out to be an SB2 system. The 117-day light curve revealed δ Scuti pulsations in the range of 6 to 15 d−1 where four frequencies have amplitudes larger than 1.4 mmag, and a rich frequency spectrum with amplitudes lower than 0.6 mmag. Additionally, the light curve exhibits a 3-mmag brightening event recurring every 33.5 days with a duration of about 5 days. The radial velocities from spectroscopy confirmed that the star is an eccentric binary system with nearly identical masses and physical parameters. The brightening event in the light curve coincides with the maximum radial-velocity separation showing that the brightening is in fact caused by tidal distortion and/or reflected light. One component displays large line-profile variations, while the other does not show significant variation. The frequency analysis revealed a quintuplet structure of the four highest-amplitude frequencies, which is due to the orbital motion of the pulsating star.
The occurrence of non-pulsating stars in the γ Dor and δ Sct instability regions
Authors: Guzik Joyce A. , Bradley Paul A. , Jackiewicz Jason , Uytterhoeven Katrien , Kinemuchi Karen
Published: February 2014

We examine the light curves of over 2700 stars observed in long cadence by the Kepler spacecraft as part of the Guest Observer program. Most of these stars are faint (Kepler magnitude > 14), and fall near or within the effective temperature and log g range of the γ Dor and δ Sct instability strips. We find that the pulsating stars are obvious from inspection of the light curves and power spectra, even for these faint stars. However, we find that a large number of stars are ‘constant’, i.e. show no frequencies in the 0.2 to 24 d−1 range above the 20 ppm level. We discuss the statistics for the constant stars, and some possible physical reasons for lack of pulsations. On the other hand, γ Dor and δ Sct candidates have been found in the Kepler data spread throughout and even outside of the instability regions of both types that were established from pre-Kepler ground-based observations. We revisit mechanisms to produce g- or p-mode pulsations in conditions when these modes are not expected to be unstable via the He-ionization κ effect (δ Sct) or convective blocking (γ Dor) pulsation driving mechanisms.
Interpretation of the oscillation spectrum of HD 50230 — a failure of richness
Authors: Szewczuk Wojciech , Daszyńska-Daszkiewicz Jadwiga , Dziembowski Wojciech
Published: February 2014

Attempts to interpret the observed oscillation spectrum of the SPB star HD 50230 are reported. We argue that a nearly equidistant period spacing found in the oscillation spectrum of the star is most likely accidental. The observed period distribution requires excitation of modes with the degree l > 4. Much more may be learned from the rich oscillation spectrum of the star but most of the work is still ahead of us.
A working hypothesis about the cause of Be stars: Episodic outward leakage of low-frequency waves excited by the iron-peak κ-mechanism
Authors: Shibahashi Hiromoto
Published: February 2014

Observations indicate that a circumstellar disk is formed around a Be star while the stellar rotation is below the break-up velocity. I propose a working hypothesis to explain this mystery by taking account of the effect of leaky waves upon angular momentum transfer.

In B-type stars near the main sequence, low-frequency nonradial oscillations are excited by the κ-mechanism in the iron bump. They transport angular momentum from the driving zone to the surface. As a consequence, the angular momentum is gradually deposited near the stellar surface. This results in a gradual increase in the “critical frequency for g-modes”, and g-modes eventually start to leak outward, long before the surface rotation reaches the break-up velocity. This leads to a substantial amount of angular momentum loss from the star, and a circumstellar disk is formed. The oscillations themselves will be soon damped owing to kinetic energy loss. Then the envelope of the star spins down and angular momentum loss stops soon. The star returns to being quiet and remains calm until nonradial oscillations are newly built up by the κ-mechanism to sufficient amplitude and a new episode begins.

According to this view, the interval of episodic Be-star activity corresponds to the growth time of the oscillation, and it seems in good agreement with observations.
Radiative hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent convection and pulsations of Kepler target stars
Authors: Kitiashvili Irina N.
Published: February 2014

The problem of interaction of stellar pulsations with turbulence and radiation in stellar convective envelopes is central to our understanding of excitation mechanisms, oscillation amplitudes and frequency shifts. Realistic (“ab initio”) numerical simulations provide unique insights into the complex physics of pulsation-turbulence-radiation interactions, as well as into the energy transport and dynamics of convection zones, beyond the standard evolutionary theory. 3D radiative hydrodynamics simulations have been performed for several Kepler target stars, from M- to A-class along the main sequence, using a new ‘StellarBox’ code, which takes into account all essential physics and includes subgrid scale turbulence modeling. The results reveal dramatic changes in the convection and pulsation properties among stars of different mass. For relatively massive stars with thin convective envelopes, the simulations allow us to investigate the dynamics the whole envelope convection zone including the overshoot region, and also look at the excitation of internal gravity waves. Physical properties of the turbulent convection and pulsations, and the oscillation spectrum for two of these targets are presented and discussed in this paper. In one of these stars, with mass 1.47 M⊙, we simulate the whole convective zone and investigate the overshoot region at the boundary with the radiative zone.
Pulsation and mass loss across the H-R diagram: From OB stars to Cepheids to red supergiants
Authors: Neilson Hilding R.
Published: February 2014

Both pulsation and mass loss are commonly observed in stars and are important ingredients for understanding stellar evolution and structure, especially for massive stars. There is a growing body of evidence that pulsation can also drive and enhance mass loss in massive stars and that pulsation-driven mass loss is important for stellar evolution. In this review, I will discuss recent advances in understanding pulsation-driven mass loss in massive main-sequence stars, classical Cepheids and red supergiants and present some challenges remaining.
Asteroseismology, standard candles and the Hubble Constant: what is the role of asteroseismology in the era of precision cosmology?
Authors: Neilson Hilding R. , Biesiada Marek , Evans Nancy Remage , Marconi Marcella , Ngeow Chow-Choong , Reese Daniel R.
Published: February 2014

Classical Cepheids form one of the foundations of modern cosmology and the extragalactic distance scale; however, cosmic microwave background observations measure cosmological parameters and indirectly the Hubble Constant, H0, to unparalleled precision. The coming decade will provide opportunities to measure H0 to 2% uncertainty thanks to the Gaia satellite, JWST, ELTs and other telescopes using Cepheids and other standard candles. In this work, we discuss the upcoming role for variable stars and asteroseismology in calibrating the distance scale and measuring H0 and what problems exist in understanding these stars that will feed back on these measurements.
Mode selection in pulsating stars
Authors: Smolec Radosław
Published: February 2014

In this review we focus on non-linear phenomena in pulsating stars: mode selection and amplitude limitation. Of many linearly excited modes, only a fraction is detected in pulsating stars. Which of them are excited, and why (the problem of mode selection), and to what amplitude (the problem of amplitude limitation) are intrinsically non-linear and still unsolved problems. Tools for studying these problems are briefly discussed and our understanding of mode selection and amplitude limitation in selected groups of self-excited pulsators is presented. We focus on classical pulsators (Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars) and main-sequence variables (δ Scuti and β Cephei stars). Directions of future studies are briefly discussed.
Pulsations in white dwarf stars
Authors: Fontaine G. , Bergeron P. , Brassard P. , Charpinet S. , Dufour P. , Giammichele N. , Randall S. K. , Van Grootel V.
Published: February 2014

We first present a brief description of the six distinct families of pulsating white dwarfs that are now known. These are all opacity-driven pulsators showing low- to mid-order, low-degree gravity modes. We then discuss some recent highlights that have come up in the field of white dwarf asteroseismology.
The internal structure of ZZ Cet stars using quantitative asteroseismology: The case of R548
Authors: Giammichele N. , Fontaine G. , Brassard P. , Charpinet S.
Published: February 2014

We explore quantitatively the low but sufficient sensitivity of oscillation modes to probe both the core composition and the details of the chemical stratification of pulsating white dwarfs. Until recently, applications of asteroseismic methods to pulsating white dwarfs have been far and few, and have generally suffered from an insufficient exploration of parameter space. To remedy this situation, we apply to white dwarfs the same double-optimization technique that has been used quite successfully in the context of pulsating hot B subdwarfs. Based on the frequency spectrum of the pulsating white dwarf R548, we are able to unravel in a robust way the unique onion-like stratification and the chemical composition of the star. Independent confirmations from both spectroscopic analyses and detailed evolutionary calculations including diffusion provide crucial consistency checks and add to the credibility of the inferred seismic model. More importantly, these results boost our confidence in the reliability of the forward method for sounding white dwarf internal structure with asteroseismology.
Sunquakes and starquakes
Authors: Kosovichev Alexander G.
Published: February 2014

In addition to well-known mechanisms of excitation of solar and stellar oscillations by turbulent convection and instabilities, the oscillations can be excited by an impulsive localized force caused by the energy release in solar and stellar flares. Such oscillations have been observed on the Sun (‘sunquakes’), and created a lot of interesting discussions about physical mechanisms of the impulsive excitation and their relationship to the flare physics. The observation and theory have shown that most of a sunquake's energy is released in high-degree, high-frequency p modes. In addition, there have been reports on helioseismic observations of low-degree modes excited by strong solar flares. Much more powerful flares observed on other stars can cause ‘starquakes’ of substantially higher amplitude. Observations of such oscillations can provide new asteroseismic information and also constraints on mechanisms of stellar flares. I discuss the basic properties of sunquakes, and initial attempts to detect flare-excited oscillations in Kepler short-cadence data.