bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing parallel hardware architectures for visually guided robot navigation
Authors: Schenck Wolfram , Horst Michael , Tiedemann Tim , Gaulik Sergius , Möller Ralf
Published: August 2016

Local visual homing methods are a family of algorithms for visually guided navigation on mobile robots. Within this family, the so‐called min‐warping algorithm yields very precise results but is rather compute‐intensive. For this reason, we developed several implementations of this algorithm for different parallel hardware architectures (multi‐core CPUs with SIMD extensions, graphics processing units (GPUs), field‐programmable gate array) to arrive at a fast and energy‐efficient solution which is suited for real‐time performance on mobile platforms with limited battery capacity. Because the min‐warping algorithm is also well suited as a general benchmark, we carried out a comprehensive comparison study which includes both speed and real‐power measurements and covers both low‐power processors and high‐end devices. Our findings suggest that field‐programmable gate arrays offer the most energy‐efficient platform for min‐warping in the area of low‐power processors, while GPUs take the lead in the area of high‐end devices. However, as soon as the full capabilities of modern CPUs (like vector execution units and multiple hardware threads) are used, the speedup advantage of GPUs goes down to the single digit range. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heritability of Caffeine Metabolism: Environmental Effects Masking Genetic Effects on CYP1A2 Activity but Not on NAT2
Authors: Matthaei J , Tzvetkov MV , Strube J , Sehrt D , Sachse‐Seeboth C , Hjelmborg JB , Möller S , Halekoh U , Hofmann U , Schwab M , Kerb R , Brockmöller J
Published: August 2016

Heritability of caffeine pharmacokinetics and cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) activity is controversial. Here, we analyzed the pharmacokinetics of caffeine, an in vivo probe drug for CYP1A2 and arylamine N‐acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) activity, in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. In the entire group, common and unique environmental effects explained most variation in caffeine area under the curve (AUC). Apparently, smoking and hormonal contraceptives masked the genetic effects on CYP1A2 activity. However, when excluding smokers and users of hormonal contraceptives, 89% of caffeine AUC variation was due to genetic effects and, even in the entire group, 8% of caffeine AUC variation could be explained by a CYP1A1/1A2 promotor polymorphism (rs2470893). In contrast, nearly all of the variations (99%) of NAT2 activity were explained by genetic effects. This study illustrates two very different situations in pharmacogenetics from an almost exclusively genetic determination of NAT2 activity with no environmental modulation to only moderate genetic effects on CYP1A2 activity with strong environmental modulation.
Improved Syntheses of 1,2‐Disubstituted Ferrocenes
Authors: Werner Georg , Butenschön Holger
Published: August 2016

1,2‐Disubstituted ferrocenes, in particular 1,2‐dihaloferrocenes, are important starting materials. Herein, we describe significantly improved high‐yielding syntheses of 1,2‐disubstituted ferrocenes such as 1,2‐dibromo‐ and 1,2‐diiodoferrocene as well as 1‐bromo‐2‐iodoferrocene, and 1‐bromo‐2‐fluoroferrocene. DFT calculations show that 1,2‐dihaloferrocenes do not differ much in their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energies; however, their lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies – and thus the HOMO/LUMO gaps – correlate with the sum of the halogen electronegativities. In addition, a synthesis of the rather sensitive 2‐aminoferrocenecarboxylic acid, the ferrocene analogue of anthranilic acid, is presented, which starts from ferrocene‐1,2‐dicarboxylic acid. However, 2‐aminoferrocenecarboxylic acid rapidly decomposed and thus could not be properly characterized. Ferrocene‐1,2‐dicarboxylic anhydride serves as the starting material for preliminary photochemical decarbonylation/decarboxylation experiments resulting in 1,2‐dideuterioferrocene when carried out in [D8]toluene.
Determining flow patterns and emplacement dynamics from tsunami deposits with no visible sedimentary structure
Authors: Kain Claire , Wassmer Patrick , Goff James , Chagué‐Goff Catherine , Gomez Christopher , Hart Deidre , Fierro Daniela , Jacobsen Geraldine , Zawadzki Atun
Published: August 2016

In the absence of eyewitness reports or clear sedimentary structures, it can be difficult to interpret tsunami deposits or reconstruct tsunami inundation patterns. The emplacement dynamics of two historical tsunami deposits were investigated at seven transects in Okains Bay, New Zealand, using a combined geospatial, geomagnetic and sedimentological approach. The tsunami deposits are present as layers of sand and silt intercalated between soils and become finer and thinner with distance inland. The deposits are attributed to the 1960 and possibly the 1868 tsunamis, based on radiometric dating and correlation with historical records. Measurements of Magnetic Fabric (MF: Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility) and particle size were used to reconstruct the evolution of flow dynamics laterally and vertically. A combination of statistical methods, including spatial autocorrelation testing, Spearman's rank order correlation, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and K‐means cluster analysis, was applied to examine relationships between MF parameters and sediment texture, and infer depositional hydrodynamics. Flow patterns deduced from MF show the estuary channel acted as a conduit for inundation, with flow commonly aligned sub‐perpendicular to the estuary bed. MF and sediment data suggest deposition occurred from settling during laminar flow. Evidence of both uprush and backwash deposition, as well as wave reflection from infrastructure, was found. Statistical analysis of data showed significant relationships between grain size parameters and MF parameters associated with flow speed and magnetic fabric type. PCA and cluster analysis differentiated samples into two primary hydrodynamic groups: (1) samples deposited from laminar flow; and (2) samples deposited close to the limit of inundation, which includes samples deposited further inland, those affected by flow convergence, and those in the upper part of tsunami deposits. This approach has potential as a tool for reconstructing hydrodynamic conditions for palaeotsunamis and by combining spatial and statistical analyses, large‐scale investigations can be more easily performed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Survival outcomes in elderly patients with untreated upper aerodigestive tract cancer
Authors: Hughley Brian B. , Sperry Steven M. , Thomsen Timothy A. , Charlton Mary E. , Pagedar Nitin A.
Published: August 2016

Background

This study is an evaluation of survival in patients with upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer who did not receive guideline‐directed therapy.

Methods

The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was examined to identify patients with invasive cancer of the UADT. Patients were classified as “untreated” if they received neither surgery nor radiotherapy. Kaplan–Meier observed survival estimates were computed and stage‐specific actuarial estimates of relative survival were computed.

Results

Of 3589 untreated patients, 13.7% were black, compared to 9.5% white, and 9.2% all other races (p <.0001). Patients with stage IV disease were more likely to be untreated than those with stage I disease (11.9% vs 3.8%; p <.0001). Median survival was 39 months for treated patients and 4 months for untreated patients.

Conclusion

The median survival for untreated patients was 4 months. Stage, race, and primary site were independently associated with untreated status. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 215–218, 2017
Advanced colonic neoplasia in the first degree relatives of colon cancer patients: A colonoscopy‐based study
Authors: Salimzadeh Hamideh , Bishehsari Faraz , Amani Mohammad , Ansari Reza , Sotoudeh Masoud , Delavari Alireza , Malekzadeh Reza
Published: August 2016

We aimed to determine the risk of advanced neoplasms among a cohort of asymptomatic first degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) compared with matched controls. Data for patients with a diagnosis of CRC made between September 2013 and August 2014 were obtained from a population‐based cancer registry system in Tehran. Screening colonoscopies were done for 342 FDRs and the findings were compared to those from 342 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls without a family history of CRC. We reported the association as conditional Odds Ratio (OR) using Mantel Hazel and Logistic regression. The prevalence of advanced neoplasia was 13.2% among FDRs and 3.8% in controls (matched OR [mOR], 4.0, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1 – 7.6; p < 0.001). In FDRs aged 40–49 years, the prevalence of advanced neoplasia was significantly higher than in their matched controls (mOR, 6.8, 95% CI, 1.5–31.4; p = 0.01). Family history of CRC in at least one FDR was the strongest predictor of advanced neoplasia (adjusted OR, 4.0, 95% CI: 2.1–7.6; p < 0.001). The age of the index case at diagnosis did not predict the presence of advanced colonic neoplasms in their FDRs. Our study indicates a high risk of advanced neoplasia in FDRs of CRC cases, where only eight colonoscopies are needed to detect one advanced neoplasia. Our data suggest that all FDRs, regardless of the age of CRC diagnosis in their index case, should be considered for a targeted early screening.
Robotic liver donor right hepatectomy: A pure, minimally invasive approach
Authors: Chen Po‐Da , Wu Chao‐Ying , Hu Rey‐Heng , Ho Cheng‐Maw , Lee Po‐Huang , Lai Hong‐Shiee , Lin Ming‐Tsan , Wu Yao‐Ming
Published: August 2016

Right hepatectomy for a living liver donor via a pure minimally invasive approach is a challenging procedure and only a few cases have been reported. Between May 2013 and August 2015, 13 patients underwent robotic living donor right hepatectomy in our institute, and 54 patients received open surgery. In this series, no conversion was conducted for robotic donor right hepatectomy. The 2 groups shared similar blood loss (169 versus 146 mL), complication rates (7.7% versus 9.3%), and recovery of donor liver function (peak alanine aminotransferase, 269 versus 252 IU/mL). The robotic group needed longer operation time (596 versus 383 minutes) but less postoperative patient‐controlled analgesia (0.58 versus 0.84 ng/kg) and a shorter period before returning to work/school (52.9 versus 100.0 days) and sex (100.0 versus 156.0 days). For recipient outcomes regarding the donor procedure, the robotic group shared similar experiences in early allograft dysfunction, complications, and 1‐year recipient liver function with the open group. With respect to documented benefits of minimally invasive left‐sided liver donor procedure, the development of right donor hepatectomy is slow. In conclusion, with substantial improvements in patient recovery after the minimally invasive approach, the robotic platform would be a big step toward completing pure minimally invasive liver donor surgery. Liver Transplantation 22 1509–1518 2016 AASLD.
The Effects of Negatively Valenced Emotional Expressions in Online Reviews on the Reviewer, the Review, and the Product
Authors: Folse Judith Anne Garretson , Porter III McDowell , Godbole Mousumi Bose , Reynolds Kristy E.
Published: August 2016

The authors examine the effects of negatively valenced emotional expressions (NVEE; e.g., intense language, all caps, exclamation points, emoticons) in online reviews and reveal important boundary conditions for their effects. Specifically, Study 1 showed that NVEE directly promote review helpfulness and damage attitude toward the product when used by experts. In contrast, for novices, their use of NVEE was considered a poor reflection on them and failed to directly affect attitude toward the product. Further, attributions of reviewer rationality and trustworthiness were positively associated with review helpfulness and attitude toward the product. Interestingly, language complexity is a trigger to reverse the effects, as found in Study 2. For novices (experts), the adverse effect on trustworthiness is eliminated (introduced) but the adverse effect on attitude toward the product is introduced (eliminated) when they include more complex language accompanied by NVEE in their online reviews. Both studies uncover when source discounting is active for experts and novices, making them equally influential in some cases. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided.
Materialism, Status Consumption, and Market Involved Consumers
Authors: Flynn Leisa Reinecke , Goldsmith Ronald E. , Pollitte Wesley
Published: August 2016

Materialism has by all accounts an important impact on many aspects of consumer behavior. The psychological mechanisms through which materialism influences behavior, however, are not well studied. This paper describes a study of the influence of materialism on shopping intensity and amount of spending that takes into account the mediating influences of three important consumer characteristics: status consumption, brand engagement in self‐concept, and market mavenism. The researchers fit a model of these relationships based on the Meta‐theoretic Model of Motivation (3M) model to data from a sample of 351 adult U.S. consumers. The model fit the data well, and the results showed that indeed, status consumption, brand engagement, and market mavenism mediate at least partially the influence of materialism on shopping and spending.
Cost‐effectiveness of neurostimulation in Parkinson's disease with early motor complications
Authors: Dams Judith , Balzer‐Geldsetzer Monika , Siebert Uwe , Deuschl Günther , Schuepbach W.M. Michael , Krack Paul , Timmermann Lars , Schnitzler Alfons , Reese Jens‐Peter , Dodel Richard ,   for the EARLYSTIM‐investigators
Published: August 2016

Background

Recent research efforts have focused on the effects of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN DBS) for selected patients with mild‐to‐moderate PD experiencing motor complications.

Objectives

We assessed the cost utility of subthalamic DBS compared with the best medical treatment for German patients below the age of 61 with early motor complications of PD.

Methods

We applied a previously published Markov model that integrated health utilities based on EuroQoL and direct costs over patients’ lifetime adjusted to the German health care payer perspective (year of costing: 2013). Effectiveness was evaluated using the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39 summary index. We performed sensitivity analyses to assess uncertainty.

Results

In the base‐case analysis, the incremental cost‐utility ratio for STN DBS compared to best medical treatment was 22,700 Euros per quality‐adjusted life year gained. The time to, and costs for, battery exchange had a major effect on the incremental cost‐utility ratios, but never exceeded a threshold of 50,000 Euros per quality‐adjusted life year.

Conclusions

Our decision analysis supports the fact that STN DBS at earlier stages of the disease is cost‐effective in patients below the age of 61 when compared with the best medical treatment in the German health care system. This finding was supported by detailed sensitivity analyses reporting robust results. Whereas the EARLYSTIM study has shown STN DBS to be superior to medical therapy with respect to quality of life for patients with early motor complications, this further analysis has shown its cost‐effectiveness. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Lot‐sizing policies for deterioration items under two‐level trade credit with partial trade credit to credit‐risk retailer and limited storage capacity
Authors: Liao Jui‐Jung , Huang Kuo‐Nan , Chung Kun‐Jen , Ting Pin‐Shou , Lin Shy‐Der , Srivastava H. M.
Published: August 2016

The main purpose of this article is to investigate the optimal wholesaler's replenishment decisions for deterioration items under two levels of the trade credit policy and two storage facilities in order to reflect the supply chain management situation within the economic order quantity framework. In this study, each of the following assumptions have been made: (1) The own warehouse with limited capacity always is not sufficient to store the order quantity, so that a rented warehouse is needed to store the excess units over the capacity of the own warehouse; (2) The wholesaler always obtains the partial trade credit, which is independent of the order quantity offered by the supplier, but the wholesaler offers the full trade credit to the retailer; (3) The wholesaler must take a loan to pay his or her supplier the partial payment immediately when the order is received and then pay off the loan with the entire revenue. Under these three conditions, the wholesaler can obtain the least costs. Furthermore, this study models the wholesaler's optimal replenishment decisions under the aforementioned conditions in the supply chain management. Two theorems are developed to efficiently determine the optimal replenishment decisions for the wholesaler. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the theorems that are proven in this study, and the sensitivity analysis with respect to the major parameters in this study is performed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Stimulate Cartilage Regeneration and Are Safe for Single-Stage Cartilage Repair in Humans upon Mixture with Recycled Autologous Chondrons
Authors: de Windt Tommy S. , Vonk Lucienne A. , Slaper-Cortenbach Ineke C. M. , van den Broek Marcel P. H. , Nizak Razmara , van Rijen Mattie H. P. , de Weger Roel A. , Dhert Wouter J. A. , Saris Daniel B. F.
Published: August 2016

Traditionally, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from adult bone marrow were described as being capable of differentiating to various lineages including cartilage. Despite increasing interest in these MSCs, concerns regarding their safety, in vivo behavior and clinical effectiveness have restrained their clinical application. We hypothesized that MSCs have trophic effects that stimulate recycled chondrons (chondrocytes with their native pericellular matrix) to regenerate cartilage. Searching for a proof of principle, this phase I (first-in-man) clinical trial applied allogeneic MSCs mixed with either 10% or 20% recycled autologous cartilage-derived cells (chondrons) for treatment of cartilage defects in the knee in symptomatic cartilage defect patients. This unique first in man series demonstrated no treatment-related adverse events up to one year postoperatively. At 12 months, all patients showed statistically significant improvement in clinical outcome compared to baseline. Magnetic resonance imaging and second-look arthroscopies showed completely filled defects with regenerative cartilage tissue. Histological analysis on biopsies of the grafts indicated hyaline-like regeneration with a high concentration of proteoglycans and type II collagen. Short tandem repeat analysis showed the regenerative tissue only contained patient-own DNA. These findings support the novel insight that the use of allogeneic MSCs is safe and opens opportunities for other applications. Stem cell-induced paracrine mechanisms may play an important role in the chondrogenesis and successful tissue regeneration found.
Comparison of different rheological parameters for rutting susceptibility of SBS + WMA modified binders
Authors: Singh Dharamveer , Kataware Aniket V.
Published: August 2016

It is important to understand rutting susceptibility of asphalt binders at laboratory scale to ensure a long lasting pavement. Researchers have reported applicability of four rheological parameters: (1) Superpave parameter—G*/sinδ (2) Shenoy’s parameter—G*/(1−(1/tanδsinδ)), (3) non-recoverable creep compliance—J
nr, measured from multiple stress creep recovery test and (4) zero shear viscosity (ZSV) to evaluate rutting resistance of binders. However, comparison of these rutting parameters for warm mix additives (WMA) modified asphalt binders have not been reported in open literature. Thus, this study was undertaken to evaluate rutting performance of a SBS co-polymer modified binder (PMB40) containing three WMA additives using four rheological parameters listed above. Three different WMA additives: wax based (Sasobit®), water based (Advera®) and surfactant based (Rediset®) were selected in this study. Based on three parameters (Superpave, Shenoy and J
nr), it was found that addition of Sasobit® and Advera® help to improve rut resistance of PMB40 binder while Rediset® decreases rut resistance of the binder. The ZSV showed rut resistance improvement for all the additives, which is contrary to the results obtained from other three parameters. Both the Superpave and Shenoy parameters showed a similar trend in rutting resistance of the binder. The optimum dosage of Advera® and Sasobit® was determined based on the Superpave, Shenoy and J
nr parameters. Since, the addition of Rediset® resulted in decrease in rutting behavior, optimum dosage of Rediset® could not be ascertained. A good correlation was found between the Superpave rutting parameter (G*/sinδ) and other three parameters (G*/(1 − (1/tanδsinδ)), ZSV, and J
nr). The outcome of this study showed that, J
nr may be considered as a reliable rut parameter due to realistic test conditions associated with it. The Superpave parameter is more conservative compared to Shenoy parameter, and thus it may still be considered as an important rutting parameter in the absence of J
nr. The ZSV needs further validation to comment on its applicability.
Developmental changes in the hypothalamic mRNA expression levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and serum leptin levels: Their responses to fasting in male and female rats
Authors: Iwasa Takeshi , Matsuzaki Toshiya , Yano Kiyohito , Munkhzaya Munkhsaikhan , Tungalagsuvd Altankhuu , Yiliyasi Maira , Kuwahara Akira , Irahara Minoru
Published: August 2016

The actions and responses of hypothalamic appetite regulatory factors change markedly during the neonatal to pre‐pubertal period in order to maintain appropriate metabolic and nutritional conditions. In this study, we examined the developmental changes in the hypothalamic mRNA levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a potent anorectic factor and the changes in the sensitivity of the hypothalamic expression of this factor to fasting during the neonatal to pre‐pubertal period. Under fed conditions, hypothalamic BDNF mRNA expression decreased during development in both male and female rats. Similarly, the serum levels of leptin, which is a positive regulator of hypothalamic BDNF expression, also tended to fall during the developmental period. The serum leptin level and the hypothalamic BDNF mRNA level were found to be positively correlated in both sexes under the fed conditions. Hypothalamic BDNF mRNA expression was decreased by 24 h fasting (separating the rats from their mothers) in the early neonatal period (postnatal day 10) in both males and females, but no such changes were seen at postnatal day 20. Twenty‐four hours’ fasting (food deprivation) did not affect hypothalamic BDNF mRNA expression in the pre‐pubertal period (postnatal day 30). On the other hand, the rats’ serum leptin levels were decreased by 24 h fasting (separating the rats from their mothers at postnatal day 10 and 20, and food deprivation at postnatal day 30) throughout the early neonatal to pre‐pubertal period. The correlation between serum leptin and hypothalamic BDNF mRNA levels was not significant under the fasted conditions. It can be speculated that leptin partially regulates hypothalamic BDNF mRNA levels, but only in fed conditions. Such changes in hypothalamic BDNF expression might play a role in maintaining appropriate metabolic and nutritional conditions and promoting normal physical development. In addition, because maternal separation induces a negative energy balance and short‐ and long‐term stress responses, it is also possible that reductions in hypothalamic BDNF mRNA levels in the early neonatal period (postnatal day 10) may be partially induced by stress responses of the maternal deprivation.
Entrainment at multi-scales across the turbulent/non-turbulent interface in an axisymmetric jet
Authors: Mistry Dhiren , Philip Jimmy , Dawson James R. , Marusic Ivan
Published: August 2016

We consider the scaling of the mass flux and entrainment velocity across the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI) in the far field of an axisymmetric jet at high Reynolds number. Time-resolved, simultaneous multi-scale particle image velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) are used to identify and track the TNTI, and directly measure the local entrainment velocity along it. Application of box-counting and spatial-filtering methods, with filter sizes $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$ spanning over two decades in length, show that the mean length of the TNTI exhibits a power-law behaviour with a fractal dimension $D\approx 0.31{-}0.33$. More importantly, we invoke a multi-scale methodology to confirm that the mean mass flux, which is equal to the product of the entrainment velocity and the surface area, remains constant across the range of filter sizes. The results, within experimental uncertainty, also show that the entrainment velocity along the TNTI exhibits a power-law behaviour with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$, such that the entrainment velocity increases with increasing $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$. In fact, the mean entrainment velocity scales at a rate that balances the scaling of the TNTI length such that the mass flux remains independent of the coarse-grain filter size, as first suggested by Meneveau & Sreenivasan (Phys. Rev. A, vol. 41, no. 4, 1990, pp. 2246–2248). Hence, at the smallest scales the entrainment velocity is small but is balanced by the presence of a very large surface area, whilst at the largest scales the entrainment velocity is large but is balanced by a smaller (smoother) surface area.
Effect of firm’s diverse experiences on its alliance portfolio diversity: Evidence from India
Authors: Shukla Dhirendra Mani , Mital Amita
Published: August 2016

This study examines the effect of diverse experiences on a firm’s alliance portfolio diversity (APD). Drawing on the organizational learning perspective, it argues that a firm’s learning from diverse experiences enables it to reap the benefits and mitigate the risks of high level of APD. Thus, an experienced firm may choose to form or maintain relationships with diverse partners to get the intended benefits of APD. In particular, the study hypothesizes that a focal firm’s product and international diversification experience, alliance experience, and alliance experience heterogeneity are positively associated with its APD. A longitudinal investigation of 90 Indian firms, for the period 2004–2014, provides support for all the hypothesized relationships. In general, findings, which are robust to multiple estimation methods, suggest that a firm’s diverse experiences influence its APD. Findings of this study contribute to the alliance portfolio and organizational learning literature by examining the experiential antecedents of APD.
Prehistoric Timber Circles
Authors: Cunnington M. E.
Published: August 2016

The photographs here reproduced, were taken from the air on 30 June 1926, by Squadron-Leader Insall, V.C., M.C., who was then stationed at Netheravon. The large circular earthwork which appears with a series of concentric dots within its area had always been regarded as a “ring” or “disc” barrow much wasted and defaced as a result of many years cultivation. The ring barrow is a type of pre-historic burial place which occurs comparatively frequently on the Downs of Wiltshire and adjacent counties but is rare elsewhere. It consists of a circular earthen bank with a corresponding ditch, usually on the inner side. The actual burials, apparently invariably after cremation, are usually found in one or more mounds near the centre of the circular area thus enclosed. The banks and ditches are continuous and form unbroken rings; they vary in size from a few yards in diameter up to nearly 200 ft. The smaller dark rings shown on the lower part of the photographs near the Amesbury road probably represent the filled-in ditches of barrows that have been destroyed by cultivation.
Christian Vikings
Authors: Collingwood W. G.
Published: August 2016

Most writers, ancient and modern, represent all Vikings as enemies of Christianity. It seems to be still believed that wherever they went, and at all periods, they sacked churches, massacred monks and nuns, and played havoc with civilization. That was certainly the view of politicians and chroniclers from Alfred to William the Conqueror. Even recent historians repeat the charge, sometimes with quite unnecessary emphasis.

In this article it is not proposed to whitewash the race in all respects—that would be impossible—but to bring forward certain scraps of evidence, not generally recollected, to set off against the too universal chorus of reprobation. In a word, there were such people as Christian Vikings; that is to say the immigrant Danes and Norse of that turbulent age, though always pirates on occasion, softened their manners as time went on, long before their general conversion to organized Christianity. Strange to say, some of the churches that are still with us owe their foundation to the Viking settlement in Britain.
Prehistoric Galilee
Authors: Petre F. Turville
Published: August 2016

The district with which we are concerned constitutes the northern section of Galilee between the Nahr-el-Kasmiyeh and the Merj Ayun to the north, and the plains of Haifa and Asochis (Sahel-el-Buttauf) and the Wadi Hammam to the south; to the east and west its boundaries are respectively the Jordan and the Mediterranean. The greater part of the region is occupied by a central limestone massif, the Galilean highlands, which rise in a series of terraces from the Jordan valley to a height of nearly 4000 feet above sea level, and then descend steeply to the Mediterranean coastal plain. Much of this country, especially on the western side of the watershed, is barren and uncultivable, but the high central plateau in the north from Yarun to Tibnin and the lower plateaux of Kades and Safsaf include some of the most productive corn-growing districts west of the Jordan. The beds of the larger valleys also, which even in summer are not entirely waterless, provide fertile garden land and are mostly highly cultivated. The more rocky parts of the region provide scant pasturage for flocks of goats, and in most places the olive is cultivated to a limited extent.
The Theory of Historical Cycles. II. Cycles And Progress
Authors: Collingwood R. G.
Published: August 2016

When Huckleberry Finn's religious education was taken in hand by the Widow and Miss Watson, his impressionable mind was at first strongly affected—in his own words, he was all in a sweat—on hearing the story of Moses. Later, his interest in Moses cooled off, because Miss Watson let out that Moses had been dead a considerable time, and Huckleberry Finn, as he explains, took no stock in dead men.

It was a very naïve reaction to history; but naïve reactions often reveal truths which are blurred by a more sophisticated attitude, and must somehow be recaptured before we can see things as they are. Huckleberry Finn may here stand as the babe or suckling out of whose mouth the historian is to learn wisdom.
Prehistoric Cart-tracks in Malta
Authors: Zammit T.
Published: August 2016

One of the problems that students of Maltese archaeology have to face is the meaning of the numerous cart-tracks furrowing most of the barren rock-surfaces. These tracks are scarce on Gozo and non-existent on the islands of Comino and Filfola.

They consist of pairs of parallel grooves running for long distances on the hard coralline limestone patches, now straight and now curved as if avoiding an obstacle or having to change their direction. The grooves are mostly v-shaped, usually from 10 to 20 inches wide (25–50 cms) on the surface, and about 4 inches (10 cms) at the bottom. Between the two grooves, measured at the middle part, the distance is nearly always 4 feet 6 inches (1.37m). Naturally the depth of the grooves varies with the lie of the ground; if there is a strong tilt sideways, one of the grooves is shallow whilst the other is very deep.
Durrington Walls
Authors: Crawford O. G. S.
Published: August 2016

Probably not one in ten thousand of those who pass through the middle of Durrington Walls is aware of its existence. Though plainly visible when once pointed out, the earthen ramparts have been so greatly altered by ploughing as to be hardly recognizable, and the reconstruction of their orginal form is a very pretty exercise in field-archaeology

The walls consists of a round enclosure, cut into two unequal parts by the road from Amesbury to Netheravon (Wilts), about a mile and a half north of Amesbury, on the west bank of the Avon. Woodhenge is only eighty yards to the south, close to and on the west side of the same road. The earthwork differs fundamentally from the ordinary defensive ‘camp’, for it encloses, not a hill-top but a coombe or hollow, and it has its ditch inside, not outside, the rampart. In this latter respect it resembles the circles at Avebury and Marden in Wilts, Knowlton in Dorset, Thornborough in Yorkshire, and Arbour Low in Derbyshire; though there are points of difference. In size, Durrington Walls compares closely with Avebury, whose great earthen circle is slightly smaller in diameter; rom east to west the internal area of the Walls is 1300feet across, and from north to south about 1160 feet. (The average diameter at Avebury is 1130 feet). Both too are within easy reach of a stream, the Avon being IOO yards from the eastern entrance of the Walls, and the Kennet 330 yards from the nearest point of the great circle at Avebury. The enclosure at Marden actually touches the banks of the Avon at a point higher up in its course.
The Roman Siege of Masada
Authors: Hawkes Christopher
Published: August 2016

The arid plateau of the Judaean wilderness drops on the east to the trough of the Dead Sea in a long range of sheer cliffs, which are pierced about 32 miles south of the mouth of the Jordan by the ravine of the Wad-el-Hâfâf. On its northern flank a huge mass of their red limestone has split away to form an isolated flat-topped crag standing 1700 feet above the Dead Sea about a mile and a half from its western shore.
The Holy Mountain
Authors: Dunbar J. H.
Published: August 2016

It seems amazing that an African negro should ever have been able with any sort of justification to style himself – Emperor of the World ', and perhaps even more so that he should have been an enlightened prince ruling a people who were in many ways quite as civilized as we are today. For though it might be easy to imagine a native military genius, it is difficult to picture him as a patron of the finer arts.

From the very earliest recorded times what is now the northern Sudan-in those days described variously as Nubia, Ethiopia, or Kushwas in close relation with Egypt; and between the two countries there was a continuous exchange, not only of produce and material, but also of ideas and customs.
The Lion and the Unicorn
Authors: Bunt Cyril G.E.
Published: August 2016

An interesting discovery, made during the season's excavations three years since on the historic site of Ur, has moved the writer to carry to a conclusion some researches originally started several years ago. Many able pens have been exercised in dealing with the wider archaeological and historic significance of the discoveries as a whole, but the individual objects have as yet scarcely attracted the notice that they, for the most part, deserve.
The Discovery of Primitive Man in China
Authors: Smith G. Elliot
Published: August 2016

At the time when Darwin published his Descent of Man comparatively little was known of the fossil remains either of men or apes, so that the discussion of the evidence of palaeontology played an altogether insignificant part in his argument. Apart from the discoveries that had been made in the Neanderthal cave and at Gibraltar, nothing was known of fossil man, and what little was known was puzzling rather than helpful. Little more had then been recovered of the fossil remains of apes than a few fragments of Pliopithecus and Dryopithecus.
Sleds, Carts and Waggons
Authors: Fox Cyril
Published: August 2016

While engaged in field work near Llanbister in Radnorshire, the writer saw by the roadside, near a country wheelwright’s shop, a remarkable vehicle the like of which he had never imagined. On being questioned, the wheelwright said that it was a ‘wheel-car ’ and was of a standard type used throughout the Radnor forest area (and indeed, as was afterwards learned, throughout the central moorland of Wales). It had been made entirely by himself and his smith. He drew attention to a second example, half completed, in the shop. This was purchased for the Welsh Folk Collection of the National Museum of Wales.
The Ancient Italian Town-House
Authors: Carrington R. C.
Published: August 2016

Until a decade or two ago, our knowledge of town-houses in ancient Italy had been obtained almost entirely by digging at Pompeii, and the dwellings uncovered in that town were regarded without question as typical of ancient Roman houses in general. The houses which thus came to be accepted as the pattern, and are still represented as such in English text-books, consisted down to the 2nd century B.C. of rooms arranged round a central atrium, and later, when Hellenistic influences had become paramount in Italy, of a combination of atrium and peristyle, the latter being added in imitation of the άυλή of a Greek house. Of late years, however, the view that these houses were typical of all Italian towns in antiquity has been challenged. The systematic excavation which is going on at Ostia, the ancient port of Rome, has revealed houses very different from those of Pompeii, comprising, not an atrium and peristyle, but many-storeyed blocks of flats, built around a central cortile, in the manner of the casamenti of modern Rome. As a result of these discoveries the pendulum tended to swing to the other extreme and the view gained ground that, if we wish to find a house representative of large cities in antiquity, it is to Ostia rather than to Pompeii that we must look. Confirmation of this view was seen in the discovery of a house of the Ostian type, dating from the 2nd century A.D., on the slope of the Capitol in Rome.
Iona
Authors: Crawford O. G. S.
Published: August 2016

Iona is a small island off the west coast of Scotland. It is famous throughout the world as the adopted home of Columba, the virtual founder of the Church of Scotland. It was in this island that he founded his monastery in 563 ; and it was from here that Aidan, the founder of Lindisfarne, came in 635 to christianize Northumbria. Thousands of tourists visit Iona every year, and are duly conducted round the ruins during the short hour or two allowed by the steamer’s call ; yet how many realize that, of the remains they see, not even the oldest came into existence until about 500 years after the death of Columba?
Pyramids and their Purpose
Authors: Wheeler Noel F.
Published: August 2016

The main object of these articles is to examine the evidence on the subject of Pyramids in general and the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) in particular; and to see if a reasonable conclusion can be reached as to the purpose for which the Great Pyramid was erected.
The Evolution of the Domestic Horse
Authors: Hilzheimer Max
Published: August 2016

The term ‘horse’, usually taken by the lay
mind to apply only to the domesticated animal, has
a much wider connotation for the zoologist, who
extends it also to include the zebra, the grey
African ass, and the Asiatic dziggetai which
varies in colour from yellow to reddish brown. The
latter derives its name
(hemionus) from its
appearance, which is something between that of the
ass proper and of the horse proper, although
actually it is not closely related to either
group, and in fact is better regarded as quite
independent.
The Mother-Goddess of Gandhara
Authors: Gordon D. H.
Published: August 2016

It is forty years since Alfred Foucher carried out his archaeological mission in Gandhara and, while it cannot with justice be said that the area has been archaeologically neglected ever since, there are points connected with material culture, art and religion that cry out for attention. When Foucher conducted his investigations he based these on the itinerary of Hiuan-tsang and he was searching for Buddhist relics. Unfortunately he saw stupas and monasteries in every mound, and in fact stated that ‘chaitya’ (sanctuary) and ‘dheri’ (mound) were synonymous, this largely because Hiuan-tsang had said that there were about a thousand monasteries between Peshawar and the Indus.
Dwelling-houses in Jutland in the Iron Age
Authors: Hatt Gudmund
Published: August 2016

For natural reasons it is somewhat difficult to find remnants of prehistoric dwellings in Denmark. Our early forefathers utilized perishable materials in their house building, such as wood and straw. They made use also of clay and sod and, to a small extent, of natural stones. However, Denmark is one of the most intensely cultivated lands of Europe. The plough has been almost everywhere; and when the ploughshare has gone through the remnants of a hut of sod and clay the site is generally spoilt for the archaeologist. As a rule, we cannot expect to find any house-site intact unless it has been covered with a layer of soil, sufficient for protection against the plough.

While our knowledge of the prehistoric dwellings is, on the whole, very incomplete, we know something about the dwellings of the Iron Age for the cultural deposits are comparatively thick. It was probably not until the Early Iron Age—i.e. the La Tène and Roman periods—that agriculture reached such a stage of development that successive generations might dwell on the same site. Our best finds are from the northern part of Jutland. In Thy and Himmerland there are a number of deposits of Roman and the pre-Roman Iron Age with a depth of 1–2 m., containing several dwelling-sites above each other. Evidently, there existed in northern Jutland small village-sites, in the Roman period and probably somewhat earlier, of permanent habitation and occupied for several generations.
The Early History of Writing
Authors: Hooke S. H.
Published: August 2016

On the 29th of June, 1910, at the consecration of Westminster Cathedral, a curious piece of ritual was performed called ‘The Ceremony of the Alphabet’, almost identical with a ceremony which had been witnessed by the London of a by-gone day at the dedication of Westminster Abbey in 1065. The Times of 29 June 1910 described the ceremony as follows:

‘On the floor of the spacious nave, from the main entrance to the sanctuary, were painted in white two broad paths, which connected the corners diagonally opposite, and intersecting at the centre of the nave formed a huge figure x, or St. Andrew’s Cross. Where the lines converged was placed a faldstool ; and here the Archbishop, still in cope and mitre, knelt in prayer, while the choir continued to sing the ancient plainsong of the “ Sarum Antiphoner ” … Meanwhile attendants were engaged in strewing the nave with ashes. This meant the laying of small heaps of the ashes, about two yards apart, along the lines of the St. Andrew’s Cross. Beside each heap of ashes was placed a piece of cardboard containing a letter of the alphabet–the Greek on one line and the Latin on the other. The Archbishop then went towards the main entrance, attended by the deacon and sub-deacon, and preceded by the Crucifix carried between lighted candles. Starting first from the left-hand corner Dr Bourne advanced along one path of the St. Andrew’s Cross, tracing with the end of his pastoral staff the letters of the Greek alphabet on the heaps of ashes ; and returning again to the main entrance repeated the process on the other path, tracing this time on the heaps of ashes the letters of the Latin alphabet. This curious ceremony is variously interpreted as symbolizing the union of the Western and Eastern Churches, or the teaching of the rudiments of Christianity, and as a survival of the Roman augurs in laying their plans for the construction of a temple, or as the procedure of Roman surveyors in valuing land for fiscal purposes’.
The Battlefield of Brunanburh
Authors: Angus W. S.
Published: August 2016

Brunanburh was fought in the late summer of 937 between king Athelstan and all the might of England on one side, and the viking Olaf Guthfrithson, king of Dublin and claimant to the throne of York, and his ally Constantine II, king of Scots, upon the other. The thousandth anniversary of this British battle of the nations is an occasion for reviewing critically the evidence upon the disputed question of its site. The well-known poem in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, being impressionist rather than narrative, provides only two or three slight clues; the Latin poem preserved by William of Malmesbury,l of early but uncertain date, helps us only a little further; and the Northumbrian annals used by Symeon of Durham seem to have supplied him with an alternative name for the battlefield but no other indication of its locality. Judgment must therefore be based largely upon the names by which the battle was known and upon traditions preserved by writers who had no claim to be contemporary; and the reliability of such evidence must be tested.
Some Stone Monuments
Authors: Phillips C. W.
Published: August 2016

Among the many ancient stone monuments in the British Isles there are few which are so little known as the small related group found standing chiefly on high moorland overlooking the Cheshire Plain on the southeast side of Manchester.

Four survive in various stages of decay, and they take the form of large roughly rectangular or oval blocks of stone with two adjacent circular or rectangular sockets on their upper faces, which sockets either still contain or have contained upright stone pillars.
The Hercules Myth—beginnings and ends
Authors: Piggott Stuart
Published: August 2016

The simple, good-hearted strong man is a character perennially popular, and at times has become almost a national ideal. We sophisticates of today do not so obviously deify our expression of the desirable qualities as did our forefathers; but we can at least appreciate the mixture of endearment and reverence with which the heroic demigod who appears as the Herakles or Hercules of classical myth was regarded. The combination of the rather likable human failings of an enormous appetite and a naif boastfulness with the godlike gifts of superhuman strength and fortitude in adversity produced an eminently credible deity, someone to whom alike the timorous maiden might pray for protection, the bluff soldier for understanding support in a punitive raid—in fact a combined apotheosis of Tarzan and of Bulldog Drummond. Such is the Hercules we see in the classical pantheon, Hercules at the height of his glory. But, as Mr De la Mare has said, it is the edges of things that are the most interesting. What of the edges of the Hercules myth? Where and when did it first crystallize out from the cloudy mixture of primitive man’s thoughts, and what forms did it take after Christianity had driven away the old gods to a holeand-comer existence in folklore and old wives’ tales ?
Long-Houses and Dragon-Boats
Authors: Bishop Carl Whiting
Published: August 2016

Students no longer seriously regard the Chinese civilization as unitary in origin–as derived, in other words, from any single source. It appears rather to have developed out of the interaction, over a long period, of several antecedent cultures. Certain of its elements, past or present, are northern, even circumpolar, in distribution Others appeared first in the distant West, and only reached China (overland, not by sea) considerably later. Others still originated in southeastern Asia itself. Among traits of the last-named class are the two forming the subject of the present paper.