bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Socio-Economic Development and Competitiveness
Authors: Ciszewska-Mlinarič Mariola , Mlinarič Franjo , Wąsowska Aleksandra , Wąsowski Krzysztof
Published: June 2014

The objective of this chapter is to present Poland's key strategic strengths and weaknesses, providing insights into the actual state of the country's competitiveness in a comparative strategic context. The chapter findings are based on the most recent and reliable data, including international and reputable domestic sources. The authors present a general country profile, discussing the position of Poland in key business rankings. Then an overview of the socio-economic development of Poland, including the macroeconomic situation, international stability and safety, global competitiveness, infrastructure, and demographic trends is provided. The authors also discuss key economic sectors and trends in foreign trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The discussion on Polish competitiveness is summarized in a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. Finally, the authors present best corporate and institutional practices and lessons in competitiveness, and provide a list of sources of information on doing business in Poland.
Russia
Authors: Zhuplev Anatoly
Published: June 2014

After the dissolution of the U.S.S.R., Russia is repositioning itself as a major political-economic actor in the Eurasian geo-region. These aspirations are commensurable with Russian history, geography, and rich mineral resource base, specifically energy. To a large extent, Russia's resurgence has been propelled by extraordinary reliance on oil and gas buttressed by high global energy prices. Russia's political-economic ambitions, posturing, and recent improvements are found in stark contrast with its mediocre ratings in social and environmental performance. The study explores strategic attractiveness, cost, and risk of doing business, and reveals that Russia trails Germany and U.S.A., key aspirational comparators, in critical global competitiveness rankings. It also lags behind China, a major comparator. Under high energy prices, Russia appears capable of maintaining a certain degree of global competitiveness and improvements, although tempered by growing politic-economic strategic ambitions. The study calls for reforms and strategic improvements in developing human capital and innovations toward sustainable global competitiveness.
Socio-Economic Development and Competitiveness of the North-West Federal District of Russia
Authors: Shelest Ksenia D.
Published: June 2014

This chapter presents a comparative, competitive geo-regional cross-country analysis of the North-West Federal District of Russia (NWFD) with implications for socio-economic development and perspectives for international economic relations in the Baltic sea region. Based on the analysis of the key trends of socio-economic development of the region and its perspective evaluation, the main strategies for the regional economic co-operation with EU and perspectives for competitiveness of the NWFD in the international context is analysed. Special attention is directed to the significant infrastructure development of the territory. The conditions for strategic socio-economic projects realization are further elaborated in the light of the official strategy of the socio-economic development for the NWFD for the period to 2020.
Relationship between Social Media and Political Parties
Authors: Demirhan Kamil
Published: June 2014

This chapter analyzes the capacity of social media usage and the social media strategies of political parties that became the members of Turkish Parliament after 2011 election. The social media usage increases in parallel to the improvements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and it becomes an important tool with its communicative functions to realize activities in social, political, and economic fields. In the globalization process, developments in ICTs and changes in the meaning of democracy have been realized parallel to each other. Politics has become more open to interaction and the participation of different actors. ICTs have created new opportunities to interaction and participation of social actors. These improvements require transformations in the role and functions of political parties. They have to arrange their programs and structures according to participative understanding of democracy and new technologies. Social media usage is seen as a requirement for political parties and party leaders for adaptation to these developments, and it is also seen as a device with its potential for realizing participation, communication, and interaction to adapt to the changes in the understanding of politics.
A Europe Wide Web?
Authors: Vaccari Cristian
Published: June 2014

This chapter investigates the characteristics of parties' Websites during the campaign for the 2009 European Parliament elections. The study focuses on 5 Western and Southern European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and covers a total of 55 Websites, which were analyzed in the last 2 weeks before the vote. The analysis was conducted through a standard coding scheme modelled after Gibson and Ward's (2000) seminal proposal, expanded to account for the developments in e-campaigning that have occurred in the last decade, and integrated with the results of a meta-analysis of 7 coding frames employed by previous researchers. Website features were divided into 2 main categories: those that provide information to users and those that facilitate their participation to the campaign both online and offline. The goals of this study are, first, to offer an updated mapping of the state of the art in Western European online campaigning and, second, to discover which variables affect the characteristics of party Websites. This goal is achieved through regression analyses that correlate indices measuring the amount of information and participation features in parties' Websites with variables that measure system-level as well as party-level characteristics. Results show that system-level variables such as technological development, and aggregate levels of political support have no appreciable effect on party Website characteristics, nor do party-level variables such as resources and incumbency. Instead, ideology has a strong effect on Websites, as parties' membership to the Socialist and Left-Libertarian families is strongly and positively correlated with both information and participation features on their Websites.
Reframing Audience
Authors: Boynton G. R. , Richardson Jr. Glenn W.
Published: June 2014

Analysis of the audiences for the state of the union addresses on Twitter from 2010-2012 provides analytical leverage in unpacking the concept of audience, which has largely inhabited an analytical “black box,” seen as of critical importance but little understood. The authors frame audience as “co-motion” as it evolves from a broadcast medium to a medium of interaction in three moves: hashtags that establish a space for gathering, retweets that share reading, and sharing of urls that serve to communicate importance, evaluative judgment, and justification. They contrast the response of the congressional audience and the Twitter audience and find, while there was substantial overlap in their applause, members of Congress were less responsive than the Twitter audience to the president's calls for them to meet their responsibilities and less responsive to criticisms of major corporations. The authors find a vibrant political discourse on Twitter reaching a potential audience that rivals in size that of television, as audience becomes the public domain.
Type-One Fuzzy Logic for Quantitatively Defining Imprecise Linguistic Terms in Politics and Public Policy
Authors: Solo Ashu M. G. , Gupta Madan M. , Homma Noriyasu , Hou Zeng-Guang
Published: June 2014

During a presidential forum in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, the moderator, Pastor Rick Warren, wanted Senator John McCain and then-Senator Barack Obama to define “rich” with a specific number. Warren wanted to know at what specific income level a person goes from being not rich to rich. The problem with this question is that there is no specific income at which a person makes the leap from being not rich to being rich. This is because “rich” is a fuzzy set, not a crisp set, with different incomes having different degrees of membership in the “rich” fuzzy set. Similarly, “middle class” and “poor” are fuzzy sets. Fuzzy logic is needed to properly ask and answer Warren's question about quantitatively defining “rich.” Similarly, fuzzy logic is needed to properly ask and answer queries about quantitatively defining imprecise linguistic terms in politics and public policy like “middle class,” “poor,” “low inflation,” “medium inflation,” and “high inflation.” Imprecise terms like these in natural languages should be considered to have “qualitative definitions,” “quantitative definitions,” “crisp quantitative definitions,” and “fuzzy quantitative definitions.” This chapter provides much more information on the preceding.
Mapping Research Methodology in Online Political Communication
Authors: De Rosa Rosanna , Reda Valentina , Ederoclite Tommaso
Published: June 2014

The Web and the Internet in general, initially conceived as research tools, have now become a proper research subject. As has been the case for the press, the radio, and the television, Social Sciences have developed a specific interest in the effects of digital media. These themes are tackled in think tanks' reports and media studies such as consultancy and communication agencies, which are interested in defining how to use the Web as a tool for specific needs. In this context, political communication has a special interest in the Web, as a particular public space in which political actors can convey specific messages and/or act strategically for electoral purposes. As politics has consolidated its recourse to Web-based strategies, the research is aimed at understanding whether and in what direction the Web is able to change electoral choices, influence the electoral process, and contribute to selecting the leadership. However, given their relatively recent development, Internet studies have not yet consolidated shared conceptual and methodological instruments. Moreover—as recently claimed by Helen Margetts (2010)—“Political scientists have devoted rather less attention to online political activity.” This chapter is aimed at mapping the political science production in e-politics during the last ten years—starting from ISI journals—to understand if and how e-politics has been studied, and which approach and/or methodology was used, thus focusing on the empirical results and the centrality reserved to the Web research by Political Science.
Elevated Levels of Mast Cells Are Involved in Pruritus Associated with Polycythemia Vera in JAK2V617F Transgenic Mice
Authors: Jin Xi , Zhao Wanke , Kirabo Annet , Park Sung O. , Ho Wanting T. , Sayeski Peter P. , Zhao Zhizhuang J.
Published: June 2014

Pruritus occurs frequently in patients with polycythemia vera (PV), and the pathophysiology of PV-associated pruritus is unclear. We have previously demonstrated that transgenic mice expressing JAK2V617F displayed clear PV-like phenotypes. In the current study, we found frequent occurrence of pruritus with aged JAK2V617F transgenic mice and further investigated the underlying mechanisms by studying mast cells, key players in allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. Massive accumulations of mast cells were observed in the skin of pruritic JAK2V617F transgenic mice. In vitro culture yielded much higher mast cell counts from the bone marrow, spleen, peripheral blood, and peritoneal cavity of JAK2V617F transgenic mice than from controls. Cultured mast cells from JAK2V617F transgenic mice exhibited enhanced proliferative signals, relative resistance to cell death upon growth factor deprivation, and a growth advantage over control cells under suboptimal growth conditions. However, these mast cells displayed normal morphology and contained normal levels of mast cell proteases before and after degranulation. Finally, the JAK2 inhibitor G6 effectively reduced mast cell numbers and alleviated pruritus in JAK2V617F transgenic mice. Collectively, these data demonstrate that mast cells are involved in PV-associated pruritogenesis and that JAK2 inhibitors are potential antipruritus drugs.
Id1 Expression Promotes T Regulatory Cell Differentiation by Facilitating TCR Costimulation
Authors: Liu Chen , Wang Hong-Cheng , Yu Sen , Jin Rong , Tang Hui , Liu Yuan-Feng , Ge Qing , Sun Xiao-Hong , Zhang Yu
Published: June 2014

T regulatory (Treg) cells play crucial roles in the regulation of cellular immunity. The development of Treg cells depends on signals from TCRs and IL-2Rs and is influenced by a variety of transcription factors. The basic helix-loop-helix proteins are known to influence TCR signaling thresholds. Whether this property impacts Treg differentiation is not understood. In this study, we interrogated the role of basic helix-loop-helix proteins in the production of Treg cells using the CD4 promoter-driven Id1 transgene. We found that Treg cells continued to accumulate as Id1 transgenic mice aged, resulting in a significant increase in Treg cell counts in the thymus as well as in the periphery compared with wild-type controls. Data from mixed bone marrow assays suggest that Id1 acts intrinsically on developing Treg cells. We made a connection between Id1 expression and CD28 costimulatory signaling because Id1 transgene expression facilitated the formation of Treg precursors in CD28−/− mice and the in vitro differentiation of Treg cells on thymic dendritic cells despite the blockade of costimulation by anti-CD80/CD86. Id1 expression also allowed in vitro Treg differentiation without anti-CD28 costimulation, which was at least in part due to enhanced production of IL-2. Notably, with full strength of costimulatory signals, however, Id1 expression caused modest but significant suppression of Treg induction. Finally, we demonstrate that Id1 transgenic mice were less susceptible to the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, thus illustrating the impact of Id1-mediated augmentation of Treg cell levels on cellular immunity.
IL-17 Promotes Murine Lupus
Authors: Amarilyo Gil , Lourenço Elaine V. , Shi Fu-Dong , La Cava Antonio
Published: June 2014

The proinflammatory activity of IL-17–producing Th17 cells has been associated with the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases. In this article, we provide direct evidence for a role of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The induction of SLE by pristane in IL-17–sufficient wild-type mice did not occur in IL-17–deficient mice, which were protected from development of lupus autoantibodies and glomerulonephritis. The protection from SLE in IL-17–deficient mice was associated with a reduced frequency of CD3+CD4−CD8− double-negative T cells and an expansion of CD4+ regulatory T cells, and did not depend on Stat-1 signaling. These data affirm the key role of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of SLE and strengthen the support for IL-17 blockade in the therapy of SLE.
(Con)figuring gender in Bible translation: Cultural, translational and gender critical intersections
Authors: Punt Jeremy
Published: June 2014

The gendered intersection of cultural studies and Bible translation is under acknowledged. Accounting for gender criticism in translation work requires, besides responsible theory and practice of translation, also attention to interwoven gender critical aspects. After a brief investigation of the intersections between biblical, translation and gender studies, translation in a few Pauline texts with bearing on gender and sexuality are investigated.
IgG4-related disease with sinonasal involvement: A case series
Authors: Prabhu Shailesh M , Yadav Vikas , Irodi Aparna , Mani Sunithi , Varghese Ajoy Mathew
Published: June 2014

We present the imaging findings in two cases of IgG4-related disease involving the sinonasal region in the pediatric age group. Imaging findings in IgG4-related disease affecting the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses have been rarely reported in literature. The diagnosis is made by a combination of clinical, imaging, and histopathologic findings. Radiologists should be aware of the imaging findings of this condition to ensure early diagnosis and treatment.
Persistent pulmonary interstitial emphysema in a case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Authors: Abbey Pooja , Narula Mahender K , Anand Rama , Chandra Jagdish
Published: June 2014

We present the case of a 10-month-old boy with multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis showing thin-walled lung cysts along with computed tomography (CT) evidence of persistent pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PPIE), in the absence of pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum. Follow-up CT performed after 6 months demonstrated complete resolution of interstitial emphysema.
Bilateral transrenal ureteral occlusion by means of n-butyl cyanoacrylate and AMPLATZER vascular plug
Authors: Grasso Rosario F , Cazzato Roberto Luigi , Luppi Giacomo , Mercurio Simona , Giurazza Francesco , Vescovo Riccardo Del , Faiella Eliodoro , Zobel Bruno Beomonte
Published: June 2014

AMPLATZER vascular plug is a widely used embolic agent. In the present paper, we present a case of an 86-year-old female patient who underwent bilateral ureteral occlusion by means of AMPLATZER vascular plug II coupled to n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) because of recurring pyelonephritis following cystectomy with subsequent bilateral ureterosigmoidostomy (sec. Mainz type II).
Fetal gastric pseudomass at 30 weeks of gestation and its regression after 17 days of birth
Authors: Karippaliyil Balakumar , Kannan Misha , Karippaliyil Milind
Published: June 2014

Second trimester fetal ultrasonography (USG) occasionally reveals an echogenic intragastric mass. These masses are usually small due to the organized debris from swallowed amniotic fluid, and they normally disappear in the third trimester. This report shows a fetal intragastric echogenic mass detected at 30 weeks of gestation that persisted as a large heterogeneously echoic mass even on the 10 th day after birth. The immediate postnatal USG features were consistent with the possibility of an intragastric soft tissue mass, though abdominal  radiographs and computed tomography (CT) with oral contrast were non-specific. The baby remained asymptomatic in the neonatal period and USG scanning again after a week showed normal stomach and other intra-abdominal visceral echoes.
Stretched bowel sign in combined transmesocolic and transomental internal hernia: A case report and review of literature
Authors: Kundaragi Nischal G , Vinayagam Shanmugam , Mudali Srinivasa
Published: June 2014

Transomental and transmesenteric hernias are rare types of internal hernia, with a reported frequency of upto 4% and 8%, respectively. Combined transomental and transmesocolic hernia is even rare. Only in a few types of internal hernia, the dilated small bowel loops will be seen extending from the antero-superior aspect of the distal stomach and cause stretching effect over the adjacent bowel loops with increase in the size of the herniated bowel segment or intestinal obstruction. We report a rare case of idiopathic combined transomental (across the lesser omentum) and transmesocolic internal hernia with "stretched bowel sign," its diagrammatic representations, and review of literature.
Hydrocele of the canal of Nuck - Rare differential for vulval swelling
Authors: Pandey Anubha , Jain Shivi , Verma Ashish , Jain Madhu , Srivastava Arvind , Shukla Ram C
Published: June 2014

Patent canal of Nuck is one of the rare developmental entities in females, presenting clinically as an inguino-labial swelling. The usual content of this sac is fluid being secreted by the peritoneal mesothelium. In rare cases, ovary alone or with fallopian tube may prolapsed out into the sac. We report the rationale use of diagnostic algorithm in a case of ovarian hernia into the patent canal of Nuck, to differentiate it from more common clinical mimics. Furthermore, in the present case, a knowledge of the entity and targeted scrutiny, led to a correct identification of the prolapsed ovary, preventing an unwarranted oophorectomy in the garb of neoplasia.
Impact of immediate evaluation of touch imprint cytology from computed tomography guided core needle biopsies of mass lesions: Single institution experience
Authors: Moghadamfalahi Mana , Podoll Mirna , Frey Amy B. , Alatassi Houda
Published: June 2014

Background:

Computed tomography (CT) guided core needle biopsy (CT-guided CNB) is a minimally invasive, safe and effective manner of tissue sampling in many organs. The aim of our study is to determine the impact of on-site evaluation of touch imprint cytology (TIC) to minimize the number of passes required to obtain adequate tissue for diagnosis.

Design:

A retrospective review of all CT-guided CNBs performed during 4 year period, where pathologists were present for on-site TIC evaluation. Each case was evaluated for the number of passes required before TIC was interpreted as adequate for diagnosis.

Results:

A total of 140 CT-guided CNBs were included in the study (liver, lung, kidney, sacral, paraspinal, omental, splenic and adrenal masses). Of the 140 cases, 109 were diagnosed as malignant, 28 as benign and three insufficient. In 106 cases (75.7%), the biopsies were determined adequate by TIC on the first pass, 19 cases (13%) on the second pass and 7 cases (5%) on the third pass. Only in 5 cases (3.6%), more than three passes were required before diagnostic material was obtained. Three cases (2.14%) were interpreted as inadequate both on TIC and on the final diagnosis. Of the biopsies deemed adequate on the first pass, 71% resulted in either termination of the procedure, or only one additional pass was obtained. In five cases, based on the TIC evaluation, a portion of the sample was sent for either flow cytometric analysis or cytogenetic studies.

Conclusions:

In the majority of cases, adequate material was obtained in the first pass of CT-guided CNB and once this was obtained, either no additional passes, or one additional pass was performed. This study demonstrates the utility of on-site evaluation in minimizing the number of passes required for obtaining adequate diagnostic material and for proper specimen triage for ancillary studies, which in turn decreases the risk to the patient and costs. However, tumor exhaustion in the tissue as a result of TIC is an important pitfall of the procedure, which occurred in 9 (8.2%) of our malignant cases.
Identification of Chicken Pulmonary miRNAs Targeting PB1, PB1-F2, and N40 Genes of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus H5N1 in Silico
Authors: Kumar Amod , Muhasin Asaf V.N. , Raut Ashwin Ashok , Sood Richa , Mishra Anamika
Published: June 2014

Highly pathogenic Avian influenza (HPAI) is a notifiable viral disease caused by avian influenza type A viruses of the Orthomyxoviridae family. Type A influenza genome consists of eight segments of negative-sense RNA. RNA segment 2 encodes three proteins, PB1, PB1-F2, and N40, which are translated from the same mRNA by ribosomal leaky scanning and reinitiation. Since these proteins are critical for viral replication and pathogenesis, targeting their expression can be one of the approaches to control and resist HPAI. MicroRNAs are short noncoding RNAs that regulate a variety of biological processes such as cell growth, tissue differentiation, apoptosis, and viral infection. In this study, a set of 300 miRNAs expressed in chicken lungs were screened against the HPAI virus (H5N1) segment 2 with different screening parameter like thermodynamic stability of heteroduplex, seed sequence complementarity, conserved target sequence, and target-site accessibility for identifying miRNAs that can potentially target the transcript of segment 2 of H5N1. Chicken miRNAs gga-mir-133c, gga-mir-1710, and gga-mir-146c* are predicted to target the expression of PB1, PB1-F2, and N40 proteins. This indicates that chicken has genetic potential to resist/tolerate H5N1 infection and these can be suitably exploited in designing strategies for control of avian influenza in chicken.
DOR – a Database of Olfactory Receptors – Integrated Repository for Sequence and Secondary Structural Information of Olfactory Receptors in Selected Eukaryotic Genomes
Authors: Nagarathnam Balasubramanian , Karpe Snehal D. , Harini Krishnan , Sankar Kannan , Iftekhar Mohammed , Rajesh Durairaj , Giji Sadasivam , Archunan Govidaraju , Balakrishnan Veluchamy , Gromiha M. Michael , Nemoto Wataru , Fukui Kazhuhiko , Sowdhamini Ramanathan
Published: June 2014

Olfaction is the response to odors and is mediated by a class of membrane-bound proteins called olfactory receptors (ORs). An understanding of these receptors serves as a good model for basic signal transduction mechanisms and also provides important clues for the strategies adopted by organisms for their ultimate survival using chemosensory perception in search of food or defense against predators. Prior research on cross-genome phylogenetic analyses from our group motivated the addressal of conserved evolutionary trends, clustering, and ortholog prediction of ORs. The database of olfactory receptors (DOR) is a repository that provides sequence and structural information on ORs of selected organisms (such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, Mus musculus, and Homo sapiens). Users can download OR sequences, study predicted membrane topology, and obtain cross-genome sequence alignments and phylogeny, including three-dimensional (3D) structural models of 100 selected ORs and their predicted dimer interfaces. The database can be accessed from http://caps.ncbs.res.in/DOR . Such a database should be helpful in designing experiments on point mutations to probe into the possible dimerization modes of ORs and to even understand the evolutionary changes between different receptors.
Modern Rehabilitation in Osteoporosis, Falls, and Fractures
Authors: Dionyssiotis Yannis , Skarantavos Grigorios , Papagelopoulos Panayiotis
Published: June 2014

In prevention and management of osteoporosis, modern rehabilitation should focus on how to increase muscular and bone strength. Resistance exercises are beneficial for muscle and bone strength, and weight-bearing exercises help maintain fitness and bone mass. In subjects at higher risk for osteoporotic fractures, particular attention should be paid to improving balance – the most important element in falls prevention. Given the close interaction between osteoporosis and falls, prevention of fractures should be based on factors related to bone strength and risk factors for falls. Fractures are the most serious complication of osteoporosis and may be prevented. The use of modern spinal orthosis helps to reduce pain and improve posture. Vibration platforms are used in rehabilitation of osteoporosis, based on the concept that noninvasive, short-duration, mechanical stimulation could have an impact on osteoporosis risk. Pharmacologic therapy should be added for those at high risk of fracture, and vitamin D/calcium supplementation is essential in all prevention strategies. Success of rehabilitation in osteoporotic and fractured subjects through an individualized educational approach optimizes function to the highest level of independence while improving the overall quality of life.
A study on an early Neolithic site in North China
Authors: Zhao Chaodong , Yu Jincheng , Wang Tao , Xiaohong Wu , Shougang Hao , Ma Xueping , Xia Zhengkai
Published: June 2014

These are few sites about 10 000 BP in the early Neolithic period in North China; among these, the Donghulin site is the only one which included the remains of peoples' use of fire (hearth pits), stone implements, pottery objects, and human tombs. The excavation of the Donghulin site in 2001 provides very important information for research on people and culture in the early Neolithic period in North China. The finding of Donghulin Man has filled the gap in our knowledge of human development since the period of the "Upper Cave Man" (30 000a BP) in North China. It is also important for research on people-land relationships.
Who did it? Perspectives on the beginning of the Neolithic in Greece
Authors: Vlachos Dimitrios
Published: June 2014

The beginning of the Neolithic in Greece has been the focus of study by many scholars for many years, and a strong argument about it is still active. DNA analysis has shed new light on a wide spectrum of questions related to the population history of Europe and the Middle East, the beginning of the Neolithic, and the adoption of agriculture in these areas. This paper will try to chart the various theories for the beginning of the Neolithic in Greece,and the contribution of archaeogenetics to the same discussion. Subsequently, there will be an effort to give some theoretical implications for future research.
Early herders of the Eastern Adriatic
Authors: Mlekuž Dimitrij
Published: June 2014

The paper discusses the evidence for the presence of sheep and goats on east Adriatic coast during the Mesolithic and Neolithic, and possible routes of transformation from hunter-gathering to pastoral societies.
The Neolithic in Almeria: the valley of Almanzora river in Vera basin
Authors: Cámalich María Dolores , Martin-Socas Dimas , González Pedro , Goñi Antonio , Águede Rodríguez
Published: June 2014

The valley of Almanzora River and Vera Basin (Almeria) shows an intense dynamics of occupation in Prehistory; particulalry between the Early Neolithic and the Late Bronze Age. Several factors, such as recurrent associations betwen diverse productions - including the presence of cardial-impresed in Cabacicos Negros (Vera) - and the distinctive characteristics of the type of accupation, indicate that the oldest phase of occupation took place during the andalusian Early Neolithic. The socio-economic pattern is defined both by expoloatation of numerous resources in an area of variable size, and by the temporary occupation of settlements, with seasonal or periodical variations. The constant mobility was aimed at obtaining different subiststence goods, as well as obtaining and/or transforming primary resources for manufacturing crafts and exchanging excess production with communities in the same area or from other regions.
Archaeometrical analysis of Neolithic pottery from the Divača region, Slovenia
Authors: Žibrat Gašparič Andreja
Published: June 2014

The results of the mineralogical and chemical analyses of pottery from the Neolithic period from the Divača region are presented. Pottery samples from two rock shelters, i.e. Mala Triglavca and Trhlovca, were included in the analyses, as well as sediment samples from other rock shelters, caves and rivers around this area. The mineralogical and chemical composition of the ceramic is uniform in most of the samples; the differences between the clay pastes of the vessels are in the use of a tempering material, mostly calcite grains. The sediment samples, especially from the cave deposits, point to a local production of the Neolithic pottery on the Karst plateau.
Current debates on the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain and Ireland
Authors: Thomas Julian
Published: June 2014

In this contribution I address a series of recent publications which present revisionist accounts of the beginning of the Neolithic in the British Isles. New evidence suggests that we need to reconsider issues of population movement, diet, mobility and residence patterns. However, I conclude that a return to a model of colonisation by an agricultural population from the continent is premature, and seek to stress the distinct patterns of change that characterised Britain and Ireland respectively.
The transfer of symbols and meanings: the case of the ‘horns of consecration’
Authors: Milićević Bradač Marina
Published: June 2014

Sir Arthur Evans first used the term “horns of consecration” in 1901. Since then they have been interpreted in various ways as Moon idols (Mondidole), boat models, pot stands, loom stands, spit supports, and fire supports. Most, however, can be seen as abstracted bull’s horns. Abstraction should have taken place in Anatolia or northern Mesopotamia, and “horns of consecration” spread very early, appearing, as already defined symbols in various cultural settings. The question is whether they stood for the same set of ideas wherever they appeared, or if meaning varied from one cultural setting to another.
If the Vinča script once really existed who could have written or read it?
Authors: Starović Andrej
Published: June 2014

The paper considers about the possible meaning and social function of signs and symbols from Vinča, and used in Danube Neolithic society. Many scholars have tried to answer two main questions about the nature of the signs: first, does they form a system, and (if so), could such a system be interpreted as an original prehistoric script? A new approach to the problem, focused on an archaeological reconstruction of the basic function of ceramic objects bearing the signs, offers strong evidence that the signs were used in the context of ordinary domestic life, much more than in ritual and/or ceremonial contexts. An important set of data suggests that practically every single Vinča household had inscribed objects and that many of the signs and sign groups are uniform, just as in organized writing. Consequently, such a complex notation system could have been a form of written communication throughout Vinča society.
Mesolithic-Neolithic contacts as reflected in ritual finds
Authors: Bánffy Eszter
Published: June 2014

The beginnings of settled life in Central Europe were marked by a series of interactions between local foragers and immigrants of southern origin. The Carpathian Basin is the last region to have had direct contact with Balkan peoples in the early Neolithic. In the course of the interaction, not only did two groups of different origin and manners meet and merge: two ways of symbolic thinking, two kinds of cult life, two perceptions of space and time must have come face to face. We know much more about south-east European Neolithic cults and ritual life, as reconstructed from enormously rich finds of material consisting of figurines, house models, anthropomorphic vessels etc. In the western part of the Carpathian Basin there are local imitations of these finds, thanks to contact. However, the figural representations almost entirely disappear by the developed phase of the Linear Pottery culture in Central Europe. Thus, we may find some hints about the other, local way of thinking. The possible causes of this change and also different perspectives in the symbolic meaning of this process are discussed in this short paper.
Homo habitus: agency, structure and the transformation of tradition in the constitution of the TRB foraging-farming communities in the North European plain (ca 4500–2000 BC)
Authors: Zvelebil Marek
Published: June 2014

The current generally accepted view of the dispersal of farming into Europe is that farming groups in the eastern Mediterranean colonised selectively optimal farming areas. The role of contact between indigenous hunter-gatherers and incoming farmers was very important to the operation of this process. This general view of the spread of farming at a broad inter-regional scale gives us our understanding of the origins of the Neolithic but merits closer examination at the local and regional level, as increasingly it is becoming apparent that the causes and motivations may have differed. In this paper, Mesolithic to Neolithic communities with evidence of the transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer will be examined at a regional scale, in the central part of the north European plain, focussing on Kujavia. Additionally, the theory of structuration will be applied in order to elucidate the transition process at this level.
Eastern, Central and Western Hungary – variations of Neolithisation models
Authors: Bánffy Eszter
Published: June 2014

Until recent times, the Carpathian Basin was regarded as a uniform zone of neolithization. In the last few years it has become clear that at least three different types of transitions can be distinguished in the Eastern Plain (Alföld) region: one in the Jászság area with authentic Mesolithic sites, one in the northern, one in the northeastern fringes of the Körös distribution area, and a further one in the southern part of the Danube–Tisza Interfluve where the impact of the formative Vinča culture must also be reckoned with. All regions differ from each other, concerning the contacts with Mesolithic population and the phases of neolithisation. Regarding Transdanubia, the picture becomes even more complex. The transition to the Neolithic obviously differed in each region: in the Drava valley where the Starčevo presence was very intensive, in the marshland around Lake Balaton, in the Rába valley lying close to the Alpine foreland, in the northern Transdanubian Danube valley and in the Little Hungarian Plain. Rejecting the simplifying model the assumption of a mosaic-like series of variations in the neolithisation process is offered. The process of Neolithisation is thus is far from being unified in the various regions. This short study tries to seek different models of neolithisation behind the differences.
Transformations in East-Central Europe from 6000 to 3000 BC: local vs. foreign patterns
Authors: Nowak Marek
Published: June 2014

In the sixth, fifth and fourth millennium BC, in the basins of the Vistula and the Oder, extremely complex economic, social and ideological transformations took place. They consisted in the emergence and expansion of new systems of circulating information (‘communicative communities’). The majority of these were connected with the Neolithic. The process involved a constant clash between foreign and local patterns. The latter, over time, prevailed. Hence the ultimate dominance of Neolithic communicative communities in the eastern part of Central Europe around the middle of the fourth millennium was essentially a local development. Nonetheless, a considerable portion of the territory continued to remain outside their influence. Therefore, throughout the three millennia, Mesolithic communicative communities not only gradually merged with or evolved into Neolithic ones. They also embraced such transformations, mainly concerning the material culture and ideology, which were completely independent from the advances of the Neolithic, or could have been competitive in relation to them.
The domestication of human birth
Authors: Stefanović Sofija
Published: June 2014

Observations of the burial places of newborns at the prehistoric site at Lepenski Vir (Serbia) revealed the possibility that deliveries took place inside houses that were heated. Warm houses provided a thermally stable environment which, in turn, could solve the problem of thermoregulation, that is critical for the survival of babies. In this study it is shown that the creation of these good conditions for giving birth could have been an important step in human evolution that could have led to a demographic expansion.
Light at the end of the tunnel: the way megalithic art was viewed and experienced
Authors: Nash George
Published: June 2014

This paper explores how megalithic art may have been viewed during a period when Neolithic monuments were in use as repositories for the dead. The group of monuments discussed are primarily passage graves which were being constructed within many of the core areas of Neolithic Atlantic Europe. Although dates for the construction of this tradition are sometimes early, the majority of monuments with megalithic art fall essentially within the Middle to Late Neolithic. The art, usually in the form of pecked abstract designs appears to be strategically placed within the inner part of the passage and the chamber. Given its position was this art restricted to an elite and was there a conscious decision to hide some art and make it exclusively for the dead? In order to discuss these points further, this chapter will study in depth the location and subjectivity of art that has been carved and pecked on three passage graves in Anglesey and NW England. I suggest that an encoded grammar was in operation when these and other passage grave monuments with megalithic art were in use.
Clash of cultures? Archaeology and genetics
Authors: Pluciennik Mark
Published: June 2014

This paper examines the ways in which genetic data have been used to interpret the transition to agriculture in Europe over the past two decades, and the relationship of these interpretations to more strictly archaeological explanations. It is suggested that, until recently, those working within the two disciplines have been using not only different data sets and methodologies, but also working within different disciplinary traditions which have inhibited communication and collaboration, and the production of a genuinely integrated field of ‘archaeogenetics’.
Gene-flows and social processes: The potential of genetics and archaeology
Authors: Thomas Julian
Published: June 2014

During the past four decades, genetic information has played an increasingly important part in the study of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Europe. However, there sometimes seems to be a degree of disjunction between the patterns revealed by genetic analysis and the increasingly complex social and economic processes that archaeology is starting to identify. In this contribution, I point to the multiplicity of identities, subsistence regimes and patterns of social interaction involved in the introduction of the Neolithic into northern and western Europe, and consider the implications for genetic research.
Indo-Europeanization – the seven dimensions in the study of a never-ending process
Authors: Haarmann Harald
Published: June 2014

This contribution focuses on the multifaceted process of Indo-Europeanization which started out, in the Pontic-Caspian region, with the formation of a distinct ethno-cultural epicenter, the Proto-Indo-European complex. Since the late Neolithic, the Indo-Europeanization of Europe and parts of Asia produced various scenarios of contact and conflict. Altogether seven dimensions are highlighted as essential for the study of the contacts which unfolded between Indo-Europeans and non-Indo-European populations (i.e. Uralians, Caucasians, ancient populations in southern and central Europe). Selective aspects of cultural and linguistic fusion processes during the Neolithic and subsequent periods are discussed, and the controversial term ‘migration’ is redefined.
Some indications of shamanism in Arasbaran rock carvings
Authors: Rafifar Jalal
Published: June 2014

Four seasons (1998–2002) of ethnological and archaeological researches in the northern part of the Iranian Azerbaijan have revealed hundreds of carved and scratched drawings and figures on rocks and in subterranean rock-shelters. An anthropological study reveals remarkable information about the situation and the limits of the cultural domains, the cultural relations and the process of cultural diffusion in the prehistory at the intersection of Anatolia, Caucasus, Zagros and the central plateau of Iran. The human and animals figures and signs are contextualized and ichnographically interpreted. The animal symbolism is discussed in the contexts of ancient Iran and Caucasus art and tradition.
The Grotta dei Cervi (Otranto – Lecce)
Authors: Ingravallo Elettra
Published: June 2014

Warburg (1988) offers an interesting interpretative approach to the images of Grotta dei Cervi by the notion of the concept of ‘survival’. We can read them as the images of memory which acquire other meanings every time they are brought back to the present flow.
Notes on some cultic aspects of Italian Prehistory
Authors: Grifoni Cremonesi Renata
Published: June 2014

Many cultural manifestations are known in the Neolithic and Metal Ages in Italy. They were associated with pits, dug in the floors of caverns, and stone circles where vases or votive objects were deposited. They related to agricultural rituals, but also to funerary practices associated with birth, life and death. Another type of cults relates to water and water circulation: to cold or warm springs in underground cavities or in surface; to stalactites and their white water; to geothermal phenomena that attracted the interest of people in the prehistory. Many vases and bronzes were deposited near lakes, sources, rivers and fumaroles.
Bridging the gap. The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in a frontier zone
Authors: Vanmontfort Bart
Published: June 2014

This paper deals with the chronological hiatus in the Neolithic sequence of the southern part of the Low Countries. It can at present only be bridged indirectly, by a detailed analysis of the situation prior to and after the gap. The focus in this paper is on the nature of the Neolithic and its relationship with possible native non-Neolithic populations. The results of this analysis show the transition process to have been more than a simple and unidirectional ‘Neolithisation’.
Early and middle Neolithic figurines – the migration of religious belief
Authors: Becker Valeska
Published: June 2014

In Linear Pottery Culture, two types of anthropomorphic figurines are distinguishable: Type 1 figurines have a columnar body, without legs or hips, while Type 2 figurines show more detail in their body shape. These two types have parallels in the Neolithic of south-east Europe, especially in the Starčevo culture. These parallels become evident not only in the shape of the body, but also in other features such as sexual characteristics, breakage patterns and find circumstances. It is therefore, likely that LPC figurines and Starčevo culture figurines are manifestations of similar sets of religious beliefs.
Spiral patterns on the Neolithic pottery of East Asia and the Far East
Authors: Zhushchikhovskaya Irina , Danilova Olga
Published: June 2014

The paper focuses on the investigation of East Asian and Far East Neolithic spiral patterns, with the application of some mathematical principles. The basis of the research is published data on pottery assemblages from Japan, Eastern China, and the Amur River basin from the 6th to the beginning of the 1st mil. BC. We suggest a descriptive order of spiral patterns based on the typology of spiral figures used in geometry. This approach permits us to see the regional and cultural diversity of Neolithic spiral patterns within the research area.
Early herding practices revealed through organic residue analysis of pottery from the early Neolithic rock shelter of Mala Triglavca, Slovenia
Authors: Šoberl Lucija , Žibrat Gašparič Andreja , Budja Mihael , Evershed Richard P.
Published: June 2014

A collection of pottery from the early Neolithic site of Mala Triglavca was analysed with the aim of obtaining insights into vessel use and early animal domestication and husbandry practices in the Adriatic region. Total lipid extracts were submitted to gas chromatography (GC), GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-combustion-isotope ratio MS (GC-C-IRMS) in order to obtain molecular and stable carbon isotope signatures as the basis for determining the nature and origins of the residues. The extracts were dominated by degraded animal fats. The majority (70%) of the total lipid extracts displayed intact triacylglycerol distributions attributable to ruminant adipose and dairy fats, which were subsequently confirmed through C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acid δ13C values.
Micro-regions of the Lepenski Vir culture: Padina in the Upper Gorge and Hajdučka Vodenica in the Lower Gorge of the Danube
Authors: Jovanović Borislav
Published: June 2014

This paper was compelled into existence when confronting the fact that the most commonly discussed transitional period connecting the Late Mesolithic and the Early Neolithic in the Đerdap or the Iron Gates Gorges (present-day Serbia and Romania) is determined by the often emphasized lack of adequately published evidence, thus leaving this period largely unknown. We examine previous conclusions concerning the Lepenski Vir culture, or at the very least, try to put such discussions back in their archaeological context. We discuss the features that are essential for the organisation of the settlements, stratigraphy, and adaptability of architecture caused by geomorphology and climate, as well as the remarkable loss of settlement space due to different types of erosion.