GS BURAIDAH INVENTROY REPORT MO MAY

2023

Phytoliths constitute microscopic plant biominerals and their analysis on artefacts contributes significantly to the identification and study of plants in the archaeological record. An experimental knapped-stone assemblage was produced as part of the SeaROOTS, an interdisciplinary research project funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) under the “3rd Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects to support Post-Doctoral Researchers” (Project Number: 7186). Within this project, a pilot study was conducted to investigate the preservation of phytoliths on a sample of experimentally produced stone tools used for cutting, chopping and pounding plant materials. This research integrates Experimental Archaeology with Phytolith Analysis with the aim to develop a methodology that optimises the ability to identify phytoliths preserved on knapped stone artefacts. To achieve this, two intermediate objectives are implemented: (a) the enrichment of the (archaeo)botanical reference record with phytoliths from modern plants and their association with specific experimentally produced stone artefacts, and (b) the investigation of the plant-related human activity during the Stone Age through the application of Phytolith Analysis on archaeological lithic finds from West Greece. Herein, the methodological considerations, the experimentally produced stone tools - relating to tool usage on selected plants, and the preliminary results of this pilot study are presented. Future systematic work, besides other tasks (e.g. use-wear distribution and micro-wear analysis across the active tools surfaces) will investigate the effects of firing on phytolith preservation and apply the methodology produced on archaeological assemblages from West Greece and other Mediterranean areas to gain more information regarding their natural and cultural contexts. Although Phytolith Analysis on knapped stone artefacts is a relatively recent analytical procedure, it is hoped that its integration with more established approaches (e.g. OLM, SEM/EDS, XRF, XRD) will contribute to a wider understanding of the use of lithic technology, and of matters related to the preservation of plant micro-remains on archaeological knapped stone assemblages depending on the biogeochemical burial environment.

Plos One, 2024

The lethally maltreated body of Vittrup Man was deposited in a Danish bog, probably as part of a ritualised sacrifice. It happened between c. 3300 and 3100 cal years BC, i.e., during the period of the local farming-based Funnel Beaker Culture. In terms of skull morphological features, he differs from the majority of the contemporaneous farmers found in Denmark, and associates with hunter-gatherers, who inhabited Scandinavia during the previous millennia. His skeletal remains were selected for transdisciplinary analysis to reveal his life-history in terms of a population historical perspective. We report the combined results of an integrated set of genetic, isotopic, physical anthropological and archaeological analytical approaches. Strontium signature suggests a foreign birthplace that could be in Norway or Sweden. In addition, enamel oxygen isotope values indicate that as a child he lived in a colder climate, i.e., to the north of the regions inhabited by farmers. Genomic data in fact demonstrates that he is closely related to Mesolithic humans known from Norway and Sweden. Moreover, dietary stable isotope analyses on enamel and bone collagen demonstrate a fisher-hunter way of life in his childhood and a diet typical of farmers later on. Such a variable life-history is also reflected by proteomic analysis of hardened organic deposits on his teeth, indicating the consumption of forager food (seal, whale and marine fish) as well as farmer food (sheep/goat). From a dietary isotopic transect of one of his teeth it is shown that his transfer between societies of foragers and farmers took place near to the end of his teenage years.

Historical Perspectives on China & Macau and Contacts with Europe during the Ming & Qing Dynasties , ed. Carmen Amado Mendes &Isabel Murta Pina, 2022

Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2019

Gender in the European Neolithic has seen little debate, despite major scholarly interest in identity and social relationships. This article considers how gender operated in the Linearbandkeramik (LBK, c. 5500–5000 cal. BC), the first farming culture of central Europe. A new theoretical approach is developed from the philosophy of Deleuze and Guattari, and the feminist philosopher Braidotti, proposing that how difference and variation are conceived is an important element in how identity is experienced and performed. The concept of ‘difference-within-itself’ is introduced and applied to an assemblage of c. 2350 burials from the LBK via correspondence analysis. The results of this analysis are combined with variation in daily activities and health between malesexed bodies and female-sexed bodies to argue that differences between males and females shaped lifeways in the LBK, providing different and varied ways of participating in social life. It is concluded that there was diversity and fluidity in female identities, while male identities had more limited possibilities and were subject to further social constraints. The implications of these gendered differences for models of LBK social organization are then considered.

In the era of globalization, countries compete with each other for attention, respect and trust of potential consumers, investors, tourists, media and governments of other nations. Branding is the most powerful tool that a nation can utilize for effective differentiation strategies and for creating competitive advantage over other nations. Unfortunately, not every nations or destination marketers have a broad understanding of the concept of branding and how a country can be successfully branded. Hence, this study has proposed a model that could be used as a valuable guide for country branding. Also the model is recommended for countries struggling with image crisis; on the mission to improve the image internationally. Nigeria is a good example of countries with image crisis; it is one of the most populated countries in the world with a population of about 160 million inhabitants and growth rate of 2.553percent annually. Despite the abundant resources (e.g. coal, petroleum, natural gas etc.) that the nation is endowed with, it is quite disappointing that the population below poverty line is still at the alarming rate of 70percent of the total population. The mismanagement and poor leadership of the nation characterised by corruption, fraud, embezzlement of public fund etc. has culminated into serious image crisis that is slowing down the potential for investment and economic growth. However, there has been series of image rebranding campaigns but no tangible achievement has been recorded. It is quite questionable though, if image rebranding will provide the kind of future that Nigeria envisaged, considering the socio-political situation and the economic imbalance; compounded by the obvious fact that the nation has no known brand. Therefore, this paper argues that there is need to redirect the effort invested on image rebranding to the creation of a unique and competitive brand for the country. It was established from the study that a nation’s brand is capable of improving the reputation of the nation as well as stimulate the expectation of the target audience. However, it was also established from the study that a wrong approach to branding could mislead the target audience and attract negative publicity. Hence, as a contribution of the study to the field of branding, a model was proposed as a functional guide for country branding. Also, considering the abysmal performance of Nigeria’s image in the international community and to strengthen the argument that brand creation is required for the country; an experimental application of the proposed model was conducted using Nigeria as the case country. The first phase of the model suggested a major improvement in the society; this is required to further enhance the strengths of the country and to motivate the much needed community participation and confidence in the brand creation. It is the conclusion of the study that a strong nation brand can offset the image problem if it is built on something concrete, genuine, and uniquely identifiable with the country, capable of connecting to the cognitive psychology of the target audience.

2019

En la actualidad en Mexico y en gran parte de Latinoamerica, los procesos constructivos enfocados al sector casa habitacion estan limitados a implementar materiales convencionales como lo son la mamposteria y el concreto reforzado; como resultado de lo anterior se tienen tiempos excesivos en los diferentes procesos constructivos, bajos indices de calidad derivado de los trabajos in situ, un alto consumo de energias no renovables necesarias para la fabricacion de estos materiales y sus aplicaciones dentro del sector casa habitacion. Por lo cual en este trabajo de investigacion se busca una alternativa estructural que permita mejoras significativas a los procesos de fabricacion y construccion de los sistemas estructurales enfocados al sector casa habitacion, producto de la aplicacion de procesos industrializados de manufactura y detallado de los diferentes elementos estructurales de este tipo de edificaciones; promoviendo la construccion a base de acero estructural ya que el mismo fac...

Vivat Akademia , 2023

Prezentowany tekst wywiadu przeprowadzonego z profesorem Ryszardem Tadeusiewiczem przez Redaktora Naczelnego periodyku Vivat Akademia, dra Jerzego Kickiego, dotyczył szeregu zagadnień: problemów z Narodowym Centrum Badań i Rozwoju, sztucznej inteligencji, chatbota GPT-4, zagrożeń związanych z rozwojem sztucznej inteligencji, potrzeby zapoznawania ze sztuczną inteligencją dzieci i młodzieży, możliwości wykorzystania sztucznej inteligencji w medycynie, bankowości, w pojazdach autonomicznych i organizacji transportu.

Argumenta: A Journal of Analytic Philosophy, 2018

Accompanying the accusation of malevolent political conspiracy is the accusation of cover-up of these conspiracies by leading institutions of public information; mass media and national law enforcement. A common response to this accusation is that these institutions of public information will reliably reveal such political conspiracies, not cover them up. Unfortunately, the best arguments for this hope are now widely recognized to fail. Further, cover-up does not require descending control of the media by conspirators. The problem is much more complex, one endemic to our information hierarchies. This includes the mechanisms generating the epistemic problem of toxic truths. " Toxicity " is the likelihood that some conspiratorial scenarios, even if well evidenced, are too " toxic " for our usual institutions of public information to disseminate to the public, or even investigate. Cover-up by intentional neglect, not descending control, is the easily predictable consequence. The threat this poses to a functioning democracy is significant.

2023

alma es un misterio. Nadie sabe de dónde viene pero todos sabemos que está aquí, dentro de nosotros, brillando como una llama en la oscuridad." Elsa Ferrer.