Suchergebnisse

Archaeological excavations at a U-shaped pyramid in the northern Lake Titicaca Basin of Peru have documented a continuous 5-m-deep stratigraphic sequence of metalworking remains. The sequence begins in the first millennium AD and ends in the Spanish Colonial period ca. AD 1600. The earliest dates associated with silver production are 1960 ± 40 BP (2-sigma cal. 40 BC to AD 120) and 1870 ± 40 BP (2-sigma cal. AD 60 to 240) representing the oldest known silver smelting in South America. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of production debris indicate a complex, multistage, high temperature technology for producing silver throughout the archaeological sequence. These data hold significant theoretical implications including the following: (i) silver production occurred before the development of the first southern Andean state of Tiwanaku, (ii) the location and process of silverworking remained consistent for 1,500 years even though political control of the area cycled between expansionist states and smaller chiefly polities, and (iii) that U-shaped structures were the location of ceremonial, residential, and industrial activities.

ObjectivesOur objective is to assess the influence of amicus curiae briefs on judicial behavior on the U.S. Supreme Court. Our primary hypothesis is that amicus briefs have an impact on the justices across the ideological spectrum. Our secondary hypothesis is that this influence will be greater for justices nearer the ideological center.MethodsOur analysis is confined to the Roberts Court (2005 through 2014 terms, inclusive). The unit of analysis is the justice‐vote in each of the 793 full‐opinion decisions during this 10‐term period; thus, our data set contains 7,135 observations. We employ logistic regression to test the impact of amicus filings on the ideological direction of the vote cast by each justice in each case. We control for the direction of the lower court decision, the ideological orientations of the justices, the presence of the federal government (or agency or official) as party, and the presence of the solicitor general as amicus curiae.ResultsWe find statistical support for both the primary and secondary hypotheses. Amicus briefs appear to influence the justices across the ideological spectrum. The influence is somewhat greater among the more moderate justices, although the relationship between amicus influence and judicial moderation is a weak one.ConclusionsSupreme Court justices appear to respond positively to the persuasive attempts of amici. This impact is most noticeable for the justices in the middle of the Court—those who tend to be most influential in steering the Court's decision making.

Raptors serve as the definitive host for several Sarcocystis species. The complete life cycles of only a few of these Sarcocystis species that use birds of prey as definitive hosts have been described. In the present study, Sarcocystis species sporocysts were obtained from the intestine of a Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) and were used to infect cell cultures of African green monkey kidney cells to isolate a continuous culture and describe asexual stages of the parasite. Two clones of the parasite were obtained by limiting dilution. Asexual stages were used to obtain DNA for molecular classification and identification. PCR amplification and sequencing were done at three nuclear ribosomal DNA loci; 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and ITS-1, and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) locus. Examination of clonal isolates of the parasite indicated a single species related to S. columbae (termed Sarcocystis sp. ex Accipiter cooperii) was present in the Cooper's hawk. Our results document for the first time Sarcocystis sp. ex A. cooperii occurs naturally in an unknown intermediate host in North America and that Cooper's hawks (A. cooperii) are a natural definitive host. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. ; National Science Foundation Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program [1505407]; Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine ; This work was supported by grant # 1505407 from the National Science Foundation Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program to ACR and an IRC grant from the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine to DSL. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

This study was contracted by the Malta Aquaculture Research Centre (MARC), Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs (MRRA) and took place over a 4 month period between February and June 2011. The purpose of the study is the preparation of an aquaculture strategy for Malta, with the overall objectives stated as: (1) To lay down a structured path for sustainably developing aquaculture in Malta (2) To identify the domains that are essential for a profitable and sustainable industry in Malta. The report contains sections on international context, the present status of the industry, key industry issues, future potential, and a strategy for the industry. ; peer-reviewed

Sustainable management of water and land resources is currently a top priority on the agenda of many countries around the world, which demands information on the land cover changes in watersheds. In this study, maps of 1984, 1996, 2005 and 2016 were developed using false-color composites and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to identify the main changes occurred in the Córrego Guariroba's stream catchment. This watershed is an Environmental Protection Area since 1995, when it became the urban water supply of the state's capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. In order to do that, the open source software QGIS and Landsat imagery were used to determine the land use and land cover changes. This information allowed the discussion of the possible pressures and environmental consequences of the changes in these periods. The watershed has been under intense agriculture and livestock farming activities, with most of the land surface occupied by pasturelands for cattle ranching and eucalyptus forestry. Results indicate that the direct influence of human activities drastically reduced the natural cover in the area, withimplication for the compliance of the Forest Code legislation. Anthropogenic land uses represent more than 57% of the total land cover in all years, reaching 79.70% in 2005. In 2016, there was an increase in native vegetation recovery, but despite this enhancement the human land use continues high (74.09%). Part of the small gain in native vegetation is due to reforestation plans carried out from 2010. The sedimentation of the water reservoir is visible in the 2016 image, forming sandbanks that extends for about 700 m in the distal portion of the Guariroba stream. The results of this study can be applied to a possible revision of the management plan of the watershed, considering the management of its water resources integrated to environmental planning and economic development. This type of analysis may aid in the decision-making process of governmental agencies, so that watersheds used for public water supply have restrictions of land use due to the risk of reducing the quantity and quality of water.

BACKGROUND: The treatment and management of long-term health conditions is the greatest challenge facing health systems around the world today. Innovative approaches to patient care in the community such as Anticipatory Care Planning (ACP), which seek to help with the provision of high-quality comprehensive care to older adults at risk of functional decline, require evaluation. This study will evaluate one approach that will include primary care as the setting for ACP. METHODS/DESIGN: This study will help to determine the feasibility for a definitive randomised trial to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of an ACP intervention. The intervention will be delivered by specially trained registered nurses in a primary care setting with older adults identified as at risk of functional decline. The intervention will comprise: (a) information collection via patient assessment; (b) facilitated informed dialogue between the patient, family carer, general practitioner and other healthcare practitioners; and, (c) documentation of the agreed support plan and follow-up review dates. Through a structured consultation with patients and their family carers, the nurses will complete a mutually agreed personalised support plan. DISCUSSION: This study will determine the feasibility for a full trial protocol to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of an (ACP) intervention in primary care to assist older adults aged 70 years of age or older and assessed as being at risk of functional decline. The study will be implemented in two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland which employ different health systems but which face similar health challenges. This study will allow us to examine important issues, such as the impact of two different healthcare systems on the health of older people and the influence of different legislative interpretations on undertaking cross jurisdictional research in Ireland. PROTOCOL VERSION: Version 1, 17 September 2019. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, ID: NCT03902743. Registered on 4 April 2019.

Nils Christie's (1986) seminal work on the 'Ideal Victim' is reproduced in full in this edited collection of vibrant and provocative essays that respond to and update the concept from a range of thematic positions. Each chapter celebrates and commemorates his work by analysing, evaluating and critiquing the current nature and impact of victim identity, experience, policy and practice. The collection expands the focus and remit of 'victim studies', addressing key themes around race, gender, faith, ability and age while encompassing new and diverse issues. Examples include sex workers as victims of hate crimes, victims' experiences of online fraud, and recognising historic child sexual abuse victims in Ireland. With contributions from an array of academics including Vicky Heap (Sheffield Hallam University), Hannah Mason-Bish (University of Sussex) and Pamela Davies (Northumbria University), as well as a Foreword by David Scott (The Open University), this book evaluates the contemporary relevance and applicability of Christie's 'Ideal Victim' concept and creates an important platform for thinking differently about victimhood in the 21st century

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Beyond What? An Introduction -- Part 1 Globalization and the Postcolonial Eclipse -- Beyond the Straits: Postcolonial Allegories of the Globe -- On Globalization, Again! -- The Ruins of Empire: The National and Global Politics of America's Return to Rome -- The Economic Image-Function of the Periphery -- Part 2 Neoliberalism and the Postcolonial World -- The End of History, Again? Pursuing the Past in the Postcolony -- A Flight from Freedom -- Decomposing Modernity: History and Hierarchy after Development -- ''The Deep Thoughts the One in Need Falls Into'': Quotidian Experience and the Perspectives of Poetry in Postliberation South Africa -- Between the Burqa and the Beauty Parlor? Globalization, Cultural Nationalism, and Feminist Politics -- part 3 Beyond the Nation-State (and Back Again) -- Environmentalism and Postcolonialism -- Beyond Black Atlantic and Postcolonial Studies: The South African Differences of Sol Plaatje and Peter Abrahams -- Pathways to Postcolonial Nationhood: The Democratization of Difference in Contemporary Latin America -- Traveling Multiculturalism: A Trinational Debate in Translation -- The Ballad of the Sad Café: Israeli Leisure, Palestinian Terror, and the Post/colonial Question -- Part 4 Postcolonial Studies and the Disciplines in Transformation -- Hybridity and Heresy: Apartheid Comparative Religion in Late Antiquity -- EugenicWoman, Semicolonialism, and Colonial Modernity as Problems for Postcolonial Theory -- The Social Construction of Postcolonial Studies -- Postcolonial Studies and the Study of History -- The Politics of Postcolonial Modernism -- Bibliography -- Contributors -- Index