OBSIDIAN BLADE PRODUCTION FOR CRAFT CONSUMPTION AT KAMINALJUYU

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Heath Anderson ◽  
Kenneth G. Hirth

AbstractThe interpretation of craft activity in Mesoamerica has been hindered by difficulties in recognizing and defining the archaeological signatures associated with obsidian blade production and consumption. Theoretical advances and experimental approaches have improved our understanding, but few studies have investigated the role of obsidian blade production in craft activity using empirical data from archaeological assemblages. The present study addresses this problem by presenting an analysis of obsidian flakes and blades recovered from a workshop refuse context at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. Technological and use wear analyses suggest that core-shaping by-products in the form of irregular percussion and pressure blades were used in craft activity. Fine blades were underrepresented in the assemblage, suggesting that cores or blades left the workshop as finished goods. These analyses demonstrate that the actual behavior of artisans likely did not conform exactly to the dichotomous theoretical categories of production and consumption that archaeologists routinely use.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavia Venditti ◽  
Emanuela Cristiani ◽  
Stella Nunziante-Cesaro ◽  
Aviad Agam ◽  
Cristina Lemorini ◽  
...  

Abstract Stone tools provide a unique window into the mode of adaptation and cognitive abilities of Lower Paleolithic early humans. The persistently produced large cutting tools (bifaces/handaxes) have long been an appealing focus of research in the reconstruction of Lower Paleolithic survival strategies, at the expenses of the small flake tools considered by-products of the stone production process rather than desired end products. Here, we use use-wear, residues and technological analyses to show direct and very early evidence of the deliberate production and use of small flakes for targeted stages of the prey butchery process at the late Lower Paleolithic Acheulian site of Revadim, Israel. We highlight the significant role of small flakes in Lower Paleolithic adaptation alongside the canonical large handaxes. Our results demonstrate the technological and cognitive flexibility of early human groups in the Levant and beyond at the threshold of the departure from Lower Paleolithic lifeways.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-461
Author(s):  
Gabriela M. Baia ◽  
Otniel Freitas-Silva ◽  
Murillo F. Junior

Fruits and vegetables are foods that come into contact with various types of microorganisms from planting to their consumption. A lack or poor sanitation of these products after harvest can cause high losses due to deterioration and/ or pathogenic microorganisms. There are practically no post-harvest fungicides or bactericides with a broad spectrum of action that have no toxic residual effects and are safe. However, to minimize such problems, the use of sanitizers is an efficient device against these microorganisms. Chlorine is the most prevalent sanitizing agent because of its broad spectrum, low cost and well-established practices. However, the inevitable formation of disinfection by-products, such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), is considered one of the main threats to food safety. Alternative sanitizers, such as chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and ozone, are becoming popular as a substitute for traditional post-harvest treatments. Thus, this review addresses the use of chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone emphasizing aspects, such as usage, safe application, spectrum of action and legislation. In order to ensure the quality and safety of final products, the adoption of well-prepared sanitation and sanitation programs for post-harvest fruits and vegetables is essential.


Author(s):  
Juliann Emmons Allison ◽  
Srinivas Parinandi

This chapter examines the development and politics of US energy policy, with an emphasis on three themes: the distribution of authority to regulate energy between national (or federal) and subnational governments, the relationship between energy and environmental policy and regulation, and the role of climate action in energy politics. It reviews patterns of energy production and consumption; provides an overview of national energy politics; and reviews literatures on federalism and energy politics and policy, the increasing integration of energy and environmental policies, and the politics of energy and climate action. The chapter concludes with a discussion of a future research agenda that underscores the significance of political polarization, subnational governance, and technological innovation for understanding US energy policy.


1983 ◽  
Vol 244 (1) ◽  
pp. H109-H114 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Adams ◽  
I. A. Feuerstein

We examine the estimation of local concentrations of materials that are released from the dense and alpha-granules of platelets during accumulation of platelets upon collagen-coated glass. Platelet/red blood cell suspensions were perfused through a 1.3-mm-ID tube. Empirical data were used in a calculation procedure, based on diffusion and convection, designed to yield an upper bound on the interfacial fluid concentration (IFC) for each substance considered. The necessary empirical data are the rate of platelet accumulation and the maximum amount of material in the platelet capable of secretion. It was found that the IFC is dependent on the shear rate at the surface (G) and is proportional to G0.27. This means that an eightfold increase in flow rate would increase the IFCs approximately twofold. Serotonin, pyrophosphate, adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP), and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) were found not to be present in sufficient quantities to produce IFCs that could influence platelet aggregation if used alone at the IFC. A second set of materials, fibrinogen, fibronectin von Willebrand factor, and calcium, had IFCs less than their concentrations normally found in plasma. A third category, containing adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) alone, had an IFC close to those known to affect platelet aggregation. The role of metabolites of arachidonic acid, which may promote or inhibit platelet aggregation, awaits further description.


Antiquity ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Mila Andonova ◽  
Vassil Nikolov

Evidence for both basket weaving and salt production is often elusive in the prehistoric archaeological record. An assemblage of Middle–Late Chalcolithic pottery from Provadia-Solnitsata in Bulgaria provides insight into these two different technologies and the relationship between them. The authors analyse sherds from vessels used in large-scale salt production, the bases of which bear the impression of woven mats. This analysis reveals the possible raw materials used in mat weaving at Provadia-Solnitsata and allows interpretation of the role of these mats in salt production at the site. The results illustrate how it is possible to see the ‘invisible’ material culture of prehistoric south-eastern Europe and its importance for production and consumption.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1034-1052
Author(s):  
Denis Yu. SAMYGIN

Subject. This article examines the impact of the natural and economic conditions and factors of Russia's regions on the development of agriculture. Objectives. The article aims to assess the role of climate forcing in the development of agriculture. Methods. For the study, I used the binning technique. An author-developed spatial database of Russia's regions for 2017–2019 was used as an information resource. The cadastral value of one hectare of agricultural land was used as an analytical expression of the natural and economic conditions of business activities. Results. The article describes a directly proportional dependence of and relationships between natural-and-economic conditions and achieved results in the production and consumption of quality products per capita. Conclusions. It is advisable to increase the amount of government support for regions with unfavorable production conditions, develop the competitive potential of the majority of farms in relation to products that are profitable for producers and consumers.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Givens

Research on the carbon intensity of well-being (CIWB), a measure representing a country's development in terms of both environmental and human well-being, often explores the role of economic development, while the effects of other aspects of global integration remain under-explored. I use macro-comparative sociological perspectives to investigate the extent to which theories of global integration help explain variation in countries’ CIWB over time. I evaluate propositions drawn from neoinstitutional world society and world polity theories using longitudinal modeling techniques to analyze data from 81 countries from 1990 to 2011. I also examine subsets of more and less developed countries and compare production- and consumption-based measures of CIWB. I find that world society/world polity integration is associated with a reduction in CIWB only in more developed nations, and only when using the production measure for CO2 emissions, highlighting the complexities of sustainable development in an unequal global system.


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