INSTRUMENTAL APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING MESOAMERICAN ECONOMY: ELUSIVE PROMISES

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald L. Bishop

AbstractMore than four decades ago, instrumental developments, such as those involving neutron activation and X-ray florescence, began to generate relatively large quantities of data from the analysis of archaeological materials. These data served as the basis for many models of long-distance exchange as a means of explaining the development of cultural complexity. I review aspects of this early history and the how use of compositional data is now more directed toward localized investigations of economic activity. Even with this refocus of research interest, studies involving material characterization appear to be declining. Using traditional citation, personal experience, and highly selective examples, I discuss the use of analytical techniques for studies of long-distance trade, as it developed and now confronts interpretive difficulties that are inherent in the data and rendered more so by use of abstract constructs and resource limitations.

2001 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. Kuhn ◽  
Martha L. Sempowski

When did the League of the Five Nations Iroquois originate? This study presents a new approach to answering this age-old question. Compositional data were collected on ceramics (pottery and smoking pipes) from Seneca and Mohawk sites in an attempt to identify and reconstruct exchange and interaction patterns between these two widely separated League members. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) spectrometry were employed to collect data on 15 elements. Using pottery as a baseline for each area, pipe data were utilized in a discriminant-function analysis to identify exotic pipes in Seneca assemblages from different time periods. The investigation focused on pipes because they were a probable item of exchange and because the symbolism of pipes and tobacco made smoking an important part of Iroquoian political protocol. Results showed that Mohawk pipes first occurred in Seneca assemblages sometime between A.D. 1590 and A.D. 1605. This is considered likely to reflect the inception of peaceful political relations between these two groups brought about by the final coalescence of the Iroquois Five Nations Confederacy. The approach developed for this study employed nondestructive analytical techniques applied to common classes of ceramic artifacts. As such, the methodology should be broadly applicable to other studies of interaction and exchange in this and other regions.


Author(s):  
R. E. Herfert

Studies of the nature of a surface, either metallic or nonmetallic, in the past, have been limited to the instrumentation available for these measurements. In the past, optical microscopy, replica transmission electron microscopy, electron or X-ray diffraction and optical or X-ray spectroscopy have provided the means of surface characterization. Actually, some of these techniques are not purely surface; the depth of penetration may be a few thousands of an inch. Within the last five years, instrumentation has been made available which now makes it practical for use to study the outer few 100A of layers and characterize it completely from a chemical, physical, and crystallographic standpoint. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) provides a means of viewing the surface of a material in situ to magnifications as high as 250,000X.


Author(s):  
G. Remond ◽  
R.H. Packwood ◽  
C. Gilles ◽  
S. Chryssoulis

Merits and limitations of layered and ion implanted specimens as possible reference materials to calibrate spatially resolved analytical techniques are discussed and illustrated for the case of gold analysis in minerals by means of x-ray spectrometry with the EPMA. To overcome the random heterogeneities of minerals, thin film deposition and ion implantation may offer an original approach to the manufacture of controlled concentration/ distribution reference materials for quantification of trace elements with the same matrix as the unknown.In order to evaluate the accuracy of data obtained by EPMA we have compared measured and calculated x-ray intensities for homogeneous and heterogeneous specimens. Au Lα and Au Mα x-ray intensities were recorded at various electron beam energies, and hence at various sampling depths, for gold coated and gold implanted specimens. X-ray intensity calculations are based on the use of analytical expressions for both the depth ionization Φ (ρz) and the depth concentration C (ρz) distributions respectively.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Pearce ◽  
Gaurav Assat ◽  
Antonella Iadecola ◽  
François Fauth ◽  
Rémi Dedryvère ◽  
...  

The recent discovery of anionic redox as a means to increase the energy density of transition metal oxide positive electrodes is now a well established approach in the Li-ion battery field. However, the science behind this new phenomenon pertaining to various Li-rich materials is still debated. Thus, it is of paramount importance to develop a robust set of analytical techniques to address this issue. Herein, we use a suite of synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopies as well as diffraction techniques to thoroughly characterize the different redox processes taking place in a model Li-rich compound, the tridimentional hyperhoneycomb β-Li2IrO3. We clearly establish that the reversible removal of Li+ from this compound is associated to a previously described reductive coupling mechanism and the formation of the M-(O-O) and M-(O-O)* states. We further show that the respective contributions to these states determine the spectroscopic response for both Ir L3-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray photoemissions spectroscopy (XPS). Although the high covalency and the robust tridimentional structure of this compound enable a high degree of reversibile delithiation, we found that pushing the limits of this charge compensation mechanism has significant effects on the local as well as average structure, leading to electrochemical instability over cycling and voltage decay. Overall, this work highlights the practical limits to which anionic redox can be exploited and sheds some light on the nature of the oxidized species formed in certain lithium-rich compounds.<br>


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Pearce ◽  
Gaurav Assat ◽  
Antonella Iadecola ◽  
François Fauth ◽  
Rémi Dedryvère ◽  
...  

The recent discovery of anionic redox as a means to increase the energy density of transition metal oxide positive electrodes is now a well established approach in the Li-ion battery field. However, the science behind this new phenomenon pertaining to various Li-rich materials is still debated. Thus, it is of paramount importance to develop a robust set of analytical techniques to address this issue. Herein, we use a suite of synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopies as well as diffraction techniques to thoroughly characterize the different redox processes taking place in a model Li-rich compound, the tridimentional hyperhoneycomb β-Li2IrO3. We clearly establish that the reversible removal of Li+ from this compound is associated to a previously described reductive coupling mechanism and the formation of the M-(O-O) and M-(O-O)* states. We further show that the respective contributions to these states determine the spectroscopic response for both Ir L3-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray photoemissions spectroscopy (XPS). Although the high covalency and the robust tridimentional structure of this compound enable a high degree of reversibile delithiation, we found that pushing the limits of this charge compensation mechanism has significant effects on the local as well as average structure, leading to electrochemical instability over cycling and voltage decay. Overall, this work highlights the practical limits to which anionic redox can be exploited and sheds some light on the nature of the oxidized species formed in certain lithium-rich compounds.<br>


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Kis ◽  
Katalin Gméling ◽  
Tímea Kocsis ◽  
János Osán ◽  
Mihály András Pocsai ◽  
...  

We present precise analysis of major and trace elements of the humic acid. We used three different element analytical techniques in our investigations as prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA), neutron activation analysis (NAA) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis was carried out. We identified 42 elements in our sample.


Author(s):  
Deepak Goyal

Abstract Next generation assembly/package development challenges are primarily increased interconnect complexity and density with ever shorter development time. The results of this trend present some distinct challenges for the analytical tools/techniques to support this technical roadmap. The key challenge in the analytical tools/techniques is the development of non-destructive imaging for improved time to information. This paper will present the key drivers for the non-destructive imaging, results of literature search and evaluation of key analytical techniques currently available. Based on these studies requirements of a 3D imaging capability will be discussed. Critical breakthroughs required for development of such a capability are also summarized.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document