scholarly journals The soil science and archaeo-geophysics alliance (SAGA): Going beyond prospection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Cuenca-Garcia ◽  
Kayt Armstrong ◽  
Elina Aidona ◽  
Philippe De Smedt ◽  
Anne Roseveare ◽  
...  

Archaeological sites can be discovered and recorded in a high-resolution and non-invasivemanner using geophysical methods. These measure the spatial variation of a range ofphysical properties of the soil which may be representative proxies of the subsurfacearchaeology. Less-invasive and cost-effective field procedures have become top-priority tomitigate the destructive effects on our cultural heritage from intensified land use, climatechange and the current conflict panorama. At a time when many organisations are investing in advanced geophysical equipment, amajor problem is that our ability to fully interpret the information available from geophysical datasets is still very limited. This deficiency prevents geophysical survey moving beyond basic prospection and becoming a significant tool for answering nuanced questions about archaeology and their host landscapes. This limitation arises from an incomplete understanding of the relationship between soil properties and geophysical measurements. Bridging this gap requires multi-disciplinary teams, testing novel methods, plus scholarly discussion to collate the outcomes of projects on this topic. Overcoming these challenges is a prerequisite for maximising the costeffectiveness of geophysical methods, realising the expected benefits of technological investment and allowing broader utility of geophysical methods in the cultural heritage sector. SAGA will build an international network of geophysicists, archaeologists, soil scientists and other experts to develop our capability to interpret geophysical data and promote research collaborations. Our vision is that after four years, SAGA will have created an environment within which emerging field procedures, enhanced data interpretation and a broader understanding of integrated geophysical methods can flourish.

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Cuenca-Garcia ◽  
Kayt Armstrong ◽  
Elina Aidona ◽  
Philippe De Smedt ◽  
Anne Rosveare ◽  
...  

Archaeological sites can be discovered and recorded in a high-resolution and non-invasive manner using geophysical methods. These measure the spatial variation of a range of physical properties of the soil which may be representative proxies of the subsurface archaeology. Less-invasive and cost-effective field procedures have become top-priority to mitigate the destructive effects on our cultural heritage from intensified land use, climate change and the current conflict panorama. At a time when many organisations are investing in advanced geophysical equipment, a major problem is that our ability to fully interpret the information available from geophysical datasets is still very limited. This deficiency prevents geophysical survey moving beyond basic prospection and becoming a significant tool for answering nuanced questions about archaeology and their host landscapes. This limitation arises from an incomplete understanding of the relationship between soil properties and geophysical measurements. Bridging this gap requires multi-disciplinary teams, testing novel methods, plus scholarly discussion to collate the outcomes of projects on this topic. Overcoming these challenges is a prerequisite for maximising the costeffectiveness of geophysical methods, realising the expected benefits of technological investment and allowing broader utility of geophysical methods in the cultural heritage sector. SAGA will build an international network of geophysicists, archaeologists, soil scientists and other experts to develop our capability to interpret geophysical data and promote research collaborations. Our vision is that after four years, SAGA will have created an environment within which emerging field procedures, enhanced data interpretation and a broader understanding of integrated geophysical methods can flourish.


2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Marchetti ◽  
Vincenzo Sapia ◽  
Adriano Garello ◽  
Donatella De Rita ◽  
Alessandra Venuti

<p>The Vulci archeological site was object of interest by the Soprintendenza ai beni culturali dell’Etruria meridionale (Italian government department responsible for southern Etruria’s cultural heritage) since the beginning of the 20th century. In 2001, the Ministero dei Beni Culturali (Italian ministry of cultural heritage) along with the local authorities, opened a natural-archeological park. In this area, it lies most of the ancient Etruscan city of Velch (today known by its Latin name, Vulci) including the Osteria Necropolis that is the object of this study. Recently, new archaeological excavations were made and the local authorities needed major geological information about the volcanic lithotypes where the Etruscans used to build their necropolis. The aim of this study is to define the geological and geophysical characteristics of the rock lithotypes present in the Vulci park. For this purpose, a geological map of the area (1:10000) has been realized. Moreover, two different geophysical methods were applied: measurements of magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity tomography. Magnetic susceptibility analyses clearly identify magnetic contrasts between different lithotypes; the characteristics of the pyroclastic flow that originated the Sorano unit 2 and its vertical facies variations are well recorded by this parameter that along with lithostratigraphic observations provides information about the depositional conditions. Two electrical resistivity tomographies were performed, which show the Sorano unit 2 thickness to be of c. 7 m with resistivity values ranging from 200 to 400 Ω·m. This kind of multidisciplinary approach resulted to be suitable to study this type of archaeological sites, revealing that areas characterized by a relevant thickness and wide areal extension of volcanic lithotypes can be a potential site where Etruscans might have excavated their necropolis.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Gregory-Stevens ◽  
Ian Frame ◽  
Christian Henjewele

Purpose Adjudication was introduced to the English construction industry in 1996 in response to its litigious nature. At the time, adjudication aimed to provide a time-efficient, cost-effective solution to construction disputes. The industry is concerned that adjudication is not always providing the expected benefits due to increasing cost, the length of time it takes to resolve disputes and the difficulty in maintaining good relationships between the parties in dispute. Mediation is recommended here as a most desirable approach to resolving disputes without affecting the relationship between the parties. However, the benefits of mediation have not been fully appreciated by all due to slow uptake. This paper aims to identify barriers to the greater use of meditation the English construction industry. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents results from a study that investigated issues preventing greater use of mediation. The study involved 20 case studies of previous dispute resolutions, ten in-depth interviews and 357 usable responses to a structured questionnaire survey involving the English construction industry. Findings The research found a limited detailed awareness of mediation within the English construction industry due to a lack of detailed knowledge among industry stakeholders and a lack of emphasis from construction contracts. The study revealed that there is strong support for adjudication; however, the majority of those with experience of adjudication would prefer to use mediation as the first step in resolving disputes. Originality/value This research identifies the support required for mediation and its preference among those with and without prior knowledge of both adjudication and mediation for the English construction industry. The paper provides an insight into barriers that need to be addressed to increase use of mediation.


2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Magnavita ◽  
Norbert Schleifer

In the last decades, geophysical methods such as magnetic survey have become a common technique for prospecting archaeological sites. At sub-Saharan archaeological sites, however, magnetic survey and correlated techniques never came into broad use and there are no signs for an immediate change of this situation. This paper examines the magnetic survey undertaken on the Nigerian site of Zilum, a settlement of the Gajiganna Culture (ca 1800-400 BC) located in the Chad Basin and dated to ca 600-400 BC. By means of the present case study, we demonstrate the significance of this particular type of investigation in yielding complementary data for understanding the character of prehistoric settlements. In conclusion, we point out that geophysical methods should play a more important role in modern archaeological field research, as they furnish a class of documentation not achievable by traditional survey and excavation methods, thus creating new perspectives for interpreting the past of African societies.


2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G Koch

Current estimates of obesity costs ignore the impact of future weight loss and gain, and may either over or underestimate economic consequences of weight loss. In light of this, I construct static and dynamic measures of medical costs associated with body mass index (BMI), to be balanced against the cost of one-time interventions. This study finds that ignoring the implications of weight loss and gain over time overstates the medical-cost savings of such interventions by an order of magnitude. When the relationship between spending and age is allowed to vary, weight-loss attempts appear to be cost-effective starting and ending with middle age. Some interventions recently proven to decrease weight may also be cost-effective.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 296-297
Author(s):  
Daniela M Meléndez ◽  
Sonia Marti ◽  
Luigi Faucitano ◽  
Derek B Haley ◽  
Timothy D Schwinghamer ◽  
...  

Abstract Blood metabolites are used to assess a variety of animal conditions for veterinary diagnosis and research. Concentration of metabolites in blood can be measured using a commercially-available lab-based assay or in real-time using a handheld device developed to be more time- and cost-effective than the lab-based method. Lactate is a product of anaerobic glycolysis, used in animal research as an indicator of muscle fatigue. Therefore, it has been used as an indicator of cattle response to long distance transportation. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of L-lactate concentrations measured using a Lactate Scout+ analyzer (Lactate Scout, EFK Diagnostics, Barleben, Germany) and a lactate assay colorimetric kit (Lactate Assay Kit, Cell Biolabs Inc., San Diego, CA). Blood samples were collected by venipuncture from 96 steers (245 ± 35.7 kg BW) prior to (L1) and after 36 h, and prior to and after an additional 4 h of road transportation, and on d 1, 2, 3, 5, 14, and 28 after transport. The Lactate Scout+ analyzer strip was dipped in blood at the time of sampling, while blood samples were collected into sodium fluoride tubes for use in colorimetric analysis. Pearson correlations were calculated to determine the relationship between the experimental methods for the quantification of L-lactate concentrations. The strengths and levels of statistical significance of the correlation varied over the observed time points, r = -0.03, P = 0.75 (L1) to r = 0.75, P = &lt; 0.0001 (d 3). The correlation for the pooled data was weak but statistically significant (r = 0.33, P &lt; 0.001). Based on the experimental results, the Lactate Scout+ analyzer is not a suitable alternative to a lab-based assay for measuring L-lactate in transported cattle, due to variability across sampling time points and weak correlation with the traditional enzymatic method.


Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Viacheslav Glinskikh ◽  
Oleg Nechaev ◽  
Igor Mikhaylov ◽  
Kirill Danilovskiy ◽  
Vladimir Olenchenko

This paper is dedicated to the topical problem of examining permafrost’s state and the processes of its geocryological changes by means of geophysical methods. To monitor the cryolithozone, we proposed and scientifically substantiated a new technique of pulsed electromagnetic cross-well sounding. Based on the vector finite-element method, we created a mathematical model of the cross-well sounding process with a pulsed source in a three-dimensional spatially heterogeneous medium. A high-performance parallel computing algorithm was developed and verified. Through realistic geoelectric models of permafrost with a talik under a highway, constructed following the results of electrotomography field data interpretation, we numerically simulated the pulsed sounding on the computing resources of the Siberian Supercomputer Center of SB RAS. The simulation results suggest the proposed system of pulsed electromagnetic cross-well monitoring to be characterized by a high sensitivity to the presence and dimensions of the talik. The devised approach can be oriented to addressing a wide range of issues related to monitoring permafrost rocks under civil and industrial facilities, buildings, and constructions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6905
Author(s):  
Maria Tătărușanu ◽  
Gina Ionela Butnaru ◽  
Valentin Niță ◽  
Angelica-Nicoleta Neculăesei ◽  
Elena Ciortescu

Recently, in line with the increased attention paid to cultural tourism in general and to religious tourism in particular, researchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in the analysis of various aspects related to cultural heritage in order to capitalize on its value by means of its interpretation, thus providing beneficial effects both for tourists and for tourism’s sustainable development. The aim of this research is to analyze the extent to which the methods of interpretation of the religious cultural heritage: guiding tours, quality reception, and relic worship influence the satisfaction of tourists participating in the “Saint Parascheva” pilgrimage, held annually by the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iasi. The data were collected by means of a survey (N = 932) and the information was processed by using the SPSS version 25 program. Our results indicate the significant influence that the potential to worship relics has on pilgrims’ satisfaction compared to other interpretation methods, such as the relationship with the Cathedral’s staff or the possibility of participating in guided tours. Pilgrims’ satisfaction is also perceived differently depending on certain aspects of their socio-demographic profile, i.e., their age and the perceived faith level. This study is relevant for researchers, managers, and students interested in the field of cultural heritage interpretation in genera, and in the field of religious heritage in particular, and could significantly contribute to improving pilgrims’ satisfaction as well as cultural heritage preservation.


2021 ◽  
pp. 22-35
Author(s):  
Stanislav V. Pechinskii ◽  
Eduard T. Oganesyan ◽  
Anna G. Kuregyan

Molecular docking is a convenient and cost-effective tool for targeted screening of biologically active structures. This method makes it possible to reveal the relationship between structure and activity, as well as to search for new active compounds. Due to the fact that the antiviral activity of flavonoids and their derivatives has been shown experimentally and clinically, the study of their antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 is a promising study. In an in silico experiment, the possibility of binding 20 flavonoid ligands and the main protease SARS-CoV-2 was studied. The structural features of flavone and flavanone derivatives have been determined, which determine their ability to block the main protease of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Structures of eight new candidates that bind the main protease SARS-CoV-2, which have the prospect of synthesis and further pharmacological research, have been proposed.


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