36 research outputs found
Diet during life. Paleoeconomic studies of human diet using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes
No full textThe scientific analysis of archaeological remains has the potential to inform us about the diet of past individuals. Isotopic analysis gives insight into the daily practice of food consumption and thereby diet's relationship to individual, familial, and cultural organisation. Paleodietary reconstruction using light stable isotopes is based on the principle that "you are what you eat" - that molecules consumed as food are incorporated into the consumer's body tissues ant therefore that a chemical signal passing either unchanged or altered in a quantifiable fashion from food into the body can provide dietary information
Not Set in Stone: Understanding Communities in Prehistoric Cyprus (3500-1600BC) through Ground Stone Tool Biographies
No full text
Introduction: Immersed in Lithics
No full textThe idea of holding a conference to discuss how we can explore what affects our approaches to, and understanding of, lithic artefacts and their analysis emerged from a hands-on workshop entitled Northern Knap-in in November 2014. In that workshop we wanted to explore how prehistoric people in the north of England, which is perceived by many as being a (lithic)resource-poor region, might have adapted to the lack of good quality flint and chert for tool manufacture and so we experimented with the working of non-flint raw materials. Many things emerged from that day including how the experimental knapping of materials other than flint allowed us to think outside the conventional box, and how communal knapping and grinding demonstrated some of the different ways that people interacted and adapted to each other’s rhythm when making artefacts. We were also struck (excuse the pun) by how much non-lithic specialists contributed to the questions we raise in lithic analysis. This brought home to us the importance of finding other, sometimes non- conventional, ways in which we can engage with the past. This eventually led to the Immersed in Lithics Conference in February 2016
Echocardiographic studies of the left ventricle in patients with chronic renal failure
No full textWith the greater availability and success of dialysis and renal transplantation programmes, cardiovascular disease has emerged as the dominant threat to survival of patients with end-stage renal failure. The identification of left ventricular hypertrophy as an independent determinant of outcome in such patients prompted this investigation into factors which might influence left ventricular mass. Reports of regression of ventricular hypertrophy after renal transplantation suggested correction of uraemia, anaemia or hyperparathyroidism, either alone or in combination might be important. The aim of this thesis therefore was to examine the left ventricle by means of established echocardiographic techniques in dialysis patients in relation to different therapeutic interventions. Patients were studied before and after renal transplantation, treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin for anaemia, and surgical parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism. Stable dialysis patients were also studied at intervals. Three hundred and seventy eight echocardiograms in 223 patients were performed and analysed by the author. A cross-sectional study of echocardiograms from dialysis patients revealed that men had greater left ventricular mass indices (LVMI) than women, after adjusting for body surface area. LVMI tended to increase with age, and was greatest in diseases associated with severe hypertension. Serial changes in LVMI followed no predictable pattern but correlated with changes in systolic blood pressure and haemoglobin. There were no differences between CAPD and haemodialysis subjects. Following renal transplantation, the expected decrease in LVMI was not observed. However LV dimensions did change in most patients. A search for factors which might be associated with these changes revealed that the most anaemic patients at the time of surgery had a greater reduction in end-diastolic dimension (EDD), while those with functioning arteriovenous fistulae had persisting elevation of EDD. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, systolic blood pressure and male sex were related to the pre-operative LVMI. Age at the start of dialysis treatment was the only covariate to be associated with outcome. Successful treatment of renal anaemia with erythropoietin was associated with a small reduction in LVMI and LV wall thickness. Parathyroidectomy in dialysis patients resulted in similar changes. Variability in response was a consistent feature in all of the study groups and led to further investigation of the influence of volume overload by assessing ventricular changes as a result of dialysis with fluid removal. Highly significant changes in all left ventricular diastolic dimensions were observed, indicating that the widely used method of determining LV mass is not suitable for serial assessment of dialysis patients who are subject to changes in fluid balance
The Complete Solo Piano Works of Chen Yi: A Recording, Analysis, and Interpretation
No full textabstract: This dissertation focuses on seven solo piano works written by contemporary Chinese-American composer Chen Yi. It is presented in the form of a recording project, with a written analysis of each recorded composition. The seven recorded pieces are Variations on "Awariguli", Duo Ye, Guessing, Two Chinese bagatelles: Yu Diao and Small Beijing Gong, Ba Ban, Singing in the Mountain, and Ji-Dong-Nuo. They were written between 1978 and 2005, presenting a wide range of Chen Yi's compositional style. The written portion consists of five chapters. After the introductory chapter, a sketch of Chen Yi's life is presented in Chapter Two. This chapter specifically uncovers Chen Yi's deep roots of Chinese traditional and folk music through her experiences during the Cultural Revolution. Chapter Three analyzes each of the seven pieces. Through formal structure realization, motivic analysis, and folk music implication, the author discovers the blend of Chinese and Western cultures throughout Chen Yi's music. Chapter Four discusses the performance aspect of these compositions through the author's recording experience. In this chapter, the author provides background information as well as suggestions on specific performance practice. The last chapter summarizes the entire dissertation.Dissertation/ThesisVariations on "Awariguli"Duo YeGuessingTwo Chinese Bagatelles: Yu DiaoTwo Chinese Bagatelles: Small Beijing GongBa BanSinging in the MountainJi-Dong-NuoD.M.A. Music 201
Revolution of Reinvention: A Self Study on Recording and Entrepreneurial Skills in Modern Music Performing
No full textabstract: A common concern among musical performers in today'’s musical market pertains to their capacity to adapt to the constantly changing climate of the music business. This document focuses on one aspect of the development of a sustainable, entrepreneurship skill set: the production of a recording. While producing the recording Chocolates, the author examined and documented the multiplicity of skills encompassed with a recording project. The first part of the document includes a discussion of various aspects of the recording project, Chocolates, through an entrepreneurial lens, and an evaluation of the skill sets acquired through the recording process. Additionally, the inspiration and relevance behind the recording project and the process of collaboration between the two composers from whom I commissioned new compositions, Noah Taylor and James Grant, and myself is considered. Finally, I describe the recording and editing processes, including the planning involved within each process, how I achieved the final product, and the entrepreneurial skills involved. The second portion of this document examines a broad range of applications of entrepreneurship, marketing, and career management skills not only within the confines of this particular project, but also in relation to the overall sustainability of a twenty-–first century music-–performing career.Dissertation/ThesisD.M.A. Music 201
