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Production Sites (production + site)
Selected AbstractsIRON PRODUCTION SITES IN SOUTHERN BÉNINACTA ARCHAEOLOGICA, Issue 1 2009Article first published online: 5 JUL 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] Black Gloss Pottery: Production Sites and Technology in Northern Etruria, Part I: Provenance StudiesARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2004E. Gliozzo The object of the present study is an assemblage of 149 black gloss pottery samples found in northern Etruria (Tuscany, Italy), at Arezzo, Volterra, Chiusi and Populonia. Complete chemical analyses have been performed for the whole set of samples, whereas mineralogical characterization has been provided for most of the Volterra, Chiusi and Populonia samples. The Chiusi-Marcianella production site has been the further object of a detailed study aimed at the creation of a complete reference group. Moreover, several trade routes have been reconstructed, shedding light on the import and export of these ceramics from inland Etruria to the coast and vice versa. [source] Mineralogical And Chemical Investigations Of Bloomery Slags From Prehistoric (8th Century Bc To 4th Century Ad) Iron Production Sites In Upper And Lower Lusatia, GermanyARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2001R. B. Heimann More than 400 fayalitic bloomery slags from prehistoric iron production sites in Upper and Lower Lusatia, eastern Germany, as well as bog iron ore samples and intermediary samples of the smelting process, were analysed by chemical and mineralogical techniques. While the precursor bog iron ores exploited in the two regions under investigation were very similar in composition, consisting of low-manganese/low-barium as well as high-manganese/high-barium types of ore, pronounced differences in slag composition were detected. Slags from 17 investigated sites in Upper Lusatia showed average P2O5 contents between 1 and 3 mass%, whereas slags from 15 investigated sites in Lower Lusatia were generally much richer in phosphorus, reaching values as high as 7 mass% P2O5. Since a reasonable correlation exists between calcium and phosphorus contents in the slags of the latter sites, it is conjectured that deliberate addition of CaO to the ore/charcoal charge of the bloomery furnace may have taken place in order to fix the phosphorus in the slags effectively. In many samples, this conjecture is being supported by the detection of a slag mineral Ca,Fe phosphate Ca9,xFe1+x(PO4)7 that presumably crystallized from a residual phosphorus-rich melt and shows a cotectic relationship to both Ca-rich fayalite and wustite, as well as to members of the solid solution series magnetite,hercynite. [source] Pharmaceutical industry effluent diluted 1:500 affects global gene expression, cytochrome P450 1A activity, and plasma phosphate in fish,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 12 2009Lina Gunnarsson Abstract Patancheru, near Hyderabad, India, is a major production site for the global bulk drug market. Approximately 90 manufacturers send their wastewater to a common treatment plant in Patancheru. Extraordinary high levels of a wide range of pharmaceuticals have recently been demonstrated in the treated effluent. As little as 0.2% of this effluent can strongly reduce the growth rate of tadpoles, but the underlying mechanisms of toxicity are not known. To begin addressing how the effluent affects aquatic vertebrates, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to 0.2% effluent for 5 d. Several physiological endpoints, together with effects on global hepatic gene expression patterns, were analyzed. The exposed fish showed both an induction of hepatic cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) gene expression, as well as enzyme activity. Clinical blood chemistry analyses revealed an increase in plasma phosphate levels, which in humans indicates impaired kidney function. Several oxidative stress-related genes were induced in the livers; however, no significant changes in antioxidant enzyme activities or in the hepatic glutathione levels were found. Furthermore, estrogen-regulated genes were slightly up-regulated following exposure, and moderate levels of estriol were detected in the effluent. The present study identifies changes in gene expression triggered by exposure to a high dilution of the effluent, supporting the hypothesis that these fish are responding to chemical exposure. The pattern of regulated genes may contribute to the identification of mechanisms of sublethal toxicity, as well as illuminate possible causative agents. [source] A comparative electron microprobe study of "Aeginetan" wares with potential raw material sources from Aegina, Methana, and Poros, GreeceGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2002Michael J. Dorais Qualitative stylistic evidence from ceramic vessels and limited petrographic analysis suggested that a distinctive group of ceramics with visible inclusions of biotite (Gold Mica Fabric) was produced on the island of Aegina, Greece, during the Middle Helladic and Late Helladic I periods. To quantitatively evaluate this provenance, we sampled all potential source rocks on Aegina, Methana, and Poros. Electron microprobe analysis of amphibole in these samples revealed that each of these volcanic centers has its own unique mineralogical signature. Comparative analyses of amphibole in Zerner's original stylistic "Gold Mica Fabric" type sample with the reference samples reveal that two sherds are Aeginetan. Three additional sherds from this sample may have a non-Aeginetan provenance, probably from a back-arc setting outside the Saronic Gulf. These results suggest that the hypothesis of a single source production site for Aeginetan Ware should be reexamined. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Curriculum vitae of intestinal intraepithelial T cells: their developmental and behavioral characteristicsIMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2007Hiromichi Ishikawa Summary:, The alimentary tract has an epithelial layer, consisting mainly of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), that is exposed to the exterior world through the intestinal lumen. The IEC layer contains many intestinal intraepithelial T cells (IELs), and the total number of IELs constitutes the largest population in the peripheral T-cell pool. Virtually all ,,-IELs and many ,,-IELs in the mouse small intestine are known to express CD8,, homodimers. A wide range of evidence that supports extrathymic development of these CD8,,+ IELs has been collected. In addition, while several studies identified cells with precursor T-cell phenotypes within the gut epithelium, how these precursors, which are dispersed along the length of the intestine, develop into ,,-IELs and/or ,,-IELs has not been clarified. The identification of lymphoid cell aggregations named ,cryptopatches' (CPs) in the intestinal crypt lamina propria of mice as sites rich in T-cell precursors in 1996 by our research group, however, provided evidence for a central site, whereby precursor IELs could give rise to T-cell receptor-bearing IELs. In this review, we discuss the development of IELs in the intestinal mucosa and examine the possibility that CPs serve as a production site of extrathymic IELs. [source] Knowledge creation and transfer in a cross-cultural context,empirical evidence from Tyco Flow ControlKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 3 2007Florian Kohlbacher The capability of multinational corporations (MNCs) to create and efficiently combine knowledge from different locations around the world is becoming increasingly important as a determinant of competitive advantage and will be more and more critical to their success and survival. Consequently, cultural differences and cross-cultural contexts play an essential role for and significantly influence global knowledge creation and management. This paper presents a case study resulting from a current empirical research project on knowledge management and the transfer of knowledge within organizations of MNCs. We describe and analyze the efforts of global market leader Tyco Flow Control (TFC)'s Japanese subsidiary KTM to transfer relevant,and often highly tacit,knowledge to a newly acquired production site in Taiwan. Challenges and difficulties encountered in the process of global knowledge management,in this case the transfer of knowledge from Japan to Taiwan,as well as the creation of new knowledge locally and its feedback,are illustrated and carefully examined. Finally, we discuss our findings and highlight practical implications for managers and international corporations in a global business environment. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Azoospermia and Sertoli-cell-only syndrome: hypoxia in the sperm production site due to impairment in venous drainage of male reproductive systemANDROLOGIA, Issue 5 2010Y. Gat Summary Sertoli-cell-only (SCO) syndrome, or germ cell aplasia, is diagnosed on testicular biopsy when germ cells are seen to be absent without histological impairment of Sertoli or Leydig cells. It is considered a situation of irreversible infertility. Recent studies have shown that varicocele, a bilateral disease, causes hypoxia in the testicular microcirculation. Destruction of one-way valves in the internal spermatic veins (ISV) elevates hydrostatic pressure in the testicular venules, exceeding the pressure in the arteriolar system. The positive pressure gradient between arterial and venous system is reversed, causing hypoxia in the sperm production site. Sperm production deteriorates gradually, progressing to azoospermia. Our prediction was that, if genetic problems are excluded, SCO may be the final stage of longstanding hypoxia which deteriorates sperm production in a progressive process over time. This would indicate that SCO is not always an independent disease entity, but may represent deterioration of the testicular parenchyma beyond azoospermia. Our prediction is confirmed by histology of the seminiferous tubules demonstrating that SCO is associated with extensive degenerative ischaemic changes and destruction of the normal architecture of the sperm production site. Adequate treatment of bilateral varicocele by microsurgery or by selective sclerotherapy of the ISV resumes, at least partially, the flow of oxygenated blood to the sperm production site and restored sperm production in 4 out of 10 patients. Based on our findings the following statements can be made: (i) SCO may be related in part of the cases to persistent, longstanding testicular parenchymal hypoxia; (ii) germ cells may still exist in other areas of the testicular parenchyma; and (iii) if genetic problems are excluded, adequate correction of the hypoxia may restore very limited sperm production in some patients. [source] THE HISTORY OF THE LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY INSTRUMENTAL NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS PROGRAMME FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL MATERIALSARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2007F. ASARO The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory pottery provenance group developed standards and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) methods that are used at many archaeometry laboratories around the world. The background and development of ,Standard Pottery' and of methods for INAA are described. Early pottery provenance studies are described, and other research programmes, involving obsidian and magmatic mixing, the origin of the stone used for the Colossi of Memnon, and the ,Plate of Brass', are mentioned. Research work by the Laboratory included the discovery of the world-wide iridium anomaly and extensive subsequent research on what has come to be known as the ,Asteroid Impact Theory'. Characteristics of the analytical programme for pottery provenance work, including overall aims, precision and accuracy, intercalibration, and irradiation and measurement protocols, are discussed. New research areas developed in the past 15 years, to broaden the usefulness of chemical compositional data for archaeological investigation, and examples of recent work, are described. This research, which makes use of high-precision X-ray fluorescence analysis in addition to INAA measurements on sample splits, includes distinguishing the products of different workshops located at the same production site, studies on the significance of the distribution of silver in archaeological pottery and the use of high-precision chemical compositional data as an aid for making chronological distinctions. [source] Mutant Ecologies: Radioactive Life in Post,Cold War New MexicoCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2004Joseph Masco A political ecology of the nuclear age developed through a theorization of "mutation" interrogates the contemporary terms of radioactive nature in New Mexico. As an analytic, the value of "mutation" is its emphasis on multigenerational effects, enabling an assessment of biosocial transformations as, alternatively, injury, improvement, or noise. Cold War radiation experiments, the post,Cold War transformation of nuclear production sites into "wildlife reserves," and the expanding role that biological beings play as "environmental sentinels" in New Mexico are all sites where concerns about "species" integrity may be articulated in relation to radioactive nature. [source] Recovering from Crisis: The Case of Thailand's Spatial FixECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2007Jim Glassman Abstract: Although the Asian economic crisis has been the subject of numerous analyses, the varied and uneven processes by which different Asian countries have recovered from the crisis have received comparatively less attention. This article focuses on the process of recovery in Thailand. While the crisis and recovery both have international dimensions that go beyond individual nation-states, the case of Thailand can be used to analyze some of the forces that are at work in both the national and international contexts. Thailand's process of recovery can be analyzed by noting tensions and overlaps among different forms of spatial fix,those involving investment in Bangkok' built environment, those involving the geographic decentralization of investment to lower-cost production sites, and those involving the effort to expand exports. Each of these spatial fixes involves different accumulation strategies and, therefore, political coalitions. This situation suggests the centrality of social struggles over the appropriation of surplus to both crisis and recovery. [source] Secondary neurogenesis and telencephalic organization in zebrafish and mice: a brief reviewINTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2009Mario F. WULLIMANN Abstract Most zebrafish neurodevelopmental studies have focused on the embryo, which is characterized by primary neurogenesis of mostly transient neurons. Secondary neurogenesis becomes dominant in the hatching larva, when major brain parts are established and begin to differentiate. This developmental period allows for a comparative analysis of zebrafish brain organization with amniotes at equivalent stages of neurogenesis. Within a particular time window, the early forebrains of mice (Embyronic stage [E] 12.5/13.5 days [d]) and zebrafish (3 d) reveal highly comparable expression patterns of genes involved in neurogenesis, for example proneural and other transcription factors (Neurogenin1, NeuroD, Mash1/Zashla and Pax6). Further topological correspondences are seen in the expression of LIM and homeobox genes, such as Lhx6/7, Tbr2 and Dlx2a. When this analysis is extended to gamma-aminobutyric acid/glutamic acid decarboxylase (GABA/GAD) cell patterns during this critical time window, an astonishing degree of similarity between the two species is again seen, for example regarding the presence of GABA/GAD cells in the subpallium, with the pallium only starting to be invaded by such cells from the subpallium. Furthermore, the expression of proneural and other genes correlates with GABA cell patterns (e.g. Mash1/Zash1a gene expression in GABA-positive and Neurogenin1/NeuroD in GABA-negative telencephalic regions) in mice and zebrafish. Data from additional vertebrates, such as Xenopus, are also highly consistent with this analysis. Therefore, the vertebrate forebrain appears to undergo a phylotypic stage of secondary neurogenesis, characterized by regionally separated GABAergic (inhibitory) versus glutamatergic (excitatory) cell production sites, which are obscured later in development by tangential migration. This period is highly advantageous for molecular neuroanatomical cross-species comparisons. [source] Characterization of dominant microbiota of a Ghanaian fermented milk product, nyarmie, by culture- and nonculture-based methodsJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006M. Obodai Abstract Aims:, To characterize the predominant micro-organisms in a Ghanaian traditional fermented dairy product, nyarmie, made from cows' milk, using both culture- and nonculture-based methods. Methods and Results:, Samples of nyarmie were analysed from three production sites in Accra, by determining the counts on selective culture media. The microbial diversity occurring in nyarmie was also evaluated by 16S/18S ribosomal DNA PCR amplification and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Results showed that nyarmie contained lactococci and lactobacilli in the range of 108 and 1010 CFU ml,1, respectively, and yeasts at around 107 CFU ml,1. The pH ranged between 3·49 and 4·25. The predominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in nyarmie were Leuconostocmesenteroides ssp. mesenteroides, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Lact.helveticus, Lact. delbrueckii ssp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis, while Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the predominant yeast species. Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. delbrueckii was not detected by cultivation but its predominance was revealed by PCR-DGGE analysis. Conclusions:, The flora in products from different producers varied in the LAB composition present and may result in variations in product quality. Significance and Impact of the Study:, Development and use of starter cultures for nyarmie may be beneficial in improving the consistency of product quality. [source] Disturbance indicators and population decline of logged species in Mt. Elgon Forest, KenyaAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Joseph Hitimana Abstract Mount (Mt) Elgon forest in western Kenya is important for biodiversity, environmental protection and socio-economic development. Characterizing forest conditions is essential for evaluation of sustainable management and conservation activities. This paper covers findings of a study which determined and analysed indicators useful in monitoring disturbance levels in the Mt Elgon Forest. A systematic survey was carried out and covered 305 plots of 0.02 ha and 250 smaller nested regeneration plots along 10 belt transects that were distributed in five blocks within the moist lower montane forest type. Collected and analysed data include types of disturbance, tree species composition, abundance and logged species. Correlation breakdown among disturbance types revealed that, paths were indicators of the number of tree harvesting sites (rs =1.00, P < 0.01) and of de-vegetated areas through grass harvesting (rs = 0.90, P = 0.04). Solanum mauritianum Scop. was an indicator of old-charcoal production sites. Logging targeted 13 tree species and harvested trees with diameter at breast height above 20 cm. The most exploited species were Olea capensis L. and Deinbolia kilimandscharica Taub. All exploited species had low regeneration but tree regeneration was not an effective indicator of logging. Résumé La forêt du Mont Elgon, dans l'ouest du Kenya, est importante pour sa biodiversité, pour la protection de l'environnement et pour le développement socioéconomique. Il est essentiel de bien définir les caractéristiques de ses conditions pour pouvoir évaluer les activités de gestion durable et de conservation. Cet article reprend les résultats d'une étude qui a déterminé et analysé des indicateurs intéressants pour pouvoir suivre le niveau de perturbation dans la forêt du Mont Elgon. Une étude systématique fut menée, qui a couvert 305 parcelles de 0,02 ha et 250 plus petites parcelles de régénération incluses le long de 10 transects de ceinture, distribuées en cinq blocs dans la forêt humide de basse montagne. Les données récoltées et analysées comprennent les types de perturbation, la composition des espèces d'arbres, leur abondance et celles qui sont exploitées. Une rupture de corrélation parmi les types de perturbation a révélé que les sentiers étaient des indicateurs du nombre de sites oùétaient récoltés les arbres (rs = 1.00; P < 0.01) et de zones sans végétation à cause de la récolte de l'herbe (rs = 0.90; P < 0.04). Solanum mauritianum Scop. était un indicateur d'anciens sites de production de charbon de bois. Les coupes d'arbres concernaient 13 espèces dont le diamètre à hauteur de poitrine dépassait 20 cm. Les espèces les plus exploitées étaient Olea capensis L. et Deinbolia kilimandscharica Taub. Toutes les espèces exploitées avaient une faible régénération, mais une régénération d'arbres n'était pas un indicateur fiable d'anciennes coupes d'arbres. [source] ISOTOPIC DISCRIMINANTS BETWEEN LATE BRONZE AGE GLASSES FROM EGYPT AND THE NEAR EASTARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 3 2010P. DEGRYSE This paper presents oxygen, strontium and neodymium isotopic analysis from a series of Late Bronze Age glasses from Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was found that oxygen and neodymium isotopes alone cannot readily distinguish between glasses from the various sites. However, combined Sr and Nd isotope analysis separate the data into three groups: an Egyptian group with relatively low Sr and Nd ratios; a Late Bronze Age (LBA) Nuzi group with high Sr and low Nd ratios; and an intermediate Sr and high Nd ratio grouping of glasses from Tell Brak. These findings suggest that most of the glass from Nuzi and Tell Brak had different raw materials and hence the glass was probably produced at different manufacturing sites. However, one glass ingot found at Tell Brak (TB1) appears to have Nuzi-type Sr,Nd characteristics. This is the first positive identification of multiple production sites in LBA Mesopotamia and an exceptional example of a glass that may have been exchanged from one LBA site to another. [source] Strontium Isotopes in the Investigation of Early Glass Production: Byzantine and Early Islamic Glass from the Near East,ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 1 2003I. C. Freestone 87Sr/86Sr ratios have been determined for glasses from four production sites, dated to between the sixth and the 11th centuries, in the Eastern Mediterranean region. On the basis of elemental analyses, the glasses at each location are believed to have been melted from different raw materials. Two glass groups, from Bet Eli,ezer and Bet She,an, in Israel, are believed to have been based upon mixtures of Levantine coastal sands and natron, and have 87Sr/86Sr ratios close to 0.7090, plus high elemental strontium, confirming a high concentration of modern marine shell (87Sr/86Sr ~ 0.7092) in the raw materials. The isotopic compositions of these two groups of glasses differ slightly, however, probably reflecting a varying ratio of limestone to shell because the sands that were utilized were from different coastal locations. Natron-based glasses from a workshop at Tel el Ashmunein, Middle Egypt, have 87Sr/86Sr values of 0.70794,0.70798, and low elemental strontium, consistent with the use of limestone or limestone-rich sand in the batch. High-magnesia glasses based on plant ash, from Banias, Israel, have 87Sr/86Sr values of 0.70772,0.70780, probably reflecting the isotopic composition of the soils that were parental to the plants that were ashed to make the glass. Strontium and its isotopes offer an approach to identifying both the raw materials and the origins of ancient glasses, and are a potentially powerful tool in their interpretation. [source] Mineralogical And Chemical Investigations Of Bloomery Slags From Prehistoric (8th Century Bc To 4th Century Ad) Iron Production Sites In Upper And Lower Lusatia, GermanyARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2001R. B. Heimann More than 400 fayalitic bloomery slags from prehistoric iron production sites in Upper and Lower Lusatia, eastern Germany, as well as bog iron ore samples and intermediary samples of the smelting process, were analysed by chemical and mineralogical techniques. While the precursor bog iron ores exploited in the two regions under investigation were very similar in composition, consisting of low-manganese/low-barium as well as high-manganese/high-barium types of ore, pronounced differences in slag composition were detected. Slags from 17 investigated sites in Upper Lusatia showed average P2O5 contents between 1 and 3 mass%, whereas slags from 15 investigated sites in Lower Lusatia were generally much richer in phosphorus, reaching values as high as 7 mass% P2O5. Since a reasonable correlation exists between calcium and phosphorus contents in the slags of the latter sites, it is conjectured that deliberate addition of CaO to the ore/charcoal charge of the bloomery furnace may have taken place in order to fix the phosphorus in the slags effectively. In many samples, this conjecture is being supported by the detection of a slag mineral Ca,Fe phosphate Ca9,xFe1+x(PO4)7 that presumably crystallized from a residual phosphorus-rich melt and shows a cotectic relationship to both Ca-rich fayalite and wustite, as well as to members of the solid solution series magnetite,hercynite. [source] | ||||||||||||||||