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Our understanding of the initial period of agriculture in the southwestern United States has been transformed by recent discoveries that establish the presence of maize there by 2100 cal. B.C. (calibrated calendrical years before the Christian era) and document the processes by which it was integrated into local foraging economies. Here we review archaeological, paleoecological, linguistic, and genetic data to evaluate the hypothesis that Proto-Uto-Aztecan (PUA) farmers migrating from a homeland in Mesoamerica introduced maize agriculture to the region. We conclude that this hypothesis is untenable and that the available data indicate instead a Great Basin homeland for the PUA, the breakup of this speech community into northern and southern divisions [approximately equal to] 6900 cal. B.C. and the dispersal of maize agriculture from Mesoamerica to the US Southwest via group-to-group diffusion across a Southern Uto-Aztecan linguistic continuum. early agriculture | migration | US Southwest | Mesoamerica | Uto-Aztecan doi/10.1073/pnas.0906075106

The flooding of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina on 29 August 2005 uncovered critical issues in local, state, and national strategies for emergency preparedness and disaster relief. [...]

Objective: To evaluate the ascertainment and recording of clients' Indigenous status at BreastScreen Victoria (BSV) by assessing: staff compliance with best practice recommendations in ascertaining Indigenous status data collection practices; and the consistency of recording of Indigenous status between visits. Methods: The Australian Bureau of Statistics/Australian Institute of Health and Welfare best practice recommendations for collecting Indigenous status data were compared against BSV practices. One hundred and thirty-three BSV staff were also surveyed about their practices of ascertaining Indigenous status. An audit of the consistency of recording Indigenous status at first and most recent visit to BSV was also conducted. Results: Current ascertainment and recording of Indigenous status by BSV staff does not comply with best practice recommendations. A high proportion of staff were not ascertaining Indigenous status (34%), and/or perceived they were prevented from asking women whether they were Indigenous (53%). The consistency of recording of Indigenous status between women's visits was also low. Implications: Our findings are likely to be found in other services where collection of Indigenous status data occurs. To improve data collection, services need to: ensure questions regarding Indigenous status comply with best practice recommendations; provide staff training regarding the importance of collecting the information; and improve Indigenous participation and control of data collection and dissemination.

The collection of Judith Jacob's previously published articles is impressive for the scope and depth of knowledge it represents. As the title implies, the volume is organized into three sections: [...]

The collection of Judith Jacob's previously published articles is impressive for the scope and depth of knowledge it represents. As the title implies, the volume is organized into three sections: [...]

The vasculitides have a variety of clinical presentations and disease mimickers. They often are classified according to the size of the predominant vessels affected. They may occur as a result of drug treatment, connective tissue diseases, infections, or malignancies and may involve multiple organs. Common vasculitides include idiopathic and drug-induced cutaneous vasculitis, giant cell arteritis, and Wegener granulomatosis. Many patients present with constitutional symptoms, including fever, night sweats, and fatigue. Palpable purpura is a classic manifestation of the small-vessel vasculitides. Mimickers include bacterial endocarditis and cholesterol emboli. A complete blood cell count is one of the most useful initial laboratory tests. Tissue biopsy remains the best way to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment varies with the extent of disease. (J Musculoskel Med. 2009;26:460-470), The vasculitides are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by inflammation and necrosis of blood vessel walls resulting in impaired blood flow and organ damage. They have a variety of [...]

The offense-defense-deterrence balance is worthy of offense, defense and deterrence under existing conditions. As offense-defense arguments suggest that there should be less variation in war than in attack and conquest, the direct way to test the core claims is to examine the effects of the balance on the incidence of attack and conquest.

Paint types on black-on-white pottery in the prehistoric American Southwest have had significance for both chronological and sociocultural interpretations. Visual attributes have formed the basis for distinguishing carbon- and mineral-based paints on ancient black-on-white pottery in the American Southwest for over 60 years. In this study, an SEM-EDS (scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer) system was first used to make an independent objective determination of the mineral or nonmineral paint present on 15 Mesa Verde White Ware sherds. Then, a group of 19 people (including experienced archaeologists and newly trained individuals) examined and classified the paint on these sherds, achieving an overall accuracy of 84.2 percent. This group also ranked in priority order the visual attributes they felt were most useful in determining pottery paint type: nature of edges (fuzzy, sharp), absorption (soaks in, sits on top), luster (shiny, dull), color range (black-gray-blue; black-brown-reddish), flakiness (doesn't flake off, flakes off), thickness (thin, thick), and surface polish (polish striations visible through paint, striations not visible through paint). In each case, the attribute applicable to carbon-based paint is listed first. The most difficult sherds for the group to identify displayed attributes of both carbon and mineral paints. A category for 'mixed' paint type, already in use by archaeologists, is a reasonable third category for labeling sherd paint, as long as it does not become a 'catch-all' category. For problematic sherds, the SEM-EDS can be used to characterize paint type, then the visual attributes adjusted to improve investigator accuracy in paint type determination., 'Hard facts' are those rare details in this confusing world that have been recorded so clearly and unambiguously that everyone can agree on them (Weiner 1994:47). This paper reports a [...]

Aboriginal Health Workers: Primary health care at the margins Bill Genat with Sharon Bushby, May McGuire, Eileen Taylor, Yvette Walley and Thelma Weston 2006 University of Western Australia Press, Claremont [...]