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El Gigante rockshelter in western Honduras provides a deeply stratified archaeological record of human-environment interaction spanning the entirety of the Holocene. Botanical materials are remarkably well preserved and include important tree (e.g., ciruela (Spondias), avocado (Persea americana)) and field (maize (Zea mays), beans (Phaseolus), and squash (Cucurbita)) crops. Here we provide a major update to the chronology of tree and field crop use evident in the sequence. We report 375 radiocarbon dates, a majority of which are for short-lived botanical macrofossils (e.g., maize cobs, avocado seeds, or rinds). Radiocarbon dates were used in combination with stratigraphic details to establish a Bayesian chronology for ~9,800 identified botanical samples spanning the last 11,000 years. We estimate that at least 16 discrete intervals of use occurred during this time, separated by gaps of ~100-2,000 years. The longest hiatus in rockshelter occupation was between ~6,400 and 4,400 years ago and the deposition of botanical remains peaked at ~2,000 calendar years before present (cal BP). Tree fruits and squash appeared early in the occupational sequence (~11,000 cal BP) with most other field crops appearing later in time (e.g., maize at ~4,400 cal BP; beans at ~2,200 cal BP). The early focus on tree fruits and squash is consistent with early coevolutionary partnering with humans as seed dispersers in the wake of megafaunal extinction in Mesoamerica. Tree crops predominated through much of the Holocene, and there was an overall shift to field crops after 4,000 cal BP that was largely driven by increased reliance on maize farming.

The COVID-19 pandemic created difficulties for the Western Church to meet together as it had normally done for generations. The question that arises is, “How is the church to continue its mission of reaching people with the Gospel and make disciples that make disciples when it is not able to gather together in the same manner as before?” This project will seek to determine the best strategies and tools that the modern Western Church can use to fulfill its mission through an online digital media strategy during these prolonged absences. A case study of Bedrock Church Sarasota and the strategies that were implemented because of the global pandemic will be conducted to determine the best practices used to reach people with the Gospel and make disciples during periods of prolonged absences.

Purpose To investigate the diagnostic performance of dual-layer dual-energy CT (dlDECT) in the evaluation of adrenal nodules. Methods In this retrospective study, 66 patients with triphasic dlDECT (unenhanced, venous phase (VP), delayed phase (DP)) for suspected adrenal lesions were included. Virtual unenhanced images (VUE) were derived from VP acquisitions. Reference diagnoses were established with true unenhanced (TUE) attenuation, absolute washout, follow-up imaging and pathological data. Attenuation for adrenal lesions and abdominal tissues was acquired on TUE, VUE, VP and DP images. VUE and TUE attenuation were compared in all included tissues. Characterization of adrenal nodules based on TUE and VUE attenuation was investigated. ROC analysis was used to determine an adjusted threshold for diagnosing lipid-rich adenomas. Results Seventy-three adrenal nodules (mean size: 18.9 +/- 8.9 mm) were identified in 66 patients (38 females, 28 males; age: 61 +/- 13 years) including adenoma (n = 65), metastases (n = 2), pheochromocytoma (n = 3), adrenocortical carcinoma (n = 1) and myelolipoma (n = 2). Mean attenuation of all included tissues except for the abdominal aorta (p = 0.11) was significantly higher in VUE compared to TUE images, including the attenuation of adrenal nodules (20.0 +/- 17.2 vs. 7.1 +/- 19.8; p < 0.05). Classification of adrenal adenomas as lipid-rich based on VUE attenuation <= 10 HU yielded a sensitivity/specificity of 0.2/1.0, while an adjusted threshold of <= 22 HU yielded a sensitivity/specificity of 0.82/0.85. Conclusion dlDECT-derived VUE images overestimated attenuation in adrenal nodules, resulting in low sensitivity for diagnosis of lipid-rich adenomas using the established 10 HU threshold. Based on an adjusted threshold (<= 22 HU) a higher sensitivity was attained, yet at the expense of a lower specificity, warranting further validation.

The archaeological site of Santa Ana-La Florida (SALF), located in the Ecuadorian upper Amazon, is in the region of Theobroma spp. greatest genetic diversity, thus making it ideal to investigate the origins of domestication of this enigmatic tree. We present research showing that the residents of SALF were involved in the domestication of cacao, traditionally thought to have been first domesticated in Mesoamerica and/or Central America. We used three independent lines of evidence—starch grains, theobromine residues and ancient DNA—dating from approximately 5,300 years ago, to establish the earliest evidence of T. cacao use in the Americas, the first unequivocal archaeological example of its pre-Columbian use in South America and reveal the upper Amazon region as the oldest centre of cacao domestication yet identified. We suggest that new paleoethnobotanical research will expand our knowledge of this process, including the timing, locations, and uses of cacao by Indigenous South Americans.

This paper discusses two possible difficulties with Catherine Lu’s powerful analysis of the moral response to our shared history of colonial evil; both of these difficulties stem from the rightful place of shame in that moral response. The first difficulty focuses on efficacy: existing states may be better motivated by shame at the past than by a shared duty to bring about a just future. The second focuses on equity: it is, at the very least, possible that shame over past misdeeds ought to be brought into the conversation about present duties, in a manner more robust than Lu’s analysis allows.

Recent studies of out-of-time ordered thermal correlation functions (OTOC) in holographic systems and in solvable models such as the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model have yielded new insights into manifestations of many-body chaos. So far the chaotic behavior has been obtained through explicit calculations in specific models. In this paper we propose a unified description of the exponential growth and ballistic butterfly spreading of OTOCs across different systems using a newly formulated “quantum hydrodynamics,” which is valid at finite ℏ and to all orders in derivatives. The scrambling of a generic few-body operator in a chaotic system is described as building up a “hydrodynamic cloud,” and the exponential growth of the cloud arises from a shift symmetry of the hydrodynamic action. The shift symmetry also shields correlation functions of the energy density and flux, and time ordered correlation functions of generic operators from exponential growth, while leads to chaotic behavior in OTOCs. The theory also predicts an interesting phenomenon of the skipping of a pole at special values of complex frequency and momentum in two-point functions of energy density and flux. This pole-skipping phenomenon may be considered as a “smoking gun” for the hydrodynamic origin of the chaotic mode. We also discuss the possibility that such a hydrodynamic description could be a hallmark of maximally chaotic systems. Keywords: Effective Field Theories, Gauge-gravity correspondence, Quantum Dissipative Systems, United States. Department of Energy. Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics (DE-SC0012567)

Becoming Joaquin Murrieta: John Rollin Ridge and the Making of an Icon analyzes the transnational archive of Joaquin Murrieta narratives. An icon of Mexican resistance during the California Gold Rush era, Murrieta has been described by Luis Leal as "the only Californian hero on the level of art, history, and myth." This dissertation explores the incarnation of Murrieta's elusive subjectivity in the first novel written by a Native American: Cherokee writer John Rollin Ridge's 1854 publication, The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit. By examining the multigenerational influence of Ridge's novel as the textual origin point of the Murrieta archive, Becoming Joaquin Murrieta proposes a new understanding of Ridge's global significance.Joaquin Murrieta is unique among folk heroes in that performers often assume his persona and metaphorically become the mythical hero, a pattern evident in the traditional borderlands ballad, "El Corrido de Joaquin Murrieta," and Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales's poem, I Am Joaquin. This pattern is rooted in Ridge's configuration of Murrieta as a persona with the capacity to be anywhere at any time. Becoming Joaquin Murrieta reads Ridge's novel in conjunction with several notable and influential versions of the story: the 1859 California Police Gazette plagiarism of Ridge; Ireneo Paz's 1904 plagiarism of the Police Gazette; Adolfo Carrillo's 1922 short story; Walter Noble Burns's 1932 novel, The Robin Hood of El Dorado, and the 1936 MGM film of the same name; Los Madrugadores's 1934 recording of the corrido; Gonzales's epic Chicano poem of 1967; Pablo Neruda's 1967 play, Fulgor y Muerte de Joaquin Murieta (Splendor and Death of Joaquin Murieta); and Isabel Allende's 1999 novel, Hija de la Fortuna (Daughter of Fortune). In tracing the transnational production of the Murrieta narrative, Becoming Joaquin Murrieta exposes nationalist constructions that shape the archive's patterns of racialized violence and cultural

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare image quality for abdominal computed tomographic (CT) images acquired at 200 and 50 mA s and reconstructed with image-based iterative reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this institutional review board-approved prospective study, 22 patients (mean [SD] age, 64.3 [14.4] years; male-female ratio, 12:10) gave informed consent for acquisition of additional abdominal CT images on 64-slice multi-detector CT (MDCT) (Siemens Definition Flash). Standard-dose images were acquired at 200 quality reference mA s, whereas low-dose images were acquired at 50 mA s (all series: 120 kV; 5-mm section thickness; pitch, 0.9:1). The low-dose images were reconstructed with a nonlinear 3-dimensional iterative image reconstruction (3D-IIR) (SafeCT; MedicVision, Tirat Carmel, Israel) (4 settings, namely, A1, A2, A3, and A4) and were assessed by 3 abdominal radiologists for lesion detection, image noise, and visibility of small structures. CATPHAN 500 was scanned at the respective doses to obtain noise spectral density and modulation transfer function. RESULTS: Subjective image noise was unacceptable at 50-mA s filtered back projection and improved to average in 50-mA s A1 and minimal or no noise in 50-mA s A4. However, the visibility of small structures was similar to standard-dose filtered back projection images on 50-mA s A2. Objective image noise was reduced to 66% for the 50-mA s 3D-IIR images (9.08 [2.3]/26.75 [6.8]). The modulation transfer function curve demonstrated resolution improvement in the low-dose images with the 3D-IIR technique, whereas the noise spectral density curve confirmed noise suppression in the 50-mA s 3D-IIR images. CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional iterative image reconstruction helps to lower image noise without affecting the visibility of small structures at "moderate" settings. Diagnostically acceptable abdominal CT examinations can be acquired at 75% lower-radiation dose with the help of the image-based

This dissertation describes the design, development, and field validation of a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar energy system. The challenges of creating a highly efficient yet low-cost system architecture come from many sources. The solid-state physics of photovoltaic devices present fundamental limits to photoelectron conversion efficiency, while the electrical and thermal characteristics of widely available materials limit the design arena. Furthermore, the need for high solar spectral throughput, evenly concentrated sunlight, and tolerance to off-axis pointing places strict illumination requirements on the optical design. To be commercially viable, the cost associated with all components must be minimized so that when taken together, the absolute installed cost of the system in kWh is lower than any other solar energy method, and competitive with fossil fuel power generation. The work detailed herein focuses specifically on unique optical design and illumination concepts discovered when developing a viable commercial CPV system. By designing from the ground up with the fundamental physics of photovoltaic devices and the required system tolerances in mind, a select range of optical designs are determined and modeled. Component cost analysis, assembly effort, and development time frame further influence design choices to arrive at a final optical system design. When coupled with the collecting mirror, the final optical hardware unit placed at the focus generates more than 800W, yet is small and lightweight enough to hold in your hand. After fabrication and installation, the completed system's illumination, spectral, and thermal performance is validated with on-sun operational testing.

The development of jazz during the American industrial revolution represents a broader shift in the zeitgeist of the New World. With a rich heritage of rhythmic emphasis in both art and life, African American jazz musicians were able to internalize the increasingly polyrhythmic nature of the metropolis, and groove with the potentially oppressive presence of the machine. Their brazen embrace of the temporal encouraged artists of all media, replacing the burden of permanence and exactitude with the fearlessness of an improvising jazz soloist. The jazz-inspired works of Le Corbusier and Piet Mondrian, for example, explored a synesthetic relationship between the visual and the audible has captured the imagination of the great artists, musicians, architects, and philosophers throughout the history of culture. My thesis exploration attempts to continue this tradition in the context of an increasingly accelerating speed of life, and the new, environmentally sensitive role of the machine. Just as Jazz poeticized the hectic rhythms of the industrial age, I believe that architecture should be conceived of as a synchronizing element within the contemporary urban landscape. Through my design of an adaptive reuse transit hub, my intent was to embrace the temporal in a manner that not only reflects the spirit of the age, but also creates musical architecture.

The Town of Mineral would like to expand it's current Walton Park and create a park for daily or weekly community use for meetings, company picnics, family reunions and other outdoor events.

The CDAC was hired to work with Fairview in Abingdon, Inc. to create a conceptual master plan for a village that would highlight life in Washington County in the 19th century.

Alleghany County is working with the Clifton Forge Little League to develop 14.66 acres in the Sharon area of Alleghany County. This will be called the Colonel Tom Dotson Sports Complex.

Michigan discussions in anthropology: Vol. 5, No. 1, (dlps) volume: 0522508.0005.001, (dlps) article: 0522508.0005.001:15, Permission must be received for any subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact spo-help@umich.edu for more information.

This brief discusses several policy options that could improve tax compliance and tax administration in Mandalay – helping the city to escape its low-tax and underfunded services trap. Increasing the perceived benefits of paying tax – by communicating the link between tax and infrastructure – would likely encourage compliance, so long as the government can facilitate ease of payment through effective approaches to tax collection. To be effective at using such policies, cities first need strong foundations for tax administration. In particular, Mandalay could look to update its systems for property identification and assessment. The brief suggests several different approaches to do this and their associated trade-offs.

Should cities invest in public transport systems, even if they might slow growth? Can an HOV lane reduce congestion when drivers circumvent it? Is unpredictability of police enforcement a good thing for reducing drunk-driving? These and other surprising facts were presented at the recent IGC mini-cities conference. Research highlighted below showcases the importance of accounting for market and behavioral responses in designing policies.

Western Spruce Budworm Larval Consumption Rates and Host Foliage Damage