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The emergence of social complexity in the Southern Levant during the Chalcolithic (c. 4500–3600 cal. BC) was intimately tied to intensification in animal management. For the first time, secondary products such as milk and wool were intensively exploited, supplying communities with increasingly diverse foodstuffs and raw materials for craft production and exchange, but the precise herding practices underlying these new production strategies are unknown. Here, we explore the role of multi-species livestock pasturing through carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis of animal bones from Marj Rabba (Har Hasha’avi, West) in the Lower Galilee (ca. 4600–4200 cal. BC). Isotopic results suggest different pasturing/foddering of sheep compared with goats. Cattle were largely pastured locally, but high δ13C values in some animals indicate access to the Jordan River Valley (the Ghor in Arabic), where major Chalcolithic settlements were situated. This may indicate some cattle were moved along regional Chalcolithic exchange networks established for other prestige objects, such as copper. Finally, we provide evidence for moderate 15N enrichment in pigs relative to herbivorous livestock indicates. Possible interpretations include consumption of nuts (esp. acorns), household refuse containing animal protein, and/or fattening pigs on grain. Although an interpretation that requires further exploration, grain foddering of pigs would complement the zooarchaeological data for early slaughter, which suggests intensive meat production at Marj Rabba. It might also help explain why pig husbandry, as a drain on grain stockpiles, was gradually abandoned during the Bronze Age. Taken together, the isotopic and zooarchaeological data indicate an economy in transition from a non-specialized, household-based Neolithic economy to one in which the production of agrarian wealth, including animal secondary products, was beginning to emerge.

A rapidly expanding array of innovative technologies, combined with traditional techniques, allow more sophisticated photographic and photogrammetric techniques to document and analyze archaeologic...

At the beginning of academic year 2007-08, staff in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Glasgow started to implement a number of substantial changes to the administration of the level 1 physics undergraduate class. The main aims were to improve the academic performance and progression statistics. With this in mind, a comprehensive system of learning support was introduced, the main remit being the provision of an improved personal contact and academic monitoring and support strategy for all students at level 1. The effects of low engagement with compulsory continuous assessment components had already been observed to have a significant effect for students sitting in the middle of the grade curve. Analysis of data from the 2007-08 class showed that even some nominally high-achieving students achieved lowered grades due to the effects of low engagement. Nonetheless, academic and other support measures put in place during 2007-08 played a part in raising the passrate for the level 1 physics class by approximately 8% as well as raising the progression rate by approximately 10%., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

Of all the large interferometric gravitational-wave detectors, the German/British project GEO600 is the only one which uses dual recycling. During the four weeks of the international S4 data-taking run it reached an instrumental duty cycle of 97% with a peak sensitivity of 7 × 10-22 Hz-1/2 at 1 kHz. This paper describes the status during S4 and improvements thereafter.

We give an overview of the automatic mirror alignment system of the gravitational wave detector GEO 600. In order to achieve the required sensitivity of the Michelson interferometer, the axes of interfering beams have to be superimposed with a residual angle of the order 10 −8 rad. The beam spots have to be centred on the mirrors to minimize coupling of alignment noise into longitudinal signals. We present the actual control topology and results from the system in operation, which controls all alignment degrees of the power-recycled Michelson. With this system continuous lock stretches of more than 121 h duration were achieved.

GEO 600 is an interferometric gravitational wave detector with 600 m arms, which will employ a novel, dual-recycled optical scheme allowing its optical response to be tuned over a range of frequencies (from ~100 Hz to a few kHz). Additional advanced technologies, such as multiple pendulum suspensions with monolithic bottom stages, make the anticipated sensitivity of GEO 600 comparable to initial detectors with kilometre arm lengths. This paper discusses briefly the design of GEO, reports on the status of the detector up to the end of 2002 with particular focus on participation in coincident engineering and science runs with LIGO detectors. The plans leading to a fully optimized detector and participation in future coincident science runs are briefly outlined.

The Glasgow group is involved in the construction of the GE0600 interferometer as well as in R&D activity on technology for advanced gravitational wave detectors, GE0600 will be the first GW detector using quasi-monolithic silica suspensions in order to decrease thermal noise significantly with respect to steel wire suspensions. The results concerning GE0600 suspension mounting and performance will be shown in the first section. Section 2 is devoted to the present results from the direct measurement of thermal noise in mirrors mounted in the 10 m interferometer in Glasgow which has a sensitivity limit of 4 x 10(-19) m Hz(-1/2) above I kHz. Section 3 presents results on the measurements of coating losses. R&D activity has been carried out to understand better how thermal noise in the suspensions affects the detector sensitivity, and in section 4 a discussion on the non-linear thermoelastic effect is presented.

The GEO 600 laser interferometer with 600 m armlength is part of a worldwide network of gravitational wave detectors. Due to the use of advanced technologies like multiple pendulum suspensions with a monolithic last stage and signal recycling, the anticipated sensitivity of GEO 600 is close to the initial sensitivity of detectors with several kilometres armlength. This paper describes the subsystems of GEO 600, the status of the detector by September 2001 and the plans towards the first science run.

We report on measurements performed with the Glasgow prototype gravitational wave detector which has recently been converted to operate with a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm. The differential displacement amplitude spectral density above a few hundred Hz is ∼5×10 −19 m / Hz which is consistent with the limitations imposed by shot noise in this frequency range. We also present sensitivity spectra over a lower frequency regime to highlight the impact of improved suspension designs.

Since December 2003, the gravitational-wave detector GEO 600 has routinely operated in the dual recycled mode, using a lock acquisition scheme based on the detection of optical sideband power at the dark port. With the detector locking very robustly, the current commissioning work is entirely dedicated to sensitivity improvements. We give a brief overview of the GEO 600 detector, the implementation of dual recycling, and summarize recent work regarding the increase in the detector sensitivity.

The British–German interferometric gravitational-wave detector GEO600 uses two high-finesse triangular ring cavities of 8 m optical pathlength each, as an optical mode-cleaning system. The modecleaner system is housed in an ultrahigh-vacuum environment to avoid contamination of the optics and to minimize both the influence of refractive index variations of the air and acoustic coupling to the optics. To isolate the cavities from seismic noise, all optical components are suspended as double pendulums. These pendulums are damped at their resonance frequencies at the upper pendulum stage with magnet-coil actuators. A suspended reaction mass supports three coils matching magnets bonded onto the surface of one mirror of each cavity, allowing length control of the modecleaner cavities to maintain resonance with the laser light. A fully automated control system stabilizes the frequency of the slave laser to that of the master laser, the frequency of the master laser to the length of the first modecleaner and the length of the first to the length of the second modecleaner. The control system uses the Pound–Drever–Hall sideband technique and operates autonomously over long time periods with only infrequent human interaction. The duty cycle of the system was measured to be 99.7% during an 18 day period. The throughput of the whole modecleaner system is about 50%. In this article, we give an overview of the mechanical and optical setup and the achieved performance of the double modecleaner system.

The GEO 600 interferometric gravitational wave detector conducted its first science run (S1) from 23 August 2002 to 9 September 2002. The GEO 600 data acquisition system is described together with some software tools developed for doing detector characterization and data analysis. Detector characterization results are also being presented.

The GE0600 laser interferometric gravitational wave detector is approaching the end of its commissioning phase which started in 1995. During a test run in January 2002 the detector was operated for 15 days in a power-recycled michelson configuration. The detector and environmental data which were acquired during this test run were used to test the data analysis code. This paper describes the subsystems of GE0600: the status of the detector by August 2002 and the plans towards the first science run. © 2003 SPIE

GEO600, the German/British gravitational wave detector currently being built in northern Germany, used advanced optical technologies to obtain a sensitivity comparable with the other, bigger detectors currently being built [1,2]. The installation of the ultra-high-vacuum system has almost been completed and the Mode Cleaners are operational.

SIR, — In March 2006 two female cavalier King Charles spaniel puppies were presented at one day old due to problems suckling having been normal at birth. On admission they were found to feed well but no urine was produced. They became progressively unresponsive and began to head bob and shake when

The GEO 600 gravitational wave detector is at an advanced stage of construction at Ruthe, near Hannover in Northern Germany. Successful long-term stable operation of long-baseline interferometers like GEO 600 will critically depend on continuous monitoring and control of the very large number of interdependent feedback systems involved. We present here a description of the control infrastructure developed for this task for GEO 600. Our solution is based on a combination of purpose-built interfacing hardware, standard local area network-connected personal computers, and control software written using LabVIEW. The software techniques developed allow monitoring of all detector systems and also provide the mechanisms for manual and automated control both locally and from remote internet-connected sites.

A case of diffuse villous adenoma affecting the pancreatic duct in a 31-year-old woman is described. The diagnosis was made by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and the patient treated by proximal pancreatectomy. One year later the patient is alive and well. Papillary tumors affecting the pancreatic duct have rarely been described. All previous cases have occurred in middle-aged or elderly patients. None of the previously described benign tumors was as extensive as the one reported here. The possible pre-malignant potential of such tumors is discussed.

Fifty years after the adoption of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, the illicit trade in cultural objects endures, with harmful consequences to local communities, knowledge acquisition, and archaeological landscapes and objects. In this article, we present a gap analysis to assess under-performing policy and practice. We argue that a poor understanding of how the trade is organized and operates and of how it might be regulated hinders effective policy formulation. Funding structures which encourage short-term ad hoc research and inhibit information sharing are in part responsible for some of the gaps. We conclude by suggesting how sustained theoretically informed, evidence-led collaborative analyses might help reduce or mitigate these problems, preventing another 50 years of illicit trade.

The small intestine is that portion of the digestive tract extending from the duodenojejunal junction to its termination at the ileocaecal valve which is the start of the large intestine. The total length of this tube-like structure is about six metres and it consists of two parts, the jejunum and the ileum. The jejunum is the more proximal part and passes imperceptibly into the ileum which forms the distal half of the small intestine. Both parts are mobile within the abdominal cavity, being attached to the posterior abdominal wall by a curtain of tissue called the mesentery. The ileum terminates distally in the ileocaecal valve where the small intestine enters the caecum, the first part of the large intestine or colon.

The oesophagus is a muscular tube which connects the mouth to the stomach. It starts in the neck at the lower part of the pharynx where it lies behind the trachea and in front of the cervical vertebrae. Throughout the thorax the oesophagus remains applied to the vertebral column posteriorly, whilst anteriorly, it is related to the trachea in its upper portion and then to the heart. It passes out of the chest at the diaphragmatic orifice where it joins the stomach at the gastro—oesophageal junction (cardia). The oesophagus has sphincter muscles at its upper end (cricopharyngeal) and its lower end (cardiac). These relax during the act of swallowing.

The liver is the largest organ in the body, weighing 1200–1500 g. It is vital for life since it is the only site of important metabolic functions. It is reddish-brown in colour and is situated in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen just below the diaphragm. It has two lobes; a larger right and a small left lobe separated by a fibrous ligament anteriorly and posteriorly. It is somewhat irregular in shape. The superior surface is in contact with the under-surface of the right side of the diaphragm, which separates it from the base of the right lung. The inferior surface is closely related to the other abdominal viscera including the right kidney, the colon and the stomach on the left. The anterior surface of the liver is separated from the right lower ribs and costal cartilages by the diaphragm laterally, whilst anteriorly it is closely related to the anterior abdominal wall. The posterior surface crosses the vertebral column in the mid-line and lies in close relationship to the aorta, inferior vena cava and cardio—oesophageal junction. In the centre of the inferior surface is the hilum through which enters the hepatic artery and portal vein and at which site the main bile ducts leave the liver. The gall bladder is attached to the inferior surface of the right lobe. The liver is covered by a fibrous capsule and in the greater part, by a layer of peritoneum.

The gastrointestinal tract was first inspected by rigid instruments. Hippocrates is recorded as having inspected the rectum with a candle, whilst more recently a rigid sigmoidoscope was used by Bozzini in 1795. The stomach had to wait nearly a century to be viewed directly. At that time, von Mickulicz-Radicki, building on the earlier efforts of Kussmaul, finally achieved a successful inspection of the stomach in 1881. Rigid sigmoidoscopes and proctoscopes still have a very important role in the inspection of the rectal and distal colonic mucosa, but rigid gastroscopes have been supplanted by fibreoptic instruments. The development of fibreoptic instruments has occurred in the past twenty years and adoption for routine use in most district general hospitals has been largely due to their simplicity, ease of use and safety for the patient.

The automatic alignment system for the two suspended, triangular mode-cleaner cavities of the gravitational wave detector GEO 600 has been in continuous operation since the spring of 2001. A total of 20 angular degrees of freedom are controlled by feedback loops with almost no manual alignment having been required since installation. Error signals for the eight most important degrees of freedom are obtained with the differential wave-front sensing technique. We describe the sensing system, the control topology, and the performance of the automatic alignment system. A continuous locking stretch of more than 120 h has been achieved.

GEO 600 uses two 8 m triangular ring cavities as a modecleaner system for the stabilization of the laser. To isolate the cavities with respect to the seismic noise the optical components are suspended as double pendulums. The resonances of these pendulums are damped by a local-control loop via magnet–coil actuators acting on the intermediate masses. The suspension scheme and the measured key data (i.e. finesse, linewidth, visibility, throughput and in-lock durations of the cavities, as well as the isolation performance and the resulting frequency stability) of the modecleaner system will be given in this paper. Furthermore an overview of the GEO 600 interferometer suspension will be given. PACS numbers: 0480N, 9555Y (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

This paper gives an overview of the automatic mirror alignment system of the modecleaner and main interferometer of the GEO 600 gravitational wave detector. In order to achieve the required sensitivity of the detector, the eigenmodes of all optical cavities have to be aligned with respect to the incoming beams (or vice versa) and kept aligned for long measuring periods. Moreover the beam spots have to be centred on the mirrors to minimize coupling of residual angular mirror motion into changes of the optical path length. An overview of the principles and setup for the automatic alignment is given, and first results of the modecleaner and 1200 m cavity alignment system are presented, including the error-point spectra of mirror angular motions, which are smaller than 10(-8) rad Hz(-1/2) below 10 H