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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2003. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 274-299).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 235-285).

No description available.

This dissertation is concerned with the analysis of selected blade assemblages from Late Devensian and Early Flandrian contexts in Southern Britain (c. 12,500 - 9,000 BP). The British sites studied are divided into three main groupings: Upper Palaeolithic, Long Blade, and Mesolithic, each of which contains material of a typologically and technologically distinct nature. Despite previous important studies in the British Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, no major work until now has been undertaken on the third technology, that of the Long Blade sites, which seems to occupy a chronological position intermediate between the other two. The dissertation incorporates the first comprehensive description of material from Long Blade sites and contrasts it with the sets of artefacts from the other two groups. Comparative data from the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic derive mainly from primary information recovered in two excavations directed by myself at Hengistbury Head between 1980-4. The chapters consider the archaeological material in chronological order beginning in Chapter 1 with the Late Upper Palaeolithic assemblage from Hengistbury Head. Chapters 2 and 3 are devoted to the Long Blade assemblages from Britain and Northwestern Europe, whilst in the fourth chapter the Early Mesolithic material from Hengistbury and related sites in Southern Britain is considered. The fifth and last chapter is given over to discussion and final conclusions. Appended to the last chapter is a gazetteer of 159 specified Long Blade findspots in Southern Britain, the first time this material has ever been gathered together. Explanatory notes and a key are provided at the front of the Gazetteer. In studying the artefacts I have laid particular emphasis on technology as well as typology, and in studying technology I have been particularly influenced by my own work on the experimental manufacture and use of implements. Given that my two excavated sites were very little disturbed, I have also been able to make major use of conjoining artefacts, not only as an aid to understanding the differing techniques of artefact manufacture, but also in interpreting the archaeology of the sites. Some use was also made of experimental taphonomy. These aspects of my work are referred to in the text, notably in Chapters 1 and 4.

The thesis ―Inside, Outside is a poetry collection of twenty-five poems organized by themes that fit into chapters titled ―Heart and Mind, ―Family, and ―The World

In the past few decades, demand for construction in underground spaces has increased dramatically in urban areas with high population densities. However, the impact of the construction of underground structures on surrounding infrastructure raises concerns since movements caused by deep excavations might damage adjacent buildings. Unfortunately, the prediction of geotechnical behaviour is difficult due to uncertainties and lack of information of on the underground environment. Therefore, to ensure safety, engineers tend to choose very conservative designs that result in requiring unnecessary material and longer construction time. The observational method, which was proposed by Peck in 1969, and formalised in Eurocode 7 in 1987, provides a way to avoid such redundancy by modifying the design based on the knowledge gathered during construction. The review process within the observational method is recognised as back analysis. Supervised learning can aid in this process, providing a systematic procedure to assess soil parameters based on monitoring data and prediction of the ground response. A probabilistic model is developed in this research to account for the uncertainties in the problem. Sequential Bayesian inference is used to update the soil parameters at each excavation stage when observations are available. The accuracy of the prediction for future stages improves at each stage. Meanwhile, the uncertainty contained in the prediction decreases, and therefore the confidence on the corresponding design also increases. Moreover, the Bayesian method integrates subjective engineering experience and objective observations in a rational and quantitative way, which enables the model to update soil parameters even when the amount of data is very limited. It also allows the use of the knowledge learnt from comparable ground conditions, which is particularly useful in the absence of site-specific information on ground conditions. Four probabilistic models are developed in this research. The first two incorporate empirical excavation design methods. These simple models are used to examine the practicality of the approach with several cases. The next two are coupled with a program called FREW, which is able to simulate the excavation process, still in a relatively simplistic way. The baseline model with simple assumptions on model error and another one is a more sophisticated model considering measurement error and spatial relationships among the observations. Their efficiency and accuracy are verified using a synthetic case and tested based on a case history from the London Crossrail project. In the end, the models are compared and their flexibility in different cases is discussed.

No description available.

The rhizome of the bracken fern was an important part of the subsistence base of the pre-contact Maori of Aotearoa. It provided an essential source of starch - especially to the southern Maori, who relied mainly upon wild resources for the vegetable component of their diet. The preparation of the rhizome (or fern-root) for consumption necessitated the beating of the cooked root upon a smooth stone anvil. The implement that was used to beat the fern-root is an important Maori tool which, until now, has had little detailed attention paid to it. Therefore, the aim of this research was to characterize the form of the fern-beater using morphological attributes. Through the combination of a comprehensive literature review of enthographic-historical accounts and more contemporary documentary research, along with a nationwide survey of implements labelled as "fern-root beaters" in museum collections, this thesis identifies a number of critical and common attributes that are inherent in a beating implement. It was found that wooden and stone beaters/pounders were dissimilar in size and proportions, with the majority of wooden implements displayed larger circumference dimensions, were shorter and considerably heavier, thus casting some doubt on their practicality as a beating implement. Four distinct morphological forms were identified for both the wooden and stone items surveyed, and it was found that metric variables were more significant in suggesting function than non-metric. Regional distribution analysis of the survey implements highlighted a northern North Island predominance, particularly in the Northland, Auckland, Taranaki and Waikato regions. A tenuous comparison with Simpson�s distribution of prehistoric dental attrition known as "fern-root plane" showed a loose regional correlation, however; the actual cause of this tooth wear is still a hotly contested issue.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Sydney, 2009. / Title from title screen (viewed October 26, 2009) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy to the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, Dept. of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts. Includes bliographical references. Also available in print form.