The King George Island Mounds site (16LV22) is one of four conical mound sites located along the lower Amite River in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. Gagliano originally reported the site in 1957 as containing two conical mounds. Initially, it was postulated that the Lower Amite River mounds might date to the Marksville period based on the similarities of shape. Recent research conducted at the site indicates that the site may contain up to five conical mounds that date to the Late Archaic period. Geomorphological, pedological, and archaeological data indicate an initial Archaic occupation. Archaic period artifacts were recovered from excavations above, in, and below a buried A horizon at the King George Island Mounds site. These included exotic lithic materials, dart points, four-sided drills, pebble-pointed hammerstones, and microlithic drills. Radiocarbon dates of the buried A horizon in the ridge provide a Late Archaic terminus post quem for activity at the site. Despite the recent research, site function remains unclear. The lack of evidence of residential features may indicate that the King George Island Mounds site served ceremonial and/or territorial functions.

Spirituality has been a term that has always been associated with the East and more specifically with India. Spirituality has been revamped and repackaged in glossy packages by various spiritual groups and organizations in India. One among these organizations is the Art of Living, a non-governmental spiritual organization that has risen in popularity since 1996. This thesis concentrates on the Art of Living as an organization and of the dissemination of the new spirituality through this institution. This research study pertains to the identity of self and of the sense of nationhood through the discourse and the practice of certain activities and practices, both mental and physical. These activities are prescribed by spiritual leaders known as gurus who have held sway over the masses, especially since the time of independence, when India was still a fledgling nation and a sense of identity was desperately needed to unify what were a diverse mass of people. This study then is the study of spirituality and how the notion spirituality is utilized to reflect a sense of self and nationhood.

The interannual variability in precipitation over East Africa is well-understood. Many studies have identified the factors influencing the interannual variability of precipitation such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian Ocean Dipole Mode (IODM), and Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperature and pressure variations. The relatively arid conditions in much of the East African region are not understood fully. The objective of present study is to determine the meteorological association of aridity over East Africa with regional hydroclimatic variables as well as to find global teleconnections affecting spatial distribution of aridity over East Africa. The East Africa Aridity index is calculated as the ratio of the mean seasonal precipitation to the mean seasonal potential evapotranspiration (after Budyko, 1974), and is used as a measure of aridity over East Africa. Principal components analysis was performed on the aridity index to identify characteristic modes of the temporal variability of the aridity index across East Africa. Correlation analysis was performed to identify the meteorological association in the interannual variability of aridity over East Africa and to find the global teleconnections, such as with ENSO, IODM, North Atlantic Oscillations (NAO), Tropical Atlantic SST Dipole (TASD), and Quasi Biennial Oscillations (QBO) in it. The first principal component of the aridity index was used for the correlation analysis. Correlations of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) with the first principal component of aridity index were calculated. The aridity index over East Africa is driven by precipitation rather than potential evapotranspiration (PET). The PET over East Africa is driven by precipitation rather than temperature. Aridity over East Africa is well correlated with the NDVI and PDSI. The ENSO influence on interannual variability of precipitation and hence on aridity is very much evident in all the seasons, while IODM influence is evident in the June September season, the driest season for East Africa. Influence of NAO, TASD, and QBO was observed to be very small compared to that of ENSO and IODM. The teleconnections influencing the rainfall variability of East Africa also influenced variability in aridity.

Variability in the hemispheric-scale atmospheric circulation can be directly linked to variations in surface environmental features, such as temperature, precipitation, and pollutant transport. One indicator of the behavior of the hemispheric-scale circulation is the circumpolar vortex (CPV). This research utilizes a geographic information system (GIS) approach to determine the variability in the northern hemisphere (NH) CPV. Specifically, the area, shape, and centroid of the December, January, February, April, July, and October NHCPV are analyzed for 1959 2001 because these features may provide insight about relationships between hemispheric-scale circulation and global temperature change throughout the year. A circularity ratio is used to characterize the shape of the hemispheric-scale circulation. Results suggest that none of the months analyzed exhibit any long-term trends in area and circularity, with July being the most variable month in area and October being the most variable month in circularity. In general, winter centroids tend to be skewed toward the Pacific basin, but few systematic temporal shifts in centroid position were noted for any month. Many monthly NHCPVs are correlated with atmospheric teleconnection patterns. For example, the Arctic Oscillation (AO) is associated with the area of the December, January, February, and April NHCPV, while in December the circularity is positively correlated to the AO Index. Also, the Pacific-North American Index is correlated with the area of the December and February NHCPV and with the shape of the December, January, and October NHCPV. Cluster analysis resulted in seven clusters consisting of similar wintertime NHCPV properties. Finally, clear regional patterns emerge that suggest that the area and circularity are associated with variability in surface temperature and moist static energy in various regions of the northern hemisphere. These results may facilitate understanding of the relationship between hemispheric- and regional-scale circulation and global temperature change.

The Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone (GMHZ) has been observed along the Louisiana continental shelf west of the mouth of the Mississippi River since 1985. Previous research associated the surface area of the GMHZ with runoff in the Mississippi-Missouri River Basin (MMRB), with "wet" years linked to larger GMHZs than "dry" years. This research uses monthly climate divisional Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) data and Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI) data and monthly atmospheric teleconnection indices are used to predict the GMHZ extent up to several months in advance, using stepwise multiple regression techniques. The predictive equations are then used to reconstruct the extent of the GMHZ for years prior to 1985. To generate a hydroclimatologic regionalization of the MMRB, a principal components analysis (PCA) is performed to identify regions of homogeneous hydroclimatic variability that may contribute to variability in GMHZ extent. Results may be helpful to environmental planners who might use the predictions in defining upcoming seasons for the commercial seafood industry, and to environmental historians who may use the hindcasted estimates to explain variation in seafood harvests.

This study reports on the demography and osteological profile of the Poole-Rose Ossuary. Excavated in 1990 under the direction of Heather McKillop and at the request of the Alderville First Nation, the Poole-Rose Ossuary is a Late Woodland burial site in southern Ontario, Canada. Lack of European artifacts in the burial suggests that this site predates European contact. The Poole-Rose Ossuary is radiocarbon dated to A.D. 1550 ± 50 years. The skeletal remains were commingled. This ossuary likely represents the mass re-burial known as the Feast of the Dead or the Kettle. For the most part, closely related individuals were involved in such re-burials, which occurred every eight to 12 years. The talus and calcaneus were used in this study. The left talus shows a minimum number of individuals (MNI) of 212; approximately 15% of the individuals are subadults. The MNI is within the range reported in previous studies on the Poole-Rose Ossuary (range of MNI is 161 to 337). The incidence of degenerative joint disease is low, which is consistent with the clinical literature. This study also reports on issues of concordance and discordance of the Poole-Rose Ossuary with an ethnohistoric account and other studies of Late Woodland ossuaries (e.g., burial of infants, de-fleshing, and cremation).

This research was designed to document the decompositional and behavioral patterns and activities of arthropods colonizing child-sized remains, as observed by field sampling and 24-hour, high resolution video surveillance. The purpose of this research was to test the relationship between delays in arthropod colonization of child-sized remains and climatic conditions. Between March and June 2004, the remains of two child-sized pigs (approximately 11 kilograms) were deposited in an isolated wooded region in a suburban area of Virginia. The sites were secluded, approximately 83 yards from any dwellings. The pigs were placed on the surface: one was clothed, the other was unclothed. Wire cages were placed over them to prevent larger scavengers from consuming the specimens. Two high resolution video cameras were set up utilizing an infrared light source for night viewing. The cameras were set to record on a 24-hour basis. Taping was conducted every day throughout the period. Remains were also physically monitored every day, arthropods collected, observations noted, and direct temperature and humidity readings taken with a psychrometer at the experimental sites. Data for the macro-environment were collected from the U.S. Marine Corps Meteorology and Oceanographic Division, which provided hourly data on wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, sky cover, and weather observations. Two replicates of the study were conducted. Tapes were reviewed to document the number of arthropods visiting the sites, as well as species and activity. Inter-rater reliability was performed to ensure species documentation was accurate. Results of this study demonstrate the relationship between weather and delays in arthropod colonization. For both replicates, rainy, overcast weather conditions delayed colonization even though temperatures were above established thresholds of activity. This study also showed the effect of arthropods diurnal predilections. Additionally, it further highlighted the interspecies and intraspecies competition among insects for viable food sources and demonstrated exclusion and succession. Vertebrate scavenging was a factor even though all the specimens were secured in wire cages, as vertebrates successfully removed specimens from the cages. Results of this research reinforce the need for careful review of all factors when considering post mortem interval estimations.

Members of the Randolph family, a prominent plantation family that has lived in Louisiana since the late eighteenth century, contacted a team of anthropologists from Louisiana State University to help recover thirteen individuals from St. Marys Cemetery in Bayou Goula, Louisiana. The cemetery had been abandoned since 1970, its graves overgrown with weeds and desecrated by vandals. Of the thirteen individuals recovered, three sets of remains did not have associated grave markers. These three were taken back to the lab and analyzed using standard forensic procedures. Documentary research on the history of the cemetery, the once associated church, and the Randolph family provided important context for excavation. This thesis presents the project in its entirety with the hope that it will provide a helpful blueprint for both anthropologists and family members who might find themselves involved in the rescue of ancestral remains from historic cemeteries.

Brownfields are "abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination" (USEPA 2003a). This thesis focuses on the practices of public and private institutions to redevelop brownfields in Shreveport, Louisiana, as a means of mitigating potential technological hazards. The theoretical concept framing this analysis is hazards-of-place, a model of vulnerability that proposes interactions among physical vulnerability, social vulnerability, and mitigation efforts. In this model, vulnerability is a process that involves not only the likelihood of a hazardous incident but also the processes of hazard creation and mitigation that occur within social and geographical context. Hazards-of-place is an appropriate model for this analysis because of the roles of urban development processes and governmental authority in both creating and redeveloping brownfields. The thesis describes how processes of brownfield creation and redevelopment correspond to components of the hazards-of-place theory. The review of environmental records, which documents the influence of the quantitative perception of risk prevalent among environmental service firms and regulators, demonstrates the influence of governmental authority. The thesis analyzes the connection between brownfield redevelopment and other urban development processes. The analysis uses property values to compare investment at brownfields to investment in the surrounding properties. The two methods of analysis, statistical and cartographic, yield results with different degrees of success. The statistical analysis did not support the identification of any spatial patterns of investment relative to the subject sites. Cartographic analysis, however, identified outliers that were excluded from statistical analysis but were nevertheless associated with brownfield redevelopment. Supported by fieldwork, the cartographic analysis demonstrates that the new uses of redeveloped brownfields are part of industry-specific development in the surrounding area. The study areas surrounding both subject sites contained several properties that were the sites of significant levels of investment. The activities at these properties supported development of the same industries as at the new activities at the brownfields. These results indicate that, although it does not play a role in initiating new investment, brownfield redevelopment is closely associated with broader processes of urban development.

The assessment of child development requires standards in order to compare an apparent physiologic age to an actual chronological age. In assessing chronological age of an individual, the use of multiple indicators is ideal and important in determining age at death. For individuals under the age of about 21 years, dental development is the most reliable indicator of age. Research aimed at understanding the variation in tooth formation due to race and sex will help to more accurately determine the age at death of remains of subadult individuals. This project examined the impact of race, sex, and time period on first and second molar development. The sample gathered consisted of 303 panorex radiographs of individuals ranging in age from four years to 14 years. Each radiograph was of an individual whose age, sex, and racial affinity were known. The results of statistical analyses revealed no significant difference in timing of dental development between race, sex, or decade groups. Mean comparisons did show some slight differences, especially with regard to sex and decade differences. Girls have an earlier average age at each stage of second molar development than boys. A directional change from the 1980s to the 1990s shows an increase in average age at each stage of development, suggesting that at least some secular change has occurred in recent years.