This essay reviews the following works:

The Archaeology of Andean Pastoralism. Edited by José M. Capriles and Nicholas Tripcevich. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2016. Pp. 280. $85.00 hardcover, ebook. ISBN: 9780826357021.

Where the Land Meets the Sea: Fourteen Millennia of Human History at Huaca Prieta, Peru. Edited by Tom D. Dillehay. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2017. Pp. xxi + 810. $75.00 ebook. ISBN: 9781477311493.

Visual Culture of the Ancient Americas: Contemporary Perspectives. Edited by Andrew Feingold and Ellen Hoobler. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2017. Pp. xiii + 295. $39.95 hardcover, $34.95 ebook. ISBN: 9780806155708.

Ceramics of the Indigenous Cultures of South America: Studies of Production and Exchange Through Compositional Analysis. Edited by Michael Glascock, Hector Neff, and Kevin J. Vaughn. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2019. Pp. xv + 296. $95.00 hardcover, ebook. ISBN: 978082636028.

Rethinking the Inka: Community, Landscape, and Empire in the Southern Andes. Edited by Frances M. Hayashida, Andrés Troncoso, and Diego Salazar. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2022. Pp. vi + 282. $65.00 hardcover, ebook. ISBN: 9781477323854.

Powerful Places in the Ancient Andes. Edited by Justin Jennings and Edward Swenson. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2018. Pp. x + 446. $85.00 hardcover, ebook. ISBN: 9780826359940.

Los Incas: Más allá de un imperio. Edited by Ricardo Kusunoki, Cecilia Pardo, and Julio Rucabado. Lima: Impresso Gráfica, 2023. Pp. 357. hardcover. ISBN: 9786124450518.

Landscape and Politics in the Ancient Andes: Biographies of Place at Khonkho Wankane. By Scott Cameron Smith. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2016. Pp. xv + 277. $75.00 hardcover, ebook. hardcover. ISBN: 9780826357090.

The reactivity of transverse waves in detonations of methane, oxygen and nitrogen are experimentally assessed using MHz rate schlieren and chemiluminescence imaging. In these highly unstable mixtures, the mode of wave propagation is more complex than what is described by the cellular instability model that is conventionally used for weakly unstable mixtures. Behind the low-speed leading shock in unstable waves, the processed gas remains essentially unreacted until transverse waves reach this region. In highly unstable waves, the transverse waves have a range of reactivity, that is rates of reaction in the flow immediately behind the wave. In this study, we present examples of transverse waves for near-limit detonations and analyse four cases in detail. In some cases, these waves appear to be essentially non-reactive or cause very slow reaction. In other cases, the transverse waves can be highly reactive. In the most extreme example, the transverse wave is propagating at the Chapman–Jouguet speed with a small reaction zone, i.e. a transverse detonation. A reactive oblique shock model is used to approximate the triple-point configuration of this case as a double-Mach reflection, which shows good agreement with the images. The reaction evolution along path lines is analysed using detailed reaction mechanisms and considerations about flow-field unsteadiness. Length scales of the energy release and expansion processes within the reaction zone region are used to explain the observed modes of wave propagation and interaction.

Strengthening the research workforce is essential for meeting the evolving needs and challenges in the health and biomedical fields. To do so effectively, it requires an understanding of how the experiences of a researcher shift over time and how one’s research career evolves, particularly as supports are put in place to foster research. This narrative review provides a summary of published individual-level assessment measures and survey tools from 2000–2024. All measures were abstracted, classified, and coded during analyses to describe the areas of focus, and they were organized into one of six research categories. The review identified a range of measures and methods across all categories. However, the measures were often narrow, focused on outputs, and not ideal for assessing the full range of experiences a researcher may have throughout their career. The most common metrics were related to research productivity and bibliometric measures. Our review of survey tools revealed a gap in comprehensive approaches available to assess an individual’s research experience, efforts, supports, and impact. As efforts expand to evaluate and study the research workforce, tools that focus on a broad range of individual-level measures, tied to specific underlying constructs and drawn from the literature, may prove useful.

Chronic constipation is a prevalent disorder representing a significant public health problem. The management of chronic constipation remains challenging, with people reporting dissatisfaction with available treatment options (1). Current clinical guidelines offer limited dietary recommendations only, and there is a lack of comprehensive evidence-based guidelines for the dietary management of chronic constipation. The aim of this project was to develop the first comprehensive evidence-based dietary guidelines for the management of chronic constipation in adults via a systematic literature review and a Delphi consensus process among an expert steering committee.

The scope of the guidelines included dietary supplements, foods and drinks, and whole diets in adults with chronic constipation. Four systematic reviews and meta-analyses were performed to identify eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs)(2-5). The findings generated from the meta-analysis of RCTs were then used to develop guideline statements using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach and a Delphi consensus survey among a multi-disciplinary expert steering committee. Recommendation statements were produced for treatment response, stool output, gut symptoms, adverse events, and quality of life. Statements were generated based on the findings only where ≥2 RCTs contributed to the meta-analysis (2-5). The “strength of recommendation” was assessed using the GRADE approach. Once statements were generated, they underwent consensus voting amongst the expert steering committee using a modified Delphi survey approach. Recommendation statements with ≥85% agreement were accepted.

The four systematic reviews included a total of 75 RCTs (2-5). Based upon these, 59 dietary recommendation statements were generated and accepted through the Delphi survey. In terms of dietary supplements, 15 recommendation statements related to fibre supplements (overall and specific types), 20 related to probiotics (overall and specific species or strains), 2 to synbiotics (overall), 5 to magnesium oxide, 2 to senna, and 3 to kiwifruit supplements. In terms of foods, 3 recommendation statements related to kiwifruits, 2 to prunes, and 2 to rye bread. In terms of drinks, 5 recommendation statements related to high mineral-containing water. No recommendations were made for whole diet approaches due to lack of evidence. Ten statements had a very low level of evidence, 41 had low level of evidence, and 8 had moderate evidence. Twenty-seven statements were strong recommendations and 32 were qualified recommendations.

These are the first ever comprehensive evidence-based dietary guidelines for the management of constipation. Recommendations were made for several dietary supplements, foods and drinks that have never been previously included in clinical guidelines. These guidelines offer new evidence-based dietary recommendations that can be rapidly implemented into clinical practice, thereby improving clinical care and patient outcomes.

We consider local escape rates and hitting time statistics for unimodal interval maps of Misiurewicz–Thurston type. We prove that for any point z in the interval, there is a local escape rate and hitting time statistics that is one of three types. While it is key that we cover all points z, the particular interest here is when z is periodic and in the postcritical orbit that yields the third part of the trichotomy. We also prove generalized asymptotic escape rates of the form first shown by Bruin, Demers and Todd.

The adoption of upper limb myoelectric prosthesis is limited by the lack of closed control loop systems. Although the efferent control has already been integrated into these devices, the sensory feedback restoration in the afferent channel still remains an open challenge. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a promising method for generating somatotopic sensory feedback, allowing the closure of the control loop system. The application of this technique is limited by cumbersome and grid-powered electrical stimulators, making them unsuitable for everyday life, whereas most portable stimulators available on the market are designed for other purposes (e.g., muscular stimulation or pain therapy) and present limited stimulation wave customization. The stimulation devices employed in the literature often produce not fully suitable stimulation parameters and are frequently validated through procedures that do not fully clarify their practical application for sensory feedback restoration. The research aims to present a novel wearable TENS stimulation device (46 g, 62 × 49 × 20 mm) suitable for sensory feedback application. The validation was achieved through a benchtop test and a preliminary analysis on 10 healthy participants comparing the qualities, intensities, and stimulated areas of the sensations elicited by the proposed device and a reference stimulator. The proposed device is capable of delivering charge-balanced stimulation waves over skin-like resistive load and eliciting tingling and vibration sensations with similar intensities compared to the adopted reference.

Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in the UK (1-2). Low exposure to the sun in winter months, as well as higher risk of deficiency amongst some ethnic minority populations (1), means that fortification of food and beverages remains an important potential route to ensure optimal vitamin D status. However, it is unclear as to whether type of fortified food affects ability to raise vitamin D status. Animal foods (e.g. dairy foods) would be expected to lead to higher vitamin D absorption than would non-animal-based foods (e.g. bread, juice), due to their higher fat content. The primary aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effectiveness of animal and non-animal-based vitamin D fortified foods on raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D).

The literature search was conducted using PubMed on 23 January 2024. Inclusion criteria were as follows: data on non-pregnant/non-lactating adults or data on children, randomised controlled trial; data for 25(OH)D measurement. Initial search results retrieved 701 publications, and 593 ineligible records were removed. Next, 108 records were screened by title and abstract, with 63 records excluded, for the following reasons: off topic (n=54); pregnant or breastfeeding (n=6); non-human (n=1); preterm infants (n=1) and duration <4 weeks (n=1). After full text eligibility screening, 28 publications remained for systematic review and meta-analysis. Ethical approval was not required as this was a literature review.

The end point data meta-analysis showed (for all studies combined) a significant increase in 25(OH)D (+23.4 (95% CI 17.0, 29.7) nmol/L (24 studies)). For specific food types, results were as follows: ‘animal’ +21.7 (95% CI 14.1, 29.3) nmol/L (17 studies); mixture of ‘animal’ and ‘non-animal’ +26.1 (95% CI 10.8, 41.4) nmol/L (1 study); ‘non-animal’ +28.1 (95% 12.0, 44.2) nmol/L (6 studies).

Contrary to what would be expected, non-animal mode of fortification (e.g. bread, juice) had a similar effect size to animal modes (e.g. dairy), so can be considered equivalent in effectiveness in raising 25(OH)D concentration. Differences in dose, duration and population groups between the non-animal and animal modes (in terms of health and baseline vitamin D status) mean the results should be taken with caution, and future studies where these factors are standardised could be useful to provide further evidence of effectiveness.

Bilinguals with aphasia routinely experience anomia in one or both of their languages that may be ameliorated by language treatment. Traditionally, treatment response has been captured by binary scoring systems that measure the presence or absence of improvement without examining how word retrieval attempts may change over time as a function of treatment. This study analyzed word retrieval errors and subsequent treatment outcomes for a group of 48 Spanish-English bilinguals with aphasia to determine if longitudinal error patterns could capture language recovery. Results revealed naming improvement for trained words in the treated language and translations of trained words in the untreated language. Specific types of word errors at baseline were associated with overall improvement in both languages; furthermore, patterns of responses changed over time as a function of lexical-semantic treatment. These results demonstrate that error analyses may characterize bilingual treatment outcomes and provide new evidence for mechanisms of impaired word retrieval.

Advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI) have driven a growing effort to create digital duplicates. These semi-autonomous recreations of living and dead people can be used for many purposes. Some of these purposes include tutoring, coping with grief, and attending business meetings. However, the normative implications of digital duplicates remain obscure, particularly considering the possibility of them being applied to genocide memory and education. To address this gap, we examine normative possibilities and risks associated with the use of more advanced forms of generative AI-enhanced duplicates for transmitting Holocaust survivor testimonies. We first review the historical and contemporary uses of survivor testimonies. Then, we scrutinize the possible benefits of using digital duplicates in this context and apply the Minimally Viable Permissibility Principle (MVPP). The MVPP is an analytical framework for evaluating the risks of digital duplicates. It includes five core components: the need for authentic presence, consent, positive value, transparency, and harm-risk mitigation. Using MVPP, we identify potential harms digital duplicates might pose to different actors, including survivors, users, and developers. We also propose technical and socio-technical mitigation strategies to address these harms.

Buoyancy-driven exchange flows in geophysical contexts often exhibit significant interfacial turbulence leading to a partially mixed intermediate layer between two counterflowing layers. In this paper we perform a three-layer hydraulic analysis of such flows, highlighting the dynamical importance of the middle mixed layer. Our analysis is based on the viscous, shallow water, Boussinesq equations and includes the effects of mixing as a non-hydrostatic pressure forcing. We demonstrate the superior predictive accuracy of three-layer hydraulics over the more classical two-layer approach by applying it to direct numerical simulation data in stratified inclined duct exchange flows where turbulence is controlled by a modest slope of the duct. The three-layer model predicts a region bounded by two control points in the middle of the duct, linked to the onset of instability and turbulence, whereas a two-layer model only predicts one control point. We show that the nonlinear characteristics of the three-layer model correspond to linear long waves perturbing a three-layer mean flow. We also provide the first evidence of long-wave resonance, as well as resonance between long and short waves, and their connection to turbulence. These results challenge current parameterisations for turbulent transport, which typically overlook long waves and internal hydraulics induced by streamwise variations of the flow.

This conference was held at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, December 8 to 10, 1966, under the cochairmanship of Professor Frank Willett (Northwestern University) and Dr. Brian M. Fagan (University of Illinois). Thirteen persons in some way associated with Iron Age archaeology were official participants, and there were six observers who also contributed to the discussions. The names of these participants are listed at the end of this article. Their primary concern was with the archaeology of Africa since the origins of food production, with special reference to the Iron Age.

As a guideline the participants were given brief reports on four recent conferences which had touched on the problems of African Iron Age archaeology. Terminology and research needs, primarily for the Stone Age, were topics at the Wenner Gren Symposium on the African Quaternary held at Burg Wartenstein, Austria, in July, 1965. The results of this symposium were reviewed at the meeting of West African archaeologists in Sierra Leone during June, 1966. This meeting also expressed concern at the shortage of manpower and resources in West African archaeology, especially in the French-speaking territories, and training facilities and other terminological problems were also discussed. The difficulties of communication and training, especially in related disciplines, were discussed by a group attending an ARC meeting on the African Arts in March, 1966.

The rising prevalence of metabolic disorders underscores the need for dietary strategies to manage postprandial glucose levels and blood pressure. Protein has been widely recognized for its health benefits, to promote satiety and improve postprandial glucose control (1). Studies have shown that whey protein can significantly lower postprandial glucose and insulin levels in both healthy and diabetic individuals, with greater effectiveness when consumed as a starter before meals (2). However, a recent prospective cohort study indicated that while animal protein consumption may be linked to a higher risk of diabetes onset, incorporating plant-based proteins is advisable. This highlights the need to diversify protein sources in the diet to manage metabolic health and potentially reduce diabetes risk (3).

Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine whether consuming pea protein isolate before a carbohydrate meal could effectively reduce postprandial glucose levels and blood pressure compared to the simultaneous consumption of protein and carbohydrates.

We examined pea protein isolate as a representative plant-based food source, known for its high protein content and accessibility. Ten healthy adults (2 male and 8 females; mean age: 25.6 ± 1 years; body mass index (BMI): 22.7 ± 1 kg/m2) participated in a crossover trial with three conditions, to consume 30g of pea protein isolate 30 min before (PrePP) or with (PP) a 50g carbohydrate meal, against a carbohydrate meal (control, CHO) provided with water. Continuous glucose monitoring and blood pressure were recorded over 180 minutes after the meal. The effect of the interventions on peak postprandial glucose responses and blood pressure were evaluated using a two-factor repeated measures ANOVA. Comparisons were made using Bonferroni’s test whenever a significant difference was observed. All statistical analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism with a statistical difference of p <0.05 considered as significant.

PrePP significantly delayed and reduced the postprandial glucose peak compared to PP and CHO (0.46 mmol/L at 60 min vs. 1.125 mmol/L for PP, p<0.05 and 1.89 mmol/L for CHO at 30 min, p<0.01). Diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased after both protein drinks compared to CHO, especially between 150 and 180 minutes (9.2 mmHg for PP and 4.2 mmHg for PrePP), while the control showed an increase of 1.6 mmHg from baseline (p < 0.05). Although systolic blood pressure also decreased in PP and PrePP, with reductions of 3.7 and 5.8 mmHg respectively, this change was not significant compared to the control, which decreased by 2 mmHg (p> 0.05).

This study indicates that pea protein preload can effectively reduce postprandial blood glucose levels and may also assist in managing blood pressure, offering a plant-based option for improving metabolic health. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these findings.

There is an increasing need of the government to know more about Africa. Trying to look ahead, many of us can see, for example, continued instability on the continent, with weak, fragile states grappling with the problems of achieving national cohesion. As we confront the problems arising from this instability, the gaps in our knowledge and understanding are vast and our need to know will probably continue to be much greater than our capacity to find the answers.

The African Studies Association's forthcoming bookThe African World: A Survey of Social Research has symbolic as well as substantive value for FAR insofar as it demonstrates how a group with widely diversified disciplines, interests, and missions can devise effective channels of communication to share a clearer understanding of each participant's special problems and objectives. The ASA asked the specialists in each of the 18 disciplines represented in this book to discuss, in relatively simple language and for the benefit of those in other disciplines, the problems they study in Africa, their methods, successes, and major failures.