Tip Of Spear Research Articles

Guam: Protests at the Tip of America's Spear

In 2009, the US Department of Defense outlined their plans to dramatically increase their military presence in Guam, a Micronesian island that has been a colony of the United States since 1898. This move of several thousand Marines currently stationed in Okinawa represented the most recent instance whereby the United States intends to “sharpen” what its military planners have referred to as “the tip of their spear” leveled against potential threats in Asia. The increased military presence as well as proposed firing and training ranges would have significantly impacted the environment and culture of the island, and as such have become objects of local community debate and protest. Michael Lujan Bevacqua's article chronicles recent activism against US militarization in Guam and provides a context as to why this 212-square-mile colony in the Western Pacific holds so much strategic value to the United States.

The Tip of the Spear: Captain Henry Hotham and the blockade of Brest and L’Orient

The Tip of the Spear: Captain Henry Hotham and the blockade of Brest and L’Orient

'Fire hardening' spear wood does slightly harden it, but makes it much weaker and more brittle.

It is usually assumed that 'fire hardening' the tips of spears, as practised by hunter-gatherers and early Homo spp., makes them harder and better suited for hunting. This suggestion was tested by subjecting coppiced poles of hazel to a fire-hardening process and comparing their mechanical properties to those of naturally seasoned poles. A Shore D hardness test showed that fire treatment slightly increased the hardness of the wood, but flexural and impact tests showed that it reduced the strength and work of fracture by 30% and 36%, respectively. These results suggest that though potentially slightly sharper and more durable, fire-hardened tips would actually be more likely to break off when used, as may have been the case with the earliest known wooden tool, the Clacton spear. Fire might first have been used to help sharpen the tips of spears, and fire-hardening would have been a mostly negative side effect, not its primary purpose.

Beyond a suggestive morphology: were Wardaman stone points exclusively spear armatures?

Stone points were introduced across northern Australia during the mid-Holocene. The reasons behind this novel technological development are unclear but, given their morphology, an obvious interpretation is that they were used as spear tips. However, others have theorised that points, along with backed artefacts elsewhere, may have been multifunctional tools. This paper tests the hypothesis that lithic points were primarily spear tips by applying a macrofracture analysis, supported by experimentation, in order to identify diagnostic impact fractures on a large sample of points from Wardaman Country in the Northern Territory. The analysis suggests that points were rarely used as spear tips overall, though they were more commonly employed as projectiles when first introduced to Wardaman Country and when transported away from large residential sites to regions where mobile hunting equipment might be expected.

TAMQVAM FIGMENTVM HOMINIS: AMMIANUS, CONSTANTIUS II AND THE PORTRAYAL OF IMPERIAL RITUAL

<i>TAMQVAM FIGMENTVM HOMINIS</i>: AMMIANUS, CONSTANTIUS II AND THE PORTRAYAL OF IMPERIAL RITUAL

Haskett Spear Weaponry and Protein-Residue Evidence of Proboscidean Hunting in the Great Salt Lake Desert, Utah

Recent finds in the Great Salt Lake Desert provide new evidence about Haskett projectile-point technology. Haskett is a large, early representative of the Western Stemmed Tradition. The collection includes the longest Haskett specimen yet documented and another that has yielded a positive result to elephant antiserum via protein-residue analysis. Technological evidence is provided that supports the interpretation of Haskett points as sophisticated throwing/thrusting spear tips.

Kathu Pan 1 points and the assemblage-scale, probabilistic approach: a response to Rots and Plisson, “Projectiles and the abuse of the use-wear method in a search for impact”

Rots and Plisson (2014) question our conclusion that 500,000-year-old points from Kathu Pan 1, South Africa were used as spear tips (Wilkins et al., 2012). However, their reinterpretation of the fractures we identify as diagnostic impact fractures are incorrect. Despite the assertion, knapping processes alone do not explain the basal modifications on the KP1 points. Although Rots and Plisson are critical of the edge damage distribution method, it provides objective, quantitative and statistical comparisons of experimental and archaeological datasets. The data we present stand as reliable evidence for early hafted hunting technology. We suggest that the disagreement stems from a differing perspective on how lithic functional studies should deal with equifinality and the challenge of confidently assessing stone tool function.

GEOMETRY, PENETRATION FORCE, AND CUTTING PROFILE OF DIFFERENT 23-GAUGE TROCARS SYSTEMS FOR PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY

To investigate the geometry, penetration force, and cutting profile of 23-gauge trocar systems for pars plana vitrectomy based on their grinding methods in a standardized laboratory setting. In this experimental study, Eleven different commercially available 23-gauge sclerotomy trocar systems were divided into 4 groups according to their needle grinding and deburring: "back" bevel, "spear" bevel, "lancet" bevel, and "spatula" bevel. The normative geometrical data of the trocar systems were systematically analyzed according to nomenclature ISO 7864 and ISO 9626. Force to penetrate a 0.4-mm thick polyurethane foil was measured by a Penetrometer, when the trocar needle was piercing, cutting, and sliding through the foil at different defined loading phases and plotted as a load-displacement diagram. Magnified images of the consecutive cut were taken under a microscope after the entire penetration through the foil. Three physicians used all trocar systems in a masked fashion on human sclera to evaluate the manual penetration force in 30° and 90°. The mean outer diameter of the trocar systems was 0.630 ± 0.009 mm, and the mean outer diameter of the trocars was 0.750 ± 0.013 mm. The mean point length was 3.11 ± 0.49 mm, and the mean length of the bevel was 1.46 ± 0.23 mm. The primary bevel angle was 10.75 ± 0.41°, and the secondary bevel angle was 65.9 ± 42.56°. The piercing forces of the back bevel and spear-pointed trocars/needles were at the same level (0.087 ± 0.028 N). The lancet-pointed needle had remarkable low piercing and cutting forces with 0.41 N (range, 0.35-0.47 N). The spatula bevel tip showed the highest penetration piercing force with 1.6 N (range, 1.59-1.73 N). The back bevel systems induced frequently triangular-shaped incisions, with two nearly rectangular cuts of short length. The spear bevels produced a regular characteristic linear cut. Especially, the lancet blade created straight cut with a linear wound apposition. Spatula trocar systems caused usually an arched accurate incision. The manual force to penetrate the human sclera in an angled and rectangular angle appeared in the surgeons hand lower with a back bevel, lancet, or spear tip, whereas higher with spatula bevel systems. Lancet and back bevel systems show less penetration force of inner needles than the spatula systems. The results of the penetration force experiments correlated well with the manual force on sclera.

MEMBANGUN MINAT BELAJAR MAHASISWA DALAM PAYUNG KKNI MELALUI PENDEKATAN ANDRAGOGI

ABSTRACT University student as young generation need to be built as early as possible so they could explore their inner potential as the tip of spear of nation’s development. They need to be given the chance to propose their opinion so the learning process could work as their interest. The effort that the government do to grow their interest is by formulating curriculum study based on occupation field necessity called the National Qualification Curriculum of Indonesia (KKNI). Through out this curriculum, learning process oriented to student’s set of problems and designed learning experience based on student’s learning necessity. One of the attempted aprroach through KKNI is andragogy approach. 4 basic assumption of andragogy are: (1) self concept, (2) experience, (3) readiness to study, and (4) learning orientation. Keyword: Learning Interest, KKNI, Andragogy

Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant and Binding Activities and Spear Yield of Asparagus officinalis L.

The aim of this investigation was to find a proper harvesting period and establishing fern number, which effects the spear yield, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of Asparagus officinalis L. Spears were harvested at 2, 4, and 6weeks after sprouting. Control for comparison was used without harvest. Spears and total yield increased with prolonged spear harvest period. In harvest of 6weeks long optimum spear yield was the highest and fern numbers were 5 ~ 8. Bioactive compounds (polyphenols, flavonoids, flavanols, tannins and ascorbic acid) and the levels of antioxidant activities by ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays in asparagus ethanol extracts significantly differed in the investigated samples and were the highest at 6weeks harvest period (P < 0.05). The first and the second segments from the tip significantly increased with the increase of catalase (CAT). It was interesting to investigate in vitro how human serum albumin (HSA) interacts with polyphenols extracted from investigated vegetables. Therefore the functional properties of asparagus were studied by the interaction of polyphenol ethanol extracts with HSA, using 3D- FL. In conclusion, antioxidant status (bioactive compounds, binding and antioxidant activities) improved with the harvesting period and the first segment from spear tip. Appropriate harvesting is effective for higher asparagus yield and its bioactivity.

Nalazi iz sela Gradac i Ubosko na komunikaciji Narona-Ad Zizio

Nalazi iz sela Gradac i Ubosko na komunikaciji Narona-Ad Zizio

Investigations on a brass armour: Authentic or forgery?

A copper-based armour, supposedly excavated in Eastern Georgia and tentatively dated to the I–II century AD, was investigated with the aim of checking its authenticity. The finding consisted of several pieces, mostly in a good state of conservation: helmet, lorica musculata (i.e. muscled cuirass), forearm guards, pterygies (covering the lower body and thighs), shin greaves and a spear tip. The combination of conventional metallography with in situ and non-destructive investigations (including Time of Flight Neutron Diffraction (ToF-ND)) on the front of the lorica, on one of the pterygies and on the spear tip showed that the composition and microstructure of the armour was not fully homogeneous. However, the results from the muscled cuirass are fairly coherent and raise suspicion about the authenticity of the piece, namely because of the (i) presence of metallic Al in the alloy, in solid solution with Cu, (ii) prevalence of an as-cast microstructure, which lead to a heavy weight as well to the need for a high amount of metal by comparison to hammered sheet and (iii) presence of an artificial patina, combined with earthy deposits which are not explainable if the original patina was removed before artificial patination for aesthetical reasons.

The Tip of the Spear

The Tip of the Spear

Value at the Tip of the Spear—Surrogates for Volume*

Value at the Tip of the Spear—Surrogates for Volume*

First Report of a Ceratobasidium sp. Causing Root Rot on Canola in Washington State.

Rhizoctonia root rot occurs commonly on canola (Brassica napus L.) in Washington State. Recently, isolates of an additional pathogen were found to be involved in this disease complex. Isolates of an AG-I-like Ceratobasidium sp. were collected from roots and root zone soil in central Washington near Ritzville. Identity of selected isolates was verified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA (GenBank Accession Nos. JQ247570, JQ247571, and JQ247572), with a 90 to 93% identity to AG-I. All isolates also amplified with AG-I-like specific primers (1). Six isolates were included in pathogenicity assays conducted in the greenhouse. There were five replicates of three plants for each treatment and the experiment was conducted twice. Pasteurized soil was infested with ground oat inoculum (1%) and placed into containers (3.8 × 21 cm). Infested soils were seeded with canola, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), or wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). After 3 weeks of incubation at 15°C, the plants were destructively harvested. The emergence of canola was consistently reduced in soil infested with a Ceratobasidium sp., with reductions of 0 to 23% (average 11%). There was no postemergence damping-off, a symptom commonly associated with AG-2-1 (2). Plant height and top dry weights were significantly reduced for canola seeded into infested soil. Heights of plants growing in infested soil was reduced by 25 to 53% (average 42%) and top dry weight was reduced by 37 to 81% (average 61%) compared with the noninfested control. The legume hosts tested in this study were also affected by this Ceratobasidium sp., but to a lesser extent. Compared with the noninfested controls, there was evidence of preemergence damping-off in chickpea (0 to 27%, average 13%) and pea plants were consistently stunted (5 to 23%, average 12%). Chickpea and pea plants grown in infested soil also had reduced top dry weights of 9 to 28% (average 17%) and 13 to 35% (average 21%), respectively. The roots of all infected hosts had a characteristic brown discoloration with tapered, rotted root tips (spear tips). There was no reduction in emergence or plant height of wheat and barley; there was inconsistent reduction in dry weight of these plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Ceratobasidium sp. causing disease on canola in Washington State.

Comparison of External Quality and Hardness of White Asparagus Spears Produced by Two Different Blanching Methods

To clarify the differences between white asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) spears produced by two different blanching methods, the soil-mound method and film-cover method, the external appearance and hardness of spears were examined in forcing culture with two-year-old rootstocks. The blanching method had an obvious influence on the color and tightness of the spear tip. Color in the portion 2 cm below the spear tip was more yellowish in the film-cover method than in the soil-mound method. The spear tips tended to be tighter in the soil-mound method than in the film-cover method. These results suggest that both the spear tip color and tightness might be striking visible features to help us discriminate between the two blanching methods. Spears produced by the soil-mound method were greater in diameter in the upper (4 cm from tip) and middle (10.5 cm from tip) portions, and heavier by weight than those by the film-cover method. Spears boiled for 10 minutes from the soil-mound method were significantly tougher in the upper (4 cm from tip) and middle (10.5 cm from tip) sections than those from the film-cover. Therefore, the blanching method was thought to affect spear hardness, which is closely associated with eating and cooking quality.

Were there stone-tipped armatures in the South Asian Middle Paleolithic?

The point is a commonly recognized type of flaked stone artifact in global prehistoric records. In South Asia, points have been reported from numerous Middle Paleolithic assemblages. However, throughout much of the Paleolithic, South Asia is conspicuously lacking in formalized points when compared to Africa and western Eurasia. It is often assumed that South Asian Middle Paleolithic points reflect the use of stone-tipped spears in prehistoric hunting activities. However, such a relationship has never been firmly established. Why are South Asian Middle Paleolithic points distinct in their overall indistinctiveness? If some Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age points in Africa and western Eurasia fulfill criteria that do reflect the use of stone-tipped armatures, how do Middle Paleolithic points from South Asia compare? This study ascertains whether a small pan-South Asian sample of points might have been used to tip Middle Paleolithic projectile weaponry. Putative South Asian Middle Paleolithic projectile points were assessed for tip cross-sectional area (TCSA), impact damage, basal modification and point angle from published sources. The results indicate that despite appearances, many South Asian Middle Paleolithic points cannot be ruled out as thrusting/throwing spear tips. Some probable causes of the inconspicuous expression of points in the archaeological record of South Asia are considered.

Hard core and cutting edge: experimental manufacture and use of Magdalenian composite projectile tips

The technology of the European Upper Palaeolithic yielded abundant evidence of the use of composite projectile heads, in the form of osseous points on the side of which one or several (micro)lithic elements are attached. Yet, little experimental work has been devoted to testing and assessing the parameters of use of this type of composite tips. In this paper we present a pilot experiment with replicas of Magdalenian composite spear tips, made of an antler point with one or two rows of flint backed bladelets. Two series of replicas were manufactured after the lithic and osseous record of, respectively, the Lower Magdalenian from southwest France (c. 20–18 Ky cal BP) and the Upper Magdalenian of Pincevent in the Paris Basin (c. 15–14 Ky cal BP). The 34 experimental composite heads were hafted to spears that were then shot with a spearthrower at the carcasses of two young deer. The results provide some insight into the performance characteristics of the osseous and lithic components, both in efficiency and durability. Finally, possible improvements of the experimental protocol are discussed, as well as the implications of our results for the understanding of projectile point variability in the Upper Palaeolithic.

A process-oriented and stochastic simulation model for asparagus spear growth and yield

To obtain a better understanding of the factors affecting asparagus spear growth and yield, a process-oriented and stochastic model for asparagus ( Asparagus officinalis L.) grown under soil ridges was developed and tested. This model describes a population of asparagus plants with a binomial distributed bud cluster number per plant. Each bud cluster starts to grow after exposure to an exponential distributed temperature sum. The length growth response of spears, which is mainly dependent on soil temperature and spear length, is affected by the soluble carbohydrate ( CHO) concentration in the storage root system and the temperature gradient between the spear tip and the rhizome. The spear growth rate is assumed to be normally distributed, while a stochastic dependency to the required temperature sum for bud break is assumed. For each bud cluster, a broadly varied apical dominance relation between successive spears is described by an exponential distributed temperature sum for spear length growth induction. After removal of the dominating spear, the required temperature sum decreases exponentially. The time progression of spear diameter is a function of spear generation number within a bud cluster and the mean temperature during spear growth induction and can be used to derive the spear fresh weight. The change of soluble CHO concentrations in the storage root system is derived from maintenance and growth respiration requirements. Some of the model parameters are derived from independent measurements of spear growth. Regarding the tremendous variability of daily yields, the model performed well in the prediction of daily spear number, diameter and yield over the whole harvest season across two production sites with various soil temperatures induced by different types of ridge covering. The effects of soluble CHO concentration and soil temperature gradient on spear growth rate are regarded as preliminary and should be tested in further experiments. Due to the apical dominance relation between spears, asparagus is subject to endogenous rhythmic growth, which invalidates simple statistical yield forecast approaches. In its current state, our yield forecast model is well suited to test the impact of various plant traits on asparagus yield, and thus to guide early selection in crop improvement projects. Finally, the current model could be used to derive easier to handle yet physiological sound yield models to be useful for field-scale applications.

Effects of Genetic, Pre- and Post-Harvest Factors on Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Capacity of White Asparagus Spears

The effects of genetic, pre-harvest (season of harvest, spear diameter, spear portion and spear tip color) and post-harvest factors (storage and domestic preparation practices, e.g., peeling and cooking) on total phenolic, flavonoid and ascorbic acid content of white asparagus spears and their correlation with antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP) were studied. Results showed that genetic material was important for the total phenolic content but not season of harvest, spear diameter or storage. Violet spear tips and apical spear portions showed the largest amount of total phenolics. Peeling did not affect total phenolics in fresh asparagus, whereas it reduced their content in stored asparagus, while cooking resulted in an increase in both fresh and stored asparagus. However, the soluble extract of total phenolics and flavonoids were minor and the missing significance of phenolics and flavonoids in antioxidant capacity of white asparagus spears depends on these small amounts.