This article discusses the absolute chronology of collective burials of the Trzciniec Cultural Circle communities of the Middle Bronze Age in East Central Europe. Based on Bayesian modeling of 91 accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dates from 18 cemeteries, the practice of collective burying of individuals was linked to a period of 400–640 (95.4%) years, between 1830–1690 (95.4%) and 1320–1160 (95.4%) BC. Collective burials in mounds with both cremation and inhumation rites were found earliest in the upland zone regardless of grave structure type (mounded or flat). Bayesian modeling of 14C determinations suggests that this practice was being transmitted generally from the southeast to the northwest direction. Bayesian modeling of the dates from the largest cemetery in Żerniki Górne, Lesser Poland Upland, confirmed the duration of use of the necropolis as ca. 140–310 (95.4%) years. Further results show the partial contemporaneity of burials and allow formulation of a spatial and temporal development model of the necropolis. Based on the investigation, some graves were used over just a couple of years and others over nearly 200, with up to 30 individuals found in a single grave.

Proglacial environments are ideal for studying the development of soils through the changes of rocks exposed by glacier retreat to weathering and microbial processes. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents as well as soil pH and soil elemental compositions are thought to be dominant factors structuring the bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities in the early stages of soil ecosystem formation. However, the functional linkages between C and N contents, soil composition and microbial community structures remain poorly understood. Here, we describe a multivariate analysis of geochemical properties and associated microbial community structures between a moraine and a glaciofluvial outwash in the proglacial area of a High Arctic glacier (Longyearbreen, Svalbard). Our results reveal distinct differences in developmental stages and heterogeneity between the moraine and the glaciofluvial outwash. We observed significant relationships between C and N contents, δ13Corg and δ15N isotopic ratios, weathering and microbial abundance and community structures. We suggest that the observed differences in microbial and geochemical parameters between the moraine and the glaciofluvial outwash are primarily a result of geomorphological variations of the proglacial terrain.

We present some properties of orthogonality and relate them with support disjoint and norm inequalities in $p$-Schatten ideals. In addition, we investigate the problem of characterization of norm-parallelism for bounded linear operators. We consider the characterization of the norm-parallelism problem in $p$-Schatten ideals and locally uniformly convex spaces. Later on, we study the case when an operator is norm-parallel to the identity operator. Finally, we give some equivalence assertions about the norm-parallelism of compact operators. Some applications and generalizations are discussed for certain operators.

Duarte et al. are right to worry about political bias in social psychology but they underestimate the ease of correcting it. Both liberals and conservatives show partisan bias that often worsens with cognitive sophistication. More non-liberals in social psychology is unlikely to speed our convergence upon the truth, although it may broaden the questions we ask and the data we collect.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

We present an extensive physical characterization of La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 (LCMO) epitaxial films grown on SrTiO3 (STO), LaAlO3 (LAO) and NdGaO3 (NGO) substrates. The main difference among these substrates is that they have a different mismatch (∼ 1.2%, -1.8% and - 0.1%, respectively) with the manganite. The films can be coherently grown up to 180 nm for STO and NGO but partial relaxation is observed for LAO. The magnetotransport data indicate that very thin films (<27nm) display non-conventional magnetoresistive properties: a substantial magnetoresistance develops which can be progressively appreciated for STO and LAO films. 55Mn-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance experiments on all these films reveal the presence of non-homogeneous electronic states. These experiments in fact provide clear evidence of the presence of two distinguishable ferromagnetic Mn states and a non-ferromagnetic phase. The possible role of strain-induced charge localization is discussed. It turns out that electronic phase separation occurs in all films irrespectively of the particular substrate used; thus we conclude that strain is not the unique driving force for charge localization.

As a probe of the short range chemical and topological order, NMR is useful for structural investigations of magnetic multilayers (interface structure and composition, bulk phases and defects, strains). The magnetic character of the raw data makes it also possible to study local magnetic properties of these composite systems, and to correlate them with local structural features. The hyperfine field is the first output of an NMR experiment which gives a direct insight on the local magnetization in ferromagnets. NMR is also sensitive to the restoring torque exerted on the electronic moment by the local magnetic anisotropy and/or exchange and dipolar couplings. Combined with the fact that the various parts of a sample (atomic planes involved in the interfaces, bulk phases and bulk defects) can be discriminated in the spectra, the magnetic information contained in the data allows to probe quantitatively or, at least, to place on a relative scale, the different magnetic responses of the different parts of a sample. We present here the relevant results which we have obtained in the course of our investigations of Co based multilayers and spin valves (interface magnetic profiles, inhomogeneities of magnetic anisotropy and of magnetic coupling).

Owing to the sensitivity of the hyperfine field to the topological and chemical environment of the probe nuclei, NMR spectra can be considered as histograms of the short range order ruling the structure of the material under investigation. Complementary to diffraction techniques this gives a local insight on the structure in the direct space. We review recent structural investigations of cobalt layers imbedded in Co/X multilayers and particularly of buried interfaces. Special attention has been given to the way intermixing takes place at the interfaces as its influence on the multilayer properties may be of considerable importance. Co/Cu multilayers, a case of weakly miscible elements, have been specially investigated owing to their GMR properties. But also cases of solid solution forming elements (Co/Ru or Co/Cr) or compound forming elements (Co/Fe) have been thoroughly studied. The latter case, which shows a stabilization of a bcc Co phase, will be discussed against the bulk alloy phase diagram.

A low dose rate evaluation of several scintillators and wavelength shifters of interest to the CEBAF program was performed with a 60Co line source to a total dose of 160 Gray at a rate of 0.5 Gy/hr in a slowly flowing oxygen atmosphere. The samples included the following: (1) a 2 meter piece of Bicron BC412 scintillator being extensively used in the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer, (2) a 1 meter long piece of green scintillator doped with a uniquely fast green fluor (G2), (3) wavelength shifting fiber dopedalso with G2, and (4) grooved acrylic-based scintillator that is readout with the WLS fiber. The data indicates that the BC412 shows no loss in intrinsic light output, but does have an attenuation loss amounting to 10% at 1 meter and 16% at 2 meters. The fast green scintillator (and fibers) showed no damage. When read out by WLS fibers, the acrylic scintillator displayed a loss in intrinsic light output, but no change in attenuation.