These binary measures were then summed to create the overall allo

These binary measures were then summed to create the overall allostatic load score (ranging from 0 to 9) (Seeman et al., Decitabine order 2004 and Bird et al., 2010). SEP was based on head of household occupational social class (Registrar General’s 1980 Social Class (RGSC) OPCS, 1980) and operationalized as the accumulated SEP over two time periods spanning 20 years. SEP was measured at baseline in 1987 and again at wave 5, with current or most recent social class data used. The six-category variable at each wave was dichotomized into manual (VI,

V and III-M) and non-manual SEP (III-NM, II, I), thereby giving a possible score of 0, 1 or 2 (waves defined as being in a non-manual social class, i.e. higher SEP). The RGSC measure has been described as being “…(theoretically) a measure of prestige or social standing, (thus) it could be argued that the relation of this classification to health should be interpreted as due to the advantages bestowed by elevated social standing and increased prestige. In practice it

is often interpreted as an indicator of both social standing and material reward and resources” (Galobardes et al., 2006b). Data on car ownership, home ownership and income were based on self-report. Car ownership and home ownership, amongst other measures PD-L1 inhibitor of household assets, have been hypothesized to be more direct indicators of material circumstances within the SEP construct (Davey-Smith and Egger, 1992). Both measures reflect income, but also access to resources and power (Carr-Hill et al., 1992). There may also be direct causal mechanisms between car/home ownership and health through for example, safer transport, changes in exposure to pollutants (positive and negative) or damp or overcrowded housing. It must also be noted that these measures have overlaps with behavioral, as well as Cepharanthine psychological and psychosocial, factors, for example, owning a car resulting in decreased physical activity (behavioral), but increased pride/self-esteem (psychosocial) (Macintyre et al., 1998). Income is linked to health through

multiple pathways including behavioral and psychological/psychosocial, (Benzeval et al., 2014) although the material pathway may be considered the primary driver through access to resources. Car ownership was based on a simple yes/no question. Respondents were classed as home renters if they rented their home either from social housing stock or from a private landlord (‘1’) or were classed as homeowners (‘0’). Income was based on monthly net household income, equivalised for household size and used as a continuous measure of British Pounds (£) per week. The top and bottom 1% of values on the income distribution were excluded (trimmed) to limit the effect of outliers, a common method when measuring income inequality (Cowell and Victoria-Feser, 1996).

However, when the 2 arms were analyzed separately, significant in

However, when the 2 arms were analyzed separately, significant increases were noted in each arm for lean body mass (by about 2.5 kg, PI3K inhibitor both P < .04) and 6-minute walk distance (approximately 50 m, both P < .04). No change was noted for physical activity or grip strength. Resting energy expenditure decreased significantly in both groups. Body weight was increased in the group that received megestrol acetate only (from 54.7 ± 10.8 to 57.2 ± 11.8 kg, P = .05). L-carnitine on its own also has been successfully used in 72 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer as part of a prospective, multicenter,

placebo-controlled, randomized, and double-blinded trial.31 Patients received oral L-carnitine at a dose of 4 g or placebo. At study entry, patients reported a mean weight loss of 12.0 ± 2.5 kg. During 12 weeks of treatment, body mass index increased by 3.4% ± 1.4% under L-carnitine and decreased by 1.5% ± 1.4% in controls (P < .05). Likewise, body fat and body buy AZD6244 cell mass increased in the L-carnitine group only. The appetite stimulant megestrol acetate also has been successfully used in children. Cuvelier et al32 randomized, in a double-blind fashion, 26 children to receive an oral suspension of megestrol acetate

(7.5 mg/kg/d) or placebo for 90 days. Patients enrolled into the study were younger than 18 years of age and presented with weight loss of 5% or more secondary to cancer and/or cancer treatment. Bacterial neuraminidase Children on megestrol acetate experienced an average weight gain of +19.7% compared with a mean weight loss of 1.2% in the placebo group (P = .003). 32 All patients in the megestrol acetate group developed at least one undetectable early morning serum cortisol level during the study; this occurred only in 1 patient on placebo. Severe adrenal suppression was reported in 2 patients on megestrol acetate. Other adverse effects were not different between this and the placebo group. 32 Melatonin has been

shown to improve appetite in animal experiments.33 Del Fabbro et al34 performed a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in patients with advanced lung or gastrointestinal cancer. Unfortunately, the trial was stopped early for futility. This result came as a surprise, because the dosage used in this trial, oral melatonin 20 mg at night, was similar to that used in previous trials and is much higher than that used for conditions such as jet lag (typically 0.5–5.0 mg). A total of 73 patients were enrolled, but it was stopped after 48 subjects had finished the study, because an interim analysis showed that the intervention was unlikely to be of significant benefit. In fact, none of the assessed end points improved: the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), the Functional Assessment of Cancer Illness Therapy–Fatigue (FACIT-F), or the Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT) scores. Also, there was no change in body weight to suggest any benefit of melatonin over placebo (all P > .15).

We used a norm-based cut-off, as we believe that sufficient knowl

We used a norm-based cut-off, as we believe that sufficient knowledge of an individual should not be based on the relative knowledge

of other subjects, but on a minimum of desired knowledge. Since the introduction of the definition of informed decision as defined by Marteau et al, several studies have evaluated the level of informed decision making in cancer screening [38] and [34]. Compared to previous studies, we found a relatively high number of screenees and non-screenees with adequate knowledge, while the percentage of screenees with a positive attitude in our study was only slightly lower. The first study on informed decision making in screening was performed within a RCT of CT screening for lung cancer in high-risk individuals [37]. That study was most comparable to our selleckchem study, as the authors also defined adequate knowledge and

positive attitude as scores above the midpoint of the complete scales. Overall, 73% of screenees and 54% of non-screenees were found to have adequate knowledge, while 99% of screenees and 64% of non-screenees had a positive attitude toward screening. Another study [34] was conducted in a population-based cervical cancer screening program Akt signaling pathway using a Pap smear. Invitees received a questionnaire, together with their invitation and standard information leaflet. Sixty-four percent of responding screenees had sufficient knowledge and 99% was found to have a positive attitude toward screening. That study was less comparable to our study, as at least 6 out of 7 knowledge items had to be answered correctly. As far as we know, no other studies have been published on informed decision-making in colorectal cancer screening using colonoscopy or CT colonography. Compared to these previous studies, a relative high number of screenees made an informed decision in our program. This may be explained by variability Carnitine dehydrogenase in methods, such as differences in the type or amount of information given in the information leaflet and in defining adequate knowledge, or by the fact that all screenees

in this trial had a prior consultation before they underwent the examination. A second explanation for the different results could be the variety in diseases under evaluation, including the subsequent possibility of differences in prior knowledge among invitees. Both in colonoscopy and CT colonography, some knowledge statements were more often answered incorrectly by non-screenees than by screenees, such as ‘If an invitee feels healthy, it is not useful to participate’. These results indicate that screenees are more often aware than non-screenees that someone can have cancer without being symptomatic. This contrast is consistent with findings of a previous study [39]. Our results also show that invitees were not always familiar with the difference between colonoscopy and CT colonography, as 49% of CT colonography non-screenees thought that the large bowel was visualized with an endoscope during CT colonography.

Female BALB/cBYJ mice (11–13 weeks old, specified opportunistic p

Female BALB/cBYJ mice (11–13 weeks old, specified opportunistic pathogen

click here free) were inoculated intravenously via the tail vein with S. aureus clinical isolate P or S. aureus clinical isolate S (7 × 104 CFU in 100 μL, 5 mice per group). Animal experiments were performed with approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, The Netherlands. S. aureus clinical MSSA isolates P and S were kindly provided by Dr. G. Buist (University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands). The characterization of these S. aureus isolates based on proteomic analysis has been described by Ziebandt A.K. et al. (2010). Sera were collected before and 2, 3, and 5 weeks after infection. The following purified proteins of S. aureus were coupled to Sero-MAP beads: Nuc; LytM; IsaA; ClfA; clumping factor B (ClfB); iron-responsive surface determinants A and H (IsdA and IsdH); fibronectin-binding proteins A and B (FnbpA and FnbpB); extracellular fibrinogen-binding protein (Efb); staphylococcal complement inhibitor (SCIN); alpha toxin; γ hemolysin B (HlgB); leukocidins D, E, F, and S (LukD, LukE, LukF, and LukS); staphylococcal enterotoxins A–C (SEA–SEC); toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1);

and staphylococcal superantigen-like proteins 1, 3, 5, 9, and 11 (SSL1, SSL3, SSL5, SSL9, and SSL11). GDC 941 G. Buist (University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands) supplied Nuc, LytM, and IsaA ( Ziebandt et al., 2010). ClfA was kindly provided by T. Bosma (BiOMaDe Technology, Groningen, The Netherlands). ClfB, IsdA, IsdH, FnbpA, and FnbpB were expressed and purified as described previously ( Verkaik et al., 2009a). The constructs HSP90 were provided by T. Foster

(Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland). J.I. Flock (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden) supplied Efb ( Shannon et al., 2005). S. Rooijakkers (University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands) provided SCIN ( Rooijakkers et al., 2005). Alpha toxin, HlgB, LukD, LukE, LukF, LukS, SEA, and SEC were prepared as described previously ( Verkaik et al., 2010b). SEB and TSST-1 were provided by S. Holtfreter and D. Grumann (University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany) ( Holtfreter et al., 2006). SSL1, SSL3, SSL5, SSL9, and SSL11 were a gift from J.D. Fraser (University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand) ( Chung et al., 2007). The coupling procedure was performed as described elsewhere (Martins et al., 2006, Verkaik et al., 2008 and Verkaik et al., 2009a). In short, 25 μg of protein was added to 5.0 × 106 microspheres. This amount of protein was found to be optimal. As an activation buffer, we used 100 mmol/L monobasic sodium phosphate (pH 6.2). To activate the carboxyl groups on the surface of the beads, 10 μL of 50 mg/mL N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide was used (Pierce Biotechnology). The coupling buffer consisted of 50 mmol/L 2-(N-morpholino)-ethanesulfonic acid (pH 5.0; Sigma-Aldrich).

2 It is still unclear whether exposure to low doses of mercury ad

2 It is still unclear whether exposure to low doses of mercury adversely affects neurodevelopment, although it is of considerable concern to contemporary science and for public health. Many industrialized countries have established procedures and policies foster and support researchers to explore the health effects of low-level prenatal mercury exposure through maternal fish consumption. In animal experiments, the most frequently evident effects of prenatal methylmercury exposure are related to learning and memory

deficits. Behavioral and spatial learning deficits have been observed in animal models of methylmercury Anti-cancer Compound Library in vivo exposure in utero and through lactation.3 and 4 Coluccia et al.5 noted that low-level exposure to methylmercury during the postnatal brain growth spurt in mice induced subtle and persistent motor and learning deficits. A longitudinal Danish study conducted in the Faroe Islands demonstrated a correlation between prenatal exposure to methylmercury through maternal seafood

consumption and adverse neuropsychological outcomes such as deficits in language, attention, and memory in school-aged children.6 and 7 In addition, Steuerwald8 reported that increased exposure to methylmercury through maternal Selleck Z-VAD-FMK seafood intake was associated with a significant decrease in the neonatal Neurological Optimality Score. However, data from Peru9 and the Seychelles Child PAK5 Development Study10 could not confirm those findings. Repeated examination of the Seychelles Child Development Study cohort at six different ages until age 11 revealed no pattern of adverse effects. In fact, the study found some apparent early beneficial associations between maternal and child hair methylmercury and several child development endpoints, which were hypothesized to be related to micronutrients in the fish. Other large cohort studies also found no apparent neurodevelopmental

risks from prenatal methylmercury exposure resulting solely from ocean fish consumption.11 and 12 Thus, from currently available data, it is difficult to conclusively determine if there is an association between prenatal exposure to low levels of mercury and adverse effects on child development. There is a need to further examine the potential association. With the development of the economy in China, the environmental degradation has reached a level at which the health and well-being of the coastal populations could be threatened. China has recently begun to identify sources of toxic mercury exposure in the environment and diet and to establish ways of protecting children, adults, and nonhuman species from mercury toxicity. Few data are available on total mercury levels in neonates and their mothers and the effects of prenatal exposure to mercury on neurobehavioral development in the Chinese population.

Further cement lines are accumulating Zn and Pb to higher levels

Further cement lines are accumulating Zn and Pb to higher levels than adjacent mineralized bone matrix indicating a possibly different mechanism of Zn, Sr, and Pb uptake. Additionally, it was revealed that in bone structural units the concentration of Pb and Sr depends on the degree of mineralization

while this was not the case for Zn. All authors Veliparib in vivo were involved in drafting or critically reading the manuscript for important intellectual content, and all authors approved the final version. Conception and design: B. Pemmer, A. Roschger, A. Wastl, J.G. Hofstaetter, P. Wobrauschek, R. Simon, H.W. Thaler, P. Roschger, K. Klaushofer, C. Streli. Data acquisition: B. Pemmer, A. Roschger, A. Wastl, R. Simon, C. Streli. Analysis and interpretation of data: B. Pemmer, A. Roschger, J. G. Hofstaetter, P. Roschger, P. Wobrauschek, C. Streli. Provision of study material: H.W. Thaler. Obtaining of funding: C. Streli, P. Roschger. None of the authors has any financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations causing conflict

of interests. The authors thank N. Loveridge and Stephan Smolek for the provision of self-written software for data processing and Daniela Gabriel, Petra Keplinger, Sonja Lueger and Phaedra Messmer for the sample preparation. This work has received funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): Carfilzomib chemical structure P21905-N20, the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 226716, the AUVA (Research funds of the Austrian Workers Compensation Board) and the WGKK (Viennese Sickness Insurance Funds). “
“Since the first report of osteonecrosis of the jaw associated with bisphosphonates administration in 2003, [1] there have been many efforts to establish the pathophysiologic nature of this disease [2], [3] and [4]. Although its pathogenesis is still poorly understood, BRONJ (Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw) is currently known to be a disease associated with the oversuppression of bone remodeling by bisphosphonates (BPs) [2],

[3] and [5]. Accordingly, there have been previous attempts to assess the risk for BRONJ by using bone biomarkers, and Marx et al. [6] have proposed in their uncontrolled retrospective study that serum C-terminal telopeptide Decitabine of type I collagen (CTX) is a useful predictor. However, the results of other clinical studies that used serum markers have been controversial, [7], [8] and [9] and no conclusive opinions have been reached about other bone biomarkers such as N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) [10], [11] and [12]. However, such biomarkers are being used effectively in other fields, specifically in metabolic and pathologic bone diseases such as osteoporosis and bone metastasis of cancer, Paget’s disease, and multiple myeloma.

Total polyphenol content in adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) was pos

Total polyphenol content in adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) was positively correlated with elevation [41]. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provides

a quick and reliable method for estimating the protein, starch, and total polyphenol content in faba bean. Generally, powder samples produced more precise results than intact seed. The models for protein and starch content in the Afatinib molecular weight ground powder samples provided reliable prediction capability for evaluating germplasm resources. Two-step clustering analysis can be used for the rapid classification of seed nutrient components in crop research. Three groupings were obtained in faba beans and their features included high oil content of Group 1, the high protein content for Group 2, and high contents of starch and total polyphenol

for Group 3. These features demonstrated the influences of sowing date and geographical coordinates of production areas on the contents of principal constituents in faba bean. All these results support this new approach for screening of germplasm resources and its application in food or feed manufacture. This study was financed by the Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System (nycyty-018: Guixing Ren), the National Infrastructure of Crop Germplasm Resources and the Sci & Tech Innovation Program of CAAS. The authors appreciated Xuxiao Zong, Jianping Guan and Tao Yang for offering materials as well as Sancai Liu, Yan Li and Fang Liu for technological buy BMS-387032 advice. “
“Plant germplasm denotes the genetic resources for plant breeding. A large number of germplasm accessions have been collected in gene banks all over the world, but methods for managing and utilizing such a large collection efficiently remain a challenging task for breeders. Frankel and Brown first proposed sampling the very collections to yield a manageable sample or so-called “core collection” [1] and [2]. A core collection (CC) consists of a limited set of accessions derived from the collection (about 10% of the full collection), and represents

the genetic diversity of a species and its relatives with a minimum of repetitiveness. Owing to the reduced size, CC can be studied extensively and the derived information can be used to guide more efficient utilization of the much larger reserve collection. To date, CCs have been developed in many crops including rice [3], wheat [4], soybean [5], cotton [6] and peanut [7]. Usually the number of accessions in a CC is still too large for meaningful replicated evaluations at different locations, given the enormous sizes of the full collections (FCs) of many crops. To address this problem, Upadhyaya and Ortiz postulated the concept of the “mini core collection” [8]. Usually a mini core collection (MCC) consists of 10% of the accessions from the CC, so that the number of accessions is only about 1% of that of the FC.

6b-e correspond to the 65Cu isotope

(μ/(μNI) (65Cu) = 1 5

6b-e correspond to the 65Cu isotope

(μ/(μNI) (65Cu) = 1.5877 compared to μ/(μNI) (63Cu) = 1.484897, [22]). Representative spectra from Cu/EGCG at S-band frequencies are presented in Fig. 7, The spectra from the individual Cu isotopes are seen more clearly at this frequency, and are illustrated in the expanded spectrum in Fig. 7g. The corresponding results for the Cu/GA system are available as supplementary material (Figure Target Selective Inhibitor Library concentration S13). Because of incomplete averaging of the spectral anisotropy, only one of the four Cu(II) hyperfine peaks (that at the highest field) is well resolved in the solution spectra of each of the Cu(II) EGCG complexes in fluid solution at X-band frequencies (Fig. 3). The high field peak of Complex I is clearly visible in Fig. 3b, but the spectra of Complexes II and III strongly overlap (Fig. 3c), and their individual components are not resolved from one another. However, the position of the high field peak from Complex III was determined from the spectrum recorded at very high pH where the contribution from Complex II was weak (Fig. 3d). Somewhat better resolution of the component peaks was observed in the fluid solution spectra from the Cu/GA system at X-band frequencies by Ferreira Severino et al. [9] (see also Figure S14 for a full set of data), but even with this smaller ligand the resolution was not good. There are a number of reasons for the lack of resolution

of the component peaks in the spectra. Firstly, the

widths of the four individual hyperfine peaks are unequal because of incomplete averaging of the spectral anisotropy through molecular motion, and in addition the anisotropic data from the Cisplatin datasheet frozen solution spectra show that most samples contain more than one type of complex. Furthermore, the peaks from the individual 63,65Cu isotopes are not resolved from one another. Thus there are considerable Cell Penetrating Peptide uncertainties in deriving isotropic parameters from the X-band fluid solution spectra, and these spectra were only able to be analysed by using the parameters obtained from the frozen solution spectra (Table 1) with partial motional averaging. Since the frozen solution spectra provide no information on the relative signs of A// and A⊥, simulations were performed with the A// and A⊥ values having the same and opposite signs. However, only the use of the same signs reproduced the experimental spectra. The copper hyperfine peaks are much better resolved in the fluid solution spectra recorded at S-band frequencies (Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). The magnitudes of the Aiso values derived from these spectra (Table 1) show clearly that A// and A⊥ must have the same signs in Complexes II and III with both the Cu/GA and Cu/EGCG systems, thus providing support for the X-band analyses. Simulated parameters for the spectra of all Cu complexes detected in fluid and frozen solutions are reported in Table 1, the values of Aiso being assumed to be equal to (A// + 2A⊥)/3 for the X-band spectra.

Georectification was performed in ArcGIS “Adjust” transformation,

Georectification was performed in ArcGIS “Adjust” transformation, which utilizes a combination polynomial least fitting square transformation with a triangular irregular network interpolation. Given the georeferencing algorithms and the fact that the photos were taken in an overlapping series, delineation was limited on each frame to areas internal to the distribution of control points. Common control points were building corners, road intersections, bridges, uniquely identifiable trees, and distinct morphologic features such as bedrock outcrops. Interacting dam effects were analyzed using distance criteria related to sediment loads and geomorphic adjustment determined from previous research.

RGFP966 mouse Williams and Wolman (1984) indicate bed degradation can persist up to 50 km, Hupp et al. (2009) and Schmidt and Wilcock (2008) indicate that geomorphic effects can persist for more than 100 km and sediment loads can require more than 1000 km to recover (Williams and Wolman, 1984 and Jacobson et al., 2009). Results from previous work on individual dams incorporate a temporal component cannot

be adequately applied in this study due to the number of dams in place, the temporal difference in dam completion along the river, and unknown downstream dam impacts. Additionally dam impact distances are highly dependent on physiography, river hydrology, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Library molecular weight and dam type. Therefore, a conservative estimate of impact distances are used: significant geomorphic effects are predicted up to 25 km from the dam,

discernible impacts are predicted up to 100 km from the dam, and minor impacts are Carbohydrate predicted up to 1000 km from the dam. This distance range is used to estimate the prevalence and impact type of interacting dams in the United States. A GIS analysis of 66 major rivers within the contiguous United States was conducted. Rivers were chosen based upon Benke and Cushing (2005) regional watershed lists. Dams were identified using USACE National Inventory. For each river, only the main river stem was considered and river distanced delineated in ArcGIS to the nearest km. We used grain size data previously published by others for the Upper Missouri River (Berkas, 1995) combined with bed sediment data collected in 2012 to generate a hypothetical stratigraphic section for an Inter-Dam Sequence. 2012 sediment data was collected along the thalweg using a grab sampler (USGS BM60) and samples were dry sieved using a Ro-tap shaker and separated into bins. An inverse Phi-scale (Krumbein, 1938) was used to illustrate grain size. Longitudinal trends were identified using a standard regression analysis. The Garrison Dam exerts considerable morphological control on the channel until the backwater effects of the Oahe Dam and reservoir begin to influence the channel. Analysis of historic cross-sections (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, Appendix A) and channel planform (Fig.

The methods archeologists typically use to search for such eviden

The methods archeologists typically use to search for such evidence are increasingly sophisticated. Archeologists have long been practiced at analyzing a variety of artifacts and cultural features (burials, houses, temples, etc.) to describe broad variation in human technologies and societies through space and time (e.g., Clark, 1936, Morgan, 1877 and Osborn, 1916). Since the 1950s, however, with the development and continuous improvement of radiocarbon (14C), potassium/argon (K/A), optimal stimulated luminescence (OSL), and other

chronometric dating techniques, archeological chronologies have learn more become increasingly accurate and refined. Since the 1960s, archeologists analyzing faunal remains systematically collected from archeological sites have accumulated impressive data bases that allow broad comparisons at increasingly higher resolution for many parts of the world. Pollen data from paleontological and archeological sequences have accumulated during the past 50 years, and data on phytoliths and macrobotanical remains are increasingly common and sophisticated. Isotope and trace Stem Cell Compound Library element studies for both artifacts and biological remains have provided

a wealth of data on past human diets, the structure of ancient faunal populations, and the nature of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems these organisms inhabited. More recently, the analysis of modern and ancient DNA has contributed to our understanding of the spread of humans around the globe (see Oppenheimer, 2004 and Wells, 2002), animal and plant dispersals, and changes in ancient ecosystems. Finally, the rapid development of historical almost ecology, ecosystem management practices, and the growing recognition that humans have played active and significant roles in shaping past ecosystems for millennia has encouraged interdisciplinary and collaborative research among archeologists, biologists, ecologists, geographers, historians, paleontologists, and other scholars. Today, the accumulation of such data from sites around the

world and at increasingly higher resolution allows archeologists to address questions, hypotheses, and theories that would have been unthinkable to earlier generations of scholars. Such archeological data can also be compared with long and detailed paleoecological records of past climate and other environmental changes retrieved from glacial ice cores, marine or lacustrine sediments, tree-rings, and other sources, so that human evolution can now be correlated over the longue durée with unprecedented records of local, regional, and global ecological changes. As a result, we are now better prepared to understand human-environmental interactions around the world than at any time in history. One of the issues that archeological data are ideally suited to address is the question of when humans dominated the earth and how that process of domination unfolded. Roughly 2.