Revisiting Panda 100, the first archaeological chimpanzee nut-cracking site.

Archaeological recovery of chimpanzee Panda oleosa nut cracking tools at the Panda 100 (P100) and Noulo sites in the Taï Forest, Côte d'Ivoire, showed that this behavior is over 4000 years old, making it the oldest known evidence of non-human tool use. In 2002, the first report on the lithic material from P100 was directly compared to early hominin stone tools, highlighting their similarities and proposing the name 'Pandan' for the chimpanzee material. Here we present an expanded and comprehensive technological, microscopic, and refit analysis of the late twentieth century lithic assemblage from P100. Our re-analysis provides new data and perspectives on the applicability of chimpanzee nut cracking tools to our understanding of the percussive behaviors of early hominins. We identify several new refit sets, including the longest (>17 m) hammerstone transport seen in the chimpanzee archaeological record. We provide detailed evidence of the fragmentation sequences of Panda nut hammerstones, and characterize the percussive damage on fragmented material from P100. Finally, we emphasize that the chimpanzee lithic archaeological record is dynamic, with the preservation of actual hammerstones being rare, and the preservation of small broken pieces more common. P100 - the first archaeological chimpanzee nut cracking lithic assemblage - provides a valuable comparative sample by which to identify past chimpanzee behavior elsewhere, as well as similar hominin percussive behavior in the Early Stone Age.

Analysis of wild macaque stone tools used to crack oil palm nuts.

The discovery of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) nut-cracking by wild long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) is significant for the study of non-human primate and hominin percussive behaviour. Up until now, only West African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and modern human populations were known to use stone hammers to crack open this particular hard-shelled palm nut. The addition of non-habituated, wild macaques increases our comparative dataset of primate lithic percussive behaviour focused on this one plant species. Here, we present an initial description of hammerstones used by macaques to crack oil palm nuts, recovered from active nut-cracking locations on Yao Noi Island, Ao Phang Nga National Park, Thailand. We combine a techno-typological approach with microscopic and macroscopic use-wear analysis of percussive damage to characterize the percussive signature of macaque palm oil nut-cracking tools. These artefacts are characterized by a high degree of battering and crushing on most surfaces, which is visible at both macro and microscopic levels. The degree and extent of this damage is a consequence of a dynamic interplay between a number of factors, including anvil morphology and macaque percussive techniques. Beyond the behavioural importance of these artefacts, macaque nut-cracking represents a new target for primate archaeological investigations, and opens new opportunities for comparisons between tool using primate species and with early hominin percussive behaviour, for which nut-cracking has been frequently inferred.

Pulsatile flow in tubes of elliptic cross sections.

The compression of blood vessels by surrounding tissue is an important problem in hemodynamics, most prominently in studies relating to the heart. In this study we consider a long tube of elliptic cross section as an idealization of the geometry of a compressed blood vessel. An exact solution of the governing equations for pulsatile flow in a tube of elliptic cross section involves Mathieu functions which are considerably more difficult to evaluate than the Bessel functions in the case of a circular cross section. Results for the velocity field, flow rate and wall shear stress are obtained for different values of the pulsation frequency and ellipticity, with emphasis on how the effects of frequency and ellipticity combine to determine the flow characteristics. It is found that in general the effects of ellipticity are minor when frequency is low but become highly significant as the frequency increases. More specifically, the velocity profile along the major axis of the elliptic cross section develops sharp double peaks; the flow rate is reduced in approximately the same proportion as in the case of circular cross section; and the point of maximum shear on the tube wall migrates away from the minor axis where it is located in steady flow.

Suspension pending inquiries: an English medical phenomenon?

The suspension of doctors in the National Health Service by health authorities, often for long periods for what appear to be trivial reasons, while inquiries into allegations are pending seems to have become an increasing problem in the United Kingdom. In some cases the hearing has been conducted years after the suspension. This situation caused the Society of Clinical Psychiatrists to establish a study group with the aim of producing a fact-finding report into what appeared to be a growing abuse of procedures. This article presents a summary of the study group's findings and the lessons to be learned from this disturbing bureaucratic phenomenon.

Human rights: the right to receive treatment and care.

In the debates leading to the redesigning of the Mental Health Act in 1983 in the United Kingdom much pressure was exerted by human rights activists and other parliamentary pressure groups to ensure that patients could not be detained or treated 'against their will' without considerable--and at times undesirable--safeguards. This has led to difficulties over 'informed consent' and the setting up of the Mental Health Act Commission. The following examples are given: (a) A case dealing with injuries sustained by a patient while absent from the hospital while under a detention order. (b) The inability for psychotics to receive delayed release injections whilst in community care. (c) The loss of facilities for admission, and the resulting problems of homelessness arising from the hospital closure policy.

Physical training effects on the fitness and habitual activity patterns of elderly women.

This study investigated the effect of a twice-weekly, six-month progressive walking program on 80 healthy women aged 60 to 70 years. Aerobic fitness, blood pressure, skinfold thickness, spirometric variables, and activity profile were studied. No significant differences existed between the training group (TG) and the control group (CG) at the commencement of the study. However, after 26 weeks of training, the TG registered significantly lower heart rates than the CG, both at rest (p = .019) and during the five to six minutes of an ergometer work test (p = .003). A Mann-Whitney U test on the difference scores (26 weeks-0 week) indicated higher scores for the TG compared with the CG for Maximum Current Activity (p = .001) and Normative Impairment Index (p = .002), which are both components of the Human Activity Profile. These data suggest that adherence to a low-frequency training program can elicit positive physiologic changes in elderly women. Furthermore, increased habitual activity patterns are likely to be indicative of improvements in functional ability, lifestyle, and independence.

Child sexual abuse--the Cleveland experience.

This article discusses the notorious Cleveland child sexual abuse programme. The inherent defects in and adverse consequences of the programme are highlighted, and the lessons to be learned from it spelled out.

Study of psychiatric illness in adolescence, psychiatric breakdown in adolescence: diagnosis and prognosis.

A discussion on the pitfalls of studying adolescent psychiatric breakdown emphasises two difficulties, firstly that of delineating the age of adolescence, and secondly the difficulty in applying adult diagnostic criteria. A study of 52 adolescents has been made to establish an initial, and a two year follow-up diagnostic formulation, and to attempt through a detailed survey of the adolescent's early history to identify prognostic indices. The difficulty of formal diagnoses is shown, but prognostic factors of relevance can be identified in the group which have helpful predictive value. Outcome in a group of 50 treated adolescents showed a satisfactory conclusion at two year follow-up, in 70% of cases.

Separation experiences and other emotional traumata in childhood, and their relationship to subsequent adolescent breakdown.

This paper forms part of an M.D. Thesis presented at the University of Cambridge. One hundred adolescents and their parents were interviewed to ascertain details of their early history. Fifty were obtained from adolescent patients in psychiatric units in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and were compared with fifty matched individuals who had no psychiatric history, obtained from other departments in the hospital. A comparison of these two groups showed a significantly higher incidence of separation experiences in the childhood of the patient group than in the control group. This was also true of other traumatic events occurring in childhood. These factors also related adversely to prognosis in a two year follow-up of the patient group.

Empathetic relationships in adolescents and their relevance to prognosis in psychiatric breakdown.

Many authors have shown that adolescent breakdown is often associated with emotional deprivation in childhood. Psychotherapeutic intervention before the personality becomes too fixed and rigid should offer a means of improvement through the creation of substitute empathetic relationships, and prognosis should be improved to the extent to which this is successful. This hypothesis is tested through a follow-up study involving 100 adolescents, and the hypothesis is found proved in the diagnostic category of adolescent personality disorder, but of no apparent relevance in other groups.

A comparative trail of fluphenazine decanoate and flupenthixol decanoate.

A double-blind cross-over study is reported which compares the antipsychotic properties and the side effects of depot flupenthixol with fluphenazine decanoate in chronic schizophrenic inpatients. Special emphasis was laid on examining changes in the target symptoms of apathy/anergia and depression in which flupenthixol has been claimed to be particulary effective. No significant differences were found between treatments on schizophrenic symptoms, or as regards the extrapyramidal side effects produced by equipotent doses of the two drugs. Reasons for the essentially negative results are discussed against a background review of earlier optimistic studies of flupenthixol.

Psycho-sexual disorders and their treatment: Part II.

In a previously published part of this review the historical and aetiological aspects of sexual inadequacy were considered and an account given of vaginismus. The main problems found in patients with erective and orgasmic dysfunction were also discussed. In this second part, the author considers the conditions of premature ejaculation and ejaculatory incompentance as well as discussing erective and orgasmic incompetence in more detail. Behavioural and other psychotherapeutic measures are considered and a brief review is made of the use and value of drug therapy in patients with sexual dysfunction.