Life Sciences Commons^™

Iron Age Iia Remains From A Salvage Excavation At Sulam (Pp. 23*–32*), Yardenna Alexandre

'Atiqot

The site is located in the Jezreel Valley, near the slopes of Giv‘at Ha-More. Four building phases were observed: the latest phase (Stratum I) was attributed to the late Byzantine–Early Islamic periods, while three earlier phases (Strata IIa–c) date to Iron Age II; meager Hellenistic and Iron I sherds were found as well. Strata IIc and IIa were exploited as cooking areas, and Stratum IIb may have been an industrial installation connected with fire (kiln? furnace?). The charcoal samples from Stratum IIb that were analyzed support the conventional Iron IIA chronology.

Caves From The Iron Age And The Early Roman Period At ‘Ein El-Luza, Jerusalem (Hebrew, Pp. 21*–35*; English Summary, P. 197), Zvi Greenhut, Zubair ‘Adawi

'Atiqot

Three caves were discovered south of the confluence of the Hinom and Kidron Valleys in Jerusalem. Two natural caves (Caves 1, 3) contained Iron Age II pottery and human bones and the third (Cave 2), a hewn burial cave, was dated to the Early Roman period. Cave 1 yielded an Iron Age pottery assemblage dating between the eighth and the beginning of the sixth centuries BCE that included tableware (bowls, jars and juglets) and cooking pots typically found in burial caves. As the cave is natural, it is possible that its contents were dumped there following the evacuation of a …

A Farmstead From The End Of The Iron Age And Installations At The Foot Of Khirbat Abu Shawan (Hebrew, Pp. 25–44; English Summary, Pp. 71*–74*), Yuval Baruch

'Atiqot

The site is located on a slope c. 100 m southwest of Khirbat Abu Shawan, near the village of El-Wallaja. The excavation exposed the remains of a farmstead, extending across an area of two to three dunams. Two buildings were unearthed, delimited by an enclosure wall. An installation and a partially-hewn cave were discovered as well. The site was dated to the end of the Iron Age based on the pottery found within the buildings and the installations. One building (200) comprised a large percentage of holemouth jars, and it probably served as a workshop and storeroom for agricultural produce. …

The Glass Vessels From Khirbat Ka‘Kul (Pp. 107–112), Yael Gorin-Rosen

'Atiqot

The excavation yielded a small number of glass fragments, all of which were free blown. Several vessels are decorated in various techniques, such as applied trails and pinching. The earliest glass vessels date to the Late Roman and early Byzantine periods. The major group of vessels dates to the Mamluk period. This infrequent medieval group consists of vessels that could be dated by comparison, as well as newly discovered types. The importance of this group lies in its archaeological context within a stratified Mamluk site in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

A Tomb From The Second Temple Period At Shoham (Pp. 43*–49*), Alla Nagorsky

'Atiqot

The tomb, hewn in soft limestone bedrock, comprises an entrance chamber and a burial chamber, in whose walls are four kokhs (loculi). The tomb contained fragments of at least five limestone ossuaries, some bearing incised decoration, and lids of two common types: flat and vaulted. Numerous human skeletal remains were scattered in the tomb, representing a minimum number of 13 individuals. A few fragments of pottery and glass vessels were found, as well as a bronze bell, beads and a glass bracelet, dating to the Roman period. The general plan of the tomb and its architecture conform to the accepted …

Survey And Excavations At Ḥorbat Burgin In The Judean Shephelah: Burial Caves, Hiding Complexes And Installations Of The Second Temple And Byzantine Periods (Hebrew, Pp. 15–48; English Summary, Pp. 60*–64*), Boaz Zissu, Amir Ganor

'Atiqot

This article summarizes the results of several surveys and excavations conducted between 1995 and 1996 at Ḥorbat Burgin, northeast of Bet Govrin. Within the boundaries of the necropolis that surrounded the settlement on three sides were three types of tombs, dating to the later part of the Second Temple period; a Christian burial cave was documented as well, belonging to the Byzantine-period settlement at the site. A bell-shaped cistern was found to contain the engravings of crosses and two illegible inscriptions in Paleo-Hebrew script. Three hiding complexes were observed in the survey; all had been breached and plundered in the …

A Hebrew Seal From Bet Shemesh And Another Of Unknown Provenance In The Israel Antiquities Authority Collection (Pp. 1–4), Benjamin Sass

'Atiqot

Two seals in the Israel Antiquities Authority collections, which were considered unreadable, were found to be inscribed in ancient Hebrew script. One was discovered in the excavations directed by Mackenzie at Bet Shemesh, the other is of unknown provenance. Both seals are of a popular design, bearing the names of their owner and his father, probably dating to the eighth century BCE.

Salvage Excavations At Ḥorbat Ma‘Raba (Pp. 13*–21*), Lilly Gershuny

'Atiqot

Excavations at the site, located in the southern coastal plain, were initiated after the exposure of ancient pottery vessels. During excavations, a homogeneous pottery assemblage, including store jars, open and carinated bowls and dipper juglets, was recovered from five areas. It seems that the finds originated in pit graves, which were dug into the kurkar sandstone during Middle Bronze Age II. Similar graves, dating to the same period, are dispersed along the southern coastal ridges.

An Inscribed Jar Handle From Khirbat Ka‘Kul (P. 105), Nitzan Amitai-Preiss

'Atiqot

A large jar handle was found, impressed with an Arabic inscription, dating, at the latest, to the early ninth century CE. Similar stamped jar handles were recorded from Jerusalem and its vicinity.

An Intermediate Bronze Age Cemetery At Azor (Hebrew, Pp. 1–28; English Summary, Pp. 53–54), Eli Yannai

'Atiqot

A total of 39 single-chambered shaft tombs were excavated on a flat kurkar hill south of Tel Azor. The pottery finds from the tombs are locally produced, forming part of a unique regional group, typical of the central coastal plain during the Intermediate Bronze Age. The wide distribution of the tombs over the entire area of the Azor cemetery, and the lack of evidence of a settlement there, suggest that the hill was only used for burial. This distinction between the burial ground and the settlement is known from elsewhere in the country during this period, and therefore, must have …

The Greek Inscription From Tel Ashdod: A Revised Reading (Pp. 31*–36*), Leah Di Segni

'Atiqot

Following a reexamination of the Greek inscription on a mosaic pavement uncovered at Kibbutz Hazor, near Ashdod (see ‘Atiqot 51), a new reading is offered. The inscription, which must have adorned the entrance of a winepress attached to a monastery, states the date the winepress was commemorated. The date points to the use of a non-local era; this use might hint at the abbot’s wish to symbolically mark the border between himself and his foundation, and the catholic bishop of Ascalon.

The Medieval Ceramics From Khirbat Ka‘Kul (Pp. 75–104), Adrian J. Boas

'Atiqot

The ceramic assemblage from Khirbat Ka‘kul is typical of village sites from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries CE, reflecting on the regionalism of certain wares and the broad distribution of others. Some imported wares from Cyprus were found as well, probably indicating trade in imports. Handmade painted wares are numerous amongst the finds, as are coarse handmade cooking pots. A small quantity of metal, bone and stone finds was recovered, the most exceptional being a small bronze cross.

A Jewish Mausoleum Of The Roman Period At Qiryat Shemu’El, Tiberias (Pp. 7*–29*), Fanny Vitto

'Atiqot

The tomb, constructed from large, roughly dressed basalt stones, consisted of a courtyard, a burial chamber surrounded by two stories of loculi (kokhim) and a large subterranean chamber. Part of a basalt-stone door, which originally sealed the tomb opening, was found; it was carved in imitation of a paneled wooden door, and originally swung on hinges, one of which survived in situ. The finds within the tomb included pottery and glass vessels, an iron nail and a limestone ossuary, mostly dating to the end of the first–early second centuries CE; a magical amulet, representing a reaper and incised with a …

A Middle Bronze Age Iia–B Tomb At Bet She’An (Hebrew, Pp. 11*–20*; English Summary, Pp. 195–196), Michael Cohen

'Atiqot

The tomb, uncovered beneath the Bet She’an Youth Hostel, was hewn from the local travertine. At least four individuals were interred in the cave, each with their associated burial goods—pottery vessels and metal artifacts. The finds date from the end of Middle Bronze Age IIA to the transition to Middle Bronze Age IIB. It seems that the tomb served the population of a nearby settlement located about 800 m from Tel Bet She’an.

A Farmhouse From The Late Iron Age And Second Temple Period In ‘French Hill’, North Jerusalem (Hebrew, Pp. 1*–14*; English Summary, Pp. 153–154), Gaby Mazor

'Atiqot

A farmhouse, equipped with agricultural installations, was uncovered; it was surrounded by an ancient road and agricultural terraces. Two main occupation periods were observed within the farmhouse: the Late Iron Age (Stratum 2) and the Second Temple period (Stratum 1). The Late Iron Age building was built in accordance with the four-room house plan. It was part of an agricultural/industrial complex comprising a vineyard, a winery and a cellar. The pottery indicated that it was built during the eighth century BCE and was used until the end of the Iron Age. The Second Temple-period building reused the earlier one, with …

Jerusalem, Khirbat Ka‘Kul (Pisgat Ze’Ev H): Early Roman Farmsteads And A Medieval Village (Pp. 1–73), Jon Seligman

'Atiqot

The extensive survey and excavations at the site revealed remains from the late Hellenistic and Early Roman periods, including structures and installations—two ritual baths (miqva’ot), winepresses(?), cisterns, tombs and a columbarium—representing various aspects of rural life. These were probably part of a Jewish village set within the agricultural hinterland of Hasmonean and Herodian Jerusalem. The remains of the medieval village covered a small area on the summit. The economy of this village was based on oil production, as attested by the large oil press that was uncovered. Stone quarrying and the production of lime were also practiced at this site. …

The Archaeozoological Finds From The Shoham (North) Caves (Hebrew, Pp. 161–168; English Summary, Pp. 64–65), Moshe Sade

'Atiqot

The archaeozoological findings from Shoham (North) originated in three caves and are associated with the Chalcolithic period, Early Bronze Age IB and the Intermediate Bronze Age. The main domestic mammal in the Chalcolithic period was the donkey, representing an outstanding percentage, probably reflecting its importance during this period.

Subterranean Storage Chambers From The Early Bronze Age Ib At Giv‘At Qesem (Pp. 1*–12*), Deborah A. Sklar-Parnes, Emanuel Eisenberg

'Atiqot

Some 2 km east of Tel Afeq, an excavation was conducted in three subterranean chambers exposed during construction works. The chambers, which were accessed by vertical shafts, probably served as storerooms for a nearby settlement. The pottery and flint objects, found in fills within the caves, date to Early Bronze Age IB. The surface treatment of the pottery reflects aspects of the northern EB IB culture, while the shapes of the vessels reveal a southern influence. These finds shed light on domestic and storage activities in the fourth millennium BCE.

Burial Caves Of The Intermediate Bronze Age (Early Bronze Age Iv) At Ḥanita (Hebrew, Pp. 1*–10*; English Summary, Pp. 193–194), Eli Yannai, Arieh Rochman-Halperin

'Atiqot

In 1969, several burial caves from the Intermediate Bronze Age were exposed at Kibbutz Hanita. The description of the caves was lost; however, their content, including thirteen complete pottery vessels, metal objects and jewelry, was recovered. These finds resemble other assemblages from burial caves in the western Galilee, such as those from Hanita, Nahf and Kabri.

Protohistoric Settlement Remains At Hittin, On The Fringes Of The Arbel Valley (Hebrew, Pp. 13–24; English Summary, Pp. 70*–71*), Nimrod Getzov

'Atiqot

A survey and a salvage excavation conducted on the western slope of the village of Peqi‘in exposed three strata of a large settlement (c. 100 dunams): the lower two strata (III–II) dated from the Late Chalcolithic period, and the upper stratum (I), from Early Bronze Age IA. The discovery of a large proto-historic settlement is of considerable importance, as until now, only small settlements from this period were known in Upper Galilee. The discovery of this settlement also contributes to our understanding of the finds at the nearby Chalcolithic burial cave excavated in 1995. The settlement’s large size might explain …

The Flint Assemblage Of Karmeliya, Haifa (Pp. 1*–5*), Hamoudi Khalaily, Flavia Sonntag

'Atiqot

The site is located on a steep slope, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The finds were retrieved from surface collection and from the excavation of a thick, dark sediment layer covering bedrock. A total of 4028 artifacts were found, most of which was waste material. The artifacts belong to two occupation phases: the surface finds point to a Mousterian knapping tradition; the finds from the excavated layer are of an industrial nature and the tool types are frequent in assemblages of the later stages of the Pottery Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.

Be’Er Sheva‘, Ramot Neighborhood, Site 49 (Hebrew, Pp. 1–14; English Summary, Pp. 59*–60*), Oded Feder, Nimrod Negev

'Atiqot

The site, located on the southern spur of the Goral Hills, overlooks the Be’er Sheva‘ Valley. Two structures were discovered dating to Iron Age IIB–C: a dwelling and an adjacent storage building. The dwelling is of the four-room house type, fronted by a courtyard. A staircase south of its opening led to a second story. The pottery finds included mainly tableware, as well as storage vessels. The adjacent storage building is elongated and oriented east–west. It was filled with a layer of collapse overlying an ash layer that contained production waste. The debris probably originated in a pottery workshop or …

A Late Chalcolithic And Early Bronze Age Settlement At Peqi‘In, In Upper Galilee (Hebrew, Pp. 1–12; English Summary, Pp. 69*–70*), Nimrod Getzov

'Atiqot

Along the western fringes of the remains of Hittin, two settlement layers were revealed: Stratum II, from the Early Chalcolithic period, and Stratum I, from the beginning of Early Bronze Age IA. Potsherds from the Pottery Neolithic period, EB IB and the Intermediate Bronze Age were found as well. The remains from Stratum II consisted of meager construction; the finds included bowls and holemouth jars with rope decoration, churns, bow-rim jars and flint implements. Stratum I comprised the remains of a wall and an adjacent pavement, accompanied by characteristic Gray Burnished Ware.

Faunal Remains From A Late Chalcolithic–Bronze Age Dwelling And Burial Caves At Shoham (North), Lod Valley (Pp. 1*–15*), Liora Kolska Horwitz

'Atiqot

Four Late Chalcolithic burial caves were excavated at Shoham (North). Within these caves, 1052 identifiable animal bones were recovered: 712 bones originated from Chalcolithic deposits; 179, from Early Bronze Age I deposits; 9, from Intermediate Bronze Age deposits; and 152, from mixed Chalcolithic/EB I sediments. The identified species were similar in both Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age samples, representing mainly domestic animals, e.g., sheep, goats, pigs and dogs, as well as large-sized equids (wild ass?). The samples differ, however, in their relative frequencies, which might represent different activities in the cave. The data presented in this article suggest that both …

Diversity And Distribution Of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Genes In The Cold Seeps From The Mediterranean And Caspian Seas, Yogita Warkhade, Laura G. Schaerer, Isaac Bigcraft, Terry C. Hazen, Stephen M. Techtmann

Michigan Tech Publications

Marine cold seeps are unique ecological niches characterized by the emergence of hydrocarbons, including methane, which fosters diverse microbial communities. This study investigates the diversity and distribution of hydrocarbon-degrading genes and organisms in sediments from the Caspian and Mediterranean Seas, utilizing 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing to elucidate microbial community structure and functional potential. Our findings reveal distinct differences in hydrocarbon degrading gene profiles between the two seas, with pathways for aerobic and anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation co-existing in sediments from both basins. Aerobic pathways predominate in the surface sediments of the Mediterranean Sea, while anaerobic pathways are favored in the …

01.21.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

SmartTech MS Advanced Manufacturing Prize

Mileage Rate Increases

Meth Mortality Rate Increases

Failure Of The Farm Bill Process In 2023—A Perspective From Social Media Activity, Roman Keeney, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Austin Berenda

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

In September 2023, the current farm bill was allowed to expire. This marked the fourth consecutive farm bill to see its authorization lapse before replacement legislation was signed into law. The failure in 2023 is notable as significant trade and covid shocks revealed needed reforms in farm and food safety nets. We develop a unique online and social media dataset and metrics to examine 2023 online activity to understand drivers of online farm bill discussion and implications for the future of the traditional farm bill political coalition. These findings echo the increasing concern about future farm bills amid a broadening …

Real-Time Cbct Imaging And Motion Tracking Via A Single Arbitrarily-Angled X-Ray Projection By A Joint Dynamic Reconstruction And Motion Estimation (Dreme) Framework, Hua-Chieh Shao, Tielige Mengke, Tinsu Pan, You Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Real-time cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) provides instantaneous visualization of patient anatomy for image guidance, motion tracking, and online treatment adaptation in radiotherapy. While many real-time imaging and motion tracking methods leveraged patient-specific prior information to alleviate under-sampling challenges and meet the temporal constraint (< 500 ms), the prior information can be outdated and introduce biases, thus compromising the imaging and motion tracking accuracy. To address this challenge, we developed a framework dynamic reconstruction and motion estimation (DREME) for real-time CBCT imaging and motion estimation, without relying on patient-specific prior knowledge.

Approach: DREME incorporates a deep learning-based real-time CBCT imaging and motion estimation method into a dynamic CBCT reconstruction framework. The reconstruction framework reconstructs a dynamic sequence of CBCTs in a data-driven manner from a standard pre-treatment scan, without requiring patient-specific prior knowledge. Meanwhile, a convolutional neural network-based motion encoder is jointly trained during the reconstruction …

Mitochondrial Uncouplers Inhibit Oncogenic E2f1 Activity And Prostate Cancer Growth, Ohuod Hawsawi, Weinan Xue, Tingting Du, Mengqi Guo, Xiaolin Yu, Mingyi Zhang, Paul S Hoffman, Roni Bollag, Jun Li, Jia Zhou, Hongbo Wang, Junran Zhang, Zheng Fu, Xiaoguang Chen, Chunhong Yan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mitochondrial uncouplers dissipate proton gradients and deplete ATP production from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). While the growth of prostate cancer depends on OXPHOS-generated ATP, the oncogenic pathway mediated by the transcription factor E2F1 is crucial for the progression of this deadly disease. Here, we report that mitochondrial uncouplers, including tizoxanide (TIZ), the active metabolite of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anthelmintic nitazoxanide (NTZ), inhibit E2F1-mediated expression of genes involved in cell cycle progression, DNA synthesis, and lipid synthesis. Consequently, NTZ/TIZ induces S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2)-mediated G1 arrest while impeding DNA synthesis, lipogenesis, and the growth of prostate cancer cells. …

The Association Between Thyroid Differentiation Score And Survival Outcomes In Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma, Jennifer R Wang, Mark E Zafereo, Maria E Cabanillas, Chia Chin Wu, Li Xu, Yaoyi Dai, Wenyi Wang, Stephen Y Lai, Ying Henderson, Lauren Erasmus, Michelle D Williams, Corinne Joshu, Debashree Ray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Context: Thyroid differentiation score (TDS), calculated based on mRNA expression levels of 16 genes controlling thyroid metabolism and function, has been proposed as a measure to quantify differentiation in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine whether TDS is associated with survival outcomes across patient cohorts.

Methods: Two independent cohorts of patients with PTC were used: (1) The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) thyroid cancer study (N = 372), (2) MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) cohort (N = 111). The primary survival outcome of interest was progression-free interval (PFI). Association with overall survival (OS) was …