The Chronology of Corded Ware Culture in Finland - Reviewing New Data

This paper reviews radiocarbon dates from the Late Neolithic Corded Ware Culture (CWC) contexts in Finland. The authors have recently published new CWC radiocarbon dates as a part of their multi-site geochemical provenance investigation of CWC pottery recovered from archaeological contexts in Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. In this paper, the new and old radiocarbon dates are modelled using a Bayesian phase model to identify outliers in the data set and elaborate the new dates within the wider picture of the CWC absolute chronology of the study area. Timeframe 2900–2200 calBC is suggested for the CWC in Finland.Peer reviewe

Tracing Grog and Pots to Reveal Neolithic Corded Ware Culture Contacts in the Baltic Sea Region (SEM-EDS, PIXE)

The Neolithic Corded Ware Culture (CWC) complex spread across the Baltic Sea region ca. 2900/2800-2300/2000 BCE. Whether this cultural adaptation was driven by migration or diffusion remains widely debated. To gather evidence for contact and movement in the CWC material culture, grog-tempered CWC pots from 24 archaeological sites in southern Baltoscandia (Estonia and the southern regions of Finland and Sweden) were sampled for geochemical and micro-structural analyses. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) were used for geochemical discrimination of the ceramic fabrics to identify regional CWC pottery manufacturing traditions and ceramic exchange. Major and minor element concentrations in the ceramic body matrices of 163 individual vessels and grog temper (crushed pottery) present in the ceramic fabrics were measured by SEM-EDS. Furthermore, the high-sensitivity PIXE technique was applied for group confirmation. The combined pot and grog matrix data reveal eight geochemical clusters. At least five geochemical groups appeared to be associated with specific find locations and regional manufacturing traditions. The results indicated complex inter-site and cross-Baltic Sea pottery exchange patterns, which became more defined through the grog data, i.e., the previous generations of pots. The CWC pottery exhibited high technological standards at these latitudes, which, together with the identified exchange patterns and the existing evidence of mobility based on human remains elsewhere in the CWC complex, is indicative of the relocation of skilled potters, possibly through exogamy. An analytical protocol for the geochemical discrimination of grog-tempered pottery, and its challenges and possibilities, is presented. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Tuneable VCSEL aiming for the application in interconnects and short haul systems

Widely tunable vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) are of high interest for optical communications, gas spectroscopy and fiber-Bragg-grating measurements. In this paper we present tunable VCSEL operating at wavelength around 850 nm and 1550 nm with tuning ranges up to 20 nm and 76 nm respectively. The first versions of VCSEL operating at 1550 nm with 76 nm tuning range and an output power of 1.3mW were not designed for high speed modulation, but for applications where only stable continious tuning is essential (e.g. gas sensing). The next step was the design of non tunable VCSEL showing high speed modulation frequencies of 10 GHz with side mode supression ratios beyond 50 dB. The latest version of these devices show record output powers of 6.7mW at 20 °C and 3mW at 80 °C. The emphasis of our present and future work lies on the combination of both technologies. The tunable VCSEL operating in the 850 nm-region reaches a modulation bandwidth of 5.5GHz with an output power of 0.8mW

Asthmatics Exhibit Altered Oxylipin Profiles Compared to Healthy Individuals after Subway Air Exposure

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) and oxidants are important factors in causing exacerbations in asthmatics, and the source and composition of pollutants greatly affects pathological implications.This randomized crossover study investigated responses of the respiratory system to Stockholm subway air in asthmatics and healthy individuals. Eicosanoids and other oxylipins were quantified in the distal lung to provide a measure of shifts in lipid mediators in association with exposure to subway air relative to ambient air.Sixty-four oxylipins representing the cyclooxygenase (COX), lipoxygenase (LOX) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) metabolic pathways were screened using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)-fluid. Validations through immunocytochemistry staining of BAL-cells were performed for 15-LOX-1, COX-1, COX-2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Multivariate statistics were employed to interrogate acquired oxylipin and immunocytochemistry data in combination with patient clinical information.Asthmatics and healthy individuals exhibited divergent oxylipin profiles following exposure to ambient and subway air. Significant changes were observed in 8 metabolites of linoleic- and α-linolenic acid synthesized via the 15-LOX pathway, and of the COX product prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)). Oxylipin levels were increased in healthy individuals following exposure to subway air, whereas asthmatics evidenced decreases or no change.Several of the altered oxylipins have known or suspected bronchoprotective or anti-inflammatory effects, suggesting a possible reduced anti-inflammatory response in asthmatics following exposure to subway air. These observations may have ramifications for sensitive subpopulations in urban areas

A healthy school start - Parental support to promote healthy dietary habits and physical activity in children: Design and evaluation of a cluster-randomised intervention

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Childhood obesity is multi-factorial and determined to a large extent by dietary habits, physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Previous research has shown that school-based programmes are effective but that their effectiveness can be improved by including a parental component. At present, there is a lack of effective parental support programmes for improvement of diet and physical activity and prevention of obesity in children.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This paper describes the rationale and design of a parental support programme to promote healthy dietary habits and physical activity in six-year-old children starting school. The study is performed in close collaboration with the school health care and is designed as a cluster-randomised controlled trial with a mixed methods approach. In total, 14 pre-school classes are included from a municipality in Stockholm county where there is large variation in socio-economic status between the families. The school classes are randomised to intervention (n = 7) and control (n = 7) groups including a total of 242 children. The intervention is based on social cognitive theory and consists of three main components: 1) a health information brochure; 2) two motivational interviewing sessions with the parents; and 3) teacher-led classroom activities with the children. The primary outcomes are physical activity in the children measured objectively by accelerometry, children's dietary and physical activity habits measured with a parent-proxy questionnaire and parents' self-efficacy measured by a questionnaire. Secondary outcomes are height, weight and waist circumference in the children. The duration of the intervention is six months and includes baseline, post intervention and six months follow-up measurements. Linear and logistic regression models will be used to analyse differences between intervention and control groups in the outcome variables. Mediator and moderator analysis will be performed. Participants will be interviewed.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The results from this study will show if it is possible to promote a healthy lifestyle and a normal weight development among children from low-income districts with relatively limited efforts involving parents. Hopefully the study will provide new insights to the further development of effective programmes to prevent overweight and obesity in children.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN32750699">ISRCTN32750699</a></p

The hand that makes the pot... : craft traditions in South Sweden in the third millennium BC

The archaeological evidence of the Middle Neolithic (3rd mill. BC) in South Sweden presents an interesting dichotomy between coastal and inland material culture. The coastal Pitted Ware hunting-gathering sites with large quantities of pottery can be contrasted with the inland long-houses of the Battle Axe culture, with small-scale farming and animal husbandry. The potential ethnic meaning of this patterning has been intensely debated in Scandinavian archaeology: are the differences due to ritual and social stratification within one society, or were there two distinct societies co-existing for centuries? By studying pottery in relation to style, function, and context, but most especially craft traditions and technology, I suggest there was a profound difference between the two groups that can only be understood in the context of separate cultural identities. The appearance of hybrid forms only towards the very end of the period highlights that choices in technology and decoration were highly conscious.

The hand that makes the pot... : craft traditions in South Sweden in the third millennium BC

The archaeological evidence of the Middle Neolithic (3rd mill. BC) in South Sweden presents an interesting dichotomy between coastal and inland material culture. The coastal Pitted Ware hunting-gathering sites with large quantities of pottery can be contrasted with the inland long-houses of the Battle Axe culture, with small-scale farming and animal husbandry. The potential ethnic meaning of this patterning has been intensely debated in Scandinavian archaeology: are the differences due to ritual and social stratification within one society, or were there two distinct societies co-existing for centuries? By studying pottery in relation to style, function, and context, but most especially craft traditions and technology, I suggest there was a profound difference between the two groups that can only be understood in the context of separate cultural identities. The appearance of hybrid forms only towards the very end of the period highlights that choices in technology and decoration were highly conscious.