Beyond technology: pottery reveals translocal social relations at a Bell Beaker Monumental Site in Central Europe

The Bell Beaker site near Brodek u Prostějova (Czechia) has yielded remains of a large timber construction accompanied by four symmetrical ritual deposits with numerous artefacts, including more than fifty ceramic vessels. Their decoration consists of incised patterns, in nineteen cases with preserved white inlaid incrustations. To investigate the social relations at this extraordinary site, a multi-analytical and micro-destructive approach was employed to determine the provenance and technology of the pottery and the composition of the white incrustations. The results indicate various origins for the pottery within the region and the presence of extra-regional fabrics and graphitic temper. The main raw materials for the white inlays were calcium carbonate (calcite), hydroxyapatite (bone), and bright clay. The mixing of decorative motifs and the variation in the shape and size of the beakers suggest unique manufacturing processes. These results lend support to the monumental site of Brodek serving as a ritual place for several communities from both local and wider areas.Introduction Materials and methods Results - Ceramic petrography and chemical composition White inlay incrustations - Micro Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μFTIR) - Micro X-ray diffraction (μXRD) - Scanning electron microscopy-electron dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) Metrics abd decoration analysis Discussion - Ceramic provenance and materials of white incrustations - Depositional semantics and ceramic patterns in the ritual features - Translocal social relationships and the circulation of ceramics and other artefacts Conclusio

Analysis of Acoustic Impulse Method for Determining Firmness and other Quality Parameters of \u27Gloster\u27 Apple

A comparative study regarding standard fruit quality measurements (fruit mass, firmness, soluble solids concentration, starch conversion rate and Streif index) and acoustic properties (resonant frequency, peak width, resonant frequency/peak width ratio and stiffness) were conducted in ‘Gloster’ apples during two seasons. The findings obtained indicate no significant differences between seasons in studied quality parameters as well as in acoustic properties. The fruits were characterized with unusual high mass and high variation in resonant frequency and peak width, especially in season-I. In about 50% of examined fruit, the acoustic signal was not typical with one clearly visible peak, and appeared with two or, in few cases, even three peaks that were sometimes of similar height. The fruit mass was negatively correlated with resonant frequency, but correlation coefficient was lower in season-I and less significant than in season-II. Correlation coefficient between fruit mass and peak width was the same in both seasons. Although positive correlation existed between fruit mass and resonant frequency/peak ratio in both seasons, correlation coefficient in season-I was higher and more significant than in season-II. Correlation between fruit mass and stiff ness existed only in season-II. Resonant frequency was positively correlated with peak width only in season-I. Stiff ness was positively correlated with Streif index and peak width only in season-II. Though not significant, higher variations in acoustic properties than standard quality measurements still indicate some usefulness of acoustic impulse method for determination of fruit quality of ‘Gloster’ apple. However, further research is needed to elucidate the significance of individual acoustic parameters and their relation to fruit quality

Analysis of Acoustic Impulse Method for Determining Firmness and other Quality Parameters of \u27Gloster\u27 Apple

A comparative study regarding standard fruit quality measurements (fruit mass, firmness, soluble solids concentration, starch conversion rate and Streif index) and acoustic properties (resonant frequency, peak width, resonant frequency/peak width ratio and stiffness) were conducted in ‘Gloster’ apples during two seasons. The findings obtained indicate no significant differences between seasons in studied quality parameters as well as in acoustic properties. The fruits were characterized with unusual high mass and high variation in resonant frequency and peak width, especially in season-I. In about 50% of examined fruit, the acoustic signal was not typical with one clearly visible peak, and appeared with two or, in few cases, even three peaks that were sometimes of similar height. The fruit mass was negatively correlated with resonant frequency, but correlation coefficient was lower in season-I and less significant than in season-II. Correlation coefficient between fruit mass and peak width was the same in both seasons. Although positive correlation existed between fruit mass and resonant frequency/peak ratio in both seasons, correlation coefficient in season-I was higher and more significant than in season-II. Correlation between fruit mass and stiff ness existed only in season-II. Resonant frequency was positively correlated with peak width only in season-I. Stiff ness was positively correlated with Streif index and peak width only in season-II. Though not significant, higher variations in acoustic properties than standard quality measurements still indicate some usefulness of acoustic impulse method for determination of fruit quality of ‘Gloster’ apple. However, further research is needed to elucidate the significance of individual acoustic parameters and their relation to fruit quality

Review of the techniques used in motor‐cognitive human‐robot skill transfer

Abstract A conventional robot programming method extensively limits the reusability of skills in the developmental aspect. Engineers programme a robot in a targeted manner for the realisation of predefined skills. The low reusability of general‐purpose robot skills is mainly reflected in inability in novel and complex scenarios. Skill transfer aims to transfer human skills to general‐purpose manipulators or mobile robots to replicate human‐like behaviours. Skill transfer methods that are commonly used at present, such as learning from demonstrated (LfD) or imitation learning, endow the robot with the expert's low‐level motor and high‐level decision‐making ability, so that skills can be reproduced and generalised according to perceived context. The improvement of robot cognition usually relates to an improvement in the autonomous high‐level decision‐making ability. Based on the idea of establishing a generic or specialised robot skill library, robots are expected to autonomously reason about the needs for using skills and plan compound movements according to sensory input. In recent years, in this area, many successful studies have demonstrated their effectiveness. Herein, a detailed review is provided on the transferring techniques of skills, applications, advancements, and limitations, especially in the LfD. Future research directions are also suggested

Epidemiology of swine trichinellosis in the Republic of Croatia

In order to study the epidemiology of trichinellosis with special emphasis on swine a detailed study was performed. The goals of the study were to define the prevalence of trichinellosis in swine and rats and to determine the etiological agents of the disease with special emphasis on sylvatic species, Trichinella britovi. Considering the obtained data it can be concluded that the risk of Trichinella infection for swine in endemic areas in Croatia is rather high today. On the contrary, a sharp decline in human cases is registered what is certainly a result of obligatory trichinelloscopy even for private purposes. The parasite was found to be prevalent in rats too. Studies on genotypes suggest that Trichinella spiralis is the most prevalent etiological agent of domestic trichinellosis in Croatia, even so the sylvatic species Trichinella britovi can be also present in the domestic habitat suggesting a link between the sylvatic and domestic cycle

Epidemiology of swine trichinellosis in the Republic of Croatia

In order to study the epidemiology of trichinellosis with special emphasis on swine a detailed study was performed. The goals of the study were to define the prevalence of trichinellosis in swine and rats and to determine the etiological agents of the disease with special emphasis on sylvatic species, Trichinella britovi. Considering the obtained data it can be concluded that the risk of Trichinella infection for swine in endemic areas in Croatia is rather high today. On the contrary, a sharp decline in human cases is registered what is certainly a result of obligatory trichinelloscopy even for private purposes. The parasite was found to be prevalent in rats too. Studies on genotypes suggest that Trichinella spiralis is the most prevalent etiological agent of domestic trichinellosis in Croatia, even so the sylvatic species Trichinella britovi can be also present in the domestic habitat suggesting a link between the sylvatic and domestic cycle