Patterns of Irregular Burials in Western Europe (1st-5th Century AD)

International audienceBackground :Irregular burials (IB-burials showing features that contrast with the majority of others in their geographic and chronological context) have been the focus of archaeological study because of their relative rarity and enigmatic appearance. Interpretations of IB often refer to supposed fear of the dead or to social processes taking place in time-specific contexts. However, a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of IB for various geographical contexts is still lacking, a fact that hampers any discussion of these burials on a larger scale. Methods :Here, we collected a bibliographic dataset of 375 IB from both Britain and Continental Europe, altogether spanning a time period from the 1st to the 5th century AD. Each burial has been coded according to ten dichotomous variables, further analyzed by means of chi-squared tests on absolute frequencies, non-metric multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis. Results :Even acknowledging the limits of this study, and in particular the bias represented by the available literature, our results point to interesting patterns. Geographically, IB show a contrast between Britain and Continental Europe, possibly related to historical processes specific to these regions. Different types of IB (especially prone depositions and depositions with the cephalic extremity displaced) present a series of characteristics and associations between features that permit a more detailed conceptualization of these occurrences from a socio-cultural perspective that aids to elucidate their funerary meaning. Conclusions and Significance :Altogether, the present work stresses the variability of IB, and the need to contextualize them in a proper archaeological and historical context. It contributes to the discussion of IB by providing a specific geographic and chronological frame of reference that supports a series of hypotheses about the cultural processes possibly underlying their occurrence

Scientific and Ethical Aspects of Identified Skeletal Series: The Case of the Documented Human Osteological Collections of the University of Bologna (Northern Italy)

Osteological collections are an essential source of information on human biological and cultural variability, providing insights about developmental, evolutionary, and biocultural processes. Among osteological series, documented human osteological collections (DHOC) are especially useful due to the opportunity to control biological parameters such as age-at-death and sex, which are typically unknown in archaeological or forensic cases. Raising ethical concerns about the collection, management, and study of human remains poses anthropologists with renewed responsibilities. These issues become especially pressing when dealing with DHOC. In this contribution, we discuss the scientific value and ethical issues characterizing DHOC using as case study the documented human osteological collections of the University of Bologna. This series includes more than 1000 individuals from Northern Italian and Sardinian cemeteries and is among the largest in Europe. It represents the basis for ongoing research on a large range of methodological studies, especially focused on the reconstruction of biological profile. After outlining the scientific studies performed on this DHOC, we discuss it in the context of the specific legislation featuring the Italian territory. Finally, we highlight some directions where work can be carried out to better balance scientific research, preservation needs, and ethical concerns, stressing the advantages of modern imaging techniques

IMPAQT underwater acoustic telemetry platform: receiver design

By 2050 the world population will reach approximately 10 billion people, and it will be required to be supported by an associated increase in the level of food production [1]. Seafood is one of the main sources of nutrition for the world population and consequently, its production should be increased to support the increase in demand. Integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) refers to the co-culture of the aquatic species including the extractive species that use the waste or feed leftovers of other species [2]. IMTA is gaining a reputation as a sustainable aquaculture method that also minimizes environmental impacts and provides economic benefits. To maximize the benefits of IMTA, farmers need to have a good insight on water quality parameters and chemical substances which can be carried out using manual sampling of the water or using off-the-shelf sensors. As part of the European IMPAQT project [3], we are developing a universal telemetry platform that can be integrated with external sensors to collect the sensory information and transmit them wirelessly underwater to the receiver gateway. At the gateway the data can be saved for manual extraction or on-site data analysis, or can transmit to an inland station using Long Range (LoRa) radios. The proposed telemetry platform enables the farmers to have better and almost real time insight over the IMTA sites as regards various critical parameters

IMPAQT Miniaturized Underwater Acoustic Telemetry Platform: Transmitter Node System Design

The marine environment and its natural resources are an essential part of the geographical ecosystem and a great food source for humans. In recent years, terrestrial wireless sensor networks and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have developed rapidly; however, due to the limitation of signal propagation in water, there is less development and advancement in the underwater sensors network domain. IMPAQT is a European research project aiming at the development of the technologies and methods to promote and support inland, coastal zone and offshore Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) sites. As part of the IMPAQT project, a novel underwater acoustic telemetry platform has been proposed and is under development, to provide a method to collect and transmit sensors data underwater. The proposed platform architecture consists of several ultrasonic transmitter sensor nodes and a gateway buoy as a data aggregator interface. Transmitter nodes will collect and log underwater sensor data and transmit it at regular intervals to the gateway buoy and the gateway buoy will send the collected data to a data management system using a Long Range (LoRa) communication link. The IMPAQT Transmitter node has an integrated accelerometer sensor, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor onboard. There is also an Infrared Data Association protocol (IrDA) interface that can be used to attach any external auxiliary sensor module to the transmitter node and configure the transmitter node to collect the external module’s data. The current version of the transmitter node under development can be attached to seaweed, or it can be used as a floating sensor node in the water and due to its small size and weight design it almost has no impact on the working environment. In this paper, the background of the miniaturized underwater sensors is studied, and design method of the transmitter node is discussed. Future work will focus on the test and deployment of the transmitter and gateway in marine deployments

Next generation IMPAQT miniaturized underwater transmitter system design

In recent years, terrestrial wireless sensor networks and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have developed rapidly. However, due to the limitations of Electromagnetic (EM) signal propagation in water, there is less development and advancement in the underwater wireless sensor networks domain. As part of the IMPAQT project, a novel wireless underwater telemetry platform using acoustics has been proposed. This telemetry platform has the potential to replace the underwater sensors cables and provide a wireless method to collect and transmit a variety of environmental sensor data under water. The proposed platform system architecture consists of several ultrasonic transmitter nodes and a gateway buoy as a data aggregator node to transmit the data from the sensors to the cloud for analytics to be carried out. Transmitter nodes will read the attached sensor data and transmit it to the gateway buoy. The gateway buoy will send the collected data to a data management system using a Long Range (LoRa) communication link. The next generation IMPAQT Transmitter node developed is a compact, low-cost, low-power acoustic transmitter node that has an external sensor interface to receive data from attached sensors is described in detail in this paper. In addition, the potential for short-range EM-based underwater LoRa communication is evaluated and described

A complete set-up to evaluate the correlation between blood pressure and pulse transit time

Blood pressure (BP) has always been one of the most important parameters in monitoring cardiovascular system conditions and coronary artery diseases (CAD), such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). This is due to the fact that many of the changes within the cardiovascular system, such as clogged arteries, for example, are reflected by changes in BP. A number of methods and devices that can measure BP are available on the market for both clinical and consumer use. However, being able to measure one’s own BP non-invasively, with the required frequency (even continuously) in a comfortable fashion remains an unsolved problem using currently available systems. To date, the Pulse Transit Time (PTT) measurement method has been seen as a feasible approach to help bring current blood pressure monitoring systems to a stage where non-invasive, continuous measurements are viable. However, developing a system which uses the PTT method for blood pressure measurement is as yet an unsolved problem and it remains a challenge to achieve accurate BP results despite considerable research in the past decade. In this paper, we present the first step in building a smart sensing system that overcomes the technical difficulties associated with accurate measurement of PTT. The novel hardware developed incorporates multi-modal sensing capability to explore and quantify the relationship between blood pressure and PTT. The evaluation system is completed by efficient, simple and fast embedded software algorithms, user interface, and clinical validation trials that will enable delivering a novel PTT-based blood pressure monitor

Development of a PPG-based hardware and software system deployable on elbow and thumb for real-time estimation of pulse transit time

Blood pressure (BP) is a vital parameter used by clinicians to diagnose issues in the human cardiovascular system. Cuff-based BP devices are currently the standard method for on-the-spot and ambulatory BP measurements. However, cuff-based devices are not comfortable and are not suitable for long-term BP monitoring. Many studies have reported a significant correlation between pulse transit time (PTT) with blood pressure. However, this relation is impacted by many internal and external factors which might lower the accuracy of the PTT method. In this paper, we present a novel hardware system consisting of two custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors designed particularly for the estimation of PTT. In addition, a software interface and algorithms have been implemented to perform a real-time assessment of the PTT and other features of interest from signals gathered between the brachial artery and the thumb. A preclinical study has been conducted to validate the system. Five healthy volunteer subjects were tested and the results were then compared with those gathered using a reference device. The analysis reports a mean difference among subjects equal to -3.75±7.28 ms. Moreover, the standard deviation values obtained for each individual showed comparable results with the reference device, proving to be a valuable tool to investigate the factors impacting the BP-PTT relationship.Clinical Relevance- The proposed system proved to be a feasible solution to detect blood volume changes providing good quality signals to be used in the study of BP-PTT relationship

Investigation on the Use of the PE873 Conductive Ink for Surface EMG Measurements

Nowadays, wearable devices are part of everyone’s life and their popularity is constantly increasing. With diverse applications, spanning from healthcare to fitness tracking, more and more wearable devices are being developed which can send and receive information in real-time. To date, electric cables represent the most stable form of communication in terms of reliability and resistance. However, for wearable systems, cables restrict movement and introduce additional noise and movement artefacts on wearable sensing systems. Wireless devices, on the other hand, can be comparatively complicated in design, manufacturing and use. A possible strategy, to improve communications in wearable systems, is the adoption of conductive inks able to conduct electrical signals, these can be printed on fabric without the movement restriction normally associated with traditional wired systems. The use of such conductive inks in wearable sensors may, therefore, lead to a more comfortable method of monitoring health data (heart rate, muscle contraction etc.) throughout the day. In this paper, the properties of the promising conductive ink PE873 (manufactured by DuPont) are tested and analysed. The conductive ink electrical properties are studied in relation to stretching, folding and washing tests. The electrical performance of the ink printed onto the selected fabric is assessed and presented. Furthermore, an optimized printing procedure, aiming at improving the connection performances, is suggested and the development of a novel system able to read muscle contractions, based on PE873, is demonstrated, thus showing that this conductive ink is a promising solution for stretchable electrical connections in the wearable field

Development of a low-power underwater NFC-enabled sensor device for seaweed monitoring

Aquaculture farming faces challenges to increase production while maintaining welfare of livestock, efficiently use of resources, and being environmentally sustainable. To help overcome these challenges, remote and real-time monitoring of the environmental and biological conditions of the aquaculture site is highly important. Multiple remote monitoring solutions for investigating the growth of seaweed are available, but no integrated solution that monitors different biotic and abiotic factors exists. A new integrated multi-sensing system would reduce the cost and time required to deploy the system and provide useful information on the dynamic forces affecting the plants and the associated biomass of the harvest. In this work, we present the development of a novel miniature low-power NFC-enabled data acquisition system to monitor seaweed growth parameters in an aquaculture context. It logs temperature, light intensity, depth, and motion, and these data can be transmitted or downloaded to enable informed decision making for the seaweed farmers. The device is fully customisable and designed to be attached to seaweed or associated mooring lines. The developed system was characterised in laboratory settings to validate and calibrate the embedded sensors. It performs comparably to commercial environmental sensors, enabling the use of the device to be deployed in commercial and research settings

Design of a wearable bruxism detection device

Bruxism is a common problem which impacts on between 8 -31% of the general population and presents several symptoms including headaches, facial pain and damage to teeth for sufferers. While gold-standard technologies (e.g. polysomnography) exist and can be used in a clinical context for the diagnosis of bruxism, these are cumbersome and are constrained to laboratory-based testing as a result. In recent years, a number of portable wearable technologies have been developed and evaluated which are based on electromyography, electroencephalography, and/or electrocardiography. In this paper, the development of a novel wearable bruxism detection device based on Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) and a microphone is described as an alternative diagnostic tool for bruxism. The overall system architecture is defined and the implemented hardware platforms are described in detail. Finally, a discussion on the future work is also provided