A Touch of Red : Archaeological and Ethnographic Approaches to Interpreting Finnish Rock Paintings

Approximately 125 prehistoric rock paintings have been found in the modern territory of Finland. The paintings were done with red ochre and are almost without exception located on steep lakeshore cliffs associated with ancient water routes. Most of the sites are found in the central and eastern parts of the country, especially on the shores of Lakes Päijänne and Saimaa. Using shore displacement chronology, the art has been dated to ca. 5000 – 1500 BC. It was thus created mainly during the Stone Age and can be associated with the so-called ‘Comb Ware’ cultures of the Subneolithic period. The range of motifs is rather limited, consisting mainly of schematic depictions of stick-figure humans, elks, boats, handprints and geometric signs. Few paintings include any evidence of narrative scenes, making their interpretation a rather difficult task. In Finnish archaeological literature, the paintings have traditionally been associated with ’sympathetic’ hunting magic, or the belief that the ritual shooting of the painted animals would increase hunting luck. Some writers have also suggested totemistic and shamanistic readings of the art. This dissertation is a critical review of the interpretations offered of Finnish rock art and an exploration of the potentials of archaeological and ethnographic research in increasing our knowledge of its meaning. Methods used include ’formal’ approaches such as archaeological excavation, landscape analysis and the application of neuropsychological research to the study of rock art, as well as ethnographically ’informed’ approaches that make use of Saami and Baltic Finnish ethnohistorical sources in interpretation. In conclusion, it is argued that although North European hunter-gatherer rock art is often thought to lie beyond the reach of ‘informed’ knowledge, the exceptional continuity of prehistoric settlement in Finland validates the informed approach in the interpretation of Finnish rock paintings. The art can be confidently associated with shamanism of the kind still practiced by the Saami of Northern Fennoscandia in the historical period. Evidence of similar shamanistic practices, concepts and cosmology are also found in traditional Finnish-Karelian epic poetry. Previous readings of the art based on ‘hunting magic’ and totemism are rejected. Most of the paintings appear to depict experiences of falling into a trance, of shamanic metamorphosis and trance journeys, and of ‘spirit helper’ beings comparable to those employed by the Saami shaman (noaidi). As demonstrated by the results of an excavation at the rock painting of Valkeisaari, the painted cliffs themselves find a close parallel in the Saami cult of the 'sieidi', or sacred cliffs and boulders worshipped as expressing a supernatural power. Like the Saami, the prehistoric inhabitants of the Finnish Lake Region seem to have believed that certain cliffs were ’alive’ and inhabited by the spirit helpers of the shaman. The rock paintings can thus be associated with shamanic vision quests, and the making of ‘art’ with an effort to socialize the other members of the community, especially the ritual specialists, with trance visions. However, the paintings were not merely to be looked at. The red ochre handprints pressed on images of elks, as well as the fact that many paintings appear ’smeared’, indicate that they were also to be touched – perhaps in order to tap into the supernatural potency inherent in the cliff and in the paintings of spirit animals.

Comparison of Rectangular and Polar Quantizers in Digital Holography

Complex amplitude encoded in any digital hologram must undergo quantization, usually in either polar or rectangular format . In this paper these two schemes are compared under the constraints and conditions inherent in digital holography . For Fourier transform holograms when the spectrum is levelled through phase coding, the rectangular format is shown to be optimal . In the absence of phase coding, and also if the amplitude spectrum has a large dynamic range, the polar format may be preferable .

A non-linear analogue-to-digital converter for linearization of transducer input-output relationships

Analogue and digital techniques for linearization of non-linear input-output relationship of transducers are briefly reviewed. The condition required for linearizing a non-linear function y = f(x) using a non-linear analogue-to-digital converter, is explained. A simple technique to construct a non-linear digital-to-analogue converter, based on ' segments of equal digital interval ' is described. The technique was used to build an N-DAC which can be employed in a successive approximation or counter-ramp type ADC to linearize the non-linear transfer function of a thermistor-resistor combination. The possibility of achieving an order of magnitude higher accuracy in the measurement of temperature is shown.

Predicting survival of western rock lobsters Panulirus cygnus using discriminant analysis of hemolymph parameters taken immediately following simulated handling treatments

Instances of morbidity amongst rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus) arriving at factories in Western Australia (WA) have been attributed to stress during post-harvest handling. This study used discriminant analysis to determine whether physiological correlates of stress following a period of simulated post-harvest handling had any validity as predictors of future rejection or morbidity of western rock lobsters. Groups of 230 western rock lobsters were stored for 6 h in five environments (submerged/flowing sea water, submerged/re-circulating sea water, humid air, flowing sea water spray, and re-circulated sea water spray). The experiment was conducted in late spring (ambient sea water 22°C), and repeated again in early autumn (ambient sea water 26°C). After 6 h treatment, each lobster was graded for acceptability for live export, numbered, and its hemolymph was sampled. The samples were analysed for a number of physiological and health status parameters. The lobsters were then stored for a week in tanks in the live lobster factory to record mortality. The mortality of lobsters in the factory was associated with earlier deviations in hemolymph parameters as they emerged from the storage treatments. Discriminant analysis (DA) of the hemolymph assays enabled the fate of 80-90% of the lobsters to be correctly categorised within each experiment. However, functions derived from one experiment were less accurate at predicting mortality when applied to the other experiments. One of the reasons for this was the higher mortality and the more severe patho-physiological changes observed in lobsters stored in humid air or sprays at the higher temperature. The analysis identified lactate accumulation during emersion and associated physiological and hemocyte-related effects as a major correlate of mortality. Reducing these deviations, for example by submerged transport, is expected to ensure high levels of survival. None of the indicators tested predicted mortality with total accuracy. The simplest and most accurate means of comparing emersed treatments was to count the mortality afterwards.

Literacy teaching and learning in a digital world: Challenges of a new era

Teachers the world over are aware of the range of new challenges that arise from this new era. One challenge is the role of digital technologies in literacy learning. Despite its reputation for being engaging, digital technologies do not always enhance learning outcomes. Whilst the concerns vary across time and place, the core issue of what is a highly sought after literacy learning outcome in this new era warrants consideration. This paper introduces Kalantzis and Cope’s (2005) theorisation of eight knowledge processes for literacy learning. They claim that experiencing the known, conceptualising by naming, analysing functionally and applying appropriately, whilst necessary, are not on their own sufficient for the development of high level literacy practices. It is their contention that students must also be able to experience the new, conceptualise by theorising, analyse creatively and apply critically. This theorisation forms an auditing framework for considering the outcomes of different uptakes of digital technologies in a Social Studies and a Science unit.

Effect of simulated rock dumping on geotextile

The use of geotextiles in coastal structures such as revetments and bund walls has become a common practice. The performance of these structures during their lifetime depends on the durability of geotextile used. During construction of these coastal structures, geotextiles are subjected to a drop load with high impact stress and that can damage the geotextile. In the current design practice, index tests are insufficient in predicting the performance of the geotextile. This puts the stability and performance of the coastal structures at risk. The current geotextile design guidelines are based on index tests and there is no standard procedure to account for the potential loss in the geotextile’s mechanical properties during installation (construction).This study aims to develop a standard procedure to estimate the properties of geotextile after its installation and using these properties for designing the performance of these structures. This paper describes the laboratory method of simulating large scale rock dumping on non-woven geotextiles and how to quantify the retained strength of damaged geotextiles. Results show that the reduction in retained strength of geotextile could extent up to 26% during installation.

Digital color reproduction on color television monitors

Color displays used in image processing systems consist of a refresh memory buffer storing digital image data which are converted into analog signals to display an image by driving the primary color channels (red, green, and blue) of a color television monitor. The color cathode ray tube (CRT) of the monitor is unable to reproduce colors exactly due to phosphor limitations, exponential luminance response of the tube to the applied signal, and limitations imposed by the digital-to-analog conversion. In this paper we describe some computer simulation studies (using the U*V*W* color space) carried out to measure these reproduction errors. Further, a procedure to correct for color reproduction error due to the exponential luminance response (gamma) of the picture tube is proposed, using a video-lookup-table and a higher resolution digital-to-analog converter. It is found, on the basis of computer simulation studies, that the proposed gamma correction scheme is effective and robust with respect to variations in the assumed value of the gamma.

Additional records of the rock shrimp, Sicyonia australiensis Hanamura & Wadley, 1998 (Decapoda, Sicyoniidae) from eastern Australia, western central Pacific

This paper reports on the collection of S. australiensis from the continental shelf off southern Queensland, easter Australia, in the western Central Pacific, documenting for the first time the occurrence of the species outside of eastern Bass Strait.

A Nonlinear System Under Combined Periodic and Random Excitation

The anharmonic oscillator under combined sinusoidal and white noise excitation is studied using the Gaussian closure approximation. The mean response and the steady-state variance of the system is obtained by the WKBJ approximation and also by the Fokker Planck equation. The multiple steadystate solutions are obtained and their stability analysis is presented. Numerical results are obtained for a particular set of system parameters. The theoretical results are compared with a digital simulation study to bring out the usefulness of the present approximate theory.

Football supporter cultures in modern-day Brazil: Hypercommodification, networked collectivisms and digital productivity

This thesis analyses the implications for football cultures of the profound socio-economic changes that Brazil has experienced in the last decade. It explores two major impacts: the economic boom of the domestic football sector, and the large-scale adoption of new technologies in fans' activities. The study identified a new phase of football culture in Brazil, characterised by the domination of market logics and intense commercialisation. The empirical findings also showed that new technologies are changing how supporters coordinate activities that challenge the gentrification of the game.

Spatial model of site index based on Y-ray spectrometry and a digital elevation model for two Pinus species in Tuan Toolara State Forest, Queensland, Australia

Site index prediction models are an important aid for forest management and planning activities. This paper introduces a multiple regression model for spatially mapping and comparing site indices for two Pinus species (Pinus elliottii Engelm. and Queensland hybrid, a P. elliottii x Pinus caribaea Morelet hybrid) based on independent variables derived from two major sources: g-ray spectrometry (potassium (K), thorium (Th), and uranium (U)) and a digital elevation model (elevation, slope, curvature, hillshade, flow accumulation, and distance to streams). In addition, interpolated rainfall was tested. Species were coded as a dichotomous dummy variable; interaction effects between species and the g-ray spectrometric and geomorphologic variables were considered. The model explained up to 60% of the variance of site index and the standard error of estimate was 1.9 m. Uranium, elevation, distance to streams, thorium, and flow accumulation significantly correlate to the spatial variation of the site index of both species, and hillshade, curvature, elevation and slope accounted for the extra variability of one species over the other. The predicted site indices varied between 20.0 and 27.3 m for P. elliottii, and between 23.1 and 33.1 m for Queensland hybrid; the advantage of Queensland hybrid over P. elliottii ranged from 1.8 to 6.8 m, with the mean at 4.0 m. This compartment-based prediction and comparison study provides not only an overview of forest productivity of the whole plantation area studied but also a management tool at compartment scale.

A Unique Filter-Preserver Device for Digital Photonic Circuits

We discuss micro ring resonator based optical logic gates using Kerr-type nonlinearity. Resonant wavelength selectivity is one key factor in achieving the desired gate. Based on basic gates like AND gate, OR gate etc. We proceed to propose a 3-bit binary adder circuit.Due to the presence of more than a single wavelength, the system gets complicated as we increase the number of components in the circuit. Hence it has been observed that for efficient designing and functioning of digital circuits in optical domain, we need a device which can give single wavelength output, filtering out all other wavelengths and at the same time preserve the digital characteristics of the output. We propose such filter-preserver device based on micro ring resonator.

A digital imaging technique to quantify the incidence of internal browning in potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers

Internal browning disorders, including brown fleck (BF), in potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers greatly reduce tuber quality, but the causes are not well understood. This is due, in part, to the highly variable data provided by visual value-based rating systems. A digital imaging technique was developed to quantify accurately the incidence of internal browning in potato tubers. Images of tuber sections were scanned using a flatbed scanner and digitally enhanced to highlight tuber BF lesions, and the area of affected tissue calculated using pixel quantification software. Digital imaging allowed for the determination of previously unused indices of the incidence and severity of internal browning in potato tubers. Statistical analysis of the comparison between digitally derived and visual-rating BF data from a glasshouse experiment showed that digital data greatly improved the delineation of treatment effects. The F-test probability was further improved through square root or logarithmic data transformations of the digital data, but not of the visual-rating data. Data from a field experiment showed that the area of tuber affected by BF and the number of small BF lesions increased with time and with increase in tuber size. The results from this study indicate that digital imaging of internal browning disorders of potato tubers holds much promise in determining their causes that heretofore have proved elusive.

Detecting the attributes of a wheat crop using digital imagery acquired from a low-altitude platform

A low-altitude platform utilising a 1.8-m diameter tethered helium balloon was used to position a multispectral sensor, consisting of two digital cameras, above a fertiliser trial plot where wheat (Triticum spp.) was being grown. Located in Cecil Plains, Queensland, Australia, the plot was a long-term fertiliser trial being conducted by a fertiliser company to monitor the response of crops to various levels of nutrition. The different levels of nutrition were achieved by varying nitrogen application rates between 0 and 120 units of N at 40 unit increments. Each plot had received the same application rate for 10 years. Colour and near-infrared images were acquired that captured the whole 2 ha plot. These images were examined and relationships sought between the captured digital information and the crop parameters imaged at anthesis and the at-harvest quality and quantity parameters. The statistical analysis techniques used were correlation analysis, discriminant analysis and partial least squares regression. A high correlation was found between the image and yield (R2 = 0.91) and a moderate correlation between the image and grain protein content (R2 = 0.66). The utility of the system could be extended by choosing a more mobile platform. This would increase the potential for the system to be used to diagnose the causes of the variability and allow remediation, and/or to segregate the crop at harvest to meet certain quality parameters.