The Circular Economy Challenge: Towards a Sustainable Development

As it is now known, we have only one earth available for our life and it is our duty to preserve it [...

Innovative and sustainable strategies of urban mining

La gestione di un’enorme quantità di rifiuti da apparecchiature elettriche ed elettroniche (RAEE), rappresenta un problema rilevante per la nostra società, poichè rischi per l’ambiente e la salute umana, legati ad una scorretta gestione, sono combinati con la perdita di materiali valorizzabili. Questo lavoro ha per oggetto lo sviluppo di processi sostenibili per il recupero di metalli di valore dai RAEE: in particolare, è stata effettuata un’indagine in laboratorio mirata all’estrazione, da schermi a cristalli liquidi, di indio, un metallo recentemente classificato dalla Commissione Europea tra i “critical raw materials”. La sperimentazione ha permesso l’ottimizzazione di un processo con rese di recupero di indio superiori al 90%, basato su operazioni idrometallurgiche. E’ stato studiato inoltre il processo dal punto di vista della sua sostenibilità ambientale, confrontandone l’impatto con quello degli attuali sistemi di gestione degli schermi a cristalli liquidi . La valutazione ha evidenziato che il ciclo di gestione delle acque di processo e pre-trattamenti fisici del pannello finalizzati alla concentrazione del metallo, rappresentano dei fattori chiave per la sostenibilità ambientale del processo. Il lavoro è stato svolto nel contesto di un progetto finanziato dalla Commissione Europea nell’ambito del 7FP, denominato HydroWEEE. Tale progetto aveva per obiettivo la realizzazione di un impianto mobile, con caratteristiche flessibili per il recupero di metalli da diversi RAEE: indio da TV/monitor a cristalli liquidi, ittrio da lampade e tubi catodici, rame oro e argento da circuiti stampati, cobalto da batterie litio-ione. L’attività di ricerca è stata anche finalizzata a valutare la sostenibilità ambientale dei vari processi realizzati nell’impianto mobile, evidenziandone un generale vantaggio (tra il 20 e l’80%) rispetto alla produzione primaria dei metalli. La valutazione dei rischi per i lavoratori nell’impianto mobile conclude lo studio.The management of a huge quantity of waste from electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) represents a critical issue for the modern society. The negative environmental and health effects due to the improperly management are combined with the loss of valuable materials. The present work focused on the recovery of metals from WEEE with particular attention to indium from end-of-life liquid crystal displays (LCD). The experimental section allowed the optimization of a process that includes an acid leaching characterized by an innovative cross-current design, followed by a cementation with zinc powder. Considering the satisfying efficiencies obtained on the lab scale, higher than 90%, the whole process was studied from an environmental point of view comparing its emissions with those produced by the current management strategies (disposal in landfilling sites, incineration and traditional recycling). A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the different scenarios proved the significant advantage of recycling ways. Moreover, the traditional recycling resulted to be the most favorable, due for both the relevant water consumption of the innovative treatment and to the low indium content in the LCD. Nevertheless, a simple water recirculation system, combined with a physical indium upgrading in the waste, make the innovative option the best choice. The simple design of the optimized process allows its implementation in a mobile plant, built within the European project, HydroWEEE. The plant mobility prevents the impacts due to the waste transport, that contributes to the 30-40% of the currently treatments. Furthermore, this advantage is combined with the possibility to treat several WEEE for the recovery of different metals. The sustainability of this approach was proved by a LCA that highlighted the positive effect also in the comparison with the primary production, with a benefit between 20 and 80%. Last, but not least, the risk for workers in the real mobile plant was assessed

ARCHEOLOGIA DELLA NAVIGAZIONE ISLAMICA D'OCCIDENTE: LO STUDIO DI CASO DEL GHARB PORTOGHESE

A compilação global do trabalho define o limite da pesquisa dentro da acepção de Meio Aquático, tanto no sentido topográfico quanto geomorfológico, junto com os aspectos literários e históricos e mais propriamente arqueológicos. É na arqueologia que se foca o presente contributo, em particular na funcionalidade das embarcações, ou seja do presumível Qarib Islâmico, veículo do contacto cultural, técnico quanto metodológico, na esfera da construção naval

Archeologia del Mezzo Acquatico nel Garb al-Andalus Porti, Arsenali, Cantieri e Imbarcazioni

Tese de doutoramento em Letras, na área de História, na especialidade de Arqueologia apresentada à Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de CoimbraThis study is aimed to define its own characteristics within the chronological sphere of the Muslim occupation on the Iberian Peninsula and particularly on the development which involves the Southern region of Portugal, bound between the low Tejo (Lisbon) and the Algarve. The analysis of the relationship between this People and the sea with its components precedes the period of the great conquest, which see the Christian Reign of Portugal engaged in an area beyond the Ocean – from the end of XV Century onwards – anyway engaged outside the Mediterranean basin and in the classical circuits that have had their exclusive attention until that time. During the Islamic period, VIII-XIII, one sees the vitality of the port cities, with the development of nautical activities, including naval construction in shipyards mentioned by Arab authors, such as Al-Razi, Al-Bakri, Ibne Mozaine and al-Idrisi. Various descriptions made by Arab historians and geographers with a common vision of these territories considered as a prolongation of the eastern Arab world reachable through North Africa and most likely via navigation along the coast. Al-Razi proposes a significant division of Andalusia into Ax-Xarqi and al- Garbe or, in other words, eastern and western Andalusia. Al- Garbe corresponds to current Southern Portugal Although the Arabic literary sources and the corpus of the Medieval Arabian geography constitute the primary sources for the study of the use of the coast and shipping lanes during the Arab dominion of Southern Portugal, the main maritime cities have revealed large quantities of imported ceramics dating from the Islamic period. The ancient geomorphology of the Portuguese coast Geographically speaking, benefits from a strategic location between the Mediterranean world and the Atlantic one. Inserted in an Atlantic geographical space, the Portuguese coast still preserves many Mediterranean characteristics (Arruda and Vilaça 2006, 31; Ribeiro 1986, 39). Geomorphologic studies are useful for the creation of hypothesis regarding possible locations of ancient natural ports. But one must also consider the modifications to the seaboard that were responsible for the different interactions between men and environment. Generally, one could argue that the outline of the coast has been “simplified” in the last 1000 years (Freitas and Andrade 1998). Up to the 15th and 16th centuries AD, the design of the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula would be more irregular than the current one, more indented, and there would be more bays and river mouth Maria Luísa Blot (Blot 1998, 148) summarizes the Portuguese coast evolution process according to three aspects: the gradual connection between ancient islands and the continent, forming peninsulas, the closing of ancient coastal embayment and formation of coastal lagoons and siltation of estuaries and subsequent inland context of former coastal areas. Siltation is a gradual process that has been increasing over the centuries in most Portuguese waterways and estuaries, decreasing their navigability. The historical cartography is commonly used to study the waterfront geomorphologic changes of the Portuguese coast. However, this should be interpreted with caution. These testimonials often pose problems, such as the inaccuracy of the outlining of the coast, the small scale and the omission or enlargement of certain details, such as embayments. Cartography analysis is also affected by chronological contradictions and mistakes resulting from the fact that some maps are copies of previous works. In this field, the compilation of Cortesão and Mota (1987) stands out, with particular emphasis on the maps of Pedro Teixeira (Descripción de España y de las costas y puertos de sus reinos, Atlas de Viena, c. 1634) and João Teixeira (Descrição dos Portos Marítimos do Reino de Portugal, c. 1648), which are quoted by the majority of the authors who study the evolution of the Portuguese coast and its harbour characteristics. The complexity of the Atlantic environment makes it particularly difficult for one to recognise ancient port facilities and makes one reflect on the concept of harbour space. One must first identify the relationship between harbour typology - recognized since Antiquity - and possible corresponding archaeological vestiges. In fact, these vestiges are not always materialised in specific harbour equipment. Early mariners certainly understood the necessity of waiting for high tide before incoming on estuaries. These mooring places, naturally sheltered by high cliffs, are still today’s deep and safe mooring sites while waiting to enter an estuary (Blot 2010, 84). Besides nautical artifacts such as lead anchor stocks, evidence from Portuguese waters included Muslim imported and exported products also found in archaeological excavations on the seaboards and on land. Some of the cities are Lisbon on the Tagus river, Alcácer do Sal on the Sado river, Silves on the Arade river, Tavira on the Ria Formosa and Mértola, on the Guadiana river. Those provide important information regarding the capacity of overseas transport and regarding social, economic, and cultural factors relating to marine activity. The Islamic evidences of maritime activities are used to compensate the lack of archaeological findings and the impossibility of comparison with the current ethnographic evidences, which express the continuity of ancient practices and use of the same sites. The ports, areas of trade and cultural exchanges, in the post-Lusitanian period, would be the sites in particular to contact with naval technology information, opening the way for its materialization and diffusion in shipyards, mooring places or arsenals. Regarding medieval Islamic times, especially concerning traces of maritime nature, we must distance ourselves from outdated readings that see the naval archeology as a limited source of knowledge as it is deprived of its object of study: the ship I (Barata 1996). To counter this idea, at least partially, we considered the studies that have contributed to the overcoming of these limitations, which were also attributed to the Roman period. From the present sources of the Islamic period, stand out especially works of nautical nature dedicated to the history and historiography (Picard 1997), such as collections of naval warfare, ship’s logs and detailed descriptions of the coastal dangers. Nevertheless there is a lack of references to trade and exchanges, this gap is bridged by the etymology of the places, whose names testify their Islamic origin and are the preamble for the caravel, transformed in to an institutional ship (Fonseca 2003) and to the future conquest of unknown seas. In the specific case of the identification of wrecks or vessels structures, the problem is compounded by the lack of attention that they have received. An example of this is the work of A. J Parker (1992), the focus on medieval shipwrecks is somehow vague and does not highlight any differences in Arab-Islamic boat structures. This study also presents limitations of the geographic space, considering predominantly the Mare Nostrum in detriment of the Atlantic. The lack of literature sources and archeological remains seems indicate a real decline of Muslim maritime policy. This has contributed for a simplistic view of Islamic and Roman naval history, where sea exploration was based on unplanned and adventurous navigations. that have contributed to the theory of an autonomous emergent 15 century Expansionism. This study covers the ports included in the area between the estuary olisipponense, on the banks of the Tagus river, which which defines the boundaries of Strabo’s Mesopotamia (Geography III, 2, 4) and the Guadiana river which allows access to the interior mines through Algarve. The numerous and fascinating testimonies of geographers and contemporary chronicles of the kingdoms of Gharb narrate a reality that opposes the one established in the mid-13th century. Some documents, such as Forais II and Charters of the King of Portugal, can be related to a geomorphological moment of accentuated siltation process, which may be related to the massive deforestation implemented by Dom Dinis’s agricultural policy. Since, the so-called Christian Reconquest, the port entities suffered restrictions of a political and social nature, with the probable goal of limiting contacts with the North African Islamic coast. Besides this long-term problem, the administrative priority of the Portuguese Kingdom seems to have been the remodeling of coastal boundaries, manifested with a transfer of port competences from the main Islamic centers to the northcentral coastal cities, but keeping nautical characteristics and types of transport. At the moment of a national identity formation, the establishment of southern ports might have been a menace for an Islamic determination to control the seas but it was considered by Christians the only way to conquer hostile regions that still existed. Arabic language is also present in the harbour space, resulting from the presence of merchants and communication and interaction between the previous occupants of the south western and the new conquerors from the Portuguese dynasties’ territories. Muslims master carpenters have also admitted New-Christians as craftsmen at their service, consigning in this way, the secrets of the Moorish construction and contributing to the likely evolution from the qarib to the Caravela. From documentary data we have also developed an approach to the subject of vessel production. Knowledge of the existence of old vessels, shipyards and arsenals, is mainly due to the number of information obtained from written sources, since we know that the recoveries from underwater archaeology have been limited as a result of the complexity of methodologies and techniques. The parallel between the nautical archaeological remains (shipwrecks) and graphical representations of boats used in the documentary or iconographic sources is, therefore, still an open field for a number of different interpretations, often a starting point for the identification of a certain type of vessel. In 1892 H. Lopes de Mendonça pointed out, in reference to the art documentation, the overlooking of ancient documentation regarding navigation, especially paintings, sculptures and written sources. This fact does not invalidate them, but draws attention to the proper way of how to read and use these documents. An example of this exercise is exemplified by the ethnographic map of Duarte de Armas. The 115 folio of his work III clearly restores the physiognomy of a land on the river banks where, despite the geographical proximity to Galicia, one can recognize the same elements that can be found along other medieval coasts, including the Iberian Peninsula. The simplicity of this type of structure can still be seen today in many parts of Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, pointing to a secular continuity in the naval context. To overcome the lack of objective evidences in the Portuguese territory, we use the example of Mallorca Bacini describing the longitudinal profiles of a similar set of boats, from which are obtained most of the information for reconstruction of the hypothetical qarib. Three models, the number 292, the number 19, from the San Michele degli Scalzi church in Pisa, and a third corresponding to the number 59 from San Pietro church in Grado, which date from the last quarter of the tenth century, all them in the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo, Pisa- Italia. The most obvious problems in interpreting the given examples lies in the hollow support of the plates, under a distorted representation that had to be adapted to the available forms. The 59 and the number 19 are particularly important for an initial graphic reconstruction. The sum of these ceramic elements with other data collected during our study raises etymological, structural and logistic inevitable questions, more specifically, the absence of remains (wooden boats), which have a negative impact on the work in progress. From these it is then possible to derive elements of the technique that are not always retainable by the naval archeology because of the fragility of some natural systems in which the site is formed. The parting oceans are, therefore, penalized, and to retrace the elements which are defined as qarib, common merchant vessels, it was taken in account the specific analyzes of contemporary wrecks (a list of them will be presented in the slideshow below) considering also the contacts that always existed between the extensive territorial margins of the common traits of the arabic language (that functioned then in the same way as the English language today). In fact, if the Muslim ships dominated the Mediterranean - with a sudden peak around the XI and XIII centuries - it would not be correct to think of all these sailors as being attentive scholars concerned with an accurate description of the precise points on the nautical charts and the correspondences between the stars. These charts served, in fact, as a reminder of the distances between the various places of orientation in relation to the coastline and entrance points in the ports. Similarly we do not have details on the type of construction techniques, instead we derive the components from the iconography and representations of the time, compared with the subsequent artistic legacies. As we know, in the arrival at the Islamic period, there must be a reference to the number of ceramic basins found in the Western Mediterranean, the contact with the Byzantine world and to the most fortunate archaeological findings and even to the lexical continuity in the caravel that probably sailed the seas as far as India in 1509, alternating with the length of the warships. In order to better deal with the inherent shortcomings, we have the intervention, with a contextualization on the medieval period, of numerous types of support. Ataifores and bacini, open ceramic forms, miniatures obtained from archival and library materials - with several references to ships bearing only one master, latin sails and axial rudders representations. One more consideration, comparing the examples of Graffiti from the Islamic site of Mértola, Garb al-Andalus. The housing complex near the banks of river port from which it comes the graphite under study, with a chronological frame of the XII century, bears similarities with those of Medina, but is closely linked to the port context of the site. The graffiti were preserved due to the fact that the stone has been laid with the decorated face in reverse. In one of the sets, three registers are noted. Two lines resembling Arabic calligraphy appear at the top and it is impossible to decode its meaning. A boat appears immediately below this line with a mast fitted with a square sail but collected at the bottom (Graphite A). The only part of the vessel that was drawn emerges from the water with the stern and the bow rather raised. We can clearly notice, in the stern, two large oars, rudder to steer the boat would also be driven by 9 oars. Other incised lines, imprecise and blurred, certainly from an earlier draft, interfere with the design making it difficult to define it. This hypothetical previous design bears a glimpse, a slight one, of the bow of another boat. In another place of the same stone, a third boat is noticable, better designed than the previous ones (Graphite B). It is also a vessel of one mast and square sail collected at the bottom, with two paddle-wheel. This example includes ten paddles and has only been drawn the emerging part of the hull with bow and stern curved towards the interior of the vessel. The incisions in graffiti show, moreover, a certain familiarity with the boats and their maneuvers, revealing knowledge in skillful ship driving and crews forced into long periods of inactivity. The graphic treatment chart thus shows its "sailor" origins, justifying the graphite greatest asset as a historical document, the fact that it was the contemporary view of the author and of his own free expression motivated, probably, by a personal drive. The graffiti may therefore present a thin conformation that immediately leads us to interpret it as being possible representation of the saette, rapid changes of the galleys. The saetta or sagitta, a kind of chase/hunting ship, gets its momentum through extremely long oars. It is for this reason capable of achieving high speeds and is suitable for surprise incursions. We conclude that the unifying element of the research lies on the continuous use of the aquatic areas. The urban centers and developed areas of the coast are the essential starting point for an interdisciplinary approach in the seaboard analysis, studied from the standpoint of geographical, geomorphological and anthropogenic evolution. The literary and iconographic historical sources reflected technical developments over the centuries, hypothetical signs of interaction with the material components unexplored. The inconsistent boundaries of the Algarve’s territory, at the end of the Islamic domination, and the evident linguistic assimilation that occurs in the most populated areas, both in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, correspond to the simultaneously use of techniques and places with the Christian lords in the thirteenth century. Is from this coexistence that arises the expansionist desire of the sixteenth century. In the present knowledge of Garb al-Andalus the archaeological evidence of arsenals and shipyards is insufficient, despite the clear functional importance of these areas and their logistics and etymological continuity. The main limitation of our research is actually the main reason why it is performed: the ephemeral character of the wood and the hypothetical possibility of analysis still keeping the hope of rebuilding the ancient maritime activities, confirming the writings reported by medieval Muslim authors. In the words of Professor Vasco Gil Mantas “Most cities that performed important sea port functions during the Roman dominion continued to perform such functions until today” (Mantas 2002-2003, 466), and lasting throughout the Arab period.O presente estudo surge na tentativa de organizar os inúmeros testemunhos existentes sobre o mundo islâmico peninsular e registar as fases evolutivas da vocação marítima e naval portuguesa. A pesquisa é norteada pela continuidade e evolução dos diversos elementos salientando-se a importância dos espaços portuários. Trata-se, especificamente, de referir as várias facetas dos portos, tanto lugar de partida comercial, quanto cultural. Uma das questões a salientar é, desde logo, a informação tecnológica que se troca nos estaleiros e nos arsenais, locais de construção dos barcos. A escolha da definição Arqueologia do Meio Aquático explica-se pela dificuldade de inserir a enorme quantidade de dados que se podem extrair, nas clássicas designações de Arqueologia Subaquática, Naval, Marítima ou Submersa. Trata- -se, portanto, de uma abordagem interdisciplinar, onde se destaca a interação com a linha de costa, seja esta marítima ou fluvial, e todos as razões que motivam a sua utilização. Entre estas encontra se a geografia física dos lugares, a evolução geomorfológica dos mesmos, a interação com o ambiente urbano e a interdependência dos dois espaços. A principal dificuldade da pesquisa reside no duplo silêncio com o qual lidamos ao falar do período medieval islâmico, em particular da vertente marítima, e a usual perceção arqueológica sintetizada na afirmação de Barata: “O arqueólogo naval está sempre em situação de notável inferioridade em relação aos seus colegas dos outros ramos da arqueologia, pois falta-lhe o próprio objeto dos seus estudos: o navio” (Barata, 1996, vol.I:15). Contrariando, em parte, este pressuposto, considerar-se-ão vários trabalhos levados a cabo desde o reconhecimento da disciplina. Em território português não faltam estudos sobre o estado da navegação ao longo dos primeiros períodos de ocupação, chegando-nos informação sobre a presença marítima de fenício-púnicos, bem como dos contactos por via marítima do mundo Lusitano com a Bretanha, pois inserida na costa atlântica, preserva características típicas mediterrâneas. (Arruda e Vilaça 2006, 31; Ribeiro 1986, 39). A lacuna nasce no período medieval islâmico, para o qual se direcionam obras de carácter histórico e historiográfico (Picard, 1997) e compilações de ações marítimas bélicas, dando-nos uma visão dos tráficos e dos contactos, baseados na etimologia e interpretação literária da época. Posteriormente passa-se diretamente ao período da Conquista além Oceano e da Caravela (Quirino da Fonseca, 2003). O problema do silêncio ou simples falta de informação pode, portanto, considerar-se o resultado de dois fatores principais. Em primeiro lugar o facto da arqueologia aquática lidar com dificuldades intrínsecas relacionadas com o próprio meio onde se desenvolve - sem ser forçadamente o Oceano aberto – zonas assoreadas, antigas lagoas, rias, estuários e a tudo o que concerne à evolução das orlas aquáticas, nas quais o material de proveniência antrópica, em prevalência a madeira - material perecível – se altera de acordo com as condições do sítio. No caso das embarcações (naufrágios), o problema é agravado pela falta de atenção concedida, tal como se refere no basilar estudo de A. J. Parker (1992). Este não pondera muitos naufrágios medievais, muito menos diferencia os islâmicos e ainda limita geograficamente os elementos da área atlântica em estudo. É como se a ausência bibliográfica e dos ve

A Multistate Friction Model for the Compensation of the Asymmetric Hysteresis in the Mechanical Response of Pneumatic Artificial Muscles

These days, biomimetic and compliant actuators have been made available to the main applications of rehabilitation and assistive robotics. In this context, the interaction control of soft robots, mechatronic surgical instruments and robotic prostheses can be improved through the adoption of pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs), a class of compliant actuators that exhibit some similarities with the structure and function of biological muscles. Together with the advantage of implementing adaptive compliance control laws, the nonlinear and hysteretic force/length characteristics of PAMs pose some challenges in the design and implementation of tracking control strategies. This paper presents a parsimonious and accurate model of the asymmetric hysteresis observed in the force response of PAMs. The model has been validated through the experimental identification of the mechanical response of a small-sized PAM where the asymmetric effects of hysteresis are more evident. Both the experimental results and a comparison with other dynamic friction models show that the proposed model could be useful to implement efficient compensation strategies for the tracking control of soft robots

Food literacy and food choice – a survey-based psychometric profiling of consumer behaviour

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the associations between food literacy, consumer profiling and purchasing behaviour in a sample of Italian consumers. Design/methodology/approach Participants (N = 194) completed an online survey including personal data, two questionnaires on purchase behaviour and food consumption, the General Trust Scale (GTS), a questionnaire assessing individual chronotype and two scales about food literacy: one investigating nutritional knowledge (short food literacy questionnaire, SFLQ) and the other focussing on procedural skills (self-perceived food literacy scale, SPFL). Associations between food literacy, consumer profiling and purchase behaviour were analysed with linear regression models. Findings Participants with specific education in nutrition reported higher scores in food literacy. The final score of food literacy was predicted by a greater attention to nutritional content and nutritional properties of products. Women paid more attention to nutritional properties than men, and they obtained higher scores in SFLQ. Evening types obtained lower scores in SFPL compared to intermediate and morning chronotypes. Body mass index (BMI) was negatively correlated to SPFL score, while it was associated with the easy availability of a product, so that obese (BMI ≥ 30) subjects considered the easy availability of a product more important compared to non-obese ones (BMI < 30). Originality/value This study investigates the influence of personal and psychometric variables of consumer profiling on food literacy and consequently on purchase behaviour, paving the way for implementing healthier food consumption policies. These findings reinforce the primacy of specific education in building healthy eating habits

CCR5Δ32 Polymorphism Associated with a Slower Rate Disease Progression in a Cohort of RR-MS Sicilian Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) disease is carried through inflammatory and degenerative stages. Based on clinical feaures, it can be subdivided into three groups: relapsing-remitting MS, secondary progressive MS, and primary progressive MS. Multiple sclerosis has a multifactorial etiology with an interplay of genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and autoimmune inflammatory mechanism in which play a key role CC-chemokines and its receptors. In this paper, we studied the frequency of CCR5 gene Δ32 allele in a cohort of Sicilian RR-MS patients comparing with general Sicilian population. Also, we evaluate the association between this commonly polymorphism and disability development and age of disease onset in the same cohort. Our results show that presence of CCR5Δ32 is significantly associated with expanded disability status scale score (EDSS) but not with age of disease onset