What the people of Utica (Tunisia) ate at a banquet in the 9th century BCE. Zooarchaeology of a North African early Phoenician settlement

In the paper are presented the results of a faunal set fromthe recent excavations at the Phoenician colony of Utica (Tunis). The set is composed by 536 fragments of bones found in an abandoned Phoenicianwater pit, filled intentionally with bones of consumed animals, drinking cups, plates, and bowls, as well as amphorae of Phoenician, Geometric Greek, Sardinian and Lybic productions. The hypothesis is that the well possibly was filled with the remains of a ritual banquet inwhich oxen, caprinae, pigs, horse and domestic dog were consumed. Another species such as turtle and African elephant complete this ancient faunal set. C14 dating samples from the deposit points to the last quarter of cal 10th century BCE to the middle of cal 9th century BCE, as the initial period of Phoenician presence in theWestern and CentralMediterranean. So the faunal remains are for the moment the oldest in a Phoenician settlement in North Africa and Central Mediterranean area

Patient-physician discordance in assessment of adherence to inhaled controller medication: a cross-sectional analysis of two cohorts

We aimed to compare patient's and physician's ratings of inhaled medication adherence and to identify predictors of patient-physician discordance.(SFRH/BPD/115169/2016) funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT); ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operations: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029130 ('mINSPIRERS—mHealth to measure and improve adherence to medication in chronic obstructive respiratory diseases—generalisation and evaluation of gamification, peer support and advanced image processing technologies') cofunded by the COMPETE2020 (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização), Portugal 2020 and by Portuguese Funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Measuring adherence to inhaled control medication in patients with asthma: Comparison among an asthma app, patient self‐report and physician assessment

Background Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using an asthma app to support medication management and adherence but failed to compare with other measures currently used in clinical practice. However, in a clinical setting, any additional adherence measurement must be evaluated in the context of both the patient and physician perspectives so that it can also help improve the process of shared decision making. Thus, we aimed to compare different measures of adherence to asthma control inhalers in clinical practice, namely through an app, patient self-report and physician assessment. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of three prospective multicentre observational studies with patients (≥13 years old) with persistent asthma recruited from 61 primary and secondary care centres in Portugal. Patients were invited to use the InspirerMundi app and register their inhaled medication. Adherence was measured by the app as the number of doses taken divided by the number of doses scheduled each day and two time points were considered for analysis: 1-week and 1-month. At baseline, patients and physicians independently assessed adherence to asthma control inhalers during the previous week using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS 0–100). Results A total of 193 patients (72% female; median [P25–P75] age 28 [19–41] years old) were included in the analysis. Adherence measured by the app was lower (1 week: 31 [0–71]%; 1 month: 18 [0–48]%) than patient self-report (80 [60–95]) and physician assessment (82 [51–94]) (p 0.05). There was a moderate correlation between patient self-report and physician assessment (ρ = 0.596, p < 0.001). Conclusions Adherence measured by the app was lower than that reported by the patient or the physician. This was expected as objective measurements are commonly lower than subjective evaluations, which tend to overestimate adherence. Nevertheless, the low adherence measured by the app may also be influenced by the use of the app itself and this needs to be considered in future studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P &lt; 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Advances in Computational Science and Engineering Research

International audienceThe city of Porto in Portugal hosted in October 21–23, 2015, the 18th IEEE International Conference on Computational Science and Engineering (CSE 2015). CSE is a long standing and well established conference with wide acceptance in the field, sponsored by the IEEE, IEEE Computer Society and the IEEE Technical Committee on Scalable Computing (TCSC).The Computational Science and Engineering area has earned increased relevance due to advances in electronic and integrated technologies since the 1940s. Currently, it is a very active domain, and we expect the near future to witness a proliferation in the use of various advanced computing systems. More and more, CSE is regarded as an emerging and promising discipline in shaping future research and development activities in academia and industry. These encompass engineering, science finance, economics, arts and humanitarian fields, in particular as a solution to very large and highly complex problems, more so when faced with tight timing schedules

Menires do Alto Algarve oriental: Lavajo I e Lavajo II (Alcoutim)

In this article, we present the results of excavations conducted in 1998 and 2001 in the nucleus of menhirs of Lavajo I and Lavajo II, respectively, located 250 m from each other in the NNE direction and separated by the small valley of Lavajo. At present, the sites are intervisible, owing to the strategic location on the terrain: Lavajo I is situated on the top of a hill while Lavajo II is located on a slope, conferring visibility to the location both on the south as well as on the north side. Currently, Lavajo I is made up of three monoliths, all of greywacke: one, almost complete, of a phallic appearance, and currently the largest greywacke menhir known in Portugal, reaching a maximum length of 3,14 m; another, almost complete, broken in three large blocks, with a stela-like appearance; the third, very incomplete, of which is preserved only a piece of its front side. It is possible, however, that there once were more monoliths, considering that abundant fragments of greywacke were found at the site, all with fresh fractures. All the menhirs of Lavajo I are decorated, with the largest one decorated prominently and strictly related to the morphology of the lithic support. This was the only one it was possible to determine its original location, which corresponded to a small pit of circular plan and flat bottom. The pit was partially damaged by work carried out in 1994 to re-erect the menhir, which was unfortunately conducted with little care and incorrectly, as it was placed in reverse position. Be that as it may, in the highest zone of this small hill were placed three decorated menhirs, which cannot be seen in isolation as they articulated directly with the group at Lavajo II, which can be seen from the other side of the Lavajo valley. In this second location, four undecorated stela-menhirs, all of greywacke, were discovered, of which only one, represented by a small fragment, was found in situ. It was, nevertheless, possible to reconstruct the relative positions of the remaining ones, through the excavation of their respective sockets, associated with an elongated groove, oriented east-west, and cut into the bedrock made up of finely foliated Late Carboniferous schists. In this way, we concluded that the stela-menhirs were arranged in a line and constituted a continuous lithic panel. Within the pitholes were recovered diverse artifacts ritually placed there during the construction of the monument, whose typology points to the Late Neolithic and whose chronology is compatible with that of the megalithic group at Lavajo I, based on the iconography of the menhirs. Although the settlement pattern of the Late Neolithic in the region is not well-known, these two megalithic nuclei could be interpreted as territorial markers and/or sacred spaces; of note is the existence of year-round water sources in their immediate proximity, water being a scarce and precious resource which would have aided in horticulture. On the other hand, the nature of the raw materials used in the manufacture of artifacts found (flint, amphibolite), in addition to other material acquired through extensive transregional trade (fibrolite), is evidence for regular interaction between populations in both the interior of the Baixo Alentejo (Ossa/Morena Zone), as well as along the Algarve or Andalucian coast, consistent with the level of economic development of the Late Neolithic of the southern Iberian Peninsula. In a vast region, corresponding to the entire Eastern Algarve, where non-funerary megaliths were until now totally unknown, the sites of Lavajo I and II are interesting and significant expressions of the South western Iberian megalithism.Neste trabalho apresenta-se o resultado das escavações realizadas respectivamente em 1998 e em 2001 nos núcleos de menires de Lavajo I e de Lavajo II, distanciados cerca de 250 m na direcção NNE e separados pelo pequeno vale do Lavajo. Os locais, actualmente, são intervisíveis, graças à implantação destacada no terreno: Lavajo I situa-se no topo de colina enquanto Lavajo II ocupa a linha de festo de uma encosta, conferindo ao local visibilidade tanto do lado sul como do lado norte. O conjunto de Lavajo I é constituído actualmente por três monólitos, todos de grauvaque: um, quase inteiro, de tendência fálica, é actualmente o maior menir de grauvaque conhecido em território português, atingindo o comprimento máximo de 3,14 m; outro, quase completo, fragmentado em três grandes blocos, possui formato estelar; o restante apresenta- se muito incompleto, dele se conservando apenas uma lasca da sua face frontal. É crível, no entanto, que pudessem existir mais monólitos, tendo em conta os abundantes fragmentos de grauvaque ali observados, quase todos com fracturas frescas. Todos os menires de Lavajo I se apresentam decorados, com destaque para o maior deles, o qual exibe complexa decoração estreitamente relacionada com a morfologia do suporte lítico. Apenas para este foi possível determinar o local de implantação, correspondente a um alvéolo de planta circular e fundo aplanado, parcialmente danificado pelos trabalhos realizados em 1994, que conduziram ao seu reerguimento, infelizmente feito de forma pouco cuidada e incorrecta, visto ter sido colocado no terreno em posição invertida. Seja como for, na zona culminante daquele pequeno cabeço, implantaram-se três menires decorados, os quais não podem ser vistos isoladamente, já que se articulariam directamente com o conjunto de Lavajo II, que se avista ao longe, do outro lado do pequeno vale do Lavajo e na linha de festo da encosta, da qual ocupa a parte média. Neste segundo local, identificaram-se quatro estelas-menir não decoradas, todas de grauvaque, das quais apenas uma, representada por fragmento de pequenas dimensões, se encontrava in situ. Foi, no entanto, possível reconstituir a posição relativa das restantes, através da escavação integral do respectivo alvéolo, correspondente a rasgo alongado, orientado Este-Oeste, aberto no substrato geológico, constituído por xistos do Carbónico Superior finamente folheados. Deste modo, é de concluir que as estelas menir se dispunham em linha, constituindo um painel lítico contínuo. No interior do alvéolo, recolheram-se diversos artefactos ali ritualmente depositados aquando da fundação do monumento, cuja tipologia indica o Neolítico Final, cronologia aliás compatível com a do conjunto megalítico de Lavajo I, tendo presente a iconografia patente nos menires. Muito embora não se conheça ainda suficientemente o padrão de povoamento da região no Neolítico Final, estes dois núcleos megalíticos podem ser interpretados como marcadores de territórios e/ou de espaços sagrados, sendo de destacar a existência, durante todo o ano, de água nas proximidades imediatas, recurso escasso e precioso, que propiciaria a horticultura. Por outro lado, a natureza das matérias-primas utilizadas na confecção dos artefactos encontrados (sílex, anfibolito), para além de outros materiais de circulação transregional muito mais alargada (fibrolite), evidencia a forte interacção destas populações tanto com o interior do Baixo Alentejo (Zona de Ossa/Morena), como com o litoral algarvio ou andaluz, compatível com estádio de desenvolvimento económico do final do Neolítico do sul peninsular. Numa vasta região, correspondente a todo o sotavento algarvio, onde o megalitismo não funerário era até agora totalmente desconhecido, os testemunhos ora estudados constituem, doravante, uma das expressões mais interessantes e significativas do Sudoeste peninsular

Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE 18th International Conference on Computational Science and Engineering

International audienc

Traducción, adaptación cultural y validación preliminar de instrumentos para educadores de enfermería portugueses sobre práctica basada en la evidencia

The objective of this study is to translate and culturally adapt to European Portuguese “EBP Beliefs Scale for Educators” (EBPB-E), “EBP Implementation Scale for Educators” (EBPI-E) and “Organizational Culture & Readiness for School-wide Integration of Evidence-based Practice Survey ”for Educators(OCRSIEP-E); and to providepreliminary validation data. The study was carried out in two phases: translation and transcultural adaptation; and preliminary validation in nursing educatorsof ninenursing schools in Portugal. Pre-final versions of the instruments were considered easy to understand. But, the participants suggested including the possibility of "I don't know" response and increasing the recall period in the EBPI-E. 68 educators participated in phase II. The α for EBPB-E, EBPI-E and OCRSIEP-E was 0.88, 0.95 and 0.94 and the corrected element-total correlations between the items and the total score ranged from 0.20 to 0.75, 0.59 to 0.84 and -0.06 to 0.78, respectively. Preliminary findings showed a strong internal consistency. It is concluded that other validation studies with more robust samples are needed to prove the reliability and validity of the instrumentsO objetivo deste estudo é traduzir e adaptar culturalmente o português europeu “Escala de Crenças EBP para Educadores” (EBPB-E), “Escala de Implementação EBP para Educadores” (EBPI-E) e “Cultura Organizacional e Prontidão para Integração em toda a Escola de Pesquisa Prática Baseada em Evidências ”para professores (OCRSIEP-E); e fornecerdados preliminares de validação. O estudo foi realizado em duas fases: tradução e adaptação transcultural; e validação preliminar em professores de enfermagem de nove escolas de enfermagem em Portugal. As versões pré-finais dos instrumentos foram consideradas fáceis de entender. Porém, os participantes sugeriram incluir a possibilidade de resposta "não sei" e aumentar o período de recall no EBPI-E. 68 educadores participaram da fase II. O α para EBPB-E, EBPI-E e OCRSIEP-E foi de 0,88, 0,95 e 0,94 e as correlações elemento-total corrigidas entre os itens e apontuação total variaram de 0,20 a 0,75, 0,59 a 0,84 e -0,06 a 0,78, respectivamente. Os resultados preliminares mostraram uma forte consistência interna. Conclui-se que outros estudos de validação com amostras mais robustas são necessários para comprovara confiabilidade e validade dos instrumentos.El objetivo de este estudio estraducir y adaptar culturalmente al portugués europeo “EBP Beliefs Scale for Educators” (EBPB-E), “EBP Implementation Scale for Educators” (EBPI-E) y “Organizational Culture & Readiness for School-wide Integration of Evidence-based Practice Survey” para docentes (OCRSIEP-E); y presentar datos preliminares de validación.El estudio se realizó en dos fases: traducción y adaptación transcultural; y validación preliminar en docentes de enfermería de nueve escuelas de enfermería de Portugal.Las versiones pre-finales de los instrumentos se consideraron de fácil comprensión. Pero, los participantes sugirieron incluir la posibilidad de respuesta "no sé" y aumentar el período de recuerdo en el EBPI-E. 68 educadores participaron en la fase II. El αpara EBPB-E, EBPI-E y OCRSIEP-E fue 0,88, 0,95 y 0,94 y las correlaciones elemento-total corregidas entre los ítems y la puntuación total variaron de 0,20 a 0,75, 0,59 a 0,84 y -0,06 a 0,78, respectivamente. Los hallazgos preliminares mostraron una fuerte consistencia interna. Se concluye que se necesitan otros estudios de validación con muestras más robustas para probar la confiabilidad y la validez de los instrumentos

Marfil de hipopótamo procedente de estratos fenicios arcaicos en Utica (Túnez)

During the last excavation campaigns of the Tunisian-spanish team in Utica (Tunisia) an ancient Phoenician architectonic complex, associated to a partially excavated Phoenician building, was discovered. South of that building an almost circular well opens in the ground. The characteristics of the content of the well allowed to interpret it as a closed context, built up by the remains of a collective, possibly ritual, feast and dated to the last quarter of the 9th century BC. Among the fragments recovered from the well is a cuboid ivory piece. The scientific analysis of the piece revealed the raw material as hippopotamus ivory. This date is put in relation to other contemporaneous ivory finds and the question of Phoenician and orientalizing ivory trade is studied