Restoration in archaeological university courses: A practical ceramic conservation laboratory in the graduate school in archaeology – UNIFI

In theoretical Archaeological University courses it is often impossible to act directly on artifacts owing to the lack of products and working spaces and the poor availability of suitable materials. However, the archaeologist’s work is mainly carried out in the field and in most cases requires direct conservative procedures on archaeological ceramics to allow their study and documentation. As such, the lack of practical restoration laboratories within the university curricula represents a serious gap in the training of future professional archaeologists. In 2016 a practical laboratory of ceramic conservation was established for the first time inside the Graduate School of Archaeology of the University of Florence. The goal was to give students the opportunity to put into practice the theoretical conservation lessons learned in the classroom. Trainees were put to work directly both on archaeological and modern ceramic materials, so as to learn which materials to use and how to make all relevant operations for the cultural heritage conservation (cleaning, sticking and integration of missing parts). All the operations carried out during the course followed the same procedures currently required on archaeological ceramics by the Superintendency for Archaeological Heritage of Tuscany. All the steps taken in the laboratory are similar to those implemented on a Mycenaean stirrup jar reported in the poster as an example

Micro versus macro consumption data: the cyclical properties of the consumer expenditure survey

The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) offers the most comprehensive consumption data at the consumer level for the United States. Several previous studies have shown a large gap between per-capita consumption from the CEX and the aggregate Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) series. While previous research has focused on consumption levels, we focus on the cyclical properties of consumption. We find that the cyclical properties of consumption expenditure data from the two sources are quantitatively very different. This result calls for caution when using CEX data for business cycle researchCampos and Reggio gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Grants ECO2009-13169 and ECO2009-11165

Micro vs. macro consumption data : the cyclical properties of the consumer expenditure survey

The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) offers the most comprehensive consumption data at the consumer level for the United States. Several previous studies have shown a large gap between per-capita consumption from the CEX and the aggregate Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) series. While previous research has focused on consumption levels, we focus on the cyclical properties of consumption. We find that the cyclical properties of consumption expenditure data from the two sources are quantitatively very different. This result calls for caution when using CEX data for business cycle research.This paper has benefited from comments by Thijs van Rens and by the audiences at Universidad de Vigo and at the Econometric Society European Meetings in Oslo, 2011. Paloma Corrales Asensio provided research assistance. Campos and Reggio gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Grants ECO2009-13169 and ECO2009-11165)

An evaluation of the global network of field epidemiology and laboratory training programmes: a resource for improving public health capacity and increasing the number of public health professionals worldwide

BACKGROUND Given that many infectious diseases spread rapidly, across borders and species, there is a growing worldwide need to increase the number of public health professionals skilled in controlling infectious epidemics. Needed also are more public health professionals skilled in non-communicable disease surveillance and interventions. As a result, we surveyed all 57 field epidemiology training programmes (FETPs) that are members of the Training Program in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), to evaluate the progress of the FETPs, the only global applied epidemiology network, toward increasing public health capacity globally. METHODS Data on the FETP programmes and the training they provide were abstracted from TEPHINET membership surveys and verified with FETP directors for all FETPs that were members of TEPHINET in 2012. Data on abstracts submitted to the recent TEPHINET Global Scientific Conference, on recent accomplishments by each FETP, and on quality improvement were also compiled to provide a worldwide view of the public health human resource capacity produced by these programmes. RESULTS A total of 6980 public health professionals worldwide have graduated from an FETP or from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemiology Intelligence Service (EIS). FETP residents and graduates participate in key public health prevention, control, and response activities. Each FETP has adapted its curriculum and objectives over time to align with its country's public health priorities. FETPs are well integrated into their national public health infrastructures, and they have many partners at the national, regional and global levels. CONCLUSION FETPs are a competent and diverse source of highly skilled public health professionals who contribute significantly to public health's global human resource needs. This finding is evidenced by 1) the training curricula that were adapted over time to meet public health's human resource needs, 2) the FETPs' continued support from internal and external partners, 3) the increasing number of FETP residents and graduates and their increasing contribution to effective public health work, and 4) the increased quality improvement initiatives facilitated through the FETPs membership in one global network, TEPHINET

3D Virtual Worlds and the Metaverse: Current Status and Future Possibilities

Moving from a set of independent virtual worlds to an integrated network of 3D virtual worlds or Metaverse rests on progress in four areas: immersive realism, ubiquity of access and identity, interoperability, and scalability. For each area, the current status and needed developments in order to achieve a functional Metaverse are described. Factors that support the formation of a viable Metaverse, such as institutional and popular interest and ongoing improvements in hardware performance, and factors that constrain the achievement of this goal, including limits in computational methods and unrealized collaboration among virtual world stakeholders and developers, are also considered

Evaluación de la biosorción de cobre con cáscara de almendra

En este trabajo se analiza el potencial de la cáscara de almendra para su utilización como biosorbente de cobre presente en disoluciones acuosas. En primer lugar, se realizó una caracterización físico-química del biosorbente. Así, se ha determinado que los poros que posee la cáscara de almendra son mesoporos, con un ancho deporo medio de 54,5 Å y que la cantidad total de grupos activos es de 0,592 mmol/g, siendo el grupo carboxílico el mayoritario. A continuación, se analizó la influencia de las principales variables que intervienen en el proceso de biosorción. Se ha encontrado que el pH es uno de los parámetros más importantes que controlan la eliminación de cobre con cáscara de almendra, obteniéndose la máxima eficiencia del proceso a pH=5. El estudio cinético reveló que, en general, el proceso es rápido, aunque puede dividirse en dos etapas, una primera más rápida (primeros 20 minutos) y otra segunda etapa donde el proceso transcurre de forma más lenta. Se ha encontrado que el modelo de pseudo-segundo orden reproduce de forma adecuada el proceso. Por otra parte, el estudio del equilibrio mostró que a medida que aumenta la concentración inicial de cobre, se eleva la capacidad de biosorción del sólido hasta alcanzar un valor prácticamente constante para concentraciones superiores a 100 mg/L. El modelo de Langmuires el que mejor reproduce los resultados experimentales, obteniéndose una capacidad máxima de biosorción decobre de 9,44 mg/g