Ancient tin production: Slags from the Iron Age Carvalhelhos hillfort (NW Iberian Peninsula)

Provenance and production of tin in the Ancient World has since long been a major topic of discussion among archaeologists. In Western Europe, where significant tin ore (cassiterite) deposits are known, only a few remains of ancient tin production, such as tin slags, have been detected. In the present work, elemental and microstructural analyses by WDXRF, SEM-EDS and XRD were performed on recently recognised tin slags from the Iron Age Carvalhelhos hillfort located in NW Iberia, a territory that represents the largest extension with tin mineralisation in Western Europe. Elemental and microstructural characterisation of cassiterite collected in a pilot field survey in the region of the hillfort are presented and discussed, as well as two ceramic fragments that could be part of a smelting structure and an iron slag from the settlement. Results show that the tin slags have variable but high contents in Sn, similarly to Pre-Medieval tin slags found in other Western European areas, but also high contents of Ta and Nb, which specifically distinguish them from other tin slags, such as those found in SW Britain. Tin ores from the hillfort region frequently have Ta and Nb in cassiterite solid solution or as inclusions of columbite group minerals, relating well with the Carvalhelhos tin slags. Up to present, the Carvalhelhos slags are amongst the very few ancient tin slags known in Western Europe, and their study can contribute to a better knowledge on ancient tin sources and trade routes

The contemporary echoes of São Francisco de Real Convent: learning from territorial fragments

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Projecto de design integrado: espaço comercial de moda infantil

Mestrado em Design Integrado na Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão do Instituto Politécnico de Viana do CasteloDo gosto e carinho pela moda infantil e da percepção necessidade de um espaço comercial especializado em Viana do Castelo dedicado aos mais pequenos, surgiu a ideia de desenvolvimento de um projecto de design integrado para uma loja multimarca para vestir uma segunda geração de pequenos clientes. A criação da loja Maria Pipocca foi pensada para o comércio de vestuário e acess6rios de moda infantil dos 0 meses até aos 16 anos oferecendo uma vasta gama de produtos pronto a vestir, desde roupas interiores, exteriores e complementos, segundo os mais elevados padrões de qualidade, para um segmento de mercado médio/alto. A representação de marcas Nacionais e lnternacionais são a grande aposta. A marca Portuguesa, orgulhosamente com 100% de produção nacional. Esta marca com lojas próprias e representações há mais de 30 anos, esta numa fase de abertura de novas lojas e representações espalhadas pelo mundo. A marca lnternacional de tope em Moda lnfantil, com sede em ltália, tem como características das coleções, o requinte, a extravagância, a inovação e o glamour. As coleções estão dirigidas para um grupo de consumidores com exigências gerais comuns mas com características distintas, per isso a nossa escolha recai sobre coleções de diferentes linhas, mas ainda assim uniforme em termos de impacto visual. Dentro de cada uma dessas diferentes linhas, encontramos grupos de hist6rias e temas, que juntos dão origem a um ambiente mágico, mas real. 0 presente projecto global para um espaço comercial de moda infantil estabelece o inter-relacionamento das distintas áreas de design de serviço, design de interiores, design de produto, design de comunicação, marketing e publicidade. A análise e o Design de Serviços foram o ponto de partida para o desenvolvimento do projecto no sentido de maximizar a satisfação do cliente e a redução de custos. O conceito de design de serviços está dirigido à funcionalidade e à forma dos serviços a partir da perspetiva do utilizador/consumidor, com o objectivo de assegurar que as interlaces dos serviços sejam úteis, usáveis e desejáveis sob o ponto de vista dos clientes e eficazes e eficientes e distintos sob o ponto de vista do prestador. A publicidade a partir de uma página na rede social Facebook com a designação Maria Pipocca, oferece as vantagens de comunicar sobre um evento, como o lançamento de um produto ou serviços, criando uma página ou um grupo no Facebook, e fazendo assim uma publicidade dirigida, a baixo custo. A possibilidade de recrutar funcionários, procurar sócios, clientes, encontrando os amigos dos seus amigos. Esta ferramenta mantem em contacto com antigos e novos contactos profissionais e conhecê-los melhor através dos aplicativos do Facebook. 0 facto de estar presente e activo no Facebook, promove e desenvolve o negócio como uma referência. Efectuar um controle nas empresas e sectores activos e concorrentes, investigando a popularidade dos grupos e aceitação. Permite fazer sondagens para conhecer melhor o objectivo-alvo da empresa e publicar e compartilhar imagens e arquivos, para dar uma imagem active da empresa. Esta ferramenta on-line permite de forma fácil e rápida a aplica o das campanhas de marketing desenvolvidas para cada estação.Taste and love for children's fashion and perceived need for a place that specializes in Viana do Castelo dedicated to the smaller, the idea of developing a design project for an integrated multi­ brand store to wear a second generation of small customers. The creation of Maria Pipocca store is designed to trade in clothing and fashion accessories children from 0 months to 16 years offering a wide range of products ready to wear, from clothes, indoor and supplements, according to the highest standards of quality to a market segment medium I high. The representation of national and international brands are a great bet. The Portuguese brand, proudly 100% of national production. This brand with stores and offices for over 30 years, is in the process of opening new stores and representations around the world. The top mark International Children's Fashion, based in Italy, has the characteristics of the collection, refinement, extravagance, innovation and glamour. The collections are directed to a group of consumers with general requirements common but have different characteristics, so our choice falls on collections of different lines, yet uniform in terms of visual impact.Within each of these different lines,we find groups of stories and themes, which together give rise to a magical, but real. This overall project for a children's fashion retail space establishes the interrelationship of the different areas of service design, interior design, product design, communication design, marketing and advertising. Analysis and Design Services have been the starting point for the development of the project to maximize customer satisfaction and cost reduction. The design concept of services is directed to the functionality and form of services from the perspective of the user consumer, in order to ensure that the interfaces of the services are useful, usable and desirable from the point of view of clients and effective and efficient and distinct from the point of view of the provider. The publicity from a page on the social network Facebook with the name Maria Pipocca offers the advantages of communicating about an event such as the launch of a product or service, creating a page or a Facebook group, and by doing so a targeted advertising at low cost. The possibility of recruiting, looking for partners, customers, meeting friends of friends. This tool keeps in touch with old and new business contacts and know them better through Facebook applications. The fact of being present and active on Facebook, promote and develop the business as a reference. Making a control in the assets and business and industry competitors, investigating the popularity of groups and acceptance. Lets do surveys to better understand the purpose of the target company and publish and share images and files, to give a live image of the company. This online tool allows for quick and easy implementation of marketing campaigns developed for each station

Destruido por el fuego, conservado a lo largo del tiempo : cultivos y madera de una estructura de la Edad del Bronce Final / Primera Edad del Hierro en Vila do Touro (Sabugal, Portugal)

Archaeological excavations at Vila do Touro uncovered a Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age occupation at the top of a prominent hill. It consisted of a structure built with perishable materials, supported by postholes, and a small subcircular storage facility made of stone. Abundant carbonized plant remains were visible throughout the excavation area during the field work suggesting a fire occurred prior to the abandonment of the place, sometime in the 9th century BC. Archaeobotanical sampling allowed the recovery of abundant wood charcoal as well as charred fruits and seeds. Analyses showed structures were built mostly out of wood from deciduous oak, although pine was also used. Evidence for growth suppression in oak wood suggests direct human management of wood resources, which agrees with other evidences from northern Iberia. Moreover, the storage facility was used to keep cereals, mostly naked wheat and common millet, but also barley. These were stored fully processed and ready for consumption. Faba beans were also recovered, outside the small storage facility. Results are similar to sites in northeast Portugal and the Central Meseta but contrast with hillforts from Atlantic areas where hulled wheats are staple crops, suggesting a West-East trend also reflected in environmental and cultural features.Las excavaciones arqueológicas en Vila do Touro detectaron una ocupación del Final de la Edad del Bronce/Primera Edad del Hierro en la destacada cumbre del monte. Se trataba de una estructura construida con materiales perecederos, sostenida por postes, y un pequeño espacio de almacenamiento sub-circular, construido en piedra. Durante el trabajo de campo se observaron abundantes restos de plantas carbonizadas en toda el área de excavación, lo que sugiere un incendio ocurrido antes del abandono del lugar, en algún momento del siglo IX a.C. El muestreo arqueobotánico permitió la recuperación de abundante madera carbonizada, así como de frutos y semillas carbonizadas. Los análisis mostraron que las estructuras se construyeron principalmente con madera de Quercus de tipo caducifolio, aunque también se usó pino. Evidencias de la supresión del crecimiento en la madera de esos árboles sugieren el manejo humano directo de los recursos de madera, lo que coincide con otras evidencias de la Península Ibérica septentrional. Además, el espacio de almacenamiento fue utilizado para guardar cereales, principalmente trigo desnudo y mijo común, pero también cebada. Estos fueron almacenados completamente procesados y listos para el consumo. También se recuperaron habas, fuera de la pequeña estructura de almacenamiento. Los resultados son similares a otros sitios del nordeste de Portugal y de la Meseta Central, pero contrastan con los poblados fortificados atlánticos donde el trigo vestido es de cultivo común. Estas diferencias entre los muestreos occidentales y orientales también reflejan las distintas características ambientales y culturales de esas zonas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Anticancer activity of rutin and its combination with ionic liquids on renal cells

The renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. Identifying novel and more effective therapies, while minimizing toxicity, continues to be fundamental in curtailing RCC. Rutin, a bioflavonoid widely found in nature, has shown promising anticancer properties, but with limited applicability due to its poor water solubility and pharmacokinetics. Thus, the potential anticancer effects of rutin toward a human renal cancer cell line (786-O), while considering its safety in Vero kidney cells, was assessed, as well as the applicability of ionic liquids (ILs) to improve drug delivery. Rutin (up to 50 µM) did not show relevant cytotoxic effects in Vero cells. However, in 786-O cells, a significant decrease in cell viability was already observed at 50 µM. Moreover, exposure to rutin caused a significant increase in the sub-G1 population of 786-O cells, reinforcing the possible anticancer activity of this biomolecule. Two choline-amino acid ILs, at non-toxic concentrations, enhanced rutin's solubility/loading while allowing the maintenance of rutin's anticancer effects. Globally, our findings suggest that rutin may have a beneficial impact against RCC and that its combination with ILs ensures that this poorly soluble drug is successfully incorporated into ILs-nanoparticles hybrid systems, allowing controlled drug delivery.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal): UID/DTP/04567/2019/ UIDB/00100/2020/ UIDB/04565/2020. ALIES grant PADDIC 2018-2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Solid lipid nanoparticles vs. nanostructured lipid carriers: a comparative review

Solid–lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers are delivery systems for the delivery of drugs and other bioactives used in diagnosis, therapy, and treatment procedures. These nanocarriers may enhance the solubility and permeability of drugs, increase their bioavailability, and extend the residence time in the body, combining low toxicity with a targeted delivery. Nanostructured lipid carriers are the second generation of lipid nanoparticles differing from solid lipid nanoparticles in their composition matrix. The use of a liquid lipid together with a solid lipid in nanostructured lipid carrier allows it to load a higher amount of drug, enhance drug release properties, and increase its stability. Therefore, a direct comparison between solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers is needed. This review aims to describe solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers as drug delivery systems, comparing both, while systematically elucidating their production methodologies, physicochemical characterization, and in vitro and in vivo performance. In addition, the toxicity concerns of these systems are focused on.LA/P/0101/2020, LA/P/0140/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ressonâncias do Convento de S. Francisco de Real em Braga: interpretação e reabilitação de um sistema patrimonial

info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

Função tiroideia, estado de humor e cognição no idoso

Objectivos: determinar a prevalência de disfunção tiroideia na população idosa e analisar a associação entre a função tiroideia e alterações cognitivas e do estado de humor. Tipo de estudo: estudo observacional, transversal e analítico. Local: Unidade de Saúde Familiar Ponte. População: amostra aleatória de indivíduos com idade igual ou superior a 65 anos. Métodos: aplicou-se um questionário relativo a características sociodemográficas e clínicas dos utentes. A função cognitiva foi avaliada pelo Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) e o estado de humor pela Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Os níveis de hormona tiroestimulante (TSH) e levotiroxina livre foram doseados numa amostra de sangue venoso periférico. O risco de apresentar disfunção cognitiva ou alteração do humor foi estimado por regressão logística não condicional, através de odds ratio (OR) e intervalos de confiança (IC 95%). Calcularam-se médias ajustadas para a idade e escolaridade, utilizando a regressão linear múltipla, para os domínios avaliados pelo MMSE. Resultados: avaliaram-se 263 utentes (52,5% do género feminino), com idade média de 72,1 anos (± 5,3). Do total da amostra, 21,7% obtiveram uma pontuação sugestiva de demência, 12% de ansiedade e 16,8% de depressão. Quatro utentes apresentavam hipotiroidismo (1,5%), 14 hipotiroidismo subclínico (5,3%), 3 hipertiroidismo (1,1%) e 2 hipertiroidismo subclínico (0,8%). Valores mais altos de TSH demonstraram-se significativamente associados a ansiedade (OR = 1,25 IC 95% 1,01-1,67). Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre o valor de TSH e disfunção cognitiva e depressão. A prevalência de demência foi significativamente superior nos doentes com depressão e/ou ansiedade. Conclusões: a prevalência de disfunção tiroideia encontrada é semelhante à descrita na literatura, para idosos da comunidade. Verificou-se uma associação entre os valores de TSH e ansiedade. Não foi encontrada associação entre os níveis das hormonas tiroideias e a presença de disfunção cognitiva ou sintomas depressivo

Automated Solar PV Simulation System Supported by DC–DC Power Converters

Funding Information: This work was funded by Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, reference code: IPL/2021/ATS2SPV_ISEL. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Solar photovoltaic simulators are valuable tools for the design and evaluation of several components of photovoltaic systems. They can also be used for several purposes, such as educational objectives regarding operation principles, control strategies, efficiency, maintenance, and other aspects. This paper presents an automated solar photovoltaic simulation system with the capability to generate automated tests considering different parameters of solar photovoltaic panels and different operation conditions. The proposed simulator is composed of three buck-boost DC–DC power converters controlled in such a way that will behave similarly to solar photovoltaic panels. It allows to introduce additional variable loads and maximum power point tracker algorithms similar to real systems. Some converters are controlled by a DSP microcontroller connected to a single programmable logic controller which generates the automated tests. Thus, using the presented solution, it is possible to implement the I-V and P-V characteristic curves of solar photovoltaic panels and evaluate different maximum power point tracker algorithms considering different meteorological conditions and load variations, being a useful tool to teach subjects related to renewable energy sources and related applications. Several simulation results using Matlab/Simulink and experimental results are presented to validate the operation of the proposed solution. Experimental results achieve a ripple between 2% and 5% of the desired average current in MPP conditions.publishersversionpublishe

Prototype of an affordable pressure-controlled emergency mechanical ventilator for COVID-19

We present a viable prototype of a simple mechanical ventilator intended as a last resort to ventilate COVID-19 patients. The prototype implements the pressure-controlled continuous mandatory ventilation mode (PC-CMV) with settable breathing rates, inspiration/expiration time ratios and FiO2 modulation. Although safe, the design aims to minimize the use of technical components and those used are common in industry, so its construction may be possible in times of logistical shortage or disruption or in areas with reduced access to technical materials and at a moderate cost, affordable to lower income countries. Most of the device can be manufactured by modest technical means and construction plans are provided.Comment: This version differs from version 2 in that it includes toxicological and bio-safety tests and updated electronic