Understanding complexity: the case-study of al-Ḥīra, Iraq

The large-scale magnetometer prospection conducted in 2021 south of the al-Najaf International Airport, Iraq, reveals the complex settlement structure of the late Antique and early Islamic site of al-Ḥīra. The manual archaeo-geophysical interpretation resulted in 16 classes and the three most relevant archaeological classes will serve as a baseline for a (semi-) automated classification workflow

829 hectares of preventive archaeological magnetometry surveys in Ireland: upscaling data collection and interpretation strategies

We present examples of preventive archaeology magnetometer surveys at macro scale. Qfield can be used for effective landscape documentation to allow better data analysis, even if done by another team. We show how to improve the reusability of datasets for future Big Data research methods

Geophysical surveys at the former camp site in Berlin-Blankenfelde

The study investigates a site of a former camp from the time of National Socialism in Berlin (Germany). After the second world war, the study area was also part of the former Berlin Wall complex. Two different radar array systems, an impulse and a step-frequency radar, were applied to the area and compared. Both radar arrays complement each other in their results and allow a differentiated data view. In connection with other sources, the former camp site Blankenfelde could be reconstructed in great detail

Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with a large heterogeneity of climates and massive mixing of the population. Almost the entire national territory is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Earth axial tilt to the south certainly makes Brazil one of the countries of the world with greater extent of land in proximity to the sun. The Brazilian coastline, where most of its population lives, is more than 8,500 km long. Due to geographic characteristics and cultural trends, Brazilians are among the peoples with the highest annual exposure to the sun. Epidemiological data show a continuing increase in the incidence of nonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancers. Photoprotection can be understood as a set of measures aimed at reducing sun exposure and at preventing the development of acute and chronic actinic damage. Due to the peculiarities of Brazilian territory and culture, it would not be advisable to replicate the concepts of photoprotection from other developed countries, places with completely different climates and populations. Thus the Brazilian Society of Dermatology has developed the Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection, the first official document on photoprotection developed in Brazil for Brazilians, with recommendations on matters involving photoprotection

Geophysical prospection and verification at the protohistoric settlement of Punta di Zambrone (Calabria, Italy)

A multi-method geophysical survey was executed prior to archaeological excavations at Punta di Zambrone, Calabria, Italy. Magnetometry, ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography were applied under vary-ing survey conditions in different parts of the promontory with the aim of mapping protohistoric traces at different burial depths. In this chapter we summarise the geophysical surveys and compare the results with observations made during the subsequent excavations of the defensive moat of the Bronze Age settlement

2D and 3D ground-penetrating radar surveys with a modular system: data processing strategies and results from archaeological field tests

Recently, the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) arrays with a large number of antenna elements in a fixed configuration has become more common. The investment needed for these systems is significant. In order to reduce the recording time in the field, an alternative is the use of several single GPR antennas in parallel (a ‘modular system’). Although this does not match the fast acquisition of detailed data sets by means of multi-channel arrays, a system consisting in single antennas can gradually be expanded and investment can be spread over time. This paper presents a 2D and a full-resolution 3D survey, conducted with a modular GPR instrument. A characteristic of these systems is that the cross-line separation between transmitter-receiver pairs is larger than the sampling distance prescribed by the Nyquist theorem. As a consequence, for 3D data collection, profiles have to be acquired between previously recorded ones, which requires high positioning accuracy. A completely identical response for different single GPR antennas is difficult to achieve. For the system tested, on less favourable soils this resulted in striping in the horizontal slices. Several methods (3D frequency-wavenumber filtering, eigenimage filtering, mean profile filtering and filtering based on discrete wavelet transform, discrete ridgelet transform and linear Radon transform) were applied to two data sets exhibiting different kinds of linear noise and their capability to suppress artefacts was assessed. Although overall a reduction of the stripe patterns was achieved, mostly it was impossible to fully eliminate the noise in the time-slices without low-pass filtering in the cross-line direction. For the 2D data, low-pass filtering caused loss of some of the archaeological response and therefore was not applied. Mean profile filtering allowed the most reliable characterization of the archaeological structures

A geophysical multi-method approach to investigate the archaeological landscape of Lanakerveld (NL)

– Large scale geophysical prospection of an archaeological landscape in the Netherland. – Integrated and multimethodological approach for archaeological interpretation. – Challenges for the prospecting and interpretation of multiperiod archaeological sites

Gestão de projetos aplicada aos contratos de novos produtos no setor de autopeças

The auto parts industry is cited in the literature as an industry shrouded in competitive pressures of various kinds. This industry faces big challenges to control costs and maintain profitability, given the pressures in a complex and dynamic market. The research aims to identify how the contract management of development projects of new products in an auto parts company can contribute to create value in the company. The research is qualitative, based in unique case study method, by means of observations carried out with the areas of trade and product development in leading global supplier of Electrical Distribution System- EDS (automotive electrical components). Data collection was done by interviewing executives and managers of the areas studied based on the use of a semi-structured questionnaire. The results show that in relation to contract management of new products, the company doesn’t use in a structured and systematic concepts associated with project management. This makes the operational activities are not in line with its strategic objectives such as: a) standard model and prepare regular reports on the progress of projects; b) establish a formal approval process by the end of each stage of the project; c) strengthen the integrated design changes, because when not part of or treated properly can result in destruction of firm value.  A indústria de autopeças é citada na literatura como um setor industrial envolto em pressões de ordem competitiva de várias naturezas. Esta indústria enfrenta grandes desafios para controlar seus custos e manter sua rentabilidade, haja vista as pressões sofridas em um mercado complexo e dinâmico. O objetivo da pesquisa é identificar como a gestão de contratos dos projetos de desenvolvimento de novos produtos em uma empresa de autopeças pode contribuir a geração de valor na empresa. A pesquisa é qualitativa, baseada no método de estudo de caso único em profundidade, por meio das observações realizadas junto às áreas comerciais e de desenvolvimento de produtos de uma empresa líder mundial no fornecimento de Sistemas de Distribuição Elétricos – EDS (componentes elétricos automotivos). A coleta de dados feita por entrevista com os executivos e gerentes das áreas estudadas com base na utilização de um questionário semi-estruturado. Os resultados demonstram que em relação à gestão de contratos de novos produtos, a empresa não utiliza de forma estruturada e sistemática conceitos associados à gestão de projetos. Isto faz com que as atividades operacionais não estejam em linha aos seus objetivos estratégicos tais como: a) modelar e preparar relatórios padronizados regulares sobre a evolução dos projetos; b)  estabelecer um processo formal de aprovação ao final de cada estágio de projeto; c) fortalecer o sistema integrado de mudanças do projeto, pois quando não integrada ou tratada adequadamente pode resultar em destruição do valor da empresa