The ways of the lustre: looking for the tunisian connection

Recent excavations at the Fatimid and Zirid site of Sabra al-Mansuriya near Kairouan (Tunisia) provide the first evidence of lustreware production in medieval Ifriqiya, in the 10th–11th centuries AD. As the Fatimid dynasty moved from Ifriqiya to Egypt to establish its capital in Fustat (Cairo), technological connections with the Egyptian lustreware could be expected. Tunisian lustreware may also be the link in the transmission of the technique towards Muslim Spain. It represents a new piece of the puzzle of understanding the diffusion of lustre technology from the East to the West of the Mediterranean. The composition and microstructure of the bodies and glazes, and the micro- and nano-structure of the lustre layer are compared in a preliminary approach to the technological relationships between Tunisian, Egyptian, and Spanish lustrewares.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Changing distribution patterns of canine vector borne diseases in Italy: leishmaniosis vs. dirofilariosis

Ecological and climatic changes, human and animal population dynamics are among the several factors that have favoured the spread or the (re)introduction and establishment of "novel" vector species and pathogens they transmit in previously disease-free geographical areas. As key examples of the changing pattern of distribution of canine vector borne diseases (CVBDs), the current distribution of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) by Leishmania infantum and dirofilariosis by Dirofilaria immitis causing heart worm disease (HW) in Italy is discussed on the basis of retrospective historical reports until the 90's and later on until 2009. For long time, D. immitis has been considered mainly present along the Po River Valley and northward areas, while L. infantum in south-central Italy and Sicily and Sardinia. Comparison of current available and historical data (up to 1989) confirms that HW and CanL, although with different prevalence rates, have been changing their distribution patterns in Italy as a result of many biological and ecological factors, including those related to vector distribution and introduction of new species (e.g. the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, a competent vector of D. immitis). New autochthonous foci of HW in southern Italy (i.e. Apulia and Calabria regions) have recently been reported

Les braséros tripodes à Mégara Hyblaea : analyses typologiques et archéométriques

Few fire places were discovered in the houses of Megara Hyblaea. On the contrary, tripod braziers were quite numerous and their use in the kitchen seems probable. Their forms are untraditional and two very different types can be distinguished. Petrographic analyses allowed the identification of four main groups of fabrication. The majority of the ceramics studied appears to be imported, possibly from northeastern Sicily and the Aegean

3D Printing Cardiovascular Anatomy: A Single-Centre Experience

This chapter presents the experience of the cardiac engineering team within the Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (London, UK) in using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. 3D models can serve different functions towards implementing a patient-specific approach for studying and potentially treating congenital heart disease (CHD). In order to showcase different potential applications, this chapter discusses not only clinical case studies and engineering experiments but also the potential for translation through patients and public involvement and engagement (PPI/E)

Maximum strength benchmarks for difficult static elements on rings in male elite gymnastics

On rings, in men's artistic gymnastics, the general strength requirements for important static elements remain elusive. Therefore, the aim was to describe the relationship between a new conditioning strength test and a maximum strength test of static elements on rings in order to determine the minimal strength level (benchmarks) required to maintain these elements with one's own body weight. Nineteen elite gymnasts performed a concentric (1RM isoinertial) and eccentric (isokinetic: 0.1 m/s) conditioning strength test for swallow/support scale (supine position) and inverted cross (seated position) on a computer-controlled device and a maximum strength test maintaining these elements for 5 s on rings with counterweight or additional weight. High correlation coefficients were found between the conditioning maximum strength for swallow/support scale (r: 0.65 to 0.92; p 0.05) and the maximum strength of the elements on rings. Strength benchmarks varied between 56.66% (inverted cross concentric) and 94.10% (swallow eccentric) of body weight. Differences in biomechanical characteristics and technical requirements of strength elements on rings may (inter alia) explain the differences between correlations. Benchmarks of conditioning strength may help coaches and athletes systematize the training of strength elements on rings

Catalan Imitations of the Ligurian Taches Noires Ware in Barcelona (18th\u201319th Century): An Example of Technical Knowledge Transfer

The ware called Taches Noires was developed in Albisola (Liguria, NW Italy) during the 18th century. In just a few years, it spread all over the Mediterranean (Italy, France, Spain, Tunisia, and Greece) and also in the New World (Canada, the Caribbean Islands, and Mexico). The success of the Taches Noires ware was so massive that it was soon copied by Spanish and French workshops. A collection of Catalan imitations and Ligurian imports found in Barcelona were analysed and compared to previously existing data from Barcelona productions, as well as reference samples from Albisola. The study proved the presence of both local imitations and original Albisola imports. The analysis showed a homogeneous product of high technical quality for the Albisola pottery. On the contrary, the local imitations presented a greater diversification in the choice and manipulation of the raw materials, probably related to the existence of different workshops engaged in the manufacturing of these products. Nevertheless, for one of the local groups, ceramists adopted a glaze recipe similar to the one used in Albisola, clearly indicating a direct transfer of knowledge, and possibly of potters, from Albisola to Barcelona

Finite Element Analysis to Study Percutaneous Heart Valves

Communications engineering / telecommunication

Transatlantic connections in colonial and post-colonial Haiti: archaeometric evidence for taches noires glazed tableware imported from Albissola, Italy to Fort Liberté, Haiti.

This paper presents the first archaeometrical data on colonial glazed wares (taches noires) imported in Haiti (Fort Liberté). The analysis evidenced the exclusive presence of Italian taches noires products, dated before 1820 and related to the colonial era. The presence of English wares next to colonial materials demonstrated continuity in the use of landscape after the Independence and the establishment of international trade relationships between the state of Haiti and the British Empire. Results are an important step forward in the understanding of production and movement of the Taches noires ware, which were exported globally between the eighteenth and nineteenth centurie