A adesão do paciente à terapia antirretroviral é essencial para alcançar os objetivos do tratamento. A taxa de adesão do conjunto de pacientes de um serviço pode ser compreendida como medida proxy da qualidade dos serviços. Realizou-se uma pesquisa avaliativa de caráter qualitativo sobre a aplicabilidade do Questionário Qualiaids de Monitoramento da Adesão ao Tratamento Antirretroviral (WebAd-Q) para uso rotineiro nos serviços. Duas dimensões orientaram o delineamento do estudo: Dimensão de Utilização - que se refere à experiência dos profissionais de utilização do WebAd-Q no ambiente de pesquisa; e Dimensão de Utilidade - que se refere à opinião dos profissionais sobre a importância de conhecer a adesão do conjunto de pacientes e a potencialidade do WebAd-Q para auxiliar a gestão dos serviços. Participaram sete serviços: quatro foram classificados como Serviço de Atenção Especializada (SAE); dois são ambulatórios inseridos em grandes hospitais; e o último é um ambulatório que funciona em Unidade Básica de Saúde (UBS). Foram entrevistados 22 profissionais que atuam na assistência, além dos sete gerentes dos serviços. Foi utilizado um roteiro de entrevista semiestruturado; as entrevistas foram gravadas em áudio, transcritas na íntegra e submetidas à análise temática de conteúdo. Os serviços apresentam diferenças de porte, estrutura e modalidades assistenciais oferecidas, mas são semelhantes na composição das equipes, na organização do trabalho e no modo de gerenciamento. Para os profissionais, a (não) adesão é um problema complexo, multideterminado e de difícil compreensão, cuja solução, muitas vezes, está além das suas possibilidades de intervenção. O WebAd-Q foi avaliado como um questionário simples, simpático, objetivo e de fácil compreensão e manuseio para profissionais e usuários. Além disso, não apresenta dificuldades operacionais para sua implantação. Alguns atributos bastante valorizados são: poder ser respondido anonimamente, combinar linguagens de vídeo e áudio, e ser compreendido por pessoas de todos os níveis de escolaridade. Quanto à utilidade, entendem que sua aplicação pode produzir efeitos importantes: efeito de constatação daquilo que todos sabem e reconhecem como desafio: a insuficiente adesão dos pacientes à terapia antirretroviral; efeito de avaliação da qualidade, pois os profissionais compreendem as medidas de adesão do conjunto de pacientes como um indicador de desempenho do serviço e da importância do monitoramento para melhorar a assistência; efeito demonstrativo, que explicita a necessidade de intervenções mais estruturais que tenham como alvo uma reconceituação dos serviços; e efeito de valorização, referente ao sentimento de \"sentir-se valorizado\" relatado pelos pacientes. Os profissionais se mostraram entusiasmados com as potencialidades do questionário; contudo, não apresentaram proposições tecnológicas e organizacionais concretas para sua utilização, o que pode significar que a plena potencialidade do WebAd-Q como insumo gerencial só será alcançada com o aprimoramento do gerenciamento / Patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy is essential to meet the treatment goals. Adherence rates of a group of patients in a certain service might be considered a measure of quality proxy. A qualitative research study was carried out to assess the feasibility of the Qualiaids Adherence Monitoring Questionnaire in antiretroviral therapy - WebAd-Q as a daily routine. Two dimensions guided the study design: the Application Dimension - about the staff\'s experience in the application of webAD-Q within the research environment; and the and Usefulness Dimension - focusing on the staff\'s opinion on the significance to know the patients\' adherence and the webAD-Q\'s potential to assist them in managing their services. Seven types of service participated in this study. Four of them were ranked as Specialized Care Service (SCS). There were also two clinics located in big hospitals and one clinic which was part of a Basic Health Care Unit (BHU). 22 healh care providers were interviewed, as well as the seven managers of the facilities abovementioned. A semi-structured interview guide was used. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and their content was analyzed. The services differ among themselves in size, structure and type of assistance. On the other hand, they are similar in team composition and how they are managed. For the health care providers, (non) adherence is a complex problem, caused by multiple factors, and difficult to understand. The solution is often beyond their means of intervention. The WebAd-Q was assessed as simple, friendly, straight-to-the-point questionnaire, easy to understand and handle, both by providers and users. Also, its application was did not have any operational difficulties. Some of the questionnaire\'s most valued attributes include allowing for anonymous responses, providing video and audio, and being understood by people of all educational levels. The participants also understand that its application eventually results in substantial effects: the effect of finding out something widely known and recognized as a challenge: the insufficient adherence rates of patients to antiretroviral therapy; the effect of assessing quality, because health care providers understand adherence measures of groups of patients as an indicator of service performance and of the importance of monitoring to improve health care procedures; the effect of demonstration, as it shows the need for more structural interventions aiming at a revision of what their services mean; and the effect of valuation, meant as the feeling of \"feeling valued\", as reported by the patients.The healthcare providers showed enthusiasm with the Questionnaire\'s potential. However, they did not proposed concrete technological and organizational plans for its use. That might mean that the WebAd-Q as a management tool will only reach its full potential if management procedures are improved

Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) is a promising source of energy for the future. However, it is still under development and many challenges need to be overcome to develop competitive solutions. While the design of the station keeping system of traditional offshore oil and gas structures is driven mainly by their low frequency motions, MRE devices are installed at nearshore locations and move dynamically. Because of these criteria, MRE mooring systems require novel mooring systems and associated standards. MRE mooring standards need to take into account the highly dynamic behaviour of these systems, which can lead to large mooring loads. The nature of these loads needs to be investigated to improve the confidence in mooring design and to improve cost-effectiveness. The aim of this thesis is to develop the understanding of peak mooring loads on highly dynamic mooring systems, in particular, the environmental conditions associated with the loads. In addition, preliminary research into the response of the mooring systems to environmental conditions is presented. Both field tests and tank tests have been conducted. Field tests give insight into the behaviour of a dynamic mooring system in real sea conditions. Measuring the mooring loads and the environmental conditions - wave, and current if available – for several months, a methodology has been developed to detect peak mooring loads and identify the associated environmental conditions in order to compare them with the environmental conditions recorded throughout the field tests. The principal finding is that peak mooring loads occur for sea states with large but not always the highest significant wave height HS. The understanding of the effect of tidal conditions on peak mooring loads requires further work. A tank test of a dynamic mooring system in moderate sea states has been conducted to observe the dynamic behaviour of the mooring system. Tank tests enable detailed observations of the dynamic behaviour of a system in a well controlled environment and allow the calibration of a numerical model. The model can be used to investigate separate physical parameters. The results from this thesis will assist in the development of specific standards for MRE mooring systems. These standards are essential for the evolution of the MRE industry.

NTRODUÇÃO: Embora haja cada vez mais provas de que a co-infecção pelo HCV piora a evolução da hepatotoxicidade relacionada ao HIV, as influências dos diferentes fatores associados a este permanecem mal compreendidas. Este estudo está destinado a avaliar os dados epidemiológicos, laboratoriais e HAART e sua associação com a evolução da taxa de progressão da fibrose (FPR), em doentes co-infectados acompanhados em centros de referência para o tratamento de HIV/VHC na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil. MÉTODOS: 938 prontuários de patientes coinfectados foram revisados para este estudo e 102 preencheram os critérios de inclusão. Um estudo transversal, avaliando os aspectos sócioepidemiológicos, laboratoriais e biópsia hepática foi realizado e correlacionado o grau de fibrose hepática e a FPR encontrada. RESULTADOS: A população foi caracterizada por indivíduos homens (83,3%), de meia-idade (42,9 anos), brancos (53,9%), com o principal fator de risco de aquisição de ambas as infecções foi através da utilização de drogas ilícitas (72,5%), principalmente intravenosa e presença de consumo de álcool (75,5%), com predominância do genótipo 1 de HCV (56,9%) e tempo médio de uso de antirretrovirals de 7,9 anos (DP = 3,6 a). A avaliação histológica não mostrou qualquer relação entre maior grau de fibrose na biópsia hepática relacionados com a exposição da antirretrovirals ou mesmo na FPR. Abuso de drogas ilícitas, incluindo cocaína inalada e intravenosa relacionam-se com taxas mais elevadas fibrose hepática e FPR. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados enfatizam a necessidade de incentivar a retirada do consumo de drogas ilícitas da população de pacientes coinfectados HIV/VHC em uso de qualquer regime antirretroviral. O nosso estudo não encontrou nenhuma relação entre a utilização de regimes baseados em IP ou NNRTI e um pior prognóstico da fibrose hepática ou FPR na população avaliada. / BACKGROUND: Although there\'s growing evidence that the co-infection with HCV worsens the evolution of the HIV-related hepatotoxicity, the influence of the different factors associated to this remains poorly understood.This study intended to evaluate the epidemiological, laboratorial and HAART associated to the evolution of the fibrose progression rate (FPR) in co-infected patients followed in reference centers for the treatment of HIV/HCV in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: 938 medical charts of co-infected patientes were reviewed for this study.and 102 fullfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria to participate. A cross-sectional study evaluating socio-epidemiological aspects, laboratorial assesment and liver biopsy was performed and correlated with the fibrosis rate and the fibrosis progression rate (FPR). RESULTS: The population was characterized by male (83,3%), middle-age (42,9 years), white (53,9%) individuals, with a main risk factor of adquisition of both the infections trough illicit drugs-use (72,5%), mainly intravenous and alcohol consumption (75,5%), with predominance of HCV genotype 1 (56,9%) with a medium time of use of antiretrovirals of 7,9 years (SD=3,6 y). Histologic evaluation showed no relation between higher fibrosis degree in the liver biopsy related to the exposure of the antiretrovirals or even in the fibrosis progression rate (FPR). Illicit drugs abuse, including inaled and intravenous cocaine , were related to higher liver fibrosis rates and FPR. CONCLUSION: Our results emphasize the necessity of encourage the withdraw of ilicit drugs consumption in the HIV/HCV co-infected population in use of any antiretroviral regimen. Our study does no find any relation between the use of IP or NNRTI-based regimens and the poor prognosis of the liver fibrosis in this population.

This study examined the degree of perceived teacher self-efficacy between early childhood preservice teachers and elementary education pre-service teachers. There were 88 participants: 44 elementary education pre-service teachers and 40 early childhood pre-service teachers. Participants were mostly white, female pre-service teachers enrolled at East Tennessee State University. Using Bandura's 30-item "Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale" pre-service teachers rated their perceived self-efficacy on 7 subscales: decision-making, influence on school resources, instructional efficacy, disciplinary efficacy, enlisting parent involvement, enlisting community involvement, and creating a positive school climate. Significant differences were found between groups for 3 of the 7 subscales. Early childhood education pre-service teachers reflected higher levels of efficacy in influencing decision making, t(86)=3.36, p<.001; enlisting parental involvement, t(86)= 2.14, p < .05; and creating a positive school climate, t(86) = 3.01, p < .01. No significant differences between groups were found in overall perceived teacher self-efficacy, t(86)=1.44, n.s.

Hydrogen fuel is one of the most important areas of research in the field of renewable energy development and production. Hydrogen gas can be generated by fuel cells, water electrolyzers, and heterogeneous nanoscale catalysts. It can be burned to directly release chemical energy or condensed for storage and transport, providing fuel for combustion devices or storing excess energy generated by renewable sources such as wind turbines and concentrated solar power assemblies. While platinum is the most active catalyst for hydrogen reduction, its high cost significantly deters its utilization in advanced photocatalytic materials. One approach to mitigating this expense is optimizing the morphology and placement of nanostructured platinum catalysts. Highly crystalline, morphologically-controlled platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) have been effectively utilized to increase hydrogen generation efficiency in a variety of nanocomposite materials. However, synthesis routes to high-quality Pt NPs can be dangerous and difficult to replicate. Furthermore, utilization of the Pt NPs in nanocomposite materials is hindered by lack of control over catalyst placement. Nanopeapods are versatile nanocomposites that offer a high degree of control over catalyst placement as well as the potential for interesting new properties arising from the interaction between the catalyst and a semiconductor. Platinum@hexaniobate nanopeapods (Pt@HNB NPPs) consist of linear arrays of Pt NPs encapsulated within the scrolled semiconductor hexaniobate. Pt@HNB NPPs offer significant advantages over similar composites by utilizing the isolated reduction environment of the encapsulated Pt NP arrays to decrease kinetic competition and surface crowding. This work describes the design, fabrication, and implementation of the new nanocomposite platinum@hexaniobate nanopeapods for sensitized hydrogen production under visible light irradiation. The following chapters present facile microwave heating syntheses of highly crystalline Pt nanocubes and Pt@HNB NPPs with consistent morphology and high catalyst loading. A detailed study is also presented of the optical properties of the Pt nanocubes, which produced a UV-range absorbance band that indicates the formation of a localized surface plasmon resonance. Most significantly, preliminary results from visible light photolysis indicate that sensitized Pt@HNB NPPs produce hydrogen in quantities comparable to published systems, and that alteration of experimental parameters may result in even greater yields.

In the thesis "Comprehensive approach of emergency medical services provider to a highly-contagious patient transportation" we concentrated on nursing care and aspects of transportation administered by operating paramedics, all in cases that public health authorities suspect to be related to a highly - contagious disease and transportation in isolated transportation vehicle is mandated. The theoretical part of the thesis defines the key concepts of highly - contagious disease, it describes individual causal agents of contagious diseases and their ways of transmission to humans. For description of contagious diseases were chosen those with high morbidity, lethality and interpersonal transmission. We mention the danger of biological agents misuse, ways of protection against contagious diseases and types of decontamination procedures. We describe different means of personal protection used by biohazard team members and even environmental factors affecting the work of paramedics using personal protective agents. Further on, we bring to attention legal aspects and inner policies related to aforementioned issues including analysis of procedure logistics of emergency services teams dealing with emergencies with suspicion of highly - contagious disease. Research in practical part of the thesis concentrates on aims related to optimizing nursing care for patients suspected of suffering from a highly - contagious disease, when securing them in the transportation vehicle, furthermore, we examine the impact of personal protective agents used by paramedics when transporting the patient, and we also analyze environmental factors inside the ambulance vehicle and isolated personal transportation vehicle. All of these aims were researched with the help of planned experiments and the resulting findings are based on the outcomes of these experiments.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Sociology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014. / This study investigated the challenges to antiretroviral therapy adherence. Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were applied in the study. Purposive sampling was used to select clients on antiretroviral therapy, convenience sampling was applied to select clients who participated in the focus group discussions and health care workers and lay counsellors were selected through the simple random sampling method. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 clients on antiretroviral therapy at 8 health facilities, 2 focus group discussions comprising of 7 members each were conducted at two health facilities, medical records of all respondents on antiretroviral therapy were reviewed and a stigma scale was administered. A questionnaire was distributed amongst 17 health care workers and lay counsellors. Most of the respondents who participated in this study were females. Data gathered in this study confirmed that women are more vulnerable to HIV than men. The majority of the respondents were poor African people. The predominant language amongst the respondents was the Xitsonga language; hence the world-view of the Va-Tsonga people was assessed. HIV and AIDS cause many social problems in communities. Some of the major findings are that: Literacy levels were found to be very low as most of the respondents pointed out that they had only obtained grade 7 or below. However, this did not have an impact on treatment adherence. Some respondents indicated that they were unemployed; the majority said they were employed. Even though the stigma and discrimination experienced by the respondents was very low, the few who experienced it had very traumatic and cruel experiences perpetrated by their own family members and people in the community. In terms of disclosure, data indicates that most people prefer disclosing to their mothers as they feel that they will get support. The majority of the respondents disclosed to female family members and they were supported by the people they disclosed to. viii Social support is very crucial for people who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), most of the respondents indicated that they had treatment supporters. Institutional support was very minimal in that most pointed out that they did not belong to any support groups. There were some who did not even know about the existence of any support groups at the health facilities where they were receiving their treatment. Most of the respondents indicated that they disclosed to their colleagues and others had not as they feared that they would lose their jobs. Those who had disclosed indicated that they needed support from their colleagues and employers with regard to compliance with their clinic appointments. Most of the respondents had sexual partners, and had also disclosed to their sexual partners, and disclosure was almost immediately after being diagnosed HIVpositive. There are those who had not disclosed to their sexual partners as they feared rejection or violent reaction. There were sero-discordant couples amongst the respondents who supported each other regarding adherence. Most of the respondents indicated that they had taken care of a family member living with HIV. HIV prevalence also varies amongst health facilities. Strategies employed by health facilities to monitor and evaluate HIV and AIDS programmes differ. Health Care Workers and lay counsellors provided contrasting information. Primary Health Care facilities have been accredited to provide ART, however the down-referral system seems to be failing as some clinics now have more clients on ART than hospitals. Health Care Workers and counsellors also need to be familiarized with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The level of adherence acceptable for an individual on ART is 95%; there is however health facilities that indicated the adherence level far below the required level.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Background: The introduction of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) has shown a tremendous reduction in HIV-related mortality and morbidity in people living with HIV / AIDS. Adherence to ART is the key to a successful treatment outcome. This study investigates the adherence of people living with HIV who are on ART. Since high levels of adherence of more than 95% are required to achieve effective suppression of the viral load, the researcher finds it very important to establish whether the people are pursuing what is expected of them. While the use of ART has brought much excitement and hope to both patients and medical practitioners in the world, it has also brought many new questions and challenges, including adherence issues. Adherence is, therefore, essential to achieve the success of ART. Aim: The main objective was to determine which factors influence adherence to ART among HIV and AIDS patients. Methods: This study utilised a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design that was conducted at the Kwa-Thema Clinic, Ekurhuleni District, Gauteng Province. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions where a total of 290 respondents were interviewed. Data was analysed using SPSS software version 22 and the analysed data was presented by means of charts, graphs, and frequency tables. Results: The findings indicated that the adherence to ART at the Kwa-Thema Clinic was 77%. Factors that were significantly associated with adherence were gender ((χ2 = 3.78, df = 1, p < 0.05).), level of education ((χ2 = 3.52, df = 3, p = 0.032), co-treatment of HIV and other infections (χ2 = 5.46, df = 4, p = 0.019).), ability to follow ART ((χ2 = 12.82, df = 1, p = 0.000 < 0.05), and types of ARV drugs. Recommendation: To enhance ART adherence the study recommends intensification of health education campaign against stigma and gender discrimination. Providing feedback to the patients by the healthcare providers regarding the benefits of ART is important. ix Conclusion: It was concluded that the adherence to ART at the Kwa-Thema Clinic was sub-optimal (less than 95%) at 77% but comparable to the adherence levels in other developing countries.

Apesar dos avanços nas últimas décadas no tratamento do paciente soropositivo para o HIV e da recomendação de 2015 da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS), ainda permanece o obstáculo das Mutações de Resistência a Drogas (DRMs) do vírus, induzida por suas altas taxas de mutação, que pode prejudicar o sucesso da terapia e comprometer a prevenção da doença, limitando as opções de tratamento disponíveis. Vários estudos em diferentes partes do mundo têm demonstrado aumento ou taxas estáveis de resistência aos antirretrovirais (ARVs), por isso, é necessário o monitoramento dessas DRMs, que terão suas particularidades de acordo com o perfil de cada região. Com esse propósito, este estudo avaliou as DRMs e sua suscetibilidade às principais classes de ARVs nos pacientes soropositivos para o HIV do Hospital das Clinicas da cidade de São Paulo. Para os pacientes nunca expostos ao tratamento ARV, a prevalência de DRMs transmitidas das 249 genotipagens analisadas foi de 21 (8,4%) e a prevalência de DRMs adquiridas foi de 75 (68,8%) dos 109 casos expostos ao ARV. Além disso, na comparação dessa prevalência entre as duas décadas de abrangência deste estudo (2002-2017), houve aumento de qualquer mutação CPR (Calibração de Resistência Populacional), transmitida, da primeira para a segunda década, principalmente da classe NNRTI (Inibidores Não Nucleosídios da Transcriptase Reversa). Também é importante destacar que as mutações transmitidas responsáveis por esse aumento foram a K103N (3,5%), a P225H (0,6%) e K103S e Y181C, ambos com 0,3%. Já para o grupo dos pacientes em uso das medicações ARVs, houve uma pequena diminuição, não significativa, de qualquer mutação da primeira para a segunda década, porém, somente da classe IP (Inibidores da Protease), isoladamente, que foi significativo essa diminuição / Despite the progress in recent decades of HIV patient treatment and the 2015 Recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), it still remains an obstacle, the virus Drug Resistance Mutations (DRMs) induced by their high mutation rates, which may affect the success of the therapy and compromise the prevention of the disease, limiting treatment options available. Many studies in different parts of the world demonstrate an increase or even steady rates of resistance to antiretroviral (arv) drugs, therefore, it´s necessary to monitor these DRMs, which will have their own peculiarities according to each region. For this purpose, this study evaluated the DRMs and their susceptibility to the main classes of antiretrovirus present in the HIV patients at the Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo. To patients never exposed to antiretrovirus treatment, the prevalence of transmitted DRMs was 21 (8.4%) of 249 genotypes analysed and the prevalence of acquired DRMs was 75 (68.8%) of 109 cases exposed to arv. In adittion to it, the comparison of this prevalence in almost two decades of study (2002-2017), shows an increase of any mutation CPR (Calibrated Population Resistance) transmitted from the first to the second decade mainly of NNRTI (Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors) class. Alongside this, it´s important to note that the transmitted mutations responsible to this increase were K103N (3.5%), P225H (0.6%) and K103S and Y181C, both with 0.3%. Considering the group of pacients in use of arv drugs, there were found a non-significant small decrease of any mutation from the first decade to the second, although only IP (Protease Inhibitors) class showed a significant decrease

Dans une démarche pluridisciplinaire, qui emprunte aussi bien aux sciences humaines et sociales (archéologie, histoire des techniques, réexamen des textes anciens) qu’aux sciences chimiques (science des matériaux, métallurgie expérimentale, chimie analytique), cette recherche vise à reconstituer l’évolution des techniques de fonte à la cire perdue, depuis les plus anciens témoignages de son utilisation à Mehrgarh (Pakistan, 5e millénaire av. J.-C.) jusqu’aux premières grandes statues de bronze dans le monde égéen (fin du VIe, début du Ve s. av. J.-C.).L’étude des objets a parfois nécessité des développements analytiques spécifiques pour pallier à leur très forte altération, comme par exemple l’imagerie de photoluminescence synchrotron. Cela a notamment permis de reconstituer en détail la chaîne opératoire de fabrication de la rouelle de Mehrgarh, l’une des plus anciennes fontes à la cire perdue connue à ce jour. Sur la base de ces résultats, il est suggéré que la fonte à la cire perdue pourrait avoir été inventée pour donner la possibilité aux individus non métallurgistes de créer des objets importants en métal tels que ces amulettes, par le biais du façonnage d’un modèle en cire.Nous montrons que la cire perdue a ensuite été mise à profit pour donner naissance à une nouvelle forme de sculpture, la statuaire de métal. Au prix de parois très épaisses et d’assemblages mécaniques, nous mettons en évidence une première période de production de grandes statues en Mésopotamie pendant la deuxième moitié du 3e millénaire av. J.-C. Après un long hiatus, la grande statuaire métallique renaît de façon spectaculaire pendant la première moitié du 1er millénaire av. J. C., à la fois dans les mondes égyptien, sabéen et égéen. Nous identifions deux innovations importantes responsables de cette renaissance : le procédé indirect et l’assemblage soudé.Des essais de coulabilité effectués en faisant varier la composition de l’alliage et le matériau du moule sont présentés dans la dernière partie de notre travail. En moule de plâtre et avec un fort préchauffage, une coulabilité exceptionnelle a été obtenue pour le bronze à fort taux de plomb, donnant pour la première fois une idée des conditions de coulée nécessaires à l’obtention des parois très minces souvent observées sur les grandes statues antiques. / Following a multidisciplinary approach combining social sciences (archaeology, history of techniques, examination of ancient texts) and chemistry (materials science, experimental metallurgy, analytical chemistry), our research aims to reconstruct the evolution of lost-wax casting techniques, from the earliest evidence of its use in Mehrgarh (Pakistan, 5th millennium BC) to the first large bronze statues in the Aegean (end of the 6th, beginning of the 5th century BC).The archaeological artefacts under study have sometimes required specific analytical developments to overcome their very strong alteration, such as synchrotron photoluminescence imaging. This allowed reconstructing in detail the chaîne opératoire of the Mehrgarh wheel-shaped amulet, one of the oldest lost-wax castings known to date. Based on the results thus obtained, it has been suggested that lost-wax casting might have been invented to give non-metalworkers the opportunity to create important metal objects such as amulets by simply shaping a wax model.We show that lost-wax casting was afterwards used to create a new form of sculpture, namely metal statuary. At the cost of very thick metal walls and mechanical assemblies, this led to an early production step of large statues in Mesopotamia during the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. After a long hiatus, large metal statuary reappeared spectacularly during the first half of the 1st millennium BC, both in the Egyptian, the Sabean and the Aegean areas. We were able to identify two important innovations responsible for this renaissance: the indirect process and the flow fusion welding.Castability tests carried out by varying the composition of the alloy and the material of the mould are presented in the last part of our work. An exceptional castability was obtained for highly-leaded bronze in plaster mould and with a high preheating. For the first time some insights are thus drawn on the casting conditions necessary to obtain the very thin walls often observed on large metal statues during the Classical Antiquity.