Absorção sonora de retábulo em talha barroca

The use of woodcarving in very large surfaces within Catholic churches was very usual in the 17th and 18th century not only in Portugal and Spain but also in Southern America, and in other European Catholic countries. In Portugal, the town of Porto was even well known for its informal school of woodcarving masters. This paper presents the results for sound absorption coefficients regarding a typical early 18th century baroque woodcarving church piece. A large chestnut-tree wood altarpiece (about 21 m2) from the Portuguese church of the Monastery of the Saint John the Evangelist of Vilar de Frades (near the northern town of Barcelos) was tested. Tha

Acoustic characterization of acoustic vases in the synagogue of Tomar, Portugal

This work presents the in situ characterization of the acoustic effect of eight resonant vases, embedded in the walls of the 15th century Synagogue of Tomar (Portugal). The measurement of Reverberation Time (RT) with and without the occlusion of the acoustic vases (achieved by lids of black cork agglomerate coated on the outside with aluminum sheet) showed a very small effectiveness. In global average terms (all frequencies, all points' average), the room's RT changed from 4.89 s (closed vases) to 4.80 s (open vases) in an empty room (overall reduction of 1.4%). Per 1/3 octave frequency band, a small reduction in the reverberation time values was found in almost all frequency bands (except 160, 500, 1250, 2000, 3150 and 5000 Hz). The biggest RT reductions were in the 125 and 250 Hz bands (about 0.5 s or 9%). The acoustic resonance frequency in those cavity resonators was found between 100 and 200 Hz

some remarks on the experiences of health researchers from Mozambique and Angola

This paper analyzes capacity building in practice, addressing the expectations, imaginaries and experiences of health researchers from Mozambique and Angola. The empirical data stems from the Erasmus+ funded project "University Development and Innovation - Africa (UDI-A)", a consortium established between European and African institutions to promote the mobility and empowerment of African academics, the establishment of North/South research partnerships and the strengthening of African institutions. Through qualitative research methods - semi-structured interviews and a focus group with African participants, and participant observation - this article analyzes the experiences of African academics working in the health field, their perceptions of capacity building and aspirations during their stay in Portugal in 2018. By addressing some of their concerns and achievements, this paper reflects on the performativity of capacity building methodologies, exploring a wide range of issues that emerge within the framework of North/South partnerships, inquiring whether it would be possible to decolonize capacity-building methodologies.publishersversionpublishe

Natural vegetal fibbers as a new resilient layer for floating floors

This paper presents a new use for a product made with low cost natural fibbers from vegetal by-products (coconuts coir) to be used as a resilient layer for floating floors to increase impact sound insulation. The acoustic behaviour was characterized by in situ measurements using concrete floors in accordance with standards EN 140-7 and 717-2. The use of this material in floating floors showed in laboratorial measurements a weighted impact sound improvement index (DLw) of 18 and 22 dB. On site, the improvement of the floating floor regarding the naked structural slab was found to be from 15 to 27 dB. Predictions based on current models were also made for the solution in study. As conclusion, the consequences of real construction applications of this product are commented regarding the reproduction of the now achieved results. Note of some limitations are also given regarding the methodology bias that can be introduced in the final results, particularly when in presence of structures with reduced airborne sound insulation

Clinical Supervision: Priority Strategy to a Better Health

We carried out a study with the aim to relate the implementation of a clinical supervision (CS) model with the supervised nurses’ answers to stress and the coping resources they use. 38 paired questionnaires with the Portuguese versions of the Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale© (MCSS©) and the Brief Personal Survey© (BPS©) were obtained. SPSS© version 18.0 was used to treat data. MCSS© Cronbach's alpha value for the total score was 0,938 and BPS’© was 0,60. Several correlations were found. Our study pointed out that CS can optimize the nurses’ coping resources and help them to answer to stress.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clinical Supervision in Nursing: the (un)Known Phenomenon

To implement a clinical supervision model in nursing, we carry out an exploratory, descriptive and longitudinal study. We aim to publicize the results of its first phase which was focused on the chief nurses’ opinion on the clinical supervision on nursing (CSN) phenomenon. Interviews to all chief nurses (18) were conducted. Content analysis was used to data analysis. Themes and categories were found such as perspectives, relevance, conditions to CSN, among others. Results suggested that chief nurses need to improve their knowledge on CSN. However, it was clear what CSN is not or should not be to some of them.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

From Portugal to Florida, and the Newman award

I was 31 years-old when, in 1991, I left the University of Porto to study architectural acoustics at the University of Florida with Professor Gary W. Siebein. In 1994, I finished my Ph.D., I got the Robert Bradford Newman Award, and my career changed. In fact, that 1994 would be the BIG BANG of my future life. Personally, academically, and scientifically, my Universe blew up and began expanding.What I learned and what I taught in the 17 years after that (and what the architectural acoustics changed in Portugal and Southern Europe) is the subject of this paper

Church acoustics and the influence of occupancy

Speech intelligibility is usually evaluated, by the use of objective parameters, in unoccupiedrooms due to practical considerations. However, under normal conditions, the roomoccupancy can increase or decrease the values of speech intelligibility by the effect of theadditional sound absorption present in the room or by the change in S/N ratio. Measurementswere carried out in six churches with and without occupancy. The results show thatoccupancy induces a mean increase for the speech intelligibility of STI (STIoccupSTIunoccup)of 0.050 with the use of a public address system (PA) and 0.035 without a PA.This increase is caused mainly by the reduction of the room reverberation time, due to theincreased sound absorption and by the reduction of the additional RT induced by the PA(using loudspeakers with strong directivity oriented towards the congregation area). Thevariations in the speech intelligibility values with occupancy can be predicted in churches byemploying new empirical formulations. The decrease in S/N ratio (due to the backgroundsound level augmentation by the presence of people and by sound level decrease with distancein the congregation area), or the poor directivity and orientation of the sound sources, couldreduce the speech intelligibility gain in particular cases. Other effects induced by thecongregation, such as the variations of humidity and temperature, generally have negligibleeffect on speech intelligibility

Acoustical measures in churches: Oporto's Clérigos church, a comprehensive example

This paper summarizes the methodology applied on a research program in Church Acoustics. The acoustical behavior of Catholic churches must be analyzed regarding three domains: quality for speech (intelligibility), quality for music and quality of the sound distribution within the room. To characterize the physical response of each church several objective acoustical measurements (RT, EDT, etc.) are taken at several receiver locations and using two sound source positions (altar and nave) in each room. The quality of music and speech is judged subjectively by a group of listeners that is asked to evaluate live music performances and speech tests. The quality for music perception is judged using a seven-point semantic differential rating scale regarding several subjective parameters (intimacy, envelopment, etc.). The quality for speech perception is also measured objectively using the RASTI with and without the use of the churches' sound reinforcement systems from the altar area and from the elevated lateral pulpits. This paper presents the use of this methodology with the Porto's Clérigos church as a comprehensive example

Quality control and productivity in oak timber - from forest to the primary processing

Oak timber is valuated for its beauty, good mechanical properties and natural durability and may have multiple uses. An understanding of the factors that affect oak timber quality is essential. It is important to have quality control of physical, mechanical and technological wood characteristics in order to define the better primary processing and end-use. Silviculture may significantly impact wood quality and final stand value. Specific prescriptions will depend on species, site conditions, desired end product and management options. An appropriate silviculture with optimized technological operations allows a well use of wood even with small diameters. Adequate wood classification is required in order to optimize industrial processes and improve product quality. Quality criteria and procedures for round and sawtimber are referenced