Correlation of magnetic susceptibility with 18O data in magnetite- and ilmenite-type granites from Iberian massif

The relationship between oxygen isotopic values and magnetic susceptibility composition on 11 Variscan Portuguese granites has been investigated. Whole-rock oxygen-isotope (18O ) values for Vieira do Minho (VM), Vila Pouca de Aguiar (VPA), Chaves, Castelo Branco (CB), Manteigas and Serra da Estrela (SE) granitoids, were compilated from bibliography [1,2,3,4], and 18O for Santa Eulalia Plutonic Complex (SEPC) were obtained by laser fluorination at the Stable Isotopic Laboratory of Salamanca. Magnetic susceptibility (Km) values were obtained with a Kappabridge equipment from Toulouse University and Geology Centre, Porto University [2,5,6,7,8]. In this study is shown that there is a significant inverse correlation between Km and 18O. Magnetite-type granites (Manteigas granodiorite and SEPC external facies) have Km>10-3 SI and low 18O values ranging from 8.9 to 10.3 0/00 instead those of ilmenite-type (all the other granites) have Km 10-4 SI and are 18O enriched (9.3 to 13.5 0/00). The I-type granites (VM, VPA, Chaves, Manteigas and SEPC external facies) show lower average 18O (10.2 0/00) and higher Km values (100x10-6 SI) than the S-type granites (SE and CB) with 18O = 12.6 0/00 and Km = 65x10-6 SI. Figure 1: Semi-log plot of Km (in Si units) versus 18O. This work has been financially supported by PTDC/CTEGIX/ 099447/2008 (FCT-Portugal, COMPETE/FEDER). [1] Martins et al. (in prep.) [2] Martins et al. (2009) Lithos 111, 142-155. [3] Antunes et al. (2008) Lithos 103, 445-465. [4] Neiva et al. (2009) Lithos 111, 186-202. [5] Sant’Ovaia et al. (2010) JSG 32, 1450-1465. [6] Sant’Ovaia et al. (2000) TRSE, ES 91, 123-127. [7] Sant’Ovaia et al. (2008) 33rd IGC CD. [8] Sant’Ovaia et al. (2011) Min. Mag. 75, 3, 1795

Prisoners' views of CSI's portrayal of forensic identification technologies: a grounded assessment

Drawing on interviews with prison inmates in Portugal, the aim of this paper is to contribute towards a more practical approach and greater sensitivity to the situatedness of the so-called CSI effect by examining the heterogeneous elements involved in the construction of meanings for forensic science and technology. It discusses the ways in which this particular group’s representations of forensic genetics reveal forms of exposure to, but also distancing from, the cultural images circulated by the media. The results indicate that, given that they are in an advantageous position for acquiring knowledge of these issues, this group is relatively skeptical of fictionalized portrayals of DNA technology as infallible and as the most powerful tool that can be used to solve crime. Prison inmates construct a grounded assessment of forensic technologies that derives from the position they occupy in the real world of crime and criminal investigation.I am extremely grateful to Diana Miranda and Filipe Santos for their involvement in the fieldwork for this study and to Manuela Ivone Cunha for her collaboration in producing the report of this study for the General Board of Prison Services (Portugal). I also would like to express my gratitude for the illuminating comments made by Susana Silva on early drafts of this article and to Barbara Prainsack who provided invaluable guidance throughout the research process and shared personal insights from her own studies on prison inmates' perceptions of DNA technology. The research for this article was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science) through a post-doctoral fellowship (SFRH/BPD/34143/2006), the project "Forensic DNA databasing in Portugal: contemporary issues in ethics, practices and policy" (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-009231) and the project "Justice, media and citizenship" (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007554)

Biologising paternity, moralising maternity: the construction of parenthood in the determination of paternity through the courts in Portugal

This article explores how the Portuguese legal system’s efforts to determine paternity of children born outside legal marriage, automatically initiated by the Registry Office when a birth registration does not indicate the father, reveal cultural models which reinforce the naturalisation of the differences between mothers and fathers, with significant effects on the social construction of parental roles and on expectations of family organisation and female sexual behaviour. The article relies on ethnographic data drawn from direct observation of court proceedings for the determination of paternity, as well as interviews with judges and prosecuting counsels all over the country. It is argued that judicial practices in the specific context of courtroom investigations of paternity reinforce gender inequalities in two interrelated ways. On the one hand, they are strengthened in the discursive practices performed during the course of the interactions between judges, prosecuting counsels and the mother of the child, as well as the alleged father. On the other hand, the normative model of family life and the dominant ideology of women’s and men’s relationships, which emphasise women’s socially subordinate position, are revealed by the selective use of DNA testing in paternity cases, based on the judge’s evaluation of the mother’s sexual behaviour. The article argues that legal attempts to establish the paternity of children born outside marriage – though based on novel technical and supposedly objective procedures – tend, nevertheless, to reproduce the prevailing patriarchal structures.MEST -Ministry of Education, Science and Technology(undefined

Cidadania polifónica e a (in)justiça para as mulheres

Focando a prática judiciária de investigação de paternidade de crianças em Portugal, este texto aponta alguns dos processos pelos quais os tribunais, actualmente coadjuvados pela biologia forense, têm criado e reproduzido distinções de género que se traduzem numa manifesta desigualdade da parte das mulheres no acesso à justiça. O argumento principal aqui desenvolvido é que no contexto dos tribunais a cidadania das mulheres assume distintas polifonias, ancoradas em diferentes posições de classe, situações laborais e económicas e comportamentos sexuais e procriativos. Concluiu-se que esta prática judicial reflecte o carácter discriminatório das políticas sexuais do Estado, projectando uma política de reprodução dirigida às mulheres, que acentua as interrelações entre cidadania e género.Focusing the judiciary practices related to paternity suits in Portugal, this article points out some processes by which the courts along with forensic biology, have been creating and reproducing gender distinctions that cause inequality differences on acceding to justice, mainly on what concerns women. It is suggested that the juridical system reinforces the distinct polyphonies of women’s citizenship, grounded on different class positions, labour and economic situations, and also sexual and procreative behaviours. As a conclusion, it can be said that this specific judicial practice reflects the discriminatory condition of the sexual politics carried out by the State, contriving a reproduction politics aimed at women that strengths the articulations between citizenship and gender.La pratique judiciaire de la détermination de la paternité des enfants en Portugal est l’objet de cet article, qui essaye d’examiner la façon dont les tribunaux avec la biologie légale, reproduit et réaffirme des différences de genre, tout en renforçant le plus difficile accès à la justice pour les femmes. Le principal argument ici sustenté c’es le de que dans les tribunaux la citoyenneté des femmes assume des distinctes polyphonies, établies sur différentes positions de classe, situations économiques et de travail et comportements sexuelles et procréatives. On conclue que cette practice judiciaire reflet le caractère discriminatoire des les politiques sexuelles de l’État, pour la projection d’une politique de reproduction vers les femmes que renforce les articulations entre citoyenneté et genre.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia

Uses and representations of science and ICT in courts – interactions, mediations and ambivalences

This presentation analyzes the transformations at the level of the daily judiciary practices caused by what has become known as scientific proof (by focusing the particular case of DNA typing) and by the use of the new information and communication technology (ICT), such as the use of personal computers’ tools, hence at the magistrates dispose, such as word processor, e-mail and internet and changes on trial’s social interactions, namely by the use of video conferencing during trials. Another relevant aspect of the presence of the ICTs under study is the perceptions about the possible impacts on citizen’s rights raised by the creation of information systems containing personal data (namely genetic information) used for justice administration purposes.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Good girls get paternity typing, bad girls don’t: an analysis of gendered uses of genetic tests in a judicial context

In this seminar I will present some of the main findings that I achieved through a case study of the Portuguese courts’ use of blood tests and DNA profiling to determine the paternity of any child in the course of paternity suits. The main aim is to show how paternity investigation is a mean of controling women's sexual and procreative behaviour.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT); Departamento de Sociologia da Universidade de York, Reino Unid

Design & Cinema: an analysis of the graphic language as a narrative strategy in Hollywood's contemporary films

Graphic design elements have always been part of cinema’s hybrid language, as a material of expression manifested through the visual channel, together with the cinematographic image. This graphic language is present throughout an entire filmic narrative in the form of verbal, pictorial and schematic elements applied to extra-diegetic titles and animations, as well as intra-diegetic printed or handmade graphic props, which together form a movie’s graphic identity and aid in conveying meaning to the narrative. The objective of this research is to investigate the intentional and strategic use of the graphic language in movies – also referred to as graphic configurations – as decisive or secondary elements in unfolding a narrative, contextualised into Hollywood’s contemporary cinema. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, the research develops into historical and theoretical investigations, drawing constant parallels between cinema’s and design’s fields of study, which leads to the proposal of a system for analysing a movie’s graphic strategy, by systematically recording the appearance of graphic configurations in movies and interpreting their meaning based on a set of categories and rules. This system is verified through the application to four detailed case studies, which together with the other findings present in the research, culminate in ten major conventions or guidelines for the further use of graphic configurations in the construction of any narrative film. The major conclusions also include the identification of the three main functions and levels of representation acquired by the graphic language in movies

Criminal genomic pragmatism: prisoners’ representations of DNA technology and biosecurity

Background. Within the context of the use of DNA technology in crime investigation, biosecurity is perceived by different stakeholders according to their particular rationalities and interests. Very little is known about prisoners’ perceptions and assessments of the uses of DNA technology in solving crime. Aim. To propose a conceptual model that serves to analyse and interpret prisoners’ representations of DNA technology and biosecurity. Methods. A qualitative study using an interpretative approach based on 31 semi-structured tape-recorded interviews was carried out between May and September 2009, involving male inmates in three prisons located in the north of Portugal. The content analysis focused on the following topics: the meanings attributed to DNA and assessments of the risks and benefits of the uses of DNA technology and databasing in forensic applications. Results. DNA was described as a record of identity, an exceptional material, and a powerful biometric identifier. The interviewees believed that DNA can be planted to incriminate suspects. Convicted offenders argued for the need to extend the criteria for the inclusion of DNA profiles in forensic databases and to restrict the removal of profiles. Conclusions. The conceptual model entitled criminal genomic pragmatism allows for an understanding of the views of prison inmates regarding DNA technology and biosecurity.The authors would like to thank the Foundation for Science and Technology (Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science) for financing this research through a postdoctoral fellowship (SFRH/BPD/34143/2006) and the "Forensic DNA databasing in Portugal: Contemporary issues in ethics, practices and policy" project (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-009231). They are grateful for the insightful and helpful comments of Barbara Prainsack and Manuela Cunha, who provided valuable feedback and guidance throughout the research and in the interpretation of some of the data. They would also like to thank the General Board of Prison Services (Portugal) for their support and Diana Miranda and Filipe Santos for their collaboration in the field work

The diagnosis of infertility: patients’ classification processes and feelings

This paper is about patients’ accounts of the processes through which a medical diagnosis of infertility is made, in particular of the medico-technical procedures and practices of the definition of, and clinical intervention in, the ‘fertility problem’. It uses data drawn from interviews with couples who were medically diagnosed with infertility and had achieved a non medically assisted conception after at least one IVF treatment. By examining the place of the physician’s expertise in helping lay people make sense of the diagnosis of infertility, we aim to understand the heterogeneities and complexities that shape the relationships between infertility patients’ agency and feelings, medical knowledge production and the design of technical practices. Linking phenomenological and constructivist approaches, we suggest that these connections often take singular and uncertain forms that challenge traditional notions of passive subjects being objectivised in order to be medically known. We explore some of the processes involved in patients’ translation of the medical diagnosis of infertility and of the expert’s authority, to argue that this phenomenon is constructed within existing social relations, in particular gender relations, and that fertility investigation technologies are re-invented within everyday contexts.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Issues on methods of identification in court ordered paternity testing : the case of Portugal

Special issue of Journal of Forensic Research "Forensic Medicine"Official technical and scientific recommendations on standard procedures and quality control in the field of testing of paternity do not cover issues relating to methods of subjects’ identification in the processing of paternity investigations that are compulsory for the individuals – parental testing ordered by courts. The aim of this paper is to explore the main issues posed to forensic laboratories when collecting samples for court ordered paternity investigation and therefore contribute to the ongoing debate on social and ethical implications of parental testing and open up new dimensions of this practice. The data was collected from a qualitative study carried out in forensic laboratories in Portugal, based on interviews conducted with forensic experts. The methods for identifying individuals during sample collection are unspecified and heterogeneous and raise several concerns that need to be addressed by common recommendations and an ethically informed code of conduct. Our results indicate that it is needed to start an interdisciplinary discussion about subjects’ identification in that context. These practices demand a more effective coordination between courts of law and forensic laboratories and national guidelines for good practices in the case of paternity testing in judicial proceedings