O espaço das igrejas dos conventos das Clarissas da província dos Algarves

Dissertação mest., História da Arte, Universidade do Algarve: 200

Editorial for special issue “Pollutants in Acid Mine Drainage”

[Excerpt] Acid mine drainage (AMD) is among the major environmental concerns related to mining activity and often causes the complete degradation of affected ecosystems during and/or after mine closure [...]This research was funded by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência and Tecnologia through projects UIDB/04683/2020, UIDP/04683/2020, and Nano-MINENV 029259 (PTDC/CTA-AMB/29259/2017)

Landslides risk evaluation: proposal of a methodology

Este trabalho apresenta uma abordagem metodológica simples para a avaliação e cartografia de zonas susceptíveis à ocorrência de movimentos de massa. Assume-se assim como um contributo para o ordenamento do território, nomeadamente, ao nível do planeamento urbanístico e rodoviário, na medida em que gera instrumentos que podem evitar, ou pelo menos minorar, a ocorrência de acidentes com danos materiais e humanos.This work aims to present a simple methodological approach for the assessment and mapping of areas susceptible to the occurrence of landslides. Thus, it represents a contribution to land management, in particular regarding urban and road planning, in that it generates management tools appropriate to avoid or mitigate the occurrence of accidents with material and human damage.(undefined

The integration of the cultural dimension in the management of internacional markets: The Covet case

O presente relatório diz respeito ao estágio curricular, inserido no Mestrado Intercultural Studies for Business do Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto. O estágio foi realizado na empresa Covet Group, na marca Maison Valentina. Após uma contextualização do sector do móvel em Portugal, onde o Covet Group se insere, o relatório descreve a minha experiência enquanto estagiária, através de um relato minucioso sobre a empresa e sobre as suas práticas gerais e de estágio. Este será feito recorrendo a opiniões pessoais, relatos e gráficos. Posteriormente será feita uma argumentação teórica que aborda a dualidade da influência americana e portuguesa na empresa. Dois autores serão referenciados, Hofstede e Trompenaars/ Hampden-Turner cujas teorias se interligam com os temas abordados no presente relatórioThe present report is related to the curriculum internship, conducted within the ambit of the Master’s Programme in Intercultural Studies for Business of the “Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto”. The internship took place in the company “Covet Group”, more specifically in the brand Maison Valentina. After a contextualization of the furniture sector in Portugal, where the Covet Group operates, the report will describe my experience as a trainee, through a detailed report about the company and its general practises. This will be done by using my opinion, figures and graphs. Following this part, there will be a theoretical argumentation, talks about the duality of the American and Portuguese influence. Two authors will be mentioned, Hofstede and Trompenaars/Hampdem-Turner, whose theories connect to the topics mentioned in this report

Occurrence, properties and pollution potential of environmental minerals in acid mine drainage

This paper describes the occurrences, the mineralogical assemblages and the environmental relevance of the AMD-precipitates from the abandoned mine of Valdarcas, Northern Portugal. At this mining site, these precipitates are particularly related with the chemical speciation of iron, which is in according to the abundance of mine wastes enriched in pyrrhotite and pyrite. The more relevant supergene mineralogical assemblages include the following environmental minerals: soluble metal-salts, mainly sulphates, revealing seasonal behaviour, iron-hydroxysulphates and iron-oxyhydroxides, both forming ochre precipitates of poorly and well-crystalline minerals. Pollution potential of the most highly water soluble salts was analysed in order to evaluate the environmental effect of their dissolution by rainfall. Laboratory experiments, carried out with iron and aluminium sulphates, demonstrated the facility to release metals, sulphate and acidity upon dissolution. Regarding the ochre precipitates, composed by several less soluble iron (III)-minerals, the spatial distribution on the nearby aqueous system as well as the proportion of Jarosite, Schwertmannite and Goethite in the mixtures gave information about the halo’s contamination promoted by the AMD emerging from the waste-dump

Natural remediation of mine waste-dumps: mapping the evolution of vegetation cover in distinctive geochemical environments

Abandoned mine waste-dumps are focus of environmental impact, especially when there are reactive minerals, such as sulfides. From their oxidation results long lasting typical impacts, especially acid mine drainage (AMD)and contamination of soil. Natural attenuation is often relevant and sometimes is enough to promote remediation. However, in the presence of abundant sulfide-rich wastes, technical intervention is generally necessary. In this context, phytoremediation has been considered appropriate, since it is a cost-effective strategy, which is a crucial expectation for abandoned mines. The present work is focused on remediation promoted by natural vegetation of distinctive mine waste-dumps. They were analyzed with the following objectives: i) mapping cover vegetation and monitoring the success of environmental rehabilitation; ii) study the influence of geochemical and mineralogical parameters in natural colonization; iii) estimate the value of local flora for phytoremediation.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Water supply and access to safe water in developing arid countries

The supply of drinking water is one of the major concerns in semi-arid and arid climates, mainly in developing countries. The present study reviews the situation of the water supply in a West African coast country, the archipelago of Cape Verde, with focus on the most populous island (Santiago), regarding the rate of public coverage and the water quality. As main insights, the research indicates that at Santiago Island only 54% of the population has con- nection to the public network, while 24% uses wells, springs and other potentially non-potable sources. The region of São Domingos is one of the most critical, with only 6.5% of public supply, justifying the assessment of the water quality used by this population. With regard to water quality, the results of this study indicate that natural and anthropic factors are contributing to degradation of the water resources, with salinity, chloride, nitrates, and nitrites as major concerning pollutants. The insufficiency of the public supply in this island could be a reflection of the situation in other arid re- gions of Africa. Though the recent advances it is vital to continue or even increase with the interna- tional cooperation to provide for adequate water supply infrastructures.Nemias Moniz Goncalves avails to acknowledge Gulbenkian Scholarship Service from FCG (CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION), for the granted individual scholarship, under the program of Postgraduate Scholarships for students of PALOP and East Timor - Stimulating research and professional appreciation, process Nº. 139758. The FCG has been an indispensable support in carrying out all academic activities. This work was also supported by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, based on COMPETE 2020 (Programa Operacional da Competitividade e Internacionalização) - project ICT (UID/GEO/04683/2013) with reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-00769

Developmental motor profile in preschool children with primary stereotypic movement disorder

Aim. Different neuropsychological dysfunctions have been described in children with primary Stereotypic Movement Disorder (SMD), mainly attention or motor coordination problems. Up to now with no study has evaluated psychomotor functions in preschoolers primary SMD. The aim of this observational study was to gather information on the motor profiles of SMD patients in this age range in comparison with typically developing children. Patients and Methods. Twenty-six children (four girls) aged 36 to 76 months (mean= 53 ±10) with primary SMD were assessed by a structured evaluation including the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2), the Beery-Buktenica Developmental test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI), the Repetitive Behaviour Scale-Revised (RBS-R), the Motor Severity Stereotypy Scale (MSSS), and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). The diagnoses of Intellectual Disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder were exclusion criteria from the study. A comparison group of twenty-seven (four girls) typically developing children without stereotypies aged 36 to 59 months (mean= 48 ±7) was also examined. Results. The MABC-2 total score was lower than 15th percentile in fifteen children with SMD (58%); the worst performances were observed in Balance and Manual Dexterity subtests. The motor coordination score of VMI was lower than 15th percentile in ten children (38%). The majority of the children with low scores at MABC-2 also had low scores at the motor coordination subscale of VMI. MABC-2 standard scores of the clinical group were significantly lower than those of controls on MABC-2 Total, Balance, and Ball Skills subtests. Conclusion. The finding of widespread dysfunction of gross and fine motor abilities in preschoolers with primary SMD seems to delineate a peculiar phenotype and could provide new approaches to the management of this neurodevelopment disorder

Investigação em ambiente em tempos de pandemia

[Excerto] Não querendo ser repetitiva, eis que a COVID-19 nos pôs a viver uma crise sem precedentes na nossa geração e com efeitos em todos os aspetos de uma Sociedade Humana que se globalizou. Por indissociabilidade do terrível significado do termo pandemia, os seus impactes são apátridas e democráticos. A tão marcada separação Norte-Sul, países desenvolvidos-países em desenvolvimento, democracias-ditaduras não é fronteira para o SARS-coronavírus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). O mesmo não se pode dizer da capacidade de reação das nações, balizada pelo nível díspar de desenvolvimento socioeconómico e opções políticas

Modelos de caracterização de impacte ambiental para escombreiras reactivas : equilíbrio e evolução de resíduos de actividade extractiva

Os locais de acumulação dos resíduos de actividade extractiva passada – escombreiras abandonadas – são o principal objecto de estudo. A caracterização do impacte ambiental (IA) que estas infra-estruturas desencadeiam no meio ambiente, em especial nos sistemas fluviais receptores da drenagem superficial, constituiu a principal motivação. Na unidade territorial alvo de estudo – Noroeste de Portugal – foi seleccionado um conjunto de áreas mineiras, que no âmbito do IA associado à actividade extractiva podem ser consideradas locais-chave representativos. Estes locais, podem por isso alcançar o estatuto de modelos, reflectindo assim, nesta valência, a qualidade ambiental da unidade territorial em apreço. Neste conjunto é dado destaque particular à escombreira da mina de Valdarcas, porque suscitou metodologias de caracterização particulares. Os restantes locais-chave – Cerquido, Cabração-Lourinhal, Carris e Adoria – são apresentados como exemplos paradigmáticos, que evidenciam a contribuição de diferentes descritores para a avaliação da qualidade ambiental. A caracterização das escombreiras e do meio ambiente por elas afectado é tratada no âmbito da geologia, mineralogia e biogeoquímica. A evolução dos resíduos tem maior amplitude nas escombreiras com sulfuretos reactivos, onde se formam águas de drenagem ácida, que são sede de formas de poluição peculiares. A compreensão da sua génese, a descrição das suas propriedades e a avaliação do seu impacte, suscitam a investigação de indicadores específicos. Assim, as relações de interacção mineral-água-biosfera são fundamentais e o seu estudo tem por base a caracterização físico-química e ecológica da drenagem. Outra perspectiva atende à análise paragenética das neoformações mineralógicas. Estas duas perspectivas complementam-se, permitindo a avaliação do potencial poluente associado a diferentes modelos de evolução paragenética dos resíduos de actividade extractiva. Em termos evolutivos, os sistemas são essencialmente supergénicos, mas os indicadores de impacte ambiental têm origem e natureza diversificadas. Além dos indicadores físico-químicos convencionais, assumem particular importância os ecológicos, relacionados com a diversidade e expansão de algas acidófilas, e também os mineralógicos decorrentes da precipitação e sedimentação a partir da drenagem ácida. A conjugação dos diversos indicadores, bem como a integração de outras componentes de caracterização relevantes, nomeadamente as relacionadas com o estado de reabilitação das escombreiras, a sua evolução topográfica, e o ordenamento do território nas áreas em que se inserem, conduziu ao desenvolvimento de sistemas de inferência, baseados em lógica difusa. Estes sistemas, por sua vez, sustentam a apreciação do impacte e da qualidade ambiental relacionados com escombreiras abandonadas, particularmente aquelas que manifestam estados evolutivos balizados pelos padrões regionais estabelecidos.The subject of research is the evolution of mine wastes in ancient waste dumps. Characterization and evaluation of its environmental impact, mainly on water surface systems, were the fundamental motivations. The target territory is Northern Portugal, where a set of old mining sites were selected as cases study. The following five mines were used as key-sites or characterization models, concerning the environmental impact related to mining activity in the region – Valdarcas, Cerquido, Cabração-Lourinhal, Carris and Adoria. Valdarcas is the most complex site, exhibiting a broad diversity of impacts. Therefore it was the object of a more detailed characterization through specific methodologies of approach. The other sites are presented as paradigmatic examples, pointing out the importance of different valences to the global characterization of the territorial depreciation due to the mining activities. As a result of the diversity of components that must be considered to evaluate the mineral wastes evolution, this characterization includes information on the waste dump structure and mineralogy and on surface drainages geochemistry, ecology as well mineralogy. The evolution of the mining residues is more relevant in the presence of reactive sulfides. In this condition acid mine drainage is a peculiar and a multi-pollution factor. To understand its origin and to describe its properties and environmental effects, the present research considered acid mine drainage under several perspectives. One of these concern the mineral-water-biosphere interactions and is supported by physical-chemical and ecological parameters. Another important perspective studies the supergenic minerals developed in the waste dumps, considering the paragenetic relationships established. These two perspectives allowed the understanding of the pollution potential, related to different models of paragenetic evolution, under the concept of supergenic systems. The combination of different approaches proposes several indicators of environmental impact – physical-chemical, ecological (particularly related with the presence of acidophilic alga) and mineralogical (related with the acid mine drainage new minerals) parameters. The aggregation of such indicators as well as other relevant features, like the topographic evolution, natural rehabilitation state and land use strategies, was accomplished through fuzzy inference systems. Those systems can support the environmental impact qualification procedures applied to other mining sites showing qualitative values situated between the regional characterizations models used as pattern limits.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia – PRAXIS XXI