Overpaints with cultural significance. How to define authenticity? The case of Afonso de Albuquerque’s portrait

Removal or not removal of repaints and overpaints is always complex and the justification for it isn’t always objective. This type of operation can sometimes result in a worn out surface with several losses of painting which normally are supposed to be restored and integrated. Justified by the search or by the reposition of authenticity, both these operations (restoration and integration) will change the values formerly attributed to the object. When one is dealing with works of art which are generally recognized as being cultural significant, different values should be interpreted and discussed between stakeholders and specialists from different areas of expertise in a multidisciplinary platform before carrying out any intervention. This isn’t always easy to achieve and the conservator usually has the difficult task of transforming subjective concepts into an objective solution. In this paper we present a case-study, the panel portrait of Afonso de Albuquerque, currently exhibited in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (Lisboa), which the current investigation process as proven to be the portrait of another governor, but repainted to resemble the viceroy of Portuguese India during a restoration process in the 1960s regarded has “technically difficult”. Several episodes throughout the history of the Viceroy and Governors portrait Gallery and this specific panel gave the repaint historic, documental and iconographic values. Investigation is still ongoing and new facts may alter the definition of values attributed to this portrait and its authentic state in a process conservators should be ever more concerned with during restoration interventions, namely chromatic integration

Potencialidades e limitações de sessões de discussão de controvérsias sociocientíficas como contributos para a literacia científica

A presente investigação pretendeu avaliar potencialidades de sessões de discussão em torno de controvérsias sociocientíficas na promoção da literacia científica dos alunos. Para tal, procedeu-se a uma investigação, de índole essencialmente qualitativa, numa turma de Biologia do décimo segundo ano, constituída por vinte e cinco alunos com 17-18 anos. Esta turma foi organizada em grupos, ficando cada um deles encarregue de conceber e dinamizar, sob a supervisão da professora, uma sessão de discussão em torno de conteúdos curriculares de natureza controversa, nomeadamente, manipulação da fertilidade humana, manipulação da informação genética humana e engenharia genética. Nessas sessões, que decorreram posteriormente à abordagem dos temas em aula, participaram os alunos envolvidos no estudo e outra turma convidada, do décimo primeiro ano, proveniente de uma área diferente da área científico tecnológica. As sessões foram alvo de observação por parte da professora, simultaneamente investigadora, e sempre que possível por um segundo observador. Após concluídas as várias sessões, que decorreram ao longo do ano lectivo, procurou-se aceder às concepções dos alunos acerca das potencialidades e limitações da discussão, através da redacção de narrativas individuais e da realização de entrevistas semi-estruturadas a um conjunto de oito alunos seleccionados aleatoriamente. Os resultados evidenciaram uma variação da qualidade das sessões de discussão de acordo com vários factores, nomeadamente: o tema em discussão, as características do grupo dinamizador, as características do grupo participante, a estrutura da sessão de discussão e o facto de ter ou não existido uma apresentação prévia dos conceitos científicos pelos organizadores da discussão. Os resultados apontam para a contribuição das sessões de discussão para uma melhor apropriação do conhecimento científico inerente, para o desenvolvimento de capacidades de comunicação, argumentação e reflexão e, ainda, para o confronto dos alunos com uma concepção de ciência como empreendimento dinâmico, dependente de valores, condicionado e condicionante da sociedade. Não se detectaram diferenças no envolvimento e na participação entre a turma de Biologia e a turma convidada, mas a qualidade da intervenção de cada turma foi diferente: ambos os grupos justificaram as suas posições com recurso a aspectos sociais e morais mas os alunos da turma de Biologia recorreram também a aspectos de natureza científica para fundamentar os seus pontos de vista. Apesar de algumas limitações, como o tempo exigido para a realização da actividade e o facto de alguns alunos demonstrarem alguma dificuldade na exposição oral das suas perspectivas, os resultados da discussão parecem reforçar a concepção que o recurso sistemático a sessões de discussão em torno de assuntos científicos de natureza controversa contribui para alicerçar a literacia científica dos mesmos, pelo que se recomenda a sua introdução nas aulas de Biologia

O princípio da oficialidade e a sua crítica no crime de violência doméstica

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciências Jurídico-Forenses apresentada à Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Coimbr

Play it forward – training the trainers in conservation risk management in Museum of Christian Art

The Museum of Christian Art (MoCA), Goa houses a unique collection of Christian art objects which are a perfect symbiosis of two cultural manifestations – Indian and European. These hybrid collections are rare in the context of India’s cultural diversity and multi-religious expressions. The Museum’s mission is to preserve and protect Goa’s cultural heritage, while also promoting the Museum as a centre for education, conservation and research. MoCA was first set up on 1994, in collaboration with Calouste Gubenkian Foundation and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. In 2002, it was relocated to its current location within the 17th century Convent of Santa Monica in Old Goa. Staffing levels and training were augmented in 2005 to include curricular internship placements focusing on Preventive Conservation. This opportunity brought into focus the need for a long-term plan to address preventive conservation issues and carry out risk assessments. Between 2017-2020, the museum underwent an extensive upgradation, which focused on the renovation of the building, the conservation of the collection and new museographic layout. MoCA’s current managing committee mission is concentrating on collection preservation, conservation and restoration projects, providing internship placements, and collaborating with researchers and research institutions from India and abroad. It was in this context that the idea for a joint participation in ICOM’s solidarity project “Training the Trainers” became a good opportunity to resume the preventive conservation plan and empower MoCA’s own team in Conservation Risk Assessment (CRA), thus providing this institution with additional tools, confidence, and autonomy to undertake its mission. In fact, both the collection and the built heritage require periodic care as they are affected by various environmental factors, derived from Goa’s subtropical climate, allied to exposure to UV radiation and inadequate storage facilities, where 52% of the collection is kept. Special attention is required during monsoon periods, increasingly severe by the year. Covid-19 also caused some disruption in monitoring routines. The custodians feel that without a comprehensive preventive conservation plan, nor the required expertise and training in Risk Management, they are constantly facing challenges in these fields, leading to expensive interventions in the museum areas. Bearing in mind the lack of appropriate training in this field in Goa, this joint application turned out to be a unique opportunity to overcome this challenge and support MoCA’s team in devising, implementing and maintain a CRA plan and long-term strategy. The training structure was divided in 8 virtual sessions of 1 hour each and supported by the resources facilitated and made available by ICOM-CC and Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg learning platform TEACH:ABLE. CRA steps will be facilitated during the sessions and the final assignment of the trainees will be CRA of the collection in exhibition and storage. According to results, a risk management plan will be devised to address the identified hazards. When the training is completed, MoCA, as a reference institution on Goan Christian Art, will be empowered to start passing on the best practices to other Institutions, within the State and beyond that promote this unique heritage through their collections.ICOM - Portugal, ICOM-C

Design of a Pedagogical Model of Education for Environmental Citizenship in Primary Education

Education for Environmental Citizenship plays an important role in social change toward sustainable development, achieving economic, social, and environmental balance through informed, cooperative, and participative citizens. There are several pedagogical models with the potential to involve students in environmental activities, but no specific model suitable for primary education is found. This article describes the preliminary investigation phase of a Design-Based Research that resulted in the development of the first prototype of a Pedagogical Model of Education for Environmental Citizenship in Primary Education (students aged 6 to 10 years), in Portugal. This preliminary investigation phase was based on a systematic analysis and literature review on the topic (thesis, articles, projects, and curricular guidelines for primary education), seeking to answer the following research questions: (1) According to the current world characteristics, which learning outcomes should an environmental citizen achieve, and which of them can be promoted in primary education? (2) What are the most appropriate teaching methodologies and strategies for promoting environmental citizen learning outcomes in primary education? The methodology used is presented, and the proposed prototype is described, along with the desired learning outcomes that are considered necessary for the formation of an Environmental Citizen and the most appropriate methodologies and educational activities to promote them.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Changes in prescribing patterns of benzodiazepines after training of general practitioners

RESUMO: Introdução: As benzodiazepinas são os fármacos ansiolíticos e hipnóticos mais utilizados. O elevado consumo destes fármacos tem representado uma preocupação devido aos efeitos secundários do seu uso prolongado e dependência. Portugal tem a maior utilização de benzodiazepinas na Europa. Este estudo pretende analisar a alteração do padrão de prescrição de benzodiazepinas após uma intervenção com clínicos gerais. Métodos: A intervenção consistiu numa sessão educacional a um grupo de clínicos gerais. Foi comparado o padrão de prescrição de benzodiazepinas dos médicos intervencionados com o de um grupo de médicos não intervencionado da mesma região e com o de um grupo de médicos não intervencionados de outra região. Analisaram-­‐se as prescrições de 12 meses antes e depois da intervenção. A análise do padrão de prescrição utilizou como metodologia a Dose Diária Definida (DDD) e a Dose Diária Definida por 1000 pacientes por dia (DHD). A análise estatística recorreu a métodos de regressão segmentada. Resultados: Houve uma diminuição no padrão de prescrição de benzodiazepinas no grupo intervencionado após a intervenção (p=0.005). Houve também uma redução no padrão de prescrição no grupo não intervencionada da mesma região (p=0.037) e no grupo não-intervencionado da região diferente (p=0.010). Analisando por género, prescritores do género feminino prescrevem uma quantidade maior de benzodiazepinas. Os clínicos gerais do género feminino intervencionados tiveram a maior redução na prescrição após a intervenção (p=0.008). Discussão: Os dados demonstraram que a intervenção reduziu a prescrição de benzodiazepinas após a intervenção. A diminuição geral do padrão de prescrição poderá ser explicada pelo efeito de Hawthorne ou pela contaminação entre os três grupos de clínicos gerais. Os dados disponíveis não explicam as diferenças nos padrões de prescrição por género. Conclusão: Este estudo demonstra como uma única intervenção tem um impacto positivo na melhoria dos padrões de prescrição. A replicação desta intervenção poderá representar uma oportunidade para alterar a prescrição de benzodiazepinas em Portugal. -----------------------------ABSTRACT: Introduction: Benzodiazepines are the most utilized anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs. The high consumption of benzodiazepines has been a concern due to the reported side effects of long-­‐term use and dependence. Portugal has the highest benzodiazepine utilisation in Europe. This study aims to analyse the change in General Practitioners’ (GPs) benzodiazepine prescription pattern after na intervention period. Methods: An educational session was delivered to a group of intervened GPs. The benzodiazepine prescription pattern of the intervened group was compared to the pattern of a non-­‐intervened matched group from the same region, and to the pattern of another non-­‐intervened matched group from a diferente region. The research time frame was 12 month before and after intervention. The analysis of the prescription trends used the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) and Defined Daily Dose per 1000 patients per day (DHD) methodology. The statistical methods consisted of segmented regression analysis. Results: There was a decrease in benzodiazepine prescription pattern of intervened GPs after intervention (p=0.005). There was also a decrease in benzodiazepine prescription pattern for the non-­‐intervened group from the same region (p=0.037) and for the non-­‐ intervened group from a diferente region (p=0.010). Concerningthe analysis by gender, female gender prescribed a higher amount of benzodiazepines. The intervened female gender prescribers presented the highest decrease in prescription trend after intervention (p=0.008). Discussion: The data demonstrated that the intervention was effective in reducing benzodiazepine prescription after intervention. The general decrease in prescription trend might be explained by a Hawthorne effect or a contamination effect between the three groups of GPs. The available data couldn´t explain the diferences in prescription patterns by gender. Conclusion: This study demonstrates how a single intervention has a positive impact on improving prescription trends. The replication of this intervention might be an opportunity to changing the worrying benzodiazepine utilisation in Portugal

Process improvement in reverse logistics and reduction of collection requests at L'Oréal Portugal

The importance of reverse logistics has increased in recent years as it directly impacts company’s financial results. The increase of product options has generated high returns, which leads to investment and development of reverse logistics processes. The Professional Products Division of L’Oréal Portugal is no exception and it is their interest improve processes in order to increase customer satisfaction, one of the biggest focus of this multinational. The Lean philosophy is in this case study the chosen solution to improve the reverse logistics processes of the company L’Oréal. The main purpose is to reduce collection requests and, thus, increase the efficiency of the reverse logistics process. A theoretical framework is developed with the purpose of supporting research. In this process there are several reasons underlying the requests for collection, however, there is a higher focus on requests for collection of damaged products and requests for collection of discontinued products as they are the only ones that allow intervention. As such, proposals for improvement will focus on improving the delivery process in order to reduce the delivery of damaged products and, thus, reduce collection requests and make the collection process more efficient since there are fewer orders to process and handle. After present the opportunities for improvement in the delivery and collection processes, the proposals are presented. Its viability was analysed, and the proposals were successfully implemented.A importância da logística inversa tem aumentado nos últimos anos visto que impacta diretamente os resultados financeiros de uma empresa. A expansão das opções de produtos tem gerado altos retornos, o que suscita o investimento e desenvolvimento dos processos da logística inversa. A divisão dos Produtos Profissionais da L’Oréal Portugal não é exceção e é do seu interesse melhorar os processos com vista a aumentar a satisfação do cliente, o maior foco desta multinacional. A filosofia Lean surge então neste caso de estudo como uma solução de melhoria nos processos de logística inversa da empresa L’Oréal onde tem como finalidade principal reduzir os pedidos de recolha e, assim, aumentar a eficiência do processo de logística inversa. Uma estrutura teórica é desenvolvida com o propósito de sustentar a investigação. Neste processo existem vários motivos subadjacentes aos pedidos de recolha, contudo, neste caso verifica-se um foco nos pedidos de recolha de produtos danificados e nos pedidos de recolha dos produtos descontinuados pois são os únicos que permitem a intervenção. Como tal, as propostas de melhoria irão incidir na melhoria do processo de entrega de forma a reduzir a entrega dos produtos danificados e, assim, diminuir os pedidos de recolha e tornar o processo de recolha mais eficiente por serem menos ordens a processar e tratar. Após apresentar as oportunidades de melhoria de ambos os processos de entrega e recolha, as propostas de melhoria foram apresentadas. A sua viabilidade foi analisada e as propostas foram implementadas com sucesso

Extractability and mobility of mercury from agricultural soils surrounding industrial and mining contaminated areas

This study focussed on a comparison of the extractability of mercury in soils with two different contamination sources (a chlor-alkali plant and mining activities) and on the evaluation of the influence of specific soil properties on the behaviour of the contaminant. The method applied here did not target the identification of individual species, but instead provided information concerning the mobility of mercury species in soil. Mercury fractions were classified as mobile, semi-mobile and non-mobile. The fractionation study revealed that in all samples mercury was mainly present in the semi-mobile phase (between 63 and 97%). The highest mercury mobility (2.7 mg kg-1) was found in soils from the industrial area. Mining soils exhibited higher percentage of non-mobile mercury, up to 35%, due to their elevated sulfur content. Results of factor analysis indicate that the presence of mercury in the mobile phase could be related to manganese and aluminum soil contents. A positive relation between mercury in the semi-mobile fraction and the aluminium content was also observed. By contrary, organic matter and sulfur contents contributed to mercury retention in the soil matrix reducing the mobility of the metal. Despite known limitations of sequential extraction procedures, the methodology applied in this study for the fractionation of mercury in contaminated soil samples provided relevant information on mercury's relative mobility