Prefacio

A given professional or academic field requires time to expand and consolidate. It requires persistence, dedication, innovation, hard work and some degree of adventure. It requires constant meetings, exchanges, collaborations, publications. It requires a delicate balance between what is known and what still needs to be invented or imagined. But most importantly, it requires a global community that encompasses multiple local, national and regional centres where change can really happen. Unless one is thinking about the physics of climate, dynamics of change are incredibly slow and difficult to achieve at global scale. It is really at local level, through the awareness, knowledge and deliberate action of individuals that meaningful transformations occur.Cualquier ámbito profesional o académico requiere tiempo adecuado para propagarse y consolidarse. Requiere la persistencia, el compromiso, la innovación, el trabajo duro y una pizca de aventura. Requiere reuniones constantes, intercambios, colaboraciones y publicaciones. Requiere un delicado equilibrio entre lo que ya se sabe y lo que queda por inventar o imaginar. Pero sobre todo, requiere una comunidad global que abarque múltiples centros locales, nacionales y regionales donde el cambio auténtico pueda desarrollarse. Dejando aparte el ejemplo de la física del clima, la dinámica del cambio difícilmente se logra a nivel global. En realidad, es a nivel local, mediante la concienciación, conocimiento y acción deliberada de los individuos, donde las transformaciones significativas pueden ocurrir

Royal cabinet of physics in Portugal and Brazil: An exploratory study

Little is known about the history of cabinets of natural philosophy, later known as cabinets of physics, in Portugal. Scientific instruments assembled by the Portuguese royal family for purposes of teaching, study and entertainment were thought to have been lost. A recent ‘discovery’ of a significant number of ‘lost’ royal instruments from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries has prompted research into the organization, use and dispersal of royal cabinets of physics in Portugal and Brazil. In this paper, I will present this research, focusing on the discussion of the methods and challenges. I will also discuss some preliminary results

The University of Lisbon’s cultural heritage survey (2010–2011)

In this paper, a survey of the cultural heritage of the University of Lisbon (2010–2011) will be presented, with a focus on the methodological approach. Main results will be discussed, as well as future perspectives regarding management, preservation and access of the university’s scientific and artistic collections, and buildings of artistic, architectonic and historical significance

Les cabinets de physique des rois du Portugal (xviiie-xixe siècles)

L’histoire des cabinets royaux de physique portugais est mal connue. Les vastes collections d’instruments scientifiques qui les composaient, organisées au cours des xviiie et xixe siècles, ainsi que d’importantes bibliothèques et collections d’histoire naturelle destinées à l’éducation des jeunes Infants et au divertissement de la cour, ont presque intégralement disparu. Dans de nombreux cas, leur mémoire n’a survécu qu’à travers un petit nombre d’inventaires, de récits d’aristocrates de l’époque et de quelques voyageurs étrangers de passage à Lisbonne.Les collections du cabinet royal de physique, organisées en forme systématique et enrichies par le mathématicien vénitien Michel Franzini (c. 1740-1810) durant les trois dernières décennies du xviiie siècle, ont été progressivement démontées et éparpillées, au cours du xixe siècle, avec l’émergence des institutions universitaires, polytechniques et militaires et, à partir de 1910, avec l’avènement de la République et la nationalisation des biens royaux. Celles-ci avaient déjà subi les conséquences de leur transfert au Brésil (1807-1821) et de l’occupation et de la confiscation françaises (1807-1810).Une étude récente menée au sein des collections des musées techniques et universitaires, des institutions d’enseignement, ainsi que des anciennes résidences royales, a permis de faire ressurgir de nombreux instruments ayant appartenu aux collections royales. Ces objets d’origine diverse (Angleterre, Allemagne, Pays-Bas, France, Italie, Portugal) et de nature hétéroclite (physique, chimie, astronomie, mathématique, etc.) contribuent à mieux faire connaître et comprendre les cabinets de physique des monarques portugais. Cet article présente, sous une forme succincte, les résultats de cette recherche, en discutant plusieurs aspects de la formation et de la dispersion, de la provenance et de la « muséalisation » des cabinets.Little is known about the royal cabinets of physics of Portugal between the 17th and 19th centuries. Set up at different points in time, in tandem cabinets of natural history and libraries, the cabinets served to educate young princes of the Portuguese monarchy. In addition to their education uses, they also served for entertainment of the court. Although most of the instruments were scattered or lost during 19th century, there is a significant documentary record left behind about their constitution and content, most notably invoices, inventories and travel diaries of foreign visitors. This article provides a survey of recent research on the composition, the uses, and subsequent dissolution of the physics cabinets.The collections of the Royal Cabinet of Physics, were systematized and enriched by the Venetian mathematician working for the Portuguese court Michael Franzini (?-1810) between 1770s and 1790s. Throughout the 19th century, the collections were gradually dispersed with the advent of the Republic, the nationalization of royal property and the subsequent emergence of universities, polytechnics and military from 1910. The collections have already suffered the consequences a transfer to Brazil (1807-1821) and French occupation and confiscation of these objects (1807-1810).A recent study about collections in museums, universities and schools, as well as former royal residences, can help restitute many instruments that belonged to the Portuguese royal collections. These objects of diverse origin (England, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Portugal) and heterogeneous nature (physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, etc.) contribute to a better understanding of the Portuguese monarchs’ relation to science and technology in early modern period

Synthesis and characterization of Locust Bean Gum derivatives and their application in the production of nanoparticles

The development of LBG-based nanoparticles intending an application in oral immunization is presented. Nanoparticle production occurred by mild polyelectrolyte complexation, requiring the chemical modification of LBG. Three LBG derivatives were synthesized, namely a positively charged ammonium derivative (LBGA) and negatively charged sulfate (LBGS) and carboxylate (LBGC) derivatives. These were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and x-ray diffraction. As a pharmaceutical application was aimed, a toxicological analysis of the derivatives was performed by both MTT test and LDH release assay. Several nanoparticle formulations were produced using LBGA or chitosan (CS) as positively charged polymers, and LBGC or LBGS as negatively charged counterparts, producing nanoparticles with adequate properties regarding an application in oral immunization.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Initiatives européennes et patrimoine universitaire

Tout en effectuant un retour sur les actions de protection, de conservation, de valorisation et de diffusion du patrimoine scientifique universitaire menées depuis dix ans en Europe, des responsables de collections s’interrogent – à travers quatre exemples nationaux – sur la place de ce patrimoine au sein des universités et dans la société

Universities, museums, collections and heritage: A time of challenge and change

No abstract available

West Nile virus transmission potential in Portugal

© The Author(s) 2022. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.It is unclear whether West Nile virus (WNV) circulates endemically in Portugal. Despite the country's adequate climate for transmission, Portugal has only reported four human WNV infections so far. We performed a review of WNV-related data (1966-2020), explored mosquito (2016-2019) and land type distributions (1992-2019), and used climate data (1981-2019) to estimate WNV transmission suitability in Portugal. Serological and molecular evidence of WNV circulation from animals and vectors was largely restricted to the south. Land type and climate-driven transmission suitability distributions, but not the distribution of WNV-capable vectors, were compatible with the North-South divide present in serological and molecular evidence of WNV circulation. Our study offers a comprehensive, data-informed perspective and review on the past epidemiology, surveillance and climate-driven transmission suitability of WNV in Portugal, highlighting the south as a subregion of importance. Given the recent WNV outbreaks across Europe, our results support a timely change towards local, active surveillance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Low frequency of CD4+CD25+ Treg in SLE patients: a heritable trait associated with CTLA4 and TGFβ gene variants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>CD4⁺CD25⁺regulatory T cells play an essential role in maintaining immune homeostasis and preventing autoimmunity. Therefore, defects in Treg development, maintenance or function have been associated with several human autoimmune diseases including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by loss of tolerance to nuclear components and significantly more frequent in females.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To investigate the involvement of Treg in SLE pathogenesis, we determined the frequency of CD4⁺CD25⁺CD45RO⁺T cells, which encompass the majority of Treg activity, in the PBMC of 148 SLE patients (76 patients were part of 54 families), 166 relatives and 117 controls. SLE patients and their relatives were recruited in several Portuguese hospitals and through the Portuguese Lupus Association. Control individuals were blood donors recruited from several regional blood donor centers. Treg frequency was significantly lower in SLE patients than healthy controls (z = -6.161, <it>P </it>< 0.00001) and intermediate in the relatives' group. Remarkably, this T cell subset was also lower in females, most strikingly in the control population (z = 4.121, <it>P </it>< 0.001). We further ascertained that the decreased frequency of Treg in SLE patients resulted from the specific reduction of <it>bona fide </it>FOXP3⁺CD4⁺CD25⁺Treg. Treg frequency was negatively correlated with SLE activity index (SLEDAI) and titers of serum anti-dsDNA antibodies. Both Treg frequency and disease activity were modulated by IVIg treatment in a documented SLE case. The segregation of Treg frequency within the SLE families was indicative of a genetic trait. Candidate gene analysis revealed that specific variants of <it>CTLA4 </it>and <it>TGFβ </it>were associated with the decreased frequency of Treg in PBMC, while <it>FOXP3 </it>gene variants were associated with affection status, but not with Treg frequency.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SLE patients have impaired Treg production or maintenance, a trait strongly associated with SLE disease activity and autoantibody titers, and possibly resulting from the inability to convert FOXP3⁺CD25^-into FOXP3⁺CD25⁺T cells. Treg frequency is highly heritable within SLE families, with specific variants of the <it>CTLA4 </it>and <it>TGFβ </it>genes contributing to this trait, while <it>FOXP3 </it>contributes to SLE through mechanisms not involving a modulation of Treg frequency. These findings establish that the genetic components in SLE pathogenesis include genes related to Treg generation or maintenance.</p