Mineral natural waters and spas have been used for therapeutic purposes for centuries, with Portugal being a very rich country in thermal waters and spas that are mainly distributed by northern and ...central regions where Beira Interior region is located. The use of thermal waters for therapeutic purposes has always been aroused a continuous interest, being dependent on physicochemical fingerprinting of this type of waters the indication for a treatment in a specific pathological condition. In the present work, besides a literature review about the physicochemical composition of the thermal waters of the Beira Interior region and its therapeutic indications, it was carried out an exhaustive multivariate analysis—principal component analysis and cluster analysis—to assess the correlation between different physicochemical parameters and the therapeutic indications claims described for these spas and thermal waters. These statistical methods used for data analysis enables classification of thermal waters compositions into different groups, regarding to the different variable selected, making possible an interpretation of variables affecting water compositions. Actually, Monfortinho and Longroiva are clearly quite different of the others, and Cró and Fonte Santa de Almeida appear together in all analysis, suggesting a strong resemblance between these waters. Thereafter, the results obtained allow us to demonstrate the role of major components of the studied thermal waters on a particular therapeutic purpose/indication and hence based on compositional and physicochemical properties partially explain their therapeutic qualities and beneficial effects on human health. This classification agreed with the results obtained for the therapeutic indications approved by the Portuguese National Health Authority and proved to be a valuable tool for the regional typology of mineral medicinal waters, constituting an important guide of the therapeutic armamentarium for well and specific-oriented pathological disturbs.
Between May and October of 1917, three young shepherds were reportedly visited six times by an apparition of the Virgin Mary near the town of Fátima in Portugal. At the final apparition event, ...approximately 70,000 visitors gathered to witness a prophesied miracle intended to convince the public that the children's visions were of divine origin. The miracle took the form of a solar anomaly; witnesses claimed that the sun began to "dance." Exploring the early development of the cult of the Virgin of Fátima and the overthrow of the liberal, secular government by pro-Catholic elements, Jeffrey Bennett offers the first book-length scholarly study of the cult's relationship to the rise of authoritarian politics in Portugal.When the Sun Dancedoffers a fascinating look at the cultural dynamics that informed one of the most turbulent periods in the nation's history.
One of the recognized challenges in chemical extraction of mercury from soil is the diversity of procedures that are currently available in literature and that differ in terms of the extractant ...solution used, soil:extractant ratio and duration of extraction. Therefore, this study focused on establishing the role of operational parameters for extraction of the available and labile fractions of mercury from soils, considering different soil:extractant ratios and the kinetics of extraction. The suitability of 1.0molL−1 ammonium acetate at pH7 and 0.1molL−1 HCl as extractants for the available fraction and the extraction of the labile fraction using 0.5molL−1 hydrochloric acid was investigated. No statistical differences were found between ammonium acetate and 0.1molL−1 HCl; therefore both extractants can be used for estimating the available fraction. It was also observed that a soil:extractant ratio of 1.5g of soil to 100mL of extractant favors mercury extraction. For the available fraction an extraction of 30min seems enough, as no further significant change was observed in the quantity of mercury extracted thereafter. For the labile fraction increase the extraction duration to at least 24h is recommended.
The data was fitted into kinetic models, and it was observed that the two first-order reactions and the diffusion models help to understand the behavior of mercury extraction from soil, clearly showing that in all cases the rate of mercury extraction was faster in the first 10h and declined after that period. The characteristics of the soil influenced the extraction of mercury, and it was verified that pH and particle size of the soil influenced the mercury extraction process, as results suggested that an acidic soil might have a reduced ability to strongly retain metals and soils with higher porosity showed lower rates of mercury extraction.
•Operational parameters' role on available and labile Hg fractions extraction from soil•Different soil:extractant ratios and extractant solutions were considered.•Kinetic experiment to optimize extraction duration and study the rate of extraction•pH and particle size of the soil influenced the Hg extraction process.
Remaking Islam in African Portugal highlights what being Muslim means in urban Europe and how Guinean migrants' relationships to their ritual practices must change as they remake themselves and their ...religion.
For more than four centuries, Macau was the centre of Portuguese trade and culture on the South China Coast. Until the founding of Hong Kong and the opening of other ports in the 1840s, it was also ...the main gateway to China for independent British merchants and their only place of permanent residence. Drawing extensively on Portuguese as well as British sources, The British Presence in Macau traces Anglo-Portuguese relations in South China from the first arrival of English trading ships in the 1630s to the establishment of factories at Canton, the beginnings of the opium trade, and the Macartney Embassy of 1793. The British and Portuguese—longstanding allies in the West—pursued more complex relations in the East, as trading interests clashed under a Chinese imperial system and as the British increasingly asserted their power as “a community in search of a colony”.
The effects of fire in the landscape are commonly assessed through the evaluation of ash properties. Among other properties, colour is one of the methods more frequently used. However, little is ...known about the effect of fire severity on ash chemical and extractable elements. Ash is an important source of nutrients in terms of landscape recovery after fire. In this study we analysed the effects of fire severity (estimated using ash colour) on ash chemical properties, CaCO3, pH, Total Carbon (TC), Total Nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio and some ash water-extractable elements, such as Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Total Phosphorous (TP), Total Sulphur (TS) and Silica (Si) collected in Portugal (N=102) after three wildfires that occurred in the same ecosystem, composed mainly of maritime pine, Pinus pinaster, and cork oak, Quercus suber. The results showed significant statistical differences among ash colour at a p<0.05 for ash water-extractable K and Si, at a p<0.01 for ash water-extractable Ca, Mg, Na and TS, and the major differences were observed (at a p<0.001) for ash CaCO3, pH, TC, TN, C/N ratio and water-extractable TP. Ash CaCO3, pH and water-extractable TS increased with fire severity and ash TC, TN, C/N ratio and water-extractable TP showed a decrease. In the remaining elements, no trend is identified. Major concentrations of ash TC, TN, C/N ratio and water-extractable Ca, Mg and K were identified in very dark brown and black ash. CaCO3, pH and water-extractable TS were identified in higher quantities in light grey ash. These findings show that fire severity is an important determinant of the type and amount of water-extractable nutrients present in ash that later can be incorporated into the soil and become available for plant growth.
The analysis of Albian dinoflagellate cysts, or dinocysts, along an inshore–offshore transect across the Iberian Margin reveals the environmental influence on the assemblages composition. Two ...biodiversity metrics are used to analyze changes in the assemblage structure. The stress associated to environmental instability is identified as the main factor influencing the dinocyst biodiversity. The relative frequency distribution of dinocysts is analyzed to identify associations of taxa sharing similar environmental preferences. Seven dinocyst associations are identified. The environmental affinities of the seven dinocyst associations are inferred from lithological data and assemblage structure. Association 1 dominated the most proximal and unstable environments. Associations 2 and 3 characterized inner-middle neritic environments. Taxa in the Association 2 preferred stable mesotrophic conditions, whereas, taxa in the Association 3 were tolerant to variations in salinity and nutrient input. Associations 4 and 5 are indicative of open marine distal environments. Taxa in the Association 4 were tolerant to limited environmental fluctuations. Taxa in the Association 5 were restricted to stable open marine conditions. The widespread distribution of taxa in the Association 6 is interpreted as revealing their ubiquitous character. The taxon in the Association 7 is considered as cosmopolitan because its widespread distribution was conditioned to nutrients availability.
•Onshore–offshore biodiversity patterns are recognized in Cretaceous dinocysts.•Environmental instability triggers dinocyst biodiversity patterns.•Seven dinocyst associations indicative of environmental settings are defined.•Development of a statistical approach to environmental preference of fossil taxa.
Sob influência das recentes tendências internacionais para a consolidação da área disciplinar das chamadas Humanidades Digitais, a academia portuguesa tem vivido nos últimos anos um movimento de ...renovação do discurso sobre a integração das Tecnologias Digitais na investigação, ensino e divulgação nas Humanidades. Neste artigo, partindo de uma perspectiva de longo prazo sobre a ligação entre História e metodologias digitais, discute-se por um lado a novidade desse discurso, antes apontado como uma renovação, em novos termos, de uma prática que vem, em alguns casos, já da década de 1980. Por outro lado, aponta-se o facto dessa renovação, ao contrário do que está, em parte, a ocorrer no mundo anglo-saxónico, estar a desenrolar-se de forma relativamente modesta e sem um enquadramento institucional significativo. Apesar de tudo, um conjunto de dados empíricos, observáveis nos últimos anos, em especial desde 2010, mostram que as Humanidades Digitais têm conseguido congregar uma comunidade de investigadores que tende a crescer e a afirmar-se.
This book sheds light on the integration processes and identity patterns of Angolan, Brazilian and Eastern European communities in Portugal. It examines the privileged position that immigrant ...organisations hold as interlocutors between the communities they represent and various social service mechanisms operating at national and local levels. Through the collection of ethnographic data and the realisation of 110 interviews with community insiders and middlemen, culled over a year's time, João Sardinha provides insight into how the three groups are perceived by their respective associations and representatives. Following up on the rich data is a discussion of strategies of coping with integration and identity in the host society and reflections on Portuguese social and community services and institutions.
João Sardinha analyseert de integratieprocessen en identiteitspatronen van de Angolese, Braziliaanse en Oost-Europese gemeenschappen in Portugal, gezien vanuit deze bevolkingsgroepen. Door gebruik te maken van interviews en etnografisch onderzoek in Portugal komt dit onderzoek tot een typologie van deze drie groepen. Hierna volgt een analyse van het omgaan met de integratie- en identiteitsproblematiek in Portugal. Ten slotte wordt er een overzicht gegeven van acht verschillende Portugese sociale en gemeenschapsdiensten en -instellingen.
PDF
