Seismic vulnerability of vernacular buildings in urban centres: the case of Vila Real de Santo António

Following detailed studies of Portuguese vernacular building typologies, this paper deals with buildings located in historical urban centres. An analysis of the history of the urban centre and, in particular, of some vernacular buildings is enhanced. Additionally, a discussion on the influence of changes of the geometry, and on added built volumes to original buildings in the seismic vulnerability of the buildings is also provided.

Spontaneous healing of Mycobacterium ulcerans lesions in the guinea pig model

Buruli Ulcer (BU) is a necrotizing skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans infection. BU is characterized by a wide range of clinical forms, including non-ulcerative cutaneous lesions that can evolve into severe ulcers if left untreated. Nevertheless, spontaneous healing has been reported to occur, although knowledge on this process is scarce both in naturally infected humans and experimental models of infection. Animal models are useful since they mimic different spectrums of human BU disease and have the potential to elucidate the pathogenic/protective pathway(s) involved in disease/healing. In this time-lapsed study, we characterized the guinea pig, an animal model of resistance to M. ulcerans, focusing on the macroscopic, microbiological and histological evolution throughout the entire experimental infectious process. Subcutaneous infection of guinea pigs with a virulent strain of M. ulcerans led to early localized swelling, which evolved into small well defined ulcers. These macroscopic observations correlated with the presence of necrosis, acute inflammatory infiltrate and an abundant bacterial load. By the end of the infectious process when ulcerative lesions healed, M. ulcerans viability decreased and the subcutaneous tissue organization returned to its normal state after a process of continuous healing characterized by tissue granulation and reepethelialization. In conclusion, we show that the experimental M. ulcerans infection of the guinea pig mimics the process of spontaneous healing described in BU patients, displaying the potential to uncover correlates of protection against BU, which can ultimately contribute to the development of new prophylactic and therapeutic strategies.

António Rodrigues Sampaio e o papel ���civilizador��� da imprensa

António Rodrigues Sampaio foi seguramente um dos maiores e melhores jornalistas portugueses do s��culo XIX, tendo exercido longamente a profiss��o, sobretudo em ���A Revolu����o de Setembro���, como um verdadeiro magist��rio c��vico e pol��tico. Nesta comunica����o procura-se sublinhar as concep����es jornal��sticas desta figura oitocentista, perspectivadas no quadro a que Jos�� Tengarrinha chamou a ���fase rom��ntica da Imprensa portuguesa. Sustenta-se aqui a ideia de que as tribunas jornal��sticas e o pr��prio jornalismo eram assumidos por Rodrigues Sampaio como formas desej��veis e eficazes de transferir para o debate das ideias a viol��ncia das rela����es sociais, originadas pelas mudan��as culturais, econ��micas e pol��ticas. O jornalismo seria uma forma de prosseguir a guerra por outros meios, parafraseando Clausewitz.

D. António Barroso e as potencialidades do turismo religioso em Remelhe (Barcelos, norte de Portugal)

Disserta����o de mestrado em Patrim��nio e Turismo Cultural