Cyclododecane exposure in the field of conservation and restoration of art objects

PURPOSE: Recent work practices in the conservation and restoration involve the use of cyclododecane (CDD, CAS 294-62-2) to protect fragile artifacts during their handling or transportation. Little is known about its toxicity, and no previous exposure has been reported. A short field investigation was conducted to characterize the exposure conditions to both CDD vapors and aerosols.METHODS: Measurements were conducted in the laboratory of conservation and restoration of the archeological service in Bern (Switzerland). Three indoor and four outdoor typical work situations, either during brush or spray gun applications, were investigated. Measurements were performed on charcoal adsorbent tube and analyzed by a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector.RESULTS: Measurements have been conducted during both brush and spray gun applications. Indoor exposures were of 0.75-15.5 mg/m(3), while outdoors exposures were 19.5-53.9 mg/m(3). Exposures appear to be extremely localized due to both physicochemical properties and application methods of the CDD. Vapor exposure increases dramatically with the confinement of the workplace.CONCLUSION: Preventive measures should be undertaken to limit as much as possible these exposures. Field work in confined areas (ditches, underground) is of particular concern. CDD-coated artifacts or materials should be stored in ventilated areas to avoid delayed exposures. [Authors]

Solutions for the conservation and restoration of cement-based materials in XX Century architectural heritage

Among the most representative materials of XX Century architectural heritage, this dissertation focuses on the cement-based ones, investigating some different fields where they were exploited. Primarily, concerning the surface preservation of cement-based materials used with aesthetic intent, new self-cleaning treatments based on titania nanoparticles embedded in inorganic matrices were tested. In order to consider the role of porosity, the treatments were applied to different kinds of materials (cement-based mortar, marble and concrete) and several analyses were conducted to investigate the morphology of the coatings, their photocatalytic effectiveness, their durability and the interaction between the coating and the substrate material. The outcomes showed that several parameters influence the treatment’s performances, in particular, the presence and nature of the matrix, the concentration and dispersion of nanoparticles and, in some cases, the amount of substrate material which interacts with the coatings. Secondly, this dissertation deals with the historic “Terranova” render, a colored dry-mix mortar largely widespread in Europe in the first half of XX Century, whose formulation is still basically unknown. Some original samples of supposedly Terranova renders were subjected to several characterization analyses and the results were compared to those of the original “Terranova” render of the Engineering Faculty in Bologna. Despite the recurrence of some features, defining a common formulation seemed to be challenging. Finally, the repair and conservation of structural reinforced concrete in heritage buildings were investigated, adopting the former “Casa del Fascio” in Predappio (FC, Italy) as case study. Three different materials and solutions were tested on a slab of the building, making its repair only from the intrados. Then several analyses were conducted both on site and in laboratory. Aside from the specific features characterizing every product, the results highlighted that the application method played a fundamental role in the effectiveness of the retrofit strategies.

Assessing the balance between biodiversity conservation and coastal and estuarine management of the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve, Portugal, using BIO-SAFE

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente, perfil de Engenharia Ecológica

Study of a 9th century silver earrings set from Mikulčice: corrosion, conservation and maintenance

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Conservação e Restauro

Anchor Areas to Improve Conservation and Increase Connectivity within the Brazilian "Mesopotamia of Biodiversity"

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Aixecament, anàlisi constructiu i projecte de reforma i canvi d'ús a l'escola de Saderra

L’objectiu principal és:Realització de l’aixecament de l’edifici existent.Recull de la informació històrica, necessària per conèixer lescaracterístiques de l’edifici.Estudi i catalogació de les diferents patologies que pateix l’edifici.Projecte de reforma i canvi d’ús per tal de que l’edifici doni un nou serveial municipi.A partir d’aquesta informació es determinarà, l’estat actual de l’estructura.A partir de l’estudi històric s’intentarà entendre la forma de construir de principis desegle i els diferents materials utilitzats.La realització de les fitxes de les diferents patologies que degraden l’edificació enspermetran l’actuació sobre aquestes i donar possibles solucions als fets que elsoriginen.El projecte de reforma i canvi d’ús s’intentarà donar un nou espai al municipi per tal deque la gent del poble i/o l’ajuntament en puguin treure algun profit

Projecte de rehabilitació d'un habitatge unifamiliar entre mitgeres "Cal Parent"

L’habitatge objecte d’aquest projecte final de carrera és anomenat popularment com a CalParent, i està situat al carrer Nou nº 15 del municipi de Biure, a la comarca de l’Alt Empordà. Ésuna típica edificació entremitgeres de poble, formada per planta baixa, planta pis, planta segonpis, terrat, i un pati a la part posterior de l’edifici.La façana principal està orientada al sud-oest i la façana posterior a nord-est, quedant lesaltres dues façanes que formen l’edifici en contacte amb els edificis veïns.Biure d’Empordà forma part de la comarca de l’Alt Empordà, província de Girona. Elterme municipal es troba a 81 m d’altitud i disposa d’una superfície de 10 Km2. Els límits delterme municipal són al nord amb Darnius i Capmany, a l‘est amb Masarac i Peralada, al sud ambCabanes i Pont de Molins i a l’oest amb Boadella d’Empordà

MIM-A

Postprint (published version)

Rehabilitació de la capella de la Mare de Déu del Roser, joia del Barroc

El Ministeri licita les obres per restaurar la capella i condicionar-la com a espai polivalent de la Universitat de Girona. Les obres tenen un pressupost base de licitació d'1.004.943 euros. La construcció barroca té un alt valor arquitectònic.

The Illinois Wildlife Action Plan : as prescribed by the Wildlife Conservation & Restoration Program and State Wildlife Grants Program.

Includes CD-ROM supplement with title : Illinois Comprehensive Wildlife Action Plan - strategy.

Biodiversity offsetting and restoration under the European Union Habitats Directive: balancing between no net loss and deathbed conservation?

Biodiversity offsets have emerged as one of the most prominent policy approaches to align economic development with nature protection across many jurisdictions, including the European Union. Given the increased level of scrutiny that needs to be applied when authorizing economic developments near protected Natura 2000 sites, the incorporation of onsite biodiversity offsets in project design has grown increasingly popular in some member states, such as the Netherlands and Belgium. Under this approach, the negative effects of developments are outbalanced by restoration programs that are functionally linked to the infrastructure projects. However, although taking into consideration that the positive effects of onsite restoration measures leads to more leeway for harmful project development, the EU Court of Justice has recently dismissed the latter approaches for going against the preventative underpinnings of the EU Habitats Directive. Also, the expected beneficial outcomes of the restoration efforts are uncertain and thus cannot be relied upon in an ecological assessment under Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive. Although biodiversity offsets can still be relied upon whenever application is being made of the derogation clause under Article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive, they cannot be used as mitigation under the generic decision-making process for plans and programs liable to adversely affect Natura 2000 sites. We outline the main arguments pro and contra the stance of the EU Court of Justice with regards to the exact delineation between mitigation and compensation. The analysis is also framed in the ongoing debate on the effectiveness of the EU nature directives. Although ostensibly rigid, it is argued that the recent case-law developments are in line with the main principles underpinning biodiversity offsetting. Opening the door for biodiversity offsetting under the Habitats Directive will certainly not reverse the predicament of the EU’s biodiversity. A reinforcement of the preventative approach is instrumental to avert a further biodiversity loss within the European Union, even if it will lead to additional permit refusals for unsustainable project developments.

Spectroscopy studies on conservation issues in modern and contemporary paintings

Dissertation presented to the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of New University of Lisbon in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration Specialization in easel painting