Norton de Matos, o improvável republicano: Um olhar sobre Portugal e o império entre Afonso Costa e Salazar

Discutir o papel político de José Norton de Matos (1867-1955) na galáxia republicana portuguesa entre 1910 e 1955 é o objectivo principal desta tese. A alteração do prisma de análise mais habitual quando se fala de Norton, do colonial para o político, foi acompanhada pela opção de privilegiar os seus escritos contemporâneos, em detrimento das muitas análises retrospectivas posteriormente publicadas, e de cotejar a sua voz com múltiplas vozes de Portugal e do império, entre muitas outras com que se cruzou. Tentámos compreender como é que um liberal como Norton, monárquico de tradição embora não de filiação, usa as suas credenciais coloniais para entrar na política republicana à boleia da polémica do cacau escravo e da Sociedade Portuguesa Anti-Esclavagista. Com a aproximação a Bernardino Machado, aos Jovens Turcos, à maçonaria e à facção do PRP dominada por Afonso Costa, insere-se na órbita democrática e afonsista e ganha o cargo de governador-geral de Angola. Aos africanos, cuja definição legislativa como uma categoria distinta da de cidadão (o indígena) antecipa em 1913, leva as luzes da educação laica e a liberdade de trabalho mas paradoxalmente convive com as escolas das missões e o trabalho forçado. A fibra de político que revela na gestão das tensões entre as elites coloniais e metropolitanas irá ser apurada como ministro da Guerra. Discutimos, em especial, o seu papel político num ambicioso projecto: transformar dezenas de milhares de portugueses, pobres, analfabetos e vindos de meios rurais com parcas simpatias republicanas, em cidadãos e soldados da República. A improvisação, que possibilitou que o Corpo Expedicionário Português fosse combater em França ao lado dos britânicos, teve o rasgo de asa e os problemas inerentes à megalomania que o caracterizava. No Verão de 1917, o prestígio com que regressa à capital após difíceis negociações com o governo de Lloyd George torna-o um sério concorrente de Afonso Costa embora com ele partilhe também o ónus da crescente impopularidade da guerra. Reencontrar-se-ão, após o exílio sidonista, na Conferência da Paz em Paris mas, ao contrário de Costa, que não regressará à política activa, Norton tornar-se-á o altocomissário mais marcante e polémico da nova República do pós-guerra. Após a queda do regime e dois novos exílios, será Norton de Matos a fazer os compromissos necessários para permanecer no país e, aí, combater a Ditadura Militar e o Estado Novo de Salazar. Quando, em 1931, consegue unir a oposição em torno da Aliança Republicano-Socialista, começa a impor-se como símbolo da I República. É com esse estatuto que integrará as frentes unidas antifascistas dos anos 40 que culminarão na sua candidatura à Presidência da República em 1948/1949. O modo como consegue fazer a ponte entre os vários ciclos e gerações da oposição e, simultaneamente, resistir às pressões para romper a unidade com os comunistas na fase mais crispada da Guerra Fria será uma última manifestação do seu talento político, cuja análise poderá ajudar a enriquecer o debate sobre essa realidade plural e multipolar que foi a galáxia republicana na primeira metade do século XX.

Modelling Amazonian forest eddy covariance data: a comparison of big leaf versus sun/shade models for the C-14 tower at Manaus I. Canopy photosynthesis

In this study, we concentrate on modelling gross primary productivity using two simple approaches to simulate canopy photosynthesis: "big leaf" and "sun/shade" models. Two approaches for calibration are used: scaling up of canopy photosynthetic parameters from the leaf to the canopy level and fitting canopy biochemistry to eddy covariance fluxes. Validation of the models is achieved by using eddy covariance data from the LBA site C14. Comparing the performance of both models we conclude that numerically (in terms of goodness of fit) and qualitatively, (in terms of residual response to different environmental variables) sun/shade does a better job. Compared to the sun/shade model, the big leaf model shows a lower goodness of fit and fails to respond to variations in the diffuse fraction, also having skewed responses to temperature and VPD. The separate treatment of sun and shade leaves in combination with the separation of the incoming light into direct beam and diffuse make sun/shade a strong modelling tool that catches more of the observed variability in canopy fluxes as measured by eddy covariance. In conclusion, the sun/shade approach is a relatively simple and effective tool for modelling photosynthetic carbon uptake that could be easily included in many terrestrial carbon models.

Identificação e caracterização de alunos em risco de desenvolverem dislexia: um estudo sobre o uso da Monitorização com base no currículo no terceiro ano de escolaridade

Dissertação de mestrado em Educação Especial (área de especialização em Dificuldades de Aprendizagem Específicas)

Treatment of delayed rupture of the left ventricle after mitral valve replacement

Rupture of the left ventricle following mitral valve replacement is a catastrophic complication with deadly consequences. We report here the case of a 75-year-old man who underwent elective mitral valve replacement for severe mitral regurgitation. Delayed type 1 rupture of the left ventricle developed 3 hours postoperatively in the intensive care unit. A salvaging maneuver was used, which gained time, allowing reoperation and successful intraventricular repair.

Darwin and after Darwin. An exposition of the Darwinian theory and a discussion of post-Darwinian questions, by George John Romanes ...

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Darwin and after Darwin. An exposition of the Darwinian theory and a discussion of post-Darwinian questions, by George John Romanes ...

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Darwin and after Darwin. An exposition of the Darwinian theory and a discussion of post-Darwinian questions, by George John Romanes ...

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The vulnerability to pollution and hydrochemical variation of eleven springs (catchments) in the karst lowlands of the west of Ireland

The vulnerability to pollution and hydrochemical variation of groundwater in the mid-west karstic lowlands of Ireland were investigated from October 1992 to September 1993, as part of an EU STRIDE project at Sligo Regional Technical College. Eleven springs were studied in the three local authority areas of Co. Galway, Co. Mayo, and Co. Roscommon. Nine of the springs drain locally or regionally important karstic aquifers and two drain locally important sand and gravel aquifers. The maximum average daily discharge of any of the springs was 16,000 m3/day. Determination of the vulnerability of groundwater to pollution relies heavily on an examination of subsoil deposits in an area since they can act as a protecting or filtering layer over groundwater. Within aquifers/spring catchments, chemical reactions such as adsorption, solution-precipitation or acid-base reactions occur and modify the hydrochemistry of groundwater (Lloyd and Heathcote, 1985). The hydrochemical processes) that predominate depend cm the mineralogy of the aquifer, the hydrogeological environment, the overlying subsoils, and the history of groundwater movement. The aim of this MSc research thesis was to investigate the hydrochemical variation of spring outflow and to assess the relationship between these variations and the intrinsic vulnerability of the springs and their catchments. If such a relationship can be quantified, then it is hoped that the hydrochemical variation of a spring may indicate the vulnerability of a spring catchment without the need for determining it by field mapping. Such a method would be invaluable to any of the three local authorities since they would be able to prioritise sources that are most at risk from pollution, using simple techniques of chemical sampling, and statistical analysis. For each spring a detailed geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical study was carried out. Individual catchment areas were determined with a water balance/budget and groundwater tracing. The subsoils geology for each spring catchment were mapped at the 1:10,560 scale and digitised to the 1:25,000 scale with AutoCad™ and Arclnfo™. The vulnerability of each spring was determined using the Geological Survey's vulnerability guidelines. Field measurements and laboratory based chemistry analyses of the springs were undertaken by personnel from both the EPA Regional Laboratory in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, and the Environment Section of Roscommon Co. Council. Electrical conductivity and temperature (°C) were sampled fortnightly, in the field, using a WTW microprocessor conductivity meter. A percentage (%) vulnerability was applied to each spring in order to indicate the areal extent of the four main classes of vulnerability (Extreme, High, Moderate, and Low) which occurred within the confines of each spring catchment. Hydrochemical variation for the springs were presented as the coefficient of variation of electrical conductivity. The results of this study show that a clear relationship exists between the degree of vulnerability of each catchment area as defined by the subsoil cover and the coefficient of variation of EC, with the coefficient of variation increasing as the vulnerability increases. The coefficient of variation of electrical conductivity is considered to be a parameter that gives a good general reflection of the degree of vulnerability occurring in a spring catchment in Ireland's karstic lowlands.

Reproducibility of Left Ventricular Mass by Echocardiogram in the ELSA-Brasil

Background: Echocardiography, though non-invasive and having relatively low-cost, presents issues of variability which can limit its use in epidemiological studies. Objective: To evaluate left ventricular mass reproducibility when assessed at acquisition (online) compared to when assessed at a reading center after electronic transmission (offline) and also when assessed by different readers at the reading center. Methods: Echocardiographers from the 6 ELSA-Brasil study investigation centers measured the left ventricular mass online during the acquisition from 124 studies before transmitting to the reading center, where studies were read according to the study protocol. Half of these studies were blindly read by a second reader in the reading center. Results: From the 124 echocardiograms, 5 (4%) were considered not measurable. Among the remaining 119, 72 (61%) were women, mean age was 50.2 ± 7.0 years and 2 had structural myocardial abnormalities. Images were considered to be optimal/ good by the reading center for 110 (92.4%) cases. No significant difference existed between online and offline measurements (1,29 g, CI 95% −3.60-6.19), and the intraclass correlation coefficient between them was 0.79 (CI 95% 0.71-0.85). For images read by two readers, the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.86 (CI 95% 0.78-0.91). Conclusion: There were no significant drifts between online and offline left ventricular mass measurements, and reproducibility was similar to that described in previous studies. Central quantitative assessment of echocardiographic studies in reading centers, as performed in the ELSA-Brasil study, is feasible and useful in clinical and epidemiological studies performed in our setting.