Universidade De Coimbra Research Articles

Para a história dos <i>Opúsculos</i> de José Leite de Vasconcelos

The Opúsculos by José Leite de Vasconcelos contains the reprint of many of the articles published during his lifetime. It is known that the invitation for its publication was made by Joaquim de Carvalho, the Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra’s director at the time, but little else was known apart from the information contained in the prologues of the various volumes written by the author. Recent investigations on the author’s assets at the National Archeology Museum allowed us to provide new information regarding the creation of the work from a global perspective. It is precisely this information that is presented in this article, so that knowledge can be added to a work whose history remained somewhat unknown.

The fish collection of Jos Mariano da Conceio Veloso (17421811) and the beginning of ichthyological research in Brazil, with a taxonomic description of the extant specimens.

Two Portuguese institutions, the Museu Maynense da Academia das Cincias de Lisboa (ACL), and the Museu da Cincia da Universidade de Coimbra (MCUC), house a collection of 85 dried fish specimens prepared in what can be called a fish-herbaria following a process similar to that developed by the Dutch naturalist Johan Frederic Gronovius (16901762). These specimens date back to the late eighteenth century and represent Brazilian taxa. Previous authors assumed that they were part of the collections amassed by the Brazilian-Portuguese naturalist Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira (17561815) during his philosophical voyage to the Amazon. Here we present a review of these specimens, suggesting that they belonged to Friar Jos Mariano da Conceio Veloso (17421811) and describe the history of dispersal of these collections up the present day. A total of 58 species in 50 genera, 32 families and 19 orders are represented in the collection. Only 8.6% of these specimens represent freshwater species, while 91.4% are marine or brackish water species. The present known distribution of these taxa is focused on southwestern Brazil, which agrees with the area where Veloso collected natural history specimens. A good percentage of the species were undescribed at the time Veloso collected them, and had they been published by him, would have had priority over species described decades later by famous eighteenth and nineteenth century ichthyologists. We also present a brief discussion on the challenges and opportunities of studying historical natural history specimens, with special focus on those amassed during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century by Brazilian-Portuguese naturalists.

António da Costa Paiva (Barão de Castelo de Paiva) (1806–1879): his malacological collection from Madeira in Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

The Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra (MCUC) (Science Museum of the University of Coimbra) hosts an important historical collection of land and freshwater snails from the Madeira Archipelago. This collection of 1,768 specimens (120 recent taxa within 20 families) was recently catalogued and digitized. Specimens in MCUC collections were recognized as being provided by António da Costa Paiva (Barão de Castelo de Paiva). This Portuguese nobleman also donated other mollusc collections to different scientific institutions and natural history museums in Portugal and abroad in the mid nineteenth-century. The study of the origin of the MCUC mollusc collection, beyond the data associated with the specimens, is important to the research on the endangered fauna of the Madeira Archipelago. This work precedes a comprehensive study ongoing in MCUC regarding the species occurrence and the systematic review on a great number of species hosted in the museum collection.

Custom-Q versus Wavefront Optimized Photorefractive Keratectomy for Myopia with or without Astigmatism correction

Purpose:To compare the results between photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with Custom-Q or with Wavefront-optimized (WFO) profiles in terms of asphericity and spherical aberrations, 6 months post-operative. Setting:Tertiary referral center (Centro Hospitalar e Universitario da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal). Patients and Methods: Fifty-nine eyes (43 patients) were enrolled on this retrospective case series, including patients with myopia and/or astigmatism, submitted to refractive surgery with PRK (Allegretto WAVE Eye-Q Excimer Laser System, Alcon), in a Custom-Q ablation (38 eyes) or Wavefront-optimized procedure (21 eyes). We included patients with a minimum follow-up of 6 months; age over 21 years; stable refractive error for 2 years; spherical equivalent (SE) inferior to 5.50 diopters (D); percentage of altered tissue under 40% and expected final corneal curvature above 35 D. Eyes with other ophthalmological pathologies were excluded. Baseline and post-operative asphericity and optical aberrations were evaluated with Pentacam (Oculus Optikgerate, Wetzlar, Germany). Results: The demographic and preoperative refractive data was similar between groups (all p≥0.05). Post-operative spherical equivalent in the Custom-Q and Wavefront-optimized groups was within 0.50D in 100% and 78.90% of eyes, respectively and within 0.25D in 97.06% and 73.70% of eyes, respectively. Variation of Q-value was 0.62±0.34. (range -0.07-1.24) for Custom Q group, and 0.65±0.39 (range -0.05-1.40) in the Wavefront-optimized group (p=0.82). In a multivariate linear regression model, variation of Q-value was not influenced by the ablation profile (B=0.04, p=0.49, 95%CI [-0.08,0.17]). SE was a strong predictor (B=-0.30, p<0.01, 95%CI[-0.39,-0.21]). There was a significant increase in RMS higher-order aberrations (p<0.01for both groups) and no difference between groups (p=0.53). Discussion and Conclusion: In our sample,Custom-Q ablation was not significantly different from Wavefront optimized ablation regarding post-operative asphericity. Although the increase in higher-order aberrations, both techniques were effective and safe for myopic and/or astigmatic correction up to -5.50D SE.

Spanish and Portuguese Parental Acceptance of Behavior Management Techniques in Pediatric Dentistry.

To compare acceptance of behavior management techniques used in pediatric dentistry by Spanish and Portuguese parents. cross-sectional study. A survey of 8 behavior management techniques used in pediatric dentistry was administered to parents whose children were being treated at the Universitat Internacional de Cataluña (Barcelona, Spain) or at the Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal). The techniques evaluated were: tell-show-do (TSD), nitrous oxide sedation, passive restraint using a papoose board, voice control, hand-over-mouth, oral premedication, active restraint and general anaesthesia. The questionnaire also included information on parents' sex, number and sex of children receiving treatment, parents' previous dental experience (positive or negative), children's previous dental experience (positive or negative), and the socioeconomic status of the families. TSD and voice control were rated the most acceptable techniques in both Spain and Portugal, whereas the least accepted techniques in both countries were active and passive restraint. There were no significant differences in the acceptance of each of the techniques, in relation to parents' sex or their previous dental experience, children's sex or age, children's previous dental experience, or families' socioeconomic status. TSD was the most widely accepted behavior-management technique by Spanish and Portuguese parents, even with the passage of time. Both groups of parents had a low opinion of active and passive restraint techniques.

Classification of an equine skull in the Science Museum of Coimbra, Portugal, by means of multivariate and qualitative analysis

The study aimed at classifying an equine skull stored in Museu da Ci&amp;ecirc;ncia da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra (Portugal) on the basis of its morphology using multivariate analyses. A visual appraisal had revealed that it was not from a horse. Nineteen cephalic measurements were obtained and compared with available data of horses of different groups (poneys, trait and saddle), equine hybrids, Przewalski&amp;rsquo;s horse (Equus przewalskii), wild and domestic asses, and quaggas (Equus quagga). Multivariate analysis plus head profile allowed us to assign the skull to a mare hinny -the hybrid between a jenny (female donkey) and a stallion (male horse). The research highlights the possibilities of categorization of equid skulls according to morphometry but with a need to consider qualitative traits, as head profiles. But more such studies are needed to be conducted to establish clearly differences between mules and hinnies, especially among sympatric populations.

Persistent Diaper Rash in a 5-month-old Girl

1. Joana Matos, MD* 2. Joao Tavares, MD† 3. Susana Machado, MD‡ 4. Manuela Selores, MD‡ 1. *Servico de Pediatria do Centro Hospitalar do Tâmega e Sousa, Penafiel, Portugal 2. †Hospital Pediatrico, Centro Hospitalar da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal 3. ‡Servico de Dermatologia do Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Porto, Portugal A previously healthy 5-month-old girl is referred to pediatric dermatology for a diaper rash persisting for more than 2 months despite antifungal treatment and several barrier creams. She is otherwise asymptomatic and has no relevant medical history. The family history is significant for her father with episodic erythematous lesions over the forearms and legs. Physical examination reveals a well-defined, bright, erythematous plaque affecting the perineal area, including the groins and upper thigh, with minimal peripheral scaling (Fig 1). She also has 2 smaller satellite lesions in the left thigh. There are no other abnormal findings on physical examination. The clinical features and family history suggest the diagnosis. Figure 1. Erythematous plaque in the diaper area at presentation. Many dermatoses affect the diaper region, including the most common irritant, contact dermatitis. More diffuse skin diseases and systemic disorders that can manifest with specific diaper region symptoms may include inflammatory dermatoses such as seborrheic dermatitis or psoriasis, infections (eg, Candida albicans infection, perianal streptococcal and staphylococcal dermatitis), and metabolic disorders such as acrodermatitis enteropathica or neoplasia (eg, Langerhans cell histiocytosis). Immersion burns resulting from either inadvertent or intentional immersion in hot water or other liquid may also appear with a well-delimited erythematous diaper area rash. Based on the clinical features and suggestive family history, the patient was diagnosed as having psoriasis and was prescribed an antifungal and corticosteroid combination cream plus a zinc oxide–based repair ointment. Psoriasis is …

“E indo a Carvalho, de la veyo boa”: os exorcismos numa paróquia portuguesa durante o século XVIII

O artigo apresenta os resultados da pesquisa realizada no Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra (AUC) acerca da prática de exorcismos no território do bispado, durante o século XVIII. Busca caracterizar o registro documental, redefinir alguns conceitos e elucidar a presença de um destacado exorcista, responsável por muitas curas e, igualmente, muitos testemunhos por parte da população.&#x0D; Palavras-chave: Visitas pastorais; exorcismos; feitiços; poder eclesiástico.

“Nemine discrepante”: Agostinho Barbosa (1590-1649), estudante da universidade de coimbra, erudito lexicógrafo, canonista difamado?

A partir de documentos inéditos, conservados no Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra e no Archivio Segreto Vaticano, o estudo visa (re)considerar Agostinho Barbosa (1590-1649), douto canonista formado na Universidade de Coimbra (1608-1618), e uma parte da sua extensa produção editorial em latim. Estes eruditos textos lexicográficos e jurídicos motivaram, muitas vezes, afirmações difamantes, transmitidas também por quantos trataram, recentemente, da complexa personagem. Barbosa foi um canonista com um cursus itinerante entre a Península Ibérica e a Italiana, durante décadas de profundo colapso social para Portugal, nos anos de integração na coroa espanhola.

Active packaging as a solution for lipid oxidation

Active packaging as a solution for lipid oxidation

Reprint of ‘First exposure to Arduino through peer-coaching: Impact on students' attitudes towards programming’

In this paper we report the work that jeKnowledge (Júnior Empresa da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias da Universidade de Coimbra), a student-led initiative, has done in the ‘jeKnowledge academy’ courses to actively engage Portuguese high-school students in STEM education through hands-on projects based on the low-cost Arduino platform. F2F activities, based on a peer-assisted learning strategy, were complemented with tutorials and more advanced project suggestions in a blog. Pre and post surveys on students' attitudes towards programming and peer-coaching were administered to pre-university and first year college participants, finding an overall increase in the Likert scale for all the programming-related constructs under study (confidence, interest, gender, usefulness and professional) after the introductory course. As regards the peer-based learning approach, younger students seemed to be more eager to be taught in a less formal way than their older counterparts. The course resulted in high degrees of satisfaction for both the student tutors and their tutees.

The applicability of dental wear in age estimation for a modern American population.

Though applied in bioarchaeology, dental wear is an underexplored age indicator in the biological anthropology of contemporary populations, although research has been conducted on dental attrition in forensic contexts (Kim et al., , Journal of Forensic Sciences, 45, 303; Prince et al., , Journal of Forensic Sciences, 53, 588; Yun et al., , Journal of Forensic Sciences, 52, 678). The purpose of this study is to apply and adapt existing techniques for age estimation based on dental wear to a modern American population, with the aim of producing accurate age range estimates for individuals from an industrialized context. Methodologies following Yun and Prince were applied to a random sample from the University of New Mexico (n = 583) and Universidade de Coimbra (n = 50) cast and skeletal collections. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between tooth wear scores and age. Application of both Yun et al. () and Prince et al. () methodologies resulted in inaccurate age estimates. Recalibrated sectioning points correctly classified individuals as over or under 50 years for 88% of the sample. Linear regression demonstrated 60% of age estimates fell within ±10 years of the actual age, and accuracy improved for individuals under 45 years, with 74% of predictions within ±10 years. This study demonstrates age estimation from dental wear is possible for modern populations, with comparable age intervals to other established methods. It provides a quantifiable method of seriation into "older" and "younger" adult categories, and provides more reliable age interval estimates than cranial sutures in instances where only the skull is available.

First exposure to Arduino through peer-coaching: Impact on students' attitudes towards programming

In this paper we report the work that jeKnowledge (Júnior Empresa da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias da Universidade de Coimbra), a student-led initiative, has done in the ‘jeKnowledge academy’ courses to actively engage Portuguese high-school students in STEM education through hands-on projects based on the low-cost Arduino platform. F2F activities, based on a peer-assisted learning strategy, were complemented with tutorials and more advanced project suggestions in a blog. Pre and post surveys on students' attitudes towards programming and peer-coaching were administered to pre-university and first year college participants, finding an overall increase in the Likert scale for all the programming-related constructs under study (confidence, interest, gender, usefulness and professional) after the introductory course. As regards the peer-based learning approach, younger students seemed to be more eager to be taught in a less formal way than their older counterparts. The course resulted in high degrees of satisfaction for both the student tutors and their tutees.

A reorganização do Museu Pombalino de Física da Universidade de Coimbra por Mário Augusto da Silva

Em 1937, a colecção de instrumentos científicos do Gabinete de Física da Universidade de Coimbra, organizada por João António Dalla Bella (1726-1823) no século XVIII, encontrava-se obsoleta, dispersa e esquecida por várias salas do Colégio de Jesus. Uma notificação para realizar um inventário do Laboratório de Física foi o que desencadeou o empenho do então seu director, Mário Augusto da Silva (1901-1977), para salvar e reorganizar este importante património científico do processo de abandono e consequente esquecimento. Mário Silva, impossibilitado de avançar com outros projectos, tais com o Instituto do Rádio ou a Emissora Radiofónica, encontrou no interior do seu laboratório um motivo para vencer as adversidades a que era sujeito e que culminaram com a sua aposentação compulsiva em 1947. É o percurso da recuperação dos instrumentos e espaços do antigo Gabinete de Física no final da década de 30, e subsequente criação de um museu, que iremos analisar neste artigo.

Do jogo das imagens às imagens do jogo - Análise do livro

Review of the book &lt;em&gt;Do jogo das imagens às imagens do jogo&lt;/em&gt;, written by professors Paulo Coêlho de Araújo and Ana Rosa Fachardo Jaqueira and published in 2008 by the Centro de Estudos Biocinéticos of the Faculdade de Ciências do Desporto e Educação Física, Universidade de Coimbra. The book studies the cultural history of capoeira through images and is a valuable contribution to the historical and sociological study of this popular Brazilian martial art.

Professional Satisfaction within Family Health Units of Central Region

Job satisfaction, as an organizational climate indicator, is a complex and subjective phenomenon. It is prone to individual variation, social settings and suitable to multiple explanatory theories. It can impact productivity and absenteeism, predict well-being, and it is associated with mental health, self-esteem and perception of physical health. It is comprised as one of the National Health Service evaluation criteria. This study aimed to assess the level of job satisfaction in family health units of Central Region of the country. This was an observational, cross-sectional study with a descriptive analysis model and a correlational component. The Centro de Estudos e Investigação em Saúde da Universidade de Coimbra's Professional Satisfaction Assessment Instrument was selected as data collection instrument. Among a universe of 809 health professionals, a total of 774 professionals participated in this study population. The observed response rate was 66.4% at the Professional Satisfaction Assessment Instrument, corresponding to 514 professionals. Eighty two per cent of the respondents were female and 18% male. From the total subjects, 64.8% worked in model A units and the remaining 35.2% in model B units. Regarding professional categories, 34.2% were nurses, 39.8% were doctors and 26.0% clinical secretaries. The global level of satisfaction was 71.5% being 67.4% with the quality of the work setting, 78.3% with the quality of the care provided and 80.7% with the continuous improvement of quality. The sample was predominantly composed by female subjects (82%), in line with current gender distribution of professionals. Found levels of job satisfaction (71.5%) were 5.4% lower than previously recorded in 2009. We recommend systematic evaluation of job satisfaction in contracting regimens, similarly to user satisfaction.

Diversity of fungal species in ancient parchments collections of the Archive of the University of Coimbra

In order to study the fungal diversity in different parchment collections from the “Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra”, eighty different documents, belonging to five different collections, were screened for the presence of fungal species. Molecular methods complemented with morphological identification were applied to identify all fungal organisms. In total, 230 isolates, belonging to 22 different genera and 42 different species, were obtained. The most common genera were Alternaria, Cladosporium, Epicoccum and Penicillium and the most frequent species were Alternaria alternata, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Epicoccum nigrum, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium glabrum and Penicillium spinulosum. Shannon–Wiener index was calculated for fungal diversity, presenting a low species diversity in all parchments collections. Also a Linear Model Regression analysis was calculated between the age of the documents, the number of species and number of isolates, confirming that time is significantly associated with species diversity; older collections generally presented a higher number of fungal isolates.

Variations around Jackson’s quantum operator

CM-UTAD (Centro de Matematica da Universidade de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro), funded by the Portuguese Government through the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia under the project PEst-OE/MAT/UI4080/2014. The work of J. Petronilho was supported by the CMUC (Centro de Matematica da Universidade de Coimbra), funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the program COMPETE and by the Portuguese Government through the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia under the project PEst-C/MAT/UI0324/2011. J. Petronilho was also supported by Direccion General de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion, Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain, under grant MTM2012-36732-C03-02.

ENTRE LUZES E ROMANTISMO: A ESTÉTICA HEDONISTA DO LICEU DAS DAMAS, DE GARRETT, E A REFLEXÃO SOBRE «POESIA» QUE PROPÕE

Este manuscrito de Almeida Garrett (pertencente à Biblioteca Geral da Universidade de Coimbra), começado cerca de 1822-32 e depois retomado (e que permanece, até hoje, sobejamente desconhecido), pretende posicionar as suas lições de poesia, escritas de um modo leve e cortês dado que se destinavam a uma “jovem Senhora”, no panorama estético e crítico português. O texto está bastante incompleto e, frequentemente, nos seus primeiros estádios de desenvolvimento, mas permite-nos documentar uma grande cisão cultural – aquela responsável pela expressão da subjetividade e subsequente reconhecimento da liberdade criativa, nascida a partir do sensualismo do Iluminismo, o qual foi favorável ao amanhecer Romântico. O prazer é repetidamente invocado pelo “mestre” como padrão de vida e deleite artístico; o seu grande cúmplice é o sentimento – uma energia individual que reúne a vivacidade dos sentidos, os discernimentos da razão e os movimentos de um coração delicado, virtuoso e espiritual. Daí brota o hedonismo estético, a consciência histórica, a relatividade crítica, a falta de “regras” e a tolerância do gosto revelada pelo Liceu das Damas.

Storytelling with Chemistry and Related Hands-On Activities: Informal Learning Experiences To Prevent “Chemophobia” and Promote Young Children’s Scientific Literacy

The dissemination of chemistry has been experienced as a difficult task, largely because of the negative image that the public has of this science, but also because of its inherent complexity and its own semantics and symbolism. Science centers, as informal learning environments, can contribute to a more effective dissemination of chemistry to an audience of all ages. This article describes a study that took place in “RÓMULO—Centro Ciência Viva da Universidade de Coimbra”, which involved a convenience sampling of 29 students (ages 8–10) from a elementary school. The experiment included storytelling (covering concepts of chemistry) followed by hands-on activities emulating the story. After the hands-on activities, the students were asked to express, through drawing, what they felt to be the most relevant aspects of what they experienced. Students’ drawings have shown that they enjoyed the whole experience, with an emphasis on the storytelling, the hands-on activities, or a combination of both. In the future, we plan to assess in a more systematic manner the impact of the storytelling on learning and development of scientific literacy, as well as the impact on the way young students perceive chemistry.