Papers

Droughts reduce freshwater availability and have negative environmental, economic,and social impacts. In estuaries, the dynamics between the saltwater and the freshwater can bea ected during droughts, which can impact several natural resources and economic sectors negatively.The Tagus estuary is one of the largest estuaries in Europe and supports diverse uses and activitiesthat can be a ected by the saltwater intrusion (e.g., agriculture). This study assesses the saltwaterintrusion in the upper reaches of the Tagus estuary using a process-based model to explore di erentscenarios of freshwater discharge and sea level rise. For the river discharge and mean sea levelrise scenarios analyzed, salinity can reach concentrations that are inadequate for irrigation whenthe mean Tagus river discharge is similar or lower than the ones observed during recent droughts(22

The seismic response of a 290 m high arch dam, located in ahigh seismicity zone in China, is studied in this paper. The goal isto evaluate the influence of the reservoir water level on the dam

Railway infrastructure managers run dedicated inspection vehicles to monitor the geometric quality of the track (among other aspects) to detect irregularities and ensure safe running conditions of railway lines, in accordance with specific regulations. Unfortunately, these inspections disturb the normal traffic operation, especially in networks with intense traffic; are generally carried out only a few times per year; and, consequently, do not provide prompt identification of critical situations. Considering the recent developments and cost reduction in sensing capabilities of smartphones, the authors present an approach to use these technologies to perform constant acceleration measurements inside in-service trains to complement the assessment of the structural performance and geometrical degradation of the tracks. Cross-correlation values above 0.85 were obtained between the standard deviations of the longitudinal level and the experimental vertical accelerations measured on-board a passenger train on an 11-km railway stretch. ,e results showed that the approach can be used to identify critical situations that affect the performance of the track, regarding passenger comfort, degradation rates, and risk of derailment. It may comprise a low-cost and crowdsourced complement to the general current practice of track geometric inspection by dedicated vehicles and contribute to an earlier detection of track malfunctions, consequently, to a more efficient maintenance planning and infrastructure management.

No artigo desenvolvem-se algumas notas gerais sobre a relação entre os isolamentos e outros cuidados ambientais e a qualidade de uso e arquitectónica do interior doméstico, visando-se, designadamente os seguintes objetivos: integrar arquitectonicamente isolamentos e outros cuidados ambientais; criar um espaço doméstico agradável, que nos faça sentir bem (bem-estar) e que nos faça bem à saúde; estruturar e rechear um interior doméstico, tipo "concha de caracol", mas equilibrado (bem relacionado com o exterior); e que respeite as diversas dimensões do conforto ambiental doméstico.

A series of disperse renaissance azulejos with designs outlined in blue and black against a yellow background, secluded by the basal wall of the altar of the Igreja de Santa Maria da Graça, Cathedral of Setúbal, near Lisbon, were recently unveiled. The azulejos were probably once part of a chapel lining that was removed, and some were re-applied here at an unknown date. They were spread without any concern whatsoever about continuity because they were not intended for visibility. In this paper, we attempt a partial digital reconstruction of the painting, showing that it includes the representation of two feminine winged figures, together with flowers and fruits. One of the figures is a young lady with butterfly wings, and the other an elderly woman with bird wings. Both have crowns, although of different sorts. We also report the results of a first analytical study of the azulejos and discuss their technological and chronological placement in relation to other 16th century panels from the workshops of Lisbon.

After the panels of Capela de São Roque in Lisbon, signed and dated, the incomplete and dispersed panels in the church of Graça are the second set of Renaissance azulejos produced in Lisbon that were found to be signed. A selection of azulejo units from the panels has now been studied by scanning-electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS). The tiles making up the book bearing the signing monogram have been used to establish a morphological and analytical template aimed at identifying in the future a common officinal provenance in azulejos of the same general chronology known or presumed to have been produced in Lisbon. This paper attempts a partial reconstitution of the panels and discusses their original placement. It also reports the results of the analytical study identifying the main micro-morphological features and the compositional variations that may be ascribed to different chronologies.

An experimental study on internal erosion of coarse-grained soils collected from the Rhine River is presented. The tests performed on laboratory column aim to assess the potential of such soils to suffusion and to characterize their stability and the variation of the soil physical parameters during the suffusion process. An experimental device (large vertical column with 60 cm of height and 26 cm of diameter) has been developed, which allows the application of upward flow to noncohesivesoils under controlled hydraulic loading. The investigation of the parameters affecting the suitability of the soilsto suffusion leads to the identification of the hydraulic gradient that initiates the migration of particles to the outlet. The results show an increase in permeability, which is related to the migration and the washing out of fine particles in the upper layer. The particle size distribution of the downward soil layer after test is performed, and the analysis corroborates the localization of particles suffusion. The grain size analysis of the outlet shows that eroded particles are smaller than 500 lm and their size rather increases with increasing hydraulic load. Usual methods based on geometrical criteria proved to overestimate the susceptibility to suffusion of soils from the Rhine, and, therefore, one consider that, for such soils, it is preferable to carry out laboratory tests to evaluate the suffusion process.

Considering the economic-financial crisis faced through Europe, all the railway rehabilitation projects stakeholders are concerned with the costs required to improve the railway systems. Additionally, following recent decisions from European Union, it is becoming more urgent to conduct economic based widespread research for fundament rehabilitation strategies. A research project, on going is Portugal, aims dealing with these gaps in an integrated way, taking advantage of previous knowledge and existing non destructive testing methods.The rehabilitation solutions studied take into account the track condition obtained through non-destructive testing (NDT). The rehabilitation solutions are more efficient and sustainable if they address the cause of track deterioration. An important task of this study is to promote the reuse of materials existing on track and to reduce the consumption of raw geomaterials.

One of the jewels in the collections of the Museu Nacional do Azulejo is a nativity painted in Renaissance style and colours, topped by an annunciation and flanked by the images of two apostles, originally from the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Vida (Chapel of Our Lady of Life) of the now demolished Igreja de Santo André (Church of Saint Andrew) in Lisbon. These azulejos were already specifically mentioned in 1721 for their exquisite quality in the important work Santuário Mariano, a collection of books by Fr. Agostinho de Santa Maria (1642-1728). The Igreja de Santo André was built between 1334 and 1340. The church had a top main chapel and four small side chapels, one of which dedicated to Our Lady of Life was decorated ca. 1580 with this panel. This communication reviews the oldest known written sources on the panel and presents the results of the first instrumental study done on the azulejos of one of the most important testimonies of a technological continuity respecting the first decades of the production of majolica tiles in Portugal.

The names of João and Filipe de Góis and their connection to the production of glazed ceramics and azulejos in the third quarter of the 16th century were already known and had already been documented. However, there was not a single work that could be objectively associated with any of them. The discovery of the monogram of João de Góis in the remaining azulejos from incomplete panels in the Church of Graça, in Lisbon [3], changed our perception about the importance of these two men in the beginning of the manufacture of majolica azulejos in Portugal. This paper includes a transcription to modern Portuguese of the full documents from the archives of the Holy Inquisition of Lisbon relative to the two brothers with footnotes in English about the most relevant parts for the history of the early production of majolica azulejos in Lisbon.