Constructive Characteristics and Degradation Condition of Liceu Secondary Schools in Portugal

Within a full-scope modernization program of Portuguese secondary schools, technical inspections were conducted in order to: 1) identify the main degradation processes that affect different types of school buildings, and 2) provide recommendations for the rehabilitation projects. This article presents the constructive characteristics and a statistical analysis of the degradation condition of a particular type of Portuguese secondary schools, the Liceu, comprising a set of buildings with an invaluable historical and cultural importance and that is very iconic in terms of the historical period in which they were built—the Estado Novo. To that end, a database was designed in order to organize information gathered in the inspection of 15 secondary schools of Liceu typology. The aim of the database was to analyze the most frequent anomalies in this type of school buildings, taking into account the constructive solutions used and establishing statistical relationships between anomalies, probable causes and recommended rehabilitation works. Results obtained allowed concluding that the overall condition of these buildings which, in average, were 60 years old, was severe. The most frequent anomalies in both the buildings envelope and interior are mainly due to design and execution errors, water infiltration, and lack of maintenance. Although the school buildings analyzed are to some extent unique, most lessons learned from this study can be extrapolated to other countries, mostly Mediterranean, where during most of the 20th century, buildings were designed and constructed according to the same architectural and constructive principles, and were subjected to the same type of maintenance.     

Reaction to Fire of Existing Timber Elements Protected With Fire Retardant Treatments: Experimental Assessment

Fire safety is an important issue of building safety, especially when the building’s fire load contents enhance the risks of fire deflagration. When existing timber structures are involved, the most usual way to improve its reaction to fire is to treat wood with fire retardants. This study focuses on the surface protection of existing timber roof structures against fire, through the use of fire retardant (FR) treatments applied on site. An experimental investigation was carried out to study the effect of FR treatments on timber reaction to fire, with a special emphasis on timber members with biological deterioration and previously treated with preservative products. The behaviour and effectiveness of intumescent and non-intumescent treatments was also investigated. The study showed that the application of FR treatments improved the reaction to fire of timber, even in the presence of previous preservative treatments. However, the choice of the specific FR treatment should take into account the substrate conditions. In addition, test results suggest that protection systems involving multi layers (intumescent and non-intumescent) with different functioning modes each are likely to have a good global performance on the protection of timber elements against fire.     

Sur l'expertise anthropologique territoires et identités indigènes au Brésil

Is it possible for an anthropologist to decide whether an individual or a collectivity can or cannot be characterized as « indigenous », and then proceed to establish the limits of the territory which should be assigned (or recognized) by the state? Does his role as a scientist furnish him with the conceptual and methodological instruments necessary for such a task? In epistemological and ethical terms, is this something which he should endeavour to do? The purpose of this paper is to discuss how these questions are being put to Brazilian anthropologists since the 1980s. Torn between an « indianist » and an « indigenist » discourse, between romanticism and political mediation, the anthropologist must define an appropriate posture for dealing with policy-making; one which will simultaneously safeguard the scientific quality of his work while addressing the specific demands of each situation.     

At the crossroads of nationalism: Huizinga,Pirenne and the Low Countries in Europe1

Johan Huizinga and Henri Pirenne belong to the most prominent historians of the twentieth century. The fame of the former is most of all based on Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen (1919), a fascinating study of the Burgundian culture; the latter is widely considered as the innovator of the economic and urban history of the Middle Ages. But both historians were equally highly preoccupied by the question as to which position their countries – the Netherlands in the case of Huizinga, Belgium in the case of Pirenne – should take up in Europe and what were the responsibilities of these engagements in an international community. This preoccupation is the subject of this essay. It tells the story of diplomats from small countries, of disappointment through war and of national pride, a story also in which positions changed repeatedly.     

Encouraging play in the natural environment: a child-focused case study of Forest School

There is concern that children are becoming disengaged from the natural environment and are not being afforded the opportunities to play in such environments. To examine children's perceptions, knowledge and experiences of play in the natural environment, 17 children from one school participated in small focus groups before and after a 12-week Forest School that took place within a school woodland area. Using two qualitative approaches, we found that Forest School had a positive influence on children's natural play and their knowledge of the natural world around them.     

Exceptional preservation of a prehistoric human brain from Heslington,Yorkshire, UK

Archaeological work in advance of construction at a site on the edge of York, UK, yielded human remains of prehistoric to Romano-British date. Amongst these was a mandible and cranium, the intra-cranial space of which contained shrunken but macroscopically recognizable remains of a brain. Although the distinctive surface morphology of the organ is preserved, little recognizable brain histology survives. Though rare, the survival of brain tissue in otherwise skeletalised human remains from wet burial environments is not unique. A survey of the literature shows that similar brain masses have been previously reported in diverse circumstances. We argue for a greater awareness of these brain masses and for more attention to be paid to their detection and identification in order to improve the reporting rate and to allow a more comprehensive study of this rare archaeological survival.     

A curriculum framework for faculty-led international programs in geography

Faculty-led international programs are widely considered to be a highly engaging and effective means to enhance students’ learning in geography. While international programs hold great opportunity for students’ academic and personal growth, actualizing their potential calls for balancing the logistics with a purposefully constructed curriculum. This article presents a curricular framework which applies the straightforward, time-tested learning model originally delineated by Bloom and subsequently updated and adapted by others, into the naturally occurring phases of a faculty-led international program. The framework, while simple in design, provides a clear means to encourage impactful learning within a short-term course.     

文化的生态观

<正>文化的生态观是考古学和人类学系统论框架中最富创造力的理论之一。生态学被定义为生物有机体与环境,或结构与自然功能之间内在关系的科学。人类是自然系统的一部分,人与其他有机体及其自然环境的关系被定义为人类生态学。生物有机体的生物学需求和基因结构决定了大部分生物有机体与环境的互动关系。人类拥有发达的文化,文化在人与环境之间以各种形式发挥着一种媒介的角色——怀特在将文化定义为人类超肌体适应手段时意识了到这一点。