RCAAP Repository

Disinformation, as a symptom of the current media paradigm, acquires an unprecedented scale in the contemporary era, where social networks play a key role in its dissemination. One observes, in particular, how the sophistication of disinformation techniques and strategies that digital media provide reinforces their power in manipulating online users. Following this conceptual framework, this study aims to explore, expose, and deconstruct strategies of disinformation production and dissemination on social media, with the pedagogical ambition of promoting literacy on disinformation. To this end, the study begins by reflecting on the conceptualization of the disinformation phenomenon, as influenced by the emergence of new verbal and discursive strategies of online disinformation. Subsequently, the most recurrent types and techniques of disinformation are discussed. To this end, the main agents and motivations that contribute to its dissemination are addressed, as well as the factors that promote the emergence of contemporary disinformation and the consequences associated with its presence in society. Subsequently, strategies to prevent misinformation and tips for its detection are highlighted. According to this framework and theoretical approach, the study proceeds to analysis of fifty disinformative cases on social networks in the context of the coronavirus, in order to assess disinformative patterns from specific cases. Finally, in order to complete this discussion, the project (DIS)INFORMATION: How good are you at dealing with disinformation? is developed, with the purpose of exploring, illustrating and deconstructing disinformative patterns. Following a game format, the project places the user within a social network, where they are challenged to interact with posts that evoke both informative and disinformative content. Each interaction contributes to the final assignment of a hero or villain profile, depending on the nature of the users’ actions, namely whether they promote or prevent misinformation. Therefore, this study aims to raise awareness of our daily coexistence with misinformation via social networks. Through the project component, it seeks to promote a reflection on the user’s role in these digital platforms, contributing to a critical stance on the consumption of information on social networks.

Liver diseases have become a major health threat across Europe, and the face of European hepatology is changing due to the cure of viral hepatitis C and the control of chronic viral hepatitis B, the increasingly widespread unhealthy use of alcohol, the epidemic of obesity, and undiagnosed or untreated liver disease in migrant populations. Consequently, Europe is facing a looming syndemic, in which socioeconomic and health inequities combine to adversely affect liver disease prevalence, outcomes, and opportunities to receive care. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified pre-existing challenges to uniform implementation of policies and equity of access to care in Europe, arising from national borders and the cultural and historical heterogeneity of European societies. In following up on work from the Lancet Commission on liver disease in the UK and epidemiological studies led by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), our multidisciplinary Commission, comprising a wide range of public health, medical, and nursing specialty groups, along with patient representatives, set out to provide a snapshot of the European landscape on liver diseases and to propose a framework for the principal actions required to improve liver health in Europe. We believe that a joint European process of thinking, and construction of uniform policies and action, implementation, and evaluation can serve as a powerful mechanism to improve liver care in Europe and set the way for similar changes globally.

Fear is one of man’s oldest registered emotions. Since ancient times the dark has been valued, first in the form of religion, then in the form of fairy tales, but consistently assigning an educational content. Studies have been elaborated on child terror and its role in childhood. Despite the various types and interpretations that this topic can raise, the focus of this project lies on the role of H. P. Lovecraft's tales in children's tales, representing the idealism of child terror as an educational process. Children's terror has become a divisive topic, however, being assessed as inappropriate for children who are still developing intellectually, and the use of this fear elicited by these stories so that the child can develop emotional abilities, and learn how to deal with them in everyday life. It is on this ideology that the story on which this illustration project has been composed was selected. Using several references and Lovecraft's descriptions, which will later be analyzed according to the author's artistic perspective, adapting The Moon-bog tale to children's illustration

Global greenhouse gas emissions have caused sea level rise (SLR) at a global and local level since the industrial revolution, mainly through thermal expansion and ice melting. Projections indicate that the acceleration of SLR will increase in the near future. This will affect coastal and deltaic populations worldwide, such as in Bangladesh, where almost half of the population resides in regions lower than 5 m above sea level. This study found three coastal tidal gauges and five deltaic gauge stations, which showed increases in SLR at greater rates than the regional and global averages. This research also used satellite altimetry data to analyze regional and global SLR averages in the recent past and the 21st century. There is a trend towards increasing sea level based on results from three tide gauge stations: Char Changa with 7.6 mm/yr, Hiron Point at 3.1 mm/yr from 1993 to 2019, and 14.5 mm/yr at Cox’s Bazar from 1993 to 2011. Based on the linear trend from these time frames, it is projected that SLR in Char Changa will increase by 228 mm from 2020 to 2050, and by 608 mm by 2100, at Hiron Point by 93 mm in 2050 and 248 mm by 2100, and at Cox’s Bazar by almost 435.7 mm by 2050, and more than 1162 mm by 2100. Based on an average from satellite altimeters, assuming a linear increase in SLR, the Bay of Bengal shows an increase of 0.4 mm compared to the global trend. Other river delta stations in the study area also show increasing SLR, specifically, at Kalaroa, Benarpota, Kaikhali, Tala Magura, and Elarchari. Kalaroa and Benarpota show the highest, with SLR of >40 mm/yr. It is also observed that increasing SLR trends are far higher than coastal tide gauges, indicating that physical processes in the delta region are affecting SLR, further contributing to either an increase in water volume/SLR or activating land subsidence. This is partly due to the subsidence of the delta as a result of natural and anthropomorphic effects, as well as an increase in Himalayan glacier melting due to global warming. This indicates that Bangladesh coastal areas will soon experience a far greater SLR than the rest of the Bay of Bengal or other global coastal areas.

No summary/description provided

A psicose esquizoafetiva é uma perturbação psiquiátrica grave e crónica, definida pela presença de sintomas típicos de esquizofrenia como alucinações e/ou delírios, e sintomas afetivos, como mania e/ou depressão. O objetivo deste trabalho é procurar se existe uma correlação entre sofrer de psicose esquizoafetiva e tornar-se uma pessoa em situação de sem-abrigo. Assim, foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica na plataforma PubMed®, em abril de 2022, utilizando as palavras-chave “schizoaffective” e “homeless”. Nesta revisão sistemática, foram incluídos vinte e oito artigos. As características intrínsecas, taxas de readmissão psiquiátrica, previsão de regresso à situação de sem-abrigo, incumprimento de medicação e uso de substâncias foram os temas mais frequentemente abordados. Esta população sofre de grande variabilidade diagnóstica pois a própria definição de perturbação esquizoafetiva encontra-se em evolução, o que contribui para a dificuldade diagnóstica e de tratamento. As pessoas em situação de sem-abrigo que sofrem de psicose esquizoafetiva recorrem frequentemente aos serviços de saúde, especialmente de urgência, interagindo com múltiplos profissionais de saúde, recebendo múltiplos diagnósticos, o que prejudica o plano de tratamento e a aliança terapêutica. Mais estudos são necessários para uma melhor avaliação destes doentes super-difíceis.

Introdução: Trombocitose é definida como uma contagem plaquetar acima do limite superior do normal. Constitui um achado laboratorial incidental frequente, com um amplo e desafiante diagnóstico diferencial. Pode ser classificada em dois tipos principais: trombocitose primária e trombocitose secundária. A avaliação etiológica desta alteração laboratorial é relevante pelas suas implicações na ponderação primária destes doentes, para uma melhor e atempada investigação, tratamento e prognóstico. Objetivos: Descrever as principais etiologias de trombocitose no cenário de uma enfermaria de Medicina Interna e avaliar a utilidade de determinados parâmetros laboratoriais na distinção entre as trombocitoses primária e secundária. População e métodos: Estudo retrospetivo de um ano que incluiu doentes com, pelo menos, uma contagem plaquetar superior a 450,000 /μL, internados num serviço de Medicina Interna de um hospital universitário. Resultados: Trombocitose foi associada a um processo secundário em 333 doentes (96.24%) e primário em 13 doentes (3.56%). Trombocitose primária verificou-se, significativamente, com maior frequência no sexo masculino e as etiologias de infeção, doença inflamatória e trombocitose rebound foram mais frequentes no sexo feminino. A Policitémia Vera foi a causa mais frequente de trombocitose primária e a infeção a causa mais frequente de trombocitose secundária. Entre estes dois grupos encontrou-se, para alguns parâmetros hematológicos rotineiros, uma diferença estatisticamente significativa. Verificou-se que o tempo até à normalização completa da trombocitose e que a taxa de complicações tromboembólicas era significativamente superior na trombocitose primária. Conclusões: O reconhecimento das principais etiologias de trombocitose e das principais diferenças entre vários marcadores laboratoriais pode auxiliar na abordagem diagnóstica da trombocitose.

BRCA1 e BRCA2 são genes supressores de tumor que desempenham funções fundamentais na reparação de quebras de cadeia dupla no DNA por recombinação homóloga. Mutações nestes genes são frequentemente associadas a uma condição genética denominada cancro hereditário de mama e ovário (HBOC) que se caracteriza por risco aumentado de desenvolver cancro da mama, do ovário e outros tipos de cancro. A identificação de mutações em BRCA1 e BRCA2 na linha germinativa tem importantes implicações para o diagnóstico e tratamento de doentes com cancro da mama ou ovário, bem como para a saúde dos seus familiares próximos, porém o aumento da testagem genética veio revelar um número crescente de variantes genéticas com um significado incerto (VUS), que representam um desafio no contexto clínico. O objetivo deste projeto foi o de implementar uma caracterização molecular e funcional de variantes intrónicas em BRCA, identificadas em mulheres com suspeita de cancro hereditário. Para isso, desenvolvemos uma metodologia de ensaios de splicing e avaliação quantitativa das isoformas alternativas de splicing para determinar a contribuição relativa dos alelos com as variantes, para a totalidade dos transcritos. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a variante BRCA1: c.212+1G>A promove o uso de um dador de splicing alternativo natural; a variante BRCA2:c.681+5G>C induz a perda do exão anterior; enquanto a variante BRCA2: c.7618-10T>G cria um local críptico de aceitador de splicing. Todos os transcritos aberrantes assim identificados vão conter um codão de terminação prematuro (PTC) que conduz à degradação do mRNA através de decaimento mediado por codão stop prematuro (NMD) com a consequente perda de função. Adicionalmente, porém, descobrimos que a variante BRCA2: c.681+5G>C também promove o uso de um dador de splicing críptico natural gerando uma isoforma alternativa de mRNA com uma deleção in-frame que pode ter a capacidade de resgatar a função supressora de tumor. Em conclusão, corroborámos a classificação de Patogénica para a variante BRCA1:c.212+1G>A; produzimos evidência funcional para uma reclassificação da variante BRCA2:c.7618-10T>G de VUS para Patogénica; e obtivemos evidências controversas para a variante BRCA2: c.681+5G>C, o que impede uma pretensão de reclassificação para aquela VUS. Conseguimos validar a nossa metodologia e contribuímos para uma melhor classificação de variantes intrónicas de BRCA com interpretação VUS.

Endocardite Infecciosa (EI) é uma doença com alta mortalidade, apesar da crescente evolução da antibioticoterapia e das técnicas de diagnóstico e cirúrgicas utilizadas. Tem-se verificado o aumento da prevalência da infeção em válvulas protésicas e outros materiais implantados, mesmo em idade pediátrica. Objetivo: Revisão narrativa da literatura sobre EI em idade pediátrica, a propósito de um caso clínico. Métodos: A pesquisa bibliográfica foi feita através de base de dados nacionais e internacionais até fevereiro de 2022, incluindo artigos originais, artigos de revisão, meta-análises e recomendações de sociedades científicas no período compreendido entre 2004 a 2021. Caso clínico: Adolescente de 15 anos, com antecedentes de estenose aórtica grave operada, internado em cuidados intensivos pediátricos por EI aguda da válvula protésica a Staphylococcus aureus, complicada de choque séptico. Durante o internamento manteve infeção não controlada e sucessivos episódios de embolização sistémica, incluindo acidentes vasculares cerebrais isquémicos com transformação hemorrágica, condicionando as decisões terapêuticas e culminando no óbito. Discussão: A maioria das recomendações na gestão de Endocardite Infecciosa em idade pediátrica, como a antibioticoterapia e indicações cirúrgicas, são com base em estudos e recomendações para a idade adulta. É essencial a instrução para a saúde, principalmente de famílias com crianças com doenças graves de base, de maneira a agirem em tempo útil. A EI por Staphylococcus aureus constitui uma doença grave e com rápida progressão. A avaliação precoce de complicações embólicas é fundamental para uma abordagem multidisciplinar completa e atempada.

Malnutrition (synonym: undernutrition) is prevalent among older adults, which may be partly related to changes in dietary intake, but evidence on the link between malnutrition and diet is scarce. The aims of this study were to estimate the association between energy/nutrients intake and malnutrition, and to characterise nutritional inadequacy in institutionalised and non-institutionalised older adults. A national survey was conducted including a Portuguese representative sample of nursing home (NH) residents (n 563) and community-dwellers (n 837) aged ≥ 65 years. Data included socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported health, loneliness feelings, nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment®) and dietary intake (two non-consecutive 24-h recalls). A higher energy intake was associated with lower odds of malnutrition risk (being 'at risk of malnutrition' or 'malnourished') in both settings, but only significant among NH residents after adjusting for confounders (NH: OR = 0·66, 95 % CI 0·50, 0·86; community: OR = 0·64, 95 % CI 0·37, 1·10). The intake of carbohydrates, fat, fibre, vitamin C, Na, K and Mg was inversely associated with malnutrition risk in NH residents, and protein, fat, vitamin B6, folates, Na, K, Ca and Mg intake in community-dwellers. After additional adjustment for total energy, only Na and Mg intake of community-dwellers remained significantly associated. The prevalence of inadequate nutrient intake was generally higher for the malnutrition risk group, which was particularly evident among community-dwellers. The effect of dietary intake on nutritional status seems more dependent on total energy and carbohydrates intake in institutionalised elders, whereas among community-dwellers protein and some micronutrients appear to have a greater impact.

Background: Digital behavior change interventions (DBCIs) offer a promising channel for providing health promotion services. However, user experience largely determines whether they are used, which is a precondition for effectiveness. Objective: The primary aim of this study is to evaluate user experiences with the NoHoW Toolkit (TK)-a DBCI that targets weight loss maintenance-over a 12-month period by using a mixed methods approach and to identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the TK and the external factors affecting its adoption. The secondary aim is to objectively describe the measured use of the TK and its association with user experience. Methods: An 18-month, 2×2 factorial randomized controlled trial was conducted. The trial included 3 intervention arms receiving an 18-week active intervention and a control arm. The user experience of the TK was assessed quantitatively through electronic questionnaires after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of use. The questionnaires also included open-ended items that were thematically analyzed. Focus group interviews were conducted after 6 months of use and thematically analyzed to gain deeper insight into the user experience. Log files of the TK were used to evaluate the number of visits to the TK, the total duration of time spent in the TK, and information on intervention completion. Results: The usability level of the TK was rated as satisfactory. User acceptance was rated as modest; this declined during the trial in all the arms, as did the objectively measured use of the TK. The most appreciated features were weekly emails, graphs, goal setting, and interactive exercises. The following 4 themes were identified in the qualitative data: engagement with features, decline in use, external factors affecting user experience, and suggestions for improvements. Conclusions: The long-term user experience of the TK highlighted the need to optimize the technical functioning, appearance, and content of the DBCI before and during the trial, similar to how a commercial app would be optimized. In a trial setting, the users should be made aware of how to use the intervention and what its requirements are, especially when there is more intensive intervention content.

In Europe, salmonellosis has been ranked as the second leading cause of hospitalization and death due to the consumption of contaminated food. Information about consumers’ food safety perception, knowledge and practices in the domestic environment is lacking in order to define the main intervention opportunities to obtain a significant reduction in the occurrence of foodborne salmonellosis. We conducted an on-line survey of the Portuguese population on self-reported domestic egg handling and occurrence of illness from egg consumption, which were analysed in a Critical Consumer Handling (CCH) framework. Respondents (N = 927) reported be- haviours associated with high risk of Salmonella infection, namely the frequent consumption of eggs from non- controlled sources (43%) and of dishes prepared with uncooked or lightly cooked eggs. Other risk related practices, from egg storage until consumption, were also found to be common. However, when buying eggs respondents value safety-related criteria above others – use-by date (highly valued by 72.8%), lack of cracks (72.2%) and cleanliness (48%). Association of eggs with Salmonella contamination was recognized by 65.8% of the respondents; 72.2% declared to have never been sick after eating eggs. In addition to global egg safety awareness messages, future campaigns should prioritize shifting consumers towards eggs with low probability of being contaminated and encouraging the use of pasteurized eggs, in particular when used in recipes that are not fully heat treated. The importance of storing backyards eggs at refrigeration temperature needs to be communicated.

The present practice-based project questions the forms of actualization of the body, based on the idea of absence derived from the philosophical concept of Michel Foucault – heterotopia and, respectively, heterochronia. Upon the reflection of a body that emerges in discrepancy with the collective norms, I problematize the possibility of it’s reappropriation while defying its bonds with the socio-political condition which implies it as invisible, marginalized. In the course of work, I elaborate the properties of heterotopia as a basis for a state of spatial and temporal suspension, while exploring it as a specific audiovisual methodology. I suggest the activist potential (of a body) based on its relationship with the temporal factor, as a form of dessincronization, whose mechanism is derived from the concept of geological time. With the analisys of artistic practices that questions the relation between the above mentioned temporal factor, absence (of body) and socio-political context – specifically, the work of Cuban artist Ana Mendieta and Japanese artistic movement Mono-ha – the present work results in the creation of the installation Monolith. Moreover, I explore the possibility of reappropiation of body through the incorporation of audiovisual methodologies into the public space, defying the notions of visibility, presence, and temporality

Introdução: O fígado gordo associado a disfunção metabólica (MAFLD) é a doença hepática deste século, sendo atualmente uma das principais indicações para transplante hepático (TH). Pode recidivar ou surgir de novo no pós-TH. Conduzimos uma revisão sistemática com meta-análise com o objetivo de clarificar a prevalência de MAFLD e quais os fatores de risco para a sua progressão em doentes submetidos a TH. Métodos: Foi realizada uma pesquisa em 3 bases de dados distintas: PUBMED, Scopus e Web Of Science. Das 6 617 referências inicialmente recolhidas, 40 foram incluídas na revisão. O risco de viés foi calculado usando a escala Newcastle-Ottawa. Resultados: Foram incluídos 40 estudos representando 6 979 doentes. Os estudos que diagnosticam fígado gordo no pós-TH por métodos não invasivos mostraram uma tendência para maior prevalência comparativamente aos que realizaram o diagnóstico por biópsia (41% versus 34%, P=0.327). 8 publicações avaliaram o NAFLD de novo, 8 a sua recorrência e as restantes 24 ambos. 32 estudos eram retrospetivos e 8 prospetivos. A prevalência ponderada de fígado gordo no pós transplante foi 36%. As variáveis que demonstraram ser fatores de risco para desenvolver esteatose no pós-TH foram: 1) no pré-TH – sexo masculino, diabetes mellitus, hipertensão arterial, maior índice de massa corporal/peso, obesidade, doença hepática alcoólica e MAFLD de base; 2) no pós-TH – diabetes mellitus, hipertensão arterial, dislipidemia, triglicerídeos, glicemia, obesidade, índice de massa corporal, ganho ponderal, obesidade abdominal e imunossupressão com sirolimus; e 3) relacionados com o dador – índice de massa corporal e o polimorfismo PNPLA3 rs738498-G. Discussão: O fígado gordo é muito prevalente no pós-transplante hepático, atingindo mais de 1 em cada 3 doentes. Doentes em maior risco de desenvolver fígado gordo no pós-TH, são os doentes transplantados por doença hepática associada ao álcool ou NAFLD e com co-morbilidades metabólicas.

Intravital microscopy (IVM) involves surgical procedures to expose the internal organs of live anesthetized animals to visualize fluorescently labeled components in situ, in vivo at subcellular resolution. Here, we provide an IVM protocol for time-lapse imaging of dynamic Trypanosoma brucei-host interactions in ten mammalian organs and in systemic circulation. We describe intraperitoneal or intradermal injection of mice with T.brucei. We then detail surgical procedures to prepare ten organs for IVM, followed by imaging of host-T. brucei interactions. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to De Niz et al. (2021).

The aim of this research is to develop a language that considers the art territory and its media, while promoting the creation of a proper sensitivity to the ecologically problematic in contemporary society. This artistic research deals with the cultural ecological outlook, particularly the capacity of artistic practice to influence this field and to include the ecosystem in its interdependencies. The art practice discussed is based on the perception and subsequent selection of examples of modern and contemporary art, in order to focus their interrelationships and create new objects capable of reinforming the artistic territory. The media used are appropriation, collage and telematics. The appropriation of audiovisual content enables the reinterpretation of various cultural models; the collage of sounds and images allows the interaction between various points of view; the telematics empowers the rizomathic structure of the multimedia compositions. This research is most concerned with historical time-periods in which works of art using appropriation, montage and collage are directly related to a larger social context. Throughout the dissertation several critics and philosophers whose theories inform the conceptual framework of the research are referenced: the «critical art» concept developed by Jacques Rancière; Thomas Brockelman’s notions on the practice of collage, modernism and post-modernism; the theory of altermodernism from Nicolas Bourriaud; the concepts of rhizome and minor, developed by Gilles Delleuze and Pierre-Felix Guattari; the definition of atlas by George Didi-Huberman, from the work of Aby Warburg; the concept of secession from the broadcast from Gene Youngblood; and the definition of ecosofy by Pierre-Felix Guattari

Introdução: Os estudantes de medicina estão numa posição bastante vulnerável a desenvolver perturbações mentais, nomeadamente, depressão e ansiedade. Fatores como a elevada carga horária e a pressão para o sucesso académico são exemplos de típicos geradores de stress nesta população. A pandemia COVID-19 provocou inúmeras mudanças no quotidiano das populações, incluindo os estudantes de medicina. O confinamento, com consequente isolamento social, e as alterações do curso podem ter influenciado negativamente a saúde mental e, consequentemente, o desempenho académico dos mesmos. Objetivo: Avaliar o impacto da pandemia na saúde mental e na experiência académica de estudantes de medicina. Método: Foram realizadas 24 entrevistas a 4 alunos de medicina de cada ano curricular de uma escola médica portuguesa. As entrevistas exploraram (1) o impacto da pandemia na vida académica, social e na saúde, (2) os recursos mais utilizados pelos estudantes (naturais, materiais, humanos ou temporais), (3) os principais constrangimentos/obstáculos (questões financeiras, naturais, sociais, materiais, preocupações/sobrecargas) e (4) as intervenções psicológicas e as estratégias que cada aluno possui para ultrapassar os seus eventuais problemas e constrangimentos. Resultados: Ao nível da vida académica, 33,3% dos estudantes referiram uma diminuição do desempenho académico, 70,83% sentiram-se desmotivados e os exames foram a principal preocupação (54,17%). A nível da saúde, 83,33% reportaram alterações do sono, 54,17% tinham pensamentos depressivos e 41,67% variações de humor. Discussão: O impacto da pandemia apresentou repercussões na vida académica e na saúde dos estudantes de medicina. Estes resultados reforçam a necessidade de se disponibilizar medidas e intervenções que as minimizem de forma a promover a saúde mental e o desempenho académico dos estudantes de medicina no contexto adverso da pandemia COVID-19.

Weight loss maintenance is a major challenge for obesity treatment. Weight control registries can be useful in identifying psychological and behavioural factors that could contribute to better long-term success. The objective of this study is to describe the existing weight control registries and their participants and identify correlates of weight loss maintenance. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed articles published until November 2018 was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Studies that reported results from weight control registries were considered. Fifty-two articles, corresponding to five registries (the United States, Portugal, Germany, Finland, and Greece), were included. Registries differed in inclusion criteria and procedures. Of 51 identified weight loss and maintenance strategies, grouped in 14 domains of the Oxford Food and Activity Behaviors taxonomy, the following were the most frequently reported: having healthy foods available at home, regular breakfast intake, increasing vegetable consumption, decreasing sugary and fatty foods, limiting certain foods, and reducing fat in meals. Increased physical activity was the most consistent positive correlate of weight loss maintenance. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of information about successful weight loss maintenance obtained from weight control registries. Key common influential characteristics of success were identified, which can inform future prospective studies and weight management initiatives.

In the Prohibited Book’s introduction, Luis Royo highlights the main goal his work is pursuing. More than being appreciated for its aesthetics and creativity, he wants it to be a mean to an end: to attain orgasm. Royo declares to assisting the reader in reaching their pleasure and sexual fulfillment, by using a collection of stories and illustrations of a sexual nature. It is on this premise that the present Project is based on. In this Project for the Masters in Drawing, an erotic work will be produced, namely a webcomic, that uses the plot and the image as means to explore eroticism, fetish and perversion. Consequently, it will be divided into two parts: the theory behind the work and the webcomic itself. The former aims to create a basis for any creator of erotic content to do so with knowledge and quality. The History of Erotic Representations and Human Sexuality are the key subjects approached, whose study and topic analysis will have a direct impact on the creation of the webcomic. The latter part of the Project follows the process of the erotic work, from the creation of the original storyline and characters to the final product, a Smut webcomic entitled At Your Mercy. This Project is directed at all those who are interested in Erotic Literature and Art – with an emphasis on the Asian comics – and human sexuality.

Desde 2011, em Portugal, os dirigentes superiores da Administração Pública são recrutados e selecionados através de procedimentos que visam minimizar a nomeação política. Através da análise de 297 processos de recrutamento, pretendeu-se saber se a introdução de um sistema formal favoreceu o acesso de mais mulheres a cargos de direção superior. Realizaram-se ainda entrevistas a oito mulheres dirigentes para conhecer as suas perceções sobre a igualdade entre homens e mulheres na Administração Pública, o processo de recrutamento, e o seu percurso profissional. Os resultados evidenciam que a proporção de mulheres dirigentes superiores aumentou com o novo sistema de recrutamento, ainda que sobretudo para cargos de 2º grau. Da análise às entrevistas percebe-se subsistirem dúvidas sobre se o atual sistema afasta as nomeações políticas e a existência de obstáculos culturais.