RCAAP Repository

This article focuses on the multifaceted and thematic nature expressed by the concept of creation in 20th-century cosmology, namely in the construction of the big bang cosmology and its rival, the steadystate cosmology. Regarding the approaches of three of the main founders of big bang cosmology (Friedmann, Lemaître, and Gamow), we can find, in an explicit or implicit way, two different forms of creation – creation from nothing or creation from shapeless matter. On the opposite side, suggested by the proponents of steady-state cosmology (Hoyle, Bondi, and Gold), we can find another form of creation – the continuous creation of matter. It is proposed that the multifaceted concept of creation, due to the wide interest it aroused and the intensity of cosmological debates it provoked, as well as its historical longevity and its disciplinary and cultural transversality, may be recognized as a thema.

Esta investigação teve como principal objectivo a construção de um inventário de avaliação da vinculação de crianças institucionalizadas, com a sua figura familiar de referência - o Inventário de Observação de Vinculação em Crianças Institucionalizadas (IOVCI). Para analisar a validade dos dados fornecidos pelo inventário, recorreu-se à aplicação da Attachment Doll Story Completion Task (ASCT), para avaliar a vinculação de crianças ( = 40), entre os 4 e os 11 anos. Na amostra do estudo, de acordo com os dados obtidos com a ASCT, o padrão de vinculação predominante era o desorganizado, tanto em termos de valor absoluto, como na comparação com uma amostra de crianças em meio familiar. Verificou-se ainda uma associação positiva entre a idade e a segurança da vinculação. Na análise factorial do inventário identificaram-se sete factores relevantes, que permitiram estabelecer as seguintes escalas: 1) Comportamentos de segurança; 2) Comportamentos negativos/desorganização; 3) Vinculação segura; 4) Sensibilidade; 5) Procura de proximidade; 6) Porto seguro; 7) Comportamentos de evitação. O estudo correlacional destas escalas com a ASCT evidenciou a validade de algumas, nomeadamente das escalas 1, 2, 5 e 7. O nível de consistência interna é elevado para as primeiras cinco escalas. Para as escalas 6 e 7, esse valor é moderado. Na análise do acordo inter-observadores, apenas a escala 1 não atinge um nível de acordo razoável. Tendo em conta estes dados, é fundamental a continuação da investigação com o IOVCI, para aperfeiçoar a sua organização e estrutura, e aumentar a sua validade. Uma vez que existe uma escassez de instrumentos deste tipo, este inventário, apesar das suas limitações, pode ter um potencial prático útil no contexto de acolhimento institucional de crianças.

No âmbito do Mestrado em Tradução, lecionado na Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa, foi firmado um protocolo entre a Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa e a Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, com vista a possibilitar estágios curriculares na área da Tradução e Legendagem. O presente relatório marca a conclusão de um estágio realizados entre os dias 7 de janeiro e o dia 28 de junho de 2019, sob a orientação do Dr. Mário Sequeira e sob a supervisão da Dr.ª Alexandra Assis Rosa. Em primeiro lugar, será feita a apresentação da empresa de acolhimento e a caracterização do Gabinete de Conteúdos Adaptados: local onde foram desenvolvidas as atividades do estágio. Abordarei as principais competências adquiridas, entre as quais se destaca a adaptação textual para um público-alvo específico, assim como a importância desse trabalho na transmissão de informações e na inclusão social, fundamental para os indivíduos do público-alvo. Posteriormente, irá proceder-se a uma descrição pormenorizada das atividades realizadas e dos pressupostos inerentes para a realização de tal atividade. Como tal, serão apresentadas as normas que regem a legendagem, as ferramentas necessárias, os procedimentos diários e os passos fundamentais para o processo. No final, serão tecidas considerações críticas breves, de forma a fazer um balanço sobre a experiência vivida ao longo do estágio.

In the first chapter of this thesis, I analyze two films using a metonymic type of analysis. The value I place on metonymy, a term borrowed from rhetoric, is highlighted in the second chapter - this form of association can explain the kind of relationship that exists between surface and depth, or part and whole. It suits not only filmic analysis, but also the relationship between what we mean and what we say about the various objects of our experience. The descriptions that establish this relationship are often grounded on memories. In this sense, the thesis develops, in the third chapter, into a discussion of the role that our memories, being private, have in the interpretation of general things. We will see how this relationship has also a metonymic nature, which, in turn, interpenetrates with metaphorical substitution. The fusion between the two poles - metonymy and metaphor - can perhaps help us better explain the meaning of works of art.

The semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are materials, with chemical formula MX2, where M represents the transition metal (M: Mo, W) and X the chalcogen (X: S, Se, Te). These materials have been studied intensively in recent years due to the appearance of attractive physical, chemical and electronic properties when they reach the monolayer thickness, such as high electronic mobility and direct band gap between 1 and 2 eV. This value is comparable to that of silicon, which makes them promising candidates for the development of new electronic and optoelectronic devices. The morphology of the monolayers influences the performance of these compounds. For instance, the triangular shape in domains of high lateral dimension is desirable for electronic applications, while a morphology with a high number of active sites favors the use of TMDs in catalytic applications such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Within the TMDs, MoSe2 has attracted a lot of interest, because in addition to being a semiconductor material, it also has a high optical absorption. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique has proved to be the preferred MoSe2 synthesis methodology, because it provides better control over experimental parameters and a higher yield at a lower cost. However, the height of the MoSe2 monolayers belongs to the nanometric scale and during the synthesis of MoSe2 by CVD there is competition between lateral and vertical growth. For this reason, an in¬depth study of the most relevant experimental synthesis parameters is necessary, in addition to the temperature profile of the furnace, which guarantees the maintenance of the monolayers growth temperature. Currently, the growth mechanisms of MoSe2 monolayers are not fully understood and the optimization of the system is far from being achieved, which would ensure the quality and reproducibility of the results. In this work, the influence of the total flow rate of argon and hydrogen, the partial flow of hydrogen, the growth time, the ratio of the precursor masses and the geometry and position of the substrate were investigated, based on several characterization techniques such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy¬dispersive X¬ray spectroscopy (EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. Triangles and hexagons with high lateral dimension were obtained for gas flow rates between 50 and 80 sccm. The largest approximately equilateral triangle was about 40 µm in lateral size, synthesized with ≈ 0.6 g of selenium and ≈ 0.08 g of MoO3, a total gas flow rate of 70 sccm, a relative percentage of hydrogen of 12.50% and a growth time of 15 minutes. The highest average lateral size obtained was 5.30 µm for the same masses and the same total flow rate, but for a relative hydrogen percentage of 17.50% and a growth time of 10 minutes. For a high flow rate (ϕ =200 sccm) morphological transitions occur, resulting in fractal nanostructures that can be irregular or dendritic, depending on the mass ratio of the precursors. The correlation between experimental parameters and morphological results provides greater control over lateral size, nucleation density and thickness at the nanometer scale. Therefore, future step would be the characterization of the monolayers by photoluminescence in order to determine their optical band gap and evaluate their crystalline quality.

Both biosemiotics and evolutionary epistemology are concerned with how knowledge evolves. (Applied) Evolutionary Epistemology thereby focuses on identifying the units, levels, and mechanisms or processes that underlie the evolutionary development of knowing and knowledge, while biosemiotics places emphasis on the study of how signs underlie the development of meaning. We compare the two schools of thought and analyze how in delineating their research program, biosemiotics runs into several problems that are overcome by evolutionary epistemologists. For one, by emphasizing signs, biosemiotics needs to delineate a semiotic threshold, which is a problem not encountered by evolutionary epistemologists. Instead, the latter recognizes that all organisms are knowers that evolve knowledge, which they recognize to extend toward phenomena produced by organisms such as behavior, cognition, language, culture, science, and technology. Secondly, biosemiotics attempts at continuing adaptationist notions on how organisms relate to their environment, while especially Applied Evolutionary Epistemology comes to redefine the nature of the organism–environment relationship in such a way that it recognizes the spatiotemporal boundedness of existence, which in turn makes adaptationist accounts obsolete.

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Background: Semantic dementia (SD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by progressive language problems falling within the clinicopathological spectrum of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The development of disease-modifying agents may be facilitated by the relative clinical and pathological homogeneity of SD, but we need robust monitoring biomarkers to measure their efficacy. In different FTLD subtypes, neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a promising marker, therefore we investigated the utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) NfL in SD. Methods: This large retrospective multicentre study compared cross-sectional CSF NfL levels of 162 patients with SD with 65 controls. CSF NfL levels of patients were correlated with clinical parameters (including survival), neuropsychological test scores and regional grey matter atrophy (including longitudinal data in a subset). Results: CSF NfL levels were significantly higher in patients with SD (median: 2326 pg/mL, IQR: 1628-3593) than in controls (577 (446-766), p<0.001). Higher CSF NfL levels were moderately associated with naming impairment as measured by the Boston Naming Test (rs =-0.32, p=0.002) and with smaller grey matter volume of the parahippocampal gyri (rs =-0.31, p=0.004). However, cross-sectional CSF NfL levels were not associated with progression of grey matter atrophy and did not predict survival. Conclusion: CSF NfL is a promising biomarker in the diagnostic process of SD, although it has limited cross-sectional monitoring or prognostic abilities.

Objectives: Acute Aortic dissection (AAD) may present as out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, the incidence of this presentation is not well known. Our aim was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of all observational studies reporting on the incidence of AAD in patients with OHCA. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, PsycInfo, Web of Science Core Collection and OpenGrey databases from inception to March-2021, for observational studies reporting on the incidence of AAD in patients with OHCA. Data was pooled using a random-effects model of proportions. The primary outcome was the incidence of AAD in OHCA patients. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of type A aortic dissections (TAAD) and type B aortic dissections (TBAD) in OHCA patients, overall mortality following AAD-OHCA and risk of death in AAD-OHCA patients compared to risk of death of non-AAD-OHCA patients. Results: Fourteen studies were included. The pooled calculated incidence of OHCA due to AAD was 4.39% (95 %CI: 2.55; 6.8). Incidence of OHCA due to TAAD was 7.18% (95 %CI: 5.61; 8.93) and incidence of OHCA due to TBAD was 0.47% (95 %CI: 0.18; 0.85). Overall mortality following OHCA due to AAD was 100% (95 %CI: 97.62; 100). The risk of death in AAD-OHCA patients compared with non-AAD-OHCA patients was 1.10 (95 %CI: 0.94; 1.30). Conclusion: AAD as a cause of OHCA is more frequent than previously thought. Prognosis is dire, as it is invariably lethal. These findings should lead to a higher awareness of AAD when approaching a patient with OHCA and to future studies on this matter.

Cardiac alterations are frequently observed after acute neurological disorders. Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) represents an acute heart failure syndrome and is increasingly recognized as part of the spectrum of cardiac complications observed after neurological disorders. A systematic investigation of TTS patients with neurological disorders has not been conducted yet. The aim of the study was to expand insights regarding neurological disease entities triggering TTS and to investigate the clinical profile and outcomes of TTS patients after primary neurological disorders. The International Takotsubo Registry is an observational multicenter collaborative effort of 45 centers in 14 countries (ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01947621). All patients in the registry fulfilled International Takotsubo Diagnostic Criteria. For the present study, patients were included if complete information on acute neurological disorders were available. 2402 patients in whom complete information on acute neurological status were available were analyzed. In 161 patients (6.7%) an acute neurological disorder was identified as the preceding triggering factor. The most common neurological disorders were seizures, intracranial hemorrhage, and ischemic stroke. Time from neurological symptoms to TTS diagnosis was ≤ 2 days in 87.3% of cases. TTS patients with neurological disorders were younger, had a lower female predominance, fewer cardiac symptoms, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and higher levels of cardiac biomarkers. TTS patients with neurological disorders had a 3.2-fold increased odds of in-hospital mortality compared to TTS patients without neurological disorders. In this large-scale study, 1 out of 15 TTS patients had an acute neurological condition as the underlying triggering factor. Our data emphasize that a wide spectrum of neurological diseases ranging from benign to life-threatening encompass TTS. The high rates of adverse events highlight the need for clinical awareness.

Aims: In patients with current or a history of hyperkalaemia, treatment with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) is often compromised. Patiromer, a novel potassium (K+ ) binder, may improve serum K+ levels and adherence to RAASi. Methods: The DIAMOND trial will enroll ∼820 patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; ejection fraction ≤40%). Patients meeting the screening criteria will enter a single-blinded run-in phase where they will be started or continued on a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) titrated to 50 mg/day and other RAASi therapy to ≥50% target dose, and patiromer. Patiromer will be titrated up to a maximum three packs/day (8.4 g/pack) to achieve optimal doses of RAASi without hyperkalaemia. The run-in phase will last up to 12 weeks, following which patients will undergo double-blind randomization in a 1:1 ratio to receive either continued patiromer or placebo (patiromer withdrawal). The primary endpoint is the mean difference in serum K+ from randomization between patiromer and placebo arms. Secondary endpoints will include hyperkalaemia events with K+ value >5.5 mEq/L, durable enablement of MRA at target dose, investigator-reported adverse events of hyperkalaemia, hyperkalaemia-related clinical endpoints and an overall RAASi use score (using a 0-8-point scale) comprising all-cause death, occurrence of cardiovascular hospitalization or usage of comprehensive heart failure medication. Conclusion: The DIAMOND trial is designed to determine if patiromer can favourably impact K+ control in patients with HFrEF with hyperkalaemia or a history of hyperkalaemia leading to RAASi therapy compromise, and in turn improve RAASi use.

As obras presentes nesta mostra, trazem ao público uma reinterpretação do que poderão ser referências identitárias do passado mineiro da povoação [do Lousal]. A exposição, constitui-se assim, como ferramenta pedagógica para o estudo da transmissão da memória coletiva e da diversidade de usos e apropriações do espaço público hoje. Apresentando hipóteses de diálogo entre a vertente física e imaterial, cultural e social no Lousal, garantindo novas formas de leitura do território através da arte. Neste projecto contámos com o apoio da Câmara Municipal de Grândola, do Centro de Ciência Viva do Lousal, do Centro Comunitário do Lousal e da Junta de freguesia de Freguesia de Azinheira de Barros e São Mamede de Sádão

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Introduction and objectives: Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is a potentially curative procedure in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). This study reports the initial experience of a Portuguese PH center with patients undergoing PEA at an international surgical reference center. Methods: Prospective observational study of consecutive CTEPH patients followed at a national PH center, who underwent PEA at an international surgical reference center between October 2015 and March 2019. Clinical, functional, laboratory, imaging and hemodynamic parameters were obtained in the 12 months preceding the surgery and repeated between four and six months after PEA. Results: 27 consecutive patients (59% female) with a median age of 60 (49-71) years underwent PEA. During a median follow-up of 34 (21-48) months, there was an improvement in functional class in all patients, with only one cardiac death. From a hemodynamic perspective, there was a reduction in mean pulmonary artery pressure from 48 (42-59) mmHg to 26 (22-38) mmHg, an increase in cardiac output from 3.3 (2.9-4.0) L/min to 4.9 (4.2-5.5) L/min and a reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance from 12.1 (7.2-15.5) uW to 3.5 (2.6-5,2) uW. During the follow-up, 44% (n=12) of patients had no PH criteria, 44% (n=12) had residual PH and 11% (n=3) had PH recurrence. There was a reduction of N-terminal pro-B-type natriureticpeptide from 868 (212-1730) pg/mL to 171 (98-382) pg/mL. Rright ventricular systolic function parameters revealed an improvement in longitudinal systolic excursion and peak velocity of the plane of the tricuspid ring from 14 (13-14) mm and 9 (8-10) cm/s to 17 (16-18) mm and 13 (11-15) cm/s, respectively. Of the 26 patients with preoperative right ventricular dysfunction, 85% (n=22) recovered. The proportion of patients on specific vasodilator therapy decreased from 93% to 44% (p<0.001) and the proportion of those requiring oxygen therapy decreased from 52% to 26% (p=0.003). The six-minute walk test distance increased by about 25% compared to the baseline and only eight patients had significant desaturation during the test. Conclusion: Pulmonary endarterectomy performed at an experienced high-volume center is a safe procedure with a very favorable medium-term impact on functional, hemodynamic and right ventricular function parameters in CTEPH patients with operable disease. It is possible for PH centers without PEA differentiation to refer patients safely and effectively to an international surgical center in which air transport is necessary.

Aims: Characterization of left ventricular (LV) geometric pattern and LV mass could provide an important insight into the pathophysiological adaptations of the LV to pressure and/or volume overload in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and significant (≥moderate) aortic valve (AV) disease. This study aimed to characterize LV remodelling and its prognostic impact in patients with BAV according to the predominant type of valvular dysfunction. Methods and results: In this international, multicentre BAV registry, 1345 patients [51.0 (37.0-63.0) years, 71% male] with significant AV disease were identified. Patients were classified as having isolated aortic stenosis (AS) (n = 669), isolated aortic regurgitation (AR) (n = 499) or mixed aortic valve disease (MAVD) (n = 177). LV hypertrophy was defined as a LV mass index >115 g/m2 in males and >95 g/m2 in females. LV geometric pattern was classified as (i) normal geometry: no LV hypertrophy, relative wall thickness (RWT) ≤0.42, (ii) concentric remodelling: no LV hypertrophy, RWT >0.42, (iii) concentric hypertrophy: LV hypertrophy, RWT >0.42, and (iv) eccentric hypertrophy: LV hypertrophy, RWT ≤0.42. Patients were followed-up for the endpoints of event-free survival (defined as a composite of AV repair/replacement and all-cause mortality) and all-cause mortality. Type of AV dysfunction was related to significant variations in LV remodelling. Higher LV mass index, i.e. LV hypertrophy, was independently associated with the composite endpoint for patients with isolated AS [hazard ratio (HR) 1.08 per 25 g/m2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.17, P = 0.046] and AR (HR 1.19 per 25 g/m2, 95% CI 1.11-1.29, P < 0.001), but not for those with MAVD. The presence of concentric remodelling, concentric hypertrophy and eccentric hypertrophy were independently related to the composite endpoint in patients with isolated AS (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.06-2.23, P = 0.024; HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.17-2.42, P = 0.005; HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.03-2.45, P = 0.038, respectively), while concentric hypertrophy and eccentric hypertrophy were independently associated with the combined endpoint for those with isolated AR (HR 2.49, 95% CI 1.35-4.60, P = 0.004 and HR 3.05, 95% CI 1.71-5.45, P < 0.001, respectively). There was no independent association observed between LV remodelling and the combined endpoint for patients with MAVD. Conclusions: LV hypertrophy or remodelling were independently associated with the composite endpoint of AV repair/replacement and all-cause mortality for patients with isolated AS and isolated AR, although not for patients with MAVD.

A inclusão, a desmaterialização, a difusão das práticas artísticas para novos campos mais além das manualidades, as novas abordagens não formais pelos museus, trouxeram desafios acrescidos à educação artística. O panorama de pesquisa pelos investigadores é cada vez mais exigente e as propostas apresentam abordagens ao Museu sem lugar, ao emtrosamento cultural das pedagogias criticas, a aproximação às identidades, à complexidade da hibridação dos média, à ameaça dos cortes políticos nas esferas de decisão ou à crescente urbanização dos imaginários culturais contemporâneos.

This paper considers the strengths of the project methodology for the construction of a more innovative, active and problematizing geographical education among Portuguese secondary students, through the critical reflection on the applicability of the Project “We Propose! / Nós Propomos!”, in the last five years. The methodological approach is based on a review of the national and international literature, a simplified content analysis of the last three curricular reforms in Portugal since the beginning of this century, and recourse to the explanation and interpretation of descriptive memories of the project. The scholarly significance of this study resides in the demonstration of how students are placed in contact with real-life geographers from the municipalities and local associations beyond the institutional and economic fabric of their surroundings and learn to value geographic knowledge and how geography can help in solving land use problems.

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La découverte d’un permanent déplacement du regard de Deleuze sur l’art littéraire nous a conduit d’une sémiologie analytique des énoncés fictionnels à une pragmatique des agencements collectifs d’énonciation, ensuite à une philosophie de la Nature des machines abstraites littéraires, et finalement à une éthique de l’esprit fabulateur. Le fil conducteur est donné par le programme d’un empirisme transcendantal qui décrit et la genèse de l’expérience à partir de la violence que l’œuvre fait sur la pensée, et l’œuvre comme expression d’une forme de vie. De Proust à Beckett, en passant par Masoch, Kafka, Bene et Melville, on voit surgir les différentes figures d’une vie non-organique de l’art, laquelle porte les noms : «essence», «fantasme», «événement», «agencement», «devenir minoritaire», «peuple à venir» et «âme».

Procede-se a uma breve reflexão sobre as metodologias de avaliação da perigosidade, suscetibilidade e risco associados a diferentes tipos de condições atmosféricas adversas, no contexto do planeamento de emergência à escala municipal. A colaboração dos autores em diversos planos municipais de emergência desenvolvidos entre 2011 e 2014 suscitou a realização de diferentes abordagens metodológicas, sendo aqui sucintamente apresentados alguns exemplos respeitantes a perigos como o nevoeiro, as tempestades ou as ondas de calor, avaliados em diferentes territórios municipais como o Funchal, Oeiras e Setúbal. É destacada a importância deste tipo de avaliação dever ser suportado por um conhecimento das características topoclimáticas dominantes nas áreas em estudo e apontam-se algumas possíveis soluções para algumas dificuldades que são comuns neste tipo de planos, nomeadamente, no que diz respeito à informação climática de suporte