A new conceptual framework and approach to decision making in Public Policy

In this conceptual paper, we bring forward a new theoretical proposition in the form of an Integrated Policy-Making Process Framework. This tool arose from the discussion and hypothesis that the main models used to analyse public policies have practical and theoretical limitations and/or are due for an update, especially when it comes to the study of phenomena with many actors involved, vast legislation, large timeframes, and high degrees of complexity. Our original model encompasses the three fundamental stages of the public policy cycle (agenda; decision making; implementation). Our approach can have a wide spectrum of applications and contribute to the field of knowledge of political sciences. Our proposal of using three frameworks in an integrated way enables researchers and users to gain a holistic vision concerning policy processes, and it offers the possibility to compare and rank categories. The Integrated Policy-Making Process Framework is thus proposed as a new tool to tackle research and studies on decision making in public policies and the policy-making cycle.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

NUTS III as decision-making vehicles for diffusion and implementation of education for entrepreneurship programmes in the European Union: Some lessons from the portuguese case

The questions of how Entrepreneurship Education (EE) initiatives can be successfully spread and what political structures can help with their implementation during compulsory school remain open. We will add to the literature by proposing that the scale of the NUTS III and its governance model/characteristics are ideal for carrying out initiatives related to EE in the EU and, thus, developing local entrepreneurship ecosystems. We will do so based on the evidence gathered from the case study of the Intermunicipal Community of Viseu Dão-Lafões. To underpin our main argument, we will explain the successful case of how the Intermunicipal Community of Viseu Dão-Lafões (a NUTS III) managed to become an exception in the Portuguese scenario when it comes to the funding, administrative articulation, and implementation of EE programmes for youths in the region.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Entrepreneurship education: a systematic literature review and identification of an existing gap in the field

Having identified the need to conduct research on the intersection between entrepreneurship education (EE) and public policies, we carried out a systematic literature review on decision-making processes regarding the implementation of education for entrepreneurship programs in schools and the introduction of this topic in the policy-making process. This SLR followed every process inherent to its well-established protocol. The research undertaken confirmed that the understanding of decision processes associated with the implementation of EE programs is not only a “missing link” in the discussions about the way in which countries manage situations related to EE, but also a gap in academic knowledge. Indeed, the SLR process included only nine articles in the final review (obtained through a methodology based on an algorithm)—which is a clear sign that further scientific research around this specific topic is needed. The articles included in the final review suggest that: (i) entrepreneurship is fundamental to the progress and evolution of countries and their regions, (ii) there is evidence that EE is central to a more entrepreneurial youth, and (iii) the successful implementation of recommendations from regulatory institutions is based on political commitment and implementation capacities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quantitizing qualitative data from semi-structured interviews: a methodological contribution in the context of public policy decision-making

This paper presents a methodology involving the transformation and conversion of qualitative data gathered from open, semi-structured interviews into quantitative data—a process known as quantitizing. In the process of analysing the factors behind the different levels of success in the implementation of entrepreneurship education programs in two case studies, we came up with a challenge that became the research question for this paper: “How can we best extract, organize and communicate insights from a vast amount of qualitative information?” To answer it, we developed a methodology involving codifying, labelling, attributing a score and creating indicators/indexes and a matrix of influence. This allowed us to extract more insights than would be possible with a mere qualitative approach (e.g., we were able to rank 53 categories in two dimensions, which would have been impossible based only on the qualitative data, given the high number of pairwise comparisons: 1378). While any work in the social sciences will always keep some degree of subjectivity, by providing an example of quantitizing qualitative information from interviews, we hope to contribute to the expansion of the toolbox in mixed methods research, social sciences and mathematics and encourage further applications of this type of approach.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A utilização dos audiovisuais num projecto de comunicação expositiva sobre um sítio arqueológico- a exposição temporária Quinta do Rouxinol: uma olaria romana no estuário do Tejo (Corroios, Seixal)

Relatório do estágio profissionalizante realizado no Ecomuseu Municipal do Seixal, no âmbito da preparação da exposição “Quinta do Rouxinol: uma olaria romana no estuário do Tejo (Corroios, Seixal)". Será abordado o audiovisual da exposição, passando por todas as suas fases de produção, desde a pesquisa até ao produto final, procurando reportar sempre para a temática da exposição e para toda a conjuntura de projecção e produção que a ela servem de pano de fundo. No mesmo propósito será apresentado o conjunto de materiais de exploração da exposição preparado neste contexto, estando este sempre inerente ao discurso expositivo, museografia e temática da exposição. Será posto em relevo o trabalho multidisciplinar subjacente a todo o projecto de comunicação, salientando as suas mais-valias e contributos para o sucesso da exposição; ABSTRACT:Report of the professional internship held in the Ecomuseu Municipal do Seixal, in preparation of the "Quinta do Rouxinol: Roman Kilns in the Tagus estuary (Corroios/Seixal)" exhibit. It will address the audiovisual exposure, through all its phases of production, from research to final product, seeking always to report it to the main issue of the exhibit and the whole situation of projection and production that it serves as background. In the same line of propose, it will be presented a set of materials prepared for the exploitation of exposure in this context, the latter being always inherent in the museographic speech, museology and subject of the exhibit. It will also highlight the multidisciplinary work behind the whole communication project, highlighting their capital gains and contributions to the success of the exhibit

Análise do controlo de acesso num sistema de gestão de base de dados

A sociedade moderna depende cada vez mais da utilização de sistemas informáticos, sendo crucial garantir que os dados que estes sistemas tratam e armazenam estejam protegidos contra fugas de informação. É importante garantir que os dados que são protegidos pelos sistemas somente são utilizados para os fins a que se destinam e por quem de direito. Os sistemas de gestão de bases de dados são os principais guardiões de dados, armazenando e gerindo o acesso a estes dados nos sistemas informáticos. É sobre estes que incidem ameaças e riscos no que respeita a fugas de informação. Nesta tese são apresentados os principais conceitos ao nível do controlo de acesso nos Sistemas de Gestão de Bases de Dados (SGBDs), assim como os modelos de controlo de acesso, o discricionário e o não discricionário e suas características. O Microsoft SQL Server 2012 foi o sistema de gestão de bases de dados escolhido para a implementação dos principais modelos de controlo de acesso tendo como objetivo verificar, através de testes, que características dos modelos de controlo de acesso são suportadas por ele. Com base nesta implementação aplicamos as métricas de avaliação propostas pelo National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) para análise de segurança nos sistemas de controlo de acesso. Estas métricas, definidas para qualquer sistema de controlo de acesso, foram aplicadas para auditar e servir de guia para a segurança dos processos e operações das empresas. Consideramos assim, que este trabalho pode ser um guia para aqueles que pretendem implementar um sistema de controlo de acesso baseado num dos modelos abordados e que, necessitem de apoio na escolha do sistema de gestão de bases de dados que melhor se adapta às suas necessidades de segurança. Também para aqueles que necessitem de efetuar uma aplicação prática das métricas de avaliação do NIST, dado não existir documentação com exemplos práticos da aplicação das métricas

Os jovens e a cultura: práticas culturais dos estudantes de Sociologia da Universidade de Évora

Este trabalho procura verificar como os jovens estudantes de sociologia da Universidade de Évora encaram a cultura, e de que forma é que ela entra nos seus quotidianos. O conceito de cultura subjacente a este trabalho prende-se com aspeto artístico- literário da mesma. Como pressupostos de base, considera-se existirem hoje condições de difusão cultural extraordinariamente desenvolvidas, bem como uma fortíssima inerência exercida pela cultura anglo-americana sobre a juventude. A principal pergunta de investigação pode-se formular assim: "Como vivem estes estudantes a sua relação com a cultura?”. Num plano adjacente, situam-se outras questões, como sejam caracterizar a reação destes jovens à hegemonia da falada componente anglo-americana, ou verificar se a oferta cultural da cidade os satisfaz. O objetivo fundamental desta investigação é caracterizar a relação deste grupo com a cultura e contribuir para um maior conhecimento relativamente a estes jovens. A opção metodológica escolhida passou pela harmonização dos modelos qualitativo e quantitativo. ***/Abstract - This research aims to verify how young Sociology students from Évora University face culture. The concept of culture beneath this research regards exclusively its artistic and literary aspect. As a base, we presuppose that nowadays there are extraordinarily developed cultural diffusion conditions. It's also noteworthy the strong influence of the Anglo-American culture on the youngsters. The main research question of this study can be put like so: "How do these youngsters live their relationship with culture?” In a similar plan there are other questions, such as to identify the Way in which these students react to the hegemony of the referred Anglo-American component, or to verify if the cultural offer in Évora satisfies them. The main goal of this research is to characterize the relationship of this group with culture and, secondly, to contribute to a bigger knowledge of these youngsters. The methodological choice regarded the harmonization of the qualitative and quantitative methods

Long-Term Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in an Immunocompromised Patient with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Recent studies have shown that persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised patients can trigger the accumulation of an unusual high number of mutations with potential relevance at both biological and epidemiological levels. Here, we report a case of an immunocompromised patient (non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient under immunosuppressive therapy) with a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection (marked by intermittent positivity) over at least 6 months. Viral genome sequencing was performed at days 1, 164, and 171 to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 evolution. Among the 15 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (11 leading to amino acid alterations) and 3 deletions accumulated during this long-term infection, four amino acid changes (V3G, S50L, N87S, and A222V) and two deletions (18-30del and 141-144del) occurred in the virus Spike protein. Although no convalescent plasma therapy was administered, some of the detected mutations have been independently reported in other chronically infected individuals, which supports a scenario of convergent adaptive evolution. This study shows that it is of the utmost relevance to monitor the SARS-CoV-2 evolution in immunocompromised individuals, not only to identify novel potentially adaptive mutations, but also to mitigate the risk of introducing "hyper-evolved" variants in the community.IMPORTANCE Tracking the within-patient evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is key to understanding how this pandemic virus shapes its genome toward immune evasion and survival. In the present study, by monitoring a long-term COVID-19 immunocompromised patient, we observed the concurrent emergence of mutations potentially associated with immune evasion and/or enhanced transmission, mostly targeting the SARS-CoV-2 key host-interacting protein and antigen. These findings show that the frequent oscillation in the immune status in immunocompromised individuals can trigger an accelerated virus evolution, thus consolidating this study model as an accelerated pathway to better understand SARS-CoV-2 adaptive traits and anticipate the emergence of variants of concern.This study was partially cofunded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (234_596874175) on behalf of the Research 4 COVID-19 call. Some infrastructural resources used in this study come from the GenomePT project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184), supported by COMPETE 2020-Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Program (Lisboa2020), Algarve Portugal Regional Operational Programme (CRESC Algarve2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio