Democracia digital e redes sociais: Twitter como filtro de informação política

The internet, with its hypertext and multimedia features, can be a support for the dissemination of information in an attractive way, which may contribute to the strengthening of democracy. Recent innovation, social networks have been explored also as a resource to attract the interest of the broader public to information about public policies. This paper presents and discusses the results of an empirical study which assessed, through content analysis, the breadth and depth of information offered by the Sao Paulo state government and the federal government in texts accessed through Twitter to publicize purposes, lines of action and limits of public policy in the areas of welfare, health, education and environment . The results indicate that the information available tend to focus mainly on goals, resources and current actions of policies, whereas there can be found few data on planned features, relation between cost and effectiveness and user satisfaction.

Tratamento de um papagaio-verdadeiro (Amazona aestiva) com síndrome do arrancamento de penas usando a técnica de vínculo social e a correção nutricional: relato de caso

The blue-fronted parrot (Amazona aestiva) belongs to the order Psittaciformes and family Pscittacidae. It is widely held as a pet because of its peculiar characteristics. The owners of such animals, however, frequently report behavioral problems. The absence of proper environmental stimuli generated by confinement and lack of social engagement can predispose these animals to characteristic behaviors related to stress, which can be manifested as a feather plucking syndrome. The present study reports the case of a blue-fronted Amazon parrot with a two-year history of feather plucking. The psychosomatic disease was halted once the animal created an emotional bond with a human being. This finding reinforces the social nature of this species and raises questions about the welfare of captive birds of this order.