TWO RECIPES FROM PORTUGUESE TRADITION OF GILDING ON WOODEN SUPPORT BETWEEN LABORATORY REPRODUCTION AND ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATION

This paper has the main purpose to compile and highlight the first data obtained from experimental studies on docμmented reconstructions of gilded composites performed within a research project on gilding materials and techniques in Portugal (www.gilt-teller.pt) funded by FCT. Two water gilding recipes were appropriately chosen from the treatises written by the Portuguese Filipe Nunes (1615) and José Lopes Baptista de Almada (1749) as being representative for Baroque époque. Based on these recipes, the production of raw materials - “gesso grosso”, “gesso fino”, bole, animal glue (from lamb and goat skins) - was made as faithful as possible. Their application was then performed in laboratory following the indications given by these authors or by treatises of previous époques (e.g. the Bolognese treatise for thawing leather), on plane and curved wooden supports (pine and oak species) using three types of leaf: gold (Au/Ag/Cu) of 22 and 23.75 karat respectively and silver. After the completion of gilding, the samples’ surfaces were divided into areas and on each different finishing layers (wax, animal glue size) and decorations (punching, “esgrafitado”, “estofado”) were applied. An analytical campaign using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on surfaces and cross sections, X-ray diffraction (XRD), microcomputerized tomography (microCT) and colorimetry (CIEL*a*b*) was undertaken in order to characterize the gilded composites and to assess the faithfulness of the reproductions in the laboratory. Correlations between the information given by the recipes and the composition and stratigraphical patterns of the reconstructions can be established. Furthermore, the study aims to highlight the difficulties encountered in analyzing real samples and comparing the results with those from reproductions as the number and types of layered materials are not always reproducible. A critical approach is needed and criteria for faithful reproduction of ancient recipes are suggested

Do best-selected strains perform table olive fermentation better than undefined biodiverse starters? A comparative study

Twenty-seven Lactobacillus pentosus strains, and the undefined starter for table olives from which they were isolated, were characterised for their technological properties: tolerance to low temperature, high salt concentration, alkaline pH, and olive leaf extract; acidifying ability; oleuropein degradation; hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid production. Two strains with appropriate technological properties were selected. Then, table olive fermentation in vats, with the original starter, the selected strains, and without starter (spontaneous fermentation) were compared. Starters affected some texture profile parameters. The undefined culture resulted in the most effective Enterobacteriaceae reduction, acidification and olive debittering, while the selected strains batch showed the lowest antioxidant activity. Our results show that the best candidate strains cannot guarantee better fermentation performance than the undefined biodiverse mix from which they originate

Media exposure, behavioural risk factors and HIV testing among women of reproductive age in Papua New Guinea: a cross-sectional study

Background: Reproductive health remains a major health concern in developing countries such as Papua New Guinea (PNG). The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in PNG is the highest in the Southern Pacific region, with women having a higher risk of contracting the infection. Hence, there have been several policies aimed at mitigating the spread of the disease. One of these policies include the use of mass media as a health promotion tool to educate the population on the risk of the disease. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the association of mass media to HIV testing among women. Methods: Data were obtained from the PNG Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 2019. A total of 15,005 reproductive-age women was included in this analysis. Results: The results showed that women with low (aOR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.39, 1.90) and high (aOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.36, 1.72) media exposure were more likely to undertake HIV testing compared to those with no media exposure. Compared to no education, women with incomplete primary (aOR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.40), complete primary (aOR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.30, 1.87), incomplete secondary (aOR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.85, 2.58), complete secondary (aOR= 2.33, 95% CI: 1.77, 3.09) and higher (aOR = 3.38, 95% CI: 2.57, 4.46) education were more likely to undertake HIV testing. Compared to women with the poorest wealth index, women with richer indexes were more likely to undertake HIV testing. Women living in rural areas were less likely to undertake HIV testing (aOR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.63, 0.82). However, marital status, knowledge of transmission and religion were not associated with HIV testing. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study provides strong evidence that mass media exposure increases the likelihood of HIV testing in women of reproductive age in PNG. Mass media campaigns would serve as a cost-effective health promotion tool against the spread of disease

¿Es suficiente el uso del inglés como medio de instrucción? Percepciones de estudiantes y profesores universitarios

Internationalization of higher education aims to develop foreign language and intercultural and international competences (IIC). To achieve this, universities worldwide have implemented strategies such as teaching content subjects in English, also known as English mediated instruction (EMI). However, there is scant research on the positive and negative aspects related to EMI implementation in Latin America. For this reason, this case study explores the perceptions of a group of computer science professors, students, and the program administrator in a Colombian university about the use of this approach in learning content and language and the development of IICs. Results revealed that implementing this initiative has benefits but also poses some challenges. Therefore, we offer recommendations related to the institution as a whole, the professors, and the students and suggest including some elements of the CLIL approach to support learning. It is hoped that these findings will contribute to the worldwide EMI/CLIL discussion, especially in Latin American where this practice is relatively new. doi: 10.5294/laclil.2016.9.2.4La internacionalización de la educación superior tiene como objetivo el desarrollo de competencias interculturales e internacionales (CII) y el desarrollo de la lengua extranjera. Para lograr esto, las universidades en todo el mundo han implementado estrategias como la enseñanza de materias y contenidos en inglés, también conocida como el uso del inglés como medio de instrucción (en inglés: EMI). Sin embargo, hay aún escasa investigación sobre los aspectos positivos y negativos relacionados con la implementación de este enfoque en América Latina. Por esta razón, este estudio de caso explora las percepciones de un grupo de profesores de ciencias de la computación, de estudiantes y del administrador del programa en una universidad colombiana, en relación con el uso de este enfoque en el aprendizaje de contenidos y lengua y el desarrollo de las competencias interculturales e internacionales. Los resultados del estudio indican que la implementación de esta iniciativa ofrece beneficios, pero también plantea algunos retos. Por lo tanto,se generan algunas recomendaciones que conciernen a la institución como tal, a los profesores y los estudiante y se plantean algunos elementos del enfoque AICLE para apoyar el aprendizaje. Se espera que estos resultados contribuyan al análisis de la discusión del enfoque AICLE y EMI, especialmente en América Latina, en donde esta práctica es relativamente nueva

The effect of individual and classroom moral disengagement on antisocial behaviors in Colombian adolescents: A multilevel model

The present study examined the predictive effect of moral disengagement (within and between classrooms) on antisocial behaviors in Colombian adolescents, as well as the interaction of moral disengagement with classroom composition by age, socioeconomic status (SES), and perceived teacher–student relationship quality. Multilevel modeling was used to identify individual, compositional, and contextual effects on antisocial behaviors. The predictive variables were: (a) classroom mean score (i.e., between-classroom analysis), and (b) student deviation from the classroom mean score (i.e., within-classroom analysis). The sample included 879 students nested in 24 seventh-grade classrooms in three Colombian cities. The results showed that age, SES, and moral disengagement at the within-classroom level predicted antisocial behaviors. At the between-classroom level, antisocial behaviors were predicted by higher moral disengagement and lower aggregate SES. In addition, significant interactions were found between moral disengagement at the within-classroom level and SES at the between-classroom level. The findings expand our knowledge of the interdependence between individual and classroom contexts in the exercise of moral agency during adolescence

Promoting prosocial behaviour among Colombian adolescents: the evaluation of a universal school-based program using a multi-informant perspective

The present study evaluated the efficacy of an Italian school-based intervention programme adapted in three Colombian sites (Medellín, Manizales, and Santa Marta) in promoting prosocial behaviour among adolescents. Using a pre-test-post-test design with a multi-informant approach, the present study assessed 451 students (Mage = 12.77, SD = 1.06) of the intervention group and 428 students (Mage = 12.64, SD = 1.01) by using self-report and peer rating measures of prosocial behaviour. After establishing the measurement invariance across time and informants, a latent difference score model showed the positive effect of the intervention programme in improving prosocial behaviour evaluated by peers (Cohen’s d = .379) among Colombian adolescents, across all three sites. Implications of the study will be discussed

CHARACTERIZATION OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM A TRADITIONAL PASTA FILATA CHEESE

In this paper are reported the results of the characterization of the lactic acid microflora isolated from Sardinian “provoletta”, a traditional pasta filata cheese obtained from cow’s milk. Cheese samples from two batches were taken in triplicate from three dairy plants after 7 and 21 days of ripening. Each sample was analyzed for mesophilic and thermophilic lactic acid bacteria (LAB). From plates, 118 isolates were identified by Rep- PCR GTG5, species-specific PCR and DNA sequencing. The identified LAB belonged to 7 different species: Lb. paracasei, Lb. rhamnosus, Lb. delbrueckii, Lb. fermentum, E. faecalis, E. faecium e Lc. Lactis. Enterococci were the most common isolates, they were recovered from all the dairy plants and from all the products analysed at 7 and at 20 days of ripening. Although with some differences within the various producers, the technology used aids mesophilic LAB growth, guaranteeing a large biodiversity protection

The steady-state transcriptome of the four major life-cycle stages of Trypanosoma cruzi

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy is a debilitating and frequently fatal outcome of human infection with the protozoan parasite, <it>Trypanosoma cruzi</it>. Microarray analysis of gene expression during the <it>T. cruzi </it>life-cycle could be a valuable means of identifying drug and vaccine targets based on their appropriate expression patterns, but results from previous microarray studies in <it>T. cruzi </it>and related kinetoplastid parasites have suggested that the transcript abundances of most genes in these organisms do not vary significantly between life-cycle stages.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we used whole genome, oligonucleotide microarrays to globally determine the extent to which <it>T. cruzi </it>regulates mRNA relative abundances over the course of its complete life-cycle. In contrast to previous microarray studies in kinetoplastids, we observed that relative transcript abundances for over 50% of the genes detected on the <it>T. cruzi </it>microarrays were significantly regulated during the <it>T. cruzi </it>life-cycle. The significant regulation of 25 of these genes was confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). The <it>T. cruzi </it>transcriptome also mirrored published protein expression data for several functional groups. Among the differentially regulated genes were members of paralog clusters, nearly 10% of which showed divergent expression patterns between cluster members.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Taken together, these data support the conclusion that transcript abundance is an important level of gene expression regulation in <it>T. cruzi</it>. Thus, microarray analysis is a valuable screening tool for identifying stage-regulated <it>T. cruzi </it>genes and metabolic pathways.</p

CC9 Livestock-Associated Staphylococcus aureus Emerges in Bloodstream Infections in French Patients Unconnected With Animal Farming

We report 4 bloodstream infections associated with CC9 agr type II Staphylococcus aureus in individuals without animal exposure. We demonstrate, by microarray analysis, the presence of egc cluster, fnbA, cap operon, lukS, set2, set12, splE, splD, sak, epiD, and can, genomic features associated with a high virulence potential in human

Prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia with granulocyte colony-stimulating factors: where are we now?

Updated international guidelines published in 2006 have broadened the scope for the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in supporting delivery of myelosuppressive chemotherapy. G-CSF prophylaxis is now recommended when the overall risk of febrile neutropenia (FN) due to regimen and individual patient factors is ≥20%, for supporting dose-dense and dose-intense chemotherapy and to help maintain dose density where dose reductions have been shown to compromise outcomes. Indeed, there is now a large body of evidence for the efficacy of G-CSFs in supporting dose-dense chemotherapy. Predictive tools that can help target those patients who are most at risk of FN are now becoming available. Recent analyses have shown that, by reducing the risk of FN and chemotherapy dose delays and reductions, G-CSF prophylaxis can potentially enhance survival benefits in patients receiving chemotherapy in curative settings. Accumulating data from ‘real-world’ clinical practice settings indicate that patients often receive abbreviated courses of daily G-CSF and consequently obtain a reduced level of FN protection. A single dose of PEGylated G-CSF (pegfilgrastim) may provide a more effective, as well as a more convenient, alternative to daily G-CSF. Prospective studies are needed to validate the importance of delivering the full dose intensity of standard chemotherapy regimens, with G-CSF support where appropriate, across a range of settings. These studies should also incorporate prospective evaluation of risk stratification for neutropenia and its complications