O potencial educativo dos Massively Multiplayer Online Games : uma avaliação dos jogos Metin2, Ikariam, Ogame e Gladiatus

Este trabalho analisa quatro Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG), nomeadamente os jogos Metin2, Ikariam, OGame e Gladiatus, através de três aspectos principais: (1) Objectivos: descreve-se a forma como são organizados os objectivos principais do jogo e o grau de liberdade que o jogador tem para realizá-los; (2) Motivação: descreve-se como estão estruturadas as tarefas a realizar de forma a aumentar a motivação dos jogadores para a sua resolução; (3) Comunicação: analisa-se a necessidade de interacção entre os jogadores e a existência de comunidades virtuais para a realização das tarefas e identificam-se as ferramentas oficiais de comunicação disponibilizadas pela empresa criadora do jogo. Os três aspectos indicados são importantes uma vez que permitem identificar os desafios cognitivos lançados ao jogador, bem como a necessidade de competências para os resolver. Pretende-se estudar quais os desafios cognitivos lançados por estes jogos e a necessidade dos jogadores recorrerem a comunidades virtuais de apoio ao jogo para, numa segunda fase, se inquirirem os jogadores sobre se se apercebem do desenvolvimento de determinadas competências e se as têm rentabilizado na sua actividade escolar ou profissional

In situ CLA and CLNA production: a potential strategy to elaborate food products enriched in bioactive fatty acids

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Stability of a lyophilized milk enriched with microbial CLA/CLNA

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Stability of a fermented milk enriched with microbial CLA/CLNA

There is an increasing interest towards the development of innovative value-added food products with a potential to prevent or counteract disease conditions, many times impelled by unbalanced diets, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Several promising food-derived lipids with potential bioactive properties have been identified over the last decade, and these include conjugated linoleic (CLA) and conjugated linolenic (CLNA) acids [1], [2]. Due to concentration and availability limitations in their natural sources (e.g. ruminants’ milk and meat or vegetable oils) [3], [4], the in situ microbial production may reveal itself to be a good strategy to increment CLA/CLNA daily intake. Several probiotic strains have demonstrated the ability to produce CLA/CLNA isomers using linoleic (LA) and alpha-linolenic (α -LNA) acids as precursor substrates, respectively [5], [6]. This research team has previously assayed a combination of screening tools from a wide collection of probiotic strains and selecting the best producer of CLA and CLNA isomers – Bifidobacterium breve DSM 20091 – to proceed afterwards with studies on CLA/CLNA-enriched milk. Seeking to explore industrial viability, commercial edible vegetables oils were applied as precursor substrate sources instead, being previously hydrolysed with lipases to enhance the amounts of free LA/α- LNA. After a series of optimization assays, the flaxseed oil (FSO), which is rich in α-LNA, provided the highest yield of microbial conjugated FA (~1 mg/g) at 2 mg/mL α-LNA. After elaborating the new functional milk, the next required step is evaluating its compositional stability throughout storage. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to investigate i f a microbial CLA/CLNA-enriched fermented milk is stable, in terms of probiotic viable counts, pH and fatty acid (FA) profile, at conditions mimicking shelf-life. Pasteurized cow milk was inoculated with B. breve DSM 20091 and 2 mg/mL of α-LNA (from hydrolysed FSO) or not (control) and distributed by 100 mL containers for each sampling point and in triplicate. The containers were fermented for 22 h at 37 ºC under anaerobic conditions. After fermentation, three containers from each substrate condition were separated for further analysis (T0d) and the rest was stored at 4 ºC, being well sealed with parafilm and protected from light with aluminium foil. Samples were taken from storage each 7 days until the end of the assay (T28d). At each sampling point, it was performed viable cell counting in cys-MRS agar plates and total microbial count in PCA plates, measure of pH and FA analysis content through GC-FID. According to the obtained results, after 7 days of storage, viable cell counts of B. breve DSM 20091 decreased significantly, especially in the enriched milk (from 8.09 to 4.51 log10), and kept decreasing, reaching insignificant counts by the end of the assay. Concerning to total microbial count in PCA, insignificant numbers were detected throughout all storage period at both conditions. In terms of pH, it maintained constant overall (Control: 5.05-5.14; Enriched milk: 4.86-4.99). As for FA profile, in the non-esterified fraction, it was detected higher levels of CLA and CLNA isomers in the enriched milk, and consequently of total polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) as well, at T28d, comparing to all other sampling points, with values of 0.17 mg/g CLA, 1.11 mg/g CLNA and 2.04 mg/g PUFA. In the esterified fraction, was observed variations throughout storage in total saturated FA of control (7.85-9.18 mg/g), and in total monounsaturated FA of both conditions (Control: 2.23- 2.81 mg/g; Enriched milk: 2.19-2.66 mg/g). In conclusion, a microbial CLA/CLNA-enriched fermented milk is not entirely stable during storage, including its CLA/CLNA content, which was in fact increased.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portal de avaliação de software educativo multimédia e de jogos : convite à partilha de práticas de utilização em contexto educativo

A utilização de Software Educativo Multimédia e de Jogos electrónicos pode trazer múltiplas vantagens para a aprendizagem. No entanto, é necessário saber seleccioná-los e saber integrá-los em contexto educativo. Na tentativa de superar essa necessidade surge o “Portal de Avaliação: Software Educativo M ultimédia e Jogos”, disponível na Universidade do Minho, que tem por objectivo ser um repositório de avaliações de qualidade, mas que precisa ser enriquecido com a partilha de experiências entre utilizadores destes produtos em ambiente educacional, através do envio de sugestões (Dicas) de utilização. São indicados os passos que levaram à criação do Portal, mencionando o seu aparecimento, os seus componentes, a sua estrutura e funcionalidade. Indicam-se ainda os guiões desenvolvidos, que estão subjacentes à avaliação feita ao software educativo multimédia e aos jogos electrónicos. A versão apresentada do portal resultou das alterações efectuadas após os testes de usabilidade realizados a potenciais utilizadores no final do primeiro semestre de 2008-2009. Este texto tem por object ivos divulgar o Portal e convidar todos os profissionais de ensino que utilizam os produtos avaliados a contribuírem com as suas sugestões de utilização, bem como a solicitar a avaliação de produtos (SEM ou jogos) disponíveis em CD-ROM, DVD ou online

Populational analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from different appellations of origin and grape varieties by microsatellite analysis.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate populational relationships among Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from some of the Portuguese most important grapevine varieties in different appellations of origin, using polymorphic microsatellites. 
One hundred ninety two grape samples were collected during the 2006 and 2007 harvest season in the Vinho Verde (grape varieties: Arinto, Alvarinho, Avesso, Loureiro, Touriga Nacional) Bairrada (grape varieties: Arinto, Baga, Castelão Francês, Maria Gomes, Touriga Nacional) Alentejo (grape varieties, Aragonês, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional), Terras do Sado (grape variety Castelão) Bucelas (grape variety Arinto) and Estremadura (grape varieties: Arinto, Aragonês, Castelão, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional) appellations of origin. From the final stage of spontaneous fermentations, 2820 yeast isolates were obtained, mainly belonging to the species S. cerevisiae. An initial genetic screen, based on mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (mtDNA RFLP) and/or interdelta sequence analysis was followed by microsatellite analysis of strains with unique genetic profiles, using 10 highly polymorphic microsatellites. Our results showed that microsatellite analysis revealed a high resolution populational screen, showing that genetic differences and populational structures among S. cerevisiae populations derived from both “diagnostic” vineyard-, specific alleles and the accumulation of small allele-frequency differences across ten microsatellite loci. Heterozygosity was three to four times lower than the expected value, confirming the strong populational substructuring. The presented large-scale approach shows that each vineyard contains differentiated S. cerevisiae populations, showing the occurrence of specific native strains that can be associated with a terroir. 

Financially supported by the programs POCI 2010 (FEDER/FCT, POCTI/AGR/56102/2004) and AGRO (ENOSAFE, Nº 762).
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Functional Characterization in Caenorhabditis Elegans of Transmembrane Worm-Human Orthologs

Background: The complete genome sequences for human and the nematode Caenorhabditiselegans offer an opportunity to learn more about human gene function through functionalcharacterization of orthologs in the worm. Based on a previous genome-wide analysis of wormhumanorthologous transmembrane proteins, we selected seventeen genes to exploreexperimentally in C. elegans. These genes were selected on the basis that they all have highconfidence candidate human orthologs and that their function is unknown. We first analyzed theirphylogeny, membrane topology and domain organization. Then gene functions were studiedexperimentally in the worm by using RNA interference and transcriptional gfp reporter genefusions.Results: The experiments gave functional insights for twelve of the genes studied. For example,C36B1.12, the worm ortholog of three presenilin-like genes, was almost exclusively expressed inhead neurons, suggesting an ancient conserved role important to neuronal function. We proposea new transmembrane topology for the presenilin-like protein family. sft-4, the worm ortholog ofsurfeit locus gene Surf-4, proved to be an essential gene required for development during the larvalstages of the worm. R155.1, whose human ortholog is entirely uncharacterized, was implicated inbody size control and other developmental processes.Conclusions: By combining bioinformatics and C. elegans experiments on orthologs, we providefunctional insights on twelve previously uncharacterized human genes

In situ milk enrichment with microbial CLA/CLNA using vegetable oils as substrate source

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Diarrhea-associated biofilm formed by enteroaggregative Escherichia coli and aggregative Citrobacter freundii: a consortium mediated by putative F pili

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Enteroaggregative <it>Escherichia coli </it>(EAEC) are enteropathogenic strains identified by the aggregative adhesion (AA) pattern that share the capability to form biofilms. <it>Citrobacter freundii </it>is classically considered as an indigenous intestinal species that is sporadically associated with diarrhea.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During an epidemiologic study focusing on infantile diarrhea, aggregative <it>C. freundii </it>(EACF) and EAEC strains were concomitantly recovered from a severe case of mucous diarrhea. Thereby, the occurrence of synergic events involving these strains was investigated. Coinfection of HeLa cells with EACF and EAEC strains showed an 8-fold increase in the overall bacterial adhesion compared with single infections (P < 0.001). The synergic effect was mediated by physical interactions among the bacteria and primed in the absence of chemical signaling and without the participation of host cells. Thus, significant increases (2.7-fold on average) in bacterial adhesion were also observed during the formation of mixed biofilms on abiotic surfaces. Bacterial settling assays showed that EAEC strains harboring F-pili genes (<it>traA</it>) were capable of forming bacterial aggregates only in the presence of EACF. Scanning electronic microscopy analyses revealed that bacterial aggregates as well as enhanced biofilms formed by EACF and <it>traA</it>-positive EAEC were mediated by non-bundle forming, flexible pili. Moreover, mixed biofilms formed by EACF and <it>traA</it>-positive EAEC strains were significantly reduced using nonlethal concentration of zinc, a specific inhibitor of F pili. In addition, EAEC strains isolated from diarrheic children frequently produced single biofilms sensitive to zinc.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Putative F pili expressed by EAEC strains boosted mixed biofilm formation when in the presence of aggregative <it>C. freundii</it>.</p