Ciência e política pública na perspectiva dos gestores:: clivagens e confluências

This article presents a reflection on the interaction between science and public policy. based on interviews with policymakers from two ministries (Agrarian Development and Environment). The aim of the study was to identify the place attributed to scientific knowledge in the policy making process. For this it was necessary to recognize the policymakers’ perceptions of science. As a theoretical basis, we start from a critique of the notion of evidence-based policy, which proposes the instrumentalization of scientific knowledge by policy, in order to achieve the notion of “co-production” proposed by Jasanoff. This author argues that science, politics and culture are co-produced, being impossible to establish clear boundaries between them. We conclude that, among the interviewees, it prevails the valuation of science objectivity as a critical point to legitimate policy decisions. But, contradictorily, they also demand for greater involvement between science and government interests. It was also observed that, in spite of the difficulties noted on this interaction managers practices and discourses were permeated with references to scientific knowledge.O presente artigo apresenta uma reflexão sobre a articulação ciência e políticas públicas a partir de entrevistas com gestores de dois ministérios. A questão orientadora da pesquisa foi identificar o lugar atribuído ao conhecimento científico no processo de formulação de políticas e normas técnicas. Para tal foi necessário esclarecer as percepções de ciência que informam as práticas dos gestores. Como base teórica, partimos de uma crítica à noção de evidence-based policy, que propõe a instrumentalização do conhecimento científico pela política, para chegarmos à noção de “coprodução” proposta por Jasanoff. Essa autora sustenta que ciência, política e cultura são coproduzidas, sendo impossível estabelecer fronteiras nítidas entre elas. Concluímos que prevalece, no universo pesquisado, a valoração da objetividade da ciência como fundamental para a legitimação das decisões no campo da política (policy). Mas, ao mesmo tempo, demanda-se maior envolvimento da ciência com assuntos de interesse governamental. Observou-se também que apesar das dificuldades apontadas nessa relação, os discursos e as práticas dos gestores estão permeados de referências ao conhecimento científico

Production and characterization of protease from Penicillium aurantiogriseum URM 4622

Proteases with new properties are required due to their increasing industrial importance. In this work, the optimal fermentation conditions for the production of a protease from Penicillium aurantiogriseum dierchx (URM-4622) are presented together with partial characterization of the protease catalytic properties. The batch fermentation conditions that allow for the highest specific proteolytic activity are 26 ºC, pH 7.0, and 25 % saturation dissolved O2 concentration. The obtained protease is stable over a wide range of pH (5.8 to 9.5) and temperature (25 to 40 ºC) values. In the presence of Zn2+ a 26 % reduction in the enzyme proteolytic activity occurs and, in contrast, Mn2+ enhances its activity by 28.9 %. 96.2 % and 70.8 % of the protease activity are maintained after 90 min incubation in 5 and 10 % (v/v) H2O2 aqueous solutions, respectively. PMSF inhibition reveals that this enzyme is a serine protease. Protease is able to hydrolyze different proteins

O verde da economia no campo: desafios à pesquisa e às políticas públicas para a promoção da saúde no avanço da modernização agrícola.

Neste ensaio, é feita a pergunta de quem deve, pode e quer promover a saúde no campo hoje. Foi eleito, prioritariamente, o campo da ciência e o das políticas públicas como foco de diálogo. Configurou-se oito lições aprendidas sob a perspectiva dos direitos à saúde a um ambiente saudável, aqui compartilhadas: (1) para além de um risco químico isolado, a relação entre agrotóxicos e saúde deve ser estudada no contexto da modernização agrícola conservadora; (2) é necessário e urgente que se proceda ao desvelamento dos agravos à saúde relacionados aos agrotóxicos; (3) o Estado tem tido significativa eficácia no apoio ao agronegócio e ignificativa ineficácia nas políticas sociais de garantia de direitos dos trabalhadores e da população; (4) setores da sociedade ligados às organizações do campo vêm desempenhando importante papel na política pública de combate aos agrotóxicos e de proteção da saúde; (5) é importante que os estudos contribuam para a desconstrução dos mitos que sustentam o modelo da Revolução Verde; (6) se está diante do desafio de contribuir na construção de um paradigma emergente de ciência, fundado no compromisso ético-político com os mais vulneráveis; (7) comunidades camponesas vêm construindo alternativas agroecológicas de vida no semiárido

Towards customized footwear with improved comfort

A methodology enabling the customization of shoes for comfort improvement is proposed and assessed. For this aim, 3D printed graded density inserts were placed in one of the critical plantar pressure zones of conventional insoles, the heel. A semi-automated routine was developed to design the 3D inserts ready for printing, which comprises three main stages: (i) the definition of the number of areas with different mesh density, (ii) the generation of 2D components with continuous graded mesh density, and (iii) the generation of a 3D component having the same 2D base mesh. The adequacy of the mesh densities used in the inserts was previously assessed through compression tests, using uniform mesh density samples. Slippers with different pairs of inserts embedded in their insoles were mechanically characterized, and their comfort was qualitatively assessed by a panel of users. All users found a particular pair, or a set, of prototype slippers more comfortable than the original ones, taken as reference, but their preferences were not consensual. This emphasizes the need for shoe customization, and the usefulness of the proposed methodology to achieve such a goal.This work was funded by National Funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Reference UID/CTM/50025/2019 and UIDB/04436/2020, and Project FAMEST, Reference POCI-01-0247-FEDER-024529, co-financed by COMPETE2020 through PT2020 and FEDER

Production and characterization of protease from Penicillium aurantiogriseum URM 4622

Abstract Proteases with new properties are required due to their increasing industrial importance. In this work, the optimal fermentation conditions for the production of a protease from Penicillium aurantiogriseum dierchx (URM-4622) are presented together with partial characterization of the protease catalytic properties. The batch fermentation conditions that allow for the highest specific proteolytic activity are 26 ºC, pH 7.0, and 25 % saturation dissolved O 2 concentration. The obtained protease is stable over a wide range of pH (5.8 to 9.5) and temperature (25 to 40 ºC) values. In the presence of Zn 2+ a 26 % reduction in the enzyme proteolytic activity occurs and, in contrast, Mn 2+ enhances its activity by 28.9 %. 96.2 % and 70.8 % of the protease activity are maintained after 90 min incubation in 5 and 10 % (v/v) H 2 O 2 aqueous solutions, respectively. PMSF inhibition reveals that this enzyme is a serine protease. Protease is able to hydrolyze different proteins

Nanostructured lipid carriers as a novel tool to deliver sclareol: physicochemical characterisation and evaluation in human cancer cell lines

Sclareol (SC) is arousing great interest due to its cytostatic and cytotoxic activities in several cancer cell lines. However, its hydrophobicity is a limiting factor for its in vivo administration. One way to solve this problem is through nanoencapsulation. Therefore, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN-SC) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC-SC) loaded with SC were produced and compared regarding their physicochemical properties. NLC-SC showed better SC encapsulation than SLN-SC and was chosen to be compared with free SC in human cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and HCT-116). Free SC had slightly higher cytotoxicity than NLC-SC and produced subdiploid DNA content in both cell lines. On the other hand, NLC-SC led to subdiploid content in MDA-MB-231 cells and G2/M checkpoint arrest in HCT-116 cells. These findings suggest that SC encapsulation in NLC is a way to allow the in vivo administration of SC and might alter its biological properties

Capacitação do familiar cuidador na adesão à prevenção e ao controle da hipertensão arterial

Objetivo: Analisar o impacto de uma tecnologia educativa em saúde na capacitação do familiar cuidador no controle da hipertensão arterial e na prevenção do risco deste agravo. Métodos: Pesquisa participante com a aplicação de uma Tecnologia Educativa em Saúde (TES) – Capacitação do familiar cuidador na adesão à prevenção e/ou controle da hipertensão arterial, com um grupo de oito familiares cuidadores (FC), de um Serviço de Assistência Domiciliar de um hospital público de Fortaleza, Ceará, realizada entre julho e outubro de 2016. Resultados: Na primeira entrevista, observou-se que os FC revelaram algum conhecimento sobre hipertensão arterial (HA), modo de descoberta ou diagnóstico, fatores de risco, cronicidade e risco/gravidade. Após a aplicação da TES, ocorreu a apreensão do conhecimento acerca das condutas de controle da HA e de prevenção dos seus fatores de risco, embora de modo irregular sob os aspectos quantitativos e qualitativos em todas as condutas. As experiências vivenciadas pelos FC com a TES emergiram vários significados: incentivo para o autocuidado e para o cuidado do familiar; emponderamento para o cuidado; valorização da saúde; e adoção de hábitos saudáveis. Conclusão: A aplicação da TES com os familiares cuidadores promoveu o envolvimento no autocuidado, no cuidado na família e na comunidade, difundindo o saber construído

Production and properties of quercetin-loaded liposomes and their influence on the properties of galactomannan-based films

The objective of this work was to prepare different concentrations of liposomes based on lecithin containing quercetin, and evaluate their effect on the properties of galactomannan films obtained from Cassia grandis seeds. Quercetin-loaded lecithin liposomes (QT-LL) were obtained by the ethanol injection method by incorporating quercetin in different concentrations in a previously prepared suspension of lecithin liposomes in water. Following characterization of QT-LLs by zeta potential and dynamic light scattering, QT-LL with 75 µg quercetin/mL suspension was incorporated at different concentrations in galactomannan films. The films obtained were characterized for color, solubility, moisture content (MC), water vapor permeability (WVP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The size of lecithin liposomes with no quercetin was statistically than those containing quercetin above 50 µg/mL. All the QT-LLs presented a low polydispersity index, even considering their significant differences and similar values for zeta potential. The films displayed a rough surface and the galactomannan structure was confirmed by FTIR. Additionally, the amorphous nature of the polysaccharide was observed by XRD. The films were luminous, with a predominant yellow tendency and low opacity. The incorporation of QT-LL in galactomannan films did not lead to statistical differences for solubility and MC, while significant differences were observed for WVP. Galactomannan films were shown to be a promising structure for the incorporation of lecithin liposomes loaded with quercetin, pointing at promising applications for different applications

Purification of a lectin from Cratylia mollis crude extract seed by a single step PEG/phosphate aqueous two-phase system

The partitioning and purification of lectins from the crude extract of Cratylia mollis seeds (Cramoll 1,4) was investigated in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS). A factorial design model (24) was used to evaluate the influence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) molar mass (15008000g/mol), PEG concentration (12.517.5% w/w), phosphate (1015% w/w) concentration, and pH (68) on the differential partitioning, purification factor, and yield of the lectin. Polymer and salt concentration were the most important variables affecting partition of lectin and used to find optimum purification factor by experimental BoxBehnken design together with the response surface methodology (RSM). ATPS showed best conditions composed by 13.9% PEG1500, 15.3% phosphate buffer at pH 6, which ensured purification factor of 4.70. Sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a single band of protein with 26.1kDa. Furthermore, results demonstrated a thermostable lectin presenting activity until 60°C and lost hemagglutinating activity at 80°C. According to the obtained data it can be inferred that the ATPS optimization using RSM approach can be applied for recovery and purification of lectins.We are grateful to the following bodies for the grants awarded: CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Level Personnel Superior); FACEPE (Pernambuco Science and Technology Foundation): Researcher's scholarship grant: BFP-0017-5.05/18 CNPq (National Council for Scientific Development and Technological) process: 427153/2016-6 and we also thank the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions as these helped us to improve the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Agricultura e biodiversidade nas ciências sociais brasileiras: alimentando a comunicação entre ciência e políticas públicas.

O presente artigo decorre de uma reflexão sustentada em dois pressupostos: a) que as ciências e, em particular, as sociais, podem contribuir para informar as tomadas de decisão e a formulação de políticas públicas visando a melhoria da vida das pessoas no planeta e b) que o papel da agricultura na conservação da biodiversidade é uma questão atual de extrema relevância e que merece ser aprofundada. A relação entre a agricultura e a biodiversidade tem sido objeto de questionamentos recentes na sociedade e no campo das políticas públicas. Contudo, se os estudos relacionados à biodiversidade e à agricultura, separadamente, têm observado um considerável crescimento no Brasil, poucos são os investimentos de pesquisa sobre a relação entre esses dois grandes temas. A partir dessas considerações, seguimos dois objetivos principais: 1) investigar como o papel da agricultura familiar na preservação da biodiversidade tem sido abordado pelas Ciências Sociais no Brasil, particularmente nos artigos publicados em periódicos brasileiros nos últimos 20 anos; 2) testar uma metodologia de revisão bibliográfica, criteriosa, que possa ser útil aos tomadores de decisão em políticas públicas e demais interessados