2,784 research outputs found
Black Lives Through the Lens: A Discussion on How the Media Portrays African Americans
Since the start of the Black Lives Matter movement there has been a rise in media coverage of African Americans. We will provide an overview of the disturbing trends that have surfaced in how the media continues to portray black lives. We will begin by looking at the history of African Americans in the media and then answer the question, where are we now? This presentation will discuss the ways in which African Americans are represented in both news and popular media. We will then explore how these media representations affect African American’s views of self and negatively impact their lives through cultural appropriation, internalized racism, and diminished self-esteem. We have set out to go beyond explaining these representations of African Americans in general, but also look at how they affect black men and women differently
O Papel das Mulheres nas Ações Solidárias na Favela da Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro em Tempos de Pandemia
Este artigo busca explorar o papel protagonista das mulheres nas ações solidárias de ONGs e coletivos na favela da Rocinha, durante a pandemia da Covid-19. Ele parte da premissa de que a produção do espaço da favela sempre teve uma liderança e atuação marcantes das mulheres, seja na produção do espaço doméstico, seja na produção dos espaços coletivos, ou mesmo na militância política ativa nos bastidores das Associações de Moradores, ONGs e coletivos. Personagens esquecidos na história da favela, as mulheres não somente atuaram nas lutas diárias do cotidiano em creches, postos de saúde, mas também na preservação da memória da comunidade. Atualmente, elas continuam a exercer um papel primordial nas lutas e resistências contra a violência, os riscos e a vulnerabilidade social, especificamente na luta contra as remoções, e também podemos observar neste momento a atuação das mulheres nas redes de ação solidária que se desenvolveram em vários grupos comunitários e coletivos durante a pandemia. Nosso artigo está estruturado em quatro seções, a saber. Primeiramente abordamos o contexto histórico da Rocinha e a atuação feminina nos vários espaços e fóruns coletivos. Em seguida, faremos um breve histórico dos principais problemas que enfrentam as mulheres no cotidiano da favela, como violência e risco de remoção. Depois falaremos da atuação das mulheres nos movimentos sociais e coletivos na Rocinha na atualidade para, finalmente, trabalhar a atuação específica nas redes de ação solidária durante a pandemia
La Música del Mariachi: Conservator of Mexican Culture and Heritage
Mariachi music, its profound texts, rhythms, and mestizaje (racial mixture) preserve Mexican culture and heritage. Mariachi music is synonymous with Mexico. Both birthed through a violent beginning of forced assimilation and mestizaje, mariachi is one of the foremost symbols of Mexican national pride. Mariachi’s lyrics and distinctive rhythms, share and preserve a story of survival, cradle ancestral epistemologies, all that is Mexico, its Indigenous, Spanish, and African roots and history pre and post 1821. And just as in the study of any other music, language, or culture, it is consequential that precise, literal, translations (scores) of mariachi music, research, and other scholarly, cultivated resources are accessible to all Mexican descent people, especially Chicana/x/o students and those who teach them. Culturally relevant curriculum fosters identity and inclusivity and promotes academic success. However, as it pertains to music education, western European music history, theory, notation, and praxes dominate. With over 62 million Hispanics living in the United States, 62% of Mexican descent, it is dire to create decolonized music spaces that offer more than a single narrative. And within these spaces, it is crucial that quality resources are provided equitably. Because of its popularity and adoption as core curriculum in schools around the United States, amassing quality mariachi educational resources, musical scores and transcriptions, and other curricular materials is central to Mexican descent student success. In this article, I describe common mariachi song forms, their region of origin, meter, text structure and offer rhythmic analyses and examples for notating them.
Addressing the Needs of Non-Traditional Students: Adopting a Suitable Pre-Matriculation Program at Vassar College
Work-life management for workforce maintenance: A qualitative comparative study
Nowadays, owing to the changing nature of the work environment, with its ever-increasing demands, the quality of working life and its relationship with the individual's wellbeing are recognized worldwide as vital for the workforce. This study analyzes the role of employees' perception of five quality of working life attributes (specifically workplace conditions, working life autonomy, corporate citizenship, remuneration, and workplace diversity and inclusion) in ensuring the individual's wellbeing focusing in particular on workers' perception of work-life balance, working life opportunities, and health and wellness. The results of the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis reveal the same various configurations for the three outcomes that suggest a new perspective towards understanding the factors in employees' working life that enhance their wellbeing, and so improve workforce maintenance. The results have managerial implications related to work-life management for workforce maintenance
Aspectos contemporâneos da concessão de serviço público
Orientador: Marçal Justen FilhoMonografia (graduação) - Universidade Federal do Paraná,Setor de Ciências Jurídicas, Curso de Graduação em DireitoO presente trabalho trata da concessão de serviço público com o fito de compreender sua inserção no Direito Administrativo Brasileiro. A concessão ressurgiu na década de noventa,a partir da Constituição Federal de 1988 e do programa de desestatização do Estado. Faz-se menção sobre o desenvolvimento histórico da concessão no Brasil;sobre o conceito de concessão de serviço público e sobre a noção de função pública das concessionárias. Cuida-se também de algumas características da concessão de serviço público e seu objeto,o serviço público. São apontadas novas perspectivas sobre o serviço público,indicando-se quais as atividades que podem ser delegadas. Diferencia-se,ainda ,a concessão de serviço público da concessão de obra pública. Dispõem-se,por fim,sobre uma questão enfrentada pelas concessionária de serviço público que dependem da instalação de infra-estrutura sobre bens de uso comum para prestar seu serviço. Trata-se da cobrança de preço,por parte de municípios e concessionárias de bens públicos pela utilização de bens públicos de uso comum. Questiona-se a possibilidade de ser oneroso o uso,já que a instalação das redes de distribuição visa prestar um serviço público. A partir do exposto,conclui-se que a efetiva regulamentação dos serviços públicos deve partir do consenso entre os diversos atores sociais
Os 20 anos da carreira de Especialista em Políticas Públicas e Gestão Governamental do governo federal e seu papel estratégico para o aprimoramento da gestão e das políticas públicas
O trabalho visa apresentar o atual estágio de desenvolvimento dos processos de
gestão da carreira de Especialista em Políticas Públicas e Gestão Governamental do
governo federal. Assim, discorrer-se-á sobre o modelo de gestão adotado à luz dos
estudos e discussões realizados pela Secretaria de Gestão e consultores externos,
com a participação dos próprios gestores. Essas reflexões, realizadas ao longo do
último ano, permitiram identificar as estratégias que devem orientar todos os
processos relacionados à carreira. O trabalho perpassa os temas: definição do perfil
do ocupante do cargo de Especialista em Políticas Públicas e Gestão
Governamental; diretrizes para aprimorar o concurso público; o processo de
identificação das competências a serem desenvolvidas pelos seus membros,
estratégias utilizadas para definir a alocação inicial; o acompanhamento do estágio
probatório; e algumas questões relacionadas à mobilidade funcional dos membros
desta carreira. Constata-se que estas iniciativas reforçam a presença dos membros
da carreira na condução das principais políticas públicas e intensificam sua atuação
em rede, o que resulta em impactos positivos para a formulação e execução de
políticas complexas, que demandam o envolvimento de múltiplos atores.Número de páginas: 29 p.Administração PúblicaTexto publicado no DVD: EPPGG 25 anos a serviço da cidadania - 30 textos fundamentais sobre a Carreira EPPGG.Artigo apresentado no III Congresso Consad de Gestão Pública - Carreiras de gestor governamental: seus modelos nos estados e no Governo Federal
Rational design of thermostable carbonic anhydrase mutants using molecular dynamics simulations
The stability of enzymes is critical for their application in industrial processes, which generally require different conditions from the natural enzyme environment. Both rational and random protein engineering approaches have been used to increase stability, with the latter requiring extensive experimental effort for the screening of variants. Moreover, some general rules addressing the molecular origin of protein thermostability have been established. Herein, we demonstrate the use of molecular dynamics simulations to gain molecular level understanding of protein thermostability and to engineer stabilizing mutations. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is an enzyme with a high potential for biotechnological carbon capture applications, provided it can be engineered to withstand the high temperature process environments, inevitable in most gas treatment units. In this study, we used molecular dynamics simulations at 343, 353, and 363 K to study the relationship between structure flexibility and thermostability in bacterial α-CAs and applied this knowledge to the design of mutants with increased stability. The most thermostable α-CA known, TaCA from Thermovibrio ammonificans, had the most rigid structure during molecular dynamics simulations, but also showed regions with high flexibility. The most flexible amino acids in these regions were identified from root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) studies, and stabilizing point mutations were predicted based on their capacity to improve the calculated free energy of unfolding. Disulfide bonds were also designed at sites with suitable geometries and selected based on their location at flexible sites, assessed by B-factor calculation. Molecular dynamics simulations allowed the identification of five mutants with lower RMSF of the overall structure at 400 K, compared to wild-type TaCA. Comparison of free-energy landscapes between wild-type TaCA and the most promising mutants, Pro165Cys–Gln170Cys and Asn140Gly, showed an increased conformational stability of the mutants at 400 K
Transformação genética de feijão-caupi (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) visando à introdução de genes de resistência a viroses
Tese (doutorado)-Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Agronomia e Medicina Veterinária,
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agronomia, 2013.O feijão-caupi (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) é conhecido nas regiões Norte e Nordeste do Brasil como feijão-de-corda, feijão-verde, feijão macassar ou feijão-de-praia. É uma planta muito importante na alimentação humana por ser fonte natural de proteínas, calorias, vitaminas e minerais. Dentre as doenças que mais causam perdas para a cultura destacam-se as viroses, e dentre elas o mosaico severo (Cowpea severe mosaic virus- CPSMV) que pode levar a perdas de até 100% da produção nas áreas afetadas, e a virose causada pelo Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), que tem importância devido à sua ampla ocorrência. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo a obtenção de plantas de feijão-caupi geneticamente modificadas (GM) resistentes ao CPSMV e ao CABMV, por meio da estratégia RNA interferente. Nesse trabalho foram obtidas 15 linhagens GM, sendo testadas 14 delas para avaliar a resistência aos vírus. Algumas linhagens apresentaram alta resistência para as condições de inoculação severa sem alteração na produção de vagens e sementes viáveis, enquanto que para as plantas controle a inoculação severa resultou na morte de todas as plantas. As linhagens GM também apresentaram tolerância ao herbicida imazapyr na concentração de 200 g.ha-1, o que foi considerado um resultado promissor, tendo em vista que a cultura do feijão-caupi atualmente encontra-se em expansão no cenário agrícola nacional. Nos testes de Southern blot, northern blot e dot blot foi confirmada a integração dos transgenes no genoma das linhagens, assim como a presença dos pequenos RNA interferentes, o que tem relação direta com a alta tolerância apresentada para os vírus. A análise da progênie realizada pelo teste qui-quadrado não demonstrou padrão de segregação Mendeliana na geração F1. Isso pode ser explicado devido à ocorrência de quimerismos nos transformantes primários (F0). Os resultados obtidos sugerem a possibilidade de utilização das melhores linhagens GM em experimentos em nível de campo visando selecionar genotipos promissores que possam fazer parte de programas de melhoramento da cultura. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTCowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.), known as feijão-de-corda, feijão-verde, or feijão macassar and feijão-de-praia in the North and Northeastern regions of Brazil, is an important crop for human nutrition. Besides serving as a natural source of protein and energy, it is rich in vitamins and minerals. Although it is a widespread crop which can be grown in areas of extreme climatic and environmental conditions, it is confronted with certain problems like pests and diseases among others. Among diseases that devastate the crop are those caused by Cowpea severe mosaic virus (CPSMV) and Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), which together may cause 100% losses in production. This work sought to develop a strategy using RNA interference to generate genetically modified (GM) cowpea plants which are resistant to CSMV and CABMV. Fifteen (15) GM lines were obtained, of which 14 were tested for resistance against the viruses. While some of the lines showed high degree of resistance without any alteration in seed pod development and seed germination, control plants died soon after inoculation with the viruses. The GM lines were also tolerant to the herbicide imazapyr at a concentration of up to 200 g/ha, showing potential in the production system of cowpea given the continuous nationwide expansion of the crop. Southern blot analysis confirmed the integration of the transgenes inserted in the genome of the lines. We also detected small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) responsible for gene silencing of the viruses and thus conferring resistance to the plant. Progeny analysis using chi-square test did not show Mendelian segregation in F1 generation. This may be attributable to the possible existence of chimeras in the primary transformants (F0). These results may be applied in field experiments using superior lines developed here for breeding programs involving the crop
Strenuous Exercise Increases the Risk of Oxidative Stress in Ironman Triathlon Participants
Regular physical activity has been linked to greater overall health. Literature review and studies have also defined regular physical activity as a reducer of life-threatening illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. However, long increments of strenuous exercise can produce oxidative stress and muscle fatigue in the human body. The increase in oxygen consumption during strenuous exercise leads to elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Cells continuously produce free radicals and reactive oxygen species as part of metabolic processes in the body. These free radicals are neutralized by an antioxidant defense system in the body consisting of enzymes, such as catalase, and non-enzymatic antioxidants. An Ironman Triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. It is widely considered by athletes to be one of the most demanding sporting events in the world. It is hypothesized that a physically challenging event such as the Ironman Triathlon can be linked to elevated cortisol levels, increased occurrence of DNA damage, elevated concentrations of ROS, and consequently increased oxidative stress in humans. In order to derive conclusive results regarding the hypothesis, groups containing athletes who completed the full Ironman race, the half Ironman race, and a control group of moderately active individuals were established and individuals were required to report Garmin Smartwatch health and wellness data. The half Ironman consists of a 1.2-mile (1.93 km) swim, a 56-mile (90.12 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. Several protocols were then applied to derive data necessary to complete the research. After the participants were selected, their saliva was collected in a non-invasive fashion and was used in the Elisa Saliva Kit to determine cortisol concentration. The saliva samples were also utilized to perform DNA and RNA extraction; and the resulting products were analyzed for quantity and quality of the DNA and RNA. Real time PCR allows scientists to monitor PCR while it is occuring. In this technique, luminescence is produced by reporter molecules as the PCR products increase with every cycle. To determine ROS concentration, the ROS-Glo assay, which provides a light signal that is proportional to the ROS in a given sample, was utilized. An additional marker of oxidative stress is 8-oxo-2-deoxyguanosine(8-oxo-dG). The OxiSelect™ Oxidative DNA Damage ELISA uses antibody and antigen interactions to report the concentration of 8-oxo-dG in a sample. Furthermore, the results indicate an increase in enzymatic indicators of elevated ROS, elevated cortisol levels, and disruption of sleep in the participating athletes after the race. In conclusion, the athletes who completed the full Ironman triathlon experienced increased amounts of oxidative stress than their less active counterparts in the control group, as was denoted by the elevated cortisol levels, increased 8-oxo-dG concentrations, and increased ROS concentrations.Such a rigorous event negatively impacted participants and caused oxidative stress
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