Estudi dels cargols en estat d'hivernació

En aquest projecte es comparen set tipus de cargols de la mateixa especie peró de procedencia diferent en termes de la seva supervivència, del seu pes i del preu. Dos dels tipus de cargols provenen de la granja CAL JEP, S.L., i els altres tipus són de bosc. L'objectiu final és determinar quins són els més interessants per l'empresa BAGES CARGOL, S.L., dedicada a la conserva i venda de cargols pel consum. El projecte comença dissenyant i fent un experiment en el que s'han recollit dades durant 24 setmanes. En total tenim una mostra de 10.500 cargols, 1.500 per cada tipus. En aquest experiment tots els cargols estan hivernant i les condicions ambientals són sempre les mateixes per tots. L'objectiu és trobar el millor tipus de cargol per aquestes condicions, entenent que com menys es morin i menys pes perdin, millors són els cargols. A més a més, es vol determinar el preu de compra mínim pel qual no hi hagi pèrdues, aquest objectiu és mteressant pel l'empresa BAGES CARGOL, S.L. Les dades s'han anat recollint setmanalment i per tant podem estudiar l'evolució de la mortalitat, del pes i del preu per cada tipus de cargol. Un altre objectiu interessant per l'empresa CAL JEP, S.L. que s'ha fet en aquest projecte és trobar les possibles diferencies entre els seus cargols de granja i la resta de tipus

De l'electricitat a la fusta: espais d'aprenentatge de la Tecnologia mitjançant projectes

Les activitats de construcció i disseny permeten orientar l'ensenyament de la Tecnologia cap a espais metodològics més contextualitzats que permeten el desenvolupament d'habilitats de planificació i gestió de projectes. L'Aprenentatge Basat en Projectes proposa per a aquest tipus d'activitats un marc de gestió d'aula i avaluació útil per a l'aprenentatge. En aquest article, es presenten quatre projectes aplicats en aules de secundària en els que els alumnes planifiquen i desenvolupen diversos projectes relacionats amb diversos materialsi tècniques (fusta, electrònica) i es discuteixen aspectes metodològics clau per al seu desenvolupament.Design and construction activities allow to teach Technology in a contextualized frame and to develop skills of planning and managing projects. Project-Based Learning propose for this kind of activities a frame for assessment and classroom management. We present four projects applied in secondary schools, where students plan and develop several projects related with several materials and technics (wood, electronics) and we discuss key methodologic aspects about the development of this kind of activities.Les activitats de construcció i disseny permeten orientar l'ensenyament de la Tecnologia cap a espais metodològics més contextualitzats que permeten el desenvolupament d'habilitats de planificació i gestió de projectes. L'Aprenentatge Basat en Projectes proposa per a aquest tipus d'activitats un marc de gestió d'aula i avaluació útil per a l'aprenentatge. En aquest article, es presenten quatre projectes aplicats en aules de secundària en els que els alumnes planifiquen i desenvolupen diversos projectes relacionats amb diversos materialsi tècniques (fusta, electrònica) i es discuteixen aspectes metodològics clau per al seu desenvolupament

Methyl-Hydroxylamine as an Efficacious Antibacterial Agent That Targets the Ribonucleotide Reductase Enzyme

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has encouraged vigorous efforts to develop antimicrobial agents with new mechanisms of action. Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is a key enzyme in DNA replication that acts by converting ribonucleotides into the corresponding deoxyribonucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA replication and repair. RNR has been extensively studied as an ideal target for DNA inhibition, and several drugs that are already available on the market are used for anticancer and antiviral activity. However, the high toxicity of these current drugs to eukaryotic cells does not permit their use as antibacterial agents. Here, we present a radical scavenger compound that inhibited bacterial RNR, and the compound's activity as an antibacterial agent together with its toxicity in eukaryotic cells were evaluated. First, the efficacy of N-methyl-hydroxylamine (M-HA) in inhibiting the growth of different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was demonstrated, and no effect on eukaryotic cells was observed. M-HA showed remarkable efficacy against Mycobacterium bovis BCG and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thus, given the M-HA activity against these two bacteria, our results showed that M-HA has intracellular antimycobacterial activity against BCG-infected macrophages, and it is efficacious in partially disassembling and inhibiting the further formation of P. aeruginosa biofilms. Furthermore, M-HA and ciprofloxacin showed a synergistic effect that caused a massive reduction in a P. aeruginosa biofilm. Overall, our results suggest the vast potential of M-HA as an antibacterial agent, which acts by specifically targeting a bacterial RNR enzyme

Methyl-hydroxylamine as an efficacious antibacterial agent that targets the ribonucleotide reductase enzyme

This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Instituto de Salud Carlos III - PI10/01438), the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and the Generalitat de Catalunya (2009SGR-108) to EJ, and grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Instituto de Salud Carlos III - PI081062), the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER),), the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (BFU2011-24066), the ERA-NET PathoGenoMics, the Ramón y Cajal program and the Catalan and Spanish cystic fibrosis federation to ET.The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has encouraged vigorous efforts to develop antimicrobial agents with new mechanisms of action. Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is a key enzyme in DNA replication that acts by converting ribonucleotides into the corresponding deoxyribonucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA replication and repair. RNR has been extensively studied as an ideal target for DNA inhibition, and several drugs that are already available on the market are used for anticancer and antiviral activity. However, the high toxicity of these current drugs to eukaryotic cells does not permit their use as antibacterial agents. Here, we present a radical scavenger compound that inhibited bacterial RNR, and the compound's activity as an antibacterial agent together with its toxicity in eukaryotic cells were evaluated. First, the efficacy of N-methyl-hydroxylamine (M-HA) in inhibiting the growth of different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was demonstrated, and no effect on eukaryotic cells was observed. M-HA showed remarkable efficacy against Mycobacterium bovis BCG and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thus, given the M-HA activity against these two bacteria, our results showed that M-HA has intracellular antimycobacterial activity against BCG-infected macrophages, and it is efficacious in partially disassembling and inhibiting the further formation of P. aeruginosa biofilms. Furthermore, M-HA and ciprofloxacin showed a synergistic effect that caused a massive reduction in a P. aeruginosa biofilm. Overall, our results suggest the vast potential of M-HA as an antibacterial agent, which acts by specifically targeting a bacterial RN

Superando o cárcere: o regime semiaberto como oportunidade reconciliadora

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico. Arquitetura e UrbanismoProposta de criação de um Centro de Autonomia e Reconciliação Social, localizado na cidade de Florianópolis, voltado para apenados do gênero masculino, de menor potencial ofensivo e submetidos ao regime semiaberto, incorporando as principais esferas relacionadas à ressocialização do indivíduo privado de liberdade e superando as adversidades centrais dos ambientes de cárcere. No caso da ressocialização, os âmbitos do trabalho, da educação, da família, da cultura, do lazer e da aproximação com a comunidade são explorados, enquanto existe também um esforço para que questões como o isolamento forçado, a insalubridade, o estigma e a ociosidade sejam substituídas por espaços de oportunidade, que contribuam para a reconciliação social e que apresentem uma estética positiva e acolhedora

Draft genome sequence of Mycobacterium brumae ATCC 51384

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Mycobacterium brumae type strain ATCC 51384. This is the first draft genome sequence of M. brumae, a nonpathogenic, rapidly growing, nonchromogenic mycobacterium, with immunotherapeutic capacities

Consensus on the Clinical Approach to Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Spain: A Delphi Survey

Background. The purpose of this study was to gather information on the current assessment and management of patients with moderate-to-severe AD in routine daily practice. Methods. A cross-sectional two-round Delphi survey with the participation of dermatologists and allergologists throughout Spain was conducted. They completed a 46-item questionnaire, and consensus was defined when responses of >= 80% of participants coincided in the categories of a 5-point Likert scale for that item. Results. A total of 105 specialists (aged 40-59 years) completed the two rounds. Participants agreed regarding the consideration of AD as a multifaceted disease and the differences in clinical presentation of AD according to the patient's age. It is recommendable to perform a skin biopsy to exclude early stage T-cell cutaneous lymphoma, psoriasis, or dermatitis herpetiformis, among others (99.1%). Also, consensus was reached regarding the use of the SCORAD index to quantify the severity of the disease (86.7%), the use of wet wraps to increase the effect of topical corticosteroids (90.4%), the usefulness of proactive treatment during follow-up (85.6%) and tacrolimus ointment (91.2%) to reduce new flares, and the fact that crisaborole is not the treatment of choice for severe AD (92.4%). AD was not considered a contraindication for immunotherapy in patients with allergic respiratory diseases (92.4%). In patients with severe AD, the use of immune response modifier drugs (97.6%) or phototherapy (92.8%) does not sufficiently cover their treatment needs. Consensus was also obtained regarding the role of the new biologic drugs (93.6%) targeting cytokines involved in the Th2 inflammatory pathway (92.0%) and the potential role of dupilumab as first-line treatment (90.4%) in moderate-to-severe AD patients. Conclusion. This study contributes a reference framework to the care of AD patients. There is no diagnostic test or biomarkers to direct treatment or to assess the severity of the disease, and many therapeutic challenges remain

Visualization of lithium-ion transport and phase evolution within and between manganese oxide nanorods.

Multiple lithium-ion transport pathways and local phase changes upon lithiation in silver hollandite are revealed via in situ microscopy including electron diffraction, imaging and spectroscopy, coupled with density functional theory and phase field calculations. We report unexpected inter-nanorod lithium-ion transport, where the reaction fronts and kinetics are maintained within the neighbouring nanorod. Notably, this is the first time-resolved visualization of lithium-ion transport within and between individual nanorods, where the impact of oxygen deficiencies is delineated. Initially, fast lithium-ion transport is observed along the long axis with small net volume change, resulting in two lithiated silver hollandite phases distinguishable by orthorhombic distortion. Subsequently, a slower reaction front is observed, with formation of polyphase lithiated silver hollandite and face-centred-cubic silver metal with substantial volume expansion. These results indicate lithium-ion transport is not confined within a single nanorod and may provide a paradigm shift for one-dimensional tunnelled materials, particularly towards achieving high-rate capability

Pentafluorosulfanyl-containing Triclocarban Analogs with Potent Antimicrobial Activity

Concerns have been raised about the long-term accumulating effects of triclocarban, a polychlorinated diarylurea widely used as an antibacterial soap additive, in the environment and in human beings. Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration has recently banned it from personal care products. Herein, we report the synthesis, antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of novel N,N'-diarylureas as triclocarban analogs, designed by reducing one or more chlorine atoms of the former and/or replacing them by the novel pentafluorosulfanyl group, a new bioisostere of the trifluoromethyl group, with growing importance in drug discovery. Interestingly, some of these pentafluorosulfanyl-bearing ureas exhibited high potency, broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, and high selectivity index, while displaying a lower spontaneous mutation frequency than triclocarban. Some lines of evidence suggest a bactericidal mode of action for this family of compounds. Keywords: antibacterial; Gram-positive; N,N0-diarylureas; pentafluorosulfanyl; Staphylococcus aureus; triclocarba