Five years of project-based learning training experiences in higher education institutions in Brazil

Implementing Project Based Learning (PBL) is a challenging enterprise both for students and for teachers. PBL demands a changing process in which teaching is about being able to work with other teachers in an environment open to uncertainty, with creativity, improved communication and engagement. Considering the need to support teachers to implement PBL, a group of researchers delivered 19 workshops since 2010 in 16 Higher Education Institutions in Brazil. These workshops were delivered using a PBL approach and most of them had 20 hours of training. This study aims identifying the impact of these workshops and discuss the contribution of staff development strategies to improve engineering teaching practice. The methodological approach carried out for this study was based on an online questionnaire exploring the participants’ perceptions about their experience in the workshop and the impact on their teaching practice using active learning strategies (difficulties, motivations, etc.). The questionnaire was sent to 367 participants’ active email addresses. The findings, from the 67 answers received, point out that 95% of respondents said that the workshops have had an impact on their teaching practice, and in general, they are applying what they have learned in the workshops. The participants’ motivation came from the interest in learning new teaching strategies, sharing experiences, improving student learning, innovating and even just out of curiosity. Concerning to teachers’ training, more than 75% of the respondents’ claimed they have felt the need of pedagogical training at the beginning of their career, and more than 70% stated that they keep on participating in events to improve their professional practice as engineering teachers. It is important to point out all respondents consider important or very important the existence of a professional teachers’ development program in their institutions, and the pedagogical training was highlighted as the most needed, followed by the formation of practice communities and research groups. Based on the participants perceptions it was possible to present a short list of general recommendations for the development of engineering teachers training opportunities.The authors thank the teachers that kindly participated in this research. This work has been partially supported by projects COMPETE-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT-UID-CEC-00319-2013, from Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Label-free infrared spectroscopic imaging for characterization of necrotic tissue areas on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

In this study, FTIR spectroscopy was used to evaluate the overall biochemical status of necrotic tissue areas of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma chemically-induced on mice. FTIR hyperspectral image collected from specimen showed high correlation with the photomicrograph obtained by light microscopy, in which we were able to identify clusters associated to keratin, necrosis and regions with no tissue. Alterations in the protein content were documented in the necrotic tissue areas, indicating changes on protein conformation

ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy for the Assessment of Biochemical Changes in Skin Due to Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Nonmelanoma skin cancers represent 95% of cutaneous neoplasms. Among them, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the more aggressive form and shows a pattern of possible metastatic profile. in this work, we used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy to assess the biochemical changes in normal skin caused by squamous cell carcinoma induced by multi-stage chemical carcinogenesis in mice. Changes in the absorption intensities and shifts were observed in the vibrational modes associated to proteins, indicating changes in secondary conformation in the neoplastic tissue. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to evaluate the potential of the technique to differentiate the spectra of neoplastic and normal skin tissue, so that the accuracy obtained for this classification was 86.4%. in this sense, attenuated total reflection (ATR)-FTIR spectroscopy provides a useful tool to complement histopathological analysis in the clinical routine for the diagnosis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia Fotonica (INCT)Produtividade em Pesquisa (PQ)IPEN CNEN SP, Ctr Lasers & Applicat, Inst Pesquisas Energet & Nucl, BR-05508000 São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Dent, BR-05508000 São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, ICT, BR-1223128 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, ICT, BR-1223128 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 05/51689-2CAPES: 071/2013-88881.068505/2014-01Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia Fotonica (INCT): 573.916/2008-0Produtividade em Pesquisa (PQ): 312397/2013-5Web of Scienc

Biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas syringae pv tabaci: A versatile mixture with interesting emulsifying properties

In recent years, worldwide awareness about environmental concerns has led to an extensive searching for products of natural origin. Biosurfactants (BS), are an attractive alternative to the chemical counterparts. In these sense, this works evaluate for the first time the emulsifying and surface activity of biosurfactants produced by P. syringae pv. tabaci. Chemical characterization revealed that the produced BS extract mostly consisted in a mixture of syringopeptins and arthrofactins. Besides, this sample was able to reduce water surface tension up to 36.89 mN/m. This activity was improved by modifying conditions of pH, temperature and salinity. For instance, the surface tension was reduced up to 29 mN/m when using NaCl 5 % w/w. The BS also exhibited a high emulsifying activity, this being comparable or even superior to that of commercial bioemulsifiers such xanthan, tara and guar gums. A notorious emulsification index, close to 90 %, was exhibited by BS in coconut oil/water mixtures. Moreover, emulsifying activity resulted to be little affected by different operational conditions, thus retaining about 80 % of its emulsificant index in presence of 20 % w/w of NaCl at 80 °C. These findings are indicative of the BS promising properties and its potential as additive in a variety of industrial applications.Fil: Haidar, Carla Nahir. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Pereira, Matheus M.. Universidade Tiradentes; BrasilFil: Lima, Álvaro S.. Universidade Tiradentes; BrasilFil: Nerli, Bibiana Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Pellegrini Malpiedi, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; Argentin

Graphene-Based Coating to Mitigate Biofilm Development in Marine Environments

Due to its several economic and ecological consequences, biofouling is a widely recognized concern in the marine sector. The search for non-biocide-release antifouling coatings has been on the rise, with carbon-nanocoated surfaces showing promising activity. This work aimed to study the impact of pristine graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) on biofilm development through the representative marine bacteria Cobetia marina and to investigate the antibacterial mechanisms of action of this material. For this purpose, a flow cytometric analysis was performed and a GNP/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface containing 5 wt% GNP (G5/PDMS) was produced, characterized, and assessed regarding its biofilm mitigation potential over 42 days in controlled hydrodynamic conditions that mimic marine environments. Flow cytometry revealed membrane damage, greater metabolic activity, and endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by C. marina when exposed to GNP 5% (w/v) for 24 h. In addition, C. marina biofilms formed on G5/PDMS showed consistently lower cell count and thickness (up to 43% reductions) than PDMS. Biofilm architecture analysis indicated that mature biofilms developed on the graphene-based surface had fewer empty spaces (34% reduction) and reduced biovolume (25% reduction) compared to PDMS. Overall, the GNP-based surface inhibited C. marina biofilm development, showing promising potential as a marine antifouling coating

Efeitos da atividade física sobre densidade mineral óssea de mulheres saudáveis na pré-menopausa

Study Design: Sistematic review of literature.Aims: Physical activity is an important stimulus to increase bone mineral density (BMD). Whereby the resistance of the bone is associated with BMD, microstructure and material properties, improvements in bone mass are important to prevent osteoporosis in old ages. Despite many studies on the subject, there is no consensus on what is the best type of exercise, intensity and frequency for improvements in osteogenesis and promotion of BMD gain. This study aimed to investigate the types of physical activities that results in better osteogenic effects on increasing BMD in healthy premenopausal women.Methodology: We searched scientific articles in Pubmed and Science Direct databases published in the last ten years. We selected controlled studies which used high-impact activities or resistance training. We used systematic analysis of the selected articles.Results: Fifteen articles were included in this review, which were separated into two groups according to the type of exercise. We performed a comparative analysis of the methods used and the results achieved. There were more efficient protocols using high impact exercise even if it was a short-term program resulting in increased BMD in the proximal femur (femoral neck and intertrochanteric region).Conclusion: There were fewer studies observing increases in BMD at the lumbar spine when resistance exercise with load or high impact loads were used. Most experimental protocols performed in relatively short-term programs (6 months) demonstrated that exercise programs that were simple, easy to perform, and not using special devices are sufficient to promote bone remodeling at specific sites resulting in increased BMD.in increased BMD.Modelo de estudo: Revisão sistemática da literatura.Objetivo: A atividade física representa um importante estímulo ao aumento da densidade mineral óssea (DMO). Como a resistência dos ossos está associada tanto a DMO, quanto a microestrutura e propriedades do material, melhorias na massa óssea são importantes na prevenção de osteoporose na idade mais avançada. Apesar de muitos estudos sobre o tema, não existe consenso sobre qual seria o melhor tipo de atividade física, intensidade e frequência para melhorias na osteogênese e promoção do ganho de DMO. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os tipos de atividades físicas com melhor efeito osteogênico de aumento da DMO em mulheres saudáveis na pré-menopausa.Metodologia: Realizou-se levantamento bibliográfico de artigos científicos nas bases de dados Pubmed e Direct Science publicados nos últimos dez anos. Foram selecionados estudos controlados com exercícios de alto impacto e resistido. Utilizou-se análise sistematizada dos artigos selecionados.Resultados: Foram incluídos 15 artigos nesta revisão, os quais foram separados em dois grupos, conforme o tipo de exercício. Foi realizada análise comparativa de metodologias utilizadas e resultados alcançados. Constatou-se maior eficiência do protocolo de exercício de alto impacto, mesmo em curtoperíodo de execução para aumento da DMO do fêmur proximal (colo femoral e região intertrocantérica). Em menor frequência, foi observado aumento da DMO na coluna lombar quando exercícios resistidos ou de impactos maiores foram usados.Conclusões: A maioria dos artigos executou protocolo experimental em período relativamente curto (6 meses), demonstrando que programas de exercícios simples, de fácil execução, curto período de aplicação e sem uso de aparelhos específicos são suficientes para promover remodelação óssea emsítios específicos com aumento da DMO

Hábitos alimentares e risco de doenças cardiovasculares em universitários

Modelo de estudo: Pesquisa descritiva, observacional, transversal. Objetivo: Descrever qualitativamente a frequência de ingestão de determinados alimentos, considerados de risco e de proteção para doenças cardiovasculares (DCV), além de determinar o Escore de Risco de Framingham (ERF) em indivíduos supostamente saudáveis, estudantes de graduação de uma universidade pública brasileira. Metodologia: Participaram 97 estudantes, 45 homens e 52 mulheres, na faixa etária de 18 a 25 anos. Após assinatura do Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido (TCLE), aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa, os estudantes preencheram um questionário com os dados da pesquisa. Foram estudados alimentos classificados como de risco e de proteção, conforme sua composição química avaliada por tabelas de alimentos. O teste Qui-quadrado fui utilizado quando as frequências esperadas foram iguais ou superiores a 5. Para os demais parâmetros foi utilizado o teste exato de Fischer. Resultados: Entre os alimentos protetores destacou-se a ingestão diária de legumes (33%), verduras (22%) e frutas (17%) e entre os de risco estão a ingestão diária de café/chás com açúcar (39%), maionese/ margarina/manteiga (34%) e doces (14%). Houve variação de consumo conforme o sexo, para as frequências de 0,1, 2 e 4 vezes por semana para os alimentos: farinha de milho/mandioca, biscoito maisena/caseiro/água e sal, aveia, frango com pele. Houve variação significativa de consumo diário entre os sexos para os alimentos: frutas, doces, maionese/margarina/manteiga, biscoito maisena/caseiro/ água e sal. Conclusões: Este estudo demonstrou que os estudantes universitários apresentaram uma maior frequência diária de ingestão de alimentos considerados de proteção para DCV do que alimentos de risco. Em adição, o ERF calculado demonstrou baixo risco de desenvolvimento de DCV nos indivíduos avaliados.Study Design: Descriptive, observational, cross-sectional. Aims: The aims of this study were to qualitatively describe the frequency of eating certain foods, as risk and protective for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and determine the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) in supposedly healthy individuals, graduate students from a Brazilian public university. Methodology: Participants were 97 students, 45 males and 52 females, 18-25 years. After signing the consent form, approved by the Ethics Committee on Research, students completed a questionnaire survey data. We studied food classified as risk and protection, as assessed by its chemical composition tables. The Chi-square test was used when the expected frequencies greater than or equal to 5. For other parameters we used the Fisher exact test. Results: Among the foods considered protective stood out the daily intake of vegetables (33%), greens (22%) and fruit (17%). Among the foods considered at risk are the daily intake of coffee / tea with sugar (39%), mayonnaise / margarine / butter (34%) and sweets (14%). There was variation in consumption according to sex, for the frequencies of 0, 1, 2 and 4 times a week for food: corn flour / cassava, cornstarch cookie /homemade cookie / water and salt cookie, oats, chicken with skin. There was significant variation in daily consumption between the sexes for food: fruit, sweets, mayonnaise / margarine / butter, cornstarch cookie / homemade cookie / water and salt cookie. Conclusion: This study showed that college students presented higher frequency of daily intake of foods considered protective for CVD than risk food. In addition, the calculated FRS demonstrated low risk of developing CVD in studied individuals

Envolvimento paterno : um conceito atual

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Tissue distribution of DNA-Hsp65/TDM-loaded PLGA microspheres and uptake by phagocytic cells

This study aimed to demonstrate that microspheres, used as delivery vehicle of DNA-Hsp65/TDM [plasmid DNA encoding heat shock protein 65 (Hsp65) coencapsulated with trehalose dimycolate (TDM) into PLGA microspheres], are widely spread among several organs after intramuscular administration in BALB/c mice. In general, we showed that these particles were phagocytosed by antigen presenting cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells. Besides, it was demonstrated herein that draining lymph node cells presented a significant increase in the number of cells expressing costimulatory molecules (CD80 and CD86) and MHC class II, and also that the administration of the DNA-Hsp65/TDM and vector/TDM formulations resulted in the up-regulation of CD80, CD86 and MHC class II expression when compared to control formulations (vector/TDM and empty). Regarding the intracellular trafficking we observed that following phagocytosis, the microspheres were not found in the late endosomes and/or lysosomes, until 15 days after internalization, and we suggest that these constructions were hydrolysed in early compartments. Overall, these data expand our knowledge on PLGA [poly (lactic-co- glycolic acid)] microspheres as gene carriers in vaccination strategies, as well as open perspectives for their potential use in clinical practice