Analogias e metáforas no ensino de Ciências : aplicações na educação sexual com mulheres negras

Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo verificar como mulheres negras identificam e interpretam analogias e metáforas presentes em cartazes de campanhas institucionais de DST/Aids do Governo Federal do Brasil e contribuir para o Ensino de Ciências, em especial, para a educação sexual. Sugere o uso das analogias e das metáforas como recursos de pesquisa e ensino nessa área. Com esse intuito, optou-se por um estudo exploratório, de caráter etnográfico. Os resultados apontaram para a necessidade de sistematizar o uso desses recursos como ferramentas educacionais a fim de evitar possíveis erros conceituais, dado o caráter interpretativo que eles apresentam. Em contrapartida, o uso adequado possibilita a revisão de conceitos, comportamentos e crenças morais e contribui para desconstrução de mitos, ideologias discriminadoras e tabus

Percepções do desempenho de hotéis do Alto Douro: Uma análise comparada

O desempenho da industria da hospitalidade é fundamental para sustentar o desenvolvimento da actividade turística, em especial nas regiões onde o turismo ainda esta numa fase inicial desse desenvolvimento. As principais etapas desta investigação são, em prime iro lugar, comparar o desempenho percebido de quatro relevantes hotéis da região do Douro; em segundo lugar, identificar os principais atributos que determinam a satisfação global com os hotéis; em terceiro, lugar, examinar a relação entre a perceção das politicas de marketing relacional e a satisfação global do cliente e, finalmente, examinar a relação entre satisfação e lealdade, com base nas perceções dos hospedes frequentes. Os dados foram recolhidos entre Outubro de 2006 e Maio de 2007. Um novo instrumento foi construído, com base na literatura e em entrevistas com profissionais da industria hoteleira, destinado a medir os aspectos fundamentais que determinam a satisfação de clientes frequentes. Posteriormente, foi realizada uma análise comparativa com base nos atributos utilizados para medir o desempenho percebido da oferta hoteleira, o que permitiu determinar, para cada hotel, as principais variáveis em que a gestão se deve centrar a fim de aumentar a satisfação dos seus clientes frequentes. Por ultimo, verificou-se, por um lado, que as politicas de marketing relacional não são, fortes determinantes da satisfação e, por outro, que existe uma forte correlação entre a satisfação e lealdade do cliente frequente.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

E-Learning from nature: picking from nature the inspiration to teach and learn science

This work aims to present the work done so far by the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB) within the project E-learning from Nature. The project includes, at national level, a network of secondary schools from the district of Bragança and aims to promote a proactive students’ approach to scientific subjects learning and propose innovative teaching methodologies to science teachers. Five geographical areas of natural interest have been selected: Azibo Reservoir Protected Landscape, Douro International Natural Park, Montesinho Natural Park, Landscapes of Serra da Nogueira and the Cork oak forests of Jerusalém do Romeu. Among the scientific topics to be illustrated by examples found in nature, Mathematics, Biology, Geology, Physics, Chemistry and/or Geography are in focus. Apart from the work to be done at national level, a fruitful cooperation is expected from the exchange of experiences among the international partners (Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania).Project funded by Erasmus + Programme (Project Number 2015-1-IT02-KA201-015133).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the cytotoxicity (HepG2) and chemical composition of polar extracts from the ruderal species Coleostephus myconis (L.) Rchb.f.

Coleostephus myconis (L.) Rchb.f. (Asteraceae) is a highly disseminated plant species with ruderal and persistent growth. Owing to its advantageous agronomic properties, C. myconis might have industrial applications. However, this species needs to be comprehensively characterized before any potential use. In a previous study, the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of different C. myconis tissues were characterized. This investigation was extended to examine the cytotoxic potential of selected plant tissues (flowers and green parts) using a HepG2 cell line by utilizing the lysosomal neutral red uptake assay or mitochondrial (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. In addition, the macronutrients content, lipophilic compounds (fatty acids, tocopherols), and amino acids were also determined. C. myconis flowers were used in the senescence stage, which was previously identified as the stage that presented maximal phenolic content and highest antioxidant activity. In contrast, stems and leaves were employed due to their high biomass proportion. Regarding cytotoxicity, mitochondrial and lysosomal damage was only significant when HepG2 cells were exposed to the highest extract concentrations (stems and leaves, 0.9 mg/ml; senescent flowers, 0.3 mg/ml). Chemically, the senescent flowers were mostly characterized by their high levels of fat, amino acids (especially threonine), oleic acid, ß-, and ?-tocopherol, while stems and leaves contained high concentrations of carbohydrates, linolenic acid, and a-tocopherol. In general, these results provide information regarding the threshold concentrations of C. myconis extracts that might be used in different applications without toxicity hazards.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to REQUIMTE (PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2014) and to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013). J.C.M. Barreira, Carla Costa, and Filipa B. Pimentel thank FCT, POPH-QREN, and FSE for their grants (SFRH/BPD/72802/2010, SFRH/BPD/96196/2013 and SFRH/BD/109042/2015, respectively).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Morphological and microstructural characterization of laser-glazedplasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings

Laser glazing has been revealing a high potential for the improvement of plasma-sprayed (PS) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) by reducing surface roughness, eliminating open porosity on the surface and generating a controlled segmented crack network, although the relationship of the processing parameters with the resultant properties has not yet been completely established. In this investigation, TBCs consisting of atmospheric plasma-sprayed (APS) ZrO2–8wt.%Y2O3 were subjected to a CO2 continuous wave laser-glazing process in order to seal its surface porosity, generating an external dense layer. For that purpose, different amounts of radiation resulting from different scanning speeds were applied to the specimens as well as different track overlapping. Results have shown a significant decrease of the surface roughness after the laser treatment. All specimens presented a fully dense and porous free external layer with a polyfaceted columnar microstructure highly adherent to the plasma-sprayed coating. Controlled surface crack networks, extremely dependent on the laser scanning speed and track overlapping, were achieved for each set of processing parameters. The cracks were found to have a tendency to be oriented in two perpendicular directions, one in the direction of the laser-beam travel direction, the other perpendicular to it. Moreover, the cracks parallel to the beam travel direction are found to be on the overlapping zone, coinciding with the edge of the subsequent track. The cracks are perpendicular to the surface along the densified layer and tend to branch and deviate from the vertical direction below it, within the porous PS coating. XRD results revealed mainly tV nontransformable tetragonal zirconia with a small percentage of residual monoclinic zirconia for the as-sprayed coating. All glazed coatings presented only tV nontransformable tetragonal zirconia with some variations on preferable crystal orientation. Grain sizes varied from 26 to 52 nm, increasing with an increase of laserirradiated energy; microstrain behaved inversely.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Project POCTI/CTM/44590/2002.União Europeia (UE). Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER)

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Transcriptional Reprograming Due To Bacterial Contamination During Industrial Scale Bioethanol Production

Background: The bioethanol production system used in Brazil is based on the fermentation of sucrose from sugarcane feedstock by highly adapted strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Bacterial contaminants present in the distillery environment often produce yeast-bacteria cellular co-aggregation particles that resemble yeast-yeast cell adhesion (flocculation). The formation of such particles is undesirable because it slows the fermentation kinetics and reduces the overall bioethanol yield. Results: In this study, we investigated the molecular physiology of one of the main S. cerevisiae strains used in Brazilian bioethanol production, PE-2, under two contrasting conditions: typical fermentation, when most yeast cells are in suspension, and co-aggregated fermentation. The transcriptional profile of PE-2 was assessed by RNA-seq during industrial scale fed-batch fermentation. Comparative analysis between the two conditions revealed transcriptional profiles that were differentiated primarily by a deep gene repression in the co-aggregated samples. The data also indicated that Lactobacillus fermentum was likely the main bacterial species responsible for cellular co-aggregation and for the high levels of organic acids detected in the samples. Conclusions: Here, we report the high-resolution gene expression profiling of strain PE-2 during industrial-scale fermentations and the transcriptional reprograming observed under co-aggregation conditions. This dataset constitutes an important resource that can provide support for further development of this key yeast biocatalyst.141Basso, L.C., Amorim, H.V., Oliveira, A.J., Lopes, M.L., Yeast selection for fuel ethanol production in Brazil (2008) FEMS Yeast Res, 8, pp. 1155-1163Carvalho-Netto, O.V., Carazzolle, M.F., Rodrigues, A., Bragança, W.O., Costa, G.G.L., Argueso, J.L., A simple and effective set of PCR-based molecular markers for the monitoring of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell population during bioethanol fermentation (2013) J Biotechnol, 168, pp. 701-709Silva-Filho, E.A., Santos, S.K.B., Resende, A.D.M., Morais, J.O.F., Morais, M.A., Ardaillon Simões, D., Yeast population dynamics of industrial fuel-ethanol fermentation process assessed by PCR-fingerprinting (2005) Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 88, pp. 13-23Argueso, J.L., Carazzolle, M.F., Mieczkowski, P.A., Duarte, F.M., Carvalho-Netto, O.V., Missawa, S.K., Genome structure of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain widely used in bioethanol production (2009) Genome Res, 19, pp. 2258-2270Soares, E.V., Flocculation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a review (2011) J Appl Microbiol, 110, pp. 1-18Verstrepen, K.J., Klis, F.M., Flocculation, adhesion and biofilm formation in yeasts (2006) Mol Microbiol, 60, pp. 5-15Amorim, H.V., Lopes, M.L., Castro Oliveira, J.V., Buckeridge, M.S., Goldman, G.H., Scientific challenges of bioethanol production in Brazil (2011) Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 91, pp. 1267-1275Abreu-Cavalheiro, A., Monteiro, G., Solving ethanol production problems with genetically modified yeast strains (2014) Braz J Microbiol, 44 (3), pp. 665-671Lucena, B.T.L., dos Santos, B.M., Moreira, J.L., Moreira, A.P.B., Nunes, A.C., Azevedo, V., Diversity of lactic acid bacteria of the bioethanol process (2010) BMC Microbiol, 10, p. 298Yokoya, F., Oliva-Neto, P., Características da floculação de leveduras por Lactobacillus fermentum (1991) Brazilian J Microbiol, 22, pp. 12-16Tiukova, I., Eberhard, T., Passoth, V., Interaction of Lactobacillus vini with the ethanol-producing yeasts Dekkera bruxellensis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (2014) Biotechnol Appl Biochem, 61, pp. 40-44Pretzer, G., Snel, J., Molenaar, D., Biodiversity-based identification and functional characterization of the mannose-specific adhesin of Lactobacillus plantarum (2005) J Bacteriol, 187, pp. 6128-6136Furukawa, S., Nojima, N., Nozaka, S., Hirayama, S., Satoh, A., Ogihara, H., Mutants of Lactobacillus plantarum ML11-11 deficient in co-aggregation with yeast exhibited reduced activities of mixed-species biofilm formation (2012) Biosci Biotechnol Biochem, 76, pp. 326-330Turner, M.S., Hafner, L.M., Walsh, T., Giffard, P.M., Peptide surface display and secretion using two LPXTG-containing surface proteins from Lactobacillus fermentum BR11 (2003) Appl Environ Microbiol, 69, pp. 5855-5863Hirayama, S., Furukawa, S., Ogihara, H., Morinaga, Y., Yeast mannan structure necessary for co-aggregation with Lactobacillus plantarum ML11-11 (2012) Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 419, pp. 652-655Rayner, J.C., Munro, S., Identification of the MNN2 and MNN5 mannosyltransferases required for forming and extending the mannose branches of the outer chain mannans of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1998) J Biol Chem, 273, pp. 26836-26843Abbott, D.A., Zelle, R.M., Pronk, J.T., Maris, A.J.A., Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for production of carboxylic acids: current status and challenges (2009) FEMS Yeast Res, 9, pp. 1123-1136Dorta, C., Oliva-Neto, P., Abreu-Neto, M.S., Nicolau-Junior, N., Nagashima, A.I., Synergism among lactic acid, sulfite, pH and ethanol in alcoholic fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (PE-2 and M-26) (2005) World J Microbiol Biotechnol, 22, pp. 177-182Kawahata, M., Masaki, K., Fujii, T., Iefuji, H., Yeast genes involved in response to lactic acid and acetic acid: acidic conditions caused by the organic acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures induce expression of intracellular metal metabolism genes regulated by Aft1p (2006) FEMS Yeast Res, 6, pp. 924-936Thomas, K.C., Hynes, S.H., Ingledew, W.M., Influence of medium buffering capacity on inhibition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth by acetic and lactic acids (2002) Appl Environ Microbiol, 68, pp. 1616-1623Narendranath, N.V., Thomas, K.C., Ingledew, W.M., Effects of acetic acid and lactic acid on the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a minimal medium (2001) J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol, 26, pp. 171-177Argueso, J.L., Pereira, G.A.G., Perspective: Indigenous sugarcane yeast strains as ideal biological platforms for the delivery of next generation biorefining technologies (2010) Int Sugar J, 112, pp. 86-89Pruesse, E., Quast, C., Knittel, K., Fuchs, B.M., Ludwig, W., Peplies, J., SILVA: a comprehensive online resource for quality checked and aligned ribosomal RNA sequence data compatible with ARB (2007) Nucleic Acids Res, 35, pp. 7188-7196Bakker, B.M., Overkamp, K.M., Maris, A.J., Kötter, P., Luttik, M.A., Dijken, J.P., Stoichiometry and compartmentation of NADH metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (2001) FEMS Microbiol Rev, 25, pp. 15-37Nevoigt, E., Stahl, U., Osmoregulation and glycerol metabolism in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1997) FEMS Microbiol Rev, 21, pp. 231-241Ishida, N., Saitoh, S., Ohnishi, T., Tokuhiro, K., Nagamori, E., Kitamoto, K., Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for efficient production of pure L-(+)-lactic acid (2006) Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 131, pp. 795-807Oliva-Neto, P., Yokoya, F., Evaluation of bacterial contamination in a fed-batch alcoholic fermentation process (1994) World J Microbiol Biotechnol, 10, pp. 697-699Geng, F., Laurent, B.C., Roles of SWI/SNF and HATs throughout the dynamic transcription of a yeast glucose-repressible gene (2004) EMBO J, 23, pp. 127-137Ozcan, S., Vallier, L.G., Flick, J.S., Carlson, M., Johnston, M., Expression of the SUC2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is induced by low levels of glucose (1997) Yeast, 13, pp. 127-137Basso, L.C., Basso, T.O., Rocha, S.N., Ethanol production in Brazil: the industrial process and its impact on yeast fermentation (2010) Biofuel Production - Recent Developments and Prospects, 1, pp. 85-100. , Bernardes MAS, editor. 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Water-in-oil-in-water double emulsions as protective carriers for Sambucus nigra l. coloring systems

The use of natural colorants is needed to overcome consumer concerns regarding synthetic food colorants0 safety. However, natural pigments have, in general, poor stability against environmental stresses such as temperature, ionic strength, moisture, light, and pH, among others. In this work, water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) emulsions were used as protective carriers to improve color stability of a hydrophilic Sambucus nigra L. extract against pH changes. The chemical system comprised water and corn oil as the aqueous and oil phases, respectively, and polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), Tween 80, and gum Arabic as stabilizers. The primary emulsion was prepared using aW1/O ratio of 40/60 (v/v). For the secondary emulsion,W1/O/W2, different (W1/O)/W2 ratios were tested with the 50/50 (v/v) formulation presenting the best stability, being selected as the coloring system to test in food matrices of different pH: natural yogurt (pH 4.65), rice drink (pH 6.01), cow milk (pH 6.47), and soy drink (pH 7.92). Compared to the direct use of the extract, the double emulsion solution gave rise to higher color stability with pH change and storage time, as corroborated by visual and statistical analysis.FCT/MCTES for financial support to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020). National funding by FCTFoundation for Science and Technology, through the institutional scientific employment programcontract of A. Fernandes, I. Fernandes, and L. Barros. Valor Natural project (Project Norte-01-0247- FEDER-024479).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genome And Secretome Analysis Of The Hemibiotrophic Fungal Pathogen, Moniliophthora Roreri, Which Causes Frosty Pod Rot Disease Of Cacao: Mechanisms Of The Biotrophic And Necrotrophic Phases

Background: The basidiomycete Moniliophthora roreri is the causal agent of Frosty pod rot (FPR) disease of cacao (Theobroma cacao), the source of chocolate, and FPR is one of the most destructive diseases of this important perennial crop in the Americas. This hemibiotroph infects only cacao pods and has an extended biotrophic phase lasting up to sixty days, culminating in plant necrosis and sporulation of the fungus without the formation of a basidiocarp.Results: We sequenced and assembled 52.3 Mb into 3,298 contigs that represent the M. roreri genome. Of the 17,920 predicted open reading frames (OFRs), 13,760 were validated by RNA-Seq. Using read count data from RNA sequencing of cacao pods at 30 and 60 days post infection, differential gene expression was estimated for the biotrophic and necrotrophic phases of this plant-pathogen interaction. The sequencing data were used to develop a genome based secretome for the infected pods. Of the 1,535 genes encoding putative secreted proteins, 1,355 were expressed in the biotrophic and necrotrophic phases. Analysis of the data revealed secretome gene expression that correlated with infection and intercellular growth in the biotrophic phase and invasive growth and plant cellular death in the necrotrophic phase.Conclusions: Genome sequencing and RNA-Seq was used to determine and validate the Moniliophthora roreri genome and secretome. High sequence identity between Moniliophthora roreri genes and Moniliophthora perniciosa genes supports the taxonomic relationship with Moniliophthora perniciosa and the relatedness of this fungus to other basidiomycetes. Analysis of RNA-Seq data from infected plant tissues revealed differentially expressed genes in the biotrophic and necrotrophic phases. The secreted protein genes that were upregulated in the biotrophic phase are primarily associated with breakdown of the intercellular matrix and modification of the fungal mycelia, possibly to mask the fungus from plant defenses. Based on the transcriptome data, the upregulated secreted proteins in the necrotrophic phase are hypothesized to be actively attacking the plant cell walls and plant cellular components resulting in necrosis. 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Effects of Impurity Content on the Sintering Characteristics of Plasma-Sprayed Zirconia

Yttria-stabilized zirconia powders, containing different levels of SiO2 and Al2O3, have been plasma sprayed onto metallic substrates. The coatings were detached from their substrates and a dilatometer was used to monitor the dimensional changes they exhibited during prolonged heat treatments. It was found that specimens containing higher levels of silica and alumina exhibited higher rates of linear contraction, in both in-plane and through-thickness directions. The in-plane stiffness and the through-thickness thermal conductivity were also measured after different heat treatments and these were found to increase at a greater rate for specimens with higher impurity (silica and alumina) levels. Changes in the pore architecture during heat treatments were studied using Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP). Fine scale porosity (<_50 nm) was found to be sharply reduced even by relatively short heat treatments. This is correlated with improvements in inter-splat bonding and partial healing of intra-splat microcracks, which are responsible for the observed changes in stiffness and conductivity, as well as the dimensional changes