Cidade Horizonte do Uíge, Uíge (AO)

Angola was at war from 1961 to 2002. First, there was the Angolan War of Independence (1961-1974), then, after the country’s independence from the colonial rule of the Portuguese, a Civil War ensued in 1975 that lasted until 2002. In both cases, the conflicts mainly took place in the rural countryside, thwarting the development of proper social and physical infrastructure. These factors, combined with the widespread shortage of opportunities to generate income, triggered a steady and determined migration of millions of people from the countryside to the main cities, which prevails to this day. In effect, the housing shortage in the main cities increased rapidly; the official estimates mention a housing backlog of close to 2 million housing units. Fuelled by the economic boost generated by the oil revenues in the post-Civil War period, the government promoted new housing policies to try to reduce the housing backlog. The political interest in the housing issue became conspicuous during the campaign for the 2008 general elections. Indeed, José Eduardo dos Santos, the longstanding president of Angola, promised to build a million houses in the next five years (from 2008 until 2012). Halfway through this period, the national housing programme was renamed Meu Sonho Minha Casa (My Dream My House) in 2010. The government’s policies appointed four main actors and development agents to promote urban renewal operations in existing informal settlements and the construction of new housing districts all over the country. Indeed, the government suggested the public sector would deliver 11.5 per cent of the houses needed, public/private partnerships would develop 12 per cent, the cooperatives would be in charge of 8 per cent and the outstanding stock (68.5 per cent) would be produced through assisted self-help initiatives.Angola was van 1961 tot 2002 in oorlogen verwikkeld, te beginnen met de Angolese onafhankelijkheidsoorlog van 1961 tot 1974. Nadat de koloniale overheersing door de Portugezen was beëindigd, brak in1975 een burgeroorlog uit die tot 2002 duurde. In beide gevallen speelden de conflicten zich vooral op het platteland af, wat de ontwikkeling van een fatsoenlijke sociale en fysieke infrastructuur doorkruiste. In combinatie met het wijdverspreide gebrek aan mogelijkheden om inkomsten te verwerven, leidde dit tot een gestage, vastbesloten – en tot op heden voortdurende – migratie van miljoenen mensen van het platteland naar de belangrijkste steden. Het woningtekort in de grote steden neemt nog steeds toe; officiële schattingen spreken zelfs van een huisvestingsachterstand van bijna 2 miljoen eenheden. Als gevolg van de economische impuls van de olieopbrengsten in de periode na de burgeroorlog stimuleerde de overheid de ontwikkeling van nieuw huisvestingsbeleid, met het voornemen de achterstanden in te lopen. Tijdens de verkiezingscampagnes van 2008 begon de politieke belangstelling voor de huisvestingskwestie in het oog te springen. José Eduardo dos Santos, sinds jaren president van Angola, beloofde zelfs dat in de vijf daaropvolgende jaren (tussen 2008 en 2012) 1 miljoen huizen zouden worden gebouwd. Halverwege deze periode, in 2010, werd het nationale woningbouwprogramma omgedoopt tot Meu Sonho Minha Casa (Mijn droom, mijn huis). De overheid benoemde vier belangrijke partijen en ontwikkelaars om stadsvernieuwingsoperaties in bestaande informele nederzettingen en de bouw van nieuwe woonwijken in het hele land te stimuleren. De overheid suggereerde zelfs dat de publieke sector 11,5 procent van de benodigde woningen zou leveren, publiek-private partnerships 12 procent zouden ontwikkelen, de coöperaties 8 procent voor hun rekening zouden nemen en de resterende woningen zouden worden gerealiseerd via geassisteerde zelfhulpinitiatieven

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Self-help housing is a timeless social practice to satisfy people’s need for shelter. In broad terms, it can be defined as an activity where citizens, individually or collectively, develop a great deal of self-determination in housing production. It does not mean, however, that it implies complete autonomy or autarky. In effect, self-help housing is far from a monolithic category. In pre-capitalist societies it was pervasive and arguably the most common form of housing provision. With the emergence and rise of the capitalist mode of production in Western societies, providing proper living conditions became a key element to secure the reproduction of the labour force necessary to support industrial development and capital accumulation. This was then the heyday of philanthropic ventures promoted by bourgeois reformers to provide decent housing for the working class. Ever since, in periods of capitalist expansion, self-help housing in the urbanized world has been swiftly replaced by marketbased housing production. In periods of crisis of capitalism, however, self-help housing returned recurrently. This time, however, it was the bureaucratic apparatus of the state and its extensions that exploited it, thus creating the so-called aided self-help, or in more actual terms, assisted self-help housing. In central Europe, for example, this was the case after the Franco-German war of 1870-1871, in the aftermath of the First World War, the Great Depression in the 1930s, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the first oil shock of 1973, and more recently the financial crisis that started in 2008.Doe-het-zelf-woningbouw, als een sociale praktijk waarmee in het onderdak van mensen wordt voorzien, is van alle tijden. Deze praktijk wordt meestal gedefinieerd als een activiteit waarbij burgers individueel of collectief een sterke mate van autonomie ontwikkelen bij de productie van hun woningen. Dat betekent echter niet dat er sprake is van volledige autonomie of autarkie. Zelfbouw is immers een verre van monolithische categorie. In de voorkapitalistische samenleving was het een universele – en waarschijnlijk de gebruikelijkste manier – om in woningen te voorzien. Met de opkomst en toename van de kapitalistische productiewijze in de westerse samenleving kreeg de zorg voor fatsoenlijke woonomstandigheden een sleutelrol bij het zeker stellen van de reproductie van arbeidskrachten, die nodig waren om de industriële ontwikkeling en kapitaalvermeerdering in stand te houden. Dit waren de hoogtijdagen van filantropische initiatieven, die door hervormers uit de bourgeoisie werden opgezet en bedoeld waren om de werkende klasse van fatsoenlijke huisvesting te voorzien. Sinds die tijd, vooral in perioden van kapitalistische expansie in de ontwikkelde landen, maakt zelfbouw al snel plaats voor marktgestuurde woningproductie. Maar tijdens kapitalistische crises steekt het zelfbouwverschijnsel telkens weer de kop op. In dat geval wordt het echter gecultiveerd door een bureaucratisch staatsapparaat en de uitlopers daarvan, wat resulteert in de zogenaamde ‘ondersteunde zelfhulp’, of in meer gangbare termen, ‘ondersteunde doe-het-zelf-woningbouw’. In Centraal-Europa gebeurde dit bijvoorbeeld na de Frans-Duitse oorlog van 1870-1871, tijdens de nasleep van de Eerste Wereldoorlog, gedurende de Grote Depressie in de jaren 1930, na de Tweede Wereldoorlog, na de eerste oliecrisis van 1973 en meer recentelijk na de financiële crisis van na 2008

Fungal protoplasts as a genetic tool

For the last three decades, protoplasts have been shown to be an effective tool in studying the biochemistry and genetics of fungi, as the thick cell wall is no more a barrier. In this work we describe and discuss this versatile tool in mycology in two ways, preparation level and utilisation level. At the preparation level we describe the optimal conditions to obtain yeast protoplasts, including buffers employed, incubation time, regeneration of protoplasts, and compare the methodology to obtain the protoplasts from yeast and filamentous fungi. At the utilisation level we analyse the methodology to introduce foreign DNA into host genomes via protoplast transformation, probably the most universal method of gene transfer, and via protoplast fusion, a tool to "illegitimaly" transfer nuclear and/or organellar genetic information beyond phylogenetic boundaries. Finally, we conclude about the importance and actuality of fungal protoplasts in mycological research

In vitro impact of tenebrio molitor insect flour on human gut microbiota

A farinha de inseto de Tenebrio molitor (TMIF) é considerada um ingrediente alimentar nutritivo que ainda carece de avaliação do seu potencial nutricional na dieta humana. Um dos maiores indicadores do efeito da dieta na saúde humana é a composição da microbiota intestinal, principalmente a presença de grupos bacterianos benéficos, como as bactérias probióticas. Desta forma, foram elaborados dois modelos in vitro da microbiota intestinal para avaliar o efeito da TMIF na microbiota intestinal. Um dos modelos usou culturas puras de estirpes de Lactobacillus e Bifidobacterium em monoculturas e co-culturas (pares e consórcio) para avaliar o efeito da TMIF e a atividade metabólica destas bactérias. Adicionalmente, o efeito direto da farinha nas células bacterianas quando estas se encontram em stress nutritivo também foi avaliado. Posteriormente, a interação de todos os grupos presentes da microbiota intestinal bacteriana foi avaliada a partir de fezes de voluntários humanos, utilizando neste caso TMIF sujeitas ou não a uma pré-digestão. A avaliação da viabilidade celular e atividade metabólica foi realizada e comparada em ambos modelos. No primeiro modelo com culturas puras, não foram observados efeitos negativos da TMIF na viabilidade e no crescimento das bactérias probióticas, ocorrendo um aumento do crescimento e da produção de ácidos gordos de cadeia curta (SCFA) e lactato. Durante o tempo de incubação em stress nutritivo, o número de células bacterianas viáveis foi mantido mostrando que a farinha não apresenta qualquer efeito direto tóxico nas células. No segundo modelo, o modelo in vitro fecal, a TMIF digerida e não digerida demonstrou ter efeitos positivos no crescimento dos grupos bacterianos considerados benéficos (ex. Bacteroidaceae e Prevotellaceae) sem promover o crescimento significativo nos grupos com impacto negativo na saúde humana (ex. Clostridium histolyticum, Desulfovibrionales e Desulfuromonales). A TMIF promoveu uma produção mais elevada de ácidos orgânicos como o acetato e o propionato. Na presença de TMIF a produção de amoníaco foi na gama de concentrações consideradas não citotóxicas. Em relação ao conteúdo de aminoácidos das amostras de TMIF, a forma não digerida apresentou ter maior concentração de aminoácidos totais enquanto que a amostra digerida a maior concentração em aminoácidos livres. Como conclusão, a TMIF pode ser um potencial substituto de carne graças ao seu conteúdo nutricional e ao impacto na microbiota intestinal.Tenebrio molitor insect flour (TMIF) is considered a nutritious food ingredient but still needs assessment of its nutritional potential in the human diet. One of the major indicators of the effect of diet on human health is the composition of the gut microbiota, especially the presence of beneficial bacterial groups, such as probiotic bacteria. In this way, two in vitro models of the gut microbiota were elaborated to evaluate the effect of TMIF on the gut microbiota. One of the models used pure cultures of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains in monocultures and co-cultures (pairs and consortium) to evaluate the effect of TMIF and the metabolic activity of these bacteria. Additionally, the direct effect of the flour on bacterial cells when they are in nutritive stress was also evaluated. Subsequently, the interaction of all groups present in the bacterial gut microbiota was evaluated from human volunteer faeces, using in this case TMIF subjects with or without pre-digestion. The evaluation of cell viability and metabolic activity was performed and compared in both models. In the first model with pure cultures, no negative effects of TMIF on the viability and growth of probiotic bacteria were observed, with an increase in the growth and production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and lactate. During incubation time under nutritional stress, the number of viable bacterial cells was maintained showing that the flour does not have any direct toxic effect on the cells. In the second model, the in vitro faecal model, digested and undigested TMIF have been shown to have positive effects on the growth of bacterial groups considered beneficial (e.g. Bacteroidaceae and Prevotellaceae) without promoting significant growth in groups with a negative impact on human health (e.g. Clostridium histolyticum, Desulfovibrionales and Desulfuromonales). TMIF promoted a higher production of organic acids such as acetate and propionate. In the presence of TMIF the production of ammonia was in the range of concentrations considered non-cytotoxic. Regarding the amino acid content of the TMIF samples, the undigested form presented to have higher concentration of total amino acids while the digested sample the highest concentration of free amino acids. As a conclusion, TMIF may be a potential meat substitute because of its nutritional content and the impact on the intestinal microbiota

Physiological responses of Tetrahymena pyriformis to copper, zinc, cycloheximide and Triton X-100

Protozoa, and particularly ciliates, are essential in aerobic purification processes of wastewaters and have proved to be very sensitive to environmental changes. The physiological response of the ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis was assessed in terms of mortality, growth and grazing capacity after exposure to four toxicants: copper, zinc, cycloheximide and Triton X-100. In the ranges of concentrations used, mortality, inhibition of growth and inhibition of grazing were observed with all toxicants employed, but in different ways. Copper and zinc showed lower toxicity than observed in other studies with protozoa, though some of the present results are in accordance with those reported by other authors. This supports the importance of the organism tested and the experimental conditions of the bioassays.Instituto de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (IBQF).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Praxis XXI - 2/2.1/BIO/1118/95, Praxis XXI - grant BD/5080/95

Mutagenesis and transformation of Aspergillus terreus based on the nitrate reductase pathway

Aspergillus terreus is an efficient producer of different extracellular enzymes which are used in food industries. Thus, we are interested in developing a genetic transformation system based on the nitrate structural gene niaD. In order to develop this system the nitrate assimilation pathway in A. terreus was studied and spontaneous mutants defective in the genes required for nitrate assimilation were obtained on the basis of chlorate resistance. Of particular interest were niaD mutants which failed to grow on nitrate but grew as wild type on other sole nitrogen sources. Afterwards the transformation system was developed for mutants defective in nitrate reductase of A. terreus using pSTA10 vector containing niaD gene from A. niger. The transformation frequency obtained was c.a. 0.5 per ug DNA. The vector appeared to be mitotically stable and Southern hybridization analysis of transformants showed that transformation events occurred by integration into to the recipient genome. To assess the amount of product made by the transformants, nitrate reductase assays were carried out under inducing conditions. Experiments to improved transformation frequency and to characterize the integration are now in progress

Participatory Workshops as a Tool for Building Inclusivity in New Towns in Africa

Africa is currently the fastest-urbanizing continent in the world. As part of this rapid growth, New Towns are increasingly employed by private developers as a means of providing well-serviced urban environments to middle- and upper-income groups. These comprehensively-planned New Towns are often seen in contrast to the perceived ‘chaos’ and ‘congestion’ of large African cities. As a result, two urban forms, the highly controlled New Towns and the unregulated settlements at their edges, engage in complex social and economic exchanges, but remain spatially segregated and socially exclusive. Current research points to the need for an alternative approach to top-down New Town planning in Africa. Participatory workshops are one alternative that can offer planners access to local knowledge that is otherwise difficult to access. This paper explores the potential of short-term reflective, design, and serious gaming workshops by reflecting on the experiences of the authors in four recent workshops. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of these workshops as useful tools to increase inclusivity in African New Towns by bringing together stakeholders with competing agendas and supporting open discussion, negotiation, and informed decision-making. The paper concludes that participation from stakeholder groups that would normally be marginalized from the planning process (such as current residents, temporary users, and residents of adjacent unregulated communities), can offer new insights to planning bodies and inform more inclusive New Towns across the continent

Utilization of mycelial growth to study the tolerance of some white rot fungi to phenolic compounds

Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Aureobasidium pu/lulans, Coriolus versicolor, Pleurotus ostreatus and Dichomitus sqoo/ens were some white-rot fungi selected to study the effect of increasing concentrations of phenol, catechol and resorcinol on the mycelial growth on solid media. The increasing concentrations of the phenolic compounds added to a mineral Czapec-Dox agar medium were progressively inhibitory up to a certain maximum value beyond which growth became impossible. P. ostreatu.s was the most affected fungus by the high concentrations used, following by C. versicolor, while P. chrysosporium, A. pul/ulans, and D. squalens tolerated better the presence of the phenolic compounds. It was observed that the toxicity of these compounds towards the microorganisms progressed in accordance to the following order: resorcinol< phenol<cathecol. Furthermore, the capability of growing at the expense of agar, agarose and gelatine as sole carbon and energy source was demonstrated by all the fungi