Expert web

By placing a component of the marine environment under controlled conditions, mesocosms provide important links between field studies and laboratory experiments. Project Leader Dr Paolo Simonelli and scientific site coordinators Drs Elin Lindehoff, Jamileh Javidpour, Romain Pete, Stella Berger and Tatiana Tsagaraki explain how they are opening up access to these unique resources for European scientist

Bioremediace persistentních aromatických polutantů

The remediation of persistent chlorinated aromatic compounds has become a priority of great relevance due to the teratogenic, carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting properties of these xenobiotics. The use of biological methodologies for the clean-up of contaminated sites, collectively referred to as "bioremediation", has been gaining an increasing interest in recent years because it represents an effective, cost-competitive and environmentally friendly alternative to the physico-chemical and thermal treatments. In this respect, "white rot" fungi, an ecological subgroup of filamentous fungi, display features that make them excellent candidates to design an effective remediation technology ("mycoremediation"). In spite of this, fungi have not been widely exploited for their metabolic capabilities and the mechanism by which they are able to degrade the aforementioned pollutants has not been fully elucidated yet. Within this frame, the present Ph.D thesis was aimed at: i) assessing the efficiency of different mycoremediation strategies for the clean-up of a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs)-contaminated soil; ii) understanding the fungal degradation pathways of polychlorinated biphenyls and their major metabolites, namely chlorobenzoic acids (CBAs) and hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs). i)...Remediace persistentních chlorovaných aromatických sloučenin se stala prioritou vzhledem k teratogenním, karcinogenním a endokrinním účinkům těchto xenobiotik. V současné době si získává při sanacích znečištěných lokalit stále větší pozornost použití biologických remediačních technologií, souhrnně označovaných jako bioremediace. Představují efektivní, cenově konkurenceschopnou alternativu šetrnou k životnímu prostředí ve srovnání s fyzikálně-chemickými dekontaminačními postupy. Jako vhodný kandidát pro vytvoření remediační technologie se jeví skupina ligninolytických basidiomycetních hub tzv. houby bílé hniloby (mykoremediace). Doposud však nebyly pro své metabolické schopnosti široce využívány a mechanismus, jakým jsou schopny degradovat výše zmíněné polutanty, není rovněž plně prozkoumán. Tato disertační práce byla zaměřena na: i) zhodnocení účinnosti různých mykoremediačních strategií při odstraňování polychlorovaných bifenylů (PCB) z kontaminované půdy, ii) porozumění mechanismu specifických houbových degradačních drah PCB a jejich hlavních metabolitů (CBA, chlorbenzoové kyseliny a OH-PCB, hydroxylované polychlorované bifenyly). i) K vyhodnocení technické proveditelnosti vybraných remediačních strategií byla použita kombinace chemických, toxikologických a molekulárně-biologických technologií....Institute for Environmental StudiesÚstav pro životní prostředíFaculty of SciencePřírodovědecká fakult

Ensaio sobre o lugar do sujeito psicanalítico na organização do trabalho bancário

O ensaio discute o lugar do sujeito na relação com a organização do trabalho bancário. Parte-se do pressuposto que o sujeito se torna refém da organização do trabalho bancário que evoca a ambivalência entre a demanda de cuidado e de punição vinculada à figura paterna gerando sofrimento. Com a mobilização subjetiva o sujeito deveria encontrar uma saída amenizante para a situação de desamparo originário gerado pelo processo civilizatório acarretado pelo mal-estar na cultura, mas este recurso não se efetiva pela não aderência da categoria que se utiliza de mecanismos de defesa. Utiliza-se como método a pesquisa teórico bibliográfica, adotamos Freud como referencial psicanalítico e referenciamos a psicodinâmica do trabalho com Dejours e Mendes. O objetivo desse diálogo conceitual permite indicar que a organização do trabalho bancário produz efeito sobre o posicionamento do sujeito. Sob o enfoque psicanalítico é possível supor que o sujeito experimenta uma situação de desamparo diante dos constrangimentos da organização do trabalho bancário. Diante dessa condição, o sujeito tende a colocar a instituição no lugar do pai protetor, todo-poderoso, que seria mais eficaz que a mãe, fraca e desprotegida. O sujeito identifica a instituição como o pai-intocável, e se vincula pelas promessas de estabilidade, amparo, segurança e cuidado se submetendo ao ambiente hostil, às metas abusivas, ao assédio moral, em nome da sua sobrevivência material e psíquica. Futuros estudos empíricos são recomendados para demonstrar de modo mais robusto as suposições construídas neste ensaio

Exploring the Potentialities of Cellulose Aerogels and Cryogels as Food Ingredients

Aerogels are unique nanostructured solid materials, showing extremely low density (0.01-0.2 g/cm3), high specific surface area (200-400 m2/g) and high porosity (>90%). Aerogels can be prepared from different biopolymers, such as proteins and carbohydrates. In this context, cellulose, produced from agro-industrial vegetable waste by closed-loop technologies, is a good candidate for developing food-grade aerogels. The latter could represent novel fiber-rich ingredients able to exert peculiar functionalities in foods. Nevertheless, up to now, no studies have investigated the possible development of cellulose aerogels intended as novel food ingredients. In this work, food-grade cellulose aerogels were developed and characterized to explore their potential as food ingredients. To this aim, monolithic cellulose hydrogels (3, 4, 5% w/w) were prepared and further converted into aerogels by freeze-drying (FD) or supercritical-CO2-drying (SCD). Samples were analyzed for density, BET internal surface area, porosity, pore size, glass transition temperature (Tg), microstructure by SEM and firmness. Additionally, water and oil compatibility was assessed by monitoring absorption kinetics, maximum solvent uptake, and solvent retention ability. SCD aerogels presented higher firmness and lower pore size as compared to FD ones. Water and oil uptake kinetics were dependent on aerogel density, with FD aerogels showing a faster and 2-times higher solvent uptake than SCD aerogels. While water absorption caused SCD and FD aerogel swelling, the oil-loaded aerogels well retained their structure. This work demonstrates the feasibility of converting cellulose into aerogels with tailored functionalities depending on cellulose concentration and drying technique. This structural approach can be regarded as an innovative strategy to turn valuable components from plant-food side streams into novel ingredients for food applications. This work is based upon work from COST Action "Advanced Engineering of aeroGels for Environment and Life Sciences" (AERoGELS, ref. CA18125), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)

Influence of substances with acid pH on composite resins microhardness

Resin composites are aesthetic restorative materials widely used in Dentistry and changes in pH can promote amendments in composite surface, compromising their initial characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in vitro, the effect of low pH beverages on two commercially available materials, the composite resins ICE (SDI) and Durafill VS (Heraeus Kulzer). The materials were evaluated for surface microhardness obtained by Vickers microhardness testing. Fifteen samples were prepared with 11 mm diameter and 2 mm thick, each restorative material. The samples were kept in storage conditions of the following substances: Gatorade ® (pH 2,9); Coca- Cola ® (pH 2,2) and distilled water (pH 6,0; control group) under temperature of 37 ° C, and the environment of immersing exchanged every 24 hours. Five samples of each material were immersed in the beverages tested and monitored for periods of 24 hours, 7, 14 and 21 days. The results were submitted to multifactorial analysis of variance and Tukey test. There were statistically significant differences (p 0.05) for factors environment, material and time, and for the interaction between them. The distilled water resulted in higher values of microhardness, followed by Coca-Cola® and Gatorade®. The highest values of microhardness were obtained at baseline, followed by 7, 14 and 21 days. There was no statistically significant difference (p 0,05) between the times of 14 and 21 days. It was concluded that the nanocomposite better results and that the acidic pH associated with progressive immersion time significantly alter the microhardness of the composites evaluated

How can we ground ourselves in care and dance our revolution?

"How Can We Ground Ourselves in Care and Dance Our Revolution?" contains interviews with 141 activists in 63 countries speaking on how they integrate care into their activism and work. The report also calls on funders to provide more resources to fund collective care practices among feminist movements, directly providing recommendations, and next steps from activists on the frontlines. The perspectives shared in our report offer a unique and diverse understanding of collective care, highlighting the experiences of women, trans, and non-binary feminist activists who have been historically marginalized within social justice movements worldwide

Representaciones Sociales asociadas al fenómeno de habitabilidad en calle

Generar estrategias de intervención ante las representaciones sociales que tienen los comerciantes de la localidad de Engativá frente a los ciudadanos habitantes de calle.El presente proyecto de investigación se centra en el estudio de las representaciones sociales que tienen los comerciantes de la Localidad de Engativá, en la ciudad de Bogotá-Colombia respecto a la presencia de los habitantes de la calle en sectores cercanos a sus lugares de trabajo, puesto que este fenómeno trae consigo problemáticas como inseguridad, problemas interpersonales, actos violentos, situaciones de discriminación y disminución de ventas para los comerciantes. Con todo esto, se hace necesario plantear alternativas que aporten a la mitigación de algunos de los problemas evidenciados desde la educación en calle, que aporten al restablecimiento de derechos de las personas habitantes de calle y su relación con los comerciantes; por lo cual, el presente proceso investigativo se propone generar estrategias de intervención mediante el fortalecimiento de redes y alianzas ante las representaciones sociales que tienen los comerciantes de la localidad de Engativá frente a los ciudadanos habitantes de calleThis research project focuses on the study of the social representations that merchants have in the town of Engativá, in the city of Bogotá-Colombia, regarding the presence of street dwellers in sectors close to their places of work, since this phenomenon brings with it problems such as insecurity, interpersonal problems, violent acts, situations of discrimination and decreased sales for merchants. With all this, it is necessary to propose alternatives that contribute to the mitigation of some of the problems evidenced by street education, that contribute to the reestablishment of the rights of street dwellers and their relationship with merchants; Therefore, the present investigative process aims to generate intervention strategies through the strengthening of networks and alliances before the social representations that the merchants of the town of Engativá have in front of the citizens living on the street

Representaciones Sociales asociadas al fenómeno de habitabilidad en calle

Generar estrategias de intervención ante las representaciones sociales que tienen los comerciantes de la localidad de Engativá frente a los ciudadanos habitantes de calle.El presente proyecto de investigación se centra en el estudio de las representaciones sociales que tienen los comerciantes de la Localidad de Engativá, en la ciudad de Bogotá-Colombia respecto a la presencia de los habitantes de la calle en sectores cercanos a sus lugares de trabajo, puesto que este fenómeno trae consigo problemáticas como inseguridad, problemas interpersonales, actos violentos, situaciones de discriminación y disminución de ventas para los comerciantes. Con todo esto, se hace necesario plantear alternativas que aporten a la mitigación de algunos de los problemas evidenciados desde la educación en calle, que aporten al restablecimiento de derechos de las personas habitantes de calle y su relación con los comerciantes; por lo cual, el presente proceso investigativo se propone generar estrategias de intervención mediante el fortalecimiento de redes y alianzas ante las representaciones sociales que tienen los comerciantes de la localidad de Engativá frente a los ciudadanos habitantes de calleThis research project focuses on the study of the social representations that merchants have in the town of Engativá, in the city of Bogotá-Colombia, regarding the presence of street dwellers in sectors close to their places of work, since this phenomenon brings with it problems such as insecurity, interpersonal problems, violent acts, situations of discrimination and decreased sales for merchants. With all this, it is necessary to propose alternatives that contribute to the mitigation of some of the problems evidenced by street education, that contribute to the reestablishment of the rights of street dwellers and their relationship with merchants; Therefore, the present investigative process aims to generate intervention strategies through the strengthening of networks and alliances before the social representations that the merchants of the town of Engativá have in front of the citizens living on the street

Nurse's role on preparing for discharge of surgical patients

Objective: Analyzing the role of the nurse in preparation for discharge of surgical patients. Method: this is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, performed with 26 patients in the Surgical Clinic of a university hospital in the city of João Pessoa. Data were collected through interviews recorded in September 2011, after approval of the ethics and research committee, under protocol No. 363/11. Data analysis was performed using the technique of content analysis. Results: it was found that the professional presentation occurred in some interactions and that guidance provided to patients and family was just of basic care. It was identified that the nurse did not enter the family for assistance, making continuity of care at home. Conclusion: it is suggested that nurses document the guidelines dispensed to hospital, seeking to facilitate the understanding of the patient, family and against reference

Microbiological analysis of bacterial plaque of periodontal disease on dogs and effects of antibioticotherapy on it

Objetivou-se determinar a microbiota da placa bacteriana subgengival de cães com doença periodontal (DP) e estabelecer o efeito da antibioticoterapia. Avaliaram-se 20 cães com graus variados de DP e coletaram-se amostras da placa bacteriana subgengival antes e após antibioticoterapia. Preconizou-se antibioticoterapia distinta em dois grupos, com 10 animais cada: clindamicina (G1) e metronidazol + espiramicina (G2). Observou-se crescimento bacteriano subgengival na maioria dos cães com DP e correlação entre a severidade da DP e a idade dos animais. Houve redução significativa no crescimento bacteriano após a antibioticoterapia e o antibiograma demonstrou maior sensibilidade à clindamicina, seguido da espiramicina; todos os microrganismos foram resistentes ao metronidazol. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe objective was to determine microbiote of the subgingival bacterial plaque of dogs with periodontal disease (PD) and establish the effect of antibioticotherapy on its reduction. Twenty dogs with varied stages of PD were evaluated and samples of their subgingival bacterial plaque were collected. Distinct antibiotic protocols were used in two groups with ten animals each: clindamycin (G1) and metronidazole + espiramycin (G2). New subgingival samples were collected 15 days after antibiotic therapy started. There were observed subgingival bacterial culture on most dogs with PD and correlation between severity of PD and age. There was reduction of bacterial growth in 20% of the samples after treatment and antibiogram showed higher sensibility to clindamycin, followed by espiramycin - all microorganisms were resistant to metronidazole