DNA pedagogy: between sociology of science and historical-epistemic issues (Pedagogia del DNA: tra sociologia della scienza e questioni storico-epistemiche)

The pedagogical function of science teaching may benefit from an analysis of the historical-epistemic dimension, without neglecting the socio-political context in which a given research was carried out. In the case of DNA structure, the background of its discovery is particularly complex. Starting from the analysis of some papers, the view on the circumstances that led to their drafting broadens. We try to answer the fundamental question for any educator: why teach all that? Ethics issues are related to the general organisation of research, increasingly focused on speed and competition. Even teaching is affected by these dynamics, not only in higher education, but also at secondary level; students should be made aware of this trend. The history of science could therefore favour a more general awareness.SUNTOLa funzione pedagogica dell’insegnamento scientifico può trarre vantaggio da un’analisi della dimensione storico-epistemica, senza trascurare il contesto socio-politico nel quale una determinata ricerca è stata condotta. Nel caso della struttura del DNA, i retroscena della sua scoperta sono particolarmente complessi. Dopo l’analisi di alcuni articoli, si allarga gradualmente la vista sulle circostanze che hanno condotto alla loro stesura. Si cerca di rispondere a una domanda fondamentale per ogni educatore: perché insegnare tutto ciò? Le questioni etiche riguardano l’organizzazione generale della ricerca, sempre più tesa alla velocità e alla competizione. Persino l’insegnamento è influenzato da dinamiche simili, non solo in ambito accademico, ma anche a livello secondario; gli studenti dovrebbero essere a conoscenza di questa tendenza. La storia della scienza può dunque favorire una maggiore consapevolezza

Anthocyanin Copigmentation: Evaluation, Mechanisms and Implications for the Colour of Red Wines

[EN]Copigmentation is the main colour-stabilizing mechanism in plants and in food products of vegetable origin. It is a spontaneous and exothermic process that consists of the stacking of an organic molecule, called copigment, on the planar polarizable moieties of the anthocyanin coloured forms. Although this phenomenon has long been described, there are some aspects that are still not well understood or controversial like the nature of the interaction pigment to copigment, the way to quantify the extent of the process, its effect on other anthocyanin properties like astringency or reactivity. In this article a review of the most significant advances achieved in the last years in the field of intramolecular and intermolecular copigmentation is presented. Also, the most recent findings regarding wine copigments and their effects on the colour of red wines are revised

Characterisation of polyphenols by HPLC-PAD-ESI/MS and antioxidant activity in Equisetum telmateia

The antioxidant activity of an aqueous extract (infusion) and respective ethyl acetate fraction of Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. (Equisetaceae), a plant used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties, has been evaluated by DPPH, TEAC and TBARS assays. A high and significant antioxidant activity was detected in the ethyl acetate fraction. Analysis of the aqueous extract and the ethyl acetate fraction by HPLC-PAD-ESI/MS allowed the identification of the major phenolic compounds as flavan-3-ol, kaempferol and phenolic acid derivatives. Among the flavan-3-ols, A-type proanthocyanidins and afzelechin derivatives were detected as well as the more common B-type procyanidins, B2 and C1, whose identification was further confirmed by HPLC using detection involving chemical reaction with p-dimethylamino-cinnamaldehyde. The results suggest that the anti-inflammatory activity of E. telmateia could be due, at least in part, to the presence of compounds with antioxidant activity. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

La estética del cine gore del siglo XXI : cambios y continuidades con relación a su apogeo en el siglo XX : el caso de El amanecer de los muertos

Esta investigación se ha formulado para analizar los cambios y continuidades del gore en éste siglo en comparación con el gore del siglo XX desde la perspectiva estética, es decir desde la dirección de arte con el apoyo de la dirección de fotografía. Se plantea como objetivo general el analizar comparativamente la estética de la película Zombi de George Romero (1978) con su remake, El amanecer de los muertos de Zack Snyder (2004), para identificar los cambios y continuidades en términos de transgresión o exacerbación de los sentidos y verificar si el remake mantiene la propuesta inicial del autor o se ha reorientado para hacerlo comercial. Se parte de la hipótesis de que el cine gore del siglo XXI ha cambiado sus características estéticas para hacerlo más atractivo a la audiencia y por ende más comercial, a diferencia del cine de explotación que solía ser. Se realizó una investigación cualitativa, con una metodología basada en el diseño descriptivo, no experimental. Se utilizaron como herramientas de medición guías de observación que incluyeron variables seleccionadas como necesarias para analizar la estética de las películas seleccionadas. Se analizaron diversas películas gore pertenecientes al siglo XX y de la primera década del presente siglo con la finalidad de definir las características del gore auténtico y el gore de la actualidad tanto comercial como independiente y así contar con criterios objetivos para comparar estas características con las de las unidades de observación propuestas. Los resultados demuestran que los elementos gore auténticos como la violencia, la abundancia de sangre, las mutilaciones grotescas mostradas en detalle con movimientos de cámara lentos y en primer plano se observan claramente en la película Zombi de Romero, mientras que los mismos elementos no parecen ser primordiales en El amanecer de los muertos, y lo que se destaca más es la acción, los movimientos de cámara rápidos, no se detiene en los detalles y se priorizan la actuación de los actores; utilizan mejor tecnología pero no se muestra la crudeza, ni lo grotesco del gore clásico, por lo que se concluye que, en este caso, los elementos gore en la actualidad se han reorientado para mostrarlos menos grotescos como suelen mostrarse en las películas comerciales.Tesi

As limitações administrativas ao direito de propriedade em função da legislação ambiental no estado do Paraná

Orientador: Prof. Paulo de Tarso PiresMonografia (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Economia Rural e Extensão, Curso de Pós-Graduação em Gestão FlorestalResumo: Este trabalho teve como objetivo a pesquisa sobre a interferência da legislação ambiental na limitação administrativa do direito de propriedade e suas conseqüências no contexto ambiental e produtivo do setor de base florestal. Procuramos, especificamente, nas diretrizes institucionais e junto aos órgãos que legislam e fiscalizam, informações sobre o impacto dessa legislação ambiental, no contexto do setor produtivo agroflorestal e quais os benefícios econômico, social e ambiental, advindos com a implementação da legislação ambiental federal e estadual. Nessa direção, tendo sido o Estado do Paraná, um grande beneficiário dessa política ambiental de recuperação da cobertura florestal através da averbação da reserva legal nas propriedades rurais e da restrição ao uso de áreas em Áreas de Preservação Ambiental, com larga repercussão em sua área florestal produtiva, coube avaliar a evolução conferida a aplicabilidade da legislação ambiental, como forma de proporcionar a integração florestal - industrial e o planejamento do uso do solo, combinados aos fatores de sustentabilidade (econômico, social e ecológico), objetivo intrínseco da legislação ambiental

NDM-1 and OXA-163 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in Cairo, Egypt, 2012

Here we describe carbapenem resistance determinants in two Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates recovered from two hospitalised patients in the same intensive care unit of a cancer hospital in Cairo, Egypt. PCR and sequencing were used to detect and characterise β-lactamase genes. Clonal relationships between the isolates were analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The first K. pneumoniae isolate carried the blaNDM-1 gene and the second isolate carried the blaOXA-163 gene. Both isolates co-expressed the extended-spectrum β-lactamase CTX-M-15. The two isolates belonged to different sequence types (STs), ST11 and ST16, respectively. No history of travel was established for the two patients. The first identification of NDM-1-producing K. pneumoniae in Egypt adds further evidence to the spread of NDM-1-producing Gram-negative micro-organisms in North Africa. The additional detection of blaOXA-163 in a K. pneumoniae isolate confirms its endemic presence in a critical healthcare setting of this geographic area

Cephalosporin resistant Escherichia coli from cancer patients in Cairo, Egypt.

Cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli has been increasingly reported worldwide. In this study, 32 cephalosporin resistant E. coli isolates identified from cancer patients in Cairo, Egypt in 2009-2010 were analyzed. Twenty-three were of phylogenetic group D, seven A and one each B1 and B2. By rep-PCR 15 phylogroup D isolates were grouped in four clusters, one with sequence type (ST) 405 and three ST68. Seventeen isolates showed single patterns. blaCTX-M-15 and aac(6')-Ib-cr were the most common resistance determinants. blaOXA-48 and blaVIM were also detected. Multidrug resistant E. coli seriously affects healthcare, especially in immunocompromised hosts, such as cancer patients

Anthocyanin composition in fig (Ficus carica L.)

[EN] The anthocyanin composition was analysed in fig fruit (Ficus carica L.) from five different varieties (Colar, Cuello de Dama (green), Cuello de Dama (dark purple), Granilla and Bursa Siyahi). Fifteen anthocyanin pigments were detected, most of them containing cyanidin (Cy) as aglycone; some pelargonidin (Pg) derivatives were also found. Rutinose and glucose were present as substituting sugars, as well as acylation with malonic acid. Minor levels of peonidin 3-rutinose (Pn 3-rutinoside) in the pulp were also detected. Other noticeable aspects in the pigment composition of the fig were the detection of anthocyanidin-derived pigments, namely 5-carboxypyranocyanidin-3-rutinoside, a cyanidin 3-rutinose dimer and five condensed pigments containing C–C linked anthocyanins (Cy and Pg) and flavanol (catechin and epicatechin) residues. Total anthocyanin content in the skin ranged between 32 and 97 mgg 1 and between 1.5 and 15 mgg 1 in the pulp. The main anthocyanin in both parts of the fruit was Cy 3-rutinoside (48–81% in skin and 68–79% in pulp) usually followed by Cy 3-glucoside (5–18% in skin and 10–15% in pulp). Malonyl derivatives were more abundant in the skin (1.2–6.5%) than in the pulp (1.0–2.6%)

Changes in the detailed pigment composition of red wine during maturity and ageing

[EN] The qualitative and quantitative changes produced, during maturation and ageing, in the pigment composition of a red wine made from Vitis vinifera cv Tempranillo grapes have been studied. In order to determine the detailed composition of the main pigment families involved in the colour changes, a fractionation of the samples has been carried out. One-hundred and twenty-nine different compounds have been identified and their evolutions with wine age have also been established. The data obtained in the analyses of the fractions by high performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC–DAD–MS) have been used in pigment identification. In order to confirm the identity of some of these compounds, their syntheses have also been carried out. As far as we know, compounds originated by acylation of the monoglucosides of the anthocyanins with lactic acid as well as 3,7-diglucosides of anthocyanins have, among others, been reported here for the first time. The moments of appearance and disappearance of all the detected compounds have also been established as well as the changes in the levels of the different pigment families and subfamilies originated as a consequence of maturation and ageing of the wine in barrels or in bottles. As wine became older, the percentages of anthocyanins decreased slightly, whereas that of the anthocyanin-derived pigments increased and, above all, compounds providing the wine with orange hues (pyranoanthocyanins). In the last sample, they represented 70% of the anthocyanin-derived pigments. On the contrary, the percentage of compounds providing bluish hues to the wine, direct and acetaldehyde-mediated flavanol–anthocyanin condensation products, decreased. This change in the nature of the anthocyanin-derived pigmentwould explain the colour change observed in the samples, from purple towards orange hues