Epistemologies of the South and Decolonisation of Human Rights

Being characterised by a variety of normative systems and systems of knowledge, contemporary societies are said to be pluralistic. Yet, some expressions of epistemic and legal pluralism are still ignored and rejected, due to the cognitive hegemony and legal centralism of Western modernity. The issue has been explored from different perspectives in the field of human and social sciences, having been investigated within the framework of Latin American neo-Marxist dependency theory, English post-colonial studies, world-systems theory, the theories of the Modernity/Coloniality group, and the Epistemologies of the South. Such approaches seem to be particularly effective when carrying out a comprehensive analysis of human rights, as global social justice cannot be achieved without global cognitive justice (de Sousa Santos 2007). Other languages can be used to talk about human dignity, with epistemic and legal pluralism making the various grammar rules of fundamental rights intelligible. Such an approach has been adopted by decolonial theory, which is experimenting with a new legal common sense. In this paper, reference will be made to the Epistemologies of the South, theorised by Portuguese sociologist of law Boaventura de Sousa Santos

Flow-cytometric quantification of microbial cells on sand from water biofilters

Rapid quantification of absolute microbial cell abundances is important for a comprehensive interpretation of microbiome surveys and crucial to support theoretical modelling and the design of engineered systems. In this paper, we propose a protocol specifically optimised for the quantification of microbial abundances in water biofilters using flow cytometry (FCM). We optimised cell detachment from sand biofilter particles for FCM quantification through the evaluation of five chemical dispersants (NaCl, Triton-X100, CaCl2, sodium pyrophosphate (PP), Tween 80 combined with PP), different mechanical pre-treatments (low and high energy sonication and shaking) and two fixation methods (glutaraldehyde and ethanol). The developed protocol was cross-compared using other established and commonly employed methods for biomass quantification in water filter samples (adenosine triphosphate (ATP) quantification, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and volatile solids (VS)). The highest microbial count was obtained by detaching the biofilm from biofilter grains and dispersing clusters into singles cells using Tween 80 and sodium pyrophosphate combined with four steps of high energy sonication (27W, for 80 s each step); glutaraldehyde was shown to be the best fixative solution. The developed protocol was reliable and highly reproducible and produced results that are comparable to data from alternative quantification methods. Indeed, high correlations were found with trends obtained through ATP and qPCR (ρ = 0.98 and ρ = 0.91) measurements. The VS content was confirmed as an inaccurate method to express biomass in sand samples since it correlated poorly with all the other three methods (ρ = 0.005 with FCM, 0.002 with ATP and 0.177 with qPCR). FCM and ATP showed the strongest agreement between absolute counts with a slope of the correlation equal to 0.7, while qPCR seemed to overestimate cell counts by a factor of ten. The rapidity and reproducibility of the method developed make its application ideal for routine quantification of microbial cell abundances on sand from water biofilters and thus useful in revealing the ecological patterns and quantifying the metabolic kinetics involved in such systems

Dolore privato, richiesta di giustizia e memoria politica. Madri e Nonne di Plaza de Mayo in Argentina

Memory as a social concept may be declined both theoretically and empirically. In the first case, it raises a number of questions related to the interconnectionbetween individual and collective identities. In the second, it may be adopted as a an interpretive tool to be used in the empirical analysis of social processes. Both perspective (theoretical and empirical) will be adopted here in order to understand the social and political relevance of memory and its recover in present-day Argentina. The human rights movement operating in Argentina since 1976, is our focus, conceived here as an instances of the employment of social memories as a political tool. As an example of the social recovery of memory as a political instrument, the organization of Madres (Mothers) and Abuelas (Grandmothers) de Plaza de Mayo. Those organizations adopt creative methods to make memory and the past, having been socially reconstructed by the regime, as a form of political struggle and vindication

Medium shapes the microbial community of water filters with implications for effluent quality

Little is known about the forces that determine the assembly of diverse bacterial communities inhabiting drinking water treatment filters and how this affects drinking water quality. Two contrasting ecological theories can help to understand how natural microbial communities assemble; niche theory and neutral theory, where environmental deterministic factors or stochastic factors predominate respectively. This study investigates the development of the microbial community on two common contrasting filter materials (quartz sand and granular activated carbon-GAC), to elucidate the main factors governing their assembly, through the evaluation of environmental (i.e. filter medium type) and stochastic forces (random deaths, births and immigration). Laboratory-scale filter columns were used to mimic a rapid gravity filter; the microbiome of the filter materials, and of the filter influent and effluent, was characterised using next generation 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and flow-cytometry. Chemical parameters (i.e. dissolved organic carbon, trihalomethanes formation) were also monitored to assess the final effluent quality. The filter communities seemed to be strongly assembled by selection rather than neutral processes, with only 28% of those OTUs shared with the source water detected on the filter medium following predictions using a neutral community model. GAC hosted a phylogenetically more diverse community than sand. The two filter media communities seeded the effluent water, triggering differences in both water quality and community composition of the effluents. Overall, GAC proved to be better than sand in controlling microbial growth, by promoting higher bacterial decay rates and hosting less bacterial cells, and showed better performance for putative pathogen control by leaking less Legionella cells into the effluent water

Breeding selection imposed a differential selective pressure on the wheat root-associated microbiome

Plants-microbiome associations are the result of millions of years of co-evolution. Due to breeding-accelerated plant evolution in non-native and highly managed soil, plant-microbe links could have been lost. We hypothesized that post-domestication breeding of wheat changed the root-associated microbiome. To test this, we analyzed root-associated fungal and bacterial communities shortly after emergence of seedlings representing a transect of wheat evolution including modern wheat, landraces and ancestors. Numbers of observed microbial taxa were highest in landraces bred in low-input agricultural systems, and lowest in ancestors that had evolved in native soils. The microbial communities of modern cultivars were different from those of landraces and ancestors. Old wheat accessions enriched Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria, while modern cultivars enriched OTUs from Candidatus Saccharibacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Firmicutes. The fungal pathogens Fusarium, Neoascochyta and Microdochium enriched in modern cultivars. Both bacterial and fungal communities followed a neutral assembly model when bulk soil was considered as the source community, but accessions of the ancient Triticum turgidum and T. monococcum created a more isolated environment in their roots. In conclusion, wheat root-associated microbiomes have dramatically changed through a transect of breeding history

Validating flow cytometry as a method for quantifying Bdellovibrio predatory bacteria and Its prey for microbial ecology

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predatory, Gram-negative bacteria that feeds on many pathogenic bacteria and has been investigated as a possible solution for mitigating biofilms in different fields. The application depends on more fundamental ecological studies into the dynamics between Bdellovibrio and their prey. To do so requires an accurate, reliable, and, preferably rapid, way of enumerating the cells. Flow cytometry (FCM) is potentially a rapid, accurate, and inexpensive tool for this, but it has yet to be validated in the enumeration of Bdellovibrio. In this study, we developed a protocol to measure the number of Bdellovibrio in samples of various densities using FCM and compared the results with those of other methods: optical density (OD), PFU assay (PFU), and quantitative PCR (qPCR). We observed a strong correlation between values obtained using FCM and PFU (ρ = 0.923) and FCM and qPCR (ρ = 0.987). Compared to optical density there was a much weaker correlation (ρ = 0.784), which was to be expected given the well-documented uncertainty in converting optical density (OD) to cell numbers. The FCM protocol was further validated by demonstrating its ability to distinguish and count mixed populations of Bdellovibrio and the prey Pseudomonas. Thus, the accuracy of FCM as well as its speed and reproducibility make it a suitable alternative for measuring Bdellovibrio cell numbers, especially where many samples are required to capture the dynamics of predator-prey interactions

Relaçao entre a Medida de Independência Funcional e o Core Set da Classificaçao Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde para acidente vascular encefálico

The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is one of many instruments available for assessing the functionality of stroke patients. However, with the approval of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), the Core Set that was developed for stroke patients, a new tool for understanding functionality and disability of these patients is available. Objective: To establish a relationship between the FIM and the ICF Core Set for stroke. Four researchers of different healthcare backgrounds, all working in the field of rehabilitation, considered the descriptions of the activities of the FIM and the definitions of the ICF categories. Method: They selected the categories of the ICF Core Set for stroke, which could be related to the tasks assessed by the FIM. Once the relationship was established, the researchers came to a consensus for the inclusion or exclusion of those categories. Results: From the 130 second-level categories used in the Core Set, 27 (20.8%) were related to the activities of FIM, eight (29.6%) regarded the bodily functions component (b), 17 (63%) concerned activity and participation (d), and two (7.4%) considered environmental factors (e). As for the 10 categories that are part of the Brief Core Set for stroke, only five were related to the activities of FIM. Conclusion: The FIM is focused on the individual, while the ICF is concerned not only with the dysfunctions and disabilities of the patient, but also considers these factors within social activities, as well as environmental influences, either as a facilitator or a barrier to functional independence.Para a avaliaçao da funcionalidade do paciente com acidente vascular encefálico (AVE) existem diversos instrumentos, entre eles a Medida de Independência Funcional (MIF). A partir da aprovaçao da Classificaçao Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde (CIF) foi desenvolvido o Core Set para indivíduos com AVE, o qual passou a considerar os componentes da CIF para o entendimento da funcionalidade e da incapacidade física destas pessoas. OBJETIVO: Foi estabelecer uma relaçao entre a MIF e o Core Set da CIF para pacientes com sequelas de AVE. MÉTODO: Considerando as descriçoes das atividades da MIF e as definiçoes das categorias da CIF, foram selecionadas as categorias do Core Set da CIF para pessoas com AVE relacionados às tarefas avaliadas pela MIF. Foi considerado o que contemplava cada atividade da MIF, a descriçao detalhada e as definiçoes de cada categoria da CIF. Foi proposta uma relaçao entre os indicadores quantitativos e qualitativos da CIF e as escalas e níveis de funçao da MIF. Estabeleceu-se uma relaçao inversa entre a escala da MIF e os qualificadores da CIF, pois quanto menor a escala da MIF maior o comprometimento, já para a CIF, quanto menor o qualificador menor o comprometimento. RESULTADOS: Das 130 categorias de segundo nível utilizadas no Core Set 27 (20,8%) foram relacionadas às atividades da MIF, sendo oito (29,6%) dos componentes das funçoes do corpo, 17 (63%) das atividades e participaçao e dois (7,4%) dos fatores ambientais. Para as 10 categorias que fazem parte da versao abreviada deste Core Set, apenas cinco foram relacionadas às atividades da MIF. CONCLUSAO: O presente estudo evidenciou que a escala MIF está centrada no indivíduo, nao correlacionando fatores externos que influenciam na realizaçao das atividades. A escala CIF possui parâmetros adequados e permite uma visao biopsicossocial do indivíduo, abrangendo desde as disfunçoes e deficiências dos indivíduos acometidos com por AVE até a influência destes fatores nas atividades sociais e no meio ambiente

Regenerative Futures: From Global to Local Development in 2032

The ‘Regenerative Futures: From Global to Local Development in 2032’ project was jointly conceived by the Innovation School at Glasgow School of Art and the School of Cancer Sciences at the University of Glasgow. The project partnership involved a community of experts working across both organisations including the University of Glasgow’s Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC). Regenerative Design is about designing for people and the planet from a socio-ecological perspective. It seeks not merely to do less harm, but rather catalyses a positive force that restores, renews or revitalises products, services and systems to foster resilient and equitable futures for people and the planet. The Regenerative Futures project asked the final year BDes Product Design cohort to consider what happens in this landscape ten years from now, where Global Development has evolved to the extent that new forms of regenerative experiences of health, economies and citizenship transform how we interact with each other, with local and global communities, and the world around us. Working with an expert community of practice from the University of Glasgow’s Advanced Research Centre (the project’s partner) and a wider expert group of academic and professional stakeholders, the students, faculty, and experts co-researched, explored and designed speculative future worlds and experiences of regenerative global and local communities and systems leading towards equitable health, economies and citizenship in ten year’s time. In the first part of the project, the student cohort work in six groups to collectively research the brief, exploring the domains of Health, Economies and Citizenship from a Globally-Centred or Locally-Centred perspective. In-depth insights from the first stage fuel individual design work in Part Two. The second part of the project saw individual students select an aspect of their Future World research to develop as a design direction, which they then prototyped and produced as products, services, and/or systems. These are designed for specific communities, contexts or scenarios of use defined by the students to communicate a future experience. The output from this project is curated and presented as a public exhibition. The exhibition resulting from this research project includes products, services and experiences designed for the people who might live and work within these future contexts. Each ‘future world’ is situated within a discrete design domain: Health (Global + Local), Economies (Global + Local) and Citizenship (Global + Local). Exhibition dates: Tuesday 7th to Friday 10th February, 2023 Venue: Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow The deposited materials are arranged as follows: 1 - Regenerative Futures Project Brief. The Project Brief is developed as rationale, context and a guide to the project. 2 - Regenerative Futures Project Exhibition Guide. The Guide catalogues and describes the exhibits presented in the show. It takes you through each ‘Future World’ experience created by the students. It complements the videos and images presented in companion sections. 3 - Videos of the Regenerative Futures Exhibition. Here you will find short videos documenting the set-up of the exhibition and the exhibition itself. 4 - Images of the Regenerative Futures Exhibition. This section documents the Exhibition in images. 5 - Images of Studio Life. This section documents in images, the co-creation studio sessions with experts and the studio development of the show exhibits. 6 - Exhibition guides for each individual World View. These guides take you through each individual ‘Future World’; Health (Global + Local), Economies (Global + Local) and Citizenship (Global + Local)

Differential utilisation of dissolved organic matter compound fractions by different biofilter microbial communities

Flowcytometric analyses of different inocula from a biofilters over a 36h period