George Eliot and George Sand : a comparative study

The thesis is a comparative study of George Eliot and George Sand. Numerous references to Sand in Eliot's correspondence, as well as in Lewes's criticism, show that the link between the two female authors was more profound than suspected. Lewes and Sand met and corresponded for a few years and his art theory is greatly indebted to Sand's novels. Sand also exerted a profound influence on Eliot's intellectual and artistic development before Eliot met Lewes. Sand was her "divinity." However, it is Lewes who encouraged Eliot to follow in Sand's footsteps. The thesis is thematic and compares first the impact of Sand's religious novels such as Spiridion and Lélia. Then their social thought is examined, with novels such as Le pêche de Monsieur Antoine and Felix Holt, the Radical. The third part deals with their conception of art, with special attention to the doctrine of Realism and to Sand's rustic novels. Their conception of women is also examined as well as their position on the question of woman's liberation. Finally, I compare their views of the complex relationship between femaleness and literature, in the light of recent feminist criticism

Training of a New Generation of Talents Capable of Working Across Borders and Sectors, with an Inclusive Approach of Food Innovation: the Case of FIPDes, the ERASMUS Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Food Innovation and Product Design.

Training of a new generation of talents capable of working across borders and sectors, with an inclusive approach of food innovation: the case of FIPDes, the ERASMUS mundus joint master’s degree in food innovation and product design. Food innovation applied to sustainable growth is driven by different needs and constraints. Sensory and nutritional aspects of food, as well as convenience are individual needs that cannot ignore the societal needs such as population growth and safety, as well as the urgent demand to ensure the availability of natural resources and reduce the impacts on environment. Innovation of products, processes, marketing strategies and organizations is the core approach to create incremental or breakthrough solutions for the food sector challenges. Innovation is always a transversal process and involves, in different manners and at different levels, the Research & Development, the Marketing, the Quality Management, and the Supplier and the Production departments. Recently, it has been shown that an integrative approach of these levels accelerates innovation at three different stages: the generation of ideas, development of concepts and prototypes, and the development of processes and products (Bertoluci, 2011). Companies of different size and organisation (from multinationals to start-ups) need skilled and versatile professionals to improve their innovation potential. However, worldwide there is still a lack of trained international food professionals and entrepreneurs that embrace and merge the multidisciplinary aspects of food innovation and product design as a whole. The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Food Innovation and Product Design (FIPDes) has been created to meet this emerging need and bring a European solution to the global challenges of sustainable design, production and consumption of food. The competences of four recognized European Higher Education Institutions have been merged together to offer a deeply innovative learning approach, integrating technical and horizontal skills. The presentation will show how FIPDes is pinpointing the global training needs of innovation towards sustainable food systems

In vitro approaches to assess the effects of açai (Euterpe oleracea) digestion on polyphenol availability and the subsequent impact on the faecal microbiota

A considerable proportion of dietary plant-polyphenols reach the colon intact; determining the effects of these compounds on colon-health is of interest. We hypothesise that both fibre and plant polyphenols present in açai (Euterpe oleracea) provide prebiotic and anti-genotoxic benefits in the colon. We investigated this hypothesis using a simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of açai pulp, and a subsequent pH-controlled, anaerobic, batch-culture fermentation model reflective of the distal region of the human large intestine. Following in vitro digestion, 49.8% of the total initial polyphenols were available. In mixed-culture fermentations with faecal inoculate, the digested açai pulp precipitated reductions in the numbers of both the Bacteroides-Prevotella spp. and the Clostridium-histolyticum groups, and increased the short-chain fatty acids produced compared to the negative control. The samples retained significant anti-oxidant and anti-genotoxic potential through digestion and fermentation. Dietary intervention studies are needed to prove that consuming açai is beneficial to gut health

A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth’s microbial diversity

A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world's importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth's microbial diversity.Peer reviewe

Training of a New Generation of Talents Capable of Working Across Borders and Sectors, with an Inclusive Approach of Food Innovation: the Case of FIPDes, the ERASMUS Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Food Innovation and Product Design

Training of a new generation of talents capable of working across borders and sectors, with an inclusive approach of food innovation: the case of FIPDes, the ERASMUS mundus joint master’s degree in food innovation and product design.Food innovation applied to sustainable growth is driven by different needs and constraints. Sensory and nutritional aspects of food, as well as convenience are individual needs that cannot ignore the societal needs such as population growth and safety, as well as the urgent demand to ensure the availability of natural resources and reduce the impacts on environment. Innovation of products, processes, marketing strategies and organizations is the core approach to create incremental or breakthrough solutions for the food sector challenges. Innovation is always a transversal process and involves, in different manners and at different levels, the Research & Development, the Marketing, the Quality Management, and the Supplier and the Production departments. Recently, it has been shown that an integrative approach of these levels accelerates innovation at three different stages: the generation of ideas, development of concepts and prototypes, and the development of processes and products (Bertoluci, 2011).Companies of different size and organisation (from multinationals to start-ups) need skilled and versatile professionals to improve their innovation potential. However, worldwide there is still a lack of trained international food professionals and entrepreneurs that embrace and merge the multidisciplinary aspects of food innovation and product design as a whole.The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Food Innovation and Product Design (FIPDes) has been created to meet this emerging need and bring a European solution to the global challenges of sustainable design, production and consumption of food.The competences of four recognized European Higher Education Institutions have been merged together to offer a deeply innovative learning approach, integrating technical and horizontal skills.The presentation will show how FIPDes is pinpointing the global training needs of innovation towards sustainable food systems

Nonextractable polyphenols, usually ignored, are the major part of dietary polyphenols: A study on the Spanish diet

13 páginas, 3 figuras, 4 tablas.[Scope]: Dietary polyphenols (PP) can be divided into two groups: extractable polyphenols (EPP) or compounds solubilized by aqueous organic solvents, and nonextractable polyphenols (NEPP) or compounds that remain in their corresponding extraction residues. Most studies on food polyphenols and dietary intakes address exclusively EPP. The objective of this work was to determine the actual amount of PP, including NEPP, in food and in a whole diet. [Methods and results]: HPLC-MS analyses were performed to identify EPP in methanol–acetone extracts and NEPP in the acidic hydrolyzates of their extraction residues in cereals, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. NEPP contents, estimated as hydrolyzable PP plus nonextractable proanthocyanidins (PA), ranged from 880 mg/100 g dry weight in fruits to 210 mg/100 g in cereals and were substantially higher than the contents of EPP. NEPP intake (day/person) in the Spanish diet (942 mg) is higher than EPP intake (258 mg) fruits and vegetables (746 mg) are the major contributors to the total PP intake (1201 mg). [Conclusion]: Non extractable polyphenols are the major part of dietary polyphenols. The knowledge of intakes and physiological properties of NEPP may be useful for a better understanding of the potential health effects of dietary PP.This work is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science (project AGL2008-02541-ALI). Sara Arranz also thanks the Spanish Ministry for granting her an FPI scholarship.Peer reviewe