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En este trabajo se analiza la inserción de las mujeres en el mundo del vino de la provincia de Mendoza (Argentina) en el contexto de la transformación vitivinícola de finales del siglo pasado. En particular se analiza la inserción de las mujeres en sectores de la actividad que habían estado vedados, como son los cargos jerárquicos y de decisión dentro de las grandes empresas. Como se muestra en este trabajo el ingreso de las mujeres, en una escala desconocida en las décadas anteriores, se dio también en el marco de la reconversión por lo cual su participación, también, puede ser vista como parte de dicho proceso. Por último, este trabajo se ha basado en el análisis de fuentes secundarias y entrevistas a mujeres que ocupan cargos de responsabilidad y han trabajado en el sector desde finales de la década de 1970 al presente

Unique properties of silver nanoparticles (NPs) ensure their wide applications, in biomedicine; for this reason, it is very important carefully to study the toxicity of such NPs. The influence of silver nanoparticles coated with natural resin (Ag NPs) on the morphological and functional features of healthy BHK-21 and cancerous Hep-2 cells were studied using fluorescence microscopy, MTT, and neutral red assays. Ag NPs induced morphological changes in both cell cultures. The modifications were dose-dependent and more pronounced with an increase in NPs concentration. The IC50 value of Ag NPs for Hep-2 cells was found to be 2.19 ± 0.22 µg/mL, whereas for BHK-21 cells it was significantly (5x) higher at 10.92 ± 2.48 µg/mL. The use of NPs at a concentration close to IC50 leads to significant increase (up to 40%) in the number of necrotic cells in cancerous cell population and a decrease in the number of mitotic cells (up to 1.3%). In noncancerous cells the cellular parameters were similar to the control cells. These data suggest that the silver nanoparticles coated with natural resin can be potentially used in cancer therapy.

Research on the second plague pandemic that swept over Europe from the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries mainly relies on the exegesis of contemporary texts and is prone to interpretive bias. By leveraging certain bioinformatic tools routinely used in biology, we developed a quantitative lexicography of 32 texts describing two major plague outbreaks, using contemporary plague-unrelated texts as negative controls. Nested, network and category analyses of a 207-word pan-lexicome, comprising overrepresented terms in plague-related texts, indicated that ‘buboes' and ‘carbuncles' are words that were significantly associated with the plague and signalled an ectoparasite-borne plague. Moreover, plague-related words were associated with the terms ‘merchandise’, ‘movable’, ‘tatters', ‘bed’ and ‘clothes'. Analysing ancient texts using the method reported in this paper can certify plague-related historical records and indicate the particularities of each plague outbreak, which can inform on the potential sources for the causative Yersinia pestis.

Abstract Plinia phitrantha and P. cauliflora are Myrtaceae species with recognized horticultural and pharmacological potential. Nevertheless, studies on molecular genetics and the evolution of these species are absent in the literature. In this study, we report the complete plastid genome sequence of these species and an analysis of structural and evolutive features of the plastid genome within the tribe Myrteae. The two plastid genomes present the conserved quadripartite structure and are similar to already reported plastid genomes of Myrteae species concerning the size, number, and order of the genes. A total of 69-70 SSR loci, 353 single nucleotide polymorphisms, and 574 indels were identified in P. phitrantha and P. caulifora. Observed evolutive features of the plastid genomes support the development of programs for the conservation and breeding of Plinia. The phylogenomic analysis based on the complete plastid genome sequence of 15 Myrteae species presented a robust phylogenetic signal and evolutive traits of the tribe. Ten hotspots of nucleotide diversity were identified, evidence of purifying selection was observed in 27 genes, and relative conservation of the plastid genomes was confirmed for Myrteae. Altogether, the outcomes of the present study provide support for planning conservation, breeding, and biotechnological programs for Plinia species.

Gender differences in entrepreneurship behaviour have been extensively studied. This study adopts an intersection between the behavioural and the economic approaches to understand gender differences among students. It has the objective to identify the gender differences in both the entrepreneurial behaviour and entrepreneurial performance of Brazilian higher education students. A quantitative survey was conducted among 1,550 students from two universities. Data was analysed using multi-group structural equations modelling. Results identified gender differences both among entrepreneurial characteristics and in their relationship with performance. This study contributes theoretically and empirically to a better understanding on gender differences within the context of higher education students.

Fronteiras -Revista Catarinense de História| ISSN 2238-9717 | n. 39, p. 4-9, jan./2022

A história do município de Videira e a história da vitivinicultura no meio-oeste catarinense estão entrelaçadas. A relação entre uva e seus derivados e o município se manifesta, além de na economia e no próprio nome do município, nas festas populares que ocorrem em Videira. O presente artigo propõe uma análise histórica do cultivo da uva no município, das festas que celebram este produto, especialmente as Festas da Uva e da Vindima, e do declínio que estas enfrentaram e enfrentam atualmente. Para isso, foram analisadas matérias de jornais e entrevistas com moradores locais para compreender o cenário dessas celebrações nos anos de 1942, 1965 e de 1990 à atualidade, período de realização das festas.

Resumo O estilo interpessoal docente pode influenciar a motivação para as aulas de educação física. Os objetivos deste estudo foram validar para o contexto sul brasileiro instrumentos que avaliam o estilo docente de apoio à autonomia, o estilo controlador e a desmotivação nas aulas de educação física, assim como comprovar a relação entre a desmotivação nas aulas de educação física e o estilo interpessoal docente. Participaram do estudo 429 estudantes, de 10 a 14 anos. A análise dos dados foi feita por meio da estatística descritiva e inferencial. Os resultados apontam que os três instrumentos são válidos e fidedignos para avaliar o estilo interpessoal do docente, bem como a desmotivação para as aulas de educação física. O estilo controlador do docente prediz positivamente a desmotivação.

O objetivo deste ensaio é apresentar três conceitos-chave do pensamento rousseauniano: perfectibilidade, liberdade e educação. Trata-se de uma breve elucidação desses três conceitos, a fim de entender melhor a notável passagem do estado de natureza ao estado civil em Rousseau.

Neste ensaio, discuto a invisibilidade de pesquisadoras por conta das normas da Língua Portuguesa e das normas de referenciação das publicações acadêmicas pelo viés de gênero com relação à creditação de mulheres. É regra geral, com exceção de algumas revistas feministas, que autores e autoras sejam apresentados em artigos, dissertações e teses pelo sobrenome, o que pode reduzir a percepção das mulheres que são citadas em pesquisas científicas. As discussões com relação ao sexismo do idioma, trazidas por vezes pela imprensa a partir de discussões sociais, são considerações aqui tratadas. A pergunta que surge é se pode haver um movimento de revisão da forma de creditar as mulheres em trabalhos científicos. Para tanto, após a revisão da literatura, haverá uma proposta de que a creditação das autoras mulheres seja feita de forma completa, com nome, sobrenome e uso dos pronomes adequados.

Reduce, recycle and reuse of materials are the three crucial procedures that affect the economy of the current century, which are mandatory in preserving and protecting the planet for the next generations. In this field, the construction of road pavements plays fundamental role since huge amount of materials are involved, particularly the bituminous mixtures. This is the reason why the efforts of the scientific community were, and still are, addressed to investigate alternative pavement solutions in which recycled and reused materials, which mostly come from end-of-life pavement removal, can be included with the goal of reducing landfill operations. Moreover, a lot of these efforts were directed to reuse of recycled materials in producing bituminous mixtures for structural pavement layers, and not to the wearing course. Therefore, in order to be a step ahead of the current technical and scientific approaches, this research focused on the study of the effects of the concurrent use of reclaimed asphalt (RA), stabilized bottom ashes (SBA) from urban waste incinerators, and waste engine oil (WEO) in substitution of commercial rejuvenators. Moreover, the benefits deriving from the use of polymer additives were assessed. In this regard, a set of compaction, volumetric and mechanical tests were performed at laboratory scale, demonstrating that it is possible to use high amounts of RA (20 % and 60 %) in bituminous mixtures for wearing courses, also combined with SBAs and WEO. More in detail, the obtained results demonstrate that: both RA and SBAs generally increase mixtures’ stiffness (as confirmed by stiffness Master Curves and Indirect Tensile Strength results); SBA can be used as artificial aggregates; and WEO is able to act as fluxing agent to obtain mixture’s viscosity reduction.

This study addresses the public value theory from the perspective of smart cities and aims to propose the validation of a framework from the citizen’s perception and the principles of public value generation from the perspective of smart cities. For its development, the principles of the OECD were related to the characteristics of smart cities for the elaboration of a questionnaire, using the five-point Likert scale, which was applied to 256 residents of the city of Natal. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis technique. The results show that even when the citizen has not contributed to the elaboration of the principles for the generation of public value, he/she recognizes the importance of the theme for the delivery of better public services. As a contribution to managers and society, it is suggested more investment in education and knowledge of citizens about the importance of their participation and use of digital services, raising the level of user maturity to the level of maturity of government actions. As an academic contribution, the scale theoretically represented and statistically validated contributes to the continuity of studies on public value, as a key element for governance in smart cities. As an opportunity for future research, the application of the tool in other cities is suggested to establish comparisons, as well as research involving the maturity of respondents, as users of digital government services and their knowledge of public value, for a better alignment between government and citizen.

ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii is a successful nosocomial pathogen due to its genomic plasticity. Homologous recombination allows genetic exchange and allelic variation among different clonal lineages and is one of the mechanisms associated with horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of resistance determinants. The main mechanism of colistin resistance in A. baumannii is mediated through mutations in the pmrCAB operon. Here, we describe two A. baumannii clinical isolates belonging to International Clone 7 (IC7) that have undergone recombination in the pmrCAB operon and evaluate the contribution of mobile genetic elements (MGE) to this phenomenon. Isolates 67569 and 72554 were colistin susceptible and resistant, respectively, and were submitted for short- and long-read genome sequencing using Illumina MiSeq and MinION platforms. Hybrid assemblies were built with Unicycler, and the assembled genomes were compared to reference genomes using NUCmer, Cortex, and SplitsTree. Genomes were annotated using Prokka, and MGEs were identified with ISfinder and repeat match. Both isolates presented a 21.5-kb recombining region encompassing pmrCAB. In isolate 67659, this region originated from IC5, while in isolate 72554 multiple recombination events might have happened, with the 5-kb recombining region encompassing pmrCAB associated with an isolate representing IC4. We could not identify MGEs involved in the mobilization of pmrCAB in these isolates. In summary, A. baumannii belonging to IC7 can present additional sequence divergence due to homologous recombination across clonal lineages. Such variation does not seem to be driven by antibiotic pressure but could contribute to HGT mediating colistin resistance. IMPORTANCE Colistin resistance rates among Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates have increased over the last 20 years. Despite reports of the spread of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance among Enterobacterales, the presence of mcr-type genes in Acinetobacter spp. remains rare, and reduced colistin susceptibility is mainly associated with the acquisition of nonsynonymous mutations in pmrCAB. We have recently demonstrated that distinct pmrCAB sequences are associated with different A. baumannii International Clones (IC). In this study, we identified the presence of homologous recombination as an additional cause of genetic variation in this operon, which, to the best of our knowledge, was not mediated by mobile genetic elements. Even though this phenomenon was observed in both colistin-susceptible and -resistant isolates, it has the potential to contribute to the spread of resistance-conferring alleles, leading to reduced susceptibility to this last-resort antimicrobial agent.

Justicia Ambiental: Historias de Opresión, Injusticia y Resistencia desde América Latina

Abstract Campomanesia xanthocarpa (Mart.) O. Berg is a South American fruit tree species with important ecological and medicinal properties, which remnants are currently found mainly in isolated forest fragments. In this study, SSR markers from three different genomic origins (gene-linked, nuclear neutral, and organellar) were used to evaluate the patterns of genetic diversity, fine-scale spatial genetic structure and historical gene flow in fragmented forest formations of C. xanthocarpa from the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil. Our results show that the forest fragments present moderate to high levels of genetic diversity in comparison to species presenting similar life traits, although a trend opposite to expected was observed concerning gene-linked and neutral SSR markers. The fine-scale spatial genetic structure revealed different patterns in short and large distance classes, with a distinct influence of gene-linked and neutral markers in driving the genetic structure in each distance class. The presence of an isolation-by-adaptation pattern implies the need for maintenance of the current remnants to assure the conservation of the private alleles. Finally, as the genetic diversity is found predominantly within forest fragments, programs of seed collection and/or genetic rescue should prioritize a larger number of individuals within each fragment, to increase the sampled diversity.

Abstract The transformation of women’s role in society has been systematically studied. Numerous authors point out that among the factors of extreme relevance to this fact, the main is the increased presence of women in the formal job market. Researches also reveal that the increase in quantity is not reflected equally in all productive sectors nor the egalitarian occupation of high hierarchical positions. The present study aimed to analyze how the presence of women, especially in leadership positions, has evolved at the Brazilian Federal Agency for the Support and Evaluation of Postgraduate Education (CAPES) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) over the last 20 years. For these analyzes, surveys were conducted in the people management systems of the Brazilian Federal Public Administration. The initial hypothesis was that female attendance had increased in both the total number of female servants and in management and auxiliary positions, known as DAS in Brazil; however, evidence shows that women reduced overall agency presence, especially in the number of female Analysts occupying DAS positions. These results indicate that the misogyny observed in the academic sphere of the Brazilian National Postgraduate and Science, Technology, and Innovation systems are replicated in the politic-bureaucratic sphere that manages and sponsors these systems.

Bacteria of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex are the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis (LB). Even if the conventional diagnosis of LB does not rely on the species itself, an accurate species identification within the complex will provide a deepened epidemiological scenario, a better diagnosis leading to a more targeted therapeutic approach, as well as promote the general public’s awareness. A comparative genomics approach based on the 210 Borrelia spp. genomes available in 2019 were used to set up three species-specific PCR protocols, able to detect and provide species typing of Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) and Borrelia garinii, the three most common and important human pathogenic Lyme Borrelia species in Europe. The species-specificity of these protocols was confirmed on previously identified B. afzelii, B. burgdorferi s.s. and B. garinii specimens detected in Ixodes ricinus samples. In addition, the protocols were validated on 120 DNA samples from ticks collected in Sweden, showing 88% accuracy, 100% precision, 72% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The proposed approach represents an innovative tool in epidemiological studies focused on B. burgdorferi s.l. occurrence in ticks, and future studies could suggest its helpfulness in routine diagnostic tests for health care.

Oggetto di questa ricerca è il sistema di credenze e atteggiamenti degli insegnanti di alcune scuole italiane in Toscana con particolare riferimento all’accento straniero. L’indagine esplorativa ha coinvolto scuole secondarie di primo e secondo grado di tre città italiane dove sono stati raccolti 144 questionari. I questionari sono stati strutturati in modo da ottenere risposte riguardanti l’ideologia degli insegnanti verso l’accento straniero e le loro opinioni nei confronti del multiculturalismo e dell’educazione multilingue a scuola. Agli insegnanti è stato inoltre chiesto di valutare l’adeguatezza percepita relativamente alla propria preparazione e a quella dei sistemi scolastici che una classe multiculturale richiederebbe, e anche il livello percepito di integrazione degli studenti con un passato migratorio all’interno delle proprie classi. L’obiettivo è quello di verificare se insegnanti di città diverse, caratterizzate da differenti percentuali di studenti con passato migratorio, manifestino atteggiamenti divergenti nei confronti dell’accento straniero, nonché delle pratiche educative multiculturali e multilingui. I risultati evidenziano che gli insegnanti sono omogenei nei loro atteggiamenti negativi nei confronti del parlato connotato da accento straniero. È stata riscontrata altresì una correlazione tra gli atteggiamenti linguistici e la valutazione delle pratiche educative multilingui e multiculturali. Questa ideologia linguistica diffusa non sembra variare tra le città, dimostrando come l’esposizione alla diversità linguistica italiana risulti essere decisamente irrilevante nella costruzione di credenze e atteggiamenti verso la lingua parlata con accento straniero. Italian school teachers’ attitudes towards students’ accented speech. A case study in Tuscany The system of beliefs and ideas related to foreign accents held by Italian school teachers in Tuscany is the object of this research. We focused our exploratory survey on three different Italian cities, where we collected 144 questionnaires, both in lower and upper secondary schools. The questionnaires were structured in order to obtain answers concerning teachers’ ideology toward foreign accents and their opinions toward multiculturalism and multilingual education at school. In addition to this, teachers were asked to rate the perceived adequacy of their preparation as well as that of the school systems, which a multicultural class imposes, and the perceived level of integration of students with migratory background in their classes. The aim was to verify if teachers from different cities with different percentages of students with migratory backgrounds showed dissimilar attitudes toward foreign accents and multicultural and multilingual education at school. The results showed that teachers are homogeneous in their negative attitudes toward foreign-accented speech. Additionally, a correlation between language attitudes and the evaluation of multilingual and multicultural educational practices was found. This standard language ideology therefore appears not to vary across cities, demonstrating that exposure to Italian linguistic diversity appears to be irrelevant in the construction of attitudes toward foreign-accented speech.

O artigo contém uma análise das autorizações para a comercialização e o consumo de agrotóxicos no país na última década, bem como os seus efeitos na saúde humana e no meio ambiente. No período entre 2010 e 2018, a quantidade de agrotóxicos comercializados no Brasil aumentou mais do que o dobro do que cresceu a área cultivada no país. A permissividade da gestão de agrotóxicos no Brasil é ilustrada pelo fato de que, do total de ingredientes ativos químicos com registro no país em julho de 2020, 121 (30%) não tinham uso permitido na União Europeia (EU). A razão da proibição do uso na EU dos produtos autorizados no Brasil, no período referido, está associada aos efeitos adversos a humanos e a outros organismos resultantes da exposição aos ingredientes químicos de agrotóxicos, já descritos na literatura científica. Soja, milho, algodão e cana-de-açúcar constam entre as culturas que tiveram o maior número de novos agrotóxicos com uso autorizado no Brasil entre janeiro de 2019 e junho de 2020. Outra falta de rigor na gestão de agrotóxicos é ilustrada pela deriva, que causa danos agudos e crônicos a terceiros. Adicionalmente, a fragilidade da norma brasileira refere-se ao estabelecimento de um valor de dose, abaixo da qual eles seriam seguros. Contudo, resultados experimentais de estudos mostraram, por exemplo, que os agrotóxicos à base de glifosato, melation e piriproxifem causaram a morte de embriões de peixes em apenas 24 horas de exposição, independentemente da concentração utilizada, desafiando assim a hipótese de que existe dose segura para a exposição a tais produtos. Dessa forma, é urgente não só aumentar o rigor científico dos estudos sobre o tema, mas também promover a participação pública nas tomadas de decisão, garantindo o acesso a todas as informações contidas nos dossiês que acompanham as solicitações de registro e de autorização dos agrotóxicos.

O reconhecimento sobre os benefícios que as abelhas oferecem para a manutenção da vida não está sendo revertido em ações efetivas para conservação desses polinizadores. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste artigo é apresentar e discutir os impactos de três importantes características do sistema agrícola industrial, que vem causando danos às abelhas no Brasil: desmatamento, uso de agrotóxicos e cultivo em larga escala de variedades transgênicas. Os danos agudos têm sido frequentemente relatados, tanto em estudos científicos quanto pela imprensa, diante de eventos de mortalidade em massa. Igualmente relevante, os danos crônicos informam sobre enfraquecimento e mortalidade de colmeias, sem apresentar uma causa única ou conclusiva. Estudos têm evidenciado que herbicidas, fungicidas e plantas transgênicas, mesmo considerados inócuos às abelhas, promovem alterações fisiológicas e comportamentais nesses insetos. Porém grande parte deles não indicam os reais prejuízos às colmeias, que só podem ser observados em estudos de longo prazo, realizados a campo. Isso também revela uma falha grave nas avaliações de riscos de agrotóxicos e transgênicos sobre organismos não alvo, que consideram válidos testes feitos em indivíduos isolados de organismos que naturalmente vivem em colônias, como é o caso das abelhas eussociais. Resultados obtidos para um grupo de indivíduos em laboratório, que não necessariamente refletem o efeito na colmeia, são muito comuns. Contudo, resultados de ensaios que consideram a complexidade de interações entre castas e diferentes gerações desses insetos, são muito escassos. Assim constata-se que o princípio da precaução foi sumariamente ignorado em detrimento aos lucros financeiros que se concentram para poucos, enquanto os prejuízos ambientais e à saúde são repartidos entre todos. Desse modo, apresentamos e discutimos os efeitos danosos de três das principais práticas utilizadas no âmbito do agronegócio brasileiro, que afetam de diferentes modos a saúde e sobrevivência das abelhas, assim como os serviços por elas prestados.

Profiling technologies, such as proteomics, allow the simultaneous measurement and comparison of thousands of plant components without prior knowledge of their identity. The combination of these non-targeted methods facilitates a more comprehensive approach than targeted methods and thus provides additional opportunities to identify genotypic changes resulting from genetic modification, including new allergens or toxins. The purpose of this study was to investigate unintended changes in GM Bt maize grown in South Africa. In the present study, we used bi-dimensional gel electrophoresis based on fluorescence staining, coupled with mass spectrometry in order to compare the proteome of the field-grown transgenic hybrid (MON810) and its near-isogenic counterpart. Proteomic data showed that energy metabolism and redox homeostasis were unequally modulated in GM Bt and non-GM maize variety samples. In addition, a potential allergenic protein—pathogenesis related protein −1 has been identified in our sample set. Our data shows that the GM variety is not substantially equivalent to its non-transgenic near-isogenic variety and further studies should be conducted in order to address the biological relevance and the potential risks of such changes. These finding highlight the suitability of unbiased profiling approaches to complement current GMO risk assessment practices worldwide.

The article considers the change in chemical and biological characteristics in some legumes grains, under conditions of high-temperature micronization with different moisture contents during heat treatment with infrared rays. The heat treatment of grains was carried out on a laboratory apparatus with a quartz radiant infrared panel. The temperature variation in the heat treatment zone occurred due to changing the distance between the panel and the surface of grains. The grain temperature was determined using a laser thermometer, and with a timer. To determine chemical and biological characteristics, we used a special optical density metering device. We have studied: 1. The dependence of starch content on the temperature in the changing initial moisture content. We found that after 30 seconds of high-temperature micronization of, “Tsanava“ beans at a grain moisture content of 12.7%, the starch content in the grain increases from 39.65% to 40.12%, then gradually decreases, and at 18.3% moisture content, it increases from 38.71% to 41.2%, with a moisture content of 28.6% it increases from 37.36% to 42.42%. Similar processes are also observed for the beans “field red“ and “white lupine“; 2. The dependence of glucose content on the temperature in the changing initial moisture content. As the mass fraction of starch decreases, the percentage of sugar (in terms of the equivalent amount of glucose) at a moisture content of 12.7% at the initial stage increases from 1.36% to 1.46%, and then the percentage of sugar increases relatively quickly to 1.64%, at a moisture content of 18.3% it increases from 1.3% to 1.38%, and then increases to 1.51, with a moisture content of 28.6%, it increases from 1.28% to 1.35% and then increases to 1.54. Similar processes are also observed for the beans “field red“ and “white lupine“.

The burden of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is considerable and is projected to worsen. To date, there are no approved therapies available for reducing mortality or hospitalizations for these patients. The pathophysiology of HFpEF is complex and includes alterations in cardiac structure and function, systemic and pulmonary vascular abnormalities, end-organ involvement, and comorbidities. There remain major gaps in our understanding of HFpEF pathophysiology. To facilitate a discussion of how to proceed effectively in future with development of therapies for HFpEF, a meeting was facilitated by the Food and Drug Administration and included representatives from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies. This document summarizes the proceedings from this meeting.