A Tradução para teatro

O texto dramático distingue-se das demais manifestações literárias pelo facto de se destinar não só a ser lido mas também a ser visto, isto é, ele pressupõe, logo à partida, um espectador. Em qualquer peça de teatro, não só temos presente um leitor/ouvinte implícito, como também um espectador implícito, daí a profusão de didascálias, que não são mais que indicações do autor relativamente a aspectos tão díspares como a identificação de personagens, tom de voz, cinética e gestualidade, bem como a todo o universo circundante em que as personagens se movem e agem, tais como ruídos exteriores, estados de espírito, tempo e espaço. Estas didascálias não visam apenas fornecer ao eventual encenador da peça e aos actores indicações proscénicas, elas têm também, por vezes, uma função equivalente à desempenhada pelos comentários metanarrativos na diegese, dirigindo-se explicitamente ao leitor, com fins explicativos, preditativos e persuasivos, entre outros.

Post-surgical wound infections involving Enterobacteriaceae with reduced susceptibility to ß-lactams in two Portuguese hospitals

The post-surgical period is often critical for infection acquisition. The combination of patient injury and environmental exposure through breached skin add risk to pre-existing conditions such as drug or depressed immunity. Several factors such as the period of hospital staying after surgery, base disease, age, immune system condition, hygiene policies, careless prophylactic drug administration and physical conditions of the healthcare centre may contribute to the acquisition of a nosocomial infection. A purulent wound can become complicated whenever antimicrobial therapy becomes compromised. In this pilot study, we analysed Enterobacteriaceae strains, the most significant gram-negative rods that may occur in post-surgical skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) presenting reduced β-lactam susceptibility and those presenting extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL). There is little information in our country regarding the relationship between β-lactam susceptibility, ESBL and development of resistant strains of microorganisms in SSTI. Our main results indicate Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. are among the most frequent enterobacteria (46% and 30% respectively) with ESBL production in 72% of Enterobacteriaceae isolates from SSTI. Moreover, coinfection occurred extensively, mainly with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (18% and 13%, respectively). These results suggest future research to explore if and how these associations are involved in the development of antibiotic resistance.

Alcipe, Nathercia e Tirse: Considerações sobre as luzes no feminino no Portugal de setecentos

O presente artigo desenvolve-se em torno de três damas esclarecidas da sociedade portuguesa de setecentos: D. Leonor de Almeida (1750-1839), ou Alcipe; D. Catarina de Lencastre (1749-1824), ou Nathercia; e D. Teresa de Mello Breyner (1739-1798?), ou Tirse. Sabendo que o século XVIII foi um período marcado por mudança e controvérsia, pela emergência de novos paradigmas, pelo reequacionamento de estruturas mentais e tradições seculares – ainda que em Portugal se experimentasse uma certa resistência às teorias filosóficas emergentes – a questão que lançamos e procuramos analisar é: qual o reflexo destas transformações no universo feminino? Assim, partindo dos três exemplos referidos e a eles tornando, pretendemos problematizar três questões centrais no discurso iluminista – educação, leituras e viagens – observando como estas matérias, assaz discutidas e teorizadas ao longo do século XVIII, se repercutiram na formação feminina em solo português e, por outro lado, analisar o modesto mas expressivo papel que as referidas damas assumiram na propagação da cultura das luzes em Portugal.

Endothelialization of chitosan porous conduits via immobilization of a recombinant fibronectin fragment (rhFNIII7–10)

The present study aimed to develop a pre-endothelialized chitosan (CH) porous hollowed scaffold for application in spinal cord regenerative therapies. CH conduits with different degrees of acetylation (DA; 4% and 15%) were prepared, characterized (microstructure, porosity and water uptake) and functionalized with a recombinant fragment of human fibronectin (rhFNIII7–10). Immobilized rhFNIII7–10 was characterized in terms of amount (125I-radiolabelling), exposure of cell-binding domains (immunofluorescence) and ability to mediate endothelial cell (EC) adhesion and cytoskeletal rearrangement. Functionalized conduits revealed a linear increase in immobilized rhFNIII7–10 with rhFNIII7–10 concentration, and, for the same concentration, higher amounts of rhFNIII7–10 on DA 4% compared with DA 15%. Moreover, rhFNIII7–10 concentrations as low as 5 and 20 lgml 1 in the coupling reaction were shown to provide DA 4% and 15% scaffolds, respectively, with levels of exposed cell-binding domains exceeding those observed on the control (DA 4% scaffolds incubated in a 20 lgml 1 human fibronectin solution). These grafting conditions proved to be effective in mediating EC adhesion/cytoskeletal organization on CH with DA 4% and 15%, without affecting the endothelial angiogenic potential. rhFNIII7–10 grafting to CH could be a strategy of particular interest in tissue engineering applications requiring the use of endothelialized porous matrices with tunable degradation rates.

Riesz potential versus fractional Laplacian

This paper starts by introducing the Grünwald–Letnikov derivative, the Riesz potential and the problem of generalizing the Laplacian. Based on these ideas, the generalizations of the Laplacian for 1D and 2D cases are studied. It is presented as a fractional version of the Cauchy–Riemann conditions and, finally, it is discussed with the n-dimensional Laplacian.

Riesz potential versus fractional Laplacian

This paper starts by introducing the Grünwald–Letnikov derivative, the Riesz potential and the problem of generalizing the Laplacian. Based on these ideas, the generalizations of the Laplacian for 1D and 2D cases are studied. It is presented as a fractional version of the Cauchy–Riemann conditions and, finally, it is discussed with the n-dimensional Laplacian.