Extração e estrutura dos polissacarídeos do resíduo do café com atividade imunoestimuladora

As galactomananas das infusões de café apresentam atividade imunoestimuladora in vitro, sendo esta atividade semelhante à das mananas acetiladas extraídas de Aloe vera. As galactomananas presentes no resíduo de café também possuem atividade imunoestimuladora in vitro quando são parcialmente acetiladas. Como as galactomananas são o componente maioritário do resíduo de café e como o café é um produto de largo consumo a nível mundial, o reaproveitamento deste resíduo como fonte de galactomananas com atividade imunoestimuladora deve ser considerado. Esta dissertação procura dar resposta a duas questões: 1. Quais são as estruturas das galactomananas responsáveis pela atividade imunoestimuladora destes polissacarídeos; e 2. Como é que as galactomananas podem ser extraídas quantitativamente do resíduo de café de modo a serem solúveis em água à temperatura ambiente e, assim, poderem ser utilizadas como ingredientes alimentares com atividade imunoestimuladora. A questão 1 foi respondida pela caracterização estrutural de quatro galactomananas, de três origens: a) as galactomananas das infusões de café e do resíduo que apresentaram atividade imunoestimuladora; b) a galactomanana da goma de alfarroba (LBG), que não apresentou atividade imunoestimuladora; e c) a manana acetilada de Aloe vera, que apresentou atividade imunoestimuladora. Estes polissacarídeos foram submetidos à análise de açúcares e de ligações glicosídicas e a hidrólise por endo-β-D- (1→4)-mananase. Os fragmentos de oligossacarídeos mais pequenos foram ainda analisados por espetrometria de massa por ionização de electrospray e espetrometria de massa tandem. As galactomananas das infusões de café, do resíduo de café e do Aloe vera apresentaram grau de ramificação e peso molecular semelhantes, enquanto as galactomananas da LBG apresentaram grau de ramificação e de polimerização maiores. Todas as galactomananas apresentaram resíduos de arabinose como ramificação. O grau de acetilação das galactomananas da LBG foi vestigial enquanto as galactomananas do Aloe vera apresentaram um grau de acetilação de 2,08; para as galactomananas do resíduo de café o grau de acetilação foi de 0,98 e para as infusões foi de 0,08. A localização dos grupos acetilo foi irregular em todos os polímeros. Os resultados obtidos permitem inferir que baixos níveis de ramificação, cadeias pequenas e alguma acetilação parecem promover a atividade imunoestimuladora atribuída às galactomananas. Para responder à questão 2, foi testada uma metodologia que envolveu a torra do resíduo de café a 160 ºC e a 220 ºC e a sua extração com água quente e com soluções de 4 M NaOH à temperatura de 20, 60 e 120 ºC. A torra do resíduo a 160 ºC e a extração sequencial permitiu extrair 56% das galactomananas presentes no resíduo de café e, simultaneamente, 54% das arabinogalactanas. As galactomananas mantiveram a sua estrutura caraterística de polissacarídeo acetilado composto por uma cadeira principal de resíduos de manose em ligação β-(1→4) e resíduos de Gal e Ara nas cadeias laterais. A 220 ºC, as galactomananas foram parcialmente degradadas e o rendimento de extração foi muito menor do que a 160 ºC. No entanto, mesmo a esta temperatura as galactomananas apresentaram resíduos acetilados e a presença de pentoses nas cadeias laterais, o que permite inferir a elevada resistência destes polissacarídeos à temperatura e aos reagentes alcalinos. De forma a melhor compreender a estabilidade térmica das galactomananas do resíduo de café e a influência que a presença de arabinogalactanas pode ter na sua estabilidade, foi feita uma análise termogravimétrica aos polissacarídeos extraídos do resíduo de café assim como a polissacarídeos relacionados estruturalmente com estes, como a celulose, a galactomanana de LBG e a goma arábica, uma arabinogalactana. As galactomananas são termicamente estáveis durante 3 h a 200 ºC, enquanto as arabinogalactanas são estáveis a 180 ºC. De acordo com os perfis dos termogramas obtidos, e pelo cálculo das energias de ativação da degradação térmica, o resíduo de café apresenta uma estabilidade térmica menor do que a galactomanana, possivelmente devido à presença de arabinogalactanas. Apesar de não se ter verificado alterações no termograma da galactomanana do café submetida a um tratamento térmico de 200 ºC durante 3 h, verificam-se alterações estruturais que envolvem a formação de novas ligações glicosídicas, nomeadamente, a formação de resíduos de manose ligados em O-2 e em O-6, reações de transglicosilação, despolimerização, formação de resíduos de anidro-hexoses no terminal redutor e isomerização manose-glucose. Estas alterações promovem a solubilização das galactomananas. Os resultados obtidos permitem propor que o resíduo de café possa ser submetido a uma torra seguida de extração com reagentes alcalinos a quente para obtenção das galactomananas com rendimentos elevados. Estes polissacarídeos podem tornar-se solúveis em água após tratamento térmico a 200 ºC, permitindo assim a sua utilização em formulações alimentares, nomeadamente, por preparação de compostos acetilados com baixos níveis de ramificação e cadeias pequenas de modo a promover a sua atividade imunoestimuladora.

Traditional algarvian distillats and liqueurs historic scientific aspects

All the evidence indicates that distillation and liqueurs preparation began in Monchique mountain because this place was pointed as a possible capital of the oldest population of Algarve and an important Arabic village (Barreto, 1972: 19). It was possible to find lots of vestiges like the alembic produced by Arabic population near the X century (Telo, 1988: 77). Traditionally the Algarvian people produce the Arbutus unedo L., fig, carob, grape distillates. At the same time they produce liqueur-using maceration of parts of plants or fruits in some kinds of distillates. Most of the work about Algarvian distillates started by studying the basic compounds of Arbutus unedo spirits by gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS) as well as other physical-chemical properties. In a second phase aged distillates were studied by their phenolic compounds evolution using high resolution liquid chromatography (HPLC). Volatile compounds of traditional liqueurs were identified by head space micro extraction solid phase (HE-SPME) and also analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and when possible confirmed with standards. Total phenols were determined by Folin-Ciocalteur method. Flavenoids were studied by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sensorial analysis was also done in every drink studies. The results showed that the arbutus distillate doesn’t present a high level of methanol according to the current legislation. The excesses of acidity or ethyl acetate present normal values when the fermentation is well done (Galego, et al. 1995: 341; Galego, et al. 1995: 685). During the aging process, the colour of spirits tend to become darker, the colour changes occurred more rapidly in the arbutus spirits located in cellars with higher temperatures (Galego, et al. 2001: 432). In the sensory evaluation of samples aged during 12 months into 50 L medium toasting level oak wood barrels, panellists considered that samples of arbutus spirit had too much wood flavour and they were not able to detect the characteristic aroma of arbutus fruit (Galego, et al., 2001: 183). Differences in liqueurs were observed using HS-SPME-GC, HS-SPME-GC-MS or HPLC analysis and this observation was confirmed by a sensorial panel (Galego, et al. 2003: 60).

A presença árabe-islâmica em Fernando Pessoa

Tese de doutoramento, Filosofia (Filosofia em Portugal), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2015

Good Practice in EU Public Service Media and Contemporary Practice in Jordan: A Comparative Analysis

UNESCO Amman Office Foreword: UNESCO Amman office is pleased to publish a comparative analysis between good Public Service Media (PSM) practices in Europe and the contemporary practice in Jordan. The study is part of the Support to Media in Jordan project, funded by the European Union, aiming to increase media freedom, media independence and journalistic professionalism in Jordan. The state owned broadcaster, Jordan Radio and Television (JRTV), has informed, entertained and educated Jordanians for decades. JRTV reaches almost every corner of the Kingdom and has the potential to serve all Jordanians with balanced, impartial and accurate news and programmes relevant to their day-to-day lives.Based on this potential there has been a long standing ambition to transform the JRTV from a state broadcaster to a public service broadcaster; from a TV and radio that predominately serves the state, to a broadcaster that serves the public and is independent from the Government of the day. This ambition is expressed also in the Support to Media in Jordan project, agreed between the Government an the EU, under which UNESCO has been asked to produce two studies: The comparative PSM analysis and a broader media landscape assessment based on UNESCO’s Media Development Indicators (MDI’s). The Jordanian MDI assessment was carried out by a team of national and international researchers during the first six months of 2015, and builds on the rich flora of recent studies on the Jordanian media landscape, as well as on original research. The study is available in Arabic and English. Professor Naomi Sakr carried out the comparative PSM analysis parallel to the MDI study, and in close cooperation with the MDI research team and UNESCO Amman office.

A dieta mediterrânica nos provérbios portugueses

Title: «Mediterranean diet in Portuguese proverbs». Mediterranean diet has been considered Immaterial World Patrimony since December 2013. It is characteristic of basin Mediterranean people (Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Croatia) and includes their gastronomy with local products, their traditions, their culture and their healthy lifestyle. Mediterranean diet is passed on from one generation to another mostly orally and it is likewise present in phraseological units, especially in proverbs. This paper analyses Portuguese proverbs aiming to show their importance when transmitting cookingrelated knowledge and information, such as, local ingredients, cooking techniques and the social function, both daily or on holidays. Since the practice of physical exercise is so important for the Mediterranean diet, our study includes physical exercise and relaxation-related proverbs as well.

Engineered MRI nanoprobes based on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

This project aimed to engineer new T2 MRI contrast agents for cell labeling based on formulations containing monodisperse iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) coated with natural and synthetic polymers. Monodisperse MNP capped with hydrophobic ligands were synthesized by a thermal decomposition method, and further stabilized in aqueous media with citric acid or meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) through a ligand exchange reaction. Hydrophilic MNP-DMSA, with optimal hydrodynamic size distribution, colloidal stability and magnetic properties, were used for further functionalization with different coating materials. A covalent coupling strategy was devised to bind the biopolymer gum Arabic (GA) onto MNPDMSA and produce an efficient contrast agent, which enhanced cellular uptake in human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT116 cell line) compared to uncoated MNP-DMSA. A similar protocol was employed to coat MNP-DMSA with a novel biopolymer produced by a biotechnological process, the exopolysaccharide (EPS) Fucopol. Similar to MNP-DMSA-GA, MNP-DMSA-EPS improved cellular uptake in HCT116 cells compared to MNP-DMSA. However, MNP-DMSA-EPS were particularly efficient towards the neural stem/progenitor cell line ReNcell VM, for which a better iron dose-dependent MRI contrast enhancement was obtained at low iron concentrations and short incubation times. A combination of synthetic and biological coating materials was also explored in this project, to design a dynamic tumortargeting nanoprobe activated by the acidic pH of tumors. The pH-dependent affinity pair neutravidin/iminobiotin, was combined in a multilayer architecture with the synthetic polymers poy-L-lysine and poly(ethylene glycol) and yielded an efficient MRI nanoprobe with ability to distinguish cells cultured in acidic pH conditions form cells cultured in physiological pH conditions.

Homer and the New Testament as "Multitexts" in the Digital Age ?

The field of classical studies has undergone a radical transformation with the arrival of the digital age, particularly with regard to the editing of ancient texts. As Umberto Eco (2003) pointed out, the digital age may mean the end of the history of variants and of the notion of the "original text." Among the texts of antiquity, the editing of Homer and of the New Testament are more especially susceptible to the effects of digital technology because of their numerous manuscripts. Whereas the "Homer Multitext" project recognizes that the notion of a synthetic critical edition is now seriously brought into question, the prototype of the online Greek New Testament continues to be based on the aim of obtaining a unique text, in the style of a printed critical edition. As it moves from a printed culture to the digital age, the editing of the Greek NT is also confronted by the emergence of non-Western scholarship. For example, the presence is to be noted of Arabic Muslim websites that examine Greek New Testament manuscripts but without directly interacting with Western scholarship.

Français 1353

Contient : 1° Horoscope de Baudouin de Courtenai ; 2° Introductoire d'astronomie ; 3° « Li Livres ABU ALI des nativitez des enfenz, de lor fortune » ; 4° « Le Epistle MESSEHALA es choses de l'eclipse del soloil et de la lune es conjunctions des planetes... translatez de JEHAN D'ESPALE en lime de arabic en latin » ; 5° « Li Livres des flors de ALBUMAXAR à faire jugemenz » ; 6° Le Livre des « corruptions de l'air » ; 7° Horoscope de Baudoin de Courtenai

Unveiling Shi’i Religious Identities: Case Studies of Hijab in Culturally Homogeneous Canadian Schools

This qualitative case study explored 10 young female Shi’i Muslim Arabic-Canadian students’ experiences associated with wearing the Hijab (headscarf) within their home, community, and predominantly White Canadian public elementary school environments. The study integrated several bodies of scholarly theories in order to examine the data under a set of comprehensive lenses that more fully articulates and theorizes on the diversity of female Shi’i Muslim Canadian students’ experiences. These theories are: identity theories with a focus on religious identity and negative stereotypes associated with Muslims; feminism and the Hijab discourses; research pertaining to Muslims in school settings; and critical race theory. In order to readdress the dearth of information about Shi’is’ experiences in schools, this study provides an in-depth case study analysis in which the methodology strategies included 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews, 2 focus-group meetings, and the incorporation of the researcher’s fieldnotes. Data analysis revealed the following themes corresponding to participants’ experiences and values in their social worlds of home, community, and schools: (a) martyrdom and self-sacrifice as a means for social justice; (b) transformational meaning of the Hijab; (c) intersectionality between culture, religion, and gender; and (d) effects of visits “back home” on participants’ religious identities. Additional themes related to participants’ school experiences included: (a) “us versus them” mentality; (b) religious and complex secular dialogues; (c) absence of Muslim representations in monocultural schools; (d) discrimination; (e) remaining silent versus speaking out; and (f) participants’ strategies for preserving their identities. Recommendations are made to integrate Shi’i Muslim females’ identity within the context of Islam and the West, most notably in relation to: (a) the role of Muslim community in nondiverse settings as a space that advances and nurtures Shi’i Muslim identity; and (b) holistic and culturally responsive teaching that fosters respect of others’ religiosity and spirituality. This study makes new inroads into feminist theorizing by drawing conceptual links between these previously unknown connections such as the impact of the historical female exemplary role model and the ritual stories on the experiences of Muslim females wearing the Hijab.

Metaphorical Interpretation: Measuring and Facilitating Growth.

Abstract A total of 378 grade 9 students participated in this study to address the problem that although metaphorical literacy and thought are expected and necessary for success in junior and senior high school and beyond, metaphorical concepts and thought are not required to be explicitly taught to these students. The students were from 20 different classes from 4 levels: English language learners (ELL), school to work (SSTW), applied, and academic. All were from 7 secondary schools within a board in southern Ontario. Nine classes made up the control group and 11 classes made up the treatment group. All classes were given 3 pretests and the posttest. The treatment group was given Socratic lessons and direct instruction on metaphorical thought and expressions during 1 semester and in conjunction with their other classroom material. The pretest scores (TOLD, Peabody, preproverbs concrete, and preproverbs abstract) did not reveal any effect of gender, but the academic students had higher scores than the applied students. The SSTW student results are more variable: (a) for the TOLD test, SSTW scores were between those of the academic and applied students; (b) for Peabody scores, SSTW students’ scores are the same as academic and are greater than applied; (c) for preproverbs concrete and preproverbs abstract, the SSTW scores are not different from the applied scores. The postproverbs concrete and postproverbs abstract scores for the treatment groups also showed no effect of gender but revealed that all students who received the treatment did better on their post scores. The positive changes of the treatment group illustrate a measured movement from literal understanding to abstract understanding using direct Socratic instruction and proverbs as a medium.

La finance islamique: fondements, theorie et realite.

L’Islam interdit le riba , mot arabe signifiant à la fois usure et intérêt. L’interdiction du rib figure dans la loi islamique, née dans l’Arabie du Moyen Âge. Elle est à la base de la finance islamique qui connut une expansion remarquable durant la deuxième moitié du XX e siècle. Nous nous interrogeons sur les origines de cette interdiction, sur les problèmes que connaît actuellement la finance islamique et sur ses perspectives d’avenir.

Ethique et Conflits, leçons de la Muqaddima d'Ibn Khaldûn

Ibn Khaldûn(1332-1406) fut homme d’Etat et historien des conflits et des changements politiques au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique du Nord. Il a écrit la Muqaddima, une vaste analyse du déclin de la civilisation arabe. Dans cet ouvrage l’ «éthique du Juste » est présentée comme l’obéissance à la loi et l’application des sciences rationnelles à la tradition. Ceci le mène à condamner l’ « éthique du Bien » en tant que calcul de son propre bonheur. Le conflit actuel reflète bien ce dualisme sous de nouvelles formes d’eudémonisme telle que l’utilitarisme. Sa théorie du changement politique et des conflits est toujours d’actualité : le développement économique conduit à la destruction des dynasties au pouvoir ; ce dernier repose sur l’Asabiya, une forme spécifique du capital social. Le pouvoir politique dure trois générations et connaît une évolution faite d’essor, d’apogée et de déclin. Cette théorie des « trois phases » du développement permet de mieux comprendre les conflits que connaît actuellement le monde arabe.

La résolution de conflits en milieu tribal au Proche-Orient (solha) : d'une pratique arabe traditionnelle à des principes universels

Avant-propos: La résolution de conflits s’est installée dans les cursus universitaires comme une discipline à part entière sinon comme une orientation au sein de plusieurs sciences sociales. En effet, ce champ d’étude fait de plus en plus l’objet de réflexions en sciences politiques, en sociologie, en anthropologie, etc, et ce, de par l’interdisciplinarité des questionnements qui en relèvent. Toutefois, la dimension religieuse, souvent considérée comme source de conflits, est quasi inexistante lorsqu’il est question d’approches de résolution. Nous nous proposons donc d’examiner la solha, une pratique proche orientale au sein de laquelle le fait religieux est une composante essentielle à la réconciliation escomptée. Note concernant la translittération: Les termes provenant de l’arabe feront l’objet d’une translittération phonétique basée sur le français. Notez que les translittérations en langue française sont différentes de celle en langue anglaise. Par exemple, le terme solha trouvera son équivalent anglais dans le terme sulha (d’où la différence d’orthographe entre le contenu de cette étude et les citations qui proviennent d’articles anglophones). De plus, notez que le genre (féminin, masculin) des termes translittérés reprendra celui de la langue d’origine, l’arabe. Ainsi, solha sera féminin, jaha aussi, etc… Finalement, pour des raisons de clarté, les termes translittérés seront tous en italique dans le texte.