Challenges for the New Century Schools for All and Narrowing Gaps through Transformation Pedagogies

La pedagogia ha tractat la qüestió de gènere i d’educació? I si és el cas, de quina manera? Quins han estat els resultats? Tant el valor de l’educació com el de gènere foren qüestionats i revisats al començament del segle XX. Els resultats d’aquelles reflexions i les batalles lluitades per millorar les condicions, comencen a sentir-se cent anys més tard. Aquest article inclourà primerament una visió general de la situació de la dona en l’educació en l’àmbit mundial. En segon lloc, se centrarà en els enfocaments pedagògics transformacionals que de manera gradual comencen a introduir-se en els sistemes educatius convencionals —també en algunes universitats i programes de traducció—, secundats d’una banda pels principis de democràcia, diàleg, carnaval, experimentació i (socio) constructivisme, i per la neurociència i la psicologia de l’altra. És evident que aquests enfocaments desafien la discriminació i afavoreixen la creació de ponts, no tan sols entre gèneres, sinó també entre etnicitats i classes social

An overview of the metabolic differences between Bradyrhizobium japonicum 110 bacteria and differentiated bacteroids from soybean (Glycine max) root nodules: An in vitro 13C-and 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy study

Bradyrhizobium japonicum is a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria that induce root nodules formation in legume soybean (Glycine max.). Using 13C- and 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we have analysed the metabolite profiles of cultivated B.japonicum cells and bacteroids isolated from soybean nodules. Our results revealed some quantitative and qualitative differences between the metabolite profiles of bacteroids and their vegetative state. This includes in bacteroids a huge accumulation of soluble carbohydrates such as trehalose, glutamate, myo-inositol and homospermidine as well as Pi, nucleotide pools and intermediates of the primary carbon metabolism. Using this novel approach, these data show that most of the compounds detected in bacteroids reflect the metabolic adaptation of rhizobia to the surrounding microenvironment with its host plant cells.

Soybean (Glycine max. L.) and bacteroid glyoxylate cycle activities during nodular senescence

Soybean (Glycine max. L.) nodular senescence results in the dismantling of the peribacteroid membrane (PBM) and in an increase of soybean isocitrate lyase (ICL; EC 4.1.3.1) and malate synthase (MS; EC 4.1.3.2) mRNA and protein levels. This suggests that in senescing soybean nodular cells, the specific glyoxylate cycle enzyme activities might be induced to reallocate carbon obtained from the PBM degradation. In order to evaluate as well the carbon metabolism of the nitrogen-fixing Bradyrhizobium japonicum endosymbiotic bacteroids during nodular senescence, their glyoxylate cycle activities were also investigated. To this end, partial DNA sequences were isolated from their icl and ms genes, but the corresponding mRNAs were not detected in the microorganisms. It was also observed that the bacteroid ICL and MS activities were negligible during nodular senescence. This suggests that glyoxylate cycle activities are not reinitiated in the bacteroids under these physiological conditions. In case the microorganisms nevertheless feed on the PBM degradation products, this might occur via the citric acid cycle exclusively.

Metabolic and structural rearrangement during dark-induced autophagy in soybean (Glycine max L.) nodules: An electron microscopy and P-31 and C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance study

The effects of dark-induced stress on the evolution of the soluble metabolites present in senescent soybean (Glycine max L.) nodules were analysed in vitro using C-13- and P-31-NMR spectroscopy. Sucrose and trehalose were the predominant soluble storage carbons. During dark-induced stress, a decline in sugars and some key glycolytic metabolites was observed. Whereas 84% of the sucrose disappeared, only one-half of the trehalose was utilised. This decline coincides with the depletion of Gln, Asn, Ala and with an accumulation of ureides, which reflect a huge reduction of the N-2 fixation. Concomitantly, phosphodiesters and compounds like P-choline, a good marker of membrane phospholipids hydrolysis and cell autophagy, accumulated in the nodules. An autophagic process was confirmed by the decrease in cell fatty acid content. In addition, a slight increase in unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acids) was observed, probably as a response to peroxidation reactions. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that, despite membranes dismantling, most of the bacteroids seem to be structurally intact. Taken together, our results show that the carbohydrate starvation induced in soybean by dark stress triggers a profound metabolic and structural rearrangement in the infected cells of soybean nodule which is representative of symbiotic cessation.

Immunolocalization of glyoxysomal malate synthase from soybean cotyledons (Glycine max. L.)

Malate synthase (MS; EC 4.1.3.2), an enzyme specific to the glyoxylate cycle, was studied in cotyledons of dark-grown soybean (Glycine max L) seedlings with light and electron microscopy techniques. Immunogold localization confirmed biochemical evidence that MS from soybean is a glyoxysomal matrix enzyme.

Glyoxysomal malate-dehydrogenase and malate synthase from Soybean cotyledons (Glycine max. L.): Enzyme association, antibody-production and cDNA cloning

In order to investigate a possible association between soybean malate synthase (MS; L-malate glyoxylate-lyase, CoA-acetylating, EC 4.1.3.2) and glyoxysomal malate dehydrogenase (gMDH; (S)-malate: NAD(+) oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.37), two consecutive enzymes in the glyoxylate cycle, their elution profiles were analyzed on Superdex 200 HR fast protein liquid chromatography columns equilibrated in low- and high-ionic-strength buffers. Starting with soluble proteins extracted from the cotyledons of 5-d-old soybean seedlings and a 45% ammonium sulfate precipitation, MS and gMDH coeluted on Superdex 200 HR (low-ionic-strength buffer) as a complex with an approximate relative molecular mass (M(r)) of 670000. Dissociation was achieved in the presence of 50 mM KCl and 5 mM MgCl2, with the elution of MS as an octamer of M, 510 000 and of gMDH as a dimer of M, 73 000. Polyclonal antibodies raised to the native copurified enzymes recognized both denatured MS and gMDH on immunoblots, and their native forms after gel filtration. When these antibodies were used to screen a lambda ZAP II expression library containing cDNA from 3-d-old soybean cotyledons, they identified seven clones encoding gMDH, whereas ten clones encoding MS were identified using an antibody to SDS-PAGE-purified MS. Of these cDNA clones a 1.8 kb clone for MS and a 1.3-kb clone for gMDH were fully sequenced. While 88% identity was found between mature soybean gMDH and watermelon gMDH, the N-terminal transit peptides showed only 37% identity. Despite this low identity, the soybean gMDH transit peptide conserves the consensus R(X(6))HL motif also found in plant and mammalian thiolases.

Germination, senescence and pathogenic attack in soybean (Glycine max. L.): Identification of the cytosolic aconitase participating in the glyoxylate cycle

During our study of the glyoxylate cycle in soybean (Glycine max. L. var. Maple arrow), two mitochondrial and three cytosolic aconitase molecular species (EC 4.2.1.3) were detected, designated as M1, M2, C1, C2 and C3 isoforms, respectively, according to their intracellular locations and electrophoretic mobilities. Using the glyoxylate cycle marker enzymes isocitrate lyase (ICL, EC 4.1.3.1) and malate synthase (MS, EC 4.1.3.2), the activity of this pathway providing the essential link between P-oxidation and gluconeogenesis was confirmed during germination (cotyledons) and senescence (leaves). It was then established that, in both cases, the activity of the CI aconitase isoform developed concomitantly with the transcription and translation levels of the icl and ms genes. This strongly suggests that C1 aconitase is constitutive of the glyoxylate cycle. In addition, the same isoform was found to be active during pathogenic attack as well (hypocotyls). It might be assumed that in such a case the glyoxylate cycle is reinitiated as a part of a carbon reallocation system feeding on the diseased tissue cellular components.

Pathogenic attack and carbon reallocation in soybean leaves (Glycine max. L.): Reinitiation of the glyoxylate cycle as a defence reaction

Pathogenic attack by the fungus Botrytis cinerea (primary pathogen) on soybean leaves (Glycine max. L.; cv. Maple arrow) results in a hypersensitive response (necrotising infected leaves), in the establishment of local acquired resistance, as well as in the systemic induction of genes coding for pathogenesis-related proteins. It now appears that, concomitantly with these already well documented defence reactions, the pathogenic attack also induces the carbon reallocation mechanism based on the reinitiation of the glyoxylate cycle (pseudo-senescence of the infected leaves).

Identification of new transformation products during enzymatic treatment of tetracycline and erythromycin antibiotics at laboratory scale by an on-line turbulent flow liquid-chromatography coupled to a high resolution mass spectrometer LTQ-Orbitrap

This work describes the formation of transformation products (TPs) by the enzymatic degradation at laboratory scale of two highly consumed antibiotics: tetracycline (Tc) and erythromycin (ERY). The analysis of the samples was carried out by a fast and simple method based on the novel configuration of the on-line turbulent flow system coupled to a hybrid linear ion trap – high resolution mass spectrometer. The method was optimized and validated for the complete analysis of ERY, Tc and their transformation products within 10 min without any other sample manipulation. Furthermore, the applicability of the on-line procedure was evaluated for 25 additional antibiotics, covering a wide range of chemical classes in different environmental waters with satisfactory quality parameters. Degradation rates obtained for Tc by laccase enzyme and ERY by EreB esterase enzyme without the presence of mediators were ∼78% and ∼50%, respectively. Concerning the identification of TPs, three suspected compounds for Tc and five of ERY have been proposed. In the case of Tc, the tentative molecular formulas with errors mass within 2 ppm have been based on the hypothesis of dehydroxylation, (bi)demethylation and oxidation of the rings A and C as major reactions. In contrast, the major TP detected for ERY has been identified as the “dehydration ERY-A”, with the same molecular formula of its parent compound. In addition, the evaluation of the antibiotic activity of the samples along the enzymatic treatments showed a decrease around 100% in both cases

Identification of metabolites and thermal transformation products of quinolones in raw cow milk by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry

The presence of residues of antibiotics, metabolites, and thermal transformation products (TPs), produced during thermal treatment to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms in milk, could represent a risk for people. Cow"s milk samples spiked with enrofloxacin (ENR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), difloxacin (DIF), and sarafloxacin (SAR) and milk samples from cows medicated with ENR were submitted to several thermal treatments. The milk samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to find and identify TPs and metabolites. In this work, 27 TPs of 4 quinolones and 24 metabolites of ENR were found. Some of these compounds had been reported previously, but others were characterized for the first time, including lactose-conjugated CIP, the formamidation reaction for CIP and SAR, and hydroxylation or ketone formation to produce three different isomers for all quinolones studied.

The experience of identity transformation process for people living with tetraplegia and paraplegia = El proceso de reconstrucción de la identidad de las personas afectadas de una paraplejia o tetraplejia

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is perceived as a source of biographical disruption, not only at a physical level but also in terms of people’s life stories, their motivation and their self-esteem. The aim of this study is to explore the factors that people with spinal cord injuries perceive as contributing to rebuilding their sense of self. Two focus groups were established from the SCIcommunity, one of which was made up of 14 people with paraplegia and the other of 9 people with tetraplegia. In addition, four individual interviews were conducted with the participants. The results of content analysis show that the two most prominent factors in the process of identity renegotiation are the partial transformation of the subject’s identity followed by a coming to terms with that new identity. To rebuild self-worth, the importance of finding a balance between change and continuity was identified. Renegotiation of identity after a spinal cord injury is a complex phenomenon that greatly influences the SCI individual’s quality of life perceptions. Reaching a balance between the changes experienced due to the injury and finding a sense of continuity can be either facilitated or obstructed by the economic, political, legal, architectural, and social context

Identification of metabolites and thermal transformation products of quinolones in raw cow milk by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry.

The presence of residues of antibiotics, metabolites, and thermal transformation products (TPs), produced during thermal treatment to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms in milk, could represent a risk for people. Cow"s milk samples spiked with enrofloxacin (ENR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), difloxacin (DIF), and sarafloxacin (SAR) and milk samples from cows medicated with ENR were submitted to several thermal treatments. The milk samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to find and identify TPs and metabolites. In this work, 27 TPs of 4 quinolones and 24 metabolites of ENR were found. Some of these compounds had been reported previously, but others were characterized for the first time, including lactose-conjugated CIP, the formamidation reaction for CIP and SAR, and hydroxylation or ketone formation to produce three different isomers for all quinolones studied.

Greek by Steven Berkoff (1980): The Risky Transformation of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex into a Love Story

[eng] Can Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex really be transformed into a love story, as in Steven Berkoff’s drama entitled Greek? This article will show that, although Greek may be viewed by some critics as simply a provocative drama by no means intended to justify incest, directors, actors and critics in the end become enthralled by the powerful love story that ensues between Eddy and his wife and mother. This perspective reveals that Berkoff’s adaptation, intended to portray the social degradation of 1980s Great Britain, is in reality a quite risky proposition since it represents a flat denial of the tragic awareness of contemporary men and women. However, if this is the case, the audience, apart from enjoying the performance of Berkoff’s drama, might question, even from a non-fundamentalist perspective within the classical tradition, to what degree it makes sense to take inspiration from a text by Sophocles that precisely illustrates the great tragic awareness of the ancient Greeks.