Evaluation of antiradical assays used in determining the antioxidant capacity of pure compounds and plant extracts

The efficiency of the chemiluminescence luminol method and colorimetric DPPH and ABTS methods in evaluating the antiradical capacity of pure compounds and plant extracts with antioxidant potential is compared. In case of pure compounds, the values of parameter 'n' (number of radicals quenched per molecule of antiradical) for ascorbic acid, p-hydroquinone, catechol, quercetin, and rutin are similar when measured by colorimetric assays; however, considerably lower values of n are obtained with the luminol assay. The antiradical activity of extracts from male and female individuals of Baccharis burchelli and Baccharis crispa were determined by the luminol assay and expressed using the new Trolox® percentage (%Trolox®) parameter.

In vitro radical-scavenging activity, toxicity against A. salina, and nmr profiles of extracts of lichens collected from Brazil and Antarctica

Extracts of six lichen species collected from Brazil and Antarctica were investigated for their potential toxicity and radical-scavenging properties. The composition of the extracts was investigated using TLC and NMR, leading to identification of atranorin (1), along with salazinic (2), barbatic (3), α-alectoronic (4), α-collatolic (5), cryptochlorophaeic (6), caperatic (7), lobaric (8), and protolichesterinic (9) acids. All acetone extracts were evaluated for their 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability and subjected to Artemia salina bioassay. The free-radical-scavenging activities of each extract (100 µg) ranged from 8.9 ± 0.1% to 38.7 ± 2.5% and the EC50 values ranged from 0.24 ± 2.10 to 3.54 ± 0.28 mg mL-1, while the toxicity of the extracts against A. salina were low (151.0 to >600 µg mL-1).

Simultaneous determination of four phenolic compounds in extracts of aerial parts of Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br. (Convolvulaceae) by HPLC-UV

Among other applications, Ipomoea pes-caprae is popularly used to treat jellyfish stings, supporting the development of a product for dermatological use. Hydroethanolic spray-dried extract was chosen for the further development of phytomedicines, and a stability-indicative HPLC-UV method was developed and validated for the determination of isoquercitrin and isochlorogenic acids A, B and C. The method was developed using a C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with an acetonitrile:water mobile phase at pH 3.0 in a gradient run. The four constituents and other unidentified components of the extract were appropriately resolved without interference of degradation products after stress tests (acid, alkali, neutral, oxidant, photolysis). The method showed linearity in the isoquercitrin concentration range from 5.0-50.0 µg mL-1, with adequate precision (RSD% < 2.5% for the intra- and inter-day studies), accuracy (recovery of 100.0 ± 2.0%), and robustness. Both the herbal drug and spray-dried extract of I. pes-caprae were subjected to stability studies in accelerated and long-term conditions over four months. The samples maintained their characteristics and marker contents (< 10% of variation).

CHEMICAL STUDY OF Hortia superba (Rutaceae) AND INVESTIGATION OF THE ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF CRUDE EXTRACTS AND CONSTITUENTS ISOLATED FROM Hortia SPECIES

In this paper, the chemical study of Hortia superba and antimycobacterial potential of Hortia species were investigated. Crude extracts and limonoids, alkaloids, dihydrocinnamic acid derivatives and coumarins isolated from Hortia superba, Hortia oreadica and Hortia brasiliana were evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Mycobacterium kansasii and Mycobacterium avium. The results obtained demonstrated an inhibitory effect of the dichloromethane extract of leaves of H. oreadica (MIC 31.25 µg mL-1), indolequinazoline (15.62 µg mL-1) and furoquinoline (31.25 µg mL-1) alkaloids, and dihydrocinnamic acid derivatives (62.50 µg mL-1), on the growth of M. tuberculosis. These results are promising in relation to the search for biologically active natural products and could be useful in the development of effective new drugs against mycobacteria.

Effect of extracts from citric biomass, rusted coffee leaves and coffee berry husks on Phoma costarricencis of coffee plants

Phoma leaf spot, caused by Phoma costarricensis poses a serious threat to coffee (Coffea arabica) production, especially in the highlands of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Extracts of citric biomass, coffee berry husks and coffee leaves severely affected by rust caused by Hemileia vastatrix, were evaluated against P. costarricensis. In an in vitro assay, aqueous extracts of rusted leaves and berry husks plus the commercial extracts based on citric biomass named Ecolife® and Agromil® were tested at various dilutions on the mycelial growth inhibition of P. costarricensis. In vivo, coffee seedlings maintained in glasshouse, were sprayed with these extracts seven days before inoculation of P. costarricensis. Only extracts from citric biomass had inhibitory effects on the fungus. In vivo, Ecolife® (5 ml/l), Agromil® (5 g/l) and the aqueous extract of rusted coffee leaves (dilution 1:6) reduced Phoma leaf spot. Both, Ecolife® and the extract of rusted coffee leaves were significantly more effective in reducing the area under the lesion progress curve when applied at lower doses, indicating a possible effect on the induction of resistance.

Allelopathic potential and systematic evaluation of secondary compounds in extracts from roots of Canavalia ensiformis by capillary electrophoresis

Organic extracts were obtained from roots of Canavalia ensiformis and evaluated for allelopathic potential on the germination of the weed seeds: Mimosa pudica, Cassia tora and Cassia occidentalis showing a strong allelopathic potential. After that, a systematic study of these crude extracts was made using specific protocols developed in capillary electrophoresis (CE) in order to determine some classes of secondary metabolites. Capillary electrophoresis protocols were highly specific, which makes it possible to identify 5 classes of compounds using the same crude extract samples and analyze them fartly. Some of the compounds identified show activity in the inhibition of seeds germination.

Source and Target Text-Orientation in Drama Translation. An Analysis of Four Translations of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa käsittelen lähde- ja kohdetekstikeskeisyyttä näytelmäkääntämisessä. Tutkimuskohteina olivat käännösten sanasto, syntaksi, näyttämötekniikka, kielikuvat, sanaleikit, runomitta ja tyyli. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, näkyykö teoreettinen painopisteen siirtyminen lähdetekstikeskeisyydestä kohdetekstikeskeisyyteen suomenkielisessä näytelmäkääntämisessä. Oletuksena oli, että siirtyminen näkyy käytetyissä käännösstrategioissa. Tutkimuksen teoriaosuudessa käsitellään ensin lähde- ja kohdetekstikeskeisiä käännösteorioita. Ensin esitellään kaksi lähdetekstikeskeistä teoriaa, jotka ovat Catfordin (1965) muodollinen vastaavuus ja Nidan (1964) dynaaminen ekvivalenssi. Kohdetekstikeskeisistä teorioista käsitellään Touryn (1980) ja Newmarkin (1981) teoreettisia näkemyksiä sekä Reiss ja Vermeerin (1986) esittelemää skopos-teoriaa. Vieraannuttamisen ja kotouttamisen periaatteet esitellään lyhyesti. Teoriaosuudessa käsitellään myös näytelmäkääntämistä, William Shakespearen kieltä ja siihen liittyviä käännösongelmia. Lisäksi esittelen lyhyesti Shakespearen kääntämistä Suomessa ja Julius Caesarin neljä kääntäjää. Tutkimuksen materiaalina oli neljä Shakespearen Julius Caesar –näytelmän suomennosta, joista Paavo Cajanderin käännös on julkaistu vuonna 1883, Eeva-Liisa Mannerin vuonna 1983, Lauri Siparin vuonna 2006 ja Jarkko Laineen vuonna 2007. Analyysissa käännöksiä verrattiin lähdetekstiin ja toisiinsa ja vertailtiin kääntäjien tekemiä käännösratkaisuja. Tulokset olivat oletuksen mukaisia. Lähdetekstikeskeisiä käännösstrategioita oli käytetty uusissa käännöksissä vähemmän kuin vanhemmissa. Kohdetekstikeskeiset strategiat erosivat huomattavasti toisistaan ja uusinta käännöstä voi sanoa adaptaatioksi. Jatkotutkimuksissa tulisi materiaali laajentaa koskemaan muitakin Shakespearen näytelmien suomennoksia. Eri aikakausien käännöksiä tulisi verrata keskenään ja toisiinsa, jotta voitaisiin luotettavasti kuvata muutosta lähde- ja kohdetekstikeskeisten käännösstrategioiden käytössä ja eri aikakausien tyypillisten strategioiden kartoittamiseksi.

Adorno e Beckett: aporias da autonomia do drama

O artigo procura situar a interpretação proposta por Theodor W. Adorno para a peça "Fim de partida", de Samuel Beckett, no contexto de sua concepção de autonomia da arte. Segundo a hipótese do trabalho, o conceito de autonomia subjaz ao diagnóstico histórico de Adorno a respeito do gênero dramático, o qual justifica sua leitura da peça como uma paródia do drama. O artigo busca mostrar os acertos dessa leitura perante a recepção inicial da peça, e também seus limites, uma vez que resulta em uma abordagem da experiência teatral focada primordialmente na consideração do texto teatral, em detrimento da encenação.

Induction of plant defense responses by Ocimum gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae) leaf extracts

Aqueous extracts of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum at 10, 25, 40 and 50% (w/v) concentrations induced the production of phytoalexins in soybean cotyledons and sorghum mesocotyls. The aqueous extracts also induced systemic resistance in cucumber to Colletotrichum lagenarium, reflected by reduction in disease incidence and an increase in chitinase production. Modes of action and the existence of possible elicitors of defense response in O. gratissimum leaf extracts are discussed.

Intercultural bridges in teenagers' theatrical events : performing self and constructing cultural identity through a creative drama process

The overriding aim of this drama educational case study is to deepen the understanding of meaning making in a creative intercultural youth theatre process and to examine it in the context of the 10th European Children's TheatreEncounter. The research task is to give a theoretical description of some key features of a creative drama process as the basis for theory about meaning makingin physical theatre. The first task is to illuminate the culture-historical connections of the multilayered practice of the EDERED-association. The second taskis to analyse and interpret theatrical meaning making. The ethnographical research site is regarded as a theatrical event. The analysis of the theatrical eventis divided into four segments: cultural contexts, contextual theatricality, theatrical playing and playing culture. These segments are connected with four research questions: What are the cultural contexts of a creative drama process? How can the organisation of the Encounter, genres, aesthetic codes and perception ofcodes be seen to influence the lived experiences of the participants? What are some of the key phases and characteristics in a creative practice? What kind of cultural learning can be interpreted from the performance texts? The interpretative question concerns identity and community (re)construction. How are the categories, `community´ and `child´ constructed in the Encounter culture? In this drama educational case study the research material (transcribed interviews, coded questionnaire answers, participant drawings, videotaped process text and performance texts) are examined in a multi-method analysis in the meta-theoretical framework of Dewey's naturalistic pragmatism. A three-dimensional research interest through a combination of lived experiences, social contexts and cultural-aesthetical practices compared with drama-educational practices required the methodological project of cultural studies. Furthermore, the critical interpretation of cultural texts is divided into three levels of analyses which are called description, structural analysis and theoretical interpretation. Dialogic validity (truthfulness, self-reflexivity and polyvocality) is combined with contextual validity (sensitivity to social context and awareness of historicity) and with deconstructive validity (awareness of the social discourses). My research suggests that itis possible, by means of physical theatre, to construct symbolic worlds where questions about intercultural identity and multilingual community are examined and where provisional answers are constructed in social interaction.

Beyond the obvious : three acts in educational drama

Researching research is not a common theme in educational drama. Nor is the educational drama process from a participant perspective a typical focus of research, at least not if the participants are disabled. Yet this is the theme of this thesis, a drama in three acts. The aim of this thesis is to describe, analyse, and discuss both the ways in which research within educational drama can be carried out and represented, and the experiences of the participants of the educational drama process. The theoretical framework that steers the research process is built up of two pairs of frames, each of them, like Russian nesting dolls, containing further frames. The first frame, relating to the outcomes of conducting research in educational drama, comprises philosophical, representational, and personal theories. As the second question asks what educational drama is, the subject related frame is built up of pedagogical, drama educational, and aesthetic theories. The study in its entirety follows the structure of the researcher’s hermeneutical learning process and takes the form of a journey starting from what is familiar, stretching towards what is new and different, and finally returning back to the beginning with a new view on what was there at the start. The thesis consists of two separate but related studies. The first, a familiar study conducted earlier, Alpha in Act I, was carried out among upper secondary school pupils. In the second, the new and therefore unfamiliar study, Omega in Act III, the participants are adult individuals who are physically and communicatively disabled. In between these two Acts an element of “Verfremdung” where the Alpha study is systematically scrutinized as the purpose is to teach and to manage the reader to think. Meta-discussions on the philosophical issues of the study are conducted throughout the text, parallel to the empirical parts. The outcomes of the first research question show that philosophical, methodical, and representational consistency is crucial for research. While this may sound like stating the obvious, this has nevertheless not always been considered fact, especially not within qualitative research. The outcomes further stress that representational issues are also to be recognized when presenting non-rational aspects of educational drama. By wording the world, through the use of visualising language, the surplus of meanings of educational drama can be, as they are within this study, made visible, sensible, and almost tangible, not only cognitively understandable. The outcomes of the second question point to the different foci of the studies, with Alpha focusing on the rationally retold experiences and Omega focusing on nonrational experiences. The outcomes expose educational drama as a learning process comprising doing, reflecting, and being. The doing aspect communicates the concrete efforts in creating a piece of theatre, while the being aspect relates experiences of being as situated, embodied and sensuous, reciprocal, empowering, aesthetic and artistic, and existential. Reflection is the twine that runs throughout the process and connects both doing and being. In summary, the outcomes could be formulated as “learning from learning how to make theatre”.

SME internationalisation from a network perspective : an empirical study on a Finnish-Greek business network

The study examines the internationalisation process of a contemporary SME firm and explores the impact of its business network on this development. The objective of the study is to understand SME internationalisation and its dynamics from a network perspective. The purpose of this research project is to describe and explore the development process of a firm and its business network by identifying the changes, critical events and influence factors that form this development. It is a qualitative case study, which focuses on a Finnish focal firm and its respective business network as it expands into the Greek market. It is a longitudinal research process, which covers a period of time from 1994 to 2004. The empirical study concentrates on the paper trading and converting business. The study builds on the network theory and the framework provided by Johanson and Mattsson's (1988) model on network internationalisation. The incremental internationalisation theories and network theories form the theoretical focus. The research project is organised according to a process view. The focal firm evolves from a domestically-oriented small subsidiary into an internationally experienced company, which has activities in several market areas and numerous business networks in various market segments and product categories. The findings illustrate the importance of both the domestic and foreign business network context in a firm's internationalisation process. The results of the study suggest theoretical modifications on a firm's internationalisation process by broadening the perspective and incorporating the strategic context of a firm. The findings suggest that internationalisation process is a non-linear process, which does not have a deterministic order in its development. The findings emphasise the significance of relational networks, both managerial and entrepreneurial, for establishing position in foreign markets. It implies that a firm's evolution is significantly influenced by its business network and by critical events. Business networks gain coherence due to common goals and they use accumulated capabilities to exploit market opportunities. The business network sets constraints and provides opportunities, which makes the related decision making strategically important. The firm co-evolves with its business network. The research project provides an instrumental case study with a description of an SME internationalisation process. It contributes to existing knowledge by illustrating dynamics in an international business network and by pinpointing the importance of suppliers, customers, partners, ownerships and competition to the internationalisation process.

Lidandet som kamp och drama

Denna studie syftar till att via utformandet av en teoretisk modell nå ökad förståelse för hur människan erfar lidandet. Studien, som har en hermeneutisk ansats, fokuserar lidandet som drama och kamp, vilka beskrivs som lidandets form och substans. Data insamlades genom samtal med informanter från två kontext. Den ena informantgruppen som utgjordes av nio personer med drogrelaterade problem valdes med utgångspunkt i ett antagande om att missbruket härrör från ett livslidande. De övriga informanterna (nio stycken) söktes inom ett till det yttre kontrasterande kontext, de hjärtopererade patienternas. De texter dessa samtal genererade tolkades sedan med utgångspunkt i en hermeneutisk ansats, som hämtat metodologisk inspiration av Ricoeur och Helenius. Tolkningen ägde rum i flera steg och det meningsbärande söktes genom naiv tolkning, analys av textens struktur samt genom ett sökande efter alternativa tolkningar. Tolkningsprocessen resulterade en uppsättning teser vilka relaterades till undersökningens teoretiska perspektiv samt till en begreppsanalys av ’kamp’. Den teoretiska modellen tar fasta på lidandets kamp som en kamp mellan värdighet och skam, lust och olust. Denna kamp kan gestaltas i lidandets drama där människan på olika sätt söker lindring i lidandet. Detta kan ske genom att man försöker besegra lidandet, avtäcka det eller försonas med det. Ytterligare ett sätt att söka lindring är att ge upp lidandets kamp och resignera. I den teoretiska modellen gestaltas även hur människan kan förhålla sig till kampen på olika sätt beroende på vilket perspektiv hon har inför framtiden. Då människan uppfattar att framtiden präglas av ett hot om avskurenhet och död förhåller hon sig till livet på ett sådant sätt att lidandet dominerar. Om uppfattningen om framtiden präglas av liv och gemenskap kan hon förhålla sig till kampen som hälsa. När lidandet blir outhärdligt förlorar människan sin förankring i tiden. I och med att människan isoleras i nuet kan lidandet bemästras och begränsas till en konkret situation. För att en rörelse i hälsoprocesserna skall äga rum måste människan emellertid relatera till tiden. Relationen till en annan människa och skapandet av en lidandeberättelse innebär en möjlighet till förankring i tiden och därmed också till helande.

Use of botanical extracts, cassava wastewater and nematicide for the control of root-knot nematode on carrot

Aqueous extracts of several plant species have shown promising in controlling root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White), one of the most limiting agents for carrot cultivation. The current study evaluated the effect of aqueous extracts from seven botanical species applied to 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 days after sowing 'Nantes' carrots in soil infested with root-knot nematode. Three other treatments included cassava wastewater, distilled water (control), which were applied in the same periods of the extracts application, in addition to carbofuran 50G (80Kg/ha), which was applied once at 60 days after carrot sowing. Evaluations were performed at 90 days after inoculation to determine shoot and root fresh weight, as well as the diameter and the length of principal roots and the number of galls on primary and secondary roots. Plants treated with cassava wastewater, extracts of Ricinus communis L. seeds, Crotalaria juncea L. seeds, R. communis leaves + branches + fruits, Chenopodium ambrosioides L. leaves + branches + inflorescences and Azadirachta indica A. Juss. seeds showed the highest rates of total weight (root + shoot) and shoot weight. The extract of R. communis leaves + branches + fruits provides the highest total root weight and principal root diameter. Cassava wastewater and extracts of R. communis seeds provided the highest principal root weight. The extract of R. communis seeds and cassava wastewater can be considered promising for the alternative control of M. incognita.

Drama

Kantaesitys.