The "Table of mineral classification" by Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa: mineralogy and medicine in Brazil / A "Tabela de classificação mineral", de Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa: mineralogia e medicina no Brasil

Abstract Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa was a scientist and teacher in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, whose work spanned engineering, medicine, the social sciences, and law. This paper presents and discusses a manuscript entitled "Table of mineral classification," which he appended to his dissertation Da receptividade mórbida , presented to the Faculty of Medicine in 1889. The foundations and features of the table provide a focus for understanding nineteenth-century mineralogy and its connections in Brazil at that time through this scientist. This text was Gouvêa's contribution to the various mineral classification systems which have emerged from different parts of the world.

Resumo Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa foi um cientista e professor no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, cuja obra abrange engenharia, medicina, ciências sociais e direito. Este artigo apresenta e discute o texto intitulado "Tabela de classificação mineral", que ele anexou a sua tese Da receptividade mórbida, apresentada na Escola Superior de Medicina, em 1889. Os fundamentos e características da tabela propiciam a compreensão da mineralogia do século XIX e suas conexões no Brasil à época por intermédio desse cientista. O texto foi a contribuição de Gouvêa aos diversos sistemas de classificação de minerais originados de diferentes partes do mundo.

Diversidad de inclusiones minerales en la subtribu Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae)

Diversity of mineral inclusions in the subtribe Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae). Mineral inclusions in plants, of different chemical constitution and forms, have been studied in some plant groups and are currently used as diagnostic tools in taxonomic identifications. With the aim to identify their possible application in taxonomy, mineral inclusions in the leaves of 140 species of Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae) were analyzed and compared. Leave transversal sections were studied with the aid of clear field, phase contrast, and polarized light microscopy. Crystals commonly occured in mesophyll cells, and only in two species those were observed in epidermal cells. Several forms of calcium oxalate crystals and silicdioxide deposits in the form of stegmata were found. The most common crystalline forms were raphides, prisms and druses. Nevertheless, crystals like sands, and concentric and radial plates were also observed in few species. These crystalline forms of concentric and radial plates are reported for the first time in Oncidiinae and Orchidaceae. The stegmata are conical with rough surface, forming tiers along with fibers. Stegmata commonly occur in the vascular bundle sheath and in the abaxial or adaxial fiber bundles. However, few species do not have stegmata in fiber bundles and other species lack both. The taxonomic importance of these mineral inclusions is discussed for the different clades, genera or species within the subtribe Oncidiinae. Rev. Biol. Trop. 58 (2): 733-755. Epub 2010 June 02.

Las inclusiones minerales en las plantas, han sido utilizadas como herramientas de diagnóstico en la identificación taxonómica. Se analizaron y compararon las inclusiones minerales en las hojas de 140 especies de Oncidiinae (Epidendroideae: Orchidaceae). Las secciones transversales de hojas se observaron para describir las inclusiones minerales con el apoyo de la microscopía de luz en campo claro, contraste de fases y polarización. Los cristales generalmente están presentes en las células del mesófilo, y sólo dos especies los presentan en las células epidérmicas. Se encontraron cristales de oxalato de calcio de diferentes formas y depósitos de dióxido de sílice en forma de estégmatos. Las formas cristalinas más comunes son rafidios, prismas y drusas. Sin embargo, algunas especies tienen cristales en arena, concéntricos o en placas radiales. En esta investigación se reportan las dos últimas por primera vez para Oncidiinae y también para Orchidaceae. Los estégmatos son cónicos con superficie rugosa, generalmente formando hileras a lo largo de las fibras. Comúnmente se presentan en los haces vasculares y en los haces de fibras abaxiales. Sin embargo, existen especies cuyos haces de fibras no tienen estégmatos, así como especies sin haces de fibras ni estégmatos. Se discute la importancia taxonómica de estas inclusiones minerales para los diferentes clados, géneros y/o especies de Oncidiinae.

Nutritional evaluation of a high-temperature dried soft wheat pasta supplemented with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp) / Evaluación nutricional de una pasta de harina de trigo secada a alta temperatura y suplementada con frijol (judía de vaca) (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp)

El objetive of this study was to determine the nutrional quality of the pasta described above. The work was unique in the following aspects: 1) the drying process was a nonconcentional method, consisting of a high-temperature short-time (HTST) process; 1) the nutritional quality of the wheat pasta was improved by the cowpea supplementation. Cowpea was especially chosen due to it being a staple food in the diet of the people in Northeast Brazil. Benefits attrributed to the diet of the people in Northeast Brazil. Benefits attrributed to the HTST drying process include a reduction in bacterial counts, shorter processing time and less energy consumption. In addition, there are reports in the literature of improved pasta firmness, color intensity, and cooking characteristics, when non Tricum durum materials plus drying are used. The pasta produced in this work was made using 100 por ciento soft wheat flour (SP), and soft wheat flour (SF) mixed supplemented with 10,20 and 30 por ciento dehulled cowpea meal (CM); refered to as 10,20 and 30 por ciento SP, respectively. The methods utilized in this proyect includes: AACC methods for proximate analysis and trypsin inhibitor activity determination, atomic absorption spectrophotometry for mineral determination, a dyebinding procedure for measuring availablelysine, HPLC for amino acid quantification, FAO/WHO amino acid scoring patterms for chemical scores and AOAC for protein digestibility. The protein content of the pastas supplemented with CM ranged from 11.3 to 14.2 per cento, white the 100 por ciento SF pasta (SP) contained 10.9 per cento. CM supplementation resulted in 52 to 113 per cento more total lysine, and 26 to 82 per cento more available lysine in the CM pasta compared to the SP. Chemical scores dor SP were 45 and 59 por ciento for preschool and school-age children, respectively. Adding 30 por ciento CM to SP impproved the above chemical scores to 89 and 100+, respectively. However, te addition of CM compromised the in vitro protein digestibility of SP from 4 to 6 per cento. The addition fo 30 per cento CM provided the SP with greater calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu): 44,49, 91 and 402 per cento respectively. Cooking the CM pasta resulted in a 50 to 90 per cent retention of mineral content, with the greatest loss being for Cu. In the cooked 30 per cent CM pasta, the contents of Fe, Zn and Cu, respectively, 50,67 amd 243 per cent greater thair content in the cooked SP