Diversity analysis of endophytes with antimicrobial and antioxidant potential from Viola odorata: an endemic plant species of the Himalayas.

Viola odorata, also known as "Banafshah" in high altitudes of Himalayas, is well known for its pharmaceutical importance in Ayurvedic and Unani medicinal system. The plant is a source of various drugs for its anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, antipyretic, and laxative properties. The endophytes of plants have been reported for their role in modulating various physiological and biological processes of the host plants. In the present study, a total of 244 endophytes were isolated in pure cultures from the roots of Viola odorata, and genetic diversity was evaluated using amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC). The molecular fingerprinting revealed variation among various rRNA types among morphologically different endophytes based on ARDRA and ERIC-PCR. The screening of endophytes showed antimicrobial activity of 11 bacterial isolates and one actinomycete SGA9 against various pathogens Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The antioxidant activity revealed the majority of the bacterial isolates able to scavenge the free radical in the range of 10-50% and 8 bacterial isolates in the range of 50-85%. Principal component analysis separated eight isolates away from the central eclipse and form a separate group based on antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. The identification of these eight isolates showed affiliation with different species of the genus Enterobacter, Microbacterium, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, and Streptomyces. This is the first report on the characterization of endophytic bacteria and actinomycetes from endemic Viola odorata. Results suggested that these endophytes could be explored for the production of antimicrobial and antioxidant products.

Gameplay, learning and emotions in the board game Violets: cinema & action in combating violence against women. / Jogabilidade, aprendizados e emoções no jogo Violetas: cinema & ação no enfrentamento da violência contra a mulher.

The board game Violets: cinema and action in combating violence against women was developed prioritising the liberating features of play to offer a setting for struggles to secure citizenship. The objective of the article was to examine the gameplay of Violets as regards players' understanding of the rules and engagement, and the game's mechanics and design; and to evaluate gameplay, emotions and learning comparatively as dimensions of play. This mixed method study proceeded in stages: a) perfecting gameplay: a workshop with 12 experts, usability tests with 33 participants and content analysis; and b) evaluating play: questionnaires for 78 participants and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test comparing groups of variables. Agreement among participants on aspects of gameplay was high. The group of gameplay variables returned values equal to those of the learning group; both differed significantly from the group for emotions felt while playing. In Violets, the interweave of gameplay with the formative, learning components set up a challenging, affective, symbolic field where players' imagination, interaction, tension and interest were expressed during play.

O jogo de tabuleiro Violetas: cinema & ação no enfrentamento da violência contra a mulher, forjado a partir da priorização das características libertárias do lúdico, ambienta lutas para a conquista da cidadania. O objetivo do artigo foi analisar a jogabilidade do Violetas quanto ao entendimento das regras, ao envolvimento das(os) jogadoras(es), à mecânica e ao design do jogo; e avaliar comparativamente as dimensões da jogabilidade, das emoções e da aprendizagem como expressões da ludicidade. Pesquisa de métodos mistos, em etapas: a) aperfeiçoamento da jogabilidade: oficina com 12 especialistas; testes de usabilidade (33 participantes); análise de conteúdo; b) avaliação da ludicidade: questionários a 78 participantes, teste não paramétrico U de Mann-Whitney para comparação dos grupos de variáveis. Os aspectos da jogabilidade obtiveram graus de concordância elevados entre as/os participantes. As variáveis da jogabilidade assumiram valor igual em relação ao grupo da aprendizagem, ambos significativamente diferentes de um grupo 2, das emoções sentidas na partida. No Violetas, o entrelaçamento da jogabilidade com os componentes formativos da aprendizagem viabilizam a criação de um campo simbólico, desafiador e afetivo em que a imaginação, a interação, a tensão e o interesse das(os) jogadoras(es) se manifestam durante as partidas.

Jogabilidade, aprendizados e emoções no jogo Violetas: cinema & ação no enfrentamento da violência contra a mulher / Gameplay, learning and emotions in the board game Violets: cinema & action in combating violence against women

Resumo O jogo de tabuleiro Violetas: cinema & ação no enfrentamento da violência contra a mulher, forjado a partir da priorização das características libertárias do lúdico, ambienta lutas para a conquista da cidadania. O objetivo do artigo foi analisar a jogabilidade do Violetas quanto ao entendimento das regras, ao envolvimento das(os) jogadoras(es), à mecânica e ao design do jogo; e avaliar comparativamente as dimensões da jogabilidade, das emoções e da aprendizagem como expressões da ludicidade. Pesquisa de métodos mistos, em etapas: a) aperfeiçoamento da jogabilidade: oficina com 12 especialistas; testes de usabilidade (33 participantes); análise de conteúdo; b) avaliação da ludicidade: questionários a 78 participantes, teste não paramétrico U de Mann-Whitney para comparação dos grupos de variáveis. Os aspectos da jogabilidade obtiveram graus de concordância elevados entre as/os participantes. As variáveis da jogabilidade assumiram valor igual em relação ao grupo da aprendizagem, ambos significativamente diferentes de um grupo 2, das emoções sentidas na partida. No Violetas, o entrelaçamento da jogabilidade com os componentes formativos da aprendizagem viabilizam a criação de um campo simbólico, desafiador e afetivo em que a imaginação, a interação, a tensão e o interesse das(os) jogadoras(es) se manifestam durante as partidas.

Abstract The board game Violets: cinema and action in combating violence against women was developed prioritising the liberating features of play to offer a setting for struggles to secure citizenship. The objective of the article was to examine the gameplay of Violets as regards players' understanding of the rules and engagement, and the game's mechanics and design; and to evaluate gameplay, emotions and learning comparatively as dimensions of play. This mixed method study proceeded in stages: a) perfecting gameplay: a workshop with 12 experts, usability tests with 33 participants and content analysis; and b) evaluating play: questionnaires for 78 participants and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test comparing groups of variables. Agreement among participants on aspects of gameplay was high. The group of gameplay variables returned values equal to those of the learning group; both differed significantly from the group for emotions felt while playing. In Violets, the interweave of gameplay with the formative, learning components set up a challenging, affective, symbolic field where players' imagination, interaction, tension and interest were expressed during play.

Suppressive role of Viola odorata extract on malignant characters of mammosphere-derived breast cancer stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Mammospheres are breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) that could be yielded through culturing cells in non-adherent and non-differentiating condition. With regard to therapy resistance of cancer stem cells (CSCs), it is essential to discover efficient approaches targeting CSCs. Viola odorata extract has been considered as a traditional herbal anti-metastatic drug in several cancer cells. Effect of this drug on BCSCs has not been clearly identified. Current study tries to detect and to compare effect of Viola odorata extract on malignant characterization of breast cancer cell lines and BCSCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MCF7 and SKBR3 and their derived mammospheres as BCSCs were used and the effect of alcoholic extraction of Viola odorata on apoptosis and malignant characters of MCF7, SKBR3 and their derived BCSCs were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Viola odorata extract induced cell death in MCF7, SKBR3 and their derived mammospheres through apoptosis without any effects on MCF10A. Also, this extract showed anti-migratory, anti-invasion and anti-colony formation activity in MCF7, SKBR3 and their derived mammospheres which was significantly more in MCF7- and SKBR3-derived mammospheres. Also, this extract decreased size and volume of tumors generated by MCF7, SKBR3 and their derived mammospheres in chicken embryo model. CONCLUSION: Viola odorata extract exerted anti-cancerous activity on both breast cancer cell lines and their derived BCSCs. Anti-cancerous activity of this extract was significantly more in MCF7-, SKBR3-derived mammospheres in comparison with dedicated cell lines. Data suggest that Viola odorata extract mostly targets cancerous cells, not normal cells with exception in high concentration. It acts in a cell-dependent manner.

Effect of Botanical Extracts on Amino Acid and Fatty Acid Profile of Broiler Meat

The objectives of current study were to evaluate the effect of botanical extracts as antioxidants on amino - and fatty acids profile of broiler meat. In total, 200 one-day-old broiler chicks were divided according to a completely randomized design into eight dietary treatments with five replicates of five chicks each. Dietary treatments were: A - positive control (PC) with antibiotics and synthetic antioxidants, B - negative control (NC), C - NC+Trigonellafoenum-graecum, D -NC+Nigella sativa seed, E -NC+Violaodorata, F -NC+Trachyspermumammi, G -PC+Trachyspermumammi+Trigonellafoenum-graecum+Violaodorata, and H -NC+ Trachyspermumammi, Trigonellafoenum-graecum and Viola odorata. Meat amino - and fatty acid contents were analyzed after slaughter at 35 days of age. Data were submitted to one-way analysis of variance and means were compared by Duncans Multiple Range test. The levels of histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine and threonine were significantly higher (p0.05) in the H, F, E, H and F groups respectively. Arginine, tryptophan, valine, methionine, and phenylalanine were significantly higher (p0.05) in the C, F, E, G and H groups. Total essential amino acid levels were highest (40.36%) in C group (p0.05). The meat of H broilers presented significantly higher (p0.05) unsaturated fatty acids (54.8%) and omega-3 contents (2.77%) and the lowest saturated fatty acid content (44.8%). Group F present the highest linoleic acid and omega-6 levels and group H the highest (p0.05) arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) contents. It was concluded that botanical extracts aid health-beneficial meat production and the simultaneous inclusion of Trachyspermumammi, Trigonellafoenum-graecum, and Viola odorata in broiler diets is a more suitable option than the other dietary regimes.

Effect of Botanical Extracts on Amino Acid and Fatty Acid Profile of Broiler Meat

The objectives of current study were to evaluate the effect of botanical extracts as antioxidants on amino - and fatty acids profile of broiler meat. In total, 200 one-day-old broiler chicks were divided according to a completely randomized design into eight dietary treatments with five replicates of five chicks each. Dietary treatments were: A - positive control (PC) with antibiotics and synthetic antioxidants, B - negative control (NC), C - NC+Trigonellafoenum-graecum, D -NC+Nigella sativa seed, E -NC+Violaodorata, F -NC+Trachyspermumammi, G -PC+Trachyspermumammi+Trigonellafoenum-graecum+Violaodorata, and H -NC+ Trachyspermumammi, Trigonellafoenum-graecum and Viola odorata. Meat amino - and fatty acid contents were analyzed after slaughter at 35 days of age. Data were submitted to one-way analysis of variance and means were compared by Duncans Multiple Range test. The levels of histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine and threonine were significantly higher (p0.05) in the H, F, E, H and F groups respectively. Arginine, tryptophan, valine, methionine, and phenylalanine were significantly higher (p0.05) in the C, F, E, G and H groups. Total essential amino acid levels were highest (40.36%) in C group (p0.05). The meat of H broilers presented significantly higher (p0.05) unsaturated fatty acids (54.8%) and omega-3 contents (2.77%) and the lowest saturated fatty acid content (44.8%). Group F present the highest linoleic acid and omega-6 levels and group H the highest (p0.05) arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) contents. It was concluded that botanical extracts aid health-beneficial meat production and the simultaneous inclusion of Trachyspermumammi, Trigonellafoenum-graecum, and Viola odorata in broiler diets is a more suitable option than the other dietary regimes.(AU)

Um paradoxo entre o existir e o resistir: a moda de viola através dos tempos / A paradox between existing and resisting: viola fashion through the ages

RESUMO A moda de viola é considerada um dos gêneros mais tradicionais da música caipira, se aproximando enquanto gênero narrativo das antigas lendas medievais e dos romances de cavalaria ibéricos renascentistas, sendo ainda afluente da cultura moura. Suas temáticas são reveladoras de uma funcionalidade social que, ao transmitirem valores pedagógicos, morais e expressarem poética e musicalmente determinados contextos sociais, servem como ferramenta de denúncia e crítica a processos de exclusão e opressão social. Este artigo traz uma breve descrição de seus primeiros registros coletados por folcloristas no início do século XX, dos dilemas decorrentes de sua inserção no registro fonográfico a partir de 1929 e das contradições acerca da perpetuação do gênero através dos tempos, focalizando principalmente sua potencialidade no campo dos estudos sobre identidade.

ABSTRACT The moda-de-viola [folk guitar songs] is considered one of the most traditional genres of country music, a narrative genre approaching the old medieval legends and romances of the Iberian Renaissance when it was still an affluent of Moorish culture. Its themes reveal a social functionality that, by conveying pedagogical and moral values, and by expressing poetically and musically certain specific social contexts, serves as a tool to denounce and criticize processes of exclusion and social oppression. This article presents a brief description of the first records collected by folklorists in the early twentieth century, of the dilemmas arising from its insertion in the phonographic record from 1929 onward, and of the contradictions in the perpetuation of this genre over time, focusing mainly on its potentiality in the field of identity studies.

Antiinflammatory effects of Viola tricolor gel in a model of sunburn in rats and the gel stability study.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Viola tricolor, popularly known as heartsease has been empirically used in several skin disorders, including burns. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of this study was investigate the antinociceptive and antiinflammatory effect of a gel containing extract of Viola tricolor flowers on thermal burn induced by UVB irradiation and to perform gel stability study. METHODS: The antinociceptive and antiinflammatory effect were evaluated by static and dynamic mechanical allodynia model, paw edema, and neutrophilic cell infiltration. Metabolites compounds were quantified by HPLC. The gel stability study was performed analyzing organoleptical aspects, besides pH, viscosity, and quantification of rutin by HPLC. RESULTS: In the results were evidenced changes in threshold in statical and dynamic mechanical allodynia (I(max)=100 ± 10% and 49 ± 10%, respectively), paw edema (I(max)=61 ± 6%), and myeloperoxidase activity (I(max)=89 ± 5%). Such effects may be attributed, in part, to rutin, salicylic and chlorogenic acids, and others compounds found in this species. No important changes were detected in the stability study, in all aspects analyzed in temperature below 25 °C. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that Viola tricolor gel has an antinociceptive and antiinflammatory effect in the ultraviolet-B-induced burn, since maintain the temperature below 25 °C.

Analysis of rutin in the extract and gel of Viola tricolor.

Heartsease, also known as wild pansy (Viola tricolor L.), contains considerable amounts of polyphenols: 109.32 ± 1.29 mg of Gallic acid equivalent/g of extract. This study investigates their phytoconstituents and antioxidant capacity and validates a method for the quantification of rutin in the crude extract of the flowers of V. tricolor and in the extract incorporated in gel. Much better antioxidant capacity was found for the extract [inhibition concentration (IC50) of 16.00 ± 0.78 µg/mL] than the standard ascorbic acid (IC50 of 16.57 ± 0.95 µg/mL); these excellent results may be attributable to the amounts of polyphenols, flavonoids and condensed tannins. The high-performance liquid chromatography method for the quantification of rutin in the extract and gel was linear, sensitive, precise, specific, accurate and robust. This validated method can be used to control the quality of the extract and the gel.

Effects of sonochemical parameters and inorganic ions during the sonochemical degradation of crystal violet in water.

This work deals with the ultrasonic degradation (800 kHz) of crystal violet (CV) under different experimental conditions. The effects of saturating gas (argon, carbon dioxide and air), CV concentration (2.45-1225 µmol L(-1)), pH (3-9) and power (20-80 W) were evaluated. The best performances were obtained at 80 W with argon as a saturating gas. The pH had no significant effect. The influence of several water matrices containing anions (chloride, sulphate and bicarbonate) and cations (Fe(2+)) on the sonolytic degradation of CV was also investigated. Significant differences were not observed with the presence of chloride and sulphate. However, at relatively low pollutant concentration (2.45 µmol L(-1)) bicarbonate showed a particular effect: a high bicarbonate concentration (350 mmol L(-1)) produced a detrimental effect, while a low bicarbonate concentration (3 mmol L(-1)) increased the efficiency of the process. The presence of Fe(2+) (1 mmol L(-1)) also increased the CV (49 µmol L(-1)) degradation by 32% after 180 min. Analyses of intermediates by GC-MS led to the identification of several sonochemical by-products: N,N-dimethylaminobenzene, 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)-4'-(N',N'-dimethylamino)benzophenone, and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane. The presence of these aromatic structures showed that the main ultrasonic CV degradation pathway is linked to the reaction with *OH radicals. At the end of the treatment, these early products were converted into biodegradable organic by-products which could be easily treated in a subsequent biological treatment.

Floral biology and pollination mechanisms in two Viola species--from nectar to pollen flowers?

The genus Viola is represented by four related species in Brazil belonging to section Leptidium, one of the most primitive sections in the genus. Floral biology and pollination by bees were studied in Viola cerasifolia and V. subdimidiata in high-altitude areas in south-eastern Brazil. Flowers are zygomorphic and spurred. The five stamens are arranged in a cuff around the ovary, and pollen is released by means of apical connective projections, which form a cone surrounding the base of the style. The connective projections of the inferior stamens are elongated and curved to form a hook-shaped structure. Nectar-secreting tissue can occur in the basal connective appendages of the inferior stamens, which project into the spur. Flowers of V. subdimidiata secreted a mean volume of 0.14 micro l nectar over a 24-h period; approx. 40 % of flowers did not secrete any nectar. The main pollinators of these Viola species are female bees belonging to the genus Anthrenoides (Andrenidae), which search mainly for pollen. These bees seem to be oligolectic and obtain large amounts of pollen from Viola by vibrating the flowers or by moving the hook repeatedly back and forth. Males of Anthrenoides patrol Viola clusters and also feed on nectar, acting as secondary pollinators. The basic floral structure in the genus Viola fits that of 'nectar flowers'. The uncommon hook-shaped projections, scanty nectar production, and behaviour of pollinators suggest that V. cerasifolia and V. subdimidiata are shifting their reward for pollinators from nectar to pollen. Based on floral morphology, this shift may be widespread in Viola sect. Leptidium.