Intermolecular forces are a useful concept that can explain the attraction between particulate matter as well as numerous phenomena in our lives such as viscosity, solubility, drug interactions, and dyeing of fibers. However, studies show that students have difficulty understanding this important concept, which has led us to develop a free educational software in English and Portuguese. The software can be used interactively by teachers and students, thus facilitating better understanding. Professors and students, both graduate and undergraduate, were questioned about the software quality and its intuitiveness of use, facility of navigation, and pedagogical application using a Likert scale. The results led to the conclusion that the developed computer application can be characterized as an auxiliary tool to assist teachers in their lectures and students in their learning process of intermolecular forces.

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a atividade antifúngica de extratos de M. oleifera frente a fungos isolados de camarões, cultivados em água doce, e testar a toxicidade dos extratos em larvas de Macrobrachium amazonicum. Os extratos etanólicos de vagens, sementes, folhas, caules e flores e o extrato clorofórmico de flores de M. oleifera foram testados contra 14 cepas de Candida spp. e 10 cepas de Hortaea werneckii isolados da água de cultivo e do trato digestório de M. amazonicum. A atividade antifúngica foi determinada por microdiluição, com base nos documentos M27-A3 e M38-A2 do CLSI. A toxicidade foi avaliada por exposição das larvas de M. amazonicum a concentrações entre 10-1000 mg mL-1 dos extratos, realizando contagem de larvas mortas (CL50), após 24 horas. Os melhores resultados foram verificados com o extrato clorofórmico de flores, agindo frente a todas as cepas testadas, com concentrações inibitórias mínimas variando entre 0,019-2,5 mg mL-1. O extrato etanólico de folhas, flores e sementes agiu ante 22/24, 21/24 e 20/24 cepas, respectivamente. O extrato de vagens foi eficaz contra cepas de Candida spp. (14/24) e o extrato de caule apenas contra quatro cepas de H. werneckii (4/24). Os extratos de sementes, flores (fração clorofórmica), caules e folhas apresentaram baixa ou nenhuma toxicidade, enquanto que extratos de vagens e flores (fração etanólica) apresentaram toxicidade moderada. Assim, observou-se atividade antifúngica dos extratos em Candida spp . e H. werneckii com uma ampla margem de segurança para as larvas de M. amazonicum, demonstrando ser promissor para o manejo sustentável dos efluentes do cultivo de M. amazonicum

This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of M. oleifera extracts against fungi isolated from farmed prawns and test the toxicity of the extracts on larvae of Macrobrachium amazonicum. The ethanol extracts of pods, seeds, leaves, stems and flowers and chloroform extract of flowers of M. oleifera were tested against 14 strains of Candida spp. and 10 strains of Hortaea werneckii isolated from farming water and the digestive tract of M. amazonicum. Antifungal activity was determined by microdilution, based on the M27-A3 and M38-A2 CLSI documents. Toxicity was evaluated by exposing larvae of M. amazonicum at concentrations between 10-1000mg mL-1, counting dead larvae (CL50) after 24 hours. The best results were verified with the chloroform extract of flowers, acting against all tested strains, with MICs ranging from 0.019 to 2.5 mg mL-1. Ethanol extracts of leaves, flowers and seeds acted against 22/24, 21/24 and 20/24 strains, respectively. The extract of pods was only effective against strains of Candida spp. (14/24) and extract of stem only against four strains of H. werneckii (4/24). Extracts of seeds, flowers (chloroform fraction), stems and leaves showed low or no toxicity, whereas extracts of pods and flowers (ethanol fraction) showed moderate toxicity. Thus, the antifungal activity of these extracts agaisnt Candida spp. and H. werneckii was observed, a wide margin of safety for larvae of M. amazonicum, demonstrating to be promising for the sustainable management of effluents from M. amazonicum farming

Resonance is a useful concept that shows how electrons are shared between two or more atoms and allows a prediction of the chemical reactivity and relative stability of reagents, intermediates, and products. An educational software that enables interactive exploration of the concepts related to resonance and thereby facilitates its understanding was developed. The software was field-tested, and an evaluation questionnaire concerning the software as an educational tool was answered by the students and professors involved in the test. The results led to the conclusion that the developed computer application can be characterized as an auxiliary tool that assists teachers in their lectures and students in their learning process.

Optical activity is the ability of chiral substances to rotate the plane of plane-polarized light and is measured using an instrument called a polarimeter. An educational software application to explore, both interactively and visually, the concepts related to polarimetry to facilitate their understanding was developed. The software was field-tested and a questionnaire evaluating the graphics interface, usability and the software as an educational tool, was answered by students. The results characterized the computer application developed as an auxiliary tool for assisting teachers in lectures and students in the learning process.

O aumento da incidência das infecções fúngicas, bem como o registro crescente de resistência e falha terapêutica, têm impulsionado a realização de estudos de prospecção de fitoquímicos com propriedades antifúngicas. Diante do exposto, o presente estudo investigou o potencial antifúngico de extratos de Baccharis ligustrina, B. schultzii, Croton jacobinensis, Licania rigida, Moringa oleifera, Vernonia sp. e V. brasiliana, e de óleos essenciais de Lippia alba (Quimiotipos 1, 2, 3 e 4) e Ocimum gratissimum. Inicialmente, foi realizada uma avaliação qualitativa da atividade antifúngica de cada amostra por meio do método de difusão em ágar, frente a cepas de Candida albicans e Microsporum canis, mostrando que apenas os extratos de M. oleifera (MLF-C) e Vernonia sp. (TVS-H) apresentaram atividade frente a C. albicans e M. canis, com halos de inibição =10mm. Também foram determinadas a concentração inibitória mínima (CIM), frente a 12 cepas de C. albicans e M. canis, e a toxicidade aguda de MLF-C e TVS-H, através de protocolos do Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) e ensaio com Artemia sp., respectivamente. A CIM (80%) de MLF-C e TVS-H variou de 0,156 a 2,5mg mL-1 frente C. albicans e de 0,039 a 1,25 e 0,039 a 0,625mg mL-1 para M. canis, respectivamente. A CIM (100%) de MLF-C e TVS-H variou de 0,625 a 2,5mg mL-1 frente C. albicans é de 0,039 a 2,5 e 0,078 a 1,25mg mL-1 para M. canis, respectivamente. As doses letais (DL50) para o MLF-C e TVS-H foram de 201,09 e 204,17mg mL-1, respectivamente, sendo, portanto, demonstrada a baixa toxicidade desses extratos. Os extratos de M. oileifera e Vernonia sp. apresentaram atividade antifúngica frente cepas de C. albicans e M. canis, abrindo a perspectiva de estudos para caracterização dos seus componentes bioativos.

The increase in the incidence of fungal infections and the frequent report of resistance and therapeutic failure has promoted the performance of phytochemical screening for compounds with antifungal properties. Based on this, the present study investigated the antifungal potential of extracts of Baccharis ligustrina, B. schultzii, Croton jacobinensis, Licania rigida, Moringa oleifera, Vernonia sp. and V. brasiliana and of essential oils of Lippia alba (Chemotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4) and Ocimum gratissimum. Initially, a qualitative evaluation of the antifungal activity of each vegetal sample against strains of Candida albicans and Microsporum canis, through the agar diffusion method, was performed. Extracts of M. oleifera (MLF-C) and Vernonia sp. (TVS-H) presented activity against C. albicans and M. canis with inhibition halos =10mm. Then, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for MLF-C and TVS-H against 12 strains of C. albicans and M. canis were determined through the methodology established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), and acute toxicity tests against Artemia sp. were performed for both extracts. MICs (80%) for MLF-C and TVS-H varied from 0.156 to 2.5mg mL-1 against C. albicans and from 0.039 to 1.25mg mL-1 and 0.039 to 0.625mg mL-1 against M. canis, respectively. MICs (100%) for MLF-C and TVS-H varied from 0.625 to 2.5mg mL-1 for C. albicans and from 0.039 to 2.5mg mL-1 and 0.078 to 1.25mg mL-1 against M. canis, respectively. Lethal doses (DL50) of MLF-C and TVS-H were 201.09 and 204.17mg mL-1, respectively, being, therefore, demonstrated the low toxicity of these extracts. M. oleifera and Vernonia sp. extracts presented in vitro antifungal activity against C. albicans and M. canis, creating perspectives for the development of studies on the characterizations of their bioactive components.