This thesis is focused on interconnection between education of plant pigments and inquiry- based science education in upper primary school. The theoretical section of this thesis deals with the current quality of education and knowledge level of Czech pupils in science subjects, as well as characteristic of inquiry based science education and description of various types of plant pigments. Evaluation of publications focused on occurrence of plant pigments in curricular document is another part of this thesis. The study revealed that plant pigments represent only a marginal topic of these publications. The next section of this thesis is a questionnaire survey about utilization of inquiry based science education among the teachers of biology in upper primary school. The results showed that most of the teachers were well acquainted with the method and applied it during their teaching. The last section of this thesis contains two proposals for experimental tasks of inquiry-based science education of plant pigments, which are focused on interface of biology and chemistry. Both tasks were successfully solved.

\'Piraroxa\' e \'Vanda\' são cultivares de alface cujos comportamentos pós-colheita ainda não foram caracterizados. Um dos diferenciais destas cultivares pode estar relacionado ao seu alto potencial antioxidante como resultado da ação de seus compostos fenólicos. A fim de avaliar os parâmetros pós-colheita e a viabilidade do uso destas cultivares como fontes de antioxidantes, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo investigar suas respostas fisiológicas e bioquímicas, comparando-as entre si em diferentes temperaturas de armazenamento e em épocas de colheita distintas. Tanto no verão quanto no inverno, as hortaliças foram armazenadas por 28 dias à 0ºC e 95-97%UR e por quatro dias em condição ambiente monitorada. Em todas as condições de armazenamento e períodos de colheita, não houve diferença entre as cultivares e tendências decrescentes foram observadas para a produção de etileno e as taxas respiratórias. O armazenamento refrigerado proporcionou acentuado declínio destas variáveis. Já em condição ambiente, na colheita de verão, a cv. Vanda apresentou produção superior de etileno e, na colheita de inverno, a cv. Piraroxa apresentou taxas respiratórias mais elevadas. Os parâmetros de coloração permaneceram constantes. As cultivares apresentaram tendências similares entre si, tanto para a perda de massa fresca quanto para o conteúdo de clorofila e carotenoides, e o armazenamento refrigerado e as altas umidades relativas mostraram-se eficazes para o controle da perda de massa. O conteúdo de antocianinas foi influenciado pela temperatura de armazenamento, mas não pela época de colheita, e não demonstrou estar diretamente relacionado ao potencial antioxidante da cv. Piraroxa. As características de qualidade representadas pela aparência das hortaliças foram preservadas, em armazenamento refrigerado, até o 28º dia e, em condição ambiente, até o primeiro e segundo dias. A atividade da polifenoloxidase (PPO) e o potencial antioxidante das hortaliças foram influenciados pela época de colheita, mas não pela temperatura de armazenamento. A cv. Vanda apresentou atividade da PPO superior na colheita de verão e a cv. Piraroxa apresentou potencial antioxidante superior em todas as condições de armazenamento e épocas de colheita. O teor de compostos fenólicos e a atividade sequestrante do radical livre DPPH apresentaram valores superiores na colheita de verão para ambas as cultivares, com tendências à constância de valores, enquanto o sistema-modelo ?-caroteno/ácido linoleico demonstrou tendências crescentes, com elevações significativas a partir do segundo dia de armazenamento em condição ambiente e a partir do 21º dia de armazenamento refrigerado. Os parâmetros fisiológicos analisados evidenciaram grande similaridade em relação ao comportamento pós-colheita das duas cultivares e a durabilidade e manutenção das características qualitativas das hortaliças durante o armazenamento refrigerado foi extremamente satisfatória. Em contrapartida, o armazenamento, tanto em condição ambiente monitorada quanto em refrigeração, não demonstrou constituir-se como técnica válida para a maximização do potencial antioxidante das hortaliças, embora a alface constitua fonte dietética importante de antioxidantes. / \'Piraroxa\' and \'Vanda\' are lettuce cultivars whose postharvest behavior has not yet been characterized. One of the differentials of these cultivars may be related to its high antioxidant potential as a result of its phenolic compounds action. In order to evaluate the postharvest parameters and feasibility of using these cultivars as sources of antioxidants, this study aimed to investigate their physiological and biochemical responses, comparing them to each other at different storage temperatures and at different harvest times. Vegetables were stored for 28 days at 0ºC and 95-97%RH and for four days at ambient monitored condition regardless of summer or winter seasons. In all storage conditions and harvest periods there was no difference between cultivars and decreasing trends were observed for ethylene production and respiratory rates. Cold storage provided dramatic decline of these variables. At ambient condition, however, cv. Vanda showed higher production of ethylene in the summer harvest and cv. Piraroxa had higher respiratory rates in the winter harvest. Color parameters remained constant. Cultivars showed similar trends among one another for both weight loss and the content of chlorophyll and carotenoids. Also, cold storage and high relative humidity were effective for the control of weight loss. Anthocyanins content was influenced by storage temperature, not by the harvest season, and did not show to be directly related to the antioxidant potential of cv. Piraroxa. Vegetables quality appeared to be preserved on cold storage until day 28, and at ambient condition until the first and second days. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and antioxidant potential of vegetables were influenced by harvest time, but not by the storage temperature. \'Vanda\' showed higher PPO activity in the summer harvest and \'Piraroxa\' showed higher antioxidant potential in all storage conditions and harvest times. Phenolic content and free radical scavenging activity of DPPH showed higher values in summer harvest for both cultivars, with constant value tendencies, while the model system ?-carotene/linoleic acid showed increasing trends, with significant increases in the second day of storage at ambient condition and after 21 days of refrigerated storage. The physiological parameters analyzed showed great similarity to postharvest behavior of the two cultivars, and the durability and maintenance of vegetables quality during refrigerated storage were extremely satisfactory. In contrast, both ambient and refrigerated monitored storages did not show as valid techniques for maximizing the antioxidant potential of vegetables, although lettuce constitutes an important source of dietary antioxidants.

MSc (Chemistry) / Department of Chemistry / Chromones are well known naturally occurring heterocyclic compounds with oxygen as a heteroatom. Chromones are also one of the major classes of naturally occurring compounds, and the interest in their chemistry is due to their wide range of their biological activity. In this study, three classes of target compounds were synthesized through three different pathways. The first pathway, chromone-3-carbaldehyde analogues were afforded in good to excellent yield followed by the oxidation thereof to 4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxylic acids. A series of chromone-3-carboxamides was obtained from corresponding 4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid via the in situ generation of the corresponding acid chloride in good yield. The second class of compounds were achieved by reacting corresponding chromone-3-carbaldehyde analogues with thiazolidine-2,4-dione to afford 5-((4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)methylene)thiazolidine-2,4-dione analogues. The third class of compounds followed the same reaction pathway as the second class of compounds from corresponding 8-allyl-chromone-3-carbaldehyde analogues to afford 5-((8-allyl-4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)methylene)thiazolidine-2,4-dione analogues in good yield. Compounds were characterized by 1D NMR (1H, 13C and DEPT), 2D NMR (COSY, HSQC and HMBC), IR and elemental analysis (CHN analysis). Selected synthesized chromone derivatives were evaluated in vitro for two biological assays; namely trypanocidal activity and cytotoxicity. Among all tested compounds, 41A, 55B and 63D displayed promising trypanocidal activity by reducing the percentage parasite viability to 0.61, 0.15 and 0.21 respectively. These results were further substantiated by their IC50 values 4.3, 1.3 and 1.9 μg/mL respectively. Compounds 41B and 59A also showed significant trypanocidal activity, however it was below the positive control. Compounds 41A and 55B displayed cytotoxicity against the HeLa cells whilst compound 63D displayed no toxicity against the HeLa cells. / NRF

No description available.