Digital activism about gay fatherhood on Instagram: male homoparenting in the picture

In contemporary Brazil, the number of male fathers taking care of their sons and daughters and the initiatives to produce content about fatherhood on Instagram have been significant. This article aims to analyze the concepts that support the digital activism of homoparenting on Instagram, based on gender studies with men. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted using the life narrative method in a digital environment. The results were analyzed and divided into the following sections: parenting project, personal experience of fatherhood, articulation with LGBT political agenda when parenthood becomes a "business", and haters, criticism, and adverse reactions. It was concluded that the reflection on the experience of fatherhood/masculinity itself is crossed by the social marker of the difference in sexual orientation and the activism for rights that sustain content production. Thus, the uniqueness of each fatherhood is highlighted since the fact of being gay constructs the fatherhood experience for each man. Despite the initiatives brought forth in this study, changes are still in progress, as rights activism coexists with the advancement of conservative forces, which limit the expressions of sexual and gender otherness.

Application of monoclonal antibodies to quality control of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines

Panels of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) produced against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus types O, A and C were selected for cell culture neutralization titre (NT), mouse protection index (MPI), trypsin sensitivity (TS) and avidity to different epitopes. The selected sets were used to assay the antigen concentration and the fit between FMDV vaccine and challenge strains. It was observed that FMD vaccines protect more than 75% of vaccinated cattle when manufactured with antigens characterized by (1) a high degree of fit with the potency control virus, and (2) mean ELISA 50% titres (T50) > 28 for O, > 18 for A and > 75 for C types, respectively, using the corresponding mAb set.