514 research outputs found
Author-Agent Conversation
No full textAuthor-agent conversation, April 21st, 2023
Langsam 646, Elliston Poetry Room
Host: Chris Bachelder
Author: Allegra Hyde
Agent: Erin Harris
1.) Welcome (Bachelder)
2.) Introduction of Allegra Hyde (Bachelder)
3.) Introduction of Erin Harris (Bachelder)
4.) Writer and agent’s paths and their intersection (Hyde, Harris)
5.) Writer and agent working relationship (Hyde, Harris)
6.) Publishing short stories versus novels (Hyde, Harris)
7.) Query letter and timing to seek representation (Hyde, Harris)
8.) Audience Q&A (Hyde, Harris)
9.) Where the market is now (Hyde, Harris)
10.) Closing (Bachelder
Where Is Utopia in a Time of Disaster and Catastrophe? A Conversation with Allegra Hyde
No full textIn search of new literary voices that might present an answer to Amitav Ghosh’s 2016 lament on the failure of contemporary literary fiction to find forms that adequately express the multiple challenges of the Anthropocene, I came across a review of Allegra Hyde’s debut novel in the Los Angeles Times. The novel’s title, Eleutheria, was suggestive enough to pique my interest: etymologically, it evokes the concepts of liberty and freedom; geographically, it calls to mind the small island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas that was colonized in the late 1640s by a group of English Puritans known as the Eleutheran Adventurers. Add to this that Willa Marks, the novel’s narrator-protagonist, is a twenty-two-year-old member of Generation Z, the same generation as the students we teach these days, and Eleutheria (2022) becomes a worthy candidate for an American Studies syllabus. What kind of narrative tapestry was the author able to weave out of the materials of history, climate change, and a young generation’s growing frustration with the ecological and political state of the world? I was ready to discuss these and similar questions with a group of students in a seminar on Anglophone Literature in the Anthropocene during the summer semester 2023. Serendipitously, the son of an American colleague and long-time friend studied with Allegra Hyde at Oberlin College, where she is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing. He suggested that she might be willing to discuss her novel with a group of German students. When I issued the invitation to join us digitally for one session, she accepted. I interviewed Hyde, who is also the author of two short story collections – Of This New World (2016) and The Last Catastrophe (2023)– a few days later. The following text is the transcript of that conversation. It has been edited for readability
Microtubules as a signal hub for axon growth in response to mechanical force
No full textMicrotubules are highly polar structures and are characterized by high anisotropy and stiffness. In neurons, they play a key role in the directional transport of vesicles and organelles. In the neuronal projections called axons, they form parallel bundles, mostly oriented with the plus-end towards the axonal termination. Their physico-chemical properties have recently attracted attention as a potential candidate in sensing, processing and transducing physical signals generated by mechanical forces. Here, we discuss the main evidence supporting the role of microtubules as a signal hub for axon growth in response to a traction force. Applying a tension to the axon appears to stabilize the microtubules, which, in turn, coordinate a modulation of axonal transport, local translation and their cross-talk. We speculate on the possible mechanisms modulating microtubule dynamics under tension, based on evidence collected in neuronal and non-neuronal cell types. However, the fundamental question of the causal relationship between these mechanisms is still elusive because the mechano-sensitive element in this chain has not yet been identified
Critical Role of Aquaporins in Cancer: Focus on Hematological Malignancies
No full textAquaporins are transmembrane molecules regulating the transfer of water and other compounds such as ions, glycerol, urea, and hydrogen peroxide. Their alteration has been reported in several conditions such as cancer. Tumor progression might be enhanced by aquaporins in modifying tumor angiogenesis, cell volume adaptation, proteases activity, cell–matrix adhesions, actin cytoskeleton, epithelial–mesenchymal transitions, and acting on several signaling pathways facilitating cancer progression. Close connections have also been identified between the aquaporins and hematological malignancies. However, it is difficult to identify a unique action exerted by aquaporins in different hemopathies, and each aquaporin has specific effects that vary according to the class of aquaporin examined and to the different neoplastic cells. However, the expression of aquaporins is altered in cell cultures and in patients with acute and chronic myeloid leukemia, in lymphoproliferative diseases and in multiple myeloma, and the different expression of aquaporins seems to be able to influence the efficacy of treatment and could have a prognostic significance, as greater expression of aquaporins is correlated to improved overall survival in leukemia patients. Finally, we assessed the possibility that modifying the aquaporin expression using aquaporin-targeting regulators, specific monoclonal antibodies, and even aquaporin gene transfer could represent an effective therapy of hematological malignancies
Cold Atmospheric Plasma Targeting Hematological Malignancies: Potentials and Problems of Clinical Translation
No full textCold atmospheric plasma is an ionized gas produced near room temperature; it generates reactive oxygen species and nitrogen species and induces physical changes, including ultraviolet, radiation, thermal, and electromagnetic effects. Several studies showed that cold atmospheric plasma could effectively provoke death in a huge amount of cell types, including neoplastic cells, via the induction of apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. This technique seems able to destroy tumor cells by disturbing their more susceptible redox equilibrium with respect to normal cells, but it is also able to cause immunogenic cell death by enhancing the immune response, to decrease angiogenesis, and to provoke genetic and epigenetics mutations. Solutions activated by cold gas plasma represent a new modality for treatment of less easily reached tumors, or hematological malignancies. Our review reports on accepted knowledge of cold atmospheric plasma’s effect on hematological malignancies, such as acute and chronic myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma. Although relevant progress was made toward understanding the underlying mechanisms concerning the efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma in hematological tumors, there is a need to determine both guidelines and safety limits that guarantee an absence of long-term side effects
sj-pdf-1-nnr-10.1177_15459683211056656 – Supplemental Material for Combining Optogenetic Stimulation and Motor Training Improves Functional Recovery and Perilesional Cortical Activity
No full textSupplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-nnr-10.1177_15459683211056656 for Combining Optogenetic Stimulation and Motor Training Improves Functional Recovery and Perilesional Cortical Activity by Emilia Conti, Alessandro Scaglione, Giuseppe de Vito, Francesco Calugi, Maria Pasquini, Tommaso Pizzorusso, Silvestro Micera, Anna Letizia Allegra Mascaro and Francesco Saverio Pavone in Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair</p
Gender Differences and miRNAs Expression in Cancer: Implications on Prognosis and Susceptibility
No full textMicroRNAs are small, noncoding molecules of about twenty-two nucleotides with crucial roles in both healthy and pathological cells. Their expression depends not only on genetic factors, but also on epigenetic mechanisms like genomic imprinting and inactivation of X chromosome in females that influence in a sex-dependent manner onset, progression, and response to therapy of different diseases like cancer. There is evidence of a correlation between miRNAs, sex, and cancer both in solid tumors and in hematological malignancies; as an example, in lymphomas, with a prevalence rate higher in men than women, miR-142 is “silenced” because of its hypermethylation by DNA methyltransferase-1 and it is blocked in its normal activity of regulating the migration of the cell. This condition corresponds in clinical practice with a more aggressive tumor. In addition, cancer treatment can have advantages from the evaluation of miRNAs expression; in fact, therapy with estrogens in hepatocellular carcinoma determines an upregulation of the oncosuppressors miR-26a, miR-92, and miR-122 and, consequently, apoptosis. The aim of this review is to present an exhaustive collection of scientific data about the possible role of sex differences on the expression of miRNAs and the mechanisms through which miRNAs influence cancerogenesis, autophagy, and apoptosis of cells from diverse types of tumors
Redox Signaling Modulates Activity of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Cancer Patients
No full textAlthough immunotherapy is already a staple of cancer care, many patients may not benefit from these cutting-edge treatments. A crucial field of research now focuses on figuring out how to improve treatment efficacy and assess the resistance mechanisms underlying this uneven response. For a good response, immune-based treatments, in particular immune checkpoint inhibitors, rely on a strong infiltration of T cells into the tumour microenvironment. The severe metabolic environment that immune cells must endure can drastically reduce effector activity. These immune dysregulation-related tumour-mediated perturbations include oxidative stress, which can encourage lipid peroxidation, ER stress, and T regulatory cells dysfunction. In this review, we have made an effort to characterize the status of immunological checkpoints, the degree of oxidative stress, and the part that latter plays in determining the therapeutic impact of immunological check point inhibitors in different neoplastic diseases. In the second section of the review, we will make an effort to assess new therapeutic possibilities that, by affecting redox signalling, may modify the effectiveness of immunological treatment
A Large Reconstruction Model Driven Approach to Support Humans in Digitization of Dance Visual Material into 3D environments
No full textHeritage in the domain of dance amounts to a vast set of multimodal information, representing both tangible
and intangible materials. Modern systems leverage different Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven paradigms to
enhance the preservation, accessibility, quantitative data analysis, and valorization of dance heritage. One
particular outcome of this application is the generation of linked semantic information among multimodal data
regarding a particular dance entity, which is, however, hard to interpret and visualize. For this reason, Extended
Reality and Immersive paradigms could be employed to visualize it through immersive approaches, also easing
its manipulation. However, involving tangible material, there is still a gap on how to directly project objects,
entities, and processes that were captured in flat 2D pictures into the 3D realm. Since manual 3D modeling
are labor-intensive, we here introduce and discuss a Large Reconstruction Driven Framework for accelerating
digitazion of visual material, also integrating discriminative AI approaches to generate 3D models starting from
2D pictures, through a human-in-the-loop (HITL) and controllable approach. To validate the approach, we applied
it to a specific case study, linked to the artistic legacy of the dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev, to digitize
its multimodal materials. The implications of the proposed framework could impact various creative industries
and cultural heritage preservation efforts
Lean into the mess: A review of Your Fat Friend (2023) and conversation with director and producer Jeanie Finlay
No full textAllegra Morgado’s review of the film Your Fat Friend brings together her perspective as a fat woman and the power of seeing one’s experiences mirrored on screen. Featuring a conversation with director and producer Jeanie Finlay, Morgado explores the nuanced depiction of author and podcaster Aubrey Gordon’s life in the documentary film, the meaning of it, and the impact the film has for fat folks and non-fat folks alike. Morgado includes excerpts from her conversation with Finlay to invite the reader into a behind-the-scenes look of the making of the film and the joyous messiness of the creative process. 
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