281 research outputs found
Oxidation effects in antiaggregogenic properties of Epigallocatechingallate
No full textEpigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant flavonoid in green tea, has been extensively studied for its potential in the treatment of amyloid related disorders. This molecule was found to modulate abnormal protein self-assembly, reducing resulting cellular toxicity. EGCG is known to suppress or to slow down the aggregation processes of several proteins, thus supporting the idea that general mechanisms regulate its anti-aggregogenic effects and, interestingly, in the oxidised form it demonstrated an higher efficiency in reducing protein aggregation with respect to intact molecule.
We here investigate the effects of intact and oxidized EGCG the thermal aggregation pathway of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), a well-known model protein whose aggregation processes are known in details.
By means of different spectroscopic methods, we evaluate similarities and differences of the two molecules during protein aggregation. Different solution conditions are investigated, close and away from the isoelectric point of the protein, with the aim of eliciting the role of electrostatics in the observed EGCG-Protein interaction and in the supramolecular assembly which are dramatically dependent on solution conditions
Michelle Alfano on Her Memoir, The Unfinished Dollhouse
No full textLiana Cusmano’s interview with Toronto author Michelle Alfano offers reflections on gender identity and living through a child’s transitioning. The act of writing helped Alfano overcome the distress she felt during this difficult time. In her memoir The Unfinished Dollhouse, Michelle Alfano recounts the journey she underwent in accepting and embracing her son’s transgender identity. From tell-tale signs in early childhood and the mental and physical afflictions in the early teen years, to the reactions of family and friends and the final steps in a social and medical transition from female to male, Alfano explores the thoughts and feelings she experienced over the years as her son, River, fought to be his truest self
Swanton, Christine. The Virtue Ethics of Hume Nietzsche
No full textThis book has a noble aim: to free virtue ethics from the grip of the neo-Aristotelianism that limits its scope in contemporary Anglophone philosophy. Just as there are deontological views that are not Kant’s or even Kantian, just as there are consequentialist views that are not Bentham’s or even utilitarian, so, Swanton contends, there are viable virtue ethical views that are not Aristotle’s or even Aristotelian. Indeed, the history of both Eastern and Western philosophy suggests that the majority of normative ethics has focused primarily on understanding and explaining the nature and development of virtue and vice. There are other alternatives to Aristotle (Mengzi springs to mind), but it’s not unreasonable to start with Hume and Nietzsche, as has already been demonstrated for by Erin Frykholm (“A Humean Particularist Virtue Ethic,” Philosophical Studies, 172(8) [2015]: 2171-91) and myself (Mark Alfano, “The Most Agreeable of All Vices,” British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 21(4) [2013]: 767-90)
Derrida reads Shakespeare
No full textThis book brings to light Derrida’s rich and thought-provoking discussions of Shakespearean drama. Contextualising Derrida’s readings of Shakespeare’s 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Hamlet', 'The Merchant of Venice' and 'King Lear' within his wider philosophical project, Alfano explores what draws Derrida to Shakespeare and what makes him particularly suitable for philosophical thought. The author also makes the case for Derrida’s singular understanding of the relationship between philosophy and Shakespeare and his radical idea of what literary genius is
Seismic reliability of yielding base-isolated structures
No full textThe aim of this work is to estimate the seismic reliability of base-isolated systems equipped with friction pendulum devices (FPS) and characterized by an intermediate isolation degree value considering both isolation devices and superstructures with a nonlinear behavior. The systems are modelled by means of 2dof nonlinear models considering both an hardening and softening behavior for the superstructure and a velocity-dependent rule for the FPS. The systems are designed according to NTC08 considering different structural parameters, an intermediate isolation degree value and a set of natural seismic record scaled to the seismic intensity corresponding to life safety limit state for L'Aquila (Italy). The yielding proprieties of the systems are valuated considering different values of the strength reduction factor and of the post-yielding slope. Then, incremental dynamic analysis are performed in order to evaluate the seismic fragility of both isolation level and inelastic superstructures. Considering the seismic hazard curve relative to L'Aquila site and using the convolution integral, the reliability curves of the yielding baseisolated systems, with an intermediate isolation degree value and a design life of 50 years, are derived
SEISMIC RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR YIELDING BASE-ISOLATED STRUCTURES
No full textThe aim of this work is to evaluate the seismic reliability of base-isolated systems with friction pendulum system (FPS) devices considering both isolation devices and superstructures with a nonlinear behavior. These systems are modelled by means of 2dof nonlinear models considering both a hardening and softening behavior for the superstructure and a velocity-dependent rule for the FPS. The systems are designed according to NTC08 considering a wide range of structural parameters and a set of natural seismic records scaled to the seismic intensity corresponding to life safety limit state for L'Aquila site (Italy). The yielding proprieties of the systems are valuated considering different values of the strength reduction factor and of the post-yielding slope. Then, incremental dynamic analyses are performed in order to evaluate the seismic fragility of both iso-lation level and inelastic superstructures assuming various limit states. Considering the seismic hazard curve relative to L'Aquila site and using the convolution integral, the reliability curves of the inelastic base-isolated systems, with a design life of 50 years, are derived
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