1,721,128 research outputs found
DONNA, MASS MEDIA, DISTURBI DELL'ALIMENTAZIONE: UNA PROSPETTIVA SOCIO-CULTURALE
No full textI Disturbi Alimentari rappresentano un importante e diffuso problema all'interno della società occidentale contemporanea. Essi affliggono in particolare le giovani donne. Nel presente articolo gli autori hanno inteso studiare i distrubi alimentari attraverso un approccio sistemico. Nella prima parte vengono presentati i diversi approcci teorici al tema dei disturbi alimentari: aprroccio medico, psicologico, filosofico e sociologico. Nella seconda parte vengono presentati i risultati di una ricerca empirica tesa ad indagare l'influenza dei mass media nella costruzione del senso di identità delle giovani, attraverso la comparazione di due campioni: un campione di donne con diagnosi di disturbi alimentari e un campione di donne senza diagnosi.
Eating disorders represent a real, widespread problem in our contemporary western countries. They strike, for the most part, young women. In this research the authors try to understand eating disorders thanks to a systemic approch. First they focus their attention on different theories: medical, psychological, philosophical and sociological theories. At the second they investigated, by an empirical approch (surevey and data analysis), the influence of mass media on the construction of young women identity. Two sample are compared: women strike by diagnosed eating disorders and young women not stike by eating disorders
Copper Bioavailability and Leaching in Conventional and Organic Viticulture under Environmental Stress
Full text linkThe continuous use of Cu-based fungicides in viticulture has caused Cu accumulation in soils, which represents a major environmental and toxicological concern. The purpose of this study was to verify whether the organic management would be more resilient to temperature and moisture stresses in comparison to conventional practices. Two organic and two conventional vineyard soils, contrasting in pH, were exposed for six months to temperature stress (29 °C), moisture stress (10% water holding capacity—WHC), and combined stresses (29 °C—10% WHC). Main soil properties, Cu speciation, bioavailability, and leaching were monitored before and after 6 months’ incubation. Results confirm that the increase of temperature caused a decrease in both total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (up to 19% and 49%, respectively), a decrease in available ammonium, and an increase in nitrate. Moisture stress tends to mitigate some of these changes. Despite that, changes of Cu bioavailability and leaching were limited and rarely significant. Moreover, no regular trends between conventional and organic management could be observed. Changes in soil pH and total N (TN) appeared as the most influencing properties to regulate Cu behavior in vineyard soils. Calcareous soils were more resistant to environmental stresses compared to acid soils, regardless of the type of management (conventional or organic)
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Critical effects of inorganic phosphate at threshold concentrations on cultured aortic valve interstitial cells. Macroautophagocytosis versus procalcific cell degeneration
Full text linkThe conventional threshold values ascribed to inorganic phosphate concentration ([Pi]) in diagnosing normophosphatemia range between 0.8mM and 1.45mM to 2.0mM [Pi].
In cultures mimicking metastatic calcification ([Pi]=3.0mM) a major role was found to be played by [Pi] (Pi-cultures) in priming a procalcific cell degeneration of bovine aortic valve interstitial cells (bAVICs), with mineralization enhancing subsequent to superstimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus conditioned medium from cultured LPS-stimulated macrophages (Pi-LPS-CM-cultures) [1]. Here, bAVIC primary cultures were carried out which contained different [Pi] (0.4, 0.6, and 1.3mM in added solutions, i.e. 0.8, 1.3, and 2.0mM in final cultures), so including border concentrations on respect to hypophosphatemic- and hyperphosphatemic-like conditions. At 0.8mM and 1.3 [Pi] and for each incubation time (3, 9, 15, 21, and 28 days), bAVICs from Pi-cultures and Pi-LPS-CM-cultures shared common ultrastructural features showing prominent macroautophagocytosis to occur, consistently with the immunohistochemical detection of the specific marker of mature autophagosomes MAP1-LC3A. Neither cell death signs nor appearance of calcific nodules were observed. At 2.0 [Pi], most bAVICs were affected by degenerative fragmentation as described for severe metastatic-like calcifcation, i.e. the appearence of phthalocianin-positive material outcropping at cell surface, acting as hydroxyapatite nucleator and being source of real calcospherulae. Quantitative spectrophotometric estimation of calcium amounts and alkaline phosphatase activity were consistent with the ultrastructural data, with (i) similar values for Pi-LPS-CM-cultures versus Pi-cultures and control cultures, at 0.8 and 1.3mM [Pi], and (ii) significantly higher values for Pi-LPS-CM-cultures versus Pi-cultures and these latter versus controls, at 2.0mM [Pi]. Restriction of immunopositivity to caspase-8 to very few cells and complete immunonegativity to annexin-V suggested apoptosis to be a negligible epiphenomenon. In conclusion, the propensity of bAVICs to undergo procalcific degeneration resulted to correlate with [Pi] in such a manner that a differential discrimination of this parameter within the conventional normophosphatemic range is suggested for a proper evaluation of the risk for dystrophic valve calcification. Moreover, bacterial-derived inflammation seems to be regarded as an effective trigger for the higher normophosphatemic [Pi].
References
[1] Bonetti A, Della Mora A, Contin M, Tubaro F, Marchini M, Ortolani F. (2012). Anat Rec 295: 1117-1127
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Inorganic-phosphate-dependent autophagocytosis derangement and calcific events. Responsivity of aortic valve interstitial cells in cultures at different normophosphatemic-like conditions
No full textUNDERGROUND - Calcific aortic valve stenosis is the third cause of cardiovascular disease in the developed world with surgical valve replacement still being unavoidable because of poor prognostic capability and therapeutic effectiveness. The calcific process can take place in hyperphosphatemic conditions, metastatic calcification, as well as in normophosphatemic ones, dystrophic calcification. The conventional threshold values ascribed to inorganic phosphate concentration ([Pi]) in diagnosing normophosphatemia range between 0.8mM and 1.45mM to 2.0mM [Pi]. In primary cultures mimicking metastatic calcification ([Pi]=3.0mM) a (critical) major role was found to be played by [Pi] in priming a procalcific cell degeneration of bovine aortic valve interstitial cells (bAVICs), with mineralization enhancing subsequent to superstimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus conditioned medium (CM) from cultured LPS-stimulated macrophages [1]. Here, bAVIC cultures containing different final [Pi] (0.8mM, 1.3mM, and 2.0mM) were used, thus mimicking dystrophic calcification and including borderline concentrations on respect to hypophosphatemic- and hyperphosphatemic-like conditions.
RESULTS - Under the inverted microscope, neither cell death signs nor appearance of calcific nodules were observed for bAVIC cultures except for those containing 2.0mM Pi. At 3-day-long incubation, immunoreactivity to the specific marker of mature autophagosomes MAP1-LC3A was higher for control bAVICs with decrease for both Pi-cultures and PI-LPS-CM-cultures containing 0.8mM, 1.3mM and 2.0mM Pi in the order. For all cases there was a superimposing time-dependent decrease. Parallel immunohistochemical detection of apoptosis showed low positivity to caspase-8 and almost unreactivity for Caspase-9, caspase-3 and annexin-V. For Pi-cultures and Pi-LPS-CM-cultures containing 0.8mM Pi and, at greater extent, those containing 1.3mM Pi, bAVICs showed prominent autophagocytosis to have started and atypically progressed, with (i) a progressive RER enlargement, thereby causing cytoplasm compartimentalization into hollows or canalicular spaces which confined altered organules, and (ii) concurrent loss of autophagosomes. Conversely, in all 2.0mM-Pi-cultures most bAVICs were affected by degenerative events as described for severe metastatic-like calcification, such as the appearance of phthalocyanin-positive material outcropping at cell surface and acting as hydroxyapatite nucleator, besides being source of real calcospherulae.
Quantitative spectrophotometric estimations of calcium amounts and alkaline phosphatase activity were consistent with the morphological data, with (i) similar values for Pi-LPS-CM-cultures versus Pi-cultures and control cultures, at 0.8mM Pi and 1.3mM Pi, and (ii) significantly higher values for Pi-LPS-CM-cultures versus Pi-cultures and these latter versus controls, at 2.0mM Pi.
CONCLUSIONS - The differential reactivity to MAP1-LC3A suggested autophagocytosis to be an epiphenomenon which is simply related to cell survival mechanisms. The restriction of immunopositivity to caspase-8 suggests apoptosis to be not significant in promoting the calcific process. Although the finding of atypical features of autophagocytosis, no relation with calcification seems to exist, unless this process derangement may occur very fastly in the first incubation hours for 2.0mM-Pi-cultures. Moreover, bacterial-derived inflammation seems to be regarded as an effective trigger for the higher normophosphatemic [Pi]. Interestingly, the propensity of bAVICs to undergo procalcific degeneration resulted to correlate with [Pi] in such a way that a differential discrimination of this parameter within the conventional normophosphatemic range is mandatory for a proper evaluation of the risk for dystrophic valve calcification.
References
[1] Bonetti A., Della Mora A., Contin M., Tubaro F., Marchini M., Ortolani F. (2012). Anat. Rec. 295: 1117-1127
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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