1,721,243 research outputs found
The mitochondrial permeability transition pore in Ca2+ homeostasis
Full text linkThe mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore (PTP) can be defined as a Ca2+ activated mega-channel involved in mitochondrial damage and cell death, making its inhibition a hallmark for therapeutic purposes in many PTP-related paradigms. Although long-lasting PTP openings have been widely studied, the physiological implications of transient openings (also called “flickering” behavior) are still poorly understood. The flickering activity was suggested to play a role in the regulation of Ca2+ and ROS homeostasis, and yet this hypothesis did not reach general consensus. This state of affairs might arise from the lack of unquestionable experimental evidence, due to limitations of the available techniques for capturing transient PTP activity and to a still partial understanding of its molecular identity. In this review we will focus on possible implications of the PTP in physiology, in particular its role as a Ca2+ release pathway, discussing the consequences of its forced inhibition. We will also consider the recent hypothesis of the existence of more permeability pathways and their potential involvement in mitochondrial physiology
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
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
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
Una nuova scuola per un uomo nuovo. Il corso di laurea in Urbanistica e il nuovo assetto dipartimentale
No full textIl saggio ricostruisce, attraverso una ricerca d'archivio su materiali originali e mai pubblicati, la vicenda della formazione del Corso di Laurea in Urbanistica dell'Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia (il primo in Italia) e la sua evoluzione lungo gli anni '70, che si dimostra di fondamentale importanza per le innovazioni nella disciplina urbanistica e nel loro dialogo con la pianificazione e la programmazione economica. Contribuisce in questo modo a definire - all'interno di un volume che ricostruisce non solo la vicenda dello IUAV, ma anche la sua fondamentale importanza tra gli anni '50 e '70 per la didattica del progetto in Italia e in Europa - il ruolo di figure ed esperienze didattiche e di ricerca di alto profilo, come quella di Giovanni Astengo
Morellato: una nuova strategia nel settore del gioiello
No full textIn questo lavoro verranno analizzate, anche con l’aiuto dello schema di riferimento sviluppato da Kim e Mauborgne, le innovazioni che hanno consentito all’azienda di compiere questo salto dimensionale, affermandosi come leader in un settore diverso da quello di origine, e si fornirà un’interpretazione della strategia di acquisizione e difesa del vantaggio competitivo aziendale secondo una prospettiva resource-base
SDGs in corporate responsibility reporting: a longitudinal investigation of institutional determinants and financial performance
Full text linkCompanies play a central role in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); as such, they face institutional pressures to increase their engagement with SDGs. However, given the complexity of SDGs, it is unclear whether these pressures lead firms to adopt engagement approaches that address a few goals or the whole set of 17, and if that choice has any subsequent effect on financial performance. To shed light on these issues, this research draws on the neo-institutional theory to investigate whether two institutional determinants—industry type and country of origin—affect SDG engagement and whether such engagement improves financial performance. Based on a content analysis and a regression analysis on high-reputation companies (the 100 most sustainable firms in the world) over the period 2017–2020, we find that the institutional pressures associated with industry type and country-of-origin positively impact any engagement approach to SDGs. However, we establish that companies’ financial performance only generally improves when engaging with either the whole set of SDGs or a specific subset of the most frequently cited. This study provides important theoretical and practical contributions that illuminate firms’ institutional and financial rationales for adopting SDGs
The mitochondrial permeability transition: Recent progress and open questions
Full text linkMajor progress has been made in defining the basis of the mitochondrial permeability transition, a Ca2+-dependent permeability increase of the inner membrane that has puzzled mitochondrial research for almost 70 years. Initially considered an artefact of limited biological interest by most, over the years the permeability transition has raised to the status of regulator of mitochondrial ion homeostasis and of druggable effector mechanism of cell death. The permeability transition is mediated by opening of channel(s) modulated by matrix cyclophilin D, the permeability transition pore(s) (PTP). The field has received new impulse (a) from the hypothesis that the PTP may originate from a Ca2+-dependent conformational change of F-ATP synthase and (b) from the reevaluation of the long-standing hypothesis that it originates from the adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT). Here, we provide a synthetic account of the structure of ANT and F-ATP synthase to discuss potential and controversial mechanisms through which they may form high-conductance channels; and review some intriguing findings from the wealth of early studies of PTP modulation that still await an explanation. We hope that this review will stimulate new experiments addressing the many outstanding problems, and thus contribute to the eventual solution of the puzzle of the permeability transition
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