996 research outputs found
Introduction by Manuela Gieri
No full textIn the introduction to the volume, the author outlines the development of Italian cinema from its early days to the present
Ion type and valency differentially drive vimentin tetramers into intermediate filaments or higher order assemblies
No full textVimentin intermediate filaments, together with actin filaments and microtubules, constitute the cytoskeleton
in cells of mesenchymal origin. The mechanical properties of the filaments themselves are encoded in their
molecular architecture and depend on their ionic environment. It is thus of great interest to disentangle the
influence of both the ion type and their concentration on vimentin assembly. We combine small angle X-ray
scattering and fluorescence microscopy and show that vimentin in the presence of the monovalent ions,
K+ and Na+, assembles into ‘‘standard filaments’’ with a radius of about 6 nm and 32 monomers per crosssection.
In contrast, di- and multivalent ions, independent of type and valency, lead to the formation of
thicker filaments associating over time into higher order structures. Hence, our results may indeed be of
relevance for living cells, as local ion concentrations in the cytoplasm during certain physiological activities
may differ considerably from average intracellular concentrations
Tuning the Mechanical Properties of Poly(Methyl Acrylate) via Surface‐Functionalized Montmorillonite Nanosheets
No full textAbstract Polymer layered silicate nanocomposites (PLSNs) made of montmorillonite (MMT) nanosheets and poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) are synthesized and systematically characterized. MMT is first modified with a surface‐bound monomer and then functionalized with PMA via radical addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using a grafting through approach. PMA‐modified MMT nanosheets with grafted polymer chains of variable length are obtained. The successful surface modification is demonstrated by near‐field scanning optical microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, small‐angle X‐ray scattering, and size‐exclusion chromatography. The mechanical properties of various nanocomposites are evaluated via tensile testing. It can be shown that the mechanical properties (Young's modulus, tensile strength, toughness, and ductility) of these PLSNs can be fully controlled by using two major strategies, i.e., by the variation of the overall content of polymer‐modified MMT and by the variation of the chain length of the surface‐grafted polymer.The mechanical properties of nanocomposites of poly(methyl acrylate) and surface‐functionalized montmorillonite nanosheets are explored. Polymer functionalization is achieved using radical addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. Young's modulus, tensile strength, ductility, and toughness are investigated using tensile testing and can be specifically tailored by variation of filler content and surface‐grafted polymer chain length. imag
Author Correction: Association analyses of more than 140,000 men identify 63 new prostate cancer susceptibility loci
No full textCorrection to: Nature Genetics, 50, 928–936 (2018), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-018-0142-8, published online 11 June 2018.
In the version of this article initially published, the name of author Manuela Gago-Dominguez was misspelled as Manuela Gago Dominguez. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF version of the article.No Full Tex
La biografía de Manuela Cambronero
No full textManuela Cambronero’s biography has been a pending issue until now, given that her figure has not aroused interest and no studies which focus on clarifying her origins and chronology have been published. This information is essential as a starting point for any work on the author, which is why elucidating these unknowns through direct archive research is a sine qua non. Consequently, locating Manuela Cambronero’s baptismal, marriage and death certificates is the only reliable way to dispel any doubt about her provenance and to determine the exact places and dates of the trans-cendental events of her life.La biografía de Manuela Cambronero ha sido una cuestión pendiente hasta ahora, pues, como su figura no ha suscitado interés, no se han publicado estudios centrados en esclarecer su origen y su cronología. Esta información es esencial como punto de partida para cualquier trabajo sobre la autora, por lo que dilucidar estas incógnitas a través de la búsqueda directa en archivos se convierte en una condición sine qua non. En consecuencia, la localización de los certificados de bautismo, de matrimonio y de defunción de Manuela Cambronero es la única vía fiable para disipar las dudas sobre su procedencia y para concretar los lugares y fechas exactas de los eventos trascendentales de su vida
Manuela Sáenz en varios textos
No full textThis report is an attempt to analyze the narrative discourse order in the novel “La esposa del Dr. Thorne” (Dr. Thorne’s Wife) of the Venezuelan writer Denzil Romero, in the light of ¨Las cuatro estaciones de Manuela” (“The Four Seasons of Manuela”) of the American author Víctor W. von Hagen, and of “Manuela. Sus diarios perdidos y otros papeles”, (Manuela. Lost Diaries and Other Papers) of the Ecuadorian Carlos Álvarez Saá. This paper is a risky comparison between a book of fiction, presumably based on real facts, where Manuela’s eroticism is the central theme in Romero, the large literary chronicles issued by von Hagen and the compilation and discovery of alleged original and historic texts (letters and diaries) produced by Álvarez Saá. It is also a research exercise where, whimsically, what the official discourse says, as it may be viewed by the school of Venezuela or that of Quito, is mixed with the fictionalization of that discourse. It is, too, a possible vindication of Manuela Sáenz as a person and/or predominant character in the fights for the independence of America beyond her ¨circumstantial¨ relationship with Simón Bolívar. It is, to a certain extent, a look into how literary texts and the perceptions of history about a character (Manuela) tend to a “rearrangement” in present times and how there has been an attempt to consolidate the figure of Manuela Sáenz as a heroine, awarding a victory to what von Hagen calls “the school of Quito”.Si prese l’analisi dell’ordine discorsivo narrativo del romanzo dell’autore venezuelano Denzil Romero, La sposa del Dott.re Thorne, attraverso le comparazioni delle opere dell’autore statunitense Víctor W. Von Hagen, Le quattro stagioni di Manuela e dell’ autore ecuadoregno Carlos Álvarez Saá, Manuela, i suoi diari persi ed altre carte. È una comparazione azzardadata tra un libro di finzione, forse basato in fatti reali, dove l’erotismo della donna (Manuela) costituisce la tematica centrale, nell’opera di Romero, con la lunga cronaca letteraria che fa von Hagen e la compilazione e la scoperta di supposti testi originali e storici (lettere, diari) che fa Álvarez Saá. È un esercizio di ricerca dove si mescolano, in modo capriccioso, il campo d’attività del Venezuela o quello del Quito, e la finzione di quello ufficiale. È anche la rivendicazione possibile di Manuela Sáenz come persona e/o personaggio preponderante nelle lotte indipendentistiche dell’America che era aldilà della relazione congiunturale con Simón Bolívar. Si vuole vedere, fino a un certo punto, come i testi letterari e le percezioni della storia su un personaggio (Manuela) tendono a sistemarsi con i tempi attuali e come si ha voluto affiancare la figura eroica di Manuela Sáenz, concedendole il trionfo, forse secondo la tesi di von Hagen: quella che lui definisce la scuola di Quito.Se pretendeu analisar a ordem discursivo-narrativa do romance do venezuelano Denzil Romero, “La esposa del Dr. Thorne”, à luz das obras do americano Víctor W. von Hagen, ¨Las cuatro estaciones de Manuela” e do equatoriano Carlos Álvarez Saá, “Los diários perdidos de Manuela Sáenz y otros papeles”. Este trabalho é a comparação arriscada entre um livro de ficção, baseado aparentemente em fatos reais, no qual o erotismo da mulher (Manuela) é o tema central, em Romero, com a extensa crônica literária que lhe faz von Hagen e a recopilação e a descoberta de aparentes textos originais e históricos (cartas, diários) que faz Álvarez Saá. Também é um exercício de pesquisa em que, de maneira especial, se mistura o que diz o discurso histórico oficial, segundo seja visto pela escola da Venezuela ou a de Quito, com a visão dada pela ficção a esse discurso. É, ao mesmo tempo, um pouco a possível reivindicação de Manuela Sáenz como pessoa e/ou personagem preponderante nas lutas de independência da América que chegavam além do seu ¨controvertido¨ relacionamento com Simón Bolívar. É ver, de certa forma, como os textos literários a as percepções da história sobre uma personagem (Manuela) têm tendência a ¨se readaptar” nos tempos atuais e como se quis dar força à figura de heroína de Manuela Sáenz, dando uma vitória a ela na que, tal vez, von Hagen denomina “a escola de Quito”.Se pretendió el análisis del orden discursivo narrativo de la novela del venezolano Denzil Romero, “La esposa del Dr. Thorne”, a luz de las obras del estadounidense Víctor W. von Hagen, ¨Las cuatro estaciones de Manuela” y del ecuatoriano Carlos Álvarez Saá, “Manuela. Sus diarios perdidos y otros papeles”. Este trabajo es la comparación riesgosa entre un libro de ficción, basado presumiblemente en hechos reales, donde el erotismo de la mujer (Manuela) es el tema central, en Romero, con la larga crónica literaria que hace von Hagen y la recopilación y descubrimiento de presuntos textos originales e históricos (cartas, diarios) que hace Álvarez Saá. Es también un ejercicio de investigación donde de manera caprichosa se mezcla lo que dice el discurso histórico oficial, según sea visto por la escuela de Venezuela o de Quito, y la ficcionalización de ese discurso. Es también un poco la posible reivindicación de Manuela Sáenz como persona y/o personaje preponderante en las luchas independentistas de América que iban más allá de la ¨coyuntural¨ relación con Simón Bolívar. Es ver, hasta cierto punto, cómo los textos literarios y las percepciones de la historia sobre un personaje (Manuela) tienden a ¨reacomodarse” en los tiempos actuales y cómo se ha querido afianzar la figura de heroína de Manuela Sáenz, dándole el triunfo, tal vez, a lo que llama von Hagen “la escuela de Quito”
La biografía de Manuela Cambronero
No full textLa biografía de Manuela Cambronero ha sido una cuestión pendiente hasta ahora, pues, como su figura no ha suscitado interés, no se han publicado estudios centrados en esclarecer su origen y su cronología. Esta información es esencial como punto de partida para cualquier trabajo sobre la autora, por lo que dilucidar estas incógnitas a través de la búsqueda directa en archivos se convierte en una condición sine qua non. En consecuencia, la localización de los certificados de bautismo, de matrimonio y de defunción de Manuela Cambronero es la única vía fiable para disipar las dudas sobre su procedencia y para concretar los lugares y fechas exactas de los eventos trascendentales de su vida.Manuela Cambronero’s biography has been a pending issue until now, given that her figure has not aroused interest and no studies which focus on clarifying her origins and chronology have been published. This information is essential as a starting point for any work on the author, which is why elucidating these unknowns through direct archive research is a sine qua non. Consequently, locating Manuela Cambronero’s baptismal, marriage and death certificates is theonly reliable way to dispel any doubt about her provenance and to determine the exact places and dates of the trans-cendental events of her life
Post-translational modifications soften vimentin intermediate filaments
Get PDFThe mechanical properties of biological cells are determined by the cytoskeleton, a composite biopolymer network consisting of microtubules, actin filaments and intermediate filaments (IFs). By differential expression of cytoskeletal proteins, modulation of the network architecture and interactions between the filaments, cell mechanics may be adapted to varying requirements on the cell. Here, we focus on the intermediate filament protein vimentin and introduce post-translational modifications as an additional, much faster mechanism for mechanical modulation. We study the impact of phosphorylation on filament mechanics by recording force-strain curves using optical traps. Partial phosphorylation softens the filaments. We show that binding of the protein 14-3-3 to phosphorylated vimentin IFs further enhances this effect and speculate that in the cell 14-3-3 may serve to preserve the softening and thereby the altered cell mechanics. We explain our observation by the additional charges introduced during phosphorylation
Author Correction:Association analyses of more than 140,000 men identify 63 new prostate cancer susceptibility loci
No full textIn the version of this article initially published, the name of author Manuela Gago-Dominguez was misspelled as Manuela Gago Dominguez. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF version of the article.</p
Sustainable Interventions for the Preservation of Earthen Heritage
Get PDFAbstractEarth is one of the most common material used for the construction of historical villages, whose conservation ensures the transmission of a technological culture that represents the landscape, as well as historical and architectural values. The preservation of this rich, but very fragile, heritage requires the development of projects that should be promoters of sustainable interventions, not only able to guarantee a limit in the consumption of resources, but also the start-up of local development processes, generating externalities that could significantly contribute to the preservation of tangible and intangible assets. As it concerns Piedmont earthen vernacular architecture the development of thematic itineraries could give a significant contribution to the enhancement of this cultural heritage
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