1,720,995 research outputs found
Neuroprotective Effects of Myrtle Berry By-Product Extracts on 6-OHDA-Induced Cytotoxicity in PC12 Cells
Full text linkThe rising global focus on healthy lifestyles and environmental sustainability has prompted interest in repurposing plant-based by-products for health benefits. With increasing life expectancy, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases-characterized by complex, multifactorial mechanisms such as abnormal protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation-continues to grow. Medicinal plants, with their diverse bioactive compounds, offer promising therapeutic avenues for such conditions. Myrtus communis L., a Mediterranean plant primarily used in liquor production, generates significant waste rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study explores the neuroprotective potential of Myrtus berry by-products in a cellular model of neurodegeneration. Using PC12 cells exposed to 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), we assessed cell viability via MTT assay and measured reactive oxygen species (ROS) production using DCFDA fluorescence. Additionally, we analyzed the expression of genes linked to oxidative stress and neuronal function, including AChE, PON2, Grin1, Gabrd, and c-fos, by RT-PCR. Our findings reveal that Myrtus extract significantly protects against 6-OHDA-induced cytotoxicity, reduces ROS levels, and modulates the expression of key stress-related genes, underscoring its potential as a neuroprotective agent. These results highlight the therapeutic promise of Myrtus extracts in mitigating neurodegenerative processes, paving the way for future interventions
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
Steroids receptors in physiological and pathological features of the cervix
No full textPMID 4029206(PubMed-indexed for MEDLINE
A novel process to grow edible microalgae on Mars by exploiting in situ-available resources: experimental investigation
No full textThe achievement of manned missions on Mars is one of the main challenges the humanity is going to face in the next future. In this context, the possibility of growing Spirulina (Arthrospira Platensis) intended to produce food for crew members on Mars has been investigated in this work. The experiments have been carried out in a novel device capable to simulate microgravity and an inner atmosphere very similar to the Martian one in terms of chemical composition. This device simulates the conditions taking place within a Martian dome hosting the relevant photobioreactors according to a novel technology recently proposed in the patent literature. The growth medium has been obtained using a mixture, called Martian Medium, consisting of a mixture of Mars regolith leachate and astronauts’ urine simulants to verify the possibility of exploiting in-situ available resources and reducing the payload associated to the mission. The obtained results have shown that A. platensis was capable to grow with a good productivity in a medium containing up to 40 %vol of Martian Medium. Moreover, when using this mixture in the developed device the obtained biomass productivity (~0.048 g L 1 day 1) was higher than the one correspondingly gained using optimal growth medium and Earth conditions (~11 g L 1 day 1). Ultimately, the use of Martian Medium in the developed device led to a growth rate much higher than the one achievable on Earth with classical media likely because the CO2 rich atmosphere was capable to avoid carbon starvation phenomena while microgravity conditions reduced settling and aggregation of cells, thus leading to a better diffusion transport of dissolved nutrients to algae. Considered the obtained productivity and astronauts needs it was estimated that by taking advantage of this technology, a culture of about 15 m3 available within pressurized domes would be sufficient to meet the protein needs of a crew of six members
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
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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