1,354,180 research outputs found
Supplemental Material for Germoglio and Adamo, 2018
No full textThe
evolutionary conserved RAD-51 protein is essential for homologous recombination
in the germ line as well as homologous repair of DNA double strand breaks in
all eukaryotic cells. In the nematode Caenorhabditis
elegans the rad-51 gene is
transcribed into messenger-RNAs potentially coding three alternative protein
isoforms. Null rad-51 alleles display
embryonic lethality, severe defects in chromosome structure and high level of
germ line apoptosis. To dissect its functions, we genetically modified the C. elegans rad-51 gene by CRISPR/Cas9
genome-editing technology, obtaining a separation-of-function (sfi-) mutant
allele that only disrupts the long transcript isoform. This mutant shows no
defects in an otherwise wild-type meiosis and is able to activate physiological
germ cell death, which occurs at the late pachytene stage. However, although
the mutant is competent in DNA damage checkpoint activation after exposure to
ionizing radiation, it is defective for induction of DNA-damage induced
apoptosis in meiotic germ cells. These results suggest that RAD-51 plays a
novel role in germline apoptosis independent of RAD-51-mediated strand invasion
for homologous recombination.</p
INDAGINE SULL’ABITUDINE AL FUMO IN UTENTI DELL’U.S.M.A.F.
No full textPremesse: Nell’arco degli anni, gli U.S.M.A.F., uffici periferici del Ministero della Salute, hanno diversificato le loro attività di prevenzione e medicina legale rivolgendole non solo ai marittimi ma anche a viaggiatori e ad altri utenti.
Obiettivi: Anche alla luce degli obiettivi delineati dal Piano Nazionale della Prevenzione 2005-2007 e dal P.S.N. 2006-2008, cap. 5, lo studio intende sia determinare la percezione della problematica fumo in un’utenza costituita prevalentemente da personale marittimo, sia evidenziare un eventuale bisogno formativo per pianificare mirati interventi di educazione sanitaria.
Metodologia: L’indagine, condotta tra giugno e dicembre 2005, ha coinvolto gli uffici afferenti all’U.S.M.A.F. di Napoli (Napoli, Salerno, Porto Torres, Cagliari) nell’ambito dei quali è stato distribuito un apposito questionario che ha rilevato alcuni items, tra cui: profilo socio-demografico degli utenti, abitudine al fumo, fumo passivo, stile di vita e vissuto lavorativo, opinioni e conoscenze sul tema specifico. I dati sono stati successivamente archiviati tramite data-base Access® ed elaborati con tabelle Pivot di Excel®.
Risultati: Dagli oltre 2.000 questionari elaborati (2097), emerge un campione costituito dal 66,5% di utenti di sesso maschile, classe di età prevalente (52,2%) 25-44 anni, titoli di studio principali media superiore (57,1%) ed inferiore (29,3%), 23,5% di disoccupati e 20,2% di studenti.
I fumatori (41,9%) appaiono meno consapevoli rispetto ai non fumatori che possano verificarsi patologie (80,9% vs 94,1%) e morti da fumo passivo (50,1% vs 74,2%) e il 38,2% ammette di fumare in presenza dei familiari. Quest’ultimo dato è confermato dalle risposte dei non fumatori che, convivendo nel 45,7% dei casi con fumatori, lamentano spesso (83,9%) l’esposizione a fumo passivo. Le recenti restrizioni normative inerenti il divieto di fumo risultano disattese nel 25,8% degli ambienti lavorativi chiusi.
Conclusioni: I risultati evidenziano la necessità di implementare l’azione educativa sui fumatori, nonché la vigilanza nei luoghi di lavoro, l’accertamento e contestazione delle violazioni
Self-DNA Exposure Induces Developmental Defects and Germline DNA Damage Response in Caenorhabditis elegans
No full textAll organisms, from bacteria to mammals, sense and respond to foreign nucleic acids to fight infections in order to survive and preserve genome integrity across generations. The innate immune system is an evolutionarily conserved defence strategy. Complex organisms have developed various cellular processes to respond to and recognise not only infections, i.e., pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), but also to sense injury and tissue dysfunctions, i.e., damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Mis-localized self-DNA can be sensed as DAMP by specific DNA-sensing pathways, and self-DNA chronic exposure can be detrimental to the organisms. Here, we investigate the effects of dietary delivered self-DNA in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The hermaphrodite worms were fed on Escherichia coli genomic libraries: a C. elegans library (self) and a legume (Medicago truncatula) library (non-self). We show that the self-library diet affects embryogenesis, larval development and gametogenesis. DNA damage and activation of p53/CEP-1-dependent apoptosis occur in gonadal germ cells. Studies of self-DNA exposure in this model organism were not pursued up to now. The genetic tractability of C. elegans will help to identify the basic molecular pathways involved in such mechanisms. The specificity of the adverse effects associated with a self-DNA enriched diet suggests applications in biological pest control approaches
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
Coronavirus: il germoglio del male tra le sbarre
No full textIl coronavirus è sbocciato come un germoglio del male, quasi alla fine dell’inverno, a cavallo con quella che dovrebbe essere una delle più belle stagioni in assoluto: la primavera. È entrato nella vita di ogni individuo silenziosamente, ma arrivando talmente forte da togliere il fiato, letteralmente. Ha gettato un’ombra sul mondo, provocando un forte e radicato sconforto, mettendo l’essere umano a nudo nella sua natura, nella sua paura, nella sua angoscia più profonda: il terrore di morire. Il virus non ha risparmiato nessuno, si è distribuito a macchia d’olio in qualsiasi regione e continente, non facendo distinzioni di nessun tipo ed è rapidamente arrivato a tingere di scuro anche le sbarre delle carceri, dove già si respira quotidianamente un’aria tesa e dolorosa
Variations on the Author
No full text“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
No full textWe 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
No full textWe 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
Author, publisher and bookseller : a tripartite synergy in Nigerian book industry
No full textThis work is about the roles of Author, Publisher and Bookseller in Book development in
Nigeria. The paper started by delving into the history of Book Publishing in Nigeria after
which it proceeded by defining who an author, a publisher, and a bookseller is and
expatiated on the indispensable roles of these key actors in Nigerian Book Industry and in
the emerging Information Society. Furthermore, the various constraints to book
development were identified while the paper advised on how the Book Industry can be
further promoted in Nigeria. However, the paper concluded and made recommendations
on how the Book sector can help in enhancing scholarship in the country
The Thursday Murder Club: Launching a megabrand author - a publishing case study
No full textIn 2020, the Christmas book charts in the UK made headlines: Barack Obama’s eagerly awaited autobiography, The Promised Land, was beaten to the top spot by The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, a debut cosy crime novel set in a retirement village. Not only did Osman’s book beat the former US president’s expected bestseller, it also broke records, becoming the fastest-selling debut crime novel of all time. Although Osman has a certain level of fame in the UK from his TV appearances on shows such as Pointless, his celebrity status does not entirely explain the novel’s huge sales. This article tracks the acquisition, publication, and promotion journey of The Thursday Murder Club in order to understand the industry and cultural context of its success and to interrogate the role of celebrity in the creation of author brands. The findings suggest that the unexpected scale of the success of the book owed to a number of factors, including in-depth editing by the novel’s agent, editor, and author to tighten up the plot, an extensive and strategic promotional campaign, the pandemic (which drove interest in the book’s genre and themes), and the quality of the writing. We find that the book’s success was accentuated by Osman’s celebrity status rather than being entirely reliant on it. This research adds to the growing scholarship on celebrity authorship by means of an in-depth case study and provides insight into the processes behind publishing a ‘celebrity’ book and launching a megabrand author
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