1,720,964 research outputs found
The Multifaced Role of Collagen in Cancer Development and Progression
Full text linkCollagen is a crucial protein in the extracellular matrix (ECM) essential for preserving tissue architecture and supporting crucial cellular functions like proliferation and differentiation. There are twenty-eight identified types of collagen, which are further divided into different subgroups. This protein plays a critical role in regulating tissue homeostasis. However, in solid tumors, the balance can be disrupted, due to an abundance of collagen in the tumor microenvironment, which significantly affects tumor growth, cell invasion, and metastasis. It is important to investigate the specific types of collagens in cancer ECM and their distinct roles in tumor progression to comprehend their unique contribution to tumor behavior. The diverse pathophysiological functions of different collagen types in cancers illustrate collagen's dual roles, offering potential therapeutic options and serving as prognostic markers
NUMERICAL FATIGUE LIFE EVALUATION OF AN INNOVATIVE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE SHAFT
No full textA novel self-balanced internal combustion engine is presented. The new engine has a modular structure composed of two cylinders arranged in opposite way. It is characterized by an innovative system of linking between the pistons and the shaft, which has three toggles. One of these is on the middle of the shaft, whereas the others two are placed symmetrically. Thanks to this particular shape of the shaft, the pistons can rotate with the same timing and so the new engine comes back to be perfectly auto-balanced.
Moreover, the fatigue life prediction of the shaft has been studied through numerical methods.
In particular, two different approaches have been compared to estimate the maximum number of working cycles: the first is based on a “static” resistance criterion, the second consider the multiaxial nature of the stress and is based on the maximum shear stress (critical) plane criterion. The stress distribution on the shaft during the usual working conditions, has been evaluated by a FEM package. Results highlight that the critical plane approach is more conservative than “static” one
The Repertoire of Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteases: Evolution, Regulation of Extracellular Matrix Proteolysis, Engineering and Therapeutic Challenges
Full text linkTissue inhibitors of metalloproteases (TIMPs) belong to a fascinating protein family expressed in all Metazoa. They act as regulators of the turnover of the extracellular matrix, and they are consistently involved in essential processes. Herein, we recapitulate the main activities of mammalian times (TIMP1–4) in the control of extracellular-matrix degradation and pathologies associated with aberrant proteostasis. We delineate the activity of TIMPs in the control of extracellular matrix (ECM)homeostasis and discuss the diversity of TIMPs across metazoans taking into account the emergence of the components of the ECM during evolution. Thus, the TIMP repertoire herein analysed includes the homologs from cnidarians, which are coeval with the origins of ECM components; protostomes (mollusks, arthropods, and nematodes); and deuterostomes (echinoderms and vertebrates). Several questions, including the maintenance of the structure despite low sequence similarity and the strategies for TIMP engineering, shed light on the possibility to use recombinant TIMPsintegrating unique features and binding selectivity for therapeutic applications in the treatment of inflammatory pathologies
Defense mechanisms in adolescents at high risk of developing psychosis: An empirical investigation
Full text linkResearch within psychotherapy and psychopathology frameworks has been inspired by the central concept of defense mechanisms, which play a pivotal role in psychoanalysis. Defense specificities have only recently been studied systematically in the context of several clinical diagnoses. The present study aimed to explore the specificities of defense mechanisms in adolescents at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis and test the relationship between defensive functioning and attenuated psychotic symptoms. Twenty-six adolescent inpatients at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis and a matched clinical control group of inpatients not at risk of psychosis were interviewed. Two observer-rater methods, the Defense Mechanism Rating Scales and the Psychotic-Defense Mechanism Rating Scales were applied to interview transcripts to assess the individual use of defenses. Ultra-high-risk patients demonstrated lower defense mechanisms (i.e., total instances of defense mechanisms observed) and lower overall adaptiveness of the defenses presented. When specific differences between groups were observed, psychotic defenses were the sole defenses that could partially discriminate between ultra-high-risk and not at-risk patients. Regarding the relationship between defense mechanisms and subthreshold psychotic symptoms, psychotic defenses were associated with negative and disorganization symptoms, rather than with positive symptoms. The psychological vulnerability of ultra-high-risk patients is discussed and treatment implications for psychotherapy with such challenging patients are addressed
Enhancing therapeutic efficacy through degradation of endogenous extracellular matrix in primary breast tumor spheroids
Full text linkSolid tumors have a complex extracellular matrix (ECM) that significantly affects tumor behavior and response to therapy. Understanding the ECM's role is crucial for advancing cancer research and treatment. This study established an in vitro model using primary cells isolated from a rat breast tumor to generate three-dimensional spheroids. Monolayer cells and spheroid cultures exhibited different protein expression patterns, with primary tumor spheroids presenting an increased level of ECM-related proteins and a more complex extracellular environment. Furthermore, spheroids produce endogenous collagen type I matrix, which is the main component of the tumoral ECM. This matrix is arranged predominantly around the 3D structure, mimicking the conditions of solid tumors. Treatments with recombinant collagenases class II (acting on the linear collagen region) and class I (acting on the 3D-helix region) completely degrade collagen within the spheroid structure. Collagenase pretreatment enhances the accessibility of the anticancer drug doxorubicin to penetrate the core of spheroids and sensitize them to doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity. Our findings highlight the importance of overcoming drug resistance in breast cancer by targeting the ECM and proposing a novel strategy for improving therapeutic outcomes in solid tumors. By employing a three-dimensional spheroid model, with an endogenous ECM, we can offer more relevant insights into tumor biology and treatment responses
Involuntary Celibacy (Incel) Identity: A Thematic Analysis of an Online Community’s Beliefs and Emotional Experiences
Full text linkThe term incel is a neologism combining “involuntary” and “celibate”, describing men who experience involuntary absence from sexual and romantic relationships. Incels frequently espouse conspiratorial and misogynistic ideologies, often engaging in verbal aggression. The present study aimed at qualitatively exploring the emotional experiences and beliefs articulated within an online incel community, contributing to the formation of its collective identity. A thread (453 comments) sampled from an Italian “incel” forum was analyzed by two independent raters, using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: (a) “non-persons (i.e., women) are not like us” revealed perceived gender inequality and misogynistic beliefs, (b) “without experiences in adolescence you are ruined” reflected the belief that early romantic and sexual experiences are crucial for later relationship satisfaction, (c) “I have no life” captured expressions of profound distress and life dissatisfaction, and (d) “only ours is t..
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
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