1,721,016 research outputs found
The February 2010 large landslide at Maierato, Vibo Valentia, Southern Italy
No full textA large landslide formed at Maierato (Vibo Valencia
District), Southern Italy, on 15 February 2010, at 1430hours local
time, when rapid failure occurred after several days of preliminary
movements. The landslide has an area of 0.3km2, a runout
distance of 1.2km and an estimated volume of about 10Mm3. The
landslide caused nearly 2,300 inhabitants to be evacuated, with
high economic losses. The most probable trigger of the landslide
was the cumulative precipitation over the preceding 20days
(having a return period of more than 100years), which followed
a long period of 4–5months of heavy rainfall (of about 150% of the
average rainfall of the period). This report presents a summary of
our findings pertinent to the landslide’s activities based on our field
investigations. In particular, this report covers (1) details of land
deformation caused by the landslide, (2) geology pertinent to
landslide development, (3) identification of the landslidemechanism
and its triggering factors based on the analysis of the boring core
specimens and landform features, as well as the available video of the
event, and (4) preliminary evaluation of the stability of the original
slope before the landslide using the finite element-based shear
strength reduction method. The aim of the paper was to describe the
landslide and explain its mechanism of occurrence
Effetto del Carvedilolo sull'esterificazione del colesterolo e sulla secrezione di ossido d'azoto in macrofagi in coltura
No full text
Cell cholesterol efflux to reconstituted high-density lipoproteins containing the apolipoprotein A-I-Milano dimer
No full textThe apolipoprotein A-I(Milano) (apoA-I(M)) is a molecular variant of apoA-I characterized by the Arg173)→Cys substitution, resulting in the formation of homodimers A-I(M)/A-I(M). The introduction of the interchain disulfide bridge in the A-I(M) dimer limits the apolipoprotein conformational flexibility and restricts HDL particle size heterogeneity, thus possibly affecting HDL function in lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis protection. To investigate whether the structural changes in A-I(M)/A-I(M) affect apoA-I capacity for cell cholesterol uptake, we tested the ability of four reconstituted HDL (rHDL), that contained either apoA-I or A-I(M)/A-I(M), to remove cholesterol from Fu5AH hepatoma cells and cholesterol-loaded murine primary macrophages (MPM). As the HDL particle size is known to affect the rHDL capacity for cell cholesterol uptake, the reconstitution conditions were carefully selected to produce two sets of rHDL particles of small and large size (7.8 and 12.5 nm in diameter). The small A-I(M)/A-I(M) rHDL were more efficient than the corresponding apoA-I particles as acceptors of membrane cholesterol from Fu5AH cells and MPM, and as inhibitors of cholesterol esterification in MPM. The large rHDL and the lipid-free apolipoproteins displayed instead similar capacities for cell cholesterol efflux. These results suggest that cell cholesterol efflux to rHDL particles of different size occurs through different mechanisms. Large HDL accommodate and retain the cholesterol molecules that have desorbed from the cell membrane into the extracellular fluid, in a process that is less sensitive to protein conformation. Small HDL accelerate the desorption of cholesterol from the cell membrane, in a process that is influenced by the conformation of the proteins on the surface of the acceptor particle. The enhanced efficiency of small A-I(M)/A-I(M) rHDL seems related to the peculiar structure of the protein on the rHDL surface, with a hydrophobic C-terminal domain extending out of the rHDL particle, available for anchoring the acceptor to the plasma membrane
Dietary polyphenols and regulation of gelatinases expression and activity
No full textThe interaction of cells with the extracellular matrix (ECM) is critical for normal development and function of organisms. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of Zn++ and Ca++
dependent endopeptidases, which are key mediators of the ECM remodelling. In particular, the gelatinases (MMP-2 and –9) are abundantly expressed in various malignant tumors, play an active
role in angiogenesis, and may influence also the process of atherosclerotic lesion formation. The turnover and remodelling of ECM must be tightly regulated since uncontrolled proteolysis contributes to abnormal development and to the generation of many pathological conditions
characterized by either excessive degradation or lack of degradation of ECM components. In the recent years, much consideration has been given to the role of diet in preventing degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Dietary constituents have been shown to be
able to affect gelatinases activity. This review will focus on the effect of dietary polyphenolic components on gelatinases expression and activity
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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