1,721,020 research outputs found
In the path for creating research-to-business new opportunities on green hydrogen between Italy and Brazil
No full textOn September 22, 2021, 5 experts from Brazil and 5 from Italy discussed the future of research-to-business (R2B) cooperation between Italy and Brazil on green hydrogen (H2) and related technologies. The workshop discussed some priorities of the Brazilian policies and elucidated the strengths and the weaknesses of the biggest economy among the Latin American countries. Because of its territorial and underground resources its social and economic activities, Brazil offers an excellent basin for supporting an H2-based economy. A well-established connection between Brazilian Universities and EU research organisations already exists in up-to-date research activities and frameworks for grants programmes. Nevertheless, Brazil has some difficulties creating new economies through the industri-alisation of research achievements. On the other hand, Italy has a long tradition of creating and exporting technologies because its enterprises are generally prone to creating new business.In this communication, we reported the argued discussions between Brazilian and Italian players on green hydrogen that discussed how to improve the technological inter-action between the two countries. This meeting discussed the entire value chain for green hydrogen, from the production to the end-user, and included distribution and commerci-alisation of green H2 and related technologies.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
TRANSDUCTION OF ARGININE-VASOPRESSIN SIGNAL IN SKELETAL MYOGENIC CELLS
No full textArginine vasopressin (AVP) induced concentration-dependent (10(-9) to 10(-6) M) stimulation of inositol phosphate production and a biphasic increment of cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in skeletal myogenic cells in culture These effects were almost completely abolished when the cells were pretreated with the AVP antagonist [deamino-Pen1,Val4,D-Arg8]-vasopressin before stimulation with AVP, thus confirming a V1 receptor-mediated effect. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production was maximally stimulated within 2-3 s of treatment with AVP, immediately followed by release of Ca2+ from intracellular deposits. Both effects were inhibited by treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA). Such effect of TPA was reversed by the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine. Vasopressin also regulated the intracellular pH of responsive cells with mechanisms involving both Na+ and anion transport across the plasma membrane. However, unlike in other cell types, AVP stimulated the Na+-H+ antiport only simultaneously with a dramatic cell acidification or after treatment with TPA. Response to AVP was observed in L6 and L5 and, to a lesser extent, in chick embryo myogenic cells, regardless of the stage of differentiation (myoblast or myotube). Comparison of different subclones of the L6 cell line demonstrated that the responsiveness to AVP correlated positively with their myogenic potential
A biphasic role of nuclear transcription factor (NF)-kappaB in the islet beta-cell apoptosis induced by interleukin (IL)-1beta
No full textModulation of the cardiomyocyte contraction inside a hydrostatic pressure bioreactor: in vitro verification of the Frank-Starling law
No full textWe have studied beating mouse cardiac syncytia in vitro in order to assess the inotropic, ergotropic, and chronotropic effects of both increasing and decreasing hydrostatic pressures. In particular, we have performed an image processing analysis to evaluate the kinematics and the dynamics of that pressure-loaded beating syncytia starting from the video registration of their contraction movement. By this analysis, we have verified the Frank-Starling law of the heart in in vitro beating cardiac syncytia and we have obtained their geometrical-functional classification
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
Cell Shortening and Calcium Homeostasis Analysis in Adult Cardiomyocytes via a New Software Tool
Full text linkIntracellular calcium (Ca2+) is the central regulator of heart contractility. Indeed, it couples the electrical signal, which pervades the myocardium, with cardiomyocytes contraction. Moreover, alterations in calcium management are the main factors contributing to the mechanical and electrical dysfunction observed in failing hearts. So, simultaneous analysis of the contractile function and intracellular Ca2+ is indispensable to evaluate cardiomyocytes activity. Intracellular Ca2+ variations and fraction shortening are commonly studied with fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dyes associated with microscopy techniques. However, tracking and dealing with multiple files manually is time-consuming and error-prone and often requires expensive apparatus and software. Here, we announce a new, user-friendly image processing and analysis tool, based on ImageJ-Fiji/MATLAB® software, to evaluate the major cardiomyocyte functional parameters. We succeeded in analyzing fractional cell shortening, Ca2+ transient amplitude, and the kinematics/dynamics parameters of mouse isolated adult cardiomyocytes. The proposed method can be applied to evaluate changes in the Ca2+ cycle and contractile behavior in genetically or pharmacologically induced disease models, in drug screening and other common applications to assess mammalian cardiomyocyte functions
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
Video evaluation of kinematics and dynamics of the beating cardiac syncytium: an alternative to the Langendorff's method
No full textMany important observations and discoveries in heart physiology have been made possible using the isolated heart method of Langendorff. Nevertheless, the Langendorff’s method has some limitations and disadvantages such as the vulnerability of the excised heart to contusions and injuries, the probability of preconditioning during instrumentation, the possibility to induce tissue oedema, and a high oxidative stress, leading to the deterioration of the contractile function. To avoid the preceding drawbacks associated to the use of a whole heart, we have alternatively used beating mouse cardiac syncytia cultured in vitro in order to assess possible ergotropic, chronotropic, and inotropic effects of drugs.
To achieve the preceding aim, we have developed a method based on image processing analysis to evaluate the kinematics and the dynamics of that drug-stimulated beating syncytia starting from the video registration of their contraction movement. In this manner, in comparison with the physiological no-drug condition, we have observed progressive positive ergotropic, positive chronotropic, and positive inotropic effects of 10 microM isoproterenol (beta-adrenergic agonist) and early positive ergotropic, negative chronotropic, and positive inotropic effects of 10 microM phenylephrine (alpha-adrenergic agonist), followed by a late phase with negative ergotropic, positive chronotropic, and negative inotropic trends.
The present method permitted a systematic study of in vitro beating syncytia, producing results coherent with previous works. As consequence, it could be used in in vitro studies of beating cardiac patches, as alternative to the Langendorff’s heart in biochemical and pharmacological studies, and, especially, when the Langendorff’s technique is inapplicable (e.g., in studies about human cardiac syncytium in physiological and pathological conditions, patient-tailored therapeutics, and syncytium models derived from induced pluripotent/embryonic stem cells with genetic mutations).
Furthermore, the method could help, in heart tissue engineering and bioartificial heart researches, to “engineer the heart piece by piece”. In particular, the proposed method could be useful in the identification of a suitable cell source, in the development and test of “smart” biomaterials, and in the design and use of novel bioreactors and microperfusion systems
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