1,721,064 research outputs found
Sicilian Rock partridge (Alectoris graeca whitakeri): is the current protected area network enough?
No full textMetal biomonitoring with mosses: procedures for correcting fro soil contamination
No full textHighly variable total concentrations of 15 elements have been found in five species of epigeic mosses growing in remote areas of Italy and in northern Victoria Land (continental Antarctica). It is very likely that soil particles entrapped in the mosses cause these high element concentration differences, thereby leading to inexact interpretations of baseline concentrations and of element distribution in different parts of mosses. A simple procedure for estimating more plausible background values that consists of subtracting the substratum contribution from raw concentrations of elements in mosses is reported. The normalization of total concentrations to the regional soil composition is also emphasized, in order to point out other possible metal sources. © 1995
Possible role of human herpesvirus 6 as a trigger of autoimmune disease
No full textHuman herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection is common and has a worldwide distribution. Recently, HHV-6A and HHV-6B have been reclassified into two distinct species based on different biological features (genetic, antigenic, and cell tropism) and disease associations. A role for HHV-6A/B has been proposed in several autoimmune disorders (AD), including multiple sclerosis (MS), autoimmune connective tissue diseases, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The focus of this review is to discuss the above-mentioned AD associated with HHV-6 and the mechanisms proposed for HHV-6A/B-induced autoimmunity. HHV-6A/B could trigger autoimmunity by exposing high amounts of normally sequestered cell antigens, through lysis of infected cells. Another potential trigger is represented by molecular mimicry, with the synthesis of viral proteins that resemble cellular molecules, as a mechanism of immune escape. The virus could also induce aberrant expression of histocompatibility molecules thereby promoting the presentation of autoantigens. CD46-HHV-6A/B interaction is a new attractive mechanism proposed: HHV-6A/B (especially HHV-6A) could participate in neuroinflammation in the context of MS by promoting inflammatory processes through CD46 binding. Although HHV-6A/B has the ability to trigger all the above-mentioned mechanisms, more studies are required to fully elucidate the possible role of HHV-6A/B as a trigger of AD. © 2013 Francesco Broccolo et al
Effect of habitat improvement actions (HIAs) and reforestations on pheasants Phasianus colchicus in northern Italy
No full textProgressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: what's new?
No full textProgressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a severe demyelinating disease that is caused by human JC
polyomavirus, was first described as a complication of immune suppression 50 years ago and emerged as a major
complication of HIV infection in the 1980s. The prognosis has remained dismal since then, with discouraging results
from clinical trials of various therapeutic approaches, including immunomodulation and/or inhibition of viral replication.
PML is caused by reactivation of latent JC virus, and serotonergic 5-HT2a receptors have been identified as being critical
for viral infection of glial cells. In recent years, immunosuppressive therapeutic antibodies have been associated with an
increased incidence rate of PML. Here, the authors review findings on the pathogenesis of PML and the encouraging
case reports of novel treatments
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
Accumulation of trace elements in the peripheral and central parts of a foliose lichen thallus
No full textTotal concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn were compared in the peripheral (younger) and central (older) part of the thallus of the epiphytic lichen Parmelia caperata from a background area of central Italy. The results showed that the trace element content was highly variable. Concentrations were similar for several elements (As, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Sb). Elements of limited metabolic significance (Al, Cd, Pb) had higher concentrations in the central parts, suggesting that they are trapped in the medulla, while elements essential for lichen metabolism (Co, Cu, Mo, Zn) had higher concentrations in the peripheral parts, suggesting that they are easily displaced from one part of the thallus to another
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
Passive monitoring of trace elements with tree leaves, epiphytic licherns and bark substrate
No full textTotal concentrations of Al, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo and Zn in the epiphytic lichen Parmelia caperata, substrate bark and leaves of oaks (Quercus cerris and Q. pubescens) from a background area in Tuscany (central Italy) were compared. The elemental composition of unwashed samples, especially bark, was clearly affected by soil dust contamination, thereby leading to incorrect interpretations of baseline concentrations and relationships between elements. The normalization of total element concentrations to the surface soil composition (digested and analyzed by the same procedures), using Al as reference element, gave more reliable baseline values and allowed comparison between different biomonitors. The suitability of lichens, leaves and barks for studying the environmental distribution of trace elements in terrestrial ecosystems is discussed
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