Search results for "City."

Biochemical and structural analysis of the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of the hepatitis C virus.

2000

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the major causative agent of chronic and sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis worldwide, is a distinct member of the Flaviviridae virus family. These viruses have in common a plus-strand RNA genome that is replicated in the cytoplasm of the infected cell via minus-strand RNA intermediates. Owing to the lack of reliable cell culture systems and convenient animal models for HCV, the mechanisms governing RNA replication are not known. As a first step towards the development of appropriate in vitro systems, we expressed the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in insect cells, purified the protein to near homogeneity and studied its biochemical properties. It is a primer…

Rapid and sensitive detection of metapneumovirus in clinical specimens by indirect fluorescence assay using a monoclonal antibody.

2008

Human metapneumovirus, with two known genotypes named A and B, is associated with mild respiratory symptoms to severe LRTI in children, high-risk adults and the elderly. Rapid and reliable methods of hMPV detection in clinical samples are essential to implement appropriate care, to better understand the pathology of hMPV and to determine its epidemiology. Respiratory samples from 1,386 patients collected during 2 consecutive years were screened for hMPV using indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) assay with a monoclonal antibody. Forty-three patients tested positive for hMPV by the IFA method. In parallel, the samples were examined with RT-PCR on the F gene. Of these, 41 specimens were RT-PCR p…

Why viruses sometimes disperse in groups?

2019

AbstractMany organisms disperse in groups, yet this process is understudied in viruses. Recent work, however, has uncovered different types of collective infectious units, all of which lead to the joint delivery of multiple viral genome copies to target cells, favoring co-infections. Collective spread of viruses can occur through widely different mechanisms, including virion aggregation driven by specific extracellular components, cloaking inside lipid vesicles, encasement in protein matrices, or binding to cell surfaces. Cell-to-cell viral spread, which allows the transmission of individual virions in a confined environment, is yet another mode of clustered virus dissemination. Nevertheles…

Characterization of the autoantigen La (SS-B) as a dsRNA unwinding enzyme

1997

During the analysis of the La (SS-B) autoantigen for catalytic activities an ATP-dependent double-stranded RNA unwinding activity was detected. Both native and recombinant La proteins from different species displayed this activity, which could be inhibited by monospecific anti-La antibodies. La protein was able to melt dsRNA substrates with either two 3'-overhangs or a single 3'- and a 5'-overhang. Double-stranded RNAs with two 5'-overhangs were not unwound, indicating that at least one 3'-overhang is required for unwinding. Sequence elements of the La protein that might be involved in dsRNA unwinding, such as an evolutionarily conserved putative ATP-binding motif and an element that is hom…

On the Dynamics of Fractional Visco-Elastic Beams

2012

With increasing advanced manufacturing process, visco-elastic materials are very attractive for mitigation of vibrations, provided that you may have advanced studies for capturing the realistic behavior of such materials. Experimental verification of the visco-elastic behavior is limited to some well-known low order models as the Maxwell or Kelvin models. However, both models are not sufficient to model the visco-elastic behavior of real materials, since only the Maxwell type can capture the relaxation tests and the Kelvin the creep tests, respectively. Very recently, it has been stressed that the most suitable model for capturing the visco-elastic behavior is the spring-pot, characterized …

Theoretical and experimental analysis of viscoelastic behavior of biomaterials

2014

Evolution of Seismicity During a Stalled Episode of Reawakening at Cayambe Volcano, Ecuador

2021

Cayambe Volcano is an ice-capped, 5,790 m high, andesitic-dacitic volcanic complex, located on the equator in the Eastern Cordillera of the Ecuadorian Andes. An eruption at Cayambe would pose considerable hazards to surrounding communities and a nationally significant agricultural industry. Although the only historically documented eruption was in 1785, it remains persistently restless and long-period (LP) seismicity has been consistently observed at the volcano for over 10 years. However, the sparse monitoring network, and complex interactions between the magmatic, hydrothermal, glacial, and tectonic systems, make unrest at Cayambe challenging to interpret. In June 2016 a seismic “crisis” …

The relationships between urbanization and bird functional traits across the streetscape

2023

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors The urbanization process leads to changes in bird communities’ taxonomic and functional compositions. Highly urbanized areas generally exhibit a reduced number of bird species sharing few functional traits. However, most urban bird studies focused on vegetation patches in temperate cities. In this study, we investigate how urban environmental attributes – noise, height of buildings, and urban vegetation characteristics – modulate species occurrences and the distribution of functional traits across the streetscape of a tropical metropolis. We predicted diverse trait-environment relationships, but that highly urbanized contexts (e.g., noisy streets with…

La riqualificazione della viabilità costiera per la mobilità dolce: il caso di Palermo

2012

The attractiveness and the availability of services offered in urban areas nearby the port terminals are conditioned by the improvement of the connection of different urban transport systems and by the enhancement of the accessibility. But they should be based on the overall improvement of urban mobility. The structural organization of the territory is favored by the presence of links, which realize an infrastructure system to the different levels of connection and accessibility. The interventions could include the requalification of the coastal strip, including the road network component. Attention should be given to the supply quality, the rationalization of a linear model based on the co…

Il "Teorema del Waterfront": un approccio progettuale integrato e creativo

2013

Abbiamo già sostenuto che la rigenerazione dei waterfront urbani non è più alimentata dalla redditività del mercato immobiliare o dagli investimenti dei fondi speculativi, ma una città-porto più creativa deve essere in grado di offrire reali opportunità per uno sviluppo che sia capace di produrre effetti congiunti sia sulla valorizzazione dei beni comuni sia sull’incremento dei settori produttivi. In questo scenario agisce il Progetto di cooperazione internazionale tra Italia e Malta denominato “WATERFRONT” orientato a definire “politiche territoriali per l’integrazione dello sviluppo multisettoriale delle zone costiere”, il quale mira ad esplorare la rigenerazione dei waterfront con modali…