Search results for "very"

Research and Projects for the Recovery of the “Tifeo” Power Station in Augusta

2015

The buildings of the Tifeo Augusta Power Station (SR) significantly tell us, even today, the history of the Sicilian industrial dream at the end of the Fifties. However, with the passing of time, it revealed the underlying contradictions still present today in Augusta together with polluting and oppressive petrochemical plants built during those times. Regardless of any recovery theory about the Augusta Power Station, it is clear that an open and multidisciplinary look cannot be ignored, locating the power station in the actual and future setting of the vastest territory in which it is sited. The past, the present and, of course, the future of the Augusta area are tightly connected to the s…

Everyday aesthetics on staycation as a pathway to restoration

2017

This multidisciplinary study enforces a suggested link between everyday aesthetic experiences and restoration. The studied phenomenon is staycation, a short-term holiday spent at home or at one’s home region, to identify how people use a (culturally) familiar environment for everyday aesthetic enjoyment and how that influences restoration. This focus minimises the potential effect of long-distance travel, novelty and escapism to restoration. Staycation has not been studied before from the perspective of everyday aesthetics and restoration. I explore staycation through a lens of qualitative media analysis; history and empirical research of holiday-making; and theories in everyday aesthetics.…

Targeting the mevalonate pathway for improved anticancer therapy.

2009

The mevalonate pathway is important for the generation of isoprene moieties thereby providing the basis for the biosynthesis of molecules required for maintaining membrane integrity, steroid production and cell respiration. Additionally, isoprene precursors are indispensable for the prenylation of regulatory proteins such as Ras and Ras-homologous (Rho) GTPases. These low molecular GTP-binding proteins play key roles in numerous signal transduction pathways stimulated upon activation of cell surface receptors by ligand binding. Thus, Ras/Rho proteins eventually regulate cell proliferation, tumor progression and cell death induced by anticancer therapeutics. Lipid modification of Ras/Rho pro…

Rho GTPases: Promising Cellular Targets for Novel Anticancer Drugs

2006

Ras-homologous (Rho) GTPases play a pivotal role in the regulation of numerous cellular functions associated with malignant transformation and metastasis. Rho GTPases are localized at membranes and become activated upon stimulation of cell surface receptors. In their GTP-bound (=active) state, Rho proteins bind to effector proteins, thereby triggering specific cellular responses. Members of the Rho family of small GTPases are key regulators of actin reorganization, cell motility, cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion as well as of cell cycle progression, gene expression and apoptosis. Each of these functions is of importance for the development and progression of cancer. Fu…

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel peptidomimetics as rhodesain inhibitors

2016

Novel rhodesain inhibitors were developed by combining an enantiomerically pure 3-bromoisoxazoline warhead with a 1,4-benzodiazepine scaffold as specific recognition moiety. All compounds were proven to inhibit rhodesain with Ki values in the low-micromolar range. Their activity towards rhodesain was found to be coupled to an in vitro antitrypanosomal activity, with IC50 values ranging from the mid-micromolar to a low-micromolar value for the most active rhodesain inhibitor (R,S,S)-3. All compounds showed a good selectivity against the target enzyme since all of them were proven to be poor inhibitors of human cathepsin L. Novel rhodesain inhibitors were developed by combining an enantiomeri…

The Influence of Nanoparticle Shape on Protein Corona Formation

2020

Nanoparticles have become an important utility in many areas of medical treatment such as targeted drug and treatment delivery as well as imaging and diagnostics. These advances require a complete understanding of nanoparticles' fate once placed in the body. Upon exposure to blood, proteins adsorb onto the nanoparticles surface and form a protein corona, which determines the particles' biological fate. This study reports on the protein corona formation from blood serum and plasma on spherical and rod‐shaped nanoparticles. These two types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles have identical chemistry, porosity, surface potential, and size in the y ‐dimension, one being a sphere and the other a …

Photoluminescent Detection of Human T-Lymphoblastic Cells by ZnO Nanorods.

2020

The precise detection of cancer cells currently remains a global challenge. One-dimensional (1D) semiconductor nanostructures (e.g., ZnO nanorods) have attracted attention due to their potential use in cancer biosensors. In the current study, it was demonstrated that the possibility of a photoluminescent detection of human leukemic T-cells by using a zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) platform. Monoclonal antibodies (MABs) anti-CD5 against a cluster of differentiation (CD) proteins on the pathologic cell surface have been used as a bioselective layer on the ZnO surface. The optimal concentration of the protein anti-CD5 to form an effective bioselective layer on the ZnO NRs surface was selected. …

Rural architecture in Western Sicily tradition. Identity, sustainable recovery

2010

Trait emotional intelligence, self-reported affect, and salivary alpha-amylase on working days and a non-working day

2017

his study examined the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (EI) and variation in psychological (positive affect: PA, negative affect: NA) and psychophysiological (salivary alpha-amylase: sAA) indicators among Japanese employees over 3 consecutive days (working day 1, non-working day, working day 2). The analyses revealed that higher trait EI was associated across the days with higher PA, but not with NA. Moreover, diurnal sAA levels were lower in the high trait EI group than in the low trait EI group on the intervening non-working day, and this difference between the EI groups continued to show a tendency to significance on working day 2. The results indicate that higher EI ma…

A post-exercise infrared sauna session improves recovery of neuromuscular performance and muscle soreness after resistance exercise training

2023

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of a single infrared sauna (IRS) session on postexercise recovery of neuromuscular performance, autonomic nervous system function, subjective sleep quality, and muscle soreness. Male basketball players (n = 16) performed two trials consisting of a complex resistance exercise protocol (maximal strength with plyometrics), followed by either 20 min passive recovery (PAS) or IRS (temperature 43±5°C), in a randomized crossover design, with trials separated by one week. Recovery of neuromuscular performance was assessed using 20 m maximal sprint, maximal countermovement-jump (CMJ), and isometric leg press tests, performed 14 hours after exercise. H…