Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2024-12-13"
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- Posthumous events: how audiences experience post-mortem digital concertsPublication . Fernandes, AdalbertoPurpose Investigate the effects on audiences of musical events based on the digital simulation of artists who have already passed away, utilizing comments on YouTube recordings of these events. Design/methodology/approachComparative analysis of the two most viewed videos of events featuring the singers Michael Jackson and 2Pac, with a combined total of 150,000,000 views and 100,000 comments, employing a quantitative and qualitative linguistic analysis of the most frequent words in the comments. FindingsThe Michael Jackson event elicits ambiguous reactions from audiences who appreciate the opportunity to see an artist who has already passed away but simultaneously express unease due to the fact that the artist is deceased. The comparison with the 2Pac event, which is received more positively, suggests that the technological quality of the simulation is a determining factor in making the experience of the event positive or negative. This implies that technology serves to make the event more lifelike. Originality/valueThis is the first systematic study of audiences of digital post-mortem musical events based on YouTube comments. It claims that the simulation of the artist is not merely a reproduction of the artist as they were alive, but a different type of event that can evoke equally strong emotions because it challenges the barrier of death.
- Exploring angiogenesis and cardiomyocyte differentiation in left ventricular noncompaction using patient derived hiPSCPublication . Carmo, Sara Martins do; Bragança, JoséLeft ventricular noncompaction (LVNC), is a rare cardiomyopathy characterized by a spongy myocardial structure, hyper-trabeculation and intra-trabecular recesses, resulting from failure of normal embryonic compaction of the myocardium. The prevalence of LVNC varies globally, between 9.5% in paediatric age and 0.05-0.25% in the general population. Multiple genetic mutations are associated with LVNC, affecting sarcomeric, cytoskeletal and mitochondrial functions. This study investigates the genetic mechanisms underlaying LVNC, focusing on mutations involved in heart diseases and their impact in cardiomyocyte differentiation and angiogenesis, with a special focus on ZSCAN10, SCN10A and VE-PTP, found mutated in the patient’s cells used in this study. Cardiomyocytes were differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from a LVNC patient and a 1st degree healthy relative. Gene relative expression analysis of samples collected during cardiomyocyte differentiation, highlighted significant differences on in key genes, such as GATA4, ISL1, SOX17, KDR, VE-PTP, VEGFA, TNNT2 and NKX2.5 in patients derived cells compared to control cells. Among those, GATA4, ISL1 and NKX2.5, which were previously showed to cooperate for the differentiation and proliferation of cardiomyocytes, presented a significantly lower expression. SOX17, KDR and VEGFA have functions in cardiac vascularization, and the expression of SOX17 was higher in patient’s cells, while in the same conditions KDR and VEGFA were decreased at critical time points for endothelial cells differentiation. Thus, the expression of these genes, crucial for cardiomyocyte development and angiogenesis, were markedly altered in LVNC-derived cells compared to control cells. A Tube formation assay using endothelial cells from both LVNC-derived and control cells, to assess their ability to form capillary like structures. Remarkable differences were observed, with patient cells showing a delayed and an impaired tube formation, and a reduced vascular network complexity. Overall, our results argue that novel genetic and cellular mechanisms might be altered in the LVNC patient cells analysed.
- Estudo comparativo de índices de avaliação da seca em aquíferos costeirosPublication . Neves, Maria C.Os aquíferos em áreas costeiras áridas e semiáridas, como a região do Algarve, são fortemente impactados por secas, agravadas pela sobre-exploração, que pode levar à degradação da qualidade da água e à intrusão salina. A monitori zação eficaz é essencial, utilizando vários indicadores para prever e gerir os efei tos da redução da precipitação e do aumento da extração. Este estudo compara indicadores de desempenho relativos à seca, como o Índice Padronizado do Nível de Água Subterrânea (SGI) e os tempos ótimos de acumulação do Índice Padro nizado de Precipitação e Evapotranspiração (SPEI). Ao combinar dados de re análise atmosférica com observações dos níveis de água subterrânea, o estudo avalia a memória do sistema de água subterrânea e determina os períodos de acumulação do SPEI mais adequados. O inverso da memória obtido pela auto correlação do SGI ajuda a estimar a capacidade de recuperação de cada furo em condições de seca, indicando a sua resiliência e sustentabilidade. No Algarve, o índice SPEI-12 representa eficazmente a variabilidade regional dos níveis de água subterrânea, mas as memórias dos aquíferos e os tempos ótimos do SPEI variam amplamente (SPEI-5 a SPEI-48). Furos com memórias mais curtas (< 6 meses) demonstram melhor sustentabilidade, enquanto aqueles com memórias mais longas (> 16 meses) apresentam menor resiliência.