1,721,183 research outputs found
On the connection between linear combination of entropies and linear combination of extremizing distributions
No full textWe analyze the distribution that extremizes a linear combination of the Boltzmann–Gibbs entropy and the nonadditive q-entropy. We show that this distribution can be expressed in terms of a Lambert function. Both the entropic functional and the extremizing distribution can be associated with a nonlinear Fokker–Planck equation obtained from a master equation with nonlinear transition rates. Also, we evaluate the entropy extremized by a linear combination of a Gaussian distribution (which extremizes the Boltzmann–Gibbs entropy) and a q-Gaussian distribution (which extremizes the q-entropy). We give its explicit expression for q=0, and discuss the other cases numerically. The entropy that we obtain can be expressed, for q=0, in terms of Lambert functions, and exhibits a discontinuity in the second derivative for all values of q<1. The entire discussion is closely related to recent results for type-II superconductors and for the statistics of the standard map
Exercise and nutritional benefits for individuals with a spinal cord injury or amputation
No full textThis chapter reviews the literature for the benefits of exercise and nutrition in improving physical performance for individuals with a disability, in particular spinal cord injuries or amputation. The ways in which spinal cord injury or amputation can negatively affect muscle, fat and bone mass are discussed in light of the potentially questionable validity of many common body composition techniques for use with individuals with these disabilities. While resistance training significantly increased muscular strength and power and even aerobic fitness in recreationally active individuals with a disability, very few studies were conducted on athletes with a disability (AWD). The relatively modest literature on dietary habits of AWD suggests that, as a group, they meet most macronutrient and micronutrient RDAs, but that individual AWD dietary records reveal many may still not meet RDAs on several important micronutrients. The small number of studies on carbohydrate and creatine monohydrate supplementation is somewhat equivocal but does suggest some performance benefits can be gained in different situations
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Functional Foods in the European Union: Main Issues and Impact on the Food Industry
No full textIn Europe the demand for functional foods varies remarkably from country to country, on the basis of alimentary traditions, enforced legislation and different cultural heritage that. The opportunities for expansion on the market seem to be quite favorable and the interest of consumers is rather high.
However, several obstacles are slowing down the diffusion of these products in the European common market area. A major one stems from the lack of an officially recognizeddefinition for these terms, necessary in order to assign clearly these products to the food sector rather than to the pharmaceutical one.
It is virtually impossible to carry out a complete survey of this field, due to the lack of homogeneous and trustworthy statistical data and to the hodgepodge of definitions used for the key terms. In fact, every country adopts its own national legislation and includes different products in the class of functional foods.
The different meanings that the term “functional food” has assumed in the EU member Countries could also hinder free trade, even within EU boundaries. In fact, in the name of safeguarding human health, each partner can block the admission of a product, even if it comes from another EU member country.
This lack of clarity at the production phase is reflected in stricter controls at the consumption phase. Incorrect assumptions made by vendors and, consequently, by consumers, can involve some risks due not only to nutritional opportunities lost by not using functional foods, but also possible damage to health. Ambiguous definitions and gaps in knowledge regarding the composition and the effects of these products, in fact, can interfere with proper consumer awareness and also hamper the organized development of the industry
Functional Foods in the European Union: Main Issues and Impact on the Food Industry
No full textIn Europe the demand for functional foods varies remarkably from country to country, on the basis of alimentary traditions, enforced legislation and different cultural heritage that. The opportunities for expansion on the market seem to be quite favorable and the interest of consumers is rather high.
However, several obstacles are slowing down the diffusion of these products in the European common market area. A major one stems from the lack of an officially recognizeddefinition for these terms, necessary in order to assign clearly these products to the food sector rather than to the pharmaceutical one.
It is virtually impossible to carry out a complete survey of this field, due to the lack of homogeneous and trustworthy statistical data and to the hodgepodge of definitions used for the key terms. In fact, every country adopts its own national legislation and includes different products in the class of functional foods.
The different meanings that the term “functional food” has assumed in the EU member Countries could also hinder free trade, even within EU boundaries. In fact, in the name of safeguarding human health, each partner can block the admission of a product, even if it comes from another EU member country.
This lack of clarity at the production phase is reflected in stricter controls at the consumption phase. Incorrect assumptions made by vendors and, consequently, by consumers, can involve some risks due not only to nutritional opportunities lost by not using functional foods, but also possible damage to health. Ambiguous definitions and gaps in knowledge regarding the composition and the effects of these products, in fact, can interfere with proper consumer awareness and also hamper the organized development of the industry
Oxidative stress-related mechanisms are associated with xenobiotics exerting excess toxicity to Fanconi anaemia cells
No full textAn extensive body of evidence has demonstrated the sensitivity of Fanconi anemia (FA) cells to redox-active xenobiotics, such as mitomycin C, diepoxybutane, cisplatin, and 8-methoxypsoralen plus ultraviolet irradiation, with toxicity mechanisms that are consistent with a deficiency of FA cells in coping with oxidative stress. A recent study has reported on excess sensitivity of FA complementation A group cells to chromium VI [Cr(VI)] toxicity, by postulating that a deficiency in Cr-DNA cross-link removal by FA cells and formation of Cr(VI)-associated cross-links may be the mechanism of Cr(VI)-induced cytotoxicity. However, the report failed to demonstrate any enhanced Cr uptake or, especially, any increase in Cr-DNA adducts. Thus, well-established findings on Cr(VI)-induced oxidative stress may explain excess sensitivity of FA cells to Cr(VI) in terms of its inability to cope with the Cr(VI)-induced prooxidant state
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“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
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe 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
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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