1,720,968 research outputs found

    Optical signatures of thermal damage on ex-vivo brain, lung and heart tissues using time-domain diffuse optical spectroscopy

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    : Thermal therapies treat tumors by means of heat, greatly reducing pain, post-operation complications, and cost as compared to traditional methods. Yet, effective tools to avoid under- or over-treatment are mostly needed, to guide surgeons in laparoscopic interventions. In this work, we investigated the temperature-dependent optical signatures of ex-vivo calf brain, lung, and heart tissues based on the reduced scattering and absorption coefficients in the near-infrared spectral range (657 to 1107 nm). These spectra were measured by time domain diffuse optics, applying a step-like spatially homogeneous thermal treatment at 43 °C, 60 °C, and 80 °C. We found three main increases in scattering spectra, possibly due to the denaturation of collagen, myosin, and the proteins' secondary structure. After 75 °C, we found the rise of two new peaks at 770 and 830 nm in the absorption spectra due to the formation of a new chromophore, possibly related to hemoglobin or myoglobin. This research marks a significant step forward in controlling thermal therapies with diffuse optical techniques by identifying several key markers of thermal damage. This could enhance the ability to monitor and adjust treatment in real-time, promising improved outcomes in tumor therapy

    Characterization of the Optical and Thermal Properties of Cardiac Tissue as a Function of Temperature

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    : In this work, we devised the first characterization of the optical and thermal properties of ex vivo cardiac tissue as a function of different selected temperatures, ranging from room temperature to hyperthermic and ablative temperatures. The broadband (i.e., from 650 nm to 1100 nm) estimation of the optical properties, i.e., absorption coefficient (μa) and reduced scattering coefficient (μs)({\mu ^{\prime}}_s), was performed by means of time-domain diffuse optics. Besides, the measurement of the thermal properties was based on the transient hot-wire technique, employing a dual-needle probe to estimate the tissue thermal conductivity (k), thermal diffusivity (α), and volumetric heat capacity (Cv). Increasing the tissue temperature led to variations in the spectral characteristics of μa (e.g., the redshift of the 780 nm peak, the rise of a new peak at 840 nm, and the formation of a valley at 900 nm). Moreover, an increase in the values of μs{\mu ^{\prime}}_s was assessed as tissue temperature raised (e.g., for 800 nm, at 25 °C μs=9.8 cm - 1{\mu ^{\prime}}_s = 9.8{\text{ c}}{{\text{m}}^{{\text{ - 1}}}}, while at 77 °C μs=29.1 cm - 1{\mu ^{\prime}}_s = 29.1{\text{ c}}{{\text{m}}^{{\text{ - 1}}}}). Concerning the thermal properties characterization, k was almost constant in the selected temperature interval. Conversely, α and Cv were subjected to an increase and a decrease with temperature, respectively; thus, they registered values of 0.190 mm2/s and 3.03 MJ/(m3•K) at the maximum investigated temperature (79 °C), accordingly.Clinical Relevance- The experimentally obtained optical and thermal properties of cardiac tissue are useful to improve the accuracy of simulation-based tools for thermal therapy planning. Furthermore, the measured properties can serve as a reference for the realization of tissue-mimicking phantoms for medical training and testing of medical instruments

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The 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

    Variations on the Author

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    “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

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    We 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

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    We 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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