1,721,018 research outputs found

    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

    Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and their role in Type 2 diabetes management

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    Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are a new pharmacological class of drugs for treating Type 2 diabetes. They improve the capacity of the organism to control glycemia by increasing the levels of active incretins. Their mechanism of action is thus radically different from those of other anti-diabetic drugs currently available. DDP-4 inhibitors use a physiological mechanism to control hyperglycemia, by stimulating the secretion of insulin from beta-cells, decreasing the secretion of glucagon from pancreatic alpha-cells, and at the same time reducing the production of glucose by the liver. DDP-4 inhibitors have shown significant efficacy in maintaining reduced levels of glycosylated hemoglobin for up to 1 year. In vitro and animal studies have shown that they can inhibit apoptosis of beta-cells and favor their regeneration and differentiation. The oral DPP-4 inhibitors vildagliptin, sitagliptin, and saxagliptin are efficacious both alone and in association with other oral anti-diabetic agents and may be administered in a single daily dose. Lastly, they have substantial advantages with respect to other anti-diabetic drugs, since they involve a low risk of hypoglycemia and do not affect body weight

    Prevalence and correlates of post-prandial hyperglycaemia in a large sample of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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    Aims/hypothesis: Post-prandial glucose may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and chronic diabetic complications. We tested the hypothesis that post-prandial hyperglycaemia is common in type 2 diabetes, even among patients in apparently good glycaemic control, and that simple clinical characteristics identify subsets of diabetic patients with frequent post-prandial hyperglycaemia. Subjects and methods: Three self-assessed daily blood glucose profiles over a 1-week period, including 18 glucose readings before and 2 h after meals, were obtained from 3,284 unselected outpatients (men 51%; age 63±10 years) with non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus attending 500 different diabetes clinics operating throughout Italy. Results: A post-prandial blood glucose value >8.89 mmol/l (160 mg/dl) was recorded at least once in 84% of patients, and 81% of patients had at least one Δglucose ≥2.22 mmol/l (40 mg/dl). Among patients with apparently good metabolic control, 38% had >40% of post-prandial blood glucose readings >8.89 mmol/l (≥4 of 9 meals in total), and 36% had >40% Δglucose ≥2.22 mmol/l. In multivariate analysis adjusted for pre-prandial glucose levels, older age, longer duration of diabetes, absence of obesity, hyperlipidaemia and hypertension, as well as treatment with sulfonylureas, were significantly associated with greater glucose excursions after meals. Conclusions/interpretation: These results indicate that post-prandial hyperglycaemia is a very frequent phenomenon in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on active treatment; can occur even when metabolic control is apparently good; and can be predicted by simple clinical features
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