1,720,966 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

    A virtual reality framework for the design review of complex industrial assemblies: case study on the interiors of Superjet 100 aircraft

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    This work concerns the development of a virtual reality environment aimed at design review of complex industrial assemblies. Virtual reality clearly shows its effectiveness when different and very specialized designers have to interact each other in setting up complex projects. Virtual Design Review (VDR) allows multiple designers to simultaneously analyze and review the project, providing the necessary tools to highlight possible design flaws and make choices in real time. In facts, not only designers, but also production engineers can be involved in the critical review process, according to the concurrent engineering design paradigm. The case study focuses on the design review of the interiors of Superjet 10

    Assessment of a desiccant cooling system in a traditional and innovative nanofluid HVAC system

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    The topic of energy saving is a constant in everyday life, and it is widespread all over the world. Space heating using solar panels is the most used renewable source of energy, but the application of solar energy for cooling the fluids used for refrigeration is growing very fast. Among the techniques used for refrigeration, this work focused on Desiccant Cooling. In particular, with the use of dynamic simulation software, it was possible to study the heat supplied and the energy consumption of a Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of a university building and to compare consumption with those of a Desiccant Cooling system applied to the same building. Four different cases were simulated: two related to the HVAC system, one of which operates with water and glycol and the other one with nanofluid, and the other ones to the Desiccant Cooling system with both types of fluids mentioned above. Keeping the same energy demand of the building in all the simulations, it was found that in summer the Desiccant Cooling system had higher performance than the traditional HVAC system and that the use of the nanofluid in both types of conditioning systems further increased the performance of 21%. Simulations were carried out using TRNSYS software

    Pelvic lymph node dissection: a comparison among extraperitoneal single-port and trans peritoneal multiport radical prostatectomy. A single center experience

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    Background and objective: The role of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) for prostate cancer is still controversial. This study aims to compare the outcomes of PLND between extraperitoneal single-port (SP eRARP) and transperitoneal multiport (MP tRARP) robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis from our single-center database for patients who underwent SP eRARP or MP tRARP with PLND between 2015 and 2023. The primary endpoint was to analyze and compare specific data related to PLND between the two populations by the detection of pN+ patients, the total number of lymph nodes removed, and the number of positive lymph nodes removed. The secondary endpoints included comparing major complications, lymphoceles, and biochemical recurrence between the two cohorts of the study. Key findings and limitations: A total of 293 patients were included, with 85 (29%) undergoing SP eRARP and 208 (71%) undergoing MP tRARP. SP eRARP showed significant differences in PLND extension from MP tRARP, while MP tRARP yielded more lymph nodes (p < 0.001). There were no differences in pN+ patient detection (p = 0.7) or the number of positive lymph nodes retrieved (p = 0.6). The rates of major complications (p = 0.6), lymphoceles (p = 0.2), and biochemical recurrence (p = 0.9) were similar between the two groups. Additionally, SP eRARP had shorter operative time (p = 0.045), hospital stay (p < 0.001), and less postoperative pain at discharge (p = 0.03). Limitations include a retrospective, single-center analysis. Conclusions and clinical implications: Despite the SP approach in RARP resulting in fewer retrieved lymph nodes, outcomes were comparable with the MP approach regarding the detection of patients with positive lymph nodes and the number of positive nodes. Additionally, the SP approach led to lower pain levels and shorter hospital stays. Patient summary: With this study, we demonstrate that pelvic lymph node dissection performed via the extraperitoneal approach during robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy with a single-port system provides comparable outcomes with the standard transperitoneal multiport approach in detecting patients with positive lymph nodes and retrieving positive nodes. In addition, it offers significantly reduced pain levels and shorter hospital stays

    Development and validation of a novel comorbidity score specific for prostate cancer patients treated with robotic platform and its implication on Da Vinci single-port system

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    To develop and validate a novel Comorbidity score for Robotic Surgery (CRS) in predicting severe complications after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Furthermore, we investigated the impact of the surgical platform (Multi-Port – MP vs Single-Port – SP) according to this score. We included 2085 (“development cohort”) and 595 (“validation cohort”) patients undergoing RARP at two tertiary referral centers between 2014 and March 2024 in a retrospective study. Statistical analyses included validation of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict 30-day severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3a), development and external validation of CRS using calibration plots and decision curve analysis. Lastly, locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) analysis was used to graphically explore the impact of the robotic platform according to novel CRS. CCI exhibited limited predictive ability for severe complications (60% in the validation cohort). In multivariable logistic regression analyses testing the correlation between each condition included in CCI and severe complications, diabetes and myocardial infarction resulted as independent predictors (OR 1.75 [95%CI 1.05–2.82]; OR 1.92 [95%CI 1.26–2.88]) and were subsequently fitted into a multivariable logistic model including age, previous abdominal surgery and obesity (BMI > 30). The resulting predictive model demonstrated superior discrimination and clinical net benefit in predicting severe complications compared to CCI (AUC 64 vs 60%). At LOWESS analysis, SP platform was associated with lower risk of severe complications as CRS increased compared to MP system. The validated CRS showed better accuracy compared to CCI in predicting severe complications after RARP. Additionally, the use of SP robotic platform may reduce the risk of severe complications in highly comorbid patients according to CRS

    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

    Synthesis and characterization of clay-nanocomposite solvent-based polyurethane adhesives

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    In this work nanocomposite adhesives obtained using an organically modified montmorillonite (OMM) in a polyurethane matrix were studied. An amount of organoclay ranging from 3% up to 18% by weight was added to the polyol resin before mixing with isocyanate. In particular, a typical adhesive formulation used in laminated films for food packaging was studied. The effect of different preparation procedures was compared in order to correlate exfoliation with rheological and mechanical properties. The basal distance of OMM before and after mixing with the polyol and after curing was characterized by X-ray diffraction. Composites with low content of OMM show an intercalated structure. A mix of exfoliated and intercalated layers was observed in the composites with the highest OMM content, before and after curing. The basal distance of OMM decreases after solvent mixing and curing, suggesting that exfoliation and intercalation are improved with respect to the uncured system. The viscosity of polyols-OMM systems was studied as function of shear rate in a cone-plate rheometer in order either to check the possible degradation of the polyol oligomer on to correlate the viscosity with the aggregation state of OMM. Viscoelastic properties of polyol oligomer were obtained by shear dynamic mechanical tests in the frequency range 0.1–16 rad/s. Finally the tensile properties of polyurethane clay-nanocomposites were measured

    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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