1,720,977 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Full text link“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
Full text linkWe 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
Full text linkWe 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
Immunobiology and immune defense mechanisms of mesothelioma cells
No full textMalignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive tumour whose incidence is expected to rise in future years. Patients with this neoplasm have a poor prognosis. Immunotherapy has been shown to be effective in some neoplasms (e.g. melanoma), significantly improving their prognosis but we do not yet have sufficient data on the capability of MM cells to elicit an immune response. A 'three step' event is required to determine an immune response: adhesion, recognition, and costimulation between the antigen presenting cells and the immunoeffector cells. Lack of one of these three steps leads to a defective immune response. The most important mechanism determining the defective immune response to the tumour cells is supposed to be the deficiency of the molecules involved in this 'three step event', the release of immunodepressant factors by the tumour cells and/or the tumour infiltrating cells and the lack of surface immunogen epitopes. Investigations on MM cells are not univocal, suggesting that, at least in some cases, an effective immune response to this neoplasm can occur. Blocking the release of immunodepressant factors by malignant mesothelioma cells and identification of effective, specific immunogen epitopes seem to be the most promising objectives to achieve
Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) by reactive mesothelial cells in pleural effusions
No full textReactive mesothelial cells in serous effusions have been assessed for their capacity to express intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), when pleural cavities are involved in inflammatory and immune reactions. Cytospin smears prepared from 10 benign and 10 malignant effusion specimens were used in an immunocytochemical procedure. Mesothelial cells were positively immunolabeled by a monoclonal antibody to human ICAM-1, whereas lymphocytes clustered around them reacted positively with a monoclonal antibody to human Lymphocyte Function-associated antigen-1 alpha chain (LFA-1-alpha). The ICAM-1/LFA-1 interaction enables mesothelial cells to regulate leukocyte transmigration to and accumulation in serous cavities and therefore they are actively involved in the development of serous effusions
Sorafenib (SFB) treated elderly patients (E) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Chromogranine A (CGA) plus vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as predicting factors (PF) of treatment outcome.
No full textBackground: HCC accounts for approximately 90% of all primary liver cancers, and is the fifth most common cancer in the world and prognosis is so far very poor,particularly in E patients.Between all tentative of treatment till know SFB seems to be the most promising drug in patients with advanced or metastatic HCC.Aim of the study is to investigate if SFB is efficient and safe also in E HCC patients despite the comorbidities and other problems. Objectives: To investigate if CgA and VEGF work as predicting factors of Sorafenib treatment outcomes. Methods: 51 patients, mean age 68,9 (65-85) with HCC were enrolled . Serum CgA, VEGF and αFP were evaluated at baseline and after end of treatment (SFB 400mg p.o. bid), until disease progression. Clinical response (RECIST), Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and PFS were considered as well. Results: CgA mean value (baseline: 77.9 – after treatment: 26.25 UI/L) and VEGF levels (baseline: 67.3 – after treatment 47.2 pg/ml) seems to have a predictive role in clinical benefit. A correlation between lower values of CgA and VEGF was noted in pts with longer PFS. Furthermore 3-4 toxicity was not observed in these pts. OS median was 11 months. Conclusions: The most relevant data in this study refer to the role of serum CgA and VEGF levels, for prediction of tumor response. If these findings were confirmed in future largest studies, it could be sufficient to measure these markers levels for identification of those HCC patients who have more probability of obtaining clinical benefit from a sorafenib treatment
Outcome and Safety of Sorafenib in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Dialysis Patients: A Systematic Review
No full textFew data are available about sorafenib use in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) undergoing hemodialysis. No systematic review has been previously performed about this issue. The objective of the present review is to investigate pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes of sorafenib in mRCC patients undergoing hemodialysis. According to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, all the literature about mRCC dialysis patients receiving sorafenib, published from January 1946 to August 2015, was evaluated. Applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 11 articles were selected for the analysis; 1 patient from our department was also included. The investigated outcomes were pharmacokinetics, toxicity, response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival where available. A total of 36 patients were included. Median treatment duration was 6.0 months on overall population; median progression-free survival was 6.3 months (calculated on 19 patients); response rate was 22% (on 29 patients); median overall survival was 14.9 months (on 28 patients). Of note, 24 patients started sorafenib at reduced dose; 6 of 36 patients (17%) required dose reduction due to adverse events (AEs). Sorafenib treatment was discontinued in 7 patients (19%) because of AEs. Most of AEs were Grade 1-2; severe toxicities (Grade 4-5) included G4 anemia (1 case), G4 hypertension (1 case), G4 cerebellar hemorrhage (1 patient), and a case of G5 subarachnoid hemorrhage. This review confirmed the efficacy of sorafenib treatment in mRCC patients receiving hemodialysis. Nevertheless, drug toxicity seems to be increased in these patients, despite the initiation of therapy at reduced doses; therefore, sorafenib should be used with caution in dialysis patients
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