1,355,261 research outputs found
Biofortified Crops as Part of a More Diverse Diet
No full textIFPRI Policy Seminar “Getting to One Billion: Scaling Up Biofortification” on October 21, 2015, Presentation by Namukolo Covic
What would we like to know, and what do we not know about fibroblast growth factor 23?
No full textRecently, a new view of the molecular mechanisms of phosphate homeostasis and secondary hyperparathyroidism pathogenesis has been proposed, with fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) as a novel player in the field. FGF23 is a 32-kDa peptide secreted by the osteocytes involved in the control of phosphate homeostasis and calcitriol metabolism. FG23 is constantly elevated in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, and recent studies have indicated that high levels are associated with the progression of CKD and with higher mortality rates in hemodialysis patients. In the CKD population, high serum FGF23 concentration seems to predict the occurrence of refractory secondary hyperparathyroidism, by inducing a resistance of the parathyroid glands to FGF23, and to be associated with higher mortality risk in incident hemodialysis patients. FGF23 appears to be involved in bone metabolism, but a direct effect of FGF23 on bone disease in humans has not yet been elucidated, even if the inhibitory effect of FGF23 on osteoblast activity that has been described in animal models and hereditary rickets is clearly connected with FGF23 deficiency. The association between altered levels of FGF23 and bone disease could be mainly due to the dysregulation of phosphate-handling and vitamin D metabolism, more than to a direct antiosteoblastic activity of FGF23. FGF23 appears to be a new biomarker, which is independently associated with several cardiovascular risk factors such as endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness and left ventricular hypertrophy, in the general population as well as in early CKD. All of the above have been related to cardiovascular and general mortality. Until now, we know that elevated FGF23 levels in dialysis patient are associated with several cardiovascular adverse outcomes mentioned above; the clinical relevance of high FGF23 values in dialysis patients remains unclear, because therapy with active vitamin D sterols further increases FGF23 levels but, on the other hand, is associated with a survival benefit in dialysis patients. This paradox highlights the need for future prospective randomized trials to evaluate the correlation between vitamin D therapy and FGF23 levels in dialysis patients. In the clinical setting, there are still different FGF23 actions that need investigation. In this sense, increased knowledge of mineral metabolism disorder alterations in CKD may be used to improve diagnostics and select future treatments
Progetto di recupero e valorizzazione degli ecosistemi del territorio comunale di Finale Emilia
No full textSi studiano le potenzialità di valorizzazione delle risorse ambientali di siti sottoutilizzati nella fascia urbana attorno al centro storico della città di Finale Emilia, assunta come caso di studio ai fini di una progettazione condotta a varie scale
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
Treatment Failure of Active Vitamin D Therapy in Chronic Kidney Disease : Predictive Factors
No full textIn patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), impaired renal function leads to decreased vitamin D levels, which causes an increase in parathyroid hormone (PTH) production and contributes to the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). This may result in adverse clinical effects such as bone disorders, vascular calcification, cardiovascular disease, and increased mortality. Current treatment practices and associated outcomes with active vitamin D treatment in patients with CKD were reviewed with the objective to assess parameters (such as PTH and serum calcium levels) that may be used to define the failure of vitamin D treatment
Variations on the Author
No full text“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
DESIGN OF A RESONANT SOFT SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY FOR STABILIZED DC IMPULSE DELIVERY
No full textThis thesis addresses the issues involved in the design and construction of a multiphase
resonant switching power supply for delivery of a high voltage, high current
stabilized DC impulse. Such a power supply may be used in place a pulse forming
network (PFN) to drive a high power klystron amplifier, which typically requires
voltages near -100kV at 10s of amps of current. Unlike an LC PFN, a switchmode power
supply (SMPS) allows greater control over pulse duration while still allowing generation
of longer duration pulses on the order of 10ms with constant output voltage by use of
feedback regulation.
Specifically, the thesis documents the results from the design of a loosely coupled
boost transformer with a parallel LC resonator on the secondary, a microcontroller based
control system for feedback stabilization and techniques of harmonic mitigation to reduce
switching noise on the output waveform
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe 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
Intrauterine life to adulthood: a potential risk factor for chronic kidney disease
No full textMultiple risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD), one of the major cause of morbidity and mortality in adult population globally, have been identified including older age, male gender, family history, smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischemic heart diseases and various medications. Preterm delivery, affecting more than 10% of the newborns in the United States, is a global concern with increasing incidence over the recent decades. Preterm birth has been linked to multiple medical comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases while its' association with CKD has recently been investigated. Prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) have been associated with increased risk for CKD, specific histopathological examination findings, and CKD-associated risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. In this narrative review our aim is to evaluate and summarize the association between the risk for CKD and prematurity, low birth weight and IUGR along with potential underlying pathophysiological mechanisms
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