1,720,959 research outputs found
Zoonotic parasites in feces and fur of stray and private dogs from Italy.
No full textThe present study evaluated the occurrence of zoonotic parasites in feces and on fur of stray and private dogs living in Italy. Individual fecal samples collected from 117 and 385 kenneled (i.e., rescue shelter) and privately owned dogs, respectively, were examined by conventional copromicroscopy. Samples positive for Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. were subjected to further genetic characterization. Additionally, 174 fur samples of private and kenneled dogs living in the same area, 27 of which were also subjected to copromicroscopical examinations, were examined for the presence and viability of parasite elements. Out of 502 fecal samples, forty-one (8.2 %) scored positive for G. duodenalis cysts while one (0.2 %) for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Nine private dogs were molecularly positive for G. duodenalis assemblage C (n. 7), assemblage D (n. 1), and assemblages C + D (n. 1), while 11 kenneled dogs were positive for assemblage C (n. 8), assemblage D (n. 1), and assemblages C + D (n. 2). Cryptosporidium spp. were identified as C. canis in a private dog. One hundred and seventy-two dogs (34.3 %), i.e., 92 private and 80 kenneled, were positive for zoonotic nematodes: Toxocara canis (6.6 %), Ancylostoma caninum (6.8 %), and Capillaria aerophila (0.6 %). Unviable eggs of Toxocara spp. were found on the hair of five (2.9 %) private dogs. The present findings indicate that canine feces from both private and kenneled animals may contain zoonotic parasites and may be a potential risk for humans and other animals, especially when they contaminate the environment. The role of dog fur as source of human infections should be further investigated
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
Toxoplasma gondii, a Foodborne Pathogen in the Swine Production Chain from a European Perspective
Full text linkToxoplasmosis is a foodborne zoonosis transmitted by Toxoplasma gondii, a cosmopolitan protozoan that
infects humans through exposure to different parasite stages, in particular by ingestion of tissue cysts or
tachyzoites contained in meat, primary offal (viscera), and meat-derived products or ingestion of environmental
sporulated oocysts in contaminated food or water. The pig is an important species for infection: raw or
undercooked pork consumption not subject to treatment able to inactivate the parasite represents a risk to
consumers’ health. Broadening knowledge of transmission ways and prevalence concerning this important
pathogen in swine, together with a thorough acquaintance with hazard management are key elements to avoid T.
gondii spreading within the swine production chain. This review aims to illustrate why toxoplasmosis should be
regarded as a veterinary public health issue through a careful description of the parasite, routes of infection, and
inactivation treatments, highlighting the main prevention lines from pig breeding to pork consumption
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
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