1,720,965 research outputs found
Predictors of testicular viability in testicular torsion
No full textAim: Testicular torsion (TT) requires prompt diagnosis and treatment to avoid testicular loss. Most studies have focused on the ideal work up to rule TT out in cases of acute
scrotum. We attempted here to define objective criteria to select between orchidopexy and
orchidectomy in patients undergoing surgery for TT.
Patients and methods: Fifteen boys with a median age at presentation of 7.8 (range 6.4e12)
years undergoing surgical treatment for TT underwent color-Doppler ultrasound (CDU) preoperatively, and a bleeding test intraoperatively. Duration of preoperative history, degree of torsion, CDU findings and degree of bleeding were analyzed.
Results: Salvageability was independent of the degree of torsion. In patients with a history longer than 10 h, no flow on CDU and no bleeding, after orchidectomy all the testicles were necrotic on pathology. When all these variables were negative, all the testicles did well during
follow up. In the group of patients with no agreement among the analyzed variables, the outcome was unpredictable. Five out of six underwent orchidopexy, but in two cases the testicle
atrophied (in spite of flow on CDU in one).
Conclusions: No predictive parameters were found for testicular salvageability. Taken as
a whole, the parameters studied can be of help in treatment choice. In patients with no agreement among the parameters, orchidopexy seems the appropriate option, but parents should be
informed of the risk of testicular atrophy during follow up
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
Complications of trans-anastomotic externalised stents in open pyeloplasty: influence of the method of placement, the duration of stenting, and the associated bladder drainage
No full textPurpose To assess the influence of the method for stent
placement, the duration of stenting, and the presence of
bladder drainage on the complication rate of open pyeloplasty. Patients and methods Complications were, retrospectively, compared in 228 consecutive open pyeloplasties performed at institution A using a trans-pyelostomic 6-Fr splint/stent for 5 days and no bladder drainage, and 150 consecutive open pyeloplasties performed at institution B using a trans-nephrostomic 6-Fr splint/stent for 9 days plus
bladder drainage. Results Median age at surgery was comparable between groups. The overall complication rate was 13% and was comparable at the two institutions, but for the presence of
perioperative bleeding that was more common when the stent was placed trans-nephrostomically (institution B) and the rate of stent dislodgements, which was lower at institution A, perhaps due to some technical details aiming to prevent any inadvertent traction on the stent. Additional procedures, such as double J internal stent insertion, were required in \2% of cases. Conclusions A 5-day period of stenting after open pyeloplasty is generally enough. Trans-nephrostomic andtrans-pyelostomic stent placement is equally effective. However, the former can be associated with a slightly higher bleeding rate. Details during stent placement are keys to avoid postoperative dislodgement and malfunctioning. Systematic bladder drainage seems unnecessar
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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