1,721,088 research outputs found
Repeatability of innervation zone identification in the external anal sphincter muscle
Full text linkKnowledge of the distribution of the innervation zones (IZs) of the external anal sphincter (EAS) may be useful for preventing anal sphincter incompetence during vaginal delivery. A method proposed for the automatic estimation of the distribution of IZs of EAS from high-density surface electromyography (EMG) was evaluated for repeatability in continent volunteers. Methods: In 13 healthy female subjects (age: 35 11 years) surface EMG signals were acquired using an anal probe with three circumferential electrode arrays (of 16 contacts each) at different depths within the anal canal (15mm distance between the centers of adjacent arrays), during four independent experimental sessions. Three maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) of 10 sec were performed for each session for a total of 12 contractions per subject. Repeatability of the estimation of the distribution of IZ was tested by evaluating the coefficient of multiple correlations (CMC) between the IZ distributions estimated from the signals recorded from each subject. Results: A high repeatability (CMC > 0.8) was found comparing IZ distributions estimated from signals recorded by each array within the same session. A slightly lower value was obtained considering signals recorded during different sessions (CMC > 0.7), but a higher value (CMC > 0.8) was obtained after aligning the estimated IZ distributions. The realignment compensates for the operator's error in repositioning the probe in the same position during different sessions. Conclusion: This result justifies clinical studies using high-density surface EMG in routine examinations, providing information about IZs of EAS and assessing the possibilities of preventing neuronal trauma during vaginal delivery
Future research demands of the United European Gastroenterology (UEG) and its member societies
No full textAims: The purpose of this study was to initiate and stimulate collaborative research efforts to support United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEG) member societies facilitating digestive health research in European on the one hand and, on the other hand, to increase EU-funded digestive health research by providing evidence and advice to funding bodies on priority areas. The UEG Research Committee initiated a survey of the current and future research interests of each individual UEG ordinary member society (specialist societies). Methods: A questionnaire was sent by mail to 17 UEG ordinary member societies asking them to specify research demands related to the most urgent medical need including basic science research, translational research, clinical research, patient management research and research on disease prevention, in an open fashion but with limited word count. Results: The responses from 13 societies were analysed in a semi-quantitative and in a qualitative way, and were clustered into five domains with two aspects each that were consented and shared between three and seven of the responding 13 societies. These clusters resemble topics such as ‘Hot topics’ (e.g. life-style, nutrition, microbial-host interaction), Biomarkers (genetic profiling, gut-brain interaction), Advanced technology (artificial intelligence, personalised medicine), Global research tools (bio-banking, EU trials), and Medical training (education, prevention). Conclusion: The generated topic list allows both collaboration between individual specialist societies as well as initiating and fostering future research calls at the EU level and beyond when approaching stakeholders
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
Bacterial infections in childhood - a risk factor for gastrointestinal and other diseases?
No full textSchwille-Kiuntke J, Unverdorben A, Weimer K, Schlarb A, Gulewitsch MD, Enck P. Bacterial infections in childhood - a risk factor for gastrointestinal and other diseases? United European Gastroenterology Journal. 2015;3(1):31-38
- …
