169,794 research outputs found
Evaluation of plasma activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease
No full textTo investigate whether plasma activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 was associated with severity of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in dogs and to assess potential associations between MMP activity and dog characteristics, echocardiographic variables, systolic arterial blood pressure (SAP), heart rate, cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration, and C-reactive protein concentration.
ANIMALS:
75 client-owned dogs.
PROCEDURES:
Severity of MMVD was assessed by use of echocardiography. Plasma activity of latent (pro-MMP) and active MMP-2 and -9 was analyzed via zymography. Plasma concentration of cTnI was analyzed with a high-sensitivity cTnI assay, and C-reactive protein concentration was analyzed with a canine-specific ELISA.
RESULTS:
Pro-MMP-9, active MMP-9, and pro-MMP-2 were detected, but active MMP-2 was not. No significant differences were found in MMP concentrations among the 4 MMVD severity groups. Activity of pro-MMP-9 decreased with decreases in SAP and was higher in male dogs than in female dogs. Activity of MMP-9 decreased with increases in left ventricular end-systolic dimension and with decreases in SAP and cTnI concentration. Left ventricular end-systolic dimension was the variable most strongly associated with MMP-9 activity. No associations were found between the activity of pro-MMP-2 and investigated variables.
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
Plasma MMP-9 activity decreased with increases in the end-systolic left ventricular internal dimension and decreases in SAP. Hence, evaluation of MMP-9 activity has the potential to provide unique information about the myocardial remodeling process in dogs with MMVD
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
Mitomycin C in highly myopic eyes - Author reply
No full textOphthalmology. 2005 Feb;112(2):208-18; discussion 219.
Mitomycin C modulation of corneal wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in highly myopic eyes.
Gambato C, Ghirlando A, Moretto E, Busato F, Midena E.
SourceRefractive Surgery Service and Antimetabolite Therapy Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of topical mitomycin C in corneal wound healing (CWH) after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in highly myopic eyes.
DESIGN: Prospective, double-masked, randomized clinical trial.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two eyes of 36 patients affected by high (>7 diopters) myopia.
METHODS: In each patient, one eye was randomly assigned to PRK with intraoperative topical 0.02% mitomycin C application, and the fellow eye was treated with a placebo. Postoperatively, mitomycin C-treated eyes received artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months), whereas the fellow eye was treated with fluorometholone sodium 2% and artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity, manifest refraction, and biomicroscopy. Contrast sensitivity was determined using the Pelli-Robson chart. Corneal confocal microscopy documented CWH.
RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 12-36). No side effects or toxic effects were documented. At 12-month follow-up examination, UCVAs (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were 0.4+/-0.48 and 0.5+/-0.53 (P = .03) in mitomycin C-treated eyes and corticosteroid-treated eyes, respectively. At 1 year, corneal haze developed in 20% of corticosteroid-treated eyes, versus 0% of mitomycin C-treated eyes. At 12, 24, and 36 months, corneal confocal microscopy showed activated keratocytes and extracellular matrix significantly more evident in untreated eyes (Ps = 0.004, 0.024, and 0.046, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Topical intraoperative application of 0.02% mitomycin C can reduce haze formation in highly myopic eyes undergoing PRK.
Comment in
Ophthalmology. 2006 Feb;113(2):357; author reply 357-8
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe 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
Non-standard employment and health : exploring the pathways to health inequality [Elektronisk resurs]
No full textIn today's increasingly fragmented labour market, there is a growing reliance on non-standard forms of employment (NSE), often characterized by instability, low income, and limited access to rights and protections. While the term NSE captures a contrast from the Standard Employment Relationship (typically associated with stable, full-time, permanent contracts), the concept of precarious employment (PE) more accurately reflects disadvantageous conditions experienced by workers. The expansion of PE has raised concerns about the implications for workers' health and well-being. While previous research has established links between PE and adverse health outcomes, less is known about the mechanisms and the contextual factors that shape and modify the effects. This thesis addresses these gaps through a mixed-methods approach, drawing on four studies that examine how PE impacts health and well-being across different settings and study populations. Given the overlapping but distinct use of terminology across the studies, a brief clarification is warranted. This thesis focuses on the health implications of disadvantageous employment conditions. While the term NSE is used when referring to specific study populations in studies Il and III-reflecting the terminology applied in those original publications-the thesis adopts PE as the primary analytical concept, as it more directly captures the conditions of insecurity and vulnerability at the core of the investigation. Study I used cross-sectional survey data to investigate the association between PE and psychosocial work environment hazards (experiences of violence, sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination, high demands, and low control). Respondents (n=401) were recruited through web-based respondent driven sampling in Stockholm County (2016-2017). A precarity score was calculated using the Swedish version of the Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES-Se) and participants were categorized according to level of PE (low/high). Prevalence ratios were calculated to analyze the relationship with psychosocial hazards, adjusting for gender, age, education, and country of birth. Results showed that high PE (compared to low PE) was associated with bullying (PR 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01- 1.13), discrimination (PR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.00-2.32), low control (PR 1.59, 95% CI: 1.30- 1.96), and passive work (PR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.23-2.08). Psychosocial hazards were more prevalent among women. Study Il is a qualitative multi-case study exploring workers' experiences of NSE and implications for health and well-being across six countries with different welfare state regimes: Belgium, Canada, Chile, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. The study draws on 250 in-depth interviews (Jan-Sept 2021) from a purposive sample of NSE workers. Interviews were analyzed thematically in two phases, first within countries and then across. Findings revealed that workers across all contexts faced multiple insecurities (employment, income, schedule) and imbalanced power relations that negatively impacted health, particularly for those with intersecting social disadvantages. Welfare state support helped buffer the most severe insecurities, but similar patterns appeared in all study countries. Study III draws on the same interview material and explores how NSE workers experience labour regulations and social protection policies, their coping strategies, and ideas for supportive reforms. Despite differences in formal protections, participants across countries described similar challenges related to policy gaps and access barriers. Many relied on personal savings or family support and used risk-averse coping strategies (e.g., work intensification, avoiding conflict), which often reinforced vulnerability. Participants struggled to imagine improvements and expressed low expectations for change. Responses reflected a desire for basic security (e.g., stable income, housing), highlighting the limitations of employment-based protections and the need for more comprehensive and inclusive social protections that extend beyond standard employment models. Study IV is a longitudinal register-based cohort study investigating if the association between PE and mental health is moderated by household disposable income and family type. The study population (n=2,509,229) included all individuals between 27-65 years who were employed in 2016. PE was assessed based on the Swedish Register-based Operationalization of Precarious Employment (SWE-ROPE). Data on household variables (2016), and mental health (2017-2019) were extracted from national registers. The effect of PE on mental health was estimated using Cox regression models, and by adding two- way interaction terms to the main effects model. All analyses were stratified on sex. Findings showed that workers in PE (compared to SE) had a higher risk of mental ill-health (HR 1.21 CI95% 1.18-1.23), consistently across household income levels and family types. High household income was protective in general, but less so for the PE group due to synergistic interaction effects for both men (HR 1.22 CI95% 1.04-1.43) and women (HR 1.25 CI95% 1.13-1.38). Compared with the reference category (couple without children), all other family types (couple with children, single, single parent) amplified the negative effects of PE on mental health among women in PE, especially single mothers (HR 1.27 CI95% 1.14-1.42). Findings highlight that higher household income does not fully buffer the risk of mental ill-health for workers in PE, and the negative impact of PE appears stronger for women, especially single mothers. Together, the studies shed light on how PE impacts health and well-being through intersecting material, psychosocial, and contextual mechanisms. Findings show how PE generates economic and social vulnerability, which in turn triggers coping strategies that may further deplete resources and reinforce disadvantage. Across diverse national contexts and populations, the findings reveal a consistent pattern of adverse health-related experiences, disproportionately affecting women and workers with limited individual resources or family support. While policy context made a difference in terms of severity, the convergence of experiences across countries suggests that broader labour market transformations-characterized by a shift of risk from employers to individuals-have created shared structural conditions that transcend welfare regime type. The thesis contributes new knowledge by providing insight into the pathways through which PE affects health, and by highlighting the role of contextual factors and social inequalities in shaping these outcomes. By deepening our understanding of how labour market fragmentation contributes to unequal health risks, the findings support future research and policy efforts aimed at reducing health inequalities in a rapidly evolving world of work. List of scientific papers I. Kvart, S., Jonsson, J., Bodin, T., Håkansta, C., Kreshpaj, B., Orellana, C., et al. (2021). Precarious employment and psychosocial hazards: A cross-sectional study in Stockholm County. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18, 11218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111218 II. Bosmans, K., Vignola, E.F., Álvarez-López, V., Julià, M., Ahonen, E.Q., Bolíbar, M., et al. (2023). Experiences of insecurity among non-standard workers across different welfare states: A qualitative cross-country study. Social Science & Medicine. 327, 115970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115970 III. Kvart, S., Cuervo, I., Gunn, V., Lewchuk, W., Bosmans, K., Davis, L., et al. (2025). Labour and social protection gaps impacting the health and well-being of workers in non-standard employment: An international comparative study. PLOS ONE. 20, e0320248. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320248 IV. Kvart, S, Mangot-Sala, L, Aronsson, A, Badarin, K, Bosmans, K, Gunn, V, et al. Precarious Employment Increases Mental Health Risks Regardless of Family Type and Household Income: A Swedish Register Study. [Manuscript
A Multi-Language Comparison of Influences on Author Verification using Character N-Grams
No full textWe create a new multi-language corpus for author verification based on Wikipedia talkpages, and evaluate the influence that differences in topic and time have on character n-gram author profiles. Topic alignment between two texts is found to increase author verification precision, and an authors writing style is found to change over time, but not more significantly after 3 years than after 1 year.Information ArchitectureWISElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
A 0.12mm<sup>2</sup> Wien-Bridge Temperature Sensor with 0.1°C (3σ) Inaccuracy from -40°C to 180°C
No full text Resistor-based temperature sensors can achieve much higher resolution and energy efficiency than conventional BJT-based sensors [1], but they typically occupy more area (> 0.25 mm 2 ) and have lower operating temperatures (le 125 {circ} {C}) [2]-[4]. This work describes a 0.12mm 2 resistor-based sensor that uses a Wien-bridge (WB) filter to achieve 0.1 {circ} {C} (3 sigma) inaccuracy from - 40 {circ} {C} to 180 {circ} {C}. Compared to a state-of-the-art WB sensor [4], it occupies 6 × less area and achieves comparable relative accuracy over a 76% wider operating range. Session 10.3 Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Electronic InstrumentationMicroelectronic
A ±25A Versatile Shunt-Based Current Sensor with 10kHz Bandwidth and ±0.25% Gain Error from -40°C to 85°C Using 2-Current Calibration
No full textAccurate current sensing is critical in many industrial applications, such as battery management and motor control. Precise shunt-based current sensors have been reported with gain errors of less than 1% over the industrial temperature range (-40°C to 85°C) [1]–[4]. However, since they are intended for coulomb counting, their bandwidth is limited to a few tens of Hz, making them unsuitable for battery impedance or motor-current sensing. This paper presents a current sensor with a wide (10kHz) bandwidth and a tunable temperature compensation scheme (TCS), which allows it to be flexibly used with different types of shunts while maintaining high accuracy. A low-cost room-temperature calibration scheme is proposed to optimize gain flatness over temperature by exploiting the shunt's self-heating at large currents. Over the industrial temperature range and a ±25A current range, it achieves state-of-the-art gain error (±0.25%) with both low-cost PCB and stable metal-alloy shunts.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Electronic InstrumentationMicroelectronic
An Article About Albertus C. Van Raalte, Author Unknown, Except for Parts Taken from an Article by Anna C. Post
No full textAn article about Albertus C. Van Raalte, author unknown, except for parts taken from an article by Anna C. Post. The author knew first generation persons in the Holland settlement and therefore, the article has some value.https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/vrp_1890s/1012/thumbnail.jp
Non-standard employment and health : exploring the pathways to health inequality
No full textIn today's increasingly fragmented labour market, there is a growing reliance on non-standard forms of employment (NSE), often characterized by instability, low income, and limited access to rights and protections. While the term NSE captures a contrast from the Standard Employment Relationship (typically associated with stable, full-time, permanent contracts), the concept of precarious employment (PE) more accurately reflects disadvantageous conditions experienced by workers. The expansion of PE has raised concerns about the implications for workers' health and well-being. While previous research has established links between PE and adverse health outcomes, less is known about the mechanisms and the contextual factors that shape and modify the effects. This thesis addresses these gaps through a mixed-methods approach, drawing on four studies that examine how PE impacts health and well-being across different settings and study populations. Given the overlapping but distinct use of terminology across the studies, a brief clarification is warranted. This thesis focuses on the health implications of disadvantageous employment conditions. While the term NSE is used when referring to specific study populations in studies Il and III-reflecting the terminology applied in those original publications-the thesis adopts PE as the primary analytical concept, as it more directly captures the conditions of insecurity and vulnerability at the core of the investigation.Study I used cross-sectional survey data to investigate the association between PE and psychosocial work environment hazards (experiences of violence, sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination, high demands, and low control). Respondents (n=401) were recruited through web-based respondent driven sampling in Stockholm County (2016-2017). A precarity score was calculated using the Swedish version of the Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES-Se) and participants were categorized according to level of PE (low/high). Prevalence ratios were calculated to analyze the relationship with psychosocial hazards, adjusting for gender, age, education, and country of birth. Results showed that high PE (compared to low PE) was associated with bullying (PR 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01- 1.13), discrimination (PR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.00-2.32), low control (PR 1.59, 95% CI: 1.30- 1.96), and passive work (PR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.23-2.08). Psychosocial hazards were more prevalent among women.Study Il is a qualitative multi-case study exploring workers' experiences of NSE and implications for health and well-being across six countries with different welfare state regimes: Belgium, Canada, Chile, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. The study draws on 250 in-depth interviews (Jan-Sept 2021) from a purposive sample of NSE workers. Interviews were analyzed thematically in two phases, first within countries and then across. Findings revealed that workers across all contexts faced multiple insecurities (employment, income, schedule) and imbalanced power relations that negatively impacted health, particularly for those with intersecting social disadvantages. Welfare state support helped buffer the most severe insecurities, but similar patterns appeared in all study countries.Study III draws on the same interview material and explores how NSE workers experience labour regulations and social protection policies, their coping strategies, and ideas for supportive reforms. Despite differences in formal protections, participants across countries described similar challenges related to policy gaps and access barriers. Many relied on personal savings or family support and used risk-averse coping strategies (e.g., work intensification, avoiding conflict), which often reinforced vulnerability. Participants struggled to imagine improvements and expressed low expectations for change. Responses reflected a desire for basic security (e.g., stable income, housing), highlighting the limitations of employment-based protections and the need for more comprehensive and inclusive social protections that extend beyond standard employment models.Study IV is a longitudinal register-based cohort study investigating if the association between PE and mental health is moderated by household disposable income and family type. The study population (n=2,509,229) included all individuals between 27-65 years who were employed in 2016. PE was assessed based on the Swedish Register-based Operationalization of Precarious Employment (SWE-ROPE). Data on household variables (2016), and mental health (2017-2019) were extracted from national registers. The effect of PE on mental health was estimated using Cox regression models, and by adding two- way interaction terms to the main effects model. All analyses were stratified on sex. Findings showed that workers in PE (compared to SE) had a higher risk of mental ill-health (HR 1.21 CI95% 1.18-1.23), consistently across household income levels and family types. High household income was protective in general, but less so for the PE group due to synergistic interaction effects for both men (HR 1.22 CI95% 1.04-1.43) and women (HR 1.25 CI95% 1.13-1.38). Compared with the reference category (couple without children), all other family types (couple with children, single, single parent) amplified the negative effects of PE on mental health among women in PE, especially single mothers (HR 1.27 CI95% 1.14-1.42). Findings highlight that higher household income does not fully buffer the risk of mental ill-health for workers in PE, and the negative impact of PE appears stronger for women, especially single mothers.Together, the studies shed light on how PE impacts health and well-being through intersecting material, psychosocial, and contextual mechanisms. Findings show how PE generates economic and social vulnerability, which in turn triggers coping strategies that may further deplete resources and reinforce disadvantage. Across diverse national contexts and populations, the findings reveal a consistent pattern of adverse health-related experiences, disproportionately affecting women and workers with limited individual resources or family support. While policy context made a difference in terms of severity, the convergence of experiences across countries suggests that broader labour market transformations-characterized by a shift of risk from employers to individuals-have created shared structural conditions that transcend welfare regime type.The thesis contributes new knowledge by providing insight into the pathways through which PE affects health, and by highlighting the role of contextual factors and social inequalities in shaping these outcomes. By deepening our understanding of how labour market fragmentation contributes to unequal health risks, the findings support future research and policy efforts aimed at reducing health inequalities in a rapidly evolving world of work.List of scientific papersI. Kvart, S., Jonsson, J., Bodin, T., Håkansta, C., Kreshpaj, B., Orellana, C., et al. (2021). Precarious employment and psychosocial hazards: A cross-sectional study in Stockholm County. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18, 11218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111218II. Bosmans, K., Vignola, E.F., Álvarez-López, V., Julià, M., Ahonen, E.Q., Bolíbar, M., et al. (2023). Experiences of insecurity among non-standard workers across different welfare states: A qualitative cross-country study. Social Science & Medicine. 327, 115970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115970III. Kvart, S., Cuervo, I., Gunn, V., Lewchuk, W., Bosmans, K., Davis, L., et al. (2025). Labour and social protection gaps impacting the health and well-being of workers in non-standard employment: An international comparative study. PLOS ONE. 20, e0320248. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320248IV. Kvart, S, Mangot-Sala, L, Aronsson, A, Badarin, K, Bosmans, K, Gunn, V, et al. Precarious Employment Increases Mental Health Risks Regardless of Family Type and Household Income: A Swedish Register Study. [Manuscript]</p
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