1,721,022 research outputs found

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The 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

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    “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

    Effects of an amino acid buffered hypochlorite solution as an adjunctive to air-powder abrasion in open-flap surface decontamination of implants failed for peri-implantitis: an ex vivo randomized clinical trial

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    OBJECTIVES: To evaluate ex vivo the efficacy of an amino acid buffered hypochlorite solution supplemented to surface debridement with air-powder abrasion in removing bacterial biofilm following open-flap decontamination of implants failed due to peri-implantitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was an ex vivo, single-blind, randomized, intra-subject investigation. Study population consisted of 20 subjects with at least three implants failed for peri-implantitis (in function for > 12 months and progressive bone loss exceeding 50%) to be explanted. For each patient, implants were randomly assigned to surface decontamination with sodium bicarbonate air-powder abrasion (test-group 1) or sodium bicarbonate air-powder abrasion supplemented by amino acid buffered hypochlorite solution (test-group 2) or untreated control group. Following open-flap surgery, untreated implants (control group) were explanted. Afterwards, test implants were decontaminated according to allocation and explanted. Microbiological analysis was expressed in colony-forming units (CFU/ml). RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in the concentrations of CFU/ml was found between implants of test-group 1 (63,018.18 ± 228,599.36) (p = 0.007) and implants of test-group 2 (260.00 ± 375.80) (p < 0.001) compared to untreated implants (control group) (86,846.15 ± 266,689.44). The concentration of CFU/ml on implant surfaces was lower in test-group 2 than in test-group 1, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The additional application of amino acid buffered hypochlorite solution seemed to improve the effectiveness of implant surface decontamination with air-powder abrasion following open-flap surgery. Clinical relevance. Lacking evidence on the most effective method for biofilm removal from contaminated implant surfaces, the present experimental study provides further information for clinicians and researchers

    In vitro anti-HIV activity of oleanolic acid on infected human mononuclear cells

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    The effect of oleanolic acid on the growth of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in cultures of human peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) and of monocyte/macrophages (M/M) is described. The inhibitory activity was also evaluated on PBMC obtained from HIV-1 infected patients. Oleanolic acid inhibited the HIV-1 replication in all the cellular systems used. As regards the mechanism of action, oleanolic acid inhibited the HIV-1 protease activity in vitr

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We 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

    Effect of limonin and nomilin on HIV-1 replication on infected human mononuclear cells

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    In the last years several plant-derived natural compounds have been screened for their anti-HIV activity in order to find lead compounds with novel structures or mechanisms of action. Among these, several triterpenoids have been found to exhibit an antiretroviral activity with different mechanisms of action. In this study the effect of two limonoids, limonin and nomilin, on the growth of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in culture of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and on monocytes/macrophages (M/M) is described. Limonin and nomilin were found to inhibit the HIV-1 replication in all cellular systems used. A dose-dependent inhibition of viral replication was observed in PBMC isolated from healthy donors and infected with HIV-1 strain after incubation with limonin and nomitin (EC50 values: 60.0 muM and 52.2 muM, respectively). The two terpenoids inhibited at all concentrations studied the production of HIV-p24 antigen even when the PBMC employed were chronically infected (EC50 values of 61.0 muM for limonin and 76.2 muM for nomilin). Moreover, these compounds inhibited the HIV-1 replication even in infected M/M. In this cellular system the inhibitory effect was significant at the concentrations of 20 muM, 40 muM and 80 muM starting from day 14 and reached the maximum effect after 18 days of incubation. As regards the mechanism of action, limonin and nomilin inhibit in vitro HIV-1 protease activity. In general, the results obtained point out a similar anti-HIV activity of limonin and nomilin indicating that this activity is not drastically influenced by the structural difference between the two compounds

    Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection induces changes in multifunctional Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD4(+) T cells

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    To ascertain whether multiparametric flow cytometry assessment of multifunctional Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells can distinguish between untreated and treated patients with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), we enrolled 14 LTBI subjects treated with isoniazid (INH) therapy, 16 untreated LTBI patients, and 25 healthy controls. The analysis of mono-functional CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells producing single cytokines showed significant differences only between uninfected and infected LTBI subjects (both treated and untreated). Conversely, the analysis of multifunctional CD4(+) T cells revealed a significant reduction in the frequency of two CD4(+) T cells subsets, those producing IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α simultaneously (triple positive; p = 0.005) and those producing IL-2 alone (p = 0.0359), as well as a shift towards T cells producing only one cytokine in treated as compared to untreated LTBI subjects. Assigning a triple-positive CD4(+) T cells a cut-off >0.082 %, 94 % of untreated LTBI patients were scored as positive, as compared to only 28 % of treated LTBI patients and none of the healthy controls. No significant differences between untreated and treated LTBI subjects in terms of Mtb-specific CD8(+) T cell cytokine profiles (p > 0.05) were identified. The significant changes in the cytokine profiles of Mtb-specific T cells after INH therapy suggest that analysis of multifunctional T cells may be a promising means for the monitoring of LTBI treatment success

    Serologic responses to Rhodococcus equi in individuals with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection.

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    Thirty healthy blood donors, 15 workers from horse-breeding farms, 69 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative persons at risk for HIV infection, 125 HIV-infected subjects without Rhodococcus equi infection, and nine HIV-infected patients with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia were evaluated in order to detect serum antibodies to Rhodococcus equi precipitate-soluble antigen by an enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Whereas EIA values for healthy donors, horse farm workers, individuals at risk for HIV infection, and HIV-positive subjects without Rhodococcus equi infection were comparable, HIV-infected patients with rhodococcal disease had significantly higher Rhodococcus equi antibody levels (p &lt; 0.0001). The clinical outcome of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia was more severe in subjects who had low levels of specific antibodies, whereas patients who recovered had elevated Rhodococcus equi antibody levels over time. Immunoblot studies showed that both Rhodococcus equi-infected patients and foals recognized a protein band of approximately 60 kDa in the Rhodococcus equi precipitate-soluble antigen. On the other hand, the Rhodococcus equi-infected patients did not react with the diffuse 15 to 17 kDa virulence-associated proteins that represent important virulence factors both in mice and horses
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