1,720,969 research outputs found

    A standard protocol proposal for reliable and time-saving shielding effectiveness measurements for MRI faraday cages

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    Background: An inadequate shielding of radio-frequency cabins for magnetic resonance imaging devices can affect clinical images with artifacts. For this reason, periodic measurements of shielding effectiveness are recommended. However, a wide gap exists between the international reference standard currently available for shielding effectiveness measurement (IEEE-Std 299/2006) and the practical approach, mainly because of the poor applicability of the standard to any situation. Objective: The aim of this work is to suggest a novel procedure for the measurement of the shielding effectiveness of radiofrequency cabins for clinical magnetic resonance imaging devices. The application of the cabin door measurements for shielding effectiveness assessment is proposed. Methods: Based on the only international standard currently available, some critical aspects of shielding effectiveness measurements are highlighted. Taking into account theoretical considerations, a novel approach is suggested in order to simplify the applicability of the standard. Frequency ranges and measurement points were reduced by considering the specific device inside the shield. Results: Results obtained by the application of the proposed protocol were compared with the results obtained by the application of the standard procedure IEEE-Std 299/2006. No significant discrepancies between measurements have been found. It was observed that the time to perform measurements reduced by almost three times. Conclusion: A time-saving method for measurement of shielding effectiveness in a narrow range of frequencies is proposed

    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

    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

    Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts

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    We 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

    Author Index

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    koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist

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    We have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used

    SGLT2 Inhibitors as the Most Promising Influencers on the Outcome of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

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    Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most frequent liver disease in the Western world, is a common hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (MetS). A specific cure has not yet been identified, and its treatment is currently based on risk factor therapy. Given that the initial accumulation of triglycerides in the liver parenchyma, in the presence of inflammatory processes, mitochondrial dysfunction, lipotoxicity, glucotoxicity, and oxidative stress, can evolve into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The main goal is to identify the factors contributing to this evolution because, once established, untreated NASH can progress through fibrosis to cirrhosis and, ultimately, be complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Several drugs have been tested in clinical trials for use as specific therapy for NAFLD; most of them are molecules used to cure type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which is one of the main risk factors for NAFLD. Among the most studied is pioglitazone, either alone or in combination with vitamin E, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. Actually, the most promising category seems to be sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT2) inhibitors. Their action is carried out by inhibiting glucose reabsorption in the proximal renal tubule, leading to its increased excretion in urine and decreased levels in plasma. Experimental studies in animal models have suggested that SGLT2 inhibitors may have beneficial modulatory effects on NAFLD/NASH, and several trials in patients have proven their beneficial effects on liver enzymes, BMI, blood lipids, blood glucose, and insulin resistance in NAFLD patients, thus creating strong expectations for their possible use in preventing the evolution of liver damage in these patients. We will review the main pathogenetic mechanisms, diagnostic modalities, and recent therapies of NAFLD, with particular attention to the use of SGLT2 inhibitors

    Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: A pathophysiology and clinical framework to face the present and the future

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    Aims: This review aims to provide a straightforward conceptual framework for the knowledge and understanding of Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in the broad spectrum of steatotic liver disease and to point out the need to consider metabolic dysfunction and comorbidities as interrelated factors for a holistic approach to fatty liver disease. Data synthesis: MASLD is the new proposed term for steatotic liver disease that replaces the old terminology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This term focused on the relationship between metabolic alteration and hepatic steatosis, reflecting a growing comprehension of the association between metabolic dysfunction and hepatic steatosis. Numerous factors and conditions contribute to the underlying mechanisms, including central obesity, insulin resistance, adiponectin, lipid metabolism, liver function, dietary influences, the composition of intestinal microbiota, and genetic factors. The development of the condition, however, involves a more intricate network of components, such as neurotensin and Advanced Glycation End Products, highlighting the complexity of its pathogenesis. Conclusions: MASLD must be regarded as a complex clinical problem in which only a holistic approach can win through the coordination of multi-professional and multi-speciality interventions
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