1,720,973 research outputs found
Morte anafilattica. Stato dell'arte e proposta di sistematica diagnostica medico-legale
No full textGli Autori dopo un’ampia revisione della letteratura relativa alle morti per anafilassi, di interesse patologico forense, propongono un protocollo diagnostico a fini forensi e analizzano le nuove prospettive diagnostiche rese possibili dalle nuove tecniche analitiche e dai nuovi markers disponibili
Molecular analysis of different classes of RNA molecules from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded autoptic tissues: a pilot study.
No full textFor a long time, it has been thought that fresh and frozen tissues are the only possible source of biological material useful to extract nucleic acids suitable for downstream molecular analysis. Recently, for forensic purpose such as personal identification, also fixed tissues have been used to recover DNA molecules, whereas RNA extracted from such material is still considered too degraded for gene expression studies. In the present pilot study, we evaluated the possibility to use forensic formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, collected at autopsy at different postmortem intervals (PMI) from four individuals, to perform advanced molecular analyses. In particular, we performed qualitative and quantitative analyses of total RNAs extracted from different FFPE tissues and put expression profiles in relation with the organ type and the duration of PMI. Different classes of RNA molecular targets were studied by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. We report molecular evidence that small RNAs are the only RNA molecules still detectable in all the FFPE autoptic tissues. In particular, microRNAs (miRNAs) represent a consistent, stable, and well-preserved molecular target detectable even from tissue sources displaying signs of ongoing putrefaction at autopsy. In this pilot study, we show that miRNAs could represent a highly sensitive and potentially useful forensic marker. Amplification of specific miRNAs using paraffin-embedded blocks could facilitate retrospective molecular analysis using specific forensic-archived tissues chosen as most suitable according to PMI, and this approach would address molecular evidence in forensic cases in which fresh or frozen material is no longer available
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
Expression localisation and functional activity of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and their receptors in mouse ovary
No full textPituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) positively affect several parameters correlated with the ovulatory process. PACAP is transiently expressed in rat preovulatory follicles, while VIP is present in nerve fibres at all stages of development. These two peptides act by interacting with three types of receptors: PACAP type I receptor (PAC1-R), which binds with higher affinity to PACAP, and two VIP receptors (VPAC1-R and VPAC2-R), which bind to PACAP and VIP with equal affinity. The aim of the present study was to characterise the PACAP/VIP/ receptor system in the mouse ovary. Results obtained by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation showed that PACAP was transiently expressed in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles after human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) stimulation, while VIP mRNA was never observed. All the receptors were present in 22-day-old untreated mice. In preovulatory follicles, PAC1-R was expressed both in granulosa cells and in residual ovarian tissue but was stimulated by hCG mainly in granulosa. cells; VPAC2-R was present in both the cell compartments and was only mildly stimulated; VPAC1-R was present mainly in the residual ovarian tissue and was downregulated by hCG. PACAP and VIP were equipotent in inhibiting apoptosis in granulosa cells, confirming the presence of functional PACAPNIP receptors. The contemporary induction by hCG of PACAP and PAC1-R in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles suggests that, also in mouse ovary, PACAP may play a significant role around the time of ovulation. Moreover, the presence of PACAP/VIP receptors in the untreated ovary suggests a possible role for PACAP and VIP during follicle development. © 2007 Society for Reproduction and Fertility
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
Expression localisation and functional activity of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and their receptors in mouse ovary
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