1,720,969 research outputs found
Microwave irradiation for airborne virus inactivation: Evidence and future perspectives
Full text linkNon-thermal microwave (MW) irradiation has emerged as a promising approach for inactivating airborne viruses by exploiting their vibrational properties through selective resonant energy transfer (SRET). In this narrative review, we synthesize current evidence on the antiviral efficacy of non-thermal microwave (MW) technologies, evaluate their feasibility for indoor infection control, and highlight existing limitations as well as future research directions. A literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect for studies published between January 1, 2015, and March 7, 2025, using keywords related to MW irradiation, SRET, and airborne viruses. The evidence was organized into three key themes: mechanistic foundations of the technology, effectiveness against airborne viruses, and regulatory and safety considerations. The available data indicate that MW irradiation disrupts viral structures through vibrational resonance mechanisms, with effectiveness varying by viral type and depending on optimized frequency and exposure duration. Regulatory authorities recently acknowledged its potential to reduce airborne transmission, contingent on meeting stringent safety standards for electromagnetic compatibility, specific absorption rates, and power density. In summary, non-thermal MW irradiation offers a scalable solution for reducing airborne respiratory virus transmission. Pending further real-world validation, integrating this technology into public health strategies offers a promising approach to strengthen infection prevention and control in both healthcare settings and indoor environments, effectively targeting both human and zoonotic infections
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
Exploring the Possible Use of AI Chatbots in Public Health Education: Feasibility Study
Full text linkBackground: Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing field with the potential to transform various aspects of health care and public health, including medical training. During the “Hygiene and Public Health” course for fifth-year medical students, a practical training session was conducted on vaccination using AI chatbots as an educational supportive tool. Before receiving specific training on vaccination, the students were given a web-based test extracted from the Italian National Medical Residency Test. After completing the test, a critical correction of each question was performed assisted by AI chatbots. Objective: The main aim of this study was to identify whether AI chatbots can be considered educational support tools for training in public health. The secondary objective was to assess the performance of different AI chatbots on complex multiple-choice medical questions in the Italian language. Methods: A test composed of 15 multiple-choice questions on vaccination was extracted from the Italian National Medical Residency Test using targeted keywords and administered to medical students via Google Forms and to different AI chatbot models (Bing Chat, ChatGPT, Chatsonic, Google Bard, and YouChat). The correction of the test was conducted in the classroom, focusing on the critical evaluation of the explanations provided by the chatbot. A Mann-Whitney U test was conducted to compare the performances of medical students and AI chatbots. Student feedback was collected anonymously at the end of the training experience. Results: In total, 36 medical students and 5 AI chatbot models completed the test. The students achieved an average score of 8.22 (SD 2.65) out of 15, while the AI chatbots scored an average of 12.22 (SD 2.77). The results indicated a statistically significant difference in performance between the 2 groups (U=49.5, P<.001), with a large effect size (r=0.69). When divided by question type (direct, scenario-based, and negative), significant differences were observed in direct (P<.001) and scenario-based (P<.001) questions, but not in negative questions (P=.48). The students reported a high level of satisfaction (7.9/10) with the educational experience, expressing a strong desire to repeat the experience (7.6/10). Conclusions: This study demonstrated the efficacy of AI chatbots in answering complex medical questions related to vaccination and providing valuable educational support. Their performance significantly surpassed that of medical students in direct and scenario-based questions. The responsible and critical use of AI chatbots can enhance medical education, making it an essential aspect to integrate into the educational system
Selected microwave irradiation effectively inactivates airborne avian influenza A(H5N1) virus
Full text linkThe highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus threatens animal and human health globally. Innovative strategies are crucial for mitigating risks associated with airborne transmission and preventing outbreaks. In this study, we sought to investigate the efficacy of microwave inactivation against aerosolized A(H5N1) virus by identifying the optimal frequency band for a 10-min exposure and evaluating the impact of varying exposure times on virus inactivation. A(H5N1) was aerosolized and exposed to various microwave frequencies ranging from 8 to 16 GHz for a duration of 10 min. Viral titers were quantified using TCID50, and inactivation was assessed by comparing irradiated samples to controls. The 11–13 GHz band yielded the highest inactivation, with an average 89% mean reduction in A(H5N1) titer, particularly within the 11–12 GHz range, which exhibited peak efficacy. Based on the overall results, the optimal frequency band (8–12 GHz) was further tested with exposure durations of 1, 3, and 5 min. Inactivation was time-dependent, with a 5-minute exposure resulting in a 94% mean reduction, compared to 58% and 48% for 3- and 1-minute exposures, respectively. We conclude that optimized microwave emitters in high-risk environments like poultry farms and veterinary clinics could offer a novel, non-chemical approach to mitigating avian influenza spread and outbreaks
Is Translocation preventable? Lessons from an animal model of small bowel transplantation
No full textVariations 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
Post-graduate medical education in public health: the case of Italy and a call for action
Full text linkPublic health technical expertise is of crucial importance to inform decision makers’ action in the field of health and its broader determinants. Improving education and training of public health professionals for both practice and research is the starting point to strengthen the role of public health so that current health challenges can be efficiently tackled. At the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) Deans’ & Directors’ 2017 Annual Retreat, we presented the structure and management of public health training system in Italy, and we reported recent data on Italian public health specialists’ educational experience, employment opportunities and job satisfaction. Public health training in Italy is implemented in the context of the post-graduate medical education residency programme in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, delivered by 34 University-based Schools of Public Health. We report relatively high employment rates across the county and wide spectrum of career opportunities for young public health specialists. However, job security is low and training expectations only partially met. We call upon other Schools of Public Health to scale up the survey within the broad ASPHER community in a shared and coordinated action of systematically collecting useful data that can inform the development of public health education and training models, their implementation and fruitful interaction with population health, health systems and services
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
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