1,720,965 research outputs found
Dynamic and Systemic Perspective in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Change of Gaze in Research Opens to A New Landscape of Needs and Solutions
Full text linkThe first step for a harmonious bio-psycho-social framework in approaching autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is overcoming the conflict between the biological and the psychosocial perspective. Biological research can provide clues for a correct approach to clinical practice, assuming that it would lead to the conceptualization of a pathogenetic paradigm able to account for epidemio-logic and clinical findings. The upward trajectory in ASD prevalence and the systemic involvement of other organs besides the brain suggest that the epigenetic paradigm is the most plausible one. The embryo-fetal period is the crucial window of opportunity for keeping neurodevelopment on the right tracks, suggesting that women’s health in pregnancy should be a priority. Maladaptive molecular pathways beginning in utero, in particular, a vicious circle between the immune response, oxidative stress/mitochondrial dysfunction, and dysbiosis-impact neurodevelopment and brain functioning across the lifespan and are the basis for progressive multisystemic disorders that account for the substantial health loss and the increased mortality in ASD. Therefore, the biological complexity of ASD and its implications for health requires the enhancement of clinical skills on these topics, to achieve an effective multi-disciplinary healthcare model. Well-balanced training courses could be a promising starting point to make a change
The alteration of chloride homeostasis/GABAergic signaling in brain disorders: Could oxidative stress play a role?
Full text linkIn neuronal precursors and immature neurons, the depolarizing (excitatory) effect of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling is associated with elevated [Cl−]i; as brain cells mature, a developmental switch occurs, leading to the decrease of [Cl−]i and to the hyperpolarizing (inhibi-tory) effect of GABAergic signaling. [Cl−]i is controlled by two chloride co-transporters: NKCC1, which causes Cl− to accumulate into the cells, and KCC2, which extrudes it. The ontogenetic up-regulation of the latter determines the above-outlined switch; however, many other factors contribute to the correct [Cl−]i in mature neurons. The dysregulation of chloride homeostasis is involved in seizure generation and has been associated with schizophrenia, Down’s Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Recently, much effort has been put into developing new drugs intended to inhibit NKCC1 activity, while no attention has been paid to the origin of [Cl−]i dysregulation. Our study examines the pathophysiology of Cl− homeo-stasis and focuses on the impact of oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation on the activity of Cl− co-transporters, highlighting the relevance of OS in numerous brain abnormalities and diseases. This hypothesis supports the importance of primary prevention during pregnancy. It also inte-grates the therapeutic framework addressed to restore normal GABAergic signaling by counter-acting the alteration in chloride homeostasis in central nervous system (CNS) cells, aiming at lim-iting the use of drugs that potentially pose a health risk
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
Relationship between pregnancy and coronavirus: what we know
No full textThe identification in China in December 2019 of a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) immediately rekindled the spotlight on a problem also addressed in the past during the epidemics of SARS in 2002–2003 and MERS in 2012: the implications of a possible infection during pregnancy, both for pregnant women and for fetuses and infants. Pregnancy is characterized by some changes involving both the immune system and the pulmonary physiology, exposing the pregnant woman to a greater susceptibility to viral infections and more serious complications. The objective of this review is therefore to analyze the relationship between pregnancy and known coronaviruses, with particular reference to SARS-CoV-2
Progetto TANGRAM: possibile interfaccia tra il lavoratore con autismo e il mondo delle imprese
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
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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