1,720,985 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Get PDFWe 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
The measurement of glomerular basement membrane components and glycated albumin as improved markers of incipient diabetic nephropathy.
No full textThesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.Diabetes causes early structural changes to the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), which alters its function and leads to loss of protein in urine. Formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) is one mechanism proposed to be responsible for the structural changes to the GBM. AGEs are thought to affect blood flow i.e. glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and vascular permeability which over time manifests as overt proteinuria. The gradual loss of minute amounts of protein (albumin) is referred to as microalbuminuria (MA). Microalbuminuria is a dynamic process, with patients regressing to normoalbuminuria more often than progressing to overt proteinuria. Microalbuminuria is not specific to patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and new markers specific to DN are being sought. A prospective study was undertaken at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH) to evaluate the relationship of serum glycated albumin, urinary and serum components of capillary basement membrane and DN in South African Black and Indian patients with type 1 diabetes. The study was undertaken with sampling of blood and urine at baseline, 6-months, 1 year and 2-year follow-up. Serum glycated albumin, urinary type IV collagen and plasma fibronectin were measured at each visit. Since correlations could be performed only at each time point individually, generalised estimating equation (GEE) regression models were constructed in SPSS (15.0) with time specified as a factor in order to take account of relationships among variables over time. The results of this study showed that serum percentage glycated albumin (PGA), plasma fibronectin (FN) and urinary type IV collagen were not better predictors of incipient impaired renal function than MA. Although previous authors have variously reported serum GA, plasma FN and urinary type IV collagen to be predictive of impaired renal function, these studies were conducted mainly in patients with overt DN. The present study suggest that markers of overt renal dysfunction are not necessarily useful predictors of incipient DN. Differences in predictive relationships point to a different disease processes in the two ethnic groups. Of particular note was the lack of a predictive relationship of either fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) with any of isotope GFR, estimated GFR and proteinuria in Black patients. The most significant finding of this study showed that combination of serum creatinine and MA provided broadest range of predictors of isotope GFR, estimated GFR and proteinuria.Pages i-xvii (title page, abstract, etc.) are found at the end of the main body of the thesis in the electronic version
Prevalence of low serum testosterone levels among men with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending two outpatient diabetes clinics in Durban, South Africa.
Get PDFMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Background: Studies showing a high prevalence of low serum testosterone in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are well documented but evidence from sub-Saharan Africa is scanty.
Aim: To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of low serum testosterone and the prevalence of androgen deficiency symptoms in South African men with T2DM.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was performed among men with T2DM attending two outpatient adult diabetes clinics in KwaZulu-Natal. Androgen deficiency symptoms were assessed using the Ageing Male’s Symptom Scale (AMS) questionnaire and direct enquiry. Serum total testosterone (TT), sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), luteinising hormone (LH), HbA1c, fructosamine, serum lipids were measured and free-testosterone (FT) was calculated. TT, SHBG and FT levels were measured in control subjects with no history of diabetes.
Results: The study included 148 men with T2DM (Study Group) and 50 control subjects (Control Group). The mean age of the control group was 43.9 ± 10.7 years and the mean BMI was 27.11 ± 4.2 kg/m2. In the study group, the majority were African (Black) (58.7%); Indians (39.2%) and Whites (2.1%) constituted the remainder. Mean age was 57.5 ± 11.2 years; mean duration of diabetes 11.4 ± 8.9 years; mean HbA1c was 8.6 ± 1.9%. Metabolic syndrome was found in 86.4% (n:127) of the Study group. Mean TT, SHBG, FT and median LH (IQR) in the Study group were within normal range (14.5 ± 5.8 nmol/l, 40.7 ± 20.3 nmol/l, 265.9 ± 90.4 pmol/l and 5.3 [3.8-7.3] IU/l, respectively). However, mean serum TT and FT was lower in the Study group than Control subjects (14.5 ± 5.8 vs. 18.8 ± 7.2 nmol/l, p <0.001 and 265.9 ± 90.4 vs. 351.7 ± 127.3 pmol/l, p<0.001).
The prevalence of LSTT and LSFT was 35.8% and 16.2%, respectively. Prevalence of LSFT increased with age and higher body mass index (BMI) categories with the highest rate noted in >40 kg/m2 BMI category (50%).
In multivariate analysis, LSFT was significantly associated with age [OR 1.05 (95% CI 1.02-1.218), p=0.043] and waist circumference (WC) [OR 1.033 (95% CI 0.999- 1.068), p=0.059]. LSTT was associated with BMI only [OR 1.138 (95%CI 1.063- 1.218), p<0.0001]. TT correlated inversely with BMI, WC and the number of metabolic syndrome criteria. FT correlated inversely with BMI, WC and WHR. For both FT and TT, no significant correlation was observed with HbA1c.
The prevalence of androgen deficiency symptoms using AMS score was 74.5%. The prevalence of any androgen deficiency symptom on direct enquiry was 68.9%. The AMS score correlated poorly with LSTT or LSFT and was not superior to direct enquiry.
Conclusion: In this group of predominantly African and Indian men with T2DM from KwaZulu-Natal, there was a high prevalence of LSTT and LSFT. Serum TT and FT was lower in men with T2DM compared to control subjects. Waist circumference was a significant risk factor associated with LSFT while LSTT was associated with higher BMI and older age. There was a high prevalence of androgen deficiency symptoms using both the AMS score and on direct enquiry. The AMS score was a poor predictor of low testosterone and was not superior to direct enquiry. More research is required locally and from other sub-Saharan African countries before routine screening can be recommended
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe 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
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