1,720,957 research outputs found
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
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
Acute respiratory failure in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia: A prospective randomized evaluation of noninvasive ventilation
No full textIn uncontrolled studies, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) was found useful in avoiding endotracheal intubation in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) caused by severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We conducted a prospective, randomized study comparing standard treatment plus NPPV delivered through a face mask to standard treatment alone in patients with severe CAP and ARF. Patients fitting the American Thoracic Society criteria for severe CAP were included in presence of ARF (refractory hypoxemia and/or hypercapnia with acidosis). Exclusion criteria were: severe hemodynamic instability, requirement for emergent cardiopulmonary resuscitation, home mechanical ventilation or oxygen long-term supplementation, concomitant severe disease with a low expectation of life, inability to expectorate or contraindications to the use of the mask. Fifty-six consecutive patients (28 in each arm) were enrolled, and the two groups were similar at study entry. The use of NPPV was well tolerated, safe, and associated with a significant reduction in respiratory rate, need for endotracheal intubation (21% versus 50%; p = 0.03), and duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay (1.8 +/- 0.7 d versus 6 +/- 1.8 d; p = 0.04). The two groups had a similar intensity of nursing care workload, time interval from study entry to endotracheal intubation, duration of hospitalization, and hospital mortality. Among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), those randomized to NPPV had a lower intensity of nursing care workload (p = 0.04) and improved 2-mo survival (88.9% versus 37.5%; p = 0.05). We conclude that in selected patients with ARF caused by severe CAP, NPPV was associated with a significant reduction in the rate of endotracheal intubation and duration of ICU stay. A 2-mo survival advantage was seen in patients with COPD
Analyzing and processing EEG-based multichannel signals acquired during sleeping
No full textProcessing of signals acquired from sensor systems needs accurate algorithms to extract information of interest concerning the problem under study. In this work Empirical Mode Decomposition method is used on EEG signals obtained during polysomnography examination, when electromyographic (EMG) signals are acquired too. EMD method decomposes a signal into components named Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMF) which can exhibit important time-frequency information related to signals under observation. Since EEG signals are obtained from multiple electrodes, the problem is addressed to processing of signals acquired from multiple channels according to sensor array techniques. The objective of this work is to define an automatic method to detect transient event, changes of sleep stage in EEG signals which can allow an evaluation of the state of the patient. In this first step we analyze and process EEG signals through EMD method to remove EMG contributes. The obtained results are encouraging in the definition of a future multivariate approach to quantify brain activity by evaluating correlation of the IMFs calculated for each channel
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
The effectiveness of a bronchial drainage technique (ELTGOL) in COPD exacerbations
No full textBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:
Exacerbations of COPD are often characterized by increased mucus production that is difficult to treat and worsens patients' outcome. This study evaluated the efficacy of a chest physiotherapy technique (expiration with the glottis open in the lateral posture, ELTGOL) during acute exacerbations of COPD using as outcome measures sputum volume, length of hospitalization, reduction in dyspnoea (Borg score), improvement in quality of life (assessed by the St George Respiratory Questionnaire) and incidence of COPD exacerbations during follow up.
METHODS:
The study recruited 59 patients hospitalized for the treatment of acute exacerbation of COPD, who were randomly assigned to a control group and an intervention group. The control group was treated with standard medical therapy while the intervention group was treated with ELTGOL plus medical therapy. A subgroup of patients was followed for 6 months to verify the effects on COPD exacerbations and need for hospitalizations.
RESULTS:
At the time of hospital discharge there was no significant difference between the two groups in the outcome measures, with the exception of the Borg score, which was significantly improved in the ELTGOL group (4.3 +/- 1.5 in the control group vs 3.0 +/- 1.8 in the ELTGOL group, P = 0.004). After 6 months there was no significant difference in the other measured parameters between a subset of the groups available for follow up. During follow up, the ELTGOL group had numerically fewer exacerbations and less need for hospitalization though differences were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS:
Chest physiotherapy using the ELTGOL technique has a limited role in patients with mild exacerbation of moderate to severe COPD with a tendency towards fewer exacerbations and hospitalizations
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