1,720,995 research outputs found
Some Insight into e-Learning Management Systems: The CATTID e-learning platform solution
No full textSkin pigmentation in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata l.) fed conventional and novel protein sources in diets deprived of fish meal
Full text linkThe pattern of yellowish pigmentation of the skin was assessed in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) fed for 12 weeks iso-proteic (45%) and iso-lipidic (20%) diets deprived of fish meal and containing either a blend of vegetable protein-rich ingredients or where graded levels of the vegetable protein blend were replaced by insect (Hermetia illucens—10%, 20% or 40%) pupae meal, poultry by-product meal (20%, 30% or 40%), red swamp crayfish meal (10%) and marine microalgae (Tisochrysis lutea and Tetraselmis suecica—10%) dried biomass. Digital images of fish fed diets differing in protein sources were analyzed by means of an automatic and non-invasive image analysis tool, in order to determine the number of yellow pixels and their dispersion on the frontal and lateral sides of the fish. The relationship between the total carotenoid concentration in the diet and the number of yellow pixels was investigated. Test diets differently affected gilthead seabream skin pigmentation both in the forefront and the operculum, due to their carotenoid content. The highest yellow pixels’ number was observed with the diet containing microalgae. Fish fed poultry by-product meal were characterized by the lowest yellow pixels’ number, diets containing insect meal had an intermediate coloring capacity. The vegetable control, the microalgae mix diet and the crayfish diet had significantly higher values of yellow pixels at both inspected skin sites
Viscosupplementation with intra-articular hyaluronic acid for treatment of osteoarthritis in the elderly
No full textOsteoarthritis (OA) is very disabling condition in the elderly. The current therapeutic approaches (analgesics, NSAIDs, COX-2 inhibitors, steroids) do not delay the OA progression or reverse joint damage. Moreover, they may cause relevant systemic side effects. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a physiologic component of the synovial fluid and is reduced in OA joints. Therefore, intra-articular injection of HA, due to its viscoelastic properties and protective effect on articular cartilage and soft tissue surfaces of joints, can restore the normal articular homoeostasis. These effects are evident when HA is properly administered into the articular space; therefore, the use of "image-guided" infiltration techniques is mandatory. Viscosupplementation (VS), with different HA preparations (Low and High molecular weight), can be considered when the patient has not found pain relief from other therapies or is intolerant to analgesics or NSAIDs. A 3-5 doses regimen is usually recommended with 1 week interval between each injection. Several studies have shown the efficacy of HA for the treatment of knee OA, with positive effects on pain, articular function (Western Ontario and Mc Master Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC], Lequesne Index [LI], Range of Motion [ROM]), subjective global assessment and reduction in NSAIDs consumption. In general, the benefit is evident within 3 months and persists in the following 6-12 months. Encouraging but inconclusive results have also been observed for the treatment of shoulder, carpo-metacarpal, hip and ankle OA. However there is the need of better designed studies to prove the effectiveness of these medications, in order to rule out a placebo effect. The therapy is well tolerated with absence of systemic side effects and only with limited local discomfort
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
Light and Shape: A Contribution to Demonstrate Morphological Differences in Diurnal and Nocturnal Teleosts
No full text11 pages, 5 figures,1 table.Light intensity is an important environmental
factor affecting the structure of fish assemblages
during the day–night cycle. Light influences how organisms
perceive their environment, modulating their intraspecific
and interspecific relationships. The relationship
between light intensity variations and biological cycles
should be observed at the level of organismal morphology.
In this study the relationship between activity
rhythms, thus light intensity experienced by fish in the
period of major activity and external morphology, have
been investigated. The morphological traits of 97
selected fish species were compared in order to determine
the existence of a common morphological plan in
agreement with their diurnal or nocturnal activity
rhythm. Species sorting was performed by maximizing
the diversity of activity rhythm, habitat choice, ecology,
and trophic habits within the same family, to assess the
importance of the day–night cycle on species morphology
in relation to other environmental features. The morphological
characters selected for the geometric morphometric
analysis were body profile and the position of mouth,
eye, pelvic, pectoral, dorsal, and caudal fin. The present
analysis allowed different consensus forms for nocturnal
and for diurnal species to be identified. Two-block Partial
Least Squares analysis was then performed for the
purpose of modeling the covariation between the form
and two important external variables (ecology and activity).Ministero Italiano per le Politiche Agricole
e Forestali; Contract grant number: Law 41/82.
J. Aguzzi is a postdoctoral fellow
(Programa Juan de la Cierva), sponsored by Ministerio
de Educacio´n y Cultura, Espa˜na.Peer reviewe
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
Shape and Size Variation: Growth and Development of the Dusky Grouper (Epinephelus marginatus Lowe, 1834)
No full textDemersal fishes have complex life cycles that involve an ontogenetic change in morphology, physiology, and behavior, as their pelagic larval stages colonize benthic habitats. The developmental transition between larvae and juveniles leads to very complex processes of morphogenesis and differentiation. These processes primarily determine changes in external morphology, which is shaped by selective pressures to optimize performance for basic activities such as swimming, escape from predators, and feeding. Fishes have provided fertile grounds for ecomorphological investigations throughout ontogeny, as the role of changing morphology in inducing ontogenetic niche shifts is not always clear. In this framework, some studies have demonstrated that certain species undergo gradual changes, whereas other species experience threshold effects in their ecomorphological relationships during ontogeny. In this study, the intraspecific allometry of the dusky grouper was examined. Geometric morphometric tools were used to quantify shape changes through the development, and a modular approach was also applied to analyze the pattern of covariation between three distinct blocks (head, trunk, and tail). For this purpose, a two-block Partial Least Square was computed. This method reveals that the pattern of changes in the overall body shape is the result of the modularized changes of these blocks
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