1,720,965 research outputs found
Sub-dimensions of Alcohol Use Disorder in Alcohol Preferring and Non-preferring Rats, a Comparative Study
Full text linkRecent animal models of alcohol use disorder (AUD) are centered in capturing individual vulnerability differences in disease progression. Here, we used genetically selected Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring (msP) and Wistars rats to apply a multidimensional model of AUD adapted from a previously described DSM-IV/DSM-5 multisymptomatic cocaine addiction model. As proof of concept, we hypothesized that msP rats, genetically selected for excessive drinking, would be more prone to develop dependence-like behavior compared to Wistars. Before exposure of animals to alcohol, we monitored basal anxiety in the elevated plus maze (EPM). Animals were then trained in prolonged operant alcohol self-administration, consisting of 30-min daily sessions for 60 days in total. Each session consisted of two 10-min periods of alcohol reinforcement separated by 10-min interval of non-reinforcement. Following training, we applied three criteria of individual vulnerability for AUD: (1) persistence of lever pressing for alcohol when it was not available; (2) motivation for alcohol in a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement; and (3) resistance to punishment when alcohol delivery was anticipated by a foot-shock (0.3 mA). We obtained four groups corresponding to the number of criteria met (0–3 crit). Rats in the 0crit and 1crit groups were characterized as resilient, whereas rats in the 2crit and 3crit groups were characterized as prone to develop a dependent-like phenotype. As predicted, the 2–3crit groups were enriched with msP rats while the 0–1crit groups were enriched in Wistar rats. In further analysis, we calculated the global addiction score (GAS) per subject by the sum of the normalized score (z-score) of each criterion. Results showed GAS was highly correlated with animal distribution within the 3 criteria. Specifically, GAS was negative in the 0–1crit groups, and positive in the 2–3crit groups. A positive correlation between basal anxiety and quantity of alcohol intake was detected in msP rats but not Wistars. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the 0/3criteria model is a suitable approach to study individual differences in AUD and that msP rats, selected for excessive-alcohol drinking, show a higher propensity to develop AUD compared to non-preferring Wistars
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
Genetically selected alcohol-preferring msP rats to study alcohol use disorder: Anything lost in translation?
Full text linkFor several decades, genetically selected alcohol-preferring rats have been successfully used to mimic and study alcohol use disorders (AUD). These rat lines have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the neurobiology of alcoholism and enabling pharmacological studies to evaluate drug efficacy on alcohol drinking and relapse. Moreover, the results of these studies have identified genetic variables that are linked to AUD vulnerability. This is an up-to-date review that focuses on genetically selected Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring (msP) rats. To support the translational relevance of the findings that are obtained from msP rats and highlight important similarities to AUD patients, we also discuss the results of recent brain imaging studies. Finally, to demonstrate the importance of studying sex differences in animal models of AUD, we present original data that highlight behavioral differences in the response to alcohol in male and female rats. Female msP rats exhibited higher alcohol consumption compared with males. Furthermore, msP rats of both sexes exhibit higher anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze and forced swim test, respectively, compared with unselected Wistar controls. Notably, voluntary alcohol drinking decreases foot-shock stress and depressive-like behavior in both sexes, whereas anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze is attenuated only in males. These findings suggest that male and female msP rats both drink high amounts of alcohol to self-medicate negative affective symptoms. For females, this behavior may be driven by an attempt to treat stress and depressive-like conditions. For males, generalized anxiety appears to be an important additional factor in the motivation to drink alcohol
Activation of PPARgamma receptors by pioglitazone leads to reduction of alcohol drinking and relapse to alcohol seeking: An effect that is potentiated by concomitant administration of naltrexone
No full textThe PPARgamma receptor is a ligand-activated transcription factor of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily activated by selective agonists belong to the class of thiazolidinediones (TZDs).In the brain PPARgamma receptors are widely expressed in glia cells as well as in neurones. Recently, we investigated the role of this receptors in alcohol addictive related behaviors in genetically selected alcohol preferring Marchigian Sardinian (msP) rats. For this purpose we tested the effect of pioglitazone (Actos®), a prototypical TZD approved for the treatment of insulin resistance in Type II diabetes, on alcohol drinking and relapse behavior in msP rats We also investigated to whether pioglitazone potentiates the effect of naltrexone (drug approved for the treatment of alcoholim) on alcohol drinking and relapse. Results showed that activation of PPARgamma by pioglitazone (0-30 mg/kg) lowers alcohol intake and relapse to alcohol seeking elicited administration of yohimbine (a pharmacological stressor) but not by cues predictive of alcohol availability. On the other hand, naltrexone (0-1 mg/kg) lowered ethanol consumption and cue- but not yohimbine-induced relapse We have, then, investigated the effect of concomitant administration of the two drugs. Results showed that drug combination elicits a more pronounced inhibition of ethanol intake. Moreover, simultaneous administration results in a pronounced inhibition of both cue and yohimbine stress-induced alcohol seeking. These findings opens new vistas in the use pioglitazone in combination with naltrexone for the treatment of alcoholism
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
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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