1,721,014 research outputs found
Environmental and Genetic Traffic in the Journey from Sperm to Offspring
Recent advancements in the understanding of how sperm develop into offspring have shown complex interactions between environmental influences and genetic factors. The past decade, marked by a research surge, has not only highlighted the profound impact of paternal contributions on fertility and reproductive outcomes but also revolutionized our comprehension by unveiling how parental factors sculpt traits in successive generations through mechanisms that extend beyond traditional inheritance patterns. Studies have shown that offspring are more susceptible to environmental factors, especially during critical phases of growth. While these factors are broadly detrimental to health, their effects are especially acute during these periods. Moving beyond the immutable nature of the genome, the epigenetic profile of cells emerges as a dynamic architecture. This flexibility renders it susceptible to environmental disruptions. The primary objective of this review is to shed light on the diverse processes through which environmental agents affect male reproductive capacity. Additionally, it explores the consequences of paternal environmental interactions, demonstrating how interactions can reverberate in the offspring. It encompasses direct genetic changes as well as a broad spectrum of epigenetic adaptations. By consolidating current empirically supported research, it offers an exhaustive perspective on the interwoven trajectories of the environment, genetics, and epigenetics in the elaborate transition from sperm to offspring
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The 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
“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
We 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
THE BLISS YOGA INCULCATES DURING THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF PREGNANCY
Yoga is the Sanskrit word for ‘union\u27, and through the practice of yoga the mind, body and breath are united. During pregnancy one lives and breathes with her baby and the baby becomes aware of her thoughts, movements and emotions; so it seems only natural that these should be included in yoga practice. These changes are reflected and supported by the practices of affirmation, meditation, pranayama (breathing techniques) and asana (poses) to help to unite with the baby through mind, body and breath. By deepening the awareness of the growing baby in this way, one can enhance and embrace all the stages of pregnancy and prepare herself mentally, physically and emotionally for labor, giving birth, and motherhood
AN UPDATE ON COAGULATING GLAND RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN-PROSTAGLANDIN SYSTEM: A NEW HYPOTHESIS ON ITS RENIN FUNCTION
After proper description of reproductive functions of rodent anterior prostate, coagulating gland (CG), by Moore and Gallagher in 1930, numerous papers have been published on this gland and its function in male fertility. It has also been known that it has a local renin-angiotensin system (RAS). But, the actual function of this system is not very clear, and even now-a-days, this gland is getting ignored in reproductive physiology research. Thus, this review article attempts to unearth the reproductive functions of this gland, with a hypothetical mechanism of CG renin function. We have reviewed the available literature published on this gland and correlated the fragmented information to unveil its importance. We have proposed a hypothetical mechanism (aided by self-designed schemes) of CG renin function along with its functional and structural aspects in reproductive physiology. Despite being ignored in modern research, CG has a very significant function in rodent reproduction and breeding. It has also a very significant role in regulation of local homeostasis by renin-angiotensin-prostaglandin system.  Â
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
We 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
RECENT TRENDS IN MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROBLEMS
This review critically evaluates the current trends of male reproductive health problems in relation to semen quality. Increasing trend in male reproductive disorders observed in recent years, are principally found to associate with lifestyle and environmental factors. Lifestyle-allied diseases could be controlled with modification in diet, living and working environment etc. This review outlines the changing trends in male reproductive health and highlights the alterations in semen quality, in scientific manner. Though scientific and public concern regarding the changes on male reproductive health has grown in past few decades but the demonstration of a geographical differences in sperm concentration, still appears to be controversial. The amplitude of the difference observed cannot only be explained by methodological or confounding factors, and must to some extent be attributed to ethnic, genetic or environmental factors. However, there are numerous reports indicating the chronologically declining sperm count and standard semen parameters in various population indicating the increasing trend of male reproductive health disorders
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