1,720,954 research outputs found
The Effects of Bioelectric Stimulation on the Speed of Caenorhabditis elegans Exposed to Glutamate-Induced Damage for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment
No full textDespite numerous studies regarding the degrading effects of neurodegenerative diseases, little is known about emerging therapeutic techniques such as Bioelectric Stimulation (BS) on neurological inconsistencies, namely, glutamate excitotoxicity. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disease and has a prevalence of 4–6 per 100,000 individuals worldwide (Gadhave et al., 2024). ALS causes the loss of neurons that control voluntary movements, leading to muscle weakness, atrophy, fasciculations, spasticity, and ultimately paralysis, with respiratory failure being the most common cause of death. Current treatment approaches include Riluzole (a glutamate-receptor antagonist), Edaravone, gene therapies such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting SOD1, and stem cell therapies. However, these methods only prolong survival for a limited time. BS is an emerging technique that uses small controlled electrical pulses directed at nerves to stimulate repair. Questions arise regarding the effectiveness of BS on ALS-like symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of BS on glutamate excitotoxicity in the model organism C. elegans, to assess the speed and nerve function when exposed to ALS-like factors. It was hypothesized that BS application after glutamate-induced neurodegeneration would enhance nerve regeneration and locomotion in C. elegans. Four experimental groups were examined: C. elegans exposed to glutamate, glutamate and BS, BS only, and the control group with no stimulus added. Using a stereoscope and camera attachment to examine speed, C. elegans’ experienced electrical pulses through a function generator and electrode setup, and glutamate was applied to the medium through an inoculation technique. All data was examined through Open Source Physics software. The one-way ANOVA test, conducted with an alpha level of 0.05, revealed significant differences between the control group and each of the experimental groups (F(1.3243, 1.7555) = 29.1699, p \u3c 0.001). Therefore, it was concluded that there was a significant difference in speed between the control group and experimental groups, and most importantly between the glutamate-only group and the BS plus glutamate group
The Effects of Magnesium Glycinate vs. Magnesium Citrate on the Growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus in Simulated Gastrointestinal Conditions
No full textDespite numerous studies on the importance of magnesium intake, little is known about the variations between different forms of magnesium and their interactions with gut bacteria. Magnesium is essential for many bodily functions, and its absorption in the intestines is key for maintaining levels that support muscle function, nerve transmission, and energy production; however, its effects on probiotics have not been thoroughly investigated. With many magnesium supplements available on the market, questions arise regarding which is most effective. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of magnesium glycinate versus magnesium citrate in promoting the absorption of Lactobacillus acidophilus, and to determine which form enhances uptake more effectively. It was hypothesized that the addition of magnesium glycinate or citrate to a L. acidophilus mixture would improve absorbance, with glycinate yielding higher results. Three experimental groups were examined with the addition of L. acidophilus in the MRS broth: one group without magnesium, one with magnesium glycinate, and one with magnesium citrate. Using a SpectroVis Plus spectrophotometer, absorbance units (AU) were assessed based on the intensity of transmitted light. The one-way ANOVA test, conducted with an alpha level of 0.05, revealed significant differences between the control group and each of the experimental groups (F(2, 87) = 12.54, p \u3c 0.001). Therefore, it was concluded that there was a significant difference in AU between the control group and the magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate trials
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
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
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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