1,720,991 research outputs found
Motor dysfunction of the gut in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A review
No full textBackground: Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of hereditary, neuromuscular disorder caused by a mutation in the dystrophin gene resulting in the absence or production of truncated dystrophin protein. Conventionally, clinical descriptions of the disorder focus principally on striated muscle defects; however, DMD manifestations involving gastrointestinal (GI) smooth muscle have been reported, even if not rigorously studied. Purpose: The objective of the present review is to offer a comprehensive perspective on the existing knowledge concerning GI manifestations in DMD, focusing the attention on evidence in DMD patients and mdx mice. This includes an assessment of symptomatology, etiological pathways, and potential corrective approaches. This paper could provide helpful information about DMD gastrointestinal implications that could serve as a valuable orientation for prospective research endeavors in this field. This manuscript emphasizes the effectiveness of mdx mice, a DMD animal model, in unraveling mechanistic insights and exploring the pathological alterations in the GI tract. The gastrointestinal consequences evident in patients with DMD and the mdx mice models are a significant area of focus for researchers. The exploration of this area in depth could facilitate the development of more efficient therapeutic approaches and improve the well-being of individuals impacted by the condition
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
Conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants of the alpine and subalpine regions of the Swat Valley, Pakistan
No full textThe flora of the Swat Valley is composed of 1550 higher plant species of which a remarkable 350 are medicinally important (out of c. 6000 species with 700 of medicinal value for the whole of Pakistan). The diverse geographic, topographic and climatic conditions in the alpine and subalpine regions of Swat are responsible for its biodiversity richness. The present study on the medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) was conducted in the alpine and subalpine regions of the Swat Valley (2007-2009) in order to evaluate their current threats (both anthropogenic and natural), population density, indigenous uses (along with trade importance in the local economy) and impact of climate change. However, the fragility of these highland ecosystems makes this biodiversity vulnerable. The analysis revealed 177 species belonging to 70 families with major families of Rosaceae containing 18 species followed by Lamiaceae 16 species, Asteraceae 15, Ranunculaceae 12 and Polygonaceae with 9 species. The driving forces in the increasing decline of these species were found to be: overgrazing, overexploitation, timber logging, fuelwood collection and agriculture expansion. The root causes behind these driving forces are: the lack of economic development, population pressure, poverty, illiteracy and basic unawareness of sustainability and ecosystem importance. The dominant plant community types in these regions were recorded with their life form (biological spectrum), showing that the flora was of Hemicrypto-therophytic nature with 36.72% (hemicryptophytes) and 14.68% (therophytes). The leaf spectra analysis of these plants revealed that microphyll was dominant (100 species) followed by nanophyll (38 species) and mesophyll (30 species). The palatability analysis revealed that 88% plants were palatable, 34% were highly palatable and 6.6 % were non-palatable. The impact of climate change under current and future scenarios were analysed and indicates that Viola canescens, Fragaria nubicola and Bistorta amplexicaulis would profoundly shift their distribution towards north in comparison to their present distribution while Juniperus communis and Betula utilis have not shown large shifting towards north because of their different climatic needs. Viola canescens would extend whereas Juniperus communis would reduce its distribution. The indigenous knowledge indicates that 93 species belonging to 49 families were of immense importance to the basic health needs of these communities including 19 species used as ethno- veterinary medicines. The market analysis of these plants shows that the most expensive plants are Aconitum heterophyllum, Morchella esculenta and Viola canescens with high demand in the local markets and sporadic exportation to the Middle East, especially to the UAE. The annual tonnage sale of 23 species in the local markets sampled was 196 tonnes per annum with an average amount of 8.52 tonnes. Berberis Iyceum, Saussurea atkinsonii and Viola canescens are the most wanted plants in the area and are the top selling drugs in the local market reaching an annual mean sale of 1 tonne per retailer. Based on the findings of this research, the MAPs of these regions are declining sharply on an enormous scale due to habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and habitat loss. Government intervention along with the active involvement of local communities is needed in order to ensure sustainable utilisation without risking their local extinction. The study revealed an urgent need to conserve these valuable taxa in situ in the form of national parks, nature reserves and game reserves, and ex situ in the form of botanical gardens, seed banks and other germplasm collections. In addition to the above threat, improper and untimely government policies with poor implementation procedures, compounded by corruption and the illicit influence for resource-use patterns among local and national departments, are further sharply aggravating this decline.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
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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