Inglese - Appunti di Inglese

Human body temperature regulation

Human beings maintain an almost constant body temperature. The normal temperature of some adults is as low as 97°F and in others it is as high as 99°F. There is also a normal daily variation of about one degree. Temperature is lowest in the early hours of the morning and highest in the evening. Body heat is produced by metabolic and muscular activity. It is lost by evaporation of sweat from the skin, expiration of air from the lungs, and excretion of urine and feces. The balance between heat production and heat loss is maintained by the heat-regulation center in the hypothalamus, which is sensitive to minute variations in the temperature of the blood passing through it.

A rise in blood temperature produces an increase in the flow of blood to the surface of the body. Sweat gland activity is increased, muscle tone is diminished, and there is unwillingness to move about. Shivering, which is a reflex contraction of the muscles, may occur to increase heat production.

Fahrenheit and centigrade

The Fahrenheit scale goes from 0°F to 212°F. 0°F corresponds to −18°C whereas 0°C corresponds to 32°F. The freezing point is at 32°F/0°C, and the boiling point is at 212°F/100°C. To convert Fahrenheit to centigrade, subtract 32, multiply by 5, and divide by 9. To convert centigrade to Fahrenheit, multiply by 9, divide by 5, and add 32.

Scientific article writing

The purpose of scientific writing is to convey ideas and facts about scientific work. Scientists understand and criticize each other’s work through their articles. The basic rules for writing a scientific article are:

• Write accurately
• Write clearly
• Write succinctly

The format of experimental and observational articles in medical sciences includes title, abstract, text, acknowledgments, and references. The title of the article should be informative. A good abstract should concisely state the reasons for the investigation, the method of study, the main findings, and the conclusion. The text is usually divided into sections with the headings:

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion

The introduction section indicates the aim and rationale for the investigation. The methods section provides sufficient detail for a competent researcher to repeat the investigation or assess the reliability of the methods and, therefore, the results. The results section presents representative rather than repetitive data in a logical order. The discussion section describes the principles, relationships, generalizations, and significance derived from the data and compares the results with previously published works. In the acknowledgments, the authors briefly thank and/or acknowledge grant-giving bodies or individuals for their financial or intellectual aid. The references cite the most relevant literature in alphabetical order.

Title, authors, and abstract

Title: Briefly states what the article is about. A concise statement, which summarizes the main topic of the paper and identifies the actual variables or theoretical issues under investigation and the relationship between them. A running title, a short title which does not exceed about 50 characters including spaces, is also included in the paper. Title enhancements are terms added to the source title that clarify, add meaning, or supply search access points.

Authors: States the name of the author/authors and the institution where the investigation was conducted. Affiliation and address of author/authors for correspondence is given.

Abstract: Brief, comprehensive summary or description of the essential contents of the article. A good abstract should be accurate, self-contained, concise and specific, non-evaluative, coherent, and readable. An abstract should describe in 100 to 120 words the following:

• The problem under investigation
• The subjects, specifying pertinent characteristics, such as number, type, age, and sex
• The experimental method, including the apparatus, data-gathering procedures, complete test names, and complete generic names and dosage of any drugs
• The findings, including statistical significance levels
• The conclusions and implications of applications

An abstract is a shortened version of the paper and should contain all the information necessary for the reader to determine:

• What the objectives of the study were
• How the study was done
• What results were obtained
• The significance of the results

Key words: Up to 5 descriptive words, proposed by the authors divided by commas or semicolons. The key words assist in the indexing of the journal under which the article could be indexed using terms from the Index Medicus (Medical Subject Headings). The terms supplied by the author(s) may act as descriptive terms for inclusion in a search that is intended to retrieve an article.

Introduction

Establishes the context for the research, the area in which the research takes place, the research problem, the importance of the research, and the guiding question or hypothesis. The introduction addresses...