1,354,596 research outputs found
Benchmarking Greek Corporate Governance against Different Standards
No full textThe rapidly increasing worldwide focus on corporate governance has resulted in a proliferation of rating systems that proxy for governance quality. This study develops a governance rating for Greek listed companies by benchmarking their governance structures against three levels: (a) the minimum requirements under Greek regulation (lower level); (b) the incremental recommendations of the Greek code (middle level); and (c) the additional international best practices, prescribed by the UK Combined Code (higher level). Using available data on 274 out of 340 Greek listed companies in 2003 and based on information collected primarily from annual reports, we find that the average governance rating at the lower level is 65.5 per cent; this scoring reduces significantly as we move to the middle and higher level. The average governance rating is 44 per cent. Second, governance scores increase with firm size. Although there may be good reasons explaining these patterns, we find that Greek companies do not provide explanations, i.e. do not practice the "comply or explain" recommendation. Third, our middle level aggregate governance rating is much lower than that reported by prior research that uses a different data gathering and weighting approach. This divergence has important methodological implications. Finally, we document a relatively high lack of transparency in relation to Greek governance practices. This is a sign of "bad governance". Copyright (c) 2007 The Authors; Journal compilation (c) 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
A neural signature of food semantics is associated with body-mass index
No full textVisual recognition of objects may rely on different features depending on the category to which they belong. Recognizing natural objects, such as fruits and plants, weighs more on their perceptual attributes, whereas recognizing man-made objects, such as tools or vehicles, weighs more upon the functions and actions they enable. Edible objects are perceptually rich but also prepared for specific functions, therefore it is unclear how perceptual and functional attributes affect their recognition. Two event-related potentials experiments investigated: (i) whether food categorization in the brain is differentially modulated by sensory and functional attributes, depending on whether the food is natural or transformed; (ii) whether these processes are modulated by participants' body mass index. In experiment 1, healthy normal-weight participants were presented with a sentence (prime) and a photograph of a food. Primes described either a sensory feature ('It tastes sweet') or a functional feature ('It is suitable for a wedding party') of the food, while photographs depicted either a natural (e.g., cherry) or a transformed food (e.g., pizza). Prime-feature pairs were either congruent or incongruent. This design aimed at modulating N400-like components elicited by semantic processing. In experiment 1, N400-like amplitude was significantly larger for transformed food than for natural food with sensory primes, and vice versa with functional primes. In experiment 2, underweight and obese women performed the same semantic task. We found that, while the N400-like component in obese participants was modulated by sensory-functional primes only for transformed food, the same modulation was found in underweight participants only for natural food. These findings suggest that the level of food transformation interacts with participants' body mass index in modulating food perception and the underlying brain processing
No fruits without color: Cross-modal priming and EEG reveal different roles for different features across semantic categories.
No full textCategory-specific impairments witnessed in patients with semantic deficits have broadly dissociated into natural and artificial kinds. However, how the category of food (more specifically, fruits and vegetables) fits into this distinction has been difficult to interpret, given a pattern of deficit that has inconsistently mapped onto either kind, despite its intuitive membership to the natural domain. The present study explores the effects of a manipulation of a visual sensory (i.e., color) or functional (i.e., orientation) feature on the consequential semantic processing of fruits and vegetables (and tools, by comparison), first at the behavioral and then at the neural level. The categorization of natural (i.e., fruits/vegetables) and artificial (i.e., utensils) entities was investigated via cross-modal priming. Reaction time analysis indicated a reduction in priming for color-modified natural entities and orientation-modified artificial entities. Standard event-related potentials (ERP) analysis was performed, in addition to linear classification. For natural entities, a N400 effect at central channel sites was observed for the color-modified condition compared relative to normal and orientation conditions, with this difference confirmed by classification analysis. Conversely, there was no significant difference between conditions for the artificial category in either analysis. These findings provide strong evidence that color is an integral property to the categorization of fruits/vegetables, thus substantiating the claim that feature-based processing guides as a function of semantic category
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
No full text“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
No full textWe 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 narrative work of Argiris Eftaliotis
No full textThis thesis, based on written tradition and other dispersed, unpublished and yet unknown texts, tries to explore the life and work of Argiris Eftaliotis, aiming to present his novels and to show the creative effect that the so called ‘language matter’ had on his work.This study takes into consideration the work of Eftaliotis, published reviews and studies on his work, theory of literature works and finally the bibliography on short stories and novels that has been published in the Greek area during the 19th century.Research has been done in old journals and newspapers of the19th and early 20th century, in Lesvian periodicals, in Gennadios Library and ELIA where remains lie, and in private records of four Lesvian writers who had been concerned themselves with Argiris Eftaliotis. This research revealed and shed light on unpublished and rare material which was used in the writing of this work.The substantiation of our views has been based mainly on frequent references to specific extracts of Eftaliotis novels, and where it is necessary, the rest of his work has been used: poetical and essays, as well as his rich correspondence.The study consists of three parts. The First Part focuses on his life and work. The Second Part focuses on the work of Argiris Eftaliotis. His own studies and critical reviews which have been written occasionally concerning his work, are being commented and criticized, as well as his private correspondence. In the Third Part his total work has been examined, his most extensive short story, Mazohtra, and the novel Manolis Ntermpenteris included. Furthermore, after a short term presentation on the narrative techniques of Genette’s, our study focuses on its implementation in the texts under consideration, in the short stories and in the novel, and it ends in a series of conclusions about the narrative techniques which can be found in the prose work of Eftaliotis in this early period of Greek Literature.This study is being completed with The Epilogue, that maintains the view that the scholar Eftaliotis has been examined and appreciated much more and definitely in a more sufficient way than the writer and novelist, and for this reason more research has been required.Στην παρούσα διατριβή, με βάση τη χειρόγραφη παράδοση και άλλα λανθάνοντα κείμενα, επιχειρείται λεπτομερής διερεύνηση της ζωής και του έργου του Αργύρη Εφταλιώτη, με απώτερο σκοπό να παρουσιαστεί το πεζογραφικό του έργο και επίσης να καταδειχθεί η δημιουργική επίδραση του γλωσσικού ζητήματος στο έργο του.Η μελέτη απαρτίζεται από τρία μέρη. Στο Πρώτο Μέρος εξετάζεται η ζωή και το έργο του: γέννηση, παιδικά χρόνια και σπουδές, επαγγελματική σταδιοδρομία, οικογενειακή κατάσταση, η σχέση του με τη Λέσβο και τα τελευταία χρόνια της ζωής του. Διερευνάται η πρώτη του εμφάνιση στα ελληνικά γράμματα και η γνωριμία του με τον Αλέξανδρο Πάλλη και τον Γιάννη Ψυχάρη, γνωριμία που στάθηκε καθοριστική στη ζωή και στο έργο του. Εξετάζεται, επίσης, ο Εφταλιώτης σε σχέση με την εποχή του και παρουσιάζεται αδρομερώς το ιστορικοκοινωνικό πλαίσιο και οι πολιτισμικές συνθήκες. Ιδιαίτερος λόγος γίνεται για το Γλωσσικό Ζήτημα και την κεντρική θέση του Εφταλιώτη σ’ αυτό. Παρουσιάζεται αναλυτικά η στράτευσή του στον Δημοτικισμό και η συγκρότηση της ευρύτερης πνευματικής και εθνικής ιδεολογίας του, σε σχέση πάντοτε με το λογοτεχνικό του έργο.Στο Δεύτερο Μέρος εξετάζεται το έργο του Αργύρη Εφταλιώτη· αποτιμώνται και σχολιάζονται οι μελέτες και κριτικές, που κατά καιρούς έχουν γραφεί για το έργο του, καθώς και η ιδιωτική του αλληλογραφία. Ακολουθεί η φιλολογική και ερμηνευτική διερεύνηση της συλλογής Νησιώτικες Ιστορίες. Παρουσιάζονται οι διαδοχικές της εκδόσεις από το 1894 έως το 1989, οι μεταφράσεις της στο εξωτερικό καθώς και τα θεμελιώδη δημοσιεύματα που έχουν γραφεί για το βιβλίο αυτό. Ακολουθεί η εξέταση του βιβλίου Η Μαζώχτρα και άλλες ιστορίες. Διερευνώνται τα κριτικά κείμενα που έχουν γραφεί για το βιβλίο αυτό και αποτιμώνται πλευρές του έργου, δεδομένου ότι η Μαζώχτρα αποτελεί ένα από τα αξιολογότερα αφηγηματικά κείμενα του Εφταλιώτη. Ιδιαίτερος λόγος γίνεται για το μυθιστόρημα Ο Μανόλης ο Ντελμπεντέρης. Παρουσιάζονται κοινά στοιχεία που προέκυψαν από την εξέταση του μυθιστορήματος και των διηγημάτων, με κυριότερο το θέμα της ξενιτιάς και του νόστου, τόπος κοινός στη λογοτεχνική παραγωγή πολλών συγγραφέων της εποχής.Στο Τρίτο Μέρος εξετάζονται συνολικά όλα τα διηγήματα του Εφταλιώτη, όπου εντάσσεται και το πιο εκτενές, η νουβέλα «Η Μαζώχτρα». Διερευνάται η ανταπόκρισή του στα κλασικά πρότυπα του είδους, όπως είχαν τεθεί στην εποχή του, εντοπίζεται η ενότητα του χώρου και αναδεικνύεται η καθοριστική σημασία του τόπου στο πεζογραφικό έργο του Εφταλιώτη. Επίσης, επισημαίνεται η ύπαρξη ενός άλλου αξιοσημείωτου στοιχείου, που είναι το ευτράπελο, το χιουμοριστικό, σε αντίστιξη με το τραγικό, το οποίο διαπερνά τις περισσότερες ιστορίες. Ακολούθως, αφού παρουσιάζεται πολύ συνοπτικά η θεωρία λογοτεχνίας του Genette για τις αφηγηματικές τεχνικές, επιχειρείται η εφαρμογή της στα εξεταζόμενα κείμενα, στα διηγήματα και στο μυθιστόρημα και καταλήγει σε μια σειρά από συμπεράσματα για τις αφηγηματικές τεχνικές που μπορούμε να βρούμε στο πεζογραφικό έργο του Εφταλιώτη σ’ αυτή την πρώιμη φάση της ελληνικής λογοτεχνίας. Ιδιαίτερος λόγος γίνεται για τη σχέση του Εφταλιώτη με τον αφηγηματικό λόγο της εποχής του και αποτιμάται η συνεισφορά και η ιδιαιτερότητά του.Η μελέτη ολοκληρώνεται με ένα κεφάλαιο για την παρουσία του έργου του Αργύρη Εφταλιώτη στην Εκπαίδευση και ειδικότερα στα Νεοελληνικά Αναγνώσματα (1884-1977/9) και στα Κείμενα Νεοελληνικής Λογοτεχνίας (1977-2010). Στον επίλογο επισημαίνεται ότι ο λόγιος Εφταλιώτης αξιολογήθηκε πολύ περισσότερο και οπωσδήποτε επαρκέστερα από τον λογοτέχνη και τον πεζογράφο, και γι’ αυτό απαιτούνταν περαιτέρω έρευνα.Στην εργασία ελήφθησαν υπόψη η εργογραφία του Εφταλιώτη, κριτικές και μελέτες που έχουν δημοσιευθεί για το έργο του, έργα θεωρίας λογοτεχνίας και η βιβλιογραφία για το διήγημα και το μυθιστόρημα στον κυρίως ελλαδικό χώρο κατά τον 19ο αιώνα. Πραγματοποιήθηκε, επίσης, έρευνα σε παλαιά περιοδικά και εφημερίδες του 19ου και των αρχών του 20ού αιώνα, σε λεσβιακά έντυπα, στη Γεννάδιο Βιβλιοθήκη και στο ΕΛΙΑ, όπου απόκεινται κατάλοιπα του συγγραφέα, και σε ιδιωτικά αρχεία τεσσάρων Λεσβίων συγγραφέων, που είχαν ασχοληθεί στο παρελθόν με τον Αργύρη Εφταλιώτη. Η έρευνα αυτή έφερε στο φως ανέκδοτο και σπάνιο υλικό που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για τη συγγραφή της εργασίας.Η τεκμηρίωση των απόψεων γίνεται με συχνή αναφορά σε αποσπάσματα κυρίως από τα πεζά έργα του Εφταλιώτη, όπου, όμως, απαιτείται, χρησιμοποιείται και το υπόλοιπο έργο: ποιητικό και δοκιμιακό και η πλουσιότατη αλληλογραφία του
The FoodCast Research Image Database (FRIDa)
No full textIn recent years we have witnessed to an increasing interest in food processing and eating behaviors. This is probably due to several reasons. The biological relevance of food choices, the complexity of the food-rich environment in which we presently live (making food-intake regulation difficult), and the increasing health care cost due to illness associated with food (food hazards, food contamination, and aberrant food-intake). Despite the importance of the issues and the relevance of this research, comprehensive and validated databases of stimuli are rather limited, outdated, or not available for noncommercial purposes to independent researchers who aim at developing their own research program. The FoodCast Research Image Database (FRIDa) we present here is comprised of 877 images from eight different categories: natural-food (e.g., strawberry), transformed-food (e.g., French fries), rotten-food (e.g., moldy banana), natural-nonfood items (e.g., pinecone), artificial food-related objects (e.g., teacup), artificial objects (e.g., guitar), animals (e.g., camel), and scenes (e.g., airport). FRIDa has been validated on a sample of healthy participants (N=73) on standard variables (e.g., valence, familiarity etc.) as well as on other variables specifically related to food items (e.g., perceived calorie content); it also includes data on the visual features of the stimuli (e.g., brightness, high frequency power etc.). FRIDa is a well-controlled, flexible, validated, and freely available (http://foodcast.sissa.it/neuroscience/) tool for researchers in a wide range of academic fields and industry
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe 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
- …
