2,083 research outputs found
Comparison of several author indices for gauging academic productivity
No full textBackground
Many author indices exist to gauge academic productivity. Several of these indices are calculated based upon an author's scholarly publication record, but the measurement methodology to calculate each index varies considerably, and the precise function being used, as well as the end result, is often complex and difficult to assess.
Method
Two straightforward methods to weigh author productivity from the publication and citation record were evaluated as possible means for providing a clearer assessment of scholarly activity. The author characteristic index (termed c-index) assigns author rank for each publication based upon author position. The characteristic prime (c') -index normalizes author rank from author position, so that the total weight per publication is unity. The top 10 scholars with keyword 'celiac disease' in the Google Scholar database were then assessed using these metrics. Rankings according to total number of publications, h-index, and c- and c'-indices were compared, then tabulated along with total papers included for assessment, and mean values per paper for author position, number of authors, citations, and year of publication.
Results
The order of the top ten authors with keyword 'celiac disease' varied substantially depending upon whether the h-index, c-index, or c'-index was used as a gauge. The characteristic indices assign credit to authors according to their position in an author list. The affiliated metrics provided a more complete picture of scholarly activity.
Conclusions
Academic achievement by scholars, based upon quantitative publication characteristics, has recently become of interest for evaluating job candidates, for determining work performance, and for bestowing awards and honors. The characteristic indices as described herein are readily calculated and interpreted, and may improve the assessment of scholarly activity
Analysis of CDC social control measures using an agent-based simulation of an influenza epidemic in a city
No full textBackground: the transmission of infectious disease amongst the human population is a complex process which requires advanced, often individual-based, models to capture the space-time details observed in reality.Methods: an Individual Space-Time Activity-based Model (ISTAM) was applied to simulate the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical control measures including: (1) refraining from social activities, (2) school closure and (3) household quarantine, for a hypothetical influenza outbreak in an urban area.Results: amongst the set of control measures tested, refraining from social activities with various compliance levels was relatively ineffective. Household quarantine was very effective, especially for the peak number of cases and total number of cases, with large differences between compliance levels. Household quarantine resulted in a decrease in the peak number of cases from more than 300 to around 158 for a 100% compliance level, a decrease of about 48.7%. The delay in the outbreak peak was about 3 to 17 days. The total number of cases decreased to a range of 3635-5403, that is, 63.7%-94.7% of the baseline value.When coupling control measures, household quarantine together with school closure was the most effective strategy. The resulting space-time distribution of infection in different classes of activity bundles (AB) suggests that the epidemic outbreak is strengthened amongst children and then spread to adults. By sensitivity analysis, this study demonstrated that earlier implementation of control measures leads to greater efficacy. Also, for infectious diseases with larger basic reproduction number, the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical measures was shown to be limited.Conclusions: simulated results showed that household quarantine was the most effective control measure, while school closure and household quarantine implemented together achieved the greatest benefit. Agent-based models should be applied in the future to evaluate the efficacy of control measures for a range of disease outbreaks in a range of settings given sufficient information about the given case and knowledge about the transmission processes at a fine scal
Organic Scintillator-Fibre Sensors for Proton Therapy Dosimetry: SCSF-3HF and EJ-260
No full textIn proton therapy, the dose from secondary neutrons to the patient can contribute to side effects and the creation of secondary cancer. A simple and fast detection system to distinguish between dose from protons and neutrons both in pretreatment verification as well as potentially in vivo monitoring is needed to minimize dose from secondary neutrons. Two 3 mm long, 1 mm diameter organic scintillators were tested for candidacy to be used in a proton–neutron discrimination detector. The SCSF-3HF (1500) scintillating fibre (Kuraray Co. Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan) and EJ-260 plastic scintillator (Eljen Technology, Sweetwater, TX, USA) were irradiated at the TRIUMF Neutron Facility and the Proton Therapy Research Centre. In the proton beam, we compared the raw Bragg peak and spread-out Bragg peak response to the industry standard Markus chamber detector. Both scintillator sensors exhibited quenching at high LET in the Bragg peak, presenting a peak-to-entrance ratio of 2.59 for the EJ-260 and 2.63 for the SCSF-3HF fibre, compared to 3.70 for the Markus chamber. The SCSF-3HF sensor demonstrated 1.3 times the sensitivity to protons and 3 times the sensitivity to neutrons as compared to the EJ-260 sensor. Combined with our equations relating neutron and proton contributions to dose during proton irradiations, and the application of Birks’ quenching correction, these fibres provide valid candidates for inexpensive and replicable proton-neutron discrimination detectors
U.S. Federal panel on agency, inter-agency, and international EJ initiatives
No full textPresented at the Environmental justice in the Anthropocene symposium held on April 24-25, 2017 at the Lory Student Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins Colorado. This symposium aims to bring together academics (faculty and graduate students), independent researchers, community and movement activists, and regulatory and policy practitioners from across disciplines, research areas, perspectives, and different countries. Our overarching goal is to build on several decades of EJ research and practice to address the seemingly intractable environmental and ecological problems of this unfolding era. How can we explore EJ amongst humans and between nature and humans, within and across generations, in an age when humans dominate the landscape? How can we better understand collective human dominance without obscuring continuing power differentials and inequities within and between human societies? What institutional and governance innovations can we adopt to address existing challenges and to promote just transitions and futures?Includes bibliographical references.Chair: Margaret HerzogA brief overview of Federal-wide Environmental Justice Policy and BIA Tribal focu
Course grades and standardized tests as predictors of successful completion of the associate degree nursing program at Lakeshore Technical College
No full textPlan BDue to the increasingly severe shortage of registered nurses, Lakeshore Technical College (LTC) is now more aware of, and more determined to deal with the issues of student recruitment and retention. Successful completion of the Associate Degree Nursing Program (A.D.N.) at Lakeshore Technical College depends on many factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the program. Variables that affect the learner such as family concerns, health, or program related issues might lead to problems in school related areas such as retention. Student records of 174 LTC associate degree nursing students, enrolling in the program in and after January of 1997, who graduated, failed, or withdrew from the program by May 2000, will be analyzed. Grades received in specific required general education courses, pre-nursing required science courses, and scores received on the American College Test (ACT) or Assessment of Student Skills for Entry Test (ASSET) will be studied. This data will be examined to determine if a pattern exists between grades, standardized testing scores, and retention in the LTC associate degree-nursing (A.D.N.) program. Analysis of the data obtained in this research may identify factors that could alert faculty members to academic problems and potential failure of the student. It would also allow for early intervention to aid the student through the use of guidance, faculty or peer assistance, and promote successful completion of the program
Estudios de cronología relativa: el tercer alargamiento compensatorio y la monoptongación de /ej/, /ow/
No full textInternational audienceThis paper deals with the problematic quality of the secondary long-mid vowels as a result of the third compensatory lengthening in Bartonks Doris media and Cyrenaean. The author first examines the data of these dialects in order to stablish the relative chronology between this process and the monophthongization of /ej/, /ow/; secondly, he proposes a new tripartite classification of the greek dialects as far as these two variables are concerned
Evolving Visions of Environmental Justice: An EJ Pioneer\u27s Reflection on EO 12,898 After 20 Years
No full textKeynote address on environmental justice movement and the Environmental Protection Agency\u27s efforts and activities towards environmental justice.
Charles Lee is the Deputy Associate Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He is one of the first leaders of the national environmental justice movement, the author of Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States, and one of the authors of EJ 2014
Estudios de cronología relativa: el tercer alargamiento compensatorio y la monoptongación de /ej/, /ow/
No full textInternational audienceThis paper deals with the problematic quality of the secondary long-mid vowels as a result of the third compensatory lengthening in Bartonks Doris media and Cyrenaean. The author first examines the data of these dialects in order to stablish the relative chronology between this process and the monophthongization of /ej/, /ow/; secondly, he proposes a new tripartite classification of the greek dialects as far as these two variables are concerned
Estudios de cronología relativa: el tercer alargamiento compensatorio y la monoptongación de /ej/, /ow/
No full textInternational audienceThis paper deals with the problematic quality of the secondary long-mid vowels as a result of the third compensatory lengthening in Bartonks Doris media and Cyrenaean. The author first examines the data of these dialects in order to stablish the relative chronology between this process and the monophthongization of /ej/, /ow/; secondly, he proposes a new tripartite classification of the greek dialects as far as these two variables are concerned
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