1,720,986 research outputs found
Landslides, a Key Landform in the Global Geological Heritage
Full text linkLandslides are important components of global geoheritage, but awareness of their significance and value in such terms seems scanty in the scientific community. Landslides are normally identified among various features of geological and geomorphological interest, and often considered a source of hazard. However, they are seldom identified as geosites and as part of geoheritage. This paper aims at filling these gaps by highlighting the importance of landslides in the global geoheritage. After a short introduction on the values and criteria to define landforms as geosites, based on literature review, we show to what extent landslides have been defined as geomorphosites and as part of geoheritage around the world. We then outline three aspects that should be specifically considered in the identification of landslides as geomorphosites, namely 1) past and present climate changes, 2) anthropic signature, and 3) risk perception. Finally, we describe four cases of spectacular landslides that serve as significant examples worldwide
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
Iceland
No full textWithin the high North Atlantic region, Iceland is the natural nexus between Scandinavia and Greenland. Its location at the meeting point of polar and temperate air masses and cold and warm sea currents makes this island very sensitive to climatic oscillations. The spreading of permafrost and periglacial environments throughout the island began at the first ice-free coastal lowland areas uncovered by the Icelandic Ice Sheet at the onset of the deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, hereafter). Post-glacial periglacial dynamics varied in intensity and resulted in a wide variety of periglacial phenomena associated to both permafrost and seasonal frost regimes. Today, the lower limit of permafrost ranges between 850–900 m in the north and 950–1000 m in the south. The shifts of the lower permafrost limit and the extent of the seasonal frost areas since the LGM has generated a wide range of periglacial landforms from the coastal areas (700 m; e.g. palsas, sorted nets, stripes), north-western and northern Iceland (solifluction, relict and active rock glaciers, talus slopes). The current atmospheric warming and the changes in the general weather pattern are leading to the fast retreat of outlet glaciers and the degradation of permafrost and snow cover, contributing also to catastrophic phenomena such as complex landslides, debris slides and slush avalanches. Periglacial dynamics has also been affected by widespread human activities over the last millennia or all the way since the Norse settlement (grazing, deforestation, etc.). In addition, projected warming for the next decades will likely increase the frequency of such events
Landslide-geomorphosite assessment in the Dolomites (Italy): Application of a newly implemented method
Full text linkThis paper aims at the definition of new geoheritage criteria to identify and assess landslides as geomorphosites. As first application of a newly implemented methodological approach, we propose a comparative evaluation of landslide geomorphosites in the Dolomites, north-eastern Italy. We quantitatively assess each site by using standard criteria well-established in geoheritage studies and newly defined ones related to risk perception, anthropic signature, and climate change. These new criteria aid in defining the most useful geomorphosites for educating visitors regarding themes such as landslide hazard and risk, the consequences of human activities on landslide triggering and development, and landslide activity in response to warming climatic conditions. In previous studies, geomorphosite assessment was not performed for landforms of one kind as opposed to any kinds of landforms within a specific geographic area. For the first time, we analyse a landform of a kind – namely landslides, as geomorphosites in a defined region, using old and newly defined criteria that can be applied to a variety of other landforms. Our methodology highlights the scientific importance of the definition of landslides as geomorphosites, emphasises how their consequences on human activities and the environment can be disseminated to the public, and can be applied for geomorphosite assessment of any other geomorphological landform
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
Sinkhole Monitoring to Support Landslide Management
No full textThe availability of geological and geomorphological data represents an important element to support local authorities in land management policies and the design of mitigation measures to reduce natural risk levels. These data allow to improve decision makers awareness during the process of design and construction of civil works both public and private. SEA Consulting srl, was appointed by the Verduno municipality (Cuneo Province, Italy), in order to provide the inventory and the classification of the geological and geomorphological elements of the Tanaro Valley sector falling within the municipal territory. In this area the geological setting is characterized by shallow and deep landslides connected to a karst system developed in the Vena del Gesso Formation (Upper Messinian), represented by gypsum, which exerts a relevant influence on groundwater and runoff behaviour. This study was accomplished in different and consequential steps which allowed (1) to relate the field survey with the previous works and geological studies, (2) to realise the inventory with an appropriate and effective standard process for data field acquisition and (3) to develop and to implement a database to store field information. Information is organized in way to be read both on computer and on paper support. Thematic forms provides data related to specific aspects of the karsts shape such as the geographic location, morphology, evolution state, relationship to the anthropic activities, geologic and geomorphologic setting. The geographic features and the associated information are also available on a GIS. Specific command tools on database forms allow to easily read information and to perform specific queries. Finally, the study allowed (1) to improve awareness on land processes, (2) the monitoring of the evolution of the karst phenomena and their relationship with runoff dynamics and (3) to develop an operative tool for checking and managing municipal territory data by local public managers. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
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
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