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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
A comparative study of landslides and geohazard mitigation in Northern and Central Malawi
No full textEnglish: In 2003, a number of landslides occurred in the Ntchenachena and the Chiweta Areas of the Rumphi District in Northern Malawi, and in the Livilivi/Mvai Catchments of Ntcheu District in Central Malawi. The landslide events caused significant damage to crops, farmland, livestock and infrastructure. Worse still, they caused the death of four people. The high density of landslides occurrences suggested instability of the slopes of these areas. In light of these landslides, this study set out to assess the slope stability status of the areas. The study addressed landslide mapping and classification of observed events; assessment of the causes and contributing factors; assessment of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the events; exploration of traditional knowledge, beliefs and peoples perceptions surrounding landslides; determination of the coping strategies; and development of mitigations to landslides as geo-hazards. This study involved a landslide inventory of all observed This study involved a landslide inventory of all observed events. The physical characteristics of the terrain influencing slope instability were measured. The characteristics recorded included slope length, angles, aspect and altitude, and channel dimensions. Landslides were classified based on the type of movement, degree of stabilisation, and age, and materials involved in the movement. Soil samples were collected, using core and clod sampling methods and were tested for plastic limit, liquid limit, plasticity index, bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, aggregate stability, and particle sizes. Structural rock weaknesses were also measured. Vegetation data was collected, using the quadrant method and was analysed for average diameters at stump and breast height, canopy cover, and height. Questionnaires/surveys were used to assess local knowledge and perceptions towards landslides. A SPSS statistical package was used to analyse both social and physical data. It was found that 131 landslides had occurred of which 98 were in the Rumphi District, Northern Malawi and 33 occurred in the Ntcheu District, Central Malawi. The variations were observed to be due to the degree of disturbance of the physical environment. The Ntchenachena Area, with the highest density (88), was under cultivation and the afro-montane vegetation had been completely destroyed. The deepest channels were observed in the Ntchenachena Area, partly because of the deep chemical weathering of the basement. In contrast, the rest of the areas had thin soils. Slope aspect and type were found to be of little significance in the occurrence and spatial distribution of the events. The analysis of data suggested that the events were caused by liquefaction of sand and silt fractions due to high and prolonged precipitation. The evidence from the Chiweta and the Mvai Areas suggests that high cleft water pressure between rock and soil masses might have caused some failures. However, destruction of vegetation, cultivation on marginal lands, high slope angle, weathering of the basement, and slope cutting contributed to the instability. The study also noted that the Ntchenachena, the Mvai and the Livilivi Areas largely require soft solutions to the landslide problem. These include afforestation, proper siting of houses, and restricting settlement activities in danger-prone areas. Income generating activities to reduce poverty, community participation in natural resources management and public awareness and outreach programmes are highly recommended. The Chiweta Area requires urgent major engineering works such as construction of embankments, cable nets, wire meshes, improving drainage and plugging. Stabilisation and rehabilitation of river banks is also recommended to minimize bank collapse and flooding. Integration of traditional knowledge into the existing scientific body knowledge is critical to a better understanding of the mechanisms that generate landslides Further work needs to be carried out in areas of willingness to relocate to safer ground; change in production system; geological analysis of the Chiweta beds; hydro-geological assessment of the areas; development of landslides predictive models for Malawi; and the development of a landslide early warning system.Afrikaans: In 2003 het ‘n aantal grondstortings voorgekom in die Ntchenachena en
Chiweta gebiede van die Rumphi distrik in noord Malawi, en in die
Livilivi/Mvai opvanggebiede van die Ntcheu distrik in sentraal Malawi. Die
grondstortings het merkbare skade aan gewasse, landbougrond,
lewende hawe en infrastruktuur aangerig. Erger nog, dit het die dood van
vier persone veroorsaak. Die hoë digtheid van die voorkoms van
grondstortings dui op die onstabiliteit van hange in hierdie gebeide aan.
In die lig van hierdie grondstortings is hierdie studie daarop gerig om die
stabiliteit van die hange in die gebiede te bepaal. In die studie word
grondstortings gekarteer en waargenome gebeurtenisse geklassifiseer;
oorsake en bydraende faktore word evalueer; sosio-ekonomiese en
omgewingsimpakte van die gebeure word evalueer; tradisionele kennis,
gelowe en mense se persepsies aangaande grondstortings word
ondersoek; hanteringstrategieë word bepaal en versagting van
grondstortings as gevare word ontwikkel.
Hierdie studie sluit ‘n inventaris van alle waargenome grondstortings in. Die
terrein se fisiese eienskappe wat hang onstabiliteit beïnvloed het, is
gemeet. Die eienskappe wat aangeteken is, sluit in hanglengte, helling,
aspekte en hoogte, en kanaal dimensies. Grondstortings is geklassifiseer
op grond van die tipe beweging, die graad van stabilisering, ouderdom
en die materiaal betrokke in die storting. Grondmonsters is versamel deur
van kern- en kluitmonster metodes gebruik te maak en is getoets vir
plastisiteitsgrens, vloeigrens, plastisiteitsindeks, bulkdigtheid, hidrouliese
geleidingsvermoë, aggregaatstabiliteit en partikelgrootte. Strukturele
rotsswakhede is ook gemeet. Plantegroeidata is versamel deur gebruik te
maak van die kwadrant metode. Dit is ontleed vir gemiddelde deursnitte op stomp- en borshoogte, kroonbedekking en -hoogte.
Vraeslyste/opnames is gebruik om plaaslike kennis en opvattings oor
grondstortings te bepaal. ‘n SPSS statistiese pakket is gebruik om beide die
sosiale en fisiese data te verwerk.
Daar is bevind dat 131 grondstortings plaasgevind het, waarvan 98 in die
Rumphi distrik, noord Malawi, en 33 in die Ntcheu distrik, sentraal Malawi,
plaasgevind het. Die variasies word toegeskryf aan die graad van
versteuring van die fisiese ongewing. Die Ntchenachena area, met die
hoogste digtheid (88), was onder verbouiing en die afro-montane
plantegroei is totaal vernietig. Die diepste slote is in die Ntchenachena
area waargeneem, deels as gevolg van die diep chemiese verwering
van die bodem. In teenstelling daarmee het die res van die gebied dun
grond gehad. Daar is bevind dat hange en hulle aard weinig bydra tot
die voorkoms en ruimtelike verspreiding van insidente.
Die analise van data het aangedui dat die insidente veroorsaak is deur
die vloeibaarmaking van sand en silt fraksies as gevolg van hoë en
langdurige neerslae. Die aanduiding uit die Chiweta en die Mvai areas is
dat hoë kloofwaterdruk tussen rots- en grondmassas sommige
grondstortings kon veroorsaak het. Nietemin, die vernietiging van
plantegroei, verbouiing op marginale landerye, hoë hangehllings,
verwering van die basis en hellinginsnyding het tot onstabiliteit bygedra.
Tydens die studie is ook opgemerk dat die Ntchenachena, die Mvai en
die Livilivi areas grotendeels haalbare oplossings vir die
grondstortingsprobleem vereis. Dit sluit in bosaanplanting, behoorlike
plasing van huise en ‘n verbod op nedersettingsaktiwiteite in moontlike
gevaarsones. Inkomste-genererende aktiwiteite om armoede te verminder, gemeenskapsdeelname in natuurlike hulpbronbestuur en
openbare bewustheids- en uitreikprogramme word sterk aanbeveel. Die
Chiweta gebied benodig dringende grootskaalse ingenieurswerke soos
die konstruksie van walle, kabelnette, draad netwerk, verbetering van die
dreinering en bepropping. Stabilisasie en rehabilitasie van rivieroewers
word ook aanbeveel om oewerinstorting en oorstroming tot die minimum
te beperk. Die integrasie van tradisionele kennis en bestaande
wetenskaplike kennis is krities om ‘n beter begrip te vorm van die
meganismes wat grondstortings veroorsaak.
Verdere werk behoort gedoen te word op verskuiwing na veiliger terrein
(in gebiede waar daar gewilligheid bestaan); verandering in die
produksiesisteem; geologiese analise van die Chiweta lae; hidrogeologiese
assessering van die gebiede; ontwikkeling van
grondstortingsvoorspellingsmodelle vir Malawi; en die ontwikkeling van ‘n
vroeë waarskuwingsisteem vir grondstortings
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Targeting Practices and Biases in Social Cash Transfers: Experiences in Rural Malawi1
Get PDFSocial cash transfer (SCT) programmes involve direct financial support to vulnerable households. Vulnerability, as a social condition, is often correlated with low income and food insecurity. Cash transfers augur well with neoliberal welfarism in contrast to the traditional relief approach associated with foodbased safety nets. The aim of this article is to examine targeting processes and its challenges in Malawi. Proxy indices of ultra-poverty used in the design of SCT programmes are correlated in some way to parameters such as gender, education, structure of livelihoods and type of durable assets owned by beneficiaries. The data demonstrates that beneficiaries tend to be women and persons with very little or no formal education. The authors argue that gender and education are critical parameters that are easier to determine and apply with reduced scope for bias for identifying vulnerable groups and with valuable lessons for replication of success nationwide. Les programmes de transferts monétaires sociaux (SCT) impliquent un soutien financier direct aux ménages vulnérables. La vulnérabilité, en tant que condition sociale, est souvent liée au faible revenu et à l’insécurité alimentaire. Les transferts monétaires vont bien avec le «welfarism » néolibéral, contrairement à l’approche traditionnelle d’assistance associée à l’assistance alimentaire. L’objectif de cet article est d’examiner les processus de ciblage et leurs enjeux au Malawi. Les indices de substitution d’extrême pauvreté utilisés dans la conception des programmes SCT sont corrélés d’une manière ou d’une autre à des paramètres tels que le sexe, l’éducation, la structure des moyens de subsistance et le type de biens durables détenus par les bénéficiaires. Les données démontrent que les bénéficiaires sont généralement des femmes et des personnes ayant très peu ou pas d’éducation formelle. Les auteurs soutiennent que le genre et l’éducation sont des paramètres importants, plus faciles à déterminer et à appliquer, avec une possibilité réduite de biais pour identifier les groupes vulnérables et avec des enseignements précieux en cas de reproduction à l’échelle nationale.
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe 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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