322,414 research outputs found

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We 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 vanishing author in computer-generated works: a critical analysis of recent Australian case law

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    Abstract The use of software is ubiquitous in the creation of many copyright works, yet the requirement in copyright law that every work have a human author who engages in independent intellectual effort means that its use may prevent copyright subsistence. Several recent Australian cases have refocused attention on authorship as an essential criterion of copyright subsistence, and these cases suggest that much computer-produced output may be authorless and thus lack copyright protection. This article, the first in a two-part series, analyses how each case deals with the question of authorship of computer-produced works and why the use of software diminishes copyright protection for a significant number of computer-generated works. The article critiques the application of conventional notions of human authorship developed in the pre-computer age to modern productions and suggests alternative approaches to authorship that satisfy both the major objectives of copyright policy and the need to adapt to the computer age. The article argues that, without a broader judicial approach to authorship of computer-generated works, Parliament must remedy the lacuna in protection for these ‘authorless’ works. Possible solutions for reform are suggested. In a forthcoming article, the author comprehensively examines those reform proposals

    Pristimantis saltissimus Means & Savage, 2007, n. sp.

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    <i>Pristimantis saltissimus</i> n. sp. <p>(Figs. 3, 6, 7)</p> <p>Rocket Rainfrog</p> <p> <b>Holotype</b>. USNM 563639, an adult female from the Wokomung Massif, near Falls Camp, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana; 05° 05’ 25” N, 59° 50’ 18” W, 1385 m; collected on 19–23 July 2003 by D. B. Means (field collection DBM-3152; CPI 10335).</p> <p> <b>Paratopotypes</b>. USNM 563634, an adult from the Wokomung Massif, summit of Mt. Wokomung, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana; 05° 04’ 03” N, 59° 51’ 42” W, 1560 m; collected on 25 July 2003 by D. B. Means (field collection DBM-3154; CPI 10329). USNM 563635-563637, 563640, 563641, 563644, 563645, all from the Wokomung Massif, near Falls Camp, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana; 05° 05’ 25” N, 59° 50’ 18” W, 1385 m; collected on 19 July 2003 by D. B. Means (field collection DBM-3152; CPI 10331-10333, 10336, 10337, 10340, 10341).</p> <p> <b>Other paratypes</b>. ROM 43302, from north slope of Mt. Wokomung, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana; 05° 07’ 46” N, 59° 49’ 16” W, 1234 m; collected 27–31 October 2004 by A. Lathrop, S. Khan, and R. MacCulloch. ROM 43309 & 43310, from the base of the Wokomung Massif, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana; 05° 06’ 35” N, 59° 48’ 37” W, 698 m; collected 23–26 October 2004 by A. Lathrop, S. Khan, and R. MacCulloch. ROM 43307, 43313, and 43314, from N slope of Mt. Wokomung, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana; 05° 05’ 33” N, 59° 50’ 35” W, 1411 m, collected 3-5 November 2004 by A. Lathrop, S. Khan, and R. MacCulloch.</p> <p> <b>Referred material.</b> USNM 563638, 563642-563643, 563646-563651, from near Falls Camp on the Wokomung Massif, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana; 05° 05’ 25” N, 59° 50’ 18” W, 1385 m; collected 19–23 July 2003 by D. B. Means (field collection DBM-3152; CPI 10334, 10338, 10339, 10342- 10347). USNM 564165 & 564166, vicinity of a small, first-order creek on a terrace of the southern slope of Mt. Kopinang, SW part of the Wokomung Massif, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana, 04° 04’ 50” N, 59° 52’ 43” W, ca. 1385 m; collected 6 December 2006 by D. B. Means and M. Kalamandeen (field collection DBM-3371; CPI 10357 & 10358). USNM 564167-564169, cloud forest summit of Mt. Kopinang, SW part of the Wokomung Massif, along a trail paralleling Kamana Creek for about 100 m west of the top of its cascade off of the summit at the E end of the trail, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana, 05° 00’ 08” N, 59° 52’ 47” W, ca. 1538 m; collected 7 December 2006 by D. B. Means (field collection DBM-3372; CPI 10362, 10363, 10366). USNM 564170 & 564171, cloud forested summit of Mt. Kopinang, SW part of the Wokomung Massif, along a trail paralleling Kamana Creek for about 300 m west of the top of its cascade off of the summit at the E end of the trail, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana, 05° 00’ 08” N, 59° 52’ 47” W, ca. 1570 m; collected 8 December 2006 by D. B. Means (field collection DBM-3373; CPI 10377 & 10378). USNM 564172 & 564173, on leaves 0.3-1.3 m off the ground in cloud forested summit of Mt. Kopinang, SW part of the Wokomung Massif, along a trail paralleling Kamana Creek for about 300 m west of its cascade off the top of the summit at the E end of the trail, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana, 05° 00’ 08” N, 59° 52’ 47” W, ca. 1570 m; collected 10 December 2006 by D. B. Means, M. Kalamandeen (field collection DBM-3376; CPI 10384 & 10390). USNM 564174-564176, cloud forest summit of Mt. Kopinang, SW part of the Wokomung Massif, in the vicinity of the top of Kamana Creek Falls, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana, 05° 00’ 08” N, 59° 52’ 47” W, ca. 1538 m; collected 10 December 2006 by D. B. Means (field collection DBM-3377; CPI 10395, 10397, 103403). USNM 564177-564179, all found at night on leaves 0.6-2.0 m off the ground in transitional forest (rainforest to cloud forest) next to a 300-m long trail on a terrace of the southern slope of Mt. Kopinang, SW part of the Wokomung Massif, Potaro-Siparuni District, west-central Guyana, 04° 04’ 50” N, 59° 52’ 43” W, ca. 1385 m; collected 11 December 2006 by D. B. Means and M. Kalamandeen (field collection DBM-3378; CPI 10414, 10416 & 10417).</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis</b>. A small species (SL 16.0– 27.1 mm), one of eight Guiana Shield species in the <i>P</i>. <i>unistrigatus</i> group having the auditory apparatus present but lacking toe webbing (Fig. 6). The principal features that distinguish <i>P</i>. <i>saltissimus</i> from these taxa are the character state of the tympanum and coloration in life as detailed below (features of <i>P</i>. <i>saltissimus</i> in parentheses). <i>Pristimantis avius</i> (Myers and Donnelly, 1997), <i>P</i>. <i>memorans</i> (Myers and Donnelly, 1997), <i>P</i>. <i>pulvinatus</i> (Rivero, 1968), <i>P</i>. <i>saltissimus</i> (see below), <i>P</i>. <i>zimmermanae</i> (Heyer and Hardy, 1991), and sp. 2 of Lescure and Marty (2000) have prominent, large tympana and a distinct oticus tympanicus (indistinct tympanum and oticus tympanicus visible through the skin). <i>P</i>. <i>marahuaka</i> (Fuentes and Barrio-Amorós 2000) of Cerro Marahuaka, Venezuela, has a small, indistinct tympanum with the oticus tympanicus visible through the skin but is uniform brown above with abundant miniscule white spots, especially on the flanks and upper surfaces of the forearms and thighs, and the venter is pale yellow or dirty white in preservative, without dark markings (dorsum with dark markings and venter usually heavily marked with dark pigment).</p> <p> <b>Etymology</b>. The name is from the Latin <i>salto</i> (to jump) + the superlative <i>issimus</i> in reference to the extreme jumping ability of this diminutive frog. In the field it was called the rocket frog.</p> <p> <b>General characteristics</b>. Head longer than broad; snout subelliptical in dorsal outline; snout profile acuminate. Canthus rostralis concave. Loreal region concave, upper lip not flared in cross-section; weak cloacal tubercle present. Choanae round, not concealed by maxillary arch, small, about the same size as tiny oblique patches of vomerine teeth lying posterior to and between choanae. No vocal slits or sac. Surface of head shagreened, dorsum and upper limb surfaces shagreened with widely scattered dorsal pustules and/or a few short ridges. Upper eyelid with several large pustules. EW/IOD = 73–150%. Tympanum small, indistinct; annulus tympanicus visible under skin, width less than horizontal diameter of eye; TY/E = 21–37%; tiny ostia pharyngea present; no distinct supra- or post-tympanic fold. Finger II much longer than Finger I when adpressed together; relative finger lengths III>IV>II>I. No nuptial pads. Disc pad on Finger I only slightly wider than finger. Disc covers on Fingers II to IV expanded, even. Disc pads on Fingers III–IV about equal in size to that on Toe IV; width of disc on Finger III equals width of tympanum; disc pads on all fingers broadened. No fringes, ridges or webbings on fingers. Subarticular tubercles under fingers and toes low, round, and globular in profile; no supernumerary tubercles; thenar tubercle low, elongate, smaller than bifid palmar tubercle; several accessory palmar tubercles. No distinct ulnar tubercles or fold. Heel smooth or with very weak tubercles. Toe disc pads moderate, disc on Toe IV slightly smaller to about same size as on Finger III; disc cover expanded, even; disc pads broadened. Relative toe lengths IV>V>III>II=I; Toe V much longer than Toe III when adpressed against Toe IV, reaching distal subarticular tubercle; Toe III extends to the penultimate subarticular tubercle when adpressed against Toe IV. No fringes, ridges or webs on toes. No supernumerary tubercles under toes; plantar surface with numerous, small low tubercles; inner metatarsal tubercle elongate, outer metatarsal tubercle tiny, round; no tarsal fold or tubercle (Fig. 7). No inguinal gland; venter coarsely areolate; throat and under surfaces of limbs smooth; pericloacal area granular. Legs relatively short, heels barely overlapping when legs folded at right angles to sagittal plane; C/SL = 53–64%. See Table 1 for summary statistics.</p> <p> <b>Color in life.</b> Dorsal color pattern extremely variable due to pattern polymorphism as well as metachrosis (Fig. 6). Frogs may be darker or lighter overall, as a result of handling, background coloration, temperature, or time of day. Upper surfaces of head and body light brown to tan with extremely variable dark brown markings that range from small spots or irregular blotches (Fig. 6 a), through single transverse suprascapular bar, to a series of several oblique bars that extend laterally onto the flanks (Fig. 6 e). Many specimens have an unbroken, cream to light tannish orange colored middorsal stripe highlighted by a suffusion of black pigment laterally (Fig 6 b, d, e); the stripe may be narrower than the width of a finger or half as wide as the interorbital distance; others have a broad middorsal light tan field bordered laterally by a black margin (Fig. 6 c), and a few have the dorsum marked with slightly irregular dark and light longitudinal stripes. Head in many individuals with a dark brown interorbital bar set off by tan color on snout (Fig. 6 a, e); canthus rostralis usually marked with a strong dark stripe; upper surfaces of arms and legs the same color as dorsum; finger and toe discs pinkish tan; upper and lower legs and crus on some specimens have a hint of three to four light gray and tan alternating crossbands and on others there are three dark brown bands; throat of males white with black smudging or mottling, often white in females; belly and undersurfaces of legs heavily marked with dark pigment sometimes mottled as on throat, but lighter overall (Fig. 6 f); individuals with a middorsal stripe also have a midventral, off-white streak (Fig. 6 f); upper two-fifths of iris dirty gold color, lower three-fifths dark brown to black (Fig. 6 f).</p> <p> <b>Color in preservative.</b> Upper surfaces of head and body light gray to light tan with dark brown to black marks in various shapes from dashes to U’s, the dark marks paired on either side of the midline of the back in individuals with a dirty white, narrow, black bordered, middorsal stripe; usually a black interorbital triangle on the head set off by a tan rostrum; a prominent canthus rostralis with black stripe from eye to snout; upper arm uniformly dirty white, sometimes with a few black specks; forearm with one or two wide, alternating black and dirty white crossbands; hand and fingers with smaller black and white crossbands; finger and toe discs with a dark gray center, lighter distally; upper leg surface with three or four alternating dark and light bands, often faint or absent; crus, foot, and toes slightly banded as in the hands and fingers. Lower lip and throat black with dirty white speckling; belly dirty white in some females, dirty white and mottled or speckled with dark brown in males; posterior surface of thigh and inner surfaces of crus and legs uniformly rusty brown; palmar and plantar surfaces light gray to black.</p> <p> <b>Measurements of holotype (in mm)</b>. SL 26.6; HL 11.8; HW 10.8; EW 2.8; IOD 2.4; E 4.9; TY 1.3; C 17.5; FL 14.5.</p> <p> <b>Habitat and habits</b>. Leafy shrubbery, branches, tree buttresses, exposed roots, and herbaceous ground vegetation usually> 0.5 m off the ground to 2 m high, in dense cloud forest. The most productive sites were the leafy banks of small cascades plunging down the steep sides of escarpments, often in the identical microhabitats of a species of arboreal toad, <i>Oreophrynella</i> sp. Vegetation near Falls Camp (05° 05.421’ N X 59 û 50.296’ W) along the stream, which steepened its incline and became a rocky, mossy, tumbling, cascading stream whose valley ran through huge sandstone boulders, covered in wet mosses and lichens. Also found on the leaves of understory vegetation in the cloud forest away from streams and cascades. This little frog seems to be a “leaf-sitter,” foraging for ants and insects on leaves off the ground. Individuals were seen within a few meters of <i>P. dendrobatoides</i>, also sitting on leaves. During the 2003 expedition on the eastern portion of the Wokomung Massif, every specimen of <i>P. saltissimus</i> had a distinctive stinky smell when handled, and a bittersweet taste. The skin secretions also made the back of the collector’s tongue feel affected for some minutes.</p> <p>The sensation is difficult to describe, although numbness comes closest. During the 2006 expedition to the SW side of the massif (on the slopes and summit of Mt. Kopinang), DBM made a special effort to collect specimens of this species, smelling and tasting every one. Interestingly, individuals were quite variable in degree of noxiousness. Some were neither malodorous nor distasteful, but others distinctly smelled and tasted to varying intensities like those on the eastern side of the massif.</p> <p> <b>Distribution</b>. Known only from the Wokomung Massif at elevations between 698 and 1560 m (Fig 3).</p>Published as part of <i>Means, Bruce & Savage, Jay M., 2007, Three New Malodorous Rainfrogs of the Genus Pristimantis (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from the Wokomung Massif in west-central Guyana, South America, pp. 39-55 in Zootaxa 1658</i> on pages 48-53, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/179899">10.5281/zenodo.179899</a&gt

    Domain organization of chicken gizzard myosin light chain kinase deduced from a cloned cDNA

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    Myosin light chain kinases (MLCK) are the most studied of the calmodulin-activated enzymes; however, minimal sequence information is available for the smooth muscle form of the enzyme. The production of an antibody against the enzyme and the use of expression vectors for constructing cDNA libraries have facilitated the isolation of a cDNA for this kinase. The derived amino sequence was found to contain a region of high homology (54%) to the rabbit skeletal muscle enzyme and also very significant homology (35%) to the catalytic subunit of phosphorylase b kinase and cGMP-dependent protein kinase. All of these homologies were found in the known catalytic domains of these enzyme, thus enabling us to predict the location of the catalytic domain for the chicken gizzard myosin light chain kinase. Within the catalytic domain a consensus sequence for an ATP-binding site was located. Subcloning and expression of different regions of the cDNA defined a 192 base pair fragment coding for the calmodulin-binding domain of MLCK. Both of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation sites were identified by sequence homology. A linear model for MLCK is presented placing the various domains in relative position. Northern blot analysis and S1 protection and mapping experiments have revealed that the mRNA for MLCK is 5.5 kilobases in length, but there also exists a second mRNA of 2.7 kilobases that shares a high degree of homology with about 520 base pairs at the 3' end of the cDNA for MLCK

    Monotonicity Results for Arithmetic Means of Concave and Convex Functions

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    By majorization approaches, some known results on monotonicity of the arithmetic means of convex and concave functions are proved and generalized once again

    Appalachioria Means & Hennen & Tanabe & Marek 2021, n. sp.

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    Appalachioria n. sp. ‘Foster Falls’ Means and Marek 2017 Material examined: Type specimens. ♂ holotype (VTEC SPC000296), 1 ♂ paratype (VMNH SPC000297), and 2 ♀ paratypes (VTEC SPC000294, 295) from Virginia, Wythe County, N slope Fosters Falls Mountain, cove near road (36.89021°N, - 80.8376°W, Elev. 657 m), 29 May 2004, tulip, oak, maple, rhododendron, moist cove (Coll: P. E. Marek). Material examined listed in Supp Table 2 (online only). Diagnosis: Adult males of Appalachioria sierwaldae n. sp. are distinct from other apheloriine species based on the following combination of characters: Gonopods. Gonopodal acropodite strongly curving ventromedially and with a strong distal cingulum, separating it from Apheloria and Rudiloria (Fig. 7). Prefemoral process short and stout. Post-cingulum area expanded, wider than pre-cingulum area. Distal zone strongly curved medially into a long, uncinate, thin tip. Color. Tergites with yellow paranotal spots and yellow metatergal spots (Fig. 5I), but sometimes with orange metatergal spots (Fig. 5H). Black background. Collum with yellow lateral and anterior spots, sometimes with yellow or orange posterior spots, or lacking a posterior spot. Description: Supp Table 3 (online only). Based on Holotype (♂) SPC000296. Measurements (mm): BL = 40.0, CW = 7.0, IW = 4.7, ISW = 1.4, B11W = 9.4, B11H = 5.4. Variation: No significant variation from the holotype was observed. Ecology: Individuals of Appalachioria sierwaldae n. sp. were found in an Appalachian cove forest that included tulip, oak, maple, and rhododendron. Distribution: Only known from the type locality on Fosters Falls Mountain in eastern Wythe County, Virginia. Etymology: This species is named for Dr. Petra Sierwald of the Field Museum of Natural History. The specific name is a genitive noun derived as a matronym.Published as part of Means, Jackson C., Hennen, Derek A., Tanabe, Tsutomu & Marek, Paul E., 2021, Phylogenetic Systematics of the Millipede Family Xystodesmidae, pp. 1-26 in Insect Systematics and Diversity 5 (2) on pages 9-11, DOI: 10.1093/isd/ixab003, http://zenodo.org/record/538453

    Should Social Security Be Means Tested?

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    The provision of social security benefits to retirees distorts the saving decisions of workers who are rational enough to save for their future. Since the implicit rate of return in an unfunded social security program is less than the marginal product of capital, the resulting decline in saving causes a welfare loss. It has been suggested that this welfare loss could be reduced, while still protecting those who lack the foresight to save for their retirement (the"myopes" and "partial myopes" of the paper), by replacing the current universal social security program with a means-tested program that pays benefits only to the "myopic" individuals who have little or no other retirement income or assets.The present paper evaluates this suggestion with the help of an explicit steady-state welfare comparison of the optimal universal and optimal means-tested programs. The relative welfare levels depend on characteristics of the economy (the growth rates of population and real wages and the productivity of capital) and of the population (the frequency and degree of myopia with respect to saving for retirement).The analysis shows that, although a means tested program is generally superior, it does not always dominate the best alternative universal program.A universal program can be preferable under conditions which imply that the optimal means-tested program would induce rational savers to stop saving. The analysis also implies that overall welfare can be increased by using different social security programs for different groups of workers if the working population as a whole can be divided into two or more subgroups with different mixes of myopes, partial myopes and rational life-cycle savers.

    Spherical k-Means Clustering

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    Clustering text documents is a fundamental task in modern data analysis, requiring approaches which perform well both in terms of solution quality and computational efficiency. Spherical k-means clustering is one approach to address both issues, employing cosine dissimilarities to perform prototype-based partitioning of term weight representations of the documents. This paper presents the theory underlying the standard spherical k-means problem and suitable extensions, and introduces the R extension package skmeans which provides a computational environment for spherical k-means clustering featuring several solvers: a fixed-point and genetic algorithm, and interfaces to two external solvers (CLUTO and Gmeans). Performance of these solvers is investigated by means of a large scale benchmark experiment. (authors' abstract
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