124,934 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The 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
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
We 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
Challenges for management of the fisheries resources, biodiversity and environment of Lake Victoria
The first fishery survey of Lake Victoria was conductedbetween 1927 and 1928 (Graham 1929). Atthat time,the lake had a diverse fish fauna and the fishery wasdominated by two endemic tilapiine cichlids;Oreochromis esculentus (Graham 1929) and O.variabilis (Boulenger 1906). There were a number ofother species such as Protopterus aethiopicus Heckel1851, Bagrus docmac (Forsk.) 1775, Clarias gariepinus(Burchell), Barbus species, mormyrids, Synodontis spp,Schilbe intermedius (Linn.) 1762 and Rastrineobolaargentea Pellegrin, 1904 that were also abundant inthe lake most of which made a significant contribution tothe fishery (Graham 1929, Worthington 1929, 1932,Kudhongania & Cordone 1974). Haplochromine cichlidswere represented by at least 300 species more than99% of them endemic (Greenwood, 1974; Witte et al.,1992 a & b). The fishery of Lake Victoria was similar tothat of lakes Kyoga and Nabugabo (Worthington 1929;Trewavas 1933; Greenwood 1965, 1966; Beadle 1962,1981).There were also important fisheries on the inflowing rivers of Lake Victoria, the most important of which were Labeo victorianus and Barbus altianalis (Cadwallader 1965). The small sized species notably Rastrineobola argenteaand haplochromines cichlids were not originally commercially exploited
The history of fish communities, biodiversity and environment of Lake Victoria and the lessons learnt
The first fishery survey of Lake Victoria was conducted
between 1927 and 1928 (Graham 1929). Atthat time,
the lake had a diverse fish fauna and the fishery was
dominated by two endemic tilapiine cichlids;
Oreochromis esculentus (Graham 1929) and O.
variabilis (Boulenger 1906). There were a number of
other species such as Protopterus aethiopicus Heckel
1851, Bagrus docmac (Forsk.) 1775, Clarias gariepinus
(Burchell), Barbus species, mormyrids, Synodontis spp,
Schilbe intermedius (Linn.) 1762 and Rastrineobola
argentea Pellegrin, 1904 that were also abundant in
the lake most of which made a significant contribution to
the fishery (Graham 1929, Worthington 1929, 1932,
Kudhongania & Cordone 1974). Haplochromine cichlids
were represented by at least 300 species more than
99% of them endemic (Greenwood, 1974; Witte et al.,
1992 a & b). The fishery of Lake Victoria was similar to
that of lakes Kyoga and Nabugabo (Worthington 1929;
Trewavas 1933; Greenwood 1965, 1966; Beadle 1962,
1981).
There were also important fisheries on the inflowing rivers of Lake Victoria, the most important of which were Labeo victorianus and Barbus altianalis (Cadwallader 1965). The small sized species notably Rastrineobola argentea
and haplochromines cichlids were not originally commercially exploited
Modelling terrestrial ecosystem productivity using remote sensing data
Production efficiency models (PEMs) have been developed to aid with the estimation of terrestrial ecosystems productivity where large spatial scales make direct measurement impractical. One of the key datasets used in these models is the fraction of photosynthetic active radiation absorbed by vegetation (FAPAR). FAPAR is the single variable that represents vegetation function and structure in these models and hence its accurate estimation is essential. This thesis focused on improving the estimation of FAPAR and developing a new PEM model that utilises the improved FAPAR data. Foremost, the accuracy of operational LAI/FAPAR products (i.e. MGVI, MODIS LAI/FAPAR, CYCLOPES LAI/FAPAR, GLOBCARBON LAI/FAPAR, and NN-MERIS LAI TOC algorithm) over a deciduous broadleaf forest was investigated. This analysis showed that the products varied in their prediction of in-situ FAPAR/LAI measurements mainly due to differences in their definition and derivation procedures. The performance of three PEMs (i.e. Carnegie-CASA, C-Fix and MOD17GPP) in simulating gross primary productivity (GPP) across various biomes was then analysed. It was shown that structural differences in these models influenced their accuracy. Next, the influence of two FAPAR products (MODIS and CYCLOPES) on ecosystem productivity modelling was analysed. Both products were found to result in overestimation of in-situ GPP measurements. This was attributed to the lack of correction for PAR absorbed by the non-photosynthetic components of the canopy by the two products. Only PAR absorbed by chlorophyll in the leaves (FAPAR chlorophyll) is used in photosynthesis and hence it was hypothesised that deriving and using this variable would improve GPP predictions. Therefore, various components of FAPAR (i.e. FAPAR canopy, FAPAR leaf and FAPAR chlorophyll) were estimated using data from a radiative transfer model (PROSAIL-2). The FAPAR components were then related to two sets of vegetation indices (i.e. broad-band: NDVI and EVI, and red-edge: MTCI and CIred-edge). The red-edge based indices were found to be more linearly related to FAPAR chlorophyll than the broad-band indices. These findings were also supported by data from two flux tower sites, where the FAPAR chlorophyll was estimated through inversion of net ecosystem exchange data and was found to be better related to a red-edge based index (i.e. MTCI). Based on these findings a new PEM (i.e. MTCIGPP) was developed to (i) use the MTCI as a surrogate of FAPAR chlorophyll and (ii) incorporate distinct quantum yield terms between the two key plant photosynthetic pathways (i.e. C3 and C4) rather than using species-specific light use efficiency. The GPP predictions from the MTCIGPP model had strong relationship with the in-situ GPP measurements. Furthermore, GPP from the MTCIGPP model were comparable to the MOD17GPP product and better in some biomes (e.g. croplands). The MTCIGPP model is simple and easy to implement, yet provides a reliable measure of terrestrial GPP and has the potential to estimate global terrestrial carbon flux
Pragmatic Case Studies as a Source of Unity in Applied Psychology
To unify or not to unify applied psychology: that is the question. In this article we review pendulum swings in the historical efforts to answer this question—from a comprehensive, positivist, “top-down,” deductive yes between the 1930s and the early 60s, to a postmodern no since then. A rationale and proposal for a limited, “bottom-up,” inductive yes in applied psychology is then presented, employing a case-based paradigm that integrates both positivist and postmodern themes and components. This paradigm is labeled “pragmatic psychology” and, its specific use of case studies, the “Pragmatic Case Study Method” (“PCS Method”). We call for the creation of peer-reviewed journal-databases of pragmatic case studies as a foundational source of unifying applied knowledge in our discipline. As one example, the potential of the PCS Method for unifying different angles of theoretical regard is illustrated in an area of applied psychology, psychotherapy, via the case of Mrs. B. The article then turns to the broader historical and epistemological arguments for the unifying nature of the PCS Method in both applied and basic psychology.Peer reviewe
Evaluation of the influence of two operational fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR) products on terrestrial ecosystem productivity modelling
The fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by vegetation (FAPAR) represents the available light energy for plant productivity and is the key variable influencing photosynthesis, transpiration, and energy balance in most terrestrial vegetation productivity models. With availability of earth observation data from different satellite sensors increasing, a number of FAPAR products are being generated. Several studies have investigated the differences between these products. However, very few studies have investigated how the differences between these products influence the output from ecosystem productivity models that utilise them. This study evaluated the influence of two operational FAPAR products (i.e. the MODIS and CYCLOPES FAPAR products) on the terrestrial vegetation primary productivity predicted by the Carnegie–CASA model across various biomes in the USA. The GPP predicted by the Carnegie–CASA model was compared to GPP measurements from various flux tower sites representing five biomes (i.e. croplands, broadleaf deciduous forests, grassland, needle-leaf evergreen forests, and savanna woodland). With the exception of cropland sites, the two FAPAR products resulted in GPP predictions which were higher than the in situ GPP measurements for the evaluated biomes. However, the CYCLOPES FAPAR product resulted in GPP outputs which were closer (lower RMSE values) to the in situ measurements than the MODIS FAPAR product. The two FAPAR products do not account for the FAPAR absorbed by non-photosynthetic elements of the canopy, which may lead to overestimation of the FAPAR that is actually used in photosynthesis. This could explain the higher GPP values derived using these products when compared to the in situ GPP measurements.<br/
Dr. Edwin Wright Collection: Author Unknown
Notes - The author relates several short stories about his neighbours including Alex McDonell, homesteading and life around Meanook and Athabasca (1 page
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
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
Patterns of age-specific mortality in children in endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Understanding of the age- and season- dependence of malaria mortality is an important prerequisite for epidemiologic models of malaria immunity. However, most studies of malaria mortality have aggregated their results into broad age groups and across seasons, making it hard to predict the likely impact of interventions targeted at specific age groups of children. We present age-specific mortality rates for children aged < 15 years for the period of 2001-2005 in 7 demographic surveillance sites in areas of sub-Saharan Africa with stable endemic Plasmodium falciparum malaria. We use verbal autopsies (VAs) to estimate the proportion of deaths by age group due to malaria, and thus calculate malaria-specific mortality rates for each site, age-group, and month of the year. In all sites a substantial proportion of deaths (ranging from 20.1% in a Mozambican site to 46.2% in a site in Burkina Faso) were attributed to malaria. The overall age patterns of malaria mortality were similar in the different sites. Deaths in the youngest children (< 3 months old) were only rarely attributed to malaria, but in children over 1 year of age the proportion of deaths attributed to malaria was only weakly age-dependent. In most of the sites all-cause mortality rates peaked during the rainy season, but the strong seasonality in malaria transmission in these sites was not reflected in strong seasonality in the proportion of deaths attributed to malaria, except in the two sites in Burkina Faso. Improvement in the specificity of malaria verbal autopsies would make it easier to interpret the age and season patterns in such data
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