1,720,976 research outputs found
Analyzing the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus by integrating hydrological modeling and system dynamics tools
Full text linkEffective and integrated management of natural resources is crucial for achieving sustainability, particularly in the context of interrelated challenges posed by using these resources. This study addresses four complementary as-pects of resource management using a ‘Nexus’ approach within the Tarquinia/ Marta River, highlighting how this region serves as a model that could be ap-plied to other areas of the Mediterranean. The study proposes an innovative approach based on System Dynamics Modeling techniques and hydrological modeling, which is summarized below.
The first chapter emphasizes the Nexus concept, which has gained inter-est as a theoretical framework for understanding the complex interconnections among natural resources. It highlights the need for tools and methods to effec-tively map and analyze these interdependencies, facilitating stakeholder en-gagement in sustainability transitions. In this context, the study employs a Par-ticipatory System Dynamics Modeling (PSDM) approach to enhance the under-standing and management of the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus (WEFE Nexus). This approach is tested concerning the Tarquinia plain in Italy, where a strong interdependency and conflict exists between agriculture and environ-mental conditions. The approach aims to achieve stakeholder consensus on challenges arising from conflicts between different sectors and subsectors in areas under intensive agricultural activity, while also considering future chang-es due to climate change. The analysis of the Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) helps identify the main challenges for the area and highlights the need for a better understanding and modeling of key phenomena. The centrality of agricultural activities, in terms of productivity, relevance for farmers, and impacts on water quality and natural areas, underscores the necessity of investigating these im-pacts and potential mitigation measures using specific agro-hydrological mod-els.
The second chapter builds on the main challenges identified using PSDM and proposes well-established hydrological modeling (SWAT) to further en-hance the understanding and management of the WEFE Nexus. In line with the research objectives, the SWAT model has been utilized with the available da-tasets to first establish the current conditions in the watershed and, secondly, to develop specific scenarios representing the effects of climate change. The Sequential Uncertainty Fitting algorithm version 2 (SUFI-2), a part of the SWAT-CUP tool package, has been employed for calibration, validation, and sensitivity analysis. Data from the EURO-CORDEX initiative includes various climate models involving regional climate models (RCMs) nested in different global circulation models (GCMs) used in this study. Historical experiments and future projections (based on the RCP 8.5 worst-case greenhouse gas emission scenario) have been selected. The most reliable EURO-CORDEX climate projec-tions have been selected following a rigorous performance evaluation of sever-al high-resolution combinations (GCMs-RCMs) over the area. This section of the study has investigated the hydrological balance, soil erosion and nutrient yield in the study watershed, focusing particularly on agricultural practices and cli-mate change impacts. The study findings have revealed significant soil loss and changes in total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) yield under both cur-rent and future scenarios, with agricultural practices exacerbating these issues. Conclusively, this chapter highlights the need for the implementation of effec-tive management strategies and mitigation measures to address these chal-lenges.
The third chapter explores the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to address on- and off-site impacts resulting from soil erosion and nutrient pollution in the study area, a region susceptible to these environ-mental challenges due to its Mediterranean climate and intensive agricultural practices. Utilizing the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), the study as-sesses different individual BMPs, such as terracing, contour farming, no-tillage, and residue management as well as their combination. The results underscore the effectiveness of combined BMPs in reducing erosion and nutrient pollution, with terracing being particularly impactful in minimizing soil loss in hotspot ar-eas within the watershed and reducing sediment and nutrient loading into the river. The analysis emphasizes the importance of integrated BMP approaches for sustainable soil and water management in agricultural areas as well as highlighting the need for targeted management strategies to mitigate envi-ronmental impacts and enhance water quality.
The last chapter focuses on the application of PSDM, describing how a transition from Causal Loop Diagrams to quantitative models (stock and flow) can help explore potential future trajectories of the system under various condi-tions, particularly aiming to enhance its resilience. Stakeholders, including poli-cy and decision-makers, were actively involved in co-designing, analyzing, and discussing relevant scenarios. The study emphasizes the integration of stake-holder knowledge with technical modeling efforts to identify sustainable man-agement strategies for water resources, ecosystems, and agricultural practices in the region. At the core of the chapter is the development of a comprehensive stock and flow model, coupled with the SWAT hydrological model, to investi-gate the long-term impacts of agricultural practices on water resources and ecosystem sustainability. This integrated modeling approach enables a detailed analysis of how management strategies, particularly those involving Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) affect water quantity, quality, and agricultural productiv-ity under varying climate change scenarios. Besides supporting system under-standing, the proposed approach showed the potential to foster stakeholder di-alogue, which is crucial for building consensus on sustainable development pathways for the area. Key methodological challenges and potential needs for further innovation are also included
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
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
Imitation and communication skills development in children with pervasive developmental disorders
Full text linkAndrea De Giacomo1, Claudia Portoghese1, Domenico Martinelli2, Isabella Fanizza1, Luciano L’Abate3, Lucia Margari11Child Neurological and Psychiatric Unit, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric sciences, University of Bari, Italy; 2Department of Biomedical science and Oncology, University of Bari, Italy; 3Department of Psychology, Georgia State University Abstract: This study evaluates the correlation between failure to develop spontaneous imitation and language skills in pervasive developmental disorders. Sixty-four children between the age of 3 and 8 years were assessed using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), as well as direct observation of imitation. The sample was subdivided into a verbal and a nonverbal group. Analysis of mean scores on the CARS “imitation” items and of ADI-R “spontaneous imitation” and “pointing to express interest” revealed a statistically significant difference between verbal and nonverbal groups, with more severe impairment/higher scores in the nonverbal than the verbal group. These results suggest that nonverbal children have specifically impaired imitation and pointing skills.Keywords: autism, imitation, communication, language, pointin
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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