130,435 research outputs found
MeSH term explosion and author rank improve expert recommendations
No full textInformation overload is an often-cited phenomenon that reduces the productivity, efficiency and efficacy of scientists. One challenge for scientists is to find appropriate collaborators in their research. The literature describes various solutions to the problem of expertise location, but most current approaches do not appear to be very suitable for expert recommendations in biomedical research. In this study, we present the development and initial evaluation of a vector space model-based algorithm to calculate researcher similarity using four inputs: 1) MeSH terms of publications; 2) MeSH terms and author rank; 3) exploded MeSH terms; and 4) exploded MeSH terms and author rank. We developed and evaluated the algorithm using a data set of 17,525 authors and their 22,542 papers. On average, our algorithms correctly predicted 2.5 of the top 5/10 coauthors of individual scientists. Exploded MeSH and author rank outperformed all other algorithms in accuracy, followed closely by MeSH and author rank. Our results show that the accuracy of MeSH term-based matching can be enhanced with other metadata such as author rank
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
The mathematical foundations for mapping policies to network devices
No full textA common requirement in policy specification languages is the ability to map policies to the underlying network devices. Doing so, in a provably correct way, is important in a security policy context, so administrators can be confident of the level of protection provided by the policies for their networks. Existing policy languages allow policy composition but lack formal semantics to allocate policy to network devices. Our research tackles this from first principles: we ask how network policies can be described at a high-level, independent of vendor and network minutiae. We identify the algebraic requirements of the policy-mapping process and propose semantic foundations to formally verify if a policy is implemented by the correct set of policy-arbiters. We show the value of our proposed algebras in maintaining concise network-device configurations by applying them to real-world networks.Dinesha Ranathunga, Matthew Roughan, Phil Kernick and Nick Falkne
Malachite: firewall policy comparison
No full textFirewalls are a crucial element of any modern day business; they protect data and resources in a communications network from unauthorised access. In particular domains, such as SCADA networks, there are guidelines for firewall configuration, but currently there are no automated means to test compliance. Our research tackles this from first principles: we ask how firewall policies can be described at a high-level, independent of firewall-vendor and network minutiae. The semantic foundations we propose allow us to compare network-wide firewall policies and check if they are equivalent; or one is contained in the other in meaningful ways. These foundations also enable policy change-impact analysis and help identify functional discrepancies between multiple policy designs from users in distinct policy subdomains (e.g., SCADA engineers, Corporate admins).Dinesha Ranathunga, Matthew Roughan, Phil Kernick and Nick Falkne
Nutrient digestion by dairy cows fed diets replacing starch with non-forage fiber.
No full textCorn starch is used as the main energy source in lactating dairy cow diets. Feeding high levels of corn starch may be associated with negative health impacts on lactating dairy cows, such as ruminal acidosis and laminitis along with higher feed costs and lower income from reduced milk components. Dried distillers grains with solubles (DG), a co-product of the ethanol industry, is an excellent source of energy. Ranathunga et al. (2010) demonstrated that that incrementally reducing the amount of starch in a ration from a high of 29% to a low of 20% by adding DG resulted in similar milk production and composition by lactating dairy cows. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of replacing starch from corn with non-forage fiber from DG and soybean hulls on the nutrient flow to the omasum, ruminal nutrient degradability, total tract nutrient digestibility, and nitrogen partition of lactating dairy cows
Vitamin D supplementation and vitamin D biomarkers in relation to sunlight exposure and musculoskeletal health in older adults using two different study designs
No full textPhD ThesisVitamin D plays a role in musculoskeletal (MSK) health through genomic and non-genomic pathways. In the UK, SACN used a 25(OH)D concentration of 25 nmol/L as the basis for setting the (Recommended Nutrient Intake) RNI of 10 μg/day based on MSK outcomes (rickets, osteomalacia, falls, muscle strength and function). In setting vitamin D recommendations for North Americans, the IOM used a 25(OH)D concentration of 50 nmol/L as the basis for setting the (Recommended Dietary Allowances) RDA of 15 μg/day, based onthe relationship between 25(OH)D and bone outcomes (rickets, osteomalacia, bone mineral density and calcium absorption). The differing thresholds used to define “vitamin D adequacy” may be due to (1) different MSK outcomes and approaches used to underpin the DRVs (2) geographical differences in vitamin D status and response to vitamin D supplementation and exposure to sunlight. Since vitamin D biomarkers and vitamin D supply required for optimum MSK function are not agreed universally, this thesis is set out to determine the effect of vitamin D supply on muscle function and to determine the association between commonly-used vitamin D biomarkers [25(OH)D and PTH] and muscle function [Grip Strength (GS), Timed-up and Go (TUG)] and bone health [quantitative ultrasound] in older adults using two different studies from the North East of England (55° North). In addition, because sunlight exposure is known to influence vitamin D biomarkers and response to vitamin D supplementation, this thesis also attempted to quantify the impact of sun exposure on vitamin D status in both studies. The first study was a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) of monthly vitamin D supplementation (12000 IU, 24000 IU and 48000 IU vitamin D3) for 1 year on MSK health [Vitamin Din Older People study-VDOP (n=379; age >70 years)]. The second study was a follow-up study of older adults at moderate risk of colon cancer [the Biomarkers of Risk of Colon Cancer Follow-Up study -BFU (n=47, age >49 years)]. Baseline findings from the VDOP study showed that plasma 25(OH)D concentration, 25 nmol/L throughout the year to maintain healthy musculoskeletal functioning.Commonwealth Scholarship Commissio
"Closing the R&D Gap, Evaluating the Sources of R&D Spending"
No full textBoth spending and tax policies have been implemented in the United States with the goal of stimulating private sector research and development (R&D). Karier questions whether current R&D policy, especially the research and experimentation tax credit, can contribute to closing the gap between nondefense expenditures on R&D in the United States and such expenditures in other countries, such as Japan and Germany. He also explores possible changes to our current R&D policy to make it more effective.
Supplementary_Material - Design and baseline characteristics of the Biomarkers Of Risk In Colorectal Cancer (BORICC) Follow-Up study: A 12+ years follow-up
No full textSupplementary_Material for Design and baseline characteristics of the Biomarkers Of Risk In Colorectal Cancer (BORICC) Follow-Up study: A 12+ years follow-up by F.C. Malcomson, S.P. Breininger, K. ElGendy, A. Joel, R.M.T.K. Ranathunga, T.R. Hill, D. Michael Bradburn, D.M. Turnbull, L.C. Greaves and J.C. Mathers in Nutrition and Health</p
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe 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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