1,721,128 research outputs found

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    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

    Variations on the Author

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    “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

    Simone Weil, lectora de textos taoìstas

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    In questo testo si mette in evidenza l'importanza della lettura dei testi taoisti nella filosofia di Simone Weil. Innanzitutto per la critica weiliana ai valori sociali, a cui lei sostituisce l'esercizio di attenzione per il mondo. Questo in sintonia con il taoismo che a sua volta critica i valori sociali favorendo invece la sintonia con il processo complessivo del mondo, il tao o via. In secondo luogo il tema taoista dell'azione non agente permette a Weil di lavorare su di un'azione nella quale l'io viene messo tra parentesi. Nell'attenzione al taoismo Weil attinge da elementi del pensiero di Spinoza

    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

    Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts

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    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

    Author Index

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    Toward multifactorial null models of range contraction in terrestrial vertebrates

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    The contraction of a species’ distribution range, which results from the extirpation of local populations, generally precedes its extinction. Therefore, understanding drivers of range contraction is important for conservation and management. Although there are many processes that can potentially lead to local extirpation and range contraction, three main null models have been proposed: demographic, contagion, and refuge. The first two models postulate that the probability of local extirpation for a given area depends on its relative position within the range; but these models generate distinct spatial predictions because they assume either a ubiquitous (demographic) or a clinal (contagion) distribution of threats. The third model (refuge) postulates that extirpations are determined by the intensity of human impacts, leading to heterogeneous spatial predictions potentially compatible with those made by the other two null models. A few previous studies have explored the generality of some of these null models, but we present here the first comprehensive evaluation of all three models. Using descriptive indices and regression analyses we contrast the predictions made by each of the null models using empirical spatial data describing range contraction in 386 terrestrial vertebrates (mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles) distributed across the World. Observed contraction patterns do not consistently conform to the predictions of any of the three models, suggesting that these may not be adequate null models to evaluate range contraction dynamics among terrestrial vertebrates. Instead, our results support alternative null models that account for both relative position and intensity of human impacts. These new models provide a better multifactorial baseline to describe range contraction patterns in vertebrates. This general baseline can be used to explore how additional factors influence contraction, and ultimately extinction for particular areas or species as well as to predict future changes in light of current and new threats

    Range area matters, and so does spatial configuration: predicting conservation status in vertebrates

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    The current rapid loss of biodiversity globally calls for improved tools to predict conservation status. Conservation status varies among taxa and is influenced by intrinsic species’ traits and extrinsic factors. Among these predictors, the most consistently recognized and widely available is geographic range area. However, ranges of equal area can have diverse spatial configurations that reflect variation in threatening processes and species’ characteristics (e.g. dispersal ability), and can affect local and regional population dynamics. The aim of this study is to assess if and how the spatial configuration of a species’ range relates to its conservation status. We obtained range maps and two descriptors of conservation status: extinction risk and population trend, from the IUCN for 11 052 species of amphibians, non-marine birds and terrestrial mammals distributed across the World. We characterized spatial configuration using descriptors of shape and fragmentation (fragment number and size heterogeneity) and used regression analysis to evaluate their role in explaining current extinction risk and population trend. The most important predictor of conservation status was range area, but our analyses also identified shape and fragmentation as valuable predictors. We detected complex relationships, revealed by multiple interaction terms, e.g. more circular shapes were negatively correlated with population trend, and heterogeneity was positively correlated with extinction risk for small range areas but negatively for bigger ranges. Considering descriptors of spatial configuration beyond size improves our understanding of conservation status among vertebrates. The metrics we propose are relatively easy to define (although values can be sensitive to data quality), and unlike other correlates of status, like species’ traits, are readily available for many species (all of those with range maps). We argue that considering spatial configuration predictors is a straightforward way to improve our capacity to predict conservation status and thus, can be useful to promote more effective conservation

    koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist

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    We 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
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