1,721,054 research outputs found
Shepherd, Russell Benjamin
No full textCarte de Visite of Colonel Russell Benjamin Shepherd, 1st Maine Heavy Artillery; From the MacDonald Collectionhttps://digitalmaine.com/arc_civilwarportraits/2713/thumbnail.jp
Shepherd, Russell Benjamin
No full textCarte de Visite of Colonel Russell Benjamin Shepherd, 1st Maine Heavy Artillery; From the MacDonald Collectionhttps://digitalmaine.com/arc_civilwarportraits/2713/thumbnail.jp
Expanding the radioanalysts toolbox: using the latest generation plasma mass spectrometers for nuclear waste characterisation
No full textThis project investigates the application of sector field inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) in low-level radionuclide detection in environmental samples and low-level nuclear waste. The aim was to develop robust and sensitive procedures for measuring medium-long lived emitters of interest to various Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) sites. ICP-SFMS has been investigated for the measurement of the significant fission product radionuclides of caesium (135Cs and 137Cs) and strontium (90Sr). In the case of some shorter-lived radionuclides such as 90Sr, ICP-SFMS can achieve sensitivities that rival existing radiometric techniques, whilst offering a significant improvement in the speed of analysis. Additionally, long-lived low abundance radionuclides such as 135Cs are not detectable using radiometric techniques, but can be quantified by ICP-SFMS, which is important given their major contribution to the long-term radiological risk associated with deep geological disposal. Measurement of 135Cs also enables measurement of the 135Cs/137Cs ratio, which varies with the source of nuclear contamination, and therefore can provide a powerful forensic tool compared to radiometric 137Cs detection alone.ICP-SFMS has been proven to achieve high sensitivities that will enable low-level radionuclide detection. In order to reach these sensitivities, it is critical to ensure removal of interfering elements that otherwise significantly impact the accuracy of measured values. This led to the development of novel and efficient chemical separation procedures that achieve both a high analyte recovery, and effective decontamination of interferences, which have been proven to be effective for a range of sample matrices including seawater and sediments. The combination of imaginative sample preparation procedures and use of new generation ICP-SFMS offer a streamlining of the process that will contribute to faster more sensitive assessment and clean-up of nuclear sites. This will lead to a reduction in analytical timescales and reduce the demand on existing analytical facilities, benefitting site operators and the NDA
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
Variations on the Author
No full text“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
No full textWe 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
Evaluation of inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry for radionuclide assay in nuclear waste characterisation
No full textDecommissioning and monitoring around nuclear sites presents challenges with regards to the range of sample matrices and radionuclides that must be accurately characterised. Over the last few decades, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been increasingly used in the nuclear sector as a rapid alternative to decay counting techniques for long-lived radionuclides, as well as an expanding range of shorter-lived radionuclides. The presence of various interferences still presents a major challenge in achieving accurate measurements, often necessitating extensive chemical clean-up prior to measurement. This study evaluates the potential application of tandem ICP-MS/MS for the measurement of a range of radionuclides of interest to nuclear decommissioning and waste management. The flexibility of the instrumental setup is shown in achieving improved interference removal compared to alternative instrument designs, improving sample throughput by reducing reliance on offline separation, and increasing the potential application of ICP-MS/MS for routine measurement of difficult-to-measure radionuclides
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
A new approach to OSCE preparation - PrOSCEs
No full textBackground: Objectively structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are a stressful experience for many health care students and professionals in training. Mock OSCEs have been shown to be beneficial for student OSCE preparation. However, due to their expense and administrative burden students may only get a few opportunities to partake in these. To address this gap in student preparation a series of regularly run totally peer led multi-role practice OSCEs (PrOSCEs) was developed. Methods: Fifteen PrOSCEs were run over five-months. A total of 32 second year medical students took part, all of whom were enrolled on the graduate-entry programme at the University of Southampton. In each PrOSCE, 18 participants rotated through the roles of 'student', 'examiner' and 'patient' in six simulated stations designed by their peers. Peer feedback was provided after each station. At the end of the series of PrOSCEs students were asked to fill in an anonymous online feedback survey to assess the usefulness of the PrOSCEs in exam preparation. Results: Twenty-two students responded to the survey. 100% of respondents deemed routine participation either 'very useful' or 'useful' in preparing for their exam. PrOSCEs were found to improve confidence (mean = 7.9/10, 95% CI 7.4-8.3), expected performance (mean = 7.5/10, 95% CI 6.8-8.2) and help guide revision (mean = 8.3/10, 95% CI 7.6-9.0). Self-perceived teaching performance and confidence in providing feedback was also positively associated with participation. The most beneficial roles were 'student' and 'station creator'. Free-text feedback suggests that the informal setting and regular practice were particularly beneficial. Conclusion: The peer-led nature of the PrOSCEs allows for a low cost, low administrative burden and easy to replicate adjunct or alternative to large scale mock OSCEs. In addition the multi-role aspect of this approach could enhance exam preparation and may also improve aptitude as a clinical teacher. Further studies are required to understand if repeated practice has beneficial implications on OSCE performance.</p
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