1,720,981 research outputs found
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
Seasonal fluctuation of multiple sclerosis births in Sardinia
No full textStudy results from different geographical areas provide some circumstantial evidence that, when compared with the general population, people who later in life develop multiple sclerosis (MS) have a pattern of birth excess numbers in spring and late summer, which may disclose an association with MS-predisposing environmental agents. To identify the presence of season-related cluster of MS birth in Sardinia we have designed a case-control study in the province of Sassari, Northern Sardinia, insular Italy, an area at very-high and increasing risk for MS. Mean birth incidence rate of people with MS (810 cases) on a three-and six-months basis were compared with that of two control populations: the MS unaffected siblings (1069), sharing genetic material with patients, and a representative number of births (247,612) of the general population of the study area. We found that the birth in months peaking in spring significantly represents one risk factor for future MS development. This seasonal ..
Evidence of early childhood as the susceptibility period in multiple sclerosis. Space-time cluster analysis in a Sardinian population
No full textThe authors analyzed the natural history of multiple sclerosis (MS) before onset to identify the period of susceptibility and exogenous factors that might play a role in causing the disease. Space-time cluster analysis was performed among northern Sardinians, a genetically stable Italian population that showed an increasing risk of MS between 1965 and 1999. Residence changes from birth to clinical onset were recorded for all MS patients with clinical onset between 1965 and 1999 in the province of Sassari. Closeness in space and time was defined as living in the same municipality and differing in year of birth by 1, 2, or 5 years. Analyses were performed for the period from birth to age 25 years or MS onset and in demographic and clinical subgroups. Clustering was substantial in early childhood. Clustering was most marked in the most recent cases, among women, and among patients with early age at onset, a relapsing-remitting course, and in the eastern subarea. No clustering was found wh..
Self-perceived physical functioning and health status in fully ambulatory MS patients
No full textWe investigated the self-perceived health status among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with no or mild disability according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the impact of self-rated physical functioning. A sample of fully ambulatory (EDSS ≤ 3.5) consecutive patients with MS was included after screening for major cognitive impairment. The EDSS was used to measure nervous system signs or disability, and the self-rated health status was assessed using the SF-36 Health Survey. The normative SF-36 data for the general population of Italy were used for comparison. The 197 MS patients analyzed (150 women and 47 men) had significantly lower mean SF-36 scores than the general population, except for bodily pain. The scores did not differ significantly by gender. The same analysis performed on a subsample of 105 patients (79 women and 26 men) with minimal disability in one functional system (EDSS ≤ 2.0) yielded similar results. EDSS was weakly correlated with the physical funct..
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