1,354,145 research outputs found
Membership functions definition in the fuzzy semantic model
No full textThe Fuzzy Semantic Model (FSM) is a database model that has been recently proposed. In addition to
supporting the fuzziness at the attribute level, FSM authorizes also an entity to be partially member of its class
according to a given degree of memb ership that reflects the level to which the entity verifies the extent properties of this
class. It also supports subclass/superclass membership functions permitting to calculate the range to which a class is a
subclass of another class. In this paper , we provide the ways the membership function is defined for all the constructs of
the model. We also introduce the definition of membership function at subclass/superclass relationships levels. The
paper includes also the first results of an ongoing implementation of our works at automotive company PSA Peugeot
Citroen.ou
Extending database capabilities:fuzzy semantic model
No full textThis paper presents a new database model, namely Fuzzy Semantic Model (or FSM). FSM
enables us to capture effectively the fuzziness and semantics of real-world and provides tools for its
formalization and conceptualization within a manner adapted to human perception and reasoning. One of
the novelties of FSM is that it authorizes an entity to be a member of several classes at the same time
and according to different degrees of memberships that reflect the extent to which the entity verifies the
attribute-based and/or semantic proprieties of these classes. The idea is to associate to each class a set of
semantic and attribute-based proprieties; each one has its own membership function. These functions are
then weighted in order to construct global membership functions that will be used as meant for assigning
entities to classes.ou
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
Propensity score-matched comparison between complete mesocolic excision and classic right hemicolectomy for colon cancer
No full textBaCKgrOuND: The prognosis of right colon cancer remains disappointing. Complete mesocolic excision (CMe) with
central vascular ligation (CVL), based on the same oncological principles of total mesorectal excision, has been speculated to result in a better outcome. To evaluate the oncological adequacy of CMe with CVL, we carried out a comparative study with propensity score-matched analysis between two different surgical procedures performed at italian and
egyptian university cancer centers.
MeThODS: Forty-six egyptian patients underwent conventional right hemicolectomy, while eighty-eight italian patients underwent CMe with sharp dissection between the embryological planes, exposure of the superior mesenteric
vessels with extended lymphadenectomy, and CVL.
RESULTS: All operations were successful with no increase in postoperative complications (10% in the patients undergoing CMe vs. 19.5% in Egyptian patients). Number of harvested nodes (21 vs. 13) and lymph node ratio (0.08 vs.
0.22) were signifcantly different in patients undergoing CME (P=0.0001 and P=0.005, respectively). In these patients,
the risk of cancer relapse was reduced to as much as one third (8% vs. 22%), even in node-positive tumors, and locoregional recurrences were never experienced. The classic operation was signifcantly associated with poor outcome (5-year
disease-free survival rates were 89.2% in the group undergoing CME and 49.1% in the classic group, P=0.02). Propensity
score-matched analysis warranted optimal balance and confrmed overall results.
CONCLUSIONS: Right colon cancer patients undergoing CME beneftted from more oncological adequacy, with no
increased postoperative complication rate, a decreased locoregional recurrence rate, and a better long-term outcome than
patients operated on with the conventional procedure.BACKGROUND: The prognosis of right colon cancer remains disappointing. Complete mesocolic excision (CME) with central vascular ligation (CVL), based on the same oncological principles of total mesorectal excision, has been speculated to result in a better outcome. To evaluate the oncological adequacy of CME with CVL, we carried out a comparative study with propensity score-matched analysis between two different surgical procedures performed at Italian and Egyptian University cancer centers.METHODS: Forty-six Egyptian patients underwent conventional right hemicolectomy, while eighty-eight Italian patients underwent CME with sharp dissection between the embryological planes, exposure of the superior mesenteric vessels with extended lymphadenectomy, and CVL.RESULTS: All operations were successful with no increase in postoperative complications (10% in the patients undergoing CME vs. 19.5% in Egyptian patients). Number of harvested nodes (21 vs. 13) and lymph node ratio (0.08 vs. 0.22) were significantly different in patients undergoing CME (P=0.0001 and P=0.005, respectively). In these patients, the risk of cancer relapse was reduced to as much as one third (8% vs. 22%), even in node-positive tumors, and locoregional recurrences were never experienced. The classic operation was significantly associated with poor outcome (5-year disease-free survival rates were 89.2% in the group undergoing CME and 49.1% in the classic group, P=0.02). Propensity score-matched analysis warranted optimal balance and confirmed overall results.CONCLUSIONS: Right colon cancer patients undergoing CME benefitted from more oncological adequacy, with no increased postoperative complication rate, a decreased locoregional recurrence rate, and a better long-term outcome than patients operated on with the conventional procedure
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
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
Aerial census of the Gash-Setit elephant population of Eritrea and Ethiopia
No full textDuring a total aerial count in southwestern Eritrea and northern Ethiopia between 31 October to 16 November 1996, 8 elephant were observed. Two animals were near Haicota along the Gaxh River and six were along the Tekezze River on the Ethiopian side of the border. The two groups are considered to be one population although there was a good distance between them. These Gash-Setit region animals are thought to be the only remaining elephants in Eritrea. This is significantly lower than expected,and because the survey was done at the end of the wet season when the animals are dispersed it is recommended a dry season count be done in order to determine the status more clearly. No elephants were seen near the Sheraro settlements which have reported crop damage and it is assumed the two bulls observed near Haicota may be responsible. Two old carcasses were seen
Author, publisher and bookseller : a tripartite synergy in Nigerian book industry
No full textThis work is about the roles of Author, Publisher and Bookseller in Book development in
Nigeria. The paper started by delving into the history of Book Publishing in Nigeria after
which it proceeded by defining who an author, a publisher, and a bookseller is and
expatiated on the indispensable roles of these key actors in Nigerian Book Industry and in
the emerging Information Society. Furthermore, the various constraints to book
development were identified while the paper advised on how the Book Industry can be
further promoted in Nigeria. However, the paper concluded and made recommendations
on how the Book sector can help in enhancing scholarship in the country
The Thursday Murder Club: Launching a megabrand author - a publishing case study
No full textIn 2020, the Christmas book charts in the UK made headlines: Barack Obama’s eagerly awaited autobiography, The Promised Land, was beaten to the top spot by The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, a debut cosy crime novel set in a retirement village. Not only did Osman’s book beat the former US president’s expected bestseller, it also broke records, becoming the fastest-selling debut crime novel of all time. Although Osman has a certain level of fame in the UK from his TV appearances on shows such as Pointless, his celebrity status does not entirely explain the novel’s huge sales. This article tracks the acquisition, publication, and promotion journey of The Thursday Murder Club in order to understand the industry and cultural context of its success and to interrogate the role of celebrity in the creation of author brands. The findings suggest that the unexpected scale of the success of the book owed to a number of factors, including in-depth editing by the novel’s agent, editor, and author to tighten up the plot, an extensive and strategic promotional campaign, the pandemic (which drove interest in the book’s genre and themes), and the quality of the writing. We find that the book’s success was accentuated by Osman’s celebrity status rather than being entirely reliant on it. This research adds to the growing scholarship on celebrity authorship by means of an in-depth case study and provides insight into the processes behind publishing a ‘celebrity’ book and launching a megabrand author
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