1,720,974 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
Comparison of DEA Models Relating e-Health and Hospital Efficiency
No full textAn industry that is under pressure to radically improve its efficiency performance is healthcare. In this paper, we examine the impact of e-health systems upon hospital efficiency. According to our methodology and since e-health has a broad meaning, an e-health system is defined as a set of at least the following practices: (i) the use of a hospital information system, (ii) the use of electronic health records, (iii) the implementation of an e-procurement policy, and, (iv) a human resource development policy for e-health. The literature points out that one of the most appropriate methodologies for assessing the efficiency of healthcare providers is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Implementing two different models, i.e., normal DEA and system differentiated DEA, the results indicate that in both cases the proportion of the efficient hospitals is more than double in favor of the hospitals that use e-health systems.659662Proceedings of the XLII International Symposium on Operational Researc
Combining the priority rankings of DEA and AHP methodologies: a case study on an ICT industry
No full textThis article presents a case study on how data envelopment analysis (DEA) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) could be combined to produce priority rankings for a set of companies. The shortcomings of each method, when exclusively used to deal with multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) problems, are also analysed. The dataset of this study, arising from the European Union (EU) Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard (European Commission, 2009), consists of the top EU companies activating in the telecommunications equipment industry, which is one of the most representative information and communications technology (ICT) industries. Five criteria, namely, R&D investment, number of employees, capital expenditure, net sales, and operating profit, are used for defining priority rankings of these companies. The application of the case study indicates that the super-efficiency DEA model could be employed for ranking the companies at an initial stage; following that, ranking of the efficient companies could be attained through AHP.5110111
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
Interaction, structure and rheology of polymeric colloids and mixtures
No full textThe use of well defined macromolecular assemblies with tunable interactions represents the key for exploring the regime of soft-material behavior between hard spheres and polymer coils. Colloidal stars are ideal choices for such a formidable task and especially for shedding light on the formation and properties of dynamically arrested states. In this thesis, we demonstrate the rich variety of kinetic frustration phenomena that can be encountered with such ultrasoft particles. We address two specific examples in particular: the melting of star glass upon the addition of linear polymers and the reversible vitrification upon heating. In the first, star depletion appears to be the key to this effect and is related to the star–linear polymer size ratio. A detailed investigation indicates that with increasing the osmotic forces (due to the added polymer) these soft colloids first shrink and then form stable clusters. In the second, upon heating, concentrated solutions of colloidal stars in a solvent of intermediate quality (between θ and athermal) undergo a reversible glass like kinetic transition. This phenomenon can be attributed to the increase in the effective volume fraction of the stars with the temperature, which leads to the formation of clusters and causes the dynamic arrest of the solution. Due to the slow dynamics, unsteady and nonergodic behavior are typically present in this kind of transitions. To resolve these problems and obtain reliable information, we modified the classical Dynamic Light Scattering technique and developed a version of Multispeckle Autocorrelation Spectroscopy instrumentation. The application of this technique in the reversible vitrification phenomenon upon heating reveal that a logarithmic decay govern this glass-like transition.Η χρήση καλά χαρακτηρισμένων (από πλευράς χημείας) σύνθετων μακρομορίων με μεταβλητό δυναμικό αλληλεπίδρασης αποτελεί το κλειδί για την διερεύνηση της περιοχής χαλαρών υλικών με συμπεριφορά ανάμεσα σε σκληρές σφαίρες και πολυμερικά κουβάρια. Πολύκλωνα αστεροειδή πολυμερή αποτελούν ιδανική επιλογή συστημάτων για το σκοπό αυτό και ειδικά για την μελέτη σχηματισμού και ιδιοτήτων κινητικά παγιδευμένων καταστάσεων. Στην παρούσα εργασία παρουσιάσαμε ένα μεγάλο εύρος από φαινόμενα κινητικής παγίδευσης σε πυκνά διαλύματα των παραπάνω συστημάτων μέσω μεταβολής του χαλαρού απωστικού δυναμικού αλληλεπίδρασης τους. Συγκεκριμένα μελετήσαμε την ρευστοποίηση υάλου πολύκλωνων αστεροειδών πολυμερών με την προσθήκη γραμμικών αλυσίδων και την αντιστρεπτή μετάβαση στερεοποίησης πυκνών διαλυμάτων τους με την αύξηση της θερμοκρασίας. Στην πρώτη περίπτωση ο μηχανισμός αποκλεισμού φάνηκε να είναι το κλειδί για την κατανόηση του φαινομένου αυτού ο οποίος σχετίζεται με τον λόγο μεγέθους αστεριού- γραμμικής αλυσίδας. Λεπτομερή μελέτη έδειξε ότι η αύξηση των οσμωτικών δυνάμεων (μέσω της προσθήκης γραμμικών αλυσίδων) έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα την συρρίκνωση των αστεριών οδηγόντας τελικά σε μεγάλες συγκεντρώσεις γραμμικών αλυσίδων στον σχηματισμό συσσωματωμάτων αστεριών. Στην δεύτερη περίπτωση σε πυκνά διαλύματα πολύκλωνων αστεροειδών πολυμερών διεσπαρμένα σε διαλύτη ενδιάμεσης ποιότητας (όπου τα αστέρια μπορούν να διογκωθούν με την αύξηση της θερμοκρασίας) υπόκεινται σε μια αντιστρεπτή μετάβαση στερεοποίησης με την αύξηση της θερμοκρασίας. Αυτό το ενδιαφέρον φαινόμενο αποδώθηκε στο σχηματισμό συσσωματωμάτων λόγω αλληλοδιείσδυσης των διογκωμένων αστεριών με αποτέλεσμα την δυναμική παγίδευση τους. Λόγω της παρουσίας αργών δυναμικών διαδικασιών, στα φαινόμενα που μελετήσαμε, οδηγηθήκαμε στην τροποποίηση μιας από τις πειραματικές τεχνικές που χρησιμοποιήσαμε. Αυτή ήταν μια τροποποίηση της συμβατικής φασματοσκοπίας συσχέτισης φωτονίων (Δυναμική Σκέδαση Φωτός) χρησιμοποιώντας μια ψηφιακή CCD κάμερα σαν ανιχνευτή (Multispeckle Autocorrelation Spectroscopy). Δείξαμε ότι μέθοδος αυτή μας δίνει την δυνατότητα να μετρηθούν σωστά άκρως αργές διαδικασίες χαλάρωσης σε μή-εργοδικά ή εργοδικά συστήματα με αργές δυναμικές λόγω της στατιστικής υπεροχής της στους αργούς χρόνους (1-104sec) σε σχέση με τον συμβατικό τρόπο. Η εφαρμογή της για τη μελέτη του φαινόμενου της θερμοαντιστερπτής μετάβασης πήκτωσης (ή υάλου) αποκάλυψε την εμφάνιση μια αργής διαδικασίας χαλάρωσης, η οποία φθίνει λογαριθμικά και φαίνεται να ευθύνεται για την μακροσκοπική ακινητοποίηση του συστήματος
Exploring the construct of the new way of thinking in the digital environment
No full textThe aim of this study is to provide insights concerning the effects of the ubiquitous digital environment on the way people think and the subsequent need to equip young individuals with the necessary skills. Several studies focus on defining the so-called digital skills, also providing indications that higher cognitive skills are required. However, they do not examine how young individuals could perform better to adapt to the continuously evolving digital environment. To address this gap, the study introduces and analyzes the construct of digital intelligence, representing the new way of thinking and behaviour in the digital environment. For the purposes of the study, a set of tests was given to students at Greek high schools, targeting 15-16 years old students and employing original tests to assess digital intelligence. According to the findings, digital intelligence is composed of: 1) logical reasoning, algorithms, and evaluation, 2) abstraction, decomposition, and patterns and generalization, 3) digital emotional intelligence and communication, 4) digital safety and security, and 5) digital identity, use, literacy, and rights. Assessing digital intelligence, as proposed in this study, could be used to assist vocational guidance, employee selection and evaluation, and development of revised school curricula.41132779279
Evaluating the Performance of Decision Making Units in the Food Production Industry
No full textThe proposed research focuses on the food production industry. More specifically, we are interested in evaluating the performance of this industry at firm-level. This will provide us the possibility to identify high performing firms, use them as reference units and analyze their common policies and characteristics. Since this study deals with evaluating the relative performance of one unit compared to others, the most appropriate method to be used is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). A major benefit of the DEA methodology is that, it supports the manager in order to take decisions in difficult cases, where complex relations exist between the multiple inputs and outputs involved in the activities of his/her company. This chapter presents an extensive case study involving the use of a well known Decision Support System (DSS) entitled DEA-Solver. For the purposes of this research, the most recent data available at the time of writing have been chosen, published by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. Such a choice ensures the credibility, as well as the conformity of the sampled data. The proposed model uses several variables as inputs and outputs, i.e. the number of employees, capital expenditure, R&D investment, net sales, and operating profit. Furthermore, this research aims to identify key factors / policies, which play an important role in the success of a food producer. We believe that, these findings will be of great interest to all companies in the food production industry.173192Decision Support Systems in Agriculture, Food and the Environmen
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
Building a Measurement Framework for m-Government Services
No full textThis study develops and presents a proposed framework for the measurement of mobile government (m-government)services. The measurement framework consists of: (i) identification/categorisation of m-governmentservices; (ii) sophistication stages of these services; and (iii) indicators to evaluate their progress. With respectto the methodological approach followed in the study, twenty e-government services clustered by type of activityand interaction level are ranked for importance in terms of criteria that characterise the mobile setting.Moreover, core indicators used for e-government are examined in terms of their appropriateness to the mobilesetting. According to the authors’ findings, three m-government service clusters are established, assistinggovernments to prioritise services to mobile users. A modification in the sophistication model for e-servicesis recommended for application in m-government. Finally, the proposed indicators are mainly user-focused,in accordance with the personalised nature of services delivered through mobile devices.34183
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