1,720,955 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

    2D quantitative analysis of fractures from high-resolution photos for the geomechanical characterization of rock masses

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    The identification of discontinuity sets and their properties is among the key factors for the geomechanical characterization of rock masses, which is fundamental for performing stability analyses, and for planning prevention and mitigation measures as well. In practice, discontinuity data are collected throughout difficult and time-consuming field surveys, especially when dealing with areas of wide extension, difficult accessibility, covered by dense vegetation, or with adverse weather conditions. Consequently, even experienced operators may introduce sampling errors or misinterpretations, leading to biased geomechanical models for the investigated rock mass. In the last decades, new remote techniques such as photogrammetry, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and InfraRed Thermography (IRT) have been introduced to overcome the limits of conventional surveys. We propose here a new tool for extracting information on the fracture pattern in rock masses, based on remote sensing methods, with particular reference to the analysis of high-resolution georeferenced photos. The first step consists in applying the Structure from Motion (SfM) technique on photos acquired by means of digital cameras and UAV techniques. Once aligned and georeferenced, the orthophotos are exported in a GIS software, to draw the fracture traces at an appropriate scale. We developed a MATLAB routine to extract information on the geostructural setting of rock masses by performing a quantitative 2D analysis of the fracture traces, based on formulas reported in the literature. The code was written by testing few experimental and simple traces and was successively validated on an orthophoto from a real case study. Currently, the script plots the fracture traces as polylines and calculates their orientation (strike) and length. Subsequently, it detects the main discontinuity sets by fitting an experimental composite Gaussian curve on histograms showing the number of discontinuities according to their orientation, and splitting the curve in simpler Gaussian curves, with peaks corresponding to the main discontinuity sets. Then, for each set, a linear scanline intersecting the highest number of traces is plotted, and the apparent and real spacing are calculated. In a second step, a grid of circular scanlines covering the whole area where the traces are located is plotted, and the mean trace intensity, trace density and trace length estimators are calculated. It is expected to test the presented tools on other case studies, in order to optimize them and calculate additional metrics, such as persistence and block sizes, useful to the geomechanical characterization of rock masses. As a future perspective, a similar approach could be investigated for 3D analyses from point clouds

    Qdc-2d: A semi-automatic tool for 2d analysis of discontinuities for rock mass characterization

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    Quantitative characterization of discontinuities is fundamental to define the mechanical behavior of discontinuous rock masses. Several techniques for the semi-automatic and automatic extraction of discontinuities and their properties from raw or processed point clouds have been introduced in the literature to overcome the limits of conventional field surveys and improve data accuracy. However, most of these techniques do not allow characterizing flat or subvertical outcrops because planar surfaces are difficult to detect within point clouds in these circumstances, with the drawback of undersampling the data and providing inappropriate results. In this case, 2D analysis on the fracture traces are more appropriate. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, few methods to perform quantitative analyses on discontinuities from orthorectified photos are publicly available and do not provide a complete characterization. We implemented scanline and window sampling methods in a digital environment to characterize rock masses affected by discontinuities perpendicular to the bedding from trace maps, thus exploiting the potentiality of remote sensing techniques for subvertical and low-relief outcrops. The routine, named QDC-2D (Quantitative Discontinuity Characterization, 2D) was compiled in MATLAB by testing a synthetic dataset and a real case study, from which a high-resolution orthophoto was obtained by means of Structure from Motion technique. Starting from a trace map, the routine semi-automatically classifies the discontinuity sets and calculates their mean spacing, frequency, trace length, and persistence. The fracture network is characterized by means of trace length, intensity, and density estimators. The block volume and shape are also estimated by adding information on the third dimension. The results of the 2D analysis agree with the input used to produce the synthetic dataset and with the data collected in the field by means of conventional geostructural and geomechanical techniques, ensuring the procedure’s reliability. The outcomes of the analysis were implemented in a Discrete Fracture Network model to evaluate their applicability for geomechanical modeling

    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

    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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    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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