scholarly journals Miksi suomalaisen tutkimuksen tuottavuus kasvoi, mutta laatu heikentyi?

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olli Poropudas

Performance-based research funding systems are often assumed to create an increasing pressure to publish among academics. Presumption is that national level incentives put pressure on researchers to increase quantity of publishing at the expense of quality (publishing pressure hypothesis). Janne Pölönen and Otto Auranen argued in their article in Information Studies 2 (36) that the hypothesis does not apply to Finland. The purpose of this article is to continue the discussion on the hypothesis. I repeat the empirical study by Pölönen and Auranen, and I will end up with somewhat opposite results. Secondly, I discuss the factors affecting the productivity and quality of research. Changes in productivity and quality of research are not just related to the introduction of publications as a criterion for research funding, but the range of explanatory factors is much wider. I will highlight the make-up of researchers, the amount of funding and competitive funding, and look at their explanatory power in respect to the changes of the productivity and the impact of Finnish scientific research.

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Scotti ◽  
Annalisa De Silvestri ◽  
Luigia Scudeller ◽  
Paola Abele ◽  
Funda Topuz ◽  
...  

Introduction Novel bibliometric indexes (commonly known as altmetrics) are gaining interest within the scientific community and might represent an important alternative measure of research quality and output. Aims We evaluate how these new metrics correlate with established bibliometric indexes such as the impact factor (IF), currently used as a measure of scientific production as well as a criterion for scientific research funding, and how they might be helpful in assessing the impact of research. Methods We calculated altmetrics scores for all the articles published at our institution during a single year and examined the correlation between altmetrics scores and IFs as a measure of research quality and impact in all departments. Results For all articles from the various departments published in a single year, the altmetrics score and the sum of all IFs showed a strong and significant correlation (Spearman's rho 0.88). The correlation was significant also when the major components of altmetrics, including Facebook, Twitter and Mendeley, were analyzed. The implementation of altmetrics has been found to be easy and effective at both the researcher and librarian levels. Conclusions The novel bibliographic index altmetrics is consistent and reliable and can complement or be considered a valid alternative to standard bibliometric indexes to benchmark output and quality of research for academic and funding purposes.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 975
Author(s):  
Antonio Copak ◽  
Vlatka Jirouš-Rajković ◽  
Nikola Španić ◽  
Josip Miklečić

Oriented strand board (OSB) is a commonly used structural wood-based panel for walls and roof siding, but recently the industry has become interested in OSB as a substrate for indoor and outdoor furniture. Particleboard is mainly used in furniture productions and has become popular as a construction material due to its numerous usage possibilities and inexpensive cost. Moisture is one of the most important factors affecting wood-based panel performance and the post-treatment conditions affected their affinity to water. When OSB and particleboard are used as substrates for coatings, their surface characteristics play an important role in determining the quality of the final product. Furthermore, roughness can significantly affect the interfacial phenomena such as adsorption, wetting, and adhesion which may have an impact on the coating performance. In this research particleboard and OSB panels were sanded, re-pressed and IR heated and the influence of surface treatments on hardness, roughness, wetting, water, and water vapour absorption was studied. Results showed that sanding improved the wetting of particleboard and OSB with water. Moreover, studied surface treatments increased water absorption and water penetration depth of OSB panels, and re-pressing had a positive effect on reducing the water vapour absorption of particleboard and OSB panels.


Author(s):  
Руслан Юрьевич Павлов

Актуальность статьи связана с поиском новых способов и методов повышения эффективности борьбы с преступностью, оперативного раскрытия преступлений, а также с набирающим популярность среди криминалистов направлением «криминалистического мышления», овладение навыками которого будет способствовать наиболее полноценному и объективному расследованию уголовных дел. Проблемным в настоящее время является недостаточное качество следствия и необходимость повышения когнитивных способностей следователей (дознавателей). Задачей исследования являлось выявление факторов, влияющих на развитие и формирование криминалистического мышления следователей. Цель работы - провести анализ составных частей процесса становления следователя и особенностей его практической деятельности, влияющих на когнитивные способности с точки зрения криминалистики, путем изучения и сравнения имеющихся материалов по данной тематике. Анализу подвергнуты личностные качества следователя, особенности образовательного процесса и влияние опыта на результаты работы, а также факторы, сопутствующие следственной деятельности (организация труда, уровень стресса, нагрузки и т. д.). Результат проведенного исследования выражен в определении проблемных факторов, влияющих на формирование криминалистического мышления следователя (дознавателя) и возможных путей их преодоления, важности такого мышления, которое остается знанием, постоянно сориентированным в сторону практики. The relevance of the article is related to the search for new ways and methods to improve the effectiveness of the fight against crime, the prompt detection of crimes, as well as the trend of «forensic thinking», which is gaining popularity among criminalists, mastering the skills of which will contribute to the most complete and objective investigation of criminal cases. Problems at present are insufficient quality of investigation and the need to improve the cognitive abilities of investigators (inquirers). The task of the study was to identify factors that influence the development and formation of forensic thinking of investigators. The purpose of the work is- to analyze the components of the process of formation of an investigator and features of his practical activities affecting the cognitive abilities in terms of forensics by studying and comparing existing materials on this topic. The analysis is subjected to the personal qualities of an investigator, the peculiarities of the educational process and the impact of experience on the results of work, as well as factors associated with the investigative activity (organization of work, stress and stress levels, etc.). The result of the study is expressed in the definition of problematic factors affecting the formation of forensic thinking of an investigator (inquirer) and possible ways to overcome them, the importance of such thinking, which remains knowledge, constantly oriented towards practice


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 2174-2174
Author(s):  
Michelle Neier ◽  
Michele P. Lambert ◽  
Rachael F. Grace ◽  
Kerry Hege ◽  
Stephanie Chiu ◽  
...  

Background: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an immune mediated bleeding disorder characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia. ITP can have a variety of presentations from asymptomatic to life threatening bleeding. Although childhood ITP is most often a self-resolving illness which can be closely observed without intervention, it can be associated with significant impact on quality of life (QoL). Prospective studies of QoL in ITP patients show that there is not always a correlation with treatment or disease severity. The pathway from initial presentation to final diagnosis varies and may include encounters with emergency room, primary care or specialty providers. There have been no published studies to date showing the impact of factors prior to the diagnosis of ITP on treatment decision making and QoL. Objective: To identify the role of physician-patient and physician-caregiver interactions on the QoL and emotional well-being of patients and their families. Ascertaining the impact of pre-diagnosis factors may provide an opportunity to improve access and quality of care provided. Methods: The ITP Consortium of North America (ICON) "Pathways" study was a multicenter observational prospective cohort study focused on the pathways to diagnosis of ITP. The study was supported by a Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Research Fund Grant. Subjects were included if they had presumed primary ITP and were age >12 months to <18 years. Subjects were excluded if they had secondary ITP, including Evans syndrome. Treatment was determined by the physician. Subjects were consented and presented with questionnaires to be completed at the conclusion of the initial hematology visit. The hematologist also completed survey data at that time. Survey data forms included demographic form, physician form, Peds QL Family Impact Questionnaire, Kids ITP tools (KIT) Parent Impact Report and parent proxy report, and child (patient) KIT self-report. There was a parent questionnaire which included a question about worry with a scale from 0 to 10. Study data were collected and managed using REDCap electronic data capture tools hosted at Atlantic Health System. Correlation between variables were calculated using Pearson coefficient or Spearman's rho depending on the distribution of the data variables. Results: Sixty subjects and caregivers were enrolled at 6 ICON centers; 52 were eligible for inclusion. The majority (40%) had Grade 1 bleeding. Most patients (82%) were seen in outpatient hematology clinic by the hematologist and had been referred by the emergency room (73%). The median time to consultation with a hematologist from onset of symptoms was 7 days (1-199) and the median time to diagnosis by hematologist from initial contact with a health care provider was 5 days (0-154). Most subjects had seen 2 health care providers prior to the hematologist. KIT proxy report cumulative scores were a mean of 76.03 (SD 14.72). There was no significant difference between the time to diagnosis or the time from initial encounter with health care provider to hematologist and initial level of worry (p=0.70 and 0.90, respectively). There was also no significant difference between the time to diagnosis or the time from initial encounter with health care provider to hematologist and KIT proxy scores (p=0.96 and 0.50, respectively). However, there was a significant decline in level of worry (scale 0-10) prior to the hematologist visit (median 8, range 1-10) to after the visit (median 4, range 1-10). The association between number of medical providers encountered prior to diagnosis and KIT proxy scores was not significant (p=0.45) (Table). Conclusions: In this study at 6 teaching institutions, we were unable to detect a significant difference in proxy-reported KIT scores relative to the number of health care providers seen or time from diagnosis until the first encounter with the hematologist. We were, however, able to detect a significant change in the level of caregiver worry pre- and post- visit with the pediatric hematologist, supporting a benefit of specialist care to the caregivers of children with ITP. This study was limited by its small sample size and retrospective design. ITP is considered a benign disease but is associated with a significant amount of worry and impact on QoL for patients and caregivers which warrants further investigation. Disclosures Lambert: CSL Behring: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Other; Bayer: Other: Ad boards; Novartis: Other: Ad boards, Research Funding; Shionogi: Consultancy; Kedrion: Consultancy; Sysmex: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; PDSA: Research Funding. Grace:Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding.


Foods ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
Carlos Álvarez ◽  
Leonard Koolman ◽  
Michael Whelan ◽  
Aidan Moloney

Tenderness, together with flavour, is the main quality trait that defines consumer acceptance of sheep meat. The factors affecting tenderness can be grouped as those influenced before slaughter, in the early post-mortem intervention and, finally, during the aging period. These factors have been extensively studied with respect to tenderness, but the impact of early post-mortem interventions and subsequent aging on the microbial quality of the final products has not been broadly reviewed to date. In this review, the authors summarize the most recent knowledge on lamb meat tenderness management and how such practices may impact the final meat quality, especially its microbial status. The impacts of pre-slaughter factors (age, sex, diet, genotype and transport) and post-mortem interventions (chilling regime, electrical stimulation, or hanging method), are described and comprehensively discussed.


Author(s):  
Shubham Dubey ◽  
Biro Piroska ◽  
Manjulata Gautam

The world is changing rapidly, so is academics. E-learning has altered the area of academics and education. ICT enabled learning has given ideal services to students by providing any type of content on demand which is proportional to the performance of students. The concentration of learner has been found instinctive; thus there is a need of engaging mind towards course progress with its entirety till the objectives of the course will be achieved. There are several e-learning platforms available as EdX, Udacity, Khan Academy, Alison those have a number of learners registered for various courses. Studies suggest that these platforms suffer from the common problem of learners’ dropping out. Investigations also claim early leaving rate is increasing due to lack of quality of content, distraction factors, learners’ mind change, outdated and succinct information, and some more detraction factors. These issues have been observed on the basis of early leaving rates in various MOOCs. Thus there is a mammoth scope for minimizing the impact of these reasons on the learners’ mind. It can be achieved by identifying these factors affecting learners’ motivation during the course. This study is aiming on identifying these factors. The approach is to explore some certain keywords on previous literature (total 41) and then calculating their frequencies and co-factors associated with them. Both grouped factors contribution and individual factor contribution have been taken care. The study gives a direction for future work towards overcoming these actor and engaging learners in ICT enabled learning.


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 01029
Author(s):  
Zuzana Stofkova ◽  
Peter Seemann

Research background: The paper deals with the quality of life and the impact of the pandemic COVID-19 on people’s lives in Slovakia and in selected region. The concept of quality of life and dimensions of quality of life, which are necessary for its evaluation are mentioned, too. It also describes the current state of the issue in Slovakia and abroad on the basis of the selected indicators, where individual countries of the world are compared. Purpose of the article: There are mentioned approaches to quality of life assessment and to conduct a survey of quality of life in a selected region which deals with the development of the quality of life. The paper deals with the analysis of the current state of the problem in Slovakia and abroad. Various definitions of the term quality of life through several authors and views. Methods: Indices in a global and national level for assessment of selected aspects of objective and subjective quality of life in terms of pandemics COVID-19 are mentioned. In order to assess the impact of a pandemic related to COVID-19 on satisfaction of citizens with several aspects of their lives in selected region is analyzed on the basis of an e-survey. Findings & Value added: The result of the article is a comparison of individual indicators of the subjective quality of life in selected EU member states and the Slovak Republic. A survey of the satisfaction of the inhabitants of selected region with selected areas of quality of their lives connected with the COVID-19 pandemic is carried out in order to monitor and evaluate the quality of life at the level of local governments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Zev Fried

Market reaction to surprises in earnings announcements has long been used to measure the quality of the information content of the announcement, and studies have explored various factors affecting the response. This study adds to this body of research by factoring in the level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) exhibited by the firm and employs a relatively new measure of a company’s level of CSR, rankings published by JUST Capital. I hypothesize that financial information reported by higher ranked companies is weighed more heavily by investors than those reported by non-ranked or lower-ranked companies. Using earnings response coefficients as a measure of the perceived quality of the financial information reported by the firms, my results provide direct support of the hypothesis, indicating that the market reacts more strongly to earnings surprises for firms with high JUST rankings than for unranked firms or firms with lower rankings. This result contributes new insights into the impact of a firm’s CSR in terms of the perceived quality of a firm’s financial reporting.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Chavane ◽  
Martinho Dgedge ◽  
Patricia Bailey ◽  
Osvaldo Loquiha ◽  
Marc Aerts ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe contraceptive prevalence rate in Mozambique was estimated as 11.3% in the last Demographic and Health Survey. The impact of family planning (FP) on women's health and on the reduction of maternal mortality is well known.MethodsAcknowledging the importance of user satisfaction in the utilisation of health services, exit interviews were used to assess women's satisfaction with FP services in Mozambique. The survey, conducted in 174 health facilities, was representative at the national level, covered all provinces, and both urban and rural areas.ResultsOverall, 86% of respondents were satisfied with FP services, but issues such as insufficient supplies of oral contraceptives and the low quality of healthcare provider/client interactions were given as reasons for women's dissatisfaction.ConclusionDefined actions at the level of health service provision are needed to tackle the identified issues and ensure improved satisfaction with, and better utilisation of, FP services in Mozambique.


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