scholarly journals The Scientometric Measurement of Interdisciplinarity and Diversity in the Research Portfolios of Chinese Universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Loet Leydesdorff
Keyword(s):  
Network Structure ◽  
Technology Policy ◽  
Computer Code ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Chinese Universities ◽  
Online Application ◽  
Software Application ◽  
The Public ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Empirical Demonstration

Abstract Purpose Interdisciplinarity is a hot topic in science and technology policy. However, the concept of interdisciplinarity is both abstract and complex, and therefore difficult to measure using a single indicator. A variety of metrics for measuring the diversity and interdisciplinarity of articles, journals, and fields have been proposed in the literature. In this article, we ask whether institutions can be ranked in terms of their (inter-)disciplinary diversity. Design/methodology/approach We developed a software application (interd_vb.exe) that outputs the values of relevant diversity indicators for any document set or network structure. The software is made available, free to the public, online. The indicators it considers include the advanced diversity indicators Rao-Stirling (RS) diversity and DIV*, as well as standard measures of diversity, such as the Gini coefficient, Shannon entropy, and the Simpson Index. As an empirical demonstration of how the application works, we compared the research portfolios of 42 “Double First-Class” Chinese universities across Web of Science Subject Categories (WCs). Findings The empirical results suggest that DIV* provides results that are more in line with one's intuitive impressions than RS, particularly when the results are based on sample-dependent disparity measures. Furthermore, the scores for diversity are more consistent when based on a global disparity matrix than on a local map. Research limitations “Interdisciplinarity” can be operationalized as bibliographic coupling among (sets of) documents with references to disciplines. At the institutional level, however, diversity may also indicate comprehensiveness. Unlike impact (e.g. citation), diversity and interdisciplinarity are context-specific and therefore provide a second dimension to the evaluation. Policy or practical implications Operationalization and quantification make it necessary for analysts to make their choices and options clear. Although the equations used to calculate diversity are often mathematically transparent, the specification in terms of computer code helps the analyst to further precision in decisions. Although diversity is not necessarily a goal of universities, a high diversity score may inform potential policies concerning interdisciplinarity at the university level. Originality/value This article introduces a non-commercial online application to the public domain that allows researchers and policy analysts to measure “diversity” and “interdisciplinarity” using the various indicators as encompassing as possible for any document set or network structure (e.g. a network of co-authors). Insofar as we know, such a professional computing tool for evaluating data sets using diversity indicators has not yet been made available online.

scholarly journals A National Concept Dictionary

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Azimaee ◽  
J. Charles Victor ◽  
Marian Vermeulen ◽  
Mark Smith
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Computer Code ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Online Application ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mesh Terms ◽  
Access Controls ◽  
Search Feature ◽  
Collaborative Platform

Overall objectives or goalMost of the organizations that use population administrative data for research purposes have internal repository of validated definitions and algorithms of their own. Many of these concepts and definitions are applicable or at least adaptable to other organizations and jurisdictions. A comprehensive National (and potentially International) Concept Dictionary could help investigators to carry out methodologically sound work using consistent and validated algorithms using a shared pool of knowledge and resources. The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Ontario, Canada has recently modernized its internal Concept Dictionary by adopting standard templates based on the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) Concept Dictionary, reviewing and updating existing content and tagging the concept entries with appropriate MeSH terms and data sources, and adding standard computer code (e.g., SAS coding) where appropriate. A SharePoint® web-based application has been developed to provide advanced tagging, searching and browsing features. We envision a wiki-based Concept Dictionary hosted on a cloud-based environment with very granular access controls to provide enough flexibility for each participating organization to control their own content. This means each organization will be able to decide on how to share their own concepts (or part of them) with the public or internal users. All content will be tagged with MeSH terms and as well with the organization’s name that initially posts each entry. Other organizations which find the same concept applicable to their own use can tag the same entry with their organization name or refer to a secondary adapted entry if adaptation to fit their data and methodologies is required. The Search feature will allow refining the search criteria by MeSH terms, data sources, and also organization/jurisdiction name. Multiple layers of access controls will allow each organization to have their own groups of users with different standard privileges such as Local Administrators, Authors and Approvers (or Publishers). The Approver (Publisher) users within each organization can publish each entry for internal or public view. This way, for example, a definition/algorithm can be viewable only within the organization until the validation process is complete, and then the entry can be made publically available, while some sections, such as computer code, can remain restricted to the organization. We will discuss challenges in developing and maintaining such a platform including the costs, governance, intellectual property rights, copyrights and liabilities for the participating organizations. The intended output or outcomeWe aim to use this opportunity to form a working group from the interested organizations that are ready to participate and commit in developing this collaborative platform. After the conference, there will be follow up sessions with the members of the working group to plan and develop the online application.

Trust in the Police: Cross-country Comparisons

2012 ◽  
pp. 24-47
Author(s):  
V. Gimpelson ◽  
G. Monusova
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Crime Rates ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
The Public ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Police Activity

Using different cross-country data sets and simple econometric techniques we study public attitudes towards the police. More positive attitudes are more likely to emerge in the countries that have better functioning democratic institutions, less prone to corruption but enjoy more transparent and accountable police activity. This has a stronger impact on the public opinion (trust and attitudes) than objective crime rates or density of policemen. Citizens tend to trust more in those (policemen) with whom they share common values and can have some control over. The latter is a function of democracy. In authoritarian countries — “police states” — this tendency may not work directly. When we move from semi-authoritarian countries to openly authoritarian ones the trust in the police measured by surveys can also rise. As a result, the trust appears to be U-shaped along the quality of government axis. This phenomenon can be explained with two simple facts. First, publicly spread information concerning police activity in authoritarian countries is strongly controlled; second, the police itself is better controlled by authoritarian regimes which are afraid of dangerous (for them) erosion of this institution.

IMPLEMENTATION OF FATWA ULAMA COUNCIL ACEH CONCERNING MAINTAINING FARDHU KIFAYAH FOR THE MUSLIM’S CORPSE INFECTED BY COVID 19 IN BANDA ACEH

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andri Nirwana
Keyword(s):  
Health Workers ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Body Fluids ◽  
The Body ◽  
Analysis Approach ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Infected People ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
Banda Aceh

Abstract: The phenomenon of the people who forcibly took covid's corpse 19 from the hospital to be taken care of by Fardhu Kifayah by his family and the community, became a conclusion that there was community doubt about the management of Tajhiz Mayat conducted by the hospital. Coupled with the circulation of the video of the Ruku movement 'in the corpse prayer conducted by unscrupulous parties at the Hospital, became added doubts from the public against the hospital. To solve this problem, this research uses a Descriptive Analysis approach, namely by formulating a question, namely How to arrange Covid 19's body in Banda Aceh and this question will be answered with several theories and data sets from the field. So it was concluded in a conclusion that answered the formulation of the problems mentioned. Theoretically the spread of covid 19 is very fast, the size of the virus is only 0.1 micrometer and is in body fluids, especially nasopharyngeal fluid and oropharyngeal fluids of infected people, fluids in the body of covid 19 bodies can get out through every gap of the body such as mouth, nose, eye and rectum, because it requires special techniques in its management. Fardhu kifayah to covid 19 bodies should be carried out by trained Ustad and trained health workers, so that the spread stopped. The results of this study concluded that the management of the Moslem bodies died at Zainal Abidin Hospital in Banda Aceh was in accordance with the Fatwa of the Aceh Ulama Council (MPU) and the bodies were handled by trained Ustad and health workers.

Truck Weight Enforcement Measures of Effectiveness: Development and Software Application

1998 ◽  
Vol 1643 (1) ◽  
pp. 152-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. R. Hanscom ◽  
M. W. Goelzer
Keyword(s):  
Software Tool ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Seasonal Effects ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Software Application ◽  
Enforcement Effort ◽  
Measures Of Effectiveness ◽  
Truck Weight ◽  
Enforcement Activity

A software tool was developed to determine what is accomplished as the result of truck weight enforcement efforts. Traditionally applied measures (e.g., numbers of trucks weighed and citations issued) have simply provided indications of enforcement effort. These previously applied measures failed to provide results in terms of real enforcement objectives, such as deterring overweight trucks and minimizing pavement wear and tear. Consequently the need exists to develop and validate truck weight enforcement measures of effectiveness (MOE). MOEs were developed via a series of analytical procedures. They were subsequently validated in a comprehensive four-state field evaluation. Matched (weigh-in-motion) (WIM) data sets, collected under controlled baseline and enforcement conditions, were analyzed to determine the sensitivity of candidate MOEs to actual enforcement activity. Data collection conditions were controlled in order to avoid contamination from hour-of-day, day-of-week, and seasonal effects. The following MOEs, were validated on the basis of their demonstrated sensitivity to truck weight enforcement objectives and the presence of enforcement activity: (1) severity of overweight violations, (2) proportion of overweight trucks, (3) average equivalent single-axle load (ESAL), (4) excess ESALs, and (5) bridge formula violations. These measures are sensitive to legal load-limit compliance objectives of truck weight enforcement procedures as well as the potential for overweight trucks to produce pavement deterioration. The software User Guide that statistically compares calculated MOEs between observed enforcement conditions is described in this paper. The User Guide also allows users to conduct an automated pavement design life analysis estimating, the theoretical pavement-life effect resulting from the observed enforcement activity.

scholarly journals Benchmarking Crisis in Social Media Analytics: A Solution for the Data-Sharing Problem

2021 ◽  
pp. 089443932110122
Author(s):  
Dennis Assenmacher ◽  
Derek Weber ◽  
Mike Preuss ◽  
André Calero Valdez ◽  
Alison Bradshaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
Algorithm Design ◽  
Computational Social Science ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Social Media Analytics ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Media Data

Computational social science uses computational and statistical methods in order to evaluate social interaction. The public availability of data sets is thus a necessary precondition for reliable and replicable research. These data allow researchers to benchmark the computational methods they develop, test the generalizability of their findings, and build confidence in their results. When social media data are concerned, data sharing is often restricted for legal or privacy reasons, which makes the comparison of methods and the replicability of research results infeasible. Social media analytics research, consequently, faces an integrity crisis. How is it possible to create trust in computational or statistical analyses, when they cannot be validated by third parties? In this work, we explore this well-known, yet little discussed, problem for social media analytics. We investigate how this problem can be solved by looking at related computational research areas. Moreover, we propose and implement a prototype to address the problem in the form of a new evaluation framework that enables the comparison of algorithms without the need to exchange data directly, while maintaining flexibility for the algorithm design.

scholarly journals COVID-19 in patients undergoing chronic kidney replacement therapy and kidney transplant recipients in Scotland: findings and experience from the Scottish renal registry

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samira Bell ◽  
◽  
Jacqueline Campbell ◽  
Jackie McDonald ◽  
Martin O’Neill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Replacement Therapy ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Kidney Transplant Recipients ◽  
The Public ◽  
Transplant Patients ◽  
Kidney Replacement Therapy ◽  
Observational Cohort ◽  
Respiratory Coronavirus

Abstract Background Infection with the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a worldwide pandemic with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, overwhelming healthcare systems globally. Preliminary reports suggest a high incidence of infection and mortality with SARS-CoV-2 in patients receiving kidney replacement therapy (KRT). The aims of this study are to report characteristics, rates and outcomes of all patients affected by infection with SARS-CoV-2 undergoing KRT in Scotland. Methods Study design was an observational cohort study. Data were linked between the Scottish Renal Registry, Health Protection Scotland and the Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group national data sets using a unique patient identifier (Community Health Index (CHI)) for each individual by the Public Health and Intelligence unit of Public Health, Scotland. Descriptive statistics and survival analyses were performed. Results During the period 1st March 2020 to 31st May 2020, 110 patients receiving KRT tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 amounting to 2% of the prevalent KRT population. Of those affected, 86 were receiving haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis and 24 had a renal transplant. Patients who tested positive were older and more likely to reside in more deprived postcodes. Mortality was high at 26.7% in the dialysis patients and 29.2% in the transplant patients. Conclusion The rate of detected SARS-CoV-2 in people receiving KRT in Scotland was relatively low but with a high mortality for those demonstrating infection. Although impossible to confirm, it appears that the measures taken within dialysis units coupled with the national shielding policy, have been effective in protecting this population from infection.

Rooting Evaluation Guidelines in Relational Ethics: Lessons From Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-419
Author(s):  
Caitlin Blaser Mapitsa ◽  
Tara Polzer Ngwato
Keyword(s):  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Relational Ethics ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Evaluation Standards ◽  
The Public ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Ethical Clearance ◽  
Made In

As global discussions of evaluation standards become more contextually nuanced, culturally responsive conceptions of ethics have not been sufficiently discussed. In academic social research, ethical clearance processes have been designed to protect vulnerable people from harm related to participation in a research project. This article expands the ambit of ethical protection thinking and proposes a relational ethics approach for evaluation practitioners. This centers an analysis of power relations among and within all the different stakeholder groups in order to establish, in a context-specific manner, which stakeholders are vulnerable and in need of protection. The approach also contextualizes the nature of “the public good,” as part of an ethical consideration of interest trade-offs during evaluations. The discussion is informed by our experiences in African contexts and speaks to the “Made in Africa” research agenda but is also relevant to other global contexts where alternatives to “developed country” ontological assumptions about the roles of researchers and participations and the nature of vulnerability are being reconsidered.

scholarly journals Application of A Framework to Guide Policy on Healthcare Resource Allocation Decisions to Data Linkage Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Olver
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Data Linkage ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Policy Decisions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Resource Allocation ◽  
Allocation Decisions ◽  
Resource Allocation Decisions

IntroductionData linkage of population data sets often across jurisdictions or linking health data sets or health data with non-health data often involves balancing ethical principles such as privacy with beneficence as represented by the public good. Similar ethical dilemmas occur in health resource allocation decisions. The NHMRC have published a framework to guide policy on health resource allocation decisions that could be applied to ensure the justification of data linkage projects that is defensible as in the interest of the public good. Objectives and ApproachThe four main conditions for legitimacy of policy decisions about access to healthcare in a democracy with a public health system and limited resources wereexamined for their relevance to decisions about the use of public data and linking data sets. ResultsPublic policy decisions must be defensible and responsive to the interests of those affected. Decision-makers should articulate their reasoning and recommendations so that citizens can judge them. While the context of policy decisions will differ, their legitimacy depends upon (1) the transparency of the reasoning which should be free from conflicts of interest, the basis for decisions recorded and report widely, (2) the accountability of the decision-makers to the wider community, (3) the testability of the evidence used to inform the decision-making, which usually means that it will stand up to independent review and(4) the inclusive recognition of those the decision affects which often requires that the implications for disadvantaged groups are considered, even if they can’t always be accommodated. These conditions are interrelated but ensure that the good of society in general and not just specific dominant groups are accommodated. Conclusion / ImplicationsIt these principles are applied to decisions about data linkage projects they have clear applicability in society accepting data linkage projects having balanced the good against the ethical risks involved.

scholarly journals Methods of Administrative and Legal Protection of Tax Relations: Theoretical and Legal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
K. S. Rohozinnikova
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Administrative Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Subject ◽  
State Coercion ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Functional Purpose

The author of the article has provided the results of the analysis of the methods of administrative and legal protection taking into account the changes within the relations between public administration and taxpayers and the course chosen by the state for liberalization of tax relations. The place of the concept of the methods of administrative and legal protection in the term system of the science of administrative law and their dialectical relations with the methods of public administration and administrative activity has been established. The author has indicated generic and specific features of the methods of administrative and legal protection of tax relations, where the latter will depend on the peculiarities of the means and methods of influence used by the public administration for the purpose of exercising security functions. The system of methods of administrative and legal protection of tax relations has been offered to form from three elements: general methods of administrative activity (persuasion and coercion), service tools of influence (provision of administrative services, creation of electronic services and publication of open data sets) and organizational methods. The expediency of distinguishing service means of influence into a separate group of methods of administrative and legal protection has been proved. It is conditioned by their special functional purpose – creation of conditions for independent prevention of possible breach of protected relations by the taxpayer. The role and correlation of persuasion and coercion in the system of methods of administrative and legal protection of tax relations have been clarified. Despite the presented importance of the persuasion within the relationship between the controlling agencies and the taxpayers, it has been stated that state coercion remains the main mean of administrative and legal protection of tax relations. Particular attention has been paid on the need to reconsider the correlation of tax and administrative coercion within tax relations. It has been proved that the basis of their delimitation should be not the branch of legislation, where the authority to apply the appropriate measure is assigned, but the essential criterion and the subject matter of regulation (influence) – relations arising from incomplete calculation and late and incomplete payment of taxes and fees, or relationships related to the organization and enforcement of tax responsibilities and the proper exercise by the supervisory authorities of their powers. It has been emphasized that tax coercion, unlike administrative, performs both punitive and compensatory functions.

PASSENGER RESPONSE TIME DATA- SETS FOR LARGE PASSENGER FERRIES AND CRUISE SHIPS DERIVED FROM SEA TRIALS

2021 ◽  
Vol 155 (A2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Brown ◽  
E R Galea ◽  
S Deere ◽  
L Filippidis
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Research Group ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Evacuation Time ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cruise Ships ◽  
Passenger Ships ◽  
Unique Nature ◽  
The Subject

The paper consists of 27 figures; numerous equations and 12 notes/ references, many of which are written by the authors of this paper. Whilst this may indicate a lack of “reading around the subject” it also indicates the unique nature of the topic and that little exists at present in the public domain about this topic. Indeed the authors and the research group they represent are the main contributors to the IMOs discussions and circulars on this subject. Given that background the paper is very detailed and consists of comparisons between the evacuation times of 3 passenger ships, 2 being Ro-Pax vessels and 1 a cruise liner. On board evacuation time statistics have been gathered from significant populations enabling the authors to draw significant conclusions relating to evacuation times in the presented scenarios. The paper is therefore a useful addition to the debates on this subject which is of major relevance to the understanding of evacuation times in passenger vessels. Data and research in this area is difficult to obtain thus the authors should be congratulated for their work.

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