scholarly journals Data Overuse in Aging Research: Emerging Issues and Potential Solutions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Mroczek ◽  
Sara J Weston ◽  
Eileen Kranz Graham ◽  
Emily C Willroth

Aging and lifespan development researchers have been fortunate to have public access to many longitudinal datasets. These data are valuable and see high utilization, yet this has a considerable downside. Many of these are heavily overused. Overuse of publicly-available datasets creates dependency among published research papers giving the false impression of independent contributions to knowledge by reporting the same associations over multiple papers. This is a potentially serious problem in the aging literature given the high use of a relatively small number of well-known studies. Any irregularities or unintentional biases in this relatively small number of samples has outsize influence on answers to key aging questions. We detail this problem, focusing on issues of dependency among studies, bias and overfitting, and contradictory estimates of the same effect from the same data in two independent publications. We provide solutions, including greater use of data sharing, pre-registrations, holdout samples, split-sample cross-validation, and coordinated analysis. We argue these valuable datasets are public resources that are being diminished by overuse, with parallels in environmental science. Taking a conservation perspective, we hold that these practices (pre-registration, holdout samples) can preserve data resources for future generations of researchers.

Macromol ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-154
Author(s):  
Efstathios V. Liakos ◽  
Maria Lazaridou ◽  
Georgia Michailidou ◽  
Ioanna Koumentakou ◽  
Dimitra A. Lambropoulou ◽  
...  

Chitin is mentioned as the second most abundant and important natural biopolymer in worldwide scale. The main sources for the extraction and exploitation of this natural polysaccharide polymer are crabs and shrimps. Chitosan (poly-β-(1 → 4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucose) is the most important derivative of chitin and can be used in a wide variety of applications including cosmetics, pharmaceutical and biomedical applications, food, etc., giving this substance high value-added applications. Moreover, chitosan has applications in adsorption because it contains amino and hydroxyl groups in its molecules, and can thus contribute to many possible adsorption interactions between chitosan and pollutants (pharmaceuticals/drugs, metals, phenols, pesticides, etc.). However, it must be noted that one of the most important techniques of decontamination is considered to be adsorption because it is simple, low-cost, and fast. This review emphasizes on recently published research papers (2013–2021) and briefly describes the chemical modifications of chitosan (grafting, cross-linking, etc.), for the adsorption of a variety of emerging contaminants from aqueous solutions, and characterization results. Finally, tables are depicted from selected chitosan synthetic routes and the pH effects are discussed, along with the best-fitting isotherm and kinetic models.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0309524X2199244
Author(s):  
Vineet Kumar ◽  
Ram Naresh ◽  
Amita Singh

The Unit Commitment (UC) is a significant act of optimization in day-to-day operational planning of modern power systems. After load forecasting, UC is the subsequent step in the planning process. The electric utilities decide in advance which units are to start-up, when to connect them to the network, the sequence in which the generating units should be shut down and for how long. In view of the above, this paper attempts on presenting a thorough and precise review of the recent approaches applied in optimizing UC problems, incorporating both stochastic and deterministic loads, based on various peer reviewed published research papers of reputed journals. It emphasizes on non-conventional energy and distributed power generating systems along with deregulated and regulated environment. Along with an overview, a comprehensive analysis of the UC algorithms reported in the recent past since 2015 has been discussed for the assistance of new researchers concerned with this domain.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e043339
Author(s):  
Camila Olarte Parra ◽  
Lorenzo Bertizzolo ◽  
Sara Schroter ◽  
Agnès Dechartres ◽  
Els Goetghebeur

ObjectiveTo evaluate the consistency of causal statements in observational studies published in The BMJ.DesignReview of observational studies published in a general medical journal.Data sourceCohort and other longitudinal studies describing an exposure-outcome relationship published in The BMJ in 2018. We also had access to the submitted papers and reviewer reports.Main outcome measuresProportion of published research papers with ‘inconsistent’ use of causal language. Papers where language was consistently causal or non-causal were classified as ‘consistently causal’ or ‘consistently not causal’, respectively. For the ‘inconsistent’ papers, we then compared the published and submitted version.ResultsOf 151 published research papers, 60 described eligible studies. Of these 60, we classified the causal language used as ‘consistently causal’ (48%), ‘inconsistent’ (20%) and ‘consistently not causal’(32%). Eleven out of 12 (92%) of the ‘inconsistent’ papers were already inconsistent on submission. The inconsistencies found in both submitted and published versions were mainly due to mismatches between objectives and conclusions. One section might be carefully phrased in terms of association while the other presented causal language. When identifying only an association, some authors jumped to recommending acting on the findings as if motivated by the evidence presented.ConclusionFurther guidance is necessary for authors on what constitutes a causal statement and how to justify or discuss assumptions involved. Based on screening these papers, we provide a list of expressions beyond the obvious ‘cause’ word which may inspire a useful more comprehensive compendium on causal language.


2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 528-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Attu ◽  
Melissa Terras

Purpose Since its launch in 2007, research has been carried out on the popular social networking website Tumblr. The purpose of this paper is to identify published Tumblr-based research, classify it to understand approaches and methods, and provide methodological recommendations for others. Design/methodology/approach Research regarding Tumblr was identified. Following a review of the literature, a classification scheme was adapted and applied, to understand research focus. Papers were quantitatively classified using open coded content analysis of method, subject, approach, and topic. Findings The majority of published work relating to Tumblr concentrates on conceptual issues, followed by aspects of the messages sent. This has evolved over time. Perceived benefits are the platform’s long-form text posts, ability to track tags, and the multimodal nature of the platform. Severe research limitations are caused by the lack of demographic, geo-spatial, and temporal metadata attached to individual posts, the limited Advanced Programming Interface, restricted access to data, and the large amounts of ephemeral posts on the site. Research limitations/implications This study focusses on Tumblr: the applicability of the approach to other media is not considered. The authors focus on published research and conference papers: there will be book content which was not found using the method. Tumblr as a platform has falling user numbers which may be of concern to researchers. Practical implications The authors identify practical barriers to research on the Tumblr platform including lack of metadata and access to big data, explaining why Tumblr is not as popular as Twitter in academic studies. Social implications This paper highlights the breadth of topics covered by social media researchers, which allows us to understand popular online platforms. Originality/value There has not yet been an overarching study to look at the methods and purpose of those who study Tumblr. The authors identify Tumblr-related research papers from the first appearing in 2011 July until 2015 July. The classification derived here provides a framework that can be used to analyse social media research, and in which to position Tumblr-related work, with recommendations on benefits and limitations of the platform for researchers.


2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 477-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Baker ◽  
Jennifer Robertson-Wilson ◽  
Whitney Sedgwick

The current study examined whether the distribution of published research papers in the field of sport psychology followed the Lotka-Price Law of scientific productivity. All authors who had published articles in five sport psychology journals from 1970 to 2000 were considered. The impact of those authors was determined by the total number of published papers in all journals. Results provided limited support for the Lotka-Price Law; however, it appeared that the field of sport psychology was less elitist than other fields. Although these findings suggest that productivity in this field is similar to that in other fields of science, more research is needed to shed light on the role of the eminent scientist and the average researcher in the advancement of knowledge in sport psychology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-165

In this section, Nikki Welyczko provides a brief synopsis of a selection of recently published research papers of potential interest to professionals in the kidney community. This research roundup aims to provide an overview, rather than a detailed critique, of the research that is presented. A full reference is provided with each study, should you wish to look at any of the papers in greater detail.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arina Viacheslavovna Balan

All components of anaesthesia have a direct or indirect depressing effect on the myocardium and functional activity of the brain. Given the initial failure of the coronary blood flow, life-threatening disorders of the heart are possible. The higher the severity of the underlying disease, the greater the risk of transient neurological deficit, stroke. Extended continuous monitoring of vital functions, careful assessment of the neurological status of the patient with special attention to the level of consciousness, the presence or absence of symptoms of increased ICP is necessary. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the beneficial effect of cardioprotectors Mexicor, Meldonium in the fight against ischemia in patients with CHD, GB in the department of surgical profile. The following methods have been used: review of literature, previously published research papers. Results: this article discusses the main drugs with cardioprotective properties, describes the positive experience of using them by specialists, and proves the effectiveness of using drugs in the long term.


Author(s):  
Saleh Shahriar

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze some peer-reviewed publications to find out the key research journals, contents, and emerging issues of the “B&R” Initiative led by China. Based on the tools and techniques of bibliometric approach, a total of 210 research papers were extracted systematically from the Scopus, Science Direct, and the Web of Science databases. The research methods integrated in this chapters are systematic literature review, bibliometric citation, authorships and affiliations, and contents analyses. This chapter argues that there are growing academic interests and attentions in the B&R research across the world. The principal reasons for the increase in research with regard to the B&R Initiative are the appearance of publications in prestigious journals, the global economic rise of China and its model of development, and the policy priorities of the government of China. The results show that a total of 32 peer-reviewed research papers were published in 10 prestigious journals.


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