Whether or Not to Utilize the Proposals in the “Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement?”

An analysis is given of the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (henceforth referred to as the Guide) and of the report EURACHEM: Quantifying Uncertainty in Analytical Measurements, Version 6 which is based on the Guide. Particular attention is devoted to considering the basic proposals of the Guide according to which the idea of error is abandoned and the new idea of uncertainty is introduced in its place. The contradictory nature of a whole range of its provisions is considered. In a number of examples taken from the Guide it is shown that its concept is inapplicable to the system of providing for the unity of measurements which relies on the centralized reproduction of the units of physical quantities and the transfer of their quantitative determination. Spheres of application of this conception following its revision are proposed.     

A Step-by-Step Approach to Using the SAS™ System for Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling

Radiation detection systems are deployed at U.S. borders to guard against entry of illicit radioactive material. This article uses realistic simulated data under different vehicle and illicit material scenarios to compare the performance of six detection methods for analyzing neutron count data collected as a vehicle passes through a radiation portal monitor, that is, a neutron count vehicle profile. The six methods are based on the cumulative count, the maximum count, sequential cumulative sum, sequential exponentially weighted moving average, comparison against a matched filter (MF) library, and a new estimated MF that estimates the shape of a neutron count vehicle profile.     

‘A Pretence of What is Not’? A Study of Simulation(s) from the ENIAC Perspective

What is the significance of high-speed computation for the sciences? How far does it result in a practice of simulation which affects the sciences on a very basic level? To offer more historical context to these recurring questions, this paper revisits the roots of computer simulation in the development of the ENIAC computer and the Monte Carlo method.

With the aim of identifying more clearly what really changed (or not) in the history of science in the 1940s and 1950s due to the computer, I will emphasize the continuities with older practices and develop a two-fold argument. Firstly, one can find a diversity of practices around ENIAC which tends to be ignored if one focuses only on the ENIAC itself as the originator of Monte Carlo simulation. Following from this, I claim, secondly, that there was no simulation around ENIAC. Not only is the term ‘simulation’ not used within that context, but the analysis also shows how ‘simulation’ is an effect of three interrelated sets of different practices around the machine: (1) the mathematics which the ENIAC users employed and developed, (2) the programs, (3) the physicality of the machine. I conclude that, in the context discussed, the most important shifts in practice are about rethinking existing computational methods. This was done in view of adapting them to the high-speed and programmability of the new machine. Simulation then is but one facet of this process of adaptation, singled out by posterity to be viewed as its principal aspect.

     

A new input indicator for the assessment of science &; technology research?

Traditional input indicators of research performance, such as research funding, number of active scientists, and international collaborations, have been widely used to assess countries’ publication output. However, while publication in today’s English-only research world requires sound research in readable English, English proficiency may be a problem for the productivity of non-native English-speaking (NNES) countries. Data provided by the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq) containing the academic profile of 51,223 Brazilian researchers show a correlation between English proficiency and publication output. According to our results, traditional input indicators may fall short of providing an accurate representation of the research performance of NNES developing countries.     

To Screen or Not to Screen? Science Discourse in Two Health Policy Controversies, As Seen through Three Approaches to the Citation Evidence

This article is an empirical study of two science and health policy controversies — "to screen or not to screen" with ultrasound in pregnancy and with mammography for breast cancer. In each case, conflicting experimental results have been published. Which of the results have been accepted within the medical science community? The article is also a theoretical and methodological study of three views of science — an institutional view, an interests view, and a semiotic view. How might each approach scientific publications as evidence? Could they be eclectically combined in a more complex view of science discourse?     

Does Regional Integration Change the Effects of Country-Level Institutional Barriers on M&A? The Case of the European Union

This paper raises the question of whether the process of regional integration experienced by the European Union (EU) has affected the growth strategies of firms pursuing cross-border mergers and acquisitions. More precisely, it examines whether the effects of known country-level barriers to cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have weakened as the EU has developed, thereby creating a propensity by firms inside and outside the EU to invest more in the region. Overall, the results show support for this idea, revealing that cultural and political barriers to cross-border M&A significantly explain the governance decision implemented by foreign buyers earlier in the life of the EU, whereas they do not after the Union has taken steps towards integration. These barriers also affect EU-based acquirers differently from non-EU-based ones. A number of implications of these findings are discussed.     

Digitalization of agriculture: A way to solve the food problem or a trolley dilemma?

The high potential of digital applications for agriculture generates enthusiasm about the future of food production. Some view the intelligence offered by digital tools as a way to solve the still pressing food problem. Nevertheless, social, ethical, political, cultural, and environmental concerns associated with digitalization loom large. In this article, using as a framework the artificial trolley dilemma – a situation in which one has to decide about the rightness of putting at risk someone trying to avoid some obvious and imminent noxious effects to a larger group of people – we present the promises and perils of agricultural digitalization. We also point out the need to develop new trajectories for the digital agricultural revolution that ensure the increase of food production without severe negative societal impacts. Although digitalization is sometimes viewed as a panacea for boosting the transition of agrifood production towards more sustainable paradigms, the trade-off may be complicated and requires in-depth analyses excavating the multiple rationales in digitalizing farming. Today, there is a need for science to prove that digitalization does have society-wide positive impacts. On the other side of the coin, the assessment and the estimation of the magnitude of the externalities that digital technologies may have require the development and application of robust evaluation methods. Finally, policies must emphasize the need to provide inclusive and open spaces for agricultural digitalization.     

Should we use the mean citations per paper to summarise a journal’s impact or to rank journals in the same field?

The mean citations per paper is used increasingly as a simple metric for indicating the impact of a journal or comparing journal rankings. While convenient, we suggest that it has limitations given the highly skewed distributions of citations per paper in a wide range of journals.     

Reducing air-pollution: A new argument for getting drivers to abide by the speed limit?

Speeding is one of the main factors of car crash-risk, but it also contributes to increasing air-pollution. In two studies we attempted to lead drivers to abide by speed limits using “reducing air-pollution” as a new argument. We presented prevention messages that highlighted the role of speeding in increasing “crash-risk”, “air-pollution”, or both (Studies 1 and 2). The messages were also positively or negatively framed (Study 2). Given that women are more concerned with environmental issues than are men, we expected the following hypotheses to be validated for women. The message with the “air-pollution” argument was expected to be evaluated more positively than the “crash-risk” message (H1). The “air-pollution” and “crash-risk and air-pollution” messages were expected to be more effective than the “crash-risk” message on the behavioral intention to observe speed limits (H2a) and on the perceived efficacy of speed-limit observance in reducing air-pollution (H2b; Studies 1 and 2). Furthermore, positive framing was expected to be more effective than negative framing (H3), and presenting a message to be more effective than presenting no message (H4; Study 2).Broadly, our results argue in favor of our hypotheses. However in Study 2, the effects of message framing did not allow us to conclude that negative or positive framing was superior. All in all, messages with the “air-pollution” argument were more effective at leading drivers to observe speed limits. Thus, environmental protection may be a fruitful route to explore for increasing road safety.     

The ‘Annie Hypothesis': Did the Death of His Daughter Cause Darwin to ‘Give up Christianity’?

This article examines one of the most widely believed episodes in the life of Charles Darwin, that the death of his daughter Annie in 1851 caused the end of Darwin's belief in Christianity, and according to some versions, ended his attendance of church on Sundays. This hypothesis, it is argued, is commonly treated as a straightforward true account of Darwin's life, yet there is little or no supporting evidence. Furthermore, we argue, there is sufficient evidence that Darwin's loss of faith occurred before Annie's death.     

The driver,the road,the rules … and the rest? A systems-based approach to young driver road safety

The persistent overrepresentation of young drivers in road crashes is universally recognised. A multitude of factors influencing their behaviour and safety have been identified through methods including crash analyses, simulated and naturalistic driving studies, and self-report measures. Across the globe numerous, diverse, countermeasures have been implemented; the design of the vast majority of these has been informed by a driver-centric approach. An alternative approach gaining popularity in transport safety is the systems approach which considers not only the characteristics of the individual, but also the decisions and actions of other actors within the road transport system, along with the interactions amongst them. This paper argues that for substantial improvements to be made in young driver road safety, what has been learnt from driver-centric research needs to be integrated into a systems approach, thus providing a holistic appraisal of the young driver road safety problem. Only then will more effective opportunities and avenues for intervention be realised.     

A complement to lexical query’s search-term selection for emerging technologies: the case of “big data”

Obtaining document sets to study emerging technologies is challenging. Researchers studying emerging technologies use lexical queries, e.g., core, expanded and evolutionary, to face this challenge. Creating lexical queries requires the selection of search-terms. Manual, automatic and semi-automatic techniques can be implemented to select search-terms. The current reported processes to select search-terms can be complemented by attending two issues. One is the lack of a systematic process for the selection of search-terms from previous literature, and the second is the evaluation of candidate search-terms’ document retrieval interdependence. We propose two steps to complement the process of selecting search-terms to create lexical queries to study emerging technologies. The first step consists of a process to systematically select search-terms from previous literature. The second is an evaluation of search-terms’ document retrieval interdependence, and for its evaluation, we propose the Significance of Interception Ratio (SIR). We tested our proposed steps setting as a reference the big-data lexical query proposed by Huang et al. (Scientometrics 105:2005–2022, 2015). The tests results show that the proposed steps can complement the current automatic methods to select search-terms. The first step increased around a 24% the recall of the reference lexical query. The increase in the recall was possible because of the addition of 37 additional search-terms and the elimination of three search-terms from the reference lexical query. In the second step (application of the SIR), five search-terms from the reference lexical query were optimized, showing a slight complementary ability when selecting search-terms.     

On the influence of nanoparticles as addition to the A356 aluminum-alloy: Is it acting as a refining or strengthening mechanism?

The effect induced by adding nanoparticles to cast hypo-eutectic aluminum 7 % silicon alloys (A356) is continually reported to show enhanced mechanical properties. The experimental results show a strengthening effect associated with an increase in ductility and/or toughness, induced by adding nanoparticles. The aim of this work is to add a contribution towards understanding the strengthening effect observed in the nanoparticles-reinforced A356 alloy. This is done by calculating the conventional incremental summation of several strengthening mechanisms contributing to strengthening and reinforcement in composites. The results obtained by applying the mathematical calculations are compared with the experimental results reported in literature. Based on the mathematical approach, this work shows that the main strengthening mechanisms acting for metal matrix nano composites (MMNCs) are those contributing to the strengthening of the matrix. These result from contributions by Orowan strengthening and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and elastic modulus (EM) mismatch.     

To what extent do SMEs contribute to Europe’s patent stock? A methodological outline for creating a Europe-wide SME technology indicator

Scientometrics - In this paper, we outline a methodology to assess the contribution of SMEs in corporate patenting for an extended set of European countries. The methodology consists of...