Research or management? An investigation of the impact of leadership roles on the research performance of academic administrators

This study quantitatively investigated whether the research performance of academic administrators (leaders) was affected by their administrative services. We sampled 111 academic administrators, including 90 department deans and 21 university presidents, from 26 universities. These leaders’ research performance was determined by the number of their publications and citations in the Web of Science databases. To compare the effect on their research performance by their administrative roles, we proposed four periods: the pre-position period, the latest position period, the reference period, and the in-position period. Statistical methods were applied to compare the research performance of the sampled administrators before and after they accepted the current administrative roles. The results suggest that 80% of academic leaders’ productivity and citation have fallen by 42 and 62% averagely. The extent of such impact varied in different disciplines. Leaders’ performance in medicine fields has declined the most (60%). The impact on research productivity appeared to be stronger for administrators serving in higher-ranking universities. In addition, the research performance of both university presidents and department deans were substantially influenced by their administrative services.     

Does motivation matter in evaluation of research institutions? Evidence from Polish public universities

The ongoing internationalisation of economies more and more intensely influences the activity of the education and science sector—consequently, the pressure to achieve the institutional and individual goals increases. Given these circumstances, the authors of this article decided to identify the relations between the type and scope of motivation used at universities and the evaluation results of their study and scientific activity. The study was carried out on Polish universities among a representative study sample of 1303 academics. For the analysis of the results, correlation analysis, regression models and data mining techniques were used. The research results indicated connections between the level of the study being carried out with such motivators as working in conditions of high innovativeness, wide access to publications and infrastructure, allowing for commercialisation of the study results. The increase in the quality level of the study is also fostered by the support and help of direct supervisors. What is demotivating is the periodic qualitative assessment and unproductive relations with the environment. The study results filled the gaps in the knowledge on the relations between the motivation and the evaluation of the university and between the range and type of motivators used in higher education.     

Does the performance of wet granulation and tablet hardness affect the drug dissolution profile of carvedilol in matrix tablets?

Wet granulation is mostly used process for manufacturing matrix tablets. Compared to the direct compression method, it allows for a better flow and compressibility properties of compression mixtures. Granulation, including process parameters and tableting, can influence critical quality attributes (CQAs) of hydrophilic matrix tablets. One of the most important CQAs is the drug release profile. We studied the influence of granulation process parameters (type of nozzle and water quantity used as granulation liquid) and tablet hardness on the drug release profile. Matrix tablets contained HPMC K4M hydrophilic matrix former and carvedilol as a model drug. The influence of selected HPMC characteristics on the drug release profile was also evaluated using two additional HPMC batches. For statistical evaluation, partial least square (PLS) models were generated for each time point of the drug release profile using the same number of latent factors. In this way, it was possible to evaluate how the importance of factors influencing drug dissolution changes in dependence on time throughout the drug release profile. The results of statistical evaluation show that the granulation process parameters (granulation liquid quantity and type of nozzle) and tablet hardness significantly influence the release profile. On the other hand, the influence of HPMC characteristics is negligible in comparison to the other factors studied. Using a higher granulation liquid quantity and the standard nozzle type results in larger granules with a higher density and lower porosity, which leads to a slower drug release profile. Lower tablet hardness also slows down the release profile.     

Does sustainable supplier co-operation affect performance? Examining implications for the triple bottom line

The increasing importance of sustainable behaviour in business has enhanced its impact on supply chain management. Firms foster sustainability in their supplier base in reaction to growing sustainability requirements in various ways, including sustainable supplier co-operation. Knowledge about the effects of sustainable supplier co-operation on firm performance is limited; therefore, this study tests antecedents and implications of sustainable supplier co-operation according to the triple bottom line. A survey of Western European firms reveals that sustainable supplier co-operation has generally positive effects on firm performance across social, green and economic dimensions. However, only green practices have positive significant effects on economic performance, not social practices (e.g., child labour rules). In contrast to practitioner perceptions, investments in sustainability, for example through sustainable supplier co-operation does indeed result in sufficient returns.     

Is patenting activity impeding the academic performance of South African University researchers?

The present study investigates whether activities related to the patenting of inventions impede or are in conflict with the academic performance of university professors, particularly the publication or the production of public knowledge. The Poisson regression model is used taking into account the confounding effects of other variables deemed to affect the publication productivity, viz.; research/faculty orientation, collaboration, etc. The study is conducted in South Africa, where university R&D is highly funded by the private sector, compared to other countries, viz. USA, UK, Germany, etc. Furthermore, within the South African institutions of learning, there are more incentives to publish than to invent. It is found that: (i) inventiveness and academic performance can co-exist and re-enforce each other, (ii) professors who are inventive have a broader network of researchers-collaborators and (iii) perform highly academically (from the NRF-rating perspective) and publish more than those who do not invent at all.     

Does the extracorporeal blood flow affect survival of the arteriovenous vascular access?

Hemodiafiltration with high‐convective volumes is associated with improved patient survival, whereby practical realization is contingent on high extracorporeal blood flow (Qb) and dialysis treatment time. However, Qb is restricted by vascular access (VA) quality and/or concerns that high Qb could damage the VA. Taking VA quality into consideration, one can investigate the relationship between Qb and VA survival. We analyzed data from 1039 patients treated by hemodiafiltration over a 21‐month period where access blood flow (Qa) measurements were also available at baseline. VA failure was defined as a surgical intervention resulting in the generation of a new VA. Qa was included as a stratification variable within a Cox regression model. A second Cox proportional hazard model with a penalized spline was used to describe the association between Qb and VA survival. Compared with Qb in the 350–357 mL/min range, a significantly higher hazard ratio (HR) for VA failure was detected for fistula only, and then only for Qb < 312 mL/min (HR: 2.361, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.251–4.453), Qb = 387–397 mL/min (HR: 1.920, 95% CI: 1.007–3.660) and Qb >414 mL/min (HR: 2.207, 95% CI: 1.101–4.424). Age, gender, diabetes, VA vintage, position of the VA, and arterial pressure were not significantly associated with outcome. The form of the penalized spline confirmed higher risk for VA failure for the lowest and the highest values of Qb. Taking Qa into consideration, no association was found between VA failure and Qb up to flows as high as approximately 390 mL/min.     

Effect of basic research and applied research on the universities’ innovation capabilities: the moderating role of private research funding

Scientometrics - This paper explores the impacts of basic research and applied research on the universities’ innovation capabilities and examines the role of private research funding. First,...     

The relationship between scientists’ research performance and the degree of internationalization of their research

Policy makers, at various levels of governance, generally encourage the development of research collaboration. However the underlying determinants of collaboration are not completely clear. In particular, the literature lacks studies that, taking the individual researcher as the unit of analysis, attempt to understand if and to what extent the researcher’s scientific performance might impact on his/her degree of collaboration with foreign colleagues. The current work examines the international collaborations of Italian university researchers for the period 2001–2005, and puts them in relation to each individual’s research performance. The results of the investigation, which assumes co-authorship as proxy of research collaboration, show that both research productivity and average quality of output have positive effects on the degree of international collaboration achieved by a scientist.     

Does mixing affect the setting of injectable bone cement? An ultrasound study

Experimental calcium sulphate bone cement has been tested by ultrasounds to characterise its progressive setting through the evolution of several acoustic properties. The acoustic impedance z(t), the density ρ (t) and the speed of sound c(t) versus the curing time have been monitored during the viscous-to-solid transition of the cement as a function of different mixing conditions. Injectability tests were also performed and the results have been related to the acoustic properties measured previously. It has been observed that further mixing after cement’s constituency, and before the initial setting time of the cement, drastically affects both the characteristic setting times and the injectability of the cement.     

What is the appropriate length of the publication period over which to assess research performance?

National research assessment exercises are conducted in different nations over varying periods. The choice of the publication period to be observed has to address often contrasting needs: it has to ensure the reliability of the results issuing from the evaluation, but also reach the achievement of frequent assessments. In this work we attempt to identify which is the most appropriate or optimal publication period to be observed. For this, we analyze the variation of individual researchers’ productivity rankings with the length of the publication period within the period 2003–2008, by the over 30,000 Italian university scientists in the hard sciences. First we analyze the variation in rankings referring to pairs of contiguous and overlapping publication periods, and show that the variations reduce markedly with periods above 3 years. Then we will show the strong randomness of performance rankings over publication periods under 3 years. We conclude that the choice of a 3 year publication period would seem reliable, particularly for physics, chemistry, biology and medicine.     

Does the light shift drive frequency aging in the rubidium atomic clock?

Frequency aging in the rubidium (Rb) vapor-cell atomic clock plays a significant role in the device's timekeeping ability. Though many researchers have speculated on the physical mechanism(s) driving the linear, deterministic frequency change (i.e., deltaf(t)/fo = At), there is little unambiguous experimental data regarding the phenomenon. Here, long-term data were used from on-orbit global positioning system (GPS) Rb clocks to examine one postulated mechanism for frequency aging (i.e., the light-shift effect). Defining the light shift of the clock's fractional frequency as alphaI/Io, where alpha is the light-shift coefficient, we find that temporal variations of the relative light intensity, I/Io, cannot account for frequency aging. However, for the population of clocks considered here, we obtain the intriguing result that alpha/A = 1.7 +/- 1.5. Thus, it may be that frequency aging is driven by the light-shift effect through temporal variations of the light-shift coefficient.     

To publish or not to publish? On the aggregation and drivers of research performance

This paper presents a methodology to aggregate multidimensional research output. Using a tailored version of the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis model, we account for the large heterogeneity in research output and the individual researcher preferences by endogenously weighting the various output dimensions. The approach offers three important advantages compared to the traditional approaches: (1) flexibility in the aggregation of different research outputs into an overall evaluation score; (2) a reduction of the impact of measurement errors and a-typical observations; and (3) a correction for the influences of a wide variety of factors outside the evaluated researcher's control. As a result, research evaluations are more effective representations of actual research performance. The methodology is illustrated on a data set of all faculty members at a large polytechnic university in Belgium. The sample includes questionnaire items on the motivation and perception of the researcher. This allows us to explore whether motivation and background characteristics (such as age, gender, retention, etc.,) of the researchers explain variations in measured research performance.     

Does academic collaboration equally benefit impact of research across topics? The case of agricultural,resource, environmental and ecological economics

Collaboration is a major factor in the knowledge and innovation creation in emerging science-driven industries where the technology is rapidly changing and constantly evolving, such as nanotechnology. The objective of this work is to investigate the role of individual scientists and their collaborations in enhancing the knowledge flows, and consequently the scientific production. The methodology involves two main phases. First, the data on all the nanotechnology journal publications in Canada was extracted from the SCOPUS database to create the co-authorship network, and then employ statistical data mining techniques to analyze the scientists’ research performance and partnership history. Also, a questionnaire was sent directly to the researchers selected from our database seeking the predominant properties that make a scientist sufficiently attractive to be selected as a research partner. In the second phase, an agent-based model using Netlogo has been developed to study the network in its dynamic context where several factors could be controlled. It was found that scientists in centralized positions in such networks have a considerable positive impact on the knowledge flows, while loyalty and strong connections within a dense local research group negatively affect the knowledge transmission. Star scientists appear to play a substitutive role in the network and are selected when the usual collaborators, i.e., most famous, and trustable partners are scarce or missing.     

Does waterborne citalopram affect the aggressive and sexual behaviour of rainbow trout and guppy?

Citalopram is one of several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) commonly found in treated sewage effluents. Accordingly, there are concerns about possible adverse effects of SSRIs on aquatic organisms, particularly behavioural effects similar to those associated with SSRI use in humans. Rainbow trout fry and adult male guppies were therefore exposed to waterborne citalopram, ranging from environmentally relevant to high concentrations (1, 10, 100 μg/L) for 3-7 days. Under these experimental conditions citalopram does not appear to cause significant effects on aggression in rainbow trout fry or on sexual behaviour in male guppies. This may be explained by a relatively low uptake of citalopram from water to fish.     

Are the strategic research agendas of researchers in the social sciences determinants of research productivity?

Scientometrics - This study analyzes the association between the strategic research agendas of researchers in the social sciences and their research performance. Based on a worldwide sample of 604...     

Does the higher citation of collaborative research differ from region to region? A case study of Economics

Many studies have found that collaborative research is, in general, more highly cited than non-collaborative research. This paper describes an investigation into the extent to which the association between high citation and collaboration for Economics articles published in 2000 varies from region to region and depends on the choice of indicator of citation level. Using data from the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) for 18 countries, 17 American states and four indicators of citation level the citation levels of the collaborative articles are compared with the citation levels of the non-collaborative articles. The main findings are that: (a) for every country and every indicator the mean citation level of the collaborative articles was at least as high as that for the non-collaborative articles, but for five US states and for at least one other indicator the citation level of collaborative articles was lower than that of non-collaborative articles, and (b) the extent to which collaborative articles were more highly cited varied considerably from country to country, from state to state, and from indicator to indicator. This indicates the importance of using multiple indicators when investigating citation advantage since the choice of indicator can change the results.     

How does the normalization of data affect the ARWU ranking?

The aim of this paper is to present new ideas in evaluating Shanghai University??s Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). In particular, this paper shall try to determine whether the normalization of data affects University ranks. In accordance with this, both the normalized and original (raw) data for each of the six variables has been obtained. Based on a sample containing the 54 US universities which are placed in the ARWU top 100, the statistical I-distance method was performed. The results showed great inconsistencies between university ranks obtained for the original and normalized data. These findings were then analyzed and the universities that had the greatest fluctuation in their ranks were noted.