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Scientific Journals (scientific + journal)
Selected AbstractsSUPPORTING THE NEED FOR RIGOROUS ENFORCEABLE DISCLOSURE POLICIES FOR SCIENTIFIC JOURNALSADDICTION, Issue 11 2009JENNIFER SASS No abstract is available for this article. [source] Scientific Journals can Advance Tropical Biology and Conservation by Requiring Data ArchivingBIOTROPICA, Issue 4 2010Article first published online: 26 MAY 2010, Emilio M. Bruna No abstract is available for this article. [source] The continuing rise of contact dermatitis, Part 2: The scientific journalCONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 4 2009Derek R. Smith Background: Although citation analysis represents an increasingly common method for examining the performance of scientific journals, few longitudinal studies have been conducted in the specialist fields of dermatology. Objectives: The objective of this study was to provide the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of Contact Dermatitis for the 30-year period between 1977 and 2006. Materials and Methods: Detailed historical data were extracted from the Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports® and systematically analysed. The most highly cited articles published in the journal were also identified and then examined for citation frequency and lag time. Results: Citation analysis showed that the impact factor of Contact Dermatitis has increased significantly over the past 30 years, experiencing a sixfold improvement between 1977 and 2006. Conclusions: Bibliometric trends as identified in the current study clearly demonstrate the ongoing rise of Contact Dermatitis, from early beginnings in the mid-1970s, into the leading scientific periodical we know today. [source] Alcohol research and the alcoholic beverage industry: issues, concerns and conflicts of interestADDICTION, Issue 2009Thomas F. Babor ABSTRACT Aims Using terms of justification such as ,corporate social responsibility' and ,partnerships with the public health community', the alcoholic beverage industry (mainly large producers, trade associations and ,social aspects' organizations) funds a variety of scientific activities that involve or overlap with the work of independent scientists. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the ethical, professional and scientific challenges that have emerged from industry involvement in alcohol science. Method Source material came from an extensive review of organizational websites, newspaper articles, journal papers, letters to the editor, editorials, books, book chapters and unpublished documents. Results Industry involvement in alcohol science was identified in seven areas: (i) sponsorship of research funding organizations; (ii) direct financing of university-based scientists and centers; (iii) studies conducted through contract research organizations; (iv) research conducted by trade organizations and social aspects/public relations organizations; (v) efforts to influence public perceptions of research, research findings and alcohol policies; (vi) publication of scientific documents and support of scientific journals; and (vii) sponsorship of scientific conferences and presentations at conferences. Conclusion While industry involvement in research activities is increasing, it constitutes currently a rather small direct investment in scientific research, one that is unlikely to contribute to alcohol science, lead to scientific breakthroughs or reduce the burden of alcohol-related illness. At best, the scientific activities funded by the alcoholic beverage industry provide financial support and small consulting fees for basic and behavioral scientists engaged in alcohol research; at worst, the industry's scientific activities confuse public discussion of health issues and policy options, raise questions about the objectivity of industry-supported alcohol scientists and provide industry with a convenient way to demonstrate ,corporate responsibility' in its attempts to avoid taxation and regulation. [source] An overview of ethnicity and assessment of family history in primary care settingsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 10 2006Ann Maradiegue PhD(c), FNP-C (Instructor, Family Nurse Practitioner Program) Abstract Purpose: To discuss the importance of and the nurse practitioner's (NP's) role in the assessment of ethnicity/family of origin in conducting a multigenerational family history in primary care settings. Data sources: A review of the literature on past research results addressing racial and ethnic disparities and current articles from scientific journals exploring the relationship between race and genetics. Web sites were from the National Institutes of Health, the Human Genome Research Institute, the National Cancer Institute, and the Health and Human Services Minority Health and Disparities report. Conclusions: The family history has received renewed interest due to the sequencing of the human genome. A multigenerational family history is an important first step in screening for a multitude of disorders impacted by genetic susceptibility, shared environments, and common behaviors. Assessment of the patient's ethnicity/family of origin is an integral part of the multigenerational family history, particularly in the diagnosis of chronic diseases and the assessment of risks for genetic disorders. The multigenerational family history is important in diagnosis, predictive genetic testing, disease prevention, and health promotion. Challenges facing NPs and the utilization of a multigenerational family history in the current U.S. health system include (a) training clinicians on the correct assessment and utilization of a multigenerational family history, (b) assessment of the subtleties of ethnicity and identifying multiple ethnic groups within a family, (c) collection of the family history in a manner that is sensitive to the cultural beliefs of individuals, and (d) avoidance of stereotyping Implications for practice: Significant advances in genetics and genetic testing requires that NPs be well versed in collecting and interpreting a multigenerational family history to include assessment of the patient/family's ethnicity/family of origin. The ability to effectively conduct and evaluate the individual's and family's health risk through a multigenerational family history will be important in diagnosis, health promotion, disease prevention, and the determination for genetic counseling referral and predictive testing when appropriate. Assessment of risk and prevention of disease is also important in reducing health disparities. [source] Critical review of the vector status of Aedes albopictusMEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2004N. G. Gratz Abstract., The mosquito Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae), originally indigenous to South-east Asia, islands of the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, has spread during recent decades to Africa, the mid-east, Europe and the Americas (north and south) after extending its range eastwards across Pacific islands during the early 20th century. The majority of introductions are apparently due to transportation of dormant eggs in tyres. Among public health authorities in the newly infested countries and those threatened with the introduction, there has been much concern that Ae. albopictus would lead to serious outbreaks of arbovirus diseases (Ae. albopictus is a competent vector for at least 22 arboviruses), notably dengue (all four serotypes) more commonly transmitted by Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.). Results of many laboratory studies have shown that many arboviruses are readily transmitted by Ae. albopictus to laboratory animals and birds, and have frequently been isolated from wild-caught mosquitoes of this species, particularly in the Americas. As Ae. albopictus continues to spread, displacing Ae. aegypti in some areas, and is anthropophilic throughout its range, it is important to review the literature and attempt to predict whether the medical risks are as great as have been expressed in scientific journals and the popular press. Examination of the extensive literature indicates that Ae. albopictus probably serves as a maintenance vector of dengue in rural areas of dengue-endemic countries of South-east Asia and Pacific islands. Also Ae. albopictus transmits dog heartworm Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy) (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) in South-east Asia, south-eastern U.S.A. and both D. immitis and Dirofilaria repens (Raillet & Henry) in Italy. Despite the frequent isolation of dengue viruses from wild-caught mosquitoes, there is no evidence that Ae. albopictus is an important urban vector of dengue, except in a limited number of countries where Ae. aegypti is absent, i.e. parts of China, the Seychelles, historically in Japan and most recently in Hawaii. Further research is needed on the dynamics of the interaction between Ae. albopictus and other Stegomyia species. Surveillance must also be maintained on the vectorial role of Ae. albopictus in countries endemic for dengue and other arboviruses (e.g. Chikungunya, EEE, Ross River, WNV, LaCrosse and other California group viruses), for which it would be competent and ecologically suited to serve as a bridge vector. [source] The geomorphic work of George Leslie Adkin (1888,1964) and glaciation in the Tararua Range, North Island, New ZealandNEW ZEALAND GEOGRAPHER, Issue 1 2007M. S. Brook Abstract:, Research initiated in 1909 by G. Leslie Adkin (1888,1964) suggested Park Valley in the Tararua Range was glaciated during the Late Quaternary, based on the ,U-shaped' cross-profiles in the uppermost parts of several valleys. Findings were published, but were not met with universal acceptance. Adkin's work remained the only glacial research undertaken on the North Island's axial ranges until the latter part of the 20th century. Adkin holds a special position in New Zealand, because although he worked full-time as a farmer he published nearly 40 articles in scientific journals on topics as varied as M,ori archaeology and geomorphology. [source] Price development in important anesthesia and critical care medicine journals in comparison to journals of other disciplinesACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 4 2001J. Boldt Background: In today's climate of financial restrictions, libraries and individual subscribers complain about the price increase of scientific journals. The development in prices of anesthesia/critical care journals was analysed over the past 6 years and compared to prices of some journals of other disciplines. Methods: Important journals in the categories Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine & Critical Care, Surgery, Medicine (General), and Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems listed in the 1999 Science Citation Index of Journal Citation Report were included and prices for the years 1995 to 2000 were analysed. Results: Increase in prices ranged from +13% to +199%. The mean increase in journal prices was lowest in the category Anesthesiology (+61%), higher in the category Critical Care (+73%), and highest in the category Medicine, General (+101%). Changes in the impact factor (IF) varied widely, ranging from a decrease (Lancet: ,43%; J Neurosurg Anesth: ,44%) to a tremendous increase (e.g. Reg Anesth +165%; Ann Emerg Med +149%). The journals' size (number of articles or pages) did not increase proportionally with the increase in prices. Conclusion: A disproportionate rise in journal prices was seen over the past 6 years. The large increase in cost may have multiple reasons. The rapidly increasing cost of research journals may affect research quality because economic pressure may result in reduction in availibility of information due to cancellation of subscriptions to journals. [source] Changes in the impact factor of anesthesia/critical care journals within the past 10 yearsACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 7 2000J. Boldt Background: The impact factor (IF) is published by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). There is a tendency to assess quality of scientific journals with the help of the IF. An analysis of the changes in the IF over time in the different specialities may help to further enlighten the worth and problems of the IF. Methods: The IFs listed under the subheadings Anesthesiology and Emergency Medicine & Critical Care in the Science Citation Index , Journal Citation Report were descriptively analysed over the past 10 years. Additionally, IFs of some other important journals (subheadings Surgery, Cardiovascular, General Medicine) were analysed. Results: The IF of most of the journals showed a constant increase over the years (average in Anesthesiology: +65%; average in Emergency Medicine & Critical Care: +145%). IFs of the highest ranked journals of other specialities showed a similar increase over the years (average in surgical journals: +56%; average in cardiac journals: +59%; average in general journals: +40%). More Anesthesiology and Emergency Medicine & Critical Care journals originated from the USA show an IF >2.0 over the past 10 years than do European journals. Conclusion: Although the value of the IF is highly controversial, it is a frequently used tool to assess rating of a medical journal. Anesthesiology and Emergency Medicine & Critical Care journals showed a continuous increase in the IF over the past 10 years. [source] Fate of abstracts presented at five International Conferences on Pharmacoepidemiology (ICPE): 1995,1999PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 2 2002P. Stolk Abstract Background Meetings are an important way of exchanging scientific information, but full diffusion of new information can only be achieved when results are published in scientific journals. Purpose (1) To determine the publication frequency of accepted abstracts for the yearly international conferences on pharmacoepidemiology (ICPE) and to examine predicting variables; (2) if published, to determine impact differences between ,oral' and ,poster' abstracts and to determine type and nature of publishing journals. Results Overall, one out of three abstracts resulted in a publication in the peer-reviewed journals studied. Abstracts from North America were more often presented orally than abstracts from Europe, but had lower publication chances. ,Oral' abstracts were more likely to be published than ,poster' abstracts; abstracts with a strong methodological content had a lower publication frequency. Most of the published abstracts were found in pharmacology and pharmacy journals (33%) and journals on specific clinical topics (30%). Conclusions Only one out of three papers presented at ICPE ends up in established peer-reviewed journals. Although the publication characteristics for ICPE are not very different from other conferences, there are certain questions that warrant further investigation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Global Ranking of Political Science DepartmentsPOLITICAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 3 2004Simon Hix Rankings of academic institutions are key information tools for universities, funding agencies, students and faculty. The main method for ranking departments in political science, through peer evaluations, is subjective, biased towards established institutions, and costly in terms of time and money. The alternative method, based on supposedly ,objective' measures of outputs in scientific journals, has thus far only been applied narrowly in political science, using publications in a small number of US-based journals. An alternative method is proposed in this paper , that of ranking departments based on the quantity and impact of their publications in the 63 main political science journals in a given five-year period. The result is a series of global and easily updatable rankings that compare well with results produced by applying a similar method in economics. [source] A Comparison Study of Models and Fitting Procedures for Biphasic Viral Dynamics in HIV-1 Infected Patients Treated with Antiviral TherapiesBIOMETRICS, Issue 1 2000A. Adam Ding Summary. The study of HIV dynamics is one of the most important developments in recent AIDS research. It has led to a new understanding of the pathogenesis of HIV infection. But, although important findings in HIV dynamics have been published in prestigious scientific journals in the last 5 years, the model-fitting procedures used in these publications have not been studied in any detail. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of four model-fitting procedures proposed and used in biphasic HIV dynamic data analysis via extensive Monte Carlo simulations. We propose some guidelines for practitioners to select an appropriate method for their own data analysis. Real data examples from an AIDS clinical trial are provided as illustrations. [source] Bridging the Gap: How Can Information Access and Exchange Between Conservation Biologists and Field Practitioners be Improved for Better Conservation Outcomes?BIOTROPICA, Issue 5 2009Terry Sunderland ABSTRACT It is widely accepted that there is a considerable gap between the science of conservation biology and the design and execution of biodiversity conservation projects in the field and science is failing to inform the practice of conservation. There are many reasons why this implementation gap exists. A high proportion of papers published in scientific journals by conservation biologists are seldom read outside of the academic world and there are few incentives for academics to convert their science into practice. In turn, field practitioners rarely document their field experiences and experiments in a manner that can meaningfully inform conservation scientists. Issues related to access to scientific literature, scientific relevance in multidisciplinary environments, donor expectations and a lack of critical analysis at all levels of conservation theory and practice are factors that exacerbate the divide. The contexts in which conservation biologists and field practitioners operate are also often highly dissimilar, and each has differing professional responsibilities and expectations that compromise the ability to learn from each other's expertise. Building on recent debate in the literature, and using case studies to illustrate the issues that characterize the divide, this paper draws on the authors' experiences of project management as well as academic research. We identify five key issues related to information exchange: access to scientific literature, levels of scientific literacy, lack of interdisciplinarity, questions of relevance and lack of sharing of conservation-related experiences and suggest new ways of working that could assist in bridging the gap between conservation scientists and field practitioners. [source] The number of authors of scientific publicationsACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 5 2004Rolf Zetterström As in most other scientific journals, the number of authors per paper published in Acta Paediatrica is gradually increasing. In the 2003 volume, the number of authors was six or more in about one-third of the Regular papers and Clinical observations. The editorial board has handled several conflicts of interest due to disputes about authorship. Conclusion: Editors of scientific journals should promote a policy with the aim of creating a true balance between authorship and originality of papers. [source] Bibliometric data: a disaster for many non-American biomedical journalsACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 10 2002R Zetterström Bibliometric data published by the Institute of Scientific Information in Philadelphia (ISI), and which was previously discussed in Acta P,diatrica, has increasingly been used despite all the relevant and severe criticism that has been raised against this method of evaluating individual research results and grading scientific journals. It is obvious that the present trend regarding the use of bibliometric data as a basis for priorities and funding of research and for the promotion of individual scientists favours American-oriented research projects at the expense of those that are based on concepts of predominantly European relevance. Conclusion: For the future of non-American research, it is important that no single super-power, i.e. the USA, should dominate scientific priorities. The condition for efficient European competition is that European Centres with high levels of competence for creative research and training of scientists from all over the world are established. In addition, it is important that the results of European research are published in prestigious European journals, as was the situation before World War II. [source] | ||||||||||||||||