High Scientific Impact Research Articles

Development of Sci‐Tech Journals in China Stimulated by the China Sci‐Tech Journal Excellence Action Plan

ABSTRACTThis study aims to evaluate the influence of the China Sci‐Tech Journal Excellence Action Plan (CJEAP) on the development of Chinese science and technology (sci‐tech) journals. The performance of bibliometric indicators of these journals before and after the implementation of this plan is examined. In particular, a discipline richness algorithm is employed to evaluate whether and how the funding plan affected the disciplinal coverage of publications. The results show that the influence of CJEAP funding in sci‐tech journals published in China is not evenly distributed. Highly funded journals appear to have expanded both the range of research areas and disciplines, and the article volume, while poorly funded journals mainly focus on attracting manuscripts with higher scientific impact but display less expanded disciplinal range. New journals funded by CJEAP are characterised with high scientific levels focusing on highly sophisticated fields, but initially featuring a relatively small article volume. Notably, a positive relationship exists between the international collaboration rate and citation ranking score, and thus the expansion of article volume with manuscripts mainly from Chinese scholars may not be conducive for enhancing the international influence of journals published in China. In summary, our results indicate that CJEAP funding has elicited powerful influence in promoting sci‐tech journals published in China, suggesting continuous funding support should be both necessary and efficient for further promoting the development of sci‐tech journals published in China.

Sourcing insights elsewhere: The positive influence of academic engagement on scientific impact

Multiple science policy initiatives in recent years have encouraged interaction between academic and non-academic actors as a way of aligning research priorities with societal challenges. Academic engagement, defined as scientists' knowledge-related interactions with non-academics, is recognised as crucial for promoting technological development and effectively addressing societal issues. However, whether such interactions stimulate or compromise fundamental scientific advances remains an open question. This paper contributes to the debate by exploring the extent to which academic engagement increases the production of cutting-edge research. We examine the relationship between scientists' interactions with non-academic actors and the production of high-impact research, using bibliometric indicators and primary data from a large-scale survey of scientists in all scientific fields affiliated with Spanish universities and public research organisations. Our results suggest an overall positive relationship between scientists' interaction with non-academic actors and the production of research findings with high scientific impact. We show, also, that this positive association is contingent on (i) the specific mode of interaction and (ii) the scientists’ previous scientific achievements. We find that modes of interaction that facilitate knowledge exchange and cooperation are particularly conducive to the publication of cutting-edge research, compared to unidirectional forms of knowledge exchange, and that renowned and reputable scientists are the best positioned to leverage the opportunities offered by partnerships with non-academic actors.

Analysis of social metrics on scientific production in the field of emotion-aware education through artificial intelligence.

Research in the field of Artificial Intelligence applied to emotions in the educational context has experienced significant growth in recent years. However, despite the field's profound implications for the educational community, the social impact of this scientific production on digital social media remains unclear. To address this question, the present research has been proposed, aiming to analyze the social impact of scientific production on the use of Artificial Intelligence for emotions in the educational context. For this purpose, a sample of 243 scientific publications indexed in Scopus and Web of Science has been selected, from which a second sample of 6,094 social impact records has been extracted from Altmetric, Crossref, and PlumX databases. A dual analysis has been conducted using specially designed software: on one hand, the scientific sample has been analyzed from a bibliometric perspective, and on the other hand, the social impact records have been studied. Comparative analysis based on the two dimensions, scientific and social, has focused on the evolution of scientific production with its corresponding social impact, sources, impact, and content analysis. The results indicate that scientific publications have had a high social impact (with an average of 25.08 social impact records per publication), with a significant increase in research interest starting from 2019, likely driven by the emotional implications of measures taken to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a lack of alignment has been identified between articles with the highest scientific impact and those with the highest social impact, as well as a lack of alignment in the most commonly used terms from both scientific and social perspectives, a significant variability in the lag in months for scientific research to make an impact on social media, and the fact that the social impact of the research did not emerge from the interest of Twitter users unaffiliated with the research, but rather from the authors, publishers, or scientific institutions. The proposed comparative methodology can be applied to any field of study, making it a useful tool given that current trends in accreditation agencies propose the analysis of the repercussion of scientific research in social media.

Evaluation of Quality Performance and Social Effectiveness of Arts and Humanities Journals Indexed in the Web of Science Database

This study aimed to evaluate the qualitative and Altmetrics status of 147 journals indexed in the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI). This practical-analytical study used qualitative indicators of journals and quantitative Altmetrics. Data was collected from Web of Science, Journal Citation Reports, and Altmetrics Explorer. The results showed that most of the journals this database covers are from European countries, and only one is from Asian countries. More than half of the reviewed journals have a score lower than average regarding Journal Citation Indicator, Eigenfactor Score, and Article influence score. In addition, 63 % of journals cite articles published less than 19 years ago. Nearly 20 % of journals were not on social media. There is a significant relationship between Journal Citation Indicator indices with Citing Half-life, Article influence score with Eigenfactor Score, and between qualitative and Altmetrics indicators. Most of the reviewed journals showed low-quality performance. These journals needed high scientific impact to increase their credibility and quality and remain in the Web of Science database.

Pasteur’s quadrant in AI: do patent-cited papers have higher scientific impact?

Pasteur’s quadrant in AI: do patent-cited papers have higher scientific impact?

The six most frequent peripheral vestibular syndromes

Three forms of peripheral vestibular disorders, each with its typical symptoms and clinical signs, can be differentiated functionally, anatomically and pathophysiologically: 1. inadequate unilateral paroxysmal stimulation or rarely inhibition of the peripheral vestibular system, e. g., BPPV, Menière's disease, vestibular paroxysmia or syndrome of the third mobile windows; 2. acute unilateral vestibulopathy leading to an acute vestibular tone imbalance manifesting as an acute peripheral vestibular syndrome; and 3. loss or impairment of function of the vestibular nerve and/or labyrinth: bilateral vestibulopathy. For all of these diseases, current diagnostic criteria by the Bárány-Society are available with a high clinical and scientific impact, also for clinical trials. The treatment depends on the underlying disease. It basically consists of 5 principles: 1. Explaining the symptoms and signs, pathophysiology, aetiology and treatment options to the patient; this is important for compliance, adherence and persistence. 2. Physical therapy: A) For BPPV specific liberatory maneuvers, depending on canal involved. Posterior canal: The new SémontPLUS maneuver is superior to the regular Sémont and Epley maneuvers; horizontal canal: the modified roll-maneuver; anterior canal the modified Yacovino-maneuver; 3. Symptomatic or causative drug therapy. There is still a deficit of placebo-controlled clinical trials so that the level of evidence for pharmacotherapy is most often low. 4. Surgery, mainly for the syndrome of the third mobile windows. 5. Psychotherapeutic measures for secondary functional dizziness.

The laboratory didactics in the training-learning processes of sea sciences applied to cultural heritage and environment: the case of "An Ocean of Science" project

The "An Ocean of Science" project encourages effective interventions and innovative educational paths to support the growth of knowledge and skills in schools, helping competent institutions to guarantee more inclusive cohesion policies with a high cultural and scientific impact. The project also provides innovation in education and training by providing cultural and socio-educational development opportunities in the framework of cultural heritage located in the marine environment and sea protection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects and involvement of secondary school students during several educational laboratory activities, focusing on the development of their practical skills and training. With a view to active learning, which makes the students actors, responsible and aware of the learning process, this study shows an experimental work designed to demonstrate the usefulness and the validity of the scientific approach as the main pillar of the teaching of the sciences related to the marine issues, with special focus to submerged cultural heritage and sea pollution.

Minding the communications gap: How can universities signal the availability and value of their scientific knowledge to commercial organizations?

We posit that a communications gap exists between universities and commercial organizations, attributed to their idiosyncratic goals, interests, and incentives. To bridge this gap, universities need to recognize and leverage observable differences in the strength of signals and the width of channels used to disseminate their scientific knowledge externally. We explore these ideas by analyzing knowledge dissemination and academic engagement activities in 133 UK universities in the period 2011–2019. Our analysis shows that universities with a lower scientific impact have a higher intensity of collaborative research, contract research, and consultancy activities if they communicate that impact through more prominent scientific outlets. In turn, universities with a higher scientific impact have a lower intensity of interaction with commercial organizations if they communicate their scientific impact through less prominent scientific outlets. We further reveal that universities with a higher economic impact show a higher intensity of collaborative research. At the same time, we find no evidence that the social impact generated by universities is linked to the intensity of university-industry interaction, no matter the channels through which that impact is communicated. Using these findings, we draw implications for practice and policy.

A Systematic Literature Review on the Applications of Robots and Natural Language Processing in Education

Natural language processing (NLP) is the art of investigating others’ positive and cooperative communication and rapprochement with others as well as the art of communicating and speaking with others. Furthermore, NLP techniques may substantially enhance most phases of the information-system lifecycle, facilitate access to information for users, and allow for new paradigms in the usage of information-system services. NLP also has an important role in designing the study, presenting two fields converging on one side and overlapping on the other, namely the field of the NAO-robot world and the field of education, technology, and progress. The selected articles classified the study into four categories: special needs, kindergartens, schools, and universities. Our study looked at accurate keyword research. They are artificial intelligence, learning and teaching, education, NAO robot, undergraduate students, and university. In two fields of twelve journals and citations on reliable/high-reputation scientific sites, 82 scientific articles were extracted. From the Scientific Journal Rankings (SJR) website, the study samples included twelve reliable/high-reputation scientific journals for the period from 2014 to 2023 from well-known scientific journals with a high impact factor. This study evaluated the effect of a systematic literature review of NAO educational robots on language programming. It aimed to be a platform and guide for researchers, interested persons, trainees, supervisors, students, and those interested in the fields of NAO robots and education. All studies recognized the superiority and progress of NAO robots in the educational field. They concluded by urging students to publish in highly influential journals with a high scientific impact within the two fields of study by focusing on the study-sample journals.

Publication and scientific visibility in communication. The Latin America case

Scientific production on communication issues in the world is increasing and can be evidenced in the visibility records of authors and studies in journals of high scientific impact. However, in regions such as Latin America, this production is not as desired, and continues to suffer from satisfactory indicators of visibility of the efforts of institutions and researchers. This is revealed by the exploratory research and technological surveillance and strategic intelligence carried out from the Scopus database, in observance of the Scimago Journal and Country Rank (SJR) classification in the period 2018-2022, and in comparison with the scientific production of the periods 2014-2019 and from 2000 to 2022. The visibility of scientific production in high-impact journals (quartiles: 1, 2, 3 and 4) reveals that Latin America increased not only research, but also scientific production in communication during the period 2018-2022. An unfinished formation and conformation of the field of communication deserves to listen to the heartbeat of all regions of the world (Torrico, 2011) and provoke reflection on the constitutive history of the field of knowledge, as well as communication research (Vidales, 2015), at times in which science has and can access greater possibilities for its strengthening.

Interdisciplinary research and technological impact: evidence from biomedicine

Interdisciplinary research (IDR) has been considered as an important source for scientific breakthroughs and as a solution to today’s complex societal challenges. While ample empirical evidence has suggested its benefits within the academia such as better creativity and higher scientific impact and visibility, its societal benefits—a key argument originally used for promoting IDR—remain relatively unexplored. Here, we study one aspect of societal benefits, that is contributing to the development of patented technologies, and examine how IDR papers are referenced as “prior art” by patents over time. We draw on a large sample of biomedical papers published in 23 years and measure the degree of interdisciplinarity of a paper using three popular indicators, namely variety, balance, and disparity. We find that papers that cites more fields (variety) and whose distributions over those cited fields are more even (balance) are more likely to receive patent citations, but both effects can be offset if papers draw upon more distant fields (disparity). These associations are consistent across different citation-window lengths. We further find that conditional on receiving patent citations, the intensity of their technological impact, as measured as both raw and quality-adjusted number of citing patents, increases with balance and disparity. Our work may have policy implications for interdisciplinary research and scientific and technological impact.

Immediate impact of yogic breathing on pulsatile cerebrospinal fluid dynamics

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear fluid bathing the central nervous system (CNS), undergoes pulsatile movements. Together with interstitial fluid, CSF plays a critical role for the removal of waste products from the brain, and maintenance of the CNS health. As such, understanding the mechanisms driving CSF movement is of high scientific and clinical impact. Since pulsatile CSF dynamics is sensitive and synchronous to respiratory movements, we are interested in identifying potential integrative therapies such as yogic breathing to regulate CSF dynamics, which has not been reported before. Here, we investigated the pre-intervention baseline data from our ongoing randomized controlled trial, and examined the impact of four yogic breathing patterns: (i) slow, (ii) deep abdominal, (iii) deep diaphragmatic, and (iv) deep chest breathing with the last three together forming a yogic breathing called three-part breath. We utilized our previously established non-invasive real-time phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging approach using a 3T MRI instrument, computed and tested differences in single voxel CSF velocities (instantaneous, respiratory, cardiac 1st and 2nd harmonics) at the level of foramen magnum during spontaneous versus yogic breathing. In examinations of 18 healthy participants (eight females, ten males; mean age 34.9 ± 14 (SD) years; age range: 18–61 years), we observed immediate increase in cranially-directed velocities of instantaneous-CSF 16–28% and respiratory-CSF 60–118% during four breathing patterns compared to spontaneous breathing, with the greatest changes during deep abdominal breathing (28%, p = 0.0008, and 118%, p = 0.0001, respectively). Cardiac pulsation was the primary source of pulsatile CSF motion except during deep abdominal breathing, when there was a comparable contribution of respiratory and cardiac 1st harmonic power [0.59 ± 0.78], suggesting respiration can be the primary regulator of CSF depending on the individual differences in breathing techniques. Further work is needed to investigate the impact of sustained training yogic breathing on pulsatile CSF dynamics for CNS health.

THE PROPOSED CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY: INTERFACE OF THE CREATIVE ECONOMY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GRADUATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - PDPG LEGAL AMAZÔNIA

This research presents the proposal presented by UFMA called Conservation of biodiversity: the interface of the creative economy with environmental quality, linked to thematic area II - Biodiversity, conservation and environmental recovery. The proposal is intended to address the issue of biodiversity conservation in an interdisciplinary way, together with sociocultural aspects, to expand academic links between them and promote dialogue between their research groups, to enhance academic production of high scientific impact, considering the Eastern Amazon of Maranhão, particularly the Baixada Maranhense and Reentrâncias Maranhenses regions. The research aims to qualify professionals and students coming from different areas to work in teaching, research and extension, as well as in the management of public policies that prioritize themes and objects of studies focused on the Legal Amazon in Maranhão, with a focus on the Eastern Amazon, in the regions of Baixada Maranhense and Reentrâncias Maranhenses. In the pursuit of the objectives, field research was used (conducted in the place where people live and socialize; Multifactorial Survey (use of two or more data collection techniques); Inductive Method (descriptive accumulation in detail); Holistic Vision (as complete picture as possible of the study group, considering the vision of the researcher and the researched).

Bad practices in scientific writing

The communication of science involves the development of skills, one of them being scientific writing. For this reason, every researcher and scientist needs to acquire and develop these skills. At the same time, ethical training, the generation of a critical conscience and an accentuated technical profile that allows him/her to communicate his/her findings in a rigorous manner in journals of high scientific impact without resorting to undesirable practices that damage the heritage of science are imperative. The purpose of this work is to detail the manifestation of bad practices in scientific writing that will allow a researcher to identify them and beware of incurring in them, understanding that some of these behaviors are intentional and others occur due to ignorance of the person who incurs in them. Finally, this work provides suggestions to prevent and detect bad practices in scientific writing.

Shining a Light Inside the “Black Box” of NIH Application Submission and Review

What happens to applications after they are submitted to the National Institutes of Health, and how can you better prepare yourself and your application for the process of peer review? The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) works closely with the 24 funding institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health that provide funding support for projects of high scientific merit and high potential impact. CSR conducts the first level of review for the majority of grant applications submitted to the NIH, which includes 90% of R01s, 85% of Fellowships, and 95% of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) applications as well as many other research and training opportunity activities. In this capacity, CSR helps to identify the most meritorious projects, cutting-edge research, and future scientists who will advance the mission of the NIH: to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The purpose of this project is to provide an overview of 1) what happens to NIH applications before, during, and after peer review at CSR; 2) a summary of new and current peer review policies and practices that impact investigators and their submitted applications; and 3) strategies for developing a strong NIH grant application. Peer review is the cornerstone of the NIH grant supporting process, and an insider’s view can shine a light inside the “Black Box” of how the most meritorious projects are identified.

THE 4 M NEW ROBOTIC TELESCOPE PROJECT: AN UPDATED REPORT

The New Robotic Telescope (NRT) is an international collaboration to build and operate a 4m diameter fully robotic telescope. The telescope will take advantage of the superb atmospheric conditions at the Observatory of the Roque de los Muchachos (ORM). In conjunction with a large aperture, entirely robotic operation, quick response, and a set of versatile instrumentation in the optical and near-infrared this guarantees a high scientific impact focused mainly in the area of time domain astronomy. This paper presents the scientific motivation and the status of the project, discussing possible technical solutions under evaluation for the optics, mechanics and control system.

Incorporation of Active Metal Species in Crystalline Porous Materials for Highly Efficient Synergetic Catalysis.

The design and development of efficient catalytic materials with synergistic catalytic sites always has long been known to be a thrilling and very dynamic research field. Crystalline porous materials (CPMs) mainly including metal-organic frameworks and zeolites with high scientific and industrial impact have recently been the subject of extensive research due to their essential role in modern chemical industrial processes. The rational incorporation of guest species in CPMs can synergize the respective strengths of these components and allow them to collaborate with each other for synergistic catalysis, leading to enhanced catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability in a broad range of catalytic processes. In this review, the recent advances in the development of CPMs-confined active metal species, including metal nanoparticles, metal/metal oxides heteroparticles, metal oxide, subnanometric metal clusters, and polyoxometalates, for heterogeneous catalysis, with a particular focus on synergistic effects between active components that result in an enhanced performance are highlighted. Insights into catalysts design strategies, host-guest interactions, and structure-property relationships have been illustrated in detail. Finally, the existing challenges and possible development directions in CPMs-based encapsulation-structured synergistic catalysts are discussed.

Do neutral names have an influence on scientists' research impact

AbstractThe underrepresentation of women in academia and industries is a hot topic in many research fields. Studies of some occupations showed that neutral names help change the inferior positions of women. Using the publication data of the Web of Science from 2009 to 2015, this paper analyzed citations within 3 years after publication, to investigate whether a neutral name has an impact on the research impact of a scientist. The findings show that: (a) a paper is cited significantly more when the author's name sounds more neutral; (b) the effect of single author's name neutralization degree on citations shows no significant difference in different fields except “Engineering & Technology”; (c) for both men and women, first and last authors with relatively gender‐neutral names have higher scientific impact, in the fields of “Clinical, Pre‐Clinical & Health”, “Engineering & Technology”, “Life Sciences” and “Physical Sciences”. Implications of these findings are provided at the end of the manuscript.

Injuries of the upper cervical spine-how can instability be identified?

The diagnosis of instability of the injured upper cervical spine remains controversial, due to its complicated anatomical configuration and biomechanical property. Since identifying unstable injuries of the upper cervical spine is essential for immediate stabilizing therapy, this article reviews the current classification systems of upper cervical spine injuries and their statements towards instability. A systematic review of literature concerning upper cervical spine injuries was performed on the PubMed database from inception to December 2019. An English literature search was conducted using various combinations of keyword terms. Numerous separate classification systems for each specific injury of the upper cervical spine were obtained. The early classifications are based primarily on injury morphology and mechanism. The recent classifications pay more attention to the investigation of ligamentous status. Various instability criteria were established as well. The determinants involve translation, vertical distraction, angulation, rotation, obliquity of fracture line, comminution, and ligamentous disruption. The status of crucial ligaments plays a key role in determining instability of upper cervical spine injuries. CT scan is more sensitive and reliable than X-ray in detecting misalignment of the upper cervical spine. Only a few classification systems support decision-making concerning instability leading to early operative treatment. The ligamentous integrity is the key element of impacting the stability of the upper cervical spine injuries. The transverse ligament serves as the most crucial element in determining the stability of occipital condyle fractures and atlas fractures as well as atlanto-axial injury. The integrity of anterior longitudinal ligament, disc, and facet joint attributes to the stability of axis fractures. The integrity of tectorial membrane and alar ligaments determines the stability of atlanto-occipital dislocation. The development of a newly classification system concerning ligamentous instability with a high clinical and scientific impact is recommended.

Analysis of Active Neutron Measurements From the Mars Science Laboratory Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons Instrument: Intrinsic Variability, Outliers, and Implications for Future Investigations

AbstractThe Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument onboard Mars Science Laboratory uses neutron die‐away, an active nuclear spectroscopy technique, to measure the abundance and depth distribution of hydrogen and neutron‐absorbing elements (e.g., Fe and Cl) in the top ∼0.5 m of the Mars subsurface. We examined the intrinsic variability in neutron die‐away data using simulated DAN measurements with a range of compositions relevant to equatorial and high‐latitude environments on Mars. Our analysis shows that the total neutron counts and timing of neutron arrival explain most variability in thermal neutron die‐away curves for a DAN‐like instrument configuration over homogeneous subsurfaces. We analyzed the variability in thermal neutron die‐away across a variety of elemental compositions that might be observed by DAN or future instruments. We found that when H concentration is low (e.g., in equatorial regions including Gale crater), neutron die‐away is most sensitive to variations in H. Conversely, when H concentration is high (e.g., in poleward regions of Mars or icy bodies), neutron die‐away is most sensitive to variations in neutron absorbers. We estimated that the H and neutron absorber concentrations in DAN measurements acquired Sols 1–2080 in Gale crater and found that most measurements had low H and moderate absorber content. We presented an outlier analysis of these measurements to identify targets with high potential scientific impact and found that most outliers along the traverse corresponded with abnormally low or high neutron absorber content measurements, some of which may be associated with high‐silica fracture‐associated halos and felsic igneous material.