Information Science Research Articles

The text mining approach to investigate active areas of library and information science and discover emerging topics

Purpose This study aims to adopt text mining to discover emerging topics in librarianship and information science research in the last decade. Based on the number of citations obtained during the previous 10 years, the authors selected emerging topics in this study and evaluated the strength of their presence. Additionally, the authors determined if the trend was substantial over time and identified the active topics in library and information science (LIS) through the past 10 years. Design/methodology/approach All library and medical information studies were retrieved by the WC = “Information Science & Library Science” tag in the Web of Science. Python programming was used for data analysis. The topics were identified by combining the unsupervised deep learning algorithms TOP2VEC and the term frequency-inverse document frequency and also the Mann–Kendall trend test is used to determine whether the trend was significant over time. Findings Following text mining, the total data from 2012 to 2021 was 63,712. Eleven main topics were also extracted: academic education of LIS, acquisition and collection development, publishing articles, cataloging and classification, journalism, knowledge management, infometrics, social media, university ranking, information and communication technologies and information storage and retrieval. Knowledge management has experienced the greatest growth over the past 10 years. Originality/value This analysis reveals which fields are prioritized and which are neglected by the LIS. The findings of this study can help researchers discover newer topics, focus on less-seen subjects and prevent repetitive research in one area.

Analysing the impact of academic policies and interventions on research productivity in Indian library and information science

PurposeThis study seeks to examine the progression of research productivity and patterns among Indian researchers in library and information science (LIS). This study seeks to better understand the transition from intrinsic to extrinsic research motivation, focussing on the influential consequences of governmental interventions. Additionally, the study aims to assess the effects of government regulations, such as University Grant Commission (UGC) guidelines and initiatives like National Institutional Ranking Framework, IQAC (An Internal Quality Assurance Cell) and UGC-CARE (Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics), on academic autonomy and the cultivation of a “publish or perish. The goal is to determine the effectiveness of these policies in driving research output within the LIS domain in India by analysing the relationship between publishing policies and research output.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected using the Scopus bibliographical database between 1976 and 2023 and yielded 2,853 records from 222 journals. To understand Indian researchers’ contributions to LIS, the dataset is categorized into three groups: Category A (all publications), Category B (excluding Indian journals) and Category C (excluding Indian journals and discontinued journals) to analyse trends over time. Statistical analysis was utilized using descriptive methods, t-tests, ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation and Microsoft Excel 2019 and Biblioshiny were used for visualization.FindingsThe study found a significant increase in top-tier journal publications, collaborative research and citations post-2010, corresponding with the adoption of UGC rules stressing publishing criteria for academic promotions. Library Philosophy and Practice emerged as the most chosen publishing source, while Delhi University and the University of Kashmir demonstrated outstanding research output. The study also emphasizes geographical discrepancies, the rise of newly established departments and a significant increase of authors publishing in different publications. Correlation analysis found strong connections between publication year, journal quartile, citations and author count.Research limitations/implicationsThe study acknowledges limitations, including potential biases in the Scopus database and search strategy adopted. The constraints might affect the applicability of the results. However, the insights acquired contribute to comprehending the dynamic research landscape in Indian LIS, guiding future research paths and academic policy decisions.Originality/valueThis study offers novel insights into the evolving dynamics of research productivity among Indian LIS researchers, elucidating the impact of government initiatives and academic policies. Examining patterns in publishing, preferences among academic journals and the behaviour of authors yields useful insights for policymakers, academic institutions and researchers seeking to improve research output and excellence in the field.

Uma <i>transição </i>para a vida terrestre

Alana Moraes has a PhD in anthropology from the National Museum of UFRJ, and is a researcher and professor at CAAF, the center for archaeology and forensic anthropology at UNIFESP, where she coordinates the Human Rights and Social Struggles specialization course. She is a researcher at Pimentalab-UNIFESP and also at LAVITS, the Latin American Network for the Study of Surveillance, Technology and Society. She recently completed a post-doctorate at IBICT-UFRJ (Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology) on cosmopolitical conflicts and knowledge regimes in the Anthropocene.

Deep FS: A Deep Learning Approach for Surface Solar Radiation

Contemporary environmental challenges are increasingly significant. The primary cause is the drastic changes in climates. The prediction of solar radiation is a crucial aspect of solar energy applications and meteorological forecasting. The amount of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface (Global Horizontal Irradiance, GHI) varies with atmospheric conditions, geographical location, and temporal factors. This paper presents a novel methodology for estimating surface sun exposure using advanced deep learning techniques. The proposed method is tested and validated using the data obtained from NASA’s Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Centre (GES DISC) named the SORCE (Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment) dataset. For analyzing and predicting accurate data, features are extracted using a deep learning method, Deep-FS. The method extracted and provided the selected features that are most appropriate for predicting the surface exposure. Time series analysis was conducted using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), with results demonstrating superior performance compared to traditional methodologies across standard performance metrics. The proposed Deep-FS model is validated and compared with the traditional approaches and models through the standard performance metrics. The experimental results concluded that the proposed model outperforms the traditional models.

Theory of quantum circuits with Abelian symmetries

Quantum circuits with gates (local unitaries) respecting a global symmetry have broad applications in quantum information science and related fields, such as condensed-matter theory and quantum thermodynamics. However, despite their widespread use, fundamental properties of such circuits are not well understood. Recently, it was found that generic unitaries respecting a global symmetry cannot be realized, even approximately, using gates that respect the same symmetry. This observation raises important open questions: What unitary transformations can be realized with k-local gates that respect a global symmetry? In other words, in the presence of a global symmetry, how does the locality of interactions constrain the possible time evolution of a composite system? In this work, we address these questions for the case of Abelian (commutative) symmetries and develop constructive methods for synthesizing circuits with such symmetries. Remarkably, as a corollary, we find that, while the locality of interactions still imposes additional constraints on realizable unitaries, certain restrictions observed in the case of non-Abelian symmetries do not apply to circuits with Abelian symmetries. For instance, in circuits with a general non-Abelian symmetry such as SU(d), the unitary realized in a subspace with one irreducible representation (charge) of the symmetry dictates the realized unitaries in multiple other sectors with inequivalent representations of the symmetry. Furthermore, in certain sectors, rather than all unitaries respecting the symmetry, the realizable unitaries are the symplectic or orthogonal subgroups of this group. We prove that none of these restrictions appears in the case of Abelian symmetries. This result suggests that global non-Abelian symmetries may affect the thermalization of quantum systems in ways not possible under Abelian symmetries. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Evidence Synthesis Instructional Offerings in Library and Information Science Programs

Objective – The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which evidence synthesis (ES) is incorporated into American Library Association (ALA)-accredited master’s level Library and Information Studies (LIS) programs. The study considered the depth of coverage, interest in additional curriculum content, and preferences for expanding existing coverage. Methods – A cross-sectional survey was implemented. Program administrators and instructors currently involved with ALA-accredited master’s level LIS programs in Canada and the United States were eligible to participate. Recruitment emails targeted faculty and administrators from a directory of institutions offering ALA-accredited MLIS programs. Results – 26 eligible responses from 20 unique institutions were obtained. Most respondents reported that ES is incorporated into the curriculum, albeit only briefly in most cases. Most of the respondents expressed interest in incorporating more ES content into the curriculum, specifically as a portion of a course. A greater number of respondents would prefer to bring in external guest speakers to teach the ES content, but a small percentage were interested in training for existing LIS instructors. Conclusion – In-depth instruction on ES in LIS programs is currently limited. However, there appears to be interest in increasing ES content in curricula, primarily in the form of guest lecturers.

Improving quantum synchronization by manipulating auxiliary qubits in a dissipative model

Abstract Quantum phase synchronization is studied in a dissipative model via an analytic approach. It is found that a robust phase preference using the Husimi Q-function against decoherence for both the Markovian and non-Markovian regimes can be obtained by manipulating auxiliary qubits in a reservoir. Specifically, we show that quantum phase synchronization can be significantly improved by adding a number of auxiliary qubits for both the Markovian and non-Markovian regimes. We also find that a steady quantum phase synchronization can be obtained in the long-time limit, which is only dependent on the number of auxiliary qubits regardless of the Markovian or non-Markovian regimes. We give some intuitive interpretations of the obtained results. Overall, our results are of theoretical interest in the enhancement of quantum phase synchronization in noisy environments, and may have potential applications in quantum information science.

Debates tácitos

The article studies two moments of the School of Information Sciences of the National University of Córdoba: 1966 and 1971, the first attempt of creation and its effective foundation, respectively. The working hypothesis is that each of these instances was constituted by theoretical-political debates, as well as by social circumstances, which contributed to the initial ways of outlining the study of communication. The methodology used is a case analysis, for which documentary review techniques and archival material were employed. It is concluded that the debates of different actors refer to the socio-historical moment in which the undergraduate program was institutionalized and to theoretical conceptualizations, elements that contributed to the study of communication at that time.

On the calibration of multiscale geographically and temporally weighted regression models

Spatiotemporal analysis and modeling have long been key foci of geographical information science. In a recent paper, Wu et al. expanded the local spatial modeling technique of multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) to incorporate a temporal component. This new model is named multiscale geographically and temporally weighted regression (MGTWR). Despite the utility of expanding MGWR to incorporate a temporal weighting function in addition to the existing spatial one, the approach developed by Wu et al. has two limitations: the bandwidth selection algorithm cannot guarantee an optimal result and no formulation for the effective number of parameters (ENPs) in the model is given. To address these issues, this paper describes a procedure to derive an optimal temporal and an optimal spatial bandwidth for MGTWR and also develops a formula for the ENPs in the model. The former ensures the reliability of the model outputs while the latter is essential for making reliable inferences from the local parameter estimates generated in the calibration of models by MGTWR. These advances in the MGTWR framework are demonstrated through applications to simulated and real-world data.

Mapping Doctoral Research in Library and Information Science in India, 1950-2023

Mapping Doctoral Research in Library and Information Science in India, 1950-2023

Консервативно-традиционалистская повестка в межпартийной дискуссии в современной России

The article is devoted to the place of conservative-traditionalist topics in the actual political agenda of Russia in the last decade. The research is based on the materials of the project Actual political agenda of Russia in inter-party debate, executed in the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the supervision of the author. It was established that conservative-traditionalist themes began to enter the country’s current political agenda since the mid-2010s. Three of the 24 questions related to it belong to the foreign policy issue domain, the rest to the worldview one. 16 of the 24 questions meet the criteria of including in the current political agenda, that is, on the one hand, they generate polarization of positions, and on the other hand, they involve a fairly wide range of participants in the discussion. Factor analysis of party positions on conservative-traditionalist agenda issues revealed two dimensions: “modernists versus traditionalists” and “conservatives versus liberals”. In the first one, liberals (Yabloko and New People) are opposed to everyone else; in the second one, the main opponents are Yabloko and Rodina. The comparison of these two dimensions with main political dimensions and subject sub-dimensions, identified in the framework of the Actual political agenda project, shows that the dimension “modernists— traditionalists” correlates most strongly with the sub-dimension “originalists— Westerners” in the worldview issue domain and the first main political dimension, which in turn also correlates most strongly with the same sub-dimension. The dimension “conservatives—liberals” correlates most strongly with the sub-dimension “hawks—doves” in the foreign policy issue domain. In general, the author’s research gives grounds to assert that conservative-traditionalist topics, which, in particular, introduce into the agenda such concepts as sovereignty, great power and empire, play a leading role in the formation of the political space of present-day Russia, and over the past year it has reached its peak.

Scientometric analysis of library & information science research: An international journal: 2015-2022

This study examines articles published in the "Journal Library & Information Science Research: An International Journal." A scientometric analysis was conducted on 298 contributions from 32 issues over an eight-year period (2015–2022). It was found that the highest number of contributions, 47 (15.77%), were published in 2022. The majority of contributions (100 out of 298) were authored by two individuals. The degree of collaboration varied between 0.56 and 0.82, with an average degree of collaboration of 0.71 during the selected period. Standard statistical tools were used to ensure credible outcomes. This study highlights trends and collaboration patterns in research published in the journal, providing insights into the evolving dynamics of authorship and research productivity in the field of library and information science. The analysis demonstrates how collaborative efforts have become more prominent over the years, indicating a shift towards more cooperative research endeavors. These findings are crucial for understanding the development and dissemination of knowledge within the field.

Quoting Nothing

This paper argues that the practice of employing bare pairs of quotation marks to represent the empty string in formal linguistics and computer science is well-founded in the implicit conventions governing the use of quotation marks in natural language. In the framework of the Inscriptional Theory of Quotation (ITQ), it is argued that sentences containing empty quotation (i.e., empty quotational sentences) are grammatical and meaningful. Furthermore, the notion of an empty string is employed in the analysis of reported speech to provide a unified account that identifies mixed quotation as the primary form of reported speech.

From Turns to Networks: Multiplicity in Rhetorical Agency

This article examines rhetorical agency by using advanced bibliometric methods, arguing for a refined approach that recognizes multiple forms of rhetorical agency. By employing methodologies from information science, this study also illuminates often-overlooked infrastructural dynamics among scholars, specifically in how scholarship has materialized and enforced through textual citations. The analysis supplements traditional historical narratives of theory, introducing a dynamic conceptualization of rhetorical agency as an interconnected network. This paper forwards a multifaceted understanding of rhetorical agency, envisioned as comprising at least five intertwined networks. This article consequently provides a novel approach for analyzing disciplinary history by considering how citationality carries material traces of the past.

GESTÃO DE BANCO DE DADOS: IMPACTOS DA TECNOLOGIA IN-MEMORY NA GESTÃO DE DADOS ORGANIZACIONAIS

It is known that nowadays, with large amounts of information, organizations have felt the need to manage and share this information quickly and efficiently. However, information is only strategic and becomes knowledge when it is managed effectively. By providing effective mechanisms for managing large groups of information, the so-called Data Management Systems fulfill the function of making the task of maintaining and retrieving large amounts of data easier. This research, based on theoretical contributions from Information Science and on frameworks of Information Technology tools, aims to analyze and optimize the process of controlling subcontractor contracts and equipment rental of a heavy construction company. This work aims to conduct a comparative study, based on general aspects of performance, between relational databases on disk and in memory. To this end, a system was used to load data into the chosen databases, as well as queries were performed to analyze the performance of read and write operations in the chosen databases.

Students' situational engagement profiles in formal and informal science learning environments

AbstractStudent engagement is widely considered to be a multidimensional construct consisting of behavioral, cognitive, and affective components. Recent research has examined student engagement in science learning contexts using holistic approaches that account for multidimensionality through the identification of engagement profiles. However, it is not yet clear whether identified science engagement profiles are consistent across different samples, different learning environments, or different modes of measurement. Using data from three extant datasets involving middle‐ and high‐school aged youth, we explored the consistency of students' situational engagement profiles across science learning environments (formal and informal) and modes of measurement (experience sampling and end‐of‐class reports). Results from latent profile analyses of students' behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement identified four common profiles across the three datasets, though each dataset had its own unique profile solution (ranging from five to seven profiles). Consistent profiles across the three datasets included universally low, moderate, recreational, and full engagement. Three additional engagement profiles were identified (rational, purposeful, and busy engagement), though they emerged inconsistently across the samples. Findings speak to the applicability of conceptual frameworks of engagement to science learning contexts. Results are discussed considering environmental (formal vs. informal learning environments) and methodological considerations (experience sampling vs. end of class report).

Understanding Risk Communication Through a Postcolonial Theory Perspective: Lessons from Three Studies on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

AbstractThis article uses postcolonial theory to examine optimal risk communication practices of new risks and scientific information to non-indigenous communities. The article calls on risk communication scholars and health practitioners to embrace postcolonial theory as it provides a critical and reflective framework to examine ontological beliefs and methodological and structural aspects in the communication of public health messages. The article draws on insight from three studies on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy within Scotland’s African, Caribbean, and Black communities between March 2021 and April 2022. The article offers new insight into why some communities hesitate to respond to public health messages such as vaccine uptake advice. Therefore, risk communication scholars should use the postcolonial lens to examine their assumptions, thinking, and perspectives on communicating new science and risk information in emergencies. Postcolonial theory enables risk communication scholars to address power imbalances, representation, and inclusion challenges in public health communication and trust-building efforts.

Artificial Intelligence Integration in Academic Libraries: Perspectives of LIS Professionals in India

ABSTRACT This study explores the perspectives of library and information science (LIS) professionals in India regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into library services. Utilizing a quantitative research methodology, the study gathers data through structured surveys to assess the perceived benefits, required AI competencies, and awareness levels among these professionals. The findings reveal a strong inclination towards AI adoption, highlighting its potential to enhance data analysis, automate routine tasks, and improve information retrieval. Additionally, the study identifies crucial AI-related skills necessary for LIS professionals, emphasizing the importance of technical, analytical, and ethical competencies in successfully navigating AI’s integration. The results also underscore the need for targeted training and infrastructural investments to overcome resource limitations and ethical concerns. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on AI’s transformative role in library services, particularly within the context of developing countries like India. It offers insights that can inform future strategies for AI adoption in libraries.

The Response of the Annual Rotation Width of Tea Trees to Climate Change in the Brown Mountains of Yunnan Province

Yunnan is located in the southwestern part of China, with rich tea tree germplasm resources and diversified geomorphological and climatic features, which help us to carry out research related to tea tree chronology and provide scientific and effective support information for enriching the database of tree rings in western Yunnan. This study took the Brown Mountain tea tree in Xishuangbanna as the research object, collected tea tree sample cores through tree growth cone sampling, measured the width of the annual rings, cross-dated them, and established a chronology of the width of the annual rings of the tea tree. The R language was used to analyze the response function of the tea tree’s annual ring chronology with the climatic factors of the study site, discussed the relationship between the radial growth of the tea tree in subtropical regions and climatic factors, and determined the main factors that affected the radial growth of the tea tree. The results of the study showed that the chronology of the tea tree’s whorl width spanned 70 years (1954–2023), with an average annual growth rate of 1.283 mm/year; the average sensitivity was 0.514, which indicated that the chronology contained richer climatic information. The representativeness of the sample group of the whorl width index (EPS) was 0.716, indicating that the consistency of the growth inter-annual variations was better among the different trees. The radial growth was correlated with climatic factors such as temperature and moisture; the radial growth of the tea tree was usually more sensitive to moisture availability, limited by hydrological and climatic factors throughout the rainy season of the year, and positively correlated with the temperature in summer and autumn. In terms of the stability of the radial growth of the tea tree in relation to the climatic response, the growth of the tea tree in the study area may have benefited from future warming of the climate and reduction in precipitation.

ANALYSIS OF MANGROVE FOREST VEGETATION ON MOLAS BEACH, BUNAKEN DISTRICT, MANADO CITY

The lack of scientific information about the current condition of the mangrove ecosystem on the Molas beach in the Bunaken District of Manado City is an important reason to conduct a study related to the analysis of mangrove forest vegetation. The purpose of this research is to identify the types of mangroves and to find the Important Value Index (INP) of mangroves on the Molas beach in the Bunaken District of Manado City. Data collection was conducted using the line transect method with plots at only one observation station, which was then analyzed to determine the Importance Value Index (INP). Based on the observations, it was found that four types of mangroves were present at the research location. The dominant mangrove species are Bruguiera Cylindrica, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Aegiceras cosniculatum, and Ceriops tagal. The substrate condition, which is dominated by muddy sand, and the water quality parameters that affect mangrove growth generally still meet the standards for mangrove growth. The species Ceriops tagal has the highest values of Relative Density, Relative Frequency, and Relative Dominance, resulting in the highest INP. Meanwhile, the lowest INP was found in the species Bruguiera gymnorrhiza in the tree category