Beyond authorship: Analyzing contributions in PLOS ONE and the challenges of appropriate attribution

Purpose:This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of authorship attributions in scientific publications,focusing on the fairness and precision of individual contributions within academic works.Design/methodology/approach:The study analyzes 81,823 publications from the journal PLOS ONE,covering the period from January 2018 to June 2023.It examines the authorship attributions within these publications to try and determine the prevalence of inappropriate authorship.It also investigates the demographic and professional profiles of affected authors,exploring trends and potential factors contributing to inaccuracies in authorship.Findings:Surprisingly,9.14%of articles feature at least one author with inappropriate authorship,affecting over 14,000 individuals(2.56%of the sample).Inappropriate authorship is more concentrated in Asia,Africa,and specific European countries like Italy.Established researchers with significant publication records and those affiliated with companies or nonprofits show higher instances of potential monetary authorship.Research limitations:Our findings are based on contributions as declared by the authors,which implies a degree of trust in their transparency.However,this reliance on self-reporting may introduce biases or inaccuracies into the dataset.Further research could employ additional verification methods to enhance the reliability of the findings.Practical implications:These findings have significant implications for journal publishers,Beyond authorship:Analyzing contributions in PLOS ONE and Maddi,A.,&the challenges of appropriate attribution highlighting the necessity for robust control mechanisms to ensure the integrity of authorship attributions.Moreover,researchers must exercise discernment in determining when to acknowledge a contributor and when to include them in the author list.Addressing these issues is crucial for maintaining the credibility and fairness of academic publications.Originality/value:This study contributes to an understanding of critical issues within academic authorship,shedding light on the prevalence and impact of inappropriate authorship attributions.By calling for a nuanced approach to ensure accurate credit is given where it is due,the study underscores the importance of upholding ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

National Social Investment Programmes in Nigeria:A Descriptive Analysis of the Socio-Economic Contributions of N-Power Programme in Benue State

This study analysed the socio-economic contributions of N-Power programme amongst the beneficiaries of the scheme in Benue State.Prior to the introduction of N-Power programme,successive administrations in Nigeria have made concerted efforts towards improving the standard of living of the citizenry through the execution of various welfare or social intervention programmes,but not much successes were recorded.Learning from the mistakes of the past regimes,and by way of deliberate state policy,the Buhari’s government initiated a multi-pronged social investment policy,one of which is the N-power programme that came onboard in 2016,which also doubles as the subject of this study.To achieve the goal of this study,a combination of desktop research and survey design was employed.Questionnaires were administered to 390 respondents through a combination of stratified and random sampling techniques.The results of the survey were matched with that of the secondary data obtained through online websites and other related sources.The result indicated that N-Power made positive contributions to the socio-economic life of the beneficiaries in Benue State:specifically,the scheme contributed in poverty eradication,employment generation,skills acquisitions and capacity building.However,some aspect of our findings revealed that the programme has a number of challenges such as:inadequate cash support,delay in monthly cash transfer to beneficiaries,distance participants had to move to their work stations,absence of posting in N-Teach scheme,and lack of adequate working tools amongst others.To salvage this problem the paper recommended the following solutions:expansion of the scheme to cover N-Teach and other aspects,increment in the monthly cash transfer to cushion the high rate of inflation,support for the participants/beneficiaries in transportation and logistics,enrolment of more youth into the various schemes,proper monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the schemes amongst others.

An Analysis of Innovative Contributions to the Important Discourse on the Development of New Quality Productivity

The discourse on developing high-quality productivity marks a significant theoretical innovation,which is conducive to the modernization and sinicization of Marxism.It refines our understanding of“new quality productivity,”defining it as an advanced form driven by innovation,embodying“high technology,efficiency,and quality,”with the aim of comprehensively enhancing productivity.It elucidates the necessity of cultivating such forces,asserting that they are crucial for achieving high-quality development,securing a leading position in global technology,and fulfilling the aspirations for a better life.Moreover,it outlines a new implementation route,emphasizing strategies such as fostering technological autonomy,nurturing emerging industries,integrating education and talent in technology,adopting a“build through challenges”approach,adjusting solutions locally,and providing categorized guidance,all of which are based on the ongoing comprehensive reforms.

Simulated Spatial Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Atmospheric Methane over China:Contributions from Key Sources

We used the global atmospheric chemical transport model,GEOS-Chem,to simulate the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of surface-layer methane （CH4） in 2004,and quantify the impacts of individual domestic sources and foreign transport on CH4 concentrations over China.Simulated surface-layer CH4 concentrations over China exhibit maximum concentrations in summer and minimum concentrations in spring.The annual mean CH4 concentrations range from 1800 ppb over western China to 2300 ppb over the more populated eastern China.Foreign emissions were found to have large impacts on CH4 concentrations over China,contributing to about 85％ of the CH4 concentrations over western China and about 80％ of those over eastern China.The tagged simulation results showed that coal mining,livestock,and waste are the dominant domestic contributors to CH4 concentrations over China,accounting for 36％,18％,and 16％,respectively,of the annual and national mean increase in CH4 concentration from all domestic emissions.Emissions from rice cultivation were found to make the largest contributions to CH4 concentrations over China in the summer,which is the key factor that leads to the maximum seasonal mean CH4 concentrations in summer.

CiteOpinion: Evidence-based Evaluation Tool for Academic Contributions of Research Papers Based on Citing Sentences

Purpose:To uncover the evaluation information on the academic contribution of research papers cited by peers based on the content cited by citing papers,and to provide an evidencebased tool for evaluating the academic value of cited papers.Design/methodology/approach:CiteOpinion uses a deep learning model to automatically extract citing sentences from representative citing papers;it starts with an analysis on the citing sentences,then it identifies major academic contribution points of the cited paper,positive/negative evaluations from citing authors and the changes in the subjects of subsequent citing authors by means of Recognizing Categories of Moves(problems,methods,conclusions,etc.),and sentiment analysis and topic clustering.Findings:Citing sentences in a citing paper contain substantial evidences useful for academic evaluation.They can also be used to objectively and authentically reveal the nature and degree of contribution of the cited paper reflected by citation,beyond simple citation statistics.Practical implications:The evidence-based evaluation tool CiteOpinion can provide an objective and in-depth academic value evaluation basis for the representative papers of scientific researchers,research teams,and institutions.Originality/value:No other similar practical tool is found in papers retrieved.Research limitations:There are difficulties in acquiring full text of citing papers.There is a need to refine the calculation based on the sentiment scores of citing sentences.Currently,the tool is only used for academic contribution evaluation,while its value in policy studies,technical application,and promotion of science is not yet tested.

基于Web of Science论文的高校二级学院学科贡献评价与分析

评价分析高校二级学院对学校的学科贡献情况,助力高校的学科建设与发展。文章以2013—2022年聊城大学化学化工学院为研究对象,通过构建合理的评价指标体系,运用量化指标客观评价和分析该学院发表的Web of Science (WoS)论文对学校的学科贡献情况。数据分析发现,该学院发表的WoS论文对学校的学科贡献整体表现一般,主力作者贡献不突出,高被引论文数量偏低,论文整体质量不高。学院应注重人才的引进和培养,加强国际合作,鼓励科研,制定适当的奖励政策,促进学院的整体实力和科研水平的提升,从而提高学院对学校的贡献度。

Comparing and evaluating the nationally determined contributions of the top six emitters under the Paris Agreement goals

Comparing and evaluating the Nationally Determined Contribution(NDC) is an important element in global stocktake in the post-Paris climate negotiations, aimed at closing the emissions gap with the Paris Agreement goals. To date, however, there has still been no explicit guideline or method. By applying emissions allowance allocated by 16 schemes as benchmarks, this paper tries to compare and evaluate the NDCs of the top six emitters, which jointly account for about 70% of the world's CO_2 emissions. Results show that the four developed countries' NDCs lack ambition with respect to most allocations under 2℃ and all under 1.5℃, indicating they need to substantially ratchet up their NDCs and lead elevating mitigation. Evaluating cumulative emissions is more likely to clarify the ambition and fairness of China's NDC. If considering cumulative emissions, China's NDC is aligned with the median of cumulative allowances under 2℃ and within the 1.5℃ range. The Paris Agreement invited the Parties to communicate the mid-century low emissions strategies. This paper also tries to explore the mid-century mitigation in the perspective of allocations, which might provide decision-makers with some useful information when envisaging the post-NDC mitigation.

The Interannual Variation of Transboundary Contributions from Chinese Emissions of PM_(2.5)to South Korea

In recent years,several studies pointed out that anthropogenic emission sources in China which significantly contribute to the PM_(2.5)mass burden was an important cause of particulate pollution in South Korea.However,most studies generally focused upon a single pollution event.It is rare to see comprehensive research that captures those features prone to interannual variations concerning the transboundary pollutant contribution in South Korea using a unified method.In this paper,we establish the emission inventories covering East Asia in 2010,2015,and 2017,and then conduct the source apportionment by applying a coupled regional air quality model called the Integrated Source Apportionment Module(ISAM).Comparison of simulated and observed PM_(2.5)mass concentration at 165 CNEMC(China National Environmental Monitoring Center)sites suggests that the PM_(2.5)concentrations are well represented by the modeling system.The model is used to quantitatively investigate the contribution from emission sources in China to PM_(2.5)concentrations over South Korea and those features found to be prone to interannual variations are then discussed.The results show that the average annual contribution of PM_(2.5)has dropped significantly from 28.0%in 2010 to 15.7%in 2017,which strongly suggests that China has achieved remarkable results in the treatment of atmospheric particulates.

Contributions of Fuqing ZHANG to Predictability,Data Assimilation,and Dynamics of High Impact Weather:A Tribute

This article reviews Fuqing ZHANG’s contributions to mesoscale atmospheric science,from research to mentoring to academic service,over his 20-year career.His fundamental scientific contributions on predictability,data assimilation,and dynamics of high impact weather,especially gravity waves and tropical cyclones,are highlighted.His extremely generous efforts to efficiently transmit to the community new scientific knowledge and ideas through mentoring,interacting,workshop organizing,and reviewing are summarized.Special appreciation is given to his tremendous contributions to the development of mesoscale meteorology in China and the education of Chinese graduate students and young scientists.

Moderate point: Balanced entropy and enthalpy contributions in soft matter

Various soft materials share some common features, such as significant entropic effect, large fluctuations, sensitivity to thermodynamic conditions, and mesoscopic characteristic spatial and temporal scales. However, no quantitative defini- tions have yet been provided for soft matter, and the intrinsic mechanisms leading to their common features are unclear. In this work, from the viewpoint of statistical mechanics, we show that soft matter works in the vicinity of a specific thermo- dynamic state named moderate point, at which entropy and enthalpy contributions among substates along a certain order parameter are well balanced or have a minimal difference. Around the moderate point, the order parameter fluctuation, the associated response function, and the spatial correlation length maximize, which explains the large fluctuation, the sensitivity to thermodynamic conditions, and mesoscopic spatial and temporal scales of soft matter, respectively. Possible applications to switching chemical bonds or allosteric biomachines determining their best working temperatures are also briefly discussed.

Organizational Contributions to Healthcare Worker (HCW) Burnout and Workplace Violence (WPV) Overlap: Is This an Opportunity to Sustain Prevention of Both?

The effects of Burnout in healthcare workers (HCW) are experienced by the worker, other staff, the institution and patients under their care on a daily basis. Workplace violence (WPV) has a spectrum of forms. In more extreme forms it generally is low frequency but has high impact when it occurs. Healthcare systems’ efforts to reduce Burnout are more likely to remain sustained since the impact is experienced daily and awareness is increasingly publicized. The efforts to reduce WPV are harder to sustain due to the lower frequency combined with daily competing administrative demands despite best intentions. Could efforts to reduce the overlapping organizational contributions to both HCW Burnout and WPV be a strategy to sustain prevention of WPV while preventing Burnout? A model of overlapping organizational contributions to HCW Burnout and WPV is built from supporting literature. Recommendations are made for leadership and management style interventions. Potential benefits would be higher quality and satisfaction in patient care by means of higher satisfaction in the delivery of care, recruitment and retention of excellent staff, retention of high quality institutional knowledge and reputation.

Assessment of Contributions of Community Tuberculosis Intervention to Tuberculosis Case Detection and Treatment Outcome in Two States in Nigeria

Background: Nigeria, one of the high burden Tuberculosis countries, has developed various intervention strategies to ensuring universal access to quality-assured tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment. However, low case detection and unsuccessful treatment outcome still remains a serious challenge in most states. Community Tuberculosis care was born against this background in 2010 as a complementing front to combat the challenges, bringing directly observed treatment short-course strategy beyond the clinic settings to the door steps of patients. This study evaluates the contributions of the intervention to Tuberculosis case detection and treatment outcomes in two states in Nigeria. Materials and Method: A retrospective study with multistage sampling technique was employed to review 23,241 presumptive Tuberculosis cases enrolled for management between 2014-2017. Chi-square (χ2) test was used for test of association between the independent variables and the main outcomes of the study, with statistical significance set at p-value of 5%. Results: The annual percentage increase for both states was 24.7%, 189.8% and 114.5% in the study group as against 5.2%, 44.6% and 65.6% in control group. Overall, 23.8% were bacteriologically positive (either AFB or Gene-Xpert MTB/Rif) and 1.4% were clinically evaluated to be positive, while 74.8% were bacteriologically negative. Of the total 5861 cases treated, successful treatment rate of the patients in the study group was 88.6% as compared to 76.1% in the control group. The relationship between the referral system from communities where the intervention program was implemented and the case detection/treatment outcome was statistically significant (OR 95% CI = 3.15, 2.95 - 3.35). Conclusion: The community level Tuberculosis intervention led to significantly better case detection and treatment outcome when compared to the conventional approach (p ≤ 0.05). Therefore, full community engagement should be advocated as a major strategy for End Tuberculosis planed by WHO since the patients are found in the community and not in the health facilities.

An Assessment of Trends of Monthly Contributions to Seasonal Rainfall in South-Eastern Zimbabwe

Trends in the proportional contribution to the seasonal rainfall of each month were analyzed for the meteorological stations of Buffalo Range, Masvingo Airport and Zaka in South-Eastern Zimbabwe. Results found indicate the existence of some trends for all the stations and months. However, when subjected to a Mann-Kendel trend analysis, all the trends were found to be statistically not significant for all instances except for the month of October at the Zaka station. This month showed a significant trend of increasing proportional rainfall.

Extra Dimensions, Brane Worlds, and the Vanishing of Axion Contributions to Inflation

We examine from first principles the implications of the 5th Randall Sundrum Brane world dimension in terms of setting initial conditions for chaotic inflationary physics. Our model pre-supposes that the inflationary potential pioneered by Guth is equivalent in magnitude in its initial inflationary state to the effective potential presented in the Randall-Sundrum model. We also consider an axion contribution to chaotic inflation (which may have a temperature dependence) which partly fades out up to the point of chaotic inflation being matched to a Randall-Sundrum effective potential. If we reject an explicit axion mass drop off to infinitesimal values at high temperatures, we may use the Bogomolnyi inequality to re-scale and reset initial conditions for the chaotic inflationary potential. One of the potential systems embedded in the Randall-Sundrum brane world is a model with a phase transition bridge from a tilted washboard potential to the chaotic inflationary model pioneered by Guth which is congruent with the slow roll criteria. If, as written up earlier, the axion wall contribution is due to di-quarks, which is equivalent to tying in baryogenesis to the formation of chaotic inflation initial conditions, with the Ran-dall-Sundrum brane world effective potential delineating the end of the dominant role of di-quarks, and the beginning of inflation.

70 Years of China’s Finance:History,Contributions and Prospects

Over the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,great changes have been seen in the financial industry in terms of its nature,function,scale,structure and other features.It has experienced six stages of development,namely,inception and consolidation,arduous growth,exploration and restructuring,segmentation,fictitious economy orientation,and real economy promotion and risk prevention.The tremendous success and useful experience made during this period have largely bolstered the prosperity and stability of the Chinese economy,improved Chinese people’s living standards,and exerted a profound impact on China’s economy and society.Based on its development pattern,the Chinese financial sector will expect further openingup at home and abroad and a growing capacity in serving the real economy,while new business forms and models will emerge rapidly and stronger preventive measures against financial risks will be needed.In response to the financial development in the new era,proactive and pragmatic measures need to be in place to safeguard the stable and sound development of the financial industry.

Carbon Reduction Policies: A Regional Comparison of Their Contributions to CO_2 Abatement in Six Carbon Trading Pilot Schemes in China

The contributions of carbon reduction policies were evaluated and compared for six carbon trading pilot schemes in China, in four municipalities(Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing) and two provinces(Guangdong and Hubei). The carbon emissions accounting method of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was used to calculate the actual CO2 and the support vector machine model was used to predict CO2. Chinese carbon reduction policies abated CO2 in the six carbon trading pilot schemes after the comprehensive policies came into force. However, the contribution of policies to CO2 abatement varied among regions, and the effect of carbon reduction policy on municipality pilot schemes was greater than on provincial pilot schemes. The largest contribution of carbon reduction policy to CO2 abatement was 28.3%, for the pilot carbon trading scheme in Beijing, and the smallest contribution was 3.7%, for that in Hubei. It is crucial to consider "carbon leakage" and a carbon trading linking program in order to evaluate the effects of carbon reduction policies.

The Secret Salary—Corporate Governance of Pension Contributions to Members of the Management Boards in Dax-30 Enterprises in Germany in the Years 2015 and 2016

The salaries of the chief executive officers of the DAX-30 enterprises are often in the spotlight of the public and the general discussion.By contrast,the pension contributions for the members of the management boards of the DAX-30 enterprises are mostly below the radar,although they have become increasingly more significant during the past years.In spite of the given transparency by the German Corporate Governance Code(the“code”)and its obliging conversion into the management remuneration disclosure law(VorstOG),the pension contributions have not moved in the spotlights of the public and their attention.The illustration of the extent of the pension contributions for DAX-30 enterprises shows the quintessential point of this investigation.Additionally,their administrative forms are discussed,implied moral hazard problems are illuminated,and malus regulations for pension contributions are examined.The result of the investigation will contain recommendations for supervisory boards and the government commission of the German Corporate Governance Code as well as ideas for further research.

Inviting Contributions to a Special Issue on “Response of Polar Organisms and Natural Environment to Global Changes”

Dear Colleagues, We would like to invite you to submit manuscripts to a special issue of the journal Advances in Polar Science （APS） on ＂Response of Polar Organisms and Natural Environment to Global Changes＂.

SOME CONTRIBUTIONS OF LINGUISTICS TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

There has long been a gap between the two related fields of theoret-ical linguistics and language teaching. Theoretical linguists rately turn upas language teachers,and language teachers seldom pursue advanceddegrees in linguistics. And yet recent developments in linguistic theotyhave had definite effects on current trends and techniques in