Research funding and citations in papers of Nobel Laureates in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine, 2019-2020

Purpose:The goal of this study is a comparative analysis of the relation between funding(a main driver for scientific research)and citations in papers of Nobel Laureates in physics,chemistry and medicine over 2019-2020 and the same relation in these research fields as a whole.Design/methodology/approach:This study utilizes a power law model to explore the relationship between research funding and citations of related papers.The study here analyzes 3,539 recorded documents by Nobel Laureates in physics,chemistry and medicine and a broader dataset of 183,016 documents related to the fields of physics,medicine,and chemistry recorded in the Web of Science database.Findings:Results reveal that in chemistry and medicine,funded researches published in papers of Nobel Laureates have higher citations than unfunded studies published in articles;vice versa high citations of Nobel Laureates in physics are for unfunded studies published in papers.Instead,when overall data of publications and citations in physics,chemistry and medicine are analyzed,all papers based on funded researches show higher citations than unfunded ones.Originality/value:Results clarify the driving role of research funding for science diffusion that are systematized in general properties:a)articles concerning funded researches receive more citations than(un)funded studies published in papers of physics,chemistry and medicine sciences,generating a high Matthew effect(a higher growth of citations with the increase in the number of papers);b)research funding increases the citations of articles in fields oriented to applied research(e.g.,chemistry and medicine)more than fields oriented towards basic research(e.g.,physics).Practical implications:The results here explain some characteristics of scientific development and diffusion,highlighting the critical role of research funding in fostering citations and the expansion of scientific knowledge.This finding can support decision-making of policymakers and R&D managers to improve the effectiveness in allocating financial resources in science policies to generate a higher positive scientific and societal impact.

An Analysis of Liberia’s Vulnerability to Climate Change in the Context of Least Developed Countries (LDCs): A Review

Climate change is an alarming global challenge, particularly affecting the least developed countries (LDCs) including Liberia. These countries, located in regions prone to unpredictable temperature and precipitation changes, are facing significant challenges, particularly in climate-sensitive sectors such as mining and agriculture. LDCs need more resilience to adverse climate shocks but have limited capacity for adaptation compared to other developed and developing nations. This paper examines Liberia’s susceptibility to climate change as a least developed country, focusing on its exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. It provides an overview of LDCs and outlines the global distribution of carbon dioxide emissions. The paper also evaluates specific challenges that amplify Liberia’s vulnerability and constrain sustainable adaptation, providing insight into climate change’s existing and potential effects. The paper emphasizes the urgency of addressing climate impacts on Liberia and calls for concerted local and international efforts for effective and sustainable mitigation efforts. It provides recommendations for policy decisions and calls for further research on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Redesigning the Model of Book Evaluation in the Polish Performance-based Research Funding System

Purpose: This study aims to present the key systemic changes in the Polish book evaluation model to focus on the publisher list, as inspired by the Norwegian Model. Design/methodology/approach: In this study we reconstruct the framework of the 2010 and 2018 models of book evaluation in Poland within the performance-based research funding system. Findings: For almost 20 years the book evaluation system in Poland has been based on the verification of various technical criteria(e.g. length of the book). The new 2018 model is based on the principle of prestige inheritance(a book is worth as much as its publisher is) and is inspired by the publisher list used in the Norwegian Model. In this paper, we argue that this solution may be a more balanced policy instrument than the previous 2010 model in which neither the quality of the publisher nor the quality of the book played any role in the evaluation.Research limitations: We work from the framework of the 2018 model of book evaluation specified in the law on higher education and science from 20 July 2018, as implementation acts are not available yet. Practical implications: This study may provide a valuable point of reference on how structural reforms in the research evaluation model were implemented on a country level. The results of this study may be interesting to policy makers, stakeholders and researchers focused on science policy. Originality/value: This is the very first study that presents the new framework of the Polish research evaluation model and policy instruments for scholarly book evaluation. We describe what motivated policy makers to change the book evaluation model, and what arguments were explicitly raised to argue for the new solution.

Preliminary research on sea-level changes of the South China coast since late Epipleistocene

Several views on sea-level changes of the South China coast are briefly introduced in this paper. On the basis of 236 samples whose ages are determined by 14C chronological method and their sites are corrected with ancient water depth and crustal deformation, a basic model about sea-level changes of the South China coast since late Epipleistocene is set up. This model basically accords with the general cognitions of predecessors, i. e. it not only represents the common characteristics of sea-level changes of the East China coast but has some features of the South China coast itself. In general, this model is relatively close to the Fairbridge's curve, indicating that the sea-level undulations exist since 6 ka ago but the ranges of undulations are slightly larger than those of Fairbridge's curve.

Influence of vapor pressure deficit on vegetation growth in China

Vapor pressure deficit(VPD)plays a crucial role in determining plant physiological functions and exerts a substantial influence on vegetation,second only to carbon dioxide(CO_(2)).As a robust indicator of atmospheric water demand,VPD has implications for global water resources,and its significance extends to the structure and functioning of ecosystems.However,the influence of VPD on vegetation growth under climate change remains unclear in China.This study employed empirical equations to estimate the VPD in China from 2000 to 2020 based on meteorological reanalysis data of the Climatic Research Unit(CRU)Time-Series version 4.06(TS4.06)and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF)Reanalysis 5(ERA-5).Vegetation growth status was characterized using three vegetation indices,namely gross primary productivity(GPP),leaf area index(LAI),and near-infrared reflectance of vegetation(NIRv).The spatiotemporal dynamics of VPD and vegetation indices were analyzed using the Theil-Sen median trend analysis and Mann-Kendall test.Furthermore,the influence of VPD on vegetation growth and its relative contribution were assessed using a multiple linear regression model.The results indicated an overall negative correlation between VPD and vegetation indices.Three VPD intervals for the correlations between VPD and vegetation indices were identified:a significant positive correlation at VPD below 4.820 hPa,a significant negative correlation at VPD within 4.820–9.000 hPa,and a notable weakening of negative correlation at VPD above 9.000 hPa.VPD exhibited a pronounced negative impact on vegetation growth,surpassing those of temperature,precipitation,and solar radiation in absolute magnitude.CO_(2) contributed most positively to vegetation growth,with VPD offsetting approximately 30.00%of the positive effect of CO_(2).As the rise of VPD decelerated,its relative contribution to vegetation growth diminished.Additionally,the intensification of spatial variations in temperature and precipitation accentuated the spatial heterogeneity in the impact of VPD on vegetation growth in China.This research provides a theoretical foundation for addressing climate change in China,especially regarding the challenges posed by increasing VPD.

Analysis of New Senior English for China Student’s Book 1

This article will firstly discuss the context overview of English teaching and learning in China. Under thiscircumstance, a problematic element will be examined of the New Senior English for China Student’s Book 1 and critical appraisal ofhow this element relates to other elements of curriculum development will be analyzed. The recommended changes and demonstrationmechanisms for evaluating the changes are put forward in the last two parts.

The Status of Vegetables Research in Malawi, Capacity, Progress, Gaps, and Way Forward—A Scoping Review

Vegetables are key to nutrition and economic security, especially for developing societies. Research in vegetables has been historically key. From early domestication efforts to modern-day breeding and value addition, research has enabled vegetable productivity to support the nutritional and economic needs of societies. Impactful research, however, requires competent research capacity and a guiding framework, in a continuously changing socio-climatic world. Vegetable research appraisal in Malawi, especially regarding capacity, focus, and a guiding framework, is lacking. By using 5 search engines and 506 analyzed publications, this review sought to first examine the existing research capacity in Malawi and assess the vegetable research focus in terms of both value chain analysis themes and specific vegetable tax. This approach allowed for the isolation and flagging out of key emerging issues from existing research that positively contextualize future vegetable research direction in Malawi. It has been found that Malawi has adequate institutional and expertise capacity to further vegetable research. The identified challenges include local funding and infrastructural capacity to leverage donor funding. Three key emerging issues of climate change, modeling, and biofortification in vegetable crops have been identified. It is suggested that, with Malawi facing the climate change challenge, research focus in these areas, will enhance not only nutritional and economic security, but also overall climate change readiness. Key to climate change readiness is the involvement of indigenous vegetable production. As a package, vegetable cultivation can play a critical role in contributing to the achievement of pillar 1 of the Malawi vision 2063, which seeks to leverage agricultural productivity and commercialization with a focus on climate change resilience.

Evolution and trends of high myopia research from 2002 to 2021: a scientometric analysis

Background:Research on high myopia has gradually formed a complex network of knowledge,but a panorama of evolutionary trends is lacking.By conducting a scientometric analysis,we can gain a deeper understanding of the development and evolution of this field.Methods:The global literature on high myopia published from 2002 to 2021 was extracted from the Science Citation Index Expanded in the Web of Science Core Collection.Microsoft Excel,VOSviewer,and CiteSpace were used to analyse and visualize the bibliometric data.Publication-related information,including countries,journals,authors,citations,subject categories,and its’time trends,was analysed.Results:A total of 4,226 included publications showed an annually increasing trend during the past 20 years.The high myopia research hotspots were refractive error correction,epidemiology,ocular biometry,drug and laser treatment of myopic fundus lesions,and surgical treatment of myopic fundus lesions.Cocitation analysis showed that high myopia genetics and myopic fundus lesion research were the research frontiers.A total of 116 disciplines were involved in high myopia research.Ophthalmology(n=3,338)was the most dominant subject category.Engineering(betweenness centrality=0.65)was the discipline with the most obvious bridge role.Science&technology—other topics(burst years:2015–2021;strength=14.88)had the greatest strength as of 2021,which was the hottest subject category.Conclusions:High myopia genetics and myopic fundus lesion research showed a potential for breakthroughs.Medical-engineering cross-innovation is a cutting-edge technology trend.

Research Advances of Impacts of Climate Changes on Crop Climatic Adaptability

Agriculture received most direct influences from climate changes. Because of climate changes, agricultural climate resources changed and thus influenced climate adaptability of agricultural products. The growth and output of crops were finally affected. The calculation method and application of agricultural products in recent years were summarized. Several questions about the response of agricultural crops to climate elements were proposed for attention.

Perceptions of climate change in China:The research and policy connection

Global climate change has evolved from a scientific problem into an economic and political problem oI worlOwloe rater- est. National perspectives play a crucial role in addressing climate change. Mutual understanding of perspectives is nec- essary to result in rational policies and a consensus among stakeholders with divergent interests. Conceptual frameworks for understanding the problem of climate change in China, the largest developing country and the largest greenhouse gas emitter, are of great significance to national and international efforts to address the problems of climate change. Chinese perceptions of climate change as a sustainable development problem have recently been in tension with an emerging Western perspective that frames climate change as a security issue. This paper explores Chinese perceptions of climate change as expressed in recent governmental policy statements, public opinion surveys, and academic scholarship with a focus on publications in Chinese-language journals, often unfamiliar in the West. It looks at the relationship between Chinese research and policy and finds that the Chinese policy frame of climate change as a sustainable development problem draws from the body of domestic research and is reflective of the perspectives and multidisciplinary approach of Chinese researchers in areas of climate change.

Disclosing of Thousand Years＇ Mystery-- Origin of the Book of Changes

The Book of Changes is a huge system, including （1） Taiji Yin-yang five elements system; （2） Taiji-2 status-4 images-8 hexagrams--64 hexagrams, internal 8 hexagrams and external 8 hexagrams; （3） moral system, ＂Tao generates one, one generates two, two generate three and three generate everything＂; （4） heavenly stems and earthly branches system; （5） Hetu, Luoshu and 9 grid pattern systems; （6） 60 Jiazi system （a cycle of 60 years） of year, month, day and hour; （7） TCM five evolutive phases and six climatic factors system, including host evolutive phase and host climatic factor, guest evolutive phase and guest climatic factor. The Book of Changes is stemmed fi＇om accurate recognition and description on life system and movement, e.g. it can （1） describe the structure, movements and changes of life core system--five abdominal Zang organs and five abdominal Fu organs with Yin-yang four-season five elements, 10 heavenly stems, Hetu, internal 8 hexagrams and host evolutive phase of five evolutive phases; （2） describe the structure, movements and changes of outside system of life form with Yin-yang six climatic factors five elements, 12 earthly branches, Luoshu, external 8 hexagrams, host climatic factor of six climatic factors; （3） describe the system of life form core structure combined with outside system with 12 energy channels system and 64 hexagrams system; （4） describe the four gradations in life form with Taiji-2 status-4 images-8 hexagrams system and moral system; （5） describe the power system of development and growth--longitudinal four seasons of life form via 60 Jiazi system （a cycle of 60 years） of year, month, day and hour; （6） the horizontal four-season movements of life form generate TCM host evolutive phase and host climatic factor, whilst the longitudinal four-season movements generate TCM guest evolutive phase and guest climatic factor. With the disclosing of origin of The Book of Changes, the universe secretes are being fully discovered.

Defining an open access resource strategy for research libraries:Part Ⅰ—The coming main streamlization of open access resources?

Open access(OA) resources are becoming a main part of scholarly information. The paper summarizes the fast growth of OA journals and OA repositories, the outstanding OA journal impact increase, the rise of mega-OA journals like PLoS ONE, the overwhelming support of research communities to open access of publicly funded research, and the quick building up of OA support structures. These forces work together to push scholarly communications toward a turning point where OA resources occupy a major and increasing share of scholarly research resources and when management of OA resources becomes a strategic, yet unfamiliar, and potentially disruptive task for research libraries. This paper is composed of two parts. The first part will focus on the development of OA resources, while the second part will analyze the challenges in management of OA resources and develop an OA resource strategy exemplified by some of NSL's initiatives.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System: A Review of Research and Monitoring Initiatives

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is an integrated network of 29 protected and coordinated estuarine reserve sites in 23 states and one territory (Puerto Rico) covering more than 525,000 ha of estuarine habitat, adjoining wetlands, and uplands that encompass 19 biogeographical regions along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific coasts, as well as the Caribbean Sea and Great Lakes. NERRS is an ecosystem-based research and monitoring network of sites serving as platforms to develop quantitative databases of value to coastal management programs in identifying and tracking short-term variability and long-term changes in the integrity and biodiversity of estuarine systems nationwide due to natural perturbations and anthropogenic disturbances. The reserve sites also play a vital role in assessing coastal issues of local, regional, and national significance for the purpose of sustaining estuarine systems and coastal lands, such as evaluating their responses to climate change and other major stressors to inform coastal decision-making and public awareness for the protection and resilience of natural resources and coastal communities. Over the past four decades, NERRS sites have collected large volumes of research and monitoring data of great utility in characterizing estuarine environments and addressing an array of resource-management concerns, including degraded water quality, loss and alteration of essential habitat, impacted fisheries, invasive species, and conservation.

A study on the present situation and aesthetic of Chinese contemporary children＇s books

The orientation and development of children＇ s book illustration affects children＇ s artistic taste, and also determines the futureand trend of children＇ s book market. This paper analyzes the present situation of children＇ s book illustration, and discusses its aesthetic styleand form of expression. Hope to be able to further explore the market potential of China＇ s children＇ s book illustrations, to establish the correctdirection of development to make some help.

The Book of Poetry as the World’s First Research Report

The collection of folk songs and odes for the Book of Poetry(Shih-ching/Shijing) was in nature a social research project in ancient China.This paper studies the Book of Poetry as a research report,probing into the background of the assignment of poetry functionaries as researchers,relevant geographic information and time span,relevant social production and life,the logic of the research,and the social value of the research.As a social research report,the Book of Poetry is of documentary significance to various academic fields.

Promotion of library management and book circulation to research on medical research

With the acceleration of the process of social information, information resources construction has become an important part of national development strategies. The library is one of the main information resources constructions and is an important information resource position of social construction. Computer applications in the book management, greatly improve the management efficiency of the library, and have changed the traditional management service model. Universal service network extends to every comer make reader can read everywhere, breaking the boundaries of time and space and also greatly promoting the modernization of the library. Library modernization, according to the characteristics of the objective law refers library work practices, uses modem technological conditions, rational organization of scientific management of library work, to maximize efficiency and quality and effectively complete the task library. Library essence of modem management techniques is to achieve the modernization of libraries and library management modernization. Modem library information system can be divided into three aspects of building automation libraries, library networks and digital libraries. Digital library management directly reflects a country＇ s level of a regional knowledge economy and information industry development, and digital network resource management in the book gradually dominates.

Assessment of Policy-Research Interaction on Climate Change Adaptation Action: Inundation by Sea Level Rise in the Nile Delta

Availability of reliable knowledge on future climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation are considered key elements to improving adaptive capacities and developing proper adaptation actions. The Nile Delta vulnerability to Sea Level Rise (SLR) has been the subject of a relatively significant number of studies in Egypt. The research question that this paper intends to address is “to what extent have the produced scientific knowledge supported climate change adaptation policy making, concerning inundation by SLR in the Nile Delta”. To address this question, the paper begins with a review of the literature on policy-research interaction, based on which a framework of policy-research interactions is developed. This is followed by examining generated knowledge from research and the role of such knowledge on adaptation strategy development in Egypt. It was found that the research cycle has provided ample knowledge on the Nile Delta vulnerability to inundation by SLR. Additionally, the bulk of this research work and produced knowledge have been the main source of information for climate change adaptation policymaking. The interaction between research and policymaking interest in the climate change adaptation arena in Egypt confronted several challenges that may have reduced impacts of research on policymaking. These challenges included low interest in the far future, uncertain sea level rise impacts among policymakers and the uncoordinated research and varied estimates of sea level rise impacts provided by the research cycle. Moreover, the lack of proper and effective communication channels between the two cycles may have further hindered possible interaction.

PROGRESSES AND PROSPECTS IN RESEARCH ON SEASON DIVISION AND SEASONAL CHANGES IN CHINA

Progresses in the research for season division and seasonal changes are reviewed systematically in this paper,which particularly introduces the results of a national natural science foundation project,"the nonlinear identification of seasonal changes and its responses to global warming".The project developed two objective and quantitative methods for season division:the non-linear similarity measure(NSM) method and the regional multi-element optimal dissection(RMOD) method,which differ from traditional ones for season division.Besides,the project further investigated seasonal changes and their responses to global warming,analyzed evolution characteristics of the starting date and length of seasons in history,revealed their relationships with extreme events and precipitation patterns in rainy seasons,and thereby built a research system for seasonal changes in China under the global warming background.Finally,the authors make an outlook on the research for season division and seasonal changes and put forward several issues associated with season and climate changes that need to be further explored.

RESEARCH PROGRESS ON THE STRUCTURE AND INTENSITY CHANGE FOR THE LANDFALLING TROPICAL CYCLONES

Landfalling tropical cyclones(LTCs)include those TCs approaching the land and moving across the coast.Structure and intensity change for LTCs include change of the eye wall,spiral rain band,mesoscale vortices,low-layer shear lines and tornadoes in the envelope region of TC,pre-TC squall lines,remote rain bands,core region intensity and extratropical transition(ET)processes,etc.Structure and intensity change of TC are mainly affected by three aspects,namely,environmental effects,inner core dynamics and underlying surface forcing.Structure and intensity change of coastal TCs will be especially affected by seaboard topography,oceanic stratification above the continental shelf and cold dry continental airflow,etc.Rapid changes of TC intensity,including rapid intensification and sudden weakening and dissipation,are the small probability events which are in lack of effective forecasting techniques up to now.Diagnostic analysis and mechanism study will help improve the understanding and prediction of the rapid change phenomena in TCs.

Review of China's scientific research progress in polar meteorology in the last 30 years

The Antarctic and Arctic are sensitive to global climate change; therefore, they are key regions of global climate change research. This paper, the progress in scientific investigations and research regarding the atmosphere in the polar regions over the last 30 years by Chinese scientists is summarized. Primary understanding of the relationship between the polar regions and global change, especially, the variations in time and space in the Antarctic and Arctic regions with respect to climate change is indicated. Operational weather forecasts for investigation of the polar regions have also been established. Moreover, changes in sea ice and their impact on the atmosphere of polar regions have been diagnosed and simulated. Parameterization of the atmospheric boundary layer of different underlying layers and changes in the atmospheric ozone in the polar region has also been experimented. Overall, there has been great progress in studies of the possible impact of changes in the atmospheric environment of polar regions on circulation in East Asia and the climate of China.