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Abstract: Evolution of belief systems has always been in focus of cognitive research. In this paper we delineate a new model describing belief systems as a network of statements considered true. Testing the model a small number of parameters enabled us to reproduce a variety of well-known mechanisms ranging from opinion changes to development of psychological problems. The selforganizing opinion structure showed a scale-free degree distribution. The novelty of our work lies in applying a convenient set of definitions allowing us to depict opinion network dynamics in a highly favorable way, which resulted in a scale-free belief network. As an additional benefit, we listed several conjectural consequences in a number of areas related to thinking and reasoning. * Title Page (With all author details listed) Modeling belief systems with scale-free networks Miklós Antal a and László Balogh b

Exploring the factors related to academic publication productivity among selected Malaysian academic engineers and scientists

This is an exploratory study, which aims to examine the factors affecting the research publication productivity of academic engineers and scientists from the National University of Malaysia (UKM) and University of Malaya (UM). This study aims to identify problems, as well as increase the understanding of factors conducive for a productive academic research environment. [Continues.

A dinamica da comunidade cientifica na produção do conhecimento : um estudo da imunologia no Brasil e na Colombia

Orientador : Lea Maria Leme Strini VelhoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de GeocienciasDoutorad

Collaboration and research performance in Science: A study of scientists at the National University of Mexico (UNAM)

The present study looks at the relationship between collaboration and performance in science in a sample of 15 Mexican researchers from the National University of Mexico (UNAM) with high visibility in the international scientific literature. Three scientists were chosen from each of the following fields where the UNAM is known to make important contributions to world science: Biomedical Research, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Geosciences. The links that the scientists had established with the international scientific community were analysed using a combination of methodologies. Curricular, bibliometric and scientometric data were used to determine aspects such as: a)the research trajectory and environment of the 15 scientists; b)their publications in mainstream and non-mainstream literature and c)the relationship of these parameters with other variables, such as age and disciplines; d)co-authorships with institutional, national and foreign colleagues; e)the effect of sabbaticals and other prolonged visits to institutions abroad on the production of papers and co-authorship patterns; and f)the relationship between co-authorship and citations patterns. Taking into consideration that behind the bibliometric data is a multi-layered social world constructed of and driven along by the communication behaviour of individuals, which can be determined only by consulting the scientists concerned, the 15 scientists were asked to answer a questionnaire and were subsequently interviewed. Questions were designed to test the validity of assumptions derived from the analysis of the data in the first part of the study, as well as to determine the importance of links established with colleagues abroad, especially during sabbaticals. Results indicate the importance of contact and collaboration with foreign colleagues in the development of the research careers of Mexican scientists, as well as for facilitating their integration into the wider scientific community. The repercussions of this individual activity for the development of Mexican research is discussed, particularly in relation to possible gains for other colleagues and in the training of new researchers