Webometric analysis of Iranian universities of medical sciences

There are many researches have been conducted on webometrics, especially the impacts of websites on each other and the web impact factor. However, there are few studies focusing on the websites of Iranian universities. This study analyzed the websites of Iranian universities of medical sciences according to the webometric indicators. In a cross-sectional study, the number of web pages, inlinks, external inlinks and also the overall and absolute web impact factors for Iranian universities of medical sciences with active exclusive websites were calculated and compared using AltaVista search engine. Finally, the websites were ranked based on these webometric indicators. The results showed that the website of Tehran university of medical sciences with 49,300 web pages and 9860 inlinks was ranked first for the size and number of inlinks, while its impact factor was ranked 38th. Rafsanjan UMS with 15 web pages and 211 links had the highest rank for the web impact factor among Iranian universities of medical sciences. The study revealed that Iranian universities of medical sciences did not have much impact on the web and were not well known internationally. The major reason relies on linguistic barriers. Some of them also suffer from technical problems in their web design. © 2009 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary

Computational methods for global/local analysis

Computational methods for global/local analysis of structures which include both uncoupled and coupled methods are described. In addition, global/local analysis methodology for automatic refinement of incompatible global and local finite element models is developed. Representative structural analysis problems are presented to demonstrate the global/local analysis methods

Large-scale structural analysis: The structural analyst, the CSM Testbed and the NAS System

The Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM) activity is developing advanced structural analysis and computational methods that exploit high-performance computers. Methods are developed in the framework of the CSM testbed software system and applied to representative complex structural analysis problems from the aerospace industry. An overview of the CSM testbed methods development environment is presented and some numerical methods developed on a CRAY-2 are described. Selected application studies performed on the NAS CRAY-2 are also summarized

Improved assumed-stress hybrid shell element with drilling degrees of freedom for linear stress, buckling, and free vibration analyses

An improved four-node quadrilateral assumed-stress hybrid shell element with drilling degrees of freedom is presented. The formulation is based on Hellinger-Reissner variational principle and the shape functions are formulated directly for the four-node element. The element has 12 membrane degrees of freedom and 12 bending degrees of freedom. It has nine independent stress parameters to describe the membrane stress resultant field and 13 independent stress parameters to describe the moment and transverse shear stress resultant field. The formulation encompasses linear stress, linear buckling, and linear free vibration problems. The element is validated with standard tests cases and is shown to be robust. Numerical results are presented for linear stress, buckling, and free vibration analyses

Comparison of symbolic and numerical integration methods for an assumed-stress hybrid shell element

Hybrid shell elements have long been regarded with reserve by the commercial finite element developers despite the high degree of reliability and accuracy associated with such formulations. The fundamental reason is the inherent higher computational cost of the hybrid approach as compared to the displacement-based formulations. However, a noteworthy factor in favor of hybrid elements is that numerical integration to generate element matrices can be entirely avoided by the use of symbolic integration. In this paper, the use of the symbolic computational approach is presented for an assumed-stress hybrid shell element with drilling degrees of freedom and the significant time savings achieved is demonstrated through an example

Tallo: A global tree allometry and crown architecture database.

This is the final version. Available from Wiley via the DOI in this record. Data capturing multiple axes of tree size and shape, such as a tree's stem diameter, height and crown size, underpin a wide range of ecological research-from developing and testing theory on forest structure and dynamics, to estimating forest carbon stocks and their uncertainties, and integrating remote sensing imagery into forest monitoring programmes. However, these data can be surprisingly hard to come by, particularly for certain regions of the world and for specific taxonomic groups, posing a real barrier to progress in these fields. To overcome this challenge, we developed the Tallo database, a collection of 498,838 georeferenced and taxonomically standardized records of individual trees for which stem diameter, height and/or crown radius have been measured. These data were collected at 61,856 globally distributed sites, spanning all major forested and non-forested biomes. The majority of trees in the database are identified to species (88%), and collectively Tallo includes data for 5163 species distributed across 1453 genera and 187 plant families. The database is publicly archived under a CC-BY 4.0 licence and can be access from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6637599. To demonstrate its value, here we present three case studies that highlight how the Tallo database can be used to address a range of theoretical and applied questions in ecology-from testing the predictions of metabolic scaling theory, to exploring the limits of tree allometric plasticity along environmental gradients and modelling global variation in maximum attainable tree height. In doing so, we provide a key resource for field ecologists, remote sensing researchers and the modelling community working together to better understand the role that trees play in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)Natural Environment Research Council (NERC); Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech RepublicFAPEMIGUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoConsejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaSwedish Energy AgencyUKRIFederal Ministry of Education and ResearchNational Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Science FoundationNational Science FoundationInternational Foundation for ScienceP3FACDynAfForNanjing Forestry UniversityJiangsu Science and Technology Special ProjectHebei UniversityAgence Nationale de la RechercheAgence Nationale de la RechercheAgua Salud ProjectU.S. Department of EnergyCAPE

Webometrics benefitting from web mining? An investigation of methods and applications of two research fields

Webometrics and web mining are two fields where research is focused on quantitative analyses of the web. This literature review outlines definitions of the fields, and then focuses on their methods and applications. It also discusses the potential of closer contact and collaboration between them. A key difference between the fields is that webometrics has focused on exploratory studies, whereas web mining has been dominated by studies focusing on development of methods and algorithms. Differences in type of data can also be seen, with webometrics more focused on analyses of the structure of the web and web mining more focused on web content and usage, even though both fields have been embracing the possibilities of user generated content. It is concluded that research problems where big data is needed can benefit from collaboration between webometricians, with their tradition of exploratory studies, and web miners, with their tradition of developing methods and algorithms

Children's Gendered Use of School Grounds: The Role of the Physical Environment

School grounds are increasingly valued for the freedom of choice they give children for operating their preferred activities. However, the physical characteristics of these places appear to provide unequal opportunities for boys and girls. This study shows that school grounds are mostly qualified for certain types of activities which are more of boys’ interest and their activities can constrain girls’ use. It explores the physical characteristics which can alleviate the negative impact of boys’ activities on girls’ and provide more opportunities for girls to use and explore the environment. Three methods have been applied in this multi-case qualitative study involving three Australian schools: (a) behaviour mapping of school grounds during the recess and lunch time period; (b) walking tours guided by children around the school grounds; and (c) focus groups of 3-5 children in each school. The results outline three main themes which centre on the physical characteristics of school grounds: (a) the design of enclosed spaces; (b) the organisation of multiple activity settings facilitated by the spatial arrangement of school buildings; and (c) incorporating natural environments in the design of school grounds. The discussion argues that these physical environments need to be valued in the design of school grounds because they can provide girls with more freedom of choice to get engaged in their preferred activities