Comparison of the h-index for different fields of research using bootstrap methodology

An important disadvantage of the h-index is that typically it cannot take into account the specific field of research of a researcher. Usually sample point estimates of the average and median h-index values for the various fields are reported that are highly variable and dependent of the specific samples and it would be useful to provide confidence intervals of prediction accuracy. In this paper we apply the non-parametric bootstrap technique for constructing confidence intervals for the h-index for different fields of research. In this way no specific assumptions about the distribution of the empirical h-index are required as well as no large samples since that the methodology is based on resampling from the initial sample. The results of the analysis showed important differences between the various fields. The performance of the bootstrap intervals for the mean and median h-index for most fields seems to be rather satisfactory as revealed by the performed simulation

The Inhibitory Effect of Hypericum perforatum Extract on Morphine Withdrawal Syndrome in Rat and Comparison with Clonidine

The effects of Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) on morphine withdrawal syndrome and comparison with clonidine have been investigated in morphine-dependent rats. Adult male Wistar rats were subjects. The frequencies of withdrawal behavioral signs (rearing, teeth chattering and jumping) induced by naloxone challenge were demonstrated in morphine dependent rats receiving Hypericum perforatum extract (HPE), saline or clonidine. The withdrawal behavioral manifestations in rats were inhibited significantly by chronic co-administration of Hypericum perforatum extract or clonidine with morphine. This study showed that clonidine was more effective than HPE at a dose of 0.4 mL/200 g and there was no significant statistical difference between the mean frequency of withdrawal signs of HPE at a dose of 0.8 mL/200 g compared with clonidine (0.2 mg/kg i.p.) but at a dose of 1.2 mL/200 g of HPE was significantly stronger than clonidine in attenuation of the morphine withdrawal syndrome. The findings suggest that HPE is capable of reducing the symptoms of opiate withdrawal and its effectiveness may be equivalent to clonidine in reducing the opiate withdrawal syndrome and may have human therapeutic potential. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Botnets as an Instrument of Warfare

Part 1: THEMES AND ISSUESInternational audienceThe use of botnets for malicious activities has grown significantly in recent years. Criminals leverage the flexibility and anonymity associated with botnets to harvest personal data, generate spam, distribute malware and launch distributed denial-of-service attacks. These same attributes readily translate to applications that can support operations in warfare. In 2007, distributed denial-of-service attacks launched by botnets targeted IT assets belonging to Estonian banks, newspapers and parliament. This paper explores the use of botnets as instruments of warfare. Seven scenarios are used to demonstrate how traditional applications of botnets such as spam, theft of resources and distributed denial-of-service attacks can have implications across the spectrum of warfare. Additionally, the paper discusses the ethical and political concerns associated with the use of botnets by nation states