Computational innovation studies: understanding innovation studies through novel scientometric approaches

A cientometria é uma importante área de investigação dedicada ao estudo quantitativo da ciência e está a expandir-se a um ritmo sem precedentes. Surgiu como um paradigma de avaliação e espera-se que ajude na resolução de problemas sociais complexos. Apesar da sua importância, pouco se sabe sobre os guardiões da ciência e os mecanismos de governação editorial mais amplos que ajudam a orientar os esforços científicos. Neste projeto, seguimos uma perspetiva pouco explorada (assumimos os conselhos editoriais e as revistas como veículo institucional), numa área específica de investigação científica (os Estudos de Inovação). Abordamos diferentes aspetos em três etapas: em primeiro lugar, produzimos um retrato abrangente do fenómeno editorial, sondando as características estruturais heterogéneas dos conselhos editoriais, que são dominados por editores masculinos, anglo-americanos que exibem uma concentração de 85% das posições editoriais em 20% dos países; em segundo lugar, comparamos os materiais publicitários das revistas (blurbs) com uma medida de semelhança do cosseno identificando seis revistas com mais de 80% de semelhança semântica com a "Research Policy" (a revista principal) e descobrimos que as revistas podem ser classificadas em quatro grupos; e em terceiro lugar, combinamos os resumos (abstracts) das revistas realmente publicados com a descrição publicitária, revelando que o conteúdo selecionado em cinco revistas teria tido maior interesse para outras. Por fim, desenvolvemos uma ferramenta interativa que permite comparar a semelhança dos conteúdos publicados pelas revistas. Estas estratégias de investigação apresentadas juntam-se ao portfólio de metodologias que os analistas de política científica podem usar para compreender sistematicamente as agendas de revistas, a fim de refletir sobre o que foi realizado e o que ainda está por fazer.Scientometrics is an important research field that is dedicated to the quantitative study of science and is expanding at an unprecedented rate. It emerged as an evaluation paradigm and is expected to assist in the resolution of complex societal problems. For years, the impact of research has been at the top of the agenda for policymakers, however little is known about the gatekeeping processes and the broader editorial governance mechanisms that helps steer scientific efforts. In this project, we will pursue an under-explored perspective (we take on editorial boards and the journals as an institutional vehicle) and apply to a specific field of academic research (Innovation Studies). We address different aspects in three steps: first, we provide a comprehensive portrait of the editorship phenomenon by probing the heterogeneous structural features of boards, which dominated by men and angloamerican editors displaying a concentration of 85% of editorial positions in 20% of the countries; second, we compare journals’ advertising materials (blurbs) with a cosine similarity measure identifying six journals with more than 80% semantic similarity with Research Policy (the leading journal) and find out that the journals can be classified into four groups; and third, we match journal blurbs with the abstracts of papers actually published disclosing that the contents from five journals would have greater interest to other outlets. Finally, an interactive tool was developed so that researchers are better empowered to compare the similarity of journals contents in the future. These research strategies presented add to the portfolio of methodologies that science policy analysts can use to systematically understand journal agendas in order to reflect on what has been accomplished and what remains to be done

The Descriptive Complexity of the Deterministic Exponential Time Hierarchy

AbstractIn Descriptive Complexity, we investigate the use of logics to characterize computational complexity classes. Since 1974, when Fagin proved that the class NP is captured by existential second-order logic, considered the first result in this area, other relations between logics and complexity classes have been established. Well-known results usually involve first-order logic and its extensions, and complexity classes in polynomial time or space. Some examples are that the first-order logic extended by the least fixed-point operator captures the class P and the second-order logic extended by the transitive closure operator captures the class PSPACE. In this paper, we will analyze the combined use of higher-order logics of order i, HOi, for i⩾2, extended by the least fixed-point operator, and we will prove that each level of this hierarchy captures each level of the deterministic exponential time hierarchy. As a corollary, we will prove that the hierarchy of HOi(LFP), for i⩾2, does not collapse, that is, HOi(LFP)⊂HOi+1(LFP)

Conjugated linoleic acid reduces permeability and fluidity of adipose plasma membranes from obese Zucker rats

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. July 2010; 398 (2): 199-204.Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a dietary fatty acid frequently used as a body fat reducing agent whose effects upon cell membranes and cellular function remain unknown. Obese Zucker rats were fed atherogenic diets containing saturated fats of vegetable or animal origin with or without 1% CLA, as a mixture of cis(c)9,trans(t)11 and t10,c12 isomers. Plasma membrane vesicles obtained from visceral adi- pose tissue were used to assess the effectiveness of dietary fat and CLA membrane incorporation and its outcome on fluidity and permeability to water and glycerol. A significant decrease in adipose membrane fluidity was correlated with the changes observed in permeability, which seem to be caused by the incor- poration of the t10,c12 CLA isomer into membrane phospholipids. These results indicate that CLA supple- mentation in obese Zucker rats fed saturated and cholesterol rich diets reduces the fluidity and permeability of adipose membranes, therefore not supporting CLA as a body fat reducing agent through membrane fluidification in obese fat consumers

Coumarins as Fluorescent Labels of Biomolecules

Important areas such as environmental sciences, medicine, pharmacy, and cellular biology are dependent on very sensitive analytical techniques. One of the most common methodologies used for their bioanalytical purposes is the fluorescent labelling. The synthesis of new fluorophores and the great development of fluorescent-labelling techniques combined with the enormous technological advances in the field of fluorescence microscopy allowed to deepen the structural knowledge of biomolecules. This new organic fluorophores form covalent bonds with the sample to be analyzed, producing stable bioconjugates that show fluorescence in a wide range of wavelengths, depending on the label used. Coumarin derivatives represent one of the most important chemical classes of organic fluorescent materials being one of the most extensively investigated and commercially significant groups of organic fluorescent materials. In this chapter, it is reviewed the use of fluorescent coumarin derivatives and their application to labelling biomolecules. These fluorescent labels allow researchers to study, and understand, biomolecular assemblies that exhibit complex sensitivity and selectivity. Reactive fluorescent coumarin derivatives are actually widely used in labelling biomolecules as peptides, proteins, oligonucleotides, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates, among other biological molecules

GreenFix®: avaliação da morfologia em tecido mamário

Na última década têm desenvolvido fixadores para substituição do formol que é tóxico para o homem. O principal objectivo foi avaliar microscopicamente a histomorfologia e as características tintoriais de tecido mamário fixado em GreenFix®, durante 24 e 72 horas, comparativamente ao fixado em formol, através da coloração de Hematoxilina-Eosina. Uma análise global da histomorfologia revelou existir uma diferença estatisticamente significativa entre a fixação pelo GreenFix® e pelo formol (p=0,050), tendo-se registado uma melhoria da coloração e detalhe nuclear nos tecidos fixados com GreenFix® durante 24 (p=0,007) ou 72 horas(p=0,024). O GreenFix® é um potencial substituto do formol na rotina histológica.In the last decade fixatives to substitute the formaldehyde - that is toxic for man – have been developed. The main goal was to evaluate the morphology and histological dyeing features of breast tissue fixed by GreenFix® during 24 and 72 hours comparing to those fixed by formaldehyde, through hematoxylin-Eosin staining. A global analysis of histomorphology showed statistically significant difference between GreenFix® and formaldehyde fixation (p=0,050). An improvement on nuclear detail and staining was achieved by GreenFix® fixation during 24 (p=0,007) or 72 hours (p=0,024). The GreenFix® is a potential substitute of formaldehyde for histological routine