When does centrality matter? Scientific productivity and the moderating role of research specialization and cross-community ties

The present study addresses the ongoing debate concerning academic scientific productivity. Specifically, given the increasing number of collaborations in academia and the crucial role networks play in knowledge creation, we investigate the extent to which building social capital within the academic community represents a valuable resource for a scientist's knowledge-creation process. We measure the social capital in terms of structural position within the academic collaborative network. Furthermore, we analyse the extent to which an academic scientist's research specialization and ties that cross-community boundaries act as moderators of the aforementioned relationship. Empirical results derived from an analysis of an Italian academic community from 2001 to 2008 suggest academic scientists that build social capital by occupying central positions in the community outperform their more isolated colleagues. However, scientific productivity declines beyond a certain threshold value of centrality, hence revealing the existence of an inverted U-shaped relationship. This relationship is negatively moderated by the extent to which an academic focuses research activities in few scientific knowledge domains, whereas it is positively moderated by the number of cross-community ties established

Determinants of patent citations in biotechnology: An analysis of patent influence across the industrial and organizational boundaries

The present paper extends the literature investigating key drivers leading certain patents to exert a stronger influence on the subsequent technological developments (inventions) than other ones. We investigated six key determinants, as (i) the use of scientific knowledge, (ii) the breadth of the technological base, (iii) the existence of collaboration in patent development, (iv) the number of claims, (v) the scope, and (vi) the novelty, and how the effect of these determinants varies when patent influence—as measured by the number of forward citations the patent received—is distinguished as within and across the industrial and organizational boundaries. We conducted an empirical analysis on a sample of 5671 patents granted to 293 US biotechnology firms from 1976 to 2003. Results reveal that the contribution of the determinants to patent influence differs across the domains that are identified by the industrial and organizational boundaries. Findings, for example, show that the use of scientific knowledge negatively affects patent influence outside the biotechnology industry, while it positively contributes to make a patent more relevant for the assignee's subsequent technological developments. In addition, the broader the scope of a patent the higher the number of citations the patent receives from subsequent non-biotechnology patents. This relationship is inverted U-shaped when considering the influence of a patent on inventions granted to other organizations than the patent's assignee. Finally, the novelty of a patent is inverted-U related with the influence the patent exerts on the subsequent inventions granted across the industrial and organizational boundaries

Ernest Renan Formazione, pensiero e scritti giovanili (1842-1848) לקט (Leqeṭ) e i quaderni del 1845-1846

Il presente lavoro si propone di studiare la formazione teologica, scientifica e filosofica di Ernest Renan a Issy e a Saint-Sulpice negli anni 1842-1845; l’edizione critica e commentata dei primi due quaderni di gioventù (Cahiers de jeunesse) del 1845; la trascrizione e lo studio di inediti manoscritti giovanili dell’autore dal 1842 al 1848

Yoga and mindfulness in the inclusion classroom

This paper explores the effectiveness of implementing mindfulness and yoga techniques in two sections of fourth grade inclusion language arts classes. More specifically, this paper examines the effectiveness of yoga and mindfulness techniques on the frequency of off-task behaviors and academic achievement. It was hypothesized that off-task behaviors would occur less frequently and that academic performance in writing would improve after a yoga and mindfulness intervention was implemented. Using a pre-post no-control design, thirty-six students, eighteen per class, from a public elementary school in Southern New Jersey participated in this investigation. Baseline and post implementation data were collected using On-Demand writing prompts, as well as teacher-made data collection sheets for off-task behavior. Using resources from Educate 2B!, Little Flower Yoga, and the Newark Yoga Movement, yoga and mindfulness exercises were taught to students during the first five minutes of class, over an intervention period of four weeks. This study found that, based on pre-post data, all of the off-task behaviors lessened in frequency in both classes. Additionally, more than half of the students in each class improved their academic performance after the intervention. It was also determined that students could independently use and apply the exercises to other situation. These findings suggest that yoga and mindfulness are potentially promising techniques for improving focus, attention, and academic achievement in the inclusive classroom