Co-Authorship and Bibliographic Coupling Network Effects on Citations

Climate change adaptation (CCA) has recently emerged as a new fundamental dimension to be considered in the planning and management of water resources. Because of the need to consider the already perceived changes in climate trends, variability and extremes, and their interactions with evolving social and ecological systems, water management is now facing new challenges. The research community is expected to contribute with innovative methods and tools to support to decision- and policy-makers. Decision Support Systems (DSSs), have a relatively long history in the water management sector. They are usually developed upon pre-existing hydrologic simulation models, providing interfaces for facilitated use beyond the limited group of model developers, and specific routines for decision making (e.g. optimization methods). In recent years, the traditional focus of DSS research has shifted away from the software component, towards the process of structuring problems and aiding decisions, thus including in particular robust methods for stakeholders' participation. The paper analyses the scientific literature, identifies the main open issues, and proposes an innovative operational approach for the implementation of participatory planning and decision-making processes for CCA in the water domain

Extraordinary : reflections on sample representativeness

In this chapter we reflect on a particular way of studying immensely high complexity, such as creativity, by investigating extraordinary achievers. The basis of our reflections are two empirical studies, one conducted in the area of haute cuisine, through interviewing top chefs, and the second conducted in the area of science, thorough interviewing Nobel Laureates. We explore why we feel that studying such extraordinary individuals can be more fruitful for better understanding creativity than trying to achieve an artificially manufactured sample that provides insights about the creative potential of the average individual. We outline the problems we see with the notion of representative samples from both conceptual as well as feasibility perspectives and offer an argument for studying the extraordinary instead

Race/Ethnic Disparities in Early Childhood BMI, Obesity and Overweight in the UK and US

OBJECTIVE: Racial/ethnic patterning in the risk of obesity and overweight has been observed in early childhood; however, little research has compared these disparities between the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) using detailed ethnic classifications. We use comparable nationally representative cohort studies to examine racial/ethnic disparities in mean body mass index (BMI) and in the odds of obesity/overweight in the UK and US. The contribution of sociodemographic, cultural and family routine factors are assessed. METHODS: Data on BMI, obesity and overweight in 5-year-old children from the MCS (Millennium Cohort Study) and ECLS-B (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort) were examined. We investigated race/ethnic disparities in mean BMI and in the odds of obesity and overweight, as compared to normal weight. We assessed the independent contribution of sociodemographic, cultural and family routine factors to observed disparities. RESULTS: In the UK, after adjustment for sociodemographic, cultural and family routine factors and maternal BMI, we found Black Caribbean children to have higher odds ratio (OR=1.7, confidence interval (CI)=1.1–2.6), Pakistani children to have lower odds of obesity (OR=0.60, CI=0.37–0.96) and Black African children were more likely to be overweight (OR=1.40, CI=1.04–1.88). In the US, in fully adjusted models, there were no race/ethnic disparities in children's odds of obesity and overweight. CONCLUSION: Disparities for Bangladeshi children in the UK and Mexican, other Hispanic and American Indian children in the US can be explained by socioeconomic disadvantage, whereas a range of cultural and family characteristics partially explain disparities for other groups in the UK. Future public health initiatives focused on reducing risk of overweight and obesity should consider the diverse socioeconomic and cultural profiles of all race/ethnic groups