The invisible college of cluster research: a bibliometric core–periphery analysis of the literature

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the evolutionary trajectories of cluster research, building upon the sociology of science concept of the invisible college, and it undertakes a core–periphery analysis of the literature. We build a database that includes 8,381 articles, collected from Web of Science, that cite the foundational works of cluster research, and we perform a longitudinal analysis of its evolution from 1985 onward, identifying the core and periphery, in terms of keywords and concepts, for each period (six-year window). We find evidence that cluster research has a core–periphery structure. Literature develops thanks to new inputs from the periphery, which increases over time as the core progressively shrinks. The periphery becomes fragmented and is characterised by subgroups of small communities. Drawing on the metaphor of the invisible college, we argue that this evolutionary trajectory is not exclusive of the cluster but might possibly characterise other scientific concepts.     

A dense network sub-grouping algorithm for co-citation analysis and its implementation in the software tool Sitkis

Summary Clustering algorithms are used prominently in co-citation analysis by analysts aiming to reveal research streams within a field. However, clustering of widely cited articles is not robust to small variations in citation patterns. We propose an alternative algorithm, dense network sub-grouping, which identifies dense groups of co-cited references. We demonstrate the algorithm using a data set from the field of family business research and compare it to two alternative methods, multidimensional scaling and clustering. We also introduce a free software tool, Sitkis, that implements the algorithm and other common bibliometric methods. The software identifies journal-, country- and university-specific citation patterns and co-citation groups, enabling the identification of “invisible colleges.”     

Community of scholars: An exploratory study of management laureates

Social network analysis is an important research tradition in structural sociology and has contributed much to our understanding of inter and intra organizational relations. Of particular significance is the contribution of social network analysis to the definition of community. Communities, whether traditional or scientific, can be effectively thought of as a series of positions and roles. This paper proposes four hypotheses about a select group of management scholars (laureates) and the network ties that connect them. Laureates were asked to identify individuals who had influenced their intellectual development and work in the management discipline. An invisible college in the traditional sense did not exist but rather a complex series of intellectual neighborhoods were identified. These neighborhoods, as contrasted to true communities or colleges were small, uncoordinated, and fragmented. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Structure of specialization among American population scientists

Studies of journal citation patterns suggest that specialty areas within disciplines may be the most appro priate structural units for understanding the social organization of science. Citation studies necessarily are limited to scientists who publish, however, and studies of all members of particular disciplines would provide more general specialty structure data. Accordingly, this research applied factor analytic procedures previously used in studies of the structure of specialization among psychologists to all members of the Population Association of America. Four principal components derived from the self-designated specialties of these population scientist were rotated to a final solution by the varimax procedure and were interpreted as measuring, respectively,Social Emphasis, Geographic Emphasis, Formal Emphasis, andEpidemiological Emphasis. These results partially confirm the distinction sometimes made by population scientists between social demography and formal demography, but suggest this typology is incomplete. The results also illustrate techniques that could provide a useful alternative to citation analysis for researchers studying specialty structures in other disciplines.     

A coword analysis of scientometrics

In this paper, we will study the field through the problematic network built by scientific articles, using actor-network theory (and consequently coword analysis) as a model for scientific knowledge (regarded as a social process) growth. Scientometrics is an hybrid field made of invisible college and a lot of users, thus controlled by both scientific research and final uses. Coword analysis gives the same weight to all articles, cited or not, and consequently computes the interaction network within all kind of authors. According to already described network properties of scientific interaction, coword analysis describes the dynamic of the field in accordance with what has been observed, and suggest forecast for the future.     

Evolutionary analysis of international collaboration network of Chinese scholars in management research

Taking articles written by mainland China scholars from management related 258 journals indexed by Web of Science database as the data sets, this paper analyses the output of scientific research of Chinese scholars. It studies the structure, characteristics and development trend of collaboration network of Chinese scholars in management research area through scientometrics and social network analysis approaches. We found that the accumulated number of Chinese authors and the accumulated number of articles published by Chinese authors in the 258 journals increases by exponential form, most of which focus on Operations research & Management science. About half of the articles come up through international collaboration and the accumulated number of articles written through collaboration between Chinese and overseas scholars display an exponential increase. The evolution studies of the collaboration network indicate that the collaboration of Chinese scholars in the field of management is on a sharp rise. However, the collaboration network has not yet stepped into a mature and steady stage. Nonetheless, a tendency towards the stable stage is unveiled.     

“互联网+”背景下视听媒体新形态与数字媒体高等教育专业改革研究

进入信息革命以来,数字技术支撑和拓展了视听艺术新的发展方向;产业和受众对视听媒体及艺术的高等教育也提出了新的目标要求。为此,进行教育改革方面的学术研究就可以提升数字视听媒体高等教育专业的发展空间和水准。本文通过文献调研法、比较研究法和跨学科研究法等方法,对传统媒体和数字视听新媒体的发展历史和技术要点进行细化分析,并结合中国高等教育院校的专业分类和发展历程,对广播、电影和电视的工业体系、产业链和体制进行剖析,发现了当下数字媒体视听领域存在的革命性契机。抓住机遇展开有传统、有重点、有针对性的数字视听媒体高等教育的专业改革,不仅能够促进文化产业的繁荣,更能推动国际化的视听媒体新形态产业,为新时期中国经济文化生活的各个层面增加更新的活力。     

Making Hidden Cell Particle Interactions Visible by Thermal Noise Frequency Decomposition

Thermal noise drives cellular structures, bacteria, and viruses on different temporal and spatial scales. Their weak interactions with their environment can change on subsecond scales. However, particle interactions can be hidden or invisible—even when measured with thermal noise sensitivity, leading to misconceptions about their binding behavior. Here, it is demonstrated how invisible particle interactions at the cell periphery become visible by MHz interferometric thermal noise tracking and frequency decomposition at a spectral update rate of only 0.5 s. The particle fluctuations are analyzed in radial and lateral directions by a viscoelastic modulus G(ω,t_ex) over the experiment time t_ex, revealing a surprisingly similar, frequency dependent response for different cell types. This response behavior can be explained by a mathematical model for molecular scale elasticity and damping. The method to reveal hidden interactions is tested at two examples: the stiffening of macrophage filopodia tips within 2 s with particle contact invisible by the fluctuation width. Second, the extent and stiffness of the soft cell glycocalyx is measured, which can be sensed by a particle only on microsecond-timescales, but which remains invisible on time-average. This concept study shows how to uncover hidden cellular interactions, if particle motions are measured at high-speed.     

Mapping the (in)visible college(s) in the field of entrepreneurship

Despite the vitality and dynamism that the field of entrepreneurship has experienced in the last decade, the issue of whether it comprises an effective network of (in)formal communication linkages among the most influential scholars within the area has yet to be examined in depth. This study follows a formal selection procedure to delimit the ‘relational environment’ of the field of entrepreneurship and to analyze the existence and characterization of (in)visible college(s) based on a theoretically well-grounded framework, thus offering a comprehensive and up-to-date empirical analysis of entrepreneurship research. Based on more than a 1,000 papers published between 2005 and 2010 in seven core entrepreneurship journals and the corresponding (85,000) citations, we found that entrepreneurship is an (increasingly) autonomous, legitimate and cohesive (in)visible college, fine tuned through the increasing visibility of certain subject specialties (e.g., family business, innovation, technology and policy). Moreover, the rather dense formal links that characterize the entrepreneurship (in)visible college are accompanied by a reasonably solid network of informal relations maintained and sustained by the mobility of ‘stars’ and highly influential scholars. The limited internationalization of the entrepreneurship community, reflected in the almost total absence of non-English-speaking authors/studies/outlets, stands as a major quest for the field.     

Crookes’ Radiometer und Geißlers Lichtmühle — Kooperation oder Konkurrenz?

Scientific instruments provide crucial historical information about the research process, and are valuable sources for historians of science and technology. The design of the radiometers which William Crookes constructed for his own use in experimentation in the mid-1870s show technical features originally developed by the German instrument maker Heinrich Geissler in the construction of his “lightmills”. Further analysis reveals a myriad of connections between scientists and instrument makers. Members of this group such as Geissler or his former apprentice and co-worker Goetze participated in the discussion of radiometer effects and their place within the kinetic theory of gases, going beyond a passive role as invisible technicians to actively intervene in the research process. These technological improvements contributed both to basic and applied scientific knowledge, and the proliferation of their instruments created a network of cooperation and competition which lay the foundations for a new field of research.      

The motivations for knowledge transfer across borders: the diffusion of data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology

To facilitate technology development, people rely on quick and intensive knowledge interactions without barriers. However, when people need to transfer knowledge from one place to another, geographical distance is a critical barrier to overcome because tacit and invisible characteristics are embedded in certain knowledge and locations. This study explores how social and scientific resources embedded within persons can motivate personal knowledge-diffusion behaviors; that is, bridging resources between locations. To explain cross-border diffusion, this work analyzes knowledge dissemination of the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method. By collecting theoretical and application papers in DEA methodology from the Web of Science data set, this study analyzes the academic network consisting of 610 researchers and identifies author locations, research disciplines, and their mutual linkages to explain the importance of personal specific characteristics in cross-border diffusion. Regression models and network analysis show the advantages of personal research seniority and cross-disciplinary coordinating capabilities for researchers to diffuse knowledge from one region to another. The corresponding brokering capabilities accumulated within domestic area or adjacent nations are also helpful for specifically brokering resources of other farther places.     

Complex networks and SOA: Mathematical modelling of granularity based web service compositions

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) can be defined as a way of defining and implementing enterprise applications that deals with the intercommunication of loosely coupled, coarse grained (business level), reusable artifacts (services). In this paper, we attempt to mathematically model the preliminary steps in the larger problem of providing an optimal architecture. The problem is treated as a complex network, particularly a process-task-network. We employ statistical and graph-theoretic methods namely, Jaccard’s distance analysis, Multiple Correspondence method and the Minimum Spanning Tree method, to find appropriate clusters. These methods are used to cluster tasks across business processes to propose services. Additional properties and features of these clusters are discussed. We propose a leverage factor which demonstrates the importance of a task within the service and its impact on service composition.     

Coordination Approaches and Systems – Part I: A Strategic Perspective

This is the first part of a two-part paper presenting a fundamental review and summary of research of design coordination and cooperation technologies. The theme of this review is aimed at the research conducted within the decision management aspect of design coordination. The focus is therefore on the strategies involved in making decisions and how these strategies are used to satisfy design requirements. The paper reviews research within collaborative and coordinated design, project and workflow management, and, task and organization models. The research reviewed has attempted to identify fundamental coordination mechanisms from different domains, however it is concluded that domain independent mechanisms need to be augmented with domain specific mechanisms to facilitate coordination. Part II is a review of design coordination from an operational perspective.     

Promoting Entrepreneurship in the Agri-food Industry: Policy Insights from a Pan-European Public–Private Consortium

Despite the importance of entrepreneurship as an engine for socioeconomic growth, few attempts have been made to study how and to what extent industry-specific policies can sustain it. In particular, to date, there is only anecdotal evidence on which factors policy-makers can utilize to foster entrepreneurship within the agri-food sector. In this paper, we attempt to fill this gap by developing, testing, and validating a multi-item scale, identifying five factors (i.e. people, money, network, technology, infrastructure) and 16 specific tools (i.e. items) to be leveraged in promoting entrepreneurship within the agri-food industry. We carry out our study in the context of Foodbest, a pan-European public–private consortium created in 2012 to support entrepreneurship and innovation in the agri-food sector. By testing for differences in perceptions of factors’ and tools’ effectiveness, we find variations according to respondents’ organizational and country affiliation. We thus offer new insights into how public policy and public–private consortiums can proactively promote entrepreneurship in the agri-food domain.

Key Points: We cover three key points. First, by conducting a literature review and working with a focus group, we identify a set of theoretically grounded factors and tools that could help promote entrepreneurship in the agri-food industry. Second, we develop and test a multi-item scale of these factors within the context of a pan-European public–private consortium. Third, we show that perceptions of factor effectiveness vary among consortium participants according to participants’ personal characteristics and organizational affiliations.     

Effects of civil war: scientific cooperation in the republics of the former Yugoslavia and the province of Kosovo

In this study we investigate the scientific output of Yugoslavia and its successor republics viz. Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro. Additionally, Kosovo was included as a separate entity, since it recently declared its independence. The publications and cooperation between the republics are analyzed for the years from 1970 until 2007. In contrast to similar studies, we examine a larger time window and take into consideration not only the three big republics (Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia) but also include the smaller ones, namely Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro. For our analysis we introduce two new indicators: the normalized cooperation score (R^(cs)_iR^{\rm (cs)}_{i}) and the dominance factor (D^(c)_iD^{\rm (c)}_{i}), a measure of dominance within a weighted network. Furthermore, we develop and assess the reliability of various techniques for visualizing our findings. We found that the civil wars had a severe impact on the inner-Yugoslav cooperation network. Additionally it seems, as if with the ending of the conflicts a process of recovery started.     

Review of Applications of High-Temperature Superconductors

Since the discovery of high-T _c superconductor oxides in 1986, much research and development have been carried out, and much progress has been made. In the last ten years our efforts have been devoted to the development of materials technologies for these difficult materials, and remarkable progress has been made. This is a great contribution not only for application but also for fundamental research on high-T _c superconductors. In this paper, we will present a review of applications of high-T _c superconductors discovered in the last ten years. At present, it can be said that we are in the transition period from the period of growth to the period of specialization, looking for future applications of high-T _c superconductivity.     

技术生态位理论综述

从技术生态位起源,国外学者和国内学者对技术生态位的概念界定,理论成果和发展趋势3个方面,对技术生态位的问题进行引介和评述。对比国内外的研究成果,国外学者已有统一认识且研究初具规模。而国内学者对技术生态位的研究与国外相比有一定差距,仍停留在概念探索阶段,在基于技术生态位对技术创新及可持续发展方面的研究深度尚显不足。因此,这一领域的研究是一个值得深化的课题。     

Research and development of metals for medical devices based on clinical needs

Abstract

The current research and development of metallic materials used for medicine and dentistry is reviewed. First, the general properties required of metals used in medical devices are summarized, followed by the needs for the development of α + β type Ti alloys with large elongation and β type Ti alloys with a low Young's modulus. In addition, nickel-free Ni–Ti alloys and austenitic stainless steels are described. As new topics, we review metals that are bioabsorbable and compatible with magnetic resonance imaging. Surface treatment and modification techniques to improve biofunctions and biocompatibility are categorized, and the related problems are presented at the end of this review. The metal surface may be biofunctionalized by various techniques, such as dry and wet processes. These techniques make it possible to apply metals to scaffolds in tissue engineering.     

Social media-based systems: an emerging area of information systems research and practice

This article presents a review of the social media-based systems; an emerging area of information system research, design, and practice shaped by social media phenomenon. Social media-based system (SMS) is the application of a wider range of social software and social media phenomenon in organizational and non-organization context to facilitate every day interactions. To characterize SMS, a total of 274 articles (published during 2003–2011) were analyzed that were classified as computer science information system related in the Web of Science data base and had at least one social media phenomenon related keyword—social media; social network analysis; social network; social network site; and social network system. As a result, we found four main research streams in SMS research dealing with: (1) organizational aspect of SMS, (2) non-organizational aspect of SMS, (3) technical aspect of SMS, and (4) social as a tool. The results indicates that SMS research is fragmented and has not yet found way into the core IS journals, however, it is diverse and interdisciplinary in nature. We also proposed that unlike the conventional and socio-technical IS where information is bureaucratic, formal, bounded within the intranet, and tightly controlled by organizations; in the SMS context, information is social, informal, boundary-less (i.e. boundary is within the internet), has less control, and more sharing of information may lead to higher value/impact.     

Locating the network of interacting authors in scientific specialties

This paper seeks to describe the social circles, networks, or invisible colleges etc that make a scientific speciality in terms of (mathematically precise) sets generated by documents citation and accessible through theSocial Science Citation Index ^\TM . The document and author sets that encompass a scientific speciality are the basis for some interdependent citation matrices. We illustrate our method of construction of these sets and matrices through an application to the literature on \ldinvisible colleges\rd.