Especially with reference to the early modern period the relation between medicine and religion has often been studied as a zero-sum game, in which the 'disenchantment' of the world was a... Show moreEspecially with reference to the early modern period the relation between medicine and religion has often been studied as a zero-sum game, in which the 'disenchantment' of the world was a precondition for medical progress and innovation. Using digital methods to analyse a corpus of 300 handwritten chronicles from the Chronicling Novelty project led by prof. dr. Judith Pollmann and dr. Erika Kuijpers, new comparative and long-term research is possible to study the relation between religious and medical practices in the Low Countries among the middle-class. Writing a new 'history from below' by studying chronicles as collections of knowledge enables historians to study religious and medical practices not only side by side, but also in relation to each other, as well as to explore how this relation was perceived by the chroniclers. By examining both Catholic and Protestant authors from the Southern- and Northern Netherlands, this paper will present two perspectives on the changing relation between medicine and religion in the early modern period. First, the causal relation between 'divine' and 'natural' explanations for epidemics among non-medical experts. Secondly, how a group of middle-class authors used religious and medical practices simultaneously. As a result, this paper not only nuances the dichotomy between medicine and religion, but also provides insight in the how Catholics and Protestants reflected upon medical novelties in relation to their faith. Show less
The methods of preventing and controlling plagues depended heavily on contemporary understandings of its causes and course. However, this ‘contemporary understanding’ refers in general to the... Show moreThe methods of preventing and controlling plagues depended heavily on contemporary understandings of its causes and course. However, this ‘contemporary understanding’ refers in general to the printed ideas expressed by; authorities, scholars and medical practitioners, and often excludes how ‘ordinary’ people framed epidemics. Chronicles – handwritten and chronological records of events – offer a new perspective on how the middle class of Dutch society responded to epidemics and provides an insight on how they thought and acted upon plagues and disasters.Based on my current research of 115 chronicles written between 1500 and 1850, it seems that ordinary people, as well as those in positions of authority, secular, intellectual, and religious, continued to believe the idea that plagues could have natural and supernatural origins. Both faith and reason conditioned responses to plague and the solutions chosen did not prove antagonistic to another. The two systems of belief worked together, usually harmoniously. However, even if most people accepted the ultimate divine origin of plague, it did not prevent people from seeking assistance from mortal healers nor governments from enacting public health ordinances. Moreover, they also acknowledged the role of other factors, including odd weather patterns (scorching summers or frigid winters), famines, troop movements, wars, ‘fetid miasmas,’ stagnant pools of water, prodigies, monstrous births, and other premonitions.Analysing the relationships that chroniclers made between epidemic plagues and other factors, and how they changed diachronically - under the influence of ‘new’ knowledge - is the core of my research. As a result, the framing of epidemic diseases tended to be holistic and inclusive, although the explanation and the combination of causes changed diachronically. Therefore, studying epidemics by analysing chronicles not only enables historians to investigate the response of the populace on epidemics, but provides an insight in their worldview as well. Show less
The analysis of user-generated content on the Web provides tools to better understand users' behavior and to the development of improved Web services. Here, we consider a large dataset of Google+... Show moreThe analysis of user-generated content on the Web provides tools to better understand users' behavior and to the development of improved Web services. Here, we consider a large dataset of Google+ status updates to evaluate linguistic features among members of distinct social groups. Our study reveals that groups hold linguistic particularities - such as a tendency to use professional vocabulary, suggesting that Google+ might be employed, by certain users, for professional activities, or that members do not dissociate from their jobs when interacting in this environment. To illustrate a possible application of our outcomes, we present a classification experiment aiming to infer users' social information through the analysis of their posts, with satisfactory preliminary results. Our findings help to understand not only collective peculiarities of online social media users, but also important characteristics of the textual genre post, being one of the first and most comprehensive studies on this topic. Show less
In this paper an analysis of the presence and possibilities of altmetrics for bibliometric and performance analysis is carried out. Using the web based tool Impact Story, we have collected metrics... Show moreIn this paper an analysis of the presence and possibilities of altmetrics for bibliometric and performance analysis is carried out. Using the web based tool Impact Story, we have collected metrics for 20,000 random publications from the Web of Science. We studied the presence and frequency of altmetrics in the set of publications, across fields, document types and also through the years. The main result of the study is that less than 50% of the publications have some kind of altmetrics. The source that provides most metrics is Mendeley, with metrics on readerships for around 37% of all the publications studied. Other sources only provide marginal information. Possibilities and limitations of these indicators are discussed and future research lines are outlined. We also assessed the accuracy of the data retrieved through Impact Story by focusing on the analysis of the accuracy of data from Mendeley; in a follow up study, the accuracy and validity of other data sources not included here will be assessed. Show less
Landulfo Teixeira P. Cunha, E.; Magno, G.; Almeida, V.; Gonçalves, M.A.; Benevenuto, F. 2012
Gender plays a key role in the process of language variation. Men and women use language in different ways, according to the expected behavior patterns associated with their status in the... Show moreGender plays a key role in the process of language variation. Men and women use language in different ways, according to the expected behavior patterns associated with their status in the communities. In this paper, we present a first description of gender distinctions in the usage of Twitter hashtags. After analyzing data collected from more than 650,000 tagged tweets concerning three different subjects, we concluded that gender can be considered a social factor that influences the user's choice of particular hashtags about a given topic. This study aims to increase knowledge about human behavior in free tagging environments and may be useful to the development of tag recommendation systems based on users' collective preferences. Show less
