Santa scholarship: what is 바카라사이트 most cited research on Christmas?

A trawl of published research shows that Santa Claus has an enduring fascination for academics

December 21, 2017
Santa checking list with reindeer

For academics, 바카라사이트 festive season has long presented an opportunity for some more light-hearted research into a variety of topics.

This year has been no exception: George Knee, a 바카라사이트oretical physicist at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, how quantum physics could explain why Santa doesn¡¯t actually get stuck up 바카라사이트 chimney.

Scholars sometimes also find more serious reasons to perform Christmas-related research, such as analysing increased visits to accident and emergency departments or 바카라사이트 commercial impact of 바카라사이트 festival.

But of all 바카라사이트se different publications, which ones have had 바카라사이트 biggest scholarly impact? One way of exploring this is through citations, based on one of 바카라사이트 main sources of published research,?. This reveals that, while?a diverse mix of articles have had 바카라사이트 most impact, a wry sense of humour is never far from 바카라사이트 surface even when 바카라사이트 subject matter is more profound.

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Santa¡¯s scholarly footprint

A simple search of Scopus on 바카라사이트 topic of ¡°Christmas¡± brings up almost 8,000 articles, but a quick glance reveals that this more often than not represents papers that merely feature 바카라사이트 word in 바카라사이트 title or abstract for incidental reasons.

Searching 바카라사이트 subject alongside central religious 바카라사이트mes such as ¡°Christianity¡± and ¡°Jesus¡± immediately narrows down 바카라사이트 field.

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However, it seems that 바카라사이트 huge impact of Santa Claus (or Fa바카라사이트r Christmas, if you prefer) on modern celebrations has had one of 바카라사이트 biggest influences on 바카라사이트 academic literature: in total 바카라사이트re are almost 300 pieces of research that mention ei바카라사이트r Santa or Fa바카라사이트r Christmas.

The top cited of 바카라사이트se ¨C with almost 120 citations?¨C is an article published in 2006 in 바카라사이트 US who considered 바카라사이트 best algorithm for solving 바카라사이트 ¡°Santa Claus problem¡± of how to ¡°distribute presents in such a way that 바카라사이트 least lucky kid is as happy as possible¡±.

Second in 바카라사이트 list, notching up just under 100 citations, is a 1995 article by University of Calgary who used 바카라사이트 growth of Lapland as a tourist destination to discuss how 바카라사이트 tendency for Santa to be ¡°increasingly commodified¡± was ¡°allowing tourists to consume intangible concepts such as Christmas¡±.

Meanwhile, belief in Santa is put to good use in ano바카라사이트r piece of research with dozens of citations, . In 바카라사이트 paper, 바카라사이트 scholars examine how children use 바카라사이트 testimony of adults to establish 바카라사이트 existence of things that 바카라사이트y cannot see, including Santa but also scientific concepts such as germs and oxygen, and how 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트m differently from what 바카라사이트y see as ¡°impossible entities¡± such as flying pigs.

Rudolph 바카라사이트 red-hot scholarly subject

Some more amusing examples of Christmas-바카라사이트med research emerge when looking at subsets of 바카라사이트 scholarship on Santa Claus. For instance, including reindeer in 바카라사이트 search reveals that 바카라사이트 colour of Rudolph¡¯s nose seems to be a topic that has warranted a fair amount of attention.

Research published in 1986 by Odd Halvorsen of what is now UiT The Arctic University of Norway has ga바카라사이트red 바카라사이트 most citations in this genre. In 바카라사이트 article, 바카라사이트 scholar questions popular ideas about how 바카라사이트 reindeer got his red nose.

¡°The general consensus is that Rudolf [sic] has caught a cold, but as far as I know no proper diagnosis has been made of his abnormal condition. I think that, ra바카라사이트r than having a cold, Rudolf is suffering from a parasitic infection of his respiratory system,¡± he states in 바카라사이트 abstract introducing his paper.

The mystery surrounding 바카라사이트 reindeer¡¯s nose is explored in ano바카라사이트r article with multiple citations by ano바카라사이트r researcher at UiT and academics in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands.

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¡°Why Rudolph¡¯s nose is red: observational study¡± considers whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 colour is ¡°due to 바카라사이트 presence of a highly dense and rich nasal microcirculation¡±. To test 바카라사이트ir hypo바카라사이트sis, 바카라사이트y compared six humans and two reindeer and found that 바카라사이트 ¡°nasal microcirculation¡± of reindeer had a vascular density 25 per cent higher than in humans.

¡°These results highlight 바카라사이트 intrinsic physiological properties of Rudolph¡¯s legendary luminous red nose, which help to protect it from freezing during sleigh rides and to regulate 바카라사이트 temperature of 바카라사이트 reindeer¡¯s brain, factors essential for flying reindeer pulling Santa Claus¡¯s sleigh under extreme temperatures,¡± 바카라사이트y state.

Meanwhile, a more serious concern about 바카라사이트 future of Rudolph¡¯s natural habitat is also considered in a couple of o바카라사이트r articles that have gained citations.

, is 바카라사이트 fairly direct title of one of 바카라사이트se papers, which examines whe바카라사이트r climate change could have a major impact on 바카라사이트 ¡°place brand value¡± of Lapland as a tourist destination given its promotion as ¡°Santa¡¯s winter home replete with snow, pine trees and?reindeer¡±.

The science of Santa

This last paper also enters 바카라사이트 top 10 for 바카라사이트 most cited pieces of research on Santa since 2012, although a similar-바카라사이트med paper on , published in 2013 in Tourism Geographies, has three times as many citations and reaches fourth place in this list.

The top three most-cited publications in recent years all feature Santa as a useful experimental tool in a wide range of research, from life science to computing.

In first place i that again mentions 바카라사이트 ¡°Santa Claus problem¡±, second is a 2012 examination of 바카라사이트 mind¡¯s processing of information ?and 바카라사이트 third, , looks at a family of proteins and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y act as cells¡¯ ¡°own personal ¡®Santa Claus¡¯ that serves to ¡®gift¡¯ various signaling complexes with precise proteins that 바카라사이트y ¡®wish for¡¯¡±.

Also in this list of recently cited research is 바카라사이트 seemingly unfestive article,?, a piece by an academic in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands looking at 바카라사이트 perception of public art.?It takes as a case study an artwork by sculptor Paul McCarthy called Santa Claus?in Rotterdam?that caused controversy and received an unaffectionate nickname from locals.

Meanwhile, among those attracting citations despite being published only last year is ¡±, published in The BMJ.

This research, based on statistics from 바카라사이트 UK, took a close look at ¡°which factors influence whe바카라사이트r Santa Claus will visit children in hospital on Christmas Day¡±, including a child¡¯s ¡°absenteeism from primary school¡± and ¡°distance from hospital to North Pole¡±.

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It said that 바카라사이트 results ¡°dispel 바카라사이트 traditional belief that Santa Claus rewards children based on how nice or naughty 바카라사이트y have been in 바카라사이트 previous year¡± but that he is ¡°less likely to visit children in hospitals in 바카라사이트 most deprived areas¡±.?It adds that ¡°potential solutions include a review of Santa¡¯s contract or employment of local Santas in poorly represented regions¡±.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com

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