Estimating the potential impacts of open access to research findings

Advances in information and communication technologies are disrupting traditional models of scholarly publishing, radically changing our capacity to reproduce, distribute, control, and publish information. The key question is whether there are new opportunities and new models for scholarly publishing that would better serve researchers and better communicate and disseminate research findings. Identifying access and efficiency limitations under the subscription publishing model, this paper explores the potential impacts of enhanced access to research outputs using a modified Solow-Swan model, which introduces ‘accessibility’ and ‘efficiency’ parameters into calculating returns to R&D. Indicative impact ranges are presented for Government, Higher Education and Australian Research Council R&D expenditures. We conclude that there may be substantial benefits to be gained from more open access to research findings

The WIYN Open Cluster Study Photometric Binary Survey: Initial Findings for NGC 188

The WIYN open cluster study (WOCS) has been working to yield precise magnitudes in the Johnson-Kron-Cousins UBVRI system for all stars in the field of a selection of ``prototypical'' open clusters. Additionally, WOCS is using radial velocities to obtain orbit solutions for all cluster binary stars with periods of less than 1000 days. Recently, WOCS is being expanded to include the near-infrared JHK_s (deep ground-based plus 2MASS) and mid-infrared ([3.6], [4.5], [5.8], [8.0]) photometry from Spitzer/IRAC observations. This multi-wavelength data (0.3--8.0 microns) allows us photometrically to identify binaries, with mass ratios from 1.0--0.3, across a wide range of primary masses. The spectral energy distribution (SED) fitter by Robitaille et al. (2007) is used to fit the fluxes of 10--12 bands, converted from the observed magnitudes, to Kurucz stellar models. Using this photometric technique, we find that NGC 188 has a binary fraction of 36--49% and provide a star-by-star comparison to the WOCS radial velocity-based binary study.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, Conference Proceedings from "Dynamical Evolution of Dense Stellar Systems'', IAU Symposium 246, Eds. E. Vesperini, M. Giersz, & A. Sill

Huddersfield Open Access Publishing

This paper presents the findings of the Huddersfield Open Access Publishing Project, a JISC funded project to develop a low cost, sustainable Open Access (OA) journal publishing platform using EPrints Institutional Repository software

What Influences Open Defecation and Latrine Ownership in Rural Households?: Findings from a Global Review

In this review, the Water and Sanitation Program of the World Bank identifies commonalities and differences across sanitation market research studies it has conducted in eight countries since 2006 to determine factors that affect sanitation behaviors. Three specific behaviors -- open defecation, acquisition of toilets, and improvement of latrines -- are covered

Mainstreaming Open Textbooks: Educator Perspectives on the Impact of OpenStax College open textbooks

This paper presents the results of collaborative research between OpenStax College, who have published 16 open textbooks to date, and the OER Research Hub, a Hewlett funded open research project examining the impact of open educational resources (OER) on learning and teaching. The paper focuses primarily on the results of two surveys that were conducted with educators during 2013 and 2014/2015. These surveys focused on use and perceptions of OER and OpenStax College materials, financial savings and perceptions of impact on both educators and students. This paper reports on the research findings related to the impact of OER on educator practice and make a series of specific recommendations based on these findings

Citizen Science and Open Design: Workshop Findings

An inherent link exists between making things and designing things, often relying on skills, knowledge, and tools, and working together to achieve outcomes. Conventional design and manufac- ture to date has been a closed system requiring professional skills. Traditional manufacture has required a significant initial financial investment for “tooling” to produce large volumes of product (i.e., for “mass production”). In contrast, Digital Manufacture (DM) or Rapid Manufacture (RM) is “the ability to manufacture parts of vir- tually any complexity [and] geometry entirely without the need for tooling.” The latter offers lower financial entry-points and the ability to create bespoke products.1 The following article weaves Open design, Digital Manufacture and Citizen Science together present- ing findings from territory exploring workshops with lay users signposting opportunities and perceived detrimental factors

Institutional Repositories, Evidence Exchange, and other options to share your findings and research with the world, and how to retain your rights.

Objective 1: Understand the need for open access to research and interventions Objective 2: Be aware for the available venues for disseminating research findings Did you come up with a new intervention, and would you like to share it with the world? Would you like a secure place to put your conference posters and handouts from your AOTA and other professional presentations? If so then Open Access is for you. This discussion among peers will discuss how you are preserving your research, and how we could collaborate more to share our findings across the country

Hidden parameters in open-system evolution unveiled by geometric phase

We find a class of open-system models in which individual quantum trajectories may depend on parameters that are undetermined by the full open-system evolution. This dependence is imprinted in the geometric phase associated with such trajectories and persists after averaging. Our findings indicate a potential source of ambiguity in the quantum trajectory approach to open quantum systems.Comment: QSD analysis added; several stylistic changes; journal reference adde

NGC 4337: an over-looked old cluster in the inner disc of the Milky Way

Galactic open clusters do not survive long in the high density regions of the inner Galactic disc. Inside the solar ring only 11 open clusters are known with ages older than one Gyr. We show here, basing on deep, high-quality photometry, that NGC 4337, contrary to earlier findings, is indeed an old open cluster. The cluster is located very close to the conspicuous star cluster Trumpler 20, as well mis-classified in the past, and that has received so much attention in recent years. NGC 4337 shows a significant clump of He-burning stars which was not detected previously. Its beautiful color-magnitude diagram is strikingly similar to the one of the classical old open clusters IC 4651, NGC 752, and NGC 3680, and this suggests similar age and composition. A spectroscopic study is much needed to confirm our findings. This, in turn, would also allow us to better define the inner disc radial abundance gradient and its temporal evolution.To this aim, a list of clump star candidates is provided.Comment: 5 pages, 4 eps figures, in press as MNRAS Lette