Credit where credit is due: research parasites and tackling misconceptions about academic data sharing

Benedikt Fecher and Gert G. Wagner look at a recent editorial which faced considerable criticism for typecasting researchers who use or build on previous datasets as “research parasites”. They argue that the authors appear to miss the point, not only of data sharing, but of scientific research more broadly. But as problematic as the editorial may be, it points to a wider issue for the scientific community, which is adequate mechanisms for credit and contribution. We could be doing more to provide proper recognition for researchers’ data sharing, data production and data curation efforts

The symmetric buckling mode in laminated elastoplastic micro-structures under plane strain

The present work considers lamellar (micro) structures of thin, elastic lamellae embedded in a yielding matrix as a stability problem in the context of the theory of stability and uniqueness of path-dependent systems. The volume ratio of the stiff lamellae to the relatively soft matrix is assumed low enough to initiate a symmetric buckling mode, which is investigated by analytical and numerical means. Using a highly abstracted, incompatible model, a first approach is made, and the principal features of the problem are highlighted. Assuming plane strain deformation, an analytic expression for the bifurcation load of a refined, compatible model is derived for the special case of ideal plasticity and verified by numerical results. The effect of lamella spacing and matrix hardening on the bifurcation load is studied by a finite element unit cell model. Some of the findings for the ideal plastic matrix are shown to also apply for a mildly hardening matrix material. Furthermore, the postbuckling behaviour and the limit load are investigated by simulating a bulk lamella array

Flipping journals to open: Rethinking publishing infrastructure in light of Lingua/Glossa case

The resignation of the editorial board of an Elsevier-owned linguistics journal and its open access reorganization could get the ball rolling for other journals to follow suit. Benedikt Fecher and Gert Wagner argue this case is a reminder that open access means more than just providing access to an article; it means rethinking the whole process of publishing. Open access also raises important questions about who owns the critical information infrastructure for online publishing

Flipping journals to open: Rethinking publishing infrastructure

The resignation of the editorial board of an Elsevier-owned linguistics journal and its open access reorganization could get the ball rolling for other journals to follow suit. This case is a reminder that open access means more than just providing access to an article; it means rethinking the whole process of publishing. Open access also raises important questions about who owns the critical information infrastructure for online publishing

Elements of Proximal Formative Assessment in Learners’ Discourse about Energy

Proximal formative assessment, the just-in-time elicitation of students\u27 ideas that informs ongoing instruction, is usually associated with the instructor in a formal classroom setting. However, the elicitation, assessment, and subsequent instruction that characterize proximal formative assessment are also seen in discourse among peers. We present a case in which secondary teachers in a professional development course at SPU are discussing energy flow in refrigerators. In this episode, a peer is invited to share her thinking (elicitation). Her idea that refrigerators move heat from a relatively cold compartment to a hotter environment is inappropriately judged as incorrect (assessment). The instruction (peer explanation) that follows is based on the second law of thermodynamics, and acts as corrective rather than collaborative

Pion scattering in Wilson ChPT

We compute the scattering amplitude for pion scattering in Wilson chiral perturbation theory for two degenerate quark flavors. We consider two different regimes where the quark mass m is of order (i) a\Lambda_QCD^2 and (ii) a^2\Lambda_QCD^3. Analytic expressions for the scattering lengths in all three isospin channels are given. As a result of the O(a^2) terms the I=0 and I=2 scattering lengths do not vanish in the chiral limit. Moreover, additional chiral logarithms proportional to a^2\ln M_{\pi}^2 are present in the one-loop results for regime (ii). These contributions significantly modify the familiar results from continuum chiral perturbation theory.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures. V3: Comments on finite size effects and the axial vector current added, one more reference. To be published in PR

Measurement of activation-related changes in cerebral blood volume: VASO with single-shot HASTE acquisition

Object The recently developed vascular space occupancy (VASO) fMRI technique is gaining popularity as it facilitates the measurement of cerebral blood volume (CBV) changes concomitant with brain activation, without the use of contrast agents. Thus far, VASO fMRI has only been used in conjunction with a GE-EPI (gradient-echo echo planar imaging) sequence, which is proceeded by an inversion recovery (IR) experiment to selectively null the blood signal. The use of GE-EPI has potential disadvantages: (a) the non-zero TE may lead to BOLD contamination and (b) images suffer from the EPI-typical inhomogeneity artefacts

Population Size Influences Amphibian Detection Probability: Implications for Biodiversity Monitoring Programs

Monitoring is an integral part of species conservation. Monitoring programs must take imperfect detection of species into account in order to be reliable. Theory suggests that detection probability may be determined by population size but this relationship has not yet been assessed empirically. Population size is particularly important because it may induce heterogeneity in detection probability and thereby cause bias in estimates of biodiversity. We used a site occupancy model to analyse data from a volunteer-based amphibian monitoring program to assess how well different variables explain variation in detection probability. An index to population size best explained detection probabilities for four out of six species (to avoid circular reasoning, we used the count of individuals at a previous site visit as an index to current population size). The relationship between the population index and detection probability was positive. Commonly used weather variables best explained detection probabilities for two out of six species. Estimates of site occupancy probabilities differed depending on whether the population index was or was not used to model detection probability. The relationship between the population index and detectability has implications for the design of monitoring and species conservation. Most importantly, because many small populations are likely to be overlooked, monitoring programs should be designed in such a way that small populations are not overlooked. The results also imply that methods cannot be standardized in such a way that detection probabilities are constant. As we have shown here, one can easily account for variation in population size in the analysis of data from long-term monitoring programs by using counts of individuals from surveys at the same site in previous years. Accounting for variation in population size is important because it can affect the results of long-term monitoring programs and ultimately the conservation of imperiled species

A new stock-price bubble with stochastically deflating trajectories

We propose a new, rational stock-price bubble that is able to generate recurringly explosive and stochastically deflating trajectories. Our flexible bubble process entails stock-price volatility dynamics that are consistent with real-world data. To demonstrate this, we fit our bubble specification to NASDAQ data and analyze the volatility dynamics