Hacking for Good - Workshop Summary

At the 2019 Charleston Library Conference, five facilitators from a diversity of organizations led a pre-conference called Hacking for Good. The goal of the half-day pre-conference was to introduce participants to the “hacking mindset” beyond the traditionally understood technology-driven terminology. In this context, hacking refersred to an approach of identifying a challenge or set of challenges in their respective knowledge organizations and gathering a set of techniques or approaches to address and overcome those challenges. The pre-conference provided a highly interactive and supportive environment to consider all aspects of a workplace challenge related to workflows and personnel and determine the most effective tools to tackle that challenge

Supporting the Academic Research Needs of Incarcerated Students: Building JSTOR's Offline Solution for Prison Education

Incarcerated students often lack access to the resources and conditions, both physical and digital, that make self-directed research and research skill-building possible. Due to technical constraints – most notably the lack of internet access in most prison environments – few incarcerated students have access to research databases commonly used by students to discover scholarly content that is relevant to their coursework, research projects, and broader learning pursuits. Not only does lack of research experience have an impact on students’ ability to engage with academic work, but it also leaves students without the fundamental information and digital literacy skills that are increasingly essential for future work and continued learning. Since 2007, JSTOR, a digital library of scholarly resources, has been making strides to amend this gap in available scholarly resources and research tools by providing JSTOR access to incarcerated learners. This paper describes the work undertaken by JSTOR Labs, an experimental product development team at JSTOR, to develop an offline index of scholarly resources designed to serve the research needs of incarcerated students. Funded by the Mellon Foundation, this project yielded lessons regarding how to scale access to digital scholarly resources given the changing landscape of technology in prison, and continues to shape JSTOR’s work to help improve higher education in prison and reduce barriers for student research

Geographical CO2 sensitivity of phytoplankton correlates with ocean buffer capacity

Accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 is significantly altering ocean chemistry. A range of biological impacts resulting from this oceanic CO2 accumulation are emerging, however the mechanisms responsible for observed differential susceptibility between organisms and across environmental settings remain obscure. A primary consequence of increased oceanic CO2 uptake is a decrease in the carbonate system buffer capacity, which characterises the system's chemical resilience to changes in CO2, generating the potential for enhanced variability in pCO2 and the concentration of carbonate [CO32‐], bicarbonate [HCO3‐] and protons [H+] in the future ocean. We conducted a meta‐analysis of 17 shipboard manipulation experiments performed across three distinct geographical regions that encompassed a wide range of environmental conditions from European temperate seas to Arctic and Southern oceans. These data demonstrated a correlation between the magnitude of natural phytoplankton community biological responses to short‐term CO2 changes and variability in the local buffer capacity across ocean basin scales. Specifically, short‐term suppression of small phytoplankton (<10 μm) net growth rates were consistently observed under enhanced pCO2 within experiments performed in regions with higher ambient buffer capacity. The results further highlight the relevance of phytoplankton cell size for the impacts of enhanced pCO2 in both the modern and future ocean. Specifically, cell‐size related acclimation and adaptation to regional environmental variability, as characterised by buffer capacity, likely influences interactions between primary producers and carbonate chemistry over a range of spatio‐temporal scales

Formal Hecke algebras and algebraic oriented cohomology theories

In the present paper we generalize the construction of the nil Hecke ring of Kostant-Kumar to the context of an arbitrary algebraic oriented cohomology theory of Levine-Morel and Panin-Smirnov, e.g. to Chow groups, Grothendieck's K_0, connective K-theory, elliptic cohomology, and algebraic cobordism. The resulting object, which we call a formal (affine) Demazure algebra, is parameterized by a one-dimensional commutative formal group law and has the following important property: specialization to the additive and multiplicative periodic formal group laws yields completions of the nil Hecke and the 0-Hecke rings respectively. We also introduce a deformed version of the formal (affine) Demazure algebra, which we call a formal (affine) Hecke algebra. We show that the specialization of the formal (affine) Hecke algebra to the additive and multiplicative periodic formal group laws gives completions of the degenerate (affine) Hecke algebra and the usual (affine) Hecke algebra respectively. We show that all formal affine Demazure algebras (and all formal affine Hecke algebras) become isomorphic over certain coefficient rings, proving an analogue of a result of Lusztig.Comment: 28 pages. v2: Some results strengthened and references added. v3: Minor corrections, section numbering changed to match published version. v4: Sign errors in Proposition 6.8(d) corrected. This version incorporates an erratum to the published versio

Reimagining the Digital Monograph: Design Thinking to Build New Tools for Researchers, A JSTOR Labs Report

Scholarly books are increasingly available in digital form, but the online interfaces for using these books often allow only for the browsing of PDF files. JSTOR Labs, an experimental product-development group within the not-for-profit digital library JSTOR, undertook an ideation and design process to develop new and different ways of showing scholarly books online, with the goal that this new viewing interface should be relatively simple and inexpensive to implement for any scholarly book that is already available in PDF form. This paper documents that design process, including the recommendations of a working group of scholars, publishers, and librarians convened by JSTOR Labs and the Columbia University Libraries in October 2016. The prototype monograph viewer developed through this process—called “Topicgraph”—is described herein and is freely available online at https://labs.jstor.org/topicgraph

Species-specific calcite production reveals Coccolithus pelagicus as the key calcifier in the Arctic Ocean

Through the production and export of their calcite coccoliths, coccolithophores form a key component of the global carbon cycle. Despite this key role, very little is known about the biogeochemical role of different coccolithophore species in terms of calcite production, and how these species will respond to future climate change and ocean acidification. Here, we present the first study to estimate species-specific calcite production, from samples collected in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic Iceland Basin in June 2012. We show that although the coccolithophorid Coccolithus pelagicus comprised only a small fraction of the total community in terms of abundance (2%), our estimates indicate that it was the major calcite producer in the Arctic Ocean and Iceland Basin (57% of total calcite production). In contrast, Emiliania huxleyi formed 27% of the total abundance and was responsible for only 20% of the calcite production. That C. pelagicus was able to dominate calcite production was due to its relatively high cellular calcite content compared with the other species present. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, the importance of investigating the complete coccolithophore community when considering pelagic calcite production, as relatively rare but heavily calcified species such as C. pelagicus can be the key calcite producers in mixed communities. Therefore, the response of C. pelagicus to ocean acidification and climate change has the potential to have a major impact on carbon cycling within the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean

The pH dependency of the boron isotopic composition of diatom opal (Thalassiosira weissflogii)

The high-latitude oceans are key areas of carbon and heat exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. As such, they are a focus of both modern oceanographic and palaeoclimate research. However, most palaeoclimate proxies that could provide a long-term perspective are based on calcareous organisms, such as foraminifera, that are scarce or entirely absent in deep-sea sediments south of 50∘ S in the Southern Ocean and north of 40∘ N in the North Pacific. As a result, proxies need to be developed for the opal-based organisms (e.g. diatoms) found at these high latitudes, which dominate the biogenic sediments recovered from these regions. Here we present a method for the analysis of the boron (B) content and isotopic composition (δ11B) of diatom opal. We apply it for the first time to evaluate the relationship between seawater pH, δ11B and B concentration ([B]) in the frustules of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, cultured across a range of carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2) and pH values. In agreement with existing data, we find that the [B] of the cultured diatom frustules increases with increasing pH (Mejía et al., 2013). δ11B shows a relatively well defined negative trend with increasing pH, completely distinct from any other biomineral previously measured. This relationship not only has implications for the magnitude of the isotopic fractionation that occurs during boron incorporation into opal, but also allows us to explore the potential of the boron-based proxies for palaeo-pH and palaeo-CO2 reconstruction in high-latitude marine sediments that have, up until now, eluded study due to the lack of suitable carbonate material

Stable carbon isotopes of dissolved inorganic carbon for a zonal transect across the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean in summer 2014

The stable carbon isotope composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CDIC) in seawater was measured in samples collected during June–July 2014 in the subpolar North Atlantic. Sample collection was carried out on the RRS James Clark Ross cruise JR302, part of the “Radiatively Active Gases from the North Atlantic Region and Climate Change” (RAGNARoCC) research programme. The observed δ13CDIC values for cruise JR302 fall in a range from −0.07 to +1.95 ‰, relative to the Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite standard. From duplicate samples collected during the cruise, the 1σ precision for the 341 results is 0.08 ‰, which is similar to our previous work and other studies of this kind. We also performed a cross-over analysis using nearby historical δ13CDIC data, which indicated that there were no significant systematic offsets between our measurements and previously published results. We also included seawater reference material (RM) produced by A. G. Dickson (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA) in every batch of analysis, enabling us to improve upon the calibration and quality-control procedures from a previous study. The δ13CDIC is consistent within each RM batch, although its value is not certified. We report δ13CDIC values of 1.15 ± 0.03 ‰ and 1.27 ± 0.05 ‰ for batches 141 and 144 respectively. Our JR302 δ13CDIC data can be used – along with measurements of other biogeochemical variables – to constrain the processes that control DIC in the interior ocean, in particular the oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide and the biological carbon pump. Our δ13CDIC results are available from the British Oceanographic Data Centre – doi:10.5285/22235f1a-b7f3-687f-e053-6c86abc0c8a6

High stakes and low bars: How international recognition shapes the conduct of civil wars

When rebel groups engage incumbent governments in war for control of the state, questions of international recognition arise. International recognition determines which combatants can draw on state assets, receive overt military aid, and borrow as sovereigns—all of which can have profound consequences for the military balance during civil war. How do third-party states and international organizations determine whom to treat as a state's official government during civil war? Data from the sixty-one center-seeking wars initiated from 1945 to 2014 indicate that military victory is not a prerequisite for recognition. Instead, states generally rely on a simple test: control of the capital city. Seizing the capital does not foreshadow military victory. Civil wars often continue for many years after rebels take control and receive recognition. While geopolitical and economic motives outweigh the capital control test in a small number of important cases, combatants appear to anticipate that holding the capital will be sufficient for recognition. This expectation generates perverse incentives. In effect, the international community rewards combatants for capturing or holding, by any means necessary, an area with high concentrations of critical infrastructure and civilians. In the majority of cases where rebels contest the capital, more than half of its infrastructure is damaged or the majority of civilians are displaced (or both), likely fueling long-term state weakness

Bridging the impactibility gap in population health management: a systematic review

Objectives Assess whether impactibility modelling is being used to refine risk stratification for preventive health interventions. Design Systematic review. Setting Primary and secondary healthcare populations. Papers Articles published from 2010 to 2020 on the use or implementation of impactibility modelling in population health management, reported with the terms a € intervenability', a € amenability', and a € propensity to succeed' (PTS) and associated with the themes a € care sensitivity', a € characteristic responders', a € needs gap', a € case finding', a € patient selection' and a € risk stratification'. Interventions Qualitative synthesis to identify themes for approaches to impactibility modelling. Results Of 1244 records identified, 20 were eligible for inclusion. Identified themes were a € health conditions amenable to care' (n=6), a € PTS modelling' (n=8) and a € comparison or combination with clinical judgement' (n=6). For the theme a € health conditions amenable to care', changes in practice did not reduce admissions, particularly for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, and sometimes increased them, with implementation noted as a possible issue. For a € PTS modelling', high costs and needs did not necessarily equate to high impactibility and targeting a larger number of individuals with disorders associated with lower costs had more potential. PTS modelling seemed to improve accuracy in care planning, estimation of cost savings, engagement and/or care quality. The a € comparison or combination with clinical judgement' theme suggested that models can reach reasonable to good discriminatory power to detect impactable patients. For instance, a model used to identify patients appropriate for proactive multimorbid care management showed good concordance with physicians (c-statistic 0.75). Another model employing electronic health record scores reached 65% concordance with nurse and physician decisions when referring elderly hospitalised patients to a readmission prevention programme. However, healthcare professionals consider much wider information that might improve or impede the likelihood of treatment impact, suggesting that complementary use of models might be optimum. Conclusions The efficiency and equity of targeted preventive care guided by risk stratification could be augmented and personalised by impactibility modelling