Findable and reusable?:Data discovery practices in research

The reuse of research data is heralded as having the potential to increase effectiveness, productivity, and reproducibility in science. Stakeholders from funders to systems designers work to create policies, repositories and tools to support and encourage opening and sharing data. An assumption underlying this work is that data will be reused if they are shared. Another assumption predicating reuse is that data will be discovered by researchers, although relatively little empirical work exists to support this assumption. This dissertation presents empirical research about the practices involved in discovering data, examining what researchers across disciplines are actually doing as they find, make sense of and use data which they have not created. It brings together perspectives from information science (IS), computer science (CS) and science and technology studies (STS) to examine these practices with the aim of informing and intervening into the design of search solutions for research data

Molecular principles underlying dual RNA specificity in the Drosophila SNF protein

The first RNA recognition motif of the Drosophila SNF protein is an example of an RNA binding protein with multi-specificity. It binds different RNA hairpin loops in spliceosomal U1 or U2 small nuclear RNAs, and only in the latter case requires the auxiliary U2A′ protein. Here we investigate its functions by crystal structures of SNF alone and bound to U1 stem-loop II, U2A′ or U2 stem-loop IV and U2A′, SNF dynamics from NMR spectroscopy, and structure-guided mutagenesis in binding studies. We find that different loop-closing base pairs and a nucleotide exchange at the tips of the loops contribute to differential SNF affinity for the RNAs. U2A′ immobilizes SNF and RNA residues to restore U2 stem-loop IV binding affinity, while U1 stem-loop II binding does not require such adjustments. Our findings show how U2A′ can modulate RNA specificity of SNF without changing SNF conformation or relying on direct RNA contacts

Shared Expectations: Identifying Similarities And Differences Between Student And Faculty Teaching Values Based On Student Evaluation Of Faculty Classroom Performance

New faculty have an inordinate amount of resources, financial and other, invested in their doctoral degrees.  Yet, the first few years can be overwhelming adapting to the plethora of academic life demands.  One area of concern that all new faculty deal with is attempting to decode the various stakeholder groups’ (i.e., students, colleagues, personnel committee, administration, community and industry members, respective profession colleagues) expectations of the new faculty member and reconciling those with their own personal goals and aspirations.  Knowing what each group considers important and highlighting similarities or differences allows new faculty to address stakeholder expectations to better position themselves for a successful and fulfilling career.  This paper derives from a study that looked at the two groups (i.e., students and department colleagues) expectations’ who most closely affect the daily life of the new faculty member.  Study respondents were ask to identify which teaching dimension each group valued most from a list of thirteen questions used by students in evaluating faculty members’ classroom performance. Students and faculty members concurred in their clear preference for the instructor knowing the material being presented and the instructor explaining the material in a clear and understandable manner, but differed in their view of the least important teaching dimension depicting a faculty members’ classroom performance.  The faculty members surveyed concurred with the student ranking that the instructor increasing the student’s interest in the subject matter was the second least important teaching dimension depicting a faculty member’s classroom performance.  This teaching dimension was only superceded by the faculty ranking that the amount of work required being appropriate for the number of credits offered and the student ranking that the instructor stimulating questions was the least important teaching dimension depicting a faculty members’ classroom performance

Provenance of the Pythian Cave Conglomerate, Northern California: Implications for Mid-Cretaceous Paleogeography of the U.S. Cordillera

Provenance analysis of middle Cretaceous sedimentary rocks can help distinguish between disparate tectonic models of Cretaceous Cordilleran paleogeography by establishing links between sediment and source, as well as between currently separated basins. This study combines new detrital zircon age data and compositional data with existing provenance data for the Pythian Cave conglomerate, an informally-named unit deposited unconformably on the eastern Klamath Mountains, to test possible correlations between the Pythian Cave conglomerate and similar-age deposits in the Hornbrook Formation and the Great Valley Group. These provenance results indicate that restoring Late Cretaceous clockwise rotation of the Blue Mountains adds a significant sediment source for Cretaceous basins previously associated with only the Klamath Mountains (e.g., the Pythian Cave conglomerate and Hornbrook Formation) or a combined Klamath-Sierran source (e.g., Great Valley Group). Comparison of the Pythian Cave conglomerate with the Klamath River Conglomerate and the Lodoga petrofacies suggests that the Pythian Cave conglomerate system was separate from the nearby Hornbrook Formation and was probably related to the Lodoga petrofacies of the Great Valley Group

Occupational Experiences of Associate and Full Professors of Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the worktime distributions, occupational satisfaction, and scholarly productivity of associate and full professors of counselor education (N = 230). Worktime distributions varied based on academic rank and the presence of a doctoral degree program in the academic unit. Occupational satisfaction was lower among associate professors, faculty caring for dependent children, and faculty with greater mismatch between typical and preferred worktime distributions. Among associate professors, occupational satisfaction was also associated with having a mentor. Years of experience, teaching load, and a doctoral program in the academic unit predicted scholarly productivity, whereas academic rank, binary gender, marital status, and the presence of any dependent children did not make unique contributions to this outcome

Relationship of phenotypic variation and genetic admixture in the Saltmarsh–Nelson\u27s sparrow hybrid zone

Hybridization is influential in shaping species\u27 dynamics and has many evolutionary and conservation implications. Identification of hybrid individuals typically relies on morphological data, but the assumption that hybrids express intermediate traits is not always valid, because of complex patterns of introgression and selection. We characterized phenotypic and genotypic variation across a hybrid zone between 2 tidal-marsh birds, the Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson\u27s Sparrow (A. nelsoni) (n = 290), and we sought to identify morphological traits that could be used to classify admixed individuals. Sparrows were sampled from a total of 34 marshes, including 23 sympatric and 11 putatively allopatric marshes. Each individual was scored at 13 plumage traits, and standard morphometric data were collected. We used genotyping analysis at 24 microsatellite loci to categorize individuals into genotypic classes of pure, F1–F2, or backcrossed. Genetic data revealed that 52% of individuals sampled along the geographic transect were of mixed ancestry, and the majority of these were backcrossed. Traits related to the definition of plumage features (streaking, crown, and face) showed less overlap between genotypic classes than traits related to the amount or color of plumage features. Although morphological data performed well in distinguishing between the 2 taxa, pure and backcrossed individuals of each parental type could not be distinguished because of substantial overlap in plumage and morphology. We conclude that the discrimination of pure and hybrid individuals is not possible in the absence of genetic data. Our results have implications for conservation of pure populations, as extensive backcrossing throughout the hybrid zone may present challenges for monitoring pure species identified by morphology alone

Direct healthcare costs of hip, vertebral, and non-hip, non-vertebral fractures.

Limited data exist regarding the cost of non-hip, non-vertebral (NHNV) fractures. Although NHNV fractures may be less expensive than hip and vertebral fractures, they have a higher incidence rate. The objective of this study was to quantify first-year healthcare costs of hip, vertebral, and NHNV fractures. This was a claims-based retrospective analysis using a case-control design among patients with commercial insurance and Medicare employer-based supplemental coverage. Patients were \u3e or =50 years old with a closed hip, vertebral, or NHNV fracture between 7/1/2001 and 12/31/2004, and continuous enrollment 6 months prior to and 12 months after the index fracture. Adjusted mean first-year healthcare costs associated with these fractures were determined. Six cohorts were identified. Patients 50-64 years: NHNV (n=27,424), vertebral (n=3386) and hip (n=2423); patients \u3e or =65 years: NHNV (n=40,960), vertebral (n=11,751) and hip (n=21,504). The ratio of NHNV to hip fractures was 11:1 in the 50-64 cohort and 2:1 in the \u3e or =65 cohort. Adjusted mean first-year costs associated with hip, vertebral, and NHNV fractures were $26,545,$14,977, and $9183 for the 50-64 age cohort, and$15,196, $6701, and$6106 for patients \u3e or =65 years. After taking prevalence rate into account, the proportion of the total fracture costs accounted for by NHNV, hip, and vertebral fractures were 66%, 21% and 13% for the 50-64 age cohort, and 36%, 52% and 12% for the \u3e or =65 age cohort. Limitations included the exclusion of the uninsured and those covered by Medicaid or military-based insurance programs. The results of this study demonstrate that osteoporotic fractures are associated with significant costs. Although NHNV fractures have a lower per-patient cost than hip or vertebral fractures, their total first-year cost is greater for those 50-64 because of their higher prevalence

"Being Simple on Complex Issues" -- Accounts on Visual Data Communication about Climate Change

Data visualizations play a critical role in both communicating scientific evidence about climate change and in stimulating engagement and action. To investigate how visualizations can be better utilized to communicate the complexities of climate change to different audiences, we conducted interviews with 17 experts in the fields of climate change, data visualization, and science communication, as well as with 12 laypersons. Besides questions about climate change communication and various aspects of data visualizations, we also asked participants to share what they think is the main takeaway message for two exemplary climate change data visualizations. Through a thematic analysis, we observe differences regarding the included contents, the length and abstraction of messages, and the sensemaking process between and among the participant groups. On average, experts formulated shorter and more abstract messages, often referring to higher-level conclusions rather than specific details. We use our findings to reflect on design decisions for creating more effective visualizations, particularly in news media sources geared toward lay audiences. We hereby discuss the adaption of contents according to the needs of the audience, the trade-off between simplification and accuracy, as well as techniques to make a visualization attractive.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, 5 table