What data characteristics are needed for data reuse in the domain of social sciences in Korea?

With the benefits of data sharing and reuse, data reuse have been promoted in various domains. While there are practices and discussions regarding data sharing and reuse, we still have little knowledge on what characteristics of data impact decisions on data reuse. In this sense, we aim to explore data characteristics in the context of data reuse within the domain of social sciences in Korea. For the purpose of this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with twelve re-searchers in the field of social science in terms of six dimensions: data producer, country/language, data type/collection method, procedure, accessibility, size/currency. For the producer dimension, social scientists preferred data that have been produced by an institution rather than an individual researcher. In language used in the data sets, English were more favored because researchers preferred English than any other languages. In terms of data type, quantitative and survey data types are preferred. For the procedure of data, researchers preferred original raw data with plenty of metadata and demographic information for analysis. For accessibility, there was less preference for restricted data. Lastly, for size/currency, researchers showed a preference for big size data and current data. These preliminary findings can provide better understanding about data reuse and guide improved data reuse services

Measuring the maturity of open access: a preliminary study

Open access is an important part of scholarly communication, and it has been a global phenomenon. The growth of open access brings several signif-icant benefits to the general public as well as researchers, ultimately leads to the advancement of science. For the continuous growth and development of open access, it is necessary to measure the degree of maturity of open ac-cess. However, there is not much discussion about the assessment frame-work for open access. This study aims to propose an assessment framework of open access maturity. For the purpose of this study, we conducted an analysis with a total of 24 literatures relevant to the digital maturity, the ma-turity of open data/open science, and major open access initiatives. For digi-tal maturity, 18 articles were analyzed: 10 articles for generic purpose model, and 8 articles for industry-specific model. In addition, three articles on the maturity of open data/open science were analyzed and three major open ac-cess initiatives. In preliminary analysis results, three dimensions with 13 be-longing items were proposed for measuring the maturity of open access. Three dimensions are OA Policy, OA capability, and Openness quality. For OA policy, there are three items such as OA policy document, OA govern-ance, and OA strategy. For OA Capability, finance for OA, people for OA, culture for OA, and collaboration for OA are proposed. For Openness Quali-ty dimension, six items are suggested: submission and review, author rights, user rights, findability, accessibility, and monitoring

Comparative analysis of manuscript management systems for scholarly publishing

To improve scholarly communications with scientists throughout the world, an international-level manuscript management system is indispensable. We analyzed the manuscript management systems currently in use in Korea and suggested ways to improve these domestic systems through benchmarking with representative overseas systems. Drawing information from the manufacturer’s documentation, we compared the functionalities of the major manuscript management systems available in Korea to international systems. Based on this analysis, we identified the essential elements necessary to meet international standards. The representative international systems provide an intuitive interface and an efficient communication channel for authors, editors, and reviewers, enabling them to save time. The two domestic paid systems are almost at the international level; however, the free systems developed in Korea need to be upgraded. In particular, more advanced visualization tools, more efficient tools for communication between stakeholders, and convenient linking to external content are needed. Studies of these manuscript management systems, which are essential for the internationalization of domestic journals, can be utilized as primary materials to improve the level of Korean academic journals in response to the rapid changes in modern scholarly communication

Generic Synthetic Route to Monodisperse Sub-10 nm Lanthanide Oxide Nanodisks: A Modified Digestive Ripening Process

The development of generic methods to synthesize monodisperse nanomaterials is one of the most critical issues in the current research field of nanomaterial synthesis. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time that a digestive ripening process can produce monodisperse sub-10 nm lanthanide oxide nanodisks. Moreover, we show that nanodisks of nine different lanthanide oxides can be synthesized under the same reaction conditions. The successful synthesis is realized by employing a hot injection step to induce a single nucleation event and by introducing transition metal ions to delicately define the size and shape of the nanodisks in the digestive ripening process. Among the various nanodisks, Gd₂O₃, Dy₂O₃, and Ho₂O₃ nanodisks show promising magnetic properties as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. We expect that this novel synthetic route can be extended to various nanomaterials, including metallic and semiconducting nanocrystals

The Association of Baseline Plasma SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Antigen Level and Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19

BackgroundLevels of plasma SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) antigen may be an important biomarker in patients with COVID-19 and enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of COVID-19.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether levels of plasma antigen can predict short-term clinical outcomes and identify clinical and viral factors associated with plasma antigen levels in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2.DesignCross-sectional study of baseline plasma antigen level from 2540 participants enrolled in the TICO (Therapeutics for Inpatients With COVID-19) platform trial from August 2020 to November 2021, with additional data on day 5 outcome and time to discharge.Setting114 centers in 10 countries.ParticipantsAdults hospitalized for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection with 12 days or less of symptoms.MeasurementsBaseline plasma viral N antigen level was measured at a central laboratory. Delta variant status was determined from baseline nasal swabs using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Associations between baseline patient characteristics and viral factors and baseline plasma antigen levels were assessed using both unadjusted and multivariable modeling. Association between elevated baseline antigen level of 1000 ng/L or greater and outcomes, including worsening of ordinal pulmonary scale at day 5 and time to hospital discharge, were evaluated using logistic regression and Fine-Gray regression models, respectively.ResultsPlasma antigen was below the level of quantification in 5% of participants at enrollment, and 1000 ng/L or greater in 57%. Baseline pulmonary severity of illness was strongly associated with plasma antigen level, with mean plasma antigen level 3.10-fold higher among those requiring noninvasive ventilation or high-flow nasal cannula compared with room air (95% CI, 2.22 to 4.34). Plasma antigen level was higher in those who lacked antispike antibodies (6.42 fold; CI, 5.37 to 7.66) and in those with the Delta variant (1.73 fold; CI, 1.41 to 2.13). Additional factors associated with higher baseline antigen level included male sex, shorter time since hospital admission, decreased days of remdesivir, and renal impairment. In contrast, race, ethnicity, body mass index, and immunocompromising conditions were not associated with plasma antigen levels. Plasma antigen level of 1000 ng/L or greater was associated with a markedly higher odds of worsened pulmonary status at day 5 (odds ratio, 5.06 [CI, 3.41 to 7.50]) and longer time to hospital discharge (median, 7 vs. 4 days; subhazard ratio, 0.51 [CI, 0.45 to 0.57]), with subhazard ratios similar across all levels of baseline pulmonary severity.LimitationsPlasma samples were drawn at enrollment, not hospital presentation. No point-of-care test to measure plasma antigen is currently available.ConclusionElevated plasma antigen is highly associated with both severity of pulmonary illness and clinically important patient outcomes. Multiple clinical and viral factors are associated with plasma antigen level at presentation. These data support a potential role of ongoing viral replication in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients.Primary funding sourceU.S. government Operation Warp Speed and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases