The valuation of unprotected works: a case study of public domain photographs on Wikipedia

What is the value of works in the public domain? We study the biographical Wikipedia pages of a large data set of authors, composers, and lyricists to determine whether the public domain status of available images leads to a higher rate of inclusion of illustrated supplementary material and whether such inclusion increases visitorship to individual pages. We attempt to objectively place a value on the body of public domain photographs and illustrations which are used in this global resource. We find that the most historically remote subjects are more likely to have images on their web pages because their biographical life-spans pre-date the existence of in-copyright imagery. We find that the large majority of photos and illustrations used on subject pages were obtained from the public domain, and we estimate their value in terms of costs saved to Wikipedia page builders and in terms of increased traffic corresponding to the inclusion of an image. Then, extrapolating from the characteristics of a random sample of a further 300 Wikipedia pages, we estimate a total value of public domain photographs on Wikipedia of between $246 to$270 million dollars per year

Kansans Can: Redesign Professional Learning and Re-licensure

Professional learning is and always has been a core expectation for educators. Educators, whether they are self-directed as intrinsically motivated learners or compliantly fulfilling requirements set by their employing districts and state departments, engage in professional learning throughout their careers. While educators engage in traditional means of professional learning in the form of workshops, conferences, mentoring, and graduate coursework, this study centered on educators’ professional learning efforts that are more informal and more personalized to their specific interests and passions. This professional learning often comes in the nonconventional forms of social media, professional learning networks, peer observations, and professional units of study known as micro-credentials (Ady, Kinsella, & Paynter, 2015). These forms of learning are more specific to individual educators’ needs and interests are categorized as personalized professional learning (Cator, Schneider, & Vander Ark, 2014). In this study, personalized professional learning is explored in the form of micro-credentials

An analysis of the unexplained changes in refractive error resulting from orthokeratology

Using results published by several clinicians, the effects of keratometer measured changes in corneal curvature induced by orthokeratology upon refractive status are examined. Various spurious sources of discrepancy between the two measurements are considered. Linear regression equations of the change in refractive error versus change in keratometer reading are calculator. A computer model schematic eye was developed and utilized to test the effects of changes in various intraocular parameters upon refractive status. A hypothesis explaining the reported 2:1 ratio of change in refractive error versus change in keratometer reading is presented. Guidelines for reducing sources of error are given

Cosmic Perturbations Through the Cyclic Ages

We analyze the evolution of cosmological perturbations in the cyclic model, paying particular attention to their behavior and interplay over multiple cycles. Our key results are: (1) galaxies and large scale structure present in one cycle are generated by the quantum fluctuations in the preceding cycle without interference from perturbations or structure generated in earlier cycles and without interfering with structure generated in later cycles; (2) the ekpyrotic phase, an epoch of gentle contraction with equation of state $w\gg 1$ preceding the hot big bang, makes the universe homogeneous, isotropic and flat within any given observer's horizon; and, (3) although the universe is uniform within each observer's horizon, the global structure of the cyclic universe is more complex, owing to the effects of superhorizon length perturbations, and cannot be described in a uniform Friedmann-Robertson-Walker picture. In particular, we show that the ekpyrotic phase is so effective in smoothing, flattening and isotropizing the universe within the horizon that this phase alone suffices to solve the horizon and flatness problems even without an extended period of dark energy domination (a kind of low energy inflation). Instead, the cyclic model rests on a genuinely novel, non-inflationary mechanism (ekpyrotic contraction) for resolving the classic cosmological conundrums.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Why is the Study of Dispositions a Necessary Component of an Effective Educator Preparation Program?

We’ve all had teachers we’ve loved and teachers we’ve hated. In almost all cases, this is due, not to their knowledge of subject matter, but to how they interact with us—their disposition to teach. Educator preparation programs in the United States reflect high expectations for Professional Educator Candidates in the area of dispositions. This paper discusses various definitions of dispositions and shows how four very different universities, from both the private and public sectors, implement their programs for determining the disposition to teach in their professional education candidates. In this paper we have used the term “Professional Educator” rather that teacher because we are including counselors and librarians as well as teachers in our discussion of dispositions