Open access to the research literature : a funders perspective

In a declaration to commemorate the publication of the first draft of the human genome, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President Bill Clinton commented that, “unencumbered access to this information will promote discoveries that will reduce the burden of disease, improve health around the world and enhance the quality of life for all human kind” (quoted in BBC, 2000). One of the major funders of the human genome project was the Wellcome Trust , an independent charity that funds research to improve human and animal health. And, having been at the forefront of the decision to make the genome sequencing data freely available, it was perhaps inevitable that this funding body would lead the way in advocating free access to the research literature. If, as the Wellcome believes, it makes sense for scientists to have free access to raw, genomic data – to help realise the promise of this research – then it makes equal sense for scientists to be able to access the outputs (journal articles), to enable this research to be built on and developed. This chapter considers the issues around open access from the perspective of a research funder

Three lessons COVID-19 has taught us about open access publishing

This post is part of a six-week series: Rapid or Rushed? exploring rapid response publishing in covid times. As part of the series, there will be a virtual roundtable on Friday 6th November, 1.30pm featuring Professor Joshua Gans (Economics in the Age of COVID-19, MIT Press and Richard Horton (The COVID-19 Catastrophe, Polity Press and ... Continue

Admissions Counselors’ Perceptions of Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Correlates of Student Success at an Independent High School: A Mixed Methods Study

“Through the recruitment, selection, and enrollment of students, admission and enrollment management professionals play a critical role in their schools’ vitality and educational culture” (NAIS, 2012, para. 2). According to the Principles of Good Practice, stated by NAIS (2012), through the admission process schools seek to ensure an appropriate match between prospective students/families and the school. For admission professionals to make the most effective decisions for both the school and applicant, they gather materials to get to know the student on a deeper level. These materials include, but are not limited to, a formal application, transcripts (often from the past 2 ½ years), two or more teacher recommendations from current teachers, a school visit, on-campus interview, and admission test scores. There is limited evidence to demonstrate the attributes that admission counselors find important to academic success beyond test scores and quantitative evidence gathered during the admission process. There is an abundance of evidence supporting cognitive, affective and behavioral attributes, which lend themselves to success in 21st century learners (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997; Costa & Kallick, 2000; Gardner, 1999; Hayes-Jacobs, 2010; Sternberg, 1999, 2010), but limited evidence of how admission counselors are measuring these attributes. The purpose of this research was to identify attributes within the cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains that Admission Counselors feel are essential to student success in school and life

A survey of services for the speech and hearing handicapped in New England

Thesis (Ed. M.)--Boston University, 195

A survey of services for the speech and hearing handicapped in New England

Thesis (Ed. M.)--Boston University, 195

The Rhetoric of Abolition: Continuity and Change in the Struggle Against America\u27s Death Penalty, 1900-2010

This article seeks to understand when, how, and where the framing of arguments against capital punishment has changed. While others have focused exclusively on the national level, we studied the framing of abolitionist arguments in three American states: Connecticut, Kansas, and Texas. Each is located in a different region of the country, and each has its own distinctive death penalty history. We studied the framing of arguments against the death penalty from 1900 to 2010. Our study suggests that the rhetorical reframing of the campaign against capital punishment that has occurred at the national level has had deep resonance at the state level. Over the course of the 20th century in Connecticut, Kansas, and Texas, the focus on error and arbitrariness has assumed greater prominence among abolitionists. In each state, this change began to take hold in the late 1960s and 1970s and accelerated as the 20th century drew to its close. But, in each state, older frames persisted. Older arguments continued to occur with greater frequency than the new abolitionism

Leap into... Lifelong Learning

Part of a collection of documents from Leap, formerly a University of Adelaide website providing information about learning and teaching initiatives at the University, archived in PDF format 26th April 2012.This publication is designed for University of Adelaide staff who are interested in lifelong learning—what it is and how it can be put into practice to enhance learning and teaching.Margaret Kiley and Robert Canno

Growth factor-mediated phosphorylation of proapoptotic BAD reduces tubule cell death in vitro and in vivo

Growth factor-mediated phosphorylation of proapoptotic BAD reduces tubule cell death in vitro and in vivo.BackgroundExogenous growth factors administered during unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in neonatal rats significantly reduce apoptosis and tubular atrophy. Because the mechanism underlying these salutary effects is largely unknown, we investigated signaling pathways potentially activated by growth factors to determine their roles in therapeutic action.MethodsMechanical strain was applied to confluent cultures of immortalized rat proximal tubule cells to simulate obstruction-induced stretch injury in vivo. Growth factors, inhibitory antibodies or pharmacological inhibitors were added to cultures that were subsequently processed for TUNEL analysis or immunoblots to identify signaling pathways that could be modulating cell survival. For in vivo studies, kidneys harvested from rats ± UUO ± epidermal growth factor (EGF) were fixed or frozen for immunohistochemistry or immunoblot analysis.ResultsTreatment with EGF or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) during stretch decreased apoptosis by 50% (P < 0.001). Neutralizing antibodies (Abs) directed against either growth factor or its receptor blocked the reduction in apoptosis. Stretch decreased BAD phosphorylation by ∼50% (P < 0.001) relative to unstretched cells and each growth factor restored phosphorylation to basal levels. Kinase-specific inhibitors that blocked growth factor-mediated BAD phosphorylation promoted apoptosis in vitro. BAD phosphorylation decreased by ∼50% (P < 0.001) in the tubules of obstructed hydronephrotic rat kidneys and administration of EGF restored BAD phosphorylation to basal levels.ConclusionsSignaling pathways converging at BAD phosphorylation are key to growth factor-mediated attenuation of stretch-induced apoptosis in vitro and in vivo