Making sense: talking data management with researchers

Incremental is one of eight projects in the JISC Managing Research Data programme funded to identify institutional requirements for digital research data management and pilot relevant infrastructure. Our findings concur with those of other Managing Research Data projects, as well as with several previous studies. We found that many researchers: (i) organise their data in an ad hoc fashion, posing difficulties with retrieval and re-use; (ii) store their data on all kinds of media without always considering security and back-up; (iii) are positive about data sharing in principle though reluctant in practice; (iv) believe back-up is equivalent to preservation. <br></br><br></br> The key difference between our approach and that of other Managing Research Data projects is the type of infrastructure we are piloting. While the majority of these projects focus on developing technical solutions, we are focusing on the need for ‘soft’ infrastructure, such as one-to-one tailored support, training, and easy-to-find, concise guidance that breaks down some of the barriers information professionals have unintentionally built with their use of specialist terminology. <br></br><br></br> We are employing a bottom-up approach as we feel that to support the step-by-step development of sound research data management practices, you must first understand researchers’ needs and perspectives. Over the life of the project, Incremental staff will act as mediators, assisting researchers and local support staff to understand the data management requirements within which they are expect to work, and will determine how these can be addressed within research workflows and the existing technical infrastructure. <br></br> <br></br> Our primary goal is to build data management capacity within the Universities of Cambridge and Glasgow by raising awareness of basic principles so everyone can manage their data to a certain extent. We will ensure our lessons can be picked up and used by other institutions. Our affiliation with the Digital Curation Centre and Digital Preservation Coalition will assist in this and all outputs will be released under a Creative Commons licence. The key difference between our approach and that of other MRD projects is the type of ‘infrastructure’ we are piloting. While the majority of these projects focus on developing technical solutions, we are focusing on the need for ‘soft’ infrastructure, such as one-to-one tailored support, training, and easy-to-find, concise guidance that breaks down some of the barriers information professionals have unintentionally built with their use of specialist terminology. We are employing a bottom-up approach as we feel that to support the step-by-step development of sound research data management practices, you must first understand researchers’ needs and perspectives. Over the life of the project, Incremental staff will act as mediators, assisting researchers and local support staff to understand the data management requirements within which they are expect to work, and will determine how these can be addressed within research workflows and the existing technical infrastructure. Our primary goal is to build data management capacity within the Universities of Cambridge and Glasgow by raising awareness of basic principles so everyone can manage their data to a certain extent. We’re achieving this by: - re-positioning existing guidance so researchers can locate the advice they need; - connecting researchers with one-to-one advice, support and partnering; - offering practical training and a seminar series to address key data management topics. We will ensure our lessons can be picked up and used by other institutions. Our affiliation with the Digital Curation Centre and Digital Preservation Coalition will assist in this and all outputs will be released under a Creative Commons licence

Tobacco Farmer Interest and Success in Income Diversification

As farm income from tobacco production has declined in recent years, there has been increasing interest in identifying alternative sources of income for tobacco farmers in the southern United States The recent termination of the tobacco quota program has accelerated the exit of tobacco farmers and has heightened concern regarding the availability of substitutes for tobacco production. In this study, we examine factors influencing tobacco farmers’ attempts to identify profitable alternatives to tobacco, their off-farm employment behavior, and changes in acres of tobacco cultivated using survey data collected from a panel of North Carolina tobacco farmers combined with market datadiversification, farm programs, farmer survey, quota buyout, tobacco, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Financial Economics, C33, Q12, Q18,

Tobacco Farmer Interest and Success in Diversification

As U.S. farm income from tobacco production has declined in recent years, there has been increased interest in developing alternative sources of farm revenue to replace lost tobacco income, particularly in tobacco-dependent communities of the southeastern United States. The recent end of the tobacco quota program is expected to accelerate the exit of tobacco farmers and has heightened concern regarding the availability of profitable substitutes for tobacco. In this study, we examine the impact of farm, household, and market characteristics on tobacco farmer interest and success in on-farm and off-farm income diversification. Using survey data collected from a panel of North Carolina tobacco farmers in 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2004 combined with market data collected from secondary sources, we evaluate the influence of farmer preferences, resource endowments, market incentives, risk, and biophysical factors on tobacco farmers' attitudes regarding diversification into non-tobacco products, the extent to which they reallocated resources towards non-tobacco products, and their success in identifying profitable alternatives to tobacco production. Our research contributes empirical findings to the public dialogue concerning the ability of tobacco farmers and tobacco-dependent communities to adjust to structural changes taking place in the tobacco market.Tobacco, farm diversification, household model, quota buyout., Farm Management,

Incremental scoping study and implementation plan

This report is one of the first deliverables from the Incremental project, which seeks to investigate and improve the research data management infrastructure at the universities of Glasgow and Cambridge and to learn lessons and develop resources of value to other institutions. Coming at the end of the project’s scoping study, this report identifies the key themes and issues that emerged and proposes a set of activities to address those needs. As its name suggests, Incremental deliberately adopts a stepped, pragmatic approach to supporting research data management. It recognises that solutions will vary across different departmental and institutional contexts; and that top-down, policy-driven or centralised solutions are unlikely to prove as effective as practical support delivered in a clear and timely manner where the benefits can be clearly understood and will justify any effort or resources required. The findings of the scoping study have confirmed the value of this approach and the main recommendations of this report are concerned with the development and delivery of suitable resources. Although some differences were observed between disciplines, these seemed to be as much a feature of different organisational cultures as the nature of the research being undertaken. Our study found that there were many common issues across the groups and that the responses to these issues need not be highly technical or expensive to implement. What is required is that these resources employ jargon-free language and use examples of relevance to researchers and that they can be accessed easily at the point of need. There are resources already available (institutionally and externally) that can address researchers’ data management needs but these are not being fully exploited. So in many cases Incremental will be enabling efficient and contextualised access, or tailoring resources to specific environments, rather than developing resources from scratch. While Incremental will concentrate on developing, repurposing and leveraging practical resources to support researchers in their management of data, it recognises that this will be best achieved within a supportive institutional context (both in terms of policy and provision). The need for institutional support is especially evident when long-term preservation and data sharing are considered – these activities are clearly more effective and sustainable if addressed at more aggregated levels (e.g. repositories) rather than left to individual researchers or groups. So in addition to its work in developing resources, the Incremental project will seek to inform the development of a more comprehensive data management infrastructure at each institution. In Cambridge, this will be connected with the library’s CUPID project (Cambridge University Preservation Development) and at Glasgow in conjunction with the Digital Preservation Advisory Board

How Will Tobacco Farmers Respond to the Quota Buyout? Findings from a Survey of North Carolina Tobacco Farmers

The tobacco quota buyout is expected to have significant impacts on U.S. tobacco markets, farmers, tobacco-dependent communities, and public health. Using data from four surveys of a panel of North Carolina tobacco farmers conducted between 1997 and 2004, we investigate changing farmer attitudes towards and intentions following a quota buyout.Crop Production/Industries,

A measurement of parity-violating gamma-ray asymmetries in polarized cold neutron capture on 35Cl, 113Cd, and 139La

An apparatus for measuring parity-violating asymmetries in gamma-ray emission following polarized cold neutron capture was constructed as a 1/10th scale test of the design for the forthcoming n+p->d+gamma experiment at LANSCE. The elements of the polarized neutron beam, including a polarized 3He neutron spin filter and a radio frequency neutron spin rotator, are described. Using CsI(Tl) detectors and photodiode current mode readout, measurements were made of asymmetries in gamma-ray emission following neutron capture on 35Cl, 113Cd, and 139La targets. Upper limits on the parity-allowed asymmetry $s_n \cdot (k_{\gamma} \times k_n)$ were set at the level of 7 x 10^-6 for all three targets. Parity-violating asymmetries $s_n \cdot k_{\gamma}$ were observed in 35Cl, A_gamma = (-29.1 +- 6.7) x 10^-6, and 139La, A_gamma = (-15.5 +- 7.1) x 10^-6, values consistent with previous measurements.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Nucl. Instr. and Meth.

UNFPA Strategy for the 2020 round of population and housing censuses (2015-2024)

The 2020 census round (2015-2024), is being implemented in a changing context, marked by widespread adoption of new technologies, increasing demands for disaggregated data for implementation of SDGs, capacity challenges in many national statistics offices, funding challenges, as well as conflict and unrest which are affecting census coverage in many countries. This article details the UNFPA strategy to ensure that everyone is counted, and accounted for, in the 2020 census round. The strategy responds to the changing contexts and builds on lessons learned in previous rounds. Within this framework, UNFPA provides technical and operational support (tools and capacity strengthening); promotes adoption of new and innovative technologies and methodologies; advocates for wider utilization of census data, including free and open access to data while ensuring confidentiality; leverages institutional partnerships at all levels for coordinated census support; strengthens resource mobilization, and advocates for the inclusion of questions on disability and migration to support efforts to leave no one behind

The Cancer Cartoon Book

These cartoons tell the story of the author battling cancer, 2002-2005

Polarisation Independent Liquid Crystal Lenses using Embossed Reactive Mesogens

Liquid crystal lenses have promise in optical systems owing to their tunability combined with low electrical power, cost and weight. A good example of such a system is switchable contact lenses for the correction of age‐related presbyopia. Large phase modulation can be done using nematic liquid crystals. However, the birefringent materials are inherently polarisation dependent, usually requiring orthogonal polarisations to be focused separately. A novel method is presented for producing polarisation independent lenses based on reactive mesogens

Polarisation Independent Liquid Crystal Lenses and Contact Lenses using Embossed Reactive Mesogens

Liquid crystal lenses have promise in optical systems owing to their tunability combined with low electrical power, cost, and weight. A good example of such a system is switchable contact lenses for the correction of age‐related presbyopia. Sufficiently large phase modulation can be done using nematic liquid crystals in a meniscus lens configuration. However, the birefringent materials are inherently polarisation dependent, usually requiring orthogonal polarisations to be focussed separately. A novel method is presented for producing polarisation independent lenses based on reactive mesogens. Results are presented for a 2‐level and 3‐level diffractive Fresnel lenses, and the promise of the technique for use in refractive lenses such as contact lenses is discussed