Does publishing a book as Open Access affect print sales?

While open access publishing for journals is well established, open access monograph publishing is taking longer to gain momentum. This is in large part due to the financial challenges involved in publishing monographs. Publishers are concerned that the availability of a free open access edition will cannibalise print sales and therefore the publisher’s ability to recoup the costs involved in producing a book i.e. peer review, editing, typesetting, technological infrastructure, sales, marketing and staff. But is that really the case? Or does the availability of the open access version mean wider access to the book, all round the world and to new audiences, and in some cases increased print sales as a result of the greater visibility? This article will look at some statistics from the OAPEN-UK / Jisc project that has been investigating open access monograph publishing during the last five years. As part of its research, the project ran a pilot comparing open access monograph download figures with print sales of comparable books to assess what the effect on print sales actually is. It will also review the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, which made 28 books by a range of publishers available as open access, with some interesting results. The outcome of these pilots will be compared with UCL Press’s own experience since launching as the UK’s first fully open access university press in June 2015, along with some examples from other open access publishers

Building Community Using Experiential Education with Elementary Preservice Teachers in a Social Studies Methodology Course

There is urgency for teacher educators to instruct preservice teachers in the core tenants of social justice education. This urgency is based upon the ever-growing shift in the American demographic landscape and the responsibility of educators to teach for equity, justice, identity and community within classrooms across the U.S. Preservice teachers report feeling inadequately prepared to educate for social justice when entering the formal classroom setting. Feelings of incompetence in social justice teaching pedagogy expressed among preservice teachers coupled with minimal examination in the literature of the effects of teacher education practices that aid in the readiness to teach for social justice provided the foundation for this study. This study examined experiential methodology that can prepare preservice elementary teachers to teach for social justice, particularly within an elementary social studies context. Specifically, the study focused on two primary research questions: (1) How do preservice elementary teachers in a social studies methods course conceptualize teaching for social justice within an experiential framework? (2) In what ways did preservice teachers operationalize teaching for social justice in the practicum classroom? Also examined was how development of community in an elementary social studies methodology course fostered the understanding of teaching for social justice among preservice teachers. The findings of this study highlight preservice teachers were able to conceptualize building communities with experiential methods to teach for social justice and how doing so created an effective learning community within the methodology class. Although the preservice teachers valued the implementation of experiential methods into their social studies methodology to foster the teaching of social justice, substantial difficulties were expressed in their incorporation of experiential methods in the practicum environment due to a lack of confidence, teaching competence or collegial support. Recommendations for teacher education programs are also discussed

Random matrix theory for CPA: Generalization of Wegner's nn--orbital model

We introduce a generalization of Wegner's $n$-orbital model for the description of randomly disordered systems by replacing his ensemble of Gaussian random matrices by an ensemble of randomly rotated matrices. We calculate the one- and two-particle Green's functions and the conductivity exactly in the limit $n\to\infty$. Our solution solves the CPA-equation of the $(n=1)$-Anderson model for arbitrarily distributed disorder. We show how the Lloyd model is included in our model.Comment: 3 pages, Rev-Te

Rigorous mean field model for CPA: Anderson model with free random variables

A model of a randomly disordered system with site-diagonal random energy fluctuations is introduced. It is an extension of Wegner's $n$-orbital model to arbitrary eigenvalue distribution in the electronic level space. The new feature is that the random energy values are not assumed to be independent at different sites but free. Freeness of random variables is an analogue of the concept of independence for non-commuting random operators. A possible realization is the ensemble of at different lattice-sites randomly rotated matrices. The one- and two-particle Green functions of the proposed hamiltonian are calculated exactly. The eigenstates are extended and the conductivity is nonvanishing everywhere inside the band. The long-range behaviour and the zero-frequency limit of the two-particle Green function are universal with respect to the eigenvalue distribution in the electronic level space. The solutions solve the CPA-equation for the one- and two-particle Green function of the corresponding Anderson model. Thus our (multi-site) model is a rigorous mean field model for the (single-site) CPA. We show how the Llyod model is included in our model and treat various kinds of noises.Comment: 24 pages, 2 diagrams, Rev-Tex. Diagrams are available from the authors upon reques

Open Access in UCL: a new paradigm for London's Global University in research support

Open Access provides an opportunity for researchers to disseminate their research globally, but it comes with challenges. This article looks at the various ways in which UCL (University College London) has addressed those challenges, by investing in Open Access activities at the university

Predicting Residential Satisfaction: A Comparative Case Study

This is a comparative case study that focuses on resident satisfaction in three buildings renovated for housing. A survey based on environment-behavior factors that can contribute to resident satisfaction was developed and distributed to the buildings\u27 residents. Residents in fifty-two percent (52.5%) of the units in the three buildings responded (N = 64). Index variables used were: management, perception, wayfinding, safety. comfort. and adequacy. There was a significant relationship between resident satisfaction and age for one building. Safety and perception were significant for all buildings. Safety, perception and comfort were significant in different ways for each of the three buildings

Implementation of Continuous Capnography Is Associated With a Decreased Utilization of Blood Gases

Background Capnography provides a continuous, non-invasive monitoring of the CO2 to assess adequacy of ventilation and provide added safety features in mechanically ventilated patients by allowing for quick identification of unplanned extubation. These monitors may allow for decreased utilization of blood gases. The objective was to determine if implementation of continuous capnography monitoring decreases the utilization of blood gases resulting in decreased charges. Methods This is a retrospective review of a quality improvement project that compares the utilization of blood gases before and after the implementation of standard continuous capnography. The time period of April 2010 to September 2010 was compared to April 2011 to September 2011. Parameters collected included total number of blood gases analyzed, cost of blood gas analysis, ventilator and patient days. Results The total number of blood gases after the institution of end tidal CO2 monitoring decreased from 12,937 in 2009 and 13,171 in 2010 to 8,070 in 2011. The average number of blood gases per encounter decreased from 20.8 in 2009 and 21.6 in 2010 to 13.8 post intervention. The blood gases per ventilator day decreased from 4.94 in 2009 and 4.76 in 2010 to 3.30 post intervention. The total charge savings over a 6-month period was $880,496. Conclusions Continuous capnography resulted in a significant savings over a 6-month period by decreasing the utilization of blood gas measurements

Applications of Automata and Graphs: Labeling-Operators in Hilbert Space I

We show that certain representations of graphs by operators on Hilbert space have uses in signal processing and in symbolic dynamics. Our main result is that graphs built on automata have fractal characteristics. We make this precise with the use of Representation Theory and of Spectral Theory of a certain family of Hecke operators. Let G be a directed graph. We begin by building the graph groupoid G induced by G, and representations of G. Our main application is to the groupoids defined from automata. By assigning weights to the edges of a fixed graph G, we give conditions for G to acquire fractal-like properties, and hence we can have fractaloids or G-fractals. Our standing assumption on G is that it is locally finite and connected, and our labeling of G is determined by the "out-degrees of vertices". From our labeling, we arrive at a family of Hecke-type operators whose spectrum is computed. As applications, we are able to build representations by operators on Hilbert spaces (including the Hecke operators); and we further show that automata built on a finite alphabet generate fractaloids. Our Hecke-type operators, or labeling operators, come from an amalgamated free probability construction, and we compute the corresponding amalgamated free moments. We show that the free moments are completely determined by certain scalar-valued functions.Comment: 69 page

Semigroups of distributions with linear Jacobi parameters

We show that a convolution semigroup of measures has Jacobi parameters polynomial in the convolution parameter $t$ if and only if the measures come from the Meixner class. Moreover, we prove the parallel result, in a more explicit way, for the free convolution and the free Meixner class. We then construct the class of measures satisfying the same property for the two-state free convolution. This class of two-state free convolution semigroups has not been considered explicitly before. We show that it also has Meixner-type properties. Specifically, it contains the analogs of the normal, Poisson, and binomial distributions, has a Laha-Lukacs-type characterization, and is related to the $q=0$ case of quadratic harnesses.Comment: v3: the article is merged back together with arXiv:1003.4025. A significant revision following suggestions by the referee. 2 pdf figure