Open Access Monitor - DK (OAM-DK): Indsamling, dokumentation og administration af publiceringsudgifter til Open Access i Danmark

In a changing landscape of new Open Access modes, Denmark has adopted a so-called green Open Access strategy, according to which publications must be kept largely free of charge and publications must be archived in institutional repositories.Even so, Danish universities spend significant financial resources on Open Access publishing. Substantial fees are being paid to publish via the golden route in Open Access journals, but also in subscription-based journals via the hybrid model. The latter is especially interesting considering the practice of double-dipping, where universities not only pay for the right-to-read (via the national e-license portfolios) but also for the right-to-publish (via publication fees).This raises the question of the scale of resources being spent on Open Access publishing by Danish universities. This DEFF project follows similar efforts in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, monitoring how much is being spent on gold and hybrid publishing by Danish universities. The approach has been to identify the publishing ecology of Open Access and derived financial costs. Since it is difficult to gather invoice data, an economic model has been developed to estimate the total cost of publication at Danish universities.Results show that both gold and hybrid publishing practices and expenses related to Open Access publishing in the Danish universities are increasing substantially and that monitoring efforts are required.An executive summary with ten results and recommendations has been produced and is available here: https://zenodo.org/record/1544953.Read more about the project: https://bit.ly/oam-d

Hormesis depends upon the life-stage and duration of exposure: examples for a pesticide and a nanomaterial

Tests to assess toxic effects on the reproduction of adult C. elegans after 72 h exposure for two chemicals, (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU)), also known as diuron, and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) indicated potential, although not significant hormesis. Follow up toxicity tests comparing the potential hormesis concentrations with controls at high replication confirmed that the stimulatory effect was repeatable and also statistically significant within the test. To understand the relevance of the hormesis effects for overall population fitness, full life-cycle toxicity tests were conducted for each chemical. When nematodes were exposed to DCMU over the full life-span, the hormesis effect for reproduction seen in short-term tests was no longer evident. Further at the putative hormesis concentrations, a negative effect of DCMU on time to maturation was also seen. For the Ag NPs, the EC50 for effects on reproduction in the life-cycle exposure was substantially lower than in the short-term test, the EC50s estimated by a three parameter log logistic model being 2.9 mg/L and 0.75 mg/L, respectively. This suggests that the level of toxicity for Ag NPs for C. elegans reproduction is dependant on the life stage exposed and possibly the duration of the exposure. Further, in the longer duration exposures, hormesis effects on reproduction seen in the short-term exposures were no longer apparent. Instead, all concentrations reduced both overall brood size and life-span. These results for both chemicals suggest that the hormesis observed for a single endpoint in short-term exposure may be the result of a temporary reallocation of resources between traits that are not sustained over the full life-time. Such reallocation is consistent with energy budget theories for organisms subject to toxic stres

Variable temperature stress in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Maupas) and its implications for sensitivity to an additional chemical stressor

A wealth of studies has investigated how chemical sensitivity is affected by temperature, however, almost always under different constant rather than more realistic fluctuating regimes. Here we compared how the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans responds to copper at constant temperatures (8–24°C) and under fluctuation conditions of low (±4°C) and high (±8°C) amplitude (averages of 12, 16, 20°C and 16°C respectively). The DEBkiss model was used to interpret effects on energy budgets. Increasing constant temperature from 12–24°C reduced time to first egg, life-span and population growth rates consistent with temperature driven metabolic rate change. Responses at 8°C did not, however, accord with this pattern (including a deviation from the Temperature Size Rule), identifying a cold stress effect. High amplitude variation and low amplitude variation around a mean temperature of 12°C impacted reproduction and body size compared to nematodes kept at the matching average constant temperatures. Copper exposure affected reproduction, body size and life-span and consequently population growth. Sensitivity to copper (EC50 values), was similar at intermediate temperatures (12, 16, 20°C) and higher at 24°C and especially the innately stressful 8°C condition. Temperature variation did not increase copper sensitivity. Indeed under variable conditions including time at the stressful 8°C condition, sensitivity was reduced. DEBkiss identified increased maintenance costs and increased assimilation as possible mechanisms for cold and higher copper concentration effects. Model analysis of combined variable temperature effects, however, demonstrated no additional joint stressor response. Hence, concerns that exposure to temperature fluctuations may sensitise species to co-stressor effects seem unfounded in this case

Another brick in the (pay)wall? - monitorering af publiceringsudgifter i Danmark

Det skulle være så grønt, men stik imod den danske Open Access-strategi vælger langt størstedelen af forskere fra danske universiteter at publicere den gyldne og hybride vej til Open Access. Det viser resultater fra det netop afsluttede DEFF-projekt Open Access Monitor - DK. Hele 75 procent af Open Access-publikationerne fra 2016 er gyldne eller hybride