Gathering evidence of benefits: a structured approach from the JISC Managing Research Data Programme

The work of the Jisc Managing Research Data programme is – along with the rest of the UK higher education sector – taking place in an environment of increasing pressure on research funding. In order to justify the investment made by Jisc in this activity – and to help make the case more widely for the value of investing time and money in research data management – projects and the programme as a whole must be able to clearly express the resultant benefits to the host institutions and to the broader sector. This paper describes a structured approach to the measurement and description of benefits provided by the work of these projects for the benefit of funders, institutions and researchers. We outline the context of the programme and its work; discuss the drivers and challenges of gathering evidence of benefits; specify benefits as distinct from aims and outputs; present emerging findings and the types of metrics and other evidence which projects have provided; explain the value of gathering evidence in a structured way to demonstrate benefits generated by work in this field; and share lessons learned from progress to date

Shocked H2 and Fe+ Dynamics in the Orion Bullets

Observations of H2 velocity profiles in the two most clearly defined Orion bullets are extremely difficult to reconcile with existing steady-state shock models. We have observed [FeII] 1.644um velocity profiles of selected bullets and H2 1-0 S(1) 2.122um velocity profiles for a series of positions along and across the corresponding bow-shaped shock fronts driven into the surrounding molecular cloud. Integrated [FeII] velocity profiles of the brightest bullets are consistent with theoretical bow shock predictions. However, observations of broad, singly-peaked H2 1-0 S(1) profiles at a range of positions within the most clearly resolved bullet wakes are not consistent with molecular shock modelling. A uniform, collisionally broadened background component which pervades the region in both tracers is inconsistent with fluorescence due to the ionizing radiation of the Trapezium stars alone.Comment: 20 pages including 18 figures, published in MNRA

ESO Imaging Survey: Optical follow-up of 12 selected XMM-Newton fields

(Abridged) This paper presents the data recently released for the XMM-Newton/WFI survey carried out as part of the ESO Imaging Survey (EIS) project. The aim of this survey is to provide optical imaging follow-up data in BVRI for identification of serendipitously detected X-ray sources in selected XMM-Newton fields. In this paper, fully calibrated individual and stacked images of 12 fields as well as science-grade catalogs for the 8 fields located at high-galactic latitude are presented. The data covers an area of \sim 3 square degrees for each of the four passbands. The median limiting magnitudes (AB system, 2" aperture, 5\sigma detection limit) are 25.20, 24.92, 24.66, and 24.39 mag for B-, V-, R-, and I-band, respectively. These survey products, together with their logs, are available to the community for science exploitation in conjunction with their X-ray counterparts. Preliminary results from the X-ray/optical cross-correlation analysis show that about 61% of the detected X-ray point sources in deep XMM-Newton exposures have at least one optical counterpart within 2" radius down to R \simeq 25 mag, 50% of which are so faint as to require VLT observations thereby meeting one of the top requirements of the survey, namely to produce large samples for spectroscopic follow-up with the VLT, whereas only 15% of the objects have counterparts down to the DSS limiting magnitude.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Accompanying data releases available at http://archive.eso.org/archive/public_datasets.html (WFI images), http://www.eso.org/science/eis/surveys/release_65000025_XMM.html (optical catalogs), http://www.aip.de/groups/xray/XMM_EIS/ (X-ray data). Full resolution version available at http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~dietrich/publications/3785.ps.g

The XMM large scale structure survey: optical vs. X-ray classifications of active galactic nuclei and the unified scheme

Our goal is to characterize AGN populations by comparing their X-ray and optical classifications. We present a sample of 99 spectroscopically identified X-ray point sources in the XMM-LSS survey which are significantly detected in the [2-10] keV band, and with more than 80 counts. We performed an X-ray spectral analysis for all of these 99 X-ray sources. Introducing the fourfold point correlation coefficient, we find only a mild correlation between the X-ray and the optical classifications, as up to 30% of the sources have differing X-ray and optical classifications: on one hand, 10% of the type 1 sources present broad emission lines in their optical spectra and strong absorption in the X-rays. These objects are highly luminous AGN lying at high redshift and thus dilution effects are totally ruled out, their discrepant nature being an intrinsic property. Their X-ray luminosities and redshifts distributions are consistent with those of the unabsorbed X-ray sources with broad emission lines. On the other hand, 25/32 are moderate luminosity AGN, which are both unabsorbed in the X-rays and only present narrow emission lines in their optical spectra. The majority of them have an optical spectrum which is representative of the host galaxy. We finally infer that dilution of the AGN by the host galaxy seems to account for their nature. 5/25 have been defined as Seyfert 2. In conclusion, most of these 32 discrepant cases can be accounted for by the standard AGN unified scheme, as its predictions are not met for only 12% of the 99 X-ray sources. ABRIDGEDComment: 25 pages, 19 figures, Accepted for publication in A&

The XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue

We describe the production, properties and scientific potential of the XMM-Newton catalogue of serendipitous X-ray sources. The first version of this catalogue is nearing completion and is planned to be released before the end of 2002.Comment: Proceedings of the "X-ray surveys, in the light of the new observatories" workshop, Astronomische Nachrichten, in the press (4 pages, 3 eps figures, uses an.cls

An intrinsically disordered proteins community for ELIXIR.

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are now recognised as major determinants in cellular regulation. This white paper presents a roadmap for future e-infrastructure developments in the field of IDP research within the ELIXIR framework. The goal of these developments is to drive the creation of high-quality tools and resources to support the identification, analysis and functional characterisation of IDPs. The roadmap is the result of a workshop titled "An intrinsically disordered protein user community proposal for ELIXIR" held at the University of Padua. The workshop, and further consultation with the members of the wider IDP community, identified the key priority areas for the roadmap including the development of standards for data annotation, storage and dissemination; integration of IDP data into the ELIXIR Core Data Resources; and the creation of benchmarking criteria for IDP-related software. Here, we discuss these areas of priority, how they can be implemented in cooperation with the ELIXIR platforms, and their connections to existing ELIXIR Communities and international consortia. The article provides a preliminary blueprint for an IDP Community in ELIXIR and is an appeal to identify and involve new stakeholders

The XMM-Newton Serendipitous Survey. V. The Second XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue

Aims: Pointed observations with XMM-Newton provide the basis for creating catalogues of X-ray sources detected serendipitously in each field. This paper describes the creation and characteristics of the 2XMM catalogue. Methods: The 2XMM catalogue has been compiled from a new processing of the XMM-Newton EPIC camera data. The main features of the processing pipeline are described in detail. Results: The catalogue, the largest ever made at X-ray wavelengths, contains 246,897 detections drawn from 3491 public XMM-Newton observations over a 7-year interval, which relate to 191,870 unique sources. The catalogue fields cover a sky area of more than 500 sq.deg. The non-overlapping sky area is ~360 sq.deg. (~1% of the sky) as many regions of the sky are observed more than once by XMM-Newton. The catalogue probes a large sky area at the flux limit where the bulk of the objects that contribute to the X-ray background lie and provides a major resource for generating large, well-defined X-ray selected source samples, studying the X-ray source population and identifying rare object types. The main characteristics of the catalogue are presented, including its photometric and astrometric properties .Comment: 27 pages (plus 8 pages appendices), 15 figures. Minor changes following referee's comments; now accepted for publication in A & A. Note that this paper "V", not paper "VI" in the series. Previous posting was incorrect in this regar

GA4GH: International policies and standards for data sharing across genomic research and healthcare.

The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) aims to accelerate biomedical advances by enabling the responsible sharing of clinical and genomic data through both harmonized data aggregation and federated approaches. The decreasing cost of genomic sequencing (along with other genome-wide molecular assays) and increasing evidence of its clinical utility will soon drive the generation of sequence data from tens of millions of humans, with increasing levels of diversity. In this perspective, we present the GA4GH strategies for addressing the major challenges of this data revolution. We describe the GA4GH organization, which is fueled by the development efforts of eight Work Streams and informed by the needs of 24 Driver Projects and other key stakeholders. We present the GA4GH suite of secure, interoperable technical standards and policy frameworks and review the current status of standards, their relevance to key domains of research and clinical care, and future plans of GA4GH. Broad international participation in building, adopting, and deploying GA4GH standards and frameworks will catalyze an unprecedented effort in data sharing that will be critical to advancing genomic medicine and ensuring that all populations can access its benefits