Hvad kan forskningsbiblioteket gøre for Citizen Science

LIBER har udgivet første del af en guide om citizen science. Guiden er målrettet forskningsbibliotekerne

Research data management challenges in citizen science projects and recommendations for library support services. A scoping review and case study.

Citizen science (CS) projects are part of a new era of data aggregation and harmonisation that facilitates interconnections between different datasets. Increasing the value and reuse of CS data has received growing attention with the appearance of the FAIR principles and systematic research data management (RDM) practises, which are often promoted by university libraries. However, RDM initiatives in CS appear diversified and if CS have special needs in terms of RDM is unclear. Therefore, the aim of this article is firstly to identify RDM challenges for CS projects and secondly, to discuss how university libraries may support any such challenges. A scoping review and a case study of Danish CS projects were performed to identify RDM challenges. 48 articles were selected for data extraction. Four academic project leaders were interviewed about RDM practices in their CS projects. Challenges and recommendations identified in the review and case study are often not specific for CS. However, finding CS data, engaging specific populations, attributing volunteers and handling sensitive data including health data are some of the challenges requiring special attention by CS project managers. Scientific requirements or national practices do not always encompass the nature of CS projects. Based on the identified challenges, it is recommended that university libraries focus their services on 1) identifying legal and ethical issues that the project managers should be aware of in their projects, 2) elaborating these issues in a Terms of Participation that also specifies data handling and sharing to the citizen scientist, and 3) motivating the project manager to good data handling practises. Adhering to the FAIR principles and good RDM practices in CS projects will continuously secure contextualisation and data quality. High data quality increases the value and reuse of the data and, therefore, the empowerment of the citizen scientists

Airway exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes disrupts the female reproductive cycle without affecting pregnancy outcomes in mice

Abstract Background The use of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) is increasing due to a growing use in a variety of products across several industries. Thus, occupational exposure is also of increasing concern, particularly since airway exposure to MWCNTs can induce sustained pulmonary acute phase response and inflammation in experimental animals, which may affect female reproduction. This proof-of-principle study therefore aimed to investigate if lung exposure by intratracheal instillation of the MWCNT NM-400 would affect the estrous cycle and reproductive function in female mice. Results Estrous cycle regularity was investigated by comparing vaginal smears before and after exposure to 67 μg of NM-400, whereas reproductive function was analyzed by measuring time to delivery of litters after instillation of 2, 18 or 67 μg of NM-400. Compared to normal estrous cycling determined prior to exposure, exposure to MWCNT significantly prolonged the estrous cycle during which exposure took place, but significantly shortened the estrous cycle immediately after the exposed cycle. No consistent effects were seen on time to delivery of litter or other gestational or litter parameters, such as litter size, sex ratio, implantations and implantation loss. Conclusion Lung exposure to MWCNT interfered with estrous cycling. Effects caused by MWCNTs depended on the time of exposure: the estrous stage was particularly sensitive to exposure, as animals exposed during this stage showed a higher incidence of irregular cycling after exposure. Our data indicates that MWCNT exposure may interfere with events leading to ovulation

A perspective on the developmental toxicity of inhaled nanoparticles.

This paper aimed to clarify whether maternal inhalation of engineered nanoparticles (NP) may constitute a hazard to pregnancy and fetal development, primarily based on experimental animal studies of NP and air pollution particles. Overall, it is plausible that NP may translocate from the respiratory tract to the placenta and fetus, but also that adverse effects may occur secondarily to maternal inflammatory responses. The limited database describes several organ systems in the offspring to be potentially sensitive to maternal inhalation of particles, but large uncertainties exist about the implications for embryo–fetal development and health later in life. Clearly, the potential for hazard remains to be characterized. Considering the increased production and application of nanomaterials and related consumer products a testing strategy for NP should be established. Due to large gaps in data, significant amounts of groundwork are warranted for a testing strategy to be established on a sound scientific basis

Åbne forskningsdata fra DTU – fra mine til vores

Forskeren mødes med større og større krav om god datahåndtering og om at gøre forskningsdata åbent tilgængelige.DTU Bibliotek har udviklet en sammenhængende service der skal supportere forskeren gennem forskningsprojektets life cycle og understøtte en praksisændring. Dette økosystem består af:• Et certificeret repositorie til global datapublicering, DTU Data og dertil dedikeret helpdesk• En søge-infrastruktur hvor data og artikler kobles og tilgængeliggøres for studerende, forskere og eksterne brugere, DTU Findit• Forskellige undervisningstilbud, inkl. kursus for nyansatte• Open Science-værktøj• Governance funderet i DTU’s Politik for Forskningsdatamanagement, i vores digitale strategi, samt i lovkravServicen (træning, værktøj, infrastrukturer) danner et økosystem hvor forskningen digitaliseres og åbnes, datapraksis påvirkes og hvor universitetets troværdighed styrkes. Servicen viser hvordan forskningsdata bliver levende på en brugerfokuseret, transparent og fremtidssikret måde.Den primære målgruppe er forskere på DTU og vores samarbejdspartnere, som vil dele og finde forskningsdata. Vores undervisning, helpdesk og integration i Open Science-værktøj understøtter praksisændringen hos forskerne, og bidrager bl.a. til at skabe større synlighed omkring forskningsdatas rolle i den videnskabelige publiceringscyklus, hvilket vi i stigende grad oplever efterspørgsel på i vores forskningsmiljøer. Siden DTU Data blev lanceret, har vi oplevet en støt stigende datapublicering og brug i internationale projekter.Implementering af DTU Data har nu fået sit kvalitetsstempel med en Core Trust Certificering