The brightest areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but not necessarily the most populated. (Compare western Europe with China and India.) Cities tend to grow along coastlines and transportation networks. Even without the underlying map, the outlines of many continents would still be visible. The United States interstate highway system appears as a lattice connecting the brighter dots of city centers. In Russia, the Trans-Siberian railroad is a thin line stretching from Moscow through the center of Asia to Vladivostok. The Nile River, from the Aswan Dam to the Mediterranean Sea, is another bright thread through an otherwise dark region.

Even more than 100 years after the invention of the electric light, some regions remain thinly populated and unlit. Antarctica is entirely dark. The interior jungles of Africa and South America are mostly dark, but lights are beginning to appear there. Deserts in Africa, Arabia, Australia, Mongolia, and the United States are poorly lit as well (except along the coast), along with the boreal forests of Canada and Russia, and the great mountains of the Himalaya.

Credit: Data courtesy Marc Imhoff of NASA GSFC and Christopher Elvidge of NOAA NGDC. Image by Craig Mayhew and Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC.
http://www.nasa.gov/

Cross -link to this post.

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What is “60 second science”?

60SecondScience is a fully online International Video Competition sponsored by the Department of Education (DEECD-Innovation Next Practice Division), Victoria, Australia. Since its first iteration in 2008, it has enjoyed relentless growth and appeal, from 30 Victorian school-only participants, to over 300 science videos uploaded in 2011, with over 400 registering from 22 countries. The competition links directly to required student outcomes over a number of Science, Citizenship and ICT Standards. Valuable prizes are distributed each year, as determined by a prestigious International panel of judges.

Why is this competition used in the Science Classrooms?

Teachers can engage the interests and skills of students in a way that increases the depth of their science knowledge as they hone their multimedia skills.  Many of today’s students are an entrenched part of  the ‘youtube generation’ and are more than comfortable with being producers of content, whereas other generations were comfortable as mere consumers of content. Many students are ‘over’ powerpoint reports by the time they get to secondary settings, and are happy to shoot video on their smart-phones, flipcams, videocameras or webcams. The competition is easily adapted to be used not as an add-on, but as a contingent element within the existing science curriculum.

How is this Video competition used in Secondary/High School Science Classrooms?

A.     Teachers give students the option of making a 60second video to demonstrate their understanding of a topic or unit of work they are studying/researching in any area of the secondary science curriculum. Eg Newton’s Laws, The States of Matter, Forces, Chemistry. Projectile Motion, Chemical Bonding,  This is often done as an alternative to producing a written report, poster or Powerpoint.

B.     Teachers give the student teams the option to make a ‘prac report video’ instead of the standard ‘written’ prac report. Eg. The Law of Reflection, Heart-rate, Thermal expansion, Displacement Reactions.
In both cases, students are required to research deeply and collaborate closely to refine their understandings and condense their knowledge to convey their key concepts and ideas into the 60second format.

Students work with their teacher on a particular science topic or integrated study unit, and produce a video over a number of weeks as part of their weekly routine. This can be used as a science teaching strategy at any grade level. E.g. Grade 1 Temperature, Grade 3 Capillary Action, Grade 4 Mould on Bread, Grade 6 Plant Osmosis

How does ”60 second science” support Multicultural Classrooms?

The LOTE Divisions encourage entrants to use Languages Other Than English. Eg Chinese, French, Cantonese, Malayalam, Italian.

There are several divisions such as International Open – for professional/amateur film-makers, teachers, non-school-age citizens, International primary / elementary school division, International secondary / high school division, International LOTE – with English sub-titles and spoken in a Language Other Than English; as well as the Best Cinematography – for videos in any Division, Best Animation – for videos in any Division and for the others. The ‘Winner’ gets a Certificate and an offer of free online video production and science workshop for teachers and students.

You can register for the competition by 1 August 2012, and upload videos by 26 August 2012. Please find all other details and contact the convenor on the official web site.

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This thing represents the effect of some acts like SOPA, PIPA or ACTA. Occupation movement implies an “army” composed by some people who want to possess a space or a thing to demonstrate something. In this case, I think that the fact itself is a paradox, because people are on the Internet. So, citizens work, live and travel on internet, this is the place where they act. They can’t occupy the internet because they are already there. The boundaries of internet user was transgressed and he plays different roles now. Entire process to be on internet makes users participate to their own project. The seductive power of clicking transform user into a project admin, he is the (v)user. “In such an environment, the viewer gets involved, moving the cursor from one folder to another, from one element of the artwork to the other, profaning its actual message” (Rares Iordache, From Transgression to Virtual Space or the End of Art). No matter the project itself (can be an email, a social account, Youtube account or something else), it is relevant to be online, to stay connected with information, with other users or with other projects. We can talk about the social impact of the internet since the boom of web 2.0. This is still the current paradigm, says Lev Manovich. “I was an audience at the conference when Tim O’Reilly coined the term social web 2.0, but this is a new paradigm and I don’t really see a paradigm shift because this one still attracts a lot of energy” (Giulia Simi, Interview with Lev Manovich, 2010). But still, many things are in a continous change and it is difficult to talk about something which is constantly changing. How can we do such a thing and what is the relevance? I think that we can capture the moment and write about it. This is the citizens world, a world in motion.

Now, the term occupy can be applied elsewhere. The real invaders of internet are those who create the censor or something like ACTA, for example. This represents a real and current problem for citizens, it’s a new element, which don’t exist in such a form on internet. ACTA works as a external mechanism to introduce new rules. Intellectual proprety must be defended with any costs. This seems to be the central message. I think that the intellectual property element is very important in digital culture, but the method to impose it is definitely damaged. You can not cancel overnight the user statute and restrict his internet freedom or his freedom of expression. While, you can’t delete his avatar or his interface, and make him create something else in accord with your own rules.

The problem is so viral because involves two current things: the occupy movement, which is already a trend, and a form of internet censorship. The mise: the battle for the right to keep the internet free. Let’s see: ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, is a proposed agreement for establishing international standards on intellectual property rights enforcement. ACTA would establish a new international legal framework, but I can says this: ACTA would create a new world order! Citizens would be required to replace their actual world with another one and the entire process is made without their consultation. The pertinent question still remain: why? The movements against ACTA started and there are some websites which promote the message StopACTA. I talk here about La Quadrature du Net, an advocacy group that promotes the rights and freedoms of citizens on the Internet. Some websites was already occupied, but I just talked about that.

“Piracy is not a significant problem“, said Tim O’ Reilly , the man who coined in 2004 the term web 2.0.

“The way I see it, there’s a lack of need for any legislation at all. As a publisher, I have a very deep experience here, and the fact is that piracy is not a significant problem. Yes, there are people who are pirating my books, there are people who are sharing links to places where they can be downloaded. But the vast majority of customers are willing to pay if the product is widely available and the price is fair. If you have a relationship with your customers, and they know you’re doing the right thing, they will support you. The people who are pirating are most likely the people who would never give you a nickel to begin with. Piracy serves people on the fringes who are not being served adequately by legitimate markets. Frankly, if people in Romania can download my books and enjoy them, more power to them. They weren’t going to pay me anyway”, said Tim O’ Reilly in a interview for gigaom.com.

But, if Anonymous can discuss about a new era, then I can say that we are going to a new paradigm. The “hactivism” values will be masked under the current operations.

We Anonymous are launching our largest attack ever on government and music industry sites. Lulz. The FBI didn’t think they would get away with this did they? They should have expected us.

We must espect to more and more messages like this. The method to spread them is similar to a virus, because I think we live in a viral culture, where the novelty and strangeness of the products make possible the viral.

The article is a contribution from digital technology scholar Rareș Iordache who writes at .ifilosofie.

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Previous research has demonstrated that work team characteristics can be related to effectiveness (Campion, Medsker, & Higgs, 1993). This study provides a replication with professional knowledge worker jobs, different measures of effectiveness, and work units that varied in the degree to which members identified as a team. Data were collected from 357 employees, 93 managers, and archival records for 60 teams in a financial services organization. Team characteristics were measured with questionnaires completed by employees and managers. Effectiveness measures included immediate manager judgments at two points in time, senior and peer manager judgments, employee judgments, and archival records of employee satisfaction and performance appraisals. Results were similar to previous findings in that most team characteristics were related to most effectiveness criteria. Relationships were strongest for process characteristics, followed by job design, context, interdependence, and other characteristics. Further, work units higher on single-team identity were higher on many team characteristics and effectiveness measures. [2]

This paper describes an investigation of the relationship between a measure of work group characteristics and both subjective and objective measures of group performance. To assess the relationship between the work group characteristics and performance, objective performance data and manager ratings were collected for customer service work groups who completed the measure. Correlational analyses provided evidence of a relationship between specific work group characteristics and various performance measures. In addition, a factor analysis of the measure provided a more parsimonious set of dimensions that were also related to the criterion measures. The results are discussed in terms of the factors related to work group effectiveness and their relevance to work groups in various types of organizations.[3]

Six hundred fifty-two employees composing 51 work teams participated in a study examining relationships among team composition (ability and personality), team process (social cohesion), and team outcomes (team viability and team performance). Mean, variance, minimum, and maximum were 4 scoring methods used to operationalize the team composition variables to capture the team members’ characteristics. With respect to composition variables, teams higher in general mental ability (GMA), conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional stability received higher supervisor ratings for team performance. Teams higher in GMA, extraversion, and emotional stability received higher supervisor ratings for team viability. Results also show that extraversion and emotional stability were associated with team viability through social cohesion. Implications and future research needs are discussed. [4]

Self-managing work team effectiveness is defined as both high performance and employee quality of work life. Drawing on different theoretical perspectives including work design, self-leadership, sociotechnical, and participative management, four categories of variables are theorized to predict self-managing work team effectiveness: group task design, encouraging supervisor behaviors, group characteristics, and employee involvement context. Data is collected from both a set of self-managing and traditionally managed teams from a large telephone company, and the model is tested with structural equations modeling. Support is found for hypotheses concerning group task design, group characteristics, and employee involvement context, but not encouraging supervisory behaviors.[5]

In this study, the authors investigated the relationship between work team effectiveness and two distinct aspects of the personality composition of teams: (a) the average level of a given trait within a team, referred to as team personality elevation (TPE); and (b) the variability or differences in personality traits found within a team, or team personality diversity (TPD). Retail assistants (N = 328) working in 82 teams were assessed on a broad range of traits organized around the framework of the Big Five personality factors. Across the set of Big Five traits, TPE and TPD predicted unique variance in ratings of team job performance. For each specific trait of the Big Five, either TPE or TPD predicted team performance. For the traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience, TPE was positively related to team performance; TPD of extraversion and emotional stability was positively related to team performance.[6]

Conclusion:

It is in the greatest interest of employers to find that magic formulae of how to choose the best employees and group them in order to reach greater efectiveness. The best characteristics combined lead to greater productivness and that way bigger income for the company. This is the thing which will be researched even more in the future.

References:

[1] “Relations between work group characteristics and effectiveness: implications for designing effective work groups” by: Michael A. Campion, Gina J. Medsker, A. Catherine Higgs
[2] ”Relations between work team characteristics and effectiveness: a replication and extension” by: Michael A. Campion, Ellen M. Papper, Gina J. Medsker
[3] “An examination of the relationship between work group characteristics and performance: once more into the breech” by: David E. Hyatt, Thomas M. Ruddy
[4] ”Relating member ability and personality to work-team processes and team effectiveness.” by: Barrick, Murray R.;Stewart, Greg L.;Neubert, Mitchell J.;Mount, Michael K.
[5] ”A Predictive Model of Self-Managing Work Team Effectiveness” by: Susan G. Cohen, Gerald E. Ledford Jr and Gretchen M. Spreitzer
[6] ”The Relationship between Work-Team Personality Composition and the Job Performance of Teams” by: George A. Neuman, Stephen H. Wagner and Neil D. Christiansen

Special thanks goes to http://www.sitecraft.net.au/ for “Relations between work group characteristics and effectiveness” article suggestion.

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Using graphs in a dynamic environment like the society brings a new angle to computational power and scalability. Google applies the Bulk Synchronous Parallel Model in its scalable graph analysis by using a framework known as Pregel. Pregel simplifies the calculation of PageRank and scales clusters autonomously without requiring programmers to intervene manually. As a result, the software engineers have more time to concentrate on the algorithm itself.

The Basics of PageRank

PageRank uses the random suffer model that assumes that Web surfers use a linear method when following links until their interests stop or they stop browsing. All the clicks away from the source documents reduce the PageRank. Of course, the actual process is more complex, with the typical value of PageRank dampening being 0.15.

The entire Web can be treated like a graph, where all the pages and index-able files are regarded as ‘vertices’ and the links as ‘edges.’
The vertices are usually initialised with starting values that, interestingly, make no major influence on the end-result. Pregel runs
through a series of super-steps after initialisation by updating values and sending messages to other vertices.

Related Frameworks and Methodologies

According to Bill Slawski of SEO by the Sea, there’s more behind Pregel and Google, which uses other techniques like FlumeJava and Dremel. The company uses Pregel because it is ‘expressive’ and easy to program.
Software engineers have designed their own frameworks and toolkits, especially when dealing with multi-step graph operations.

Characteristics and Benefits of Dremel

Nested data

Interactive speed

Trillion-record, multi-terabyte datasets

Columnar processing and storage

Aggregation tree architecture

Spam analysis

Analysing crawled Web documents

In situ data access

Crash reporting for Google Products

OCR results from Google Books

Tracking the install of Android Market apps

Resource monitoring for work run in Google’s data centres

Debugging map tiles on Google Maps

FlumeJava

Google users started using FlumeJava in May 2009. It is simpler than MapReduce and can control executor and optimizer if necessary. Hundreds of people use pipelines with processing capacities ranging from gigabytes to petabytes every month.
Google employs interchangeable tools and systems that multiple groups can use.

References:

http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.2261
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1201/1201.2261.pdf
http://arxiv.org/a/petrovic_d_1

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Continue reading: Google Science Fair 2012: Everyone has a question. What’s yours?

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We talked about the conference and the power of the scientific community earlier last week, and we have been live tweeting during the event, virtually, on our Twitter feed – Australian Science. You can check out the tweets with the hashtag  #scio12. There is a wonderful archive of scio12 tweets : 27,000+ total tweets from 12/26/ to 01/23.  Also, check out the beautiful visualisation of #scio12 tweets, an interactive map.

There has been lot of interactions during the sessions and off sessions with the colleagues who were there, sharing impressions of the meeting and in between events as well as the reactions and blog posts on the conference. This is the list of all blog posts and articles about the conference, and media coverage.

And Bora already announced ScienceOnline2013 planning wiki – Program Suggestions that already started to fill in with program sessions proposals.

Selected interesting sources, videos and music mash-ups:

#SciAmBlogs – the post-#scio12 blues

Science Online 2012 #scio12 Photo/music mash-up

Science Online 2012: Communicating with Images  (video)

Science Online Youtube channel with #scio12 videos

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Basics:

A case study is an intensive analysis of an individual unit (e.g., a person, group, or event) stressing developmental factors in relation to context. The case study is common in social sciences and life sciences. Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory. The latter type is used to explore causation in order to find underlying principles. They may be prospective, in which criteria are established and cases fitting the criteria are included as they become available, or retrospective, in which criteria are established for selecting cases from historical records for inclusion in the study. [1]
Business research methods:

1. The research process.
2. Planning and designing research projects.
3. using the literature.
4. Secondary data sources.
5. Quality methods.,
6. Experimental research and observation.,
7. Questionnaire surveys.
8. Sampling and its implications.,
9. Survey analysis.
10. Statistical analysis.
11. Writing a research report. [2]

Although the books written on research methods have originated from many different fields and many are cross-disciplinary, management research poses its own distinctive problems and unique challenges. The authors of Management Research examine the particular characteristics of research in management, and the factors likely to lead to successful research in this area, including the personal qualities of the researcher. This volume presents a clear, accessible introduction to the practice and principles of management research. It takes the reader through the “basic” practicalities of undertaking research, from the planning of a project through to the presentation and dissemination of findings. Topics discussed include the philosophical assumptions underpinning research design, the choice of different methodologies, and the political and ethical dimensions of management research. A wide range of research methods and techniques are considered, from qualitative interviewing to such techniques as critical incident analysis and the repertory grid, and sampling and questionnaire design in quantitative research. Quantitative methods are reviewed in a way which even the non- numerate could understand; the chapter on finishing and writing up research contains several ideas, including mind-mapping, worthy of a more extended treatment. [3]

Organizations use research, especially in market research activities. Market research is used to identify potential markets, the needs and wants of each, how those needs and wants can be met, how products and services could be packaged to be most accessible to customers and clients, the best pricing for those products and services, who the competitors are and how best to complete against each, potential collaborators and how to collaborate with each — and many other applications of research. Organizations can conduct this research without having to have advanced skills. There are four levels of information that can be gathered from customers or clients, including getting their:
1. reactions and feelings (feelings are often poor indicators that your service made lasting impact)
2. learning (enhanced attitudes, perceptions or knowledge)
3. changes in skills (applied the learning to enhance behaviors)
4. effectiveness (improved performance because of enhanced behaviors)
Usually, the farther your research results get down the list, the more useful is your research results. [4]

Conclusion:

Business research methods ahve been developed in order to better and improve doing business. Various economists had their say on the topic and this is definitely the topic that will be talked about and developed even further.

References:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_study
[2] ”Business research methods” by: TICEHURST G.W., VEAL A.J.
[3] ”Management Research: An Introduction” by: Mark Easterby-Smith, Richard Thorpe, Andy Lowe
[4] http://managementhelp.org/businessresearch/selecting-methods.htm

Special thanks goes to http://www.tiedupcustom.com.au/ for article “Business research methods” suggestion.

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Basics:

Sun protective clothing (see http://www.stingray.com.au/ for more info) is clothing specifically designed for sun protection and is produced from a fabric rated for its level of ultraviolet (UV) protection. A novel weave structure and denier (related to thread count per inch) may produce sun protective properties. In addition, some textiles and fabrics employed in the use of sun protective clothing may be pre-treated with UV inhibiting ingredients during manufacture to enhance their UV blocking capacity.[1]
Topical sunscreens have been used for many years on exposed areas (i.e., hands, face) to protect the skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation. Most people do not use sunscreens on their bodies when they are wearing clothes. An average weight cotton T shirt gives only a sun protection factor (SPF) of 7. This is inadequate protection when out of doors. Therefore, clothing with adequate sunscreening properties should be worn. For fabrics, the term ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) is used as the measure of ultraviolet radiation penetration through the fabric. The UPF of a fabric depends upon fiber content and weave, fabric colour, finishing processes, and the presence of additives. The performance of a fabric depends upon stretching, shrinkage, hydration, laundering, and wear of the fabric over time. Based upon these criteria the minimum CDA standard UPF for clothing should be 40 to 50+. [2]
Clothing is considered one of the most important tools for sun protection. Contrary to popular opinion, however, some summer fabrics provide insufficient ultraviolet (UV) protection. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN), has developed a new standard on requirements for test methods and labelling of sun-protective garments. This document has now been completed and is published.
Within CEN, a working group, CEN/TC 248 WG14 ‘UV protective clothing’, was set up with the mission to produce standards on the UV-protective properties of textile materials. This working group started its activities in 1998 and included 30 experts (dermatologists, physicists, textile technologists, fabric manufacturers and retailers of apparel textiles) from 11 European member states. Within this working group, all medical, ethical, technical and economical aspects of standardization of UV-protective clothing were discussed on the basis of the expertise of each member and in consideration of the relevant literature in this field. Decisions were made in consensus.
The first part of the standard (EN 13758-1) deals with all details of test methods (e.g. spectrophotometric measurements) for textile materials and part 2 (EN 13758-2) covers classification and marking of apparel textiles. UV-protective cloths for which compliance with this standard is claimed must fulfill all stringent instructions of testing, classification and marking, including a UV protection factor (UPF) larger than 40 (UPF 40+), average UVA transmission lower than 5%, and design requirements as specified in part 2 of the standard. A pictogram, which is marked with the number of the standard EN 13758-2 and the UPF of 40+, shall be attached to the garment if it is in compliance with the standard.[3]
For many years, individuals around the world have relied on sunscreen alone as their primary form of protection against ultraviolet rays (UV-R). Australia has shown that a multitactic approach to skin cancer prevention, combining sun-protective clothing with sunscreen, can be both highly effective and widely accepted by the general public. In the US, the aging baby boomer generation and rising skin cancer epidemic call for a fundamental behavioral shift toward this combination approach to sun protection. Sun-protective clothing, such as that manufactured by Coolibar and awarded the Seal of Recommendation by The Skin Cancer Foundation, offers millions of Americans the opportunity to significantly improve the quality of their lives and is an essential step in eliminating skin cancer in our world. All Coolibar clothing products carry a minimum ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) rating of 30, blocking 97% UV-R or greater. Each product in the Coolibar clothing line is individually tested and rated for its UV protection level; this process is explained in a thorough hangtag attached to the product. This tag specifies what UPF the product has received, how the UPF is figured, which testing procedures the individual product was submitted to, and if that product has received the Seal of Recommendation from The Skin Cancer Foundation. In addition to photoprotective clothing, The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends Rit Sun Guard, a photoprotective laundry additive. Rit Sun Guard washes into the clothing fibers and absorbs broadband UV-R. A single treatment of Rit Sun Guard sustains a UPF of 30 for approximately 20 launderings. The active ingredient in Rit Sun Guard is TINOSORB FD. In order to be certified by The Skin Cancer Foundation, the Coolibar clothing product must undergo extensive UPF testing to confirm the accuracy of the product labeling. Laundry additives evaluated by The Skin Cancer Foundation undergo similar tests to that of photoprotective clothing after a uniform laundering method is used to apply the product to the clothing fibers. Both of these certification processes confirm the UPF, UV-A and UV-B transmittance, and percentage blocking UV-A and UV-B. The certification process is reviewed on an annual basis.[4]
In 1999, the authors began recruitment for a randomized controlled intervention trial aimed at preventing melanocytic nevi (moles) by minimizing sun exposure through the use of sun-protective clothing. The study involves 652 Caucasian children (75.6% response) aged 0–35 months from 25 child-care centers (n = 13 intervention and n = 12 control) living in the high-solar-irradiance environment of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Children attending intervention centers wear investigator-provided garments made from fabrics with ultraviolet protection factors rated very good to excellent. Control centers continue to offer usual care. Three-year follow-up of all children will be completed in 2005. The main outcome measure is the number of new melanocytic nevi. At baseline, the two groups were similar with respect to nevi, phenotype, age, demographic characteristics, sun-protection habits, and history of sun exposure, except that more children from control versus intervention centers (2% and 0%, respectively; p = 0.006) had experienced painful sunburn with blistering. Higher melanocytic nevus counts were associated with more time spent outdoors and a history of sunburn, while sunscreen use, particularly during the mild winter months, appeared to have a protective effect. These findings further substantiate the hypothesis that nevus development in young children is related to sun exposure.[5]

Conclusion:

As the need for better sun protection appeared with Sun becoming more and more dangerous, more outdoor clothing is made now and it has a UPF rating. Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) is a rating system used for clothing. Skin protection from Sun is developing each day and perfecting.

References:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_protective_clothing
[2] ”Sun-protective clothing.” by: Adam J.
[3] ”The European standard for sun-protective clothing: EN 13758” by: T Gambichler, J Laperre, K Hoffmann
[4] ”Revolutionary advances in sun-protective clothing–an essential step in eliminating skin cancer in our world.” by: Edlich RF, Cox MJ, Becker DG, Horowitz JH, Nichter LS, Britt LD, Lineaweaver WC, Edlich TJ 3rd, Long WB.
[5] ”The North Queensland “Sun-Safe Clothing” Study: Design and Baseline Results of a Randomized Trial to Determine the Effectiveness of Sun-Protective Clothing in Preventing Melanocytic Nevi” by: Simone L. Harrison , Petra G. Buettner and Robert MacLennan

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There is an international movement that uses the Internet to throw open the locked archives, libraries, online databases, information flow in general,  that once hid and restricted knowledge.

One of the definitions of ‘open’ denotes ‘a piece of knowledge is open if you re free to use, reuse, and redistribute it.”  The concept of open access has already started to spread rapidly beyond its original roots in academia and software.  Other statements encourage the unstrict sharing of research results with everyone, everywhere, for the advancement and enjoyment of science and society.

Open Access is the principle that publicly funded research should be freely accessible online, immediately after publication, and it’s gaining ever more momentum around the world as research funders and policy makers put their weight behind it.
The Open Access philosophy was firmly articulated in 2002, when the Budapest Open Access Initiative was introduced. It quickly took root in the scientific and medical communities because it offered an alternative route to research literature that was frequently closed off behind costly subscription barriers.

When the printing revolution have happened, for centuries, the research and science process has operated like this— through research done by self organized or private process, then submitted to the scientific journals to be peer reviewed, and then published for the benefit of other researchers and the academic community or public. But to many scientists, the longevity of that process is not helping much since the nature of the information is dynamic and can become obsolete.

This publishing system is inflexible, can publishing cycle can last, it is expensive and elitistic in a way. The process of reviewing by peers can take months, journal and database subscriptions can be costly, and a handful of gatekeepers limit sharing the knowledge and flow of information.

Open-access repositories and journals like arXiv , SSRN, and the Public Library of Science (PLoS) are one of the many examples that have appeared on the scientific scene in recent years.

Many publishers like Springer are moving away from CC-NC to CC-BY licensing for their whole OA offering. Springer used to be a great example of everything that was wrong with ScholComms. They’re obviously not perfect but they increasingly seem to get the idea that looking forward is in their own interests and trying to turn the clock back is counterproductive.

According to Springer, Springer is bringing Open Choice, its hybrid open access option, into line with the fully open access journals published by BioMed Central and SpringerOpen. As a result, all open access content at Springer will be published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license.

Also, a  nonprofit organization that holds millions of material of academic work, a research archive JStor,  will soon let the public see it for free moving toward open access. The JStor service will let anyone view articles from 70 journals after registering with the website with some limitations.

Clarifying what is Open Source, Open Data, Open Access, and Open Notebook, The Open Science project indicate four fundamental goals: Transparency in experimental methodology, observation, and collection of data; Public availability and reusability of scientific data; Public accessibility and transparency of scientific communication, and Using web-based tools to facilitate scientific collaboration. By these principles we got reminded again that we’re moving towards an era of greater transparency in all of these topics (methodology, data, communication, and collaboration).

This weekend, starting  on January 19th, over 500 scientists, bloggers, journalists, students, scientists, and programmers will gather on North Carolina State University (and thousands more will join in online) for the sixth annual ScienceOnline conference. Science is moving to a collaborative model, said Bora Zivkovic for the New York Times Science, a chronobiology blogger who is a founder of the conference, “because it works better in the current ecosystem, in the Web-connected world.”

Selected useful resources:

#scio11 – What’s Keeping Us from Open Science? Is It the Powers That Be, Or Is It… Us?

TEDxWaterloo – Michael Nielsen – Open Science 

Open science logo by gemmerich

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