Workflows and key messages to enable Open Research

The movement towards more open research has significant impact on the culture and practice of all disciplines. Researchers are increasingly expected to consider the end user’s ability to reuse data and scholarly publications by sharing these outputs through repository systems. The approach of the University of St Andrews Library (Digital Research Division) is to consider the needs of researchers holistically and provide a joined up support service for Research Data Management and Open Access. We use a Research Information System (Pure) to present a single interface to researchers for recording and depositing all research outputs. The combination of import sources, synchronized data, connected repository, web services and customized portal are employed to maximize visibility of data and publications, while presenting a seamless experience for researchers. This paper will describe how we develop workflows that can be communicated through key messages, easily remembered by researchers, and mapped to existing research lifecycles. Workflows can be tailored to disciplinary needs, for example using existing metadata from subject-repositories already used by researchers. We will describe a range of solutions that include staff in the Library and School offices providing different levels of mediation, and the benefits of an overall joined up approach.PostprintPublisher PDFPeer reviewe

Factors affecting the utilisation of silage nitrogen by ruminants

Eight ryegrass silages, which differed in their contents of dry matter, nitrogen and in the pre-ensiling treatments which were used, were fed to sheep cannulated at the rumen and abomasum. Pelleted, dried grass was fed throughout to confirm that inter-experiment compar­isons could be safely made. Dietary digestibility was measured by total faecal collection and diurnal variation in ruminal metabolism was monitored. Passage of the components of digesta at the abomasum was determined by reference to the dilution of dual phase markers (tris (l, 10 phenanthroline) ruthenium (II) chloride and the chromium complex of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid) which were continuously infused into the rumen. The contribution of microbial nitrogen to the total flow of nitrogen at the abomasum was assessed by using nucleic acid as an endogenous microbial marker.All silages were well preserved. Fermentation was restricted by pre-treatment with formic acid (3.0 and3.4 1 t-^"), a mixture of formic acid and formalin (4:1»4.5 1 t ■*") or by wilting. Proteolysis was also reduced by these treatments, with wilting to high levels of dry matter (416 and 438 g kg having the greatest effect.There was a tendency for higher concentration of nitrogen in silage to increase the apparent digestibility of the component. Silages with high concentrations of nitrogen therefore had disproportionately high contents of digestible crude protein.In absolute terms, the peak ruminal ammonia concen­tration was higher when dried grass, rather than silage, was fed (mean = 34-9 and 239 mg ammonia N 1 ^ respectively. However the ruminal ammonia concentration before feeding and the content of nitrogen in the diet were both lower, and the ration was eaten more slowly, when silage was fed. Thus the consumption of silage induced bigger changes in ruminal ammonia levels per unit intake of nitrogen, probably reflecting the soluble nature of a large propor­tion of the nitrogenous components of the silages.The mean values for the proportion of digestible organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (0.614.) and the efficiency of synthesis of microbial nitrogen (26.2 g N kg ^ DOMR, 0.91 g N MJ ^ ME intake) were similar to those which had been reported previously for silages. However, the mean degradability of silage nitrogen between the mouth and the abomasum (0.47) was lower than many previous estimates.When silage was fed, the flow of non-ammonia nitrogen at the abomasum was negatively related to the concentra­tion of nitrogen in the dietary digestible organic matter. This reduced efficiency of transfer of nitrogen from the diet to the small intestine at high dietary concentrations has been established before for dried diets, but not for silages

The impact of low erythrocyte density in human blood on the fitness and energetic reserves of the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae

Background Anaemia is a common health problem in the developing world. This condition is characterized by a reduction in erythrocyte density, primarily from malnutrition and/or infectious diseases such as malaria. As red blood cells are the primary source of protein for haematophagous mosquitoes, any reduction could impede the ability of mosquito vectors to transmit malaria by influencing their fitness or that of the parasites they transmit. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of differences in the density of red blood cells in human blood on malaria vector (Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto) fitness. The hypotheses tested are that mosquito vector energetic reserves and fitness are negatively influenced by reductions in the red cell density of host human blood meals commensurate with those expected from severe anaemia. Methods Mosquitoes (An. gambiae s.s.) were offered blood meals of different packed cell volume(PCV) of human blood consistent with those arising from severe anaemia (15%) and normalPCV (50%). Associations between mosquito energetic reserves (lipid, glucose and glycogen)and fitness measures (reproduction and survival) and blood meal PCV were investigated. Results The amount of protein that malaria vectors acquired from blood feeding (indexed by haematin excretion) was significantly reduced at low blood PCV. However, mosquitoes feeding on blood of low PCV had the same oviposition rates as those feeding on blood of normal PCV, and showed an increase in egg production of around 15%. The long-term survival of An. gambiae s.s was reduced after feeding on low PCV blood, but PCV had no significant impact on the proportion of mosquitoes surviving through the minimal period required to develop and transmit malaria parasites (estimated as 14 days post-blood feeding). The impact of blood PCV on the energetic reserves of mosquitoes was relatively minor. Conclusions These results suggest that feeding on human hosts whose PCV has been depleted due to severe anaemia does not significantly reduce the fitness or transmission potential of malaria vectors, and indicates that mosquitoes may be able exploit resources for reproduction more efficiently from blood of low rather than normal PCV

Building... then crossing bridges in support of open research

Following a restructure in May 2019, the University of St Andrews scholarly communications team moved out of the University Library and became embedded in Research and Innovation Services. For many years, the University Library Digital Research teams (including open access and research data management) have worked very closely with the University's research office to share knowledge, build relationships and provide support to researchers with a joint approach. At a time when most libraries are building their support for open research, it is unusual for the scholarly communications function to sit in a research office. In this talk, we will explore the opportunities presented by this change, such as the ability to communicate open research messages with a strong 'policy' context and being closer to the levers needed to facilitate the required cultural change in researcher behaviour. We will also discuss the challenges in developing the skills needed to support open research, including copyright and licensing expertise, repository maintenance, metadata creation and APC management alongside, rather than within, the library. We aim to present new perspectives on collaboration across departments and how crossing bridges can help drive the open research agenda.Publisher PDFPublisher PDFNon peer reviewe

The wee country that roared : supporting Open Access in Scotland through institutional repositories

The 2019 CWTS Leiden statistics show 3 Scottish institutions in the Top 10 and 4 in the top 15 in Open Access. This presentation will focus on brief case studies of Scottish institutions and the growth of their institutional repository services as a demonstration of a wider national commitment to Open Access. It will also highlight Scotland’s Open Access journey from 2004 to today through the experience and expertise of these institutions and the support of the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL). This journey will include the conditions of their local environments, key drivers and a mix of approaches for success, choice of platform(s) and the challenges, at an institutional level in embedding open repositories. These case studies taken together will demonstrate the drive to ensure Scotland’s research is “Open for All” and further enable the global impact for research undertaken in Scottish institutions

The wee country that rOAred : measuring, supporting and building trust in open access in Scotland through institutional repositories

The 2021 CWTS Leiden rankings show 24 UK institutions in the global Top 10 by percentage of Open Access publications and 25% of those institutions are in Scotland. This presentation will focus on the experience of some of these Scottish institutions and the growth of their institutional repository services as a demonstration of a wider national commitment to Open Access. It will also highlight the growth in Open Access demonstrated by the CWTS rankings and Scotland?s Open Access journey from 2004 to today. This will be done through brief case studies which showcase the experience and expertise of these institutions and the support of the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL). It will also highlight the opportunities for national collaboration at a Scottish and UK level set against the context of updated UK open access funder policy and a national assessment exercise (REF2021) which was committed to Open Access.PostprintPublisher PDFPeer reviewe

Mathematical model of the point kinetic equations of a fast reactor in LabVIEW

The reactor point kinetics equations have been subjected to intense research in an effort to find simple yet accurate numerical solution methods. Many solution techniques have been presented on the point kinetics equations with varying degrees of complexity including Power Series Solutions, CORE, PCA, Ganapol and Taylor series methods. In this paper, fast and simple algorithms were developed based on the first and second order Taylor series expansion and simulated in LabVIEW to solve the Reactor Point Kinetics. Simulations for a fast reactor are presented. At 1× 10-8 s the neutron population was 1.000220 neutrons / cm3, at 1× 10-2 s it was 2.007681 neutrons / cm3 and at 1× 10-1 s it was 2.075317 neutrons / cm3. Keywords: reactor point kinetics equations, taylor series approximations, neutron population density, fast reacto

The Role of Ultrasound Compared to Biopsy of Temporal Arteries in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis (TABUL): a diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness study

Background: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a relatively common form of primary systemic vasculitis, which, if left untreated, can lead to permanent sight loss. We compared ultrasound as an alternative diagnostic test with temporal artery biopsy, which may be negative in 9–61% of true cases. Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ultrasound with biopsy in diagnosing patients with suspected GCA. Design: Prospective multicentre cohort study. Setting: Secondary care. Participants: A total of 381 patients referred with newly suspected GCA. Main outcome measures: Sensitivity, specificity and cost-effectiveness of ultrasound compared with biopsy or ultrasound combined with biopsy for diagnosing GCA and interobserver reliability in interpreting scan or biopsy findings. Results: We developed and implemented an ultrasound training programme for diagnosing suspected GCA. We recruited 430 patients with suspected GCA. We analysed 381 patients who underwent both ultrasound and biopsy within 10 days of starting treatment for suspected GCA and who attended a follow-up assessment (median age 71.1 years; 72% female). The sensitivity of biopsy was 39% [95% confidence interval (CI) 33% to 46%], which was significantly lower than previously reported and inferior to ultrasound (54%, 95% CI 48% to 60%); the specificity of biopsy (100%, 95% CI 97% to 100%) was superior to ultrasound (81%, 95% CI 73% to 88%). If we scanned all suspected patients and performed biopsies only on negative cases, sensitivity increased to 65% and specificity was maintained at 81%, reducing the need for biopsies by 43%. Strategies combining clinical judgement (clinician’s assessment at 2 weeks) with the tests showed sensitivity and specificity of 91% and 81%, respectively, for biopsy and 93% and 77%, respectively, for ultrasound; cost-effectiveness (incremental net monetary benefit) was £485 per patient in favour of ultrasound with both cost savings and a small health gain. Inter-rater analysis revealed moderate agreement among sonographers (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.61, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.75), similar to pathologists (0.62, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.76). Limitations: There is no independent gold standard diagnosis for GCA. The reference diagnosis used to determine accuracy was based on classification criteria for GCA that include clinical features at presentation and biopsy results. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the feasibility of providing training in ultrasound for the diagnosis of GCA. Our results indicate better sensitivity but poorer specificity of ultrasound compared with biopsy and suggest some scope for reducing the role of biopsy. The moderate interobserver agreement for both ultrasound and biopsy indicates scope for improving assessment and reporting of test results and challenges the assumption that a positive biopsy always represents GCA. Future work: Further research should address the issue of an independent reference diagnosis, standards for interpreting and reporting test results and the evaluation of ultrasound training, and should also explore the acceptability of these new diagnostic strategies in GCA. Funding: he National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme

LabVIEW model of the Half- Power Beam Width of the Kutunse Antenna

A LabVIEW model to calculate the Half Power Beam Width of the Kutunse antenna was developed. The Kutunse antenna as part of the AVN under the SKA is to do VLBI, to study masers and to train Ghanaians in Astronomy. The model produced an easy-to-use approach in calculating the Half Power Beam Width over the operating frequency range of 5.0 to 6.7 GHz of the antenna. The results indicated an angular width of 0.002249091 radians at 5 GHz and 0.001679611 radians at 6.7 GHz. The sensitive angular width at 6.7 GHz suitable for studying masers is 0.001679611 radians. This model is useful in providing a quick guide to scientists, engineers, technicians and students in using the radio telescope at Kutunse, Ghana. Keywords: Half power beam width, LabVIEW, Frequency, Kutunse, African VLBI Network (AVN