Posts

Selected news, views and information on Open Science and scholarly publishing from the past week Chronicle of Higher Education | How to remove bias from peer review Macmillan Science & Education | Springer Nature created following merger completion PLOS Blogs | PLOS ONE update on peer review process University of Hawai’i News | Graduate students adopt Open Access policy for scholarship Bio IT World | Phil Bourne: Open Data evangelist on NIH data plan...

Requirement for adults to wear masks in schools has major impact on Covid-19 transmissions, finds new study in Frontiers in Public Health By Suzanna Burgelman, Frontiers science writer Adults wearing masks may decrease Covid-19 outbreaks at schools and preschools, shows a new study published in Frontiers in Public Health. The study found that the first identified cases (index cases) in schools were predominantly children, but outbreak events were more severe when an adult was the index case....

Novel combination improves the motor skills of young people with neurodevelopmental disorders: Frontiers in Veterinary Science — by Kristin Coan, Frontiers Science Writer Therapeutic horseback riding combined with brain-building exercises can improve the dexterity, coordination and strength of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, shows a study in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Changes in Motor Skill Proficiency After Equine-Assisted Activities and Brain-Building Tasks in Youth with Neurodevelopmental Disorders► Read original article► Download original article (pdf)...

We invite you to read the compelling (forgotten) story of the first female oceanographer: Anita Conti. Frontiers for Young Minds takes you down on a dive into the depths of the historical scientific archives and introduces you to scientists you may have not heard about, but you definitely should! This time, we tell you the story of a scientist whom fishermen of the past lovingly called, ‘The Lady of the Sea’....

Recent research, in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, demonstrates that roads can be problematic to birds, especially small, forest-dwelling species. Why didn’t the bird cross the road? Because it was afraid of predators and venturing into another bird’s territory. — By Tania Fitzgeorge-Balfour, science writer Roads can be dangerous to wildlife. Animals making the perilous journey against the traffic run the risk of meeting an untimely death. Until recently, it was widely believed that unlike other animals, birds were largely unaffected by the presence of roads and traffic, simply because they could fly....

Frontiers’ CEO and co-founder Kamila Markram message for the end of 2020 – the year of open science. Kamila Markram, CEO and co-founder, Frontiers 2020 will be remembered not only for the tremendous hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic, which put us all to the test, but also as a year of great progress, resilience and the amazing human spirit with which we rose to the challenges placed in front of us....

Dr. Johannes le Coutre is a Senior Research Scientist and the Head of Perception Physiology at the Nestlé Research Center, in Lausanne, Switzerland. Frontiers Science Hero: Johannes le Coutre from Frontiers on Vimeo. Dr. Johannes le Coutre first became involved and interested in the field of nutrition when he began researching as a student. “I started my PhD almost 25 years ago in what was called the Max Planck Institute for Nutrition Physiology in Germany....

Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence: a new Frontiers journal launching soon will explore the forms and applications of AI While Artificial Intelligence is not new, the current resurgence of interest is different: for the first time, we have the available data, the necessary computing power, and the financial investments to make the AI revolution happen. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence is an innovative, new Open-Access journal that provides a home for research and collaborations in this exciting field....

The most viewed articles from Frontiers in Physiology journals from June 2015. All articles are Open Access – enjoy! Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)MoreClick to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)...

By Rozi Harsanyi / School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King’s College London An open-source platform, OpenEP co-developed by researchers from the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences at King’s College London has been made available to advance research on atrial fibrillation, a condition characterized by an irregular and often fast heartbeat. It can cause significant symptoms such as breathlessness, palpitations and fatigue, as well as being a major contributor to stroke and heart failure....

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Researchers simulated the warmer, wetter conditions predicted for northern Europe under climate change, by locally heating agricultural fields by 1.5 ºC and increasing irrigation by 40%. These conditions immediately lead to changes in the community of wildflowers and their associated insects. Most plant species were ‘losers’: they grew fewer flowers, secreted less nectar, and set fewer or lighter seeds. This reduced the food resources for pollinators, stimulating them to visit a wider range of plants....

We are delighted to announce that the University of Dundee has joined the national open access deal agreed between Jisc Collections and Frontiers. This landmark deal provides a simplified and streamlined route to open access publishing for researchers in the UK, who publish 7% of the world’s research. The University of Dundee supports its researchers in making their research more widely available. As part of this deal, eligible authors may publish in any Frontiers journal at no cost to them and with a simplified process....

By Dr Yossi Maaravi, Adelson School of Entrepreneurship at IDC, Herzliya Dr Yossi Maaravi of the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship at IDC, Herzliya asks whether the phenomenon of social dilemmas and individualism resulted in worse outcomes for the Covid-19 pandemic? Covid-19 is a real tragedy. But why did this tragedy hit some countries harder than others? While this question has recently been answered based on population age or health policy, a few months ago, my thoughts drifted to another possible explanation: ‘The tragedy of the commons’....

Science: Neural Mechanisms Underlying Movement-Based Embodied Contemplative Practices, hosted by Laura Schmalzl and Catherine E. Kerr Ca2+ Signaling and Heart Rhythm, hosted by Ming Lei, Christopher L.-H. Huang, R. John Solaro and Yunbo Ke Microorganisms for Functional Food, hosted by Fabio Minervini and Maria De Angelis Improving Animal Welfare through Genetic Selection, hosted by Wendy Mercedes Rauw Neuronal Stochastic Variability: Influences on Spiking Dynamics and Network Activity, hosted by Mark D....

Frontiers has been invited to join the Executive Board of the Swiss Management Association. Frontiers has been invited to join the Executive Board of the Swiss Management Association (Schweizerische Management Gesellsschaft — SMG), the largest gathering of decision-makers on issues that affect the Swiss economy. We will be joining 13 other Executive Board members who support SMG’s mission to “enable the business leaders of Switzerland to compete at the cutting edge in the global environment thanks to excellent corporate management processes”....

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology has formed an institutional membership agreement for open access publishing with Frontiers. This institutional agreement means that eligible Harrisburg University researchers may qualify to publish in any Frontiers journal at no cost to them and with a simplified process. See the section for researcher below for more information. The Harrisburg University Library supports its researchers in making their research more widely available. This agreement will further encourage Harrisburg University researchers to publish open access, increasing the volume of research openly available....

By Suzanna Burgelman, Frontiers science writer A group of international researchers examined parental methods to help toddlers sleep across 14 cultures and found that these methods are related to the development of a child’s temperament. The researchers suggested focusing on better sleep-related parenting practices to support positive behavioral development across cultures. The importance of good sleep during childhood development has been extensively researched. Bad sleep quality and behaviors are detrimental to neurobehavioral functioning, emotional reactivity and regulation, and can pose a risk for future psychopathology....

The annual $100,000 competition is now open. All Frontiers Research Topics completed in 2017 will be considered. In March 2017, Frontiers will grant its first annual Spotlight Award to the editors of an exceptional Frontiers Research Topic from 2016. The Award, a US$ 100,000 grant, will go towards organizing a conference based on the winning Topic. We are pleased to announce that over 400 cutting-edge open-access Research Topics, completed in 2016, are now officially in competition for the Award....

Seafloor predators and open-water feeding animals will benefit from climate change, while those associated with sea ice for food or breeding are most at risk; Frontiers in Marine Science Seafloor predators and open-water feeding animals will benefit from climate change, while those associated with sea ice for food or breeding are most at risk — by Tania Fitzgeorge-balfour, Frontiers science writer Marine Antarctic animals closely associated with sea ice for food or breeding, such as the humpback whale and emperor penguin, are most at risk from the predicted effects of climate change, finds a new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science....

Elderly female yoga practitioners have greater cortical thickness in the left prefrontal cortex, suggesting that yoga may protect against cognitive decline. By Conn Hastings. Scientists in Brazil have imaged elderly female yoga practitioners’ brains and found they have greater cortical thickness in the left prefrontal cortex, in brain areas associated with cognitive functions like attention and memory. The results suggest that yoga could be a way to protect against cognitive decline with aging....