scholarly journals Crowdsourcing the discovery of software repositories in an educational environment

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxing Ma ◽  
Tapajit Dey ◽  
Jarred M Smith ◽  
Nathan Wilder ◽  
Audris Mockus
Keyword(s):  
Market Research ◽  
Research Report ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
Crowd Sourcing ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Projects ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Educational Potential

In software repository mining, it's important to have a broad representation of projects. In particular, it may be of interest to know what proportion of projects are public. Discovering public projects can be easily parallelized but not so easy to automate due to a variety of data sources. We evaluate the research and educational potential of crowd-sourcing such research activity in an educational setting. Students were instructed on three ways of discovering the projects and assigned a task to discover the list of public projects from top 45 forges with each student assigned to one forge. Students had to discover as many of the projects as they could using the method of their choice and provide a market-research report for a fictional customer based on the attribute they selected. A subset of the results was sampled and verified for accuracy. We found that many of the public forges do not host public projects, that a substantial fraction of forges do not provide APIs and the APIs vary dramatically among the remaining forges. Some forges have been discontinued and others renamed, making the discovery task into an archaeological exercise. The students' findings raise a number of new research questions and demonstrate the teaching potential of the approach. The accuracy of the results obtained, however, was low, suggesting that crowd-sourcing would require at least two or more likely a larger number of investigators per forge or a better way to gauge investigator skill. We expect that these lessons will be helpful in creating education-sourcing efforts in software data discovery.

scholarly journals Crowdsourcing the discovery of software repositories in an educational environment

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxing Ma ◽  
Tapajit Dey ◽  
Jarred M Smith ◽  
Nathan Wilder ◽  
Audris Mockus
Keyword(s):  
Market Research ◽  
Research Report ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
Crowd Sourcing ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Projects ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Educational Potential

In software repository mining, it's important to have a broad representation of projects. In particular, it may be of interest to know what proportion of projects are public. Discovering public projects can be easily parallelized but not so easy to automate due to a variety of data sources. We evaluate the research and educational potential of crowd-sourcing such research activity in an educational setting. Students were instructed on three ways of discovering the projects and assigned a task to discover the list of public projects from top 45 forges with each student assigned to one forge. Students had to discover as many of the projects as they could using the method of their choice and provide a market-research report for a fictional customer based on the attribute they selected. A subset of the results was sampled and verified for accuracy. We found that many of the public forges do not host public projects, that a substantial fraction of forges do not provide APIs and the APIs vary dramatically among the remaining forges. Some forges have been discontinued and others renamed, making the discovery task into an archaeological exercise. The students' findings raise a number of new research questions and demonstrate the teaching potential of the approach. The accuracy of the results obtained, however, was low, suggesting that crowd-sourcing would require at least two or more likely a larger number of investigators per forge or a better way to gauge investigator skill. We expect that these lessons will be helpful in creating education-sourcing efforts in software data discovery.

Scientific Uncertainty in Health and Risk Messaging

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Zehr
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Scientific Uncertainty ◽  
Public Science ◽  
The Public ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Societal Problems

Expressions of scientific uncertainty are normal features of scientific articles and professional presentations. Journal articles typically include research questions at the beginning, probabilistic accounts of findings in the middle, and new research questions at the end. These uncertainty claims are used to construct clear boundaries between uncertain and certain scientific knowledge. Interesting questions emerge, however, when scientific uncertainty is communicated in occasions for public science (e.g., newspaper accounts of science, scientific expertise in political deliberations, science in stakeholder claims directed to the public, and so forth). Scientific uncertainty is especially important in the communication of environmental and health risks where public action is expected despite uncertain knowledge. Public science contexts are made more complex by the presence of multiple actors such as citizen-scientists, journalists, stakeholders, social movement actors, politicians, and so on who perform important functions in the communication and interpretation of scientific information and bring in diverse norms and values. A past assumption among researchers was that scientists would deemphasize or ignore uncertainties in these situations to better match their claims with a public perception of science as an objective, truth-building institution. However, more recent research indicates variability in the likelihood that scientists communicate uncertainties and in the public reception and use of uncertainty claims. Many scientists still believe that scientific uncertainty will be misunderstood by the public and misused by interest groups involved with an issue, while others recognize a need to clearly translate what is known and not known. Much social science analysis of scientific uncertainty in public science views it as a socially constructed phenomenon, where it depends less upon a particular state of scientific research (what scientists are certain and uncertain of) and more upon contextual factors, the actors involved, and the meanings attached to scientific claims. Scientific uncertainty is often emergent in public science, both in the sense that the boundary between what is certain and uncertain can be managed and manipulated by powerful actors and in the sense that as scientific knowledge confronts diverse public norms, values, local knowledges, and interests new areas of uncertainty emerge. Scientific uncertainty may emerge as a consequence of social conflict rather than being its cause. In public science scientific uncertainty can be interpreted as a normal state of affairs and, in the long run, may not be that detrimental to solving societal problems if it opens up new avenues and pathways for thinking about solutions. Of course, the presence of scientific uncertainty can also be used to legitimate inaction.

scholarly journals Ten Years of Initiatives to Promote Computational Thinking: A Systematic Mapping of Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Júlia S. B. Ortiz ◽  
Roberto Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Basic Education ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Systematic Mapping ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Analysis Of Results ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Selection Of

INTRODUCTION: Computational Thinking is a problem solving skill that became well known after Wing's article in 2006. Since then, several researchers have argued this way of thinking can be useful to all people, and much research has been done to promote the development of this skill with different audiences. OBJECTIVE: To discover the state of art of the initiatives carried out in the last decade to promote the development of Computational Thinking, inside and outside Brazil, regardless of the public addressed and the method applied. METHOD: A systematic mapping of the literature was carried out comprising three steps of selection of articles to proceed with data extraction and analysis of results. Three international databases and one national were included to search articles published between 2007 and 2017, in Portuguese and English. From a total of 468 articles, 46 were selected for data extraction and analysis. RESULTS: Mapping allowed us to answer seven research questions, showing, for example, that the USA and Brazil stand out in quantity of research. Additionally, they presented important differences between the duration of the research, target audience(s) and the tools used. We were able to identify that research has grown in number and diversity. Conversely, initiatives in multi and transdisciplinary contexts are still lacking, and little attention is paid to the public in less favored contexts. CONCLUSION: Computational Thinking is a growing topic of research and knowing the initiatives published in these 10 years of research helps in the elaboration of new research, mainly indicating opportunities to be explored. Especially for Brazil, it is necessary to approach students beyond basic education, to explore the transdisciplinary potential of Computational Thinking, and to carry out research of longer duration.

Going Digital to Enrich Research and Engage the Public

2020 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-64
Author(s):  
Cynthia Culver Prescott
Keyword(s):  
Public Engagement ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
The Public ◽  
Central Piece ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research

Developing a public-facing website expanded the scope of my book project about pioneer monuments by opening new research questions. As public attention turned toward controversial monuments, I reimagined the role of my website. No longer just a companion to a scholarly monograph, it became a central piece of a new, multifaceted public engagement project. I now seek to inform ongoing debates about controversial statues, and to spark conversations in locations where similar monuments have thus far been less controversial.

On Embodiment, Performance Art and Contemporary Museum Design

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (74) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Bacci
Keyword(s):  
Performance Art ◽  
The Public ◽  
Shared Space ◽  
Museum Design ◽  
Interdisciplinary Framework ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Sentient Beings ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Participatory Model

"This paper considers the relationship between performance art, recent museological models focused on the centrality of the public, and the visitors’ ontological status as embodied, cognitive and sentient beings. It discusses the shift from traditional curatorship towards a participatory model, curated for the visitor rather than about objects. It frames the thinking about the public as embodied/sentient entity, whose perceptual mechanisms need to be fully understood in order to design fully participatory, engaging and stimulating exhibitions. It surveys and addresses performance art as exemplary to understand the relationship between the space of the museum and the bodies of the artists and their public, and how these elements can generate new research questions. Through its analysis, it proposes curating the public’s experience by adopting an interdisciplinary framework centered around the notion of embodiment, shared space and multisensory interaction."

Perceived Influence of Students’ Demographic Variables on Their Access to Financial Aids in Public Universities in Rivers State, Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-50
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Olorunleke Eseyin
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Sample Size Determination ◽  
Interview Schedule ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Level Of Significance ◽  
Rivers State

The paper investigated the perceived influence of students’ demographic variables on their access to financial aids in public Universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. Six questions were formulated to guide the study and five hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. The design adopted for the study was an analytical survey. The population of the study included 78, 216 students (34,997 male and 43,219 female) in the three public Universities in Rivers State. The sample of the study covered 791 students (Male= 395 and Female= 396) selected through the random sampling technique while Taro Yamane method of sample size determination was used for determining the sample size. The instruments used for collecting responses from students were questionnaire and a ten items interview schedule. The research questions were answered using frequency, percentage and cumulative percentage. Findings of the study revealed that students’ demographic variables have an influence on their access to financial aids in public Universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. The implication of this is that the government’s expenditure on education will continue to increase in the absence of these alternative financial aids in the public Universities in Rivers State, Nigeria.

COVID-19 and the politicisation of medical preprints on Twitter: Quantitative Analysis of Social Media Data (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Urman ◽  
Stefania Ionescu ◽  
David Garcia ◽  
Anikó Hannák
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Direct Effect ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Companies ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Twitter Users ◽  
New Research ◽  
Sharing Patterns ◽  
Political Divide

BACKGROUND Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists have been willing to share their results quickly to speed up the development of potential treatments and/or a vaccine. At the same time, traditional peer-review-based publication systems are not always able to process new research promptly. This has contributed to a surge in the number of medical preprints published since January 2020. In the absence of a vaccine, preventative measures such as social distancing are most helpful in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Their effectiveness can be undermined if the public does not comply with them. Hence, public discourse can have a direct effect on the progression of the pandemic. Research shows that social media discussions on COVID-19 are driven mainly by the findings from preprints, not peer-reviewed papers, highlighting the need to examine the ways medical preprints are shared and discussed online. OBJECTIVE We examine the patterns of medRxiv preprint sharing on Twitter to establish (1) whether the number of tweets linking to medRxiv increased with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) which medical preprints were mentioned on Twitter most often; (3) whether medRxiv sharing patterns on Twitter exhibit political partisanship; (4) whether the discourse surrounding medical preprints among Twitter users has changed throughout the pandemic. METHODS The analysis is based on tweets (n=557,405) containing links to medRxriv preprint repository that were posted between the creation of the repository in June 2019 and June 2020. The study relies on a combination of statistical techniques and text analysis methods. RESULTS Since January 2020, the number of tweets linking to medRxiv has increased drastically, peaking in April 2020 with a subsequent cool-down. Before the pandemic, preprints were shared predominantly by users we identify as medical professionals and scientists. After January 2020, other users, including politically-engaged ones, have started increasingly tweeting about medRxiv. Our findings indicate a political divide in sharing patterns of the top-10 most-tweeted preprints. All of them were shared more frequently by users who describe themselves as Republicans than by users who describe themselves as Democrats. Finally, we observe a change in the discourse around medRxiv preprints. Pre-pandemic tweets linking to them were predominantly using the word “preprint”. In February 2020 “preprint” was taken over by the word “study”. Our analysis suggests this change is at least partially driven by politically-engaged users. Widely shared medical preprints can have a direct effect on the public discourse around COVID-19, which in turn can affect the societies’ willingness to comply with preventative measures. This calls for an increased responsibility when dealing with medical preprints from all parties involved: scientists, preprint repositories, media, politicians, and social media companies. CONCLUSIONS Widely shared medical preprints can have a direct effect on the public discourse around COVID-19, which in turn can affect the societies’ willingness to comply with preventative measures. This calls for an increased responsibility when dealing with medical preprints from all parties involved: scientists, preprint repositories, media, politicians, and social media companies.

scholarly journals Electoral Incentives and the Allocation of Public Funds

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederico Finan ◽  
Maurizio Mazzocco
Keyword(s):  
Electoral System ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Public Funds ◽  
Term Limit ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Projects ◽  
Electoral Incentives ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The One ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Politicians allocate public resources in ways that maximize political gains, and potentially at the cost of lower welfare. In this paper, we quantify these welfare costs in the context of Brazil’s federal legislature, which grants its members a budget to fund public projects within their states. Using data from the state of Roraima, we estimate a model of politicians’ allocation decisions and find that 26.8% of the public funds allocated by legislators are distorted relative to a social planner’s allocation. We then use the model to simulate three potential policy reforms to the electoral system: the adoption of approval voting, imposing a one-term limit, and redistricting. We find that a one-term limit and redistricting are both effective at reducing distortions. The one-term limit policy, however, increases corruption, which makes it a welfare-reducing policy.

Quo Vadis Tyrannosaurus?: The Future of Dinosaur Studies

1989 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Chure
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Earth Science ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
The Other ◽  
Canada Geese ◽  
New Genera ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Detailed Understanding ◽  
The Public ◽  
Quo Vadis

“Although I work a lot with fossils in my own research on fishes, I do not care to be called a paleontologist; and I am turned off by many aspects of the public-relations hoopla surrounding paleontology, especially dinosaurs…. One could easily argue that the schools' fascination with dinosaurs might also detract from the other aspects of earth science and biological science and, in the end, weaken paleontology's image as an activity for hard-nosed grown-ups.”K.S. Thomson, 1985: p. 73“Let dinosaurs be dinosaurs. Let the Dinosauria stand proudly alone, a Class by itself. They merit it. And let us squarely face the dinosaurness of birds and the birdness of the Dinosauria. When the Canada geese honk their way northward, we can say: “The dinosaurs are migrating, it must be spring!”R.T. Bakker, 1986: p. 462It is a now oft-repeated statement that we are in the Second Golden Age of dinosaur studies. This may at first seem to be yet another overstatement by dinosaur fanatics; in fact, it is substantiated on a number of fronts. Research activity is certainly at an all-time high, with resident dinosaur researchers on every continent (except Antarctica) and dinosaurs known from every continent (including Antarctica). This activity has resulted in a spate of discoveries, including not only new genera and species, but entirely new types of dinosaurs, such as the segnosaurs. Well-known groups are producing surprises, such as armored sauropods and sauropods bearing tail clubs. Good specimens of previously named genera are revealing unsuspected structural features that almost defy explanation, as in the skull of Oviraptor. However, dinosaur studies extend far beyond the traditional emphasis on dinosaur morphology, and encompass paleobiogeography, paleoecology, taphonomy, physiology, tracks, eggs, histology, and extinction, among others. In some cases, several of these studies can be applied to a single taxon or locality to give us a fairly detailed understanding of the paleobiology of some species.

The acceptance of spelling variants as symbols of Croatian spelling changes (1994–2013)

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-148
Author(s):  
Tomislav Stojanov
Keyword(s):  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Year ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Programme ◽  
Spelling Variant ◽  
The Media ◽  
Technical Study ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This paper discusses the impact of several spelling changes in Croatian on the level of the literacy of native speakers. Since 1986, there have been five official recommendations for usage that pertain to five different orthographic manuals. This research focuses on three spelling points with considerable identity-related repercussions among the public and the media, which are sometimes named the spelling symbols of Croatian. A questionnaire-survey comprised of 36 tests was completed among 1063 students on a technical study programme each year for eight consecutive academic years. Eight generations of first-year undergraduates, who do not study language in an educational setting, have accepted the new spellings, contingent on a frequency principle. The more frequent a spelling variant occurs, the less the chance that the new spelling variant is accepted, and vice versa. Given the lack of established and enduring spelling norms, combined with ideological oppositions between the old and new spelling forms, students have been guided mainly by their capacity to write the most common form.

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