Open-Source Based Solutions for Processing, Preserving, and Presenting Oral Histories

For more than a decade, the University of South Florida Library\u27s Oral History Program has sought to develop cost-effective, open-source solutions to improve workflow management, increase public access, and preserve oral history collections. Recently, it established two open-source solutions to meet these goals. Bull-OH-Base enables Oral History Program staff to manage its many oral history projects and associated data in a secure and efficient manner. OHPi (its oral history player interface) offers researchers the ability to access and search its collections through a web-based application that synchronizes audio and video files with a full-text transcript. USF continues to improve upon its oral history technologies and seeks partners to share in further developing and utilizing these tools

Retrospective Data Filter

In a target detection communication system, apparatus and method for determining the presence of probable targets based on contacts (which can indicate the presence of a target, noise, chatter, or objects not of interest) detected within a predefined position sector or sectors over a specified number of scans. The position of each detected contact, as a contact of interest, is compared with the positions of contacts detected at previous times or scans. Velocity profiles indicate which previous contacts support the likelihood that the contact of interest represents a target having a velocity within a defined band. The likelihood, which can be represented by a quality value, may be a function of number of contacts, timing of contacts, or both the number and timing of contacts in a given velocity profile. A preselected threshold value, which is related to false alarm rate, is compared to the most likely, or highest quality, velocity profile associated with a contact of interest. If the highest quality value exceeds the threshold value, an output is provided indicating that the contact of interest represents a probable target having a velocity within the band defined by the highest quality velocity profile

Undergraduate Research Programs and the Academic Library

Undergraduate research (UR) programs attract highly motivated students who often continue on to graduate/professional schools but may lack necessary information literacy skills. Collaboration with UR programs provides librarians new opportunities to help students develop these skills and work with specialized collections in the context of a research experience. In this webinar, librarians and UR administrators share their experiences in forging collaborations based on UR and library training resources, explain how information literacy skills programming has been embedded into UR, and demonstrate how this partnership has led to greater visibility of library services, collections and UR among all undergraduates

Development of candidate rotavirus vaccines derived from neonatal strains in India

The need for a rotavirus vaccine in India is based on the enormous burden associated with the <100,000 deaths due to rotavirus diarrhea that occur annually among Indian children. Two rotavirus strains identified during nosocomial outbreaks of rotavirus infection in New Delhi and Bangalore, India, more than a decade ago are being developed as live oral vaccines. Infected newborns had no symptoms, shed virus for up to 2 weeks after infection, mounted a robust immune response, and demonstrated protection against severe rotavirus diarrhea after reinfection. The 2 strains are naturally occurring bovine-human reassortants. The New Delhi strain, 116E, is characterized as having a P[11],G9 genotype, and the Bangalore strain, I321, is characterized as having a P[11],G10 genotype. The strains have been prepared as pilot lots for clinical trials to be conducted in New Delhi. This unique project, which is developing a new rotavirus vaccine in India with the use of Indian strains, an Indian manufacturer, and an Indian clinical development program, aims to expedite introduction of rotavirus vaccines in India

Adaptive remodeling of the bacterial proteome by specific ribosomal modification regulates Pseudomonas infection and niche colonisation

Post-transcriptional control of protein abundance is a highly important, underexplored regulatory process by which organisms respond to their environments. Here we describe an important and previously unidentified regulatory pathway involving the ribosomal modification protein RimK, its regulator proteins RimA and RimB, and the widespread bacterial second messenger cyclic-di-GMP (cdG). Disruption of rimK affects motility and surface attachment in pathogenic and commensal Pseudomonas species, with rimK deletion significantly compromising rhizosphere colonisation by the commensal soil bacterium P. fluorescens, and plant infection by the pathogens P. syringae and P. aeruginosa. RimK functions as an ATP-dependent glutamyl ligase, adding glutamate residues to the C-terminus of ribosomal protein RpsF and inducing specific effects on both ribosome protein complement and function. Deletion of rimK in P. fluorescens leads to markedly reduced levels of multiple ribosomal proteins, and also of the key translational regulator Hfq. In turn, reduced Hfq levels induce specific downstream proteomic changes, with significant increases in multiple ABC transporters, stress response proteins and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases seen for both ΔrimK and Δhfq mutants. The activity of RimK is itself controlled by interactions with RimA, RimB and cdG. We propose that control of RimK activity represents a novel regulatory mechanism that dynamically influences interactions between bacteria and their hosts; translating environmental pressures into dynamic ribosomal changes, and consequently to an adaptive remodeling of the bacterial proteome

Gravitating discs around black holes

Fluid discs and tori around black holes are discussed within different approaches and with the emphasis on the role of disc gravity. First reviewed are the prospects of investigating the gravitational field of a black hole--disc system by analytical solutions of stationary, axially symmetric Einstein's equations. Then, more detailed considerations are focused to middle and outer parts of extended disc-like configurations where relativistic effects are small and the Newtonian description is adequate. Within general relativity, only a static case has been analysed in detail. Results are often very inspiring, however, simplifying assumptions must be imposed: ad hoc profiles of the disc density are commonly assumed and the effects of frame-dragging and completely lacking. Astrophysical discs (e.g. accretion discs in active galactic nuclei) typically extend far beyond the relativistic domain and are fairly diluted. However, self-gravity is still essential for their structure and evolution, as well as for their radiation emission and the impact on the environment around. For example, a nuclear star cluster in a galactic centre may bear various imprints of mutual star--disc interactions, which can be recognised in observational properties, such as the relation between the central mass and stellar velocity dispersion.Comment: Accepted for publication in CQG; high-resolution figures will be available from http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/CQ