Persuasive evidence:Improving customer service through evidenced based librarianship

Objective - To demonstrate how evidence based practice has contributed to informing decisions and resolving issues of concern in service delivery at Bond University Library. &#x0D; &#x0D; Methods - The paper critically analyses three evidence based research projects conducted at Bond University Library. Each project combined a range of research methods including surveys, literature reviews and the analysis of internal performance data to find solutions to problems in Library service delivery. The first research project investigated library opening hours and the feasibility of twenty-four hour opening. Another project researched questions about the management of a collection of feature films on DVD and video. The third project investigated issues surrounding the teaching of EndNote to undergraduate students. &#x0D; &#x0D; Results - Despite some deficiencies in the methodologies used, each evidence based research project had positive outcomes. One of the highlights and an essential feature of the process at Bond University Library was the involvement of stakeholders. The ability to build consensus and agree action plans with stakeholders was an important outcome of that process.&#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusion - Drawing on the experience of these research projects, the paper illustrates the benefits of evidence based information practice to stimulate innovation and improve library services. Librarians, like most professionals, need to continue to develop the skills and a culture to effectively carry out evidence based practice.</jats:p

Library support for indigenous university students: Moving from the periphery to the mainstream

Abstract Objective – This research project explored the models of Indigenous support programs in Australian academic libraries, and how they align with the needs of the students they support. The research objective was to gather feedback from Indigenous students and obtain evidence of good practice models from Australian academic libraries to inform the development and enhancement of Indigenous support programs. The research presents the viewpoints of both Indigenous students and librarians. Methods – The research methods comprised an online survey using SurveyMonkey and a focus group. The survey was conducted nationally in Australia to gather evidence on the different models of Indigenous support provided by academic libraries. The survey explored the nature of support services such as specialized study spaces and resources, information literacy education, and liaison services for Indigenous students. The survey also asked respondents to comment on the challenges they encountered and improvements they would recommend in providing Indigenous student support. To provide a student perspective, a small cohort of Indigenous students at a small university in South East Queensland was interviewed in a focus group about their library experiences. The focus group explored Indigenous students’ perceptions of the library, their frequency of use and where they go for help with their studies. Results – The survey found that 84% of academic libraries provide some specific support for Indigenous students with 89% of those support services being conducted in a place other than the library. Across the sector, Australian academic libraries have a strong commitment to the success of Indigenous students and considerable engagement with Indigenous issues. The focus group found that Indigenous students’ needs and concerns about using the library were not differentiated by their cultural background. Rather their concerns were similar to issues being raised in the broader student population. Conclusion – The survey results indicated that the main areas in which support for Indigenous students might be improved are greater inter-departmental communication and collaboration within the university, increased training of library staff in Indigenous cultural sensitivity, and the employment of Indigenous library staff members. The focus group was valuable in opening the communication channels between Indigenous students and library staff and highlighted the importance of engaging with students using both formal and informal channels

Social media for international students:It's not all about Facebook

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discover which social networking sites international students prefer for information dissemination activities. As more libraries experiment with social networking to inform and connect with students, there is a need to determine the effectiveness of this strategy for reaching international students. The paper seeks to address three questions: what social networking sites do international students prefer and why? Which sites do they use to socialise and which do they use to gather and distribute information? How can libraries leverage this information to enhance the international student experience?Design/methodology/approachInformation on social networking preferences and usage was gathered from 13 per cent of students at Bond University via an online survey.FindingsThe findings confirm that for some international student populations, social networking preferences differentiated between the domestic students' preferences. In addition to social activities, international and domestic students are using particular social networking sites for a wide range of educational purposes, including group work and sharing and gathering information. Although Facebook is still the predominant choice for the majority of students, the findings suggest particular sites such as Twitter and YouTube should be considered by libraries as a means to engage both international and domestic students. Institutions with large Chinese student populations should consider the use of Renren.Originality/valueAs of yet there have been no studies that have investigated and compared international students' social networking preferences to domestic students. The study connects the findings to practical implications for academic library use of social networking sites.</jats:sec

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Abstracts from the 20th International Symposium on Signal Transduction at the Blood-Brain Barriers

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138963/1/12987_2017_Article_71.pd

Breast cancer management pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic: outcomes from the UK ‘Alert Level 4’ phase of the B-MaP-C study

Abstract: Background: The B-MaP-C study aimed to determine alterations to breast cancer (BC) management during the peak transmission period of the UK COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of these treatment decisions. Methods: This was a national cohort study of patients with early BC undergoing multidisciplinary team (MDT)-guided treatment recommendations during the pandemic, designated ‘standard’ or ‘COVID-altered’, in the preoperative, operative and post-operative setting. Findings: Of 3776 patients (from 64 UK units) in the study, 2246 (59%) had ‘COVID-altered’ management. ‘Bridging’ endocrine therapy was used (n = 951) where theatre capacity was reduced. There was increasing access to COVID-19 low-risk theatres during the study period (59%). In line with national guidance, immediate breast reconstruction was avoided (n = 299). Where adjuvant chemotherapy was omitted (n = 81), the median benefit was only 3% (IQR 2–9%) using ‘NHS Predict’. There was the rapid adoption of new evidence-based hypofractionated radiotherapy (n = 781, from 46 units). Only 14 patients (1%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their treatment journey. Conclusions: The majority of ‘COVID-altered’ management decisions were largely in line with pre-COVID evidence-based guidelines, implying that breast cancer survival outcomes are unlikely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic. However, in this study, the potential impact of delays to BC presentation or diagnosis remains unknown