Information literacy curriculum mapping in the health sciences

Instructional medical librarians are uniquely positioned in a context governed by multiple instructional frameworks emerging from librarianship and the professions with which they liaise. Yet very little literature exists on medical librarians’ use of curriculum mapping to align their instruction with these frameworks. This review illuminates the current state of curriculum mapping in medical librarianship.We searched five bibliographic databases for articles published between 2010 and August 2021 and centred on information literacy(IL)curriculum mapping within a health sciences university context. Studies were included based upon pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted using an instrument developed primarily a priori, with some codes developed emergently in response to preliminary review of the data.We included 127 studies focused on curriculum mapping, of which only 24 included structures which might be considered “curriculum maps”. Across all 127 studies included, The Association of College & Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Competency Standards for Libraries for Higher Education was the most-used ILframework, though versions of evidence-based practice were used more often, with a great deal of diversity and incomplete reporting on how these frames informed instruction of discrete concepts and skills. Within the 24 articles containing figurative curriculum maps, the same diversity of concepts and incomplete reporting was present, with librarians mapping IL frameworks to classroom activities more often than learning outcomes or competencies.Development of curricular maps aligning discrete IL concepts and skills with different disciplinary contexts is needed to provide instructors with a modular structure they might implement in their own contexts. To further the identification of best practices, future research should examine existing curricular maps made by librarian

Collaborating for Success: A Case Study on Mentoring, Partnering, and Teaching

Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) graduates seeking employment in academic libraries are often expected to possess user instruction and public service skills. However, it is difficult for students to achieve this experience through coursework alone. To address this disconnect, librarians at the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park Libraries created a Research and Teaching Fellowship to allow MLIS students at UMD to gain practical instruction experience. The authors present the experience of one MLIS student in collaboration with a subject librarian and a faculty member to plan, implement, and assess an information literacy instruction session for an undergraduate course in public health. The article discusses the benefits of mentoring for the MLIS student and subject liaison librarian, and the impact on the undergraduate student learning. This article addresses a gap in the literature on opportunities for MLIS students to gain instruction, collaboration, and assessment experience by presenting a successful model in place at UMD

Hydrology Outweighs Temperature in Driving Production and Export of Dissolved Carbon in a Snowy Mountain Catchment

Terrestrial production and export of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC) to streams depends on water flow and biogeochemical processes in and beneath soils. Yet, understanding of these processes in a rapidly changing climate is limited. Using the watershed-scale reactive-transport model BioRT-HBV and stream data from a snow-dominated catchment in the Rockies, we show deeper groundwater flow averaged about 20% of annual discharge, rising to ∼35% in drier years. DOC and DIC production and export peaked during snowmelt and wet years, driven more by hydrology than temperature. DOC was primarily produced in shallow soils (1.94 ± 1.45 gC/m2/year), stored via sorption, and flushed out during snowmelt. Some DOC was recharged to and further consumed in the deeper subsurface via respiration (−0.27 ± 0.02 gC/m2/year), therefore reducing concentrations in deeper groundwater and stream DOC concentrations at low discharge. Consequently, DOC was primarily exported from the shallow zone (1.62 ± 0.96 gC/m2/year, compared to 0.12 ± 0.02 gC/m2/year from the deeper zone). DIC was produced in both zones but at higher rates in shallow soils (1.34 ± 1.00 gC/m2/year) than in the deep subsurface (0.36 ± 0.02 gC/m2/year). Deep respiration elevated DIC concentrations in the deep zone and stream DIC concentrations at low discharge. In other words, deep respiration is responsible for the commonly-observed increasing DOC concentrations (flushing) and decreasing DIC concentrations (dilution) with increasing discharge. DIC export from the shallow zone was ~66% of annual export but can drop to ∼53% in drier years. Numerical experiments suggest lower carbon production and export in a warmer, drier future, and a higher proportion from deeper flow and respiration processes. These results underscore the often-overlooked but growing importance of deeper processes in a warming climate

Collaborating for Success: A Case Study on Mentoring, Partnering, and Teaching

Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) graduates seeking employment in academic libraries are often expected to possess user instruction and public service skills. However, it is difficult for students to achieve this experience through coursework alone. To address this disconnect, librarians at the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park Libraries created a Research and Teaching Fellowship to allow MLIS students at UMD to gain practical instruction experience. The authors present the experience of one MLIS student in collaboration with a subject librarian and a faculty member to plan, implement, and assess an information literacy instruction session for an undergraduate course in public health. The article discusses the benefits of mentoring for the MLIS student and subject liaison librarian, and the impact on the undergraduate student learning. This article addresses a gap in the literature on opportunities for MLIS students to gain instruction, collaboration, and assessment experience by presenting a successful model in place at UMD.​This research was supported in part by an appointment to the NLM Associate Fellowship Program sponsored by the National Library of Medicine and administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Quantitative 18F-AV1451 Brain Tau PET Imaging in Cognitively Normal Older Adults, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Recent developments of tau Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allows assessment of regional neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) deposition in human brain. Among the tau PET molecular probes, 18F-AV1451 is characterized by high selectivity for pathologic tau aggregates over amyloid plaques, limited non-specific binding in white and gray matter, and confined off-target binding. The objectives of the study are (1) to quantitatively characterize regional brain tau deposition measured by 18F-AV1451 PET in cognitively normal older adults (CN), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD participants; (2) to evaluate the correlations between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers or Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and 18F-AV1451 PET standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR); and (3) to evaluate the partial volume effects on 18F-AV1451 brain uptake.Methods: The study included total 115 participants (CN = 49, MCI = 58, and AD = 8) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Preprocessed 18F-AV1451 PET images, structural MRIs, and demographic and clinical assessments were downloaded from the ADNI database. A reblurred Van Cittertiteration method was used for voxelwise partial volume correction (PVC) on PET images. Structural MRIs were used for PET spatial normalization and region of interest (ROI) definition in standard space. The parametric images of 18F-AV1451 SUVR relative to cerebellum were calculated. The ROI SUVR measurements from PVC and non-PVC SUVR images were compared. The correlation between ROI 18F-AV1451 SUVR and the measurements of MMSE, CSF total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) were also assessed.Results:18F-AV1451 prominently specific binding was found in the amygdala, entorhinal cortex, parahippocampus, fusiform, posterior cingulate, temporal, parietal, and frontal brain regions. Most regional SUVRs showed significantly higher uptake of 18F-AV1451 in AD than MCI and CN participants. SUVRs of small regions like amygdala, entorhinal cortex and parahippocampus were statistically improved by PVC in all groups (p < 0.01). Although there was an increasing tendency of 18F-AV-1451 SUVRs in MCI group compared with CN group, no significant difference of 18F-AV1451 deposition was found between CN and MCI brains with or without PVC (p > 0.05). Declined MMSE score was observed with increasing 18F-AV1451 binding in amygdala, entorhinal cortex, parahippocampus, and fusiform. CSF p-tau was positively correlated with 18F-AV1451 deposition. PVC improved the results of 18F-AV-1451 tau deposition and correlation studies in small brain regions.Conclusion: The typical deposition of 18F-AV1451 tau PET imaging in AD brain was found in amygdala, entorhinal cortex, fusiform and parahippocampus, and these regions were strongly associated with cognitive impairment and CSF biomarkers. Although more deposition was observed in MCI group, the 18F-AV-1451 PET imaging could not differentiate the MCI patients from CN population. More tau deposition related to decreased MMSE score and increased level of CSF p-tau, especially in ROIs of amygdala, entorhinal cortex and parahippocampus. PVC did improve the results of tau deposition and correlation studies in small brain regions and suggest to be routinely used in 18F-AV1451 tau PET quantification

Conversion Discriminative Analysis on Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Multiple Cortical Features from MR Images

Neuroimaging measurements derived from magnetic resonance imaging provide important information required for detecting changes related to the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Cortical features and changes play a crucial role in revealing unique anatomical patterns of brain regions, and further differentiate MCI patients from normal states. Four cortical features, namely, gray matter volume, cortical thickness, surface area, and mean curvature, were explored for discriminative analysis among three groups including the stable MCI (sMCI), the converted MCI (cMCI), and the normal control (NC) groups. In this study, 158 subjects (72 NC, 46 sMCI, and 40 cMCI) were selected from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. A sparse-constrained regression model based on the l2-1-norm was introduced to reduce the feature dimensionality and retrieve essential features for the discrimination of the three groups by using a support vector machine (SVM). An optimized strategy of feature addition based on the weight of each feature was adopted for the SVM classifier in order to achieve the best classification performance. The baseline cortical features combined with the longitudinal measurements for 2 years of follow-up data yielded prominent classification results. In particular, the cortical thickness produced a classification with 98.84% accuracy, 97.5% sensitivity, and 100% specificity for the sMCI–cMCI comparison; 92.37% accuracy, 84.78% sensitivity, and 97.22% specificity for the cMCI–NC comparison; and 93.75% accuracy, 92.5% sensitivity, and 94.44% specificity for the sMCI–NC comparison. The best performances obtained by the SVM classifier using the essential features were 5–40% more than those using all of the retained features. The feasibility of the cortical features for the recognition of anatomical patterns was certified; thus, the proposed method has the potential to improve the clinical diagnosis of sub-types of MCI and predict the risk of its conversion to Alzheimer's disease

Early role of vascular dysregulation on late-onset Alzheimer's disease based on multifactorial data-driven analysis

Multifactorial mechanisms underlying late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) are poorly characterized from an integrative perspective. Here spatiotemporal alterations in brain amyloid-β deposition, metabolism, vascular, functional activity at rest, structural properties, cognitive integrity and peripheral proteins levels are characterized in relation to LOAD progression. We analyse over 7,700 brain images and tens of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Through a multifactorial data-driven analysis, we obtain dynamic LOAD–abnormality indices for all biomarkers, and a tentative temporal ordering of disease progression. Imaging results suggest that intra-brain vascular dysregulation is an early pathological event during disease development. Cognitive decline is noticeable from initial LOAD stages, suggesting early memory deficit associated with the primary disease factors. High abnormality levels are also observed for specific proteins associated with the vascular system's integrity. Although still subjected to the sensitivity of the algorithms and biomarkers employed, our results might contribute to the development of preventive therapeutic interventions

Poa annua: An Annual Species?

Poa annua L. is ranked the most troublesome turfgrass weed but can also be a highly desirable turfgrass species. As the Latin name annua implies, the species is thought to persist via an annual life cycle; yet there are many reports in literature of P. annua persisting perennially. Considering that P. annua senescence patterns do not align with other true annual species such as Triticum spp. and Zea mays L., we hypothesized that P. annua presents itself similarly to other perennial, cool-season, turfgrass species that are subject to a confluence of environmental factors in summer that can cause mortality. Four experiments were conducted in Knoxville, TN with the objective of determining environmental factors lethal to P. annua. A field monitoring study assessed 100 P. annua plants across ten micro-environments in golf course fairways and roughs. Forty plants survived the duration of 2020, establishing the existence of perennial P. annua ecotypes. Bioinformatic analysis of environmental factors at the time of plant death for ecotypes that did not survive perennially indicated soil moisture, soil temperature, and pathogenic infection were associated with mortality. A series of individual greenhouse or field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of each factor on P. annua mortality. Neither soil moisture nor soil temperature were lethal to P. annua, except under extreme conditions not typical in the field (e.g., 37.8°C soil temperature for 12d under optimum soil moisture, or 35°C soil temperature with no irrigation for 19d). A field study assessed mortality from disease and observed that P. annua plants treated with fungicide throughout the summer on a 14-d interval survived year-round, whereas plants not receiving fungicide applications senesced. These findings support our hypothesis that the name P. annua is a misnomer and that plants persist via a perennial life cycle unless environmental conditions are unfavorable

Why student-athletes commit to a specific university motivational factors influencing university selection of non-revenue generating sport student-athletes

Intercollegiate athletics have commonly been referred to as a bridge linking academic institutions with the greater culture of society. Athletic programs serve as windows to the university; they offer a small representation of the entire institution to the outside world. There are numerous benefits as well as challenges intercollegiate athletics pose to the university system. However, there is a continued demand for collegiate athletic entertainment. The focus of sport success is substantial to athletic programs and very important to collegiate coaches. Coaches spend thousands of hours and dollars on recruiting star athletes to improve their team's performance. The solicitation of qualified, talented players is referred to as recruiting and in order to have a winning team or successful athletic programs, the process of recruiting is imperative. The purpose of this research project was to uncover the influential factors recruited student-athletes of non-revenue sports use for university selection. Little research has been conducted on the influence of motivation and university factors for student-athletes of nonrevenue sports. Consequently, continued research is required in this field to contribute to the information available for coaches of non-revenue sports and the best way to recruit better athletes, ultimately improving team success. A qualitative research design was conducted to discover explanatory and in depth influential factors for recruited student-athletes of non-revenue sports which differs from previous research which used quantitative approaches and failed to provide descriptive language or encounters that can be associated with personal values and subsequently, motivations. The influential factors discovered through this research were looked at through the SelfDetermination Theory to determine if these influences stemmed from internal or external motivation. The findings of this research revealed how important and persuasive somewhat internal and internal factors are for potential student-athletes when making their decision to select a specific university for attendance. This research also reveals how critical the personal relationship is between potential student-athletes and the coaching staff in order to discover the interests of the recruit and do a better job at promoting athletic programs and sport teams