Survey of Special Collections and Archives in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Special collections and archives play a key role in the future of research libraries. However, significant challenges face institutions that wish to capitalize on that value, to leverage and make fully available the rich content in special collections in order to support research, teaching, and community engagement.This report, produced in collaboration by OCLC Research and RLUK, builds on the foundation established by Taking Our Pulse: The OCLC Research Survey of Special Collections and Archives, a report published in 2010 that provides a rigorous, evidence-based appraisal of the state of special collections in the US and Canada. The survey provides both evidence and a basis for action as part of the RLUK's Unique and Distinctive Collections workstrand  and OCLC Research's Mobilizing Unique Materials theme.This report provides institutional leaders, curators, special collections staff, and archivists both evidence and inspiration to plan for much needed and deserved transformation of special collections. Specifically, it contains twenty recommendations that the authors feel will have a positive impact toward addressing the issues identified. It also provides a backdrop for continued discussion, both within special collections and the larger library enterprise, for the role of special collections in an evolved information economy. These key findings and recommendations are highlighted in the report's executive summary, which has been published as a separate document for your reading convenience.Key findings:The top challenges for archives and special collections in the UK and Ireland are outreach, born-digital materials and space.Alignment of special collections with institutional missions and priorities is an ongoing challenge.The special collections sector is undergoing a major culture shift that mandates significant retraining and careful examination of priorities.Philanthropic support is limited, as are librarians' fundraising skills.Use of all types of special collections material has increased across the board.Users expect everything in libraries and archives to be digitized.One-third of archival collections are not discoverable in online catalogs.Management of born-digital archival materials remains in its infancy

Investigating Whether Consuming Meals in a Dining Room Impacts Patients’ Mood, Level of Interaction, and Subsequent Nutrient Intake in a Stroke Rehabilitation Ward.

Background/objectivesMalnutrition is evident in hospitals and stroke patients are at increased risk. Protected mealtimes may help increase nutrient intake especially when patients interact and enjoy the dining room atmosphere. The aim of this research is to investigate if eating in a communal dining room increases nutritional intake compared to eating at the bedside and to investigate whether patient interaction and mood affects patient nutrient intake. Population/methods:A randomised cross-sectional study of 20 patients, assessing a comparison of patient’s mealtime consumption at lunchtime in the dining room and at the beside. Patients’ meals were weighed before and after consumption as well as an estimated percentage of their meals consumed. Patients’ interaction was observed and noted using a modified case report form. The Hammond depression scale was used to score patients’ mood. Patient and staff satisfaction surveys were completed at the end of the study period. Results:There was no significant difference in protein and energy consumption in the dining room (16.4g protein and 379.2kcal) compared to at the bedside (13.2g protein and 333.8kcal), p=0.160 and p=0.110 respectively. Interaction was higher in the dining room. The percentage mealtime consumption increased the more interactive a patient was from a mean of 74% in less interactive patients to 98% in highly interactive patients (p=0.193). There was no significant association between depression score and mealtime consumption. All 19 patients enjoyed eating in the dining room and 14 out of the 19 patients preferred eating in the dining room. Conclusion:Further studies are required to explore how intake can be improved among stroke rehabilitation patients

SUPPORT for ME Needs Assessment Summary.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services contracted with the Catherine Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine to conduct a baseline needs assessment. The overall goal was to better understand the current capacity to address substance use in Maine; find barriers to receiving and utilizing SUD treatment and recovery services; and identify any gaps in SUD-related services in the state. The Cutler team conducted interviews, surveys, community listening sessions and focus groups with healthcare key informants (leadership from health systems, residential care, recovery housing, behavioral health agencies), providers (medical, behavioral health, first responders, residential treatment, law enforcement, opioid treatment), youth ages 12-21, and community members across Maine. The team also analyzed health claims data to identify how common substance misuse is among MaineCare (Medicaid) members and what types of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and support services MaineCare members use. For more information, please contact the principal investigator, M. Lindsey Smith, PhD, at [email protected]

Heritage Quay: What Will You Discover? Transforming the Archives of the University of Huddersfield, Yorkshire, UK

The Heritage Quay project is changing how archive services at the University of Huddersfield are delivered. This article examines how the Staff/Space/Collections dependency model and Customer Service Excellence framework have been used, and what lessons can be drawn for other archives

Ageing impairs the regenerative capacity of regulatory T cells in mouse central nervous system remyelination

Myelin regeneration (remyelination) is essential to prevent neurodegeneration in demyelinating diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, however, its efficiency declines with age. Regulatory T cells (Treg) recently emerged as critical players in tissue regeneration, including remyelination. However, the effect of ageing on Treg-mediated regenerative processes is poorly understood. Here, we show that expansion of aged Treg does not rescue age-associated remyelination impairment due to an intrinsically diminished capacity of aged Treg to promote oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in male and female mice. This decline in regenerative Treg functions can be rescued by a young environment. We identified Melanoma Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (MCAM1) and Integrin alpha 2 (ITGA2) as candidates of Treg-mediated oligodendrocyte differentiation that decrease with age. Our findings demonstrate that ageing limits the neuroregenerative capacity of Treg, likely limiting their remyelinating therapeutic potential in aged patients, and describe two mechanisms implicated in Treg-driven remyelination that may be targetable to overcome this limitation

Preventing cognitive decline and dementia from cerebral small vessel disease: The LACI-1 Trial. Protocol and statistical analysis plan of a phase IIa dose escalation trial testing tolerability, safety and effect on intermediary endpoints of isosorbide mononitrate and cilostazol, separately and in combination

Rationale The pathophysiology of most lacunar stroke, a form of small vessel disease, is thought to differ from large artery atherothrombo- or cardio-embolic stroke. Licensed drugs, isosorbide mononitrate and cilostazol, have promising mechanisms of action to support their testing to prevent stroke recurrence, cognitive impairment, or radiological progression after lacunar stroke. Aim LACI-1 will assess the tolerability, safety, and efficacy, by dose, of isosorbide mononitrate and cilostazol, alone and in combination, in patients with ischemic lacunar stroke. Sample size A sample of 60 provides 80+% power (significance 0.05) to detect a difference of 35% (90% versus 55%) between those reaching target dose on one versus both drugs. Methods and design LACI-1 is a phase IIa partial factorial, dose-escalation, prospective, randomized, open label, blinded endpoint trial. Participants are randomized to isosorbide mononitrate and/or cilostazol for 11 weeks with dose escalation to target as tolerated in two centers (Edinburgh, Nottingham). At three visits, tolerability, safety, blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, and platelet function are assessed, plus magnetic resonance imaging to assess cerebrovascular reactivity in a subgroup. Study outcomes Primary: proportion of patients completing study achieving target maximum dose. Secondary Symptoms whilst taking medications; safety (hemorrhage, recurrent vascular events, falls); blood pressure, platelet function, arterial stiffness, and cerebrovascular reactivity. Discussion This study will inform the design of a larger phase III trial of isosorbide mononitrate and cilostazol in lacunar stroke, whilst providing data on the drugs’ effects on vascular and platelet function

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

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

A systematic review of optical coherence tomography findings in adults with mild traumatic brain injury

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common with many patients suffering disabling long-term sequelae, with visual symptoms frequently reported. There are no objective biomarkers of mTBI that are routinely used in clinical practice. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been used in mTBI research, as it enables visualisation of the neuroretina, allowing measurement of the retinal nerve fibre layer and ganglion cell layer. This systematic review aims to appraise the available literature and assess whether there are significant changes within the retinal nerve fibre layer and ganglion cell layer in subjects after mTBI. A systematic review was carried out in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (Number: CRD42022360498). Four databases were searched for relevant literature published from inception until 1 September 2022. Abstracts and full texts were screened by three independent reviewers. Initial screening of databases yielded 341 publications, of these, three fulfilled all the criteria for inclusion. All three studies showed thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer, whereas there were no significant changes in the ganglion cell layer. This systematic review demonstrated that thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer (but not of the ganglion cell layer) is associated with mTBI. It provides preliminary evidence for the use of the retinal nerve fibre layer as a potential biomarker of damage to the visual system in mTBI. Further prospective longitudinal studies ensuring uniform diagnosis and accurate phenotyping of mTBI are needed to understand the effects on the visual system and potential of OCT as a prognostic biomarker