Impact of training and institutional context on book conservation practices

A web-based survey of book conservation treatment practices in research libraries was conducted in 2007. Survey results were summarized in a 2010 report that documented standard practice, moderate-use, and low-use book conservation treatments for special collections and general collections in research libraries in the United States. Similarities and differences between special and general collections practices were highlighted. In an effort to better understand the differences in practices observed in the first report, the authors revisit the data to identify whether, and how, the demographic characteristics of book conservation practitioners are correlated with particular treatment practices. Noting the trend suggested in the literature toward both hybrid facilities—those dedicated to both special and general collections—as well as hybrid practitioners, the authors were especially curious whether such facilities and practitioners might approach treatment differently. The data collected in 2007 were analyzed to identify whether key demographic variables—such as practitioner training, type of collections served by a practitioner, size of library, type of library, and type of conservation facility—were correlated with specific treatment practices. In this report, specific trends associated with the demographic variables are identified and explored. Areas of further research suggested by the results of the study are identified.2007 University of Kansas Library Research Fun

Identifying standard practices in research library book conservation

The field of research library conservation has emerged as a distinct discipline and undergone major refinements over the past fifty years: professional organizations and training programs have been established, new treatment techniques have been developed and promoted, and, increasingly, special and general collections practitioners have collaborated on treatment solutions. Despite such dramatic growth and definition within the field, there has been no comprehensive assessment of the book treatment practices employed by research libraries for special and general collections. In response to this need, a study was undertaken to investigate and document the types of treatments employed by research libraries to conserve and maintain their book collections, and to compare the practices used for special collections with those used for general collections. This paper describes the evolution of the field over the past fifty years and identifies book conservation techniques the study found to be routinely, moderately, or rarely employed in research libraries. A comparison of special and general collections treatment practices suggests that while notable differences exist, many treatment practices are common in both contexts. Implications of the study's results and potential applications for this new information are stated.2007 Library Research Fun

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

University of Notre Dame, Rare Books and Special Collections, Sustainable Preservation Environment Project

The University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries requests $50,000 to develop a plan to address significant environmental factors posing a threat to the long-term preservation of its Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC). The Collections are housed in a dedicated underground vault area. The HVAC system that serves RBSC is original to the fifty-year old building and is not purpose-designed to serve the space: the zoning does not appropriately isolate work and collection storage. The heating, ventilating and cooling (HVAC) infrastructure is unable to meet the preservation needs of the collections and struggles to maintain even the broadest range of tolerances with respect to temperature and relative humidity (RH). The collaborative project team includes eight Notre Dame staff from the Libraries, Facilities, Utilities and the Office of Sustainability. This team will work closely with two environmental specialists from the Image Permanence Institute

COVID-19 in Malawi : lessons in pandemic preparedness from a tertiary children’s hospital

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DIPLOMATIC study documents

This archive comprises study documents including work packages 1 to 8, some of the materials include the following: - study protocol (an over-arching very detailed description of the experiment); - consent forms; - educational materials relating to ultrasound scanning and so on. ## Access ## Requests for a copy of the data are welcome. The data are held in the DataVault, which is directly accessible only to University of Edinburgh nominated users. To request a copy, please contact Lorraine Adamson.DIPLOMATIC is a clinical trial, a multidisciplinary international collaboration investigating interventions in pre-term birth and still-term birth in low and middle income countries. (DIPLOMATIC: using eviDence, Implementation science, and a clinical trial PLatform to Optimise MATernal and newborn health in low Income Countries)

Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background The effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at risk for disease progression are not well understood. The EMPA-KIDNEY trial was designed to assess the effects of treatment with empagliflozin in a broad range of such patients. Methods We enrolled patients with chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 20 but less than 45 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) of body-surface area, or who had an eGFR of at least 45 but less than 90 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of at least 200. Patients were randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or matching placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of progression of kidney disease (defined as end-stage kidney disease, a sustained decrease in eGFR to < 10 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2), a sustained decrease in eGFR of & GE;40% from baseline, or death from renal causes) or death from cardiovascular causes. Results A total of 6609 patients underwent randomization. During a median of 2.0 years of follow-up, progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes occurred in 432 of 3304 patients (13.1%) in the empagliflozin group and in 558 of 3305 patients (16.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.82; P < 0.001). Results were consistent among patients with or without diabetes and across subgroups defined according to eGFR ranges. The rate of hospitalization from any cause was lower in the empagliflozin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.95; P=0.003), but there were no significant between-group differences with respect to the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes (which occurred in 4.0% in the empagliflozin group and 4.6% in the placebo group) or death from any cause (in 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively). The rates of serious adverse events were similar in the two groups. Conclusions Among a wide range of patients with chronic kidney disease who were at risk for disease progression, empagliflozin therapy led to a lower risk of progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes than placebo