Representing Communities through Descriptive Practices in the Archives

This poster will discuss our experiences as archivists in a University Library Special Collections Department working toward creating and implementing descriptive metadata practices that are inclusive of the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented throughout collections. We will present our project decisions and specific examples of new descriptive practices and remediation steps we have taken in the past two years, in the hopes that our experiences will provide a model with recommendations for an ethical archival practice that leads to broader access of important manuscript collections

Special Collections Unbound: The Opportunity for Collecting Visual Arts as Primary Source Materials

During the summer of 2015, Florida International University (FIU) Special Collections Department acquired a large fine art collection by Cuban artists that included rare and unique paintings. While the collection offers enormous potential for teaching and research, it also presented some challenges. This poster presentation exemplifies how the Special Collections Department at FIU is collecting new primary resource materials that years ago were considered part of museums rather than Special Collections. Following the acquisition of this collection, the Special Collections staff confronted three major challenges: security, space, and access. The poster focuses on the process of providing open access to the collection using the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC). It summarizes the motivations behind the acquisition of this collection, the unique challenges and opportunities these types of material present to a university library, and innovative solutions for other libraries seeking to collect and utilize visual art as primary resource materials. Photographs and graphs show the usage of the visual art resources. The department is currently developing an online exhibition with the collections of visual art and will provide usage statistics and site visit statistics, as well as user feedback and survey data

Virtual DSS: Unique Resources at FIU Libraries Special Collections & University Archives

Have you ever visited the archives at FIU Libraries? Do you know what a reading room is? A manuscript? A primary source? A finding aid? You are invited to attend an online workshop that will provide attendees with an overview of the archives and how to use any special collections and archives through a “search” for primary source materials. Join our Special Collections Librarian and Digital Archivist as we walk through finding primary source materials. Become familiar with the FIU Special Collections and University Archives department and the unique and rare primary sources available to you. About the Presenters: Annia Gonzalez is the Special Collections Librarian at the Special Collections & University Archives Department at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Annia is responsible for arranging, describing, preserving, and facilitating access to the Special Collections materials. She also works with donors in the assessment, property rights, and legal issues regarding donations to the Special Collections Department. Annia provides research assistance in topics related to Cuba, Latin America, the Caribbean, Florida, and Miami. Rhia Rae is the Digital Archivist for Special Collections & University Archives Department at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Rhia is responsible for digital preservation and access to all formats of the FIU Libraries’ manuscripts and archive collections and the University’s historical records. She volunteers with the South Florida Archive Collective where she helps organize and coordinate regional archival meetings and trainings. This presentation was part of the 2021-2022 Virtual Digital Scholar Studio workshop series. This webinar was held on September 8th, 2021 and was presented by Annia Gonzalez and Rhia Rae

Epidemiological studies on dengue virus type 3 in Playa municipality, Havana, Cuba, 2001–2002

SummaryObjectivesRecognizing the uniqueness of secondary dengue virus (DENV)-1/3 dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) cases at an interval of 24 years, we sought to estimate DENV infections as well as the ratios between mild disease and DHF/DSS by DENV infection sequence in Playa District (Havana, Cuba) during the 2001–2002 outbreak of dengue virus type 3 (DENV-3).MethodsA retrospective seroepidemiological study was conducted in 2003 in Playa District. Blood samples were collected from a 1% random sample of residents and were studied for the prevalence of dengue neutralizing antibodies.ResultsDENV-3 was found to have infected 7.2% (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 6.0–8.4%) of susceptible individuals (the entire cohort), the majority of whom experienced silent infections. Virtually every individual who had a secondary infection in the sequence DENV-1 then DENV-3 became ill, with a ratio of severe to mild cases of 1:35 (95% CI 1:67–1:23). Secondary infections in the sequence DENV-2/3 were less pathogenic than DENV-1/3. Mild disease accompanying secondary DENV2/3 occurred at a ratio of 1:4.49 infections (95% CI 1:5.77–1:3.42) secondary infections.ConclusionsThe results obtained highlight the role of the infecting serotype and also the sequence of the viral infection in the clinical outcome of a dengue infection

Safety and Immunogenicity of a Human Papillomavirus Peptide Vaccine (CIGB-228) in Women with High-Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: First-in-Human, Proof-of-Concept Trial

Objective. CIGB-228 is a novel therapeutic vaccine consisting of HLA-restricted HPV16 E7 epitope adjuvated with VSSP. This trial was designed to evaluate the toxicity, safety, immunogenicity, HPV clearance, and lesion regression. Methods. Seven women were entered. All were HLA-A2 positive, had biopsy-proven high-grade CIN, histologically positive for HPV16, and beared persistent postbiopsy lesions visible by digital colposcopy. HLA-A2 women with biopsy-proven high-grade CIN, HPV16-positive, and beared persistent postbiopsy lesions visible by digital colposcopy were vaccinated. One weekly injections of CIGB-228 vaccine was given for four weeks. Then, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) of the transformation zone was performed. Study subjects were followed for 1 year after LEEP. Results. No toxicity beyond grade 1 was observed during and after the four vaccinations. Five of seven women had complete and partial regression. Cellular immune response was seen in all patients. HPV was cleared in three of the patients with complete response. Conclusion. CIGB-228 vaccination was well tolerated and capable to induce IFNγ-associated T-cell response in women with high-grade CIN. In several patients, lesion regression and HPV clearance were observed