Libr-AR-y Tours: Increasing Engagement and Scalability of Library Tours Using Augmented Reality

The Version of Record of this manuscript has been published and is available in College & Undergraduate Libraries, August 2018, https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2018.1480445Orienting patrons to library spaces, collections, and services is an important, but time-intensive, challenge for many librarians. Library tours are one strategy commonly employed to familiarize patrons with library spaces and services. Augmented reality provides a new opportunity for librarians to develop engaging and interactive unmediated tours. Augmented reality tours provide participants with an opportunity to explore library spaces and service points while affording librarians the chance to share valuable information about those spaces and services. This article details how one library constructed an augmented reality tour and shares assessment-based insights into participant responses to the augmented reality format

Qualitatively exploring the suitability of tablet computers to encourage participation with activities by people with moderate stage dementia

INTRODUCTION: Opportunities to participate with enjoyable activities is one of the most frequently reported unmet needs by the person living with dementia. Enabling and intuitive technologies may offer accessible ways to engage with such activities. OBJECTIVES: To explore how tablet computers might encourage participation in enjoyable activities by people with moderate levels of dementia and to consider how such technologies might be incorporated into the repertoire of activities currently provided through day care settings. METHODS: A focused visual ethnographic approach was developed specifically to meet the research objectives. Twelve participants attending a community day care centre and nine supporters (both volunteers and paid staff) consented to take part in the research. Technology facilitated group activity sessions took place twice a week for a period of four weeks and all were video recorded. Findings: Video analysis demonstrated that the majority of people with dementia found the technology an effective means of participating in enjoyable activities. Analysis also revealed the extent to which participation relies on the existence of effective support. It showed how maintaining focus on retained strengths and abilities enabled the group overall to meet and often exceed their own and others perceived capacity to participate. Finally, analysis confirmed the importance of enjoyment of activities 'in the moment' and the need for those supporting people in the moderate stages of dementia to acknowledge and work with this. CONCLUSION: The use of tablet computers to enhance participation in sociable and enjoyable activities in day care settings is realistic and achievable if supported appropriately

A Fork Trap in the Chromosomal Termination Area Is Highly Conserved across All Escherichia coli Phylogenetic Groups

Termination of DNA replication, the final stage of genome duplication, is surprisingly complex, and failures to bring DNA synthesis to an accurate conclusion can impact genome stability and cell viability. In Escherichia coli, termination takes place in a specialised termination area opposite the origin. A 'replication fork trap' is formed by unidirectional fork barriers via the binding of Tus protein to genomic ter sites. Such a fork trap system is found in some bacterial species, but it appears not to be a general feature of bacterial chromosomes. The biochemical properties of fork trap systems have been extensively characterised, but little is known about their precise physiological roles. In this study, we compare locations and distributions of ter terminator sites in E. coli genomes across all phylogenetic groups, including Shigella. Our analysis shows that all ter sites are highly conserved in E. coli, with slightly more variability in the Shigella genomes. Our sequence analysis of ter sites and Tus proteins shows that the fork trap is likely to be active in all strains investigated. In addition, our analysis shows that the dif chromosome dimer resolution site is consistently located between the innermost ter sites, even if rearrangements have changed the location of the innermost termination area. Our data further support the idea that the replication fork trap has an important physiological role that provides an evolutionary advantage

Orienting student veterans to the library: Piloting a new model of library orientation

This poster was presented at ALA 2018, the annual conference of the American Library Association.Student veterans and military service members are a unique population on college and university campuses. They are non-traditional students and often transfer students who can feel isolated among a large population of traditional students. As such, student veterans and service members are often better served by a tailored orientation approach. But getting student veterans and service members to attend a special library orientation can be difficult. Librarians and leaders of the campus veterans center were awarded an IMLS Sparks! grant aimed at developing a new model of library orientation for veterans. This new model builds on these students’ prior knowledge by adapting the model used by the military to orient service members to new duty stations. This orientation model goes beyond a presentation or resource table to provide students with an orientation tailored to their needs and to facilitate exploration of the physical library space. This model also accommodates busy schedules and competing responsibilities by enabling student veterans and service members to complete their orientation on their own time

The Arctic Predictability and Prediction on Seasonal-to-Interannual TimEscales (APPOSITE) data set version 1

Abstract. Recent decades have seen significant developments in climate prediction capabilities at seasonal-to-interannual timescales. However, until recently the potential of such systems to predict Arctic climate had rarely been assessed. This paper describes a multi-model predictability experiment which was run as part of the Arctic Predictability and Prediction On Seasonal to Interannual Timescales (APPOSITE) project. The main goal of APPOSITE was to quantify the timescales on which Arctic climate is predictable. In order to achieve this, a coordinated set of idealised initial-value predictability experiments, with seven general circulation models, was conducted. This was the first model intercomparison project designed to quantify the predictability of Arctic climate on seasonal to interannual timescales. Here we present a description of the archived data set (which is available at the British Atmospheric Data Centre), an assessment of Arctic sea ice extent and volume predictability estimates in these models, and an investigation into to what extent predictability is dependent on the initial state. The inclusion of additional models expands the range of sea ice volume and extent predictability estimates, demonstrating that there is model diversity in the potential to make seasonal-to-interannual timescale predictions. We also investigate whether sea ice forecasts started from extreme high and low sea ice initial states exhibit higher levels of potential predictability than forecasts started from close to the models' mean state, and find that the result depends on the metric. Although designed to address Arctic predictability, we describe the archived data here so that others can use this data set to assess the predictability of other regions and modes of climate variability on these timescales, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation

A novel grass hybrid to reduce flood generation in temperate regions

We report on the evaluation of a novel grass hybrid that provides efficient forage production and could help mitigate flooding. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is the grass species of choice for most farmers, but lacks resilience against extremes of climate. We hybridised L. perenne onto a closely related and more stress-resistant grass species, meadow fescue Festuca pratensis. We demonstrate that the L. perenne × F. pratensis cultivar can reduce runoff during the events by 51% compared to a leading UK nationally recommended L. perenne cultivar and by 43% compared to F. pratensis over a two year field experiment. We present evidence that the reduced runoff from this Festulolium cultivar was due to intense initial root growth followed by rapid senescence, especially at depth. Hybrid grasses of this type show potential for reducing the likelihood of flooding, whilst providing food production under conditions of changing climate

Mixed yeast communities contribute to regionally distinct wine attributes

There is evidence that vineyard yeast communities are regionally differentiated, but the extent to which this contributes to wine regional distinctiveness is not yet clear. This study represents the first experimental test of the hypothesis that mixed yeast communities—comprising multiple, region-specific, isolates and species—contribute to regional wine attributes. Yeast isolates were sourced from uninoculated Pinot Noir fermentations from 17 vineyards across Martinborough, Marlborough and Central Otago in New Zealand. New methodologies for preparing representative, mixed species inoculum from these significantly differentiated regional yeast communities in a controlled, replicable manner were developed and used to inoculate Pinot Noir ferments. Twenty-eight yeast-derived aroma compounds were measured in the resulting wines via Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Yeast community region of origin had a significant impact on wine aroma, explaining ∼10% of the observed variation, which is in line with previous reports of the effects of region-specific S. cerevisiae isolates on Sauvignon Blanc ferments. This study shows that regionally distinct, mixed yeast communities can modulate wine aroma compounds in a regionally distinct manner and are in line with the hypothesis that there is a microbial component to regional distinctiveness, or terroir, for New Zealand Pinot Noir