A study of the knowledge and skills requirements for the humanities librarian in supporting postgraduate students

This study sought to develop a knowledge and skills framework for humanities librarians supporting postgraduate students against which such librarians may 'measure' their current knowledge and skills; as well as ascertain areas for new skills acquisition. This objective was supported by five critical questions which attempted to elicit data from the literature reviewed, humanities librarians interviewed and postgraduate student respondents. A constructivist qualitative approach with a multiple case study design was employed by the study. Core Competency Theory was used to provide theoretical support. Empirical data was collected by conducting interviews and focus group discussions with purposively sampled humanities librarians and postgraduate students at three selected higher education institutions in the Western Cape, namely, Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape. Collected data were analysed using NVivo 11 Pro (for coding purposes) and thematic content analysis by the researcher. An important conclusion of the study, inter alia, based on its findings and discussion in the context of the literature reviewed and theory supporting the study, is that a combination of discipline-specific knowledge and skills, generic skills and personal attributes are required by humanities librarians in order to effectively support postgraduate students especially in the current digital age. The study also concludes that while subject knowledge is required, expert knowledge of humanities subjects is not generally necessary in order to provide support to postgraduate students. Rather, a broad working knowledge of a subject is required. However there are exceptions in the case of highly specialised subjects such as Music. The study recommends that both continuing professional development for humanities librarians supporting postgraduate students, amongst other librarians, as well as LIS schools in their curriculum design and development for LIS professionals entering the academic library environment, take into account a combination of discipline-specific knowledge and skills, generic skills and personal attributes for effective delivery of academic library services. To this end the study presents a knowledge and skills framework which humanities librarians supporting postgraduate students may use to 'measure' their current knowledge and skills as well as to ascertain areas for new knowledge and skills acquisition

Characterisation of protein isoforms encoded by the Drosophila Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 gene shaggy

The Drosophila shaggy gene (sgg, GSK-3) encodes multiple protein isoforms with serine/threonine kinase activity and is a key player in diverse developmental signalling pathways. Currently it is unclear whether different Sgg proteoforms are similarly involved in signalling or if different proteoforms have distinct functions. We used CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering to tag eight different Sgg proteoform classes and determined their localization during embryonic development. We performed proteomic analysis of the two major proteoform classes and generated mutant lines for both of these for transcriptomic and phenotypic analysis. We uncovered distinct tissue-specific localization patterns for all of the tagged proteoforms we examined, most of which have not previously been characterised directly at the protein level, including one proteoform initiating with a non-standard codon. Collectively, this suggests complex developmentally regulated splicing of the sgg primary transcript. Further, affinity purification followed by mass spectrometric analyses indicate a different repertoire of interacting proteins for the two major proteoforms we examined, one with ubiquitous expression (Sgg-PB) and one with nervous system specific expression (Sgg-PA). Specific mutation of these proteoforms shows that Sgg-PB performs the well characterised maternal and zygotic segmentations functions of the sgg locus, while Sgg-PA mutants show adult lifespan and locomotor defects consistent with its nervous system localisation. Our findings provide new insights into the role of GSK-3 proteoforms and intriguing links with the GSK-3α and GSK-3β proteins encoded by independent vertebrate genes. Our analysis suggests that different proteoforms generated by alternative splicing are likely to perform distinct functions

In vivo analysis of proteomes and interactomes using Parallel Affinity Capture (iPAC) coupled to mass spectrometry.

Affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry provides a reliable method for identifying proteins and their binding partners. In this study we have used Drosophila melanogaster proteins triple tagged with Flag, Strep II, and Yellow fluorescent protein in vivo within affinity pull-down experiments and isolated these proteins in their native complexes from embryos. We describe a pipeline for determining interactomes by Parallel Affinity Capture (iPAC) and show its use by identifying partners of several protein baits with a range of sizes and subcellular locations. This purification protocol employs the different tags in parallel and involves detailed comparison of resulting mass spectrometry data sets, ensuring the interaction lists achieved are of high confidence. We show that this approach identifies known interactors of bait proteins as well as novel interaction partners by comparing data achieved with published interaction data sets. The high confidence in vivo protein data sets presented here add new data to the currently incomplete D. melanogaster interactome. Additionally we report contaminant proteins that are persistent with affinity purifications irrespective of the tagged bait.This project is funded by the Welcome Trust.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from ASBMB via http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/mcp.M110.00238

Analysis of the expression patterns, subcellular localisations and interaction partners of Drosophila proteins using a pigP protein trap library.

Although we now have a wealth of information on the transcription patterns of all the genes in the Drosophila genome, much less is known about the properties of the encoded proteins. To provide information on the expression patterns and subcellular localisations of many proteins in parallel, we have performed a large-scale protein trap screen using a hybrid piggyBac vector carrying an artificial exon encoding yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and protein affinity tags. From screening 41 million embryos, we recovered 616 verified independent YFP-positive lines representing protein traps in 374 genes, two-thirds of which had not been tagged in previous P element protein trap screens. Over 20 different research groups then characterized the expression patterns of the tagged proteins in a variety of tissues and at several developmental stages. In parallel, we purified many of the tagged proteins from embryos using the affinity tags and identified co-purifying proteins by mass spectrometry. The fly stocks are publicly available through the Kyoto Drosophila Genetics Resource Center. All our data are available via an open access database (Flannotator), which provides comprehensive information on the expression patterns, subcellular localisations and in vivo interaction partners of the trapped proteins. Our resource substantially increases the number of available protein traps in Drosophila and identifies new markers for cellular organelles and structures.This work was supported by a project grant from the Wellcome Trust [076739], by a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellowship to D.StJ. [049818 and 080007], and by core support from the Wellcome Trust [092096] and Cancer Research UK [A14492].This is the final version of the article. It was first available from The Company of Biologists via http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/dev.11105

A global collaboration to study intimate partner violence-related head trauma: The ENIGMA consortium IPV working group

Intimate partner violence includes psychological aggression, physical violence, sexual violence, and stalking from a current or former intimate partner. Past research suggests that exposure to intimate partner violence can impact cognitive and psychological functioning, as well as neurological outcomes. These seem to be compounded in those who suffer a brain injury as a result of trauma to the head, neck or body due to physical and/or sexual violence. However, our understanding of the neurobehavioral and neurobiological effects of head trauma in this population is limited due to factors including difficulty in accessing/recruiting participants, heterogeneity of samples, and premorbid and comorbid factors that impact outcomes. Thus, the goal of the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium Intimate Partner Violence Working Group is to develop a global collaboration that includes researchers, clinicians, and other key community stakeholders. Participation in the working group can include collecting harmonized data, providing data for meta- and mega-analysis across sites, or stakeholder insight on key clinical research questions, promoting safety, participant recruitment and referral to support services. Further, to facilitate the mega-analysis of data across sites within the working group, we provide suggestions for behavioral surveys, cognitive tests, neuroimaging parameters, and genetics that could be used by investigators in the early stages of study design. We anticipate that the harmonization of measures across sites within the working group prior to data collection could increase the statistical power in characterizing how intimate partner violence-related head trauma impacts long-term physical, cognitive, and psychological health

Comparing genotyping algorithms for Illumina's Infinium whole-genome SNP BeadChips

The Brassica napus 60K Illumina Infinium™ SNP array has had huge international uptake in the rapeseed community due to the revolutionary speed of acquisition and ease of analysis of this high-throughput genotyping data, particularly when coupled with the newly available reference genome sequence. However, further utilization of this valuable resource can be optimized by better understanding the promises and pitfalls of SNP arrays. We outline how best to analyze Brassica SNP marker array data for diverse applications, including linkage and association mapping, genetic diversity and genomic introgression studies. We present data on which SNPs are locus-specific in winter, semi-winter and spring B. napus germplasm pools, rather than amplifying both an A-genome and a C-genome locus or multiple loci. Common issues that arise when analyzing array data will be discussed, particularly those unique to SNP markers and how to deal with these for practical applications in Brassica breeding applications

Consumers' perception of the ethics and acceptability of product placement in movies : African Americans and Anglo Americans

textThe goal of the study was to explore African Americans’ perceptions and acceptance of products used for placement in movies and to compare their perceptions to those of Anglo Americans. A mix between and repeated measures ANOVA was run to test four hypotheses dealing with race, gender and product differences. A factor analysis was run on the 30 attitudinal measures. A content analysis was done on the comments obtained from the open-ended question. Cross-tabulations were run on product and media consumption data. The results indicated that there are differences in the perceptions and acceptance of products used for placement in movies across ethnic and cultural groups in the U.S., specifically African American and Anglo Americans. Not only were African Americans less likely to accept ethically charged products for product placement in movies than Anglo Americans, their product acceptance ratings, in general, were lower than those of Anglo Americans. In fact, African American males rated all of the products lower than African American females and Anglo American males and females. The implications are that product, race, gender, frequency of movie watching and attitudinal differences should be considered when the product placement strategy is used. Advertisers and marketers should use caution when using the product placement strategy to target the African American market and when selecting the types of products to be used for placement.Advertisin

Knowledge and Skills Competencies for Humanities Librarians Supporting Postgraduate Students

This paper reports on an aspect of a 2016 masters study which addresses the research question: what knowledge and skills do humanities librarians require to effectively provide support to postgraduate students in the digital age? The study adopted a qualitative approach using a multiple case study design, within a constructivist paradigm, to respond to the research question, with core competency theory used to provide theoretical support. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with purposively sampled librarians and postgraduate students from Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape, all of which are situated in the Western Cape of South Africa. A significant finding of the study is that a mixture of discipline-specific knowledge and skills, generic skills and personal attributes are required by humanities librarians to effectively support postgraduate students, especially in the current digital age. The study presents a knowledge and skills framework that could be used to ascertain humanities librarians’ current knowledge and skills as well as establish areas for further knowledge and skills acquisition

Genetic and phenotypic analysis of the genes of the elbow-no-ocelli region of chromosome 2L of Dvosophila melanogaster

The elbow locus is found to be two genes elA and elB, each of which has a distinct phenotype when mutant. Mutations of the elA gene have a strong phenotype where the wing is markedly disrupted. Mutations of elB are weak, mainly affecting the alula and the wing bristles. The two genes are dominant enhancers of each other. Homozygous deletion of the complete elbow region results in lethality. Situated between the elbow genes is the pupal gene and a locus which when deleted causes a crippled leg phenotype. This locus may be a control region for elbow. Immediately adjacent on the proximal side of elA is the no-ocelli locus. The phenotypes of noc alleles vary from extreme, where the ocelli and associated bristles are absent, to weak where these structures are disrupted. The various noc phenotypes are associated with genetically distinct gene regions, mutations of which act as enhancers of each other. Alleles of el and noc show partial failure of complementation, heterozygotes having weak el or weak noc phenotypes. Alleles of both these genes interact with the antimorphic noc allele Sco

Characterisation of protein isoforms encoded by the Drosophila Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 gene shaggy

The Drosophila shaggy gene (sgg, GSK-3) encodes multiple protein isoforms with serine/threonine kinase activity and is a key player in diverse developmental signalling pathways. Currently it is unclear whether different Sgg proteoforms are similarly involved in signalling or if different proteoforms have distinct functions. We used CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering to tag eight different Sgg proteoform classes and determined their localization during embryonic development. We performed proteomic analysis of the two major proteoform classes and generated mutant lines for both of these for transcriptomic and phenotypic analysis. We uncovered distinct tissue-specific localization patterns for all of the tagged proteoforms we examined, most of which have not previously been characterised directly at the protein level, including one proteoform initiating with a non-standard codon. Collectively, this suggests complex developmentally regulated splicing of the sgg primary transcript. Further, affinity purification followed by mass spectrometric analyses indicate a different repertoire of interacting proteins for the two major proteoforms we examined, one with ubiquitous expression (Sgg-PB) and one with nervous system specific expression (Sgg-PA). Specific mutation of these proteoforms shows that Sgg-PB performs the well characterised maternal and zygotic segmentations functions of the sgg locus, while Sgg-PA mutants show adult lifespan and locomotor defects consistent with its nervous system localisation. Our findings provide new insights into the role of GSK-3 proteoforms and intriguing links with the GSK-3α and GSK-3β proteins encoded by independent vertebrate genes. Our analysis suggests that different proteoforms generated by alternative splicing are likely to perform distinct functions