A Health Sciences Perspective

Presentation to science librarians about how health sciences librarians can meet bioinformatics and e-science needs of their institutions

It\u27s the end of the world and we feel fine

The author reflects on the devastation of New York University (NYU) Health Sciences Library and the NYU Langone Medical Center due to Superstorm Sandy. He mentions that while the library staff were deliberate and systematic in planning for the coming superstorm, it proved to be costly, disruptive and even tragic for some. He believes that institutions and the library profession must push for changes amidst the onslaught of natural disasters

Informationist Support for a Study of the Role of Proteases and Peptides in Cancer Pain

Two supplements were awarded to the New York University Health Sciences Libraries from the National Library of Medicine\u27s informationist grant program. These supplements funded research support in a number of areas, including data management and bioinformatics, two fields that the library had recently begun to explore. As such, the supplements were of particular value to the library as a testing ground for these newer services. This paper will discuss a supplement received in support of a grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (PI: Brian Schmidt) on the role of proteases and peptides in cancer pain. A number of barriers were preventing the research team from maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of their work. A critical component of the research was to identify which proteins, from among hundreds identified in collected samples, to include in preclinical testing. This selection involved laborious and prohibitively time-consuming manual searching of the literature on protein function. Additionally, the research team encompassed ten investigators working in two different cities, which led to issues around the sharing and tracking of both data and citations. The supplement outlined three areas in which the informationists would assist the researchers in overcoming these barriers: 1) creating an automated literature searching system for protein function discovery, 2) introducing tools and associated workflows for sharing citations, and 3) introducing tools and workflows for sharing data and specimens

Understanding the information needs of public health practitioners: A literature review to inform design of an interactive digital knowledge management system

AbstractThe need for rapid access to information to support critical decisions in public health cannot be disputed; however, development of such systems requires an understanding of the actual information needs of public health professionals. This paper reports the results of a literature review focused on the information needs of public health professionals. The authors reviewed the public health literature to answer the following questions: (1) What are the information needs of public health professionals? (2) In what ways are those needs being met? (3) What are the barriers to meeting those needs? (4) What is the role of the Internet in meeting information needs? The review was undertaken in order to develop system requirements to inform the design and development of an interactive digital knowledge management system. The goal of the system is to support the collection, management, and retrieval of public health documents, data, learning objects, and tools.Method:The search method extended beyond traditional information resources, such as bibliographic databases, tables of contents (TOC), and bibliographies, to include information resources public health practitioners routinely use or have need to use—for example, grey literature, government reports, Internet-based publications, and meeting abstracts.Results:Although few formal studies of information needs and information-seeking behaviors of public health professionals have been reported, the literature consistently indicated a critical need for comprehensive, coordinated, and accessible information to meet the needs of the public health workforce. Major barriers to information access include time, resource reliability, trustworthiness/credibility of information, and “information overload”.Conclusions:Utilizing a novel search method that included the diversity of information resources public health practitioners use, has produced a richer and more useful picture of the information needs of the public health workforce than other literature reviews. There is a critical need for public health digital knowledge management systems designed to reflect the diversity of public health activities, to enable human communications, and to provide multiple access points to critical information resources. Public health librarians and other information specialists can serve a significant role in helping public health professionals meet their information needs through the development of evidence-based decision support systems, human-mediated expert searching and training in the use information retrieval systems

Biochemical characterization and low-resolution SAXS shape of a novel GH11 exo-1,4-β-xylanase identified in a microbial consortium

Biotechnologies that aim to produce renewable fuels, chemicals, and bioproducts from residual ligno(hemi)cellulosic biomass mostly rely on enzymatic depolymerization of plant cell walls (PCW). This process requires an arsenal of diverse enzymes, including xylanases, which synergistically act on the hemicellulose, reducing the long and complex xylan chains to oligomers and simple sugars. Thus, xylanases play a crucial role in PCW depolymerization. Until recently, the largest xylanase family, glycoside hydrolase family 11 (GH11) has been exclusively represented by endo-catalytic β-1,4- and β-1,3-xylanases. Analysis of a metatranscriptome library from a microbial lignocellulose community resulted in the identification of an unusual exo-acting GH11 β-1,4-xylanase (MetXyn11). Detailed characterization has been performed on recombinant MetXyn11 including determination of its low-resolution small angle Xray scattering (SAXS) molecular envelope in solution. Our results reveal that MetXyn11 is a monomeric globular enzyme that liberates xylobiose from heteroxylans as the only product. MetXyn11 has an optimal activity in a pH range from 6 to 9 and an optimal temperature of 50 oC. The enzyme maintained above 65% of its original activity in the pH range 5 to 6 after being incubated for 72 h at 50 oC. Addition of the enzyme to a commercial enzymatic cocktail (CelicCtec3) promoted a significant increase of enzymatic hydrolysis yields of hydrothermally pretreated sugarcane bagasse (16% after 24 h of hydrolysis)

It's the end of the world and we feel fine

The author reflects on the devastation of New York University (NYU) Health Sciences Library and the NYU Langone Medical Center due to Superstorm Sandy. He mentions that while the library staff were deliberate and systematic in planning for the coming superstorm, it proved to be costly, disruptive and even tragic for some. He believes that institutions and the library profession must push for changes amidst the onslaught of natural disasters

Farm and Forestry Operation Survey of Water Quality Issues Dairy-McKay Hydrologic Unit Area, Washington County, Oregon, Spring, 1992 : Executive Summary

Oregon State University Extension Service (ES) is responsible for the information and education portion of the USDA Dairy-McKay Hydrologic Unit Area (HUA) Project to reduce rural non­point source pollution. Approximately 2,700 people own farm and forest land in the 165,000 acre project area. The ES conducted a phone survey of 298 landowners in the HUA to determine knowledge and implementation of water quality management practices. Producers, when asked to describe themselves, chose 178 as farmers and 120 as foresters. The respondents were polled for information on: Acreage, crops, and operation Stream, roadway, soil, irrigation, and septic system management Livestock and waste management Water quality projects and agencies Public perception Demographics The HUA is an agriculturally diverse, high-production fann and forest region. Knowledge and implementation of water quality management practices was high, with the exception of animal waste management by non-commercial animal owners. Some owners know that water quality project help is available. Awareness of the HUA project and designated, specific agency assistance was quite low. A notable number from the farming sector rated the agency assistance as unsatisfactory. Many of the respondents don't perceive a water quality problem in their area. The ES needs to increase awareness of the issue of water quality, potential animal waste problems; what the HUA is; and where agency assistance is available. Successful voluntary water quality management programs have an effective education and information component

Course: LIS 528 Professors: Sherrilynne Fuller

Bardsley, M.A. A proposed information resource for bioinformaticists: gene expression statistics. This paper briefly describes the field of bioinformatics and its complex information needs. The information in the field of bioinformatics is not yet standardized in many aspects and new information is being generated at an increasing rate. A common ontology is needed to facilitate communication between systems and scientists. Bioinformatic computer systems such as databases need to be constructed with standardization and integration in mind so as to facilitate data interchange. One information need of bioinformaticists that is being met unsatisfactorily is a tool that communicates gene expression statistics. This paper outlines the need and briefly proposes a solution. It is hoped that the ideas presented here will generate discussion and action