The evolution of electronic reference sources

Purpose To provide a historical look at the development of web versions of reference materials and discuss what makes an easy-to-use and useful electronic handbook. Design/methodology/approach Electronic reference materials were limited to handbooks available on the web. Observations and assumptions about usability are tested with an information retrieval test for specific tasks in print and online editions of the same texts. Findings Recommended adoption of those elements which create a well designed book in combination with robust search capabilities and online presentation result in an easy-to-use and useful electronic reference source. Research limitations/implications The small sample size that was used for testing limits the ability to draw conclusions, and is used only as an indication of the differences between models. A more thorough look at difference between electronic book aggregates, such as ENGnetBASE, Knovel® and Referex would highlight the best features for electronic reference materials. Practical implications Advantages to particular models for electronic reference publishing are discussed, raising awareness for product evaluation. Areas of development for electronic reference book publishers or providers are identified. Work in these areas would help ensure maximum efficiency through cross title searching via metasearching and data manipulation. Originality/value The paper presents results from some human computer interaction studies about electronic books which have been implemented in a web interface, and the positive effects achieved

Information use in design: what should we be teaching?

Librarians are regularly working to understand how students make decisions around information use to inform the development of more relevant learning activities. The more relevant the activities when students are learning any new skill, the more likely they are to understand the task and incorporate the learning into future design decisions and writing. The need to build connections and understanding is critical in adoption of information literacy. In this study, the researcher analyzed the transcript from an end of semester focus group with students in a design class about their information use during the semester project. The transcript was analyzed using deductive thematic analysis while simultaneously staying open to emergent codes

Developing Professional Skills in STEM Students: Data Information Literacy

Undergraduate STEM students are increasingly expected to have some data use skills upon graduation, whether they pursue post-graduate education or move into industry. This project was an initial foray into the application of data information literacy competencies to training undergraduate students to identify markers of data and information quality. The data consumer training appeared within two courses to help students evaluate data objects, including databases and datasets available on the Internet. The application of the Data Credibility Checklist provides a foundation for developing data reuse competencies. Based upon the initial presentation of the content, it became obvious that students need very basic introductions to data concepts, including definitions for database and dataset, and the process of data object discovery

Science and Technology Libraries Partnering with Knovel

The engineering library plays a critical role in initiating and maintaining the conduit between vendors of engineering information and the users of that information—faculty, students, and researchers. Likewise, vendors play a key role in supporting library and faculty efforts to promote engineering information resources, beyond just supplying content and interface. Engineering libraries and vendors can effectively work together to get the most from electronic engineering resources for both large and small institutions. The case studies here show how Knovel Corporation, a sci-tech e-book vendor, has worked with engineering librarians at large and small institutions and with faculty members to promote awareness and usage of Knovel’s interactive library of electronic books for engineering education

Science and technology libraries partnering with Knovel

Science and Technology Libraries, 26(3): pp. 13-28.The engineering library plays a critical role in initiating and maintaining the conduit between vendors of engineering information and the users of that information—faculty, students, and researchers. Likewise, vendors play a key role in supporting library and faculty efforts to promote science and engineering information resources, beyond just supplying content and interface. Science and engineering libraries and vendors can effectively work together to get the most from electronic resources for both large and small institutions. The case studies here show how Knovel Corporation, a sci-tech e-book vendor, has worked with librarians at large and small institutions and with faculty members to promote awareness and usage of Knovel’s interactive library of electronic books for science and engineering education. Librarians and Knovel partner at a large institution like Drexel University to give on-site workshops for faculty and students. At these workshops important features of Knovel’s content and software are discussed and demonstrated in a live format. Questions are encouraged to ensure participants understand the technology, and short assignments reinforce learning. Knovel works with librarians to promote these sessions and continues the dialogue with attendees afterward. On-site demonstrations are one of the most effective ways to educate users about new technologies and new content. Librarians at smaller institutions often do not have the time and resources to devote to a full-scale on-site workshop. They need an "out-of-the-box" solution that is quick to deploy with an interface that is self-evident to users. Complete integration of e-book titles into the institution’s information toolbox is the key here. Knovel provides resources to promote ready access to meet the needs of smaller institutions, including MARC records for the library's catalog. Finally, librarians and Knovel work directly with faculty to integrate Knovel's content into their courses. An example is Purdue University’s "treasure hunt" assignment given in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program which includes questions which leverage Knovel titles to answer. By supporting outreach and access strategies appropriate for institution size and need, librarians and Knovel illustrate how to create an effective partnership with engineering libraries to increase awareness, usage and, ultimately, cost-effectiveness of electronic resources

Aspergillus fumigatus Triggers Inflammatory Responses by Stage-Specific β-Glucan Display

Inhalation of fungal spores (conidia) occurs commonly and, in specific circumstances, can result in invasive disease. We investigated the murine inflammatory response to conidia of Aspergillus fumigatus, the most common invasive mold in immunocompromised hosts. In contrast to dormant spores, germinating conidia induce neutrophil recruitment to the airways and TNF-α/MIP-2 secretion by alveolar macrophages. Fungal β-glucans act as a trigger for the induction of these inflammatory responses through their time-dependent exposure on the surface of germinating conidia. Dectin-1, an innate immune receptor that recognizes fungal β-glucans, is recruited in vivo to alveolar macrophage phagosomes that have internalized conidia with exposed β-glucans. Antibody-mediated blockade of Dectin-1 partially inhibits TNF-α/MIP-2 induction by metabolically active conidia. TLR-2- and MyD88-mediated signals provide an additive contribution to macrophage activation by germinating conidia. Selective responsiveness to germinating conidia provides the innate immune system with a mechanism to restrict inflammatory responses to metabolically active, potentially invasive fungal spores

Neutrophil C5a receptor and the outcome in a rat model of sepsis

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154259/1/fsb2fj030009fje.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154259/2/fsb2fj030009fje-sup-0001.pd

Analytic philosophy for biomedical research: the imperative of applying yesterday's timeless messages to today's impasses

The mantra that "the best way to predict the future is to invent it" (attributed to the computer scientist Alan Kay) exemplifies some of the expectations from the technical and innovative sides of biomedical research at present. However, for technical advancements to make real impacts both on patient health and genuine scientific understanding, quite a number of lingering challenges facing the entire spectrum from protein biology all the way to randomized controlled trials should start to be overcome. The proposal in this chapter is that philosophy is essential in this process. By reviewing select examples from the history of science and philosophy, disciplines which were indistinguishable until the mid-nineteenth century, I argue that progress toward the many impasses in biomedicine can be achieved by emphasizing theoretical work (in the true sense of the word 'theory') as a vital foundation for experimental biology. Furthermore, a philosophical biology program that could provide a framework for theoretical investigations is outlined

The Palomar Testbed Interferometer Calibrator Catalog

The Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI) archive of observations between 1998 and 2005 is examined for objects appropriate for calibration of optical long-baseline interferometer observations - stars that are predictably point-like and single. Approximately 1,400 nights of data on 1,800 objects were examined for this investigation. We compare those observations to an intensively studied object that is a suitable calibrator, HD217014, and statistically compare each candidate calibrator to that object by computing both a Mahalanobis distance and a Principal Component Analysis. Our hypothesis is that the frequency distribution of visibility data associated with calibrator stars differs from non-calibrator stars such as binary stars. Spectroscopic binaries resolved by PTI, objects known to be unsuitable for calibrator use, are similarly tested to establish detection limits of this approach. From this investigation, we find more than 350 observed stars suitable for use as calibrators (with an additional $\approx 140$ being rejected), corresponding to $\gtrsim 95$ sky coverage for PTI. This approach is noteworthy in that it rigorously establishes calibration sources through a traceable, empirical methodology, leveraging the predictions of spectral energy distribution modeling but also verifying it with the rich body of PTI's on-sky observations.Comment: 100 pages, 7 figures, 7 tables; to appear in the May 2008ApJS, v176n

Highly Differentiated, Resting Gn-Specific Memory CD8+ T Cells Persist Years after Infection by Andes Hantavirus

In man, infection with South American Andes virus (ANDV) causes hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). HCPS due to ANDV is endemic in Southern Chile and much of Argentina and increasing numbers of cases are reported all over South America. A case-fatality rate of about 36% together with the absence of successful antiviral therapies urge the development of a vaccine. Although T-cell responses were shown to be critically involved in immunity to hantaviruses in mouse models, no data are available on the magnitude, specificity and longevity of ANDV-specific memory T-cell responses in patients. Using sets of overlapping peptides in IFN-γ ELISPOT assays, we herein show in 78 Chilean convalescent patients that Gn-derived epitopes were immunodominant as compared to those from the N- and Gc-proteins. Furthermore, while the relative contribution of the N-specific response significantly declined over time, Gn-specific responses remained readily detectable ex vivo up to 13 years after the acute infection. Tetramer analysis further showed that up to 16.8% of all circulating CD3+CD8+ T cells were specific for the single HLA-B*3501-restricted epitope Gn465–473 years after the acute infection. Remarkably, Gn465–473–specific cells readily secreted IFN-γ, granzyme B and TNF-α but not IL-2 upon stimulation and showed a ‘revertant’ CD45RA+CD27−CD28−CCR7−CD127− effector memory phenotype, thereby resembling a phenotype seen in other latent virus infections. Most intriguingly, titers of neutralizing antibodies increased over time in 10/17 individuals months to years after the acute infection and independently of whether they were residents of endemic areas or not. Thus, our data suggest intrinsic, latent antigenic stimulation of Gn-specific T-cells. However, it remains a major task for future studies to proof this hypothesis by determination of viral antigen in convalescent patients. Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether Gn-specific T cells are critical for viral control and protective immunity. If so, Gn-derived immunodominant epitopes could be of high value for future ANDV vaccines