Do Libraries Create Social Capital?

This study analyzes the role of the library in creating social capital in the community. A set of public libraries was randomly selected from a list of communities identified as having high or low social capital. Specific aspects of library administration and services are tested against social capital levels to identify factors that may contribute to or depend upon social cohesion in the community. Some of these factors include community support for the library in the form of local and non-governmental funding, salaries and benefits, volunteer effort and program attendance. Specific types of programs and characteristics of targeted audiences are also studied to determine if library programs promote the types of social relationships that create social capital in the community

HathiTrust Print Monographs Archive Planning Task Force: Final Report

Following the approval of a 2011 ballot initiative calling for the development of a distributed print monographs archive, HathiTrust charged a Print Monographs Archive Planning Task Force in the spring of 2014 to make initial recommendations for a print monograph retention program that would serve both members and the broader scholarly community. After working extensively between June 2014 and March 2015, the Task Force submitted a report that summarizes its recommendations with respect to the composition, phased construction, operating systems, business model, and governance of the HathiTrust Shared Print Monograph Program (HTSPMP). In supporting appendices, the report offers greater detail that implementation teams may find useful.Ope

Advancing dendrochronological studies of fire in the United States

© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Dendroecology is the science that dates tree rings to their exact calendar year of formation to study processes that influence forest ecology (e.g., Speer 2010 [1], Amoroso et al., 2017 [2]). Reconstruction of past fire regimes is a core application of dendroecology, linking fire history to population dynamics and climate effects on tree growth and survivorship. Since the early 20th century when dendrochronologists recognized that tree rings retained fire scars (e.g., Figure 1), and hence a record of past fires, they have conducted studies worldwide to reconstruct [2] the historical range and variability of fire regimes (e.g., frequency, severity, seasonality, spatial extent), [3] the influence of fire regimes on forest structure and ecosystem dynamics, and [4] the top-down (e.g., climate) and bottom-up (e.g., fuels, topography) drivers of fire that operate at a range of temporal and spatial scales. As in other scientific fields, continued application of dendrochronological techniques to study fires has shaped new trajectories for the science. Here we highlight some important current directions in the United States (US) and call on our international colleagues to continue the conversation with perspectives from other countries

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

The Effects of Sensory Processing on Mask-Wearing

Masks have become an aspect of daily routines affecting the processing of stimuli through changed participation. A survey was created to understand college-aged adults with mask-wearing and how it affects sensory experiences. An optional interview, using the Adolescent-Adult Sensory Profile, was given to express participants’ experiences. Data within 226 survey responses found that 53% of males and 48% of females weren’t overwhelmed wearing masks, though 47% of male participants felt safer. It was also found that 49% of participants with household incomes of $75,000-$150,000 felt safe when wearing masks compared to 48% of participants with income lower than $15,000 feeling overwhelmed. In addition, 87 participants shared experiences with the pandemic, and 3 were interviewed to understand sensory experiences. Common themes were categorized into physical-emotional feelings, response behaviors, and external actions. This study elaborates on links between income and physical response with the willingness to wear masks