Multiple project management at academic libraries

Academic libraries embody a highly dynamic and technology-rich environment, where it is usual to have more than one technology based project occurring simultaneously. Adoption of project management methodologies can help reduce the time and cost of a project. Increasingly, at the institutional level, multiple technology projects compete for time and resources, which very often results in new projects dragging on and on for lack of clear prioritization and dedicated resources, and managers asking already maxed-out staff to do more multitasking. Methods and tools for multiple project management can help administrators properly plan, select and prioritize projects within an academic library, ensuring strategic alignment and a high rate of project completion.Arts, Faculty ofLibrary, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS), School ofUnreviewedGraduat

Web Resources for Model Organism Studies

An ever-growing number of resources on model organisms have emerged with the continued development of sequencing technologies. In this paper, we review 13 databases of model organisms, most of which are reported by the National Institutes of Health of the United States (NIH; http://www.nih.gov/science/models/). We provide a brief description for each database, as well as detail its data source and types, functions, tools, and availability of access. In addition, we also provide a quality assessment about these databases. Significantly, the organism databases instituted in the early 1990s—such as the Mouse Genome Database (MGD), Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD), and FlyBase—have developed into what are now comprehensive, core authority resources. Furthermore, all of the databases mentioned here update continually according to user feedback and with advancing technologies

Exp2 polymorphisms associated with variation for fiber quality properties in cotton (Gossypium spp.)

Plant expansins are a group of extracellular proteins thought to affect the quality of cotton fibers. Previous expression profile analysis revealed that six Expansin A genes are present in cotton, of which two (GhExp1 and GhExp2) produce transcripts that are specific to the developing cotton fiber. To identify the phenotypic function of Exp2, and to determine whether nucleotide variation among alleles of Exp2 affects fiber quality, candidate gene association mapping was conducted. Gene-specific primers were designed to amplify the Exp2 gene. By amplicon sequencing, the nucleotide diversity of Exp2 was investigated across 92 accessions (including 7 Gossypium arboreum, 74 Gossypium hirsutum, and 11 Gossypium barbadense accessions) with different fiber qualities. Twenty-six SNPs and seven InDels including 14 from the coding region of Exp2 were detected, forming twelve distinct haplotypes in the cotton collection. Among the 14 SNPs in the coding region, five were missense mutations and nine were synonymous nucleotide changes. The average SNP/InDel per nucleotide ratio was 2.61% (one SNP per 39 bp), with 1.81 and 3.87% occurring in coding and non-coding regions, respectively. Nucleotide and haplotype diversity across the entire Exp2 region was 0.00603 (π) and 0.844, respectively, and diversity in non-coding regions was higher than that in coding regions. For linkage disequilibrium (LD), the mean r2 value for all polymorphism loci pairs was 0.48, and LD did not decay over 748 bp. Based on 132 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci evenly covering 26 chromosomes, the population structure was estimated, and the accessions were divided into seven groups that agreed well with their genomic origin and evolutionary history. A general linear model was used to calculate the Exp2-wide diversity–trait associations of 5 fiber quality traits, considering population structure (Q). Four SNPs in Exp2 were associated with at least one of the fiber quality traits, but not with fiber elongation. The highest positive effect on UHML and STR was observed for haplotype Hap_6 of Exp2. There was a significant association of Exp2 with fiber quality traits. There were many haplotypes in the Exp2 region, of which the most favorable was Hap_6. The association between nucleotide diversity and these fiber traits sheds light on the gene's potential contribution to the improvement of fiber quality, and should be useful to facilitate MAS programs in cotton

Evaluating Impact of Farmland Recessive Morphology Transition on High-Quality Agricultural Development in China

Recessive morphology transition (RMT) involves the smooth transition of farmland property rights, input structure, quality, and function. China’s agriculture has changed from a period of high-speed growth to a period of high-quality development. Compared with dominant morphology transition (DMT) characterized by quantitative focus, it is of more practical significance to explore the impact of RMT on high-quality agricultural development (HAD). This paper firstly constructed a multidimensional index system to quantify HAD. Based on analysis of the impact mechanism of RMT on HAD, a spatial econometric model was established to explore the impact by making use of the panel data of 27 provinces in China from 2003–2017. The results indicated that RMT and HAD both have positive geospatial correlation. Furthermore, the spatial econometric model provides more accurate results of the impact of RMT on HAD than panel models. If the RMT in a local province increases by 1%, HAD could be augmented by 0.13%. Likewise, RMT has a strong positive spatial spillover effect on HAD. If the RMT in a certain province increases by 1%, HAD could add 1.22% in neighboring provinces. The analysis suggests that spatial coordination of farmland use is an important foundation for constructing high-quality development association of regional agriculture. It is necessary to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation in the process of farmland recessive morphology transition and high-quality agricultural development

Evaluating Impact of Farmland Recessive Morphology Transition on High-Quality Agricultural Development in China

Recessive morphology transition (RMT) involves the smooth transition of farmland property rights, input structure, quality, and function. China’s agriculture has changed from a period of high-speed growth to a period of high-quality development. Compared with dominant morphology transition (DMT) characterized by quantitative focus, it is of more practical significance to explore the impact of RMT on high-quality agricultural development (HAD). This paper firstly constructed a multidimensional index system to quantify HAD. Based on analysis of the impact mechanism of RMT on HAD, a spatial econometric model was established to explore the impact by making use of the panel data of 27 provinces in China from 2003–2017. The results indicated that RMT and HAD both have positive geospatial correlation. Furthermore, the spatial econometric model provides more accurate results of the impact of RMT on HAD than panel models. If the RMT in a local province increases by 1%, HAD could be augmented by 0.13%. Likewise, RMT has a strong positive spatial spillover effect on HAD. If the RMT in a certain province increases by 1%, HAD could add 1.22% in neighboring provinces. The analysis suggests that spatial coordination of farmland use is an important foundation for constructing high-quality development association of regional agriculture. It is necessary to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation in the process of farmland recessive morphology transition and high-quality agricultural development

BDIDA-IoT: A Blockchain-Based Decentralized Identity Architecture Enhances the Efficiency of IoT Data Flow

With the booming development of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, millions of data are generated every day. How to use and manage these data safely and efficiently has become a hot issue of concern to people. Due to the accumulation of IoT data, the isolated data island phenomenon makes it difficult to connect and interact with each data owner, and the security and privacy of IoT data also become a challenge. Blockchain is a decentralized database technology that uses distributed accounting to ensure reliable data transmission and access, along with smart contracts that can be executed automatically to program and manipulate data. At the same time, blockchain techniques have stronger security and privacy, which can better meet the needs of users. In this paper, we analyze the current management mode and challenges of IoT data and propose an IoT data platform based on blockchain. The proposed platform takes into account important factors including IoT data traceability, IoT data trusted transactions, etc. Our IoT data platform achieves the trusted management and transaction of IoT data. We also propose follow-up optimization solutions to expand the application scope of our platform and achieve more efficient management of IoT data

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus: A retrospective analysis of clinical features, management, and survival of 76 patients

Background Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) is rare. Patients with advanced melanoma of esophageal origin tend to have lower response rates to traditional therapies than those with other melanomas. We report our experience of 12 patients with PMME administered PD‐1 inhibitors. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 76 patients with PMME who attended Peking University Cancer Hospital between January 2008 and September 2017. Objective response rates (ORRs) and progression‐free survival (PFS) were assessed. Results The 76 PMMEs were classified as unresectable or metastatic. The patients were allocated to three cohorts according to their treatment: chemotherapy (C: 46 patients), targeted therapy (T: 2 patients), and PD‐1 inhibitors (IT: 12 patients). The PFS in the C cohort was three months with a limited ORR of 10.9%. In the IT cohort, seven patients (75.0%) achieved a partial response and three had stable disease for 4+ months. The median PFS in the IT cohort was not reached and the mean was 15.6 months, which was much longer than in cohort C (P < 0.001). Conclusion Although this cohort of patients was small, it is the largest series investigated thus far. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the outcomes of advanced PMMEs treated with PD‐1 inhibitors. Dramatic responses can occur in patients with advanced PMMEs