Does Format Matter? Reader Preferences in an Academic Library Context

Although many academic libraries have dramatically increased their e‐book acquisitions in recent years, questions linger about format preference. When a scholarly monograph is made available in both print and electronic formats, which format will users prefer? Does format even matter? At the University of Toronto Libraries, we analyzed usage data for scholarly monographs from three key university presses, covering thousands of titles over several years of publication. By comparing print and e‐book usage patterns of identical titles, our goal was to examine format preferences and determine if there are differences in usage across subject disciplines or publishers. Through this analysis, our aim is to question whether continued acquisition of the same content in multiple formats is necessary and desirable, especially in an era of rapid technological change, increased pressure on library acquisitions budgets, and diminishing physical storage space

DCC Digital Curation Manual: Instalment on Archival Metadata

Instalment on the role of archival metadata within the digital curation life-cycle. Describes the increasingly important role of archival metadata for digital curation, some practical applications for archival metadata, issues of interoperability between metadata schemes, the topic’s place within the OAIS reference model and the issues associated with preservation metadat

Hg2+ detection using a phosphorothioate RNA probe adsorbed on graphene oxide and a comparison with thymine-rich DNA

Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal and many DNA-based biosensors have been recently developed for Hg2+ detection in water. Among them, thymine-rich DNA is the most commonly used for designing Hg2+ sensors. However, the thymine-Hg2+ interaction is strongly affected by the buffer conditions. We recently reported a molecular beacon containing phosphorothioate (PS)-modified RNA linkages that can be cleaved by Hg2+. In this work, the fluorescence quenching and DNA adsorption properties of nano-sized graphene oxide (NGO) were used to develop a new sensor using the PS-RNA chemistry. Three DNA probes, containing one, three and five PS-RNA linkages, respectively, were tested. Finally, a fluorophore-labeled poly-A DNA with five PS-RNA linkages was selected and adsorbed by NGO. In the presence of Hg2+, the fluorophore was released from NGO due to the cleavage reaction, resulting in a fluorescence enhancement. This sensor is highly selective for Hg2+ with a detection limit of 8.5 nM Hg2+. For comparison, a fluorophore-labeled poly-T DNA was also tested, which responded to Hg2+ more slowly and was inhibited by high NaCl concentrations, while the PS-RNA probe was more tolerant to different buffer conditions. This work indicates a new method for interfacing DNA with NGO for Hg2+ detection.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) [386326, STPGP 447472-13

Continuous intraperitoneal insulin infusion in patients with 'brittle' diabetes:Favourable effects on glycaemic control and hospital stay

Aims: To evaluate the effects of continuous intraperitoneal insulin infusion (CIPII) using implantable pumps on glycaemic control and duration of hospital stay in poorly controlled 'brittle' Dutch diabetes patients, and to assess their current quality of life. Methods: Thirty-three patients were included. Glycaemic control was retrospectively assessed with HbA1c levels acquired before implantation, 1 year later and at long-term follow up of 58 months. Duration of hospital stay the year before and the year following first implantation was extracted from hospital records. Determinants of long-term glycaemic response were sought. Self-report questionnaires were administered at 58 months follow-up only, to assess current psychopathology and quality of life. Results: Mean HbA1c decreased from 10.0 ± 2.3% to 9.0 ± 1.8% (P = 0.039) 1 year after implantation and stabilized at 9.0 ± 1.6% (P = 0.023) during long-term follow-up. Median number of hospital days in the 20 patients suffering from hospital admission before implantation decreased from 45 the year before implantation to 13 the year after (P = 0.005). Patients with a higher baseline HbA1c showed a larger long-term response (P ≤ 0.001). Relatively low levels for quality of life were found, as well as a higher than expected number of patients with psychiatric symptoms. Conclusions: CIPII proved effective in complex patients with a history of poor control and hospital admission. Despite a substantial long-term improvement in glycaemic control and diminished hospital stay, normal levels of glycaemic control and quality of life were not attained