User Education

You notice the flashing notification in the corner of your screen. Click: Claim Chat. Chat00568: Hi! I’m writing a paper about Black representation in opera and trying to find a copy of Fire Shut Up in My Bones. I tried googling but wasn’t able to find it. Do you know where I can find a copy? Music Librarian: What a great topic! One moment while I search for that. Furiously searches all of the standard places for a new opera score. Fire Shut Up in My Bones is too new to be commercially available but it does look like there are a few options to view or listen to a recording of a production. Music Librarian: It looks like the score is not available for purchase or rental, yet. Let me see if we have an audio or video recording. Music Librarian: Alas, we don’t have it on CD, DVD, or access through any of our streaming services. Based on my WorldCat search, a few other music libraries in the region have a copy of the DVD. Would you like help placing an ILL request? Chat00568: That would be great! Thanks! Could you help me find scholarly articles about the opera, too? Music Librarian: Sure! Why don’t we set up a research consultation for later this week? You can schedule a meeting with me using my online scheduler. Would you prefer to meet virtually or in-person . . . You start drafting an email to the opera history professor to discuss scheduling a library instruction session. As Leslie Troutman noted in the “User Education” essay for the Current State of Music Librarianship in 2000 (upon which the above interaction is modeled), “Whether we call it user education, library-use instruction, or bibliographic instruction, the goal is the same: to teach our users to be effective, efficient, and independent researchers.” The nomenclature continues to change, and today, librarians are more likely to use the terms information literacy instruction or library instruction, but the main goals of user education remain. It is the information landscape and expectations for the methods and modes of delivery themselves that are radically different. This essay will provide a brief overview of the changes and developments in library instruction, with an emphasis on music libraries in higher education, that have occurred since the 2000 essay in an effort to capture what user education looks like in music librarianship today

An Environmental Justice Analysis: Superfund Sites and Surrounding Communities in Illinois

Is there an association between Superfund sites and the socioeconomic makeup of the surrounding communities? This research analyzes the current economic and racial demographics of Illinois counties that contain Superfund sites. Specifically, variables that are indicators of environmental injustice are analyzed; e.g. race, median household income, and home ownership. Since the inception of the environmental justice movement in the late 1980s, studies have been conducted nationally and at state levels in Michigan, California, Ohio, Florida, Texas, and South Carolina (i.e. Cutter 2006; Mohai & Saha 2006; Pastor et al. 2004; Anderton et al. 1997; Bevc et al. 2007; Bowen et al. 1995). However, environmental justice research specific to the state of Illinois is largely unexplored. This research will better identify environmental disparities in rural Illinois counties that have little or no minority population. Additionally, this research adopts a distance-based spatial analysis approach in an attempt to achieve results more precise than previous unit-hazard coincidence analysis methods (Mohai & Saha 2006). Areal apportionment methodology is used to analyze demographic data from the 2000 United States (U.S.) Census Summary Files (SF1 and SF3) for the impacted counties in Illinois. This research uses ArcView GIS™ (Version 9.2) to create buffer zones of one-, two-, and five-miles centered on X, Y coordinates obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These uniform neighborhoods are used to determine percentages of racial minority, median household income, and home ownership within these radii. The results are then compared to percentages calculated from the remainder of the county population to establish foremost, if specific environmental injustice criteria are met and subsequently, examine how social and racial demographics within the buffer zone vary with respect to the distance from the Superfund site. This research yields essential data for urban and community planners within Illinois. First, this research identifies areas of environmental inequality to be targeted for future amelioration. Secondly, this research better characterizes the relationship between environmental hazards and surrounding communities, both urban and rural. Thirdly, this research will enable city planners to site future environmental hazards judiciously. Lastly, this research is a stepping-stone toward a more detailed longitudinal study of environmental justice in Illinois

An Environmental Justice Analysis: Superfund Sites and Surrounding Communities in Illinois

Is there an association between Superfund sites and the socioeconomic makeup of the surrounding communities? This research analyzes the current economic and racial demographics of Illinois counties that contain Superfund sites. Specifically, variables that are indicators of environmental injustice are analyzed; e.g. race, median household income, and home ownership. Since the inception of the environmental justice movement in the late 1980s, studies have been conducted nationally and at state levels in Michigan, California, Ohio, Florida, Texas, and South Carolina (i.e. Cutter 2006; Mohai & Saha 2006; Pastor et al. 2004; Anderton et al. 1997; Bevc et al. 2007; Bowen et al. 1995). However, environmental justice research specific to the state of Illinois is largely unexplored. This research will better identify environmental disparities in rural Illinois counties that have little or no minority population. Additionally, this research adopts a distance-based spatial analysis approach in an attempt to achieve results more precise than previous unit-hazard coincidence analysis methods (Mohai & Saha 2006). Areal apportionment methodology is used to analyze demographic data from the 2000 United States (U.S.) Census Summary Files (SF1 and SF3) for the impacted counties in Illinois. This research uses ArcView GIS™ (Version 9.2) to create buffer zones of one-, two-, and five-miles centered on X, Y coordinates obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These uniform neighborhoods are used to determine percentages of racial minority, median household income, and home ownership within these radii. The results are then compared to percentages calculated from the remainder of the county population to establish foremost, if specific environmental injustice criteria are met and subsequently, examine how social and racial demographics within the buffer zone vary with respect to the distance from the Superfund site. This research yields essential data for urban and community planners within Illinois. First, this research identifies areas of environmental inequality to be targeted for future amelioration. Secondly, this research better characterizes the relationship between environmental hazards and surrounding communities, both urban and rural. Thirdly, this research will enable city planners to site future environmental hazards judiciously. Lastly, this research is a stepping-stone toward a more detailed longitudinal study of environmental justice in Illinois

Helping the Blind to Get through COVID-19: Social Distancing Assistant Using Real-Time Semantic Segmentation on RGB-D Video

The current COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on our daily lives. Social distancing is one of the measures that has been implemented with the aim of slowing the spread of the disease, but it is difficult for blind people to comply with this. In this paper, we present a system that helps blind people to maintain physical distance to other persons using a combination of RGB and depth cameras. We use a real-time semantic segmentation algorithm on the RGB camera to detect where persons are and use the depth camera to assess the distance to them; then, we provide audio feedback through bone-conducting headphones if a person is closer than 1.5 m. Our system warns the user only if persons are nearby but does not react to non-person objects such as walls, trees or doors; thus, it is not intrusive, and it is possible to use it in combination with other assistive devices. We have tested our prototype system on one blind and four blindfolded persons, and found that the system is precise, easy to use, and amounts to low cognitive load

Human amniotic fluid stem cells do not differentiate into dopamine neurons in vitro or after transplantation in vivo.

Although embryonic stem (ES) cells can generate dopamine (DA) neurons that are potentially useful as a cell replacement therapy in Parkinson\u27s disease (PD), associated ethical and practical concerns remain major stumbling blocks to their eventual use in humans. In this study, we examined human amniotic fluid stem (hAFS) cells derived from routine amniocenteses for their potential to give rise to DA neurons in vitro and following transplantation into the 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rat brain. We show that undifferentiated hAFS cells constitutively expressed mRNAs and proteins typical of stem cells but also cell derivatives of all three germ layers, including neural progenitors/neurons (nestin, beta-tubulin III, neurofilament). Additionally, these cells expressed mRNAs of an immature DA phenotype (Lmx1a, Pitx-3, Nurr1, Aldh1a1) but not the corresponding proteins. Importantly, treatment with DA differentiation factors using a variety of protocols did not further promote the development of fully differentiated DA neurons from hAFS cells. Thus, Lmx1a, Aldh1a1, AADC, TH, and DAT proteins were not detected in hAFS cells in culture or after transplantation into the PD rat brain. Moreover, by 3 weeks after implantation, there were no surviving AFS cells in the graft, likely as a result of an acute immunorejection response, as evidenced by the abundant presence of CD11+ macrophage/microglia and reactive GFAP+ astrocytes in the host brain. Taken together, these results suggest that further studies will be needed to improve differentiation procedures in culture and to prolong cell survival in vivo if hAFS cells are to be useful as replacement cells in PD

Exploring and harnessing PEG-immune system interactions to engineer targeted stealth nanoparticles

Effective nanoparticle drug delivery to tumor cells typically relies on prolonged systemic circulation of the nanoparticles to allow for extravasation and accumulation in tumor tissue, as well as targeting ligands on the nanoparticles that can mediate receptor-specific uptake by target tumor cells. Due to the ability of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to effectively reduce nonspecific protein binding and cell clearance, PEGylation has become a commonplace strategy for formulating long-circulating nanoparticle systems. However, the precise characteristics (e.g., PEG molecular weight and density) that influence the interactions between PEG-coated nanoparticles and phagocytic immune cells remain poorly understood for many nanoparticle systems, and findings from human studies suggest that the body is further able to mount PEG-specific humoral responses to PEG-coated agents. Additionally, the presence of targeting ligands on the nanoparticle surface may also compromise the extended circulation profile of PEG-coated nanoparticles. To address these challenges and gaps in our understanding, in this dissertation quantitative approaches and systematic analyses were utilized to 1) evaluate the interactions between phagocytic cells and various PEG coatings on polymeric nanoparticles, 2) determine the prevalence and concentrations of different anti-PEG antibody isotypes amongst the general human population, and 3) apply an alternative approach for PEGylated nanoparticle delivery to tumors. The results indicated that extremely dense PEG coatings (RF/D >> 2.8) are required to effectively minimize nonspecific clearance by immune cells. Using competitive ELISAs and engineered antibody standards, the anti-PEG IgG1-4 and IgM levels in a large number of healthy human samples were quantified, with the majority of samples possessing detectable anti-PEG IgG and/or IgM. Finally, a multistep targeting (i.e., pretargeting) approach was tested for the delivery of biotin PEG-modified nanoparticles to disparate tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. The analytical methodologies and overall findings described here can inform future studies of PEGylated nanoparticle-immune system interactions and nanoparticle targeting strategies.Doctor of Philosoph

Creating Information-Literate Musicians in the Academic Library

For musicians, the act of creation is multifaceted: musicians perform, analyze, write, speak, and teach in highly collaborative and diverse environments. Information-literate musicians require training to understand and engage with the myriad kinds of content and materials inherent to the contemplation, study, creation, and enjoyment of music. The various information needs of musicians requires creators to make many choices--from selecting a particular score edition or recording from many similar options, to employing a specific scholarly or pedagogical methodology to their work, musicians require the skills to critically evaluate information and determine its usefulness. Music’s ubiquity adds a further layer of intricacy, as music-related research happens in both the concert hall and the classroom, and is not limited to music programs. Disciplines from anthropology to psychology to literature to media studies employ music as a lens through which to examine art, culture, and social structures. As in other creative fields, the history of music scholarship has been heavily influenced by its focus on Western art music and has resulted in the prioritization of Euro-centric musical traditions in study and performance, making research on non-Western and popular music trickier for creators and researchers to conduct. Each of these elements contributes to a complex landscape for librarians planning information literacy instruction activities in support of music-related research and creation. Because of this complexity, students pursuing academic projects that involve music may need support for a range of creative endeavors, and information literacy instruction might seem like a complicated feat for the librarians who work with these creators. By defining what information literacy is for music students and exploring the ways that academic research and creation in music intersects with other disciplines, the authors provide a framework to help librarians contribute to the development of information-literate musicians