Student user preferences for features of next-generation OPACs: a case study of University of Sheffield international students

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to identity the features that international student users prefer for next generation OPACs. Design/ methodology/ approach. 16 international students of the University of Sheffield were interviewed in July 2008 to explore their preferences among potential features in next generation OPACs. A semi-structured interview schedule with images of mock-up screens was used. Findings. The results of the interviews were broadly consistent with previous studies. In general, students expect features in next generation OPACs should be save their time, easy to use and relevant to their search. This study found that recommender features and features that can provide better navigation of search results are desired by users. However, Web 2.0 features, such as RSS feeds and those features which involved user participation were among the most popular. Practical implications. This paper produces findings of relevance to any academic library seeking to implement a next-generation OPAC. Originality/value. There have been no previous published research studies of users’ preferences among possible features of next-generation OPACs

Prompt photon, Drell-Yan and Bethe-Heitler processes in hard photoproduction

We present prospects and requirements for the study at HERA of hard photon processes which generate high $p_T$ photons in the final state, and processes which generate Drell-Yan lepton pairs.Comment: 6 pages, 3 embedded figures. To appear in the proceedings of the workshop "Future physics at HERA

QCD Physics with ZEUS and H1 at HERA

A review is presented of recent results in QCD from the H1 and ZEUS experiments at HERA, emphasizing the use of higher order calculations to describe the data.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures, invited review paper for Mod. Phys. Lett

The Eclipse JUnit Test Recorder

The Eclipse JUnit Test Recorder (EJUTR) is a plug-in for the Eclipse software framework that adds additional functionality to an existing Eclipse plug-in known as the Eclipse-Based Object Bench (E-BOB.) EJUTR allows users to easily create JUnit test cases based on their interactions with the Object Bench. Using E-BOB and EJUTR together allows the user to both interact with Java objects and implement JUnit test cases without requiring knowledge of either Java or JUnit syntax

Discrimination of computer-graphic stimuli by mice: a method for the behavioral characterization of transgenic and gene-knockout models.

An automated method is described for the behavioral testing of mice in an apparatus that allows computer-graphic stimulus material to be presented. Mice responded to these stimuli by making a nose-poke toward a computer monitor that was equipped with a touchscreen attachment for detecting responses. It was found that C57BL/6 mice were able to solve single-pair visual discriminations as well as 3-pair concurrent visual discriminations. The finding that mice are capable of complex visual discriminations introduces the possibility of testing mice on nonspatial tasks that are similar to those used with rats, monkeys, and humans. Furthermore, the method seems particularly well suited to the comprehensive behavioral assessment of transgenic and gene-knockout models

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis and its role in cognition.

UNLABELLED: Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) has intrigued neuroscientists for decades. Several lines of evidence show that adult-born neurons in the hippocampus are functionally integrated and contribute to cognitive function, in particular learning and memory processes. Biological properties of immature hippocampal neurons indicate that these cells are more easily excitable compared with mature neurons, and demonstrate enhanced structural plasticity. The structure in which adult-born hippocampal neurons are situated-the dentate gyrus-is thought to contribute to hippocampus function by disambiguating similar input patterns, a process referred to as pattern separation. Several ideas about AHN function have been put forward; currently there is good evidence in favor of a role for AHN in pattern separation. This function of AHN may be understood within a 'representational-hierarchical' view of brain organization. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:573-587. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1304 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.The discovery of neurogenesis in the brain of adult mammals1-3 , including humans4 , received considerable attention as it challenged the prevailing dogma that the brain is ‘post-mitotic’ and as such is endowed with limited regenerative capacity. In the mammalian brain, adult neurogenesis is restricted to two regions: 1. the DG, at the border of the granule cell layer and hilus (the subgranular zone) where adult neurogenesis gives rise to the primary granule cells (GCs), and 2. the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles; cells born here subsequently migrate to the olfactory bulb5-7 . Given the well-established role of the hippocampus in learning and memory8 , it was soon suggested that AHN may contribute to these functions in some way. This idea was supported by the finding that memory demand correlated with AHN in birds9 and that in rats AHN could be stimulated by learning a spatial task10. In this manuscript, we will review some of the biological properties of adult-born hippocampal neurons and provide an overview of the structure in which adult-born hippocampal neurons are situated, the dentate gyrus. This is followed by an overview of studies that have addressed a putative role of AHN in learning and memory function and a discussion of the ideas on how adult-born hippocampal neurons may contribute to hippocampus function.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wcs.1304/abstract

Research Information Systems – fit for the future? A report on the situation and plans of the University of Sheffield Library

This article discusses the University of Sheffield’s rationale for joining, and the experience of participating in, the Development Partner Programme for Ex Libris’ Esploro product. It should be noted that the article expresses the opinions of the University of Sheffield Library staff writing the article, and not the Ex Libris company

PERFORMANCE OF TRANSGENIC TgTau-P301L MICE IN A 5-CHOICE SERIAL REACTION TIME TASK (5-CSRTT) AS A MODEL OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Alzheimer’s disease is increasing to epidemic levels with an estimated 36 million people affected worldwide (Wimo 2010). The aetiology of the disease is not known, which is hindering the progression of the treatment. This study is a longitudinal investigation into the performance of TgTauP301L mice as an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease on the computer automated touchscreen 5- choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT). TgTauP301L mice have a single tau mutation in the P301L gene and develop the tau pathology that represents the observed tauopathy in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of the investigation is to observe if tau pathology in the TgTauP301L mice causes a cognitive impairment in attention and executive function and at what stage this can be identified by the 5-CSRTT task. This will establish if the animals can be used as a therapeutic model for pre-clinical drug trials and help to identify an early indicator and intervention point in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The animals have previously been studied at 5-months and no differences between performances of the TgTauP301L mice and wild type mice were found (unpublished data). This study measured the performance of the animals at 7- months which is when the tauopathy begins to develop in TgTauP301L mice (Murakami 2005). The results of this study showed that there was no deficit in the performance of the TgTauP301L compared to the wild type mice and there had been no change in the animals’ performance compared to at 5-months. The animals will be retested at 12-months once the pathology has extensively spread to see if the tauopathy causes a deficit in performance

Primakoff effect in eta-photoproduction off protons

We analyse data on forward eta-meson photoproduction off a proton target and extract the eta to gamma gamma decay width utilizing the Primakoff effect. The hadronic amplitude that enters into our analysis is strongly constrained because it is fixed from a global fit to available gamma p to p eta data for differential cross sections and polarizations. We compare our results with present information on the two-photon eta-decay from the literature. We provide predictions for future PrimEx experiments at Jefferson Laboratory in order to motivate further studies.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, gamma-gamma*-eta form factor included, version to appear in Eur. Phys. J. A

The role of the dorsal hippocampus in two versions of the touchscreen automated paired associates learning (PAL) task for mice.

RATIONALE: The CANTAB object-location paired-associate learning (PAL) test can detect cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. A rodent version of touch screen PAL (dPAL) has been developed, but the underlying neural mechanisms are not fully understood. Although there is evidence that inactivation of the hippocampus following training leads to impairments in rats, this has not been tested in mice. Furthermore, it is not known whether acquisition, as opposed to performance, of the rodent version depends on the hippocampus. This is critical as many mouse models may have hippocampal dysfunction prior to the onset of task training. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to examine the effects of dorsal hippocampal (dHp) dysfunction on both performance and acquisition of mouse dPAL and to determine if hippocampal task sensitivity could be increased using a newly developed context-disambiguated PAL (cdPAL) paradigm. METHODS: In experiment 1, C57Bl/6 mice received post-acquisition dHp infusions of the GABA agonist muscimol. In experiment 2, C57Bl/6 mice received excitotoxic dHp lesions prior to dPAL/cdPAL acquisition. RESULTS: Post-acquisition muscimol dose-dependently impaired dPAL and cdPAL performance. Pre-acquisition dHp lesions had only mild effects on both PAL tasks. Behavioural challenges including addition of objects and degradation of the visual stimuli with noise did not reveal any further impairments. CONCLUSIONS: dPAL and cdPAL performance is hippocampus-dependent in the mouse, but both tasks can be learned in the absence of a functional dHp.CHK received funding from the Korean Health Technology R&D Project, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (HI11C1183). CJH, LMS and TJB were funded by Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust grant 089703/Z/09/Z. BAK was funded by a Gates-Cambridge Fellowship. LMS and TJB also received funding from the Innovative Medicine Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement no 115008 of which resources are composed of EFPIA inkind contribution and financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013).This is the final published version. It first appeared from Springer at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-015-3949-