Digital Forensics and Born-Digital Content in Cultural Heritage Collections

Digital Forensics and Born-Digital Content in Cultural Heritage Collections examines digital forensics and its relevance for contemporary research. The applicability of digital forensics to archivists, curators, and others working within our cultural heritage is not necessarily intuitive. When the shared interests of digital forensics and responsibilities associated with securing and maintaining our cultural legacy are identified—preservation, extraction, documentation, and interpretation, as this report details—the correspondence between these fields of study becomes logical and compelling.Council on Library and Information Resource

A New Diketopiperazine, Cyclo-(4-S-hydroxy-R-proline-R-isoleucine), from an Australian Specimen of the Sponge Stelletta sp. †

While investigating the cytotoxic activity of the methanol extract of an Australian marine sponge Stelletta sp. (Demospongiae), a new diketopiperazine, cyclo-(4-S-hydroxy-R-proline-R-isoleucine) (1), was isolated together with the known bengamides; A (2), F (3), N (4), Y (5), and bengazoles; Z (6), C4 (7) and C6 (8). The isolation and structure elucidation of the diketopiperazine (1), together with the activity of 1–8 against a panel of human and mammalian cell lines are discussed

Strong population structure deduced from genetics, otolith chemistry and parasite abundances explains vulnerability to localized fishery collapse in a large Sciaenid fish, Protonibea diacanthus

As pressure on coastal marine resources is increasing globally, the need to quantitatively assess vulnerable fish stocks is crucial in order to avoid the ecological consequences of stock depletions. Species of Sciaenidae (croakers, drums) are important components of tropical and temperate fisheries and are especially vulnerable to exploitation. The black-spotted croaker, Protonibea diacanthus, is the only large sciaenid in coastal waters of northern Australia where it is targeted by commercial, recreational and indigenous fishers due to its food value and predictable aggregating behaviour. Localised declines in the abundance of this species have been observed, highlighting the urgent requirement by managers for information on fine and broad-scale population connectivity. This study examined the population structure of P. diacanthus across northwestern Australia using three complementary methods: genetic variation in microsatellite markers, otolith elemental composition and parasite assemblage composition. The genetic analyses demonstrated that there were at least five genetically distinct populations across the study region, with gene flow most likely restricted by inshore biogeographic barriers such as the Dampier Peninsula. The otolith chemistry and parasite analyses also revealed strong spatial variation among locations within broad-scale regions, suggesting fine-scale location fidelity within the lifetimes of individual fish. The complementarity of the three techniques elucidated patterns of connectivity over a range of spatial and temporal scales. We conclude that fisheries stock assessments and management are required at fine scales (100's km) to account for the restricted exchange among populations (stocks) and to prevent localised extirpations of this species. Realistic management arrangements may involve the successive closure and opening of fishing areas to reduce fishing pressure

Drivers of Holocene palsa distribution in North America

Palsas and peat plateaus are climatically sensitive landforms in permafrost peatlands. Climate envelope models have previously related palsa/peat plateau distributions in Europe to modern climate, but similar bioclimatic modelling has not been attempted for North America. Recent climate change has rendered many palsas/peat plateaus in this region, and their valuable carbon stores, vulnerable. We fitted a binary logistic regression model to predict palsa/peat plateau presence for North America by relating the distribution of 352 extant landforms to gridded modern climate data. Our model accurately classified 85.3% of grid cells that contain observed palsas/peat plateaus and 77.1% of grid cells without observed palsas/peat plateaus. The model indicates that modern North American palsas/peat plateaus are supported by cold, dry climates with large seasonal temperature ranges and mild growing seasons. We used palaeoclimate simulations from a general circulation model to simulate Holocene distributions of palsas/peat plateaus at 500-year intervals. We constrained these outputs with timings of peat initiation, deglaciation, and postglacial drainage across the continent. Our palaeoclimate simulations indicate that this climate envelope remained stationary in western North America throughout the Holocene, but further east it migrated northwards during 11.5–6.0 ka BP. However, palsa extents in eastern North America were restricted from following this moving climate envelope by late deglaciation, drainage and peat initiation. We validated our Holocene simulations against available palaeoecological records and whilst they agree that permafrost peatlands aggraded earliest in western North America, our simulations contest previous suggestions that late permafrost aggradation in central Canada was climatically-driven

Transforming the Bodleian: Chapter 13 - The creation of the Weston Library

The transformation of the Bodleian Libraries provides an example of how major libraries can meet twenty-first century challenges: in 2008 it was facing a failed system installation, a failed plan to cope with its storage needs and the threat of losing status as a repository suitable to house important manuscripts. Three years later it had a new state-of-the-art repository already holding 7 million items under full automated control, a new advanced library system, transformed reader spaces and the reconstruction of its major building well under way; This was achieved in record-breaking time without significant interruptions in service

Jaspar Gryffyth and his books

THE great collectors of manuscripts in Britain during the century following the dissolution of the monasteries, men such as Parker, Dee, Cotton, and Lumley, were figures, by and large, of some standing in church or state, with the means and opportunity to amass large numbers of manuscript books and other documents from the medieval collections. Humbler persons could however establish collections of some importance, and they were often formed in the provinces, away from the major trading areas such as London, Oxford and Cambridge. A study of these individuals can supply valuable insights into the way in which larger collections were created. Likewise these modest collectors often engaged in antiquarian research and writing in a small but significant way. Jaspar Gryffyth was just such an individual. He lived at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: although very little evidence of his life has survived in contemporary records we do have his Commonplace Book and some correspondence,and can trace details of his book-collecting activities. Printed below in the Appendix are three lists. The first is of manuscripts which he offered to loan to, or perhaps exchange with. Sir Robert Cotton; the other two of manuscripts and printed books associated with him in some way and of his annotations in his copy of Bale. Before these lists are discussed, it is necessary to provide some account of his life and background