Collection Development and Data Visualization: How Interactive Graphic Displays Are Transforming Collection Development Decisions

Given the changing collection management landscape a clear tool for evaluating purchase decisions is needed to help selectors make the most of budget allocations. The UMass Amherst Libraries uses the business intelligence software Tableau to help selectors more clearly see the connection between monograph purchases and circulation data. Using dashboards, subject selectors can see the impact of monograph selections within a discipline, across the collection, and over a period of time. Graphic visualizations are easier to understand than previously used text and numerical based spreadsheets for data analysis and facilitate exploration at different levels. This paper discusses how data visualizations are used to effectively communicate monograph purchasing, circulation, and expenditures. Interactive dashboards help transform abstract ideas into a solid holistic understanding of the collections and in turn provide a common language to facilitate collection development discussions, decisions, and policies

Yours, Mine, Ours: Some Best Practices for Authors Writing Collaboratively

The authors of this article focus on the best practices we learned through our experiences in scholarly writing, with a specific focus on the collaborative writing process. For the sake of this paper, we define collaborative writing as a collective process of creating a scholarly work for distribution, either through formal (e.g., peer-review) or informal (e.g., white paper) venues. This article is, in part, in response to our lack of formal training and addresses a situation in which we felt other researchers might find themselves. We hope to provide starting points for others interested in writing collaboratively and help empower those wishing to have a broader conversation about writing. Our scope here is limited to collaborative writing, and as such, we exclude other components of collaborative scholarly work, such as generating an idea, pursuing a grant, or analyzing data. Nevertheless, we do endeavor to provide resources and advice broadly applicable and relevant to all disciplines. After a brief literature review, included to provide a broader context, the authors give some background information on their own experiences with co-authorship prior to this article. However, the authors dedicate most of this article to presenting reflections, advice, and a curated list of open-access resources related to some of the critical aspects and challenges of collaborative writing

Effect of Maternal Diet on Maternal Milk and Breastfed Infant Gut Microbiomes: A Scoping Review

While it is widely recognized that nutrition during pregnancy and lactation can affect the microbiome of breast milk as well as the formation of the infant gut microbiome, we are only just beginning to understand the extent to which maternal diet impacts these microbiomes. Given the importance of the microbiome for infant health, we conducted a comprehensive review of the published literature to explore the current scope of knowledge regarding associations between maternal diet and the breast milk and infant gut microbiomes. Papers included in this review assessed either diet during lactation or pregnancy, and the milk and/or infant gut microbiome. Sources included cohort studies, randomized clinical trials, one case-control study, and one crossover study. From an initial review of 808 abstracts, we identified 19 reports for a full analysis. Only two studies assessed the effects of maternal diet on both milk and infant microbiomes. Although the reviewed literature supports the importance of a varied, nutrient-dense maternal diet in the formation of the infant’s gut microbiome, several studies found factors other than maternal diet to have a greater impact on the infant microbiome

Curiosity as Outreach: Flipping Outreach on its Head

Science and Engineering Library staff at the University of Massachusetts Amherst visited several sites on campus in a novel outreach initiative that involved all nine staff members taking “field trips” without agendas. We demonstrate that outreach without the explicit goal of promoting a specific resource or service can be an effective use of time, and can build social capital that shares the goals of traditional outreach. Involving all staff in this outreach effort was a valuable team building experience, exposing the depth of our interests and expertise to each other and to our campus community

Análisis de frecuencias alélicas y genotípicas de las variantes CYP2A6*12 y rs16969968 de CHRNA5 y su asociación con el hábito de fumar y el índice de masa corporal (IMC) en sujetos jóvenes del noreste de México

Several studies have reported that variants rs16969968 G>A of the CHRNA5 gene and CYP2A6*12 of the CYP2A6 gene are associated with smoking and smoking refusal, respectively. In addition, some studies report that a higher cigarette consumption is associated with low body mass index (BMI). Aim: To analyze the allele and genotypic frequencies of these variants and their impact on smoking and BMI. Material and Methods: A blood sample was obtained and a survey about smoking habits was answered by 319 university students aged 18 to 35 years (127 women, 171 smokers), living in Northeastern Mexico. Genetic variants were studied by polymerase chain reaction/ restriction fragment length polymorphism and their frequencies were associated with smoking and BMI. Results: No associations were found between the analyzed variants and smoking in the study groups. However, there was an association among non-smoking subjects between the A allele of rs16969968 and high a BMI (p < 0.01). Conclusions: This last variant may be involved in food-addiction disorders

Puzzling Patent Coloring Book

Coloring book containing a selected page from different U.S. patents or patent applications pertaining to the theme of puzzles

Take A Seat Patents Coloring Book

Coloring book containing a selected page from eighteen different U.S. patents or patent applications pertaining to the theme of chairs