e-Science at the University of Minnesota: a collaborative approach

In 2008 the University of Minnesota Libraries formed the E-science and Data Services Collaborative (EDSC). The group was formed amid an environment of emerging initiatives related to e-science at the University, and was intended to leverage our existing expertise, such as our nationally recognized assessments of researcher behavior, to develop new capacity and engage with campus partners to support e-science and data services. We will report on the EDSC’s progress to date, including the following four areas of focus: • A Data Stewardship Report assessing requirements for support of e-science and data services, determining gaps in our capacity, and seeking out opportunities to develop necessary expertise including data curation, data preservation, data policies and virtual organizations. • A staff education program assessing the needs of libraries staff related to e-science and data services to establish a position description framework that includes E-scholarship: a potential new model for library liaison roles across campus that supports interdisciplinary and data intensive research. • In coordination with the University’s Research Cyberinfrastructure Alliance (members include the Libraries, Office of Information Technology, Office of the Vice President for Research, and Minnesota Super Computing Institute), a two-phased plan for a Web Development project that defines our core services and areas of expertise in “data services” in the context of other campus services and initiatives. • Increasing campus awareness of data management issues through the creation of a library Web site and skills-based workshop for faculty, students and researchers about data management best practices and university policies, including those that support open data initiatives

A Future of the Academic Library Web Presence

When discovery happens elsewhere, how can academic libraries add value to the research process? How can we transition our interfaces from the one-size-fits-all information fire hose to a targeted, customized research dashboard? This presentation will discuss some current projects at the University of Minnesota Libraries designed to automate the delivery of relevant information to users. We will also speculate on future directions for reconfiguring the Libraries\u27 web presence as a personalized productivity-enhancing interface

Denuncias poéticas: la lamentación de Fray Calixto de San José Túpac Inca y su discurso bajtiniano con doble voz

El presente artículo explora la “Representación Verdadera”, una carta de 1748 que se atribuye a Fray Calixto de San José Túpac Inca, un fraile mestizo de las sierras peruanas. La carta, que se dirige al Rey Fernando VI de España, protesta sobre el tratamiento inhumano que padecen los indios andinos y su exclusión sistemática al no ser considerados como miembros en completa hermandad dentro de los órdenes religiosos. Los indios podían solamente ser donados en las órdenes y trabajar como sirvientes, sin la posibilidad de ser elevados. Este mismo tipo de tratamiento se extendía en todos los aspectos de la sociedad colonial. En su carta, Fray Calixto utiliza el poema encontrado en el libro Lamentaciones, capítulo V, como el marco en que numera las quejas de los indios, conectando sus aflicciones con las del antiguo pueblo de Israel. El franciscano crea un tipo de discurso bajtiniano con doble voz que hábilmente combina varias voces para crear paralelos entre diferentes situaciones históricas y sociales

One Change at a Time: Pop up Usability Testing

Library staff know the bizarre tricks and jargon we use to navigate our system and websites while our users continue to struggle and never get as adjusted. The University of Minnesota Libraries have committed to running monthly web usability tests in-house that illustrate the user\u27s perspective. These tests guide us in implementing changes to our system and websites. With little more than a spare computer, Skype, and a group of diligent and willing staff, we\u27ve been able to learn incredibly useful things about our web sites and applications. In this session, we\u27ll describe our process, some examples of evaluations we\u27ve run, what we\u27ve done with the information, lessons we\u27ve learned along the way, and we\u27ll show you how you too can run usability tests at your library

Efficiency of Collisionally-activated dissociation and 193-nm photodissociation of peptide ions in fourier transform mass spectrometry

AbstractFor tandem mass spectrometry, the Fourier transform instrument exhibits advantages for the use of collisionally-activated dissociation (CAD). The CAD energy deposited in larger ions can be greatly increased by extending the collision time to as much as 120 s, and the efficiency of trapping and measuring CAD product ions in many times greater than the found for triple-quadrupole or magnetic sector instruments, although the increased pressure from the collision gas is an offsetting disadvantage. A novel system that uses the same laser for photodesorption of ions and their subsequent photodissociation can produce complete dissociation of larger oligopeptide ions and unusually abundant fragment ions. In comparison to CAD, much more internal energy can be deposited in the primary ions using 193-nm photons, sufficient to dissociate peptide ions of m/z > 2000. Mass spectra closely resembling ion photodissociation spectra can also be obtained by neutral photodissociation (193-nm laser irradiation of the sample) followed by ion photodesorption

Managing Wicked Herbicide-Resistance: Lessons from the Field

Herbicide resistance is ‘wicked’ in nature; therefore, results of the many educational efforts to encourage diversification of weed control practices in the United States have been mixed. It is clear that we do not sufficiently understand the totality of the grassroots obstacles, concerns, challenges, and specific solutions needed for varied crop production systems. Weed management issues and solutions vary with such variables as management styles, regions, cropping systems, and available or affordable technologies. Therefore, to help the weed science community better understand the needs and ideas of those directly dealing with herbicide resistance, seven half-day regional listening sessions were held across the United States between December 2016 and April 2017 with groups of diverse stakeholders on the issues and potential solutions for herbicide resistance management. The major goals of the sessions were to gain an understanding of stakeholders and their goals and concerns related to herbicide resistance management, to become familiar with regional differences, and to identify decision maker needs to address herbicide resistance. The messages shared by listening-session participants could be summarized by six themes: we need new herbicides; there is no need for more regulation; there is a need for more education, especially for others who were not present; diversity is hard; the agricultural economy makes it difficult to make changes; and we are aware of herbicide resistance but are managing it. The authors concluded that more work is needed to bring a community-wide, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complexity of managing weeds within the context of the whole farm operation and for communicating the need to address herbicide resistance

Managing Wicked Herbicide-Resistance: Lessons from the Field

Herbicide resistance is ‘wicked’ in nature; therefore, results of the many educational efforts to encourage diversification of weed control practices in the United States have been mixed. It is clear that we do not sufficiently understand the totality of the grassroots obstacles, concerns, challenges, and specific solutions needed for varied crop production systems. Weed management issues and solutions vary with such variables as management styles, regions, cropping systems, and available or affordable technologies. Therefore, to help the weed science community better understand the needs and ideas of those directly dealing with herbicide resistance, seven half-day regional listening sessions were held across the United States between December 2016 and April 2017 with groups of diverse stakeholders on the issues and potential solutions for herbicide resistance management. The major goals of the sessions were to gain an understanding of stakeholders and their goals and concerns related to herbicide resistance management, to become familiar with regional differences, and to identify decision maker needs to address herbicide resistance. The messages shared by listening-session participants could be summarized by six themes: we need new herbicides; there is no need for more regulation; there is a need for more education, especially for others who were not present; diversity is hard; the agricultural economy makes it difficult to make changes; and we are aware of herbicide resistance but are managing it. The authors concluded that more work is needed to bring a community-wide, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complexity of managing weeds within the context of the whole farm operation and for communicating the need to address herbicide resistance

Managing Herbicide Resistance: Listening to the Perspectives of Practitioners. Procedures for Conducting Listening Sessions and an Evaluation of the Process

Seven half-day regional listening sessions were held between December 2016 and April 2017 with groups of diverse stakeholders on the issues and potential solutions for herbicide-resistance management. The objective of the listening sessions was to connect with stakeholders and hear their challenges and recommendations for addressing herbicide resistance. The coordinating team hired Strategic Conservation Solutions, LLC, to facilitate all the sessions. They and the coordinating team used in-person meetings, teleconferences, and email to communicate and coordinate the activities leading up to each regional listening session. The agenda was the same across all sessions and included small-group discussions followed by reporting to the full group for discussion. The planning process was the same across all the sessions, although the selection of venue, time of day, and stakeholder participants differed to accommodate the differences among regions. The listening-session format required a great deal of work and flexibility on the part of the coordinating team and regional coordinators. Overall, the participant evaluations from the sessions were positive, with participants expressing appreciation that they were asked for their thoughts on the subject of herbicide resistance. This paper details the methods and processes used to conduct these regional listening sessions and provides an assessment of the strengths and limitations of those processes

‘Not All That Is White Is Lime’—White Substances from Archaeological Burial Contexts: Analyses and Interpretations

YesArchaeological burial contexts may include a variety of white substances, but few analyses have been published. This study reports on the physico‐chemical characterization of such residues from seven archaeological sites. It is often assumed that white materials from burial contexts are lime. Our findings demonstrate that they can be gypsum, calcite (chalk), aragonite, brushite, degraded metal, natural (gum) resins or synthetic polymer–based products. These may be present as the result of diagenetic processes, funerary practices or modern contamination. This paper provides an analytical approach for the holistic investigation of white materials encountered in burial contexts.Investments for the future’ (IdEx Bordeaux ANR‐10‐IDEX‐03‐02). Grant Number: ANR‐10‐IDEX‐03‐02; Collaborative Projects of the France‐Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Studies; Collaborative Projects of the France–Stanford Center; French State. Grant Number: IdEx Bordeaux ANR‐10‐IDEX‐03‐02; Northern Archaeological Associates Ltd; PACEA; Wessex Archaeology; INRAP; Mersea Island Museum Trust; Vatican's Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology; University of Reading; IRAMAT-CRP2A; University of Bradford; CEREG