New Book Profile
Title: The Periodic Table: Its Story and Significance QD467.S345 2007 (New Book shelf)
Author: Eric R. Scerri
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2007
249 pages
Dr. Eric Scerri, lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA, has written a book that explores the development, both historical and philosophical, of the periodic table of elements. In addition, the book examines the relationship between chemistry and physics. Scerri states in his introduction
One can still consider the more modern question of whether chemistry reduces to its sister science of physics...It is this question that forms the underlying theme for this entire book, and it is a question that is addressed more and more explicitly in later chapters as the story reaches the impact of modern physical theories on our understanding of the periodic system. (p. xviii)
| December 15-16 | CLOSED | Semester End |
| December 17-18 | 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Semester End |
A group of concerned scientists, who saw a lack of scientific questions posed to the presidential hopefuls, formed a coalition calling for a debate on issues related to
The Scientist, an online magazine for the life sciences, held a contest to find the best laboratory sites. After 60 nominations, the judges chose the top ten sites for life science research labs--based on design, usability, content, and community. The judges were scientists, art/creative directors, and professors. The Scientist's finalist site links to the top sites, and provides individual judge comments for each site. The sites highlight some great research with unique and clever Web designs that include images, diagrams, and multimedia presentations. The purpose of the contest was to focus on the important work of disseminating research information in a vital and approachable manner.
I wish I could have reported this to you sooner because some of the talks have already passed. Nature is hosting a Global Climate Change Series in Second Life, the online world being used for just about everything from art exhibits to scholarly lectures, and a whole lot more (there is even a library island staffed with real reference librarians in Second Life). Nature's space in Second Life, aptly called Second Nature, has two more speakers coming in this series:
Because this is the NAS Collegium blog, I usually limit my posts to items of interest for those in the Natural Sciences. Today, however, as the Interlibrary Loan Librarian as well, I want to let you know about an exciting, new feature from Interlibrary Loan. We now have the capability to send documents electronically. Therefore, if a lending library sends us the document electronically (which many do), we can now convert the file to a PDF and send it straight to your e-mail. You will no longer have to wait for delivery via campus mail. The article will arrive immediately. Hurray! Let me know if you have any concerns over this new method of delivery. Otherwise, the e-mails will start arriving in your inboxes. Keep an eye out for them!
Update January 31, 2008: The new process has been successful so far. However, one problem with the new system is that we receive no verification that patrons receive their article. Therefore, if you have not received an email from us updating you on the status of your article or the article itself within 10 days, please contact myself or my assistant Liz Bodie: bodieea at eckerd dot edu
In a previous blog post, I notified you of the availability of Endnote Web. I have said it before, and I will say it again...using a bibliographic citation manager can simplify your writing process dramatically. With Endnote Web, you can take the same group of citations and output them using a variety of specific journal styles or more generic styles such as the Council of Science Editors or the American Chemical Society. In addition, you can share your research easily, even leaving notes for your colleagues in the record for a particular article. Apparently, Thomson Scientific is overwhelmed with requests for lessons on Endnote Web. Therefore, they are offering a number of free Webinars through December. I attended one of these Webinars a few months ago and found it very useful. I highly recommend them for getting a basic understanding of the application. It will last about 45 minutes to an hour, and because it is a live Webinar, you have the ability to ask questions of the trainer. Dates are as follows:
A subscription database launched by BioMed Central, Biology Image Library contains images, illustrations, and movies related to
- Development Biology
- Histology & Pathology
- Immunology
- Microbiology & Parasitology
- Molecular & Cellular Biology
- Neuroscience
- Plant Biology
A new open-access journal titled Nonlinear Biomedical Physics is being published by BioMed Central. The journal, founded by Zbigniew Czernicki, will focus on articles that offer a
- better understanding of the physiological origin of complex nonlinear dynamics of living systems
- calculation of quantitative measures of complex spatial and temporal behaviour and classification of different physiological and pathological states through nonlinear analysis of biosignals (EEG, EMG, HRV)
- studies of the feasibility of applying complexity measures as diagnostic tools in Medicine, to characterize changes induced by pathologies, administered drugs, photo-therapy, anaesthesia, etc. by comparing experimentally observed behaviour with mathematical models' predictions and computer simulations
- collective phenomena, self-organized ordering and synchronisation in biological systems
- bioelectromagnetic phenomena and biomedical devices such as biosensors and pacemakers
- nonlinear, non-Newtonian fluids in the body - respiration, blood circulation, CSF, lymph
Zbigniew Czernicki, Polish Academy of Sciences Medical Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, 80 Ceglowska Str., Warsaw, Poland
Being a vegetarian, I thought gourds would better represent my Thanksgiving celebration. I do plan to make a baked squash polenta dish that I have never tried before. I am leaving tomorrow for Thanksgiving on Cedar Key in a cabin with a canoe.
I wish you all a happy celebration with your friends and family! See you next week!
Recently I have had a few discussions with other librarians and a faculty member about the possible effect of full-text access on serendipity. The young faculty member was especially concerned that students wouldn't have the experience of flipping through a journal and finding something unexpected that alters one's outlook or focus on research. Yet, in a recent meeting including students, the students all said they wanted full text access. Sometimes both print and electronic access is prohibitively expensive. Will we lose serendipity along the way?
After these conversations, I began to consider information seeking behaviors. In many studies, it has been shown that amongst faculty an "invisible college" exists, whereby much of their information comes from colleagues and conferences. Students, not yet part of the larger scientific network of their discipline, lack this access...and one may think then that serendipity should play an important role in their explorations. However, the Web is becoming more social, and perhaps that can make up for the serendipitous discovery in the library.
Take, for example, Connotea . I wrote a paper in library school on the value of social bookmarking in academia, and then promptly set it aside. I think I have shown Connotea to only one class in my library instruction this semester. I realized that is likely because I don't think of it as the type of research tool where you get the article you are looking for; rather to me it is a vehicle for exploration...and maybe that serendipitous discovery.
Connotea...what is it? Connotea is afree online reference management for clinicians and scientists
With Connotea, you can save and share citations with your colleagues. Think of it as bookmarks that are accessible through any computer because they are Web-based. Some people might be familiar with del.icio.us or furl (which is the application where I place the NAS links). Connotea is a similar concept with a focus on academic citations.
Where does the exploration and serendipitous discovery come in? Connotea is searchable. You can search on a subject, a user, or a tag. For example, I searched on "crustaceans" in honor of a reference question that I had a few nights ago. Eleven article citations were found. In addition, though, the people who have these articles in their citations have tagged them with descriptive words or phrases. Connotea lists these hyperlinked tags. Some of the tags for the article I found were
It's been a while since we've had a Fun Friday entry, so today I bring you Molecules with Silly or Unusual Names. Dr. Paul May from the University of Bristol has collected three Web pages worth of unusual molecule names. Many have equally amusing pictures illustrating the silliness. However, in addition, with the right plug-ins the 3-D structure files for the molecules can be downloaded.
I have decided to occasionally profile new books that are added to our collection. Today's selection is the following:
Petuch, E. J., & Roberts, C. E. (2007). The geology of the Everglades and adjacent areas. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Petuch, Professor of Geology, and Roberts, Associate Professor of Geology, at the Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, Florida), wrote 7 chapters detailing the geological development of the Everglades from late Paleogene to Holocene Southern Florida. The preface of this 212-page book acquaints us with the Everglades through an evocative line,
There is but one Everglades on this planet...This work identifies the Everglades as a marine environment that must be studied from an oceanographic perspective. According to Petuch and Roberts, what was essentially an enclosed sea was flooded 12 times, providing layers of unique ecosystems.
As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, Eckerd College does not subscribe to Journal Citation Reports (JCR) from Thomson ISI. JCR give the impact factors for journals indexed by Thomson ISI. Because we are looking at some of our indices and databases, I wanted a way to recognize commonly used journals in certain disciplines. I discovered a recent article by an associate professor of biology at the University of Washington:
Bergstrom, C. G. (2007). Eigenfactor: Measuring the value and prestige of scholarly journals. College & Research Libraries News 68(5),314-316.
Bergstrom (2007) discusses an algorithm for ranking journal that is similar to the manner in which Google ranks Web pages. Citations stand in for hyperlinks in tracing influential journals. Bergstrom and colleagues call the ranking, Eigenfactor, and make it freely available at www.eigenfactor.org. The Eigenfactor looks at citations over a five-year period, and measures
the importance of a citation by the influence of the citing journal divided by the total number of citations appearing in that journal (Bergstrom, 2007, p.314).According to Bergstrom (2007), the Eigenfactor indicates the amount of use a journal is getting by scholars. It is unclear whether scholars or researchers are thought to be faculty only, faculty and graduate students, or include undergraduate students also.
is proportional to the Eigenfactor divided by the number of articles (Bergstrom, 2007, p. 315).Finally, the application compares actual journal prices with their influence.
A trainer from Web of Science will be here in January to train for the new interface. I know it seems like ages ago that I first discussed the new interface on this blog. The interface was originally going to be rolled out sooner, but now we can expect to see it in January. However, if you have not had a chance to work with it yet, you can access the new interface from the current one. There is a button at the top of the screen that will link you to the new interface.
The training will be Wednesday, January 16 from 1:30-3 at the library. Students and faculty are welcome. Let me know if you are interested in attending.
Eckerd College has recently purchased Credo Reference, an online interdisciplinary reference resource. Credo Reference is available to all members of the Eckerd community on campus, or off campus, by using your e-mail user name and password.
To reach Credo Reference, choose the link Reference Shelf from the home page (as seen below).
Once you reach our virtual reference shelf, you will see Credo Reference as the first link listed under Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.
In Credo Reference, you can search all 289 reference books, or you can narrow your search to all the science reference books (complete title list below), or one particular reference book. Many results have images or even video links included. For example, I searched "Comet" in the Astronomy Encyclopedia to find an entry on Comet Holmes, which has been prevalent in recent news. In addition to an entry on this comet, more than 100 other entries, many with images, were available.
Credo also include concept map searching. The image below shows an example concept map for photosynthesis. Each dot represents a concept that is linked to photosynthesis. This feature is a fun way for you to explore larger concepts that you are trying to focus for a research paper. To see a larger image of the concept map, click on the map.
The science titles included in Credo are listed below:
Following the supposition that crystal structures are facts, and therefore not subject to copyright, Nick Day, while a PhD student, developed CrystalEye. CrystalEye collects the Crystallographic Information Framework (CIF) files from published articles. Using a web spider, CrystalEye gathers these files from five publishers: Acta Crystallographica, American Chemical Society, Chemical Society of Japan, Elsevier, and Royal Society of Chemistry. Currently, nearly 100,000 structures reside on CrystalEye. Future plans include aggregation from institutional repositories.
CrystalEye provides several access points to its data. You can search either by using simplified molecular input line entry specification (SMILES) or cell parameters. In addition, you can browse by journal and issue. Results are neatly packaged in a clickable chart form (see image below--click on image to see it larger).
Clicking the summary will yield more information, such as the DOI number of the article containing the structure, data collection parameters, refinement results, as well as a javascript application that allows you to change the number of unit cells along an axis and view the structure.
As a big proponent of using RSS feeds to collect information that personally appeals to you, I was thrilled to see the RSS feed function available. You can subscribe to a feed by journal, compound class, atoms, or bonds. For example, you can subscribe to a feed that will notify you of any CIF files added to CrystalEye that contain a bond between aluminum and silver.
CrystalEye also create histograms for bond lengths involving different atoms. The histograms are clickable so you can be linked to the structures that fit the specific parameters you clicked on.
For people interested in the development, technology, and future plans for the beta site, Day has a wiki page with more information.
Happy Halloween, Eckerd!
It's a grey, windy day, perfect for this spooky night. The National Science Foundation has put together a "ghoulish" newsletter. Find out why we like scary movies, how to be eco-friendly for Halloween, and the truth behind monsters.
If you're a marine science or environmental studies student interested in marine issues, and you are not familiar with SeaWeb, I would like to introduce you to this excellent resource via algal blooms. Red tide...It's something we know well here on the coast. A family I know lives on Boca Ciega Bay, and a bad red tide can mean dead fish on their little beach, horrendous smells, and more.
SeaWeb was mentioned in another recent blog post, as the sponsor of the the Marine Photobank. SeaWeb is a nonprofit working for healthy oceans. The Web site is full of information and resources, such as its program "Too precious to wear," which highlights the plight of corals being used for jewelry and furniture accessories.
One of my favorite resources offered by SeaWeb is Ocean Citations. Ocean Citations lists literature on topics dealing with marine and coastal environmental issues. The 2007 list on algal bloom contains 17 citations from high-profile journals such as Limnology and Oceanography and Ambio. At least 3 of the articles study Florida and the marine areas near Eckerd. Other topics for citations include marine mining, introduced species, fisheries, and more. What an easy way to find specific resources!
In addition, users can sign up to receive updates on citation lists and others valuable resources. If we don't own a journal, remember you can always order the article on interlibrary loan. Take a moment to check out the best of 2007 in algal bloom literature and surf around SeaWeb to see how it can help you in your studies.
It has been a crazy week with meetings for me first in Ohio and then in Fort Myers. Therefore, instead of my take on the new Scitopia, I am going to direct you to an excellent article in Information Today. In brief, Scitopia has improved the XML to provide more exact results. The patent search includes Japanese and European patents, as well as those in the United States. In addition, the article claims that in comparison to one expensive database, the coverage is better. No names are used but at Eckerd, I know for our subject guides, I will be directing you to Scitopia over a few smaller search pages such as SIAM or AGU, since Scitopia covers their content.
NatureServe Explorer was brought to my attention through a reference librarian journal, Reference & User Services Quarterly. According to the review,
With its colorful Web site and troves of animal, plants, and ecological data, NatureServe, a nonprofit conservation organization, is a superb resource for academics and members of the public.From my experimentation with the Web site, I feel Eckerd students studying animals and plants from an environmental perspective will find this free site extremely helpful. The Online Encyclopedia of Life provides information on 70,000+ species of plants and animals. Information is not comprehensive for all entries, however many entries include conservation status, distribution, ecology & life history, and population delineation. Maps and images are also prevalent. For example, I decided to search for Roseate Spoonbill because I saw one on campus the other day. The search allows common or scientific names. As shown in the distribution map below, populations in Illinois (dark blue) are "presumed extirpated," in Florida (orange) are "imperiled," in Mississippi (red) are "critically imperiled," in Louisiana (yellow) are "vulnerable," and in Texas (green) are "apparently secure."
An exhibit put together by The World Question Center and the Serpentine Gallery in London displays the formulas, equations, or algorithms from more than 80 scientists and premier thinkers. At once, it reminded me of the "This I believe" media project, whereby people offer their deeply held beliefs in a oral essay. Yet, these formulas are much simpler, much more exact, and in some ways, more beautiful. The breadth of formulas is astounding: from ones describing the path to happiness to work philosophies to formulas I can't understand at all. Take a moment to check them out for yourself. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to see the full set. And if, by chance, you are inspired to share your own formula, I would be happy to put it up on this blog.
As a participant in The Oberlin Group, a consortium of liberal arts college libraries, Eckerd College is a Supporter Level member of Biomed Central (BMC). What does this mean for our researchers? We receive a discount for publishing in any one of 182 peer-reviewed, open access journals published by BMC. As a supporting member, The Oberlin Group has its own Web page, where its researchers are featured. Functionality on the page filters articles that Oberlin Group researchers have published recently, as well as articles that have been accessed the most within a month and a year. This feature provides extra exposure to authors from Oberlin Group institutions.
According to BioMed Central, some of the reasons for publishing in a BMC open-access journal are the speed of publication, international exposure, a highly dedicated promotional process undertaken by BMC, inclusion in major bibliographic indices (e.g., PubMed), and now, and the addition of a Thomson ISI impact factors for some journals. Additional promotion is available through BioMed's "Highly accessed" designation, which can be mentioned as a measurement when authors refer to their work.
Authors for BMC retain copyright over their own work through a Creative Commons license. Work published in BMC journals are made available for free through BMC permanently. Works are archived in various locations so if BMC loses control of its works, open access articles will remain available through other venues.
Some of the recent titles from Oberlin Groups researchers include the following:
Toward the automated generation of genome-scale metabolic networks in the SEED
Matthew DeJongh1, Kevin Formsma1,2, Paul Boillot1, John Gould1, Matthew Rycenga3,4 and Aaron Best2
Because the Peace Prize this year has been awarded for efforts to disseminate and collate information on global change, I thought it appropriate for this blog. Both the Natural Sciences Collegium and Eckerd College have been proponents of environmental wellness. This year's award will be split between Al Gore Jr. and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme. The organization publishes assessments based on peer-reviewed literature. Al Gore has dedicated a portion of his career to the effects of climate change, most recently with a book and an Academy-award winning movie.
German surface chemist Gerhard Ertl is the single recipient of this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry. According to the Royal Swedish Academy of the Sciences,
This year’s chemistry laureate Gerhard Ertl has succeeded in providing a detailed description of how chemical reactions take place on surfaces and has in this way laid the foundation of modern surface chemistry. He is awarded the prize for showing how reliable results can be obtained in this area of research.
Surface reactions are vital in many processes today
- in catalytic cleaning carbon monoxide oxidates on platinum,
- freons used in air conditioning systems, for instance, reduce the ozone layer by reacting on the surfaces of small ice crystals,
- rusting takes place when an iron surface is exposed to oxygen,
- surface reactions are used in the electronics industry to manufacture semiconductor materials for components,
- artificial fertilizers contain ammonia which is produced when nitrogen and hydrogen react on an iron surface,
- renewable fuels can be produced using catalytic surfaces.
PETER GRUNBERG (left); ALBERT FERT (right)
(pictures from Nobel Prize.org)
The Nobel Prize in Physics will be split between a French and a German physicist, Albert Fert and Peter Grunberg, respectively, for
the discovery of Giant MagnetoresistanceWith this discovery, the ability to read data on hard drives became more refined, and therefore, applicable to smaller storage devices such as your ipod. The Nobel Prize Web site has an excellent article on the science behind Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) available here.
The Delray Beach, Florida, ocean outfall discharges 13 million gallons per day of treated sewage up-current of a coral reef./ Jim Cagle, Palm Beach Reef Rescue/Marine Photobank
Marine Photobank provides easily accessible images of human effect on marine life. Photographers--some professional, some amateur,some researchers from universities and nonprofits--furnish photos of sea lions wrapped in filament, otters blanketed in oil, corals bleaching, hurricanes swirling over land, and many more. According to the organization's mission statement:
The Marine Photobank aims to literally shed light through photos on pressing marine issues and human-related impacts on the ocean ecosystem.
This morning the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology was awarded to Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans, and Oliver Smithies for
their discoveries of "principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells"
This Friday I bring you a super cool demo for an application under development called Photosynth. Microsoft Labs architect, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, demonstrates how Photosynth reconstructed a three-dimensional model of Notre Dame using photos from Flickr.
Computational Science Education Reference Desk (CSERD) is dedicated to introducing students to computational science, especially through its use in the classroom. According to CSERD, computational science involves the use of a computational architecture in combination with an algorithm to solve a scientific problem. For a more thorough definition, as well as a model, see the article from CSERD at http://www.shodor.org/refdesk/Help/whatiscs. CSERD is a partnership of National Science Digital Library, the Virtual Reference Desk, and the Gateway to Educational Materials.
At the CSERD site (http://www.shodor.org/refdesk/), both students and faculty can browse resources by subject, educational level, resource type, audience, or any configuration of these. In addition to providing resources, CSERD offers the opportunity for students and/or faculty to review and add resources. Once a user registers at no cost, they are able to conduct the following tasks:
Ask and answer questions in the forum.
Review material in the catalog.
Add items to the catalog.
Submit modules to be included in CSERD's resources.
Submit in depth verification, validation, and accreditation reviews.
September 29 through October 6 marks the American Libraries Association's Banned Books week. In honor of this event, I did a brief database search on the censorship and science. One idea the emerged was the national discussion on evolution versus creationism/ intelligent design in science classrooms of public schools. Therefore, I decided to introduce a Web site that, in the organization's words, educates "the press and public about the scientific, educational, and legal aspects of the creation and evolution controversy, and supply needed information and advice to defend good science education at local, state, and national levels." This organization is the National Center for Science Education (NCSE). Often in my library instruction, I discuss the evaluation of Web sites and their possible bias. In this vein, I would like to note that this organization is firmly on the side of evolution as necessity in science classrooms. Therefore, arguments for the teaching of creationism are not present.
The Web site for NSCE includes news on the debate divided by state and national issues, an events pages, and a resources page. In addition, the journal of the organization Creation/Evolution Journal is available in full text from 1980-1990. Furthermore, full text to some important works on this topic are also available, such as Eugenie C. Scott's article "Antievolutionism and Creationism in the United States" (Annu. Rev. Anthropol. 1997. 26:263-89).
For a little Friday cheer, take a minute to check out LiveScience.com's cute baby animals. Take the opportunity to see a baby anteater, porcupine, and panda. C'mon, who doesn't love baby animals?
Endnote Web is a bibliographic citation manager available within Web of Science (Science Citation Index). As a web-based application, it is available from any computer, and it easily integrates with Endnote on your desktop. Use of Endnote Web requires a FREE registration through Web of Science. As long as you are affiliated with Eckerd, this account will remain available to you. It can hold up to 10,000 references.
Once you have logged into your account, you can import references from Web of Science seamlessly. However, you can also import from other databases. Generally this involves saving the reference as a text file, and importing, using one of the provided filters within Endnote Web. The filters correspond to individual databases. In addition, the option to enter references by hand is also available.
After importing references, they can be arranged in folders that you have created. References can be stored in one, or more than one folder, when applicable.
Endnote Web will utilize stored references to create a bibliography. The bibliography will be output according to your specifications: the folder you choose, the style you choose, and the output format you choose. More than 100 journal styles are available for your choice, as well as more encompassing styles, such as ACS or APA. The same folder of references can be formatted for one journal style and then reformatted for another. In addition, bibliographies can be output as HTML, rich text, or plain text.
A final feature available with Endnote Web is the Cite While You Write downloadable plug-in for Microsoft Word. This will allow you to add citations directly into your text, which will be formatted by the program. Then the citations are used to create you bibliography. This eliminates common mistakes, such as spelling an author's name one way in the text and another in your reference list. In addition, using this software, you will know that all references you cited are in the bibliography.
Personally, I am a fan of Refworks, another Web-based bibliographic utility, but it is not free. This program comes with our Web of Science package and can be used by all students and faculty. I am available for training on this utility. Just give me a call!
National Chemistry Week will be celebrated October 21-27 this year with the theme "The Many Faces of Chemistry." A Science and Technology librarian at Iowa State University has launched a blog in honor of the event. In addition, a facebook group has been started for people interested in celebrating chemistry.
More on publishing...PRIMO, the Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online Site of the Month, chose Publish, Not Perish for August. This tutorial was created by librarians at the University of Colorado. Five modules address the oft-confusing world of scholarly publishing. Module 1 covers the scholarly communication field as a whole, spending extra time on new business models, such as open access. This module would be helpful for undergraduate students, as well as grads and new faculty. It gives an overview of the types of journals and journal articles that are being published, and that a student might access for class research. Modules 2 to 5 move from the broad overview into process-based approach for publishing. These sections of the tutorials are better suited for graduate students and new faculty who plan to publish soon. Tips include better ways to manage your time, how to conduct journal research, and where the ideas come from. The final module offers advice on how to create a personal publishing plan. This can help modulate fear and provide a working goal. The tutorial will take at least an hour to complete so set aside some time to work through the exercises. To access Publish, Not Perish, visit www.publishnotperish.org. At the start of the tutorial, you are asked to enter your campus information. People not affiliated with University of Colorado can put "Other" and then the name of their own institution. There is no charge for the tutorial.
I was recently asked about a journal's impact factor. Eckerd does not subscribe to Journal Citation Report from Thomson ISI, which presents impact factors in a neat package. I have spent some time, definitely not enough, looking into other measurements and measurement systems. I found an interesting, free, downloadable program by Anne-Wil Harzing, called Publish or Perish, that uses Google Scholar for calculations over Thomson ISI. The program calculates citations per paper, per year, as well as the h-index and g-index (Leo Egghe, Theory and practice of the g-index, Scientometrics, Vol. 69, No 1 [2006], pp. 131-152; http://www.springerlink.com/content/4119257t25h0852w/). Harzing offers a white paper comparing the use of Google Scholar and Thomson databases for calculations. According to Harzing, some of the major advantages to Google Scholar include the capture of articles in non-ISI-indexed journals and capture of book chapters, whereas some of the problems associated with Google Scholar include capture of nonscholarly works and length of time between updates.
I conducted a little experiment with one of our Marine Science professors, Shannon Gowans. Using Web of Science Cited Reference Search from 1999 to 2007, I found she had 68 citations to 9 articles. Using Publish or Perish, I found 154 citations to 10 articles. This is a large difference, and I am curious as to the reasons. I hope to look more into this topic, especially if it will help Eckerd faculty.
The best feature to the new APA style guide are the numerous examples for uniquely electronic resources. In the past, we were guessing at the way a blog should be listed in our references. Now we have examples for not only blogs but also e-books, gray literature, white papers, raw data, course materials, preprints, and online bibliographies, to name only a few. APA also strives to simplify the electronic reference process. The name of the database where you retrieved an article is no longer necessary, unless it is an unknown or limited location. The retrieval date can be left off articles or books that are in their final form. To save space, home page URLs are favored for online reference sources, over lengthy addresses to the exact article. I guess APA thinks we, as researchers, are intelligent enough to look up a particular article once we get to the home page of a reference resource. Another major change is the use of Digital Object Indentifiers (DOI) over URLs when possible. DOI numbers, as they are commonly called, were created to assign a permanent identifier to an electronic object that may change title, URL, etc. The DOI number should be a constant form of identification. Journals that use DOI numbers will place the number on the first page of the article. An example of a DOI number can be seen below.
To read more about DOI numbers, see www.doi.org.
The St. Petersburg Times featured an article about Aquarius Reef Base. Starting Monday, six researchers will be eating, sleeping, and conducting research under the Atlantic, south of the Florida Keys. In addition, the scientists will have classroom sessions via a live feed. The article from Associated Press detailing the mission is available here. NOAA's home page for the Aquarius base is http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius/index.html. The schedule for the shows can be located here.
Picture from Associated Press
I started out writing a very different blog post this morning, but with Eckerd internet acting a little funky, I decided to wait on my posting. That gave me the time to discover something entirely different. "Top" lists are extremely popular in our culture, from David Lettermen to the chain-letter-like Internet "memes." Alex Boese has published on his site the Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time. Boese maintains the Museum of Hoaxes Web site, however this list is based on his actual research for a book titled Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments.
While each experiment mentioned is truly disturbing, I think what I found to be the most disquieting were the two-headed dog and monkey-head transplant experiments. The fact that the United States looked at an experiment where a puppy's head was grafted to a larger dog as a challenge in science experimentation--a challenge which lead to the grafting of a monkey head onto a different body--seems unbelievable. The Cold War era inspired such terror in people that many decisions were questionable at best. The McCarthy trials were, of course, the seminal example, but the advent of these experiments shows how far Cold War fear drove even so-called rational disciplines.
For a little Friday fun, I thought you might enjoy a little comic strip offering an alternative explanation to the extinction of dinosaurs:
http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1038/1038_01.asp
ISTL Web guides: http://www.istl.org/webliographies.html
Science and Technology librarians have their own journal called Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship (ISTL). A regular feature in this journal is the webliography. Librarians create Internet-accessible annotated lists of resources in science- and technology-related disciplines. The webliographies are peer-reviewed. Students and faculty alike may find some interesting and formerly unknown resources by perusing these guides. Keep in mind that some of these guides date back to 1997. However, the date is clearly visible so you will know the age of the information before accessing the web guide.
American Psychological Association has published a supplement to its 5th edition style guide. It is called APA Style Guide for Electronic Resources. The library has purchased a copy. It is available via PDF, and at this time, we are not sure how we will allow people to access it. To purchase your own copy, visit http://books.apa.org/books.cfm?id=4210509.
I am working on figuring out the new parts of the style, and I hope to be able to let people know soon. I have already heard that APA is recommending DOI numbers instead of URLs. Soon I will be asking NAS faculty at Eckerd which style guide they ask their students to use, since I have noted we do not own the Council of Science Editors manual or the American Medical Association manual.
For Friday fun, I thought I would introduce you to the virtual autopsy game (http://www.le.ac.uk/pathology/teach/va/titlpag1.html). This game was created at the University of Leicester in England for undergraduate students in th Clinical Division of Pathology.
Eighteen cases are available for students to study. First, you are presented with a case history.
After reading the case history, you can click on the interactive cadaver to see what was discovered in the autopsy.
Once you have completed your "autopsy," You can try to determine the cause of death. Many choices are offered, and when you get one wrong, there are hints to help you make a better choice.
So have fun this Friday!
Although active for a few months now, I thought many people at Eckerd might not be aware of Scitopia. Scitopia (www.scitopia.org)
Once citations have been located, Scitopia will connect to the full text if we subscribe to the journal electronically. This should work automatically if you are in the library or on campus. From off campus, you will have to log in using your Eckerd email address. For example, I searched for an article from the Journal of Applied Physics. Searching by title, I was able to pull up the citation and link directly the article PDF.
I recently discovered an education resource that proposes to lessen the time a professor reads papers by creating a system of peer review. Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) was created by Orville L. Chapman, a Professor of Organic Chemistry at UCLA and a member of the
Assignment Goals
The goal of this assignment is for students to
* read and understand the verbal description of a physical situation, in particular that of a damped oscillator,
* modify a mathematical model based on physical assumptions,
* explain relationships between representations, in particular between the physical situation, the formula modeling it and its graph,
* articulate mathematical ideas and techniques using appropriate vocabulary,
* read critically and assess the reasonableness of mathematical assertions, and
* evaluate the students' own writing and that of their peers for completeness and correctness.
In addition, professors can build their own assignments.
On the first day of the Fall semester, I want to welcome back students and faculty. Remember I am here to assist you with research and instruction. Best of luck to you all.
I've already seen upperclassmen and -women unloading their cars while relieved freshmen, finished with their Autumn Term class, play baseball in their bare feet outside the library windows. The Fall Semester is nearly upon us, and as you finalize your syllabi, remember to include library instruction. I prefer to design instruction around your class assignments so give me a call or send me an e-mail so we can chat. The library classroom is already being booked so if you want to have your preferred time, get in touch with me as soon as possible. However, instruction is most effective when it can be immediately applied to an assignment. If your major research paper is not due until the end of the term, you may want to put off instruction for a month or so. Or plan two instructions, one as an introduction and then a refresher/Q&A class when your students are in the midst of the assignment. Furthermore, if you prefer, keep in mind that I can teach in your classroom if you have access to the Internet and a projector screen.
YouTube is famously popular. Who hasn’t gotten links to hilarious, pathetic, or just plain strange YouTube videos in their email?
I am interested to see how the scientific community takes to this new dissemination medium. I hope the Eckerd community will check it out and leave me some comments.
SciVee (http://www.scivee.tv/)
The 2007 version of Scifinder Scholar has a number of new features to simplify your research process. Now when you locate a substance, you can extend your search by clicking on the structure.
when you click on references, you are offered choices to create a more precise search (as seen below). Using the provided subject categories, one can search cyclobutane associated with adverse effect, including toxicity.
Another new feature is categorize. The categorize feature will analyze the subject terms of references you have retrieved and provide bar graph analysis per subject word. Using this analysis, you can combine subcategories to further refine your search. Scifinder Scholar has provided a PDF documenting slides on these new features. To access the slides, click here.
In addition, to sign up for webinars from the vendor, visit here.
Remember, I can instruct your class on this or other databases. Contact me to set up a lesson.
