SLA Biomedical and Life Sciences Division

Latest News

Latest Medical News

November 4, 2021
Fall 2021 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: DBIO President, S. Layla Heimlich's message, Past President's message, and Member News by Roxanne Bogucka.
Read the full issue here.
July 28, 2021
Summer 2021 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: DBIO President, S. Layla Heimlich's message, Annual Conference Program highlights from Ruth Gustafson, Member News by Roxanne Bogucka, and an exciting Feature Article and DBIO Member Contest by Tony Stankus, longtime DBIO member and newly recognized "Most Published Science Librarian in the World"!
Read the full issue here!
May 5, 2021
Call for papers for the 2021 SLA Annual Online Conference
Full details including submission criteria and deadline here.
March 30, 2021
Spring 2021 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Our DBIO President, S. Layla Heimlich, shares her message Past and Member news is highlighted by Roxanne Bogucka.
Read the full issue here!
March 25, 2021
Registration for the 2021 SLA Annual Online Conference is now open!
Full details including dates, fees, sponsor opportunities, and FAQs available here!
February 3, 2021
Winter 2021 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Our new DBIO President, S. Layla Heimlich, shares her first message. Past President, Neyda Gilman, gives thanks to everyone for their help during 2020, and Member news is highlighted by Roxanne Bogucka.
Read the full issue here!
November 9, 2020
Fall 2020 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Neyda Gilman shares her final Chair's Message and announces Lori Bronars is the recipient of this year's DBIO Chair's award. Congratulations Lori! Member news, a book review, and a featured article by Ramune K. Kubilius round out this Fall issue.
Read the full issue here!
August 13, 2020
Summer 2020 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Neyda Gilman delivers the Chair's Message about our recent online business meeting and changes in SLA, to our community, and volunteer positions in 2021. Past Chair, Peggy Murphy, reports on the outcome of the member survey regarding Biofeedback conducted this spring. Member activites are highlighted and profiles of two new members are featured. A book review by Peggy Murphy wraps up this issue.
Read the full issue here!

May 21, 2020
Spring 2020 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Neyda Gilman, delivers the Chair's Message in which she is expressing appreciation
in this moment of crisis and increased isolation to the spirit of community that this group brings
to each other.

Peggy Murphy, Past's Chair invites you to complete a survey about Biofeedback, with a dateline of May 30, 2020. Ruth Gustafson will assume the role of Secretary starting June 1, 2020 and going through the rest of the year. Member News includes several very important articles about SPI-Hub: Scholarly Publishing Information Hub™

Last but not least is the article published by our author extraordinaire: Tony Stankus, FSLA Distinguished Professor, Science Coordinator, & Health Sciences Librarian University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Tony Stankus revisits the "Top 100 Journals in Biology and Medicine" chosen by our membership as most influential over the last century in the 2008-2009 DBIO poll, and discovers their relevance in this age of coronavirus epidemics. This is a very important research paper, and the conclusions will convince you how innovative and solid Tony's research has been.
Read the full issue here!

March 1, 2020
Winter 2020 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Neyda Gilman, DBIO Chair and Peggy Murphy, past DBIO Chair jointly review the highlights for our division in 2019. Ruth Gustafson, attendee on behalf of DBIO at the SLA Leadership Symposium, shares her view of the SLA Restructuring Initiative presented at the Symposium and online via the SLA Website and SLA Connect.

A listing of the DBIO Programs that will be offered at SLA Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC June 6-9, 2020 are detailed here so take note! We are in need of some volunteers for DBIO roles and these are described here in the newsletter - with more detail available on the website http://dbiosla.org/inside/governance/documents/practices.html. Lori Bronars wraps up this issue with a book review. Read the full issue here!

November 5, 2019
Fall 2019 issue of Biofeedback available!
Fall 2019 - This is the last issue edited and published by Buzz Haughton. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for fifteen continuous years of service. Biofeedback represents the historical narratives of the activities and successes of our Division and our members; Buzz Haughton has preserved this collective memory in digital format.

In this issue: Peggy Murphy, DBIO Chair expressed her appreciation to members who together with colleagues in other divisions submitted program ideas to SLA for the upcoming 2020 Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. A summary of the wonderful and diverse programming ideas put forward by our Division members is available for your perusal. With regard to the possible merger of DBIO with the Pharmaceutical & Health Technology Division, Peggy Murphy indicated that other options will be explored in the future. Peggy sent a note of appreciation to Buzz Haughton, and provided a short bio for him. Ramune K. Kubilius described the two activities organized by the Northwestern's Galter Health Sciences Library during Open Access Week 2019. The Member News and Publications column edited by Lori Bronars listed 2 very interesting publications by Tony Stankus. I do agree with the statement made by Lory "Our colleague Tony Stankus has an amazing publication record." The newly elected officers and the DBIO Executive Board 2020 can be found on page 8.
Read the full issue here!
August 1, 2019
Summer 2019 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Peggy Murphy, DBIO Chair, recaps the SLA Annual Conference in Cleveland in June and calls for volunteers for some opportunities in the division. DBIO programs at the conference are featured in this issue with a review of the DBIO Vendor Relations Roundtable by Donna Gibson and a listing of all of the DBIO events in Cleveland. Also featured, our regular "Member Publications and Activities" column prepared by Lori Bronars, Biofeedback Associate and Communication Editor. Read it here!
January 10, 2019
DBIO on Facebook and Twitter
Darra Ballance, DBIO Communications Coordinator, announced today that our Division has new social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter that you may wish to follow. Your comments and shares are welcome.
July 16, 2018
Volunteer opportunity: Communications chair for DBIO's social media accounts
Are you passionate about what you do, and want to share that enthusiasm with like-minded professionals? Do you like to be a person in the know, and who shares information with others? Would you like to expand your range of skills and add that experience to your resume, so you are ready for that next opportunity when it pops up?

We are looking for a Communications Chair who will oversee DBIO announcements and communications via social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. This is a newly formed volunteer position which is critical to the success of the Division and provides exposure to professionals in the Biomedical and Life Sciences.

Not only will you get to learn about different professionals in a variety of organizations, you will get to know these members personally, opening lots of doors for you and your career. We are not looking for perfection, just someone willing to write about DBIO activities and events on a fairly regular basis, and we are happy to provide feedback before you post. If you are interested, please contact DBIO chair Cindy Sheffield for more information. Thank you.
November 2, 2017
Summer 2017 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Chair's Message, Thank You to Sponsors, 2017 Division Award winners, Member Activities, Photos from Phoenix, and Editor's Farewell. Read it here!
November 1, 2017
Webinar: Tackling Tough Topics Together - November 14, 2017 @ 2pm EST

$86 billion dollars was spent on basic science research in 2015, according to a National Science Foundation survey. However several high-profile articles have recently shown the lack of rigor and reproducibility within basic research.

Join Clarivate Analytics and the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division of SLA as they co-host the webinar Tackling Tough Topics Together to look at important questions concerning rigor and reproducibility, and to see what information professionals can do to help improve rigor in reporting.

Register to join us for this webinar on Tuesday, November 14th at 2pm EST, or watch the recording at your convenience.

May 5, 2017
Winter/Spring 2017 issue of Biofeedback available!
In this issue: Chair's Message, Highlights from the 2017 SLA Annual Conference DBIO Program, Incoming 2017 DBIO Executive Board Members, DBIO Strategic Planning Survey Debrief, 2017 Conference DBIO Sponsors, and Member Activities. Read it here!
February 26, 2017
Loyola Health Sciences Library Hosts MLA Webinar (free on site)
Thanks to GMR funding, Loyola Health Sciences Library will host the March 22, 2017 MLA webinar on finding grey literature in the systematic review search.
Participation is free at the sponsored site.

Please share with interested colleagues and friends. We hope to see you in Maywood.

What: Finding Grey Lit for Systematic Reviews: Can it Be More Black and White?

When: Wednesday, March 22, 2017 @ 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (CST)

Where:
Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Library
Marcella Neihoff School of Nursing
Room 2535A
2160 South First Avenue
Maywood, IL

Parking & Directions: Visit Loyala University

Join Barbara Folb, the Public Health Informationist at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System (HSLS), to learn the framework for grey literature decision-making and tips for managing the search process.

Participants will learn to:
  1. explain the purpose of searching grey literature for a systematic review
  2. assist a systematic review team in deciding on the scope and content of a grey literature search
  3. modify a PubMed/MEDLINE search for grey literature
  4. choose options for capturing grey literature search results that are as efficient as possible
  5. document a grey literature search for publication
  6. earn MLA 1.5 CE hours

Register here to attend in person -- the Finding Grey Lit for Systematic Reviews webinar at Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Library.

Contact Gail Hendler, ghendler@luc.edu, with questions.

For general information on the webinar, click here.

February 22, 2017
Call for 2017 DBIO Contributed Papers in Phoenix!
Find all of the details here!
February 2, 2017
Call for 2017 All Sciences & Engineering Contributed Posters in Phoenix!
Find all of the details here!
December 12, 2016
SLA 2017: Registration Open!
Find all of the details here!
December 10, 2016
Top 10 NHBS field guides of 2016
NHBS (http://www.nnbs.com) started life as the Natural History Book Service in London in 1985 with a catalogue of around 500 ornithology books. Now based in a warehouse on the outskirts of Totnes, Devon, we offer the world's largest selection of wildlife, science and conservation books – our book catalogue includes more than 122,000 individual titles, from large and small publishers, in many different languages, and sourced from all over the world.

Top 10 NHBS field guides of 2016
  1. Wildlife of Madagascar - October 2016
    Perfect for travelers and researchers visiting the island, Wildlife of Madagascar is the most comprehensive single-volume field guide to the island's fauna and flora, highlighting its unique biodiversity and illustrating a vast range of animals. This is the first to provide extensive coverage of the island's butterflies.
  2. Bats of Britain and Europe - January 2016
    Bats of Britain and Europe is an illustrated guide to the 45 species occurring across the region. With in-depth species accounts, nearly 700 colour photographs, up-to-date taxonomic information and an introduction covering the latest research on bat evolution and echolocation.
  3. Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Britain and Europe - July 2016
    A major new guide, Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Britain and Europe covers all European species, with identification notes, text covering distribution, habitat and behaviour, and an up-to-date map. Highly detailed colour illustrations depict every species and all major variations.
  4. The Arctic Guide: Wildlife of the Far North - August 2016
    The Arctic Guide describes over 800 species from across the Arctic region, with its polar deserts, tundra, taiga, sea ice, and oceans. Features over 200 colour plates and colour distribution maps for each species, and provides alternative names in German, French, Norwegian, Russian, and Inuit dialects.
  5. Collins Wild Flower Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland, Second edition - June 2016
    The outstanding Collins Wild Flower Guide got a full revision in 2016 making this the most up-to-date illustrated single-volume guide to the flowers of Britain and Ireland. Text describing over 1,900 wild flowers is accompanied by specially commissioned artists' illustrations, and key features are highlighted for quick reference.
  6. Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives - March 2016
    Featuring over 1,500 photographs, over 300 colour plates, Bovids of the World describes each species in detail - including horn morphology and conservation status. The images depict the animals from various viewpoints, and there are distribution maps and advice on where to spot them.
  7. Phillipps' Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo and their Ecology: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan - March 2016
    The beautifully illustrated Phillipps' Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo and their Ecology describes over 600 resident or reported species, and is a companion to the authors' bestselling guide to the Birds of Borneo. Includes 141 colour plates, maps, and a full ecological overview.
  8. Aposematic Poison Frogs (Dendrobatidae) of the Andean Countries: Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela - August 2016
    Aposematic Poison Frogs (Dendrobatidae) of the Andean Countries features spectacular full-colour illustrations, and is a comprehensive guide to the taxonomy, identification, biology, ecology, behaviour, distribution and conservation of these fascinating species.
  9. Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Western Mediterranean - March 2016
    Covering over 5,000 species, Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Western Mediterranean is the most comprehensive and up-to-date plant identification guide to the area extending from the Portuguese Algarve in the west to Italy in the east, the islands of Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics, and North Africa from Morocco to Tunisia.
  10. The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals, Second edition - February 2016
    Jonathan Kingdon's updated Pocket Guide to African Mammals is the essential field and safari companion. Colour plates feature Kingdon's renowned artwork. Includes more than 500 distribution maps. Information and taxonomy are updated to follow 2015's Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals.
November 28, 2016
Register Now: SLA Connect Unit Leader Training
When: Monday, December 5, 2016 from 3:30 - 4:30 pm ET.
To prepare for the training, please review the SLA Connect support that has been offered up to this point(available in the Open Forum library in the folder entitled "Connect Support").
Then, come with your questions. There will be substantial time in the webinar for an interactive Q&A.

Register: Ready to learn? Register now.

(If link doesn't work, copy and paste this url into your browser: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8904214976455810306)

If you or your fellow volunteers are unable to make the live webinar, don't fear. We'll post the recording shortly afterwards.
November 14, 2016
Fall 2016 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Message from the Past Chair, Internet Librarian 2016, Distinguished Award recipient, NLM Georgia Biomedical Informatics course, and Member Activities.
Download the .pdf.
October 24, 2016
October 28, 2016 DEADLINE for Application to serve required by SLA

DBIO Committees Chairs & Members,

SLA has established a deadline of October 28, 2016 for you to complete the “application to serve” form at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SLA-Volunteer


NOTE:This is also required if you would like to continue serving on
the same committee on which you currently serve.

We apologize for the short time notification.

If the deadline has passed, DBIO still recognizes your participation. Please email Nalini Mahajan at : nmahajan@marianjoy.org to confirm your role and ensure that SLA is made of aware of your role within the division.

October 8, 2016
DBIO Leadership/Election

Dear DBIO Members,

I’ve two pieces of great news:

In the coming few weeks we will be running an election with a full slate of officers that points to a great future for the Division; and Nalini Mahajan has generously agreed to step into the role as chair this coming year.

For those not familiar with Nalini I urge you to do just a bit of research as she has mentored many librarians over the years and held many volunteer leadership position in SLA (including DBIO chair) and other professional groups. The Division continues to grow professional leaders as we move forward.

Thank you
Howard Fuller,
DBIO nomination committee
October 7, 2016
Open SLA Board of Directors Meeting: Agenda, Materials and Registration
The agenda and board documents for the Open SLA Board of Directors Meeting have been posted and can be accessed in the library.
The Open Board Meeting will be on Wednesday, October 12, 2016 starting at 3 pm ET.
All members are encouraged to review the agenda and board documents, and to attend the virtual meeting.

To connect, register for the webinar here.
August 15, 2016
Summer 2016 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Zoo Record review and Member Activities.
Download the .pdf.
June 22, 2016
Spring 2016 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: 2016 Philadelphia Conference Program, Medical Section Chair's Message, and
Member Activities.
Download the .pdf.
February 26, 2016
Winter 2016 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Message from our new Chair, 2016 Conference Preview, Medical Section new Chair's Message, and Member Activities, and more.
Download the .pdf.
February 2, 2016
SLA Registration is open!
January 5, 2016
BioMed Central becomes first publisher to implement Author Contributorship Badges
BioMed Central is the first publisher to pilot a new system which clearly shows exactly how each researcher contributed to any given scientific article. Author Contributorship Badges are available on the open data journal GigaScience starting with the Volume 4 - October 2015 issue.

For example, it might distinguish whether the author drafted the copy, verified the results or curated the data for the project. A visual badge which illustrates their full contribution will be made available on the article page and on the ORCID site.

Follow this link http://www.gigasciencejournal.com/content/4/1/46 to see the "Authors' contribution" to the article.

More information at: http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/gigablog/2015/09/28/putting-credit-hands-researchers/
January 5, 2016
The STM Report
The International Association of STM Publishers (STM) is the leading global trade association for academic and professional publishers. It has over 120 members in 21 countries who each year collectively publish nearly 66% of all journal articles and tens of thousands of monographs and reference works. STM members include learned societies, university presses, private companies, new starts and established players.

The STM Report, 4th ed. March 2015 provides a wealth of information and graphics on formal and informal scholarly communication; stages of the research cycle; categories, or modes of communication; roles played by journals; and the STM market.
January 5, 2016
Library Instruction: Interactive Options in Online Learning
The ACRL Instruction Section, Instructional Technologies Committee, has published their latest Tips and Trends article, "Interactive Options in Online Learning," written by Liz Johns.

Tips and Trends introduces and discusses new, emerging or even familiar technologies that can be used in library instruction. Learn about the many different tools and techniques that can be utilized to stimulate engagement and communication in online learning environments.

"Interactive Options in Online Learning" is freely available
at http://acrl.ala.org/IS/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/fall2015.pdf
December 3, 2015
Fall 2015 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Chair's Year-end Message, Medical Section Chair's Message, and call for Member News and Publications.
Download the .pdf.
November 10, 2015
SLA 2016 Super Saver Rate
The SLA 2016 conference from June 12 to June 14 at the Philadelphia Convention Center will be an amazing one. Registration opens on November 10, 2015, and the Super Saver rate of $565 will be available through December 31st. The SLA Housing Service will open in February 2016.
November 7, 2015
Social Media Usage: 2005-2015
Nearly two-thirds of American adults (65%) use social networking sites, up from 7% when Pew Research Center began systematically tracking social media usage in 2005. Pew Research reports have documented in great detail how the rise of social media has affected such things as work, politics and political deliberation, communications patterns around the globe, as well as the way people get and share information about health, civic life, news consumption, communities, teenage life, parenting, dating and even people's level of stress.

You can read the entire report by Andrew Perrin at: http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/10/PI_2015-10-08_Social-Networking-Usage-2005- 2015_FINAL.pdf
November 5, 2015
Analyzing negative citations
A new tool has been developed to help analyze criticized papers in the scientific literature. In bibliographic studies, the criticized papers are called "negative citations." A paper published in PNAS by C. Catalini1 describes a tool used to analyze 15,731 articles from the Journal of Immunology published between 1998 and 2007. Of 146,891 unique papers cited in these articles, about t 7 percent received one or more negative citations.

According to the article authors "providing a detailed classification of the types of citations that an article receives is important to establish the quality of a study and to characterize how current research builds upon prior work. The methodology that we propose also informs how to improve the citation process, for example by having scientists attach additional metadata to their citations. The approach is scalable to other fields and periods and can also be used to identify other types of citations (e.g., reuse of methods, materials, empirical tests of theory, and so on). Finally, our methods provide online repositories such as Google Scholar, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus with a way to improve their search and ranking algorithms."

Catalini, Christian, Nicola Lacetera, and Alexander Oettl. (2015)."The incidence and role of negative citations in science." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112(45): 13823–13826.
September 24, 2015
Dee Magnoni to Lead SLA in 2017
Dee Magnoni, research library director at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, will serve as president of SLA in 2017. She will serve one year as president-elect, followed by a year as president and a year as past president. Joining her as new members of the board in 2016 are Nick Collison (treasurer), Tom Nielsen (division cabinet chair-elect), and Mary Talley (chapter cabinet chair-elect). More information at: http://www.sla.org/about-sla/media-room/press-releases/dee-magnoni-to-lead-sla-in-2017/
September 22, 2015
CollegeAIM-Changing the Culture: NIH Releases Comprehensive Resource To help Address College Drinking
The CollegeAIM (Alcohol Intervention Matrix) guide and website was developed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health. The centerpiece of CollegeAIM is a comprehensive and easy-to-use matrix-based tool that will help inform college staff about alcohol interventions and guide college staff to evidence-based interventions. CollegeAIM is the result of a multi-year collaboration and an extensive review of the scientific literature. It is unique in the breadth of research covered by its analysis, and the number and expertise of its contributors. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov.
September 10, 2015
Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary (LCSS) views now available in PubChem
The PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary (LCSS) provides pertinent chemical health and safety data for a given PubChem Compound record. The PubChem LCSS is a community effort involving professionals in health and safety, chemistry librarianship, informatics, and other specialties.

An LCSS is available for PubChem Compound records with a GHS hazard classification (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals). If a PubChem Compound record has an LCSS, the link to view it is provided at the top of the page under the heading "Safety Summary". In addition, one can get the complete list of chemicals with an LCSS by visiting the PubChem LCSS webpage or by using the PubChem Classification Browser.

To learn more about LCSS in PubChem, please explore the following webpages:
September 2, 2015
Summer 2015 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Chair's Message, Boston Conference Recap, Medical Section Chair's Message, News and Publications, and more!
Download the .pdf.
May 11, 2015
Spring 2015 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Chair's Message, Boston Conference Preview, Medical Section Chair's Message, Conference Sponsors, Member Activities, and more!
Download the .pdf.
May 5, 2015
Nature Reviews Disease Primers
Nature Reviews Disease Primers is a new member of the Nature Reviews family of journals. Nature Reviews Disease Primers is a new online-only, peer-reviewed journal publishing introductory review articles—called Primers—on diseases and disorders across all medical specialties.

Primer articles describe all aspects of a condition: epidemiology; disease mechanisms; diagnosis, screening and prevention; management; and quality of life. Each Primer is accompanied by a PrimeView — an illustrated summary of the article.

Authored by an international panel of academic scientists, translational researchers and clinicians, new Primers will be published every week.

The first primers have now been published on: Huntington disease, Systemic sclerosis, Menopause, Melanoma, From mechanisms to management, and Spina bifida.
May 5, 2015
GULF STUDY: NIH still active in Gulf region five years after oil spill
Five years after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are actively working with Gulf region community partners, to learn if any human health problems resulted from the disaster and establish a new research response plan to be better prepared for future disasters.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, is leading a three-part research strategy. This includes conducting the largest oil spill health study ever, the Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study (GuLF STUDY), which is intended to evaluate the health of 33,000 cleanup workers for 10 years. Secondly, NIEHS is funding more than $25 million in research by Gulf area universities on the health of local residents, including pregnant women and children, and is also starting the NIH Disaster Research Response Project.
Read more at:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/newsroom/releases/2015/april13/index.cfm
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/gulfspill/index.cfm
May 3, 2015
Accelerating Medicines Partnership
The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) is a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 10 biopharmaceutical companies and multiple non-profit organizations to transform the current model for developing new diagnostics and treatments by jointly identifying and validating promising biological targets for therapeutics. The ultimate goal is to increase the number of new diagnostics and therapies for patients and reduce the time and cost of developing them.

AMP was launched in February 2014, with projects in three disease areas:
• Alzheimer's disease
• type 2 diabetes
• autoimmune disorders of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus)

For each project, scientists from NIH and industry developed research plans aimed at characterizing effective molecular indicators of disease, called biomarkers, and distinguishing biological targets most likely to respond to new therapies. Read more here.

A new milestone has occurred recently with the launch of a new Alzheimer's Big Data portal -- including delivery of the first wave of data -- for use by the research community. The opening of the AMP-AD Knowledge Portal and release of the first wave of data will enable sharing and analyses of large and complex biomedical datasets. Researchers believe this approach will ramp up the development of predictive models of Alzheimer's disease and enable the selection of novel targets that drive the changes in molecular networks leading to the clinical signs and symptoms of the disease.
April 15, 2015
Understanding Rights Reversion for Authors
Authors Alliance is a nonprofit organization that promotes authorship for the public good by supporting authors who write to be read. Pursuant to this mission, Authors Alliance created the Understanding Rights Reversion (1) guide to help authors regain rights from their publishers or otherwise get the permission they need to make their books available in the ways they want.

This guide is the product of extensive outreach to the publishing industry. It required many interviews with authors, publishers, and literary agents, ranging from a CEO of a major publishing house to contracts and rights managers of trade and academic presses, editorial assistants, novelists, and academic authors. This book is in the public domain.

(1) Cabrera, Nicole, Jordyn Ostroff, Brianna Schofield, Samuelson Law, and Public Policy Clinic. (2015) Understanding Rights Reversion: When, Why, & How to Regain Copyright and Make Your Book More Available. Authors Alliance
April 15, 2015
Preserving the Open Internet
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set sustainable rules on February 26, 2015 of the roads that will protect free expression and innovation on the Internet and promote investment in the nation's broadband networks.

These new rules are guided by three principles: America's broadband networks must be fast, fair and open—principles shared by the overwhelming majority of the nearly 4 million commenters who participated in the FCC's Open Internet proceeding. Simply titled "Open Internet FCC-15-24A1," the order runs 400 pages. However, the actual rules encompass only eight pages at the end of the document.

Read more (5 pages of text) HERE.
April 10, 2015
Interactive Scientific Publishing (ISP)
Michael J. Ackerman has published "The Educational Value of Truly Interactive Science Publishing" in The Journal of Electronic Publishing (Spring 2015), Volume 18, Issue 2.
Here's an excerpt:

"Interactive Scientific Publishing (ISP) has been developed by the Optical Society of America with support from the National Library of Medicine at NIH. It allows authors to electronically publish papers which are linked to the referenced 2D and 3D original image datasets. These image datasets can then be viewed and analyzed interactively by the reader. ISP provides the software for authors to assemble and link their source data to their publication. But more important is that it provides readers with image viewing and analysis tools. The goal of ISP is to improve learning and understanding of the presented information.”
March 9, 2015
NIH's Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) Expectations for Institutions
Institutions have until September 24, 2015, to establish the necessary infrastructure to come into compliance with the federal Policy on Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC), including establishing a standing Institutional Review Entity (IRE).

Starting on that date, an IRE must assess research conducted by the institution, identify DURC as described in the Policy, and assess the benefits and risks.

If an IRE determines that NIH-funded research has DURC potential, the institution must notify the grants management official or contracting officer listed on the award within 30 days. Additionally, institutions and investigators will work with NIH to develop an appropriate risk mitigation plan to guide the conduct and communication of research determined to be DURC.

For more information on how this policy applies to grants and cooperative agreements specifically, see the November 21, 2014, Guide notice.

Resources
To assist institutions in implementing the Policy, the USG has developed "A Companion Guide to the USG Policies for Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern" (Companion Guide). The Companion Guide offers tools that promote the understanding and identification of DURC, risk assessment and development of risk mitigation plans and risk management processes, the responsible communication of DURC, and training and education on the DURC issue.

Additional educational tools and resources can be found on the U.S. Government Science, Safety, and Security (S3) website: http://www.phe.gov/s3/dualuse

Training Slide Set: Training on the U.S. Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern
March 7, 2015
NAL Unveils New Search Engine for Published USDA Research
The National Agricultural Library (NAL) has unveiled PubAg, a user-friendly search engine, (PubAg.nal.usda.gov) providing access to research published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

Phase I of PubAg delivers over 40,000 full-text journal articles by USDA staff and includes nearly 450,000 citations. The Library will add about 20,000 citations each month. The initial release also previews its directions for intended functionality and will serve as the foundation for further enhancements. This initial group of highly relevant, high-quality literature was taken from the 4 million bibliographic citations in NAL's database.

Phase II of PubAg, planned for later in 2015, will include the remainder of NAL's significant bibliographic records.
March 1, 2015
NIAID Reflects on an Extremely Productive 2014
A new slideshow highlights notable scientific accomplishments made by NIAID laboratories and NIAID-funded researchers during fiscal year 2014. These advances brought NIAID closer to much-needed vaccines for Ebola, HIV, and influenza. Others expanded its knowledge of rare conditions such as prion diseases and immunodeficiency disorders. All are representative of how public investment in biomedical research can advance science and benefit human health.
February 11, 2015
Winter 2015 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Chair's Message, Boston Conference Preview, Medical Section Chair's Message, Letter from the new Editor, Member Activities, and more!
Download the .pdf.
February 6, 2015
2015 SLA Leadership Summit Slides and Notes
The 2015 SLA Leadership Summit, January 21 – 23, 2015, Baltimore, Maryland, was an opportunity for SLA members to meet fellow unit leaders, the SLA Board and headquarters staff. The 2015 SLA Leadership Summit was important because Kate Arnold, SLA President has established in November 2014 a Transition Committee. "The focus of this committee is on planning and preparing for new operational leadership at SLA headquarters." https://www.sla.org/executive-transition-committee-focus-next-steps/*

The slides and notes from the 2015 SLA Leadership Summit presentations are now available at: https://www.sla.org/attend/leadership-summit-2015/presentations/

* Access for SLA members only
February 5, 2015
Resistance to Key Malaria Drug
In two new studies1,2 international research teams including NIAID scientists describe how certain genetic mutations make malaria-causing parasites resistant to artemisinin, a key drug for treating the disease. The findings are published in the Dec. 11, 2014, online issue of Science. More Information

  1. Straimer J, Gnädig NF, Witkowski B, Amaratunga C, Duru V, Ramadani AP, Dacheux M, Khim N, Zhang L, Lam S, Gregory PD, Urnov FD, Mercereau-Puijalon O, Benoit-Vical F, Fairhurst RM, Ménard D, Fidock DA. K13-propeller mutations confer artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1260867External Web Site Policy (2014).
  2. Mok S, Ashley EA, Ferreira PE, Zhu L, Lin Z, Yeo T, Chotivanich K, Imwong M, Pukrittayakamee S, Dhorda M, Nguon C, Lim P, Amaratunga C, Suon S, Hien TT, Htut Y, Faiz MA, Onyamboko MA, Mayxay M, Newton PN, Tripura R, Woodrow CJ, Miotto O, Kwiatkowski DP, Nosten F, Day NPJ, Presier PR, White NJ, Dondorp AM, Fairhurst RM, Bozdech Z. Population transcriptomics of human malaria parasites reveals the mechanism of artemisinin resistance. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1260403External Web Site Policy (2014).
February 5, 2015
Journals News
The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) has selected John Wiley and Sons Inc., to publish their highly regarded portfolio of journals focused on marine and inland water systems: Limnology & Oceanography, Limnology & Oceanography: Methods, its newsletter, Limnology & Oceanography Bulletin, and digital lecture series, Limnology & Oceanography e-Lectures. Wiley will also host the Associations former publication, Limnology & Oceanography: Fluids and Environments, which will be freely available on Wiley Online Library.

Elsevier has been chosen by the American Dental Association (ADA) to publish American its Flagship Journal: The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA)

Elsevier launched an open access, peer reviewed, online-only journal: New Negatives in Plant Science that will publish hypothesis-driven, scientifically sound studies that describe unexpected, controversial, dissenting, and/or null (negative) results in basic plant sciences. The journal is specifically interested in covering areas of molecular- cellular biology, biochemistry, and –omics fields in algae and higher plants.

Future Science Group (FSG) has launched Future Science Open, the publisher's first fully open access journal. Each month, Future Science Open will publish 9no issue has been published yet) research in all areas of biotechnology and medicine, as well as topics in biological, life and physical sciences that are relevant to human health. Nature Publishing Group expands Nature family of research journals with the launch of Nature Plants, with a focus on excellence in research across the plant sciences, building upon the cross-disciplinary model established by Nature Climate Change.

SAGE launched an open access journal, Academic Pathology
January 15, 2015
Nature magazine publisher to merge with Springer Science
According to Reuters (Jan 15) – "The publisher of science magazines Nature and Scientific American is merging with private equity-owned peer Springer Science+Business Media, creating a group with 1.5 billion euros ($1.75 billion) in annual sales and 13,000 employees.

Germany's Holtzbrinck, which owns Nature publisher Macmillan Science and Education, will combine the majority of its activities with BC Partners' Springer unit, which among other publishes scientific, technical and medical books and journals.”

More information at:
January 12, 2015
Elsevier Introduces Virtual Journal, Atlas
Elsevier launched the Virtual Journal, Atlas: Research for a Better World, which will cover thescience behind global issues that affect us all in a format that can be read by all.

Atlas showcases research that can (or already has) significantly impact(ed) people's lives around the world. Articles published are selected by an external advisory board made up of representatives of some of the world's most renowned Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), including the United Nations University and Oxfam. Every month the Board selects a paper from a shortlist of suggested articles published in any of Elsevier's 1800+ journals. Once selected, the author(s) of the paper are awarded "The Atlas" and work with a team of dedicated Atlas science journalists to summarize the research into an easy-to-digest, lay-friendly story format which will be published online. Additionally, all articles featured on Atlas will include a direct link to the full research paper on ScienceDirect which will be made freely available for all.
January 11, 2015
2014 Top Ten Species
In addition to the Top 10 new species (see List) chosen by the International Institute for Species Exploration in 2014, dozens of other organisms were recognized by science for the first time during the same year. Among the other notable new species identified in 2014 are a shrimp, a snail, a gecko, an anemone, and a fairyfly.

The 2014 Top Ten Species are not ranked, and are presented in alphabetical order by scientific name:
  • Olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina)
  • Kaweesak's Dragon Tree (Dracaena kaweesakii)
  • ANDRILL Anemone (Edwardsiella andrillae)
  • Skeleton Shrimp (Liropus minusculus)
  • Orange Penicillium (Penicillium vanoranjei)
  • Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuarius eximius)
  • Amoeboid Protist (Spiculosiphon oceana)
  • Clean Room Microbes (Tersicoccus phoenicis)
  • Tinkerbell Fairyfly (Tinkerbella nana)
  • Domed Land Snail (Zospeum tholussum)
See accompanying images at The Guardian, the International Institute for Species Exploration's website, and the Scientist.
January 10, 2015
Remains of King Richard III Confirmed
A recent article by King et al (2014) used the mitochondrial DNA of a skeleton excavated in 2012 at the presumed site of the Grey Friars friary in Leicester, the last-known resting place of King Richard III. DNA analyses of both the skeletal remains and living relatives of Richard III presented a perfect a perfect mitochondrial DNA match. The skeleton was that of a male aged 30 to 34 years old, with severe scoliosis rendering one shoulder higher than the other and exhibiting perimortem battle injuries.

Richard III has been immortalized by Shakespeare's as the most notorious villain.

King, T. E. et al. Identification of the remains of King Richard III. Nat. Commun. 5:5631 doi: 10.1038/ncomms6631 (2014).

The mitochondrial DNA sequences generated in this study have been deposited in GenBank under the accession codes KM676292 to KM676294.
November 17, 2014
Fall 2014 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Chair's Message, Medical Section Report, From the Editor, Member News & Publications, and more!
Download the .pdf.
November 8, 2014
Information Specialists Vital to the Ebola Effort
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is documenting staff efforts in the fight against Ebola through a blog series "Profiles in Courage." The October 24th entry focuses on two Information Officers (IO) who "compile, collate and verify all the information about the U.S. Government's Ebola response efforts and the crisis at large." This blog entry discusses the critical role that information is playing in the response efforts, and describes the work of Alisha McMichael and Paloma Clohossey.

"Alisha and Paloma bring all the threads of the operation together for reporting and information collection — they know the ins and the outs of the response as a whole," said Bill Berger, the Ebola Disaster Assistance Response Team Leader.

Read the rest of the blog at: http://blog.usaid.gov/2014/10/paloma-and-alisha-the-information-gurus-behind-the-u-s-ebola-response/.
October 21, 2014
A Reversal for Georgia State
Kevin Smith, the Director of the Office of Copyright and Scholarly Communication at Duke University, tackles in his blog the new ruling of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Kevin Smith is also recommending the blog post of Nancy Sims A copy of the opinion can be found at: http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/f iles/201214676.pdf.
October 21, 2014
The Use of Social Media to Advance the Scientific Understanding, Prevention, and Treatment of Substance Use and Addiction
More than $11 million over three years have been awarded through the Collaborative Research on Addiction at NIH (CRAN). The mission of the Collaborative Research on Addiction at NIH (CRAN) is to provide a strong collaborative framework to enable the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to integrate resources and expertise to advance substance use, abuse, and addiction research and public health outcomes.

Interactive platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become important sources of public information, and are powerful tools to help scientists identify prevailing attitudes and myths and convey accurate information to the public about alcohol, tobacco, and other addictive substances. Researchers can analyze social media interactions to gain insights into patterns of use, risk factors, and behaviors associated with substance use. By providing a platform for communicating science-based, health-related messages, social media may also enhance screening, prevention, and treatment of substance use and addiction.

For descriptions of each winning project, go to http://projectreporter.nih.gov/ Reporter_Viewsh.cfm?sl=13E8C00F478AC1D67598B8961CAA4A01A2FFCEB861BF. For more information on CRAN, go to http://addictionresearch.nih.gov/about-us.
August 12 – December 14, 2014
Emergency Access Initiative
Emergency Access Initiative is a collaborative partnership between the U.S. National Library of Medicine and participating publishers to provide free access to full-text articles from over 650 biomedical serial titles and over 4,000 reference books and online databases to healthcare professionals and libraries affected by disasters. The free access period is August 12, 2014 – December 14, 2014.
September 29, 2014
What Presidents, Provosts, and Finance Officers Need to Know?
In December 2013, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) sponsored a workshop that explored the ways in which library and information technology services (LITS) organizations and academic institutions will need to evolve. Workshop participants—members of CLIR's Chief Information Officers (CIOs) group, responsible for integrated library and information technology services organizations—identified changes they would be likely to face in the next decade and what strategies they should adopt to prepare themselves for this future.

Richard Holmgren, of Allegheny College, and Gene Spencer, of Ursinus College, draw on the workshop discussions to summarize the key challenges and opportunities facing LITS organizations. Developments of the past decade—from the ubiquity of cell phones to the growth of virtual server infrastructure and the maturation of open-source software support models—have created new opportunities for LITS organizations to improve student outcomes, increase revenue, and manage costs. The authors discuss these opportunities and identify the core competencies that LITS organizations will need to support positive institutional change in the decade ahead.

You can download the report titled "The Changing Landscape of Library and Information Services: What Presidents, Provosts, and Finance Officers Need to Know" at: http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub162.
September 29, 2014
Aristotelian Biology
The new fall nonfiction book "The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science" by Armand Marie Leroi (ISBN-10: 0670026743; ISBN-13: 978-0670026746) shows that the ancient Greek philosopher was the not only the first scientist, but also the first biologist. Here is a quote from the Scientist Magazine about this book:
Aristotle "devoted nearly a third of his writings—a dozen volumes, thousands of pages—to living things. There is comparative zoology in "Historia animalium,” functional anatomy in "The Parts of Animals,” a book on growth, two on animal locomotion, and two on aging and death. And then there is his greatest work of all: "The Generation of Animals” in which he described how animals develop in the egg and womb and outlined a theory of inheritance. It was the best one around until the day, 2,300 years later, when Gregor Mendel published his "Experiments on Plant Hybridization.” Aristotle underpinned his biology with a physical and chemical theory and a scientific method that lies atop metaphysical bedrock. There's a sense in which his entire philosophy was constructed in order to study living things.”
September 29, 2014
Nature Communications Goes Full Open Access
Nature Communications is to become the first Nature-branded open access only journal. Nature Communications is Nature Publishing Group's (NPG) flagship open access title. Nature Communications will only accept open access research submissions from 20th October 2014. The title was launched in 2010 as a born-digital hybrid journal, publishing both open access and subscription content.

Nature Communications is now one of NPG's fastest growing titles, receiving over 1000 submissions every month. All research published by the journal represents important advances, of significance to specialists within a field, in all areas of the biological, physical, chemical and earth sciences.

A report by the Research Information Network, "Nature Communications: Citation Analysis" found that there is a significant benefit for article views and downloads, as well as a small but significant citation benefit to publishing open access in Nature Communications.
August 18, 2014
Summer 2014 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: President's Message, Medical Section Report, Division Vendors Roundtable Lunch, Homepage Committee RSS Feed Feature, Book Review, Member News & Publications, and more!
Download the .pdf.
April 27, 2014
Spring 2014 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Chair's Message, Vancouver Conference Preview, Vendors Roundtable Report, Medical Section, Book Review, Member News & Publications, and more!
Download the .pdf.
April 19, 2014
Resubmission of NIH Applications

For all application due dates after April 16, 2014, following an unsuccessful resubmission (A1) application, applicants may submit the same idea ONCE as a new (A0) application for the next appropriate new application due date (see NOT-OD-14-074).

Resubmissions (A1) must be submitted within 37 months of the new (A0) application (see NOT-OD-10-140).

For more details on the Resubmission Policy, visit the Resubmissions webpage.

More information about this announcement can also be found in Dr. Rockey's blog post at and FAQs.

More information can also be found in the NIH Guide Notice announcing this policy.
April 3, 2014
Nature Publishing Group (NPG) has just launched the ‘Nature Partner Journal' series.
Nature Partner Journals is a new series of online open access journals, published in collaboration with world-renowned international partners. The project will start in the second quarter of 2014.

Find more information about this collaboration, by reading FAQs.
April 1, 2014
PLOS' New Data Policy
Online open access publisher the Public Library of Science (PLOS) is refining a new policy that requires authors to make their data publicly available upon the publication of the accompanying article. This decision has upset many researchers who have argued that the policy would place an extra burden on them and their collaborators, and expose sensitive information, such as patient data.

Amid the outcry, PLOS has since further clarified its stance, adding that the policy doesn't dictate what type of data must be published but "aims to make transparent where the data can be found, and says that it shouldn't be just on the authors' own hard drive.”
For more information visit:
February 4, 2014
Winter 2014 Issue of Biofeedback Available!
In this issue: Chair's Message, Vancouver Conference Preview, Medical Section, MLA Liaison Report, Member News & Publications, and more!
Download the .pdf.


Rev. November 2021