Archive for the ‘Science’ Category
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
On October 23rd we posted about a new iPhone/iTouch app from NASA. All sorts of info dynamically updated info. It’s a free app.
Today, something new. Now, it’s time for the NASA Images app with content coming from the nasaimages which is an effort to bring all NASA imagery and video together in a single location. nasaimages.org is a “co-production” between NASA and The Internet Archive.
NASA Images is a free app from Tomute Software
Key features:
+ Search and view media from nasaimages.org
+ View images with an interactive zoom
+ Watch NASA programs and mission video
+ Bookmark URL’s
+ Send e-mail with URL’s of favorites.
Direct Link to NASA Images (via iTunes)
Source: nasaimages.org
Posted in Resources, Science | No Comments »
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Webcast: Preserving OSTI’s Printed Archive
A three minute video from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Here’s the Blurb:
The American public has invested billions of dollars in the atomic energy and subsequent related programs. This investment has mostly been in the form of the printed page. OSTIs historical preservation is described.
Direct to “Printed Archive” Video (via YouTube)
Direct to OSTI YouTube Channel
Direct to OSTI Home Page
While print preservation is essential, OSTI is home to many free online databases including:
+ Science Accelerator
+ Science.gov (Content from Many Government Databases, Search Tecnology from OSTI)
+ WorldWideScience (Global in Scope)
+ Information Bridge: DOE Scientific and Technical Information (Includes over 210K Full Text Documents)
+ DOE Data Explorer
+ Energy Citations Database
+ E-print Network
+ Several Others Linked on the OSTI Home Page
Source: OSTI
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information, Preservation/Conservation, Print Publications, Resources, Science | No Comments »
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
The new blog is titled “Inside Adams.” LC’s Adams Building is the the Science, Technology, and Business Division (ST&B) is located. ResourceShelf welcome Inside Adams to the blogosphere. Kudos!
From a News Release:
The Science, Technology, and Business Division of the Library of Congress has launched a new blog, Inside Adams. Inside Adams will point readers to the Library’s large and diverse collections of books, journals, prints, photographs, digital collections, finding aids, and Webcasts related to science, technology, and business. This blog will give us the opportunity to highlight the bibliographies, research guides, and special pages that have been developed by staff, as well as share the history, art, and architecture of the John Adams Building
More in the first Inside Adams Post
Source: LC
See Also: Inside Adams has an RSS feed available here.
Posted in Business and Economics, Libraries and Librarianship, Science, Social Media | No Comments »
Saturday, October 31st, 2009
Using the Calculator on this Page you can:
+ Convert Temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius and Celsius to Fahrenheit
+ Calculate Windchill
See Also: Windchill Chart
+ Calculate Relative Humidity
+ Calculate Heat Index
See Also: Heat Index Chart
+ Wind Speed Conversion (mph; knots; m/s; ft/s; km/h
+ Station Pressure
Source: National Weather Service, Peachtree City, GA
Posted in Reference Tools, Resources, Science | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
On Sunday, we posted that NASAimages.org had added a bunch of new imagery from several NASA sources.
Yesterday, a helpful guide to searching and finding with NASAimages.org was made available on the site’s blog.
The post includes discussions of:
+ Simple Keyword Searching
+ Advanced Search
+ Narrowing Search Results
+ Browsing
Don’t forget that NASAimages.org also contains video material.
NASAimages.org is made available via a partnership between NASA and the Internet Archive. More about the project here.
Sources: NASAimages.org Blog
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Science, Search News, Search Tools | No Comments »
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
In August of this year we made NASA Images our Resource of the Week.
NASA Images is a joint production of NASA and the Internet Archive. Both organizations are working together to create a single searchable resource where all NASA image, video, and audio collections can be accessed.
During October, NASA Images added over 4,000 images from:
+ Ames Research Center image library
+ Dryden Flight Research Center
+ NASA’s Featured Image Collection
+ Goddard Space Flight Center
+ Ares I-X Rocket
Source: NASAimages.org Blog
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Resources, Science | No Comments »
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
From an Email Newsletter:
Elsevier metadata for SCOPUS and ScienceDirect collections from 2006 to the present have now been indexed in WorldCat.org search results. This article-level metadata joins similar content such as the GPO Monthly Catalog, ArticleFirst, Medline, ERIC and the British Library Inside Serials. The ScienceDirect content corresponds to 1,800 journals, 150 book series and more than 1.3 million records.
Source: OCLC
See Also: A June, 2006 Review of Scopus by Peter Jacso
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Information Industry, Science | No Comments »
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
From a Blog Post:
The Wikipedia entry for “neuroscience” looks all right at first glance, but after attending a session on Monday, I knew otherwise. Two enthusiastic scientists turned Wikipedia Academy volunteers, Bill Wedemeyer and Tim Vickers, explained that Wikipedia articles get grades for completeness and readability and that the “neuroscience” article earns only a middling grade.
[Snip]
The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) thinks Wikipedia neuroscience ought to be better and has called for its members to edit Wikipedia, working on the premise that the more the public knows about neuroscience, the more votes and dollar support they’ll throw behind research and the more bright people will want to work in the field. Vickers said that as the Internet’s seventh most visited site and most people’s first stop for information, Wikipedia is a public outreach powerhouse.
[Snip]
But even if editing Wikipedia is the right thing to do, scientists may have good reasons for not wanting to get involved. Neuroscientist Chris Lossin of UC Davis pointed out that editing a Wikipedia article is time-consuming, and young scientists need to spend their time publishing articles for their tenure files. And until there’s a way to give scientists legitimate credit for their work, editing Wikipedia may seem like charity.
Source: Findings (Science Magazine)
Posted in Science, Social Media | No Comments »
Monday, October 19th, 2009
Access the Web Page
Make sure to check the page regularly for updates.
Purpose of the Fraudulent Products List
This list is intended to alert consumers about Web sites that are or were illegally marketing unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized products in relation to the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus (sometimes referred to as the “swine flu” virus). Note that until evidence to the contrary is presented to FDA, the owner of the listed Web site is considered responsible for promoting the unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized products. The uses related to the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus are not necessarily being promoted by the manufacturers of the products.
Consumer Considerations about the Products List
+ This list does not include every Web site that is marketing products related to the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus without FDA approval, clearance, or authorization, only those Web sites to which FDA has issued a warning letter.
+ Even if a Web site is not included in this list, consumers should exercise caution before purchasing over the Internet any product purporting to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, treat, or cure the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus.
+ Please note that some of these products may be approved or cleared by FDA for other medical uses. The fact that a product is listed on this page indicates ONLY that the products are not cleared, approved, or authorized for the diagnosis, mitigation, prevention, treatment, or cure of the 2009 H1N1 flu virus.
The list can be browsed by product type or searched by:
+ Brand Name (Example: SilverCure)
+ Product Name (Example: Silver Shampoo)
+ Any combination of: brand name, Product Name
At the Bottom of the Page You Can Download All Unapproved, Uncleared, or Unauthorized Products as an Excel Spreadsheet, a PDF File, or in XML.
Access the Web Page
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Posted in Business and Economics, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Lists and Rankings, Science | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
From the Web Site:
Scientists are exploring the health implications of cell phone radiation. Meanwhile, buy smart. Use Environmental Working Group’s new interactive database to find wireless devices with the lowest emissions. Learn how to limit your family’s exposures
On this page, in the lower right corner, you can search for phones by name and limit by provider and/or manufacturer.
Source: Environmental Working Group
Posted in Consumer Issues, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools, Resources, Science | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
Wired Campus reports that there is a new iPhone/iTouch app that can help teach human anatomy.
From the Article:
Researchers at the University of Utah have created new iPhone applications that help people study anatomy and medicine.
One of the applications, called AnatomyLab, allows students to view a body in different stages of dissection. Researchers dissected a cadaver and photographed it at 40 different stages of the process.
“It’s aimed at students who want to learn anatomy,” Mark Nielsen, a biology professor, said in a statement. “There’s no substitute for real dissection, but a lot of students in the undergraduate world don’t have access to cadavers in anatomy lab. So we tried to provide them with a realistic lab setting on their phone.”
The application costs $9.99. Here’s a direct link to the AnatomyLab in the iTunes App Store. AnatomyLab is one of several anatomy apps available.
Source: Wired Campus
Posted in Science, Wireless Web and Search | No Comments »
Sunday, October 11th, 2009
NSF Releases Online Multimedia Package on Marine “Dead Zones”
The Earth currently has more than 400 so-called “dead zones”–expanses of oxygen-starved ocean covering hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles that become virtually devoid of animal life during the summer; the worldwide count of dead zones is doubling every decade.
Most dead zones, such as the Gulf of Mexico’s notorious dead zone, are caused by pollution that is dumped into oceans by rivers. But every summer since 2002, the Pacific Northwest’s coastal waters–one of the U.S.’s most important fisheries–has been invaded by massive dead zones that are believed to be caused by an entirely different and surprising phenomena: changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation that may, in turn, be caused by climate change.
How could climate change cause dead zones? What do dead zones look like and what are their ecological impacts? And how, on Earth, are scientists sleuthing out the causes of perplexing marine processes that cover such huge swaths of the sea? Find out in the National Science Foundation’s new online, multimedia package on dead zones.
Entitled Dead Zones: Mysteries of Ocean Die-Offs Revealed, the multimedia package is posted at http://nsf.gov/news/special_reports/deadzones. It features:
- a webcast with Jack Barth, an expert on Oregon’s dead zones from Oregon State University;
- a dynamic, narrated slide show;
- compelling videos;
- eye-catching photos;
- enlightening illustrations
- informative, easy-to-understand texts; and
- downloadable documents.
Dead Zones: Mysteries of Ocean Die-Offs Revealed is ideal for reporters, general readers, fishermen, water-enthusiasts, teachers, students, researchers and conservation organizations.
Source: National Science Foundation
Posted in Education, New Websites and Resources, Resources for Educators, Science, Source File | No Comments »
Friday, October 9th, 2009
The name of the new iPhone/iTouch app is iResearch.
It is a free download but of course you need a AIP subscription (either individual or institutional) or a pay-per-view account to get to the full text content.
From the Announcement:
iResearch was developed to provide physicists, engineers, scientists, and students, with mobile access to valuable physics journal content. Users may access iResearch via the Apple iTunes store to download the application for version 3.0 and higher.
[Snip]
In addition to readily accessing AIP content through a Wi-Fi network or cellular connection, iResearch enables users to optionally save files in PDF format on their iPhone or iPod touch for offline viewing.
[Snip]
The journals available in the iResearch application include: Applied Physics Letters, Biomicrofluidics, Chaos, Journal of Applied Physics, The Journal of Chemical Physics, Journal of Mathematical Physics, Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, Low Temperature Physics, Physics of Fluids, Physics of Plasmas, and Review of Scientific Instruments.
Here’s a direct link to the iResearch app via the iTunes Store.
See Also: This is Not AIP’s First Mobile Product/Service
In August of 2009, AIP Began Offering a Mobile Friendly Version of the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy (JRSE).
You Don’t Need an iPhone/iTouch to access this journal. It’s Accessible Using Any Mobile Web Browser.
Source: AIP
See Also: Peter Jacso’s Review of the Scitation Database from AIP
We linked to it on Thursday, October 8, 2009.
Hat Tip: Gerry M.
Posted in Scholarly Publishing, Science, Software and Web-Based Applications, Wireless Web and Search | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Cancer Data? Sorry, Can’t Have It
Not long ago, I asked a respected cancer researcher if he could send me raw data from a trial he had recently published. He refused. Sharing data would make the study team members “uncomfortable,” he said, as I might use this to “cast doubt” on their results.
I’d heard this before: as a statistician who designs and analyzes cancer studies, I regularly ask other researchers to provide additional information or raw data. Sometimes I want to use the data to test out a new idea or method of statistical analysis. And knowing exactly what happened in past studies can help me design better research for the future. Occasionally, however, there are statistical analyses I could run that might make an immediate and important impact on the lives of cancer patients.
…
Given the enormous physical, emotional and financial toll of cancer, one might expect researchers to promote the free and open exchange of information. The patients who volunteer for cancer trials often suffer through painful procedures and harsh experimental treatments in the hope of hastening a cure. The data they provide ought to belong to all of us. Yet cancer researchers typically treat it as their personal property.
Source: New York Times
Posted in Access to Information, Information Policy, Science, Search News, Statistics | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Energy Explained
From e-mail:
Energy Explained , a new web portal launched today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), celebrates Energy Awareness Month with the most comprehensive energy education resource available from the U.S. Government.
The site explains where gasoline comes from, what determines the price of electricity, how much renewable energy the United States uses, and hundreds of other energy topics.
“Energy touches us in many ways every day, from the electricity that lights our homes to the fuel we use in our cars,” said EIA Administrator Richard Newell. “Energy Explained uses plain language and clear graphics to help explain a sometimes complex, but vital subject.”
Energy Explained allows easy navigation between major energy topics:
- What Is Energy?
- Use of Energy
- Energy and the Environment
- Nonrenewable Energy Sources
- Renewable Energy Sources
- Secondary Energy Sources
Source: Energy Information Administration
Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Portals, Reference Tools, Resources for Educators, Science, Source File | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Access FoodEssentials.com
There motto is, “what are you really eating?” For an in-depth overview, visit this page.
FoodEssentials has the most comprehensive food comparison criteria available. No matter what you’re specific requirements are FoodEssentials.com has the potential to be able to help you find foods that suit those requirements. One can compare foods by specific ingredient, allergens, additives or nutrients making the FoodEssentials database the most comprehensive in existence.
Simply enter a food type, product name, company name, etc.. compare lists, and then view complete nutrients, allergens, and additives. Here’s a search for ice cream. Btw, directly below the search box you’ll find links to popular product categories.
You’ll see that the results page provides a list of ice cream categories and links to specific products. Click a product name, and your provided with a list and drop down menu with many data points to find out the nutritional make-up of the product. Here’s an example.
Access Info About:
+ Cholesterol
+ Calories
+ Fat Calories
+ Fiber
+ Protein Saturated Fat
+ Sodium
+ Sugars
+ Total Fat
Other Data Points
+ Additives by Presence
+ Allergens by Presence
+ Ingredients by Presence
Users can also build comparison lists. Instructions can be found by clicking, “My Lists.”
Don’t feel like searching? You can also browse by category. Look for the category listing located on the right side of product info pages.
FoodEssentials comes from a company based in Chicago. More about the company here. You can also learn about there fee-based products. FoodEssentials.com is a free service.
Finally, you can learn a bit more about the company and the web site by taking a look at this news release (worth reviewing).
Access FoodEssentials.com
Posted in Business and Economics, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools, Resources, Science | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
From an ACM TechNews Summary
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Web researchers have embarked on the Tetherless World Research Constellation, a project they say will create Semantic Web technology enabling scientists, educators, and people worldwide to access data on various topics in a single place, opening up a new scale of scientific data compilation and sharing. The effort is funded by a $1.1 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Semantic-based Web technologies would enable a computer to supply its own underlying meaning to words and offer links to vast numbers of related sites and other content without human intervention. “With semantics, we can bridge the gap between the question that someone wants to ask in their limited scientific vocabulary and the extreme complexity of the underlying data,” says RPI professor Deborah McGuinness.
Access the Complete Article (via Rensselaer News, Includes Chart)
Posted in Science, Semantic Search, Technology and Internet | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
From the Web Site:
Pillbox was developed to aid in the identification of unknown solid dosage pharmaceuticals. The system combines high-resolution images of tablets and capsules with FDA-approved appearance information (imprint, shape, color, etc.) to enable users to visually search for and identify an unknown solid dosage pharmaceutical.
This system is designed for use by emergency physicians, first responders, other health care providers, Poison Control Center staff, and concerned citizens.
The system enables users to identify solid dosage forms based on physical criteria: imprint (characters or number printed on a medication), shape, color, size, and scoring. Users are shown thumbnail images of possible matches. These images are continually updated as the user enters additional information.
Once a solid dosage form has been identified, additional information is provided, including brand/generic name, ingredients, and the National Drug File identification number. Links are provided to NLM drug information resources, such as FDA-approved label information (DailyMed) and the Drug Information Portal, which searches all NLM drug information resources.
You can search for a pill by:
+ Imprint
+ Shape
+ Color
+ Size
+ Scoring
The search criteria listed above can also be combined.
Access Pillbox
A video tour is also available once you access the database.
The FAQ is useful, brief, and worth reading.
From the FAQ:
As of September 2009 Pillbox contains 5,693 records. Of those, only 779 have images. These images are the result of a research project in which the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) photographed the solid-dosage formulary of one of the VA’s Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacies (CMOPs). The pilot project mentioned in the previous question will increase the number of images available in Pillbox.
Source: NLM (in partnership with the FDA)
Hat Tip: @jwindz
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Resources, Science | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Access SAGE Journals Online
The complete database and all of its content is free for the month of October.
You’ll first need to register. This link should get you started. You’ll be asked for an email address, name, and a few other data points. You will also be asked if SAGE can contact you. Select yes or no.
SAGE Journals Online contains more than 260,000 articles from more than 500 SAGE journals* with content available from 1999-current.
Quick Search and Advanced Search interfaces are available. You can also browse by journal title.
* Some of the many disciplines include:
+ Communication & Media Studies
+ Engineering & Computing
+ Geography
+ Information Science
+ Management & Organization Studies
+ Pharmacology & Toxicology
+ Politics & International Relations
+ Research Methods & Evaluation
+ Sociology
A complete list of disciplines that Sage Journals Online covers is located on the opening registration page.
Access SAGE Journals Online
Source: SAGE
Posted in Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Geographic, Information Industry, Reference Tools, Resources, Science | No Comments »
Monday, October 5th, 2009
DOE Unveils New Online Database of Oil and Natural Gas Research Results
By providing easy access to the results of nearly four decades of research supported by the Office of Fossil Energy’s Oil and Natural Gas Program, the knowledge management database could ultimately help boost recovery of the nation’s oil and gas resources.
The database largely evolved from a recommendation made by the Federal advisory committees that counsel the Energy Secretary on the Department’s Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research Program.
The database portal provides access to content from dozens of CDs and DVDs related to oil and natural gas research that FE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory has published over the years. It also provides links to reports, data sets, and project summaries from ongoing research. The database includes more than 9,000 files and will be expanded in the future to include geographical information system capabilities that will allow visualization of data.
+ Direct to database
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information, Science, Source File | No Comments »
