Wednesday, March 19, 2008

The Latest from Science Online Magazine

Have a quick look at the latest 14th of March issue of Science Online Magazine, Please note, that I select only some of the titles. Click on the links to access the UJ full-text issues.
14 March 2008Vol 319, Issue 5869, Pages 1453-1551 (Click on the TITLE for full-text)
* News of the Week
- SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT: Two Papers From Korean Lab Found to Lack 'Scientific Truth'
- DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY: Proposed Frog Ban Makes a Splash
- EDUCATION: Spanish Scientists Question Accreditation Plan
- INNOVATION: U.K.'s Royal Society Ventures Into Funding Start-Up Companies
* News Focus
- AGRICULTURE: Dueling Visions for a Hungry World
- COMPUTER SCIENCE: Cryptologists Cook Up Some Hash for New 'Bake-Off'
- COMPUTER SCIENCE: Hash of the Future?
* Letters
- Going Public with the Scientific Process
* Books et al.
- COMMUNICATING SCIENCE: Fresh Renderings of Physics
- MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: On Ends and Means
* Perspectives
- PLANETARY SCIENCE: Observing Our Origins
- SYSTEMS BIOLOGY: Customized Signaling Circuits
- PHYSICS: This Coincidence Cannot Be Accidental
* Brevia
- Predators Induce Cloning in Echinoderm Larvae
* Reports
- Energy Gaps and Kohn Anomalies in Elemental Superconductors
- The Chlorine Isotope Composition of Earth's Mantle
- Caribbean Reef Development Was Independent of Coral Diversity over 28 Million Years

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Google Sky @ your Browser

It is Saturday morning and I have been reading "Sky and Telescope newsletter" on my e-mail, when I saw the announcement of the new Google development - Google Sky. I click on the link and the sky came directly in front of me. For those like me, who love watching the evening sky & what is out there, I'm providing some additional information on this new web tool.

Google has unveiled a browser version of its Google Sky application on Thursday, 13th March for people who don't want to download the Google Earth software. Prior, to access "Sky", users needed to download and install the "Google Earth" application - the Web-based mapping software. "Google Sky" was introduced as an additional feature to "Google Earth" (version 4.2) in August last year.
This browser version of Google Sky allows you to zoom in and out the celestial bodies, search for planets, constelations and galaxies and view the sky through infrared, x-ray, ultraviolet, and microwave views. There are also galleries of some of the best pictures from the Hubble telescope and others. You can also listen to podcasts and look at historical maps of the sky.

Enjoy the exciting sky world through Google.

Ten Questions Shaping 21st-century Earth Science Identified

ScienceDaily (Mar. 15, 2008) — Ten questions driving the geological and planetary sciences were have been identified in a new report by the National Research Council. Aimed at reflecting the major scientific issues facing earth science at the start of the 21st century, the questions represent where the field stands, how it arrived at this point, and where it may be headed.
* How did earth and other planets form?
* What happened during earth's "dark age" (the first 500 million years)?
* How did life begin?
* How does earth's interior work, and how does it affect the surface?
* Why does earth have plate tectonics and continents?
* How are earth processes controlled by material properties?
* What causes climate to change -- and how much can it change?
* How has life shaped earth -- and how has earth shaped life?
* Can earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and their consequences be predicted?
* How do fluid flow and transport affect the human environment?
Adapted from materials provided by The National Academies

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Latest from Science Online Magazine

Have a quick look at the latest two issues of Science Online Magazine, which were published on 29th February & 7th March 2008. Please note, that I select only some of the titles. Click on the links to access the UJ full-text issues.

7 March 2008Vol 319, Issue 5868, Pages 1303-1414
http://0-www.sciencemag.org.ujlink.uj.ac.za/current.dtl

* News of the Week
- NATURAL DISASTERS: Ecologists Report Huge Storm Losses in China's Forests
- PHYSICS: Test of Hawking's Prediction on the Horizon With Mock 'White Hole'
- PLANETARY SCIENCE: Electron Shadow Hints at Invisible Rings Around a Moon
* News Focus
- NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS: Preparing for Doomsday
- PALEONTOLOGY: Experts Find No Evidence for a Mammoth-Killer Impact
- PLANT SCIENCES: Corn Genomics Pops Wide Open
* Letters
- Editorial Expression of Concern
- Rewarding Reviewers
- Rating Reviewers
- Preventing Inequity in International Research
* Books et al.
- COMPUTERS: News from Avatar Editors
* Perspectives
- GEOLOGY: Canyon Cutting on a Grand Time Scale
- MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: A Tail Tale for U
- OCEANS: On Phytoplankton Trends
- COMPUTER SCIENCE: Science 2.0
* Brevia
- Dimethylsulfoniopropionate as a Foraging Cue for Reef Fishes
* Research Articles
- Long-Term Sea-Level Fluctuations Driven by Ocean Basin Dynamics
* Reports
- Fiber-Optical Analog of the Event Horizon
- Age and Evolution of the Grand Canyon Revealed by U-Pb Dating of Water Table-Type Speleothems
- TOPLESS Mediates Auxin-Dependent Transcriptional Repression During Arabidopsis Embryogenesis
29 February 2008Vol 319, Issue 5867, Pages 1157-1268
Special issue: Quantum matter
* Perspectives
- Quantum Gases
- Quantum Liquids
- Quantum Critical Electron Systems: The Uncharted Sign Worlds
* News of the Week
- SCIENCE EDUCATION: Florida Standards Support Evolution--With a Twist
- PEER REVIEW: NIH Urged to Focus on New Ideas, New Applicants
- SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT: Chemist Found Responsible for Ethical Breaches
- ANNETTE SCHAVAN INTERVIEW: German Science Takes an International View
* News Focus
- RESEARCH FUNDING: Are Epigeneticists Ready for Big Science?
- ATOMIC PHYSICS: Insights Flow From Ultracold Atoms That Mimic Superconductors
- PALEOANTHROPOLOGY: Rocking the Cradle of Humanity
* Books et al.
- EVOLUTION: Happening Now, Outdoors
* Education Forum
- INQUIRY LEARNING: Integrating Content Detail and Critical Reasoning by Peer Review
* Perspectives
- CELL BIOLOGY: No ESCRTs for Exosomes
- PHYSICS: Complexity in Fusion Plasmas
- CHEMISTRY: An Enlightening Structure-Function Relationship
- CHEMISTRY: Getting Specific About Specific Ion Effects
* Brevia
- Ubiquity of Biological Ice Nucleators in Snowfall
* Reports
- Proton Radiography of Inertial Fusion Implosions
- Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt
- Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change
- Leading-Edge Vortex Improves Lift in Slow-Flying Bats

Collaboration, Sharing, Knowledge @ VUMA Portal

I have attended a workshop, where we had been introduced to the latest project from FOTIM (Foundation of Tertiary Institutions of the Northern Metropolis) - the VUMA! Portal. The purpose of the workshop was also for FOTIM to learn more on: How to enhance this Portal, how to promote, etc. Below I'm giving you a short explanation about this initiative and how can be used by students and academics.

VUMA is an initiative of FOTIM. The members of FOTIM are: University of Limpopo, North-West University, University of Johannesburg, Tshawane University of Technology, University of Witwatersrand, Vaal University of Technology, University of Venda, University of Pretoria and University of South Africa. The first phase of the Vuma! Portal was launched in October 2007.

To succeed at university, students are expected to show proficiency in many skills, including language and literacy, thinking skills, numeracy, communication and presentation skills, study skills, computer skills and others.

The Vuma! Portal is FOTIM’s attempt to pool the information and resources of its member institutions to support students in their university lives. Through partnerships formed with students, universities, funders and other providers, FOTIM aims to support the VUMA! Community growth as open, free environment, that gives students the opportunity to explore responsibly the many issues relating to university life and entering the workplace.
The Portal is intended to serve the collaborative needs of tertiary institutions, enabling them to enhance the learning experience of current and prospective students while creating a platform for academic collaboration and support. The Vuma! Portal space can be used by students to meet other students, seek peer advice, talk to experts and share university experiences, upload resources and contribute to a growing body of knowledge.

Build on the Web 2.0 platform, the Vuma! Portal relies on the contribution of users to grow the online space. The many tools available on the Portal are:
- blogs
- discussion forums
- polls
- wikis, aimed at encouraging collaboration and sharing

Through VUMA! students will have the unique opportunity to collaborate with students from other universities, share their views, submit content, and become active contributors in building this community.

The VUMA! Portal will be a source of advice and support to teachers and parents on the challenges and pressures facing university students, and the roles that they can play in supporting students.

The VUMA! Portal university staff facility aims to become the premier location for online collaboration amongst university staff in their professional pursuits. Its core purpose will be to create a formal and informal space focused on stimulating collaborative efforts in curriculum design, materials development, resource sharing and student support.

The VUMA! Portal space for prospective students will provide a mechanism for supporting students in making the right choices as they consider their options in higher education and future careers.

How to join the Vuma! Portal?

* From the main VUMA web page, Click on the preferred option:
Students, Parents & Teachers, Prospective Students, University Staff
* Create your own account
* You can access through the Navigation option: available blogs, discussion forums, polls, etc.

* You can participate with your ideas and inputs that can help students to enhance their learning, research & thinking styles by using the various wikis.

What I like most is the option : WIKIS

There are three wikis options:
* The Study Center gives an opportunity for:
- Students to collaborate with other students on topics relevant to their studies and university life.
- Academics to add useful information under the different entries. Vuma! Portal can be used to TUTOR students.
- Librarians to add their knowledge of literacy instructions
There is already information available in this space to help students with their:
- Study Skills (learning styles, critical thinking, problem-solving, mind mapping, self-confidence, reading confidence, handling lectures, etc.)
- Exam Skills (essay style, open book exam, exam preparation, etc.)
* Life Hub ( enhance your university life)
* Writing Center (basics of good writing, avoiding Plagiarism, Writing Scientific Essay, etc.)

Many LINKS are available to useful website, under each of the entries.

P.S. You can EDIT these articles & ADD NEW CONTENT!

What should the Libraries and the Academics do?

* Participate actively in this project to enhance the quality of their students' knowledge
* Promote this initiative as widely as possible
* Make sure that LINKS to the VUMA! Portal are easy to access ( EduLink, Departments web pages, Library web page, etc.)
* The Library should provide additional trainings to students on “How to use VUMA! Portal", " Web 2.0 technological tools", etc.
This PORTAL is about: Collaboration, Sharing, building Relationships, creation of new Knowledge. There are already over 1000 subscribed users. The vision of Vuma! Portal is embedded in three year strategy.
A number of issues were raised at the workshop:
- If students contribute Lectures notes, what are the implications - Intellectual property issues?
- There will be standartisation of Information literacy materials. All participating University libraries will be involved.
- It were raised questions about links to Career Information, so students can easily find jobs after their university degree is completed
This project is open to changes and will adapt to the needs of its users.

Go and have a look at this portal, get the feel of it, test it and then give us your opinion. The initiators behind this Portal (FOTIM) will greatly appreciate your comments (mail@fotim.ac.za).

Wiley-Blackwell Library Newsletter: March 2008

Keep abreast with the latest Wiley-Blackwell news, by reading through this newsletter:
* View the latest news in Key Subject Areas (Life & Environmetal Sciences, Physical Science, Engineering, Computing & Technology, Agricultural & Animal Sciences, etc.)
* New Titles online from Wiley-Blackwell (journals, books – some highlighted titles of interest)
* Platform Updates
* Just for fun (statistics show….; quotes about statistics)

While the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty
~Arthur Conan Doyle~
If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment
~Ernest Rutherford~
P.S. Have you searched lately BlackwellSynergy database to help you find articles for your research or teaching. If not, NOW is the time. Visit the UJ Library web page: http://www.uj.ac.za/library . Click on Databases, Select: BlackwellSynergy.
To read this Newsletter, click on the TITLE link.

Wiley-Blackwell @ UJ Library

Mathew Crook from Wiley-Blackwell visited the UJ Library on 3rd of March. We discussed the current BlackwellSynergy subscription, the upcoming integrated platform for Wiley & Blackwell titles and the available e-books collections. I have look at the Wiley InterScience web site and added some useful links.

1. BlackwellSynergy & Wiley InterScience Journals Collections
(http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/home)

- During 2008 these two collections are still separate (pricing, licensing, and access options).
- In July 2008, BlackwellSynergy will be integrated into Wiley InterScience for 6 months. We will have the opportunity to search both databases, but full-text access to the journals is only for BlackwellSynergy journals.
- Trial to Wiley InterScience will be arranged for a month during May/June for UJ user to get acquainted with the platform.
- As from 2009 there will be one portfolio subscription and one unified platform to search. The new platform will have the best features of the former two.
- The BlackwellSynergy journals are available full-text as from 1997+
- Full-text access to Blackwell Synergy is available through the Library Databases
- If we would like to subscribe to the Wiley journals, the current licensing agreement will be: Current print Wiley journals price + flat rate of $ 10,000 + e-access.
Here is an overview of the online journals offered by Wiley-Blackwell in 2008:
* Journals on Wiley InterScience
- 472 total journals
- 9 new journals
- 7 transfers from other publishers
- 16 offering opt-in access
- 6 ending opt-in access period
- 3 ceasing publication
The new journals are self sustainable. They are excluded from the current subscriptions. They are available for FREE in their 1st year of publication. View the 2007 & 2008 Wiley new journals on: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/aboutus/new_journals_opt-in_form.html
Wiley InterScience: BackFile journal Collections:

* Journals on Blackwell Synergy
- 927 total journals
- 797 journals included in the licensed Blackwell Full Collection
- 424 journals in the Blackwell STM Collection
- 373 journals in the Blackwell SSH Collection
- 15 new journals offering free access for their first year
- 56 transfers from other publishers
- 5 transferring to other publishers

2. E-Books (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/browse/?type=BOOK) :
In a previous post dated 23rd of February, I have mentioned that Wiley InterScience will reach the mark of 5000 e-books. Approximately 1500 books from the former Blackwell Publishing will be incorporated. The Purchasing options are:
- for individual titles
- purchase in bulk
There will be: flexi subscriptions (pay for 3 years) and once off payment. Price will be based on hard cover. Restriction: 1st time e-books customers will need to purchase 20 or more books. Number of discounts are available.

NEW! Wiley Books Series (21 series – 750 volumes)
(http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/aboutus/olb_series.html)

Wiley InterScience: Current Protocols Online: Current Protocols contains the largest collection of authoritative, peer-reviewed, regularly-updated research methods and topical overviews available. The library has in print “ Current Protocols in Cell Biology”. Electronic access will be more convenient to access as we experience problem with preserving the print.
(http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/browse/?type=CURRENT_PROTOCOL)

Wiley InterScience: Reference Works: View the available reference works per subject area.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/browse/?type=MRW

Wiley InterScience: Author Resources: Guidelines for submitting Journal articles or Books