Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC): Conferences & Events

Visit the RSC website to view 2008 Conferences & Events in:
* Analytical , Organic, Inorganic & Physical Chemistry

* Biosciences

* Education

* Environment, Sustainability & Energy

* Food & Nutrition

* General

* Materials & Polymers

* Industry & Technology

Do you know?

You can submit an event to RSC, just click on "Submit an Events"

Click on the TITLE to access these events.

American Chemical Society (ACS): The most-cited, The most-accessed, most-read and the most-influential articles

The most-cited, most-accessed, most-read, and most-influential research in the chemical and related sciences is published by the journals of the American Chemical Society.

Please use the links below for easy access to the most current ACS Publications listings of Most-Cited Articles, Hot Papers, and Most-Accessed Articles. Rankings of Most-Cited Articles listed are based on data from Thomson ISI® Web of Science. Hot Papers listed are articles published within the last 2 years receiving the most citations over the most recent 2-month period, as identified by Thomson ISI® Essential Scientific Indicators. Most-Accessed Articles listed are based on article web view data collected following COUNTER-compliant ACS Usage Reports. Listings are organized by journal. Please check back to these article listings frequently, as regular updates are made throughout the year.

As reported in 2006 Thomson Scientific (ISI) Journal Citation Reports®, the peer-reviewed journals of the American Chemical Society rank #1 in citations or ISI® Impact Factor in the seven core chemistry categories as well as eight additional categories ranging from agriculture and crystallography to polymer science and nanoscience & nanotechnology.

Hot Papers are articles published within the last 2 years receiving the most citations over the most recent 2-month period. In a typical 2-month period, the ISI® could recognize more than 200-300 total Hot Papers in chemistry alone, and amongst those Hot Papers in chemistry, ACS journals are typically responsible for nearly half of the top 100 ‘hottest’ papers in chemistry! Thomson's ISI® also recognizes articles in additional categories such as the Agricultural Sciences, Environment/Ecology, Engineering, and Materials Science, and ACS Publications are well represented in these categories as well.

Visit ACS website for the latest News, Research Highlights, Announcements and Journal changes: http://0-pubs.acs.org.ujlink.uj.ac.za/

Show me the Data: Impact Factor

The article "Show me the Data" in The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol. 179, no. 6, Dec 2007 the authers' discussed the impact factor data that are gathered and sold by Thomson Scientific (formerly the Institute of Scientific Information, or ISI) and which have a strong influence on the scientific community, affecting decisions on where to publish, whom to promote or hire (1), the success of grant applications (2), and even salary bonuses (3).

The impact factor for a journal in a particular year is declared to be a measure of the average number of times a paper published in the previous two years was cited during the year in question. For example, the 2006 impact factor is the average number of times a paper published in 2004 or 2005 was cited in 2006. There are, however, some quirks about impact factor calculations that have been pointed out by others....

Click on the TITLE to read the 2 pages article.

Snap Shots from Snap.com on UJ Science Librarian Blog

Happy New Year to all of you and welcome back to the 2008 Academic year. After a good rest I hope we are ready to face the information overload once again. I had the good intentions to work during the holidays, but I developed a real "holiday virus" - swimming, tanning and reading books. Let's not forget the number of parties, the Christmas shopping's and the movies that came along. In between I managed to exercise, to keep from piling the many calories from the delicious treats. Overall I have an relaxed and enjoyable holiday and I can "hopefully" face the pressure of work.

What is new on this blog?

I have installed in December a nice little tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the destination site. Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not. The icon is easy to spot next to the titles. Just take the cursor there. Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

Personally I like this tool. It provide a "quick look" at the web page you want to view, even without clicking on the link.

Let me know if you find it useful? Sent me a comment!

University of Johannesburg officialy closed for 2007

The Academic 2007 year is officially over. The University of Johannesburg closes on the 14th of December and re-opens on 2nd of January 2008.
Wishing you all peaceful and full of love holiday.

The Latest from Science Online Magazine

14 December 2007Vol 318, Issue 5857, Pages 1691-1793

* News of the Week

- SPACE SCIENCE: China's Crystal-Sharp Moon Map Sets the Internet Abuzz

- CLIMATE CHANGE: Senate Bill Would Provide Billions for Deploying Cleaner Technologies

- RESEARCH POLICY: NIH Weighs Big Changes in Peer Review

- PHYSICS: Simple Scheme Stores Light by Converting It Into Vibration and Back

- ECOLOGY: Parasites From Fish Farms Driving Wild Salmon to Extinction

* News focus

- REEFS IN TROUBLE: Spawning for a Better Life

* Perspectives

- ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE: Resolving an Atmospheric Enigma

- MICROBIOLOGY: A Fifth Pathway of Carbon Fixation

- ECOLOGY: Invasion of the Whiteflies

- GEOLOGY: On the Accumulation of Mud

The latest from Science Online Magazine (30/11-7/12/2007)

The latest two issues of Science Online highlights:

7 December 2007Vol 318, Issue 5856, Pages 1519-1648

(http://0-www.sciencemag.org.ujlink.uj.ac.za/current.dtl)

* Special issue: Hinode

* News of the Week: MATHEMATICS EDUCATION: U.S. Expert Panel Sees Algebra As Key to Improvements in Math; ACADEMIC FREEDOM: Thai Science Agency Clamps Down on Sensitive Research; BIOTERRORISM: Panel Provides Peer Review of Intelligence Research

* News Focus: MALARIA: Did They Really Say ... Eradication?

* Letters: Virtual Worlds, Real Healing; The Age-Old Question of Researcher Innovation

* Policy Forum: ECOLOGY: China's Forestry Reforms

* Perspectives: PHYSICS: A Whiff of Chemistry in Heavy Electron Physics; ASTRONOMY: A Texture in the Sky? PLANT SCIENCE: The Power of the Pyramid; ECOLOGY: How Do Roots Interact?

30 November 2007Vol 318, Issue 5855, Pages 1345-1482

( http://0-www.sciencemag.org.ujlink.uj.ac.za/content/vol318/issue5855/index.dtl)

* Special issue: The Nucleus

* News of the Week: PALEOANTHROPOLOGY: Hominid Harems: Big Males Competed for Small Australopithecine Females; SCIENCE ADVICE: Germany Finally Picks a National Science Academy

* News focus: CARBON SEQUESTRATION: Should Oceanographers Pump Iron? HIGHER EDUCATION: MIT Engineer Shakes Korean Academia to Its Core

* Policy Forum: CLIMATE CHANGE: Climate Assessment: What's Next?

* Perspectives: GEOCHEMISTRY: The Leaking Mantle; GENETICS: Paradigm for Life; CHEMISTRY: Metal-Based Therapeutics; PHYSICS: Precision Without Entanglement

* Brevia: Plants Tolerant of High Boron Levels

What's New @ JSTOR: December 2007

Some of the latest news from JSTOR Publishers in December:

Collections - Currently UJ have access to all Collections as part of 3 year offer for all Africa continent. http://www.jstor.org/about/collection.list.html

Did you Know?

* New JSTOR platform has been developed. It will be available in 2008. http://sandbox.jstor.org/jstorPreview.html

* Free Preview of Aluka extended to June 30, 2008. Since February 2007 institutions that have access to JSTOR have had the opportunity to access Aluka at no charge. Aluka is a digital library of primary source materials:
- Government documents, personal accounts, and correspondence documenting liberation movements in six southern African countries -- see a list of collections;
- Photographs, 3D models, and travelogues documenting cultural heritage sites in Africa, as well as a broadly based collection of African rock art;
- High-quality digitized plant specimens, botanical drawings, paintings, photographs, and expedition accounts.

Click on the TITLE for more information.

Wiley-Blackwell Newsletter: December 2007

Welcome to the first issue of the new Wiley-Blackwell newsletter. It is mostly for Librarians, but it could also keep you updated on new products, website developments, special offers, publishing news, and tips for making better use of licensed resources. Why is this important for you: Don't forget that as from 2008 the UJ Library will have access to BlackwellSynergy.

This issues offers:

* Latest News in Key Subject Areas

* New Titles Online From Wiley-Blackwell

* Wiley-Blackwell Newly Launched Journals for 2008 (available on BlackwellSynergy)

* Journal Backfiles

* Books Online

* Reference Works

* Platforms Updates - Blackwell Synergy changed its individual login functionality from username/password to e-mail address/password last month.

* Understanding Impact Factors

This Newsletter is user-friendly and easy to read and find information. This newsletter can provide an opportunity for us to select new online books, reference works, etc. Click on the TITLE for access.

You Tube: Videos

I have just created an account with You Tube. It is amazing how many videos are available there. You can select either per "Categories" or you can search on "Specific topic". I found videos on "Climate Change", "Greenhouse Effect", "Energy", "Hacking", etc. All your subject interest can be satisfied. If you want you can create an account and select your favourite videos. I have added to this blog two videos on Climate Change, Part 1 & 2 as an example. I also subscribed to be notified of the latest videos in different subject areas. To view "my You Tube" visit: http://www.youtube.com/pavlinka45.

Global Climate Change (Part 2)

Global Climate Change (Part 1)

Excellent segment from the ABC 20/20 Special, "Last Days on Earth", about global climate change. Superb graphics.

Making Deforestation Unprofitable is Key to Bali Success

Deforestation puts more carbon dioxide in the air than all the world's automobiles, yet it wasn't even considered in the Kyoto Treaty. With carbon capture technologies like ocean fertilization and ground sequestration still experimental, and farmers in developing nations cutting forests to make room for biofuel and food crops, the future looks bleak -- unless, that is, a forest protection system is established in Bali... The costs can be covered. The forests can be monitored. Developing countries want this. The trick is getting developed countries on board, then making sure that everyone plays by the rules. But so long as keeping trees produces lots more money than cutting them down, people will love their forests...(Wired Science blog, 4/12/2007). Relevant links to articles are available.

Blogging, Webcasts from the Bali Climate Change Conference

Wired Science blog is giving you some information on the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, 3-14 Dec 2007. Additional links to other blogs who cover & summarises the Conference are available.

Daily Video News from the UN Climate Change Conference are available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/climateconference
Bali Blog: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Bali_Blog/
Oxfam International: http://oxfaminternational.wordpress.com/

Friending, Ancient or Otherwise

"THE growing popularity of social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Second Life has thrust many of us into a new world where we make “friends” with people we barely know, scrawl messages on each other’s walls and project our identities using totem-like visual symbols...." In this article from "The New Yourk Times" (2/12/2007), academic researchers are "exploring the parallels between online social networks and tribal societies"