Human resourcing in academic libraries : the 'lady librarian', the call for flexible staff and the need to be counted

This paper reports on a recent set of research findings into human resource (HR) deployment in academic, college and national libraries in the UK and Ireland by selectively summarising these findings. The recommendations are that libraries should make available for comparison by others not only their library service provision, i.e. opening hours, but also staff provision, i.e. staffing numbers and demographics and staff deployment, with a view to benchmarking levels of flexibility. This work highlights the lack of existing benchmarking facilities in UK universities and colleges of higher education, relating to HR deployment in libraries, and recommends that Sconul extends the existing data collection in its Annual Statistical return to include this HR area

Learning to make external sensory stimulus predictions using internal correlations in populations of neurons

To compensate for sensory processing delays, the visual system must make predictions to ensure timely and appropriate behaviors. Recent work has found predictive information about the stimulus in neural populations early in vision processing, starting in the retina. However, to utilize this information, cells downstream must in turn be able to read out the predictive information from the spiking activity of retinal ganglion cells. Here we investigate whether a downstream cell could learn efficient encoding of predictive information in its inputs in the absence of other instructive signals, from the correlations in the inputs themselves. We simulate learning driven by spiking activity recorded in salamander retina. We model a downstream cell as a binary neuron receiving a small group of weighted inputs and quantify the predictive information between activity in the binary neuron and future input. Input weights change according to spike timing-dependent learning rules during a training period. We characterize the readouts learned under spike timing-dependent learning rules, finding that although the fixed points of learning dynamics are not associated with absolute optimal readouts, they convey nearly all the information conveyed by the optimal readout. Moreover, we find that learned perceptrons transmit position and velocity information of a moving bar stimulus nearly as efficiently as optimal perceptrons. We conclude that predictive information is, in principle, readable from the perspective of downstream neurons in the absence of other inputs, and consequently suggests that bottom-up prediction may play an important role in sensory processing.Comment: 36 pages, 5 figures, 3 supplemental figure

Enhancing coach-parent relationships in youth sports: increasing harmony and minimizing hassle

Frank Smoll and his colleagues should be commended on continuing to advance the worthy aim of making youth-sport participation more enjoyable. Indeed, the body of work generated by Smith and Smoll [e.g., 1], along with the more recent contributions of Cumming [e.g., 2], have been highly influential in coaching research and practice over a number of years. In this commentary, we focus on three of the five areas covered by the authors: i) the difference between youth and professional models of sport; ii) the goals of youth sports; and iii) parental responsibilities and challenges

Volume 4: Cosmopolitanisms in Muslim Contexts : Perspectives from the Past

Cosmopolitanism is a key concept in social and political thought, standing in opposition to closed human group ideologies such as tribalism, nationalism and fundamentalism. Much recent discussion of this concept has been situated within Western self-perceptions, with little inclusion of information from Muslim contexts. This volume redresses the balance by focusing attention on instances in world history when cosmopolitan ideas and actions pervaded specific Muslim societies and cultures, exploring the tensions between regional cultures, isolated enclaves and modern nation-states. Models are chosen from four geographic areas: The Swahili coast, the Ottoman empire/Turkey, Iran and Indo-Pakistan.https://ecommons.aku.edu/uk_ismc_series_emc/1005/thumbnail.jp

Individual differences in rhythmic skills: links with neural consistency and linguistic ability

Durational patterns provide cues to linguistic structure, and so variations in rhythm skills may have consequences for language development. Understanding individual differences in rhythm skills, therefore, could help explain variability in language ability across the population. We investigated the neural foundations of rhythmic proficiency and its relation to language skills in young adults. We hypothesized that rhythmic abilities can be characterized by at least two constructs, which are tied to independent language abilities and neural profiles. Specifically, we hypothesized that rhythm skills that require integration of information across time rely upon the consistency of slow, low-frequency auditory processing, which we measured using the evoked cortical response. On the other hand, we hypothesized that rhythm ic skills that require fine temporal precision rely upon the consistency of fast, higher-frequency auditory processing, which we measured using the frequency following response. Performance on rhythm tests aligned with two constructs: rhythm sequencing and synchronization. Rhythm sequencing and synchronization were linked to the consistency of slow cortical and fast frequency-following responses, respectively. Furthermore, while rhythm sequencing ability was linked to verbal memory, reading, and nonverbal auditory temporal processing, synchronization ability was linked only tononverbal auditory temporal processing. Thus, rhythm perception at different time scales reflects distinct abilities, which rely on distinct auditory neural resources. In young adults slow rhythmic processing makes the more extensive contribution to language skill

The provision of fire services in rural areas

Fire services have been neglected in discussions of public service provision in rural areas. The way in which they are provided has a broader significance in terms of current debates about risk management. Fire service policy was transferred away from the Home Office, but the Bain Report provided the major stimulus to change. Early central government attempts to stimulate fire service provision in rural area were hampered by a lack of cooperation between local authorities. Rates of death from fire are influenced by attendance times and are particularly high in remote rural areas. The development of national standards of fire cover was focused on protecting property rather than saving lives with disproportionate funding being provided for urban areas. Social changes in rural areas have made it more difficult to secure sufficient numbers of retained fire fighters. It has proved particularly difficult to provide an adequate service in remote rural areas such as the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, despite recent policy initiatives there. Problems of providing fire cover are particularly acute on isolated islands. The development of integrated risk management plans should offer a more fine grained approach to providing fire cover. However, they may be too sophisticated for the task in rural areas and more traditional democratic mechanisms for expressing perceived community needs may have a greater relevance

A three-year prospective study of the presentation and clinical outcomes of major bleeding episodes associated with oral anticoagulant use in the UK (ORANGE study).

The outcomes of patients developing major bleeding while on oral anticoagulants remain largely unquantified. The objectives of this study were to: (i) describe the burden of major hemorrhage associated with all available oral anticoagulants in terms of proportion of bleeds which are intracranial hemorrhages, in-hospital mortality and duration of hospitalization following major bleeding; (ii) identify risk factors for mortality; and (iii) compare the characteristics of major hemorrhage between cases treated with warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants for the subgroups of patients with atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism. This was a multicenter, 3-year prospective cohort study of patients aged ≥18 years on oral anticoagulants who developed major hemorrhage leading to hospitalization. The patients were followed up for 30 days or until discharge or death, whichever occurred first. In total 2,192 patients (47% female, 81% on warfarin, median age 80 years) were reported between October 2013 and August 2016 from 32 hospitals in the UK. Bleeding sites were intracranial (44%), gastrointestinal (33%), and other (24%). The in-hospital mortality was 21% (95% CI: 19%-23%) overall, and 33% (95% CI: 30%-36%) for patients with intracranial hemorrhage. Intracranial hemorrhage, advanced age, spontaneous bleeding, liver failure and cancer were risk factors for death. Compared to warfarin-treated patients, patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants were older and had lower odds of subdural/epidural, subarachnoid and intracerebral bleeding. The mortality rate due to major bleeding was not different between patients being treated with warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants. Major bleeding while on oral anticoagulant therapy leads to considerable hospital stays and short-term mortality

Mathematical and Statistical Techniques for Systems Medicine: The Wnt Signaling Pathway as a Case Study

The last decade has seen an explosion in models that describe phenomena in systems medicine. Such models are especially useful for studying signaling pathways, such as the Wnt pathway. In this chapter we use the Wnt pathway to showcase current mathematical and statistical techniques that enable modelers to gain insight into (models of) gene regulation, and generate testable predictions. We introduce a range of modeling frameworks, but focus on ordinary differential equation (ODE) models since they remain the most widely used approach in systems biology and medicine and continue to offer great potential. We present methods for the analysis of a single model, comprising applications of standard dynamical systems approaches such as nondimensionalization, steady state, asymptotic and sensitivity analysis, and more recent statistical and algebraic approaches to compare models with data. We present parameter estimation and model comparison techniques, focusing on Bayesian analysis and coplanarity via algebraic geometry. Our intention is that this (non exhaustive) review may serve as a useful starting point for the analysis of models in systems medicine.Comment: Submitted to 'Systems Medicine' as a book chapte

"The trauma of competition": the entry of Air Products Inc. into the industrial gases business in Britain and continental Europe 1947-1970

The British Oxygen Company (BOC) had a virtual monopoly on the supply of industrial gases (e.g. oxygen and acetylene) on the British market through the 1950s, when it was finally challenged by an American-based company, Air Products. Air Products Limited (APL) was able to undercut BOCs position, overcoming high barriers to entry to gain significant market share in this sector, which shares some features of network industries. Factors in this success included conditions imposed by the Board of Trade, APL’s innovations, BOC’s slow response, and favourable market conditions. APL’s success had implications for the internationalisation of the industrial gases industry