Christmas Opening Hours

Christmas / New Year opening hours for Kevin St Library are as follows:

• Saturday Dec 19th: 9.30am-4.30am


• Monday Dec 21st: 9.30am-9.30pm


• Tuesday Dec 22nd: 9.30am-9.30pm


• Wednesday Dec 23rd: closing in the afternoon


• Closed 24th December - 3rd January (inclusive)


• From Monday 4th January: 9.30am-9.30pm (term hours as usual)
  

Yet more ebooks available

Additional ebook titles have been added to the MyiLibrary ebook collection.

Essential Molecular Biology: TA Brown
Renewable Energy Resources: J. Twidell
Wind Energy the Facts: European Wind Energy Association
Third Generation Photovoltaics: M. Green.
Applied Photovoltaics: S. Wenham
Textbook of sports medicine : M.Kjaer
Instant notes in Exercise and Sports Physiology: K. Birch
Olympic Textbook of Science in Sport: R. Maughan

To access click on the ebooks link on the DIT Library website, then click on MyILibrary or search for a specific title on the Library Catalogue.

Sligo scientists in superbug discovery

Scientists based at Sligo Institute of Technology have discovered that some essential oils are capable of killing 'superbugs'.The findings shows the oils were effective against bacteria which were resistant to conventional antibiotics. The most effective at killing MRSA strains were clove, lemongrass, citronella, thyme and cinnamon. Read more.

New student group study room in Kevin St Library

A third student group study room (KA-207) is now available for student use - please reserve your time slot at the library desk.

• Monday - Thursday: 10am-6pm
• Fridays: 10am-5pm
• Saturdays: 10am-6pm

Timeslots to use Skype can also be reserved between 6pm-8pm Mon-Thurs.

EMBL: European Molecular Biology Lab

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory, one of the world's top research institutions, is dedicated to basic research in the molecular life sciences. EMBL is funded by public research monies from 20 member EU states including Ireland and the UK and an associate member state, Australia. Research at EMBL is conducted by approximately 85 independent groups covering the spectrum of molecular biology. The cornerstones of EMBL's mission are: to perform basic research in molecular biology, to train scientists, students and visitors at all levels, to offer vital services to scientists in the member states, and to develop new instruments and methods in the life sciences, and technology transfer.

Google enters the real-time

Google has launched real-time search to give users access to up-to-the-second information. The search giant said it will draw real-time data from over a billion pages on the web. The new feature will also include updates from Twitter and the social networks of MySpace and Facebook. Read more here

Exam papers

Bound sets of exam papers are now available in the library for 2007-2009 (semesters 1 & 2). Papers may be photocopied in the library.

ChEBI

Chemical Entities of Biological Science is a free dictionary of molecular entities focused on 'small' chemical compounds. ChEBI release 63 is now available containing nearly 540,000 entries and it also contains advanced search options as well as a structure drawing tool.

PubCHEM new resource

PubChem is a free database of chemical structures of small organic molecules and information on their biological activities. Those of you who use PubMED or Medline will notice it's linked with NIH PubMed/Entrez information. It offers the following:

• Bioactivity analysis


• Chemical Structure Search


• Structure Clustering


• Bioassay compounds and links


• Advanced search options

ToxLearn a new multimedia tool for undergrads

Toxlearn is an online multimedia elearning tool providing an introduction to toxicology fundamentals. It is suitable for first year undergraduates and also supports users of NLM's toxicology databases for research purposes. It requires basic understanding of biology and chemistry to get the most out of this resource.

More ebooks in Kevin St Library

The following ebook titles are now available. Access via the Library Catalogue (use Title search) or the Library Website (use the MyiLibrary collection).

• Wind Energy in the 21st Century: Redlinger
• Wind Energy Systems: Stiebler
• Wind Energy Fundamentals: Sathyajith
• Four Laws that Govern The Universe: Atkins
• Universe of Atoms: Silverman
• Physics for Game Programming: Palmer
• Atoms Molecules and Compounds: Manning

Note: If you are working from a laptop or outside the network you will need your staff/student number and your Library Pin.

New ebook titles now available

New ebooks ordered by Kevin St Library include the following titles just in:

1. Advances in Hydrogen Energy


2. Sustainable Development & Innovation in the Energy Sector


3. Photovoltaic Solar Energy Generation


4. Solar Electric Power Generation:Photovoltaic Systems


5. Offshore Wind Energy: Research on Environmental Impacts


6. Fueling our Future: Introduction to Sustainable Energy


7. Sustainability Science & Engineering: Defining Principles.


8. Light, Water, Hydrogen: Solar Generation of Hydrogen


9. Emerging Environmental Technologies.


10. Vision 2050 Roadmap for a Sustainable Earth


11. Post-Oil Energy Technology: World's First Solar Hydrogen Power Plant


12. Biofuels. Wiley Series in Renewable Resources.


13. Fuel Cells: Modeling, Control, and Applications


14. Solar Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment

Access via the DIT Library website (click on MyiLibrary) or search by title on the DIT Library catalogue. More ebooks are due in next week....

New Titles in Short Loan

New copies of the following books are now available in Short Loan:

1. Boyle: Renewable Energy: 2nd ed


2. Reed: Illustrated Pathology: 4th ed.


3. Rashid: Power electronics: 3rd ed.


4. Deitel: Java How to Program: 8th ed

Cure for blindness?

TCD researchers have developed a gene therapy for mice which could be used to treat diseases that cause blindness in humans. Scientists in Dublin have developed a treatment that has reversed a form of blindness in mice. Although not yet ready for use in humans, the experiment shows that it may soon be possible to cure some of the most common forms of blindness.
Prof Jane Farrar, of the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin, led the research, which was published last week in the journal Human Gene Therapy .

World Information System for Renewable Energy

Wire is provided by the International Solar Energy Society and offers a suite of information resources and tools for the renewable energy student and community including news and research projects.

Details include country stats, conference proceedings papers and an image library.

Open access & research

Open Access Week October 09 is an opportunity to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access to research, including access policies from all types of research funders, within the international higher education community. The annual event generates widespreads global interest in the movement toward open, public access to scholarly research results and is supported by SPARC, DOAJ, PLoS, JISC etc. See more info and loads of links at http://www.openaccessweek.org/about-the-week/

10 websites to keep you up-to-date with research

Ten free web resources to keep up-to-date with science scholarly journal contents include:

1. SciFeeds


2. TicTocs


3. CiteULike Current Contents


4. Feed Navigator


5. MyJournals.org


6. Zetoc RSS


7. Myfavourite Journals


8. Ebling Library Health Sciences


9. SunCat


10. JOPML

For more info see http://tinyurl.com/yllxg9k

October Weekend: Kevin Street Library Opening Hours

Kevin Street Library Opening Hours for the October Public Holiday are:

Friday 23rd: 9.30am-5.15pm
Saturday 24th: Closed
Sunday 25th: Closed
Monday 26th: Closed
Tuesday 27th: 9.30am- 9.30 pm

Irish Health Repository

Lenus is the Irish Health Repository which is an Open Access initiative. It has over 4,500 full-text resources encompassing clinical research, policy evaluation, statistics and official publications and is the only Irish resource of its kind.

The content includes 3 collections :

1. HSE (includes HSE publications categorised by broad subjects, theses, archive of former health board publications and minutes)

2. Other Irish health publications (includes DOHC publications and other Irish health organisations)

3. Research Articles (this is a work in progress with the intention of including up to date articles of interest to Irish health professionals).

This is a broad collection and it is not limited to the HSE; it is a national resource and contributions are most welcome.

One in the eye....

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have found a way to breach a natural barrier at the back of the eye, in a development that could ultimately help deliver sight-improving drugs for humans.

The inner blood-retina barrier currently blocks the vast majority of clinically validated drugs for treating degenerative eye disease. But the Trinity team has demonstrated a technique in pre-clinical models to open the barrier transiently to small molecules, such as therapeutic drugs, while keeping harmful substances out.

See more info here.

50 Social Sites for Science Students, Researchers and Professionals

The Online College blog has listed 50 sites for science students researchers and professionals. These networks and blogs and links were created by scientists for scientists. Everything from SciSpace.net to ResearchGate to ScienceInsider.

New Student Group Study Room now available

Room KA- 206 in Kevin St Library may now be used by students for group study:

Monday: 10am - 3pm
Tuesday: 1pm - 8pm
Wednesday: 10am - 1pm
Thursday: 10am - 8pm
Friday: 3pm - 5pm
Saturday: 10am - 4pm

Don't forget the small group study room in the Snackery:

Monday-Thursday: 10am - 8pm

Friday: 10am - 5pm

Please book your time slot at the Kevin Street Library Desk (max 2 hrs)

Happy studying:-)

Infomine

Another useful resource to complement Intute is Infomine - a collection of scholarly web resources. Fo Science see the PhySci, Bio & Med Sciences links on the Infomine wheel.

Library Opening Hours: New Semester

From Monday 21st September 09 Library Opening Hours in Kevin St are as follows:

• Monday - Thursday: 9.30am-9.30pm
• Friday: 9.30am-5.15pm
• Saturday: 9.30am-4.30pm

Biology Image Library

The Biology Image Library is an online collection of images, movies, illustrations and animations across biology and biomedicine, for use in education and research. Developed by Biomed Central, an independent publishing company, the main subjects covered are:

Histology & Pathology
Immunology
Microbiology & Parasitology
Molecular & Cellular Biology
Neuroscience
Plant Biology

New Intute

Intute services, etutorials and a full listing of their subject resources booklets are now available at the new look website.

New cancer vaccine in the works

A new vaccine that may treat cancer and protect against the development of specific types of the disease could be on the market in the next five years. The research by US professor Albert Deisseroth should have major implications, not just for cancer treatment, but in vaccinating against influenzas and other infectious diseases. Prof Deisseroth explained that the response to cancer vaccines for the most common malignancies was limited because of defects in the immune system acquired over time. A way has been found to overcome this by giving a missing immune system protein at the time of vaccination. The new vaccine fuses the DNA of the missing protein with the target at which the vaccine is aimed, be it cancer cells or infectious viruses. The vaccine has overcome the defective response in older test subjects, prevented development of tumour formation and growth and stimulated an immune response against influenza. Michelle's McDonagh's full article is here.

Worlds largest online library at risk?

Google's plan for world's biggest online library: philanthropy or act of piracy? Google has already scanned 10 million books in its bid to digitise the contents of the world's major libraries, but a copyright battle now threatens the project, with Amazon and Microsoft joining authors and publishers opposed to the scheme as copyright issues raise their head. Read William Skidelsky's article in full here

Watermelon juice the new biofuel?

Twenty percent of watermelons never make it to the picnic table. Rather, one in every five is left to ripen and rot in the field, rejected for even the slightest of cosmetic imperfections. But U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers may have found a way to elevate these outcasts to an even higher calling than the summer BBQ: biofuel production. Intrigued?. Have a look at yesterday's post on the SciAm blog here. The full research article by Fish, Bruton & Russo is due to be published today in Biotechnology for Biofuels 2009, 2:1. Read the abstract here.

The Biology Project resource

The Biology Project is an interactive online resource for learning biology developed at The University of Arizona. The Biology Project is fun, richly illustrated, and has been tested on 1000s of students. It has been designed for biology students at the college level, but is also useful for biomedical students. Tutorials include biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology, genetics and human biology. Click it and see!

ebook of life keeps on growing

An online encyclopedia aiming to describe every type of animal and plant on the planet has reached 170,000 entries and is helping research into ageing, climate change and even the spread of insect pests. The Encyclopedia of Life a project launched in 2007 says it wants to describe all the 1.8 million known species – from apples to zebras – within a decade. “We’re picking up speed,” James Edwards, the EOL executive director based at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, said yesterday of the 170,000 entries with content in a common format vetted by experts. A year ago, it had 30,000 entries. He said everyone from scientists to schoolchildren could use the EOL as a “field guide” or contribute a photograph or an observation of an animal. More details here

New nitrogen molecule produced at NUI Galway

NUI Galway researchers have been confirmed as the first to produce a molecule made of nitrogen. It has caused a lot of fuss over the years. Nasa wanted it. The US Air Force wanted it. Chemists have been trying to isolate it for years. But now an Irish scientist based at NUI Galway has been proven to have delivered it – it being a molecule containing no less than five nitrogen atoms. “It” also comes with a negative charge and a difficult name, pentazole anion (N5-). Pentazole is a nitrogen unit that many believe could form the basis of new, energy-intensive rocket fuels that could revolutionise space travel, hence the huge interest in this molecule. See Marina Murphy's article in full here

Twitterific

For new fans of Twitter out there here are a few links to making the most of the tweetosphere from mashable.com and the Irish Times.

• Twitter Guide Book
• 5 Steps to Better Tweeting
• Tweeting tips

Search engine wars

Google is in the wars. MS Bing have recently signed to be the search engine behind Yahoo search. And with Bing beginning to get some market share from Google the competition is hotting up. Facebook has also just launched a new real time search engine aka Facebook Search. But Google’s fighting back and is working on the next generation of Google Search; a new infrastructure for the world’s largest search engine e.g. a new version of Google. It's still under construction, but Google’s now so happy with the new version of its search engine that it has released the development version. Go see more at http://mashable.com/2009/08/10/google-new-version/version/

Intute new layout launched

The new easy use Intute is now up and running. Intute's purpose is to help you find the best websites for study and research. Click on your topic and find search options, links and etutorials developed by a team of subject specialists. Click here to find links to their subject booklets.

New Google titles now available

What Would Google do? (2009) at 658.4012

Google SketchUp Cookbook (2009) at 006.693

Google Docs 4 Everyone (2009) at 005.5

Using Google App Engine (2009) at 004.678

August Holiday Weekend

Kevin St Library is closed on

Monday 3rd August.

Usual opening hours apply from Tuesday 4th August: 9.30am-5.15pm.

Scholarpedia v Wikipedia

Scholarpedia is a free open access peer reviewed encyclopedia written by experts in their respective fields covering physics, computational intelligence and dynamical systems.

It aims to publish "living reviews" as opposed to research papers. The (ambitious) goal of Scholarpedia is to be a useful encyclopedic reference for scholars of different levels and is aimed at advanced undergraduate or graduate students in similar areas.

Each article in Scholarpedia has its own copyright policy, freely selected by the authors from the choices such as Creative Commons etc. Probably a better idea to cite from this resource than something from wikipedia?

Irish scientists develop healing bone graft material

A high-performance material has been developed to fight infections and fractures. From sugar-like particles that serve as bone cement to rods strong enough to carry your weight, intensive efforts are under way to discover new materials that can substitute for damaged bone. Dr Daniel Boyd of Medic in Cork Institute of Technology collaborated with Dr Mark Towler of the Materials and Surface Science Institute in UL to develop a new kind of bone replacement. Full details here.

Twitter for beginners: 5 steps for better tweeting

Don't know your tweets from your tweeple or your twellow? Social Media Guide gives some useful geting started tips for newbies who want to make the most of Twitter. Have a look at http://mashable.com/2009/07/20/twitter-new-users/ and get going.

INTUTE is changing - for the better

Lots of staff and students in DIT Kevin St are fans of the INUTE academic subject links site and changes are afoot to make this even more useful for September. So what’s new?

• The main change is that content will be organised around 19 subjects, making it much easier for students to find the resources they need for their studies.


• The Virtual Trainig Suite tutorials will be much more prominent, highlighting relevant titles from the new subject pages. The tutorials will also be shorter and easier to read.


• MyIntute personalisation service has also been simplified, making it easier to set up alerts by email and RSS, and export bookmarks to social bookmarking sites such as Delicious user friendly and subject specific than before. Keep an eye out at the Intute blog or Twitter sites.

New Physics Database : IOP Science

A new physics database is now available on the DIT Library website.

IOP Science is part of the Institute of Physics and the database offers access to the ejournal archive as well as database options such as personalisation services, an online tour, most cited function, latest article listings as well as access to the fulltext IOP journals.

Click on the website link above to use the new resource. Remote access will require your DIT id number and your Library PIN.

Have your say about science

Do you want a voice in the nanotechnology revolution? Then air your views through the “Your Science Your Say” initiative. Scientists have three minutes on camera to explain their work in nanotechnology, then members of the public can leave comments or a video response on YouTube. The Environmental Protection Agency will use the results to gauge public response to nanotechnology. So grab your chance at Your Science Your Say: Nano at Dublin’s Science Gallery until July 31st, or see the YSYS website.

Google launches new operating system

The kingdom advances? Google announces a natural extension of the Chrome project: Google Chrome OS which is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks and will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. More info and news n views here

New Science Database

Calling all chemistry, physics, computing and biomedical researchers. Introducing Academic Search Premier......a new DIT Library subject database. This Ebsco d-base provides fulltext access to over 4,500 journals in the sciences and includes cited references for more than 1000 titles as well as 3,700 peer reviewed journals. Reviews welcome. Contact Ask A Librarian if you need help. Remember if you're accessing this resource remotely you'll need your DIT staff/student number and Library PIN.

Kevin St Library now on Twitter

For all you tweeple out there Kevin St Library is now on Twitter at https://twitter.com/KevinStLibrary - there's also a feed from this blog.

See you in the tweetosphere.

Summer Opening Hours

From Wednesday 17th June summer opening hours will apply in DIT Library Kevin St:

• Monday - Friday: 9.30am-5.15pm
• Saturdays: Closed

For other DIT Library sites summer opening hours see http://www.dit.ie/library/hours/

Perioidic table gets a new element

The periodic table will soon have a new addition - the "super-heavy" element 112. The element 112, discovered at the Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, has been officially recognized as a new element by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). IUPAC confirmed the recognition of element 112 in an official letter to the head of the discovering team, Professor Sigurd Hofmann. The letter furthermore asks the discoverers to propose a name for the new element. In about 6 months, after the proposed name has been assessed by IUPAC, the element will receive its official name. The new element is approximately 277 times heavier than hydrogen, making it the heaviest element in the periodic table.

See more @ http://www.iupac.org/ http://www.physorg.com/ and http://www.eurekalert.org/

Image from scienceblogs.com

Declaring war on MRSA & C.diff

A RESEARCH group in Cork has enlisted a new ally in the fight against hospital superbugs – designer bacteria. They are building tougher bacteria as a way to tackle the dangerous Clostridium difficile. It is germ warfare out there as researchers do battle against the new emerging superbugs, says University College Cork’s Dr Roy Sleator. Many have developed resistance to our best antibiotics leaving doctors without weapons that can stop C difficile and the infamous MRSA. He and colleagues at UCC’s Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) are taking an alternative approach, adding extra genes that will give their designer bacteria the edge over C difficile . Full details here.

New sustainable engineering report

Engineering for sustainable development: guiding principles

This full text report is available in pdf format and covers principles for sustainable development. It is provided by the Royal Academy of Engineering. There are abbreviations of technical terms as well as diagrams, tables and references. Download it here.

Image from zazzle.com

Google waves at Twitter

Everyone uses email and instant messaging on the web now, but imagine if you could tie those two forms of communication together and add a load of functionality on top of it. At its most fundamental form, that’s essentially what Google Wave is. Wave was born out of the idea that email and instant messaging, as successful as they still are, were both created a very long time ago. Or as Lars Rasumussen put it, “Wave is what email would look like if it were invented today.” Still at developer stage see reviews, vids and content at

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-drips-with-ambition-can-it-fulfill-googles-grand-web-vision/