University-Wide Network Issues

If you can read this, then access to the Internet may have been restored. All systems came to a halt at around 2 p.m. today. Computer services is working to restore connectivity, but services have been going up and down all afternoon.

~Edit~ All issues were resolved around 7 p.m. The problem was a series of power issues in Baton Rouge.

Fun with Web of Science

A new feature in Web of Science debuted recently. The new citation map feature allows first & second generation mapping of citations both backwards and forwards. The resulting map can be customized and edited. (An ActiveX Install was necessary on both computers where I tried this new feature.)

WoS Citation Map captured image

WoS Citation Map captured image


Here’s a first generation both direction example from 1999 written by emeritus professor, Brian Gebhardt. His article cites 37 different articles and has been cited 16 times so far.

Ische Library Changes

The temporary construction walls were removed from within the Isché Library yesterday evening. This morning workers are hanging visquine to replace those walls and drywall work will commence shortly. Be alert as you exit the elevators into the Library Commons lobby and as you walk into the Library; construction is all around.

Ische Elevator Working!

The Isché Library elevator was put back into service late this afternoon. Come check out its new look.

Short of Dentists, Maine Adds Teeth to Doctors?óÔé¼Ôäó Training

This is an interesting bridge between medical and dental practice:

Dentists are in such short supply in Maine that primary care doctors who do their medical residency in the state are learning to lance abscesses, pull teeth and perform other basic dental skills through a program that began in 2005.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/us/03dentist.html

Gambling Behavior predicted in Kindergarten

One more thing for parents to worry about…
A recent study (link removed), published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that children identified as impulsive by their kindergarten teachers appear more likely to begin gambling behaviors by junior high. View the full article. (Off campus access will require an LSUHSC libraries barcode)

Get some ZZZ’s for Sleep Awareness Week

If you’re like me, Monday mornings are the days you really want to celebrate Sleep Awareness. National Sleep Awareness Week is March 1-8, 2009: a public education, information, and awareness campaign that coincides with the return of Daylight Saving Time, the annual “springing forward” of clocks that can cause Americans to lose an hour of sleep from the NHLBI.

TOP 10 SLEEP MYTHS
from “Your guide to healthy sleep” PDF — National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute – NIH Publication No. 06-5271 (November 2005). http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.pdf

Myth 1: Sleep is a time when your body and brain shut down for rest and relaxation.
No evidence shows that any major organ (including the brain) or
regulatory system in the body shuts down during sleep. Some
physiological processes actually become more active while you
sleep. For example, secretion of certain hormones is boosted,
and activity of the pathways in the brain needed for learning and
memory is heightened.

Myth 2: Getting just 1 hour less sleep per night than needed will not have any effect on your daytime functioning.
This lack of sleep may not make you noticeably sleepy during
the day. But even slightly less sleep can affect your ability to
think properly and respond quickly, and it can compromise your
cardiovascular health and energy balance as well as the ability
to fight infections, particularly if lack of sleep continues. If you
consistently do not get enough sleep, eventually a sleep debt
builds up that will make you excessively tired during the day.

Myth 3: Your body adjusts quickly to different sleep schedules.
Your biological clock makes you most alert during the daytime
and most drowsy at night. Thus, even if you work the night
shift, you will naturally feel sleepy when nighttime comes. Most
people can reset their biological clock, but only by appropriately
timed cues?óÔé¼ÔÇØand even then, by 1?óÔé¼ÔÇ£2 hours per day at best.
Consequently, it can take more than a week to adjust to a
dramatically altered sleep/wake cycle, such as you encounter
when traveling across several time zones or switching from
working the day shift to the night shift.

Myth 4: People need less sleep as they get older.

Older people don?óÔé¼Ôäót need less sleep, but they often get less sleep
or find their sleep less refreshing. That?óÔé¼Ôäós because as
people age, they spend less time in the deep, restful stages of
sleep and are more easily awakened. Older people are also
more likely to have insomnia or other medical conditions that
disrupt their sleep.

Myth 5: Extra sleep at night can cure you of problems with excessive daytime fatigue.
Not only is the quantity of sleep important but also the quality
of sleep. Some people sleep 8 or 9 hours a night but don?óÔé¼Ôäót feel
well rested when they wake up because the quality of their sleep
is poor. A number of sleep disorders and other medical conditions
affect the quality of sleep. Sleeping more won?óÔé¼Ôäót
alleviate the daytime sleepiness these disorders or conditions
cause. However, many of these disorders or conditions can be
treated effectively with changes in behavior or with medical therapies.

Myth 6: You can make up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping more on the weekends.

Although this sleeping pattern will help relieve part of a sleep
debt, it will not completely make up for the lack of sleep. This
pattern also will not make up for impaired performance during
the week because of not sleeping enough. Furthermore, sleeping
later on the weekends can affect your biological clock so that
it is much harder to go to sleep at the right time on Sunday
nights and get up early on Monday mornings.

Myth 7: Naps are a waste of time.
Although naps do not substitute for a good night?óÔé¼Ôäós sleep, they can
be restorative and help counter some of the impaired
performance that results from not getting enough sleep at night.
Naps can actually help you learn how to do certain tasks quicker.
But avoid taking naps later than 3 p.m., as late naps can interfere
with your ability to fall asleep at night. Also, limit your naps to no
longer than 1 hour because longer naps will make it harder to
wake up and get back in the swing of things. If you take
frequent naps during the day, you may have a sleep disorder
that should be treated.

Myth 8: Snoring is a normal part of sleep.

Snoring during sleep is common, particularly as a person gets
older. Evidence is growing that snoring on a regular basis can
make you sleepy during the day and more susceptible to diabetes
and heart disease. In addition, some studies link frequent snoring
to problem behavior and poorer school achievement in
children. Loud, frequent snoring can also be a sign of sleep
apnea, a serious sleep disorder that should be treated.

Myth 9: Children who don?óÔé¼Ôäót get enough sleep at night will show signs of sleepiness during the day.
Unlike adults, children who don?óÔé¼Ôäót get enough sleep at night
typically become more active than normal during the day.
They also show difficulty paying attention and behaving properly.
Consequently, they may be misdiagnosed as having attentiondeficit
hyperactivity.

Myth 10: The main cause of insomnia is worry.
Although worry or stress can cause a short bout of insomnia, a
persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep at night can be
caused by a number of other factors. Certain medications and
sleep disorders can keep you up at night. Other common
causes of insomnia are depression, anxiety disorders, and
asthma, arthritis, or other medical conditions with symptoms that
become more troublesome at night. Some people who have
chronic insomnia also appear to be more revved up than
normal, so it is harder for them to fall asleep.

Ische Library Book Return

Yesterday, a new book return was placed between the ATM machine & the University Police station on the skywalk near the parking garage. Please feel free to return any library materials (for either Isché or Dental) at this location.

Ische Library Lobby Construction

The display cases are being installed in the Isché Library/Library Commons Lobby this week. So expect sporadic construction gauntlets to get into the library.

Caffeine may kill some skin cancer

Giving up coffee for Lent? Not so fast! A new study from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology reveals that caffeine may kill off some human cells damaged by ultraviolet light, one of the key triggers of several types of skin cancer.

Read the original article from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (off campus login req’d)

News article from MSNBC

The finding could be used to develop a topical application of caffeine that could be targeted to at-risk skin cells, as it seems to make those cells more killable and because “caffeine itself is a potent sunscreen,” said Paul Nghiem of the University of Washington and a team member of the new study.

Color Copier on the move

The Isché Library color copier has moved to the 5th floor.

Ische Library Fire Safety System Test

Facilities will begin testing the fire safety system in the Isché Library momentarily.

Mardi Gras Hours

The Isché Library will be open the following hours for Mardi Gras weekend:

Friday, February 20th 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Regular Hours)
Saturday, February 21st 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, February 22nd 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday, February 23rd 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, February 24th CLOSED University Holiday
Wednesday, February 25th 8 a.m. to 12 midnight (Regular Hours)

The Dental Library Mardi Gras/Spring Break hours will be:

Friday, February 20th 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Regular Hours)
Saturday, February 21st CLOSED (Regular Hours)
Sunday, February 22nd CLOSED
Monday, February 23rd 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, February 24th CLOSED University Holiday
Wednesday, February 25th 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday, February 26th 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday, February 27th 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, February 28th CLOSED (Regular Hours)
Sunday, February 22nd 1:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Regular Hours)

ILLiad Outage Scheduled

Because of maintenance in RCB, ILLiad will be offline from 5 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on Monday, February 16th.

The 2000th clipping is poetry to my ears

The Library’s Digital Projects reached a milestone today as the two-thousandth article from the historic newspaper clippings file was scanned and uploaded into our collection on the Louisiana Digital Library.

The November 1951 article is about Dr. George W. Cooper, an LSU physician and poet-hobbyist, who is pictured receiving an award from the New Orleans Poetry Forum. Dr. Cooper won second place for his poem “Witches Cauldron” that year, and in 1950 was featured as an “Orleanian who writes books“.

Do you have a book of Dr. Cooper’s poetry? We’d love to read his award winning poem!

About the Historic newspaper clippings file:
Since 1933, the library at LSU Sciences Center New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) has collected newspaper clippings relating to the history and accomplishments of Louisiana’s first public health sciences institution. The Newspaper Clippings Collection is an ongoing project that will eventually index over 70 years of news about LSU’s professional schools of the health sciences. Primarily indexing papers such as the States-Item, Times-Picayune and other local news sources, information can be found on events and news surrounding LSU Medical Center, Charity Hospital, LSU Health Sciences Center Academic and the Healthcare Network, and LSUHSC faculty, staff, and students. Due to copyright, images from this collection are restricted to patrons on the LSUHSC-New Orleans campus. Metadata is viewable to anyone. For questions or more information, contact digitalarchives@lsuhsc.edu.