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February 23, 2005

New Hours for Map Room

The map room has new hours. Collections are now accessible Monday to Thursday, 8:00 am – 12 am and Friday, 8 am - 8 pm. On weekends, please inquire at the Circulation Desk on the main floor for access to the map room.

Posted by erushton at 10:45 AM

February 21, 2005

PDFs of US Patents

freepatentsonline has PDF versions of U.S. patents available on their web site.

Posted by amcmanus at 05:26 PM

Ei Village offers RSS feeds

From the EI site:

Engineering Village 2 provides RSS feeds of your search queries. Once you have executed a search, you can post the latest updated records that match your query to your RSS aggregator and share the results with others within your institution. Engineering Village 2 RSS feed includes titles of the records and links back to Engineering Village 2 for the detailed record. You need to be in an IP authenticated environment that has access to Engineering Village 2 to view the detailed record.

Posted by amcmanus at 05:06 PM

New Science Library Books

Looking for something interesting to read at the Science Library? Here are just a few examples of some books recently purchased.

The dioxin war : Truth and Lies about a Perfect Poison
Robert Allen
Pluto Press
Science Library Stacks -- RA1242.D55 A55 2004 -- REGULAR LOAN

From publisher: This is a book about Dioxin, one of the most poisonous chemicals known to humanity. It was the toxic component of Agent Orange, used by the US military to defoliate huge tracts of Vietnam during the war in the 60s and 70s. It can be found in pesticides, plastics, solvents, detergents and cosmetics. Dioxin has been revealed as a human carcinogen, and has been associated with heart disease, liver damage, hormonal disruption, reproductive disorders, developmental destruction and neurological impairment.

Naked Airport:
A Cultural History of the World's Most Revolutionary Structure
Alastair Gordon
Metropolitan Books
Science Library Stacks -- TL725 .G647 2004 -- REGULAR LOAN

From Publisher: Since its origins in the muddy fields of flying machines, the airport has arguably become one of the defining institutions of modern life. In Naked Airport, critic Alastair Gordon ranges from global geopolitics to action movies to the daily commute, showing how airports have changed our sense of time, distance, style, and even the way cities are built and business is done.

Thirsty Planet: Strategies for Sustainable Water Management
Constance Elizabeth Hunt
Zed Books
Science Library Stacks -- TD345 .H93 2004 -- REGULAR LOAN

From Publisher: By the year 2025 nearly 2 billion people will live in regions or countries experiencing absolute water scarcity, even allowing for high levels of irrigation efficiency. In the face of this emerging global water crisis, how should the planet's water be used and managed in the 21st century.

Posted by erushton at 04:54 PM

Science.gov now offers an Alert service

Science.gov, the "go to" Web portal for federal science information, now provides a free and convenient "Alert" service that delivers information about the most current science developments right to desktops each Monday.

Posted by amcmanus at 02:16 PM

February 17, 2005

IEE journals now online

The Science Library now has online only access to the following IEE journals:

Electronics Letters
Computing and Control Engineering
Electronics Systems and Software
IEE Review

IEE Proceedings will be available online soon.

To access our online subscriptions, go to http://ioj.iee.org.uk/ and click on Access IOJ.

For assistance, call the Science Library reference desk 777-2163.

Posted by amcmanus at 09:01 AM

February 15, 2005

PatentLens(tm)

PatentLens(tm) the patent informatics and analysis component of the BIOS initiative aims to assist both professionals and non-professionals to understand and navigate the intellectual property landscape within the life sciences.

These tools are an important and necessary component of the BIOS initiative, as they can assist the user to determine the IP boundaries of what is free and what is not free. Perhaps more appropriately this can be framed as: what are the constraints on deliverable innovations, and what are the useable building blocks for future innovations?

The resource was initially developed by CAMBIA, as the CAMBIA IP Resource (formerly www.cambiaIP.org). The Intellectual Property (IP) resource currently consists of a fully text-searchable patents database which has recently been greatly expanded to contain 1,500,000 life science patents from the US, Australian and European based databases, and will soon include others. We also present some key technology patent landscape analyses (white papers), guides to IP policies & practices and intellectual property tutorials.

The CAMBIA-BIOS patent search resource now includes INPADOC patent family information provided by the national patent offices of over 70 countries, as well as status information provided by many of these countries. Once you have searched the patent and patent application database and identified patents of interest, a link on the search
results page

Posted by amcmanus at 02:44 PM

PoS Proceedings of Science

Posted on EngLib blog:

The SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste) is offering a new online proceedings service to the science community, PoS or Proceedings of Science.

From Dr. Andrea Wehrenfennig on PAMNET: PoS publishes online, at moderate rates for organizers, conference proceedings in the fields of Astronomy, Biophysics, Mathematics, Neuroscience and Physics and Science communication. Access by the readership is OPEN ACCESS, without registration or charge. Moreover, the online publication procedure is fast and user-friendly thanks to the software system that runs the entire editorial procedure.

Posted by amcmanus at 02:35 PM

3 New Book Series from Royal Society of Chemistry

From the Royal Society of Chemistry:

2005 sees exciting times for RSC book publishing, with the launch of three new series.

Firstly, Biomolecular Sciences is a new series of research level books, covering the areas of structural biology, chemical biology, informatics, drug discovery and development, and biophysical chemistry. Ideal for academics and professionals, either with a chemical, biochemical or biological background, conducting research in appropriate chemical and biological science disciplines.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, a series edited by Nobel prize winner Harry Kroto and Paul O'Brien, will also be launching. This book series will cover the wide ranging areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology. In particular, the series will provide a comprehensive source of information on research associated with nanostructured materials and miniaturised lab on a chip technologies. This series will provide an accessible reference for professionals and researchers in academia and industry.

The field of toxicological research is rapidly expanding and diversifying driven by the need to understand the human and ecological risks of exposure to chemicals and other toxicants. Our third new series, Issues in Toxicology is devoted to coverage of modern toxicology and assessment of risk and is responding to the resurgence in interest in these areas of scientific investigation. Written by expert scientists from academia, government and industry, each book will serve as a reference and guide to investigations in toxicology, biomedicine, biochemistry, forensics and environmental/pollution sciences.

For more information about these new additions to the RSC book portfolio go to http://www.rsc.org/is/books/series.htm

Heather Ellicott, Trade Marketing Manager
Royal Society of Chemistry, Thomas Graham House,
Milton Road, Science Park, Cambridge CB4 0WF, UK
Tel +44 (0)1223 432257, Fax +44 (0)1223 426017
http://www.rsc.org and http://www.chemsoc.org

Posted by ebrown at 09:38 AM

February 14, 2005

Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers: Highlights

From the Scout Report:

The National Science Foundation funds 26 Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers (MRSEC) and website highlights research conducted at the MRSECs at universities across the United States. The featured projects have been "selected with care and pride by the director of each MRSEC" and "represent samples of exemplary research at the Centers." Some examples include Cornell University's work on Ultra-Small Memory Devices for Silicon Electronics and the University of Pennsylvania's work on Nematic Nanotube Gels. Links are provided to individual MRSEC websites where visitors can further explore each group's work. [VF]

Posted by ebrown at 01:47 PM

February 10, 2005

Google Maps

Google has recently released Google Maps. Google maps are dynamic, interactive maps that are draggable. Use Google Maps to find a location, directions, or businesses.
http://maps.google.com/

Posted by erushton at 11:39 AM

February 09, 2005

Earthquake Notifications in Real-Time

PubSub has a new feature for Earthquake notifications.

From the press release:

"A simple new notification system launched today giving consumers and technology developers easier and more immediate access to time-critical data on global earthquake and tsunami activity.

Posted by amcmanus at 04:04 PM

February 08, 2005

Techstreet offers free standards tracking

From today's ITI Weekly News Digest:

"Techstreet, a business of The Thomson Corp., announced that it will offer free, unlimited standards tracking at Techstreet via “the Online Standards Superstore.” The service is designed for engineers, corporate librarians, and technical professionals who need to stay on top of the ever-changing rules for product design, testing, safety, compliance, and quality control. Users can browse and click to create a custom list of industry standards important for their work; they will receive automatic e-mail notices when any of those standards are revised or amended."

Posted by amcmanus at 02:39 PM

Logical Methods in Computer Science

Logical Methods in Computer Science (LMCS) is an overlay journal of the Computing Research Repository (CoRR). Overlay journals use the e prints/preprints deposited in disciplinary repositories as the basis for article submission.

Posted by amcmanus at 12:46 PM

February 07, 2005

TOXMAP

The National Library of Medicine has created a new tool

TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)

Posted by amcmanus at 04:00 PM

Amnesty Day

Binghamton University Libraries would LOVE to have you return your overdue books on Valentine’s Day!

February 14th is Library Amnesty Day

Bring in your overdue material and all fines will be waived!

Fine Print:
Return any library item (except Reserve materials) directly to Science or Bartle Circulation desk anytime February 14th. Do not put material in book return bins. Books must be in good condition. Replacement fees for damaged material will not be waived.

Posted by erushton at 09:08 AM

February 04, 2005

New Books for January 30 - February 5

Looking for something interesting to read at the Science Library? Here are just a few examples of some books recently purchased.

The Newtonian Moment: Isaac Newton and the Making of Modern Culture
Mordechai Feingold
Oxford University Press
Science Library Stacks -- QC16.N54 F45 2004 -- REGULAR LOAN
The Newtonian Moment, a companion volume to a forthcoming exhibition by the New York Public Library, investigates the effect that Newton's theories and discoveries had, not only on the growth of science, but also on the very shape of modern culture and thought.

Dog
Susan McHugh
Reaktion Books
Science Library Stacks -- SF422.5 .M34 2004 -- REGULAR LOAN
This book unravels the debate about whether dogs are descended from wolves, and moves on to deal with canines in mythology, religion and health, dog cults in ancient and medieval civilizations as disparate as Alaska, Greece, Peru and Persia, and traces correspondences between the histories of dogs in the Far East, Europe, Africa and the Americas.

Subways: The tracks that built New York City
Lorraine B Diehl
Clarkson Potter/Publishers
Science Library Stacks -- TF847.N5 D54 2004 -- REGULAR LOAN
In Subways, her highly anticipated follow-up to The Automat, Lorraine Diehl sets off on another sentimental journey, recounting the true story of a city transformed by underground passageways. Through archival photographs, interviews with New Yorkers who “remember when,” and an assortment of rare memorabilia, Diehl introduces us to the entertaining characters who conceived, built, and rode the city’s subways, then travels to the familiar destinations shaped by their tracks.

Posted by erushton at 12:10 PM

ACM Transactions on Storage (TOS)

ACM Transactions on Storage (TOS) debuted with a December issue, posted to the ACM Digital Library in late January.

Posted by amcmanus at 09:00 AM

February 03, 2005

NIH Public Access Policy Released

From Open Access News:

The NIH has finally released the language of its public-access policy, which will take effect May 2, 2005.

Posted by amcmanus at 03:35 PM

Sun opens access to software patents

From Open Access News
By Peter Suber

Sun Microsystems is not only opening the source code for Solaris but opening access to 1,600 Solaris software patents for open-source developeprs. From yesterday's press release: 'Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced the largest single release of patent innovations into the open source community by any organization to date, marking a significant shift in the way Sun positions its intellectual property portfolio. By giving open source developers free access to Sun(TM) OpenSolaris related patents under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL), the company is fostering open innovation and establishing a leadership role in the framework of a patent commons that will be recognized across the globe. "As the largest business contributor to the open source community, Sun has always been an ardent believer in open standards and the open source process going back to the inception of this company," said Scott McNealy, Chairman and CEO, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "The release of more than 1,600 patents associated with the Solaris(TM) OS far eclipses any other vendor's contribution. Today represents a huge milestone for Sun, for the community, for developers and for customers."' The Sun announcement follows the similar announcement from IBM earlier this month that it would open access to 500 software patents for open-source developers.

Posted by amcmanus at 03:01 PM

Open access Journal of Maps

From Open Access News
By Peter Suber

The Journal of Maps is a new peer-reviewed, open-access journal from the Earth Sciences and Geography faculty at Kingston University.

The first issue appeared on January 5. Although access to full-text articles and maps is free of charge, it does require registration, which will block crawlers and other research tools. Excerpt from Mike Smith's editorial in the inaugural issue: 'JoM emerged out of the desire for myself and colleagues at the Kingston Centre for GIS to publish bespoke maps. As an applied research group we collect (and map) spatial data for a variety of geographic disciplines, however the publication of such material is difficult; a cursory survey of geography-related journals showed that map publication was uncommon and usually incurred high page costs. Maps are central to the process of understanding within spatially aware disciplines, through the use of maps to analyse, store and present spatial information. The lack of map publication is an undesirable effect of the modern publication process and weakens the value of research findings. JoM was established to redress the imbalance in map publication; the high page costs of printed maps is unavodiable and therefore JoM was only viable as an e-journal. This constraint presented the opportunity for us to "self-publish", thereby by-passing the whole commerical publication process. It was at this stage that we decided JoM should be open-access, with a nominal author fee to cover running costs....JoM wishes to actively contribute to the debate on map data and copyright, with a view to lessening the restrictions on map publication.' (Thanks to UKSG Serials-eNews.)

Posted by amcmanus at 02:03 PM

Evolution Takes a Back Seat in U.S. Classes (NY Times)

"In districts around the country, even when evolution is in the curriculum it may not be in the classroom, according to researchers who follow the issue.

Teaching guides and textbooks may meet the approval of biologists, but superintendents or principals discourage teachers from discussing it. Or teachers themselves avoid the topic, fearing protests from fundamentalists in their communities."

Complete article in NY Times (Free Registration)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/01/science/01evo.html?ex=1265000400&en=ed3bc1136dc96806&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt

Posted by erushton at 12:38 PM

Collected Algorithms from ACM (CALGO)

The Collected Algorithms from ACM (CALGO) http://www.acm.org/pubs/calgo/ will no longer be published separately. The last issue of the CALGO supplement was the December 2004 issue, Supplement # 171. The Collected Algorithms will be published in ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software (TOMS), http://www.acm.org/toms/ starting with the March 2005 issue.

Carol Wierzbicki
Executive Editor, ACM

Posted by amcmanus at 09:29 AM

February 02, 2005

Nature's new archiving policy

From Open Access News:
By Peter Suber

Tracey Caldwell, Nature opts for new policy on archiving, Information World Review, January 31, 2005. Excerpt: 'Nature Publishing Group (NPG) has changed its self-archiving policy to allow authors to publish articles on a funding body's archive site six months after publication. Previously, authors were only permitted to self-archive their contribution on their personal websites. Now, authors of original research papers published by NPG will be encouraged to submit the peer-reviewed manuscript to their funding body's archive, their institution's repositories and their personal websites for release six months after publication....Peter Suber, editor of the Open Access News blog...told IWR: "This is a significant step. It even goes beyond the NIH policy...by signalling that Nature will never refuse the NIH request or encourage its authors to refuse the NIH request. On the contrary, Nature will encourage its authors to comply with it. However, it also has the effect of trying to apply the six-month embargo to archiving at the author's institutional repository and personal website." Suber told IWR: "I hope [the embargo on self-archiving] does not become a...standard as that is contrary to the public interest....I would not like to see [an embargo] applied where it had not been before." '

Posted by amcmanus at 08:38 AM

February 01, 2005

Machine Learns Rock, Paper, Scissors

From Chronicle.com - The Wired Campus

Machine Learns Games 'Like a Human'British researchers have developed a computer that taught itself how to play rock, paper, scissors by observing human players and building hypotheses about the game's rules. The result is being hailed as a triumph in artificial intelligence. (NewScientist.com)

Posted by amcmanus at 12:40 PM