NEW Data Class Offerings

In our continuous effort to support your research needs, HSLS is offering four new classes this spring covering: (1) introduction to mapping, (2) Python through Jupyter, (3) beginning command line for bioinformatics, and (4) options for bioinformatics analysis. Class descriptions and registration links are listed below.

(1) Data 101: Introduction to Mapping 

Thursday, February 15, 2018, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; Registration required

Mapping is a great way to visualize and analyze information—and to tell stories. In this introductory workshop, you’ll learn the principles of mapmaking, understand how computers are used to plot addresses on a map, conduct basic spatial analysis, and update records in a database based on location. Along with a deeper appreciation for computers, this class will provide you with a solid foundation of mapping concepts and processes, and get you prepared to take your first computer-based mapping class. No computers will be used in this class. Continue reading

Light Therapy for Fighting the Winter Blues

Philips Light BoxDid you know that in 2015 climatologist Brian Brettschneider ranked Pittsburgh in the top five dreariest cities in the United States? By February, the shorter days, bad weather, and lack of windows in the library may cause a decrease in feelings of well-being. Depressive disorder with seasonal pattern (winter-type), formerly known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), can cause symptoms such as loss of energy, increased appetite, and feelings of sadness. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may need to talk to your doctor or consult with the mental health resources available at Pitt. However, if your symptoms are mild you may consider using one of the eight light therapy boxes HSLS has available to borrow.

Light therapy is prescribed as a treatment for SAD with or without other interventions. There is limited evidence in support of bright light therapy to prevent winter depression. At the Technology Help Desk on the upper floor of Falk Library, Philips and Sphere light box models are available for circulation for up to 1.5 hours a day. The light boxes are small and the intensity (lux), wavelength, and duration of exposure (1 hour max) can be adjusted before use. Get comfortable and make sure that you can see the light in your peripheral vision. Experiment with different positions to minimize discomfort or eye strain. Feel free to multi-task and continue working and you may find yourself just a bit happier once your session is complete!

~ Rose Turner

On Display at Falk Library

For a limited time in February, Falk Library invites you to visit a new exhibit, Walk On By. Courtesy of Northside Common Ministries, Walk On By features artwork by Pittsburgh artists looking at homelessness in our region. This exhibit has traveled to four local libraries and was featured at the Future Tenant Art Gallery downtown in 2017. The art pieces, including photography, painting, cartoons, video, and pottery, are displayed in the library’s upper floor study lounge. Donations of hand warmers, towels, and toiletries can be dropped off at the exhibit to benefit Northside Common Ministries. Continue reading

HSLS E-Resources in Psychiatry and Psychology

The HSLS website contains links to numerous databases, e-journals, and e-books of interest to mental health researchers and clinicians who need to know about major psychiatry and psychology information resources.

Access any of the following e-resources by typing the name of the resource in the Pitt Resources Quick Search box on the HSLS home page.

Databases:

For research and clinical decision-making:

  • CogNet: e-books, e-journals, and proceedings related to the cognitive sciences from the MIT Press (for Pitt users only)
  • Google Scholar: multi-disciplinary database of scholarly literature that includes articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites
  • PsycBOOKS: collection of current and classic peer-reviewed, full-text scholarly book chapters in the field of mental health (for Pitt users only)
  • PsycINFO: abstracts and citations of peer-reviewed research in the psychological sciences (for Pitt users only)
  • PsychiatryOnline: features the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) and The American Journal of Psychiatry, as well as journals, textbooks, American Psychiatric Association Guidelines, self-assessment tools, clinical and research news, medication information handouts for patients, and previous editions of the DSM
  • PubMed: contains citations and abstracts for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books (also available as a mobile app)
  • Social Sciences Citation Index: identifies articles from social science-related scholarly journals. Searchable by topic or by citation, allowing you to identify articles that cite a particular article or author.
  • UpToDate: current, authoritative topic reviews; includes references to the literature (also available as a mobile app)

For drug information:

  • Micromedex: comprehensive drug information from sources such as the PDR and Martindale’s. Includes product identification tools, dosing tools, drug interaction tools, etc. (also available as a mobile app)
  • Natural Medicines: the most authoritative resource available on dietary supplements, natural medicines, and complementary, alternative, and integrative therapies (also available as a mobile app)

For mental health instruments:

  • HaPI (Health and Psychosocial Instruments): provides information on measurement instruments (i.e. questionnaires, interview schedules, checklists, coding schemes, rating scales, etc.) in the fields of health and psychosocial science (for Pitt users only)
  • Mental Measurements Yearbook: full-text information about and reviews of English-language standardized tests covering educational skills, personality, vocational aptitude, psychology, and related areas (for Pitt users only)
  • Substance Use Screening & Assessment Instruments Database: intended to help clinicians and researchers find instruments used for screening and assessment of substance use and substance use disorders

Popular psychiatry e-journals include:

  1. World Psychiatry
  2. JAMA Psychiatry
  3. American Journal of Psychiatry
  4. Molecular Psychiatry
  5. Lancet Psychiatry
  6. Biological Psychiatry
  7. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
  8. Schizophrenia Bulletin
  9. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry
  10. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica

Popular psychology e-journals include:

  1. Annual Review of Psychology
  2. Psychological Bulletin
  3. Psychological Inquiry
  4. Trends in Cognitive Sciences
  5. Behavioral and Brain Sciences
  6. Psychological Science in the Public Interest
  7. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology
  8. Personality and Social Psychology Review
  9. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
  10. Clinical Psychology Review

*The psychiatry and psychology e-journals listed above have the highest Journal Impact Factors as shown in the 2016 edition of the Journal Citation Reports database.

To view a list of HSLS e-journals by subject, such as psychiatry, psychology, psychopharmacology, and psychophysiology, direct your browser to HSLS E-journals A-Z and then click on “Show Select Subject.”

Popular psychiatry and psychology e-books include:

  • American Psychiatric Association Publishing Textbook of Psychopharmacology
  • Adult Psychopathology and Diagnosis
  • American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry
  • Clinical Manual of Emergency Psychiatry
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5
  • DSM-5 Clinical Cases
  • DSM-5 Guidebook
  • DSM-5 Handbook of Differential Diagnosis
  • Dulcan’s Textbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Gabbard’s Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders
  • Introductory Textbook of Psychiatry
  • Kaplan & Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry
  • Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Behavioral Medicine
  • Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of General Hospital Psychiatry
  • Professional Counselor’s Desk Reference
  • Psychiatric Interview: A Practical Guide
  • Psychiatry (Tasman, 4th)
  • Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology: Prescriber’s Guide

To search for HSLS e-books by subject, direct your browser to HSLS E-Books by Subject.

Remote Access to HSLS E-Resources

Pitt’s remote access service for e-resources requires a valid Pitt username and password, plus a second method of verification through an app or phone line. Information on designating your second method of authentication can be found on the Multifactor Authentication at Pitt Web page. If you need help logging in, please contact the Pitt Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357).

UPMC MyApps is UPMC’s remote access tool that provides access to most HSLS online resources.

For more information about mental health resources, e-mail Jill Foust at jef2@pitt.edu or call 412-648-8923.

~ Jill Foust

Changes to the HSLS Online Collection for 2018

Journals added to the HSLS online collection for 2018 include:

  • Advances in Nutrition
  • BJPsych Advances
  • Canadian Journal of Addiction
  • Journal of Physical Therapy Education
  • JoVE Behavior (trial access for 2018)
  • Military Medicine
  • OncoImmunology (forthcoming later in 2018)
  • Paediatrics & Child Health (Oxford University Press)
  • Translational Behavioral Medicine

HSLS continually adds new open-access journals, so visit our E-journals A-Z list and click on “Show Select Subject” to view titles in your area of interest. Continue reading

Energy Conservation Is for Buildings, Not People

As I concentrate on my long, complex character-driven PubMed search strategy, my large muscle movements cease while my eyes focus. Do I need an extra parenthesis to nest that query properly? Being sedentary at work is a natural consequence of the knowledge enterprise.

An initiative to stimulate workers to move more during the workday could be motion as medicine. Possible substantiation comes from a recent study that found a computer prompt that required subjects to stand and engage in brief activity, increased calorie expenditure, and reduced sitting time during the workday. Continue reading

HSLS Staff News

The HSLS Staff News section includes recent HSLS presentations, publications, staff changes, staff promotions, degrees earned, etc.

News

Helenmary Sheridan has joined HSLS as a Data Services Librarian. She recently worked as the Repository Services Coordinator at the University of Illinois, where she led the library’s institutional repository initiatives and provided outreach and curation support for the Research Data Service.

Publications

Author names in bold are HSLS-affiliated

J.A. Soodalter, G.J. Siegle, M. Klein-Fedyshin, Research and Clinical Instruction Librarian, et al., published “Affective Science and Avoidant End-of-Life Communication: Can the Science of Emotion Help Physicians Talk with their Patients about the End of Life?” in Patient Education and Counseling, Dec 11, 2017.

John Erlen, History of Medicine Librarian, published “Dissertations in the History of Pharmacy” in Pharmacy in History, 2017, 59(3): 119-120; and was a major contributor to ISIS Current Bibliography of the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences 2017. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2018.

Classes for February 2018

FlashClasses

Showcasing Your Research Impact, Thursday, February 1, 12-1 p.m.

Locating and Citing Research Data, Tuesday, February 6, 9-10 a.m.

Copyright and Fair Use in Education, Tuesday, February 13, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Data 101: Introduction to Mapping, Thursday, February 15, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Advanced EndNote for Savvier Information Management, Thursday, February 15, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Electronic Lab Notebooks: Introduction to LabArchives, Friday, February 16, 1-2 p.m.

Painless PubMed*, Friday, February 16, 4-5 p.m.

Advanced PowerPoint for Presentations, Monday, February 19, 2-3 p.m.

Trim Down Your Search: Focusing PubMed in on a Topic, Tuesday, February 20, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Presentation Zen: Effective Visuals and Design, Wednesday, February 21, 9-10 a.m.

EndNote Basics, Thursday, February 22, 10 a.m.-noon

Painless PubMed*, Monday, February 26, 9-10 a.m.

Getting Systematic About Systematic Reviews (webinar), Tuesday, February 27, 10-11 a.m.

Molecular Biology Information Service

Variant Detection & Analysis: CLC Genomics & IVA, Wednesday, February 7, 1-4 p.m.

Pathway Visualization: ePath3D & Cytoscape, Wednesday, February 14, 1-4 p.m.

RNA-Seq Analysis & CLC Genomics, Wednesday, February 21, 1-4 p.m.

Pathway Analysis, Wednesday, February 28, 1-4 p.m.
Continue reading