December 2023 Issue

The HSLS Molecular Biology Information Service (MBIS) is excited to introduce our easy-to-use code templates for the All of Us Research Hub, which holds diverse health data from underrepresented communities across the U.S.

The Condition Association Template

Our first publicly available template is designed to explore relationships between two health conditions and can be tailored for binary outcome analyses by experienced researchers. We’ve designed our template to be helpful for every researcher, no matter their experience with coding. Only minimal changes need to be made to the template for it to run. Furthermore, to accommodate various preferences, each template is available in both Python and R. The template is now available on GitHub and Google Drive. Please consult the provided instructional PDF for guidance on using it in the All of Us Researcher Workbench!

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Over Pitt’s winter recess, Falk Library will have modified hours:

• Thursday, December 21: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Friday, December 22 through Monday, January 1: CLOSED

Regular hours resume on Tuesday, January 2.

Even when the library is closed, you can still access HSLS resources 24/7 via the HSLS website and the UPMC Health Sciences Digital Library.

Ask a Librarian questions received over winter recess will be addressed once HSLS resumes regular hours.

Visit the main floor of Falk Library to see a new HSLS exhibit on visual misinformation.

Visual misinformation is visual content, typically accompanied by text or audio, that contributes to the false or inaccurate presentation of information. Misleading visual communication can include manipulated, AI-generated, or out-of-context imagery in both general and academic settings.

This exhibit includes six posters that provide an introduction to the problem of visual misinformation. Visit the iPad stations to test your knowledge by identifying which images or videos are real, AI-generated, or deepfakes. Books on visual misinformation will be available to borrow from the library, so you can take a deeper dive into the problem of misinformation on your own time.

All visitors to the exhibit can enter a drawing to win a $25 Panera gift card. Visit the Main Desk and present your Pitt ID to be entered into the drawing.

Join us for this class:
Tuesday, December 12, 2023, noon-1 p.m.
Online
Register for NIH Data Management & Sharing Plans: Documentation, Metadata, and the “How” of Deposit*

The NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing went into effect on January 25, 2023, and requires NIH-funded researchers to prospectively submit a plan outlining how scientific data from their research will be managed and shared. The policy includes an expectation that researchers will maximize their data sharing within ethical, legal, or technical constraints, and explicitly encourages researchers to incorporate data sharing via deposit into a public repository into their standard research process.

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The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association held its annual meeting in Pittsburgh on October 15-17, 2023.

HSLS contributions include:

Committee Participation

Renae Barger co-chaired the meeting and the Plenary, Keynotes, and Speakers Committee.

Kelsey Cowles participated on the Exhibits Committee.

Stephen Gabrielson chaired the Local Arrangements Committee; other members were Julia Dahm, Melissa Ratajeski, Rose Turner, and Alyssa Young.

Rachel Suppok and Rose Turner participated on the MAC Professional Development Committee to provide continuing education classes at the meeting.

Alyssa Young served as Vice-Chair of the MAC Research and Assessment Committee to present research awards at the meeting.

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Pitt libraries, with partners from Pitt Research, are conducting a study to understand how well existing research data support services at the institution align with the needs of researchers. For this study, research data support services are defined as programmatic offerings such as trainings, workshops, and consulting that support data-intensive research (i.e. instruction in specific software such as GIS or Python, data management, or analysis).

We are aiming to recruit all levels of researchers including students, postdocs, junior faculty, and PIs from any discipline.  If you would be willing to participate in a one-hour, recorded, in-person or virtual interview to share your unique experiences and perspective please e-mail Melissa Ratajeski at mar@pitt.edu to schedule a time.

Our local Pitt research study is part of a suite of parallel studies at approximately 15 other institutions of higher education in the US, coordinated by Ithaka S+R, a not-for-profit research and consulting service.

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

Publications

Jill Foust, Research and Instruction Librarian Emeritus, co-authored the article:

Tung I, Hipwell AE, Grosse P, Battaglia L, Cannova E, English G, Quick AD, Llamas B, Taylor M, Foust JE. Prenatal stress and externalizing behaviors in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 2023 Nov 16. doi: 10.1037/bul0000407. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37971856.

Rebekah Miller, Research and Instruction Librarian, co-authored the article:

Patterson PD, Friedman JC, Ding S, Miller RS, Martin-Gill C, Hostler D, Platt TE. Acute Effect of Night Shift Work on Endothelial Function with and without Naps: A Scoping Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Sep 29;20(19):6864. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20196864. PMID: 37835134; PMCID: PMC10572584.