Toxicology Learning Tool Released: An update from NLM

Module I (“Introduction to Toxicology and Dose-Response”) of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) ToxLearn was recently released. ToxLearn is a free, multi-module learning tool that provides an introduction to fundamental toxicological principles and concepts. It is a joint project of the National Library of Medicine and the Society of Toxicology .

Select terms in this resource are linked to a peer-reviewed glossary and quizzes are included. ToxLearn can be useful for users of NLM’s toxicology databases, undergraduates studying toxicology or related disciplines, and others seeking a basic understanding of the field.

ToxLearn is an update of NLM ToxTutor , which was designed to provide a basic understanding of toxicology as an aide for users of toxicology literature contained in the National Library of Medicine’s toxicological and chemical databases. ToxLearn will update and expand on that effort.

WORLD BANK GROUP OPENS DATA TO ALL

World Development Indicators, Global Development Finance, Africa Development Indicators, and Global Economic Monitor are now free, open, and easy to access at data.worldbank.org ... The open data announcement coincides with the launch of the World Development Indicators (WDI) 2010, the Bank’s popular statistical resource. Apart from giving open access to the WDI, with nearly 1000 indicators, the initiative also opens up the Global Development Finance (GDF), Africa Development Indicators (ADI), Global Economic Monitor (GEM), and indicators from the Doing Business report.

The Matas Libary has a standing order to the print version of World Development Indicators which we plan to contine. We no longer purchase the CD ROM version of the annual data. Link to the location information in the Library Catalog.

See WDI Online in the Database List.

April 2010, Matas Library LUNCHTIME WORKSHOPS - All classes start at 12 noon.

• April 13th, Tuesday-- EndNote Web - Learn how to import citations, create bibliographies, and cite papers Tidewater - TDW1202
• April 20th, Tuesday-- Life After Tulane - Freely available research & productivity resources: Tidewater - TDW1202
• April 29th, Thrusday-- Life After Tulane - Freely available research & productivity resources: Matas Library - Mezz. Lab

For more information on workshop topics or to schedule a workshop for your class or department, contact the Matas Library Reference Department at 504.988.5155 or medref@tulane.edu .

A History of the Charity Hospitals of Louisiana: A study of povery, politics, public health, and the public interest

The Tulane Office of Medical Education held an event on April 6th regarding the history of the Charity Hospital System in Louisiana. The speakers were the co-authors of a new book on the topic, Dr. Jonathan Roberts and Dr. Thomas J. Durant, Jr. A limited number of signed editions of the book, A History of the Charity Hospitals of Louisiana: A study of Poverty, Politics, Public health, and the Public Interest are available for sale in the Tulane University Health Sciences Center Bookstore.

A table of contents for the book is available on the publisher's website, Mellen Press.

The Rudolph Matas Library had a display of Charity Hospital images and items from the historical collection.

A copy of the book is available in the Rudolph Matas Library. It is currently located on General Reserve for use within the Library - WZ 24 R6431 2010

Image of Dr. Jonathan Roberts (center front) and Dr. Thomas J. Durant, Jr. signing books after the book presentation event on April 6, 2010.

The Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF)

The Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF) is a free, web-based, portal to a wide variety of neuroscience-relevant resources, funded by the National Institutes of Health. NIF has an extensive registry of over 2500 resources along with a custom web index and literature archive. The NIF Data Federation provides a direct query of over 40 databases, with new ones being added regularly.

NIF provides simultaneous search across two literature indices: PubMed and the Textpresso for Neuroscience literature corpus. Textpresso for Neuroscience is assembled from indexing a core set of neuroscience journals and articles culled from keyword searches of PubMed for neuroscience-related terms. Additionally, it is able to search the full text of research papers. This may help to identify information within articles that may not be available to PubMed. Search results may be viewed in PubMed or within the Textpresso for Neuroscience interface. Through the Textpresso interface the user may further refine searches through the use of categories (e.g. brain region) and filters. See NIF Literature for more information on using Textpresso for Neuroscience.

NIF's dynamic inventory of Web-based neuroscience resources includes data, materials, and tools. NIF advances neuroscience research by enabling discovery and access to public research data and tools worldwide through an open source, networked environment. The NIF project is designed to serve the biomedical research community and is actively looking for resource providers to make their resources accessible through the NIF and offer a variety of methods for registering and making resources searchable through the NIF.

This resource is linked through the Matas Subject Guide: Neurology and Neurosciences

For more information or to arrange a seminar or training session please contact the Matas Library, medref@tulane.edu.