DNA sequencing of MRSA used to stop outbreak

An outbreak of the hospital superbug MRSA has been brought to an end by UK doctors cracking the bacterium’s genetic code. The original research article appeared in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, which is available full-text from Science Direct. Access Science Direct via the A-Z of databases, or use the SFX system to locate the journal.

Read Full Post »

What is Open Access?

The issue of Open Access to research is a controversial and, in these tough financial times, an immediate one. The UK recently unveiled its proposal to make all publicly funded research open access. And, PHD Comics have put their own spin on the matter.

Read Full Post »

Do doctors understand the basic science and health benefits of physical activity?

A study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has found that prospective doctors studying at UK medical schools, are not receiving adequate instruction on the promotion of physical activity.
James Morgan interviews one of the authors of the study for Science Omega. To see the full-text of the study simply go to the library’s SFX system and put British Journal of Sports Medicine in to the search box. Choose the database that covers the most recent edition of the journal.

Read Full Post »

Expanding Access to Published Research Findings

A report by Dame Janet Finch argues that there is a powerful “moral” case for publicly funded research to be freely available. BBC reporter Pallab Ghosh provides a good summary of where we are at the moment, and the cases for and against the expansion of free full-text access to publicly funded research.

Read Full Post »

Global physical activity levels: surveillance progress, pitfalls.

Researchers feel that inactivity among adults was now so bad it should be treated as a pandemic.
A report published in today’s Lancet, “Global physical activity levels: surveillance progress, pitfalls”, estimates that about a third of adults are not doing enough physical activity, causing 5.3m deaths a year.
The full article can be read via our SFX system, or by going to Science Direct (by way of our A-Z of Databases) and searching under the Lancet or by the report title.

Read Full Post »

Time to get pro-active: Gateshead Millennium Study

A study by researchers from Newcastle University and the University of Strathclyde indicates that more needs to be done to encourage young children to be active. The research paper, published in the open access journal PLoS ONE this week, highlights a number of factors which influence the amount and intensity of physical activity children partake in, from the age of their father to participation in after-school clubs.
There is an interview with Dr Mark Pearce, who led the study, in the latest edition of Science Omega. Dr Pearce discusses what the findings of the research suggest about why children are so inactive, and how this may be remedied for the good of their health.
Open Access journals are available through the library’s SFX system.
To view the research report above simply put PLoS One into the SFX Search Box and click on Go. This takes you through to the Home Page of PLoS (Public Library of Science), and simply scroll down to the required article.

Read Full Post »

Homophobia in football does not lie with the fans

The on-line journal, Science Omega, has an interview with Professor Ellis Cashmore about his recent research into the attitude of fans towards homosexual footballers.
The study, which has been published in The British Journal of Sociology (BJS), used an anonymous online survey to gauge the views of 3,500 football supporters, and represents the first empirical investigation of homophobia across fan culture.
The article (Fans, homophobia and masculinities in
association football: evidence of a more
inclusive environment) is available free online through the library’s SFX system. To access the article from off-campus you will need your Athens Account.

Read Full Post »