Parkinson Disease P arkinson disease involves the nervous system, specifically, movement and control of muscles. Parkinson disease affects more than 1 million individuals in the United States. Because it is more common in older persons, the incidence (number of new cases) of Parkinson disease is increasing as the population grows older. Parkinson disease was first described in 1817 and was originally called " shaking palsy. " Medical researchers later discovered that parkinsonian symptoms were due to degeneration of nerve cells in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. These cells supply dopamine, a chemical that modulates movement, to other areas of the brain called the basal ganglia. Parkinson disease is progressive and leads to severe limitations in activity and quality of life if the disorder is not treated. Neurologists (doctors who specialize in treating diseases of the nervous system) and neurosurgeons (doctors who specialize in surgery of the nervous system) individualize each person' s treatment to manage the symptoms and slow the progress of Parkinson disease. The January 21, 2004, issue of JAMA includes an article about treatment of Parkinson disease. The JAMA Patient Page is a public service of JAMA. The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis. For specific information concerning your personal medical condition, JAMA suggests that you consult your physician. This page may be photocopied noncommercially by physicians and other health care professionals to share with patients. Any other print or online reproduction is subject to AMA approval. To purchase bulk reprints, call 718/946-7424. • Levodopa (a synthetic medication) replaces dopamine for patients with Parkinson disease, improving symptoms of tremor and rigidity. • Carbidopa helps reduce adverse effects of levodopa and increases the amount of dopamine in the brain (and not in the rest of the body). • Several other medications are available to decrease symptoms or slow the progression of Parkinson disease. • Antidepressants may be prescribed if depression occurs. • Pallidotomy—a probe delivering electrical current is used to create a permanent lesion (scar) in a specific area of the brain (the globus pallidus) to lessen rigidity, tremor, and abnormal movements (dyskinesias). • Thalamotomy—electrical current creates a small, permanent lesion in the area of the brain called the thalamus. This helps reduce tremor and rigidity. • Deep brain stimulation—an electrode is placed into a specific deep brain structure. Electrical …

Journal of the American Medical Association

In order for collection development librarians to justify the adoption of electronic books (e-books), they need to determine if e-books satisfy the information needs of patrons. One method to determine this is to measure e-book usage. This study compared the usage of 7,880 titles that were available in both print and e-book format at the Duke University Libraries. Although the results of this study cannot be generalized, it does provide information on the use of e-books in one academic research library and implications for e-book collection development.

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A circulation analysis of print books and E-books in an academic research library

Subtitle: Oliver Clark discovers more about a new online auction site that is designed to save airports money.

Going, going-- gone!

Going, going, gone?

This bibliography presents selected articles, books, electronic documents, and other sources that are useful in understanding scholarly electronic publishing efforts on the Internet and other networks.

Scholarly electronic publishing bibliography

Five hundred citations to Internet resources from articles published in library and information science journals in 1999 and 2000 were profiled and searched on the Web. The majority contained partial bibliographic information and no date viewed. Most URLs pointed to content pages with “edu” or “org” domains and did not include a tilde. More than half (56.4%) were permanent, 81.4 percent were available on the Web, and searching the Internet Archive increased the availability rate to 89.2 percent. Content, domain, and directory depth were associated with availability. Few of the journals provided instruction on citing digital resources. Eight suggestions for improving scholarly communication citation conventions are presented.

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Web Citation Availability: Analysis and Implications for Scholarship

The author describes how the concept of collection, reflecting the profession's principles, values, and practices as they pertained to print-based (analog) information resources, developed in the pre-World Wide Web environment. She poses five questions related to goals and practices in the analog environment to help libraries develop a concept of the hybrid collection.

/pdf/developing-a-concept-of-collection-for-the-digital-age-8692wz2aqo.pdf

Developing a Concept of Collection for the Digital Age

The researchers report on a study to examine the persistence of Web-based content. In 2002, a sample of 500 citations to Internet resources from articles published in library and information science journals in 1999 and 2000 were analyzed by citation characteristics and searched to determine cited content persistence, availability on the Web, and availability in the Internet Archive. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify citation characteristics associated with availability. The sample URLs were searched again between August 2005 and June 2006 to determine persistence, availability on the Web, and in the Internet Archive. As in the original study, the researchers cross-tabulated the results with URL characteristics and reviewed and analyzed journal instructions to authors on citing content on the Web. Findings included a decrease of 17.4 percent in persistence, and 8.2 percent in availability on the Web. When availability in the Internet Archives was factored in, the overall availability of Web content in the sample dropped from 89.2 percent to 80.6 percent. The statistical analysis confirmed the association between the likelihood that cited content will be found by future researchers and citation characteristics of content, domain, page type, and directory depth. The researchers also found an increase in the number of journals that provide instruction to authors on citing content on the Web.

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Web citation availability: A follow-up study

Cet article reprend les conclusions etablies apres les recherches de Sanacevic, Shaw et Kantor sur l'identification et la quantification des causes des echecs des utilisateurs dans leurs recherches documentaires et la localisation des documents

/pdf/material-availability-a-study-of-academic-library-2epvt200wq.pdf

Material Availability: A Study of Academic Library Performance

This chapter describes the empirical quantitative and qualitative research and case studies pertaining to collection management practice in academic libraries published between 1990 and 2007. The topics covered include collection size and growth, material cost, library expenditures, budgets and budgeting, collection development policies, collection composition, organization and staffingfor collection management, selection, and the evaluation of the collection development process and the collection itself. The chapter identifies the most influential and useful studies and the most active areas of research. The collection management research literature was limited in the methodologies employed (surveys and case studies), statistical analyses applied (basic and descriptive), and the scope of the problems addressed (inputs and processes). More studies that focus on effictiveness, outcomes, and impact are needed.

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Mary F. Casserly

Papers

Web Citation Availability: Analysis and Implications for Scholarship

Developing a Concept of Collection for the Digital Age

Web citation availability: A follow-up study

Material Availability: A Study of Academic Library Performance

Research in Academic Library Collection Management