With the Holidays just around the corner, the grocery baking isles are popular. Are you one of the many who plan on baking some holiday treats this year? Recipes remain one of the timeless traditions that we pass down to each other, received from both friends and family alike, even through multiple generations. From our kitchens to yours, here are a few Himmelfarb favorites that we would love to share with you!
Andy, our Interlibrary Loan specialist, highly recommends Pillsbury Peanut butter blossom cookies! If you have a problem with peanuts, you can always substitute the peanut butter for sunflower, or cashew butter! One tip: Bake for 7 or 8 minutes at the recommended temperature for soft, not crunchy cookies.
Laura Abate's daughter discovered this gem of a recipe which was a hit at a neighborhood cookie exchange! Why don’t you try these alluring Chai Sugar cookies for yourself?
Have you ever tried a Spritz cookie? Their color & vanilla almond flavor set them apart from the rest. Vegan? These Gingerbread cookies come with their own vegan icing recipe for decorating. For those who need to keep their diet free of gluten, these Snowball cookies are truly in the spirit of the season, and also include a dairy free option.
From the Himmelfarb library, we wish you a safe & warm Holiday season this year and the happiest of New Years!
In the early 1980s there were official reports of once healthy, young, gay men falling severely ill and dying from an unknown illness. The first five reported cases included men ranging in age from 29 to 36, all displaying various symptoms and eventually developing pneumonia. In the summer of 1981, the CDC established a task force to study this new debilitating condition and since then researchers have worked diligently to understand and find treatment options. The condition and the virus that causes this illness were eventually named Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) respectively. Since its initial discovery, the spread of HIV has been classified as an pandemic and has impacted millions of people around the world. UNAIDS estimates that 79.3 million people have been infected with HIV since the beginning of the pandemic and as of 2020, approximately 37.7 million people currently live with HIV. While there is no vaccine available to prevent HIV, over the decades researchers have discovered treatment options to help individuals manage their symptoms. Through ongoing research and clinical trials, HIV/AIDS researchers have several promising leads that could potentially help with the creation of a safe and effective vaccine that will contribute to the end of this decades long pandemic.
Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are actively studying HIV and how it interacts with people’s immune systems by conducting research and clinical trials. Using a two step, complementary approach towards vaccine development, researchers not only learn new information about the virus, but they also hope to use their findings to develop a vaccine that can be distributed to the general public. Under the empirical approach, researchers rely on observation and experimentation to move different vaccine candidates into the human trial stages. With the theoretical approach, researchers seek to better understand the virus, how it impacts the human immune system and how a vaccine can bolster the immune response when a person is exposed to HIV. These two approaches allow researchers to quickly move vaccine candidates through the different stages of clinical trials.
Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
One of the most significant HIV vaccine clinical trials in recent years was the RV144 Trial in Thailand. This study enrolled over 16,000 volunteers and took place over the course of several years, with researchers reporting their findings in 2009. This trial showed that the vaccine candidates offered some protection against HIV in humans, which was the first time researchers discovered a vaccine could potentially protect people from the virus. The RV144 findings are still being analyzed for how the vaccine combination used in the trial helps our immune responses and other studies hope to build off the modest success of the RV144 trial. In the late 2010s, two other important clinical trials began and their data may offer a glimmer of hope for vaccine development. Launched in 2017 by the National Institutes of Health and other research partners, the HVTN 705/HPX2008 or Imbokodo study enrolled HIV-negative women in sub-Saharan Africa and used a vaccine regime “based on ‘mosaic’ immunogens–vaccine components designed to induce immune responses against a wide variety of global HIV strains.” (“NIH and Partners Launch HIV Vaccine Efficacy Study”) A complementary study called HPX3002/HVTN 706 or Mosiaco used a similar vaccine regime and took place across several countries including the United States, Brazil, and Poland. The Mosiaco study volunteers were made up of HIV-negative men and transgender people from the ages of 18 to 60. The results from the Imbokodo and Mosiaco studies were released in 2020 and 2021 respectively, though it may take years before researchers have a full understanding of the impact of these two clinical trials. In more recent news, NIAID scientists published an article in Nature Medicine that highlighted promising results of an HIV vaccine candidate based on the mRNA program used to develop vaccines for COVID-19. The researchers found that the vaccine showed promise in mice and non-human primates. According to Dr. Paolo Lusso, who led the team of researchers, "We are now refining our vaccine protocol to improve the quality and quantity of the VLPs (virus-like particles) produced. This may further increase vaccine efficacy and thus lower the number of prime and boost inoculations needed to produce a robust immune response. If confirmed safe and effective, we plan to conduct a Phase 1 trial of this vaccine platform in healthy adult volunteers..." ("Experimental mRNA HIV vaccine safe, shows promise in animals") It is difficult to predict when a vaccine will be available to the general public. But the results from clinical trials like the RV144 trial offer hope that one day researchers will create a safe vaccine and bring an end to this decades long pandemic.
Our understanding of HIV and AIDS continues to evolve. Treatment options are improving allowing individuals with HIV to live comfortably. And every day researchers work to develop a vaccine that will provide significant protection for individuals who may be exposed to the virus. This post is a short overview of the history and current state of HIV vaccine research. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of HIV vaccine development, please visit the NIAID’s website dedicated to HIV/AIDS research and be sure to read through their ‘History of HIV Vaccine Research’ timeline which includes brief information about other previous clinical trials not discussed in this article. Or click the links embedded in this article to learn more about the specific clinical trials and their results.
References:
“Experimental MRNA HIV Vaccine Safe, Shows Promise in Animals.” National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9 Dec. 2021, www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/experimental-mrna-hiv-vaccine-safe-shows-promise-animals.
“Global HIV and AIDS Statistics-Fact Sheet.” UNAIDS, www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.
“History of HIV Vaccine Research.” NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 22 Oct. 2018, www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/hiv-vaccine-research-history.
“HIV Vaccine Development.” NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 15 May 2019, www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/hiv-vaccine-development.
“NIH and Partners Launch HIV Vaccine Efficacy Study.” NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 30 Nov. 2017, www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/nih-and-partners-launch-hiv-vaccine-efficacy-study.
“NIH and Partners to Launch HIV Vaccine Efficacy Trial in the Americas and Europe.” NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 15 July 2019, www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/nih-and-partners-launch-hiv-vaccine-efficacy-trial-americas-and-europe.
We hope you are all getting ready for a much deserved Winter Break! Himmelfarb would like to remind everyone that our onsite hours will change over the break. (Our online resources will remain available throughout the closure.)
Thursday, Dec. 23: Himmelfarb Library closes at 8pm
Friday, Dec. 24 – Saturday, January 1: CLOSED
Sunday, January 2: Himmelfarb Library re-opens at 12 noon and resumes 24/7 hours of operation
Stay healthy and warm, and we’ll see you in the new year!
Himmelfarb welcomes new staff: Ashford Lanquist (bottom left) and Max Close (top right).
If you’ve been to Himmelfarb Library recently, you may have noticed some new faces at the Reference and Circulation Desks! Two new staff members joined us in the month of November: Max Close is our new Reference Specialist, and Leland Ashford Lanquist (Ashford or Ash) is our new Evening/Weekend Circulation Supervisor. We are thrilled to have them both as part of the Himmelfarb team!
Max can often be found at the Himmelfarb Reference Desk ready to answer your reference and library related questions. In addition to his reference duties, Max will also be an integral part of planning Himmelfarb’s annual art show, which will be returning Spring 2022 after a hiatus last year due to the pandemic. Max is originally from Concord, Massachusetts, but moved to the DC area (Silver Spring) just over two years ago to attend graduate school at American University. Max completed his M.A. in Public History at American University in May 2021, and brings experience in archives, museum collections, library resources, and research to his position.
Ashford can often be found at the Himmelfarb Circulation Desk helping patrons, assisting student employees, or processing 3D printing requests. Ashford will be an integral part of hiring, training, scheduling and supervising new student employees and keeping things running smoothly at the Circulation Desk in the evenings and weekends. Since Ashford’s normal working hours include times when the reference desk is closed, he will be available to provide basic reference assistance to users as needed in the evening and late night hours. Ashford grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and recently moved from Seattle, Washington where he was attending graduate school, to the DC area in November to join the Himmelfarb team. He recently completed his Master of Library and Information Science degree at the University of Washington in June 2021, and brings experience in libraries, community engagement, research, and technology to his position.
In addition to Max and Ashford joining the Himmelfarb team, a number of other Himmelfarb staff are celebrating career milestones this year, ranging from five years to thirty-five years of service with GW! Congratulations to the following Himmelfarbians on your service to GW and to Himmelfarb Library! Himmelfarb is proud of each of you for your dedication, commitment, and accomplishments during your time at GW and at Himmelfarb Library!
While it’s no secret that predatory publishers have existed for years, there appears to be a recent trend of scam guest editors infiltrating legitimate scholarly journals and taking over special issues of journals published by large, trusted publishers. Publishers including Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, and Springer Nature have all fallen victim to this new tactic used by scammers. It appears that the scholarly publishing community now has to not only be wary of predatory journals, but predatory editors as well.
The Arabian Journal of Geosciences, published by Springer Nature, has published 412 suspicious articles in recent months. Most of these articles were complete nonsense and included topics unrelated to geosciences including swimming, basketball, “sea-level height and aerobics training”, and “sports-injury insurance along with rainfall” (Bartlett, 2021). The founder and editor-in-chief of Arabian Journal of Geosciences claimed that his email account had been hacked, and that he was “just as perplexed as everyone else about how so many ridiculous papers… made it into the journal” (Bartlett, 2021).
In April 2021, computer science researchers noticed journal articles using strange terms that they called “tortured phrases” (Else, 2021b). The phrases they noticed included terms like “counterfeit consciousness” instead of “artificial intelligence,” and “colossal information” instead of “big data” (Else, 2021b). One Elsevier journal in particular, Microprocessors and Microsystems, seemed to have published 31 of these phrases in a single article!
In both of these cases, the sham papers were discovered by outside entities - not by journal editors, the journal’s editorial boards, or even by the publisher. The Springer Nature articles were discovered by commenters on PubPeer, “a website that allows readers to dissect scientific papers after they’re published” (Bartlett, 2021). The Elsevier papers were discovered by Guillaume Cabanac and a group of computer scientists working on a study (Else, 2021a). Cabanac and his team suspected that the “tortured phrases” resulted from the use of automated translation software or other software that can be used to help disguise plagiarism (Bartlett, 2021). They identified around 500 questionable articles with “critical flaws” that included nonsensical text and plagiarized text and images (Bartlett, 2021).
Springer Nature and Elseiver both launched investigations. Elsevier identified 400 articles in which the “peer review process was compromised” (Marcus, 2021). Elsevier issued a statement explaining that “the integrity and rigor of the peer-review process” had fallen “beneath the high standards expected by Microprocessors and Microsystems” (Marcus, 2021). Elsevier also acknowledged that a “configuration error in the editorial system” resulting from a system migration temporarily prevented appropriate editors from handling papers for approval (Else, 2021b). This issue was resolved soon after being discovered. Elsevier began to re-assess all papers that were published in the special issues in question and has made the appropriate retractions and expressions of concern. In addition, the publisher began to take a deeper look into the “overall processes regarding Special Issues in all subject areas” and introduced “further checks to ensure that all accept decisions are confirmed by an Editor in Chief or editorial board member and to alert staff to irregularities as a Special Issue progresses” (Marcus, 2021).
The Springer Nature investigation exposed “deliberate attempts to subvert the trust-based editorial process and manipulate the publication record” according to a spokesperson for the publisher (Else, 2021a). It’s common for journals to publish special issues of articles focusing on a specific topic. It’s also common for these special issues to be “overseen by guest editors who are experts in the research topic, but are not usually involved in the day-to-day editorial work of the journal” (Else, 2021a). In recent years, it seems that the number of guest editors using these special issues to disseminate low quality research has become more noticable. Ivan Oransky of Retraction Watch stated that “it is not clear whether special-issue scamming is becoming more common or whether it is just becoming more visible. I do think that the journals are waking up to it, actually looking for it and having systems in place” (Else, 2021a).
While it’s alarming that scammers have been able to use special issues of legitimate journals published by well-respected publishers to disseminate low-quality or even pseudo-science articles, it’s encouraging that these publishers are starting to take steps to prevent this from happening in the future. Elsevier now “validates the identities and qualifications of guest editors” in addition to having added the additional measure of having an Editor-in-Chief or editorial board member confirm each paper’s acceptance in an effort to catch irregularities (Else, 2021a). Springer Nature is not only “putting extra checks in place,” but they are “developing artificial-intelligence tools that can identify and prevent attempts to deliberately manipulate the system” (Else, 2021a). Springer Nature also plans to share the evidence they are gathering regarding “how the deceptions are carried out” with other publishers (Else, 2021a).
It’s that time of the year again. The white stuff could be coming any day to mess with campus commutes. Here are some ways to stay on top of closures, inclement weather, and campus emergencies.
For Himmelfarb Library closures and hours changes, follow us on Twitter or Facebook! Himmelfarb hours are also regularly updated on our website.
GW Campus Advisories - Visit https://campusadvisories.gwu.edu for traffic, weather, safety, and metro alerts. Closures and delays will be posted here.
GW Alert - This service sends emergency alerts to e-mail addresses, cell phones (text messages), social media and university web pages. Sign up through the GW Alert portal to receive alerts.
GW Information Line - Call for a recorded message on university status, adverse weather conditions, important issues concerning safety, and anything else that may disrupt normal operations. 202-994-5050 for Foggy Bottom, 571-553-8333 for Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn.
CapitalAlert.gov - Get alerts about the wider Metro DC region through CapitalAlert. It includes emergency, traffic, weather and Amber alerts, and information about school and government closures. You can choose which jurisdictions you want alerts for.
GW Guardian App - Download this app to your smartphone to get campus alerts and connect directly to GW Police and emergency services. The app can assign a virtual Guardian to monitor your progress and safety while commuting or walking alone on campus. Available for iPhone or Android.
Social Media - Follow @GWTweets for non-emergency safety and security information, and @GWPolice for emergency safety information. The university Facebook page has similar content.
DynaMed Decisions is now available via Himmelfarb Library! DynaMed Decisions is a clinical decision support system. It’s designed to enhance clinical decision-making, assist clinical providers, and strengthen patient engagement. DynaMed Decisions is available via DynaMed by switching tabs at the top of the screen, and can also be accessed directly as a standalone resource.
DynaMed Decision’s Shared Decision-Making Tools and Clinical Calculators can help clinicians and patients navigate decisions by incorporating both patient preferences and complex clinical scenarios. The decision-making tools are organized by category (e.g. cancer, bones & joints, diabetes, serious illness). Each tool is displayed in a table to indicate which type(s) of decision-making support is available:
Tools that incorporate individual patient data for personalized results
Tools that incorporate a risk/benefit calculator
Tools that provide an option grid so patients and caregivers can explore the risk and benefits of different decisions.
All of the shared decision-making tools provide access to an option grid which can help clearly describe the risks and benefits of the available choices. For example, the option grid for COVID-19 Vaccine Options compares no vaccine vs Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines vs the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. For each possible choice, the grid provides brief, straightforward information on the benefits, short term side effects or harms, and long term side effects or harms.
For some decision-making tools, clinicians and patients can start with personalized information to work through the decision-making process. For example, the ‘Atrial Fibrillation Treatment Options to Lower Stroke Risk’ shared decision-making tool begins with patient information:
Based on the data provided about the patient, users can move to the assessment and guidance section which provides more customized information and recommendations:
The final portion of the shared decision-making tool allows the clinician and patient to explore outcomes based on different prospective choices in a clear graphical format, as well as view the option grid for a textual information display:
DynaMed Decisions includes tools to help clinicians share the decision-making tools with patients as well as document their use in health care records. Clinicians can generate QR codes, web links, and PDFs to share with patients. Clinicians can also generate a brief note to document the use of a decision aid in the patient’s health care record:
DynaMed Decisions also provides access to clinical calculators. These calculators are evidence-based and created by physicians to support clinician’s workflows. For example, the Pulmonary Embolism (PE): Diagnostic Evaluation in Stable Adults clinical calculator allows a clinician to enter key pieces of patient data:
Based on the individual patient’s data, the calculator will provide risk and benefit information along with clinical guidance.
DynaMed and DynaMed Decisions are available to all GW users. Users located on-site should have direct access to these resources without logging in; direct access includes access from the GW University Hospital and GW Medical Faculty Associates.
Do you need to get or create citations, but aren’t sure how to get them quickly? Himmelfarb Library has resources that can help you get and create the citations you need for your resources.
Citations are a means of giving proper credit to the sources you use, allow your audience to look up the sources you use, and add credibility and transparency to your work. In addition, failing to cite your sources is plagiarism, and can have serious consequences to your academic and professional career. Himmelfarb Librarian Tom Harrod provides an excellent explanation about why it’s important to cite your sources in this Why Cite video.
Many of Himmelfarb’s resources provide citations with the click of a button! Himmelfarb’s library catalog, which can be searched by using the search bar on the library’s homepage, provides citations for most of our resources by simply clicking the citation button. You can then select your desired citation style, and copy and paste the citation to your document.
Many Himmelfarb databases including PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and AccessMedicine also provide citations for resources. While these automatically generated citations are extremely convenient and can be a great time-saver, it’s important to double check citations before including them in your work. You may find that the formatting is slightly off and corrections may be necessary.
Do you need an easy place to gather, manage, store and share your citations and bibliography? RefWorks may be the tool for you! It’s easy to upload documents and bibliographic information to your RefWorks library. The Reference Citation Manager allows you to import citations and format your paper. If you are new to RefWorks and want to learn more about using this tool, be sure to watch our Introduction to RefWorks video taught by Himmelfarb Librarian Paul Levett.
Are you ready to tackle creating your own citations from scratch? Or perhaps you need to check to make sure those automatically generated citations are formatted correctly. Himmelfarb’s APA, AMA, Harvard citation style guides are excellent tools for creating citations or checking formatting of existing citations. We also have citation tutorials available to provide additional help.
Himmelfarb even has resources to help with more complicated citation needs. Do you have a list of citations in one format, but need to convert them into a different format? Learn how to change between citation styles with Himmelfarb Librarian Stacy Brody in our From AMA to APA: Quickly Changing Citation Styles video. Do you want to learn how to use citations to find related articles, identify influential articles, or track the impact of your own work? Learn how to use citations to accomplish these goals with Himmelfarb Librarian Tom Harrod in this Tracking Citations with Scopus video.
Whether you just need a quick citation to a journal article or book, need to create a citation from scratch, need a tool like RefWorks to help you organize your resources and format your paper, or want to watch a short tutorial on one of many different citation related topics, Himmelfarb is here to help! Still have questions about citations? Contact us through the Ask Us feature on our website, or email us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu.
Light Yards 2021 Date: Wednesday, December 1st - Saturday, January 1, 2022, every night from 6pm - 10pm. Location: 1300 First Street, SE Cost: FREE The larger-than-life light installation will feature illuminated 22 feet tall trees trimmed top to bottom in holiday decor and festooned lights that will cast The Yards’ Sun Deck with beautiful, colored patterns. This light-filled wonderland is the perfect place for the whole family to get in the holiday spirit and snap some Instagram-worthy pics, or wander before or after drinks and dinner at one of The Yards’ 20+ eateries.
GW Self-Care and Stress Management Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 4pm - 5pm Location: Online via WebEx Cost:FREE The Well-being Skills Series is an easily accessible space to connect with other students and discuss mental wellness, which are all the more important now following this unprecedented time. Whether you struggle with your own well-being or are a concerned GW community member, you are welcome to drop into this free virtual group discussion via WebEx - no registration required! Attend one, some, or all of the sessions. For further information or should you need accommodations, please contact us at counsel@gwu.edu.
MetroCooking DC Show! Date: December 4th - 5th, 2021 Location: Washington Convention Center Cost: $25 Join us for the 15th Annual MetroCooking Show at the Washington Convention Center. Enjoy cooking demos, book signings, and meeting Celebrity Chefs, not to mention all of the tasty food samples. Brush up on your cooking skills, shop the specialty food vendors, and maybe discover some wonderful restaurants in the process.
The District’s Holiday Boat Parade Date: Saturday, December 4th, 6pm - 9pm Location: DC Wharf Cost: FREE Celebrate the holidays with this iconic DC event that features over sixty beautifully decorated boats parading along the Washington Channel. Get into the spirit as you decorate ornaments. Warm-up by our fire pit and visit our lighted Christmas Tree. Go ice skating and sample winter drinks at our Waterfront Beer and Wine Garden. And bring the whole family to meet Santa and make memories during this annual DC tradition.
