http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/biobeat/

Keeping tabs on the research endeavors and findings from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) is much easier with Biomedical Beat. Started in January 2005, the publication serves as a monthly digest of research news from NIGMS, and it's a fine resource for scientists, science journalists, and those who just might be interested in such information. Each issue contains four or five short summary articles on the results of different research projects that have received funding from the NIGMS, and recent pieces have looked into the worlds of drug-resistant bacteria, iron deficiencies, and commercial chemical products. After reading these short summaries, visitors can click on links leading to full scientific reports, lab homepages, and article abstracts. Visitors can also check out their "Cool Image Gallery", which contains intriguing images which have appeared in Biomedical Beat. Finally, visitors can also sign up to receive their RSS feed. [KMG]

http://www.forestencyclopedia.net/

Jointly developed by the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station and Southern Regional Extension Forestry, this website has multiple online encyclopedias regarding the forests of the Southern United States, as well as one that covers the environmental threats facing all North American forests. This website is very user-friendly, both for visitors who are not natural resource professionals and those who are. For those visitors who are involved in the forest sciences, this website helpfully provides "scientific results, conclusions, and impacts with management needs and issues." On the left side of the page is a menu which allows the visitor to peruse the site through a thematic lens, or a global one. To view by theme, click on "Thematic" at the top of the menu. The themes visitors can click on include "So. Appalachian", "So. Pine Beetle", and "So. Fire Science". Under each theme are a multitude of clickable subthemes. For those visitors looking for a global view of the site, click on "Global" at the top of the menu. Topics include "Landscape", "Ecology", "Socio-Economics", and "Forest Health Protection". Forest scientists interested in contributing new scientific content to the Forest Encyclopedia Network can click on "Help" at the top of the website, which will take them to a link on the left side of the page entitled "Author Help". [KMG]

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/ahp/Modules/Modules_HP.html

Professor John Blamire has crafted this very fine set of online learning modules for students interested in learning about everything from the properties of proteins to Mendelian genetics. First-time visitors should take a look at the video introduction created by Professor Blamire. This introduction tells visitors about the layout of the site and the resources they will find here. Each of the twelve instructional resources on the site contains a brief overview of the topic, and then a "Research Investigation" assignment. Students can complete these investigations using the materials within each lesson, and they can also take a look at some additional readings which explain key concepts. The site also contains a "Words of Science" section, which provides concise definitions of basic terms, such as entropy and glucose. [KMG]

http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/23/?pa=content&sa=viewDocument&nodeId=2842

André Heck is a project manager at the Faculty of Science of the Universiteit van Amsterdam, and he recently contributed this thoughtful article to the "Loci" project at the Mathematical Sciences Digital Library. In this piece, Heck explores the topic of mathematical modeling by asking, "What is the volume and surface area of a hen's egg?". The article goes on to discuss how mathematical techniques, digital images, and dynamic geometry can be applied to a variety of real-world solutions, like determining the volume and surface area of a hen's egg. In addition, throughout the piece Heck talks about how various software programs can be applied as a modeling tool. [KMG]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/exvotos/

The relationship between faith and healing has engaged the minds of scholars, artists, and theologians for centuries. One physical manifestation of this area of human inquiry and concern has been the ex-voto, which is a devotional painting that gives thanks to a saint or deity for a miraculous healing or a blessing. This website was designed to accompany an exhibition at the National Library of Medicine and it contains ex-votos from the Italian tradition, the Mexican tradition, and those that can be found in early medical guides. It's a good idea to start with the "Ex-Voto Anatomy" area, as it offers a road-map to the different visual and thematic elements that are used in the creating these devotional objects. While here, visitors shouldn't miss looking at the elaborate ex-voto from 1939 in the "Mexican Tradition" section or the ex-voto of Sabastiano Gunsolo in the "Italian tradition" area. [KMG]

http://www.brookings.edu/World.aspx

The Brookings Institution has a number of centers that specialize in urban policy, the economy, and foreign policy. Their "World" site brings together research, commentary, policy reports, and working papers that deal with a broad set of issues with a global reach. First-time users can browse around some of the "Recent Research and Commentary" area, and they may also wish to sign up for a Brookings account. With this account they can create their own online portfolio that will allow them to receive email updates about different topics and programs. The page also features a "Top Topics" area that brings together papers and op-ed pieces on subjects such as Afghanistan, terrorism, energy security, and Arab-Israeli relations. Additionally, visitors can sign up to receive their RSS feed and their newsletter. [KMG]

http://untreaty.un.org/cod/diplomaticconferences/index.html

The United Nations has been involved with eight significant diplomatic conferences since their creation in 1945. Diplomatic conferences of this type serve as the traditional method for the negotiation of treaties, and there were a number of notable examples of such conferences decades before the United Nations, including the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907. Diplomatic conferences are less frequent occurrences these days, but they remain important when multilateral treaties need to be negotiated and adopted. On this site, visitors can look over the official records of a series of diplomatic conferences convened by the United Nations. The conferences included here include the 1963 Conference on Consular References and the 1983 Conference on Succession of States in Respect of State Property, Archives and Debts. Legal scholars and others will find this collection most useful, and they may wish to pass this link along to colleagues. [KMG]

http://jguide.stanford.edu/

Started in 1994, the Stanford Guide to Japan Information Resources (or "JGuide") is a topically arranged directory of online information resources in and about Japan. Much of the focus is placed on resources about Japan in the English language, and visitors can use their search engine or dive right into their topical subheadings. These sections include "Society & Culture", "Law & Regulation", "Health & Medicine" and nine other areas. Each resource is annotated, along with information about when the link was added to the site. The JGuide also contains a "Tools" area which features links to information about currency conversion, weather, news outlets, and other online gateways of note. The site also contains a link for users who wish to submit an online resource for potential inclusion in the JGuide. [KMG]