1. Electronic
Reference:
I chose the Britannica Online
source to find an electronic source for my topic. I searched under
journals/periodicals and found an entry that read “Microbe Mining.”
This source shed some light into the use of microbes,
specifically the endophytes, as a means of harnessing useful natural products
for medicinal, agricultural, and industrial purposes.
Some of the subtopics that came up in this source are how
specific microbes are responsible for producing hydrocarbons, including the
major compounds in diesel fuel. Other subtopics include a genetic link between
specific bacteria and their hosts, indicating an important evolutionary that
has still yet to be explained.
One possible question that I came up while using Britannica
Online is: how are scientists transforming microbes to produce complex organic
compounds useful in medicine?
Terms:
distinctive- microbe engineering
broad- biotechnology
narrow- therapeutic synthesis
related- synthetic chemistry
2. Book- Search It
Book: Modern multidisciplinary applied microbiology:
exploiting microbes and their interactions
Subject headings:
The subject listed is microbiology—congresses. In the
description below it lists article headings such as:
-Heavy metal effects on Extremophiles and on enzyme
biosynthesis in a new Bacillus strain
-Application of fungi in vitro biofertilizers
-Enhanced biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
using soil slurries
Based on the description, this book seems to provide
multiple case studies, research experiments and summaries on a wide range of
applications using microbes and bacteria.
This book is currently available at Owen Science and
Engineering Library Stacks, so a request must be put in to have it be sent to
WSUV. The “request item” link should be clicked WSUV library. The book should
take 3-6 business days to come to the circulation desk in the library.
3. eBook – Search It
eBook title: Pharmaceutical Microbiology
ASAP evaluation:
Age- the eBook was published in March 2008, so it is still
relatively new and applicable to my topic.
Sources- each chapter has foot notes and references, along
with “further reading references” at the end of the chapter.
Author- Ashutosh Kar, professor and head of pharmacy at SHRI
RNS College of Pharmacy. The credentials of the author add authority to the eBook
because it was written by someone well established and specialized in their
field of research and studies.
Publisher- New Age International, is an academic publisher
for educational text and reference material.
Overall, this eBook seems like a credible source to use for
my topic.
Reflection:
This week taught me how to locate and gain valuable
information from the WSUV library page. Up until this point, I have never
considered using a book or an eBook for my background research on my topic. But
now that I have looked through some and found subtopics that seem interesting I
will most likely give it a try in the future. It is nice to know how to access
a variety of background information sites so that appropriate and relevant
research can be done effectively. I also feel more prepared on how to order or
request a book if it not available at WSUV. My first year here I took history
105 and for my final paper I had issues ordering an article that I found to be
very useful for my paper, resulting in me not being able to sue that source.
Now that I am more familiar on how to request items from Search It, I feel
confident in my abilities to request a book in time for me to use it in my
paper.
