Green Heron Information Services

01/20/2023

"Why should I care about an obscure document from the past...

An environmental consultant asked me recently at a conference.

This article gives an excellent example of why you should. Many thanks to Melissa Owen for bringing this to our attention.

Let me mention a number of noteworthy items from this article.

The papers that the researcher found were done for a private think tank and as such were not published in the peer reviewed research. They fall into the category of 'scientific and technical grey literature' which is one of the specialties of Green Heron Information Services http://ow.ly/TE2B50M1iKb .

The researcher acquired a hard copy of the documents through his library's interlibrary loan service which takes a certain amount of time and effort. Our research expertise and knowledge of these systems would have enabled him to acquire these items in quicker fashion.

So if your scientific research or environmental litigation would benefit from finding obscure in the past, get in touch with us. It could make your future even better!

http://ow.ly/Y4KW50M1iK9

For decades, 1960s research for the American Petroleum Institute warning of the risks of burning fossil fuels had been forgotten. But two papers discovered in libraries are now playing a key role in lawsuits aimed at holding oil companies accountable for climate change.

10/07/2022

Keep Googling till you turn blue....

I recently attended an all-day professional meeting. I was seated in the back of the large conference room. From my vantage point I could see the laptops of the eight or ten people seated in front of me.

Over the course of the day, I saw each of these people pull up Google to search for some piece of information. Often I could see them type something in the search box and shake their head--obviously not finding what they were looking for.

Then they would try a different search term with seemingly the same results. They seemed somewhat frustrated.

If you are googling, get the most of your search by using these tips:

(1) You can limit your search to a specific type of domain ending (org, com or gov) using the site: command This can be really helpful if you are trying to find government related information on a topic.

(2) You can use the filetype: command to limit if you are looking for powerpoint presentations, PDFs, excel spreadsheets etc.

(3) You can limit your search results to specific times by using the 'Tools' resource on the right hand side of the ribbon menu. Limiting your results this way can be really useful for finding the most current information on a topic.

(4) If you are trying to find peer reviewed articles on a topic, use Google Scholar (a subset of Google) http://ow.ly/LPtL50Jyia9 . Search Google Scholar with the advanced search hidden on the upper left hand side under the drop down carat.

Just remember there is some information that Google is not good at finding.

We hope that these search tips help you avoid turning blue with frustration if your Googling is not finding what you are looking for.
Questions--get in touch with us either here or at http://ow.ly/fBCZ50Jyia8

04/20/2021

Will your regulatory application hold up when the big bad regulatory wolf shows up to blow on it?

In the Three Little Pigs, the wolf of course blows down the houses of the first two pigs which were made of straw and sticks respectively. The third pig's house built out of bricks remains standing despite the wolf's efforts.

One of the major unknowns in the regulatory process is how much do the regulators know and what they might ask about. A comprehensive literature search can reduce the amount of uncertainty that you are missing something important in your application.

Green Heron Information Services has helped several companies navigate this aspect of the regulatory process.

We can make sure that the research foundations of your regulatory application is as strong as the Third Pig's house!

04/15/2021

On this Tax Day, you can use usaspending.gov to discover how your tax money is being spent by the federal government. You can use the search function to find out who has been awarded government grants or who has won government contracts.

04/13/2021

Surprise!

Some of us like the occasional good surprise...it can break up the daily routine or celebrate an achievement or milestone.

Your regulatory filing or publication of your research should not be the time for a surprise.

Several years ago I was fact checking a scientific manuscript for a major policy organization which was going to be published online in a matter of days.

As I was checking references, I noticed that about a half dozen of the most cited and most recent articles were not included in the bibliography.

And...it turned out that a few of those key articles called into question some of the research cited in the report.

It can be tempting to skimp on the literature search or review. Time deadlines are always short. The project is already over budget. The scientists know everyone working in this area.

Our expertise and experience can help make sure you aren't looking like this woman when you hear back about your filing or publication.

Message us and we will only surprise you in a good way!

04/12/2021

Monday Shoutout--

Every other Monday, I will give a shout out to consultants/small companies, who deserve recognition for their excellent work and commitment. They truly 'go the extra mile'.

Karen Suhaka, founder of LegiNation and BillTrack 50, https://www.billtrack50.com/ is one of the most innovative and generous people that I have met. If you are doing any type of legislative tracking, Bill Track 50 offers superb results and superior service.

If you have a consultant or small company in your network who deserves a shout out, let us know in the comments!

04/09/2021

A 'vaccination' selfie --I got my covid shot yesterday at the Maryland mass vaccination site at the Hagerstown Outlet Mall. I had about an hour drive home and thought about several different things.

I was very thankful for all the effort that has gone into creating and distributing the various vaccines: many thanks need to go to the scientists who worked to create the vaccines, the labs that produced the vaccines, the government for funding the research and the people distributing and giving the actual shots.

My other thought was that with each person that gets vaccinated, we get a step closer to actually being able to do some in person networking at coffee hours, conferences etc. Virtual networking is going to be a key component of what we do post-pandemic but face to face meetings are hard to replicate.

What we you are thinking about after you got vaccinated if you did?

04/08/2021

The Eastern Evaluation Research Society virtual conference is going to be a great learning experience and one of the best values around at $50. The conference is going to be 5/3 and 5/4. For full program details and other information see http://eers.org/conference-overview/

04/06/2021

Hot off the e-presses... very recent (April 2021) articles on PFAS

On PFAS‐Suggested Resources and Considerations for Groundwater Professionals
10.1111/gwat.13101

Perfluorooctane sulfonate alternatives and metabolic syndrome in adults: new evidence from the Isomers of C8 Health Project in China
10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117078

Regeneration of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance-laden granular activated carbon using a solvent based technology
10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112439

Perfluoroalkyl substance excretion: Effects of organic anion-inhibiting and resin-binding drugs in a community setting
10.1016/j.etap.2021.103650

Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Transport from Groundwater to Streams near a PFAS Manufacturing Facility in North Carolina, USA
10.1021/acs.est.0c07978

04/06/2021

ConoServer is a free database containing information on toxins found in the Conidae family (cone snails) of predatory sea snails; these toxins are known as conotoxins or conopeptides. http://conoserver.org/

ConoServer contains information on protein sequences, nucleic acid sequences and structural information of conopeptides.

04/01/2021

Hot off the e-presses...very recent (March 2021) articles on spray drift research.

Effects of glyphosate spray-drift on plant flowering
10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116953

Examining the role of wind in human illness due to pesticide drift in Washington state, 2000–2015
10.1186/s12940-021-00693-3

Assessment of pesticide volatilization potentials to atmosphere from their molecular properties using the TyPol tool
10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125613

Assessment of spray deposition, drift and mass balance from unmanned aerial vehicle sprayer using an artificial vineyard
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146181

03/31/2021

What does scientific and technical information searching have to do with Goldilocks?

Plenty. In the children's story, Goldilocks tries each of the three bears' porridge, chairs and beds before finding the one that 'is just right'.

Scientists and regulatory managers face a similar type of dilemma: the fear of missing something important drives research forward but limited amounts of money and staff time require that results be effective and 'on-target.'

For the past 4 years, we have helped the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Protein Allergen, Toxin and Bioinformatics committee find the literature results that are 'just right' for their needs.

The committee conducts an annual review of the literature which includes an exhaustive search to identify any articles which have found new protein sequences that cause allergic reactions in people. Experts with very limited amount of time review these results so it is critical that they see what is most relevant.

So if your research is stuck on the papa bear stage (way too much information) or the baby bear stage (too little information--or what are we missing?), message us.

We might be able to make you as content as Goldilocks!