Development of an automated periodical system at the Royal Society of Medicine library.
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The subject catalog of the University of Colorado Medical Center Library is examined in considerable detail. Annual revisions of the subject catalog required by annual revisions of the subject heading authority list used, NLM's MeSH, are analyzed in terms of man-hours required for the effort and the effect on the catalog's structure. It is contended that, in a divided catalog, changes of headings on a one-for-one equivalency basis are no more difficult than they would be in a computerized catalog, but that in many-for-one changes the manual catalog and the machine catalog face exactly the same dilemma and in the same magnitude, the only solution in either case being the reexamination of many entries. The proliferation of subheadings is shown to present particularly vexing problems in catalog revision. A plea is made to recognize the MeSH system for what it is, a legitimate compromise between the descriptor-oriented terms of a computer coordinate-indexing system, and the subject-heading-oriented terms of the conventional card catalog.
Data from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) automated Master Serials System and its MEDLINE database were used to chart the growth of NLM's serials collection and of the journals indexed in Index Medicus from 1966 to 1985. The number of live serial titles in the subset of NLM's collection examined increased 30% in the twenty years. The average number of articles per Index Medicus journal increased 56%. The average number of articles in U.S. Index Medicus journals grew more rapidly than the average number in journals published elsewhere. The NLM data provide clear evidence that the years from 1966 to 1985 saw a substantial increase in the percentage of the biomedical serial literature published in English. The period from 1966 to 1985 saw substantial but uneven growth in the number of serial titles in the NLM collection and in the average number of articles in Index Medicus journals. Although data on the number of articles published in Index Medicus journals is unlikely to reflect the number of articles in other journals, the pattern of growth in the number of serials held by NLM probably reflects trends in the universe of all biomedical serials.
Two cDNA clones (3.7 kb and 4.8 kb) encoding a Drosophila muscarinic acetylcholine receptor were isolated from a Drosophila head cDNA library and characterized by automated DNA sequence analysis. The Drosophila muscarinic receptor contains 788 amino acids with a calculated Mr of 84,807 and displays greater than 60% homology with mammalian muscarinic receptors. The muscarinic receptor maps to the tip of the right arm of the second chromosome of the Drosophila genome.
The Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP) is a collaborative network of cancer researchers with a common goal: to decipher the genetic changes that occur during cancer formation and progression. The project brings together several recent technologies capable of high-throughput analysis to help achieve this goal. Automated sequencing of cDNA libraries is a primary focus and is geared towards providing a comprehensive and annotated set of human and mouse transcribed sequences. This effort includes full-length transcript sequence generated by CGAP's new Mammalian Gene Collection initiative. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within human gene sequences (Genetic Annotation Initiative) and chromosomal rearrangements within cancer cells (Cancer Chromosome Aberration Project) are also being cataloged as part of CGAP. Finally, to help determine gene expression patterns related to cancer, CGAP provides a quantitative catalog of data through its SAGEmap initiative. The genome and genetic analysis tools listed in this review are all freely distributed by CGAP (http://cgap.nci.nih.gov/) without restriction.
The morning report reference file was automated at the Stollerman Library because the manual system was time-intensive to maintain and cumbersome to search. A general database management system (DBMS) was chosen so that it could be used in the future for other data management functions in the library. DBMS features that should be examined before use with a bibliographic application include size limitations, data entry forms, data types, search options, index files, sort options, report generation, query and programming languages, command and/or menu files, file interaction, interface with other software, and documentation. Desired requirements for this application are discussed. It is noted that a general database manager probably will not meet all of the desired requirements. For some bibliographic applications, software specifically designed for bibliographic information management and retrieval should be used. A database for the purposes of searching the morning report reference file and producing a weekly reference list and a yearly index was developed using CONDOR 3. The structure of the database is described, and examples of the reports are given. The system has been in operation since December 1984 and has been well-received by staff and patrons.
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The Children's Hospital of Michigan Medical Library has adapted several of the Integrated Academic Information Management Systems (IAIMS) concepts and implemented them at a hospital library level. These have included features of network development, electronic interfacing and interlinking, and implementing an integrated information system in the library. The library has incorporated several information systems into library operations, including a variety of in-house, local, and national automated systems and telecommunication networks. Hospital libraries can incorporate IAIMS features and promote an institutional framework of interconnecting communication systems and electronic linkages.
Vertical files are revered institutions in many libraries. The reference staff at the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library at the University of Utah automated their vertical file and made the information in it accessible via the Library's Integrated Library System. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) were applied to vertical files and simple records leading to them were entered in the Library's online catalog. Electronic access to the vertical file increases the availability of concepts too new to be in medical books and permits the Library to meet the needs of lay patrons searching for basic information on popular health care topics.
In March 1981 the Consortium for Information Resources (CIR) was chosen by the Massachusetts Health Sciences Library Network to develop and automate a statewide biomedical union list of serials. Employing a commercial processor, ANSI standard Z39.42-1980, and SERLINE, CIR consolidated the journal holdings of six Massachusetts health-related library consortia. SERLINE, with its unique identifier as the single control element, governed the form of entry and bibliographic data for each journal. Additionally, SERLINE enhanced the union list by providing "see references" and general notations to map users to main titles or special information. An original feature of this union list is the "rolled" holdings and location statements intended to encourage even distribution of interlibrary loan transactions. The resulting union list of serials includes the holdings of 116 Massachusetts libraries, 94 of which are hospital libraries. The list includes nearly 3,000 unique titles and 15,000 holdings statements; production costs averaged $1.35 per unique title and 27 per holdings statement.
Solution-phase high throughput synthesis has emerged as a powerful method for the rapid generation of chemical libraries. The success of this approach is largely due to the development of novel synthetic methodologies that expedite the preparation of compounds. Several isolation/purification techniques have also been developed to eliminate the time-consuming purification procedures often associated with solution-phase chemistry. These methods are amenable to parallel synthesis and combinatorial strategies and can be fully automated. In addition, the compound libraries generated using solution-phase high throughput synthesis have been used to accelerate both lead identification and lead optimization programs at various companies.
We indexed the contents of a radiology server on the web to facilitate access to research documents and to link reference texts to images contained in radiology databases. Indexation also allows case reports to be transformed with no supplementary work into formats compatible with computer-assisted training. Indexation was performed automatically by ADM-Index, the aim being to identify the medical concepts expressed within each medical text. Two types of texts were indexed: medical imaging reference books (Edicerf) and case reports with illustrations and captions (Iconocerf). These documents are now available on a web server with HTML format for Edicerf and on an Oracle database for Iconocerf. When the user consults a chapter of a book or a case report, the indexed terms are displayed in the heading; all reference texts and case reports containing the indexed terms can then be called up instantaneously. The user can express his search in natural language. Indexation follows the same process allowing instantaneous recall of all reference texts and case reports where the same concept appears in the diagnosis or clinical context. By using the context of the case reports as the search index, all case reports involving a common medical concept can be found. The context is interpreted as a question. When the user responds to this question, ADM-Index compares this response with the answer furnished by the reference texts and case reports. Correct or erroneous responses can thus be identified, converting the system into a computer-assisted training tool.
From the vantage point of her personal experience, the author examines milestones since the 1960s which have changed the medical library profession and helped shape the Medical Library Association. The advent of automation, including cataloging with OCLC and online literature searching through the SUNY Biomedical Communication Network, was a dramatic event that transformed the work and priorities of librarians, fulfilling the dreams of earlier visionaries. The application of technology in libraries led to an increased demand for education and training for librarians. The Medical Library Association responded with continuing education programs, and a series of important reports influenced how the association filled its role in professional development. Legislation providing federal funding, such as the Medical Library Assistance Act, resulted in a period of expansion for libraries and their services. The Medical Library Association has developed a legislative agenda to influence action in areas such as copyright. In the future, health sciences librarians must take a leadership role.
The Pacific Southwest Regional Medical Library (PSRML) launched a project in 1988 to assess the feasibility of electronic linkages between health professionals using GRATEFUL MED--the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) software program for searching the MEDLARS databases--and libraries using DOCLINE, NLM's automated interlibrary loan request-and-referral system. This paper describes the origins of LOANSOME DOC and initial usage experiences. Results of the LOANSOME DOC beta test, including usage statistics, are reported. The paper also describes the mechanics of nationwide implementation of LOANSOME DOC, including guidelines used by the Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs) to refer unaffiliated health professionals to DOCLINE libraries for LOANSOME DOC service. National usage statistics for the first full year of implementation (October 1, 1991, to September 30, 1992) are provided, and user satisfaction surveys conducted in 1993 by two RMLs are examined. Future enhancements to LOANSOME DOC are suggested.
We describe a new method for local protein structure prediction based on a library of short sequence pattern that correlate strongly with protein three-dimensional structural elements. The library was generated using an automated method for finding correlations between protein sequence and local structure, and contains most previously described local sequence-structure correlations as well as new relationships, including a diverging type-II beta-turn, a frayed helix, and a proline-terminated helix. The query sequence is scanned for segments 7 to 19 residues in length that strongly match one of the 82 patterns in the library. Matching segments are assigned the three-dimensional structure characteristic of the corresponding sequence pattern, and backbone torsion angles for the entire query sequence are then predicted by piecing together mutually compatible segment predictions. In predictions of local structure in a test set of 55 proteins, about 50% of all residues, and 76% of residues covered by high-confidence predictions, were found in eight-residue segments within 1.4 A of their true structures. The predictions are complementary to traditional secondary structure predictions because they are considerably more specific in turn regions, and may contribute to ab initio tertiary structure prediction and fold recognition.
Different synthetic strategies are required for the two kinds of libraries being developed for combinatoral chemistry. Preparation of a 'focused' library involves conversion of a known synthetic route to the solid-phase or automated format, whereas generation of a 'prospecting' library is driven more by availability of input materials and considerations of structural novelty. While both types can be identified over the history of combinatorial chemistry, elaborating syntheses of novel, nonoligomeric, 'drug-like' molecules for use in prospecting libraries is a relatively recent development.
Solid phase synthesis of non-oligomeric organic compounds has been pursued for high-efficiency generation of large numbers of structurally diverse compounds for drug screening. Known as chemical diversity libraries or combinatorial libraries (when the synthesis is carried out in a combinatorial fashion), these compounds can be used for de novo discovery of drug leads or for expedient structure--activity relationship (SAR) studies. To expand the scope of solid phase synthesis beyond the capability of the traditional method of solid phase synthesis for peptides, a strategy was developed for bi-directional solid phase synthesis starting with diamino alcohol or diamino diol core structures. The strategy relies on using bifunctional linkers to modify the core structures, simultaneously protecting the hydroxyl group or the diol moiety of the core and providing a carboxyl group for attachment of the modified cores to a solid support. The two NH2 groups of the modified cores attached to the solid support were then deprotected and reacted with a wide variety of amine-reactive reagents (carboxylic acids, sulfonyl chlorides, isocyanates, chloroformates, etc.) to extend the molecule in both directions. This strategy was successfully applied to automated parallel synthesis of a library of C2 symmetric inhibitors of HIV protease containing the known symmetry-based diamino diol and diamino alcohol core structures, thus enabling expedient access of large numbers of analogs in this series. A library of over 300 discrete compounds was synthesized using this methodology in order to identify potent (IC50 < 100 nM) HIV protease inhibitors with reduced size. This paper describes the technical aspects of this technology.
The computer-assisted procedures developed in the UCLA Biomedical Library Cataloging Division have been in effect for approximately three years. The system utilizes a Delta Data System cathode ray tube terminal and cassette attachment for on or off-line input of data. Products of the system include catalog card sets arranged in filing order, a monthly Recent Acquisitions List, and computer-generated book catalogs. Planning, personnel, and equipment requirements are discussed, and preliminary cost figures for various parts of the system are given. Potential applications of the automated system on a regional level and in terms of the library's future automation plans are considered.