EXPANDING POSSIBIΤΙES
LITERATURE CA Service Gets NSF Grants Foundation gives $ 2 7 7 , 7 0 0 to Chemical Abstracts Serv ice for research program
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90
C&EN
DEC.
14,
1959
A HE National Science Foundation has made three grants to Chemical Ab stracts Service to study ways to get, correlate, a n d disseminate chemical data faster a n d better. Two grants, totaling $127,700, will go into projects to improve chemical data processing and presentation (C&EN, Dec. 7, page 19). The third, for $150,000, is for a study to determine if a permuted index of original publication titles would help researchers get prompt data in a cer tain field. All grants are for one year. T h e first grant, for $69,800, Will b e used to seek ways to "exploit more fully t h e chemical information which the service collects and organizes. . . ." One aspect calls for methods of mecha nizing chemical data to correlate struc tures of chemical compounds with their properties and uses. If a good system could be found, it would permit CA Service to answer cer tain types of questions from research people. Example: W h a t compounds contain a certain element and fall in a certain boiling-point range? N S F says such information is not readily avail able from Chemical Abstracts. The second grant, $57,900, involves research on the semantics of chemical literature. Aim: to reduce the variety of word forms needed to express con cepts in a subdiscipline of science. Concept dictionaries will b e prepared, then applied to abstract processing. Machine techniques will b e used in ex perimental searches. Also scheduled: studies of machine programming needed to convert stored data back to intelligible form automatically. T h e permuted index grant earmarks funds for publishing such an index for four months. T h e index will stand or fall, depending on subscription support. It would b e a monthly publication called Key Word Chemical Context (KWCC). In the CA experiment, titles will b e taken from the tables of contents of
chosen journals, then punched on cards from which a tape will b e prepared. In the mechanical operation, the tape will be used to print titles in standard and permuted form. In permuted form, each significant word appears in turn as the key word in an alphabetical list. The other words show before and after the key word. For example, the title "The Corrosion of Magnesium b y Sea Water" can b e found under "Corrosion," "Magnesium," and "Sea Water." The rjermuted index would appear between original publi cation and appearance of CA. "Since the original titles in the index are identi cal with the titles of the abstracts which will b e published later, t h e abstracts can be easily identified as soon as they appear in Chemical Abstracts," says NSF. Before NSF made t h e p e r m u t e d in dex grant, a panel of t h e Science Infor mation Council set u p these rules: • The experimental index must not duplicate an existing private publi cation. Reasons: T h e index would no longer b e experimental; it would compete unfairly with private enter prise. • Subscription cost must b e fair to CA Service and subscribers, a n d KWCC should nojt b e given free beyond a reasonable promotion time. (Selected chemists will g e t four monthly issues free during promotion.) T h e proposed index meets these criteria, according to NSF. Commenting on t h e grants, N S F director Dr. Alan T. Waterman says the problem is how best t o give thi» scientist the facts he needs in his work. Tlie grants, h e adds, are attempts to develop more comprehensive and ver satile information tools for t h e scientist. Along with announcement of grants to CA Service comes word t h a t Western Reserve University has received $159,200 for literature work. This will help support a program to evaluate methods developed for automatic processing and searching of literature of interest to metallurgists. The university's Center for Documentation a n d Communication Research will handle the job. (Continued
on page 128)
(Situations Wanted, C o n t i n u e d ) P L A N T MAXACiKH O K A D M I N I S T R A T O R : B.SvC'U.K.. M.S. I.K., age 41. 12 years diversifitnl expérience in production supervision, process installation and control. As manufacturing m a n ager, have Miccesasful ren-oid of cost reduction, met hods improveiicien', production, planning, inventory control, process Minplincution. maint enance, union contract in*tn»tiaturns. S«»ek posi-,Uui metropolitan New Jersey. Box 300-F 12. C. A JS. X., East on. P a . C H E M I S T : Pii.D. 1948. 10 yrs. experience: sulphur chemistry inorganic (quantitative analysis; svnthesis and degradation of heterocyclic organic compounds; stereoisomer ism ; heterogeneous c a t a lytic hydrogeuaxion-dehydrogenation ; photochemical reactions; reactions catalyzed by ammonium salts. Several publications. Prefers research in pure chvoniistry and in N.Y.C., Philadelphia, or New Jersey. Stephen P . FintElay, 206 Branch Avenue, Red Hank. New Jersey PLANT MÀ>JAears of plant management, construct ion-enpirieeriiig project management. process engineering management. Experience in petroleum, fermentation solvents, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, synthetic organics, highetiergv fuels, dvestuffs. P.E. Kox 30S-X 11, C - & K. ^ i J E a s t o n ^ P a . SOIL· C H E M I S T : P h . D . 1955. Age 31. Experience includes macro and micro analytical and instrumental methods, field and greenhous*· research techniqu&ss, university teaching and recently completed consulting contract with firm overseas. Publications. Sigma Xi. Available .lanuarv. $12,509. Box 304-N-ll. C . & Ε. Ν., East on, JPa. INDUSTRIAL. C I I K M ' I S T " : B.S. Nineteen years successful experience in resins, plastics, a d hesive», coatings*, fire retardants, impregnaticr*. techniques, paper, oil niters. Niame your prod uct—will de\elop> or improve it. Age 42. Box 310 Ν-11, C;\_â_E- N_ East on. P a . ORGANIC C H E M I S T : M.S. 1957 (Univ. of Penn.) 2 yrs. indtistrial experience; organic R & D ; Age 25, married» family. Prefer Northeast N. J . area. Box 315-N-ll. C . & E . NT.. Easton. P a . P L A N T PHYSIOLOGIST: P h . D . 1954. E x tensive teaching:, research, industrial, and a d ministrative experience in biology, chemistry, and pharmacy. Particular interest in drug plants and hydroponics. Desire administration, research, teaching, puhlic relations, or combination. Age 49. Box 321-F-12, Ο. & Ε. Ν.. Easton. P a .
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mined data for practically
Elementary Biochemistry. EDWIN T. M E R T Z . ii -f- 298 pages. Burgess Pub lishing Co., 4 2 6 South Sixth St., Minne apolis 15, Minn. 1959. Clothbound $ 6 . 5 0 ; Spiral $5.50. Designed for those teaching introductory biochemistry to students at second semes ter sophomore and higher levels.
It also includes
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the
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