Discusses science databases accessible via the Internet. Topics addressed include tools for identifying databases; types of databases, including bibliographic, numeric, and full-text; and places to look for additional sources. A sidebar provides a sample of science resources on the Internet. (Contains eight references.) (LRW)

A New York State project created a water quality database for private drinking water supplies, using the statewide educational program to collect the data. Another goal was to develop this program so rural residents could increase their knowledge of water supply management. (Author)

Describes Extensible Markup Language (XML), a subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) that is designed to make it easy to interchange structured documents over the Internet. Topics include Document Type Definition (DTD), components of XML, the use of XML, text and non-text elements, and uses for XML-coded files. (LRW)

Considers a "hybrid" approach to the modeling of uncertainty in deductive databases. The model, deductive IST (DIST) is based on an extension of the "Information Source Tracking" (IST) model for relational databases. Proves that the complexity of testing containment of conjunctive DIST queries remains the same as in the…

Discusses searching on the World Wide Web. Highlights include search-engine size; features of the six largest search engines; features of five metasearch engines; intelligent agents; two Web sites for difficult-to-find information, including industry statistics and market data; Internet publishers and databases; specialty search engines; and…

Use of the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System, a computerized information system, by patients with breast cancer or HIV was compared. Groups differed in the frequency of access and use of certain aspects (e.g., discussion groups). Identification of patient concerns provided useful information for system improvements. (SK)

Classifies information-retrieval applications into three groups depending on the correspondence between a user's request and the queries posed to the document base. Argues that the mapping of requests, on a semantic level, to formalized queries, on a lexical level, determines the range of retrieval effectiveness. (Author/LRW)

Describes methods for applying natural-language processing for automatic concept-based indexing of full text and methods for exploiting the structure and hierarchy of full-text documents to a large collection of full-text documents drawn from the Health Services/Technology Assessment Text database at the National Library of Medicine. Examines how…

Reviews the Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI Online), which covers information about Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean Basin, the U.S. Mexican border, and Hispanics in the United States. There is little coverage of science in the index but much attention to literary subjects, politics, government, and social issues. (SLD)

Describes SWEAR (Systematic Weighting and Ranking), a powers-of-two algorithm that can be used for searching the World Wide Web or any large database that automatically creates discrete, well-defined result sets and displays them in decreasing order of likely relevance. Also discusses fuzzy sets. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the growing competition among commercial portal Web sites which list online courses available through various colleges, universities, and other institutions, noting that institutions may pay a flat fee to be listed or pay a commission for each individual who enrolls. Considers some hidden costs for institutions, the business strategies…

Compares three Web-based online reference services that are described as a cross between a traditional database service and a Web search engine: Ask Jeeves (http://www.ask.com), The Electric Library (http://www.elibrary.com), and Information Please (http://www.infoplease.com). Concludes that each has strengths and weaknesses and aren't directly…

A centralized relational database is used to manage information on advanced practice nursing students and their preceptors at Johns Hopkins University. The system relieves faculty of time-consuming tasks and enables rapid report generation, consistent tracking, and timely communications. (SK)

Discusses how imprecision and uncertainty are dealt with in the UFO (Uncertainty and Fuzziness in an Object-oriented) database model. Such information is expressed by means of possibility distributions, and modeled by means of the proposed concept of "role objects." The role objects model uncertain, tentative information about objects,…

Assesses the reliability of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data in terms of attrition patterns, characteristics of attriters and returners, and comparability with the Current Population Survey (CPS). Explores how attrition might corrupt the picture of labor-market experience and attempts to reconcile discrepancies between the CPS…