A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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CL--The Conformational Likeness Method: Finding 3-D
Similarities in Protein Structures
http://cl.sdsc.edu/
This remarkable new
database, created by San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) researchers Ilya
Shindyalov and Phil Bourne, allows scientists to compare the structure of over
7,900 publicly available protein structures to each other. It has only been
recently that researchers in this field have identified enough protein
structures to make comparisons and draw useful conclusions about the structure
and organization of living systems. Creating a database that compared the
approximately 8,000 proteins against 8,000 others was a daunting task, and one
which would have taken an estimated 1.7 years to complete on a standard
computer. SDSC researchers were able to accomplish their task in just a few
weeks using a CRAY supercomputer, and the database has already begun to yield
new discoveries. Researchers can use the database in two different ways: they
can "search the complete structure database for structural similarities to
a known polypeptide chain or polypeptide chain fragment," ! or
"perform a detailed comparison of one structure fragment against
another." A Tutorial and an online Help file are provided. [MD]
[Back to Contents]
Alex Catalog of Electronic Texts [.pdf]
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/alex/
This
catalog, maintained by Eric Lease Morgan, a systems librarian at North
California State University, specializes in American literature, English
literature, and philosophy. Alex is particularly helpful because the search
interface allows researchers to both look for documents and search the content
of those documents. Users first search standard fields such as author, title, or
publication date; then they can search the content of documents they select from
their returns list. Though returns in content searches would be more convenient
were they hyperlinked to the complete record for the text, such a search
nonetheless has obvious utility for someone writing on, for example, flower
imagery in Shakespearian sonnets or Emerson's vision of democracy. Another nice
feature of the catalog is the ability to convert documents to .pdf files
on-the-fly (with the font and spacing customizable). Alternately, users can
download the whole collection of American or English literature or ! philosophy
texts and the tools to search the texts. [TK]
[Back to Contents]
State of the Environment, China 1997
http://svr1-pek.unep.net/soechina/index.htm
The
United Nations Environmental Programme/Global Resources Information Database
(UNEP/GRID) in Arendal, Norway and the Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation (NORAD) both contributed to this report on China's environment. The
site begins with an explanation of the forces driving environmental reform.
These include rapid economic development, a quickly growing population, an
increased demand for energy, and the alleviation of poverty. The remaining
sections detail the current state of various environments or concerns, including
urban areas, water, biodiversity, acid rain, the ozone layer, land resources,
forest resources, and environmental management. Each of these sections is
subdivided into pressures facing the highlighted resource, the state of the
resource, and what is being done to correct or prevent future degradation.
Background information as well as additional online resources are included for
each environmental resource. [KH]
[Back to Contents]
ArtLex: Dictionary of Visual Art
http://www.artlex.com/
Michael Delahunt, an
elementary school art teacher, began ArtLex in 1996 "to contribute to the
Web's enrichment with an art site both rich with meaning and dense with
links." Currently, ArtLex is a browseable collection of terms and
definitions, often accompanied by images, graphics and links to museum sites.
For example, the definition of papyrus is accompanied by an image of a fragment
of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Clicking on its caption takes you to the
Michael Carlos Museum at Emory University, where you can view more ancient
Egyptian art if you wish. Artists' names are not included within ArtLex's terms
and definitions, but art styles and movements are, so you can find Monet and at
least three example of water lilies under "Impressionism." Elementary
and high school students and teachers will find ArtLex particularly helpful. [DS]
[Back to Contents]
Study Guides and strategies
http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/
This
simple and practical guide, created by Joe Landsberger of the University of St.
Thomas's Learning Center, offers straightforward study strategies to students.
Students can select specific hints and strategies from six general categories
(in English or six other language options): Study Preparation, Studying, Writing
Skills, In the Classroom, Reading Skills, and Testing Skills. Landsberger lists
his references in each selection; these include David B. Ellis's On Becoming
a Master Student, Walter Pauk's How to Study in College, and Steven
Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, among others. A list of
links to study tools and guides from other universities completes the site. [JR]
[Back to Contents]
Scholarly Articles Research Alerting
(SARA)
http://www.carfax.co.uk/SARA.htm
Carfax,
a UK publisher specializing in academic journals, offers this free service to
help academics stay current in their fields. Although the service is limited
solely to journals published by Carfax, users have hundreds to choose from.
Subscribers can select individual titles or subjects and receive tables of
contents by email before the print version is released. Registration information
is provided at the site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]
International Dimensions of NSF Research and
Education
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/int/pubs/97overview/start.htm
The
National Science Foundation spends approximately $350 million annually on
projects with a significant international character. This site offers the full
text of the FY 1997 report on these projects as well sections on the following
topics: US participation in global-scale projects and research networks, support
for international facilities overseas and in the United States, US access to the
research programs and facilities of other countries, international experience
for new US scientists and engineers, and monitoring research and education
developments in other countries. [MD]
[Back to Contents]
Banned Books Week--ALA
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/
Challenged
and Banned Books
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/challeng.html
The
American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom is gearing
up for the 17th annual Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read,
September 26-October 3, 1998. The event is sponsored by numerous organizations
and is endorsed by the Library of Congress's Center for the Book. This annual
event "draws attention to the danger that exists when restraints are
imposed on the availability of information in a free society and allows an
opportunity to celebrate our First Amendment freedoms by acknowledging how
fragile they are." To coincide with the event, ALA publishes a Resource
Guide each year for librarians and teachers which contains posters, bookmarks,
and suggestions for activities and events to be used during Banned Books week or
throughout the year (cost $20). A list of the ten most frequently challenged
books of 1997 can be found at the second site, Challenged and Banned Books.
(Challenged books are those books that people have attempted to censor ! or
ban.) Also included are quotes and links to the full texts of the First
Amendment, the Library Bill of Rights, the ALA Code of Ethics, and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. [AG]
[Back to Contents]
AirNow
http://www.epa.gov/airnow/
As part of
the Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT)
initiative, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created this site to
keep the public informed about air pollution and its effect on health. Recently,
the EPA added a map of the full domain of their pilot-scale program, 21 Eastern
and Midwestern states, so that visitors can view ozone levels from Missouri to
Maine. The site provides daily, regional ozone maps, health facts, real-time
data by state, and ozone forecasts. Past ozone maps are available in Map
Archives. Citizens who are interested in reducing air pollution will benefit
from the EPA's tips. [KH]
[Back
to Contents]
MoMA Online Projects [RealAudio,
RealVideo]
http://www.moma.org/onlineprojects/index.html
The
Museum of Modern Art presents this listing of online projects. Two featured
sites are Stir-Fry and InterNyet, by Associate Curator of Film and Video,
Barbara London. Like the musicologists of the 1930s, who set off to discover and
record blues and folk music in the rural American south, London travelled to
China in 1997 and Russia in 1998, sending back these "dispatches" on
the local arts scenes. She embarked on these journeys equipped with a laptop
computer, Hi-8 video camera, digital still camera, and cassette tape recorder.
Stir-Fry and Internyet are online scrapbooks, chronicling her experiences via
written journal entries, still photographs of artists and their work, and audio
and video clips. Also included are a time capsule made for the tenth anniversary
of World AIDS Day, Peter Halley's Exploding Cell, and Technology in the 1990s,
an ongoing series of symposia that explore the promise and impact of new
technologies on contemporary culture. [DS]
[Back to Contents]
Cancer Care, Inc. [Real Audio]
http://www.cancercare.org/
This site,
by Cancer Care, Inc., contains easy-to-understand medical information about
cancer for patients, survivors, and their families. In addition, it offers
advice and resources for coping with the diagnosis and the side-effects of
treatment. A Special Programs Section includes information on the causes,
treatment, and prevention of cancer; suggestions for coping with and relieving
cancer pain; and tips on how to advocate for health policy reform and better
medical care. Visitors can listen to RealAudio educational programs through
teleconference and participate in online or telephone support groups. The site
has information on insurance, directories of support organizations, and links to
other Websites and news media resources. Professionals visiting the site can
find information on how to better assist and support cancer patients and their
families. [GW]
[Back to
Contents]
College News Online
http://www.collegenews.com/
College
News Online is an international campus newswire and centralized information
resource for college-bound students, current students, graduates, and others
interested in higher education. The newswire indexes about 400 student-run and
campus newspapers and maintains a news archive for the current year. The Campus
Union section of College News Online provides information and links for
financial aid, internships, employment, computer assistance, and a textbook
exchange. The geographic Campus Index links users to college and university
Websites throughout the US as well as to higher education institutions in over
110 different countries worldwide. Sociable visitors may share their burgeoning
knowledge in the College Chat and Message Board sections. [AO]
[Back to Contents]
Winamp 1.92-SP1
http://www.winamp.com/
Winamp 1.92-SP1,
created by Nullsoft, Inc., is a fast, easy-to-use, hi-fidelity music player for
Windows 95/98/NT. The player supports numerous audio file formats, most notably
MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3), which allows near CD-quality sound while compressing a
four-minute song into approximately four megabytes. The player has an intuitive
interface which includes an equalizer, multi-song programming, and other useful
controls. MP3 is becoming widely used as a quality audio compression standard
and Winamp is an excellent audio player for use with MP3 and other formats.
Winamp is shareware for the Windows 95/98/NT platforms and may be used free of
charge for fourteen days, after which time a $10 registration fee is required.
[CL]
[Back to Contents]
Technology Review
http://www.techreview.com/
Technology
Review, MIT's Magazine of Innovation, has been published for nearly 100
years by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This site provides selected
feature articles and columns from the print version of the magazine dating back
to October 1994. The magazine focuses on technology, innovation, and the
convergence of technologies. Articles topics range from Biotechnology to
Information Technology to Nanotechnology. Most articles include links to
relevant Websites. [MR]
[Back to
Contents]
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