Infectious diseases on the World Wide Web

Infectious diseases are a critically important topic in medicine. Although several of the most dangerous infectious diseases have been controlled or eliminated by modern medicine, many others continue to plague mankind. Old pathogens reappear, sometimes in drug-resistant forms, and new diseases such as SARS have emerged. The World Wide Web provides a plethora of information on infectious diseases; unfortunately, not all of it is reliable. This article lists the best Web sites on infectious diseases to help health professionals and consumers find current, accurate information on the topic.     

Design issues on the World Wide Web

Considers the technical aspects of designing a World Wide Web page; including design issues, the particular potential audience, bandwidth effects, HTML limitations, and essential software.     

Patients' rights on the World Wide Web

Managed care reform, commonly referred to as "patients' rights" legislation, has become a hot topic. Many groups, including consumers, health care professionals, employers, managed care organizations, political parties, and government agencies, have strong opinions about measures that should be taken and what the outcomes of these measures might be. Those investigating this multidisciplinary topic will want to examine health care administration, ethics, health services research, and political science sources. Web resources covered in this article include: clearinghouses; government agencies; federal legislative and legal sites; and home pages of professional and trade associations, policy research institutes, and consumer advocacy organizations.     

Biology Sites on the World Wide Web

Abstract

Access to biological information on the World Wide Web continues to grow at a rapid pace. Many resources that previously required a trip to the library are now accessible from the desktop PC. Three major categories of biology Web sites are explored: those with citation information, those functioning as clearinghouses or directories to other Web sites, and those that present biological information in innovative ways. The suggested Web sites are some of the best and may serve as models for future Web development. Many useful citation Web sites are fee-based and are likely to continue as such for the near future; MEDLINE and AGRICOLA are important exceptions. Many significant clearinghouse and information Web sites are not fee-based and allow innovative ways of finding and sharing information. The state of research information on the WWW is not developed enough for the researcher to forego using paper sources.     

Job Searching on the World Wide Web

The Internet is being increasingly used both by job seekers and companies as a resource for employment opportunities and recruiting. Job listings, career development "centers," and company information are available on every internet tool: listservs, newsgroups, gophers, telnet sites, and the World Wide Web. This article will explore the capabilities of the Web as a tool for finding employment and developing a career.     

Business Ethics on the World Wide Web

Abstract

This timely chapter on business ethics includes Web sites of portals, professional associations, and resources on the social responsibility of business.     

Exercise information resources on the World Wide Web

Health professionals and members of the public are often interested in locating exercise information on the World Wide Web (the Web). There is a large amount of information available on the Web; however, the challenge for all people is to identify the high quality information that can be depended upon. Much of the quality exercise information on the Web is hidden within sites of reputable organizations concerned with exercise and health. This article examines several categories of commonly needed exercise related information. For each category, a few high quality sources of exercise information are listed. Combined, these Web sites provide an excellent and extensive body of knowledge for a person who is not experienced with exercise and wants to get started learning, or for a person with a moderate level of experience and knowledge who wants to learn more.     

The White House on the World Wide Web

No abstract available for this article.     

Non-governmental health statistics on the World Wide Web

Health statistics are an important decision-making resource for professionals and consumers alike. Professional use of statistics is wide ranging and often includes legislative decision making, medical research, grant writing, and population analysis. Locating needed or even helpful statistics to make these decisions or analyses can seem overwhelming. Organizations advocating for the treatment or assessment for particular diseases and health conditions are a prime resource for needed statistics. This column describes links and provides summaries to organizations that offer statistical resources for many of the leading causes of disability and death; it is the second of two columns devoted to finding health statistics on the Web. A helpful search strategy is presented which includes the utilization of evaluative criteria to seek legitimate and credible information.     

Visual Maps of the World Wide Web

Summary

The difficulties of finding intellectual content in the multidimensional environment of the Internet pose new problems for the LIS professionals and for the users they seek to serve. Many Internet users report the “lost in cyberspace” phenomenon and print publishing has flourished surrounding users' need to find good intellectual content on the World Wide Web. This paper examines the cognitive aspects of arrangement and organization on the Internet and then examines some of the techniques being used to create maps of the intellectual content found there. Through many centuries, maps have been a helpful cognitive aid in providing a practical congruence between a large, three dimensional landscape and a portable, intuitive, two dimensional reference source. Some of the same features of maps are being used to provide some cognitive sense of the contents of special topical areas on the Internet and particularly the World Wide Web.     

Setting up a presence on the World Wide Web

There is considerable pressure on most professional and society publishers to create a presence on the World Wide Web, from their members and customers alike. This paper describes the planning that went into the establishment of CAB INTERNATIONAL’S Home Page, focusing on the strategic issues and detailed preparation rather than the physical tasks involved. Although it is technically straightforward to set up a Home Page, many publishers are faced with difficult decisions about how to use the features of the World Wide Web to best advantage and how to develop a real presence in terms of both promotion and publishing activities.     

万维网信息检索系统开发技术

当前搜索引擎技术有很大的局限性 ,本文首先分析了当前搜索引擎的若干缺陷 ,然后深入探讨在检索服务器端的若干处理技术 ,包括了Robot技术、索引技术、数据库技术、检索技术和相关度排序技术 ,同时还介绍了智能浏览器和智能体等客户端技术 ;最后文中还提出了综合运用这些技术的一个万维网信息智能检索系统的原型设想     

WWW信息检索技巧

World Wide Web 上存储着大量图文声像并茂的有价值的信息。如何快速、准确地从浩如烟海的信息资源中找到自己最需要的信息一直是网络用户利用信息的最大困难。本文分析了WWW 信息检索困难的原因, 介绍了几种重要的中英文探索引擎, 从查全、查准和加快检索速度等几方面总结了WWW 信息检索的技巧。     

An introduction to minority health resources on the World Wide Web

Health care professionals and consumers often need information about, or targeted to, non-White or non-English speaking populations. Minority health resources sponsored by a variety of organizations are increasingly being made available on the World Wide Web. This information is easily accessible to providers, patients, and families, and community service agencies. The heterogeneity of sponsors, ranging from federal agencies to consumer advocacy and support groups- and their agendas-results in differences of quality, depth of content, and suitability for different information seekers. Taking a conservative approach, this article presents a collection of starting points whose roots are in established agencies, institutions, and organizations already familiar to most health care information professionals.     

万维网信息检索客户端处理技术

传统的基于分类和关键词的检索方式难以满足万维网上高质量的检索需求。本文就如何提高万维网信息检索的质量,探讨在检索客户端的处理技术,包括自然语言理解、查询扩展、查询域修整、群集检索以及智能检索代理等。文中还提出了综合运用这些技术的一个万维网信息智能检索系统的原型。     

U.S. Government statistics on the World Wide Web

The U.S. Government produces and provides massive amounts of statistics. Government initiatives have made much of the statistical information emanating from its various federal agencies, departments, and offices digitally accessible on the Internet. Assisting users in locating specific statistics can be one of the most challenging duties librarians have. This article provides a guide to government sources that will help librarians locate health statistics for researchers, health professionals, health consumers, and others. Some selected sites may be an endpoint of the search, and others may offer a solid beginning to a complex answer. Links are also provided to gateway Web sites, where a search strategy utilizing some of the tips discovered while compiling this list can be used to help promote successful outcomes. As always, it is recommended to use evaluative criteria to assess information quality as well as integrity of the data.