shl's Top Recommendations

Abstract

BACKGROUND:We have witnessed a rapid increase in the use of Web-based 'collaborationware' in recent years. These Web 2.0 applications, particularly wikis, blogs and podcasts, have been increasingly adopted by many online health-related professional and educational services. Because of their ease of use and rapidity of deployment, they offer the opportunity for powerful information sharing and ease of collaboration. Wikis are Web sites that can be edited by anyone who has access to them. The word 'blog' is a contraction of 'Web ...

Abstract

Web 2.0 sociable technologies and social software are presented as enablers in health and health care, for organizations, clinicians, patients and laypersons. They include social networking services, collaborative filtering, social bookmarking, folksonomies, social search engines, file sharing and tagging, mashups, instant messaging, and online multi-player games. The more popular Web 2.0 applications in education, namely wikis, blogs and podcasts, are but the tip of the social software iceberg. Web 2.0 technologies represent a quite revolutionary way of managing and repurposing/remixing online information and knowledge ...

Abstract

The number of scientific journals has become so large that individuals, institutions and institutional libraries cannot completely store their content physically, and much less so intellectually. In order to prioritize the choice of quality information sources, librarians and scientists are in need of reliable decision aids. The "impact factor" is the most commonly used assessment aid in the decision-making process of which journals to contribute to, or to retrieve knowledge from. It is also an often misunderstood tool. This narrative review ...

Abstract

The evolution of the electronic age has led to the development of numerous medical databases on the World Wide Web, offering search facilities on a particular subject and the ability to perform citation analysis. We compared the content coverage and practical utility of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The official Web pages of the databases were used to extract information on the range of journals covered, search facilities and restrictions, and update frequency. We used the example of ...

Abstract

Will the emerging global information infrastructure (GII) create a revolution in communication equivalent to that wrought by Gutenberg, or will the result be simply the evolutionary adaptation of existing behavior and institutions to new media? Will the GII improve access to information for all? Will it replace libraries and publishers? How can computers and information systems be made easier to use? What are the trade-offs between tailoring information systems to user communities and standardizing them to interconnect with systems designed for ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A fundamental goal of the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) "Roadmap" is to strengthen Translational Research, defined as the movement of discoveries in basic research to application at the clinical level. A significant barrier to translational research is the lack of uniformly structured data across related biomedical domains. The Semantic Web is an extension of the current Web that enables navigation and meaningful use of digital resources by automatic processes. It is based on common formats that support aggregation ...

Abstract

Objectives: The paper describes six European medically oriented databases of Web resources, pertaining to five quality-controlled subject gateways, and compares their performance.Method: The characteristics, coverage, procedure for selecting Web resources, record structure, searching possibilities, and existence of user assistance were described for each database. Performance indicators for each database were obtained by means of searches carried out using the key words, "myocardial infarction."Results: Most of the databases originated in the 1990s in an academic or library context and include all types ...

Abstract

Many scientists now manage the bulk of their bibliographic information electronically, thereby organizing their publications and citation material from digital libraries. However, a library has been described as “thought in cold storage,� and unfortunately many digital libraries can be cold, impersonal, isolated, and inaccessible places. In this Review, we discuss the current chilly state of digital libraries for the computational biologist, including PubMed, IEEE Xplore, the ACM digital library, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Citeseer, arXiv, DBLP, and Google Scholar. We ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Information overload, increasing time constraints, and inappropriate search strategies complicate the detection of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). The aim of this study was to provide clinicians with recommendations for search strategies to efficiently identify relevant CPGs in SUMSearch and Google Scholar.METHODS:We compared the retrieval efficiency (retrieval performance) of search strategies to identify CPGs in SUMSearch and Google Scholar. For this purpose, a two-term GLAD (GuideLine And Disease) strategy was developed, combining a defined CPG term with a specific disease term (MeSH ...

Abstract

The current research explores how intermediaries seek information from patrons, in particular by analyzing intermediaries' elicitation utterances through three dimensions - linguistic forms, utterance purposes, and communicative functions - to determine whether indeed any dimension appeared consistently, to be called <IMG SRC="/giflibrary/12/ldquo.gif" BORDER="0">elicitation styles.<IMG SRC="/giflibrary/12/rdquo.gif" BORDER="0"> Five intermediaries from four academic libraries (three national university libraries, one private university library) and one research institute library participated in the study. Thirty patrons with 30 genuine search requests were recruited; thus, 30 patron/intermediary information retrieval interactions making a total of 30 ...

Abstract

:  Appropriate software tools may improve communication and ease access to knowledge for research groups. A weblog is a website which contains periodic, chronologically ordered posts on a common webpage, whereas a wiki is hypertext-based collaborative software that enables documents to be authored collectively using a web browser. Although not primarily intended for use as an intranet-based collaborative knowledge warehouse, both blogs and wikis have the potential to offer all the features of complex and expensive IT solutions. These tools enable ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Supporting 21st century health care and the practice of evidence-based medicine (EBM) requires ubiquitous access to clinical information and to knowledge-based resources to answer clinical questions. Many questions go unanswered, however, due to lack of skills in formulating questions, crafting effective search strategies, and accessing databases to identify best levels of evidence.METHODS:This randomized trial was designed as a pilot study to measure the relevancy of search results using three different interfaces for the PubMed search system. Two of the search interfaces ...

Abstract

Although various ontologies and knowledge sources have been developed in recent years to facilitate biomedical research, it is difficult to assimilate information from multiple knowledge sources. To enable researchers to easily gain understanding of a biomedical concept, a biomedical Semantic Web that seamlessly integrates knowledge from biomedical ontologies, publications and patents would be very helpful. In this paper, current research efforts in representing biomedical knowledge in Semantic Web languages are surveyed. Techniques are presented for information retrieval and knowledge discovery from ...

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: This article describes a project which explored the potential for mobile technologies to give health students in the community access to learning resources. The purpose included the need to identify possible barriers students could face in using mobile technologies. Another focus was to assess the students perceptions of the importance of being able to access learning resources in the community. Methods: This 1-year project used two main approaches for data collection. A review of the literature on mobile technologies ...

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: This article examines a strategic approach to developing e-learning capability to enhance learning opportunities for the workforce of a healthcare organization. Emphasis is given to the procurement of a bespoke Managed Learning Environment (MLE). Strategic organizational issues impacting on future e-learning developments are considered. Methods: The 2-year implementation plan was evaluated through a two phase external research project. The first phase focused on the effectiveness of a training programme designed to build capacity for e-learning within the Northern area ...

Abstract

Question: What are some of the forces shaping the evolution of medical libraries, and where might they lead?Data Sources: Published literature in the fields of library and information sciences, technology, health services research, and business was consulted.Main Results: Medical libraries currently have a modest footprint in most consumers' personal health ecologies, the network of resources and activities they use to improve their health. They also occupy a relatively small space in the health care, information, and business ecologies of which they ...

Abstract

This article explores relationship marketing as adopted by staff of the Forbes Medical Library at The Children's Hospital in Denver. It provides a broad overview of relationship marketing along with its applications in libraries, and a description of how the library staff has used specific relationships with different hospital groups to enhance library service. The examples illustrate the importance of persistence, patience, and flexibility when consciously developing relationships between a library and individuals or groups. ...

Abstract

In 1998, the University of Florida Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) developed and implemented a Liaison Librarian Program, dedicated to providing customized, subject-specific services to the faculty, students, clinicians, researchers, staff, and administrators of the six Health Science Center Colleges (Dentistry, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine). Subject- and role-specific (clinical vs. basic sciences) liaisons were assigned. This paper describes the HSCL liaison program, exemplified by the liaisons' work with the College of Veterinary Medicine. Preliminary program evaluation, a ...

Abstract

The use of focus groups to determine patron satisfaction with library resources and services is extensive and well established. This article demonstrates how focus groups can also be used to help shape the future direction of a library as part of the strategic planning process. By responding to questions about their long-term library and information needs, focus group participants at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library contributed an abundance of qualitative patron data that was previously lacking ...

Abstract

In the changing modern-day library, the area of technical services has undergone radical redesign and reorganization not just once, but many times in the last thirty years. This book explores the future of technical services through surveys, research essays, and insightful opinion pieces. It also focuses on redesign and reorganization efforts through a number of fascinating case studies. For anyone involved in the day-to-day supervision, management, and future of a library technical services department, this book will provide food for thought, ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Researchers turn to citation tracking to find the most influential articles for a particular topic and to see how often their own published papers are cited. For years researchers looking for this type of information had only one resource to consult: the Web of Science from Thomson Scientific. In 2004 two competitors emerged--Scopus from Elsevier and Google Scholar from Google. The research reported here uses citation analysis in an observational study examining these three databases; comparing citation counts for articles ...

Abstract

PURPOSE: The Netherlands is developing a set of national domain information models to support electronic information exchange and electronic patient records (EPR). These domain information models aim to support the development, adoption, implementation and maintenance of the EPR in Dutch healthcare practice. This article describes the modelling for a pilot for mother- and childcare (perinatology). METHODOLOGY: Cases' from perinatology are modelled using the Health Level 7 version 3 Reference Information Model (HL7 RIM) as the methodology and tools. RESULTS: Results include ...

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: London Health Libraries (LHL) are undertaking a project in order to develop the role of their library and knowledge services staff in supporting learners within the NHS in the London area (LHL Learner Support Project). This paper reports on the first phase of the project. Methodology: A literature analysis was carried out to provide guidance on the skills and competences needed for library and knowledge staff to perform this function. Results: A variety of competences are identified, and structured ...

Abstract

Carrying hundreds of patient files in a suitcase makes medical street outreach to the homeless clumsy and difficult. Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston (HHH) began a case study under the assumption that tracking patient information with a personal digital assistant (PDA) would greatly simplify the process. Equipping clinicians with custom-designed software loaded onto Palm V Handheld Computers (palmOne, Inc, Milpitas, CA), Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston assessed how this type of technology augmented medical care during street outreach to the homeless in a ...

Abstract

This paper provides a narrative review of the available literature from the past 10 years (1996-2006) that focus on the information seeking behaviour of doctors. The review considers the literature in three sub-themes: Theme 1, the Information Needs of Doctors includes information need, frequency of doctors' questions and types of information needs; Theme 2, Information Seeking by Doctors embraces pattern of information resource use, time spent searching, barriers to information searching and information searching skills; Theme 3, Information Sources Utilized by ...

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to identify opportunities for partnership between the communities of public health workers and health sciences librarians. METHODS: The authors review competencies in public health and health sciences librarianship. They highlight previously identified public health informatics competencies and the Medical Library Association's essential areas of knowledge. Based on points of correspondence between the two domains, the authors identify specific opportunities for partnership. RESULTS: The points of correspondence between public health and health sciences librarianship are reflected in several ...

Abstract

School nurses used computers in the 1980s, the Internet in the 1990s, and are embracing handheld computers in the first decade of the 21st century to improve their practice. The purpose of this article is to provide information about handheld computers and software applications that school nurses can use in day-to-day, emergency, and disaster situations. Handheld computers help school nurses to make decisions based on accurate and up-to-date information, and to practice evidence-based nursing. Evidence-based nursing is the process by which ...

Abstract

HubMed is an alternative search interface to the PubMed database of biomedical literature, incorporating external web services and providing functions to improve the efficiency of literature search, browsing and retrieval. Users can create and visualize clusters of related articles, export citation data in multiple formats, receive daily updates of publications in their areas of interest, navigate links to full text and other related resources, retrieve data from formatted bibliography lists, navigate citation links and store annotated metadata for articles of interest. ...

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: to improve the indexing of French-language health web sites by emphasizing the major terms that best describe them. MATERIAL AND METHODS: this study exploits both UMLS knowledge sources and results of previous research. It proposes a method for ranking MeSH terms taken from each record in order of relevance. The method is tested on a corpus of records taken from the French-language health gateway CISMeF. RESULTS: the results of the experiment are compared to those of a preliminary study performed ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The amount of health data accessible on the Web is increasing and Internet has become a major source of health information. Many tools and search engines are available but medical information retrieval remains difficult for both the health professional and the patients. OBJECTIVE: In this paper we describe heuristics that aim at matching as much as possible queries with the content of the documents in the context of the CISMeF catalogue (Catalogue and Index of Health Resources in French) and ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is increasingly being used by the general population and investigated by conventional medicine; however, studies of its effects on pain still lack adequate control procedures. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the (1) efficacy of Chinese acupuncture in treating postoperative oral surgery pain, (2) validity of a placebo-controlled procedure, and (3) effects of psychological factors on outcomes. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Dental School Outpatient Clinic, University of Maryland at Baltimore. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine healthy subjects, aged 18 to 40 years, assigned ...

Abstract

Collaborative tagging describes the process by which many users add metadata in the form of keywords to shared content. Recently, collaborative tagging has grown in popularity on the web, on sites that allow users to tag bookmarks, photographs and other content. In this paper we analyze the structure of collaborative tagging systems as well as their dynamical aspects. Specifically, we discovered regularities in user activity, tag frequencies, kinds of tags used, bursts of popularity in bookmarking and a remarkable stability in the relative proportions of tags within a ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND:We present a probabilistic topic-based model for content similarity called pmra that underlies the related article search feature in PubMed. Whether or not a document is about a particular topic is computed from term frequencies, modeled as Poisson distributions. Unlike previous probabilistic retrieval models, we do not attempt to estimate relevance---but rather our focus is "relatedness", the probability that a user would want to examine a particular document given known interest in another. We also describe a novel technique for estimating ...

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This paper presents a method of cross-language information retrieval aiming to make medical information available to patients in French and English, regardless of the query language they wish to use. METHODS: We describe the two MeSH-related terminologies used in this work. We show that the French patient synonyms included in CISMeF can be automatically mapped to the English consumer-oriented health topics used in MEDLINEplus, via the MeSH thesaurus. The links between French and English patient terms thus inferred can subsequently ...

Abstract

"Web 2.0" heralds a breakthrough opportunity for empowering healthcare consumers of all types, and especially for those suffering from different forms of chronic illness. As the author shows using some data gathered from a popular social networking website--MySpace.com--this opportunity may be greatest for heavily stigmatized chronic health issues, such as obesity and mental illness. ...

Abstract

This paper reviews developments in informetrics between 2000 and 2006. At the beginning of the 21st century we witness considerable growth in webometrics, mapping and visualization and open access. A new topic is comparison between citation databases, as a result of the introduction of two new citation databases Scopus and Google Scholar. There is renewed interest in indicators as a result of the introduction of the h -index. Traditional topics like citation analysis and informetric theory also continue to develop. ...

Abstract

Folksonomy is an emerging technology that works to classify the information over WWW through tagging the bookmarks, photos or other web-based contents. It is understood to be organized by every user while not limited to the authors of the contents and the professional editors. This study surveyed the folksonomy as a complex network. The result indicates that the network, which is composed of the tags from the folksonomy, displays both properties of small world and scale-free. However, the statistics only shows a local and static slice of ...

Abstract

The need for rapid access to information to support critical decisions in public health cannot be disputed; however, development of such systems requires an understanding of the actual information needs of public health professionals. This paper reports the results of a literature review focused on the information needs of public health professionals. The authors reviewed the public health literature to answer the following questions: (1) What are the information needs of public health professionals? (2) In what ways are those needs ...

Abstract

Note: OCR errors may be found in this Reference List extracted from the full text article. ACM has opted to expose the complete List rather than only correct and linked references. ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Keyword searching through PubMed and other systems is the standard means of retrieving information from Medline. However, ad-hoc retrieval systems do not meet all of the needs of databases that curate information from literature, or of text miners developing a corpus on a topic that has many terms indicative of relevance. Several databases have developed supervised learning methods that operate on a filtered subset of Medline, to classify Medline records so that fewer articles have to be manually reviewed for relevance. ...

Abstract

In addition to maintaining the GenBank nucleic acid sequence database, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) provides analysis and retrieval resources for the data in GenBank and other biological data made available through NCBI's Web site. NCBI resources include Entrez, the Entrez Programming Utilities, My NCBI, PubMed, PubMed Central, Entrez Gene, the NCBI Taxonomy Browser, BLAST, BLAST Link(BLink), Electronic PCR, OrfFinder, Spidey, Splign, RefSeq, UniGene, HomoloGene, ProtEST, dbMHC, dbSNP, Cancer Chromosomes, Entrez Genome, Genome Project and related tools, the Trace ...

Abstract

While the use of the Internet for the exchange of scientific data was characterised by exclusivity during its pioneer era, the active employment of the medium today, by a broad social spectrum of users in the exchange of information, for dialogue and in the accumulation of knowledge, displays an almost unbounded inclusion. Blo and online encyclopaedias based on the 'Wikipedia' model have contributed to the formation of a marketplace in which the free expression of opinions and the relaying of information ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Graph analysis algorithms such as PageRank and HITS have been successful in Web environments because they are able to extract important inter-document relationships from manually-created hyperlinks. We consider the application of these techniques to biomedical text retrieval. In the current PubMed(R) search interface, a MEDLINE(R) citation is connected to a number of related citations, which are in turn connected to other citations. Thus, a MEDLINE record represents a node in a vast content-similarity network. This article explores the hypothesis that ...

Abstract

Without radical simplification, the Semantic Web will continue to see limited participation and few compelling applications. ...

Abstract

Motivation: Biomedical literature is the principal repository of biomedical knowledge, with PubMed being the most complete database collecting, organizing and analyzing such textual knowledge. There are numerous efforts that attempt to exploit this information by using text mining and machine learning techniques. We developed a novel approach, called PuReD-MCL (Pubmed Related Documents-MCL), which is based on the graph clustering algorithm MCL and relevant resources from PubMed. Methods: PuReD-MCL avoids using natural language processing (NLP) techniques directly; instead, it takes advantage ...

Abstract

In recent years, tagging systems have become increasingly popular. These systems enable users to add keywords (i.e., "tags") to Internet resources (e.g., web pages, images, videos) without relying on a controlled vocabulary. Tagging systems have the potential to improve search, spam detection, reputation systems, and personal organization while introducing new modalities of social communication and opportunities for data mining. This potential is largely due to the social structure that underlies many of the current systems.Despite the rapid expansion of ...

Abstract

"Web 2.0" describes a collection of web-based technologies which share a user-focused approach to design and functionality, where users actively participate in content creation and editing through open collaboration between members of communities of practice. The current generation of students in medical school made Web 2.0 websites such as Facebook and MySpace some of the most popular on the Internet. Medical educators and designers of educational software applications can benefit from understanding and applying Web 2.0 concepts to the curriculum and ...

Abstract

Web 2.0 is a term describing new collaborative Internet applications. The primary difference from the original World Wide Web is greater user participation in developing and managing content, which changes the nature and value of the information. Key elements of Web 2.0 include: Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to rapidly disseminate awareness of new information; blogs to describe new trends; wikis to share knowledge; and podcasts to make information available "on the move". The medical community needs to be aware of these ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND:The web has seen an explosion of chemistry and biology related resources in the last 15 years: thousands of scientific journals, databases, wikis, blogs and resources are available with a wide variety of types of information. There is a huge need to aggregate and organise this information. However, the sheer number of resources makes it unrealistic to link them all in a centralised manner. Instead, search engines to find information in those resources flourish, and formal languages like Resource Description Framework ...

Abstract

A common perception is that there are two competing visions for the future evolution of the Web: the Semantic Web and Web 2.0. A closer look, though, reveals that the core technologies and concerns of these two approaches are complementary and that each field can and must draw from the other’s strengths. We believe that future Web applications will retain the Web 2.0 focus on community and usability, while drawing on Semantic Web infrastructure to facilitate mashup-like information sharing. However, there ...

Abstract

Studies show that recent generations of college students have a learning style with identifiable characteristics. Library instruction efforts must adapt to these learning styles. Course management software (CMS), such as Blackboard, is one resource available to academic librarians to meet the challenges posed by the "Net Generation." At Stetson University, the use of Blackboard courseware in library instruction sessions successfully addressed the unique learning styles of students. ...

Abstract

Bloggers are driven to document their lives, provide commentary and opinions, express deeply felt emotions, articulate ideas through writing, and form and maintain community forums. ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To practice Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM), physicians must quickly retrieve evidence to inform medical decisions. Internal Medicine (IM) residents receive little formal education in electronic database searching, and have identified poor searching skills as a barrier to practicing EBM. OBJECTIVE: To design and implement a database searching tutorial for IM residents on inpatient rotations and to evaluate its impact on residents' skill and comfort searching MEDLINE and filtered EBM resources. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. Residents randomized to the searching tutorial met ...

Abstract

CONTEXT: Physicians need easy access to evidence for clinical decisions while they care for patients but, to our knowledge, no investigators have assessed use of evidence during rounds with house staff. OBJECTIVE: To determine if it was feasible to find and apply evidence during clinical rounds, using an "evidence cart" that contains multiple sources of evidence and the means for projecting and printing them. DESIGN: Descriptive feasibility study of use of evidence during 1 month (April 1997) and anonymous questionnaire (May ...

Abstract

Clinical decision support is a powerful tool for improving healthcare quality and patient safety. However, developing a comprehensive package of decision support interventions is costly and difficult. If used well, Web 2.0 methods may make it easier and less costly to develop decision support. Web 2.0 is characterized by online communities, open sharing, interactivity and collaboration. Although most previous attempts at sharing clinical decision support content have worked outside of the Web 2.0 framework, several initiatives are beginning to use Web ...

Abstract

Online journals promise to serve more information to more dispersed audiences and are more efficiently searched and recalled. But because they are used differently than print--scientists and scholars tend to search electronically and follow hyperlinks rather than browse or peruse--electronically available journals may portend an ironic change for science. Using a database of 34 million articles, their citations (1945 to 2005), and online availability (1998 to 2005), I show that as more journal issues came online, the articles referenced tended to ...

Abstract

This paper reports on an analysis of the bioinformatics and medical informatics literature with the objective to identify upcoming trends that are shared among both research fields to derive benefits from potential collaborative initiatives for their future. Our results present the main characteristics of the two fields and show that these domains are still relatively separated. ...

Abstract

The importance of a Web page is an inherently subjective matter, which depends on the readers interests, knowledge and attitudes. But there is still much that can be said objectively about the relative importance of Web pages. This paper describes PageRank, a method for rating Web pages objectively and mechanically, effectively measuring the human interest and attention devoted to them. We compare PageRank to an idealized random Web surfer. We show how to efficiently compute PageRank for large... ...

Abstract

We present the Flink system for the extraction, aggregation and visualization of online social networks. Flink employs semantic technology for reasoning with personal information extracted from a number of electronic information sources including web pages, emails, publication archives and FOAF profiles. The acquired knowledge is used for the purposes of social network analysis and for generating a web-based presentation of the community. We demonstrate our novel method to social science based on electronic data using the example of the Semantic Web ...

Abstract

This column proposes several reasons that the Semantic Web vision hasn’t been adopted. Part two will present an alternate approach. ...

Abstract

Four subjects - ecology, applied mathematics, sociology, and economics - were selected to assess whether there is a citation advantage between journal articles that have an open-access (OA) version on the Internet compared to those articles that are exclusively toll access (TA). Citations were counted using the Web of Science, and the OA status of articles was determined by searching OAIster, OpenDOAR, Google, and Google Scholar. Of a sample of 4,633 articles examined, 2,280 (49%) were OA and had a mean citation count of 9.04 ...

Abstract

How is the human brain like the AIDS epidemic? Ask physicist Albert-László Barabási and he'll explain them both in terms of networks of individual nodes connected via complex but understandable relationships. _Linked: The New Science of Networks_ is his bright, accessible guide to the fundamentals underlying neurology, epidemiology, Internet traffic, and many other fields united by complexity. Barabási's gift for concrete, nonmathematical explanations and penchant for eccentric humor would make the book thoroughly enjoyable even if the content weren't engaging. But the results of Barabási's research into the behavior ...

Abstract

How do you find your way in an age of information overload? How can you filter streams of complex information to pull out only what you want? Why does it matter how information is structured when Google seems to magically bring up the right answer to your questions? What does it mean to be "findable" in this day and age? This eye-opening new book examines the convergence of information and connectivity. Written by Peter Morville, author of the groundbreaking <i>Information ...

Abstract

Summary: MiSearch is an adaptive biomedical literature search tool that ranks citations based on a statistical model for the likelihood that a user will choose to view them. Citation selections are automatically acquired during browsing and used to dynamically update a likelihood model that includes authorship, journal and PubMed indexing information. The user can optionally elect to include or exclude specific features and vary the importance of timeliness in the ranking. Availability: http://misearch.ncibi.org Contact: dstates@umich.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary ...

Abstract

The volume of published biomedical research, and therefore the underlying biomedical knowledge base, is expanding at an increasing rate. Among the tools that can aid researchers in coping with this information overload are text mining and knowledge extraction. Significant progress has been made in applying text mining to named entity recognition, text classification, terminology extraction, relationship extraction and hypothesis generation. Several research groups are constructing integrated flexible text-mining systems intended for multiple uses. The major challenge of biomedical text mining over ...

Abstract

For the average biologist, hands-on literature mining currently means a keyword search in PubMed. However, methods for extracting biomedical facts from the scientific literature have improved considerably, and the associated tools will probably soon be used in many laboratories to automatically annotate and analyse the growing number of system-wide experimental data sets. Owing to the increasing body of text and the open-access policies of many journals, literature mining is also becoming useful for both hypothesis generation and biological discovery. However, the ...

Abstract

MOTIVATION: As the semantic web technology is maturing and the need for life sciences data integration over the web is growing, it is important to explore how data integration needs can be addressed by the semantic web. The main problem that we face in data integration is a lack of widely-accepted standards for expressing the syntax and semantics of the data. We address this problem by exploring the use of semantic web technologies-including resource description framework (RDF), RDF site summary (RSS), ...

Abstract

We argue that social networks differ from most other types of networks, including technological and biological networks, in two important ways. First, they have nontrivial clustering or network transitivity and second, they show positive correlations, also called assortative mixing, between the degrees of adjacent vertices. Social networks are often divided into groups or communities, and it has recently been suggested that this division could account for the observed clustering. We demonstrate that group structure in networks can also account for degree ...

Abstract

How many times has your PC crashed today? While Gordon Moore's now famous law projecting the doubling of computer power every 18 months has more than borne itself out, it's too bad that a similar trajectory projecting the reliability and usefulness of all that power didn't come to pass, as well. Advances in information technology are most often measured in the cool numbers of megahertz, throughput, and bandwidth--but, for many us, the experience of these advances may be better measured in ...

Abstract

Summary: The BioText Search Engine is a freely available Web-based application that provides biologists with new ways to access the scientific literature. One novel feature is the ability to search and browse article figures and their captions. A grid view juxtaposes many different figures associated with the same keywords, providing new insight into the literature. An abstract/title search and list view shows at a glance many of the figures associated with each article. The interface is carefully designed according to usability ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: As biomedical research projects become increasingly interdisciplinary and complex, collaboration with appropriate individuals, teams, and institutions becomes ever more crucial to project success. While social networks are extremely important in determining how scientific collaborations are formed, social networking technologies have not yet been studied as a tool to help form scientific collaborations. Many currently emerging expertise locating systems include social networking technologies, but it is unclear whether they make the process of finding collaborators more efficient and effective. OBJECTIVE: This ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Receiving extraneous articles in response to a query submitted to MEDLINE/PubMed is common. When submitting a multi-word query (which is the majority of queries submitted), the presence of all query words within each article may be a necessary condition for retrieving relevant articles, but not sufficient. Ideally a relationship between the query words in the article is also required. We propose that if two words occur within an article, the probability that a relation between them is explained is higher when ...

Abstract

There is increasing concern that most current published research findings are false. The probability that a research claim is true may depend on study power and bias, the number of other studies on the same question, and, importantly, the ratio of true to no relationships among the relationships probed in each scientific field. In this framework, a research finding is less likely to be true when the studies conducted in a field are smaller; when effect sizes are smaller; when there ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the information-seeking behaviour of junior doctors, with regard to their use of traditional versus electronic sources of information. AIMS: To evaluate the amount of time junior doctors spent using various medical-information resources and how useful they perceived these resources to be. METHODS: A questionnaire study of all residents and interns in a tertiary teaching hospital in July and August 2004. RESULTS: In total, 134 doctors returned the completed questionnaires (response rate 79.8%). They spent the most ...

Abstract

Motivation: Internet-based electronic resources, as given by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), are being increasingly used in scientific publications but are also becoming inaccessible in a time-dependant manner, a phenomenon documented across disciplines. Initial reports brought attention to the problem, spawning methods of effectively preserving URL content while some journals adopted policies regarding URL publication and begun storing supplementary information on journal websites. Thus, a reexamination of URL growth and decay in the literature is merited to see if the problem has ...

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The authors investigated the extent to which changes occurred between 1992 and 2005 in the ways that primary care physicians seek answers to clinical problems. What search strategies are used? How much time is spent on them? How do primary care physicians evaluate various search activities and information sources? Can a clinical librarian be useful to a primary care physician? METHODS: Twenty-one original research papers and three literature reviews were examined. No systematic reviews were identified. RESULTS: Primary care physicians ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Understanding research activity within any given biomedical field is important. Search outputs generated by MEDLINE/PubMed are not well classified and require lengthy manual citation analysis. Automation of citation analytics can be very useful and timesaving for both novices and experts.RESULTS:PubFocus web server automates analysis of MEDLINE/PubMed search queries by enriching them with two widely used human factor-based bibliometric indicators of publication quality: journal impact factor and volume of forward references. In addition to providing basic volumetric statistics, PubFocus also prioritizes citations ...

Abstract

Objective: To review published criteria for specifically evaluating health related information on the world wide web, and to identify areas of consensus. Design: Search of world wide web sites and peer reviewed medical journals for explicit criteria for evaluating health related information on the web, using Medline and Lexis-Nexis databases, and the following internet search engines: Yahoo!, Excite, Altavista, Webcrawler, HotBot, Infoseek, Magellan Internet Guide, and Lycos. Criteria were extracted and grouped into categories. Results: 29 published rating tools and journal ...

Abstract

The increasing volume and diversity of information in biomedical research is demanding new approaches for data integration in this domain. Semantic Web technologies and applications can leverage the potential of biomedical information integration and discovery, facing the problem of semantic heterogeneity of biomedical information sources. In such an environment, agent technology can assist users in discovering and invoking the services available on the Internet. In this paper we present SEMMAS, an ontology-based, domain-independent framework for seamlessly integrating Intelligent Agents and Semantic ...

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To identify the current familiarity and use of Web 2.0 technologies by medical students and qualified medical practitioners, and to identify the barriers to its use for medical education. METHODS: A semi-structured online questionnaire survey of 3000 medical students and 3000 qualified medical practitioners (consultants, general practitioners and doctors in training) on the British Medical Association's membership database. RESULTS: All groups had high familiarity, but low use, of podcasts. Ownership of digital media players was higher among medical students. There ...

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To determine the significance of the English Wikipedia as a source of online health information. DESIGN The authors measured Wikipedia's ranking on general Internet search engines by entering keywords from MedlinePlus, NHS Direct Online, and the National Organization of Rare Diseases as queries into search engine optimization software. We assessed whether article quality influenced this ranking. The authors tested whether traffic to Wikipedia coincided with epidemiological trends and news of emerging health concerns, and how it compares to MedlinePlus. MEASUREMENTS ...

Abstract

Suitable for system administrators or managers seeking an affordable content-management solution, <I>The Wiki Way</I> shows off how to take advantage of Wiki collaborative software, which allows users to post and edit content remotely. This book is all you need to get up and running with this exciting (and free) way to build and manage content.<p> This text is first and foremost a guide to what Wiki software is and how to install, customize, and administer it within your organization. Early ...

Abstract

Many researchers in medical and life sciences commonly use the PubMed online search engine () to access the MEDLINE bibliographic database. The researchers' strategies were investigated as a function of their knowledge of the content area. Sixteen life science researchers with no experience in neuroscience and 16 neuroscience researchers of matched professional experience performed five bibliographic search tasks about neuroscience topics. Objective measures and concomitant verbal protocols were used to assess behavior and performance. Whatever their knowledge of PubMed, neuroscientists could ...

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Blogs are the major contributors to the large increase of new websites created each year. Most blogs allow readers to leave comments and, in this way, generate both conversation and encourage collaboration. Despite their popularity, however, little is known about blogs or their creators. OBJECTIVES: To contribute to a better understanding of the medical blogosphere by investigating the characteristics of medical bloggers and their blogs, including bloggers' Internet and blogging habits, their motivations for blogging, and whether or not they ...