Integrated information retrieval

Entrez, to be clear, is not a database itself—it is the interface through which all of its component databases can be accessed and traversed. The Entrez information space includes PubMed records, nucleotide and protein sequence data, three-dimensional structure information, and mapping information. The strength of Entrez lies in the fact that all of this information can be accessed by issuing one and only one query. Entrez is able to offer integrated information retrieval through the use of two types of coimection between database entries neighboring and hard links. 

Figure 7.1. Overview of the relationships in the Entrez integrated information retrieval system. Each square represents one of the elements that can be accessed through Entrez, and the lines represent how each element connects to the other elements. Entrez is under continuous evolution, with both new components being added and the interrelationships between the elements changing dynamically.

The provision of these office automation tools to the scientist must be done in a way which integrates the office activities with the lab activities. Global planning must be done for the implementation of a comprehensive system which includes laboratory Instruments, robotics, office automation, graphics, molecular, reaction and other modeling tools, information retrieval and all the other computer resources required by the modern scientist. 

Entrez (http //www.ncbi.nih.gov/entrez), information retrieval system, integrating NCBI databases of protein and nucleotide sequences, genomes, macromolecular stmctures, and MEDLINE literature database. 

MAECIS contains five major sections that are integrated into a single system. At its center is a database management system that handles the storage and updating of data and chemical structures. Associated with this section is an information retrieval section that allows one to search the database for specific information composed of any combination of data and/or substructures. Once information is retrieved, it can be displayed on a computer terminal or sent to a printer for hardcopy output using the display section of MAECIS which includes the ability to display chemical structures in various formats. The final two sections of MAECIS allow for the manipulation of chemical structures and the calculation of various molecular properties that are related to chemical structures. 

Computers. - Gone are the days when the computer merely added spectra together to improve signal-to-noise ratios. Modern dedicated computers, once they have been set up by the operator, completely control the n.m.r. experiment, including all manner of pulse sequences, delay times, Fourier transformations, integrations, data retrieval, and data manipulation even automatic sample changing is becoming available. Possibly the best sources of the latest information on the capabilities of typical n.m.r. computer systems are the major instrument manufacturers. 

U.S. EPA. 1996. Carcinogenicity Assessment for Benzo[a]pyrene. Integrated Risk Information Retrieval System, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. Online file... 

NCBI s Molecular Modeling Database (MMDB Hogue et al., 1996) is an integral part of NCBTs Entrez information retrieval system (cf. Chapter 7). It is a compilation of all the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank (Bernstein et al., 1977) three-dimensional... 

Moulins, M. and Noirot, Ch. (1972) Morphological features bearing on transduction and peripheral integration in insect gustatory organs. In Olfaction and Taste, Vol. IV (Schneider, D., ed.) pp. 49-55. Information Retrieval, London. 

Recently the chemical structures of the compounds have been integrated as a means to enhance the power of the information retrieval. It... 

ASTER ASTER (Assessment Tools for the Evaluation of Risk) was developed in US EPA. It is a database of toxic effects AQUIRE (AQUatic toxicity Information Retrieval) integrated with an expert system QSAR and valuation techniques for activity prediction http //www.epa.gov/med/Prods Pubs/aster.htm... 

Using integrated technologies will allow information to be transferred quickly and accurately. When integrated predictive reports are available, they allow for infrared, vibration analysis, oil analysis, and ferrography data to reside in one apphcation and report, thus allowing for ease of information retrieval. 

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