SEARCH TEXT mechanism

The search for an advantageous condition of a system is a common problem in science and many algorithms are available to optimize objective functions. In this chapter we will discuss the methods commonly used in molecular mechanics. For a more detailed discussion we refer to specialist texts on computational chemistry193-961. 

Access to the literature is critical for any text-mining effort. The literature sources are scattered across many different databases and Web sites with a variety of access mechanisms and licensing controls. Finding the literature sources required for a task can be a monumental project in itself. It is nearly impossible to be certain that one has identified all applicable repositories or documents. One also needs to download a local copy of the complete text of any literature source or search results (for a specialized corpus) to analyze it effectively. 

Throughout this book we have encountered many drugs, vitamins, and hormones, and in many cases we have discussed the mechanism by which each compound produces its physiological effect. Table 30.2 lists some of these compounds, their uses, and where in the text they are discussed. Now we will take a look at how drugs are discovered and how they are named, and we will examine some of the techniques currently used by scientists in their search for new drugs. 

Previous editions of Selective Toxicity have been well received, and translated into German, Italian, Japanese, and Russian. This new edition, which reviews the literature up to September 1984, has been thoroughly revised to reflect current awareness of the subject. Many additions have been made, some of them quite substantial, but all blended into the original framework. There are new sections on drugs that influence the immune process, on inhibitors based on the transition state of the molecule, and on IMBIs, which are the irreversible mechanism-based inhibitors. There are new taxonomic tables of bacteria and protozoa, and an index of the 650 structural formulae used in the text. A new section (17.4) provides help in searching for the physical and biological properties of drugs, whether in compilations (books) or in computerized databanks. 

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