Energy Citations Database (ECD) [.pdf, .zip]
http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/
The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) brings this new site to the Web. The database includes bibliographic records of documents from the DOE as well as the agencies that preceded it, the Energy Research & Development Administration (ERDA) and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Users can keyword search or advanced search in selected fields to access citations from 1948 to the present. The documents span a range of materials from dissertations to patents to papers, articles, and books. Results provide an impressive amount of information including an abstract, a link to the electronic document when available, the research organization and sponsoring organization, and much more. Researchers in a range of disciplines will find this site very useful; DOE explains that the records span "chemistry, physics, materials, environmental science, geology, engineering, mathematics, climatology, oceanography, computer science and related disciplines." Users should note that files available here are in a range of formats, including .pdf, MS Word, PostScript, Excel, .zip, and more. [TK]
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The September 11th Source Books: National Security Archive Online Readers on Terrorism, Intelligence and the Next War [.pdf]
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB55/index1.html
On September 21, the National Security Archive (NSA) posted the first volume in their new series The September 11th Source Books. The series aims to fulfill NSA's mission "to put on the record the primary source documentation that can enrich the policy debate, improve journalism, educate policymakers, and ensure that we don't reinvent the wheel or repeat the mistakes of the past." As such, this first volume, Terrorism and U.S. Policy, covers a wide range of primary documents grouped in five main subjects: Terrorism and Usama bin Ladin; Congressional Research Service reports; General Accounting Office reports; Department of Defense Directives, Instructions and statements; and Presidential Directives and Executive Orders. NSA plans future volumes covering Soviet and US documents related to the last war in Afghanistan and specific policy topics such as the US ban on assassinations. Readers can sign up for email notifications of updates to the site. [TK]
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World Health Report 2001, Mental Health: New Understanding New Hope -- WHO [.pdf]
http://www.who.int/whr/
Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) released this year's World Health Report (WHR), which is, for the first time, concentrated on mental health (last year's report was discussed in the June 23, 2000 Scout Report). WHO reports that nearly a third of the disabilities in the world are neuropsychiatric disorders, and WHR 2001 focuses on the status of mental health care and knowledge internationally. The report "aims to raise public and professional awareness of the real burden of mental disorders and their costs in human, social and economic terms. At the same time it intends to help dismantle many of those barriers -- particularly of stigma, discrimination and inadequate services -- which prevent many millions of people worldwide from receiving the treatment they need and deserve." WHO provides ten government recommendations and three "paths of action" depending upon countries' economic situations. The report is available online or in .pdf format in French and English. Users should note that we had trouble accessing the report using Netscape 4.75 on the Mac but no trouble with Internet Explorer 5. [TK]
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Fatal Injuries to Civilian Workers in the United States, 1980-1995 [.pdf]
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/NTOF2000/2001129menu.html
The CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) last week posted two documents on Fatal Injuries to Civilian Workers in the United States, 1980-1995, one on the national profile and the other focused on the national and state profiles. The reports cover sixteen years of data (1980-1995) from the National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) surveillance system. NIOSH reports that from 1980 to 1995, more than 93,000 US workers were fatally injured on the job, an average of sixteen people a day. The leading cause of occupational injury fatality was motor vehicle crashes, though the leading cause for women and black workers was homicide. Both reports include a number of tables, appendices, and references. [TK]
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11 September 2001: the response [.pdf]
http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2001/rp01-072.pdf
Issued Wednesday by the International Affairs & Defence Section of the House of Commons Library for the use of members of the British Parliament, this 123-page library research paper covers a range of issues related to the September 11 attacks in the United States and their potential aftermath. Among other topics, the paper covers reactions to the attacks (UK, US, and beyond), information on Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, international legal issues, military options, background on Pakistan and popular opinion there, and much more. [TK]
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Science and Industry Portal
http://www.scienceandindustry.gov.au/
One of a number of Websites offered by the Australian Commonwealth Government, the Science and Industry Portal, like its cousins, the Agriculture Gateway and the Business Entry Point, offers easy access to a wealth of government information and agencies. The site is divided into two main sections, one for science-oriented resources, the other for resources devoted to technology. Within each section, numerous subsections (e.g., directories and databases, policy, intellectual property) and brief annotations make it easy to drill down to find relevant sites (external sites open in a new browser window). The Science and Industry Portal should be a boon to researchers and industry professionals who work in (or are interested in working in) Australia as well as those living elsewhere who want information on the state of their industry sector or research interests in Australia. Plans are to expand the range of the site as funds become available. Links to the business and agriculture portals are available off of the front page of the Science and Industry Portal. [TK]
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Beyond Nancy Drew
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/women/beyond-nancy-drew.html
Duke University's Special Collections Library (last mentioned in the April 17, 2001 Scout Report for Social Sciences & Humanities) presents this research guide to Girls' Literature in the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture. While the guide is intended for scholars doing research in Duke University's Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, it should be helpful for any scholars of serial fiction or girl's literature. The site provides a brief overview of and citations for girl's fiction ranging from Rebecca Clark's (Sophie May) Little Trudy series in the mid-nineteenth century to, for example, Jane Severance's 1983 novel Lots of mommies. The guide is divided into topical sections, among them Tomboys and Working Girls, Girl Detectives, and Nurses in Girls' Literature, as well as selected secondary sources. The links to external sites and the occasional cover art illustrations are a plus. [TK]
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Public Agenda Special Report: Terrorism
http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/terrorism/terror.htm
Public Agenda Online (PAO, first discussed in the February 26, 1999 Scout Report) has recently released a special report focused on terrorism, covering both public opinion and policy issues. The report's brief Overview explains some of the ways in which the United States is entering new territory in its efforts to deal with the recent terrorist attacks and summarizes some of the policy proposals. The Public Opinion section of the special reviews many of the public opinion polls on issues related to the attacks and the aftermath. The extensive links in this section, to on-site graphs and off-site studies, make this a rich resource for anyone interest in public opinion polls in general or public opinion related to 9-11 events in particular. The Fact File offers quick graphical information such as Total international terrorist attacks by region, 2000 and Countries that support terrorism (according to the US State Department). A list of annotated resources and links to related PAO issue guides round out the site. [TK]
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Investment Adviser Public Disclosure
http://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov/IAPD/Content/IapdMain/
The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) has just announced a new Website that allows users to look up information about SEC- and state-registered investment advisor firms. Users can search for firms and pull up their most recent Form ADV, the form that firms file to register with the SEC or the states. The form contains information about the firm's operations, its key personnel, and disciplinary actions involving the firm. The site also provides links to related sites, such as state regulators and the Central Registration Depository Public Disclosure on the Internet. [TK]
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The State of the World's Children 2002 [.pdf, RealPlayer]
http://www.unicef.org/sowc02/
UNICEF has released this year's State of the World's Children report (the 2000 report is discussed in the December 17, 1999 Scout Report). As with previous reports, this year's covers progress made since the 1990 World Summit for Children and goals that have yet to be met. UNICEF tells us, for example, that since the summit, under-five mortality has dropped fourteen percent, but in sub-Saharan Africa, the number of malnourished children has increased. The full 103-page report is almost 3,700 KB and includes maps, charts, photos, illustrations, and more. Users can download the report in its entirety or by sections in .pdf format or read the report online in text format. The site also offers video pieces, a page of links from the report, an "In brief" section, and short features. [TK]
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The Legacy Project [RealPlayer]
http://www.legacy-project.org/index.html
The Legacy Project focuses on creating "a global exchange on the enduring consequences of the many historical tragedies of the 20th century." At the heart of the site are a set of indices which connect users to art and film thematically related to remembering and reacting to tragedy. The main index, the Legacy Events Index, is a compilation of all the materials included in the Website grouped together by event. You can also find materials via the Visual Arts Library (496 pieces are currently featured) and the Filmography section (146 films listed). The Visual Arts Library can be searched on familiar fields via drop down menus such as artist, title, or decade. Also available in the library are the more unusual event and motif areas. Events are those listed in the aforementioned Legacy Events Index, and motifs include artistic interpretations of concepts like Collapsing Space, Faces, and Isolation. Currently, the project is gathering and sharing reactions to the September 11 tragedy in a section titled In Remembrance. [REB]
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FED101 [Flash 5, .pdf, Netscape 4.73+, Internet Explorer 5.0+]
http://www.kc.frb.org/fed101/
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City provides this new site to help introduce the federal reserve system to the uninitiated, particularly high school-aged visitors (though anyone who wants to learn basic knowledge about the Fed can benefit from a visit). The site is divided into five main sections -- History, Structure, Monetary Policy, Banking Supervision, and Financial Services -- each of which includes a healthy amount of information, as well as a quiz, and a list of links to related sites. The front page of the site also offers select sections highlighted in links that look like books, though with the exception of Fed Clue, these seem to be available in the five main sections as well. Throughout the site, vocabulary words are linked to detailed definitions and descriptions, and interactive exercises do their best to make learning about finances engaging. The site requires Flash 5 but is also available in an HTML version. [TK]
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The Floating World of Ukiyo-e: Shadows, Dreams, and Substance
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/
Visitors to this site will see about 20 Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, selected from more than 100 currently on view at the Library of Congress (LC), that were in turn culled from over 2,000 in the Library's collection. Ukiyo-e is commonly translated as "pictures of the floating world." The art form began in the Japanese city Edo in the seventeenth century. The exhibition proceeds through six sections: Early Masters, Major Genres, Images and Literary Sources, Realia and Reportage, Japan and the West, and Beyond Ukiyo-e. In Japan and West, Picture of Western Traders at Yokohama Transporting Merchandise shows sailing vessels flying American and French flags. Prints are presented as thumbnails with explanatory text within the sections; impatient visitors can also approach the show using the Object List, a simple list of every item in the exhibition, that links to the full-sized version of each print. Beyond Ukiyo-e, the last section, discusses 20th-century developments and movements in Japanese woodblock print making, and concludes with a print of LC's Jefferson Building made in 1966 by Hiratsuka Un'ichi, a Japanese artist who lived part of his life in Washington, DC. [DS]
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The Forbes 400
http://www.forbes.com/2001/09/27/400.html
In another dog-bites-man story, Bill Gates once again tops Fortune's Richest 400 list this year. The list, released last week, has a couple of new features this year. Visitors can see how many thousands of millions America's wealthiest lost between August 27, 2001 and September 24, 2001 (Bill Gates: 7,200 million). Interactive maps show national distribution of the richest Americans. Users must register (for free) to read the dozen features that accompany the list. [TK]
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Mac OS X 10.1 Update
http://www.apple.com/macosx/newversion/
"OS 10.1 Is Here -- and It's Free!" -- MacAddict
http://www.macaddict.com/cgi-bin/storypage.cgi?storyid=1001445227,77445,
How to Upgrade
http://www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade/
Last Saturday, Apple released a long awaited update to its Mac OS X operating system. The update brings marked performance enhancements and several new features, such as data CD and DVD burning as well as DVD playback; Audio CD burning was added in an earlier update. Both the Apple site and the MacAddict article do a good job of detailing these and other enhancements, which bring improvements to AppleScript, printing and networking, and the Aqua user interface. The enhancements, particularly the performance boost, are so profound that anyone using Mac OS X should upgrade. This is a hefty release; the update alone weighs in at over 400MB, so it's not available for download, but it is free. Interested users should call a local retailer to get a copy while supplies last. Apple is also shipping CDs directly to customers through its Up-To-Date program. $19.95 will bring the update right to your door; the How to Upgrade site has the details. Finally, for those wishing to upgrade to Mac OS X for the first time, the retail package should now include the new release, just check for version 10.1 on the front of the box. [PC]
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http://www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/6.0beta/get.html
Star Office 6.0 Beta [Linux x86, Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP, Solaris(tm) SPARC(tm)]
Sun had just released the newest edition of its popular StarOffice. As with previous incarnations of the software suite (see the April 16, 1999 Scout Report), StarOffice 6.0 contains a word processing program (Writer), a spreadsheet program (Calc), a presentation creator (Impress), and a drawing program (Draw). The programs are all compatible with Microsoft Office, and the amount of productivity here for no cost is impressive. This beta version also includes Asian language support (as well as German language support), complete support for XML file formats, improved compatibility with Microsoft Office including editable OLE objects, and improvements to make the suite easier to use, such as new menu designs. In order to download the beta version (which comes in several separate packets), users must register with Sun, but checking the appropriate boxes during registration ensures that contact information will remain private. [TK]
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The Genome Behind the Black Death
"DNA Map for Bacterium of Plague Is Decoded" -- New York Times (registration required)
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/04/science/04PLAG.html
"Bubonic Plague Genome is 'Unusually Fluid'" -- NewScientist
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991380
Two articles on Yersinia pestis -- Nature Genome Gateway [.pdf]
http://www.nature.com/genomics/papers/y_pestis.html
The Sanger Centre's Yersinia pestis Page [Artemis, .pdf]
http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/Y_pestis/
Yersinia pestis -- Virtual Museum of Bacteria
http://www.bacteriamuseum.org/species/ypestis.shtml
Genomics and Bacterial Pathogenesis -- Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no5/weinstock.htm
Plague -- World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/emc-documents/surveillance/docs/whocdscsrisr2001.html/plague/plague.htm
Rare books on plague, smallpox and epidemiology -- World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/library/historical/access/rare/index.en.shtml
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe
http://www.mastertexts.com/Defoe_Daniel/A_Journal_of_the_Plague_Year/Index.htm
The genome of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague or "Black Death," has been sequenced by a team of scientists at the UK-based Sanger Centre with funding from the Wellcome Trust. Completion of the Yersinia pestis sequencing will hopefully allow researchers to develop more drugs to combat the disease that is still prevalent in some parts of the world and can cause death after just 1-2 days incubation. The plague, which has struck with epidemic proportions several times in history, is believed to have wiped out one-third of the European population during the fourteenth century, and today up to 3,000 cases are reported annually to the World Health Organization (WHO). From the genome, the biologists have been able to identify many of the genes that underlie the bacterium's complex life cycle and its ability to infect different species such as rats, fleas, and people.
News overviews of the sequencing are available from the New York Times (free registration required) and the New Scientist Websites. The papers published this week in Nature are accessible for free through Nature's Genome Gateway (.pdf or HTML). To access the actual DNA sequence (formatted for Artemis, a free sequence viewer), gene list, complete gene map in color (.pdf), and more, head to the Sanger Centre's page on Yersinia pestis. The Virtual Museum of Bacteria has a nice page with links (some old) to an image of the bacterium, papers, lectures, and other resources dealing with the plague and Y. pestis. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) Website contains a summary article written by George M. Weinstock of the University of Texas at Houston Medical School on the status of research in the genomics of bacterial pathogens, and it includes useful links. For more on the "Black Death" itself, check out the information provided by the WHO, including .pdf copies of rare, historical texts on the plague. To delve into history further, you can read Daniel Defoe's account of the Great Plague of London (1664-65) online at Mastertexts.com. [HCS]
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