Search

This article focuses on critique of contemporary work in information retrieval. Bar-Hillel's use of the term "literature search" likewise has objections. According to the established meaning, a chemist "searches the literature" to find out (for example) if a given compound was over before produced. He wants at least a "yes" or "no" answer. Thus an information retrieval system can provide great assistance to a chemist in his job of searching the literature by helping him to find documents, but it cannot do his "literature searching."

This paper reports on a study of the scientific output of British University chemists. The relationships between three different aspects of scientists' work (quantity, quality and industrial orientation) were examined, and whilst quantity and quality were highly correlated, industrial orientation appeared to represent a different dimension of research performance. Quality of output was the best Predictor of the recognition received by a chemist from the scientific community (in terms of medals, appointment to advisory committees, etc), his industrial involvement much the least good. It appears that a minority of British university chemists are oriented towards the industrial, rather than the basic research community in terms of their contributions and of their rewards. The influence of institutional affiliation upon recognition, for a given level of output, was examined. As in studies of American scientists, but in contrast to earlier work on British ones, institutional affiliation did appear to influence the recognition received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A selected sample of U.K. University, industrial and Government scientists were given a current-awareness service for 18 months, in order to investigate the practicability and problems of such a service. Six hundred proxies were run, using the natural-language data bases Chemical Titles and Chemical-Biological Activities produced by Chemical Abstracts Service. Precision and recall were measured, and correlations between profile performance and such factors as subject area and profile logic were investigated statistically. Precision and recall failures were analysed and various improvements to the system were suggested as a consequence. It was concluded that a viable computerised current awareness service based on searching natural language could be created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the life and works of scientist Academician Topchiev. His field was applied chemistry, particularly the chemistry of hydrocarbons, to which he contributed many research papers and several books. Topchiev has been credited with important contributions to Soviet Union industry on hydrocarbons, synthetics, and rocket fuels. He was Director of the Research Institute for Oil Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences. Topchiev was a man of action rather than a sophisticated intellectual.

The terms from 228 individual SDI profiles of 104 research chemists were matched against the citations retrieved by these profiles in eight consecutive runs of Basic Journal Abstracts to determine the number of citations that would have been retrieved for each individual user if titles only had been searched. Computing the data as a ratio of title hits to total hits, the mean percentage of retrieval of citations if only titles are searched when compared with searching of titles and abstract text was 21.0%. This represents an average loss of 73% of the potential output to the individual SDI user. One can expect a higher level of retrieval by titles alone if only a single term is required for a match than in searches requiring more than one term to be present to constitute a match (39% compared with 16.8% in this study). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of biologists in pharmaceutical research. It stresses on the need for cooperation and communication between biologist and his fellow scientists. Biologists identify the presence of biological activity in chemical compounds and evaluate that activity in terms of its usefulness and safety for treatment of diseases. Biologist and chemist must have respect for each other's problems in basic research to discover new drugs. Biologist act like a link between the chemist who isolates or synthesizes the new chemical substance and the physician who ultimately uses the drug to improve his patient's health.

The article presents a discussion on the typical political, social, and cultural orientations of chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers in a sociological concept. Chemists are the most abundant of the scientific professions. It also cites that the engineers are more absorbed in their professional duties and less involved in management and community activities. The physicists include the astronomers, applied mathematicians, and some advanced electrical and electronics engineer. It also cites the various biologist groups.

The article provides information on the graduate study program offered by the Department of Environmental and Industrial Health of the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The program includes water quality management, water pollution control and the health aspects of water quality. It offers training for chemists, biologists and engineers interested in the relationships of environmental health to water quality. Further details related to the program are presented.

Presents an abstract for the article "Literature Chemists Scarce, Too," published in April 1955 issue of the journal "Chemical and Engineering News." Summarizes a joint meeting of the Division of Chemical Education and the Division of Chemical Literature of the American Chemical Society; Focus on opportunities in the chemical literature profession; Significance of the sources and methods of locating technical information that would be of great value to all young chemists and chemical engineers.

The article examines the contribution of laboratory experiments in the development of ability to do critical thinking of high school students in the U.S. The National Science Foundation has been engaged in an on-going program to improve science education. In view of the findings of the Manufacturing Chemists' Association (MCA) survey and the fact that many science educators have been advocating laboratory experiments that promote problem-solving experiences not previously encountered by students, the MCA developed thirty-one open-ended, directed, observation-type experiments for the secondary school in an attempt to foster more meaningful laboratory practices. the two assumptions of the study are: (1) that experimentation is a unique characteristic of the scientific enterprise and (2) that experimentation is an essential process in learning science at all grade levels.

Some previous publications have indicated that the creative skills of chemists tend to decline once they are past their thirties or early forties. These conclusions have been based on such criteria of creativity as merit ratings, citations in the literature, etc. In the present study, patent records for all 89 professional men (mostly chemists and chemical engineers) in one division of a large industrial scientific organization were analyzed to determine whether creativity as measured by the production of patentable ideas tended to decrease with age, to increase, or to remain about the same. In the statistical treatment of data both longitudinal and cross-sectional methods were used. All the results were consistent in revealing no decline in creative productivity with increase in age, and indicated instead a tendency for productivity to increase as chemists mature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the method of laboratory teaching. Science educators have advocated the use of the inductive technique in the laboratory since the 1930's, the open-ended experiments produced by the Manufacturing Chemists' Association (MCA) has been used in 1957. The author has presented a study to compare the relative effectiveness versus traditional high school chemistry experiments. The data used in the study consisted of 268 students in twelve intact classes in three high schools. One of the criteria used to compare the two laboratory techniques was the development of scientific attitudes. The result of the study shows that 63 percent of the total number of student's preferred MCA experiments and that MCA experiments provide more challenge, interests and stimulation.

The article attempts to determine the educational origin of productive research chemists. The definition of the productive research chemist is presented. The author index to "Chemical Abstracts" for 1957 and 1958 were selected as a list of currently productive research chemists. The article provides socio-economic data and the highest educational attainment of the productive research chemist. The article also presents a list of the top twenty-five schools, according to their Research Productivity Index.

A description of the training program used at the Chemical Abstracts Service for preparing abstractors to work in the peculiarly difficult field of abstracting patents while keeping in mind the needs of the chemist rather than those of the lawyer or patent examiner. Important success in improving the quality of the abstracts and increasing the period of service of the abstractors are claimed for this intensive and carefully planned program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the role of literature chemists. They are designated as those who, by virtue of their interests, education, and experience, have chosen to work with the literature of chemistry and its related fields. Chemical librarians, literature searchers, translators, reports editors, abstracters, indexers, bibliographers, and documentalists are among those included in this category. A subject knowledge of the particular field in which these specialists practice should be supplemented by a familiarity with at least one other specialty.

The article presents chemists and educators in chemistry that were elected as presidents of their universities. It shows a table that gives out names of thirty-three men and one woman, their academic fields, and the educational institutions of which they were presidents, including the dates when they were presidents. Also, in addition to the thirty-four presidents, there are also chemists that served as acting presidents, including Paschal C. Gaines, Richard H. Jesse, William Mcpherson, and Arthur F. Scott.

The article focuses on the commendation rendered to the report of the State Department's Committee on the International Control of Atomic Energy by the council and board of directors of the American Chemical Society, which is composed of 47,000 chemists. The Society supports the agreed declaration of November 15, 1945, issued by the President of the United States and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Canada, adhering for international control of atomic energy. The Society deems this necessary to avoid the illegal use of this destructive kind of energy.

The article announces several appointments including those of Robert J. Cicione as a senior chemist in research and development with Cranston Print Works Co., Frances W. Massey as assistant professor of textile technology at the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina and Harold Dunn as the manager of Greenville Steel Co.'s textile machinery division.