New June 2001 - Donald W. Craik Engineering Library

June 2001

Go to this week's New sites or to New E-Journals

The following are interesting Engineering sites AND journals found this month by the Donald W. Craik Engineering Library staff. These sites may be incorporated into our regular web site in appropriate sections. In any case, they will also remain here and can be found in the future by searching our Engineering Web at any time.

NEW SITES:

: "This guide intended for faculty members, teachers, administrators, and others who advise and mentor students of science and engineering attempts to summarize features that are common to successful mentoring relationships. Its goal is to encourage mentoring habits that are in the best interests of both parties to the relationship. While this guide is meant for mentoring students in science and engineering the majority of it is widely applicable to mentoring in any field."

: "This site is devoted to androids. An android is an anthropomorphic robot - i.e. a robot that looks like a human. Many android developers call their creations 'humanoids' rather than androids. We also have robotics links, robot links, animatronics links, and research links."

: The Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEAs) are given by the Industrial Designers Society of America and sponsored by BusinessWeek.

: "The Biofuels Document Database is a collection of public documents of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)National Biofuels Program. This includes documents prepared since 1980 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, by other DOE Laboratories, or by subcontractors to DOE or its laboratories. We are also starting to add selected "related" documents that are relevant to the Biofuels Program, even if not produced by it. The database is intended to assist biofuels technology research inside and outside government. Each citation in the database contains a short abstract...". Many documents are accessible from this database in full-text.

: The Centre for the Analysis and Dissemination of Demonstrated Energy Technologies (CADDET) is a cooperative, international project that aims to "enhance the exchange of information on new, cost-effective, energy-saving technologies that have been demonstrated in applications in industry, buildings, transport, utilities, and agriculture." the CADDET Website features a newsletter highlighting specific projects and information on general energy matters and legislation, .pdf versions of technical reports, links to software and online tools (for agriculture, building, energy distribution, heat storage, and more), along with an easily searchable database of CADDET publications. The publications in particular make this site useful for researchers in energy technology: a vast array of project descriptions and data, workshop reports, in-depth listings of organizations, and contacts are among the many resources provided. (SR)

: The Canadian Encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work on all subjects relating to Canada.

CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME - www.mayoclinic.com/home?id=DS00326

Basic information on carpal tunnel syndrome from the Mayo Clinic. Sections cover symptoms, risks, screening and diagnosis, treatment, prevention, self-care, coping, and alternative medicine. Includes links to contributing factors, dealing with pain, and additional resources. (LII)

: Basically, it comes down to this: you don't just dig a hole in the ground, put in a foundation and erect a building. Nope, you must first design the building in the context of the local climate, taking into account amount of sunshine, seasonality, humidity, wind speed and direction, and other climatic considerations. This particular site uses Hong Kong examples, presumably because it's Hong Kong based, but it's broad enough to give a good idea of how it works for just about any location. One unfamiliar term leaped out while examining the site: psychrometrics. That is the study of moist air and of changes in its conditions. The section on passive design in hot climates interesting as well. As the sign says, it's an overview, so don't expect a comprehensive treatise, but it's a convenient way of picking up a little learning about the subject, which will help you look at cities and buildings in a more informed way from now on.

: American Memory from the Library of Congress, offers this gem of a site on exploration and land use in the US. These historic and recent maps will be of great interest to ecologists, as they show "changes in the landscape, including natural and man-made features, recreational and wilderness areas, geology, topography, wetland area, vegetation, and wildlife." The site may be searched by keyword or browsed by Subject Index, Creator Index, Geographic Location Index, or Title Index. (SR)

: This technology Weblog should prove useful to both professionals and interested users. Updated daily, the site provides abstracts and links to the full text of tech news articles. These are organized in eight sections, including E-Business, Personal Technology, Law & Policy, and Biotechnology. Each subject section includes the abstracts and links, related Websites, and recommended reading. Users may also subscribe to receive Corante daily via email. (SR)

: This is for US cities only, in case you are thinking of moving south. If you want to compare anywhere else in the world with wonderful Winnipeg, try www.homefair.com (which is listed, along with other neat salary information on the Engineerling Library's pages at Job Sites ). If you want to see what you can earn in the US, try The Salary Expert.

: If you are impacted by the exceedingly high cost of sci-tech journals, take a look at this site for background information. The site links to news, articles and primary sources of information for an review of this phenomena. Unfortunately, this site only goes up to 1998, but the premise still hold.

: This on-line calculator lets you balance equations with the touch of a button. You enter the compounds or elements for both reactants and products and the program provides the balanced equation (note that it cannot handle ionic formulae). A nifty homework-helper for chemistry students. (SR)

: Spotted by ResearchBuzz, this site is both fun and useful: an A-Z index of difficult words, nearly 14,000 in all. A keyword search engine is also provided. Use this site as a vocabulary builder or for quick definitions of unusual words. (SR)

: For the first time ever, each of 60,000 full-text scientific and technical reports sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) is directly accessible on the Internet. The collection is DOE's report literature output since January 1995.

: This NSF report offers text and tables, for any scientist or engineer with enough time to read it. "In 1997, 11.5 percent of the employed U.S. scientific and engineering (S&E) workforce held second jobs..." (SR)

: Provided by the World Resources Institute (WRI) with assistance from several sponsors, EarthTrends is an environmental information portal, offering searchable databases, data tables, country profiles, maps, and feature articles in ten topical sections. These include Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, Climate and Atmosphere, Agriculture and Food, and Forests and Grasslands, among others. The databases may be searched by country, region, variable, and year. Data tables and country profiles are provided in .pdf format. This slick-looking and fast-loading site is an excellent source of authoritative environmental information for teachers, students, and interested users. (SR)

: From the site, "EducationGuardian.co.uk's interactive guide to universities and colleges covers some 60,000 vital statistics on 150 higher education institutions...exclusive international research rankings for universities and research centres in the UK,USA, Canada and Germany by viewing the university guide." (GP)

: Provided by the US Department of Energy (DOE), this site serves as a gateway to energy efficiency and renewable energy information. With over 600 links and access to 80,000 documents, the site is fairly comprehensive. The bulk of the content is accessed via the Technologies section, which is browseable by topic. each topic page offers links to related sites and numerous subtopic pages, which in turn link to numerous full-text articles located off-site. Also included on the main page are more links, some specialized resources (Ask an Expert, Financing, News, etc.), and information on DOE public meetings and renewable energy programs. (SR)

: The Public Register's Annual Report Service (PRARS) provides annual reports free of charge on over 3,600 public companies trading on the NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, and OTC exchanges Investors can always obtain a company's annual report simply by calling the corporation's investor relations department or by visiting their corporate web site on the Internet (if the company has one). But, what if you're researching several companies at once? You can save time and telephone charges by ordering free reports from The Public Register's Annual Report Service (PRARS).

: GEOSCAN is a bibliographic database containing more than 40 000 records covering all the publications of the Geological Survey of Canada. Contributions by GSC staff to external publications have been included since 1986. Clients can perform their own searches on-line or enlist the assistance of the ESIC Reference Service. Custom-formatted outputs are available upon request. Fees may apply."

: This site is an ambitious project to facilitate searches for book chapters, working papers, conference papers, and other types of publications and academic research not commonly indexed. The project is off to a running start with over 315,000 identities and 3,250,000 publications indexed, but the site creators are requesting the cooperation of "the entire academic community." Scholars are encouraged to register with the site (for free) and enter in the details of their publications. Anyone may search the database for publications, identities, institutions, or departments, but only registered members may add or edit content. A free database created solely by and for researchers and scholars is an attractive idea and deserves support. It must be noted, however, that like so many other free online services, getCITED is searching for advertisers and sponsors and does not appear to have long-term guaranteed funding. A strong showing of support and interest from the academic community may make this task easier. (SR)

: Google has unveiled a Beta version of its new image search engine, which claims to be the most comprehensive on the Web, indexing over 150 million images. Keyword searches produce return pages with 20 thumbnails, each of which includes image size information and the URL of the source page. Clicking on a thumbnail produces a framed page with a larger image of the thumbnail above the full page on which the image was found. Users can turn off the frame using a button on the top right. All of the advanced search commands are available with image search, and users can also limit their search to a specific file format. There is an adult content filter option (default is on), but Google warns users that some adult content may potentially slip through. (SR)

: Comprehensive site with information on the "21 major U.S. hardwoods, from ash and cherry to oak and walnut." Includes the distinctive personalities and specific uses of each, their physical properties and availability, and how to care for hardwood floors, cabinets, and furniture. Design ideas, tips for installing hardwood floors on concrete slabs, and the health benefits of hardwood floors are examined. (LII)

: Hyperphysics is "a broad-ranging interactive physics exploration environment which is written in HTML with Javascript calculation routines." It was developed by Professor Rod Nave of Georgia State University and is available online as well as on CD-ROM. An excellent resource for physics educators and students, HyperPhysics gives flashcard-like summary pages for a huge array of topics in physics. Navigating through the chain of bubble-diagramed topical listings can be somewhat tedious, but the information provided is good and there is a substantial amount of it. The main subject headings include mechanics, thermodynamics and heat, sound, electricity and magnetism, relativity, quantum physics, nuclear physics, and condensed matter. (SR)

: The main feature of this site from Hamrahlio College of Reykjavik, Iceland is an interactive geological map of Iceland showing lava flows and glaciers. Other highlights include links to related Icelandic geology pages (e.g., The Effect of Diatom Mining, Iceland's Ministry of the Environment), news sources and journals, and Icelandic geological societies (not all are in English). (SR)

: i-mass.com is an international mass spectrometry Web resource. It features news and feature articles related to mass spectrometry, gleans important updates from scientific journals, and provides conference and career links. This month's features include a piece about organic molecules hitchhiking aboard a comet, an abstract on using mass spectrometry to image tissue, and program highlights from last month's American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) conference in Chicago. Researchers and professors in physical chemistry, biochemistry, or any discipline using mass spectrometry should have a look at i-mass.com. (SR)

: Beginning June 2001, the International Programme on Chemical Safety's (IPCS) INCHEM service, an invaluable tool for those concerned with chemical safety and the sound management of chemicals became free of charge to people around the world via the Internet. IPCS INCHEM offers quick and easy access to thousands of searchable full-text documents from international bodies on chemical risks and the sound management of chemicals, helping countries fulfil their commitments under the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Agenda 21, Chapter 19. This includes: Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) monographs; Concise International Chemical Assessment Document (CICADS); International Chemical Safety Cards; JECFA (Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives) - monographs and evaluations; JMPR (Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues) - monographs and evaluations and much more.

: This online textbook, by Dr. Danny Banks, defines microengineering as, "the technologies and practice of making three dimensional structures and devices with dimensions in the order of micrometers." The comprehensive site also has supplemental material.

: The Locite corporation, which manufactures sealants, adhesives and coatings, has recently posted online a searchable database of materials safety information pages. Users enter keywords to retrieve listings of composition, physical properties, toxicity, and stability of compounds. Recommendations for storage and disposal, emergency first aid, and fire management are also provided. The database features Locite products exclusively, but it does contain substantial listings that researchers and workers handling chemicals might need. (SR)

: The Public Awareness Office of the American Mathematical Society announces two new 'Mathematical Moments' that are available to download at this site: Manufacturing Better Lenses and Mapping the Brain. The 'Mathematical Moments' program promotes appreciation and understanding of the role mathematics plays in science, nature, technology, and human culture. This series of downloadable pdf files is designed to increase awareness of the importance of mathematics to students, colleagues, government officials, and the media, and to inform non-mathematicians that mathematics is an active field of study.

: "A guide to more than 9,000 prescription and over-the-counter medications provided by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) in the USP DI and Advice for the Patient."

: The Mineralogy Database contains information on over 4,205 mineral species.

: The maiden flight of the unmanned X-43A "Hyper X" research aircraft, intended to revolutionize air travel, ended in failure Saturday when NASA managers were forced to blow it up over the Pacific Ocean after its attached Pegasus booster rocket veered out of control. This site, supplied by NASA's Langley Research Center, contains QuickTime animated flight simulations of the Hyper-X. (SR)

: Written by two members of the Stanford University faculty. From the abstract, "Ontologies have become core components of many large applications yet the training material has not kept pace with the growing interest. This paper addresses the issues of why one would build an ontology and presents a methodology for creating ontologies based on declarative knowledge representation systems." Make sure to take a look at the Protege Project software. It's free to download.

: Ownersite.com is a free and comprehensive web-based vehicle preventative maintenance reminder and expense tracking system that assists drivers in keeping their vehicles safe and trouble-free. Unlike similiar applications, Ownersite.com allows vehicle owners to create, customize and generate on-screen or email reminders for more than 75 preventative maintenance items. Additionally, Ownersite.com allows vehicle owners to report on and maintain detailed expense records for fuel consumption, oil changes, tires (including rotation, flat repair, replacement, etc.), preventative maintenance & recalls, parts & accessories purchases and payments of all kinds. Ownersite.com will also track insurance and registration information, maintain trip logs and other important vehicle details. The application is free to use for consumers for up to two vehicles and can be customized to utilize multiple currencies and units of measurement.

: The latest issue of the OED News contains a full list of recently added terms. Here are just a few of them: bad hair day, browser, channel surfing, cybercafe, double-click, home page, MP3, pay-per-view, retail therapy, smiley, spammer, urban legend, webliography.

: A new web site for this product. From the site, "Performance Plus is an on-line performance benchmarking tool. It provides detailed financial and employment data on more than 600 business sectors across Canada, including more than 30 performance benchmarks to help small businesses determine how they measure up against their competitors.This tool uses the Small Business Profiles (SBP) created from a sample of Revenue Canada tax returns for both incorporated and unincorporated businesses operating in Canada."

: Are you annoyed by those popup advertisements you get while browsing? POW! will automatically close it for you. You can configure POW! to close any new popups that you run across, so if it doesn't close them already, you can easily add/remove them at any time. This is an absolute must for anyone who spends any reasonable (or unreasonable) amount of time surfing the web.

: The site is divided into several parts: Articles, Sections, Departments, and Information. The Sections part is the heart of this site's information and includes an industrial locomotive database.

: A key feature of this site is the new Canadian Metals Recycling Database, a listing of over 3000 Canadian companies involved in metals recycling.

: OK, let's say you're looking for a quote to spice up your paper, here's a site with over 9,000 rock and roll song quotes. Browsable by category and searchable by artist and keyword (Subject). Includes links (Lookup Full Lyrics). "Let it be, let it be. There will come an answer, let it be. - The Beatles, Let It Be"

: The State Intellectual Property Office of P.R. China - includes laws and regulations.

: Here you'll find more than 20,000 IT terms explained or just hop to a random definition.

: This also includes transportation statistics for 2000.

: This site from the USBA has information and links on where to acquire, how to throw, and how to make the aerodynamic throwsticks. There is also a history of boomerangs and rules, events, competition results, and more about what the USBA calls "the ancient sport of the future." Boomerangs, not boomeranging, is the preferred name for the sport. (LII)

: From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, you can find the crash testing and comparative safety information by model year as well as compliance reprting & test procedures and uniform tire quality grading.

: We have heard of calling someone "a total zero" as an insult, but what does "zero" really mean? This thoughtful and informative Website from Dr. Hossein Arsham, Wright Distinguished Research Professor of Statistics and Management Science at the University of Baltimore, discusses the history and philosophy of zero. Items presented include arguments for and against dividing by zero, the ideas of zero as a void and as a number, zero in limits, square roots, and divergent series and floating points. The text is peppered with links to related mathematics, computer science, and history of mathematics sites. The Zero Saga is a good read for mathematicians, college and graduate level students in mathematics, or anyone interested in logic. (SR)

NEW E-JOURNALS:Tables of contents unless otherwise stated

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: A major forum for those wishing to deal directly with the methodology and practice of technological forecasting and future studies as planning tools as they interrelate social, environmental and technological factors.

: Technology Analysis & Strategic Management is a quarterly international research journal, linking the analysis of science and technology with the strategic needs of policy makers and management. The journal presents research on the analysis and assessment of technologies, their potentialities and impacts, and the development of methodological tools for the identification and analysis of key scientific and technological developments.

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