new coding system for aec

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LITERATURE New Coding System for AEC May convert older cataloging devices so that both conventional and electronic sifting are possible An objectionable odor that may retard the sales of your finished product... or one that emanates from your plant as a part of some manufacturing process to create conditions offensive to the surrounding neighborhood these constitute odor problems that are serious, but not insur- mountable. Our years of pioneering experi- ence in the industrial odorant field may enable us to offer you a helpful suggestion or two for the control of such problems if you have them. A letter giving us full details will bring you our prompt response. PRI12£CJfE *f t£tooéfaet&6 9 &nc~ PORT AUTHORITY BUILDING 76 NINTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 1 1 , NF.Y. A NEW LANGUAGE IX CODING holds Out hope of solving a how-to-find-it di- lemma in modern knowledge almost equal to how-to-do-it. The project is now under way in the offices of Herner, Meyer and Co., which is working in close cooperation with the Atomic ^En- ergy Commission. The dilemma has been created by a piling u p of publica- tions in all fields. Many say that the dilemma can be solved only by "elec- tronic brain" methods. At work on nonsecret files of the AEC in Washington, D . C , is a team headed by Saul Herner and Robert S. Meyer. They are testing a system that can be used " by hand'* and by mechanical de- vices, too. According to the research- ers, preliminary tests show that even by manual methods their cataloging system may be as much as seven and a half times faster than the systems now in use. • How the System Works· Herner and Meyer are working up a system that will tell scientists in their own language how to find just what they are looking for instead of setting them loose more or less at random in the vast sci- entific pasture. They are doing this by converging a major subject to single as- pects of it. Classifications are carefully keyed to each other so as to guide the user to his goal. As for the "input" phases of the sys- tem, actual timing shows that this proc- ess takes an average of two minutes of classifying time per document as against a 15-minute average under cus- tomary methods. Herner and Meyer say that not until the worth of the method has been nailed down by conventional means, however, will it be applied to mechani- cal devices. • Preliminary Testing. Students, who have not been trained either in the proposed system or in any other in its field, are being used to put the Herner- Meyer system to test. The same docu- ments will be filled and retrieved by the same students under both the existing system and the Herner-Meyer method. This is to determine the performance and time, and hence the money advan- tage of one system over the other. One claim for the Herner-Meyer sys- tem is that it avoids classifying every possible subject from every possible ap- proach as do the regular library sys- tems. This is claimed to speed up cata- loging and searching by minimizing the number of places the users of the sys- tem have to look. The system is adapted specifically to the literature of an almost limitless body of knowledge and is presented in terms used by those familiar with that litera- ture. To pin down the language and the viewpoint of t h e actual user of AEC information, Herner and Meyer are screening several thousand reference questions which have been received by AEC libraries over the past few years. Herner, Meyer and Co., 2625 Eye Street, N.W., Washington, is a library planning firm specializing in the design of information systems. Recently, it received a grant from the National Sci- ence Foundation to study the usefulness of its proposed system. NEW BOOKS Man's Physical Universe: A Survey of Physical Science for Colleges, 4th ed. ARTHUR TALBOT BAWDEN. XV -f- 822 pages. The MacMillan Co., 60 Fifth Ave., New York 11, Ν. Υ. 1957. $6.25. A text for survey course in physical science. Aims to give the student an over-all view of the fields concerned, and an understand- ing of their principles and relationships. Also, aims to aid the student in determin- ing whether he wishes to specialize in any aspect of the field. Fun with Science. MAE AND IRA FREE- MAN. 60 pages. Random House, Inc., 457 Madison Ave., New York 22, Ν. Υ. 1956. $1.50. Easy experiments for young people. The experiments can be done at home with no more complicated apparatus than rulers, tumblers, rubber bands, and the like. Amino Acid Handbook. Methods and Re- sults of Protein Analysis. RICHARD J. BLOCK, xiii -f- 386 pages. Charles C Thomas, 301-327 East Lawrence Ave., Springfield, 111. 1956. $10.50. Tried and proved examples of the three most widely used methods of amino acid analysis—that is, by microoreanisms, by column chromatography, and by paper chromatography. Also includes a tabula- tion of the amino acid composition of pro- teins, biologically active polypeptides, and foods. Number 14 in Advances in Chemistry Series edited by the staff of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry NOMENCLATURE FOR TERPENE HYDROCARBONS A system of nomenclature for terpene hydrocarbons (including sections on information to aid in the reading of terpene litei-ature) which was prepared by Mildred W. Grafflin. 11 has been accepted by the Nomenclature Committee of the American Chemical Society's Division of Organic Chemistry and approved by the ACS on recommendation of its general Nomenclature, Spelling and Pronunciation Committee. Accepted by the IUPAC. 109 pages. paper bound—$3.00 order jrom : Special Publications Dept. American Chemical Society 1155 Sixteenth Street, N. W. Washington 6, D. C. 114 C&EN FEB. 2 5, 1957

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Page 1: New Coding System for AEC

L I T E R A T U R E

New Coding System for AEC May convert older cataloging devices so that both conventional and electronic sifting are possible

An objectionable odor that may retard the sales of your finished product... or one that emanates from your plant as a part of some manufacturing process to create conditions offensive to the surrounding neighborhood — these constitute odor problems that are serious, but not insur­mountable. Our years of pioneering experi­ence in the industrial odorant field may enable us to offer you a helpful suggestion or two for the control of such problems if you have them. A letter giving us full details will bring you our prompt response.

PRI12£CJfE * f t£tooéfaet&69 &nc~

PORT AUTHORITY BUILDING

7 6 N INTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 1 1 , NF.Y.

A NEW LANGUAGE IX CODING h o l d s Out

hope of solving a how-to-find-it di­lemma in modern knowledge almost equal to how-to-do-it. The project is now unde r way in the offices of Herner, Meyer and Co., which is working in close cooperation with the Atomic ^En­ergy Commission. The dilemma has been created by a piling u p of publica­tions in all fields. Many say that t he dilemma can be solved only by "elec­tronic brain" methods.

At work on nonsecret files of the A E C in Washington, D . C , is a team headed by Saul Herner and Rober t S. Meyer. They are testing a system that can b e used " by hand'* and by mechanical de­vices, too. According to the research­ers, preliminary tests show that even by manual methods their cataloging system may b e as much as seven and a half t imes faster than the systems now in use.

• How the System Works · Herner and Meyer are working up a system that will tell scientists in their own language how to find just what they are looking for instead of setting them loose more or less a t random in the vast sci­entific pasture. They are doing this by converging a major subject to single as­pects of it. Classifications are carefully keyed to each other so as to guide the user t o his goal.

As for the "input" phases of the sys­tem, actual timing shows that this proc­ess takes an average of two minutes of classifying t ime per document as against a 15-minute average under cus­tomary methods.

Herner and Meyer say that not until the wor th of t h e method has been nailed down by conventional means, however, will it b e applied to mechani­cal devices.

• Pre l iminary Testing. Students, who have not been trained either in the proposed system or in any other in its field, are being used to pu t the Herner-Meyer system to test. T h e same docu­ments will be filled and retrieved by the same students under bo th the existing system and the Herner-Meyer method. This is to determine the performance and t ime, and hence the money advan­tage of one system over the other.

One claim for the Herner-Meyer sys­tem is that it avoids classifying every

possible subject from every possible ap­proach as do the regular library sys­tems. This is claimed t o speed u p cata­loging and searching b y minimizing the number of places the users of the sys­tem have to look.

The system is adapted specifically to the literature of an almost limitless body of knowledge and is presented in terms used b y those familiar with that litera­ture. To pin down t h e language and the viewpoint of t h e actual user of AEC information, Herner and Meyer are screening several thousand reference questions which have been received by AEC libraries over the past few years.

Herner, Meyer and Co., 2625 Eye Street, N.W., Washington, is a library planning firm specializing in the design of information systems. Recently, it received a grant from the National Sci­ence Foundation t o study the usefulness of its proposed system.

NEW BOOKS

Man's Physical Universe: A Survey of Physical Science for Colleges, 4th ed. ARTHUR TALBOT BAWDEN. XV -f- 822 pages. The MacMillan Co., 60 Fifth Ave., New York 11, Ν. Υ. 1957. $6.25.

A text for survey course in physical science. Aims to give the student an over-all view of the fields concerned, and an understand­ing of their principles and relationships. Also, aims to aid the student in determin­ing whether he wishes to specialize in any aspect of the field.

Fun with Science. MAE AND IRA FREE­MAN. 60 pages. Random House, Inc., 457 Madison Ave., New York 22, Ν. Υ. 1956. $1.50.

Easy experiments for young people. The experiments can be done at home with no more complicated apparatus than rulers, tumblers, rubber bands, and the like.

Amino Acid Handbook. Methods and Re­sults of Protein Analysis. RICHARD J. BLOCK, xiii -f- 386 pages. Charles C Thomas, 301-327 East Lawrence Ave., Springfield, 111. 1956. $10.50.

Tried and proved examples of the three most widely used methods of amino acid analysis—that is, by microoreanisms, by column chromatography, and by paper chromatography. Also includes a tabula­tion of the amino acid composition of pro­teins, biologically active polypeptides, and foods.

Number 14 i n Advances in Chemistry Series

edited by the staff of Industrial and Engineering

Chemistry

NOMENCLATURE FOR TERPENE HYDROCARBONS A system of nomenclature for terpene hydrocarbons (including sections on information to aid in t h e reading of terpene litei-ature) which was prepared by Mildred W . Grafflin. 11 has been accepted b y the Nomenclature Committee of t h e Amer ican Chemical Society's Division of Organic Chemistry and approved b y the ACS on recommendation of its general Nomenclature, Spelling and Pronunciation Committee. Accepted by the IUPAC. 109 pages.

paper bound—$3.00

order jrom : Special Publ icat ions Dept. American Chemical Society 1155 Sixteenth Street, N . W. Washington 6, D. C .

1 1 4 C & E N FEB. 2 5, 1 9 5 7