bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Late Promoter of the Human Cytomegalovirus Viral DNA Polymerase Processivity Factor Has an Impact on Delayed Early and Late Viral Gene Products but Not on Viral DNA Synthesis
Authors: Isomura Hiroki , Stinski Mark F. , Kudoh Ayumi , Nakayama Sanae , Iwahori Satoko , Sato Yoshitaka , Tsurumi Tatsuya
Published: April 2007

Transcription of the DNA polymerase processivity factor gene (UL44) of human cytomegalovirus initiates at three distinct start sites, which are differentially regulated during productive infection. Two of these start sites, the distal and proximal sites, are active at early times, and the middle start site is active at only late times after infection (F. Leach and E. S. Mocarski, J. Virol. 63:1783-1791, 1989). Compared to the wild type, UL44 gene expression was lower for recombinant viruses with the distal or the middle TATA element mutated. The transcripts initiating from the distal or middle start site facilitated late viral gene expression. The level of viral DNA synthesis was affected by mutation of the distal TATA element. In contrast, mutation of the middle TATA element did not affect the level of viral DNA synthesis, but it did affect significantly the level of late viral gene expression. Recombinant viruses with the distal or middle TATA element mutated grew more slowly than the wild type at both low and high multiplicities of infection. Reduced expression of the UL44 gene from the late middle viral promoter correlated with decreased late viral protein expression and decreased viral growth.
Bcl-2 Blocks Accretion or Depletion of Stored Calcium but Has No Effect on the Redistribution of IP3 Receptor I Mediated by Glycoprotein E of Herpes Simplex Virus 1
Authors: Kalamvoki Maria , Roizman Bernard
Published: April 2007

We examined the status of stable, resting intracellular Ca
2+
([Ca
2+
]
i
) and the calcium that can be released from intracellular stores in HEp-2 or VAX-3 cells overexpressing Bcl-2 after infection with wild-type or mutant herpes simplex viruses. The mutants included viruses lacking ICP4 or ICP27 and known to induce apoptosis. We report the following. Stable Ca
2+
levels decrease after infection with wild-type or mutant viruses in both HEp-2 and VAX-3 cells. The histamine-sensitive calcium stores became depleted in wild-type and mutant virus-infected cells late in infection but increased significantly in ΔICP4- or ΔICP27-infected cells prior to depletion. In VAX-3 cells, the depletion in calcium stores did not take place as late as 24 h after infection, concomitant with lack of visually detectable cytopathic effects. Concurrent analyses showed that the amounts of IP3 Ca
2+
-receptor type I (IP3R-I) remained stable throughout infection, but the intensity of the signal increased and intracellular distribution changed dramatically in both HEp-2 and VAX-3 cells infected with the wild-type and all mutant viruses, except for the mutant lacking glycoprotein E (ΔgE). In transfected HEp-2 cells, gE and gI were more effective at augmenting the signal intensity and redistribution of IP3R-I than gE or gI alone. We conclude the following. (i) Depleted histamine-sensitive calcium stores correlate with appearance of cytopathic effects. (ii) Apoptosis, the calcium stores, and cytopathic effects are regulated by Bcl-2. (iii) The changes in the distribution of IP3R-I are mediated by the viral Fc receptor complex, but the redistribution is not related to changes in stored calcium.
Therapy with Minocycline Aggravates Experimental Rabies in Mice
Authors: Jackson Alan C. , Scott Courtney A. , Owen James , Weli Simon C. , Rossiter John P.
Published: April 2007

Minocycline is a tetracycline derivative with antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties, and the drug has been shown to have beneficial effects in a variety of models of neurological disorders. The potentially neuroprotective role of minocycline was assessed in experimental in vitro and in vivo models of rabies virus infection. In this study, 5 nM minocycline did not improve the viability of embryonic mouse cortical and hippocampal neurons infected in vitro with the attenuated SAD-D29 strain of rabies virus, based on assessments using trypan blue exclusion. Two-day-old ICR mice were inoculated in the right hind limb thigh muscle with SAD-D29, and they received daily subcutaneous injections of either 50 mg/kg minocycline or vehicle (phosphate-buffered saline). Infected minocycline-treated mice experienced an earlier onset of neurologic signs and greater mortality (83% versus 50%) than those receiving vehicle (log rank test,
P
= 0.002 and
P
= 0.003, respectively). Immunohistochemical analysis of rabies virus antigen distribution was performed at early time points and in moribund mice. There were greater numbers of infected neurons in the regional brain areas of minocycline-treated mice than in vehicle-treated mice, which was significant in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. There was less apoptosis (
P
= 0.01) and caspase 3 immunostaining (
P
= 0.0008) in the midbrains of mice treated with minocycline than in mice treated with vehicle, consistent with a neuroprotective role of neuronal apoptosis that may have had a mild effect of inhibiting viral spread. Reduced infiltration of CD3
+
T cells was observed in the pons/medulla of moribund mice that received minocycline therapy (
P
= 0.008), suggesting that the anti-inflammatory actions of minocycline may intensify the neurologic disease. These findings indicate that minocycline has important detrimental effects in the therapy of experimental rabies. Empirical therapy with minocycline should therefore be approached with caution in cases of human rabies and possibly other viral encephalitides until more experimental data become available.
In Vivo Study of the HC-TN Strain of Hepatitis C Virus Recovered from a Patient with Fulminant Hepatitis: RNA Transcripts of a Molecular Clone (pHC-TN) Are Infectious in Chimpanzees but Not in Huh7.5 Cells
Authors: Sakai Akito , Takikawa Shingo , Thimme Robert , Meunier Jean-Christophe , Spangenberg Hans Christian , Govindarajan Sugantha , Farci Patrizia , Emerson Suzanne U. , Chisari Francis V. , Purcell Robert H. , Bukh Jens
Published: April 2007

Both viral and host factors are thought to influence the pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We studied strain HC-TN (genotype 1a), which caused fulminant hepatic failure in a patient and, subsequently, severe hepatitis in a chimpanzee (CH1422), to analyze the relationship between disease severity, host immune response, viral evolution, and outcome. A second chimpanzee (CH1581) was infected from CH1422 plasma, and a third chimpanzee (CH1579) was infected from RNA transcripts of a consensus cDNA of HC-TN (pHC-TN). RNA transcripts of pHC-TN did not replicate in Huh7.5 cells, which were recently found to be susceptible to infection with another fulminant HCV strain (JFH1). The courses of viremia were similar in the three animals. However, CH1581 and CH1579 developed a less severe acute hepatitis than CH1422. CH1579 and CH1422 resolved the infection, whereas CH1581 became persistently infected. CH1579 and CH1581, despite their differing outcomes, both developed significant intrahepatic cellular immune responses, but not antibodies to the envelope glycoproteins or neutralizing antibodies, during the acute infection. We analyzed the polyprotein sequences of virus recovered at five and nine time points from CH1579 and CH1581, respectively, during the first year of follow-up. High mutation rates and high proportions of nonsynonymous mutations suggested immune pressure and positive selection in both animals. Changes were not selected until after the initial decrease in virus titers and after the development of immune responses and hepatitis. Subsequently, however, mutations emerged repeatedly in both animals. Overall, our results indicate that disease severity and outcome of acute HCV infection depend primarily on the host response.
Functional Requirements of the Yellow Fever Virus Capsid Protein
Authors: Patkar Chinmay G. , Jones Christopher T. , Chang Yu-hsuan , Warrier Ranjit , Kuhn Richard J.
Published: April 2007

Although it is known that the flavivirus capsid protein is essential for genome packaging and formation of infectious particles, the minimal requirements of the dimeric capsid protein for virus assembly/disassembly have not been characterized. By use of a
trans
-packaging system that involved packaging a yellow fever virus (YFV) replicon into pseudo-infectious particles by supplying the YFV structural proteins using a Sindbis virus helper construct, the functional elements within the YFV capsid protein (YFC) were characterized. Various N- and C-terminal truncations, internal deletions, and point mutations of YFC were analyzed for their ability to package the YFV replicon. Consistent with previous reports on the tick-borne encephalitis virus capsid protein, YFC demonstrates remarkable functional flexibility. Nearly 40 residues of YFC could be removed from the N terminus while the ability to package replicon RNA was retained. Additionally, YFC containing a deletion of approximately 27 residues of the C terminus, including a complete deletion of C-terminal helix 4, was functional. Internal deletions encompassing the internal hydrophobic sequence in YFC were, in general, tolerated to a lesser extent. Site-directed mutagenesis of helix 4 residues predicted to be involved in intermonomeric interactions were also analyzed, and although single mutations did not affect packaging, a YFC with the double mutation of leucine 81 and valine 88 was nonfunctional. The effects of mutations in YFC on the viability of YFV infection were also analyzed, and these results were similar to those obtained using the replicon packaging system, thus underscoring the flexibility of YFC with respect to the requirements for its functioning.
The Transcriptional Repressor K-RBP Modulates RTA-Mediated Transactivation and Lytic Replication of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus
Authors: Yang Zhilong , Wood Charles
Published: April 2007

The replication and transcription activator (RTA) protein of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus 8 functions as the key regulator to induce KSHV lytic replication from latency through activation of the lytic cascade of KSHV. Elucidation of the host factors involved in RTA-mediated transcriptional activation is pivotal for understanding the transition between viral latency and lytic replication. KSHV-RTA binding protein (K-RBP) was previously isolated as a cellular RTA binding protein of unknown function. Sequence analysis showed that K-RBP contains a Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) at the N terminus and 12 adjacent zinc finger motifs. In similarity to other KRAB-containing zinc finger proteins, K-RBP is a transcriptional repressor. Mutational analysis revealed that the KRAB domain is responsible for the transcriptional suppression activity of this protein and that the repression is histone deacetylase independent. K-RBP was found to repress RTA-mediated transactivation and interact with TIF1β (transcription intermediary factor 1β), a common corepressor of KRAB-containing protein, to synergize with K-RBP in repression. Overexpression and knockdown experiment results suggest that K-RBP is a suppressor of RTA-mediated KSHV reactivation. Our findings suggest that the KRAB-containing zinc finger protein K-RBP can suppress RTA-mediated transactivation and KSHV lytic replication and that KSHV utilizes this protein as a regulator to maintain a balance between latency and lytic replication.
Formation of Hepatitis B Virus Covalently Closed Circular DNA: Removal of Genome-Linked Protein
Authors: Gao Weifan , Hu Jianming
Published: April 2007

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) contains a small, partially double-stranded, relaxed circular (RC) DNA genome. RC DNA needs to be converted to covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA, which serves as the template for all viral RNA transcription. As a first step toward understanding how CCC DNA is formed, we analyzed the viral and host factors that may be involved in CCC DNA formation, using transient and stable DNA transfections of HBV and the related avian hepadnavirus, duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV). Our results show that HBV CCC DNA formed in hepatoma cells was derived predominantly from RC DNA with a precise junction sequence. In contrast to that of DHBV, HBV CCC DNA formation in cultured cells was accompanied by the accumulation of a RC DNA species from which the covalently attached viral reverse transcriptase (RT) protein was removed (protein-free or PF-RC DNA). Furthermore, whereas envelope deficiency led to increased CCC DNA formation in DHBV, it resulted mainly in increased PF-RC, but not CCC, DNA in HBV, suggesting that the envelope protein(s) may negatively regulate a step in CCC DNA formation that precedes deproteination in both HBV and DHBV. Interestingly, PF-RC DNA, in contrast to RT-linked RC DNA, contained, almost exclusively, mature plus-strand DNA, suggesting that the RT protein was removed preferentially from mature RC DNA.
Dissecting the Neutralizing Antibody Specificities of Broadly Neutralizing Sera from Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Infected Donors
Authors: Dhillon Amandeep K. , Donners Helen , Pantophlet Ralph , Johnson Welkin E. , Decker Julie M. , Shaw George M. , Lee Fang-Hua , Richman Douglas D. , Doms Robert W. , Vanham Guido , Burton Dennis R.
Published: April 2007

Attempts to elicit broadly neutralizing antibody responses by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine antigens have been met with limited success. To better understand the requirements for cross-neutralization of HIV-1, we have characterized the neutralizing antibody specificities present in the sera of three asymptomatic individuals exhibiting broad neutralization. Two individuals were infected with clade B viruses and the third with a clade A virus. The broadly neutralizing activity could be exclusively assigned to the protein A-reactive immunoglobulin G (IgG) fraction of all three donor sera. Neutralization inhibition assays performed with a panel of linear peptides corresponding to the third hypervariable (V3) loop of gp120 failed to inhibit serum neutralization of a panel of HIV-1 viruses. The sera also failed to neutralize chimeric simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and HIV-2 viruses displaying highly conserved gp41-neutralizing epitopes, suggesting that antibodies directed against these epitopes likely do not account for the broad neutralizing activity observed. Polyclonal IgG was fractionated on recombinant monomeric clade B gp120, and the neutralization capacities of the gp120-depleted samples were compared to that of the original polyclonal IgG. We found that the gp120-binding antibody population mediated neutralization of some isolates, but not all. Overall, the data suggest that broad neutralization results from more than one specificity in the sera but that the number of these specificities is likely small. The most likely epitope recognized by the monomeric gp120 binding neutralizing fraction is the CD4 binding site, although other epitopes, such as the glycan shield, cannot be excluded.
Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Integration Target Sites in the Human Genome: Comparison with Those of Other Retroviruses
Authors: Derse David , Crise Bruce , Li Yuan , Princler Gerald , Lum Nicole , Stewart Claudia , McGrath Connor F. , Hughes Stephen H. , Munroe David J. , Wu Xiaolin
Published: April 2007

Retroviral integration into the host genome is not entirely random, and integration site preferences vary among different retroviruses. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prefers to integrate within active genes, whereas murine leukemia virus (MLV) prefers to integrate near transcription start sites and CpG islands. On the other hand, integration of avian sarcoma-leukosis virus (ASLV) shows little preference either for genes, transcription start sites, or CpG islands. While host cellular factors play important roles in target site selection, the viral integrase is probably the major viral determinant. It is reasonable to hypothesize that retroviruses with similar integrases have similar preferences for target site selection. Although integration profiles are well defined for members of the lentivirus, spumaretrovirus, alpharetrovirus, and gammaretrovirus genera, no members of the deltaretroviruses, for example, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), have been evaluated. We have mapped 541 HTLV-1 integration sites in human HeLa cells and show that HTLV-1, like ASLV, does not specifically target transcription units and transcription start sites. Comparing the integration sites of HTLV-1 with those of ASLV, HIV, simian immunodeficiency virus, MLV, and foamy virus, we show that global and local integration site preferences correlate with the sequence/structure of virus-encoded integrases, supporting the idea that integrase is the major determinant of retroviral integration site selection. Our results suggest that the global integration profiles of other retroviruses could be predicted from phylogenetic comparisons of the integrase proteins. Our results show that retroviruses that engender different insertional mutagenesis risks can have similar integration profiles.
Crystal Structure of a Monomeric Form of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Endonuclease nsp15 Suggests a Role for Hexamerization as an Allosteric Switch
Authors: Joseph Jeremiah S. , Saikatendu Kumar Singh , Subramanian Vanitha , Neuman Benjamin W. , Buchmeier Michael J. , Stevens Raymond C. , Kuhn Peter
Published: April 2007

Mature nonstructural protein-15 (nsp15) from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) contains a novel uridylate-specific Mn
2+
-dependent endoribonuclease (NendoU). Structure studies of the full-length form of the obligate hexameric enzyme from two CoVs, SARS-CoV and murine hepatitis virus, and its monomeric homologue, XendoU from
Xenopus laevis
, combined with mutagenesis studies have implicated several residues in enzymatic activity and the N-terminal domain as the major determinant of hexamerization. However, the tight link between hexamerization and enzyme activity in NendoUs has remained an enigma. Here, we report the structure of a trimmed, monomeric form of SARS-CoV nsp15 (residues 28 to 335) determined to a resolution of 2.9 Å. The catalytic loop (residues 234 to 249) with its two reactive histidines (His 234 and His 249) is dramatically flipped by ∼120° into the active site cleft. Furthermore, the catalytic nucleophile Lys 289 points in a diametrically opposite direction, a consequence of an outward displacement of the supporting loop (residues 276 to 295). In the full-length hexameric forms, these two loops are packed against each other and are stabilized by intimate intersubunit interactions. Our results support the hypothesis that absence of an adjacent monomer due to deletion of the hexamerization domain is the most likely cause for disruption of the active site, offering a structural basis for why only the hexameric form of this enzyme is active.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 17-[4-(2-Aminoethoxy)phenyl]-16,17-secoestra-1,3,5(10)-triene Derivatives
Authors: Sakač Marija N. , Penov Gaši Katarina M. , Djurendić Evgenija A. , Andrić Silvana , Miljković Dušan A.
Published: April 2007

Starting from 3-(benzyloxy)-16-(hydroxyimino)estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-one (1), 3-(benzyloxy)- 17-{4-[2-(dimethylamino)ethoxy]phenyl}-17-oxo-16,17-secoestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-16-nitrile (3a) was synthesized. Reduction of 3a with sodium borohydride yielded secocyano alcohol 4a, as well as the secoamino alcohol 5a when reduction was performed with sodium borohydride in the presence of cobalt(II) salt. Deprotection of the C-3 hydroxy group in compounds 3a-5a by catalytic hydrogenolysis resulted in the corresponding 3-hydroxy derivatives 3b-5b. Compounds 3b-5b were tested on residual estrogenic and potential antiestrogenic activities.
QUANTITATION OF NEUROTROPHIN mRNA IN SKELETAL MUSCLE: CHANGES DURING THE PROCESS OF PERIPHERAL NERVE REGENERATION
Authors: Morisawa Yasushi , Takayama Shinichiro , Okushi Kazuhiko , Nakamura Toshiyasu , Fukuda Keiichi , Arakawa Yoshihiro , Toyama Yoshiaki
Published: April 2007

Peripheral nerve injury changes the kinetics of neurotrophins. The production of several neurotrophins increases at the site of injury. Although numerous reports have described changes in neurotrophins over time in areas of nerve injury, neurotrophin mRNA is present at very low levels in target tissues, making accurate quantitation difficult. We developed a reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction/high-performance liquid chromatography (RT-PCR/HPLC) method that enables accurate quantitation of neurotrophin mRNA. We then attempted to quantitate mRNA levels for nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) produced by skeletal muscle innervated by the sciatic nerve following transection and reattachment of the nerve in mice. In addition, wet weights of the muscle were measured and changes in weight over time were determined. The results indicated that neurotrophin production in muscle increases as a result of peripheral nerve denervation due to transection, and decreases with nerve regeneration and reinnervation resulting from reattachment.
HYALURONAN IN THE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID OF PATIENTS WITH SPINAL TUMOR
Authors: Sakayama Kenshi , Kidani Teruki , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki , Tanji Nozomu , Watanabe Yuji , Yamamoto Haruyasu , Sugawara Yoshifumi
Published: April 2007

The clinical significance of hyaluronan (HA) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with spinal tumor (ST) was evaluated in order to clarify whether HA concentrations in the CSF of patients with ST differ according to such factors as the tumor site and histopathological diagnosis. CSF samples were obtained from 40 patients with ST who had undergone myelography and CSF examinations retrospectively. The HA levels were determined using a sandwich-binding protein assay. The total protein (TP) levels were also determined. The HA and TP concentrations in CSF were significantly higher in patients with extramedullary tumor than in patients with intramedullary tumor. There was a significant correlation between HA and TP concentrations in CSF patients with ST. A HA assay for CSF is therefore considered to be potentially useful for estimating the localization of ST.
INFORMATION CONTENT IN THRESHOLD DATA WITH NON-GAUSSIAN NOISE
Authors: GREENWOOD PRISCILLA E. , LANSKY PETR
Published: April 2007

If data is binary, it is probable that the combination of a signal of interest plus a noise has been simplified by a thresholding mechanism, as in, e.g., a neuron firing mechanism. For identifying optimal signal or coding range of binary data, Fisher information is an attractive measure. A general formula allows the signal level or signal range producing the most information-rich data to be identified if the noise distribution is known. In this paper we study the information content of binary data resulting from threshold exceedance of a signal plus an arbitrary type of noise. For a specified parametric family of distributions a fixed proportion of exceedances is optimal for any combination of signal, threshold, and noise amplitude. If the ratio of noise to signal level is constant, Fisher information is unimodal for many noise distributions. The results extend to the case of a random signal and to inter-exceedance-interval data. The family of gamma noise distributions is used for illustration.
DIV-CURL WEIGHTED MINIMIZING SPLINES
Authors: BENBOURHIM M. N. , BOUHAMIDI A.
Published: April 2007

The paper deals with a div-curl approximation problem by weighted minimizing splines. The weighted minimizing splines are an extension of the well-known thin plate splines and are radial basis functions which allow the approximation or the interpolation of a scalar function from given scattered data. In this paper, we show that the theory of the weighted minimizing splines may also be used for the approximation or for the interpolation of a vector field controlled by the divergence and the curl of the vector field. Numerical examples are given to show the efficiency of this method.
A JUSTIFICATION OF THE REISSNER–MINDLIN PLATE THEORY THROUGH VARIATIONAL CONVERGENCE
Authors: PARONI ROBERTO , PODIO-GUIDUGLI PAOLO , TOMASSETTI GIUSEPPE
Published: April 2007

We provide a justification of the Reissner–Mindlin plate theory, using linear three-dimensional elasticity as framework and Γ-convergence as technical tool. Essential to our developments is the selection of a transversely isotropic material class whose stored energy depends on (first and) second gradients of the displacement field. Our choices of a candidate Γ-limit and a scaling law of the basic energy functional in terms of a thinness parameter are guided by mechanical and formal arguments that our variational convergence theorem is meant to validate mathematically.
A NEW BACKUS–GILBERT MESHLESS APPROXIMATION METHOD FOR INITIAL-BOUNDARY VALUE PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Authors: BLAKELY CHRISTOPHER D.
Published: April 2007

A Backus–Gilbert approximation method is introduced in this paper as a tool for numerically solving initial-boundary value problems. The formulation of the method with its connection to the standard moving least-squares formulation will be given along with some numerical examples including a numerical solution to the viscous nonlinear Burgers equation in two-dimensions. In addition, we highlight some of the main advantages of the method over previous numerical methods based on meshless collocation approximation in order to validate its robust approximating power and easy handling of initial-boundary value problems.
A hypertext environment for using mathematical software: part 1—motivations and design objectives
Authors: Nash John C.
Published: April 2007

Two perennial obstacles to the effective use of software, and especially mathematical software, are its documentation and its user-accessibility. This article surveys some of the ways in which software providers address the issues of documentation and use of their products, and suggests an alternative mechanism for both documentation and access via a hypertext database and command processor. Some considerations relating to program size and complexity and to the security of computer applications are discussed.
Organizing the annual housing surveys as a very large relationally oriented data base
Authors: Beveridge Andrew A. , Norris Jennifer A.
Published: April 2007

Since 1973, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, through the Bureau of the Census, has conducted a yearly nationwide survey of housing. Data on a wide range of topics are collected during face to face interviews with over 190,000 individuals. Plainly, the Annual Housing Surveys represent one of the largest longitudinal general social and economic data collection efforts ever undertaken.Due to changing policy and substantive interests, as well as government requirements, the interview schedules have changed significantly from year to year. Since the great potential for data from the Annual Housing Survey is in longitudinal analysis, it is necessary to have common variable definitions and consistent formats.To accomplish this, we have developed and implemented a system which includes: 1) documentation of the variables, questionnaires, and files across all years and surveys; 2) files created using one homogeneously defined data structure; 3) a simple system to produce custom user files; 4) a method to easily produce routine custom analyses and tabulations using the data.We have applied the relational model to create a small data base which documents the interview schedules, files and variable definitions. From this we produce up to date documentation and computer programs which are used to update the Annual Housing Survey data base, to handle custom file requests, and to perform analyses.
The automation of data processing, analysis, and reporting in a large survey time-series database.
Authors: Gordon Christopher J. , Zartman Michael B.
Published: April 2007

The May 1981 Survey will mark the 152nd Survey of Consumer Attitudes. Initiated in 1946, the purpose of the surveys is to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why these changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, to borrow, or to make discretionary purchases under changing conditions.Each survey contains approximately 40 core questions, each of which probes a different aspect of consumer confidence. Open-ended questions are asked concerning evaluations of expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Additional questions probe for the respondents appraisal of present market conditions for houses, and other durables. Demographic data obtained in these surveys include income, age, sex, race, education, and occupation, among others. While many questions designed to measure change in attitudes and behavior are repeated in identical form in each survey, special questionnaire supplements are added to most surveys by outside sponsors on a time share basis. Supplements to the ongoing surveys give sponsors prompt turnaround to survey materials while taking advantage of shared field expenses. When the research task is first undertaken, a maximum amount of time and effort can be spent in developing these survey materials, not in establishing and setting in motion standard sampling and interviewing procedures, questionnaire and code development for standard demographic items, and so forth.Although each survey task is unique in its time requirements, shared time participation on the ongoing Surveys of Consumer Attitudes is an effective and flexible approach for meeting many research needs. Current procedures include production of a fully documented computer data file available for analytic use within 48 hours of the close of interviewing. Within one week of the close of the survey, a report containing tabulations and charts of questions asked is sent to the sponsors.
An automated system for responding to data service requests
Authors: Bixby Tina G. , Vavra Janet K.
Published: April 2007

During the 1970s, there was a steady decline in the cost and size of computing hardware with a corresponding phenomenal growth in computing capability. Computers now help store, manage, duplicate and interpret vast quantities of data with an ease and relative economy undreamed of in the past. These developments have, over the years, fostered the growth of new research methods in a variety of fields, including the social sciences. Large and more complex bodies of quantitative data have been collected as social scientists seek ways to understand human behavior with empirical research methods and scientific sampling techniques. In addition to collecting their own data, researchers have also utilized vast amounts of machine-readable data that have been prepared by other researchers, governmental agencies, and private organizations.The changes in the computing industry combined with the increased demand for services have made it feasible for organizations to consider automating as many tasks as possible. FAST (Facility to Aid Servicing Transactions) is one system that was created in response to these conditions. This paper describes FAST and its impact on the organization which developed it.
Online searches of social science data sets
Authors: Janda Ann , Janda Kenneth
Published: April 2007

Every solution seems to generate a new problem. The problem of accurately assessing public opinion led to the invention of the sample survey. The subsequent problem of analyzing survey responses brought widespread use of machine-readable data. The problem of preserving machine-readable data for secondary analysis stimulated the creation of data depositories or "archives." Growth over time in the holdings of these social science data archives, however, has aroused needs for improved retrieval of data. This paper explains one method of dealing with such needs. It involves an interactive search of the holdings of the most diversified social science data archive, the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, using a general-purpose information retrieval system, RIQS, written for CDC computers.
On-line manipulation of small area demographic data
Authors: Meyer Garry S.
Published: April 2007

A new approach to the way in which users interact with the computer in an on-line environment is presented. The method is designed specifically to provide both a friendly and highly productive means of communicating user requirements. Unlike systems which are targeted toward either novice computer users or experienced programmers, the approach we take is well suited for all levels along this continuum. AmericanProfile
sm
, a system which provides access to demographic and economic data for both standard geo-political units of analysis (states, counties, SMSA's, Zip codes, etc.) and unique small areas (polygons, circles, etc.), is discussed as an actual case point to illustrate our approach.
Bibliometric analysis of Amrican history data by FAMULUS (abstract only)
Authors: Pao Miranda Lee
Published: April 2007

NOVA*STATUS is a text-retrieval system which is available at all Norwegian universities and several government institutions, running on computers from different manufacturers.NOVA*STATUS is a full-text retrieval system originally developed by AERE, Harwell, England, and redeveloped at the Norwegian Computing Centre for the Humanities and other Norwegian institutions. The data is divided into documents and each word (or a truncated part of it) in each document is potentially a key word. The format of the document is free. By use of prefixes it is possible to divide each document into specific fields of information.A request to the system can consist of a Boolean expression of words and prefixes and relational expressions between prefixed words. The system allows for macros which can be permanently stored which makes, for example, synonym lists possible. The system also contains procedures for off-line sorting and printing of catalogues and for the coding of data for statistical analysis by SPSS.At the Norwegian Computing Centre for the Humanities, NOVA*STATUS has been, and is still being used in a variety of humanistic archive applications. Several of these have a common data format which consists of 20-30 defined fields of fixed information and one or more fields of free-text description of e.g., photographs, paintings, archaeological and cultural artifacts, old buildings and documents. The second part of the paper will describe the actual use of the system in these various applications.
Bibliometric analysis of isi's Arts & Humanities Citation index
Authors: Malin Morton V. , Dean Martha C.
Published: April 2007

Bibliometrics, the quantitative study of literature, has made a considerable contribution to the management of scientific libraries and to the understanding of the sociology of science. It has joined operations research as effective management tools in making substantial impact on optimization of library services, resources sharing and allocation in library networks. With the common belief that humanistic literatures are different, these analytic techniques have not been applied to any extent. We believe that although sociological factors may impact on the humanities in different ways, patterns of regularity in communication, individual contribution, and literature growth shall be studied. Knowledge of the characteristics of humanistic literatures may enable us to improve information access and to maximize available resources in space, manpower, and funds for books. A pilot study has been attempted on a bibliography of the history of the American Revolution.The data base is constructed from the
Writings on American History: A Subject Bibliography of Articles
under the heading "Revolution & Confederation (1763-1789)". To facilitate the analysis, the data management program FAMULUS was used.
Selected Results
: 1095 articles were published between 1962-1976 by 790 authors in 224 journals or publishing sources. The average author productivity is 1.39 which is similar to other fields studied. As expected, a few highly prolific authors dominated the field, and their productivity distribution follows the well-known Lotka's Law. The dispersion of publications over journals also adheres to Bradford's distribution, identifying the most productive journal in this field as the
William and Mary Quarterly
. Thus, scholarship in general assumes certain common characteristics regardless of the discipline. Yet differences exist. There are only 77 (10%) authors who have ever co-authored in a mere 47 (4%) of the total literature. This is a dramatic departure from the intensely collaborative enterprise of science in which almost all scientific writers co-author.From our experience, FAMULUS is a useful tool in bibliometric analysis in addition to being a good personal documentation system to replace our shoebox of cards. We have also used it in the teaching of indexing and retrieval of documents.
A thesaurus for Canadian iconography (abstract only)
Authors: Castonguay Denis
Published: April 2007

The Picture Division of The Public Archives of Canada has undertaken the construction of a thesaurus of iconographic terms as part of its preparations for a computerized inventory system. The thesaurus which complements an existing set of descriptive standards will serve as a terminological control device enabling indexers and researchers to translate natural language into a more restrained and logical system language. General characteristics of the thesaurus will be described. Special emphasis will be given to the impact of on-line information retrieval computer technology on the design and development of the system language. Sample pages of the thesaurus will be available for examination and further discussion. An overview of other Canadian experiments in the field of subject access to visual records will also be provided.
The text's the thing
Authors: Preston Michael
Published: April 2007

The history of computer-generated concordances is already one-third of a century long. Thousands of concordances have been generated; many have been published. Most of these are useful, but there are limitations to all of them. In this presentation I discuss a number of variations on concordance-making based on specific projects being carried out at the University of Colorado.A word-form concordance can be of considerable utility. Particularly for older states of language of which our knowledge is often less than perfect, this "primary" concordance form seems best for initial circulation, but such a concordance is insensitive to variants and ambiguities. It is often as suggestive of what might have been done as it is directly useful.With the increasing availability of microcomputers and various kinds of remote terminals, it is now possible to remove many of the difficulties of text-editing so that a "secondary" concordance edited toward particular applications can be produced more readily. At the University of Colorado, at which the majority of humanists who use computers wish to make maximum use of the available technology without becoming computing scientists, I have found it practical to suggest a particular synthesis of batch and interactive computing. This involves the use of a retrieval, concordance-generating, and editing system so modular in design that editorial intervention is practical at many points. This editing makes use of device-dependent text editors of sufficient sophistication that the user perceives little of the technical operation beyond requesting his programs and his text; otherwise he has the freedom of a typewriter coupled to the benefits of a screen for displaying modifications to his text as they are made, whether directly by him or by a variety of programmed functions. Stations built around "smart" terminals as well as "dumb" terminals with microcomputer and floppy disks are operational.Thus it is now more practical to produce second-generation concordances which more nearly reflect the perceived needs of a scholarly community: words may be (manually) disambiguated by meaning and function, contexts may be edited either to omit extraneous material or insert explanatory matter, and words may be clustered by dictionary or thesaurus. The result is concordances of far greater utility in specific areas and more meaningful statistics.The development of better equipment and new techniques has made it possible to interact more thoroughly with one's text. There is no need for premature data reduction, but rather the encouragement of what I call the "infinite loop of literary scholarship": one works with one's texts to produce results which suggesst work to produce more results which suggest still more work .... The newer technology seems to fit the humanist far better than did the old.
Art and architecture thesaurus (abstract only)
Authors: Mohlot Pat
Published: April 2007

Designing and providing subject access to works of art has traditionally been very subjective. This is due to the fact that there are no standardized word lists which can be expected to meet the scope of all art collections. Whereas tailoring subject terms to the scope of a given collection is the most practical approach for the curator in charge of the collection, the researcher, who may not be an art specialist, often is frustrated when the listing of subject terms does not include the terms relevant for his/her purposes. This presentation will explore how the development of a thesaurus resolves the conflict of subject vocabulary. Specific examples will be drawn from four computer projects at the National Museum of American Art. Each of the projects varies in scope, yet a single subject classification guide has been developed for purposes of providing subject access to the contents of each project.Because a separate subject word list was not originally designed for each project, a thesaurus is now being developed which will allow for a listing of terms not used for indexing but which are relevant to both the scope of each project and anticipated researcher needs.From a practical viewpoint, the presentation will demonstrate how the computer can be used to generate terminology to be included in the thesaurus.
Beyond cataloging functions for art museum data banks (abstract only)
Authors: Whinston Andrew B.
Published: April 2007

A data management system for art museums is presented. In addition
to providing conventional cataloging functions such as searching,
sorting and indexing, the system is shown to be able to model
complex relationships between entities relevant to the application.
The importance of this capability with regard to representing
higher levels of information (beyond pure physical characteristics)
is pointed out. Alternative representations of such relationships
are discussed and some directions of further work in the area of
automation of a museum's catalog is cited.
A micro-based project management system (abstract only)
Authors: Dahms William R.
Published: April 2007

A comparison is made of systems the author has designed for a main frame and a microcomputer. The limitations and advantages of microcomputers for data base management are discussed. Example applications are presented. Advantages of the set theoretic approach are discussed. Applications most suitable for the relational model are described, and contrasted on both the large and small system.The systems discussed include a commercial system Condor Series 20 DBMS which runs on CP/M, on Z-80 microcomputers and MICRO, a system which runs on MTS on large virtual memory main frame computers. CP/M is the operating system of Digital Research. MTS is the operating system at the University of Michigan.
Combining database management and statistical subroutinesunto a user-oriented data analysis facility (abstract only)
Authors: Rusinkiewizc Marek
Published: April 2007

Most database management systems (DBMS) offer convenient and flexible data structures and very good data maintenance facilities. At the same time their data manipulation languages are usually limited and most data analysis applications require extensive programming in a host language. On the other hand, the packages of statistical subroutines (PSS) usually have very good data manipulation and analysis facilities, while at the same time they lack the well known advantages of DBMS. An attempt was made to combine the data definition and maintenance facilities of DBMS and the data manipulation and analysis facilities of PSS into a single user-oriented system. The additional software developed for this purpose performs the following functions:1. Allows the user to define his own analysis and (optionally) store it in a library for further reference.2. Allows the user to define the data on which analysis is to be performed.3. Allows the user to execute the (predefined) analysis in the following way:a. the user's description of analysis is translated into a sequence of data analysis and/or data manipulation subroutines of PSS.b. the required data are retrieved from a database under the control of DBMS and put into a temporary file, whose structure is determined by the analysis input requirements.c. the analysis is performed under the control of the executing program PSS.The outlined system is now being implemented, as an interdepartmental effort, in The Institute for Organization of the Medicine Industry, Warsaw, Poland. It utilizes IMS/VS as a database management system and the OSIRIS III package for statistical data processing. Although the system is still under development it is used not only by research workers but also by administrators and management for relatively simple analysis which are not routinely performed, standard reports. The main advantages of the outlined approach can be summarized as follows:a. reduction of time and cost of preparing the analysis,b. increasing the reliabilityc. presenting the tool for the actual decision makers to perform their own data analysis without the interference with programmers.
Public use of an economic data base system. (Abstract Only)
Authors: Renfro Charles G.
Published: April 2007

The subject of this paper is the design of an economic data base system for public use, taking as a case study the Kentucky Economic Information System. This system offers its users facilities ranging from simple data retrieval and display to the capability to construct, maintain, and use econometric models online. It was designed originally to be user friendly to the trained econometrician, offering a semi-natural, verbal-mathematical free-format command language as the basic communication mechanism. However, with the development of the KEIS into a data base system that is widely used by government officials, academics, and others throughout Kentucky, the need has developed to provide a facility that is user friendly to any possible user. This paper considers the issue of user friendliness as a variable, depending upon the category of user. But it also considers tbe role played by the computer network and its operating conventions as a determinant of the user friendly features that are required. For example, in order to make the KEIS useable by reference librarians in universities, it was necessary to design a special interface; this necessity relates to the operating policies of the Kentucky Educational Computing Network, one of the computer networks the KEIS is resident upon. In addition, this paper considers the issue of user friendliness as it arises due to the specific characteristics of data and the operations performed: an economic data base system is inherently more difficult to operate than, say, a bibliographic data base system. Various other aspects of the KEIS have been considered in articles and papers appearing in such journals as the
Journal of the American Society for Information Science
and the
Review of Public Data Use
and in the proceedings of such conferences as the 1981 National Online Conference (March 1981) and the 8th European Urban Data Management Symposium, Oslo, Norway (June, 1981). A paper on the econometric modeling language (MODLER) that is available as part of the KEIS will be given at the 1981 Economic Control and Dynamics Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark (June 1981). This paper complements these other articles and papers.