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* cN9 CONTINUE DEVELOPMENT OF A BIOMEDICAL DATABASE ON THE

I MEDICAL ASPECTS OF CHEMICAL DEFENSE

O ANNUAL REPORT

Lawrence A. Landry, Principal Investigator

0December 1986

o

* Supported byU.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command

* Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21701-5012

* Contract No. DACD17-86-C-6083 T"OL0CT E1 990 •

Associate Consultants, Inc. i ELECT1726 M Street, N.W., Suite 600

* Washington, D.C. 20036o-

O Approved for public release; distribution unlimited

* The findings in this report are not to be construed as an officialDepartment of the Army position unless designated by other

O authorized documents.

*I•v3 11o'2S

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SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE

REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 0MB No. 0704-.0188

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Unclassified2a. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION AUTHORITY 3. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY OF REPORT

Approved for public release;2b. DECLASSIFICATION /DOWNGRAOING SCHEDULE distribution unlimited

4. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER(S) S. MONITORING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER(S)

Associate Consultants, Inc.6a. NAME OF PERFORMING ORGANIZATION 6b. OFFICE SYMBOL 7a. NAME OF MONITORING ORGANIZATION

I (If applicable)

6r- ADDRESS (City, Stare, and ZIP Code) 7b. ADDRESS (City, State, and ZIP Code)

* 1726 M Street, N.W.Suite 600

* Washington, DC 20036Ba. NAME OF FUNDING/SPONSORING So. OFFICE SYMBOL 9. PROCUREMENT INSTRUMENT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

* ORGANIZATION U.S. Army Medical (If applicable)

Research and Development C ima d DAMD17-86-C-60838c. ADDRESS (City, State, and ZIP Code) 10 SOURCE OF FUNDING NUMBERS

Fort Detrick PROGRAM PROJECT TASK WORK UNITELEMENT NO. NO. 3M4- NO. ACCESSION NO.Frederick, MD 21701-5012 63751A 63751D993 BP 021

S 11 TITLE (Include Security Clauiflcarlron)

Continue Development of a Biomedical Database on the Medical Aspects of Chemical Defense

12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(i)

Lawrence A. Landry13a TYPE OF REPORT 13b. TIME COVERED 14. DATE OF REPORT (Year, Month. Day) 15. PAGE COUNT

Annual Report FROM 11/18/85TO 11/17/8 December 1986 1516. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTATION

I17 COSATI CODES 18. SUBJECT TERMS (Continue on reverse of necessaly and identify by block number)

FIELD GROUP SUB-GROUP Database Soman Microfiche Abstractors RAV06 01 G-Agents Translations Thesaurus Medicine VX

19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block ni-mber)

This report documents a one-year period of activities encompassing the further developmentand maintenance of the automated information system known as the Chemical Agent RetrievalSystem (CARS) for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD).

During the period 18 November 1985 through 17 November 1986, Associate Consultants, Inc.(ACI), creator of the prototype system, expanded the database with relevant researcharticles taken from USAMRICD research reports and CaDEC holdings, medical and scientificlibra'-ies within the Washington area, and on-line searches of machine -readable databasecontaining citations from the world-wide literature. ACT began entry of the results of thesesearches into the citation-tracking system file (CITES). To assist with automated retrievalof the documents, ACI wrote and tested a modular posting-switching program for expansi-nand maintenance of the thesaurus. ACI also initiated a study of the impact upon the contractof acquiring an Army-ocned/ACI-located VAX.

20 DISTRIBUTION/AVAIL.ABILITY OF ABSTRACT 21 ABSTRACT SECURITY CLASSIFICATIC:j

![ UNCLASSF1ED1/UNLIMITED )0 SAME AS RPT C- oTIC USERS Unclassi f± d22a. N4AME OF PESPONSBLE INDIVIDUAL 22U 7LIEPHONE (Include Area Code) 22

Virginia M. Miller . S•D-RMI-SDD Form 1473, JUN 86 Previousecitions$aeobsolete SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE

SUMMARY

Ik

This report documents a one-year period of activities encompassing

the further development and maintenance of the automated

information system known as the Chemical Agent Retrieval System

(CARS) for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical

Defense (USAMRICD).I

During the period 18 November 1985 through 17 November 1986,

Associate Consultants, Inc. (ACI), creator of the prototype system,

expanded the database with relevant research articles taken from

USAMRICD research reports and CRDEC holdings, meeical and

scientific libraries within the Washington area, and on-line

searches of machine-readable databases containing citations from

the worldwide literature. ACI began entry of the results of these

searches into the citation-tracking system file (CITES). To assist

with automated retrieval of the documents, ACI wrote and tested a

modular posting-switching program for expansion and maintenance of

the Thesaurus. ACI also initiated a study of the impact upon the

contract of acquiring an Army-owned/ACI-located VAX.

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• FOREWORD

ID citations of commercial organizations and trade names in this

D report do not constitute an official Department of the Army

• endorsement or approval of the products or services of these

D organizations.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FOREWORD ............. .......... .......................... ii

I. INTRODUCTION ............ ........ ...................... 1

II. CONTRACT ACTIVITIES ................ ................. 3

A. Database Expansion ............... ............... 3B. Data Collection . . . .. ............... ........ 3C. Document Coding/Abstracting .............. ....... 5D. Thesaurus Design/Lexicography .......... .......... 5E. Keying and Editing ........... ..... ............... 6F. Systems Development .............. ................ 6

III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........... ............ 7

IV. GLOSSARY ................ ....... ........................ 8

V. DISTRIBUTION LIST ................. .................. 10

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I. INTRODUCTION

The summary of activities given in this report is in response tothe USAMRICD contract objectives being carried out by ACI. DuringContract Year (CY) 1985-86, the work to be completed in the ongoingdevelopment of CARS uader Contract Number DAMD17-86-C-6083,consisted of the following major accomplishments:

"o Document acquisition and processing activities expandedthe unclassified (U-CARS) database to 6,552 records on-line.

"o Initiated a study of the impact upon the contract ofacquiring an Army-owned VAX to relocate the physicalresidence of the database from the VAX computer clustersat Battelle Columbus Laboratories in Columbus, Ohio, tothe offices of ACI for permanent storage.

"o Designed and tested an Automated Citation Tracking System(CITES file) to signal prior duplication when retrievingCARS documents.

" Designed, Tested, and installed a posting-switchingprogram for the on-line thesaurus.

"o Assisted USAMRICD researchers in assessing toxicologyinformation on G-agents and V-agents. Database userssuch as the MITRE Corporation were also providedservices.

ACI responded fully to the task objectives described in theContract Award and Proposal. Accordingly, we achieved thefollowing goals:

"o Searched on-line databases, accessed special arealibraries for relevant CARS literature, received draftreports frcm USAMRICD, and implemented search activitiesat the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC);

"o Designed and tested an automated citation tracking systemfor identifying CARS duplicates;

"o Updated CARS training manual for more effective searchingand retrieving of cheaiical agent literature on the CARSdatabase;

" Developed, analyzed, and codified quality control andquality assurance procedures for securing CARSliterature;

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O Facilitated audit of U-CARS and C-CARs data concerningthe nature of effects on animals and humans, and thenature of lethality, safe levels, and toxicity relatedto chronic exposures.

o Checked research literature within USAMRICD and CRDECresearch holdings and added relevant documents to thedatabase.

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II. CONTRACT ACTIVITIES

Six major activities were successfully carried out during the1985-1986 contract year:

o Database Expansiono Data Collectiono Document Coding/Abstractingo Thesaurus Design/Lexicographyo Keying and Editingo Systems Development

Each task is described below with a general introduction followedby a description of activities.

A. Database Expansion

During CY 1986, The scope of the U-CARS database wasbroadened. CARS users had access to data on pharmacologic,pharmacokinetics, and decremental performance mechanisms that areconsidered potentially relevant battlefield effects of nerve agentexposure. Inclusive in that to data on performance mechanisms arethe following treatment compounds: atropine compounds, HGGcompounds, HI compounds, pralidoxime compounds, obidoxime,pyridostigmine, physostigmine, P2S, and TMB-4.

Our biomedical and information scientists also supportedefforts by the MITRE Corporation to assess toxicity information onG-agerits, V-agents, sulfur mustard, and lewisite, pursuant toMITRE's contract with USAMRICD.

B. Data Collection

The preparation of additional information to be incorporatedinto CARS involved systematic literature analysis, search andscreening procedures. Approximately 12,000 unclassifiedbibliographic citations were screened by CARS staff. For inclusioninto C-CARS, documents were screened at CRDEC Technical Library byC-CARS staff.

Documents to be included in the database covered U-CARSdocuments that were deterimined potentially relevant, from whichunit records were processed and placed on-line. The literatureanalysis work involved only the accepted documents from theliterature search phase. Overall, literature analysis activitiesinvolved an on-line search for CARS literature of the followingmachine-readable databases:

EricBiosis 1981NTISSocial Scisearch

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Agricola 79PsycinfoChem Ind NotesFederal IndexClaims/U.S. PatentClaims/U.S. Patent AScisearcn 84Dissertation AbstractsEnvirolinePollution ABSPharm News IndexNichemMagazine IndexPais InternationalCris/USEASSIE Current ResearchGPO Monthly CATEnviro Perio BibIntl Pharm ABSLife Sciences CollectionConf Papers IndexPTS A/DM&TScisearch 81-81USPSDScisearch 78-80CISAgricola 70-78National NewspaperClaims/US PAT ABSCongressional RecordFederal RegisterChemical ExposurePsycalertCurrent TechnologyHealth PlanningMedline 1966-1974Medline 1975-1979Medline 1980Occupational SafetyWorld Affairs ReportScisearch 74-77AgrisNewsearchNursing and AlliedMiddle East: AbstractMideast FileFederal Research In ProgressDe Haan Drug DataSoviet ScienceCA Search 67-71CA Search 72-76CA Search SO-81

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CA Search 82Chemical BusinessWorld Patents IndexWorld Patents IndexRemarc 1900-1939Remarc 1940-1959Remarc 1960-1969Remarc 1370+LC MarcLC MarcBook in PrintWiley Catalog OnlinePTS MARS

Access to potentially relevant CARS literature was provided by thefollowing libraries:

"o National Library of Medicine"o National Institutes of Health Library"o U.S. Department of Agriculture Library"o Welch Medical Library of John Hopkins University"o U.S. Library of Congress"o USAMRICD and CRDEC research libraries

CARS staff also received, processed, and included draft annualreports from USAMRICD personnel.

C. Document Coding/Abstracting

Scientific and bibliographic data from relevant CARS documentswere abstracted, coded, indexed, and placed on-line during CY 1986.Seminars for abstractors were held periodically by ACI projectmanagement, to ensure continuing accuracy and comprehensiveness ofdata being entered into CARS.

D. Thesaurus Desian/Lexicography

ACI collaborates extensively with internationally-recognizedlexicographers to enhance analysis of the complex subject materialin the CARS database. The experience of six years of detailedindexing has yielded a rich vocabulary well-adapted to the contentsof the database and needs of the users.

Expansion of the CARS database consisted of a sequence oftasks which were refined throughout the project. Completion of theCARS thesaurus structure and database expansion significantlyaltered indexing guidelines. A posting/switching program wasdeveloped to permit revisions to existing thesaurus terms.

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E. Keving and Editing

During the past year, ACI data entry and editing staffdeveloped a work plan to begin entering citations into theAutomated Citation Tracking System (CITES) file. Also, the CARSTraining Workshop Manual was revised by updating information andmaking format changes.

F. Systems Development

ACI proposed an Army-owned/ACI-located VAX 11/750 to house theCARS database. This proposal stemmed from an Army interest infunding ACI's proposal to acquire a VAX and move the database fromits current site, Battelle Columbus Laboratories, to a site thatwill offer both classified ADP and lower ADP costs. No decisionwas made by the Army this year.

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III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIOnS

The CARS database has been expanded to support an increase inCARS users, and to enhance USAMRICD's researcn c-pability. Actualprogress made by ACI in the ongoing development of CARS willfacilitate an evaluation by the ongoing development of C.ARS willfacilitate an evaluation by the Army as called for in tne ContractAward and Proposal.

Upcoming activities to improve the quality and efrectivenessof the CARS database in achieving the stated goals of the USAMRICDinclude:

"o Scientific support for research, testing andevaluation of medical material and treatmentsfor chemical threat agents;

"o Including literature generated by USAMRICDresearchers;

"o Developing antidotes and pretreatment compoundsfor chemical defense;

"o A centralized biomedical information system toidentify significant scientific data gaps;

We recommend that USAMRICD grant final approval to ACI topurchase and install VAX hardware at ACI for classified ADP inorder to lower ADP costs. The VAX acquisition plan is pandingresponse from the Army.

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0 IV. GLOSSARY0

Abstract In CARS, a detailed summary (up to 800 words) of theinformation content and data contained with atechnical document.

BASIS The database management system (DBMS) used tomanipulate the CARS database.

SC-CARS The portion of the CARS database containing onlyclassified documents.

Clusters A group of similar elements or terms gathered oroccurring closely together.

SCodify To arrange or systematize.

SCoding The process of filling in work sheets containing amap of the CARS unit record so data can be entered

* into CARS.

SDbase III+ A database management system software applicationto be used on IBM PC compatible.

Decremental The amount lost by gradual diminution or waste.0DEC Digital Equipment Corporation.

Downloading The process of transmitting data from the lastcomputer to the remote computer.

* Facets An aspect; phase.

SField In computer memory, a collection of bytes suitablefor storing a specific item of data.0

Hierarchies A body of terms organized or classified according* to rank or authority.

SIndex Term one or more words defining a subject area discussedin a document; member of the subject word list

* produced by BASIS or data within a CARS index termfield.0

Lexicography Process of wiring or compiling a dictionary.0Off-Line An operation performed to prepare data to be entered

* into a computer.

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On-Line An operation in which data entered from a terminalis immediately processed to alter the contents ofa record stored on disk.

Record In computer memory, a collection of fields in fixedorder, repeated one or more times, suitable forstorage of specific data elements.

Retrieval Process of obtaining all bibliographic documentswithin a collection that contain certain data asspecified by the search strategy.

Search Process of identifying bibliographic citations.

Thesaurus A controlled vocabulary showing logical inter-relationships of all index terms.

U-CARS The portion of the CARS database containing onlyunclassified documents

Unit Record The computer-coded set of all data elementspertaining to a given CARS document,

Update Addition of new records to the computerizeddatabase.

Uploading The process of transmitting data from a remotecomputer to a host computer.

User A researcher, administrator, or librarian interestedin finding specific information in the CARSdatabase.

VAX 11/780 DEC computer housing CARS at Battelle ColumbusLaboratories.

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V. DISTRIBUTION LIST

* 1 Copy CommanderU.S. Army Medical Research and Development CommandATTN: SGRD-RMI-SFort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21701-5012

I* 5 Copies Commander

U.S. Army Medical Research and Development CommandATTN: SGRD-PLEFort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21701-5012

2 Copies Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)ATTN: DTIC-FDACCameron StationAlexandria, VA 22304-6145

I1 Copy Dean

School of MedicineUniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

1 4301 Jones Bridge RoadBethesda, MD 20814-4799

S1 Copy CommandantAcademy of Health Sciences, U.S. Army

I ATTN: AHS-CDMFort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6100

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