Association for
Veterinary Informatics

January-February, 1996

Design a new logo for the AVI Newsletter...see details below!

Noell Moseley (Memphis, TN) - President; Harmon Rogers (Lake Stevens, WA) - President-Elect; James T. Case (UC-Davis) - Secretary Treasurer; Ronald D. Smith (Illinois) - Newsletter Editor.

IN THIS ISSUE

SOCIETY NEWS AVI Newsletter is Now Available as a WWW Hypertext Document Association for Vet Informatics Logo Contest! How to Contact AVI
AHEAD: A NEW ProMED ANIMAL AND ZOONOTIC DISEASE LIST
PRODUCT AVAILABILITY/REVIEWS/COMPARISONS Alternatives to the Use of Live Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing WebSite for Teachers - Software Recommendation Professional HTML Tutorial Available Online Without Charge
INTERNET RESOURCES Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine WWW Site Registry of Reproductive Pathology on the WWW Veterinary Pathology on the WWW PAHO Launches Web & Gopher Servers
NEWS AND COMMENTARY Internet Demographics Survey - Internet's Reach in Society Grows New Survey Lowers Internet User Estimates
MEETINGS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AMIA 1996 Site Visits AIM-96 (Aritificial Intelligence in Medicine); Stanford, California Toward an Electronic Patient Record '96; San Diego, Callifornia AMIA 1996 Spring Congress; Kansas City, Missouri 12th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning; Madison, Wisconsin European Congress of the Internet in Medicine; Brighton, United Kingdom 1st Virtual-International On-line Pathology Symposium ITCH'96 - Information Technology in Community Health; Victoria, BC, Canada, 2nd International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists; Frederiksberg, Denmark Veterinary Epidemiology/Information Management Postgraduate Position
SUGGESTED READING
CLOSING BITS

SOCIETY NEWS

AVI Newsletter is Now Available as a WWW Hypertext Document

Remember when the AVI (formerly AVCS) Newsletter pointed you to interesting people and resources on the Internet, but didn't help you reach them? Remember when the online version of the Newsletter was a plain old ASCII document? WELL TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

Starting with this issue, I will make available an HTML-formatted version of the AVI Newsletter for viewing on the WWW. The url is: http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/avi/newsletter.html

The WWW version has a number of features which, when combined, offer tremendous advantages over hardcopy and plain ASCII:

1. The Newsletter's format is retained regardless of the platform or WWW browser that you're using. If you prefer to read hardcopy you can print out a formatted version right from the web page.

2. Since links and e-mail addresses are "hot", readers can instantly check out sites, download products, get more information about conferences, and e-mail authors for further information. You can also e-mail AVI officers from within your browser simply by clicking on their e-mail address. You can submit an item for the Newsletter either within the body of an e-mail message or as an attachment.

3. The Newsletter can be saved locally as HTML or text. I recommend saving as HTML since you can always read it as a local file with your WWW browser while conserving the hyptertext links.

4. Having an electronic version makes it easy for you to share items with colleagues around the world.

Please take time to check out the WWW version of the Newsletter. At the present time I'm sharing the url only with AVI members who receive the Newsletter (hardcopy or electronic). However, if we really want to promote the cause of veterinary informatics shouldn't we make it public? Given the advantages of the WWW version of the Newsletter, can we then do away with the hardcopy printing and distribution (and associated costs)?

We would really like to hear your comments.

RD Smith

Editor, AVI Newsletter

Association for Vet Informatics Logo Contest!

As you might be aware by now, the membership of the American Veterinary Computer Society recently voted to change the name of the Society to the Association for Veterinary Informatics. This change of name also reflects the change of emphasis of the organization to one which has broadened its horizons to include all aspects of information technology, information science, library science, computer aided instruction, etc.

We now need a new logo that reflects this change and represents the broad interests of our members. This email note announces a contest in which indivuduals are invited to submit their own design for the new AVI logo. The rules are as follows:

1. All submissions to the contest must be submitted in either camera ready hardcopy (full color acceptable, greyscale preferred) or in one of the following electronic formats: PCX, TIFF, PICT, CDR (CorelDraw), WMF, GIF, JPEG, AI, or EPS. All submissions on disk must be on 3.5" diskette.

2. All submissions must be original works.

3. All submissions must include a release of copyright to the AVI and become the property of the AVI upon receipt.

4. Each person can submit as many logos for consideration as they desire.

5. Submissions will be reviewed by the AVI Executive Board and a winner selected. The winning logo will be included in the following issue of the AVI newsletter.

6. The winner(s) will receive one year full membership to the AVI.

Mail all logo submissions to:

Dr. Jim Case
Secretary/Treasurer, AVI
2742 Concord Avenue
Davis, CA 95616

Electronic submissions can be sent as binary email attachments to: JCase@cvdls.ucdavis.edu

How to Contact AVI

Applications for membership, accompanied by a check for $35 payable to the AVI, should be sent to:

Dr. James T. Case; Secretary Treasurer, AVI; 2742 Concord Ave.; Davis, CA 95616
Phone: 916/752-4408; FAX: 916/752-5680; e-mail: JimCase@aol.com

Dr. Case is responsible for distribution of the hardcopy version of the AVI Newsletter.

Newsletter items can be sent to:

Dr. Ronald D. Smith, Newsletter Editor, AVI; VMBSB; 2001 South Lincoln; Urbana, IL 61801.
Phone: 217/333-2449; FAX: 217/333-4628; e-mail: rd-smith@uiuc.edu

If you are an AVI member and would like to be on the AVI Newsletter electronic distribution list, send an e-mail message to the Newsletter Editor. Although the electronic version is only an ASCII (text) file, it's faster, searchable, easier to store and retrieve, and environmentally friendly.

Current and past issues of the Newsletter can be searched, read and downloaded from the WWW at http://netvet.wustl.edu/avi.htm. They can also be downloaded from the AVMA's Network of Animal Health (NOAH - CompuServe), and the Associations and Foundations Library of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN - America Online).

AHEAD: A NEW ProMED
ANIMAL AND ZOONOTIC DISEASE LIST

by

Martin Hugh-Jones
ProMED-AHEAD Moderator

In order to expand the animal and zoonotic disease components of ProMED, a separate sublist, PROMED-AHEAD, was set up through a grant to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. It is to accommodate subscribers who prefer to receive only animal and zoonotic disease postings. The name reflects its intended content, i.e.

AHEAD = Animal Health/Emerging Animal Diseases

I agreed to review the animal and zoonotic disease reports and act as the AHEAD moderator, having been through a reviewer internship. The membership lists were scanned for veterinarians to ensure that we had an adequate starting critical mass interested in emerging and possibly-emerging animal diseases. And like everything else, it seemed clearer before it began in December, 1995.

The frequency of ProMED-AHEAD postings depends on the number of reports on animal diseases, including vector-borne diseases that have animal as well as human hosts, and zoonoses; and if it's a current outbreak/update I add -EDR. One of the ongoing problems has been the zoonotic diseases, whose naturally heavy veterinary component has on occasion generated a negative reaction amoung a few physicians and their complaints. However, the three moderators have a constant running commentary in the background as we try to balance what appears over the net. With a collective wide spectrum of colleagues and reliable experts worldwide, _rumors" are checked and rechecked for substance before they appear. The moderators try to provide a safety net for contributors, as well as filtering out the angry _flaming'.

We don't always get it right. When we stumble, as we do, we are soon informed, fortunately usually in a friendly manner. To be frank, it is greatly appreciated as errors can then be corrected and it confirms to us that people are listening. The individual character and content of AHEAD is emerging. While we have an internal information collecting and indentification organisation, including translators, ProMED depends on the participation of its members. If they don't send in reports, if they fail to comment, it must eventually lose momentum and fail. What we have noted is that those who make contributions gain positive recognition. For example, look at the difference of Australia on ProMED before and since the reporting of the equine morbilli virus outbreak; we worked hard on the Oz CVO and his staff to persuade them to use ProMED.

At this time ProMED has over 3,500 subscribers in over 100 countries. Experience indicates that the majority are _biologicals" -- veterinarians, microbiologists, physicians, epidemiologists, biochemists, parasitologists, health administrators, academics, whatever -- the rest are journalists, editors of newsletters, general public, missionaries, students. There is a wide range of international and national agencies represented. For example:

International: ESCAP, FAO, OIE, PAHO, Unicef, USAID, WHO, World Bank

USA: USDA, FWS, CDC, EPA, FDA, GAO, NASA, NBS, NIH, NIAID, NIMH, NCI, VA; hospitals; USAMRIID, WRAIR, NAMRU, NAMRID, Army, Navy, Air Force & Marines; Red Cross; State Epidemiologists from 18 states (at last count).

Other Nationals -- a few examples: Pasteur Institutes (in France, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Senegal), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Health Canada, Agriculture Canada, Chief Veterinary Officers of Australia & New Zealand, national epidemiologists of Sweden & Zimbabwe.

This makes for a major strength of ProMED ... it forms a readily available global resource of experience available to be asked. Similarly the non-medical professionals, especially journalists, form a key component as they tell us of new events below the medical or veterinary horizon. For example, I lately received a key series of reports of anthrax in Azerbaijan from journalists in Baku but which was not being reported by the relevant Ministries. So if some subjects are being spelt out without technical jargon and with normally initialed tests in full, it is because of the multidisciplinary membership and others who may be totally unaware of what these terms mean.

Background on the ProMED Initiative

ProMED was created 1992 as an initiative of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) to explore how a global reporting system might be structured and implemented. It was formally launched in September 1993 at a Geneva conference co-sponsored by the World Health Organization.The ProMED Electronic Network was inaugurated on the Internet in August 1994 by FAS to serve as a prototype for the communications system that will be needed to monitor emerging infectious diseases globally. Since that time several national, regional and international agencies have drawn up plans for monitoring and responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases.The ProMED Electronic Network will likely continue, even after a formal global program is established.

Funding for the ProMED initiative comes from grants to the FAS Fund, the tax-deductible arm of the Federation of American Scientists, a Washington-based center of policy research, analysis and education. Current funders are The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation. Additional support comes from SatelLife, a non-profit group based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since August 1995 the ProMED Electronic Conference has been carried free of charge over SatelLife's HealthNet, a system of low-cost ground stations linked to low-orbit satellites which provide communications to health workers in 16 African and 4 Asian countries, some of whom are based at remote outposts. Healthnet has been extraordinarily valuable in exchanging information globally.

Behind this initiative are numerous recent episodes of emerging and re-emerging infections, including the global AIDS pandemic, the continuing spread of dengue viruses, the now frequent appearance of hitherto unrecognized diseases such as the hemorrhagic fevers, the resurgence of old scourges, like tuberculosis and cholera, in new and more severe forms, and the economic and environmental dangers of similar occurrences in animals and plants. The plant component is being expanded and the necessary expertise recruited. We expect this to be in place and fully functioning within the next six months.

Who's Who in ProMed

Jack Woodall, director of the arbovirus laboratory of the New York State Department of Health at Albany and Chairman of the ProMED Communications Task Force, is the ProMED List Moderator; he also covers certain viral infections and diseases, and is an avid web-surfer. Contact him at <woodall@wadsworth.org>.

Stephen S. Morse, professor of virology at The Rockefeller University, is Chair, ProMED Steering Committee and acts as the Moderator for all other human diseases,announcements, and junk mail. Contact him at <morse@rockvax.rockefeller.edu>.

Martin Hugh-Jones, director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Training in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems for Veterinary Public Health at Louisiana State University, is the Animal Disease List (AHEAD) Moderator. You may send animal reports directly to him at <mehj2020@bonnet.vetmed.lsu.edu> or post them to
<owner-promed@usa.healthnet.org>.

Pamela Anderson, plant pathologist at the CIAT-Virology Research Unit, Cali, Colombia, is developing the plant dimension of ProMED. She can be contacted at <P.Anderson@cgnet.com>.

Barbara Hatch Rosenberg, professor at the State University of New York-Purchase, is Project Coordinator. Contact her at <bhrosenb@purvid.purchase.edu>

The ProMED Steering Committee and distinguished Members of the Working Groups on human, animal and plant disease include leading experts from 40 countries. To receive current lists, contact <dpreslar@fas.org>.

The Animal Disease (AHEAD) component of ProMED is coordinated by Dorothy B. Preslar, Washington ProMED Officer at the Federation of American Scientists; she scans the nets and finds the reports that the AHEAD Moderator misses. Contact her at <dpreslar@fas.org>.

Subscriber Choices

Subscribers may now choose among 4 lists:

* promed: all reports (human, animal, plant emerging diseases)

* promed-digest: cumulated reports - all topics as above

* promed-edr: current emerging disease reports and updates only (human, animal, plant)

* promed-ahead: Animal Health/Emerging Animal Diseases

Subscribing

To subscribe to the ProMED electronic conference, send e-mail to:

majordomo@usa.healthnet.org

Leave the Subject line blank (or put anything you like there), and write:

subscribe promed

or subscribe promed-digest

or subscribe promed-edr

or subscribe promed-ahead

in the text space. You will receive an automatic reply with information on how to access past files. From then on you will receive the messages posted to the ProMED conference as they are received, and can post messages to the network.

On the World Wide Web ProMED is at:

http://www.healthnet.org/promed.html

MARTIN HUGH-JONES
ProMED-AHEAD Moderator

PRODUCT AVAILABILITY/
REVIEWS/COMPARISONS

Alternatives to the Use of Live Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing

From: owner-newjour

gopher://gopher.nlm.nih.gov:70/00/teh/animals/.abtehalt.txt

BIBLIOGRAPHY: ALTERNATIVES TO THE USE OF LIVE VERTEBRATES IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND TESTING (formerly ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL TESTING)

This bibliography is produced quarterly by staff of the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP) of the Specialized Information Services Division (SIS) of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) from searches performed in MEDLARS databases.

The focus of the bibliography is to assist in identifying methods and procedures helpful in supporting the development, testing, application, and validation of alternatives to the use of vertebrates in biomedical research and toxicology testing. Relevant citations in the bibliography are organized by subject and include abstracts if available.

If it is more convenient, files corresponding to individual issues can be downloaded from the NLM anonymous ftp server at:

nlmpubs.nlm.nih.gov

Inquiries regarding this bibliography may be sent via e-mail to:

sidney_siegel@occshost.nlm.nih.gov

WebSite for Teachers - Software Recommendation

Posted to: VETINFO@wuvmd.wustl.edu
By: "Ken Boschert" <KEN@WUDCM.WUSTL.EDU>

This is *NOT* an advertisement, but is a recommendation. I have no connection with O'Reilly other than using their Website product, and after suffering with one too many different versions of other webserver software....I can't believe what a good deal this is, you're getting solid webserver software for US$99 ($400 off list price), that is, if you're in the Educational field, in the US or Canada, and if you do Windows NT or 95.

$99 is very reasonable, and if you're even thinking about putting a webserver up on the Net, here's where you start. My own NT server (NetVet) handles about 2500 logins a day (equivalent to 40000 hits) and hasn't stuttered a bit. I had Website up and running out of the box in a couple of hours and have yet to read the documentation. Very highly and enthusiastically recommended. Below is the product literature they sent me.

Ken Boschert, DVM

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 31, 1995

CONTACT: Mary Leal (Phone: 707/829-0515; e-mail: mary@ora.com)

O'REILLY'S WEB SERVER KIT FOR THE CLASSROOM

SEBASTOPOL, CA -- O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. announces WebSite for Teachers, a World Wide Web server packaged and priced for classroom use. WebSite, a feature-rich World Wide Web server, allows Windows-using educators to create and "serve" electronic information -- make it available on an internal computer network for students only or on the Internet to any of the Web's estimated eight million users. With WebSite, a PC with Windows 95 or Windows NT, and an Internet connection, any teacher can build a collection of interconnected documents that can include text, graphics, and even sound and video into a web site.

WebSite for Teachers is O'Reilly's expanded server kit tailored for educators. It is comprised of three components: the complete commercial WebSite package, a white paper written by Mark Sheehan of Indiana University entitled "Classroom Use of the World Wide Web", and a copy Ed Krol's bestselling guide to the Internet The Whole Internet for Windows 95 . With teachers and their limited resources in-mind, WebSite for Teacher is priced at an affordable $99.00, as compared to WebSite's list price of $499. WebSite was given the 1995 John C. Dvorak Award for Excellence in PC Telecommunications, Outstanding Web Server Software.

WebSite is an elegant, easy solution for Windows 95 and Windows NT users who want to start publishing on the Internet. It is a 32-bit World Wide Web server with remarkable power and flexibility and with the ease of use of a Windows application. Its intuitive graphical interface and easy Install make it a natural for Windows users. Using CGI (Common Gateway Interface), users can run a desktop application like Excel or Visual Basic from within a Web document on WebSite. Its access security lets administrators control which users have access to different parts of the Web server.

"The White Paper on Classroom Use of the World Wide Web" by Mark Sheehan, an educator and Senior Manager of Public Services at Indiana University, discusses how the Web helps to create an information-rich learning environment and how it can play an integral role in any class. The paper explains how the Web can be put to use: to serve static administrative and dynamic information, to distribute lecture notes, readings and even a textbook, to provide hypertext links to related electronic information, to foster collaboration among teachers, to market a class to interested students, and to publish. The paper also covers some of the potential drawbacks of using the Web, but ends encouraging educators to put this technology to use.

The Whole Internet for Windows 95 , written by the bestselling Internet author Ed Krol, is the most comprehensive introduction to the Internet available today. It shows users how to take advantage of the vast resources of the Internet with Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Exchange, and many of the best free software programs available from the Net. It also includes an introduction to multimedia for PCs and a catalog of interesting sites to explore.

To set up a WebSite server, Windows 95 users need the following system requirements: a 386 or higher; VGA video display adapter; 3.5" disk drive; 12 MB RAM (16 MB recommended); 5 MB free disk space; TCP/IP connectivity; and of course, Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.5.

WebSite for Teachers is available to all K-12 and Higher Education teachers of all disciplines in the US and Canada. Orders must be FAXed or mailed on school letterhead with pre-payment or on a school purchase order and the kit must be shipped to a school address. WebSite for Teachers is $99 (US), plus tax and shipping.

ABOUT O'REILLY & ASSOCIATES

O'Reilly & Associates is recognized worldwide for its definitive books on the Internet and UNIX, and more recently for its development of online content and software. Working closely with developers of new technologies, O'Reilly's editors are computer people who write about software they use. The company's planning and review process links together authors, software developers, computer vendors, and technical experts throughout the industry in a creative collaboration that mirrors the strengths of the open systems philosophy itself.

WebSite is a trademark of O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. Windows 95 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation

WebSite for Teachers
Available November 6, 1995
$99.00 (US), plus tax and shipping
Toll-free Customer Service number: 800/998-9938 Order FAX: 707/829-0104

Mary Leal

O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. * 103A Morris Street * Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707)829-0515, ext. 254 or 800-998-9938, fax (707)829-9043, mary@ora.com O'Reilly Online

WebSite Central: http://www.ora.com/ http://website.ora.com/

Web Review: http://gnn.com/wr/

Professional HTML Tutorial Available Online Without Charge

LEARN WEB PAGE AUTHORING AT THE @LEARNSKILLS.COM OPEN HOUSE

Browse through the carefully-crafted courseware for "Hands-On HTML--Web Page Authoring" an introductory @LearnSkills online tutorial offered without charge at the @LearnSkills.com Open House.

The online tutorial is loaded with clear explanations, demonstrations, and skill mastery exercises to build your HTML expertise. You'll also enjoy the many pre-researched links to all the best Internet sources for more in-depth information.

For a nominal fee you can enroll in the @LearnSkills Virtual Classroom to receive the direct support of a friendly professional tutor who will guide you on your way, and where you can benefit from classroom discussions of practical problems with other students from around the world.

@LearnSkills is an Internet-based training company offering a range of hands-on computer skills courses that combine the convenience of home study, the dynamism of interactive online communications, and the support of an experienced teacher and class discussion group only an e-mail message away.

To visit the @LearnSkills Open House, point your Web browser to:

http://www.LearnSkills.com

to see what its all about, and what people are saying about us!

Or for more information send an e-mail message to:

mrktg@LearnSkills.com

or visit us at http://www.LearnSkills.com

S. Vexler, Marketing Coordinator

INTERNET RESOURCES

Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine WWW Site
From: Jan Bergeron <jan_bergeron@Merck.Com>

This is to announce the existence of a new World Wide Web site dealing with Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine. This site has been developed by me and Susan Gayle Wynn, DVM. It is primarily a reference site with listings of Associations, Manufacturers of Premium (Natural) Foods, Books, Periodicals, Book Suppliers, and a Directory of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. There is also an introduction that explains Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and there are a couple of initial articles by Dr. Wynn.

Some of the pages are not yet complete, but we are far enough along to announce the availability of the site. Please come and visit us and let us have your comments. We hope this will become the primary site on the web for information on Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine.

The URL is: http://www.monmouth.com/~altvetmed/

J A Bergeron VMD, Associate Editor, The Merck Veterinary Manual
bergeron@merck.com or jbergeron@monmouth.com
http://www.monmouth.com/~jbergeron/
http://www.monmouth.com/~altvetmed/

Registry of Reproductive Pathology on the WWW
From: cummins@possum.murdoch.edu.au (Dr Jim Cummins)

"The International Registry of Reproductive Pathology is a collection of more than 20,000 accessions dealing with diseases in reproductive tracts of domestic animals. The Registry consists of histologic slides, preserved gross specimens, color transparencies, paraffin blocks, wet tissues, and case histories, all of which are cross indexed. The collection is also computerized to allow searching by signalment, organ or morphologic diagnosis. Specimens include large numbers of domestic animals (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses, dogs and cats) as well as laboratory animals and exotics. Consultation or submission of additional material dealing with reproductive pathology is welcome."

The Homepage is at:

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/homepages/gfoley/Foley.html

and it's run by :

Dr. George L. Foley; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology; College of Veterinary Medicine; University of Illinois; 2001 South Lincoln Ave; Urbana, Il 61801
voice: (217) 244-8310
fax: (217) 244-7421
e-mail: g-foley@uiuc.edu
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/homepages/gfoley/Foley4.htm

Veterinary Pathology on the WWW
From: zacharyJ@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu

Veterinary Pathology, an international journal of natural and experimental disease, publishes manuscripts, reviews, brief communications, case reports, editorials, letters, and advertisements for employment opportunities and new products. Abstracts, instructions to authors, manuscripts in-press, and other valuable information.

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/HomePages/JFZachary/VetPathol

PAHO Launches Web & Gopher Servers
From: Mr. Eunsik Kwak <KWAKEUNS@PAHO.ORG>

Pan American Health Organization, DC USA

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched its Web Server, containing information on Public health and related issues in the Americas.

Visit the Web and Gopher servers at

http://www.paho.org
gopher://gopher.paho.org

Contact: webmaster@paho.org

NEWS AND COMMENTARY

The following two reports give strikingly different estimates of the level of Internet usage in the U.S. It's your choice whom to believe. (AVI Newsletter Editor)

Internet Demographics Survey - Internet's Reach in Society Grows

KARA SWISHER, Washington Post staff writer, reports that a major survey about the Internet released in October (I presume this was 1995, Editor) indicates that its reach has extended far beyond a small cadre of elite computer users and is becoming increasingly popular among the general public.

The poll, conducted by Nielson Media Research for CommerceNet, a group of businesses interested in promoting electronic commerce, concluded that about 37 million people in the United States and Canada have access to the Internet--representing about 17 percent of the total population over the age of 16--either through work, at home, through friends, or via a commercial online service.

Of that number, about 24 million adults had signed on in the 90 days previous to the survey's release.

The poll--called the Internet Demographics Survey--is one of many in recent months attempting to give businesses a better understanding of who exactly is using the Internet, which has been touted, according to Swisher, as "the next big marketing opportunity." The Neilson Company conducted the pool by making random telephone calls to households and interviewing 4,200 people--both users and nonusers--allowing the survey to project the results onto a larger population. Following is information contained in a chart, "Who's on the Internet," accompanying the Post article:

Number of Users: 11 percent of the U.S. and Canadian population 16 years or older--4 million people--used the Internet in the 3 months preceding the poll's release.

Gender: 66 percent of users are males, and males account for 77 percent of online time.

Age: 53 percent of users are between 16 and 34.

Frequency: 31 percent of users access the Internet every day.

Users spend an average of 5 hours and 28 minutes online per week.

Salaries: 25 percent of Web users have an income of more than $80,000 a year, compared with 10 percent of the general population.

Education: 64 percent of Web users have a 4-year college degree, compared with 28 percent of the general population.

New Survey Lowers Internet User Estimates
From Edupage <educom@educom.unc.edu>

A new survey by New York-based Find/SVP pegs the number of U.S. Internet users at 9.5 million, far below the findings of a disputed Nielsen Media Research survey a couple of months ago, which had reported 24 million North American users. The Find/SVP study also estimated the number of U.S. Web users was about 7.5 million. (Wall Street Journal 12 Jan 96 B2) Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Emerging Technologies Research Group shows Internet users spending an average of 6.6 hours a week on the Net, time previously spent watching TV, listening to the radio or making long-distance phone calls. The average session was 68 minutes. Women are twice as likely as men to use the Internet exclusively for business. (Tampa Tribune Jan 12 96 B&F1)

MEETINGS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

AMIA 1996 Site Visits

Looking for a way to further your informatics education this year? Take advantage of AMIA's (American Medical Informatics Association) site visit program. The program is designed to demonstrate several of the major academic systems in the U.S. The fee for each site visit is $25 for students, $100 for AMIA members, and $200 for non-AMIA members. Visitors are responsible for making their own travel and hotel arrangements. For further information and a brochure call the AMIA office at 301/657-1291.

March 27-29, 1996
AIM-96 (Aritificial Intelligence in Medicine); Stanford, California
See the September-October, 1995 AVCS Newsletter for details.

May 11-19, 1996
Toward an Electronic Patient Record '96; San Diego, Callifornia
For more information call 617/964-3923 or e-mail cust_service@medrecinst.com

June 5-8, 1996
AMIA 1996 Spring Congress; Kansas City, Missouri
"Conquering Distance: Teleinformatics-Telemedicine-Telehealth"
For more information write: AMIA; 4915 St. Elmo Avenue; Suite 401; Bethesda, MD 20814

August 7-9, 1996
12th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning; Madison, Wisconsin

Call for Conference Sessions and Exhibits
12th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning
August 7-9, 1996
Madison, Wisconsin

Theme: Designing for Active Learning

Session proposals are due March 1, 1996

The Conference Planning Committee of the 12th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning invites you to contribute to the professional knowledge provided at this event by presenting a session that relates to the conference theme. We also invite exhibits and demonstrations of distance education resources, courseware and technology.

Plan to join nearly 900 colleagues from around the world at this leading forum on distance education and training. Practitioners, managers and researchers from education, business and industry, and government agencies will come together to exchange information and explore new developments at this 12th Annual Conference.

To receive a brochure that describes how to prepare and submit a proposal, please call 608-265-4159 and ask for a brochure for the Call for Conference Sessions and Exhibits for the 12th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning.

The brochure is also available on the World Wide Web and gopher and via automated e-mail, anonymous FTP and fax-on-demand.

WWW: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html

point your gopher at: epdgopher.engr.wisc.edu

FTP to: epd.engr.wisc.edu

go to the directory named epdfiles
transfer the file named DISTED11

e-mail to: listserv@epd.engr.wisc.edu

in message type: send disted11

October 14-17, 1996
European Congress of the Internet in Medicine; Brighton, United Kingdom

General Information:

MEDNET 96 is the European Congress of the Internet in Medicine. The aims of the conference are to bring together researchers, developers and users involved in the application of the Internet in medicine.

It will provide a forum for those interested in exploring the role of the Internet in medicine, to present research, discuss developments, attend tutorials, workshops and panel discussions. A virtual medical conference will be held on the World-Wide-Web for the duration of the Congress.

The Congress will also feature a major commercial exhibition.

The Conference language will be English.

Contributions in the form of paper presentations, workshops, tutorials, posters on all areas where the Internet is exerting an influence on medicine and medical science. Virtual posters on all areas of medicine are also welcome for the virtual medical conference.

Topics will include:

Access to Information
Authoring Environments
Business and Marketing
Clinical and Non-Clinical Applications
Commercial Use
Digital Libraries
Electronic Publishing
Ethical Issues
Information Policies and Management
Medical Education Including Undergraduate and Continuing Network Standards
Regulations and Politics
Security
Telemedicine
Enhanced and Virtual Reality in Medicine

Call for Papers:

Authors are invited to submit abstracts of papers on any of the Congress topics of no more than 200 words for consideration by the Scientific and Technical Committee. Abstracts that may be submitted for consideration include those that have not previously been published in another forum, or are not currently being published or reviewed by another journal or conference.

All abstracts will be refereed for quality and originality. The Committee reserves the right to accept the abstract as a paper or poster presentation.

All accepted abstracts will be published in the congress proceedings. In addition outstanding papers will be invited for publication in a special conference edition of the Journal of Medical Informatics.

Abstracts intended for submission should be submitted using the appropriate submission form via the MEDNET World-Wide-Web site (http://www.mednet.org.uk/mednet/mednet.htm)

For further details e-mail: info@mednet.org.uk

Clive Baldock; Medical Physics Department; Brighton Health Care NHS Trust; Royal Sussex County Hospital; Eastern Road; Brighton BN2 5BE; United Kingdom
Tel. 01273 696955 ext 4387
Fax. 01273 664503
URL: http://www.rsch.org.uk/rsch/baldock1.htm

October 15-20, 1996
1st Virtual-International On-line Pathology Symposium

From: "Anil K Dhiri, DVM.MBA" <piscescd@DIRCON.CO.UK>

Web Page: http://www.pathit.com/symposia

Preliminary Announcement and Call for Papers

The on-line symposium will be hosted by PathIT Webserver, publishers of the PathIT (ISSN 1360 7111) newsletter for pathologists. Papers on following topics are invited for consideration by the Symposium Committee:

TOPIC CODE

Advances in Clinical Pathology (ClinPath)
Cardiovascular Pathology (CVS)
Carcinogenesis (Carc)
Cytopathology (Cyt)
Forensic Pathology (Foren)
Gastro-intestinal Pathology (GIT)
Haematopathology (Haem)
Hepatic Pathology (Hep)
Maxillo-facial Pathology (MaxFc)
Morphometric Pathology (Morph)
Occular Pathology (Occular)
Pathology Informatics (IT)
Renal Pathology (Renal)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LANGUAGE: The official language of the symposia is English.

PROCEEDINGS: The Symposia proceedings will be published on a CD-ROM, copy of which will be provided to all the contibutors.

AUDIENCE: The conference is directed to all pathologists in academia, industry, health services or private practice. Additionally, final year medical, dental and veterinary students are also encouraged to participate by submitting research projects where appropriate.

ENTRY SUBMISSION: In the first instance you are invited to submit Title, Author(s), proposed category and if possible an abstract of your manuscript by completing the on-line form @ http://pathit.com/symposia/request1.htm On receipt of your request, you will be allocated a manuscript number which should be used in all future correspondences relating to your paper. If you do not submit an abstract in the first instance, on receipt of your manuscript number you will be required to submit an abstract of your manuscript by 1-May-96, for peer review by our international panel.

Following the review, you will be informed by 1-Jul-96 whether your manuscript has been accepted or not.

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT:

All submissions to be in electronic format as either as MS Word,Worperfect or HTML files. All figures and images to be supplied in *;gif or *.jpg files. Each manuscript should have: Title Page with Author(s) and affiliation, Abstract, Introduction, Material and Methods, Results and Discussion., Refrences. Manuscripts should be concise and written in American or English styles.Sample copy, further details and HTML templates will be supplied on acceptance of your manuscript.

DEADLINES-DATE

Title and Abstract- 01-Mar-96

Manuscript Number Allocation-30-Mar-96

Receipt of Abstract-01-May-96

Abstract Acceptance-01-Jul-96

Paper Submission-1-Sep-96

SYMPOSIUM COMMITTEE

Symposium Director: Dr Anil K Dhiri, DVM, MBA
PathIT Pathology On-line; Congress Office; London N20 8HL
Telephone: +44 (0)973 312 997, Telefax: +44 (0)181 343 8169 E-mail: pathit@pathit.com

REVIEW PANEL

Dr Hank C. Chien, MD, PhD, Taiwan
Dr. Andrew Lyon, MD, Canada
Mr Coos Visser, CT(IAC) LVF, Netherlands Dr Phillipe Bertheau, MD, France
Dr Warren G Lieullan, DVM, PhD, United States

November 3-5, 1996
ITCH'96 - Information Technology in Community Health; Victoria, BC, Canada,
http://sol.uvic.ca/heis/ITCH/ITCH.html

July 1-4, 1997
2nd International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists; Frederiksberg, Denmark
From: bommice@inet.uni-c.dk (Bomholtgaard Breeding and Research Centre Ltd.)

Preliminary Announcement and Call for Papers
The Danish Veterinary and Agricultural Library
Royal Danish Veterinary and Agricultural University; Frederiksberg, Denmark; July 1-4, 1997

The conference programme will include invited and contributed papers and field trips related to the conference theme.

Located at the Royal Danish Veterinary and Agricultural University, the conference will be close to the Danish Veterinary and Agricultural Library. There will be separate registration for continuing education courses, taking place at the Danish Veterinary and Agricultural Library. After the official conference, it will be possible to visit individual Scandinavian veterinary libraries.

The official language of the conference is English.

The conference is directed to librarians and other information professionals working in:

Veterinary medicine
Laboratory animal science
Zoological and wildlife medicine and biology
Primatology
Zootechny
Veterinary pharmacology
Food hygiene

Papers relating to all aspects of animal health information management, present and future, are solicited. Topics appropriate to the conference, but not limited to the following, include:

International Resource Sharing, Improvement of access to local information sites, projects, Information research , Organisation of regional groups of information workers across borders, Network communication, Publishing development

Management and marketing of Library specialities, Improvement of contact to university/company staff, Consultative activities, Serving the public, Document delivery, Advertising

User education and training, Evaluating needs and demands, Technical tools, Teaching students as a part of curriculum

Veterinary specialities: Patents, Biotechnology, Pharmacology, Alternative medicine, Animal health promotion (for the benefit of man), Zoonoses, Food/Feed science & technology, Food hygiene, Laboratory animal science

Anna Eslau Larsen
Danish Veterinary and Agricultural Library
Buelowsvej 13
DK-1870 Frederiksberg C.
Telephone: +45 35 28 21 39, Telefax: +45 35 28 2158
E-mail: ael@kvl.dk

Deadlines

Receipt of abstract: September 1, 1996

Invitation to submit paper: November 1, 1996

Internet WWW address for further information: http://www.dvjb.kvl.dk/dvjba/icahis.htm

Yours sincerely,

Frederik Dagnaes-Hansen, DVM, PhD.
Bomholtgard Breeding and Research Centre Ltd.
Bomholtvej 10, P.O.Box 39, DK-8680 RY, Denmark
Tel.: +45 86841211 Fax +45 86841699
E-mail: bommice@inet.uni-c.dk
WWW: http://inet.uni-c.dk/~bommice/
WWW: http://www.uib.no/vivariet/Bomholt.html

Veterinary Epidemiology/Information Management Postgraduate Position
From: iagardner@ucdavis.edu (Ian Gardner)

Opportunity for Postgraduate Veterinary Education

Position: Adjunct Instructor
Department of Medicine and Epidemiology
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California, Davis

SALARY RANGE: $19,608 - $32,300 per year, dependent upon qualifications and/or experience (indexed to NIH scale).

BENEFITS: Eligible for student health insurance and payment of in-state tuition. Out-of-state tuition not covered.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Effective July 1, 1996 or as soon thereafter as possible. Term of appointment is for one academic year. Possible reappointment up to a maximum of four years, with expectation that extramural funding will be sought by faculty mentor/appointee within first year of study.

FILING DEADLINE: Applications will be accepted through February 15, 1996 or until filled.

QUALIFICATIONS: D.V.M. (or equivalent) degree and acceptance into appropriate UCD graduate group (application may be concurrent). Minimum 3.5 GPA required for appointment and must be maintained. Must demonstrate high potential, promise and desire for an academic career in teaching and research. Demonstrated teaching and research experience or potential in area of epidemiology and information management required. Preference will be given to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Provide instructional support in area of epidemiology and information management and conduct research under the guidance of one of the departmental faculty members whose research area is best suited to the appropriate field of graduate study.

TO APPLY: Applications must include transcripts of all college and professional course work, three letters of reference, and a narrative outlining future academic and professional goals. Concurrent application for admission to UCD graduate program is also suggested as successful admission is required for employment in this position. Women and ethnic minorities are encouraged to apply.

Send applications or direct inquiries to:

Dr. Peter J. Ihrke, Acting Chair
Department of Medicine and Epidemiology
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA 956l6
PHONE: (916) 752-1363
FAX: (916)752-0414

CLOSING BITS

David Letterman's Top 10 Signs You've Gone To a Bad Veterinarian
http://netvet.wustl.edu/top10.htm

10) When you hand him your cat, he asks uncomfortably, "Monkey?"
9) Two weeks later, your dog coughs up a rubber glove.
8) Big sign in waiting room: No Pets Allowed!
7) Diploma looks a lot like menu from Chinese restaurant.
6) Always saying "I've got a tick in my pants."
5) Sends you a card every spring: "Time for your dog's annual neutering."
4) First question, "What ails your varmint?"
3) He has a lot of posters up advertising cockfights.
2) He himself wears one of those big funnel shaped dog collars.
1) He bites!

Association for Veterinary Informatics

NEWSLETTER