AVMA/AVI Talbot
Informatics Symposium
The AVMA/AVI Richard B. Talbot Informatics Symposium will be held Monday,
July 21 from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM in Room B-13 of the Reno/Sparks Convention
Center. The program is as follows:
08:30 - Introduction and Afternoon Panel Discussion (Harmon Rogers)
08:45 - Management of Data Information in the Diagnostic Laboratory (Judy
Mullen)
09:45 - Introduction to Corporate Veterinary Software (Hugh Lewis)
10:40 - Specialty Practice Software - Animal Intelligence Software (Michael
F. Philbrick)
11:45-13:00 - Lunch
13:00 - The Algorithms of Veterinary Medicine (Steven J. Ettinger)
14:00 - Internet and World Wide Web Resources (Jeff R. Wilcke)
14:45 - Elecronic Publishing. What it Means to Practitioners (Charles A.
Cohen,
Francis X. Buckingham, William P. Pratt)
15:45 - The Electronic Zoo and AVMA.ORG Grow Up. Where We've Been, Where
We're
Going, and How We're Going to Get There (James Brewer and Karl Wise)
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; 1590 Augusta Ct., Dixon, CA
95620
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; UI College of Veterinary Medicine;
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 AVI Newsletter are also available on the
Web at the following URL:
http://netvet.wustl.edu/avi.htm
Three Veterinary
Informatics Projects
From: Fred Smith <smith.f@CALC.VET.UGA.EDU>
I am working on three projects that may be of interest to members of this
list. They address these three questions:
1. How can I convert hundreds of ILINK DOS+videodisc lessons to Web format?
2. How can I help vet. med. teachers get up to speed on Web-based teaching/learning
tools?
3. How can I get veterinary practitioners to understand what the Web can
do for them?
I have provided a short description of each project below and you can get
more details from my Web site. Your comments and suggestions would be welcome.
http://WWW.VAR.VET.UGA.EDU
1. ILINK to the Web. ILINK (LTNT, LIHM) is an old DOS program that used
the videodisc to present image-rich lessons. Hundreds of lessons have been
written in this format and are still in use (!). I am writing a translator
(in Perl) that takes the ILINK script and automatically produces an HTML/JavaScript
version of each lesson. If you are interested you can see samples of output
and obtain copies of the Perl program as it develops. Click on the ILINK
TO HTML link. http://WWW.VAR.VET.UGA.EDU/ilk2html/
2. Many of our faculty here at the CVM are interested in the Web as a teaching/learning
tool but they don't know where to start. We are planning a workshop for
veterinary educators that will highlight the special Web-based tools that
help produce interactive lessons - not just links from document to document.
Click on the WEB-BASED LEARNING TOOLS WORKSHOP link for details. If you
have a lesson-oriented Web page we could refer to during the Workshop please
drop me a note with your URL.
http://WWW.VAR.VET.UGA.EDU/ivd9/
3. Veterinary practitioners are hearing lots about the Web and how they
should be using it. They want to know about VIN and NOAH and how to get
connected. I have done a series of one-day workshop for practitioners and
they have been popular. If you would like details about them visit the COMPUTER
COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP link. Have you done something similar and could
you suggest anything else to include? Could we share notes?
http://WWW.VAR.VET.UGA.EDU/ce/
Fred G. Smith, DVM, PhD
Voice: (706) 542-5550 FAX: (706) 542-0051 SMITH.F@CALC.VET.UGA.EDU
http://WWW.VAR.VET.UGA.EDU
Guy Hancock, DVM
Program Director
St. Petersburg Junior College
Veterinary Technology Program
Health Education Center
PO Box 13489, St. Petersburg. FL 33733
(813)341-3653
whiteg@email.spjc.cc.fl.us
http://hecweb.spjc.cc.fl.us/CHIP/VT1.html or
http://www.spjc.cc.fl.us/catalog/cathvet.html
This program began in the fall of 1994 as a way to serve students employed
by veterinarians and who cannot move or give up full time jobs in order
to attend school. The goal is to use technology to bring school to students,
wherever they are, and to take advantage of the facilities and expertise
available in the workplace.
As of the second semester in the 1996-97 academic year there are 84 students
enrolled from Florida and 12 other states. The Distance Education Program
was awarded provisional accreditation by the AVMA in November of 1995. This
enables graduates to sit for state certification or licensing exams in all
states.
Students in the program use computer conferencing through America Online
for real-time interaction with faculty and other students. Students have
reported that because of online conferencing and email they have more interaction
with faculty than in traditional on-campus lecture courses. Typical students
will take about 3 years to earn the veterinary technology portion of the
degree, at the rate of 5-7 credit hours per semester.
The following information applies to On-Line Program students who are accepted
into the Veterinary Technology Program to begin in either the January or
August classes. Application should be sent several months in advance. Applicants
will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis.
A complete application requires the following:
1. The white application and the $22 fee if you have never been a student
at SPJC.
2. The yellow selective admissions application and a $10 fee.
3. The supplemental application form for distance students.
4. Transcripts from high school and any colleges attended, to be sent directly
to SPJC from each school.
For answers to questions call 813-341-3653 between 8 am and 4 PM.
Applicants are considered as soon as their file is complete. Higher priority
will be given to applicants meeting the following qualifications:
1. Completion of most of the general education requirements.
2. Significant computer experience or ability.
3. Currently employed by a veterinarian and have one year of full time veterinary
employment or significant work experience.
4. High cumulative college grade point average.
We recommend that the place of employment have a graduate veterinary technician
or two full time veterinarians who are AVMA members.
The Veterinary Technology Distance Education Program is based on the following
assumptions:
1. Students complete any unmet general education course requirements at
their local community college.
2. Students have the initiative, resourcefulness, and perseverance to work
independently.
3. Students have a solid relationship with their employer veterinarian.
4. Students have experience using a computer.
Facts about the Distance Learning Program:
1. Registration fees (subject to change) are $39.78 per credit hour for
state residents, and $142.66 per credit for students who have not met the
residency requirement. Additional fees are $20 per course and an insurance
fee of $12.50 with Work Experience Seminars I and III.
2. Students must subscribe to America Online. The $19.95/month fee includes
free software and unlimited connect time per month. Most subscribers can
connect via a local number, but those without a local access number will
have to pay additional long distance phone charges, an 800 number surcharge,
or pay for internet access.
3. Students will also subscribe to the Veterinary Information Network (VIN),
a service available through America Online. The fee is specially discounted
at $19 per month. Students may use the membership account of their employer
if he or she belongs to or joins VIN. To learn more or to join please call
1-800-700-INFO (California).
4. Each lecture course will meet online for approximately 45 minutes per
week to "chat." Chats are interactive discussions between students
and the instructor. In addition to online chat time students will spend
time downloading assignments and uploading completed work. Chats are scheduled
at 7, 8 or 9 pm EST Monday-Thursday.
5. Final exams in lecture courses will be proctored by the employer or by
test administrators at the local community college.
6. Lab practical final exams are on-campus in St. Petersburg, unless special
arrangements can be made with another veterinary technician program closer
to the student.
7. Each lab course requires work in a veterinary hospital. The employer
must agree to teach specific skills, proctor exams and do evaluations.
8. Additional veterinary sponsors will be needed to help students learn
about species their employer does not treat and equipment not present in
their hospital. Books and course packets will be ordered by mail or phone
through the SPJC Health Education Center bookstore at 813-545-0261.
9. The District Board of Trustees requires all health program students to
furnish proof of accident and sickness health insurance and provide a physical
exam form signed by a physician, physician assistant, or registered nurse
practitioner. No special tests or vaccinations are required. Following acceptance,
the physical exam, insurance, and textbook order forms will be sent by regular
mail.
The credit earned by distance education is exactly the same as credit earned
on campus. Some students will mix distance education courses with on-site
courses in order to better accommodate work and family obligations. The
difference between local and distance learning is in the method of delivery,
not in the content or the desired outcomes.
Those interested in pursuing either program should call or E-mail us your
complete name, address, and phone number. We will then provide the necessary
applications, transcript request form, and college catalog.
Computer Predicts
Presence of Food Pathogens
Food Safety Network <FSNET-L@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA>
An updated computer software package can help the food industry predict
the fate of harmful microorganisms in products, say scientists at USDA's
Agricultural Research Service.
Scientists developed the Pathogen Modeling Program to track the survival
and growth of E. coli 0157:H7 and other pathogens.. The program supplies
a first-round estimate of the safety potential of foods during product development
by industry or during safety evaluation by regulatory agencies. It gives
microbiologists in the food industry and regulatory agencies a quick, accurate,
inexpensive way to engineer safety into foods. The user types in information
on food formulation or storage conditions, including temperature, salt levels
and acidity. Then the program graphically predicts the growth or death of
the pathogen. The newest version of the program contains growth models for
Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Listeria
monocytogenes, Salmonella, Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus and
Yersinia enterocolitica. Earlier versions have been distributed worldwide
to more than 800 users.
The program can be downloaded from the ARS web site (http://www.arserrc.gov).
For more information, contact Robert Buchanan, USDA-ARS, (215)233 6636,
email: rbuchanan@arserrc.gov.
Patient Interview Application
on the Web
From: Jim Warren <cisjrw@ARES.LEVELS.UNISA.EDU.AU>
At the University of South Australia, we have developed a system that supports
a non-expert clerk in conducting an interview of a primary care patient.
The Patient Interview Support Application (PISA) employs natural language
processing, a knowledge-base of medical key terms and a knowledge-base of
questions to prompt the clerk to ask a parsimonious series of relevant questions
about the patient's condition, forming a coded electronic medical record.
The PISA has been in clinical use at a trial site since 1994.
We have recently ported the PISA from Windows to the World Wide Web and
are inviting people to try it out at http://pisa.levels.unisa.edu.au/
We are interested in any comments about how to
improve the system and any inquiries regarding research and development
collaboration.
Dr. Jim Warren
School of Computer and Information Science
The University of South Australia
Warrendi Road
The Levels SA 5095, AUSTRALIA
http://www.cis.unisa.edu.au/~cisjrw
Ph: +61 8 8302 3446; Fax: +61 8 8302 3381
email: james.warren@unisa.edu.au
ClienTraxTM Version
3.4 Released!
From: FXBUCK@aol.com
ClienTraxTM version 3.4 is now available. (You will normally receive a new
version after your software support renewal is paid.) You will find many
new features and improvements in this version. We have added a lot of small
conveniences and messages that will prevent errors and speed data entry.
We have also added some major new features in four areas including medical
records.
New Features Added . . .
Support for Automatic Cash Drawer
ClienTraxTM version 3.4 now adds support for an automatic cash drawer. This
steel drawer mounts under or on top of a counter or desk. It can also sit
under a computer or monitor. It has a lock and will open with a key or when
prompted by ClienTraxTM when the Payment window is completed. The drawer
chimes when it opens. It features a removable tray so that a different tray
can be used for each shift if desired. Each workstation can have a separate
drawer if desired. (Remember, ClienTraxTM Daily Totals reports can be printed
to show totals for each operator.) Please call for more information.
New Log Reports
There are now two new log reports in the Reports menu. You select Reports
menu and then select Daily Logs (Expanded), or Daily Logs (Patients). These
reports give you two new ways to get information on the items and/or services
you have provided over any range of dates and range of item numbers. The
new "Patients" Log option will provide all of the information
required by most local government agencies for reporting Rabies vaccinations.
Hospital Census
You can now keep track of the location of your Patients from the time they
come in the door until they are discharged! This is especially useful for
larger practices. Now, you can see from any ClienTraxTM screen where your
patients are located. To change a Patient's location, bring up the Client
card, select the Patient and click the Census button on the lower right
side of the screen above the Patient list. Then click the button representing
the appropriate location for that patient and click the OK button. You can
change the location of any Patient at any time by repeating the same steps
and selecting a different location. When you want to see a summary of the
locations of all Patients currently in the practice, click the Main Menu
and select Census List.
Medical Records: What's New
Because of its point and click operation ClienTraxTM is an ideal means to
go to "paperless" medical records. You can select a Template,
(see above) enter a few extra words, and complete a record with just a few
keystrokes. The new medical records screen features a section at the top
that allows you to link to any item in the Inventory list. This means that
you can establish a list of problems, diagnoses or other items. One item
can be associated with each page in the medical records.
You can also "pop-up" a list of Templates or forms that you will
use to create a record. Most records can be completed with a minimum of
typing. Support: Toll-Free vs. Toll
You can reach us anytime you are working on the computer. Our software includes
fully-staffed support lines Monday through Friday, 8:30-5:30 Central Time.
We handle almost all calls as them come in. If we need to return your call,
it is usually done within a few minutes. If you need after-hours ClienTraxTM
support, you can call our regular support line and leave a voice-mail message.
One of our staff will be paged automatically and you will receive a call
in a few minutes.
We have noticed about one half of our support calls concern problems not
relating to our software but to other software problems with Windows, the
Macintosh, printers, tape backup software, etc. Some users have a hard time
understanding which areas belong to our software and which more properly
belong to Microsoft, Apple, Hewlett Packard, Dell, etc. We are always willing
to help our clients, but we also don't want these costs to be borne by all
of the users. We are considering providing more support options to include
support for Windows and backup software as well as our software. We are
also considering making support calls a regular toll call instead of toll-free.
Please help us with your suggestions and ideas!
New Proceedings
The Proceedings of the North American Veterinary Conference and the American
Animal Hospital Association annual meetings for 1997 are now available.
They are available on diskette (and very soon on CD-ROM) for Windows, MS-DOS
and Macintosh. These Proceedings provide the text of the printed Proceedings
in a completely indexed and readily searchable form. Multiple Proceedings
can even be searched simultaneously! Please call or see our catalog for
more information.
3 New Client Instructions Sets
Mosby Yearbook Publishing has released three new Client Instructions sets
and granted Veterinary Software Publishing, Inc. the rights to publish these
on disk. The newest titles are Instructions for Veterinary Clients: Canine
and Feline Medical and Surgical Problems Third Edition, by Erlewein and
Kuhns; Instructions for Veterinary Clients: Canine and Feline Behavior Problems,
Second Edition, by Stefanie Schwartz and Instructions for Equine Clients
by Mansmann and Miller. These sets feature hundreds of useful client handouts.
Many illustrations are also included. Each document can be modified on the
screen and then printed. Clinic name, address, and veterinarian's name,
etc. can be set in a Header or Footer to automatically print on each document.
Please see the V.S.P, Inc. Catalog for more information and pricing.
Four Multimedia Titles Available
Please call for more information on Multimedia Cats, Dogs, Horses and Exotic
Pets on CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh computers. These four titles make
great client education tools! They provide advice on when to seek veterinary
attention for an animal, assistance in selecting the right pet or breed,
and feature hundreds of color pictures and many full-motion videos.
STUDVET - Full
Version on the Web
From: Michael Shaw <mshaw@GIL.COM.AU>
Dear colleagues,
Finally the finished Windows 95 version of STUDVET is on the Web. This version
will not expire until September 1 in demonstration mode. The downloaded
version can now be converted to the fully useable registered version by
purchasing a license key. This means no delays to get a working version,
just a quick fax or email, enter the provided key, and you are up and running.
Educational institutions please note. There has been a change in structure
of the STUDVET organization, and with the new release there is a very generously
discounted site license available to Universtities etc. wishing to use and
teach with the program. Email for details.
Those of you who downloaded a previous version will find it has expired.
The site is unchanged at
As always, anyone needing a copy mailed out need
only email and ask.
Michael Shaw B.V.Sc.
mshaw@gil.com.au
Studvet Enterprises Pty. Ltd.
304 Mt. Crosby Road Chuwar
Queensland
Australia 4306
Ph: +61 7 32827888 Fax: +61 32827899
Successful Farming
Online
Successful Farming Online is a site dedicated to
the monthly print magazine Successful Farming, the largest paid subscription
farm magazine in the U.S. Approximately one-quarter of the magazine's features
articles are available online, as well as a number of back issues. Successful
Farming publishes articles, editorials and news related to agribusiness;
farm products, legistation, and management; and other topics of importance
to a farming family.
Contact: Loren Kruse, Editor-in-Chief, lkruse@dsm.mdp.com
or for other editors and support staff see:
http://www.agriculture.com/contents/sfonline/editors/whoswho.html
View3 Product Description
From: Eluem Blyden <eblyden@khepera.com>
I invite you to discover a revolutionary new product
-- View3. View3 is an imaging and 3D modelling program designed for use
by medical practitioners, radiologists and educators in research and teaching.
We would like to introduce our software to your members and would like to
know if there is any newsgroup or forum where we can publicise it.
View3 is a powerful imaging application that fits into the familiar environment
of your desktop PC! Working side-by-side with your word processor, web browser
and other desktop applications, view3 lets you build and dissect detailed
2D and 3D models of your CT-, MRI or confocal microscopy data. Cut and paste
sophisticated images into your reports with ease! Send 3D anatomical models
to colleagues by email or publish them on the world wide web for remote
viewing using our view3viewer! View3 can store, analyze and manipulate 2D
and 3D images on a standard IBM compatible PC. It has an easy-to-use interface,
file import functions and a built-in database that you will be comfortable
with in minutes. Print out color pictures or build 3D models on your laptop
at home!
Khepera Group, LLC is offering the complete DOS version of the program at
an introductory price to customers who agree to take part in the beta testing
program of view3WIN. View3WIN is a Windows application which allows color
and stereographic viewing of 3D models built in the view3 system. The application
has many sophisticated cutting, viewing and saving options that can be used
to view models downloaded from the Web or built locally using the DOS view3
program.
More detailed information is to be found at our website.
Eluemuno R. Blyden,PH.D. Khepera
http://www.khepera.com
All the Virology
on the WWW Update!
From: "Dr. David M. Sander" <DMSander@ix.netcom.com>
"All the Virology on the WWW" (http://www.tulane.edu/~dmsander/garryfavweb.html) is pleased to announce several updates of interest to
our users:
- Our new AIDS/HIV links make our collection the most comprehensive available
- "The Big Picture Book of Viruses" has new VIRUS PICS from Abadina
to Zirqa
- Our index of Microbiology and Virology Departments continues to grow....
- New additions to our unique JOBS page have made it a very popular addition
- We've added numerous labs to our list of VIROLOGY LABS - Do we have yours?
- Even more sites have been added to our WEIRD VIROLOGY section!
All the Virology on the WWW has also been adding to its already substantial
collection of internet links of use to Virologists, Microbiologists and
the general public. If you aren't familiar with the site, or would like
to add a URL to my collection, please read "About All the Virology
on the WWW" below, and don't miss the TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Thanks for your continued support!
David
Flea News
From: james <jrenfro@seas.upenn.edu>
Flea News <http://www.ent.iastate.edu/FleaNews/AboutFleaNews.html>
This biannual electronic newsletter is devoted to matters involving insects
belonging to the order Siphonaptera (fleas). It is compiled and distributed
free of charge by Robert E. Lewis, with the support of the Department of
Entomology at Iowa State University in Ames, IA and a grant in aid from
the ZOECON CORPORATION, a Sandoz company based in Dallas, TX. It is mainly
bibliographic in nature, but recipients are urged to check any citations
given here before including them in publications. Many of the sources are
abstracting journals and title pages and not all citations have been checked
for accuracy. Additional information will be provided upon written request.
Further, recipients are urged to contribute items of interest to the profession
for inclusion herein.
Articles are available in HTML and as Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format
(PDF) files.
Contact: Robert E. Lewis
Email: relewis@iastate.edu
Food Safety Listserv
From: Douglas A Powell <dpowell@uoguelph.ca>
Thanks to computer technology, the latest global developments in food safety
risks - from mad cow disease to outbreaks of E. coli - are being made available
to an audience worldwide of scientists, policy makers and laypeople through
a University of Guelph-based daily listserv known as the Food Safety Network
(Fsnet).
"There has been a huge interest in microbial food safety since the
Jack-in-the-Box restaurant issue (in which an outbreak of the bacterium
E. coli 0157:H7 traced to hamburgers caused the deaths of three children)
broke," says Doug Powell, a U of G assistant professor and Science
and Society Project Director who initiated the listserv. "The public
is increasingly demanding to be involved in the decision-making process
regarding food safety and health-related issues." Powell's office also
produces Agnet (Agriculture Network), a listserv which carries material
related to plant agriculture, including food biotechnology, chemical hazards,
productivity and sustainability to various audiences.
These free electronic communications tools were initiated to promote awareness
of public concerns in scientific and regulatory circles, to rapidly identify
issues for risk management and communication activities, and to assist in
risk analysis activitities. After a three-month trial period with funding
from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, FSnet
went on-line in May 1995; Agnet, with funding from OMAFRA's plants program
at the University of Guelph, was established in May 1996.
The daily creation of these listservs requires high-tech electronic sleuthing.
Every day, Powell and two graduate students search a mass of electronic
and paper information from Canadian, U.S. and international sources relating
to agriculture and food safety. These articles are edited, condensed and
posted daily on the FSnet and Agnet listservs, which are read by 900 and
700 members respectively, from 20 countries. Powell notes that analyzing
and tracking articles related to food safety and agricultural issues functions
as a tool to understand the formation of public opinion. In fact, it is
possible to predict trends and how the public will react to perceptions
of risks or benefits from these sources, which act as an early warning system.
"For example, after the mad cow disease story broke on March 20, 1996,
it was clear that the main issue besides health was moral outrage over the
fact rendered protein was beng used in cattle fed, which some described
as feeding cows to other cows," says Powell. He notes that because
uncertainty in scientific assessments often translates into public apprehension,
effective risk communication must involve carefully constructed risk messages.These
messages require up-to-the minute information as new risks are identified
in the public arena. And given the fact that more people are being entrusted
with decision-making without proper information, there is a greater need
for services such as FSnet and Agnet.
"Speed in identifying and responding to claims that appear in the media
is a crucial factor in the formation of public perceptions," he says.
The information posted on the listservs also serves as a valuable research
tool for students for qualitative and quantitative risk assessment; in fact,
the listservs are required reading for several courses on campus. Recent
case histories of risk communication and management are being published
by McGill Queens University Press in May in Mad Cows and Mother's Milk.
Written by Powell and Queens University professor Bill Leiss, the book's
case histories concern plant biotechnology, breast implants, mad cow disease,
hamburg disease, PCBs, dioxins and bovine somatotrophin.
To subscribe to FSnet, send mail to: listserv@listserv.uoguelph.ca. Leave
subject line blank, then type: subscribe fsnet-L firstname lastname. The
two listservs are currently supported by OMAFRA, the U.S. National Food
Processors Association, the U.S. National Pork Producers, AGCare (Agricultural
Groups Concerned About Resources and the Environment), Monsanto Canada,
Hedley Technologies, Pioneer HiBred Limited (Canada) and the Ontario Soybean
Growers Marketing Board. For media information, contact Doug Powell at Ext.
2367 or Communications and Public Affairs at Ext. 3338 at the University
of Guelph, 519-824-4120. Send email to dpowell@uoguelph.ca or mboyd@exec.admin.uoguelph.ca. Check out our Web page at http://www.uoguelph/mediarel/
Web based Autotutorials
From: Phil Tillman <pctillman@UCDAVIS.EDU>
Some time ago I put some basic autotutorial materials on our website in
the form of interactive tests seen through Netscape. I've intended for some
time to modify the program so that anyone could use it. I finally got around
to it.
It's very simple, it isn't polished or perfect, and it represents about
1994 technology, BUT, it's free, and it's yours if you want it. The only
condition is that I don't have time to provide product support and won't
be able to entertain phone calls about it. Compmeders are welcome to send
me email if they have questions.
If you don't have access to the Web, the program won't be of interest to
you. The program and instructions are posted at:
Sample tests are posted at:
Phil Tillman
Phone: (916) 752-2357
FAX: (916) 752-4994
email: pctillman@ucdavis.edu
Food Safety
CAI Lessons Available on the World Wide Web
From: "Ronald D. Smith" <rd-smith@uiuc.edu>
I invite you to help us beta test our "Simulated Antemortem and Postmortem
Inspection" lesson on the World Wide Web. This is the first of a series
of lessons that we will be making available from our "Food Safety CAI"
site at...
The "Food Safety CAI" Web site is intended
to provide distance learning
exercises in food safety and foodborne diseases for those whose current
or future employment includes direct or indirect involvement in foods of
animal origin. This would include the following audience:
1. Veterinary students as part of their professional curriculum.
2. Food animal veterinarians as part of a continuing education program.
3. FSIS inspectors and trainees as part of their normal training and CE
programs.
4. Individuals working in local and state pubic health departments whose
professional responsibilities include food safety.
5. Others (students and academics) in related food safety/public health
programs.
The lessons are also intended to demonstrate how the Web can be used to
provide continuing education (CE) credit. Student progress through each
computer-assisted instruction (CAI) lesson is monitored by "TRACKER",
a client-based system developed through a USDA-CSREES Higher Education Challenge
Grant.
TRACKER includes the following features:
o Interactive scoring - evaluates and scores student responses to individual
questions and each lesson overall.
o Distance learning support - instructor can assign lessons without any
intervention. Student progress can be monitored through e-mail verification
or captured on a local server.
o Platform independence - each lesson can be run using any Netscape 3.0-comparable,
JAVA-enabled browser.
o Server independence - all functions are performed on the user's computer.
o Transportability - lesson modules can be distributed and run over the
World Wide Web, on CD-ROM, or other high-density media.
o Easy editing - file name, location, and most recent revision are listed
at the bottom of each page to facilitate editing. Lessons can be edited
with Netscape Gold and other comparable editing programs.
o Interchangeable authoring tools - each lesson includes a number of client-side
modules and help reference pages that can be used for authoring other lessons.
o Feedback to the authors - users can provide feedback to authors through
e-mail links or forms.
At the end of each case the user is given an opportunity to fill out a very
brief survey form and be added to our e-mail distribution list.
I would like to enlist others in this Web-based educational effort. If you
or your colleagues have food safety/foodborne disease lesson content that
you would like to adapt to an interactive Web-based delivery system I would
be glad to provide programming support through the USDA-CSREES grant that
has made this project possible.
Ronald D. Smith <rd-smith@uiuc.edu>
Cattlemen on
the Hill Web Site
From: katwood@mail.earthlink.net
Came upon a new site called "Cattlemen on the Hill" <http://www.beef.org/hill>
which may be of interest to folks. The site is maintained by the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association and appears to have a wealth of up-to-date
information divided into these topic areas:
-Science & Regulatory
-Conservation
-Federal Lands
-Property Rights
-Farm Policy
-Tax & Credit
-Food & Nutrition
-Foreign Trade
In addition, it has judicial, regulatory and legislative updates covering
the above topics as well as beef safety, cattle health & well-being,
international markets, live-cattle marketing, inspection, check-off, position
papers, bills, press releases, you name it.
It's worth a look.
Brazilian Virtual
Veterinary Hospital
From: Cristina Jorge <cristina@SERVER.NIB.UNICAMP.BR>
Now Internet users can count on a new site to help veterinary research.
The Brazilian Virtual Veterinary Hospital ( http://www.nib.unicamp.br/hvvb) is the first one in the world and hopes to help veterinarians
and students all around the world in an unique information exchange, with
both basic and specialized levels of information.
The Brazilian Virtual Veterinary Hospital also means to help breeders with
information on feeding, reproduction, genetics, handling, emergencies, and
much more. For this, the Hospital counts with a special department with
easy reading information and professionals ready to answer questions and
guide breeders with problems. This Hospital shows our concern in updating
professionals, offering information on diseases,their causes, pathologies,
diagnosis, and other usefull texts and links so that veterinary medicine
can be shared world wide.
This project is one of many at the Center for Biomedical Informatics and
is directed by Lucia Helena Salvetti de Cicco, journalist associated researcher.
The project was idealized by Professor Dr. Renato M. E. Sabbatini, Director
of the Center for Biomedical Informatics.
Howard Hughes
Medical Institute Virtual Lab
From: patdaino@aol.com
HHMI's Virtual Lab: Test diagnostic skills in a Shockwave lab!
I am writing to alert you about a Web site where tomorrow's scientists can
learn how our bodies fight infections, how vaccines work to prevent disease,
and how some pathogens have evolved mechanisms of eluding our bodies' defense
mechanisms.
Prepared by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the site is filled with
cool "science stuff" for teenagers and teachers, including the
most recent addition - - the HHMI Virtual Lab. This interactive laboratory,
developed with Shockwave, will demonstrate how an enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assay (ELISA) is carried out and some of the key experimental problems that
may be encountered.
By completing this exercise, students will gain a better understanding of
experimental design, key concepts in immunological reactions, and interpretation
of data -- and have fun doing it!
YOU can become the scientist at HHMI's Virtual Lab by visiting http://www.hhmi.org/lectures/hiband/neat/start.htm at the HHMI Holiday Lectures on Science Web site. A free
Shockwave plugin is required, and can be obtained through a download at
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/.
Surfers can also visit the rest of the Institute's Web site-- http://www.hhmi.org.
Among its most popular new features is a full-length "Web book"
on the remarkable transformation under way in undergraduate science education
across the United States. "Beyond Bio 101"-- http://www.hhmi.org/BeyondBio101 --is filled with original reporting, lively graphics,
and useful resources for biology educators at all levels.
All of the material is offered free as a public service by the Institute,
which has awarded nearly $600 million in grants since 1988 to enhance science
education at all levels -- the largest private initiative of its kind in
U.S. history.
For more information on the HHMI Virtual Lab and Web site, educators should
call (800) 219-7874,
send an e-mail to granthl@hq.hhmi.org, or visit http://www.hhmi.org/lectures/hiband/neat/start.htm
Reporters only should contact HHMI's David Jarmul at jarmuld@hq.hhmi.org
(301) 215-8857
We have also created colorful icons and text snippets for Web links, complete
with instructions at http://drwebby.com/hhmi/how2link.html For help with the links, contact Steffanie Lynch at link2hhmi@drwebby.com
(804) 739-0165
Canine Mortality
Project
From: James Case <jcase@CVDLS.UCDAVIS.EDU>
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Small Animal practitioners are invited to participate in a new venture,
a Canine Mortality Surveillance Program. After submitting an application,
participants will be given access to a password protected Web site to submit
data on cases. Submissions should take less than 10 to 15 minutes per week.
Participants will also be given access privileges to results, rates, trends,
geographic distribution of canine diseases as seen in clinical practice,
an invaluable tool to aid in making patient health care decisions and recommendations.
There is no charge to the participating practitioner.
For more information, visit
To become a participant, complete the application at
http://sphinx.ucdavis.edu/users/g/ggobar/survey/application.htm
"Universities
Won't Survive"
From: Edupage Editors <educom@elanor.oit.unc.edu>, 27 February 1997
Renowned management consultant and author Peter Drucker says: "Thirty
years from now the big university campuses will be relics. Universities
won't survive. It's as large a change as when we first got the printed book.
Do you realize that the cost of higher education has risen as fast as the
cost of health care? ... Such totally uncontrollable expenditures, without
any visible improvement in either the content or the quality of education,
means that the system is rapidly becoming untenable. Higher education is
in deep crisis... Already we are beginning to deliver more lectures and
classes off campus via satellite or two-way video at a fraction of the cost.
The college won't survive as a residential institution. " (Forbes 10
Mar 97)
Online Journal
of Veterinary Research (OJVR)
From: Vincent Guerrini <jvet@powerup.com.au>
This is an invitation to your professional staff to consider publishing
research work in Online Journal of Veterinary Research (OJVR). OJVR relies
on its highly qualified international professorial editorial board and external
review process to maintain its long term reputation. We offer higher quality
publication with color graphics and interactive results as well as faster
processing and publishing time than the standard fare (paper print) The
journal has recently published two manuscripts with color graphic data and
microphotographs "Experimental intoxication by yellow-wood (terminalia
oblongata) in sheep" by Filippich et al (1997) and "Rule of thumb
for by vaporizers" W-Reynolds (1997).
The journals main page can be located at http://www.cpb.uokhsc.edu/OJVR/jvet196a.htm (Oklahoma State, USA) or http://www.powerup.com.au/~jvet/jvet196a.htm or http://www.uq.edu.au/~zzjvet/jvet196a.htm (University of Queensland, Australia)
Details for submissions and the articles can be viewed by following the
links on the main page cited above.
Sincerely,
V. H. Guerrini DVM, MMedVet, PhD.
Editor-In-Chief
See the informatics section of NetVet for a more complete and current list of informatics-related activities at <http://netvet.wustl.edu/info.htm>
May 1 - 30,
1997
Electronic Conference on Surveillance for TSEs of Livestock
The New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture is planning to host an international
Electronic Conference on Surveillance for the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
of Livestock. The conference will run from 1 May until 30 May 1997. You
are invited to participate in this Electronic Conference on Surveillance
for the TSEs of Livestock if;
*you are involved in national, state, area or industry sector livestock
disease surveillance programmes or;
*you are involved in policy formulation with respect to livestock disease
surveillance and control at national, state or industry sector level or;
*you are involved in quarantine policy formulation or;
*you are involved in the laboratory diagnosis of TSEs of animals or;
*you are a veterinary epidemiologist with an interest in surveillance for
diseases, disease control programmes or diagnostic test validation or;
*you are a researcher with an interest in the TSEs.
The conference is to be conducted as a moderated discussion via electronic
mail and all participants will require access to the Internet. The language
of the Electronic Conference on Surveillance for the TSEs of Livestock will
be English.
The intention of this electronic conference is to provide a forum for wide-ranging
discussion and debate on appropriate, realistic and practicable approaches
to maintaining surveillance for scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy
and chronic wasting disease in sheep, goats, cattle, deer and other domestic
animals.
Most of the opinions offered by participants will be on an individual basis
and will not represent official national or international positions except
when explicitly stated.
Specific issues to be discussed in the Electronic Conference on Surveillance
for the TSEs of Livestock include;
*Current surveillance programmes for scrapie, BSE and chronic wasting disease.
*Structured surveys for TSEs in livestock populations; are they meaningful?
*Investigation of suspected cases of TSE in livestock.
*The place of various diagnostic tests in surveillance programmes.
*The genotyping of sheep for scrapie susceptibility; how might this be applied
in surveillance programmes?
*On what basis might a herd or flock be certified as free from TSEs?
*On what basis might a country be considered free from scrapie? From BSE?
Recommendations arising from the Electronic Conference on Surveillance for
TSEs of Livestock will have no official status. However, we hope that conclusions
reached as a result of this conference will form a basis for discussions
within the national veterinary services of the countries participating.
The conclusions may also form a basis by which national veterinary services
can carry on further official discussions in international fora.
How to Join
In order to participate in the electronic conference, you need to have access
to electronic mail (email). The listserver and list that we will be using
for the conference has been set up on a computer at Netlink, an Internet
access provider in Wellington, New Zealand. To join the conference please:
Step 1
Send an email message to the address: majordomo@netlink.co.nz
Leave the subject line of your email blank but in the body of the message
type:
subscribe tse-conference
After you send this email message you should receive
from majordomo (the name of the listserver) an acknowledgement that your
subscription request has been received and will be processed. In a separate
message you will be asked to introduce yourself.
Step 2
To introduce yourself send a message to the address:
NOTE! this address is different from the address
that you used to subscribe. It is also different from the address that we
will be using for the conference. Please follow the instructions and send
an email that includes the following information:
Your name
Institution
Address
Fax
Email
No more than two sentences outlining your interest in surveillance for livestock
diseases or the TSEs of animals.
We require that all participants provide this information before we subscribe
them to the conference. As soon as you are subscribed to the conference
you will receive a message confirming your subscription and giving instructions
on how to unsubscribe.
You may unsubscribe at any time by sending an email to majordomo@netlink.co.nz
with the following one line message: unsubscribe tse-conference
Please subscribe and introduce yourself as soon as possible! The formal
conference will begin May 1. If you have any problems subscribing or introducing
yourself, please send an email message to either Stuart C MacDiarmid (macdiarmids@ra.maf.govt.nz)
or Howard Pharo (pharoh@ra.maf.govt.nz).
We look forward to your participation in this Electronic Conference on Surveillance
for the TSEs of Livestock.
Ian R. Dohoo,
Associate Dean - Research, Atlantic Veterinary College
University of P.E.I.,
Charlottetown, P.E.I. C1A 4P3 CANADA
e.mail <dohoo@upei.ca>
phone 902-566-0640 FAX 902-566-0958
May 28-31, 1997
1997 AMIA Spring Congress; Fairmong Hotel; San Jose, CA
(See the Jan-Feb, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
June 16-20 and
August 18-22, 1997
Stanford Medical Informatics Short Course
(See the Jan-Feb, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
August 23-29,
1997
15th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence; Nagoya,
Japan
(See the Jan-Feb, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
September 4-6,
1997
GEOMED '97; Rostock, Germany
(See the Jan-Feb, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
September 10-14,
1997
Veterinary Informatics at the 5th World Equine Veterinary Association; Padova,
Italy
(See the July-August, 1996 AVI Newsletter for details)
KNOWLEDGE-BASED
PATIENT SCREENING FOR
RARE AND EMERGING INFECTIOUS/PARASITIC DISEASES:
A CASE STUDY ON BRUCELLOSIS AND MURINE TYPHUS
Craig N. Carter et al
Key Words: Computer-Assisted Diagnosis | Medical Knowledge-Based System
Decision Support System | Patient Screening
Many infectious and parasitic diseases, especially those newly emerging
or re-emerging, present a difficult diagnostic challenge for health professionals
because of their low incidence and minimal information readily available
regarding these diseases. Important clues which could lead to an initial
diagnosis are often overlooked (omission), misinterpreted (wrong synthesis),
not linked to a disease (incomplete synthesis) or disregarded (premature
closure). For this study, a computer-based decision support system (DSS)
containing 223 infectious and parasitic diseases was constructed. The DSS
was then used to conduct an historical intervention study based on field
investigation records for 200 cases of human brucellosis and 96 cases of
murine typhus which occurred in Texas from 1980 through 1989. The intervention
of the knowledge-based screening significantly reduced the average number
of days from initial patient visit to the time of suspecting the correct
diagnosis (Brucellosis-- 17.9 to 4.5 days, p = .0001, Murine Typhus-- 11.5
to 8.6 days, p = .001). This study demonstrates the potential value of knowledge-based
patient screening for rare infectious and parasitic diseases in outbreak
investigations and clinical practice. Since this study was conducted, 87
additional diseases have been added to the DSS to make it a complete knowledge
base of documented infectious and parasitic diseases in man.
Author's Note: The full article will appear in the Center for Disease
Control's Journal of Emerging Diseases, Volume 3, No 1, Jan-Mar, 1997. The
tool used in the study is Public Health Associate ® , a diagnostic software
system which was built primarily for human medicine. However, it can also
serve as a tool to help veterinarians appropriately deal with zoonotic diseases
in practice.
A field trial is planned to evaluate the Canine and Feline Associate ®
Window's-based medical information systems for veterinary medicine. It is
hoped that these modules will be ready for evaluation by Fall, 1997. The
development team feels that it is crucial to demonstrate scientifically
that this technology has measurable value in helping to improve the quality
of healthcare.
The Web site for Texas Medical Informatics, Inc the parent company which
is developing the Associate line of products is currently under construction.
Please visit us at www.texmedinfo.com. We'd like to hear your feedback and
comments.
Senior Author & Contact For Reprint Requests:
Craig N. Carter, DVM MS PhD
Head, Epidemiology and Informatics
Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratories
Texas A&M University
P.O. Drawer 3040
College Station, TX 77841-3040
409-845-3414 (Office)
409-845-1794 (Fax)
CNCARTER@TAMU.EDU
Teacher of the Year Shuns Information Technology
From The Chronicle of Higher Education, Monday, March 24.
Last year's "TEACHER OF THE YEAR" at California State University
at Chico has given away his $1,000 prize to protest the increasing use of
computers and technology in education.