Abstracts

One of the key tasks among the problems of using current information resources in science and education is organization of information within the framework of particular fields of knowledge, creation of certain, clearly and unambiguously interpreted conceptual base in the form of electronic encyclopedia and problem-oriented libraries. The solution is possible by creating and spreading appropriate information products on CD-disks, as well as via Internet in remote access. The latter is more promising since it provides on-line renewal of the problem-oriented information, its enrichment owing to results of new investigations.

The necessity for applying advanced technologies of information provision is concerned with one of the basic branches of biological sciences – genetics, in particular of such its section as molecular genetics, rapid development of which over the past decades of the 20th century has resulted in accumulation of a large extent of new knowledge on the life essence, mechanisms of fundamental genetic processes occurring in living organism. The knowledge level achieves in understanding heredity mechanisms and development of research methods have allowed a transition to directed engineering of RNA and DNA molecules, individual cells and the whole organisms. New very promising applied trends of investigations arose – genetic engineering and biotechnology, advances of which are widely used now in medicine, agriculture and industry. As a result a large amount of new notions, definitions, terms and symbols, not found earlier in genetic literature, arose. At times it is difficult even for the specialist in the field of classical genetics to orientate himself in this new terminology. Besides, several terms are used in literature for defining the same notion or one and the same term has different meanings.

Genetic dictionaries available in Internet are not numerous and in the best of cases are HTML pages cross hyperlinks. One can enumerate Genomics Lexicon – database of terms and definitions used in genetic studies, developed by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (http://genomics.phrma.org/lexicon/), A Genetics Glossary – working out of University of Edinburgh (http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/glossary/index.html), as well as Glossary of Genetic Terms (http://www.bis.med.jhmi.edu/Dan/DOE/prim6.html), available in site of Human Genome Management Information System, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The latter is, in general, an ordinary text in HTML format. При этом последний словарь – вообще обычный текст в HTML-формате. Besides, with the exception of Gentechnik-Lexikon, developed by Interpharma, Switzerland in German language (http://interpharma.ch/info/wissens/lexikon/index.html) all other dictionaries are intended for English user. Specialized Russian dictionaries on genetics are not given at all in Internet Individual genetic terms with popular scientific interpretations can be found on Glossary – Russian site of electronic encyclopedias (http://www.glossary.ru).

We have developed Russian electronic version of genetic dictionary based on the book “Genetics: Encyclopedical Dictionary” by N.A.Kartel, E.N.Makeeva and A.M.Mezenko, published in Minsk: “Technolohija”, 1999 – 448 p. The remarks made after book publication were corrected and some terms were defined more correctly in view of materials that appeared in English literature in 2000–2001. The capacity of the electronic version in HTM format is above 28 MB, it fitted with a developed system of cross hyperlinks. Like the paper version, the electronic encyclopedia contains about 5 thousand glosses explaining the meaning of the terms in classical and molecular genetics and above 80 illustrations. A vocabulary of English–Russian equivalents of the interpreted terms is inserted into it. The vocabulary enables change-over to the corresponded article in Russian

On the whole, the prepared product fills the gap existing in the system of Russian problem-oriented electronic encyclopedias and may be used in remote education. Unfortunately, technical characteristics of BIOBEL server did not allow until recently the dictionary location in Internet for application in remote access, and electronic encyclopedia on genetics was only in the form of CD version. However in response to the proposal of colleagues from the Syktyvkar State University (Syktyvkar) was initiated the work on location of the encyclopedia on Ecological Portal developed at this institution. An original search and navigation system (JavaScript) as well as dictionary generating module (Perl) was developed for this purpose.

The research was supported by the Belarusian Foundation for Fundamental Investigations (Grant B03-060)

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