Crossfire Database
Jesper Sahu
The Beilstein database is a database in the field of organic chemistry, in which compounds are uniquely identified by their Beilstein Registry Number. The database covers the scientific literature from 1771 to the present and contains experimentally validated information on millions of chemical reactions and substances from original scientific publications. The electronic database was created from Handbuch der Organischen Chemie (Beilstein's Handbook of Organic Chemistry), founded by Friedrich Konrad Beilstein in 1881, but has appeared online under a number of different names, including Crossfire Beilstein. Since 2009, the content has been maintained and distributed by Elsevier Information Systems in Frankfurt under the product name "Reaxys".[1]
The database contains information on reactions, substances, structures and properties. Up to 350 fields containing chemical and physical data (such as melting point, refractive index etc.) are available for each substance. References to the literature in which the reaction or substance data appear are also given.
The Beilstein content made available through Reaxys[2] is complemented by information drawn from Gmelin (which gives access to the Gmelin Database), a very large repository of organometallic and inorganic information, as well as by information drawn from the Patent Chemistry Database. The Reaxys registered trademark and the database itself are owned and protected by Elsevier Properties SA and used under license.
Beilstein was founded as German-language standard reference work for organic chemistry was intended to supplement the content of the Chemisches Zentralblatt. In light of the leading role of German chemistry in international science, Beilstein's handbook quickly became renowned as a standard reference throughout the world. The first edition of his "Handbuch der organischen Chemie" appeared in two volumes in 1881 and 1883, referencing 15,000 compounds in about 2,200 pages. The second edition appeared in three volumes from 1885 to 1889 and 4,080 pages, and from 1892 to 1899 came the third edition in 4 volumes and 6,844 pages. In 1896, the continuation of the handbook was placed in the care of the German Chemical Society, which first published the supplementary volumes of the 3rd edition and, from 1918, the fourth edition. Starting with the 5th supplement, following the superseding of German by English as most relevant scientific language, the handbook appeared in English.[3]
School-style crosswords, in which every word is taken from a user-supplied list, but which do not have a structured (square) grid or significant interlock between words, really have nothing in common with newspaper-style crosswords except the name. Therefore, CrossFire makes no attempt to support them. There are, however, many free online apps which support this style, and you are far better off using one of them rather than CrossFire.
Yes! We consider your license to cover your "household". You can install CrossFire on multiple machines, on Mac and PC, on your home and work machines, and share it with your wife, children, or goldfish. We want you to be able to use CrossFire without any hassle.
Yes! Just purchase a copy as normal, with your information. When you receive the confirmation e-mail, you can forward it straight to the recipient, or you can reformat it, or even print it and put it in a pretty box. The vital information is the registration code and a download link. (You can simply specify " -crossfire.html" as the download link. It will always be the latest version.)
CrossFire has the ability to show clue entries from the third-party clue database maintained by Matt Ginsberg. In order to this, you must first download and install the database. Macintosh users: it is often easier to simply download the Linux version ("cluer.tgz") and unpack the archive. You don't have to deal with the Mac's security settings (which are irrelevant since you just want to open a data file) and it is easier to find the "cluedata" file.
The general problem of creating well-scored dictionaries is deep, complex, and probably unsolvable. A full discussion of issues and strategies deserves a lengthy document all its own, and I hope to provide such a document (based purely on my personal opinions) at some future point.
While it seems easier to just select a pre-designed grid to fit with your desired theme words, it is generally agreed that it is a bad idea in the long run. By learning to custom-create a grid around your specific theme elements, you can create better, more easily fillable, grids. You can gain a better understanding of why certain theme words work better or worse and thus learn what trade-offs are beneficial when generating themes.
Unfortunately, there is a known issue related to the Macintosh OS that is causing problems with printing. The issue seems to be that the Macintosh won't print to a "virtual printer," such as a PDF, without the necessary software to print to an actual printer. If you haven't already set up a physical printer, all print operations will fail. However, there are solutions to this problem. You can add a fake printer by
- go to "Printers and Scanners"
- click the "+" button
- select the middle icon to add an "IP" printer
- enter "localhost" (or any IP address) in the "Address" field
- click "Add"
- choose "Continue" when it says that it can't contact the printer
- click "OK" to create the fake printer
The Queen's Library home page has a listing under Research Tools that includes links to lists of Electronic Journals and of Article Indexes and Databases. These two categories of resources have features in common: in most cases they are currently accessed by way of the World Wide Web, in most cases Queen's has paid for access, and in most cases they are updated with new material at intervals. However, in other respects they are different and should not be confused.
A database can be defined as a collection of logically interrelated data stored together in one or more files, which today are normally computerized. New material, when added, is integrated into the whole file as if it had always been there. An electronic journal is a normal journal in online form: new material is added at the end without affecting what has gone before.
The main differences between databases and electronic journals are:
- Databases cumulate the earliest through the latest data in a single file. Journals add on at the end.
- Databases bring together and present information, or links to information. Journals tend to include criticism, interpretation, and speculation.
- Databases tend to appear as lists or tables. Journals tend to include lengthy articles.
- Databases are designed to be particularly well-indexed. While some e-journal packages also provide excellent indexing, it is not intrinsic to the nature of journals.
Many bibliographic databases, in particular, grew out of earlier serial bibliographies in print format, which listed articles, and sometimes books and theses, published in a subject area during a span of time such as a year. (Most of these did not cumulate over longer periods and so could be quite time-consuming to search.)
At some point, typically in the 1970s, the bibliographic information began to be typeset by computer, and later software developments resulted in the creation of an electronic database, which by the 1980s was available, on one large computer in a remote location, for online searching at a cost per hour (usually done only by people with significant training). In the 1990s, the database might have been sold in CD-ROM format to various libraries and made available there, with periodic updates, for in-house online searching by all patrons. More recently these databases have tended to become available for searching over the Web, though most of them still require payment.
Many scientific and statistical databases likewise are based on print publications, often with many long tables or encyclopedic articles. Computer technology makes it possible to present more data in more efficient forms at lower cost, and Web access makes it quickly available in every library that pays for it.
Cataloguing of databases is likely to require original cataloguing or extensive customization of copy. Unusual cases may call for unusual solutions. It should not be assumed that existing records in the Queen's catalogue or elsewhere are always appropriate models to follow.
Since the Type of Record is Computer file, the 008 should be in Computer file format, and the 006 additional format should be Monograph (Illustrations, etc.) or Serial (Frequency, etc.) as appropriate.
Any 050, 055, or 090 tag in the Bib record should be left in the Bib record, though it may not need to be transferred to Holdings. If there is no call number in the Bib record, it is useful (for Collections purposes) to add a basic number if one can easily be determined, but do not spend much time on it if it is not needed for Holdings.
Add the GMD (General material designation) to the main title for any non-print publication. For an electronic publication this should be h [electronic resource] after the main part of the title but before : b and the rest of the title (or before a parallel title). (Older records may have h [computer file], while records created in NOTIS may lack the h. Update these details when found.)
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