Information Retrieval List Digest 054 (March 26, 1991) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/irld/irld-054 IRLIST Digest March 26, 1991 Volume VIII, Number 11 Issue 54 ********************************************************** I. NOTICES A. Meetings Announcements/Calls for Papers 1. 3rd ACM Conference on Hypertext: Final Call December 15-18, 1991 San Antonio, Texas B. Publications Announcements 1. ACM-SIGIR '88 Proceedings C. Miscellaneous 1. ARIEL (tm), the Document Transmission System from RLG II. QUERIES B. Requests for Information 1. Library-related inquiry: the "information gap" between richer and poorer countries III. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS A. Summer Internships at Apple Computer IV. PROJECT WORK B. Bibliographies 1. Selected IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts ********************************************************** I. NOTICES I.A.1. Fr: Nicole Yankelovich Re: 3rd ACM Conference on Hypertext December 15-18, 1991 San Antonio, Texas Hypertext '91 is an international research conference on hypertext. The ACM Hypertext Conference occurs in the United States every second year in alternation with ECHT, the European Conference on Hypertext. Hypertext systems provide computer support for locating, gathering, annotating, and organizing information. Hypertext systems are being designed for information collections of diverse material in heterogeneous media, hence the alternate name, hypermedia. Hypertext is by nature multi-disciplinary, involving researchers in many fields, including computer science, cognitive science, rhetoric, and education, as well as many application domains. This conference will interest a broad spectrum of professionals in these fields ranging from theoreticians through behavioral researchers to systems researchers and applications developers. The conference will offer technical events in a variety of formats as well as guest speakers and opportunities for informal special interest groups. Suggested Formats and Topics We are inviting you to participate in HT'91 in one of seven different areas of the technical program: papers, panels, courses, videos, technical briefings, posters, or demos. Submitters may be invited to participate in the technical program in a different category from that in which they submitted their work. Submissions in all areas of hypertext research are encouraged. Topics of interest would include the following: Paradigms for information access Information design Theories, models, and frameworks Experimental or observational studies of use Workplace deployment issues Structuring hypertext documents for reading and retrieval Underlying technologies (persistent object stores, link services, databases, information retrieval, access control) For More Information: Hypertext '91 Conference e-mail: ht91@bush.tamu.edu John J. Leggett, General Chair Hypertext '91 Conference Hypertext Research Lab Department of Computer Science Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 USA Voice: 409 845-0298 Fax: 409 847-8578 email: leggett@bush.tamu.edu Janet H. Walker, Program Chair Hypertext '91 Conference Digital Equipment Corporation Cambridge Research Lab One Kendall Square, Bldg 700 Cambridge, MA 02139 USA Voice: 617 621-6618 Fax: 617 621-6650 email: jwalker@crl.dec.com Summary of Deadlines Papers, panels, courses, videos, and technical briefings postmarked by: April 12, 1991 Demos and posters postmarked by: August 25, 1991 Acceptance notification for papers, panels, courses, videos, and technical briefings: June 1, 1991 Final versions due for proceedings: July 31, 1991 Final videos due for production: September 30, 1991 For a more complete description of the requirements for papers, courses, videos, panels and technical briefings, please contact: Nicole Yankelovich ny@iris.brown.edu ********** I.B.1. Fr: Catherine Berrut Re: ARIEL (tm), the Document Transmission System from RLG March 21, 1991 -- ARIEL(tm), the innovative new document transmission system from RLG, outfaxes the fax. Using off-the-shelf hardware (IBM PC/AT or compatible, H-P scanner, H-P laser printer) and RLG proprietary software, users can scan and store articles, photos, and similar documents, transmit the highly compressed images over the Internet to each other's workstations, and then print them on a laser printer. The system is faster, more reliable, and less expensive to use than fax, and produces images of greater resolution and quality. Beta-testers at Colorado State University, Dartmouth College, University of California at Berkeley and Davis, University of Michigan, and University of Pennsylvania are raving about ARIEL! ARIEL details: : Uses IBM PC/AT (or compatible) with 80 MB hard disk; H-P ScanJet Plus scanner; H-P LaserJet III printer. : Image resolution of 300 x 300 dots per inch (standard fax machine resolution is only 100 x 200 dpi). : Scans documents directly; no need to photocopy first. : Prints out on regular bond paper, not slippery fax paper. : Three configurations possible: (1) scan/transmit/receive/print; (2) scan/transmit only; (3) receive/print only. : Hardware can also be used for other applications -- such as RLIN terminal emulation, word-processing, desktop publishing, scanning, printing. How ARIEL compares to fax: ARIEL FAX * Modular Nonmodular * Fast scan, transmission, print Slow scan, transmission, print * High image resolution Low image resolution * Image manipulation possible No image manipulation * High data compression No/moderate data compression * Transmission error correction No trans. error correction * Nondedicated equipment Dedicated equipment * Original source scanned Copy of original needed * Free communication over Internet No Internet capability * Multiple transmissions of original No/limited broadcast document capability For further information about ARIEL, please contact Marilyn M. Roche, Research Libraries Group, 415-691-2284 or email bl.mxr@RLG.bitnet. ********************************************************** II. QUERIES II.B.1. Fr: Thomas Heck Library-related inquiry SUBJECT: Have you had problems using libraries in study abroad? My current research deals with what is called the 'information gap' between richer and poorer countries, and how this might affect study-abroad programs, sabbaticals, etc. I would WELCOME first-hand accounts of problems encountered by academics such as yourselves in doing research or in assigning projects to students in countries where library and information-retrieval resources are not all they might be. Replies to TOMHECK@OHSTMVSA.BITNET by March 30, s.v.p. Thomas F. Heck Professor, University Libraries and School of Music, Ohio State Univ. Tel. (614) 292-2319 ********************************************************** III. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS III.A. Fr: Tim oren Re: Summer internships at Apple Summer intern positions with Apple Computer's Advanced Technology Group. This year, we will have two summer intern positions within the Information Access research group at Apple. While we are soliciting applications through our normal college relations channels, you are receiving this message due to your program's known interest in some of the relevant areas. Please pass this information on to qualified students and to your colleagues. Resumes and inquiries should be directed to me at the electronic or U.S. mail addresses given below. Thank you, Tim Oren Mgr., Information Access Research Apple Computer Advanced Technology Group 20525 Mariani Ave. MS 76-2C Cupertino, CA 95014 Internet: oren@apple.com Applelink: OREN1 Fax: 408-974-9793 Position # 1: Description: Work with senior researcher to apply numerical analysis techniques to problems in retrieval, analysis, and display of information from textual databases. Will design, execute, and interpret results of experiments with techniques such as singular value decomposition and other factors analysis methods. Requirements: Graduate standing in math, statistics,or computer science. Competence in practical application of numerical analysis and linear algebra techniques for principal components, correlation, and factors analysis. Experience with C or C++ coding. Experience or knowledge of text retrieval and/or hypermedia applications a plus. Position #2: Description: Work with senior researcher to survey the academic and commercial state of the art in computer indexing and retrieval of texts in a multilingual setting, with particularly emphasis on languages represented with non-Roman character sets or ideograms. Prototype and validate generalized retrieval approaches as part of an on-going research program. Requirements: Graduate or advanced undergraduate student. Familiarity with textual information retrieval literature and technology. C programming experience. Preference will be given to candidates with reading skills in major non-Roman languages, e. g., Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Russian Q the more the better. ********************************************************** IV. PROJECT WORK IV.B.1. Fr: Susanne Humphrey Re: Selected IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts The following are citations selected by title and abstract as being related to Information Retrieval (IR), resulting from a computer search, using BRS Information Technologies, of the Dissertation Abstracts Online database produced by University Microfilms International (UMI). Included are UMI order number, title, author, degree, year, institution; number of pages, one or more Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI) subject descriptors chosen by the author, and abstract. Unless otherwise specified, paper or microform copies of dissertations may be ordered from University Microfilms International, Dissertation Copies, Post Office Box 1764, Ann Arbor, MI 48106; telephone for U.S. (except Michigan, Hawaii, Alaska): 1-800-521-3042, for Canada: 1-800-268-6090. Price lists and other ordering and shipping information are in the introduction to the published DAI. An alternate source for copies is sometimes provided. Dissertation titles and abstracts contained here are published with permission of University Microfilms International, publishers of Dissertation Abstracts International (copyright by University Microfilms International), and may not be reproduced without their prior permission. AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG90-32000 AU TAI, HERMANN C. TI AN APPROACH TOWARD A GENERALIZED COMMAND LANGUAGE. IN Northwestern University Ph.D. 1990, 104 pages. DE Computer Science. AB As the cost of hardware components continues to decrease and the complexity of the software systems increase, the modification and maintenance of software systems become more difficult than ever due to the inaccurate way of recording the interconnection information and overall system structure. In order to reduce the expenses for the software and keep the reliability of most software systems, a new Generalized Command Language (GCL) is developed in this research to increase the portability of most software and the reusability of well-developed software modules. The ultimate intention of this research is to give both the designers and maintainers a tool to design large-scale software system without having to worry about its portability. Since the software programmer only has to know the abstract part of system design not those irrelevant details they don't have to understand about various operating systems, productivity can be greatly increased. In this research, command languages of the DEC VMS, BSD Unix, and MS DOS operating systems are investigated due to the extensive demands of those systems. After the full development of this Generalized Command Language (GCL), the capability of modularized software systems can be enhanced. Quality and reusability of software systems can thus be assessed. The cost encountered in software transferability and maintainability can therefore be reduced significantly. The major contributions of this dissertation include: (1) theory, grammar rules and the action rules for the GCL, (2) a prototype GCL that allows users to move their software across operating systems, (3) implementation of partial GCL to form an intelligent support system for less-experienced users, and (4) applicability of the Generalized Command Language (GCL) to the software reusability. AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG90-32009 AU WANG, YEOU-WEI. TI A PLANNING APPROACH FOR THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. IN Northwestern University Ph.D. 1990, 144 pages. DE Computer Science. AB Although the quality of a software system is determined by a number of quality factors, the process of producing the software system is considered the most important factor. A well-defined software process is a bridge between the people and the environment where people produce the software products. In this dissertation we present a formal software development process model, which uses an AI planning approach as the language for process description and which establishes a reusable process framework. The software development process model presented (MMSPM) in this dissertation uses a network structure containing nodes at different levels of abstraction. In this model, both procedural and declarative information can be represented. Procedural information represents the transformation from nodes to nodes and declarative information represents the data structure in the model. Activity is used as the basic component in the development model. The amount of information realized for each activity defines the abstraction level within the model. Activities are defined using Ada's package construct. It can be stored and reused as a reusable process component in other software development processes. Also, we present a planning system, Planning for Activities with Resources and Time constraints (PART), which plans the activities within MMSPM. PART uses the resources and time constraints to reason about the activities within the development process. It creates plans through instantiation and node expansion. It constantly monitors and re-plans the plans produced by PART. Plans and activities are all reusable components. Among the advantages of this research are that it provides a formal software development model, uses a planning approach as a way to construct process programs, and establishes a reusable software development process framework. AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG90-30406 AU ALDERDICE, PHYLLIS CRAIG. TI AN ANALYSIS, CLASSIFICATION, AND SYNTHESIS OF RESEARCH RELATIVE TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTION, 1968 THROUGH 1985. IN Indiana University Ph.D. 1990, 858 pages. SO DAI V51(06), SecA, pp1880. DE Education, Business. Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Education, Teacher Training. AB Purpose of the study. The purpose of this study was to provide in one report a comprehensive analysis, classification, and synthesis of formal research from 1968 through 1985 relative to business communication instruction, including studies concerning classroom instruction and studies relating to communications in business and industry that would influence the instruction of secondary and collegiate business communication. Procedure. A bibliography developed from Business Education Index, Eric, Comprehensive Dissertation Index, library computer searches, and Abstracts Of Studies In Business Communication revealed one hundred fifty-two studies which could be classified as relative to business communication instruction. Abstracts were prepared of each report which qualified including complete bibliographical reference, problem, procedure, findings, conclusions and/or recommendations, and abstractor's comments. Classifications were made using the categories of business report writing, business letter writing, instructional development, speaking and listening/hearing, measurement and evaluation, and electronic measures utilized in business communication instruction. An alphabetized master list was prepared. A synthesis was developed of the results of each classification in which the major topic of each abstract was identified, conclusions were presented and the practices, procedures and trends were summarized. Results. The study was organized into three parts. Part I includes chapters devoted to problem and procedure, business letter writing, business report writing, measurement and evaluation, speaking and listening/ hearing, instructional development, electronic measures, and summary and observation. Part II contains a master list alphabetized by author's surname of all the research studies. Part III comprises the set of abstracts alphabetized by author's surname. AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG90-33268 AU AYALA, MARTA STIEFEL. TI A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF CROSS-NATIONAL INFORMATION FLOW BETWEEN SPANISH-SPEAKING LATIN AMERICA AND ENGLISH-SPEAKING NORTH AMERICA. IN Texas Woman's University Ph.D. 1990, 118 pages. DE Library Science. Information Science. History, Latin American. Political Science, International Law and Relations. AB The purpose of this study was to determine cross-national information flow between Spanish-speaking Latin America and English-speaking North America through citation analysis using a selected list of Latin American scholarly journals in sciences, social sciences and humanities, and to determine trends developing from 1965 to 1985. The study also focused on seven subsidiary questions dealing with language distribution and rate of translations of articles, geographic distribution and cross-national cooperation of authors and co-authors, cross-national distribution and time lag of citations, and coverage of the selected journals by international indexing and abstracting services. Forty-seven Latin American journal titles were selected for this study. Pertinent citation data was collected for each of the articles meeting the criteria for inclusion. Data was stored and analyzed using REFLEX 2.0, a computerized database management system with cross-tabulation and graphing capabilities. Major findings: (1) There was a positive balance of information flow from the USA towards Latin America. The USA was heavy referenced particularly in the sciences where 72 percent of all usable citations were to USA journals. (2) Commonality of language and culture, and geographic proximity had little impact on cross-national information flow. (3) One out of two articles was written and published in English in the sciences. The rate of translations from English to Spanish was minimal, less than 1 percent for the sciences; 3 and 4 percent respectively for the humanities and social sciences. (4) In all three disciplines, authors tended to publish in the same country where they worked. (5) A large percentage of the articles had single authorship, particularly in the social sciences and humanities. Co-authors were generally from the same country as authors. When co-authors were from different countries, they tended to be from the major information-producing Latin American countries and the USA. (6) Coverage in indexing and abstracting services, although it had increased through time, was still limited. (7) Latin American journals tended to reference older materials. AN This item is not available from University Microfilms International ADG06-63882 AU LOTTER, CATHERINE. TI A METHOD FOR SUBJECT INDEXING IN A COLLEGE OF EDUCATION LIBRARY. (AFRIKAANS TEXT). IN University of Pretoria (South Africa) M.Lib.Sc. 1989. DE Library Science. AB The library of the Onderwyskollege Pretoria intends to computerize. The purpose of this investigation is to identify a suitable method for online subject indexing and retrieval in the College Library. A situation analysis is undertaken to identify the subject indexing needs and requirements of the College Library. The advantages and disadvantages of controlled and uncontrolled indexing languages are investigated. Both types of indexing language prove inadequate for satisfying all requirements. However, modern information technology provides the possibility for combining both kinds of indexing language effectively. A hybrid method, consisting of a controlled indexing language in the form of an Afrikaans thesaurus based on the syllabi of the Onderwyskollege Pretoria and the primary schools of the Transvaal, in combination with uncontrolled indexing terms taken from the titles and indexes of documents, would provide effective subject access to the collection of the library of the Onderwyskollege Pretoria. ********************************************************** IRLIST Digest is distributed from the University of California, Division of Library Automation, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA. 94612-3550. 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