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In recent years, many evaluations of Web sites have been conducted, and relevant researches have also been carried out in academic circles. Correspondence analysis is introduced in this paper to evaluate university library Web sites through building a correspondence analysis model. This paper gives suggestions as to how to construct university library Web sites based on analysis and summary of evaluation results, in a bid to strengthen the construction of university library Web sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers an extension of the hidden Markov model, called the hierarchical hidden Markov model, and proposes an EM algorithm and an approximate algorithm. The EM algorithm proposed in this paper differs from the existing training algorithm, which is called the Baum–Welch algorithm, and guarantees that the likelihood is always increased by updating the parameters. The approximate algorithm has the advantage that it can be applied to problems in which observation of the training sentence and training of the parameters proceed in parallel. These algorithms and their derivations are simplified, compared to the existing training algorithm, by using stochastic context-free grammar. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 87(5): 59–69, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjc.10172 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Societal responses to disasters begin with the initial post-event rescue and relief operations, followed by recovery, reconstruction, and then transcend into mitigation actions including the development of pre-impact preparedness measures, collectively known as the emergency response cycle. This paper highlights some of the applications of GI Science to the emergency response cycle, citing examples from natural hazards and from the World Trade Center disaster on 11th September 2001. More importantly, the paper describes some of the constraints on the utilization of GI Science by the practitioner community: understandable user interfaces; data quantity, quality, and integration; real-time data and information. Finally, the paper suggests some important GI Science research areas based on the needs of the disasters and emergency management research and practitioner communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part I. Examines the effect of a presentation of the Information Search Process (ISP) model by Carol Kuhlthau on the perception of students on research and research paper anxiety. Concept of ISP; Feedback of students on ISP; Effective approach for anxiety reduction.

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs), with the Internet being one of the most significant, is shaking the foundation of the banking industry. Simply deploying the Internet as a more efficient distribution channel will not bring sustainable strategic advantages. To compete effectively, banks may need to embrace a new set of strategic priorities, based on the ‘unbundling’ of banking services and processes, and the ‘deconstruction’ of the integrated banking model. Such a radical transformation threatens the profitability and survival of some existing incumbent banks, and at the same time, it brings a cohort of new opportunities and powerful new players to the market. This paper reviews existing studies on the use of the Internet in banking, and highlights two prevailing models and the strategic thinking behind them. Based upon recent empirical evidence gathered from in-depth case studies and other information sources in the UK, the paper discusses a number of emerging tendencies and explores possibilities to reconcile the discrepancies between the two prevailing models. The paper calls for a radical departure from existing strategies in the banking industry based on the concept of process integration and service bundling. A new framework is outlined for banks and other financial organizations in developing and evaluating their strategies. The latest evidence suggests that at least eight models of Internet banking, somewhere on the spectrum between the two prevailing models highlighted by previous studies, have emerged in the UK. These models are illustrated briefly in the paper. This is still a rapidly evolving area, and new research is clearly needed to understand the key dynamics of the banking industry in the networked economy. Finally, some themes for further research are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports preliminary results from the ArboX project, a two years effort aimed to modernise document searching and delivery among researchers worldwide, broaden the availability of electronic information, and sharpen the independence of the electronic library user. ArboX frees the electronic access of documents from its dependence on closed software and hardware solutions. It is also meant to improve the service by addressing the document exchange needs of a variety of users. The ArboX system is a further step on the evolution of the RandeX system. In the paper we will describe the system architecture and its main characteristics. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 8: 216–220, 2000 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process transformation framework which assists managers in creating and sustaining consensus in relation to process-based initiatives. Such consensus includes agreement on the degree and scope of transformation, and the managerial approach to the embryonic initiative. The paper draws on empirical evidence gained from applying the framework in large organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from a study designed to gain broader understanding of sensemaking activities using the Data/ Frame Theory as the analytical framework. Although this theory is one of the dominant models of sensemaking, it has not been extensively tested with a range of sensemaking tasks. The tasks discussed here focused on making sense of structures rather than processes or narratives. Eleven researchers were asked to construct understanding of how a scientific community in a particular domain is organized (e.g., people, relationships, contributions, factors) by exploring the concept of 'influence' in academia. This topic was chosen because, although researchers frequently handle this type of task, it is unlikely that they have explicitly sought this type of information. We conducted a think-aloud study and semistructured interviews with junior and senior researchers from the human-computer interaction ( HCI) domain, asking them to identify current leaders and rising stars in both HCI and chemistry. Data were coded and analyzed using the Data/ Frame Model to both test and extend the model. Three themes emerged from the analysis: novices and experts' sensemaking activity chains, constructing frames through indicators, and characteristics of structure tasks. We propose extensions to the Data/ Frame Model to accommodate structure sensemaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing Sciences are at a moment of paradigmatic transition. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the new epistemological paradigms of nursing science from a critical approach. In this paper, we identified and analysed some new research lines and trends which anticipate the reorganization of nursing sciences and the paradigms emerging from nursing care: biotechnology-centred knowledge; the interface between nursing knowledge and new information technologies; body care centred knowledge; the human body as a cyborg body; and the rediscovery of an aesthetic knowledge in nursing care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In informetrics, journals have been used as a standard unit to analyze research impact, productivity, and scholarship. The increasing practice of interdisciplinary research challenges the effectiveness of journal-based assessments. The aim of this article is to highlight topics as a valuable unit of analysis. A set of topic-based approaches is applied to a data set on library and information science publications. Results show that topic-based approaches are capable of revealing the research dynamics, impact, and dissemination of the selected data set. The article also identifies a nonsignificant relationship between topic popularity and impact and argues for the need to use both variables in describing topic characteristics. Additionally, a flow map illustrates critical topic-level knowledge dissemination channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in information systems (IS) indicates an absence of clear-cut models to assess IS effectiveness. While the costs are easily identifiable it is the benefits which are most difficult to assess due to the scope of impact of information systems. In order to provide structure to the problem this paper presents a hierarchical approach to develop an IS effectiveness model using structured modelling techniques. This study uses the prior research work and a survey to identify and relate factors of IS effectiveness. The results of the model show that ‘improving systems integration’ has the highest influence on information systems effectiveness, followed by ‘facilitating information retrieval’. We were able to validate our results by showing that they are consistent with the widely accepted ‘stages model’ of IS development. Of particular interest is the finding that significantly high levels of IS effectiveness are experienced by organizations in the penultimate or final stage of IS development. The most significant contribution of this study is the development of a comprehensive IS effectiveness evaluation framework that resolves many subjective dilemmas of traditional user-centred evaluation approaches. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Swets model of information retrieval, based on a decision theory approach, is discussed, with the overall performance measure being the crucial element reexamined in this paper. The Neyman-Pearson criterion from statistical decision theory, and based on likelihood ratios, is used to determine an optimal range of Z, the variable assigned to each document by the retrieval system in an attempt to discriminate between relevant and nonrelevant documents. This criterion is shown to be directly related to both precision and recall, and is equivalent to the maximization of the expected value of the retrieval decision for a specific query and a given document under certain conditions. Thus, a compromise can be reached between those who advocate precision as a measure, due partially to its ability to be easily measurable empirically, and those who advocate consideration of recall. Several cases of the normal and Poisson distributions for the variable Z are discussed in terms of their implications for the Neyman-Pearson decision rule. It is seen that when the variances are unequal, the Swets rule of retrieving a document if its Z value is large enough is not optimal. Finally, the situation of precision and recall not being inversely related is shown to be possible under certain conditions. Thus, this paper attempts to extend the understanding of the theoretical foundations of the decision theory approach to information retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a technique which expands W. Goffman's Indirect Method search strategy by using means other than index terms to reflect document content. The four basic measures of document relatedness were: (1) Index terms, (2) Journals in which the documents appeared, (3) Closeness of the authors of the documents and (4) Closeness of citations. In the experiment a distance function between documents is defined, based on the properties of the documents themselves. The proximity between pairs of documents is then determined by calculating the Euclidean distance. Based on the results of this experiment, authors or authors with journals are the best measures of document relatedness. This aspect should be explored further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is in response to William S. Cooper: ‘On Selecting a Measure of Retrieval Effectiveness.’∗ Whereas Cooper considers (subjective) satisfaction of a user as the utility of an individual search (and then computes system utility as the average search utility), this paper argues that improvement in the task performance of the user is a much more appropriate measure of utility. From this it is shown that recall, while unimportant or even harmful in many search situations, is of vital importance in others. This is in contrast to Cooper's view that recall by itself is not a meaningful measure of system performance at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to deduce the fundamental phenomena of information science, starting from two premises: that information science is a problem-oriented discipline concerned with the effective transfer of desired information from human generator to human user, and that the single notion common to all concepts of information now extant is that of change of structure. From these premises, a spectrum of information concepts is derived, and a partition of that spectrum particular to the purposes of information science is described. From this partition, the terms text and information (both in information science) are defined, and the fundamental phenomena of information science are deduced: the text and its structure, the structure of the recipient and changes in that structure, and the structure of the sender and the structuring of the text. These phenomena are seen as the basic components of the mechanisms of the channel, which have been the traditional area of interest to information science. Some implications of this approach for research in information science are discussed in this paper. And, finally, the question of the ethics of theoretical research in information science is raised, and a restrictive condition is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning with the information economics framework and a multi-period decision model, this paper considers the use of computer simulation methods within an information system choice environment. Actual decision behavior is replaced by optimal decision rules, and simulation is used to evaluate the effects of parameter changes in the environmental model. Simulation is shown to be functional (1) in estimating the value of alternative information structures within a fifteen period decision model and (2) in providing sensitivity and statistical data which would be useful both for different decision maker utility functions and for a variety of information system design questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the value of information when a number of independent sources provide information related to a common set of states of nature. The starting point is the information economic model of information structures. The model is augmented to represent independence of informational sources by means of orthogonality of the information structures. A new mathematical operator, orthogonal product, is defined and its properties are probed. It is shown that this operator maintains some mathematical properties such as closure, association, unity element, null element, and so forth. It is demonstrated how the orthogonal product represents the notion of multisource information. The paper proves that an orthogonal product is generally more informative than its multipliers, namely, if cost is not considered a constraining factor, then there is a nonnegative value to obtaining a second opinion. An appendix to the paper expands this result to a case of partially dependent signals. The paper concludes with a numerical example and a discussion of the model's applicability for practical problems such as cost estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently compact cryptosystems, incorporating high speeds and accompanied by the development of information networks, have provided the missing technology needed to make secure communications a reality. DES, FEAL, and Multi2 are all involution-type secret-key cryptosystems which are widely used due to their simplicity. On the other hand, with the popularity of these cryptotogic algorithms has come also an increase in research on cryptologic attacks, particularly the method of differential cryptanalysis introduced by Biham and Shamir, a recently developed general-purpose chosen plaintext method of attacking involution-type cryptosystems. In this paper, we first summarize the statistical attack of Gilbert and Chassé, which is based on the method of differential cryptanalysis, and estimate the attack time and the number of plain texts necessary for their attack. In addition, we propose a new technique which enhances the efficiency of this attacking method. This technique, by using in its attack only a subsequence of the generated dihertext sequence which satisfies a specific condition, produces a substantial reduction in the attack time. Also, we demonstrate the possibility of using this method as a real-time chosen-plaintext attack on the Multi2 cryptosystem with up to 12 rounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies some possibilities for the creation and practical use of a visual graphic information model (as a spatial graph in a coordinate system, created by information variables, chosen for the system description) for systems research of complex objects and problems. The main features, possibilities and limits of the model in particular as regards the visual representation of the existence, structure and qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the system's elements and relations are described. The model is used as an aid to analysis based on principles of architecture for systems study and forecasting. As an example, a graphic model of an industrial corporation is considered. Recommendations for the application of this model for systems management, project management, information resources management and for the creation of a computerized information system for competitor analysis are given. It is also demonstrated that the model may be used for the description and study of some other kinds of objects and problems as well as for illustration of some statements on system features made by the contributors of GST and different strands of systems thinking. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of research papers on subject and linguistic analysis in information science. In the paper "Study of Theories and Models of Information Storage and Retrieval: Report No. 7: Graphs and Algorithms for Term Relations," an algorithm is presented for grouping the terms of a document corpus into genera, and it is shown that the different genera of the graph G = (T, M), where T is the set of index terms and M the reflexive, symmetrical relation of matching, constitute a partition of T. In "All Evaluation of Links and Roles Used in Information Retrieval," links and roles are techniques for modifying a basic coordinate indexing method.

The article focuses on several papers providing information on the application of equipment to library operations. The paper "The Economics of Book Catalog Production: A Study Prepared for Stanford University Libraries and the Council on Library Resources," by R.M. Hayes and R.M. Shoffner was intended to assist Stanford University in the economic and procedural questions involved in deciding what form the catalog for a new undergraduate library should take. It is also expected to assist other libraries in making such a decision.

Transactive memory systems (TMS) theory has attracted considerable attention in the scholarly fields of cognitive, organizational, and social psychology; communication; information science; and management. A central theme underlying and connecting these scholarly fields has been the role of interpersonal communication in explaining how members of dyads, groups, and teams learn "who knows what," specialize in different information domains, and retrieve information from domain experts. However, because theoretical and empirical evidence is scattered across related, yet distinct scholarly fields, it is difficult to determine how and why communication influences TMS and related outcomes. Thus, this paper reviews literature on the relationships between communication, TMS, and outcomes in dyads, groups, and teams, and proposes avenues for future research. Peltokorpi and Hood provide a systematic review of theory and research examining the ways communication and conversations help dyads, groups, and teams form and maintain transactive memory systems (TMS; Wegner, Erber, & Raymond, 1991) through overlapping encoding, storage, and retrieval processes. Peltokorpi and Hood organized their systematic review of 34 articles published in psychology, communication and organization research and management into four main themes: i) communication frequency and quality; ii) communication medium and group development, iii) communication styles, and iv) communication networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE contain records from the MEDLINE database. However, there are subtle differences in content, functionality, and search syntax between the two. There are many instances in which researchers may wish to search both interfaces, such as when conducting supplementary searching for a systematic review to retrieve a unique content from PubMed or when using a previously published search strategy from a different interface, but little guidance on how to best conduct these searches. The aim of this project is to describe differences in search functionality between Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed, provide guidance for converting search strategies between the two, and develop an easy‐to‐use, freely available web‐based tool to automate search syntax translations. Case presentation: In this paper, we present a custom‐built freely available online tool, Medline Transpose, to streamline the process of converting search strategies between Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed. With this tool, users can paste a strategy formatted for one interface into the search box and immediately retrieve an output formatted for use in the other interface, with recommendations for changes that users can make to the strategy where an exact translation does not exist. Conclusion: This novel approach has the potential to reduce time and errors that database users spend translating search strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key pointsThe relationship between the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) and Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice (JISTaP) enables both to benefit from the other.KISTI is able to test new systems with its own journal, JISTaP.JISTaP benefits from both financial and technical support of its parent, although this can restrict its ability to make changes and use alternative technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article concerns the identification of the expertise that GI scientists have in common. Rather than attempt to be exhaustive, the approach is to identify a minimal set of expert topics shared across GI science. In this article, a set of five expert topics is proposed for this purpose: structure, uncertainty, dynamism, language and cognition, and design with geographic information. The article then examines the extent to which the literature lends support for these five topics, using two analyses: first, a qualitative analysis of the papers found in the 2006 Classics from IJGIS; and second a citation analysis investigating the occurrences of keywords related to the proposed expert topics. The results suggest that these five areas of expertise do indeed tend to distinguish research in GI science from that in other fields, and in particular where the expert topics occur in combination. The establishment of an acknowledged core of shared expertise should assist in interdisciplinary research and teaching collaboration, usually founded on a shared understanding of what expertise different partners can contribute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the Medical Library Association identified questions critical for the future of the profession, it assigned groups to use systematic reviews to find the answers to these questions. Group 6, whose question was on emerging technologies, recognized early on that the systematic review process would not work well for this question, which looks forward to predict future trends, whereas the systematic review process looks back in time. We searched for new methodologies that were more appropriate to our question, developing a process that combined systematic review, text mining, and visualization techniques. We then discovered tech mining, which is very similar to the process we had created. In this paper, we describe our research design and compare tech mining and systematic review methodologies. There are similarities and differences in each process: Both use a defined research question, deliberate database selection, careful and iterative search strategy development, broad data collection, and thoughtful data analysis. However, the focus of the research differs significantly, with systematic reviews looking to the past and tech mining mainly to the future. Our comparison demonstrates that each process can be enhanced from a purposeful consideration of the procedures of the other. Tech mining would benefit from the inclusion of a librarian on their research team and a greater attention to standards and collaboration in the research project. Systematic reviews would gain from the use of tech mining tools to enrich their data analysis and corporate management communication techniques to promote the adoption of their findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impetus for the work described in this paper arose from observations reported in a letter to the Editor of this Journal (1). The sense of that letter was that those of us who have worked in the field now broadly called Computer and Information Science, have depended too long on the use of terms defined by example or through the vague specification of relationships (often weak) among entities. The term to which the author of the letter made specific reference (a term to which altogether too many interpretations are allied) was "thesaurus." The reader will find that the term "thesaurus" is not defined in this paper but, as will be seen, a number of more basic terms have been selected as the starting point for a project of defining terms which are important in communicating about computer and information science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have undertaken to extend the capabilities of the abstracting system described by Rush, Salvador and Zamora by adding to the system a modification procedure that could be employed to make the abstracts produced by the system more acceptable to the reader. Results of this study are reported in this paper. Our purpose is to present a rationale for the modification phase of an abstracting system and to describe several modification rules whose implementation is an Initial step toward the automated production of abstracts that contain sentences written especially for the abstract. We have described several methods for improving the readability of abstracts produced by computer program. The research described in this paper was performed as a part of a larger project whose aim is the development of an operational automatic abstracting system. 18 references are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the content and format of seven machine-readable bibliographic data bases: Chemical Abstracts Service Condensates, Chemical and Biological Activities, and Polymer Science and Technology, Biosciences Information Service's BA Previews including Biological Abstracts and BioResearch Index, Institute for Science Information Source Tape, and Engineering Index COMPENDEX. Selected issue test tapes of each data base were printed and checked for the types of data that were contained in the issue and the methods in which the data were formatted. This paper compares the physical formats of the tapes and describes the varied treatments given to such data elements as authors, titles, abstracts, etc. Comparison of data bases requires common use of terms. All terms are defined at the beginning of the paper. The authors found great discrepancies in the presentation of essentially similar bibliographic data, and they offer some suggestions for mitigating the discrepancies by use of standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the sociological relationships of information science. There have even been those who have suggested that man now has too much knowledge, that he has more knowledge than he can use, and that there should be a moratorium on the knowledge industry. Such observations are, of course, nonsense. The problem is not that man has too much knowledge, but that he does not have enough knowledge of the right kind. The only remedy for too much knowledge is more knowledge. The major problem is the control of paper, not the control of knowledge, and Everyman wants to control the paper output of the others.

The article reports on maintenance and reduction of documents. The aim of the article is to present the major problems of maintenance, problems which are inherent in any document collection, problems whose existence alone gives reason to this discussion. The article also enumerates some of the major problems of reduction, and finally, to suggest some possible solution for at least a part of the numerous problems that inevitably accompany work in this field. Maintenance of a collection is concerned primarily with the document in its original form, usually paper, with graphs, supplements, revisions, addenda, changes, and sometimes a multitude of after thoughts.

The complexity of interdependent structural systems greatly complicates the analysis of any single structure. This is particularly the case when a structure represents some behavioral process. For this reason it is necessary to devise measures which can differentiate qualitatively and quantitatively between structures as well as between subsets (or points) of a particular structure. For example, consider the authority structures of two different organizations. They exhibit similarities and differences which a behavioral analyst tries to identify and explain. Typically, both similarities and differences are compared by structural indices which, on the basis of past data and prior information, tend to reflect certain organizational traits. The purpose of this paper is to investigate one particularly important index centrality. Centrality conveys the notion that points in a structure are not all 'equal'. This 'inequality' vis-a-vis the structure creates a situation in which certain points will be more 'central' than others. In this paper we first identify the characteristics of centrality and observe how they may relate to behavioral research. We then develop a procedure for measuring centrality which is based on information theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is pointed out that if information science is to be considered a "true" science similar to physics or chemistry then it must have a set of concepts and analytical expressions which apply to the flow of information in a general way. Such expressions should be relatively independent of the particular context or application under consideration. Definitions of a rigorous nature for the fundamental quantities involved must be established. These must have general applicability and must be related to other known and measurable quantities. It is desirable also that they be capable of quantification. In several previous papers, the author and a colleague have described a model of a generalized information system which has wide, and perhaps universal applicability. This paper elaborates on this model and indicates the range of its applicability. Several fundamental quantities are defined specifically in a way which allows for quantification. It is pointed out in this paper that this model can be the basis for the development of a "true" science of information with all of the necessary requirements for a science. By the use of this model and the definition of a "true" science, the goals and requirements for a curriculum in information science are thus established. Various applications of information science must then exist in much the same way that many applications of physics exist. In the latter case, the applications usually give rise to various branches of engineering. In the case of information science, one of the applications is librarianship-although many others exist as well. Some of these are referred to in the paper. In particular, science information as a subset of information science is discussed. Within this context, information is defined as data of value in decision making. Quantitative measures of information can be obtained by relating information to specific observable actions which can be measured physically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disagreements about the relevance of documents to retrieval requests occur because relevance judges differently interpret requests or documents. Requests may be differently interpreted because they are unclear. Well-known types of request obscurity are reviewed. Less well known is that a request may be unclear because its form-"documents about subject S," "documents answering question Q," etc.-is unclear. Explications are developed of the meanings of the request forms just given and several others. A request of any of the forms discussed is interpreted to be for documents which support statements of a specified kind in a specified way. For example, an "about S' request requires documents supporting statements which contain expression S (though several qualifications are needed); a "question Q" request requires documents which support answers to Q. Examples are given which suggest that some, perhaps all, "about S" requests are unclear. Some ways of formulating clear question requests are given. Various ways in which documents may support statements are distinguished. These depend on such factors as parts of a document used, inference strength, and background knowledge permitted. Some possibly clear support specifications are indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on several research papers which focus on characteristics of information resources. The paper "Documentation and Dissemination of Research and Development Results" deals with federal scientific and technical information programs, their efforts to achieve efficacy and timeliness, their present scope, prevailing practices, access to and utilization of foreign information, problems that face them, and proposals for dealing with them. Another paper is "Some Prerequisites to Cooperative Cataloging." There is an urgent need for a co-operative cataloguing centre to process current non-American materials. Two alternatives have been suggested: centralized cataloguing, in which libraries would forward acquisitions to the centre for cataloguing; and co-ordinated cataloguing, whereby the centre would act as a clearing-house receiving and distributing requests for cataloguing to be performed by the library first acquiring a given item.

The article presents information on several research papers on documentation. The paper "Manpower for Technical Information Work" presents the findings and conclusions of a pilot study of the functions and qualifications of technical information support personnel in the communications equipment industry. Another paper is "Swimming Against the Flood of Literature," by P.L. Broadhurst. The coverage of all the literature of a given science by one abstract journal and the formation of large computer-searched central stores of information are ideas that are unlikely to be implemented on a large scale in our lifetime.

The article presents an account of some previously published papers on scientific and technical information dissemination. The paper "System of Scientific and Technical Information Services: Long Range Planning," by Vladas Asmonas, published in the May 1960 issue of the journal "Revue de la Documentation," asserts that if knowledge is to be rescued from its countless sources and put at the disposal of those who need it, efforts should be made to coordinate and share information. Besides, the paper "Research on Handling Scientific Information," by Helen L. Brownson, published in the December 30, 1960 issue of the journal "Science," presents an informative account of activities in the handling of information expressed in language and other non-quantitative forms, such as photographs and circuit diagrams, as distinguished from quantitative or numerical data.

The article presents information on coordinate indexing. There are many facets to information retrieval. One of these is the scope which any particular information system is expected to encompass. Several years ago, the Technical Department of the Titanium Division of the National Lead Co. realized the need for more efficient methods of retrieving internal information. The index schedules were organized into a classification system based on Colon principles. The completed classification was coded, using combinations of capital and small letters, and Arabic numerals, to obtain maximum flexibility.

Copyright of Policy Studies Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the following paper, we propose that organizations will favor a particular mode of knowledge conversion when considering which knowledge management (KM) mechanisms to adopt. There is a gap in the research regarding the relationship between adoption of KM mechanisms, modes of knowledge conversion and the KM elements (people, process and technology). Thus, the main objective of this paper is to associate KM mechanisms with the modes of knowledge conversion and KM elements. The method adopted was a multiple-case study involving 11 organizations acting in Portugal. Data collected during interviews were subsequently subjected to content analysis. The study contributes to the literature by offering propositions regarding the association between KM mechanisms and modes of knowledge conversion. The results suggest KM mechanisms should be adopted according to the stages of KM implementation. This study may also serve as a guide for organizations when choosing which KM mechanisms to adopt. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge audits assist organisations in understanding what knowledge is needed, available and used for their current activities. They also identify knowledge gaps that might limit the organisation's activities. An iterative cycle of knowledge audits takes account of the organisation's changing environment and triggers informed interventions. This paper reports the findings of the first knowledge audit in an organisation that brings together public bodies and private organisations with the aim of maximising the collective knowledge of its diverse membership to address a national research agenda. The audit collected qualitative data from interviews with employees from four departments. Interviewees were asked about their roles, procedures and knowledge needs; their department's knowledge requirements; and about knowledge interfaces with external partners. Views about the culture and structure of the organisation were also sought. Results were analysed at a departmental level to form two knowledge maps per department-one each for internal and external knowledge flows. Analysis of the maps and interview transcripts surfaced strengths and weaknesses of each department's knowledge activities. Next, a cross-department comparison highlighted best practices and company-wide opportunities for enhancing knowledge management. Resulting recommendations were to: Develop a holistic approach to knowledge sharing, Nurture organisational culture, Clarify the strategic message, Improve the organisation of information, Improve the availability of staff, Develop interdepartmental communication, Commission future knowledge audits, In addition to reporting the outcomes and outputs of the audit, the paper also shares reflections on the process. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY This paper is focused on the problem of stability for linear systems with a time-varying delay. A novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional that decomposed the delay in all integral terms is proposed. As a result, some less conservative stability criteria are derived by considering the relationship between time-varying delay and its intervals, which have wider application than the existing ones because independent upper bounds of the delay derivative in the various delay intervals are taken into account. Some numerical examples are finally given to show the effectiveness and the benefits of the proposed method. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores developments in bibliometric criteria that assess aspects of journal article importance. The journal Impactor Factor (IF) is designed to be an index to permit comparison of the scientific significance of journals, but is not readily applied to individual authors or departments. The h-index can be calculated for both journals and individual authors. It may offer a better estimate of a journal's overall long-term clinical or scientific importance than traditional IF.

The article presents instructions for contributors of the "Journal of American Society for Information Science." A special transfer of copyright agreement, signed and executed by the author, must be enclosed with each manuscript submission. All manuscripts must be submitted in triplicate and typed on standard letter-size bond paper with adequate margins. All copy, including references and captions, must be typed double spaced. In general, the background and purpose of the study should be stated first, followed by details of the methods, materials, procedures, and equipment used. Findings, discussion, and conclusions should follow in that order.

The article presents information about second annual symposium on empirical semiotics that held during October 5-8, 1979. The symposium was being held in Bloomington, Indiana, in conjunction with the Semiotic Society of America's Fourth Annual Conference. Its theme was "Empirical Methodology for Semiotics." Discussions on technical papers related to scientific instruments and instrumentation methodology and problems of empirical semiotics were held during the conference. There were also discussions on technical papers related to experimental methodology and problems of empirical semiotics.

The term Big Data has come to encompass a number of concepts and uses within medicine. This paper lays out the relevance and application of large collections of data in the radiation oncology community. We describe the potential importance and uses in clinical practice. The important concepts are then described and how they have been or could be implemented are discussed. Impediments to progress in the collection and use of sufficient quantities of data are also described. Finally, recommendations for how the community can move forward to achieve the potential of big data in radiation oncology are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authorship attribution attempts to reveal the authors of documents. In recent years, research in this field has grown rapidly. However, the performance of state‐of‐the‐art methods is heavily affected when text of known authorship and texts under investigation differ in topic and/or genre. So far, it is not clear how to quantify the personal style of authors in a way that is not affected by topic shifts or genre variations. In this paper, a set of text distortion methods are used attempting to mask topic‐related information. These methods transform the input texts into a more topic‐neutral form while maintaining the structure of documents associated with the personal style of the author. Using a controlled corpus that includes a fine‐grained range of topics and genres it is demonstrated how the proposed approach can be combined with existing authorship attribution methods to enhance their performance in very challenging tasks, especially in cross‐topic attribution. We also examine cross‐genre attribution and the most challenging, yet realistic, cross‐topic‐and‐genre attribution scenarios and show how the proposed techniques should be tuned to enhance performance in these tasks. Finally, we demonstrate that there are important differences in attribution effectiveness when either conversational genres, nonconversational genres, or a mix of them are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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