Describes a computerized information retrieval system that uses three agglomerative hierarchic clustering algorithms--single link, complete link, and group average link--and explains their implementations. It is noted that these implementations have been used to cluster a collection of 12,000 documents. (LRW)

Introduces two distribution schemes that partition documents over multiple processors and the corresponding multiprocessor retrieval algorithms that match relevant documents to user queries. The suggested framework is based on a general purpose hypercube multicomputer architecture with a dedicated disk for each node. A timing analysis for the…

Investigates the feasibility of using a distance measure for automatic sequential document classification. This property of the distance measure is used to design a sequential classification algorithm which classifies key words and analyzes them separately in order to assign primary and secondary classes to a document. (VT)

Presents a general mathematical framework for information retrieval, in which query evaluation is seen as a mapping from the free term algebra built by query descriptors and weights to the semantic algebra of evaluation value. Competing mathematical models that try to describe how retrieval systems behave are reviewed. (Author/MBR)

An information retrieval system which aspires to retrieval of relevant documents should have second stage which will order topical set to provide maximum informativeness to requestor. A two-stage system concerned only with topicality can be iterated to generate a high recall set and discard imprecise documents without user input. (EJS)

Presents an algorithm for use in online information retrieval which will generate a list of bibliographic citations derived from a preselected relevant document and which measures the relatedness of retrieved items to the preselected document. A test of the algorithm in retrieving medical literature is described. Two figures are included. (JL)

Analyzes the formal properties, structural consequences, similarities, and differences of link indicators, brackets, and cohesion separators in the query languages employed in information retrieval. Eleven figures, a 32-item reference list, and appendices on Extended Backus Notation and the formal definition of the Formal Relevance Language are…

Investigates document ranking methods in thesaurus-based Boolean information retrieval systems and proposes a new thesaurus-based ranking algorithm called the Extended Relevance algorithm. Performance comparisons are made between the Extended Relevance algorithm and previous thesaurus-based ranking algorithms. (Contains 20 references.) (LRW)

Describes GRANT, an expert system for finding sources of funding given research proposals. The architecture of GRANT and the implementation of constrained spreading activation (a modified search algorithm based on semantic memory) are described, and recall and precision rates are analyzed. (Author/LRW)

Presents an algorithm for computation of discrimination values in automatic construction of dictionaries for information retrieval. (Author/PF)

The indirect retrieval method proposed by Goffman is outlined and some similarities to other retrieval methods are indicated. The method is then evaluated and the results are compared with those obtained on the same document collection with cluster-based retrieval using single-link clustering. (Author)

Addresses problem of developing machine-based information system capable of indicating one document, out of a set of documents written in natural language, which shows maximal degree of homeosemy (relationship in meaning between two texts language-fragments ) toward natural language query. Linguistic aspects, information traces, trigrams,…

Discusses the interpretation of nominal compounds in the context of natural language processing for information retrieval. Knowledge-intensive algorithms that can successfully interpret compounds found in technical documents are described, and experiments are reported that indicate these algorithms may be unnecessary for improving retrieval…

Discussion of a new method of index term dictionary compression in an inverted-file-oriented database highlights a technique of word coding, which generates short fixed-length codes obtained from the index terms themselves by analysis of monogram and bigram statistical distributions. Substantial savings in communication channel utilization are…

Describes a new effectiveness measure as an alternative to the traditional evaluation measures of recall and precision in information retrieval systems. The statistical approach--which compares two retrieval algorithms--is explained, the information needs of the user are considered, and an experiment with a test collection of abstracts is…