Frequently it is useful to abbreviate or otherwise transform keys used for information retrieval. Given a transformation algorithm and data to be transformed, certain qualities of the algorithm relating to retrieval problems can be characterized. This paper gives some measures of effectiveness of such transformation algorithms. (11 references)…

Discussion of word stemming for text processing and information retrieval focuses on an algorithm for generating stemmers from text stemmer specification files. Highlights include the use of finite state machines for stemming; stemmer specification file format; stemmer generation and driver algorithms; and stemmer timing comparisons. (Author/LRW)

Proof is given of the equivalence of Boolean and weighted search methods. (Author)

Discusses the use of inverted files in information retrieval systems and proposes a document identifier reassignment method to reduce the average gap values in an inverted file. Highlights include the d-gap technique; document similarity; heuristic algorithms; file compression; and performance evaluation from a simulation environment. (LRW)

This study develops an integrated conceptual representation scheme for multimedia documents that are viewed to comprise an object-oriented database; the necessary abstractions for the conceptual model and extensions to the relational model used as the search structure; a retrieval model that includes associative, semantic and media-specific…

Discusses vectors used in information retrieval and the algorithms used to manipulate them. Uses the Kohonen neural algorithm and a fuzzification model to perform a fuzzy clustering of document terms to reduce the high dimension and presents results from a test database. (Author/LRW)

The binary vector is suggested as an alternative to the usual method of storing document pointers in an inverted index file. (Author)

Describes a test collection that was developed as a multi-purpose testbed for experiments on the Web in distributed information retrieval, hyperlink algorithms, and conventional ad hoc retrieval. Discusses inter-server connectivity, integrity of server holdings, inclusion of documents related to a wide spread of likely queries, and distribution of…

Discusses the use of text retrieval methods based on probabilistic models with Chinese language material, which are modeled on the Okapi information retrieval system. Topics include system architecture, test collections, weighting functions, and algorithms. (Author/LRW)

Presents a genetic relevance optimization process performed in an information retrieval system that uses genetic techniques for solving multimodal problems (niching) and query reformulation techniques. Explains that the niching technique allows the process to reach different relevance regions of the document space, and that query reformulations…

Describes a string-searching algorithm for multiple patterns in a text string; explains the construction of a pattern-matching machine; presents a theoretical analysis and empirical evidence that supports the sublinearity of the algorithm; and compares this algorithm with the Boyer-Moore algorithm for a single pattern. (Contains 10 references.)…

Discussion of semantic networks and ranked retrieval focuses on two models, the semantic network model with spreading activation and the vector space model with dot product. Suggests a formal method to analyze the two models in terms of their relative performance in the same universe of objects. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the classification of documents from bibliographic databases focuses on a method of vectorizing reference documents from LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts) which permits their topological organization using Kohonen's algorithm. Analyzes possibilities of this type of neural network with respect to the development of…

The index entries generated by the Selective Listing in Combinations (SLIC) technique constitute a lattice which is a subset of the power set of the set of descriptors assigned to a document and this fact leads to an improved algorithm for generating SLIC entries. (Author/MF)

Genetic algorithms, a class of nondeterministic algorithms in which the role of chance makes the precise nature of a solution impossible to guarantee, seem to be well suited to combinatorial-optimization problems in information retrieval. Provides an introduction to techniques and characteristics of genetic algorithms and illustrates their…