Discusses six propositions concerning higher education contradicting prevailing pricing wisdom: high demand rarely drives prices up; market share increases rarely drive prices down; competition drives prices up; tuition prices are only loosely tied to delivery costs; student tuition is only loosely tied to price; and high tuition prices do not…

Investigates the effectiveness of citation indexes as tools for communication research. Concludes that because five communication journals are not covered by citation indexes, using these indexes is problematic for communication researchers. (MM)

Describes the development of a knowledge-based system, REX, that creates subject bibliographies by downloading reference material from an online bibliographic service. The expert systems architecture is explained, use of Prolog is described, and creation of the subject knowledge base and an author index are discussed. (10 references) (LRW)

This annotated bibliography represents a core collection of reference sources on American folklore. In addition to general references, genre specific reference sources are listed in the following areas: folk narrative; folk music; customary folklore; material culture; ethnic and regional bibliographies; and applied folklore. (39 references) (CLB)

Description of a computer system that converts text automatically into a form suitable for browsing and consultation online focuses on its use for online documentation. Also discussed are possibilities for its applications in automatic indexing, index access, and authoring systems for computer-assisted instruction (CAI). (four references)…

Consumer demand and advances in technology are generating increases in the availability of brand name compact disc (CD) recorders priced for average consumers. A comparative analysis of CD-recorders is presented based on functions, capabilities, cost, and marketability. Related issues are also discussed, including computer software; technical…

Discusses the problems of compressing a large textual database for storage on CD-ROM. A text-compression algorithm is presented, new algorithms for compression of indices are described, and the ARTFL (American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language) database is used as an example. (14 references) (LRW)

Describes a study that examined back of book indexes produced by 37 authors and 27 nonauthors to see whether differences between the 2 groups of indexers could be discerned by counting the occurrence of 3 characteristics in their indexes: number of index pages, modified headings, and cross-reference use. (27 references) (LRW)

Describes three applications of CD-ROM technology for publishing and distribution of U.S. Army forms and automation of the AD PAM 25-30, a microfiche index to the publications and forms. The production, field test, and evaluation phases of the project are discussed. Several lessons learned are summarized. (MES)

Discusses an interdisciplinary approach to foreign language learning that is integrated with an academic/professional curriculum as opposed to a traditional beginner's course. The use of an electronic concordance is described; the language of a pedagogic corpus is examined; and an example is given of an Italian course for Renaissance theater…

Observes that, before 1973, determining a valuation formula for option prices was an elusive goal of financial economics. Discusses Louis Bachelier's early twentieth-century work on the problem. Notes that Bachelier derived a normal distribution for stock price movements by modeling price changes in specific way. Reviews Bachelier's option pricing…

Discussion of journal article titles as an index to the contents, and thus to the underlying discipline, focuses on a study that was conducted to investigate the development of the field of counseling. Use of the Danielson and Bryan Index is described, and implications of a trend toward longer titles are suggested. (11 references) (LRW)

Presents a method of using the Consumer Price Index to give students an understanding of the meanings of price levels in different historical periods. Demonstrates how to figure the actual price of items in the 1920s and 1930s by converting prices to present value. Argues that consumer goods were not cheaper in the past. (DK)

Describes compression methods for components of full-text systems such as text databases on CD-ROM. Topics discussed include storage media; structures for full-text retrieval, including indexes, inverted files, and bitmaps; compression tools; memory requirements during retrieval; and ranking and information retrieval. (Contains 53 references.)…

Describes various inflationary measures, price indexes, and price deflators. Highlights include Bureau of Labor Statistics price indexes, including the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index; Bureau of Economic Analysis price deflators; the Cost of Living Index; and a comparison of measures of inflation. (27 references) (LRW)