Examined the knowledge used by motel office personnel to manipulate computer software for everyday tasks. Results suggest that many of the competencies identified were context-specific, and that it may not be possible to apply generic knowledge if the user cannot relate it to the context. (SLD)

Elsevier, the largest publisher of scientific journals, has removed journal articles from its database, often without providing reasons. The usual reason for removing an article is fear of copyright litigation, but critics of the policy fear that information gaps or misleading lack of data will develop. (SLD)

This issue presents selected papers from a World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EURO) consultation (Munich, West Germany, May 8-10, 1989) which explored the creation of a metadatabase for European environmental health information systems (EEHIS). Topics discussed include environmental monitoring programs, environmental…

Describes the object-oriented paradigm (modeling a system by the objects that constitute it and the class relationships between objects) and presents examples of its application to automated library systems, including a model of a hierarchical and relational bibliographic database. Advantages and disadvantages of the paradigm for information…

Examines factors that determine user charges based on query processing costs in numeric databases, and analyzes the problem of estimating such charges in advance. An approach to query cost estimation is presented which is based on the relational data model and the query optimization, cardinality estimation, and file design techniques developed in…

Describes the Theory Into Practice (TIP) project that involved the development of a hypertext database for theories of learning and instruction for three different hypermedia systems: Hyperties on the PC, HyperCard on the Macintosh, and the World Wide Web on the Internet. (Author/LRW)

Relates how hypertext/hypermedia computer-based training and online help was designed for the General Estimates System (GES). Describes how this hypermedia application accomplishes the goal of improving the quality of the data entered in the GES database. (SR)

Discusses the problem of data redundancy in a fuzzy relational data model and describes three existing frameworks of fuzzy data representation and redundancy treatment. A new treatment based on Zadeh's extension principle is proposed. (18 references) (MES)

Describes Microcosm, an open hypermedia system for browsing through large bodies of multimedia information via links in external linkbases; explains HyTime (Hypermedia/Time-Based Structuring Language), an international standard for representing relationships between document objects; and examines HyTime features which are relevant to Microcosm.…

During a 28-month period beginning in January 1988, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Tests, Measurement, and Evaluation (ERIC/TM) selected documents submitted by over 800 organizations for entry into the ERIC database. Twenty-three organizations, which submitted 595 (31 percent) of the 1,904 documents accepted by ERIC/TM during that period, are…

Discusses the identification of copyright ownership where there may not be a formal notice of copyright in the traditional print sense. Compilations of information on CD-ROMs and other optical media are addressed, the formation of standards by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) is described, and relevant legal decisions are…

Describes a demonstration program in which information needed to respond to questions is based on secondary data that comes from databases of agencies such as the Census Bureau and Dun and Bradstreet. (JOW)

Compares two information retrieval systems, CLARIT and TOPIC, in terms of assigned versus derived and precoordinate versus postcoordinate indexing. Models of information retrieval systems are discussed, and a test of the systems using a demonstration database of full-text articles from the "Wall Street Journal" is described. (Contains 21…

Discusses how the production of IETM (interactive electronic technical manuals) and EPSS (electronic performance support systems) has been automated to give subject-matter experts the ability to mass-produce electronic documents, training, and training-support materials. Describes four projects involving object-relational database architecture.…

Discussion of XML focuses on indexing techniques for XML documents, grouping them into flat-file, semistructured, and structured indexing paradigms. Highlights include searching techniques, including full text search and multistage search; search result presentations; database and information retrieval system integration; XML query languages; and…