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IRList Digest Volume 3 Number 24
IRList Digest Tuesday, 11 August 1987 Volume 3 : Issue 24
Today's Topics:
Query - Are you interested in intelligent tutoring systems?
Announcement - Next ACM SIGIR Forum Table of Contents
- Hyperties system (based on TIES)
Abstracts - Dissertation abstracts relating to inf. retrieval (pt 1 of 4)
News addresses are ARPANET: fox@vtopus.cs.vt.edu BITNET: foxea@vtvax3.bitnet
CSNET: fox@vt UUCPNET: seismo!vtisr1!irlistrq
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Date: 4 Aug 87 13:48 +0500
From: Gilles Imbeau <imbeau%iro.udem.cdn%ubc.csnet@RELAY.CS.NET>
Subject: list of name
[Forwarded from AI-ED Digest Thursday, 6 Aug 1987 Volume 2 : Issue 27 - Ed]
I know from Ms. M. Jones that you may have lists of names
interested to different topics.
We organize for June 88 an international conference on
"Intelligent Tutoring System" the state of the art.
Please, i would appreciate if you can send me a list
of person interested in AI, education, ITS, or ather
connex domain.
thank you.
gilles Imbeau
[Note: I thought that there may be some IRList readers interested in
this conference, and so am forwarding this message so you can
individually reply if you want to be added to the lists they are
compiling. - Ed]
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Date: Sat, 8 Aug 87 14:38:12 CDT
From: Vijay Raghavan <raghavan@usl.csnet>
Subject: Next issue of ACM SIGIR Forum - Table of Contents
Spring/Summer '87 CONTENTS Volume 21 Numbers 3-4
SIGIR NEWS
Officers' Objectives 1
Publication Policy 2
Articles
Expert Systems and Information Retrieval,
G. Salton 3
Informativeness as an Ordinal Utility Function
for Information Retrieval, J. Tague 10
Workshop Report
Distributed Expert-Based Information
Systems: A Perspective 18
Book Review
Database System Concepts by H. F. Korth
and A. Silberschatz 21
Abstracts of Articles
Selected from Recent Issues of Journals 22
Selected from Dissertation Abstracts
International 38
Conference Overview
1987 ACM-SIGIR Conference 46
1986 ACM-SIGIR Conference 50
Call for Papers
1988 ACM-SIGIR Conference 54
R.I.A.O. 1988 - Conference on User-oriented Content-
based Text and Image Handling 56
Int'l Conference - Extending Database Technology 58
Hypertext '87 60
Theoretical Aspects of Reasoning About Knowledge 62
Int'l Conference - Electronic Publishing,
Document Manipulation and Typography 63
Information Sciences - An International Journal 65
1988 ACM-SIGMETRICS Conference 66
1988 Conference on Office Information Systems 67
Fourth Int'l Conference on Data Engineering 68
Program Highlights
First Int'l Conference on Bibliometrics and
Theoretical Aspects of IR 69
1987 Annual Meeting of ASIS 73
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Date: Fri, 31 Jul 87 12:25:28 EST
From: Ben Shneiderman <ben@mimsy.umd.edu>
Subject: Hyperties system
. . .
At the end is a brief writeup on our Hyperties (formerly TIES) system that
may also be of interest to your reader...please circulate if you feel it
is appropriate...
__________________________________________________________
Hyperties:
Hypertext based on The Interactive Encyclopedia System
Ben Shneiderman
Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland,
College Park, MD 20742
Introduction
Hyperties (Hypertext based on The Interactive Encyclopedia System) enables
users to easily traverse a database of articles and pictures by merely point-
ing at highlighted words in context. This embedded menus approach and the
simple user interface enables users to tap the substantial power of hypertext
systems for browsing and information search tasks.
Applications
Hyperties can be used to scan organizational policy manuals, a tool for diag-
nostic problem solving, an environment for novels or mysteries, an online help
strategy, a browser for computer program text and documentation, an addition
to a museum exhibit, cookbooks or self-help manuals, or a way to explore cross
referenced materials such as legal documents or an annotated Bible.
Hyperties allows users to explore information resources in an easy and appeal-
ing manner. They merely touch (or use arrow keys to move a light bar onto)
topics that interest them and a brief definition appears at the bottom of the
screen. The users may continue reading or ask for details about the selected
topic. An article about a topic may be one or more screens long and contain
several pictures. As users traverse articles, Hyperties keeps the path and
allows easy reversal, building confidence and a sense of control. Users can
also select articles and pictures from an index.
Authoring tool
Hyperties authoring software guides the author in writing a title, brief
definition (5-35 words), text (50-1000 words, typically), and synonyms for
each article title. Authors mark references in the text by surrounding them
with a pair of tildes. Hyperties collects all references, prompts the user
for synonym relationships, maintains lists of articles and pictures, and
allows editing, addition, and deletion of articles and pictures. The author
tool displays TO/FROM citations for each article and allows authors to keep
notes on each article. A simple word processor is embedded in the authoring
software, but users can create articles on their own word processor, if they
wish. Command menus reduce memorization, eliminate typing errors, and speed
work. Authors create pictures with editors such as PC Paint and then can
specify links from the articles to the pictures.
Hardware requirements
Hyperties runs on a standard PC (256K, monochrome or color, color required if
pictures are used) and on PCs, XTs, or ATs.
History
Hyperties has been under development since 1983 in the Human-Computer Interac-
tion Laboratory. It was first written in APL and has been rewritten in the C
programming language twice. Dan Ostroff, a graduate student in computer sci-
ence, did the implementation and a major portion of the user interface design.
Dr. Janis Morariu of the Center for Instructional Development and Evaluation
contributed substantially to the user interface design. Jacob Lifshitz, Susan
Flynn, Yuri Gawdiak, Richard Potter, and Bill Weiland have maintained and
improved the system.
Manual
A 120 page users manual is available to describe the authoring process. It
shows extensive browser and author sessions.
Availability
The University of Maryland has made a contract for commercial distribution and
development with Cognetics Corporation (Charles Kreitzberg, President), 55
Princeton-Hightstown Road, Princeton Junction, NJ 08550, Phone (609) 799-5005.
Continuing development
Current development efforts focus on improved touchscreens, touchable graph-
ics, inclusion of videodisk access, and alternate indexing strategies. An
exploratory advanced browser with multiple windows and touchable graphics is
being implemented on the SUN 3 Workstation.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 87 16:45:32 EDT
From: Susanne Humphrey <humphrey@mcs.nlm.nih.gov>
Subject: new edition of abstracts for IRList and SIGIR Forum (part 1 of 4)
Appended is next edition of dissertation abstracts for IRList/SIGIR Forum.
...
Note there are some without an abstract. These turn up in issue #12 each
year [v47(12) in the appended list]. For some reason, the university
departments do not want to let UMI include the abstracts for them.
...
Selected IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts
Compiled by:
Susanne M. Humphrey, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894
The following are citations selected by title and abstract as being
related to Information Retrieval (IR), resulting from a computer
search, using the BRS Information Technologies retrieval service, of
the Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI) database produced
by University Microfilms International.
Included are the UM order number and year-month of entry into the
database; author; university, degree, and, if available, number of
pages; title; DAI subject category chosen by the author of the
dissertation; and abstract. References are sorted first by DAI
subject category and second by author. Citations denoted by an
MAI reference do not yet have abstracts in the database and refer
to abstracts in the published Masters Abstracts International.
Unless otherwise specified, paper or microform copies of
dissertations may be ordered from University Microfilms
International, Dissertation Copies, Post Office Box 1764, Ann Arbor,
MI 48106; telephone for U.S. (except Michigan, Hawaii, Alaska):
1-800-521-3042, for Canada: 1-800-268-6090. Price lists and other
ordering and shipping information are in the introduction to the
published DAI. An alternate source for copies is sometimes
provided at the end of the abstract.
The dissertation titles and abstracts contained here are published
with permission of University Microfilms International, publishers
of Dissertation Abstracts International (copyright by University
Microfilms International), and may not be reproduced without their
prior permission.
AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG87-11462.
AU COOK, GARY JOE.
IN Arizona State University Ph.D. 1987, 142 pages.
TI An analysis of information search strategies for decision-making.
SO DAI v48(02), SecA, pp430.
DE Business Administration, General. Information Science.
AB Understanding how people search through available information
prior to making a decision is an important concern in the study of
decision making. People tend to employ information search
strategies consistent with the decision process employed. Thus
analysis of information search strategies provides insight which may
be useful in the design of computer-based aids for decision making.
The basic research question is: Do information search strategies
shift from compensatory to noncompensatory as information load
increases? Based on models of decision processes and previous
research, four hypotheses were formulated: Increased information
load results in (1) a decrease in the proportion of information
searched, (2) increased variability in the proportion of information
searched across alternatives, (3) increased variability in the
proportion of information searched across dimensions, and (4) a
direction of search that changes from alternativewise to
dimensionwise.
An experimental tool was developed and a laboratory experiment
was conducted to examine how information search strategies are
affected by changes in information load. The experimental tool is
computer software that participants query for information to perform
an experimental task. This software, called ISLab, records the
information queries, the elapsed time between queries, and the
alternative chosen for each decision situation. The experimental
task involves selecting one from a set of companies to receive a
bank loan, based on financial and related information, in each of a
series of decision situations. Information load is manipulated by
varying the number of companies and the amount of information
available on each company. Search patterns are analyzed using an
ANOVA repeated measures factorial design.
The results support the conceptual hypothesis that there is
increased use of noncompensatory information search strategies as
information load increases. All four of the dependent variables
changed significantly in directions consistent with this hypothesis
(significance level = .05). There is evidence of information load
effects for both cue selection (differences in information examined)
and cue combination (differences in decisions).
AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG87-07795.
AU JOSHI, KAILASH.
IN Indiana University Ph.D. 1986, 213 pages.
TI An investigation of equity and role variables as determinants of
user information satisfaction.
SO DAI v47(12), SecA, pp4433.
DE Business Administration, General. Information Science.
AB In the MIS literature three major factors have been identified
which can influence a user's satisfaction with her/his information
systems. These factors are: the quality of information products
(reports and screens), attitudes towards MIS staff and services, and
knowledge and involvement level of user. This study investigates
two additional factors as possible determinants of user information
satisfaction. These additional factors, which represent the social
subsystem of the work environment, were identified based on the
Socio-Technical Systems framework.
The first additional factor is the perceived fairness in the
allocation of information systems and related resources to different
user groups. Procedural fairness and distributive fairness have
been identified as important for an individual's satisfaction in
various non-MIS contexts.
The second factor relates to the impact of information systems
design on the work environment of users. Role conflict and role
ambiguity in the work environment are explored as possible factors
influencing user information satisfaction.
A cross-sectional survey of over 200 non-clerical users of
information systems provided the data for testing the propositions
of this study. A new instrument was developed for measuring equity
in the MIS context. Equity, role conflict, and role ambiguity were
found to be significantly correlated with overall user information
satisfaction. The addition of these new variables resulted in
improvement in the proportion of variance explained in overall user
information satisfaction from 47.9 percent (based on the three
existing factors) to 57.1 percent. A causal path model was proposed
and tested using path analysis techniques. Among all the existing
and new variables included in this study, equity was found to be the
most important variable influencing overall user information
satisfaction, both in terms of correlation and total causal
influence.
[Note: rest will be spread over next 3 issues - Ed]
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END OF IRList Digest
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