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Abstract

In this chapter I propose that frames provide the fundamental representation of knowledge in human cognition. In the first section, I raise problems with the feature list representations often found in theories of knowledge, and I sketch the solutions that frames provide to them. In the second section, I examine the three fundamental concepts of frames: attribute-value sets, structural invariants, and constraints. Because frames also represents the attributes, values, structural invariants, and constraints within a frame, the mechanism that constructs frames builds them recursively. The frame theory I propose borrows heavily from previous frame theories, although its collection of representational components is somewhat unique. Furthermore, frame theorists generally assume that frames are rigid configurations of independent attributes, whereas I propose that frames are dynamic relational structures whose form is flexible and context dependent. In the third section, I illustrate how frames support a wide variety of representational tasks central to conceptual processing in natural and artificial intelligence. Frames can represent exemplars and propositions, prototypes and membership, subordinates and taxonomies. Frames can also represent conceptual combinations, event sequences, rules, and plans. In the fourth section, I show how frames define the extent of conceptual fields and how they provide a powerful productive mechanism for generating specific concepts within a field.

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Abstract

Mathematical dictionaries rarely explain where any of the terms came from, and then only briefly ... This is the first book that combines a mathematical dictionary and an etymological dictionary and as such, is recommended for any library covering the field of mathematics. The Words of Mathematics explains the origins of over 1500 mathematical terms used in English. While other dictionaries of mathematics define technical terms, this book concentrates on where those terms came from and what their literal meanings are. The words included here range from simple to advanced.

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Content

Enthält die folgenden Beiträge: YOUNGKIN, M.E., K.M. McCLOSKEY, N.E. DOUGHERTY u. W.J. PEAY: CD-ROM utilization in a health sciences setting; STEWART, L.: An overview of public access issues; PEELING, L.H.: Project RFD (Rural facts delivery); BARNES, S. u. E. SPRAGG: CD-ROMs for public access: integral components of collections and services in an academic research library; ANDERS, V.: The Wiley laser disk service at Evans Library, Texas A&M University; EVANS, N.H.: CD-ROM at Carnegie Mellon University; MaCDONALD, M., C. MASKELL u. J. AUER: CD-ROM at Brock University: integration, adaptatiion; REESE, J.: CD-ROM: a successful format in the education library; PLUTCHAK, T.S.: New approaches to access: CD-ROM at the St. Louis University Medical Center Library; DALTO, G.C.: Using read-only optical media in the Department of Information Science Library, University of Milan, Italy; DICKINSON, G.K.: CD-ROMs in the school library: one district's experience; BOHL, J.M. u. C.B. LaPIER: CD-ROMs go to school; WHELAN, E.A.: CD-ROMs in the high school library; GOETTLER, E., MAWTHORNE, M. u. S. McCASKILL: CD-ROM end-user searching: implementation issues in Ontario; ?, N. u. J. DEMMITT: INFO-LAN: a CD-ROM local area network in a public library; AU, K.-N. u. N. BORISOVETS: The changing LANdscape of undergraduate research: the Rutgers-Newark experience; GRANT, M.A.: The electronic information center at Boston College's O'Neill Library; STARR, K.J.: The byte of electronic information at Oregon State University: the CD-ROM Reference Center at the Kerr Library; RAIMONDO, P.G.: CD-ROM teaching techniques: instructing PsycLit users in a health sciences library; GLITZ, B. u. G. A. YORKOTE: CD-ROM technology in a biomedical library; SCHLOMAN, B.F., J.N. GATTEN u. G. BYERLY: Free-based CD-ROMs at Kent State University

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Abstract

Reports on investigations conducted at the Institute for Scientific, Technical and Economic Information (ISTEI) in Warsaw (Poland) in 1992-1993. These investigations aimed at a comparative analysis of four indexing languages (ILs) developed and/or used in Poland and at the establishment of concordances between them. These were the following ILs: Polish Thematic Classification (PTC), descriptor language based on the Thesaurus of Common Topics (TCT), Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), Subject Heading Language of the National Library in Warsaw (SHL). When establishing concordances the PTC was chosen as the master language whereas the three other ILs served as target languages. The research in question comprised: a) pilot investigations; b) main investigations consisting in the elaboration of the Concordance Dictionary of Indexing Languages (CDIL). The pilot investigations comprised of three approaches: a) use of a random sample of 144 PTC headings to which the equivalent lexical units of the target ILs were assigned; b) generation of alphabetical comparison matrices (MI) enumerating the lexical units of the ILs under investigation belonging to 4 selected subject fields; c) establishment of concordance tables between the PTC and the 4 target ILs within the same 4 subject fields. The elaboration of the CDIL consisted in the assignment of the (more or less) equivalent lexical units of the 3 target ILs to all 1330 headings comprised in the PTC main table. The coincidence rate of the ILs under comparison was computed in the framework of the pilot investigations as well as when analysing the results of the elaboration of the CDIL. The computed coincidence rate was very low when only the full (exact) equivalence of the lexical units belonging to all ILs under investigation was taken into consideration but it considerably increased when also the partial equivalence was taken into account

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Abstract

Different approaches to the classification of a knowledge field include empiristic, rationalistic, historistic, and pragmatic methods. This paper demonstrates how these different methids have been applied to the classification of psychology. An etymological apporach is insufficient to define the subject matter of psychology, because other terms can be used to describe the same domain. To define the subject matter of psychology from the point of view of its formal establishment as a science and academic discipline (in Leipzig, 1879) it is also insufficient because this was done in specific historical circumstances, which narrowed the subject matter to physiologically-related issues. When defining the subject area of a scientific field it is necessary to consider how different ontological and epistemological views have made their influences. A subject area and the approaches by which this subject area has been studied cannot be separated from each other without tracing their mutual historical interactions. The classification of a subject field is theory-laden and thus cannot be neutral or ahistorical. If classification research can claim to have a method that is more general than the study of concrete developments in the single knowledge fields the key is to be found in the general epistemological theories. It is shown how basic epistemological assumptions have formed the different approaches to psychology during the 20th century. The progress in the understanding of basic philosophical questions is decisive both for the development of a knowledge field and as the point of departure of classification. The theoretical principles developed in this paper are applied in a brief analysis of some concrete classification systems, including the one used by PsycINFO / Psychologcal Abstracts. The role of classification in modern information retrieval is also briefly discussed

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Abstract

The physical organisation of items on library shelves using any classification scheme is inevitable a compromise. The best efforts to achieve an arrangement that is helpful to users will be thwarted by the multifaceted nature of these items and the specific needs of the user and the library. Items on a particular subject will be scattered throughout the library building(s) across disciplines, by physical form, by frequency of use and whether and for how long they may be borrowed. Even thought he rich information content of multifaceted items may be represented in the notation, the items required by a user will be scattered across library shelves when the item is placed in a single relative location. This paper explores these issues uisng examples from a University Library classified using the DDC. The electronic context of the library OPAC can transcend the constraints imposed by the predominantly physical nature of library collections, yet the current use of classification schemes in on-line systems retains many of these limitations. Examples of such systems applying DDC on the WWW are discussed and compared with a system that seeks to use DDC in what is called view-based searching. The interface and the resulting browsing and searching capability of a view-based OPAC are described. Ways in which subject access to library collections can be improved and disciplinary scatter resolved by assigning multiple class number to items and exploiting the rich Dewey structure in a faceted form are discussed. It is suggested that the informative power of visual classificatory structures at the search interface will be beneficial to the broader learning experience of the user. The paper concludes that the application of classification schemes in electronic interfaces should not be bound by the the physical constraints that no longer apply in an electronic context but be exploited to provide a complete, flexible and individual interface as determined by the needs of each user

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Abstract

An information theory has been something of a holy grail for information studies. Whilst the term has been happily employed in many other academic disciplines consensus on the precise nature of information within information studies has remained elusive. A recent encyclopaedia entry (Wersig, 1997) traces the development of the term as it has emerged within the discipline of information studies. In the 1970s the following approaches to information were in evidence: `the structure approach', the 'knowledge approach', the 'message approach', the `meaning approach' and the `effect approach'. 'The structure approach states that the structures of the world - whether perceived by man or not - are information' (Wersig, 1997: 222); `the knowledge approach states that knowledge developed on the basis of perception is information' (Wersig, 1997: 222); the message approach that 'information is the message itself' (Wersig, 1997: 222), the meaning approach that 'the meaning assigned to signs or data is the information' (Wersig, 1997: 222) and 'the effect approach states that information is a specific effect of a specific process, usually on the part of the recipients in a communication process' (Wersig, 1997: 222). From a social constructionist point of view what each of these approaches share is a commitment, in varying degrees, to the literal nature of information. Each approach assumes a notion of information which possesses some essential and intrinsic quality. As such, authority as to what `information' is conveyed in an exchange rests with something intrinsic to the information itself, independent of its interpretation and use by the information-seeking subject. As a corollary to this it is further assumed that information has the capacity (even if only potential capacity) to achieve a particular effect on the recipient and that this potential effect can be specified ahead of the circumstances of its interpretation and use.

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Content

Ramana Rao (Inxight, Palo Alto, CA) 7 ± 2 Insights on achieving Effective Information Access Session One: Updates and a twelve month perspective Danny Sullivan (Search Engine Watch, US / England) Portalization and other search trends Carol Tenopir (University of Tennessee) Search realities faced by end users and professional searchers Session Two: Today's search engines and beyond Daniel Hoogterp (Retrieval Technologies, McLean, VA) Effective presentation and utilization of search techniques Rick Kenny (Fulcrum Technologies, Ontario, Canada) Beyond document clustering: The knowledge impact statement Gary Stock (Ingenius, Kalamazoo, MI) Automated change monitoring Gary Culliss (Direct Hit, Wellesley Hills, MA) User popularity ranked search engines Byron Dom (IBM, CA) Automatically finding the best pages on the World Wide Web (CLEVER) Peter Tomassi (LookSmart, San Francisco, CA) Adding human intellect to search technology Session Three: Panel discussion: Human v automated categorization and editing Ev Brenner (New York, NY)- Chairman James Callan (University of Massachusetts, MA) Marc Krellenstein (Northern Light Technology, Cambridge, MA) Dan Miller (Ask Jeeves, Berkeley, CA) Session Four: Updates and a twelve month perspective Steve Arnold (AIT, Harrods Creek, KY) Review: The leading edge in search and retrieval software Ellen Voorhees (NIST, Gaithersburg, MD) TREC update Session Five: Search engines now and beyond Intelligent Agents John Snyder (Muscat, Cambridge, England) Practical issues behind intelligent agents Text summarization Therese Firmin, (Dept of Defense, Ft George G. Meade, MD) The TIPSTER/SUMMAC evaluation of automatic text summarization systems Cross language searching Elizabeth Liddy (TextWise, Syracuse, NY) A conceptual interlingua approach to cross-language retrieval. Video search and retrieval Armon Amir (IBM, Almaden, CA) CueVideo: Modular system for automatic indexing and browsing of video/audio Speech recognition Michael Witbrock (Lycos, Waltham, MA) Retrieval of spoken documents Visualization James A. Wise (Integral Visuals, Richland, WA) Information visualization in the new millennium: Emerging science or passing fashion? Text mining David Evans (Claritech, Pittsburgh, PA) Text mining - towards decision support

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Abstract

Is this book sociology, anthropology, or taxonomy? Sorting Things Out, by communications theorists Geoffrey C. Bowker and Susan Leigh Star, covers a lot of conceptual ground in its effort to sort out exactly how and why we classify and categorize the things and concepts we encounter day to day. But the analysis doesn't stop there; the authors go on to explore what happens to our thinking as a result of our classifications. With great insight and precise academic language, they pick apart our information systems and language structures that lie deeper than the everyday categories we use. The authors focus first on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), a widely used scheme used by health professionals worldwide, but also look at other health information systems, racial classifications used by South Africa during apartheid, and more. Though it comes off as a bit too academic at times (by the end of the 20th century, most writers should be able to get the spelling of McDonald's restaurant right), the book has a clever charm that thoughtful readers will surely appreciate. A sly sense of humor sneaks into the writing, giving rise to the chapter title "The Kindness of Strangers," for example. After arguing that categorization is both strongly influenced by and a powerful reinforcer of ideology, it follows that revolutions (political or scientific) must change the way things are sorted in order to throw over the old system. Who knew that such simple, basic elements of thought could have such far-reaching consequences? Whether you ultimately place it with social science, linguistics, or (as the authors fear) fantasy, make sure you put Sorting Things Out in your reading pile.

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Abstract

This being the Birth Centenary.Year of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan, it was deemed as a befitting tribute to the author of Colon Classifiction to bring together all that has been published thus far on it and complile it in the form of a bibliographies are an important source of information on a particular field of study and research. A research worker has to carry out the literature survey on the area of interest which sometimes consumes many precious man hours in order to collect some relevent citations. Thus bibliographies are a useful source in saving the precious time and energy of the reseach workers, and lead them to the primary sources for carryying out the research further to the destination.

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Content

Enthält die Kapitel: BOPP, R.E.: History and varieties of reference services; SUTTON, E.D. u. L.D. HOLT: The reference interview; DALRYMPLE, P.D.: Bibliographic control, organization of information, and search strategies; KLUEGEL, K.M.: Introduction to electronic reference services; KLUEGEL, K.M.: Trends in electronic reference services: opportunities and challenges; WILSON, L.A.: Instruction as a reference service; WOODARD, B.S.: Reference staff training and development; ALLEN, B.: Evaluation of reference services; KIBBEE, J.Z.: Organization and management of reference and information services; KING, D.N. u. R.E. RUBIN: A philosophy of service; SUTTON, E.D., F.J. JACOBSON u. L.E. HOLT: Reference services for specific populations; SMITH, L.C.: Selection and evaluation of reference sources; MILLER, S.: Directories; STENSTROM, P.F.: Almanacs, yearbooks, and handbooks; BOPP, R.E.: Biographical sources; FAIRCHILD, C.A.: Dictionaries; JACOBSON, F.F.: Encyclopedias; COBB, D.A.: Geographical sources; PENKA, C.B. u. M. LANDIS: Bibliographies and library catalogs; SMITH, L.C.: Indexes and abstracts; BEKIARES, S.E. u. M. MALLORY: Government documents and statistics sources;

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Abstract

What is consciousness? How do physical processes in the brain give rise to the self-aware mind and to feelings as profoundly varied as love or hate, aesthetic pleasure or spiritual yearning? These questions today are among the most hotly debated issues among scientists and philosophers, and we have seen in recent years superb volumes by such eminent figures as Francis Crick, Daniel C. Dennett, Gerald Edelman, and Roger Penrose, all firing volleys in what has come to be called the consciousness wars. Now, in The Conscious Mind, philosopher David J. Chalmers offers a cogent analysis of this heated debate as he unveils a major new theory of consciousness, one that rejects the prevailing reductionist trend of science, while offering provocative insights into the relationship between mind and brain. Writing in a rigorous, thought-provoking style, the author takes us on a far-reaching tour through the philosophical ramifications of consciousness. Chalmers convincingly reveals how contemporary cognitive science and neurobiology have failed to explain how and why mental events emerge from physiological occurrences in the brain. He proposes instead that conscious experience must be understood in an entirely new light--as an irreducible entity (similar to such physical properties as time, mass, and space) that exists at a fundamental level and cannot be understood as the sum of its parts. And after suggesting some intriguing possibilities about the structure and laws of conscious experience, he details how his unique reinterpretation of the mind could be the focus of a new science. Throughout the book, Chalmers provides fascinating thought experiments that trenchantly illustrate his ideas. For example, in exploring the notion that consciousness could be experienced by machines as well as humans, Chalmers asks us to imagine a thinking brain in which neurons are slowly replaced by silicon chips that precisely duplicate their functions--as the neurons are replaced, will consciousness gradually fade away? The book also features thoughtful discussions of how the author's theories might be practically applied to subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence and the interpretation of quantum mechanics.

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Abstract

There are many natural scientists, and especially physicists, who continue to reject the notion that the disciplines concerned with social and cultural criticism can have anything to contribute, except perhaps peripherally, to their research. Still less are they receptive to the idea that the very foundations of their worldview must be revised or rebuilt in the light of such criticism. Rather, they cling to the dogma imposed by the long post-Enlightenment hegemony over the Western intellectual outlook, which can be summarized briefly as follows: that there exists an external world, whose properties are independent of any individual human being and indeed of humanity as a whole; that these properties are encoded in ``eternal'' physical laws; and that human beings can obtain reliable, albeit imperfect and tentative, knowledge of these laws by hewing to the ``objective'' procedures and epistemological strictures prescribed by the (so-called) scientific method. But deep conceptual shifts within twentieth-century science have undermined this Cartesian-Newtonian metaphysics; revisionist studies in the history and philosophy of science have cast further doubt on its credibility; and, most recently, feminist and poststructuralist critiques have demystified the substantive content of mainstream Western scientific practice, revealing the ideology of domination concealed behind the façade of ``objectivity''. It has thus become increasingly apparent that physical ``reality'', no less than social ``reality'', is at bottom a social and linguistic construct; that scientific ``knowledge", far from being objective, reflects and encodes the dominant ideologies and power relations of the culture that produced it; that the truth claims of science are inherently theory-laden and self-referential; and consequently, that the discourse of the scientific community, for all its undeniable value, cannot assert a privileged epistemological status with respect to counter-hegemonic narratives emanating from dissident or marginalized communities. These themes can be traced, despite some differences of emphasis, in Aronowitz's analysis of the cultural fabric that produced quantum mechanics; in Ross' discussion of oppositional discourses in post-quantum science; in Irigaray's and Hayles' exegeses of gender encoding in fluid mechanics; and in Harding's comprehensive critique of the gender ideology underlying the natural sciences in general and physics in particular.
Here my aim is to carry these deep analyses one step farther, by taking account of recent developments in quantum gravity: the emerging branch of physics in which Heisenberg's quantum mechanics and Einstein's general relativity are at once synthesized and superseded. In quantum gravity, as we shall see, the space-time manifold ceases to exist as an objective physical reality; geometry becomes relational and contextual; and the foundational conceptual categories of prior science -- among them, existence itself -- become problematized and relativized. This conceptual revolution, I will argue, has profound implications for the content of a future postmodern and liberatory science. My approach will be as follows: First I will review very briefly some of the philosophical and ideological issues raised by quantum mechanics and by classical general relativity. Next I will sketch the outlines of the emerging theory of quantum gravity, and discuss some of the conceptual issues it raises. Finally, I will comment on the cultural and political implications of these scientific developments. It should be emphasized that this article is of necessity tentative and preliminary; I do not pretend to answer all of the questions that I raise. My aim is, rather, to draw the attention of readers to these important developments in physical science, and to sketch as best I can their philosophical and political implications. I have endeavored here to keep mathematics to a bare minimum; but I have taken care to provide references where interested readers can find all requisite details.