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The intelligent agent object (IAO) system is a multi‐paradigm development environment which can be used to create intelligent agent systems for manufacturing or other domains. The IAO system was developed from the rule‐based object (RBO) system which is a programming environment integrating both the rule‐based and object‐oriented paradigms. Propagation‐oriented programming, access‐oriented programming and group‐oriented programming are among the extensions included in the IAO system. Its most unusual contribution is the propagation‐oriented programming paradigm which is not found in most systems. A key application is the messenger inferencing structure which is a user‐extendable framework supporting multiple knowledge representation, meta‐inference control, and distributed inference. This allows the IAO system to go beyond predicate logic based production rule programming. New developments are also introduced for access‐oriented programming. The IAO system can be used to develop integrated manufacturing systems such as the prototype automated guided vehicle planning and control system, which is briefly described.

Applies a computer model GAIA (Groups of Adaptive Inferencing Agents) to simulate the lifecycle of artificial groups directed by agendas which specify varying strategies for collective problem solving. Within GAIA, groups of artificial agents dynamically learn and interact by proposing, combining and testing inductive hypotheses in the form of genetic building blocks. Agents share and combine building block solutions to evolve decision trees to respond to environmental inputs. Effects of agendas which emphasize stages of conservative and liberal problem solving strategies over a group’s lifecycle were simulated. Conservative strategies emphasize consensus and collective memories within groups. Liberal strategies emphasize challenges to collective memory and individual agent predictions. Agendas which vary from conservative to liberal resulted in the poor group solutions. Significantly better group solutions were produced by an agenda varying from liberal to conservative and back to liberal (L‐C‐L). The L‐C‐L agenda focuses on critical evaluation and rewards for individual contribution in the beginning and ending lifecycle stages and provides a middle stage of collective exploration.

The purpose of this article is to elaborate the picture of the processes of information use by comparing conceptualizations provided by the constructivist approach and the human information processing approach.

The article is a conceptual analysis of major articles characterizing information use and human information processing in the fields of information studies and consumer research.

It is found that both research approaches share the assumption that interpreting, relating and comparing qualities of things is fundamental to the information use process.

The picture of information use processes is based on the comparison of two research approaches only.

Compared to the numerous studies on information needs and seeking, the questions of information use have remained under‐researched. The study elaborates the conceptual picture of information use processes by identifying similarities and differences between two major research approaches.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to explore an application of the gradual release of responsibility (GRR) to the reading comprehension of students in kindergarten to grade five.

Findings – In this chapter, the author provides a brief review of think-alouds as a way for proficient readers to model the comprehension strategies that they apply to a text. The author introduces a three-step process in which students gradually take ownership for such strategies through think-alouds, think-alongs, and think alones. The author demonstrates that when students in kindergarten through grade five have strong models of comprehension through think-alouds, they are able to apply these strategies to their own independent reading. Though a case study of one English language arts teacher, the author shows how the teacher released responsibility to students through think-alouds.

Research limitations/implications – The examples within this chapter are from a second-grade classroom in an urban charter school.

Practical implications – This three-step process is applicable to all content areas as well as text genre and reading levels. This approach is a valuable model for teachers to understand how to gradually release comprehension strategies to students across grade levels.

Originality/value of paper – This chapter provides research-based examples of using the GRR model to build students’ ability to inference. Additionally, the chapter provides “I” language and sentence starters to help students internalize comprehension strategies and apply them to independent reading.

The purpose of this research is to describe a system to support querying across distributed digital libraries created in heterogeneous metadata schemas, without requiring the availability of a global schema.

The advantages and weaknesses of ontology based applications were investigated and have justified the utility of inferential rules in expressing complex relations between metadata terms in different metadata schemas. A process for combining ontologies and rules for specifying complex relations between metadata schemas were designed. The process was collapsed into a set of working phases and provides examples to illustrate how to interrelate two similar bibliographic ontology fragments for further query reformulation.

Equipping ontologies with inferencing power can help describe more complex relations between metadata terms. This approach is critical for properly interpreting queries from one ontology to another.

A prototype system was built based on examples instead of practical experience.

The approach assumes that relations between metadata sets, or ontologies in the approach, are provided by domain experts with/without ontology tools.

A new approach has been proposed for facilitating heterogeneous metadata interoperation in digital libraries as a way of empowering ontologies with rich reasoning capabilities. The traditional approach assumes a global schema controlled by a central or virtual server to provide mapping between local and external metadata schemas. A more flexible and dynamic environment was studied, i.e. P2P‐based digital libraries, where peers may join and leave freely.

Computer matching is a mass surveillance technique involving the comparison of data about many people, which have been acquired from multiple sources. Its use offers potential benefits, particularly financial savings. It is also error‐prone, and its power results in threats to established patterns and values. The imperatives of efficiency and equity demand that computer matching be used, and the information privacy interest demands that it be used only where justified, and be subjected to effective controls. Provides background to this important technique, including its development and application in the USA and in Australia, and a detailed technical description. Contends that the technique, its use, and controls over its use are very important issues which demand research. Computing, telecommunications and robotics artefacts which have the capacity to change society radically need to be subjected to early and careful analysis, not only by sociologists, lawyers and philosophers, but also by information technologists themselves.

Scandal is the disruptive publicity of alleged misconduct and it is important for organizations because of its severe consequences. Distinguishing between single-actor scandals, i.e., scandals that result from publicity of misconduct by a single actor, and multiple-actor scandals, i.e., scandals that result from publicity of misconduct of a similar type by multiple actors, we develop a framework for studying scandal dynamics that draws a distinction between how scandals start (single-actor or multiple-actor) and how they end (single-actor or multiple-actor). We focus specifically on spillover scandals (from single to multiple actors) and scapegoating scandals (from multiple to single actors) and identify several mechanisms that affect the likelihood of these two important types of scandals. We conclude by developing a research agenda that builds upon the central contribution of our framework: the distinction between single- and multiple-organization scandals and the transitions that result in spillovers and scapegoating.

There has been a significant increase in activity over the past few years to integrate library metadata with the Semantic Web. While much of this has involved the development of controlled vocabularies as “linked data”, there have recently been concerted attempts to represent standard library models for bibliographic metadata in forms that are compatible with Semantic Web technologies. This paper aims to give an overview of these initiatives, describing relationships between them in the context of the Semantic Web.

The paper focusses on standards created and maintained by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, including Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, Functional Requirements for Authority Data, and International Standard Bibliographic Description. It also covers related standards and models such as RDA – Resource Description and Access, REICAT (the new Italian cataloguing rules) and CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model, and the technical infrastructure for supporting relationships between them, including the RDA/ONIX framework for resource categorization, and Vocabulary Mapping Framework.

The paper discusses the importance of these developments for releasing the rich metadata held by libraries as linked data, addressing semantic and statistical inferencing, integration with user‐ and machine‐generated metadata, and authenticity, veracity and trust. It also discusses the representation of controlled vocabularies, including subject classifications and headings, name authorities, and terminologies for descriptive content, in a multilingual environment.

Finally, the paper discusses the potential collective impact of these initiatives on metadata workflows and management systems.

The paper provides a general review of recent activity for those interested in the development of library standards, the Semantic Web, and universal bibliographic control.