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The purpose of this paper is to propose and evaluate XKQSS, a query structuring method that relegates the task of generating structured queries from a user to a search engine while retaining the simple keyword search query interface. A more effective way for searching XML database is to use structured queries. However, using query languages to express queries prove to be difficult for most users since this requires learning a query language and knowledge of the underlying data schema. On the other hand, the success of Web search engines has made many users to be familiar with keyword search and, therefore, they prefer to use a keyword search query interface to search XML data.

Existing query structuring approaches require users to provide structural hints in their input keyword queries even though their interface is keyword base. Other problems with existing systems include their inability to put keyword query ambiguities into consideration during query structuring and how to select the best generated structure query that best represents a given keyword query. To address these problems, this study allows users to submit a schema independent keyword query, use named entity recognition (NER) to categorize query keywords to resolve query ambiguities and compute semantic information for a node from its data content. Algorithms were proposed that find user search intentions and convert the intentions into a set of ranked structured queries.

Experiments with Sigmod and IMDB datasets were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the method. The experimental result shows that the XKQSS is about 20 per cent more effective than XReal in terms of return nodes identification, a state-of-art systems for XML retrieval.

Existing systems do not take keyword query ambiguities into account. XKSS consists of two guidelines based on NER that help to resolve these ambiguities before converting the submitted query. It also include a ranking function computes a score for each generated query by using both semantic information and data statistic, as opposed to data statistic only approach used by the existing approaches.

The work of the OSTI‐supported library housekeeping automation projects at the British National Bibliography, the University Libraries of Loughborough, Southampton, Oxford, Surrey, Lancaster, and Bath, and in the Birmingham Libraries' Cooperative Mechanisation Project and the South West University Libraries Systems Cooperative Project is described, and the state of progress of each as at Summer 1973 is indicated.

As part of a British Library Research and Development Department research programme for studying the use of on‐line information systems, UMIST examined the efficiency and reactions of users Comparisons were made between search results of users, users assisted by an intermediary experienced in using the system, and the intermediary on his own after discussion with the user. Using the data bases offered through the LOCKHEED DIALOG service, it was found that users were very pleased with on‐line literature searching. Over 90% of users were partially or completely satisfied with the results. While 95% of users were satisfied with their own search results, 90% preferred those of the intermediary whose search was shorter but retrieved more references on average.

In this paper, a new cooperation control scheme for multiple robot material handling is presented. First, the event‐based planning and control method is introduced, which lays down the foundation for sensor‐referenced cooperation of multiple robot systems. The key step is the development of event‐based action reference. Based on the real‐time sensory information, the event‐based action reference drives the system to achieve the best possible coordination. The event‐based cooperation control scheme can easily be implemented in a distributed computer system. A real‐time control and computing architecture is proposed to implement this scheme in a parallel computation. The new multiple robot cooperation scheme has been experimentally implemented and tested on two 6‐DOF PUMA 560 robots. The experimental results have demonstrated the advantages of the scheme.

By developing a methodology for on‐line citation analysis, the international characteristics of scientific journals have been analysed on the basis of correlations between the geographical distribution patterns of authors, citations and subscriptions. The study covered seven selected LIS journals. Assuming that the numbers of authors and citations in each geographical region follow the Poisson distribution, the hypothesis was tested, that the intensities are proportional to the subscriptions. In most cases the correlation between authors and citations was so positive that the international visibility and impact of the scientific journals can be defined by these two variables. As regards the distribution pattern of subscribers, authors and citations, however, the test showed very weak or no correlations. The analysis of the statistical significance of differences gave some useful data, the importance of which to marketing and publishing strategies is obvious. The paper suggests examining also the knowledge export of journals as an additional criterion for the evaluation of their impact, and the quality of research published in them. The comparison of Journal Impact Factors (JIF) is another contribution of this study, aimed to enhance the use of impact factor analysis with various time intervals. We demonstrate new and flexible ways of using the JIF for diachronous and synchronous analyses. The study brings new dimensions to the discussions of the impact, status and image of scientific journals. It focuses on the utilisation of informetric analysis to go beyond the simplistic use of the JIF and to get a deeper understanding of the “real” impact of international scientific journals and their market.

Computer‐aided systems for all four of the conventional divisions of the field of library housekeeping are now operational in libraries. In Great Britain the only activity not yet operational is that of periodicals control, although two libraries have already used a computer to produce lists of periodicals holdings. The aim of this paper is to describe simply how computer‐aided housekeeping systems work, from the point of view of the librarian, and to mention briefly some typical applications of each type of system.

This article presents the findings of a survey conducted among British companies to discover to what extent marketing models are being used in practice. In two previous articles we discussed the problems of model building in marketing, examined several recent developments, argued that there was a need to measure the current status of marketing model building in Britain, and made a partial assessment of the state‐of‐the‐art by reviewing some of the most significant literature. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a survey we conducted among British companies to discover to what extent marketing models are being used in practice. We also present the conclusions we have drawn from the project.

In the United States of America and Canada the potential of the computer in secondary education has been, and still is being diligently examined by a number of teams of research workers. This research is being sponsored by Federal Agencies, Universities, and State Governments.

Reviews the academic research conducted on organizational buying behavior since the publication of Sheth’s model of industrial buying behavior in 1973. Discovers an impressive amount of research primarily focused on the decision‐making process, environmental influences and conflict resolution in joint decisions. Also, there is an emerging area of research on supply‐chain partnering and the use of information technology such as networked computing and online data services. States that there is a surplus of empirical studies using descriptive methods and that more analytical approaches on the one hand, and conceptual constructs on the other. Focusses on future academic research in organizational buying behavior. Concludes that purchasing function is dramatically shifting from the transaction‐oriented to the relational‐oriented philosophy, and it is also shifting from domestic to global sourcing. This will change the role, processes and strategies of procurement and, therefore, new research opportunities will emerge for academic scholars. These include understanding suppliers as customers; cross‐functional supplier teaming; economic value of supplier equity; supply experience curves; hub and spoke organization; bonding with suppliers; global sourcing processes; cross‐cultural values in purchasing; cross‐national rules and regulations; and service procurement.