Discusses the modelling of library circulation systems. (PF)

This paper is concerned with the organization and retrieval of records in document retrieval systems which admit of imprecision in the form of fuzziness in document characterization and retrieval rules. A mathematical model for such systems, based on the theory of fuzzy sets, is introduced. (Author)

This analysis of Zipf's law uses an index for the sequence of observed values of the variables in a Zipf-type relationship. Three important properties relating rank, count, and frequency are identified, shapes of Zipf-type curves are described, and parameters of the Mandelbrot-Zipf law are discussed. (Author/LRW)

The application of the theory of fuzzy sets to the description of information retrieval systems makes it possible (1) to take into account the fact that the degree of importance of the particular terms is of a continuous character, (2) to formalize the relations between terms describing documents and information requests (fuzzy thesaurus).…

Studies the evolution of information production processes and their relation to the Lorenz dominance order as a theoretical framework for bibliometrics. The relation between the total number of sources, the total number of items, the average production, and the maximum production are examined. Geometric illustrations are provided. (Contains 14…

The model assumes that the relevance assigned to a document by a juror is a random variable. (PF)

Discusses several query-processing methods designed to allow the use of relevance weights or thresholds attached to terms and compares them with normal Boolean rules and fuzzy subset theory. Forty-five references are listed. (FM)

Discusses information production processes (IPP)--i.e., continuous mathematical models of production processes such as bibliographies, economic production processes, and social usages of words in a text--from the point of view of concentration theory. Gini's index is studied in the dual framework of IPPs. (27 references) (LRW)

Describes the Waller-Kraft "wish list" of desired information retrieval system properties and identifies ambiguities caused by two distinct uses of the phrase "query term weight." Examples of problems arising from the ambiguity are given and a new list is created and discussed. (10 references) (Author/CLB)

Defines the scope and significance of the field of informetrics and relates it to the earlier fields of bibliometrics and scientometrics. Practical and theoretical aspects of informetrics are discussed, including the development of mathematical models and the derivation of measures; and a brief overview of articles in this issue is included. (15…

False drops occur in a system of random superimposed coding for edge-notched, punched, and feature cards. Formulae for the false dropping fraction are derived, and figures and tables are given for the calculated values in the most popular scheme. (Author/LS)

A new method for concentrating keywords of a thesaurus, based on a mathematical study of the distribution of characters in a defined natural language. (Author/KP)

Argues that most currently used information retrieval models are unsuitable to describe recent techniques such as semantic based retrieval. A more general model is presented in which the basis for information retrieval is viewed as logical implication and the estimation of the correspondence between queries and documents is described in terms of…

Presents the list-structure data model for dealing with sets of objects, which has ordering as its fundamental principle. An extended notion of patterns and several operators of the algebra are presented. Design issues that influenced the development of the language are described. (Contains 30 references.) (KRN)

This article offers comments and clarifications of Egghe's paper, which dealt with information production processes (IPP) and the Gini index. Topics addressed include the length of the Lorenz curve as a concentration measure, the discrete duality operator, and a Bradford-Leimkuhler distribution. (10 references) (LRW)