Karen Markey, Pauline Atherton and Claudia Newton
A series of studies was performed in late 1978 and early 1979 by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources Special Project staff and consultants to discover how ERIC online…
Abstract
A series of studies was performed in late 1978 and early 1979 by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources Special Project staff and consultants to discover how ERIC online searchers were using free and controlled vocabulary in their search statements. Over 40 experienced ERIC online searchers were interviewed and more than half of these volunteered to show us their activity online. Over 650 search traces from 18 different ERIC online searchers using three different retrieval systems were analyzed. Findings show that controlled vocabulary terms are used in 68% of ERIC searches. Controlled vocabulary searching is higher if only terms which resulted in offline printed output are considered. The use of free text was more carefully scrutinized to see if we could discover ways to improve the ERIC database and its online access, since free text searchers have few online search aids besides the basic index with postings information. The vocabulary in 165 free text search statements was analyzed to determine whether ERIC descriptors and identifiers were incapable of representing these concepts. Information for every free text statement was sought on the following questions: (1) Is it a descriptor? (2) Is it cross‐referenced to an accepted term? (3) Is it a variant of a descriptor? (4) Is it expressible using descriptors? (5) Is it expressible using identifiers? (6) Is it only expressible using free text? Five tables summarize the output results of our comparative analysis of free text and controlled vocabulary searching. Six categories of search concepts were discovered for which searchers could only input free text terms or phrases. Online searching tests comparing free and controlled vocabulary were performed using six search topics. The free text search formulations had higher recall and controlled vocabulary formulations had higher precision. Search objective (high recall or high precision), we concluded, should dictate which formulation to use. All our findings helped point to the need for new searching aids for online ERIC searchers. Four displays exhibit what these might be; for example, an on‐line rotated descriptor or identifier display, and some linkage between free text and the Thesaurus. Responsible agents for effecting changes in searching ERIC online are identified and suggestions for improvements are addressed to these three agents.
New field for Infomart. Infomart, SDC's agent in Canada, recently announced that it had entered the field of electronic publishing with an influx of $6 million from two of…
Abstract
New field for Infomart. Infomart, SDC's agent in Canada, recently announced that it had entered the field of electronic publishing with an influx of $6 million from two of Canada's largest communication companies, Southam Inc. and Torstar Corporation. Infomart recently hosted an international forum on the future of videotex in Canada.
Christian Wellmann, Claudia Lillie and Peter Wriggers
The paper aims to introduce an efficient contact detection algorithm for smooth convex particles.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to introduce an efficient contact detection algorithm for smooth convex particles.
Design/methodology/approach
The contact points of adjacent particles are defined according to the common‐normal concept. The problem of contact detection is formulated as 2D unconstrained optimization problem that is solved by a combination of Newton's method and a Levenberg‐Marquardt method.
Findings
The contact detection algorithm is efficient in terms of the number of iterations required to reach a high accuracy. In the case of non‐penetrating particles, a penetration can be ruled out in the course of the iterative solution before convergence is reached.
Research limitations/implications
The algorithm is only applicable to smooth convex particles, where a bijective relation between the surface points and the surface normals exists.
Originality/value
By a new kind of formulation, the problem of contact detection between 3D particles can be reduced to a 2D unconstrained optimization problem. This formulation enables fast contact exclusions in the case of non‐penetrating particles.
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Robyn E. Metcalfe, Claudia Reino, Arriell Jackson, Jean M. Kjellstrand and J. Mark Eddy
Over 2 million individuals are incarcerated in the US criminal justice system. More than half of incarcerated Americans are also parents of minors. Parental incarceration can lead…
Abstract
Over 2 million individuals are incarcerated in the US criminal justice system. More than half of incarcerated Americans are also parents of minors. Parental incarceration can lead to a higher risk of mental illness and enduring trauma in children, as well as other problematic cognitive, developmental, and educational outcomes. Examining parental incarceration through a racial equity lens is critical, as people of color make up 67% of the incarcerated population despite making up only 37% of the US population. Further, gender-related equity issues pose important challenges for families with incarcerated parents. Here, we discuss prison-based psychosocial interventions designed both to build parenting skills and to improve parent well-being within a racial and gender equity lens. We hypothesize that effective services in these areas are essential components in a broad strategy designed to mitigate the potential negative effects suffered by families and children of incarcerated parents of color as a result of their imprisonment.
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Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Ask any business leader, or any ordinary Joe in the street, about a successful design‐led company, and the vast majority will mention one word: Apple. As sure as Sir Isaac Newton's apple will always fall to the ground, it seems that Steve Jobs' firm will always lead the way in design and technology for the masses. But can companies in other fields sprinkle a little of the Apple magic into their business to create growth?
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
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Vinod Chachra, Gail Gulbenkian, Elaine Hartman, Sandeep Somaiya, Antti Soini, Bil Stahl and Claudia V. Weston
Today, VTLS is a comprehensive, integrated solution to the automation requirements of academic, public, and special libraries around the world. No two libraries are alike; no two…
Abstract
Today, VTLS is a comprehensive, integrated solution to the automation requirements of academic, public, and special libraries around the world. No two libraries are alike; no two regions are alike. VTLS recognizes these differences and offers libraries the flexibility of numerous options to configure the system that best meets their functional and financial needs.
Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects…
Abstract
Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.
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In their original invitation, editors Kaye Schoonhoven and Frank Dobbin urged the contributors to this volume to be substantive and scholarly in their approach to their essays. I…
Abstract
In their original invitation, editors Kaye Schoonhoven and Frank Dobbin urged the contributors to this volume to be substantive and scholarly in their approach to their essays. I have tried to honor their request by summarizing the results of a programmatic line of scholarly inquiry on a thorny academic problem. It is also a problem of enormous and enduring real-world importance: As the world continues to confront divisive and escalating conflicts over how to share increasingly scarce global resources, we need to have a better understanding of when and why people are willing to cooperate to solve such problems.
Fouzia Ashfaq, Mattiullah Butt and Sehrish Ilyas
Drawing on expectancy theory, this research explores how and when volunteers’ motivational drives for volunteering relate to organizational policies and practices. The paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on expectancy theory, this research explores how and when volunteers’ motivational drives for volunteering relate to organizational policies and practices. The paper analyses four areas of motivational association – affiliation, beliefs, career development and egoistic motives – together with organizational human resource (HR) policies and practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a qualitative approach and through 17 interviews of the volunteer managers associated with 13 non-profit organizations (NPOs) examined that how through HR policies and practices, an NPO efficiently taps motivational drives of volunteers and maintains their spirit of volunteering.
Findings
The findings of the study indicated that the same behaviour may serve different functions for different individuals. Most of the motivational drives need to be tapped with specific tasks and events to become a source of fulfilment for volunteers, this plays a vital role in their decisions to continue volunteering. NPOs’ HR practices without volunteers’ motivation cannot serve any purpose. In the same vein, volunteers’ motivation cannot sustain for a longer period if it is not properly linked with organizational HR practices.
Research limitations/implications
The research findings may lack generalizability because of the selected research approach.
Originality/value
A great part of existing research, not previously captured in literature, is focussed on the assessment of the motivational underpinnings with respect to HR policies and practices.