The goal of this study is to increase understanding of information problems as they are revealed in interactions among users and search intermediaries during information retrieval. Specifically, this study seeks to investigate: (a) how interaction between users and search intermediaries reveals aspects of user information problems; (b) to explore the concept of representation with respect to information problems in interactive information retrieval; and (c) how user and search intermediaries focus on aspects of user information problems during the course of searches. This project extends research on interactive information retrieval, and presents a theoretical framework that synthesizes rational and non-rational questions concerning mental representation as it pertains to user's understanding of information problems.

published_or_final_version / Mathematics / Master / Master of Philosophy

by Yip Suen-man. / Appendixes in Chinese and English. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. / Acknowledgment --- p.1 / Abstract --- p.2 / Table of Contents --- p.3 / List of Tables --- p.5 / List of Figures --- p.6 / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.7 / Chapter 1.1 --- Objectives --- p.9 / Chapter 1.2 --- Chapter Summary --- p.10 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Related Work --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1 --- Relational Query Language --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Relational Algebra Vs Relational Calculus --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Procedural Vs Nonprocedural --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Natural Language (NL) Vs Restricted Natural Language (RNL) --- p.13 / Chapter 2.2 --- Existing Relational Query Language --- p.14 / Chapter 2.3 --- Chinese Related Work --- p.16 / Chapter 2.4 --- Chapter Summary --- p.17 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Chinese Database Query Language : Chiql --- p.19 / Chapter 3.1 --- Naturalness --- p.19 / Chapter 3.2 --- Simplicity --- p.20 / Chapter 3.3 --- Procedural and Multi-statements Query Style --- p.21 / Chapter 3.4 --- Functional Completeness --- p.22 / Chapter 3.5 --- Chapter Summary --- p.25 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Query Processing --- p.26 / Chapter 4.1 --- Query Optimization --- p.27 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Query Representation --- p.27 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Standardization --- p.28 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Simplification --- p.29 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- Amelioration --- p.29 / Chapter 4.2 --- Query Translation of SQL --- p.29 / Chapter 4.3 --- Query Processing in Chiql --- p.33 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Overview of the Query Processing --- p.33 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Inter-Statement Dependency --- p.34 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Translation flow of Chiql-to-SQL --- p.36 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- An Introductory Example --- p.37 / Chapter 4.4 --- Chapter Summary --- p.40 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Statement Merging Algorithm (SMA) --- p.41 / Chapter 5.1 --- Problems --- p.41 / Chapter 5.2 --- Definitions --- p.42 / Chapter 5.3 --- Linear Merging Algorithm (LMA) --- p.43 / Chapter 5.4 --- Tree Merging Algorithm (TMA) --- p.47 / Chapter 5.5 --- Statement Merging Algorithm (SMA) --- p.50 / Chapter 5.6 --- Improvement --- p.56 / Chapter 5.7 --- Chapter Summary --- p.57 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Pattern Mapping Algorithm (PMA) --- p.58 / Chapter 6.1 --- Problem --- p.58 / Chapter 6.2 --- Type of Patterns --- p.61 / Chapter 6.3 --- Pre-requisite of Pattern Mapping --- p.65 / Chapter 6.4 --- Pattern Mapping Algorithm (PMA) --- p.65 / Chapter 6.5 --- An Illustration Example --- p.68 / Chapter 6.6 --- Chapter Summary --- p.72 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Evaluation --- p.73 / Chapter 7.1 --- Testing the Correctness --- p.73 / Chapter 7.2 --- Comparison in Translation Power With Other Translator --- p.76 / Chapter 7.3 --- Chapter Summary --- p.78 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- Conclusion --- p.79 / Reference --- p.82 / Appendix --- p.86

Wan Po Man Polly. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-128). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.v / Contents --- p.vi / List of Figures --- p.x / List of Tables --- p.xiv / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Motivation and Aims --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Organization of Thesis --- p.5 / Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1 --- Dimensionality Reduction --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Fourier Transformation --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Wavelet Transformation --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Singular Value Decomposition --- p.10 / Chapter 2.2 --- Searching Sequence Similarity with Transformation --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Time Warping --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Amplitude Scaling and Shifting --- p.14 / Chapter 2.3 --- Data Smoothing and Noise Removal --- p.18 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Piecewise Linear Segmentations --- p.18 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Approximation Function --- p.21 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Best-fitting Line --- p.23 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- Turning Points --- p.24 / Chapter 3 --- Time-Series Searching with Scaling and Shifting in Amplitude and Time Domains --- p.25 / Chapter 3.1 --- Representation --- p.25 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Control Points --- p.26 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Lattice Structure --- p.28 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Algorithm on Lattice Construction --- p.31 / Chapter 3.2 --- Pattern Matching --- p.32 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Formulating the Problem of Similarity --- p.35 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Error Measurement --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3 --- Indexing Scheme --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Indexing with scaling and shifting proposed by Chu and Wong --- p.40 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Integrating with lattice structure --- p.41 / Chapter 3.4 --- Results --- p.43 / Chapter 4 --- Chart Patterns Searching for Chart Analysis --- p.47 / Chapter 4.1 --- Chart Patterns Overview --- p.47 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Reversal Patterns --- p.49 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Continuation Patterns --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2 --- Representation --- p.53 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Trendline Preparation --- p.54 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Trendline Pair --- p.59 / Chapter 4.3 --- Three-Phase Pattern Classification --- p.66 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Phase One: Trendline Pair Classification --- p.66 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Phase Two: Patterns Merging and Rejection --- p.74 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Phase Three: Patterns Merging of Unclassified and Un- merged Trendline Pairs --- p.89 / Chapter 4.4 --- Results --- p.90 / Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.100 / Chapter A --- Supplementary Results --- p.103 / Chapter A.1 --- Ascending Triangle --- p.103 / Chapter A.2 --- Descending Triangle --- p.104 / Chapter A.3 --- Falling Wedge --- p.106 / Chapter A.4 --- Head and Shoulders --- p.107 / Chapter A.5 --- Price Channel --- p.109 / Chapter A.6 --- Rectangle --- p.110 / Chapter A.7 --- Rising Wedge --- p.112 / Chapter A.8 --- Symmetric Triangle --- p.113 / Chapter A.9 --- Double Bottom --- p.113 / Chapter A.10 --- Double Top --- p.116 / Chapter A.11 --- Triple Bottom --- p.118 / Chapter A.12 --- Triple Top --- p.120 / Bibliography --- p.122 / Publications --- p.128

This experiment was designed to investigate the effectiveness of the CDROM hands on instruction program provided by the University of Canberra library by comparing it with demonstration only sessions and a group that received no instruction at all. The results indicated that the hands-on instruction program evaluated did not prove to be superior to a demonstration in providing students with necessary skills to search CDROM databases. A sample of 98 novice users enrolled in Research Skills were randomly allocated to three groups. The first group received hands on instruction on CD-ROM searching. The second group watched a demonstration using a liquid crystal display. The third group acted as a control group and received no instruction. Each group conducted a search on three pre-determined questions. The experiment was conducted in three stages. The first stage was a pretest in which students searched the three search questions. The second stage was instruction. Two groups of students were instructed, either hands on or demonstration. The final stage was a post-test which involved searching the three questions used in the pre-test. The following databases were used in the study: ERIC, MEDLINE and Sports Discus. The results were measured in terms of a number of search terms used, number of retrieved records, number of Boolean operators used, and a appropriate choice of a database. The statistical significance level among the groups was tested by the means of the technique of oneway analysis of variance to test The F test was used to compare differences between the different groups. The results of this experiment indicated that groups of students instructed on either method of instruction, hands-on and demonstration, performed significantly better than the control group. However, there was no significant difference between the two methods of instruction. This research confirms the need for CD-ROM instruction for novice users if CD-ROM databases are to be used effectively by students. Furthermore, this result shows that demonstrations can be used as alternative methods of instruction.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-61).

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Not available / text

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Computer Science and Information Systems / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Computer Science and Information Systems / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy