This paper reflects a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the JISC Innovation Support Centres, CETIS and UKOLN. The research underpinning the report makes use of the NMC's Delphi-based process for bringing groups of experts to a consensus viewpoint, in this case around the impact of emerging technologies on teaching,…

Describes a method for compressing tomographic images obtained using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) by applying transform compression using all available dimensions. This takes maximum advantage of redundancy of the data, allowing significant increases in compression efficiency and performance. (13 references) (KRN)

Discusses a flexible, high performance subband coding system. Residual vector quantization is discussed as a basis for coding subbands, and subband decomposition and bit allocation issues are covered. Experimental results showing the quality achievable at low bit rates are presented. (13 references) (KRN)

The preservation of digital data for the long term presents a variety of challenges from technical to social and organizational. The technical challenge is to ensure that the information, generated today, can survive long term changes in storage media, devices, and data formats. This paper presents a novel approach to the problem. It distinguishes…

Compares benefits and costs for three methods of resolving library storage problems: weeding, high-density "warehouse" storage, and conversion to microform. (SW)

Discusses design options for CD-ROM storage. Highlights include a marketing strategy resulting in the creation of the jewel box; replacement and duplex jewel boxes; caddies; business furniture companies for large collections; flip-racks; and lazy-susans. (AEF)

Proposes a scheme of hierarchical piecewise linear approximation as an adaptive image pyramid. A progressive image coder comes naturally from the proposed image pyramid. The new pyramid is semantically more powerful than regular tessellation but syntactically simpler than free segmentation. This compromise between adaptability and complexity…

A number of threats to the integrity of digital image information can be identified when standard practices in museums and archives are examined. Systematic consideration of risk factors can inform the creation of procedures and application of security that works to guarantee the reliability and accuracy of digital image assets. (Author/AEF)

Studies of memory impairment in humans and experimental animals have been fundamental to learning about the organization of memory and its cellular and molecular substrates. When memory impairment occurs, especially after perturbations of the nervous system, the question inevitably arises whether the impairment reflects impaired information…

Discussion of factors that influence a publisher's choice of electronic and media delivery techniques; assesses use of diskettes, Bernoulli removable cartridge disks, CD-ROM, modems using dial-up phone lines, leased phone lines, satellites, and FM subcarriers. Sample data sizings are evaluated, and a cost model of electronic delivery costs is…

Discusses search and retrieval software for use with CD-ROM. Background trends, how data are made usable, supply and demand, data preparation services, and capabilities of search software are described. Vendors of significant information retrieval products are identified, and the characteristics of 12 packages are compared. (Author/EM)

Describes a detailed algorithm for fast text compression. Related to the PPM (prediction by partial matching) method, it simplifies the modeling phase by eliminating the escape mechanism and speeds up coding by using a combination of quasi-arithmetic coding and Rice coding. Details of the use of quasi-arithmetic code tables are given, and their…

Describes the design of optimal tree-structured vector quantizers that minimize the expected distortion subject to cost functions related to storage cost, encoding rate, or quantization time. Since the optimal design problem is intractable in most cases, the performance of a general design heuristic based on successive partitioning is analyzed.…

Discusses the distinctive differences between the English and Chinese languages from the system designer's point of view and explores the potential problems for Chinese information retrieval systems, focusing on character entry and retrieval. The advantages and disadvantages of current approaches are discussed, and a regular expression search…

Compares two approaches to document delivery and storage--microform and CD-ROM--in terms of storage capacity, accessibility, production, and cost considerations. Strengths and weaknesses of each medium are noted. It is concluded that libraries should select, integrate, and explore the different features of both technologies. (12 references) (MES)