bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effective management of multiple configurable units using dynamic optimization
Authors: Hu Shiwen , Valluri Madhavi , John Lizy Kurian
Published: January 2007

As one of the promising efforts to minimize the surging microprocessor power consumption, adaptive computing environments (ACEs), where microarchitectural resources can be dynamically tuned to match a program's run-time requirement and characteristics, are becoming increasingly common. In an ACE, efficient management of the configurable units (CUs) is vital for maximizing the benefit of resource adaptation. ACEs usually have multiple configurable hardware units, necessitating exploration of a large number of combinatorial configurations in order to identify the most energy-efficient configuration. In this paper, we propose an ACE management framework for efficient management of multiple CUs, utilizing dynamic optimization systems' inherent capabilities of detecting and optimizing program hotspots, i.e., dominate code regions. We develop a scheme where hotpot boundaries are used for phase detection and adaptation. The framework achieves good energy reduction on managing multiple CUs with minimal hardware requirements and low implement cost by leveraging the existing infrastructure of a dynamic optimization system. The proposed framework is evaluated by dynamically adapting five CUs with distinct reconfiguration latencies and overheads. Those CUs are issue queue, reorder buffer, level-one data and instruction caches, and level-two cache. Previous research indicates that those five components dominate the energy consumption of a microprocessor. Despite the growing complexity and overhead of adapting five CUs, our technique reduces the energy consumption of those CUs by as much as 45%, while one of the best techniques provided by prior literature achieves less than 15% energy reduction for all CUs.
Analyzing the input stream for character- level errors in unconstrained text entry evaluations
Authors: Wobbrock Jacob O. , Myers Brad A.
Published: January 2007

Recent improvements in text entry error rate measurement have enabled the running of text entry experiments in which subjects are free to correct errors (or not) as they transcribe a presented string. In these “unconstrained” experiments, it is no longer necessary to force subjects to unnaturally maintain synchronicity with presented text for the sake of performing overall error rate calculations. However, the calculation of
character-level
error rates, which can be trivial in artificially constrained evaluations, is far more complicated in unconstrained text entry evaluations because it is difficult to infer a subject's intention at every character. For this reason, prior character-level error analyses for unconstrained experiments have only compared presented and transcribed strings, not input streams. But input streams are rich sources of character-level error information, since they contain all of the text entered (and erased) by a subject. The current work presents an algorithm for the automated analysis of character-level errors in input streams for unconstrained text entry evaluations. It also presents new character-level metrics that can aid method designers in refining text entry methods. To exercise these metrics, we perform two analyses on data from an actual text entry experiment. One analysis, available from the prior work, uses only presented and transcribed strings. The other analysis uses input streams, as described in the current work. The results confirm that input stream error analysis yields richer information for the same empirical data. To facilitate the use of these new analyses, we offer pseudocode and downloadable software for performing unconstrained text entry experiments and analyzing data.
The reification of metaphor as a design tool
Authors: Blackwell Alan F.
Published: January 2007

Despite causing many debates in human-computer interaction (HCI), the term “metaphor” remains a central element of design practice. This article investigates the history of ideas behind user-interface (UI) metaphor, not only technical developments, but also less familiar perspectives from education, philosophy, and the sociology of science. The historical analysis is complemented by a study of attitudes toward metaphor among HCI researchers 30 years later. Working from these two streams of evidence, we find new insights into the way that theories in HCI are related to interface design, and offer recommendations regarding approaches to future UI design research.
Transparent adaptation of single-user applications for multi-user real-time collaboration
Authors: Sun Chengzheng , Xia Steven , Sun David , Chen David , Shen Haifeng , Cai Wentong
Published: January 2007

Single-user interactive computer applications are pervasive in our daily lives and work. Leveraging single-user applications for supporting multi-user collaboration has the potential to significantly increase the availability and improve the usability of collaborative applications. In this article, we report an innovative
Transparent Adaptation
(TA) approach and associated supporting techniques that can be used to convert existing and new single-user applications into collaborative ones, without changing the source code of the original application. The cornerstone of the TA approach is the operational transformation (OT) technique and the method of adapting the single-user application programming interface to the data and operation models of OT. This approach and supporting techniques were developed and tested in the process of transparently converting two commercial off-the-shelf single-user applications (Microsoft Word and PowerPoint) into real-time collaborative applications, called CoWord and CoPowerPoint, respectively. CoWord and CoPowerPoint not only retain the functionalities and “look-and-feel” of their single-user counterparts, but also provide advanced multi-user collaboration capabilities for supporting multiple interaction paradigms, ranging from concurrent and free interaction to sequential and synchronized interaction, and for supporting detailed workspace awareness, including multi-user telepointers and radar views. The TA approach and generic collaboration engine software component developed from this work are potentially applicable and reusable in adapting a wide range of single-user applications.
Success factors for implementing global information systems
Authors: Biehl Markus
Published: January 2007

Before taking on global systems, project managers must conduct a proper process analysis and educatetop management, as well as end users.In today's globalized business environment, firms must learn to manage increasingly complex networks of subsidiaries, customers, and suppliers. Information systems support this effort by providing supply chain information, facilitating communication among supply chain partners and managers' decisions when coordinating the networks. "Global coordination," according to [5], "is one of the most important functions firms perform for optimal global operations to achieve operational flexibility."
Intra-organizational perspectives on IT-enabled supply chains
Authors: Singh Nitin , Lai Kee-hung , Cheng T.C.E.
Published: January 2007

Aligning technology decisions with relevant organizational practices and policies.
Increased security through open source
Authors: Hoepman Jaap-Henk , Jacobs Bart
Published: January 2007

It may seem counterintuitive, but going "open" all the way offers the most security.
Shannon's eleven
Authors: Shannon Meg McGinity
Published: January 2007

Top tech trends to watch in 2007.
Slanty design
Authors: Beale Russell
Published: January 2007

This new take on usability yields desirable (and the absence of undesirable) user behavior,even as it furthers grander corporate goals.
Forward Thinking
Authors: O'Hanlon Charlene
Published: January 2007

I am of the opinion that humans are not flexible creatures. We resist change like oil resists water. Even if a change is made for the good of humankind, if it messes around with our daily routine, then our natural instinct is to fight the change like a virus.
Peerless P2P
Authors: Neville-Neil George
Published: January 2007

Dear KV, I’ve just started on a project working with P2P software, and I have a few questions. Now, I know what you’re thinking, and no this isn’t some copyright-violating piece of kowboy kode. It’s a respectable corporate application for people to use to exchange data such as documents, presentations, and work-related information. My biggest issue with this project is security, for example, accidentally exposing our users data or leaving them open to viruses. There must be more things to worry about, but those are the top two. So, I want to ask "What would KV do?"
A Conversation with John Hennessy and David Patterson
Authors: O'Hanlon Charlene
Published: January 2007

As authors of the seminal textbook, ’Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach’, John Hennessy and David Patterson probably don’t need an introduction. You’ve probably read them in college or, if you were lucky enough, even attended one of their classes. Since rethinking, and then rewriting, the way computer architecture is taught, both have remained committed to educating a new generation of engineers with the skills to tackle today’s tough problems in computer architecture, Patterson as a professor at Berkeley and Hennessy as a professor, dean, and now president of Stanford University.
Better, Faster, More Secure
Authors: Carpenter Brian
Published: January 2007

Since I started a stint as chair of the IETF in March 2005, I have frequently been asked, “What’s coming next?” but I have usually declined to answer. Nobody is in charge of the Internet, which is a good thing, but it makes predictions difficult. The reason the lack of central control is a good thing is that it has allowed the Internet to be a laboratory for innovation throughout its life—and it’s a rare thing for a major operational system to serve as its own development lab. As the old metaphor goes, we frequently change some of the Internet’s engines in flight.
Review of "Sustainable Software Development: An Agile Perspective by Kevin Tate," Addison-Wesley Professional, 2005, $39.99, ISBN: 0321286081.
Authors: Spinellis D.
Published: January 2007

Review of "Sustainable Software Development: An Agile Perspective by Kevin Tate," Addison-Wesley Professional, 2005, $39.99, ISBN: 0321286081.
On the theoretical comparison of low-bias steady-state estimators
Authors: Awad Hernan P. , Glynn Peter W.
Published: January 2007

The time-average estimator is typically biased in the context of steady-state simulation, and its bias is of order 1/t, wheretrepresents simulated time. Several “low-bias” estimators have been developed that have a lower order bias, and, to first-order, the same variance of the time-average. We argue that this kind of first-order comparison is insufficient, and that a second-order asymptotic expansion of the mean square error (MSE) of the estimators is needed. We provide such an expansion for the time-average estimator in both the Markov and regenerative settings. Additionally, we provide a full bias expansion and a second-order MSE expansion for the Meketon--Heidelberger low-bias estimator, and show that its MSE can be asymptotically higher or lower than that of the time-average depending on the problem. The situation is different in the context of parallel steady-state simulation, where a reduction in bias that leaves the first-order variance unaffected is arguably an improvement in performance.
Character animation from 2D pictures and 3D motion data
Authors: Hornung Alexander , Dekkers Ellen , Kobbelt Leif
Published: January 2007

This article presents a new method to animate photos of 2D characters using 3D motion capture data. Given a single image of a person or essentially human-like subject, our method transfers the motion of a 3D skeleton onto the subject's 2D shape in image space, generating the impression of a realistic movement. We present robust solutions to reconstruct a projective camera model and a 3D model pose which matches best to the given 2D image. Depending on the reconstructed view, a 2D shape template is selected which enables the proper handling of occlusions. After fitting the template to the character in the input image, it is deformed as-rigid-as-possible by taking the projected 3D motion data into account. Unlike previous work, our method thereby correctly handles projective shape distortion. It works for images from arbitrary views and requires only a small amount of user interaction. We present animations of a diverse set of human (and nonhuman) characters with different types of motions, such as walking, jumping, or dancing.
A first-order analysis of lighting, shading, and shadows
Authors: Ramamoorthi Ravi , Mahajan Dhruv , Belhumeur Peter
Published: January 2007

The shading in a scene depends on a combination of many factors---how the lighting varies spatially across a surface, how it varies along different directions, the geometric curvature and reflectance properties of objects, and the locations of soft shadows. In this article, we conduct a complete first-order or gradient analysis of lighting, shading, and shadows, showing how each factor separately contributes to scene appearance, and when it is important. Gradients are well-suited to analyzing the intricate combination of appearance effects, since each gradient term corresponds directly to variation in a specific factor. First, we show how the spatialanddirectional gradients of the light field change as light interacts with curved objects. This extends the recent frequency analysis of Durand et al. [2005] to gradients, and has many advantages for operations, like bump mapping, that are difficult to analyze in the Fourier domain. Second, we consider the individual terms responsible for shading gradients, such as lighting variation, convolution with the surface BRDF, and the object's curvature. This analysis indicates the relative importance of various terms, and shows precisely how they combine in shading. Third, we understand the effects of soft shadows, computing accurate visibility gradients, and generalizing previous work to arbitrary curved occluders. As one practical application, our visibility gradients can be directly used with conventional ray-tracing methods in practical gradient interpolation methods for efficient rendering. Moreover, our theoretical framework can be used to adaptively sample images in high-gradient regions for efficient rendering.
Context-aware textures
Authors: Lu Jianye , Georghiades Athinodoros S. , Glaser Andreas , Wu Hongzhi , Wei Li-Yi , Guo Baining , Dorsey Julie , Rushmeier Holly
Published: January 2007

Interesting textures form on the surfaces of objects as the result of external chemical, mechanical, and biological agents. Simulating these textures is necessary to generate models for realistic image synthesis. The textures formed are progressively variant, with the variations depending on the global and local geometric context. We present a method for capturing progressively varying textures and the relevant context parameters that control them. By relating textures and context parameters, we are able to transfer the textures to novel synthetic objects. We present examples of capturing chemical effects, such as rusting; mechanical effects, such as paint cracking; and biological effects, such as the growth of mold on a surface. We demonstrate a user interface that provides a method for specifying where an object is exposed to external agents. We show the results of complex, geometry-dependent textures evolving on synthetic objects.
Expressive power of an algebra for data mining
Authors: Calders Toon , Lakshmanan Laks V. S. , Ng Raymond T. , Paredaens Jan
Published: January 2007

The relational data model has simple and clear foundations on which significant theoretical and systems research has flourished. By contrast, most research on data mining has focused on algorithmic issues. A major open question is: what's an appropriate foundation for data mining, which can accommodate disparate mining tasks? We address this problem by presenting a database model and an algebra for data mining. The database model is based on the 3W-model introduced by Johnson et al. [2000]. This model relied on black box mining operators. A main contribution of this article is to open up these black boxes, by using generic operators in a data mining algebra. Two key operators in this algebra are
regionize
, which creates regions (or models) from data tuples, and a restricted form of looping called
mining loop
. Then the resulting data mining algebra MA is studied and properties concerning expressive power and complexity are established. We present results in three directions: (1) expressiveness of the mining algebra; (2) relations with alternative frameworks, and (3) interactions between regionize and mining loop.
Adaptive rank-aware query optimization in relational databases
Authors: Ilyas Ihab F. , Aref Walid G. , Elmagarmid Ahmed K. , Elmongui Hicham G. , Shah Rahul , Vitter Jeffrey Scott
Published: January 2007

Rank-aware query processing has emerged as a key requirement in modern applications. In these applications, efficient and adaptive evaluation of top-kqueries is an integral part of the application semantics. In this article, we introduce a rank-aware query optimization framework that fully integrates rank-join operators into relational query engines. The framework is based on extending the System R dynamic programming algorithm in both enumeration and pruning. We define ranking as an interesting physical property that triggers the generation of rank-aware query plans. Unlike traditional join operators, optimizing for rank-join operators depends on estimating the input cardinality of these operators. We introduce a probabilistic model for estimating the input cardinality, and hence the cost of a rank-join operator. To our knowledge, this is the first effort in estimating the needed input size for optimal rank aggregation algorithms. Costing ranking plans is key to the full integration of rank-join operators in real-world query processing engines.Since optimal execution strategies picked by static query optimizers lose their optimality due to estimation errors and unexpected changes in the computing environment, we introduce several adaptive execution strategies for top-kqueries that respond to these unexpected changes and costing errors. Our reactive reoptimization techniques change the execution plan at runtime to significantly enhance the performance of running queries. Since top-kquery plans are usually pipelined and maintain a complex ranking state, altering the execution strategy of a running ranking query is an important and challenging task.We conduct an extensive experimental study to evaluate the performance of the proposed framework. The experimental results are twofold: (1) we show the effectiveness of our cost-based approach of integrating ranking plans in dynamic programming cost-based optimizers; and (2) we show a significant speedup (up to 300%) when using our adaptive execution of ranking plans over the state-of-the-art mid-query reoptimization strategies.
Towards multidimensional subspace skyline analysis
Authors: Pei Jian , Yuan Yidong , Lin Xuemin , Jin Wen , Ester Martin , Liu Qing , Wang Wei , Tao Yufei , Yu Jeffrey Xu , Zhang Qing
Published: January 2007

The skyline operator is important for multicriteria decision-making applications. Although many recent studies developed efficient methods to compute skyline objects in a given space, none of them considers skylines in multiple subspaces simultaneously. More importantly, the fundamental problem on the
semantics
of skylines remains open: Why and in which subspaces is (or is not) an object in the skyline? Practically, users may also be interested in the skylines in any subspaces. Then, what is the relationship between the skylines in the subspaces and those in the super-spaces? How can we effectively analyze the subspace skylines? Can we efficiently compute skylines in various subspaces and answer various analytical queries?In this article, we tackle the problem of multidimensional subspace skyline computation and analysis. We explore skylines in subspaces. First, we propose the concept of Skycube, which consists of skylines of all possible nonempty subspaces of a given full space. Once a Skycube is materialized, any subspace skyline queries can be answered online. However, Skycube cannot fully address the semantic concerns and may contain redundant information. To tackle the problem, we introduce a novel notion of
skyline group
which essentially is a group of objects that coincide in the skylines of some subspaces. We identify the
decisive subspaces
that qualify skyline groups in the subspace skylines. The new notions concisely capture the semantics and the structures of skylines in various subspaces. Multidimensional roll-up and drill-down analysis is introduced. We also develop efficient algorithms to compute Skycube, skyline groups and their decisive subspaces. A systematic performance study using both real data sets and synthetic data sets is reported to evaluate our approach.
Feature-based similarity search in graph structures
Authors: Yan Xifeng , Zhu Feida , Yu Philip S. , Han Jiawei
Published: January 2007

Similarity search of complex structures is an important operation in graph-related applications since exact matching is often too restrictive. In this article, we investigate the issues of
substructure similarity search using indexed features
in graph databases. By transforming the edge relaxation ratio of a query graph into the maximum allowed feature misses, our structural filtering algorithm can filter graphs without performing pairwise similarity computation. It is further shown that using either too few or too many features can result in poor filtering performance. Thus the challenge is to design an effective feature set selection strategy that could maximize the filtering capability. We prove that the complexity of optimal feature set selection is Ω(2

m

) in the worst case, where
m
is the number of features for selection. In practice, we identify several criteria to build effective feature sets for filtering, and demonstrate that combining features with similar size and selectivity can improve the filtering and search performance significantly within a multifilter composition framework. The proposed feature-based filtering concept can be generalized and applied to searching approximate nonconsecutive sequences, trees, and other structured data as well.
A psychophysically plausible model for typicality ranking of natural scenes
Authors: Schwaninger Adrian , Vogel Julia , Hofer Franziska , Schiele Bernt
Published: January 2007

Natural scenes constitute a very heterogeneous stimulus class. Each semantic category contains exemplars of varying typicality. It is, therefore, an interesting question whether humans can categorize natural scenes consistently into a relatively small number of categories, such as, coasts, rivers/lakes, forests, plains, and mountains. This is particularly important for applications, such as, image retrieval systems. Only if typicality is consistently perceived across different individuals, a general image-retrieval system makes sense. In this study, we use psychophysics and computational modeling to gain a deeper understanding of scene typicality. In the first psychophysical experiment, we used a forced-choice categorization task in which each of 250 natural scenes had to be classified into one of the following five categories: coasts, rivers/lakes, forests, plains, and mountains. In the second experiment, the typicality of each scene had to be rated on a 50-point scale for each of the five categories. The psychophysical results show high consistency between participants not only in the categorization of natural scenes, but also in the typicality ratings. In order to model human perception, we then employ a computational approach that uses an intermediatesemantic modeling stepby extracting local semantic concepts, such as, rock, water, and sand. Based on the human typicality ratings, we learn a psychophysically plausible distance measure that leads to a high correlation between the computational and the human ranking of natural scenes. Interestingly, model comparisons without a semantic-modeling step correlated much less with human performance, suggesting that our model is psychophysically very plausible.
Personal space in virtual reality
Authors: Wilcox Laurie M. , Allison Robert S. , Elfassy Samuel , Grelik Cynthia
Published: January 2007

Improving the sense of “presence” is a common goal of three-dimensional (3D) display technology for film, television, and virtual reality. However, there are instances in which 3D presentations may elicit unanticipated negative responses. For example, it is well established that violations of interpersonal space cause discomfort in real-world situations. Here we ask if people respond similarly when viewing life-sized stereoscopic images. Observers rated their level of comfort in response to animate and inanimate objects in live and virtual (stereoscopic projection) viewing conditions. Electrodermal activity was also recorded to monitor their physiological response to these stimuli. Observers exhibited significant negative reactions to violations of interpersonal space in stereoscopic 3D displays, which were equivalent to those experienced in the natural environment. These data have important implications for the creation of 3D media and the use of virtual reality systems.
A machine transliteration model based on correspondence between graphemes and phonemes
Authors: Oh Jong-Hoon , Choi Key-Sun , Isahara Hitoshi
Published: January 2007

Machine transliteration is an automatic method for converting words in one language into phonetically equivalent ones in another language. There has been growing interest in the use of machine transliteration to assist machine translation and information retrieval. Three types of machine transliteration models---grapheme-based, phoneme-based, and hybrid---have been proposed. Surprisingly, there have been few reports of efforts to utilize the correspondence between source graphemes and source phonemes, although this correspondence plays an important role in machine transliteration. Furthermore, little work has been reported on ways to dynamically handle source graphemes and phonemes. In this paper, we propose a transliteration model that dynamically uses both graphemes and phonemes, particularly the correspondence between them. With this model, we have achieved better performance---improvements of about 15 to 41% in English-to-Korean transliteration and about 16 to 44% in English-to-Japanese transliteration---than has been reported for other models.
An empirical study on language model adaptation
Authors: Gao Jianfeng , Suzuki Hisami , Yuan Wei
Published: January 2007

This article presents an empirical study of four techniques for adapting language models, including a maximum
a posteriori
(MAP) method and three discriminative training models, in the application of Japanese
Kana-Kanji
conversion. We compare the performance of these methods from various angles by adapting the baseline model to four adaptation domains. In particular, we attempt to interpret the results in terms of the character error rate (CER) by correlating them with the characteristics of the adaptation domain, measured by using the information-theoretic notion of cross entropy. We show that such a metric correlates well with the CER performance of the adaptation methods, and also show that the discriminative methods are not only superior to a MAP-based method in achieving larger CER reduction, but also in having fewer side effects and being more robust against the similarity between background and adaptation domains.
Adapting pivoted document-length normalization for query size
Authors: Chung Tze Leung , Luk Robert Wing Pong , Wong Kam Fai , Kwok Kui Lam , Lee Dik Lun
Published: January 2007

The vector space model (VSM) is one of the most widely used information retrieval (IR) models in both academia and industry. It was less effective at the Chinese ad hoc retrieval tasks than other retrieval models in the NTCIR-3 evaluation workshop, but comparable to those in the NTCIR-4 and NTCIR-5 workshops. We do not know whether the lower level performance was due to the VSM's inherent deficiencies or to a less effective normalization of document length. Hence we evaluated the VSM with various pivoted normalizations of document length using the NTCIR-3 collection for confirmation. We found that VSM's retrieval effectiveness with pivoted normalization was comparable to other competitive retrieval models (for example, 2-Poisson), and that VSM's retrieval speed with pivoted normalization was similar to competitive retrieval models (2-Poisson). We proposed a novel adaptive scheme that automatically estimates the (near) best parameters for pivoted document-length normalization based on query size; the new normalization is called
adaptive pivoted document-length normalization
. This scheme achieved good retrieval effectiveness, sometimes for short (title) queries and sometimes for long queries, without manually adjusting parameter values. We found that unique, adaptive pivoted normalization can enhance fixed pivoted normalizations for different test collections (TREC-5 and TREC-6). We also evaluated the VSM with the adaptive pivoted normalization using the pseudo-relevance feedback (PRF) and found that this type of VSM performs similarly to the competitive retrieval models (2-Poisson) with PRF. Hence, we conclude that the VSM with unique (adaptive) pivoted document-length normalization is effective for Chinese IR and that its retrieval effectiveness is comparable to that of other competitive retrieval models with or without PRF for the reference test collections used in this evaluation.
Effect of relationships between words on Japanese information retrieval
Authors: Matsumura Atsushi , Takasu Atsuhiro , Adachi Jun
Published: January 2007

Two Japanese-language information retrieval (IR) methods that enhance retrieval effectiveness by utilizing the relationships between words are proposed. The first method uses dependency relationships between words in a sentence. The second method uses proximity relationships, particularly information about the ordered co-occurrence of words in a sentence, to approximate the dependency relationships between them. A
Structured Index
has been constructed for these two methods, which represents the dependency relationships between words in a sentence as a set of binary trees. The
Structured Index
is created by morphological analysis and dependency analysis based on simple template matching and compound noun analysis derived from word statistics. Through retrieval experiments using the Japanese test collection for information retrieval systems (NTCIR-1, the NACSIS Test Collection for IR systems), it is shown that these two methods offer superior retrieval effectiveness compared with the TF--IDF method, and are effective with different databases and diverse search topics sets. There is little difference in retrieval effectiveness between these two methods.
Memory overflow protection for embedded systems using run-time checks, reuse, and compression
Authors: Biswas Surupa , Carley Thomas , Simpson Matthew , Middha Bhuvan , Barua Rajeev
Published: January 2007

Embedded systems usually lack virtual memory and are vulnerable to memory overflow since they lack a mechanism to detect overflow or use swap space thereafter. We present a method to detect memory overflows using compiler-inserted software run-time checks. Its overheads in run-time and energy are 1.35 and 1.12%, respectively. Detection of overflow allows system-specific remedial action. We also present techniques to grow the stack or heap segment after they overflow, into previously unutilized space, such as dead variables, free holes in the heap, and space freed by compressing live variables. These may avoid the out-of-memory error if the space recovered is enough to complete execution. The reuse methods are able to grow the stack or heap beyond its overflow by an amount that varies widely by application---the amount of recovered space ranges from 0.7 to 93.5% of the combined stack and heap size.
Hardware support for detecting illegal references in a multiapplication real-time Java environment
Authors: Higuera-Toledano M. Teresa
Published: January 2007

Our objective is to adapt the Java memory management to an embedded system, e.g., a wireless PDA executing concurrent multimedia applications within a single JVM. This paper provides software, and hardware-based solutions detecting both illegal references across the application memory spaces and dangling pointers within an application space. We give an approach to divide/share the memory among the applications executing concurrently in the system. We introduce and define application-specific memory, building upon the real-time specification for Java (RTSJ) from the real-time Java expert group. The memory model used in RTSJ imposes strict rules for assignment between memory areas, preventing the creation of dangling pointers, and thus maintaining the pointer safety of Java. Our implementation solution to ensure the checking of these rules before each assignment inserts write barriers that use a stack-based algorithm. This solution adversely affects both the performance and predictability of the RTSJ applications, which can be improved by using an existing hardware support.
Response of plasma CNP forms to acute anabolic and catabolic interventions in growing lambs
Authors: Prickett Timothy C. R. , Barrell Graham K. , Wellby Martin , Yandle Timothy G. , Richards A. Mark , Espiner Eric A.
Published: January 2007

Using a novel marker of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) synthesis [amino-terminal pro-CNP (NT-proCNP)], we have recently shown that plasma NT-proCNP is strongly correlated with skeletal growth and markers of bone formation and is reversibly reduced by glucocorticoids. The effects on CNP of other catabolic or anabolic factors, known to affect skeletal growth, are unknown. Accordingly, we have studied the response of plasma CNP forms to acute catabolic (caloric restriction) and anabolic [growth hormone (GH) stimulation] interventions in lambs and related the findings to circulating IGF-I levels, growth velocity, and markers of bone formation. Lambs fed a reduced caloric intake (25% of normal) for 6 days exhibited reduced live weight, plasma urea, and IGF-I ( P < 0.001 for all) compared with control lambs. Basal levels of NT-proCNP (40.1 ± 0.9 pmol/l) fell promptly to a nadir (28.1 ± 0.8 pmol/l, P < 0.001) on day 6, returning rapidly to basal levels upon refeeding. Although plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) fell ( P < 0.001), reductions in metacarpal growth velocity were not significant within the 12-day period of study. In contrast to caloric restriction, long-acting bovine recombinant GH (2.5 mg/kg on days 0 and 6), as expected, increased plasma IGF-I more than twofold above control for 12 days ( P < 0.001). Growth velocity did not differ during the 30 days of observation, and, consistent with unchanged growth velocity, plasma NT-proCNP and ALP were also unaffected. In conclusion, CNP synthesis and markers of bone formation are acutely sensitive to catabolism but unaffected by doses of GH that fail to stimulate skeletal growth.
Autonomic involvement in the permanent metabolic programming of hyperinsulinemia in the high-carbohydrate rat model
Authors: Mitrani Paul , Srinivasan Malathi , Dodds Catherine , Patel Mulchand S.
Published: January 2007

Exposure to a high-carbohydrate (HC) milk formula during the suckling period results in permanent metabolic programming of hyperinsulinemia in HC rats. Previous studies have shown that hyperinsulinemia in HC rats involves a programmed hyperresponsiveness to glucose. However, the immediate onset and persistence of enhanced insulin secretion throughout life suggests a role for numerous factors that control insulin secretion. Present in vivo and in vitro studies have shown a role for altered autonomic activity, including increased parasympathetic and decreased sympathetic activities, in the maintenance of hyperinsulinemia in 100-day-old HC rats. HC rats were shown to be more sensitive to cholinergic-induced potentiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in response to acetylcholine and showed increased sensitivity to blockade of cholinergic-induced insulin secretion by the muscarinic-type 3 receptor-specific antagonist 4-diphenylacetoxy- N-methylpiperidine. In addition, HC rats were less sensitive to adrenergic-induced inhibition of insulin secretion by oxymetazoline, whereas treatment with yohimbine resulted in increased GSIS. Furthermore, HC rats showed greater reductions in plasma insulin levels after vagotomy, as well as an attenuation of yohimbine-induced potentiation of GSIS, suggesting that yohimbine-mediated changes are mediated by parasympathetic activity. Changes in autonomic regulation of GSIS are supported by increased mRNA levels of the parasympathetic signaling molecules muscarinic-type 3 receptor, phospholipase Cβ1, and protein kinase C-α and decreased levels of α2a-adrenergic receptors in islets from adult HC rats. In conclusion, metabolic programming of hyperinsulinemia throughout adulthood of HC rats involves changes in autonomic activity in response to the HC dietary intervention in the suckling period.
p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Inhibition Ameliorates Angiotensin II–Induced Target Organ Damage
Authors: Park Joon-Keun , Fischer Robert , Dechend Ralf , Shagdarsuren Erdenechimeg , Gapeljuk Andrej , Wellner Maren , Meiners Silke , Gratze Petra , Al-Saadi Nidal , Feldt Sandra , Fiebeler Anette , Madwed Jeffrey B. , Schirdewan Alexander , Haller Hermann , Luft Friedrich C. , Muller Dominik N.
Published: January 2007

We investigated whether or not p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibition ameliorates angiotensin II–induced target organ damage. We used double transgenic rats harboring both human renin and angiotensinogen genes (dTGRs). dTGR, with or without p38 inhibitor (BIRB796; 30 mg/kg per day in the diet), and nontransgenic Sprague–Dawley rats were studied in 2 protocols. In protocol 1 (week 7), systolic blood pressure of untreated dTGRs was 204±4 mm Hg, but partially reduced after BIRB796 treatment (166±7 mm Hg), whereas Sprague–Dawley rats were normotensive. The cardiac hypertrophy index was unchanged in untreated and BIRB796-treated dTGRs. The β-myosin heavy chain expression of BIRB796-treated hearts was significantly lower in BIRB796 compared with dTGRs, indicating a delayed switch to the fetal isoform. BIRB796 treatment significantly reduced cardiac fibrosis, connective tissue growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and macrophage infiltration. Albuminuria was not reduced in BIRB796-treated dTGRs. Tubular and glomerular damage with tumor necrosis factor-α expression was unaltered, although serum creatinine and cystatin C were normalized. Renal macrophage infiltration, fibrosis, and vessel damage were reduced. In protocol 2 (week 8), we focused on mortality and arrhythmogenic electrical remodeling. Mortality of untreated dTGRs was 100% but was reduced to 10% in the BIRB796 group. Cardiac magnetic field mapping showed prolongation of depolarization and repolarization in untreated dTGRs compared with Sprague–Dawley rats with a partial reduction by BIRB796. Programmed electrical stimulation elicited ventricular tachycardias in 81% of untreated dTGRs but only in 48% of BIRB796-treated dTGRs. In conclusion, BIRB796 improved survival, target organ damage, and arrhythmogenic potential in angiotensin II–induced target organ damage.
Prevention of Premature Discontinuation of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy in Patients With Coronary Artery Stents
Authors: Grines Cindy L. , Bonow Robert O. , Casey Donald E. , Gardner Timothy J. , Lockhart Peter B. , Moliterno David J. , O’Gara Patrick , Whitlow Patrick
Published: January 2007

Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and a thienopyridine has been shown to reduce cardiac events after coronary stenting. However, many patients and healthcare providers prematurely discontinue dual antiplatelet therapy, which greatly increases the risk of stent thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and death. This advisory stresses the importance of 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy after placement of a drug-eluting stent and educating the patient and healthcare providers about hazards of premature discontinuation. It also recommends postponing elective surgery for 1 year, and if surgery cannot be deferred, considering the continuation of aspirin during the perioperative period in high-risk patients with drug-eluting stents.
The Path to Intractability: Time and the Entrenchment of Territorial Disputes
Authors: Hassner Ron E.
Published: January 2007

Why do territorial disputes become more difficult to resolve over time? Why are states often unable to resolve long-standing territorial disputes over land that is of little strategic or economic value? One explanation for territorial dispute entrenchment draws on changes in dispute perception. Specifically, as territorial disputes mature they undergo processes that increase the integrity of the disputed territory, clarify the definition of the territory's boundaries, and make it more difficult to find substitutes for the territory. Territorial dispute resolution is both stochastic and exogenous to the entrenchment process and thus impossible to predict. It is possible, however, to forecast ex ante the degree to which young territorial disputes are likely to resist resolution efforts in the future based on two variables: perceptions of a territory's integrity, boundaries, and value at the outset of the dispute, and physical constraints on expansion and settlement into the territory.
English-Language Learners
Authors: Verdugo Richard R. , Flores Brittney
Published: January 2007

Since its inception, America’s system of public education has faced many challenges. One of its more important challenges has been how to teach children from diverse backgrounds and cultures. As a society that prides itself on a democratic ideology, cultural diversity and schooling are not trivial issues. One of the more significant diversity topics has been the presence of English-language learners (ELL) in American public schools. This article introduces the topic of ELL students and the education and education-related issues surrounding ELL students. For researchers and policy makers deeply steeped in the issues surrounding ELL students, the issues and concerns raised in this article are familiar. However, for the vast majority of other researchers and policy makers, these issues are not familiar and may have important impact on their own research agendas.
Why Do Parents Homeschool? A Systematic Examination of Parental Involvement
Authors: Green Christa L. , Hoover-Dempsey Kathleen V.
Published: January 2007

Although homeschooling is growing in popularity in the United States, little systematic research has focused on this population. Grounded in the parental involvement literature, this study examines why parents decide to home-school. Parents of 136 homeschooled elementary children completed questionnaires assessing constructs derived from the parental involvement literature and personal beliefs identified in the homeschooling literature as important to parents’ decisions to homeschool. Results suggest that home-schooling parents appear to be motivated by an active role construction, strong sense of efficacy for helping the child learn, and positive perceptions of life context. Homeschool parents’ beliefs about the values, content, adequacy, and methods of public school education appear to be implicated less strongly in their decisions. Findings are discussed with reference to the development of a systematic and theoretically grounded knowledge base on parents’ motivations for involvement in their children’s education.
Differential Entry Into a Voucher Program
Authors: Paul Kelli M. , Legan Natalie A. , Metcalf Kim K.
Published: January 2007

Publicly funded voucher programs attempt to target low-income families, but concern exists as to whether such programs actually “cream” students from public schools. Data collected as part of the evaluation of the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program are used to examine whether differences exist between three subgroups of applicants and entrants to the Cleveland voucher program within and across time. This research suggests that voucher recipients who choose not to use their voucher tend to be more minority and lower income than those who are awarded and use a voucher and those who apply for but are not awarded a voucher. Across time, individuals who receive and use a voucher tend to attend a private school prior to applying for a voucher, whereas individuals who apply and are not awarded or who choose not to use an awarded voucher tend to attend public schools prior to applying for a voucher.
A Case Study of Teachers’ Perceptions of School Desegregation and the Redistribution of Social and Academic Capital
Authors: Caldas Stephen J. , Bankston Carl L. , Cain Judith S.
Published: January 2007

This case study gauges the perceptions of teachers to the “harm and benefit thesis” of Coleman’s social-capital hypothesis. The study uses data from one de facto segregated southern school system that hastily implemented a court order in 2000. The study collects the perceptions of teachers at five predominantly middle-class White schools that received 460 lower socioeconomic status African American students ordered bussed when their inner-city schools were closed. Sixty-percent of the teachers feel that the African American students are better off in the White schools. However, only 11% feel that the White students are better off than before the busing. Open-ended responses reveal that most teacher comments are negative, with fully 40% of teachers specifically indicating that busing had increased discipline problems. The study findings undermine the notion that transferring Black students to majority White schools is necessarily a superior pedagogical strategy.
A Cross-Cultural Study of Teachers’ Beliefs and Strategies on Classroom Behavior Management in Urban American and Korean School Systems
Authors: Shin Sunwoo , Koh Myung-Sook
Published: January 2007

The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers’ beliefs on classroom behavior management strategies for students in urban public high schools between teachers in the United States and the Republic of Korea. This study incorporates data collected from teacher self-reported survey questionnaire, which is the Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control Inventory. The participants are 116 American teachers and 167 Korean teachers who are teaching high school students in each country. A two-way analysis of variance, chi-square test, independent t test, and content analysis are implemented to analyze data. The ANOVA reveals that there are no statistically significant cross-cultural differences between the two groups of educators by their years of teaching experience. Nonetheless, several key findings are identified between the two groups of educators: There are statistically significant cross-cultural differences in teachers’ instructional and students’ management styles.
The Aesthetic Calculus: Sex Appeal, Circuitry, and Invisibility
Authors: Arntfield Mike
Published: January 2007

Since antiquity, ideas regarding true beauty have been usurped by the purview of mathematics. From the aesthetic “logic” of Aristotle to the instrumentalized brutality of the Final Solution and its methodical anthropometric measurements, we see how the symmetry of numbers has been used to quantify the bodily politic according to an empirical prescript for centuries. The cultural mores of new media have served to elevate this phenomenon of cosmetic nomenclature to new and alarming levels, engineering an insidious mathematical visuality for the world like never before. Whether it be the way a digital camera transforms the human body into a matrix of numerical codes or the way various items of technological fetish both imitate and influence our visual preferences for people, all things deemed attractive and unattractive are now part of a new mathematical milieu: an aesthetic calculus that ensures our bodies and our machines share a single unified ornamentation.