Embedding of cycles and wheels into arbitrary trees We estimate and characterize the edge congestion-sum measure for embeddings of various graphs such as cycles, wheels, and generalized wheels into arbitrary trees. All embedding algorithms apply an interesting general technique based on the consecutive label property. Our algorithms produce optimal values of sum of dilations and sum of edge-congestions in linear time. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

fixed interconnection parallel architecture


A HIL simulator of Flexible-link Mechanisms The aim of this paper is to develop a Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulator of flexible-link mechanisms. The core of the simulator is a highly accurate FEM nonlinear dynamic model of planar mechanisms. The accuracy of the proposed simulator is proved by comparing the response of the virtual model with the response of the real mechanism by using the same real controller. Results are provided by the use of classical controllers real-time capability of the dynamic model is guaranteed by a symbolic manipulation of the equations that describe the mechanism, in order to avoid the numerical inversion of the large mass matrix of the system. This HIL simulator is a valuable tool for the tuning of closed-loop control strategies for this class of mechanisms, since it allows to reduce the safety risks and the time needed to fine tune the real-time controller parameters.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

mechanical vibrations
hardware-in-the-loop
flexible-link mechanism


The Fisher-Rao metric for lines in a convex image The Fisher-Rao metric on the parameter space for the set of lines in a two-dimensional convex image is approximated under the assumption that the errors in the measurements are small. The volume of the parameter space under the approximating metric is proportional to the area of the image under the Euclidean metric. In the case of a rectangular image, expressions for the approximating metric are obtained and an algorithm is given for sampling the parameter space. The sample points are used in an algorithm for detecting lines in a rectangular image. Experimental results are reported. In the case of a disc shaped image the parameter space for lines embeds isometrically, under the approximating metric, into three-dimensional Euclidean space.

O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

fisher-rao metric
isometric embedding
line detection
riemannian manifold
geodesic


svm binary classifier ensembles for image classification We study how the SVM-based binary classifiers can be effectively combined to tackle the multi-class image classification problem. We study several ensemble schemes, including OPC (one per class), PWC (pairwise coupling), and ECOC (error-correction output coding), that aim to achieve good error correction capability through redundancy. To enhance these ensemble schemes' accuracy, we propose methods that on the one hand boost the margins (i.e., confidence) of the SVM-based binary classifiers, and, on the other hand, remove the noise of irrelevant classifiers from class prediction. From empirical study we show that our margin boosting and noise reduction methods lead to higher classification accuracy than ensemble schemes that are solely designed for maximum error correction capability.

O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O B B O O O O B B O B O O O O O O O B I O

redundancy
accuracy
image classification
boosting
reduction
error correction
noise
ensemble
class
classification

empirical studies
method
couples
code
classifiation
predict
scheme


cost prediction for global illumination using a fast rasterised scene preview The media industry is demanding increasing fidelity for their rendered images. Despite the advent of modern GPUs, the computational requirements of physically based global illumination algorithms are such that it is still not possible to render high-fidelity images in real time. The time constraints of commercial rendering are such that the user would like to have an idea as to just how long it will take to render an animated sequence, prior the actual rendering. This information is necessary to determine whether the desired quality is achievable in the time available or indeed if it is possible to afford to carry out the work on a render farm for example. This paper presents a comparison of different pixel profiling strategies which may be used to predict the overall rendering cost of a high fidelity global illumination solution. A fast rasterised scene preview is proposed which provides a more accurate positioning and weighting of samples, to achieve accurate cost prediction.

B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I

profiling
physically based global illumination
cost prediction


a proposal for user centered system documentation This paper outlines a set of proposals for the development of system documentation based on an analysis of user needs. It is suggested that existing documentation is not sensitive enough to the variety of levels of user expertise, nor to the variety of contexts in which on-line help is required. We outline three specific proposals for fulfilling these needs: a quick reference facility, a command-line database, and a facility for full explanation and instruction, and suggest a number of ways in which users might access these facilities. Finally, we suggest a way of combining these facilities into an integrated structured manual, offering more effective user support than is currently provided.

O O O B O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O B O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O

sensitive help users analysis expertise instruction access paper documentation database user explanation

structure systems developer context user-support effect combinational integrability


Numerical methods for realizing nonstationary Poisson processes with piecewise-constant instantaneous-rate functions Nonstationary Poisson processes are appropriate in many applications, including disease studies, transportation, finance, and social policy. The authors review the risks of ignoring nonstationarity in Poisson processes and demonstrate three algorithms for generation of Poisson processes with piecewise-constant instantaneous rate functions, a capability that has been implemented in commercial simulation software. They test these algorithms in C programs and make comparisons of accuracy, speed, and variability across disparate rate functions and microprocessor architectures. Choice of optimal algorithm could not be predicted without knowledge of microprocessor architecture.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

nonstationary poisson process
nonhomogeneous poisson process
realization generation
poisson process realization


Future trends in computer graphics: How much is enough? Over the forty-year history of interactive computer graphics, there have been continuous advances, but at some stage this progression must terminate with images being sufficiently realistic for all practical purposes. How much detail do we really need? Polygon counts over a few million imply that on average each polygon paints less than a single pixel, making use of polygon shading hardware wasteful. We consider the problem of determining how much realism is required for a variety of applications. We discuss how current trends in computer graphics hardware, and in particular of graphics cards targeted at the computer games industry, will help or hinder achievement of these requirements. With images now being so convincingly realistic in many cases, critical faculties are often suspended and the images are accepted as correct and truthful although they may well be incorrect and sometimes misleading or untruthful. Display resolution has remained largely constant in spatial terms for the last twenty years and in terms of the number of pixels has increased by less than an order of magnitude. If the long-promised breakthroughs in display technology are finally realised, how should we use the increased resolution?

O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

displays
graphics hardware
human vision
point-based modelling


Insensitive light traffic in a cellular system with mobile subscribers We consider the problem of finding a light traffic limit for the stationary state distribution of a single cell, called the tagged cell, in a cellular system with mobile subscribers (customers). The number of channels in the tagged cell is finite. Customers in the adjacent cells move to this cell according to a Poisson process whose rate may depend on the number of customers in the tagged cell. The sojourn times of customers in the tagged cell have an exponential distribution. Each customer in the system is characterized as active (having a call in progress) or inactive. Each inactive customer in the tagged cell generates a call according to an exponential distribution. The duration time (service time) of each call in the system has a general distribution. Yamazaki and Toshimitsu [EJOR 135-1 (2001) 114] derived a light traffic limit for the stationary distribution of the two-state stochastic process denoting the total number of customers and the number of active customers in the tagged cell when the service time distribution is exponential. In this paper, we show that the light traffic limit is insensitive with respect to the service time distribution.

O B I O O B I O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O

cellular system
mobile subscribers
light traffic


ENHANCING ONLINE PERFORMANCE THROUGH WEBSITE CONTENT AND PERSONALIZATION A number of frameworks have been prescribed for online retailers, but still there exists little consensus regarding the amount of information and the level of customization needed to optimize customers' satisfaction and their purchase intention, and thereby increase sales performance. Against this backdrop, this study aims to contribute to the current practical and theoretical discussions regarding the most effective ways to design and implement online retailers' website features by empirically examining the interplay between information content and website personalization, and their individual and interactive impact on performance. By applying Structural Equation Modeling analysis to a sample of the top US retailers' websites, we find that simply providing a large number of information content features to online customers is not enough for companies looking to motivate customers to purchase. However, information that is targeted to an individual customer influences customer satisfaction and purchase intention; customer satisfaction, in turn, serves as a driver to the retailer's online sales performance.

O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I B I O O O O O O O O O B I I

customer satisfaction
purchase intention
website features
information content
personalization
online sales performance


Parallel edge-region-based segmentation algorithm targeted at reconfigurable MultiRing network In this paper, we present the parallel edge-region-based segmentation algorithm targeted at reconfigurable MultiRing network. The algorithm is based on detection of edges in the image. The 3-D image is sliced to create equidepth contours (EDCs). Three types of critical points, corresponding to three types of edges: fold edges, semistep edges, and boundary edges, are extracted in parallel from various EDCs. A subset of edge pixels is extracted first using these critical points. The edges are grown in parallel from these pixels through application of edge masks. The parallel algorithm is targeted on the MultiRing network. Various broadcasting mechanisms for utilizing the MultiRing for various stages of the algorithm are discussed. The paper also discusses how the segmentation algorithm is mapped on the MultiRing topology.

O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

boundary edges
reconfigurable multiring network

broadcasting mechanisms for multiring network


Dynamic Defragmentation of Reconfigurable Devices We propose a new method for defragmenting the module layout of a reconfigurable device, enabled by a novel approach for dealing with communication needs between relocated modules and with inhomogeneities found in commonly used FPGAs. Our method is based on dynamic relocation of module positions during runtime, with only very little reconfiguration overhead; the objective is to maximize the length of contiguous free space that is available for new modules. We describe a number of algorithmic aspects of good defragmentation, and present an optimization method based on tabu search. Experimental results indicate that we can improve the quality of module layout by roughly 50% over the static layout. Among other benefits, this improvement avoids unnecessary rejections of modules.

O B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

algorithms
dynamic reconfiguration
hardware/software codesign
physical sorting
complexity
local search


A New Meta-heuristic Algorithm for Maximizing Lifetime of Wireless Sensor Networks Monitoring a set of targets and extending network lifetime is a critical issue in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Various coverage scheduling algorithms have been proposed in the literature for monitoring deployed targets in WSNs. These algorithms divide the sensor nodes into cover sets, and each cover set can monitor all targets. It is proven that finding the maximum number of disjointed cover sets is an NP-complete problem. In this paper we present a novel and efficient cover set algorithm based on Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA). The proposed algorithm taking advantage of ICA determines the sensor nodes that must be selected in different cover sets. As the presented algorithm proceeds, the cover sets are generated to monitor all deployed targets. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, several simulations have been conducted and the obtained results show that the proposed approach outperforms similar algorithms in terms of extending the network lifetime. Also, our proposed algorithm has a coverage redundancy that is about 12% close to the optimal value.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

imperialist competitive algorithm (ica)
sensor scheduling
disjoint set cover
wireless sensor networks (wsns)


design fragments make using frameworks easier Object oriented frameworks impose new burdens on programmers that libraries did not, such as requiring the programmer to understand the method callback sequence, respecting behavior constraints within these methods, and devising solutions within a constrained solution space. To overcome these burdens, we express the repeated patterns of engagement with the framework as a design fragment . Design fragments give programmers immediate benefit through tool-based conformance assurance and long-term benefit through expression of design intent.

B I O O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Energy wasting at internet data centers due to fear ? Data centers represent the hungriest consumers of energy within IT companies. Energy saving involves two direct benefits: sustainability and cost reduction. This paper provides measurement of risk aversion experienced by administrators.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

costs of fear
energy efficiency
data center
grid computing
cloud computing


Recommender systems research: A connection-centric survey Recommender systems attempt to reduce information overload and retain customers by selecting a subset of items from a universal set based on user preferences. While research in recommender systems grew out of information retrieval and filtering, the topic has steadily advanced into a legitimate and challenging research area of its own. Recommender systems have traditionally been studied from a content-based filtering vs. collaborative design perspective. Recommendations, however, are not delivered within a vacuum, but rather cast within an informal community of users and social context. Therefore, ultimately all recommender systems make connections among people and thus should be surveyed from such a perspective. This viewpoint is under-emphasized in the recommender systems literature. We therefore take a connection-oriented perspective toward recommender systems research. We posit that recommendation has an inherently social element and is ultimately intended to connect people either directly as a result of explicit user modeling or indirectly through the discovery of relationships implicit in extant data. Thus, recommender systems are characterized by how they model users to bring people together: explicitly or implicitly. Finally, user modeling and the connection-centric viewpoint raise broadening and social issues-such as evaluation, targeting, and privacy and trust-which we also briefly address.

B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

recommendation
recommender systems
user modeling


Collaborative planning in supply chains by lagrangian relaxation and genetic algorithms A collaborative planning framework combining the Lagrangian Relaxation method and Genetic Algorithms is developed to coordinate and optimize the production planning of the independent partners linked by material flows in multiple tier supply chains. Linking constraints and dependent demand constraints were added to the monolithic Multi-Level, multi-item Capacitated Lot Sizing Problem (MLCLSP) for supply chains. Model MLCLSP was Lagrangian relaxed and decomposed into facility-separable sub-problems based on the separability of it. Genetic Algorithms was incorporated into Lagrangian Relaxation method to update Lagrangian multipliers, which coordinated decentralized decisions of the facilities in supply chains. Production planning of independent partners could be appropriately coordinated and optimized by this framework without intruding their decision authorities and private information. This collaborative planning schema was applied to a large set problem in supply chain production planning. Experimental results show that the proposed coordination mechanism and procedure come close to optimal results as obtained by central coordination in terms of both performance and robustness.

B I O O O O B I O B I O B I O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

collaborative planning
lagrangian relaxation
genetic algorithms


GA-fuzzy modeling and classification: Complexity and performance The use of genetic algorithms (GAs) and other evolutionary optimization methods to design fuzzy rules for systems modeling and data classification have received much attention in recent literature. Authors have focused on various aspects of these randomized techniques, and a whole scale of algorithms have been proposed. We comment on some recent work and describe a new and efficient two-step approach that leads to good results for function approximation, dynamic systems modeling and data classification problems. First fuzzy clustering is applied to obtain a compact initial rule-based model. Then this model is optimized by a real-coded GA subjected to constraints that maintain the semantic properties of the rules. We consider four examples from the literature: a synthetic nonlinear dynamic systems model, the iris data classification problem, the wine data classification problem, and the dynamic modeling of a diesel engine turbocharger, The obtained results are compared to other recently proposed methods.

O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

classification
dynamic systems
fuzzy clustering

real-coded genetic algorithm (ga)
takagi-sugeno-kang (tsk)
fuzzy model


increasing processor performance by implementing deeper pipelines One architectural method for increasing processor performance involves increasing the frequency by implementing deeper pipelines. This paper will explore the relationship between performance and pipeline depth using a Pentium 4 processor like architecture as a baseline and will show that deeper pipelines can continue to increase performance.This paper will show that the branch misprediction latency is the single largest contributor to performance degradation as pipelines are stretched, and therefore branch prediction and fast branch recovery will continue to increase in importance. We will also show that higher performance cores, implemented with longer pipelines for example, will put more pressure on the memory system, and therefore require larger on-chip caches. Finally, we will show that in the same process technology, designing deeper pipelines can increase the processor frequency by 100\%, which, when combined with larger on-chip caches can yield performance improvements of 35\% to 90\% over a Pentium 4 like processor.

O B B O O O O O O B O O B B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O B O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B I O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O B B O O O O O O O O O O B

processor
branch prediction
yield
recovery
method
latency
memory system
architecture
performance
pipeline
process
paper
caches

relationships
technologies
examples
pipeline, pipeline depth
exploration


Robot, asker of questions Collaborative control is a teleoperation system model based on humanrobot dialogue. With this model, the robot asks questions to the human in order to obtain assistance with cognition and perception. This enables the human to function as a resource for the robot and help to compensate for limitations of autonomy. To understand how collaborative control influences humanrobot interaction, we performed a user study based on contextual inquiry (CI). The study revealed that: (1) dialogue helps users understand problems encountered by the robot and (2) human assistance is a limited resource that must be carefully managed.

O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

collaborative control
dialogue
humanrobot interaction


Robust extreme ranked set sampling In this paper, a robust extreme ranked set sampling (RERSS) procedure for estimating the population mean is introduced. It is shown that the proposed method gives an unbiased estimator with smaller variance, provided the underlying distribution is symmetric. However, for asymmetric distributions a weighted mean is given, where the optimal weights are computed by using Shannon's entropy. The performance of the population mean estimator is discussed along with its properties. Monte Carlo simulations are used to demonstrate the performance of the RERSS estimator relative to the simple random sample (SRS), ranked set sampling (RSS) and extreme ranked set sampling (ERSS) estimators. The results indicate that the proposed estimator is more efficient than the estimators based on the traditional sampling methods.

O B I I I O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Using A(star) Algorithm to Avoid Dead End problem for Geographic Forwarding The method geographic forwarding is that node uses its neighbor's location information to forward data packets. Node doesn't need to know the whole network topology but its one hop neighbor's information. Although this method can reduce the size of the routing table and network flooding, it might encounter the situation called "Dead end" that the relay node can not help the data keep forwarding. We propose to find a prior path before using geographic forwarding. This method first divide the network into several square, and each square have its own ID. Each square will have an agent voted by nodes with the same square ID. The agent will perform A* algorithm to find a reference path to source node, and source node then using geographic forwarding to avoid the dead end situation.

O O O O O B I O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I O


'Podracing': experimenting with mobile TV content consumption and delivery methods Recently, mobile TV has been launched in several countries. While mobile TV integrates television contents into mobile phones, the most personal of communication devices, it becomes interesting to know how this feature will be used throughout the day and in varying contexts of everyday life. This paper presents empirical results on the use of mobile TV with different delivery mechanisms and both quantitative and qualitative results on how end-users prefer to use mobile TV contents in different situations. The data is based on ongoing empirical research in Finland in 2006 and 2007. The mobile TV services under study included both news and entertainment contents, and were tested in 3G, DVB-H and Wi-Fi networks using different delivery paradigms: broadcast, on-demand and download. To explore the use of different delivery methods and content consumption, we have developed a mobile TV service protoype, called Podracing. The analysis shows that users appreciated up-to-date information and information-rich media forms and contents especially for mobile news delivery. There was high demand for only the latest news on mobiles. The real-time property was considered important. Most of the users looked at the headlines or followed the news several times a day - much more often than the traditional TV and news prime times would allow.

O O O B I B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Scheduling of multistage multiproduct chemical batch plants using a constraint-based approach Multistage multiproduct chemical batch plants provide great flexibility but the task of scheduling them to meet product demands can be challenging. A typical scheduling problem involves the allocation of resources over time. A constraint-based approach to solve this kind of scheduling problems is considered. The essential feature of this approach is that it does not require elaborate mathematical formulae, but it requires a problem to be stated in terms of constraints. A general constraint model was created to represent a common class of chemical batch plants and a scheduling system was produced based on this model. A user can simply input the information of production requirements through a user interface and, if necessary, modify the constraints related to the specific problem and a viable schedule is created automatically.

O O O O B I I O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O

schedule
chemical batch plants
constraints

activity
constraint satisfaction techniques


Some properties of submatrices in a solution to the matrix equation AXB=C with applications Suppose that AXB=C is a consistent matrix equation and partition its solution X into a 22 block form. In this article we give some formulas for the maximal and minimal ranks of the submatrices in a solution X to AXB=C. From these formulas, we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the submatrices to be zero and nonsingular, respectively. As applications, we give a group of formulas for the maximal and minimal ranks of submatrices in generalized inverses of matrices and their properties.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Computing reconstruction kernels for circular 3-D cone beam tomography In this paper, we present techniques for deriving inversion algorithms in 3-D computer tomography. To this end, we introduce the mathematical model and apply a general strategy, the so-called approximate inverse, for deriving both exact and numerical inversion formulas. Using further approximations, we derive a 2-D shift-invariant filter for circular-orbit cone-beam imaging. Results from real data are presented.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

cone-beam computed tomography (ct)
inverse problems
mollifier
reconstruction kernel
x-ray tomography


Supplier selection and order lot sizing modeling: A review With globalization and the emergence of the extended enterprise of interdependent organizations, there has been a steady increase in the outsourcing of parts and services. This has led firms to give more importance to the purchasing function and its associated decisions. One of those decisions which impacts all firms areas is the supplier selection. Since the 1950s, several works have addressed this decision by treating different aspects and instances. In this paper, we extend previous survey papers by presenting a literature review that covers the entire purchasing process, considers both parts and services outsourcing activities, and covers internet-based procurement environments such as electronic marketplaces auctions. In view of its complexity, we will focus especially on the final selection stage that consists of determining the best mixture of vendors and allocating orders among them so as to satisfy different purchasing requirements. In addition, we will concentrate mainly on works that employ operations research and computational models. Thereby, we will analyze and expose the main decision's features, and propose different classifications of the published models.

B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

purchasing
outsourcing
supplier selection
auctions


Understanding quaternions Quaternion multiplication can be applied to rotate vectors in 3-dimensions. Therefore in Computer Graphics, quaternions are sometimes used in place of matrices to represent rotations in 3-dimensions. Yet while the formal algebra of quaternions is well-known in the Graphics community, the derivations of the formulas for this algebra and the geometric principles underlying this algebra are not well understood. The goals of this paper are: To provide a fresh, geometric interpretation of quaternions, appropriate for contemporary Computer Graphics; To derive the formula for quaternion multiplication from first principles; To present better ways to visualize quaternions, and the effect of quaternion multiplication on points and vectors in 3-dimensions based on insights from the algebra and geometry of multiplication in the complex plane; To develop simple, intuitive proofs of the sandwiching formulas for rotation and reflection; To show how to apply sandwiching to compute perspective projections. In Part I of this paper, we investigate the algebra of quaternion multiplication and focus in particular on topics i and ii. In Part II we apply our insights from Part I to analyze the geometry of quaternion multiplication with special emphasis on topics iii, iv and v.

O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O

quaternion rotation reflection sandwiching

complex number
mass-point
perspective projection


Reinvestigation of molecular structure and barrier to internal rotation of pyridinium N-phenolate betaine dye In the present paper, the results of a systematic theoretical study of the molecular structure of 4-(1-pyridinium-1-yl)phenolate betaine are reported. The ground-state molecular structure and the barrier to internal rotation of the betaine dye molecule were calculated ab inito (with Hartree-Fock theory and the second-order of Moller-Plesset method) and with density functional theory (DFT). In order to estimate the complete basis set limit, the calculations of barriers to internal rotations were performed using correlation-consistent basis sets with a maximal cardinal number of four. It was determined that electron correlation is crucial in order to obtain reliable geometries and rotational barriers of the molecule investigated. For the sake of comparison, the results of calculations using the AM1 Hamiltonian are also presented.

O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

correlation energy
torsional barrier
geometrical parameters


Cross-Dimensional Perceptual Quality Assessment for Low Bit-Rate Videos Most studies in the literature for video quality assessment have been focused on the evaluation of quantized video sequences at fixed and high spatial and temporal resolutions. Only limited work has been reported for assessing video quality under different spatial and temporal resolutions. In this paper, we consider a wider scope of video quality assessment in the sense of considering multiple dimensions. In particular, we address the problem of evaluating perceptual visual quality of low bit-rate videos under different settings and requirements. Extensive subjective view tests for assessing the perceptual quality of low bit-rate videos have been conducted, which cover 150 test scenarios and include five distinctive dimensions: encoder type, video content, bit rate, frame size, and frame rate. Based on the obtained subjective testing results, we perform thorough statistical analysis to study the influence of different dimensions on the perceptual quality and some interesting observations are pointed out. We believe such a study brings new knowledge into the topic of cross-dimensional video quality assessment and it has immediate applications in perceptual video adaptation for scalable video over mobile networks.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O

perceptual visual quality
video adaptation
video quality assessment


AN EFFICIENT RATE CONTROL ALGORITHM FOR A WAVELET VIDEO CODEC Rate control plays an essential role in video coding and transmission to provide the best video quality at the receiver's end given the constraint of certain network conditions. In this paper, a rate control algorithm using the Quality Factor (QF) optimization method is proposed for the wavelet-based video codec and implemented on an open source Dirac video encoder. A mathematical model which we call Rate-QF (R-QF) model is derived to generate the optimum QF for the current coding frame according to the target bitrate. The proposed algorithm is a complete one pass process and does not require complex mathematical calculation. The process of calculating the QF is quite simple and further calculation is not required for each coded frame. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can control the bitrate precisely (within 1% of target bitrate in average). Moreover, the variation of bitrate over each Group of Pictures (GOPs) is lower than that of H.264. This is an advantage

O O B I O O O B O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Stylized facts of financial time series and hidden semi-Markov models Hidden Markov models reproduce most of the stylized facts about daily series of returns. A notable exception is the inability of the models to reproduce one ubiquitous feature of such time series, namely the slow decay in the autocorrelation function of the squared returns. It is shown that this stylized fact can be described much better by means of hidden semi-Markov models. This is illustrated by examining the fit of two such models to 18 series of daily sector returns.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

daily return series
hidden markov model
hidden semi-markov model
sojourn time distribution
em algorithm
right-censoring


Active storage networks: Using embedded computation in the network switch for cluster data processing Computation within a network switch accelerates data processing. FPGA implementations of modules to process data on the fly through the network. Data processing modules include data search, sort, k k -min/k k -max, and k k -means clustering.

B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I B O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


An overlay network for autonomous information discovery in the post-composition registries of ambient networks ? Ambient Networks (ANs) is a new networking concept for beyond 3G. It was developed in the context of the AN project of the European Union Sixth Framework Program. Network composition is a core concept of ANs, envisioned to allow a level of network cooperation, which goes far beyond the static cooperation of today. It allows on-demand, autonomous, scalable, and uniform cooperation between heterogeneous networks. Ambient networks can host several registries (e.g. MIB and SQL database). When ANs compose, the hosted registries need to compose. Registry composition is a sub-process of network composition. Information discovery is a key feature of registry composition. Entities may need access to content hosted by a registry that was in a different network before composition. The interface of such a registry (e.g. SNMP and SQL) may be different from the one used by the interested entity. Our objective is to provide clients the ability to autonomously and seamlessly access the content of registries in the composed network. This paper proposes a solution based on an overlay network. We give background information on ambient networks, network composition, and registry composition. Related work is reviewed. The overlay network and its implementation are described, and its performance is evaluated.

O O O O B I I O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

ambient networks
network composition
registry composition
autonomous information discovery


Minimizing unconstrained fuzzy functions In this paper we introduce a definition for a fuzzy function as a possibility distribution over the set of all functions with certain properties. We then examine some of the implications of this definition. In particular, we show that the image of a fuzzy function is a fuzzy vector (as defined herein). We also show that the set of values at which a real-valued fuzzy function achieves its minimum is a fuzzy number and if the fuzzy function is convex, in a particular sense, then the set of vectors for which the function achieves the minimum values is connected. Lastly, we discuss minimization of an unconstrained fuzzy function and how one might proceed to defuzzify the solution. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

fuzzy number
fuzzy vector
fuzzy function


Plotting and checking the bivariate distributions of multiple Gaussian data The geostatistical modeling of continuous variables relies heavily on the multivariate Gaussian distribution. It is remarkably tractable. The multivariate Gaussian distribution is adopted for K multiple variables (often K is between 2 and 10) and for N multiple locations (often N is in the tens of millions). Our focus is on the relationship between the K variables. Each variable is transformed to be univariate Gaussian, but the multivariate nature of the data is not necessarily Gaussian after univariate transformation. If multiple data variables are deemed non-Gaussian, then additional steps need to be taken such as linearization by alternating conditional expectation (ACE) or multivariate transformation by the stepwise conditional transformation (SCT). Although all L-variate distributions (1 < L <= K) should be checked, the bivariate distributions are practically important; there are relatively few data in practice to investigate higher order distributions. A quantitative measure of departure from the bivariate Gaussian distribution is established based on quadrants and the distribution of differences from the theoretically expected distribution. Although approximate, the measure of departure is useful for comparing different distributions and guiding the geostatistician to look closer at some data variables. A scatnscores program is shown that will plot all K(K-1)/2 bivariate cross plots associated with K variables. The correlation coefficients, number of data, degree of departure from the bivariate Gaussian distribution, and bivariate Gaussian probability contours associated with specified cumulative probabilities are shown. The data ID numbers can also be shown to help identify outlier or problematic data. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

geostatistics
multinormal distribution
multivariate statistics
outlier detection


On directed local chromatic number, shift graphs, and Borsuk-like graphs We investigate the local chromatic number of shift graphs and prove that it is close to their chromatic number. This implies that the gap between the directed local chromatic number of an oriented graph and the local chromatic number of the underlying undirected graph can be arbitrarily large. We also investigate the minimum possible directed local chromatic number of oriented versions of topologically t-chromatic graphs. We show that this minimum for large enough t-chromatic Schrijver graphs and t-chromatic generalized Mycielski graphs of appropriate parameters is ?t/4?+1. 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 66: 65-82, 2010

O O B I I O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

shift graph
schrijver graph
topological method


Resource allocation in R&D departments This paper examines the problem of allocating funds within research and development organizations, where several departments and multiple research areas must be considered, Furthermore, impacts arising from budget shifts must be measured in terms of various factors or criteria that may be qualitative or quantitative. Using a particular research and development organization, Ontario Hydro, as a backdrop, we develop a framework for evaluating budget changes when (a) multiple criteria, (b) multiple opinions, and (c) qualitative factors are involved. A three stage procedure for budget allocation is proposed. In the first stage, management responses regarding the perceived impacts of budget changes are combined to arrive at a consensus. In stage two, the multiple criteria consensus values are used to derive an overall impact rating for each proposed budget shift pertaining to each of a set of research areas. Finally, in stage three an optimal subset of budget shifts is chosen from the set of all possible changes. An illustrative application is provided.

B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Scheduling communication in multithreaded programs: experimental results When the critical path of a communication session between end points includes the actions of operating system kernels, there are attendant overheads. Along with other factors, such as functionality and flexibility, such overheads motivate and favor the implementation of communication protocols in user space. When implemented with threads, such protocols may hold the key to optimal communication performance and functionality. Based on implementations of reliable user-space protocols supported by a threads framework, we focus on our experiences with internal threads' scheduling techniques and their potential impact on performance. We present scheduling strategies that enable threads to do both application-level and communication-related processing. With experiments performed on a Sun SPARG-5 LAN environment, we show how different scheduling strategies yield different levels of application-processing efficiency, communication latency and packet-loss. This work forms part of a larger study on the implementation of multiple thread-based protocols in a single address space, and the benefits of coupling protocols with applications. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


comparison of cooperative, multiobjective cooperative and classical evolutionary algorithms for global supply chain optimisation This paper discusses global optimisation from a business perspective in the context of the supply chain operations. A two-silo supply chain was built for experimentation and three approaches were used for global optimisation: a classical evolutionary approach, a cooperative coevolutionary approach and a cooperative coevolutionary approach with non-dominated partner selection. The second approach produced higher quality solutions due to its use of communication between silos.

O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

supply chain
evolutionary algorithms
global optimisation


Automatic assessment of dairy cattle body condition score using thermal imaging Automatic, objective, BCS can support insemination-timing and nutrition decision makings. An image-processing based BCS was designed and implemented. A fat cow will likely have a more round body shape that would better fit a parabolic shape than a thin cow Previously (2008) this hypothesis was tested but then we reached only 0.47 correlation. In this study, the correlation between the automatically sensed BCS and the manual scoring was 0.94.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

body condition scoring (bcs)
thermal camera
dairy cows
image processing


Cultivating a research agenda for data science I describe a research agenda for data science based on a decade of research and operational work in data-intensive systems at NASA, the University of Southern California, and in the context of open source work at the Apache Software Foundation. My vision is predicated on understanding the architecture for grid computing; on flexible and automated approaches for selecting data movement technologies and on their use in data systems; on the recent emergence of cloud computing for processing and storage, and on the unobtrusive and automated integration of scientific algorithms into data systems. Advancements in each of these areas are a core need, and they will fundamentally improve our understanding of data science, and big data. This paper identifies and highlights my own personal experience and opinion growing into a data scientist.

O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

data dissemination
science algorithm integration
software architecture


Pulmonary nodule registration in serial CT scans using global rib matching and nodule template matching We propose an automatic nodule registration method between baseline and follow-up chest CT scans. Initial alignment using the center of the lung volume corrects the gross translational mismatch, and rigid registration using coronal and sagittal maximum intensity projection images effectively refines the rigid motion of the lungs. Nodule correspondences are established by finding the most similar region in terms of density as well as the geometrical constraint. The proposed nodule registration method increased the nodule hit rate (the ratio of the number of successfully matched nodules to total nodule number) from 26% to 100%.

B I I O O O O O O B I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

pulmonary nodule registration
rib matching
nodule template matching

geometrical constraint using log-polar image


Tail probabilities of low-priority waiting times and queue lengths in MAP/GI/1 queues We consider the problem of estimating tail probabilities of waiting times in statistical multiplexing systems with two classes of sources - one with high priority and the other with low priority. The priority discipline is assumed to be nonpreemptive. Exact expressions for the transforms of these quantities are derived assuming that packet or cell streams are generated by Markovian Arrival Processes (MAPs). Then a numerical investigation of the large-buffer asymptotic behavior of the the waiting-time distribution for low-priority sources shows that these asymptotics are often non-exponential.

B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

tail probabilities
waiting times
markovian arrival processes


A posteriori error estimates applied to flow in a channel with corners The paper consists of three parts. In the first part, we investigate a posteriori error estimates for the Stokes and Navier-Stokes equations on two-dimensional polygonal domains. Special attention is paid to the sources of the constants in the estimates, as these play a crucial role in practical applications to adaptive refinements, as we also show. In the second part, we deal with the problem of determining accurately the constants that appear in the estimates. We present a technique for calculating the constant with high accuracy. In the third part, we apply the a posteriori error estimates with the constants found numerically to the technique of adaptive mesh refinement-we solve an incompressible flow problem in a domain with corners that cause singularities in the solution. (C) 2002 IMACS. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

a posteriori error estimate
stokes problem
taylor-hood element
adaptive mesh refinement


Scene extraction system for video clips using attached comment interval and pointing region A method was developed to enable users of video sharing websites to easily retrieve video scenes relevant to their interests. The system analyzes both text and non-text aspects of a users comment and then retrieves and displays relevant scenes along with attached comments. The text analysis works in tandem with non-text features, namely, the selected area and temporal duration associated with user comments. In this way, our system supports a better-organized retrieval of scenes that have been commented on with a higher degree of relevancy than conventional methods, such as using matching keywords. We describe our method and the relation between the scenes and discuss a prototype system.

B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

video sharing
scene extraction
user comments
selected area
temporal duration


a practical model for subsurface light transport This paper introduces a simple model for subsurface light transport in translucent materials. The model enables efficient simulation of effects that BRDF models cannot capture, such as color bleeding within materials and diffusion of light across shadow boundaries. The technique is efficient even for anisotropic, highly scattering media that are expensive to simulate using existing methods. The model combines an exact solution for single scattering with a dipole point source diffusion approximation for multiple scattering. We also have designed a new, rapid image-based measurement technique for determining the optical properties of translucent materials. We validate the model by comparing predicted and measured values and show how the technique can be used to recover the optical properties of a variety of materials, including milk, marble, and skin. Finally, we describe sampling techniques that allow the model to be used within a conventional ray tracer.

O B B O O B I O B O O O B O O B I O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O

measurement
media
point
color
simulation
shadow
skin
approximation
light transport
paper
model
practical
sampling
values

efficiency
subsurface scattering
reflection models
realistic image synthesis
diffusion theory
optic
bssrdf
lighting
method
diffuse
material
image
effect
transport


Exploring the discrimination power of the time domain for segmentation and characterization of active lesions in serial MR data ? This paper presents a new method for the automatic segmentation and characterization of object changes in time series of three-dimensional data sets. The technique was inspired by procedures developed for analysis of functional MRI data sets. After precise registration of serial volume data sets to 4-D data, we applied a time series analysis taking into account the characteristic time function of variable lesions. The images were preprocessed with a correction of image field inhomogeneities and a normalization of the brightness over the whole time series. Thus, static regions remain unchanged over time, whereas changes in tissue characteristics produce typical intensity variations in the voxels time series. A set of features was derived from the time series, expressing probabilities for membership to the sought structures. These multiple sources of uncertain evidence were combined to a single evidence value using DempsterShafers theory. The project was driven by the objective of improving the segmentation and characterization of white matter lesions in serial MR data of multiple sclerosis patients. Pharmaceutical research and patient follow-up requires efficient and robust methods with a high degree of automation. The new approach replaces conventional segmentation of series of 3-D data sets by a 1-D processing of the temporal change at each voxel in the 4-D image data set. The new method has been applied to a total of 11 time series from different patient studies, covering time resolutions of 12 and 24 data sets over a period of about 1 year. The results demonstrate that time evolution is a highly sensitive feature for detection of fluctuating structures.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

lesions in magnetic resonance imaging
temporal analysis


Adaptive Learning in Complex Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces Employing Wirtinger's Subgradients This paper presents a wide framework for non-linear online supervised learning tasks in the context of complex valued signal processing. The (complex) input data are mapped into a complex reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS), where the learning phase is taking place. Both pure complex kernels and real kernels (via the complexification trick) can be employed. Moreover, any convex, continuous and not necessarily differentiable function can be used to measure the loss between the output of the specific system and the desired response. The only requirement is the subgradient of the adopted loss function to be available in an analytic form. In order to derive analytically the subgradients, the principles of the (recently developed) Wirtinger's calculus in complex RKHS are exploited. Furthermore, both linear and widely linear (in RKHS) estimation filters are considered. To cope with the problem of increasing memory requirements, which is present in almost all online schemes in RKHS, the sparsification scheme, based on projection onto closed balls, has been adopted. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in a non-linear channel identification task, a non-linear channel equalization problem and a quadrature phase shift keying equalization scheme, using both circular and non circular synthetic signal sources.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

adaptive kernel learning
widely linear estimation
wirtinger's calculus


Exponential lower bounds for depth three Boolean circuits We consider the class Sigma (k)(3) of unbounded fan-in depth three Boolean circuits, for which the bottom fan-in is limited by k and the top gate is an OR. It is known that the smallest such circuit computing the parity function has Ohm>(*) over bar * (2(epsilonn/k)) gates (for k = O(n(1/2))) for some epsilon > 0, and this was the best lower bound known for explicit (P-time computable) functions. In this paper, for k = 2, we exhibit functions in uniform NC(1) that require 2(n-o(n)) size depth 3 circuits. The main tool is a theorem that shows that any Sigma (2)(3) circuit on n variables that accepts a inputs and has size s must be constant on a projection (subset defined by equations of the form x(i) = 0, x(i) = 1, x(i) = x(j) or x(i) = (x) over bar (j)) of dimension at least log(a/s)/log n.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

circuit complexity
nonlinear lower bounds
constant depth circuits


towards a cross-platform microbenchmark suite for evaluating hardware performance counter data As useful as performance counters are, the meaning of reported aggregate event counts is sometimes questionable. Questions arise due to unanticipated processor behavior, overhead associated with the interface, the granularity of the monitored code, hardware errors, and lack of standards w.r.t. event definitions. To explore these issues, we are conducting a sequence of studies using carefully-crafted microbenchmarks that permit the accurate prediction of event counts and investigation of the differences between hardware-reported and predicted event counts. This paper presents the methodology employed, some of the microbenchmarks developed, and some of the information uncovered to date. The information provided by this work allows application developers to better understand the data provided by hardware performance counters and better utilize it to tune application performance. A goal of this research is to develop a cross-platform microbenchmark suite that can be used by application developers for these purposes. Some of the microbenchmarks in this suite are discussed in the paper.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O

hardware performance counters
microbenchmarks


a collaborative ontology development tool for information security managers This paper explores the need for a collaborative development tool to allow information security experts to capture their interrelated knowledge in an ontology. Such a tool would enable organisations to make more informed security policy decisions around shared security issues. However, population of ontologies can be time-consuming and error-prone, and current collaborative ontology editing tools require a familiarity with ontology concepts. We present a Web-oriented tool which simplifies ontology population for information security experts, allowing them to develop ontology content without the need to understand ontology concepts. To understand how organisations manage information security knowledge within policies, we consulted two information security managers in large organisations. The Web-Protg collaborative ontology editor was then modified to create a tool with an appropriate knowledge ontology structure that meets their requirements. The same information security managers then evaluated the tool, judging it to be accessible and potentially useful in policy decision-making.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


On a repairable system with an unreliable service station - Bayesian approach System characteristics of a two-unit repairable system are studied from a Bayesian viewpoint with different types of priors assumed for unknown parameters, in which the service station is unreliable. Times to failure and times to repair of the operating units are assumed to follow exponential distributions. In addition, failure times and repair times of the service station also follow exponential distributions. When times to failure and times to repair of operating units, failure times and repair times of the service station are with uncertain parameters, a Bayesian approach is adopted to evaluate system characteristics. Monte Carlo simulation is used to derive the posterior distribution for the mean time to system failure and the steady-state availability. Some numerical experiments are performed to illustrate the results derived in this paper. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B I I I I O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

availability
mean time to system failure
simulation
unreliable service station


On the interpretation and chaining of fuzzy IF-THEN rule bases using fuzzy equality indicators An interpretation of fuzzy IF-THEN rule bases using certain classes of indicators for fuzzified set inclusion and set equality is defined. Some properties of this interpretation and the chaining of fuzzy IF-THEN rule bases are investigated from a theoretical point of view.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

interpretation of fuzzy if-then rule bases


MioLab, a rat cardiac contractile force simulator: Applications to teaching cardiac cell physiology and biophysics Highlight the didactic resources of a simulator MioLab. Tool that complements the study of the physiology and biophysics of the cardiac cell. Learning activities simulating experiments in silico. Inhibition of ATPase Ca2+ of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum studies in silico.

O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

computer models
virtual experiments
cardiac myocyte


Analysis of mixed finite element methods for fourth-order wave equations Mixed finite element methods, explicit and implicit in time, for a fourth-order wave equation are considered in this paper. The optimal error estimates in theL2 L 2 norm for velocity and moment and in theH1 H 1 norm andL2 L 2 norm for displacement are derived. These error estimates are proved by using a special interpolation operator on quasi-uniform rectangular meshes. The stabilities of the two schemes are also analyzed. In addition, three other kinds of mixed scheme are constructed. Numerical examples are provided to verify the theoretical results.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

fourth-order wave equation
mixed method
stability
optimal error estimate


a force sensitive multi-touch array supporting multiple 2-d musical control structures We describe the design, implementation, and evaluation with musical applications of force sensitive multi-touch arrays of touchpads. Each of the touchpads supports a three dimensional representation of musical material: two spatial dimensions plus a force measurement we typically use to control dynamics. We have developed two pad systems, one with 24 pads and a second with 2 arrays of 16 pads each. We emphasize the treatment of gestures as sub-sampled audio signals. This tight coupling of gesture with audio provides for a high degree of control intimacy. Our experiments with the pad arrays demonstrate that we can efficiently deal with large numbers of audio encoded gesture channels - 72 for the 24 pad array and 96 for the two 16 pad arrays.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

pressure and force sensing
high-resolution gestural signals
versapad
touchpad


Exploring the role of management accounting systems in strategic sensemaking Management accounting systems (MAS) provide an information context that is required for strategic sensemaking. Research from the interpretive perspective of information processing suggests some mechanisms how MAS can contribute to strategic sensemaking, although it neglects the relationship between MAS use and MAS dimensions. The systems-structural perspective identified some important MAS dimensions, but it does not explain how these dimensions contribute to strategic sensemaking. The objective of this study is to explore the role of MAS in sensemaking and how MAS dimensions contribute to this role. Based on 30 interviews with top and middle managers from 7 large companies we suggest a set of MAS dimensions that relates to sensemaking.

O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O

strategic sensemaking
mas dimensions
mas use

mas design
interactive use
mas effectiveness


Soft computing applied to the build of textile defects inspection system The inspection of textile defects is challenging because of the large number of defects categories that are characterised by their imprecision and uncertainty. In this study, novel interval type-2 fuzzy system is proposed for resolving defects recognition problem of textile industries. The proposed system mixes interval type-2 fuzzy reasoning and swarm optimisation algorithm together in order to enhance the defects classification capabilities. Interval type-2 fuzzy logic is powerful in handling high level of indecisions in the human decision making process, including uncertainties in measurements of textile features and data used to calibrate the examination's parameters. Swarm intelligence algorithm is used to optimise parameters of the membership functions to increase the accuracy of fuzzy controller. Besides, the problem of fuzzy linguistic rules learning has been tackled by utilising ant colony meta-heuristic method to reduce the complexity of the inspection system. Excellent recogniser results on real textile samples, using this system, are demonstrated.

B I O O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O B I I I O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O

decision making
fuzzy logic
fuzzy reasoning
inspection
soft computing
defects recognition problem
textile industries
swarm intelligence algorithm
membership functions
fuzzy controller
fuzzy linguistic rules learning
ant colony metaheuristic method

heuristic programming
learning (artificial intelligence)
particle swarm optimisation
production engineering computing
textile industry
ant colony optimisation
textile defect inspection system
interval type-2 fuzzy reasoning system
particle swarm optimisation algorithm
defects classification capability
interval type-2 fuzzy logic
human decision making process
examination parameter calibration


FISTE: A Black Box Approach for End-to-End QoS Management The goal of traffic engineering is to achieve a target Quality of Service (QoS) while maximizing network utilization. While determining the QoS for end-to-end paths in a network under self-similar traffic models is difficult, end-to-end network performance analysis is still essential in providing QoS to networks such as Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks. The Fast Importance Sampling based Traffic Engineering (FISTE) approach proposed in this article is a prediction-based approach that maps the ingress traffic levels of a network to the QoS of end-to-end path(s) in the network. Because FISTE is a hybrid of simulation analysis and closed-form analysis, it can treat a complex network as a black box. When we combined Simulated Annealing (SA) with FISTE, the resulting approach can provide a traffic engineering solution so that multiple end-to-end QoS requirements are satisfied while the network resource utilization is maximized. FISTE originated from the concept of Importance Sampling (IS), and our approach differs from the previous Importance Sampling based approaches since this is the first time that IS is applied to multi-queue systems under Fractional Gaussian Noise (FGN) input and traffic engineering.

O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I

importance sampling
traffic engineering
simulated annealing

overlay network
response surface
self-similar
fractal gaussian noise
congestion
latency
packet loss
buffer overflow
monte carlo
end-to-end qos
peer-to-peer
virtual private network
prediction
heuristic search


Study of continuous-time quantum walks on quotient graphs via quantum probability theory In the present paper, we study the continuous-time quantum walk on quotient graphs. On such graphs, there is a straightforward reduction of the problem to a subspace that can be considerably smaller than the original one. Along the lines of reductions, by using the idea of calculation of the probability amplitudes for continuous-time quantum walk in terms of the spectral distribution associated with the adjacency matrix of graphs [Jafarizadeh and Salimi (Ann. Phys. 322 (2007))], we show that the continuous-time quantum walk on original graph G induces a continuous-time quantum walk on quotient graph Gamma(H). Finally, for example, we investigate the continuous-time quantum walk on some quotient Cayley graphs.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

continuous-time quantum walk
cayley graph


Germ cell formation from embryonic stem cells and the use of somatic cell nuclei in oocytes Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have remarkable properties of pluripotency and self-renewal, along with the retention of chromosomal integrity. Germ cells function as a kind of transgenerational stem cells, transmitting genetic information from one generation to the next. The formation of putative primordial germ cells (PGCs) and germ cells from mouse and human ESCs (hESCs) has, in fact, been shown, and the apparent derivation of functional mouse male gametes has also been described. Additionally, investigators have successfully reprogrammed somatic nuclei into a pluripotent state by inserting them into ESCs or oocytes. This would enable the generation of ESCs genetically identical to the somatic cell donor and their use in cell therapy. However, these methodologies are still inefficient and their mechanisms poorly understood. Until full comprehension of these processes is obtained, clinical applications remain remote. Nevertheless, they represent promising tools in the future, enhancing methods of therapeutic cloning and infertility treatment.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O


On discrete-time multiserver queues with finite buffer: GI/Geom/m/N Multiserver queues are often encountered in telecommunications systems and have special importance in the design of asynchronous transfer mode network. This paper analyzes a discrete-time multiserver queueing system with finite buffer in which the interarrival and service times are, respectively, arbitrarily and geometrically distributed. Using supplementary variable and imbedded Markov-chain techniques, the queue is analyzed for the early arrival system. Besides, developing relations among state probabilities at prearrival, arbitrary and outside observer's observation epochs, the waiting-time analysis is also carried out.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

discrete time
finite-buffer multiserver queue


Transient-based analysis for the detection of broken damper bars in synchronous motors Synchronous generators and motors constitute critical elements in power generation plants and certain industrial facilities. Damper bars are crucial components of most of these synchronous machines. They enable, among other functions, the direct-on-line starting of these machines, just as if they were asynchronous. Some recent cases, reported by several authors, have demonstrated that eventual failure of damper bars is possible, mainly due to the currents and stresses rising during their operation. In this context, the development of reliable techniques able to diagnose possible damper breakages has attracted significant interest within the fault diagnosis area. The present paper proposes the application of a novel transient-based methodology to diagnose broken damper bars in synchronous motors. This methodology was previously assessed with success in industrial induction motors with diverse sizes. The approach relies on the analysis of the stator startup current demanded by the machine during a direct-on-line starting. To this end, suitable timefrequency decomposition tools are used. In this particular work, the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is proposed, due to its simplicity, low computational requirements and easy interpretation of its results. Simulation and experimental results obtained with laboratory synchronous machines confirm the validity of the approach for condition monitoring of such windings.

O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O

synchronous machines
fault diagnosis
damper bars
power generation


Quality in e-learning a conceptual framework based on experiences from three international benchmarking projects Between 2008 and 2010, Lund University took part in three international benchmarking projects, E-xcellence+, the eLearning Benchmarking Exercise 2009, and the First Dual-Mode Distance Learning Benchmarking Club.

O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O

e-learning
online learning
quality enhancement


Learning at the level of synergies for a robot weightlifter Human motor coordination is associated with synergies in the neuromuscular system that cause our bodies to behave as coordinated units rather than collections of decoupled degrees of freedom. The focus of this paper is the role that synergies play for robot motor coordination, and in particular, we use a weightlifting task to demonstrate how trial-and-error learning can cause synergies to evolve from a simple control system and crude kinematic path. We also show how a robot learns to exploit its intrinsic dynamics, thereby improving performance, as individual joint motions become actively coupled via the control system.

O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

synergy
robot learning
optimization
exploiting dynamics


ADEMO/D: Multiobjective optimization by an adaptive differential evolution algorithm An approach for continuous multiobjective optimization is presented in this paper. It incorporates concepts of multiobjective evolutionary algorithms based on decomposition and mechanisms of mutation strategies adaptation. Two methods for adaptive strategy selection are analyzed in combination with four credit assignment techniques based on relative fitness improvements. Different versions of the proposed approach are compared and the best-so-far version is confronted with methods of state-of-the-art. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on 10 instances of a multiobjective optimization benchmark.

O B I O O B I I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O

multiobjective optimization
adaptive differential evolution
credit assignment


Understanding Security Behaviors in Personal Computer Usage: A Threat Avoidance Perspective This study aims to understand the IT threat avoidance behaviors of personal computer users. We tested a research model derived from Technology Threat Avoidance Theory (TTAT) using survey data. We find that users' IT threat avoidance behavior is predicted by avoidance motivation, which, in turn, is determined by perceived threat, safeguard effectiveness, safeguard cost, and self-efficacy. Users develop a threat perception when they believe that the malicious IT is likely to attack them (perceived susceptibility) and the negative consequences will be severe if they are attacked (perceived severity). When threatened, users are more motivated to avoid the threat if they believe that the safeguarding measure is effective (safeguard effectiveness) and inexpensive (safeguard cost) and they have confidence in using it (self-efficacy). In addition, we find that perceived threat and safeguard effectiveness have a negative interaction on avoidance motivation so that a higher level of perceived threat is associated with a weaker relationship between safeguard effectiveness and avoidance motivation or a higher level of safeguard effectiveness is associated with a weaker relationship between perceived threat and avoidance motivation. These findings provide an enriched understanding about personal computer users' IT threat avoidance behavior.

O B O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O O B B O O O O B B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B B O O O O O O O O O O O B B O

threat
avoidance
susceptibility
severity
safeguarding measure
motivation
security


Expectation maximization over binary decision diagrams for probabilistic logic programs Recently much work in Machine Learning has concentrated on using expressive representation languages that combine aspects of logic and probability. A whole field has emerged, called Statistical Relational Learning, rich of successful applications in a variety of domains. In this paper we present a Machine Learning technique targeted to Probabilistic Logic Programs, a family of formalisms where uncertainty is represented using Logic Programming tools. Among various proposals for Probabilistic Logic Programming, the one based on the distribution semantics is gaining popularity and is the basis for languages such as ICL, PRISM, ProbLog and Logic Programs with Annotated Disjunctions. This paper proposes a technique for learning parameters of these languages. Since their equivalent Bayesian networks contain hidden variables, an Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm is adopted. In order to speed the computation up, expectations are computed directly on the Binary Decision Diagrams that are built for inference. The resulting system, called EMBLEM for "EM over Bdds for probabilistic Logic programs Efficient Mining", has been applied to a number of datasets and showed good performances both in terms of speed and memory usage. In particular its speed allows the execution of a high number of restarts, resulting in good quality of the solutions.

B I O B I I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

logic programs with annotated disjunctions

probabilistic inductive logic programming


Contextualizing learning objects using ontologies Educational research over the past three years has intensified such that the context of learning resources needs to be properly modeled. Many researchers have described and even mandated the use of ontologies in the research being conducted, yet the process of actually connecting one or more ontologies to a learning object has not been extensively discussed. This paper describes a practical model for associating multiple ontologies with learning objects while making full use of the IEEE LOM specification. The model categorizes these ontologies according to five major categories of context based on the most popular fields of study actively being pursued by the educational research community: Thematic context, Pedagogical context, Learner context, Organizational context, and Historical/Statistical context.

O B I O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B O B O B O O B


CageR: Cage-Based Reverse Engineering of Animated 3D Shapes We present CageR: A novel framework for converting animated 3D shape sequences into compact and stable cage-based representations. Given a raw animated sequence with one-to-one point correspondences together with an initial cage embedding, our algorithm automatically generates smoothly varying cage embeddings which faithfully reconstruct the enclosed object deformation. Our technique is fast, automatic, oblivious to the cage coordinate system, provides controllable error and exploits a GPU implementation. At the core of our method, we introduce a new algebraic algorithm based on maximum volume sub-matrices (maxvol) to speed up and stabilize the deformation inversion. We also present a new spectral regularization algorithm that can apply arbitrary regularization terms on selected subparts of the inversion spectrum. This step allows to enforce a highly localized cage regularization, guaranteeing its smooth variation along the sequence. We demonstrate the speed, accuracy and robustness of our framework on various synthetic and acquired data sets. The benefits of our approach are illustrated in applications such as animation compression and post-editing.

B O B I O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

cager
reverse engineering
maxvol
regularization

animated 3d mesh
linear algebra
cage coordinates
spectral analysis


A practical approach to formulate stage-discharge relationship in natural rivers This study proposes a new formulation technique for modeling stage-discharge relationship, as an alternative approach to standard regression techniques. An explicit neural network formulation (ENNF) is derived by using data obtained from United States Geological Survey data base. The neural network model is trained and tested using time series of daily stage and discharge data from two stations in Pennsylvania, USA. The model is compared with the standard rating curve (SRC) technique. Statistical parameters such as average, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum values, as well as criteria such as root mean square error, the efficiency coefficient (E), and determination coefficient (R (2)) are used to measure the performance of the ENNF. Considerably, well performance is achieved in modeling streamflow by using ENNF. The comparison results reveal that the suggested formulations perform better than the conventional SRC.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Cation? interaction in potassiumpolyene complexes and the fate of potassium ion: A theoretical study Ab initio studies have been done at B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory to determine the structural changes on the substitution of potassium to odd-numbered all-trans conjugated polyenes ranging from C5 to C13. The results show that potassium is always positioned in the form of K+ above an odd carbon other than the terminal carbons and that the stablest structural isomer is the one with K+ lying above the central odd carbon. If a central odd carbon does not exist (as in C11-system), then K+ will be positioned above the odd carbon nearest to the central carbon to achieve maximum stability. The difference in the binding energies of the isomers is generally small and it becomes insignificantly small as the carbon chain length increases so that under suitable conditions K+ ion may be made to move between the ends of the polyene. The metalpolyene complexes are seen to have a considerably reduced HOMOLUMO gap. Further, the interaction of potassium with the polyene not only caused a total rearrangement of the bond lengths, bond angles and dihedral angles, but also induced a bend (warping) to the polyenic fragment that pockets K+. The structural changes and stability of the metalpolyene complexes are explained in terms of electrostatic interaction and cation? cloud interaction.

O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O

polyenes
potassium
electrostatic interaction

computational studies
warping of carbon skeleton
cation? interaction


Formally grounding spatio-temporal thinking To navigate through daily life, humans use their ability to conceptualize spatio-temporal information, which ultimately leads to a system of categories. Likewise, the spatial sciences rely heavily on conceptualization and categorization as means to create knowledge when they process spatio-temporal data. In the spatial sciences and in related branches of artificial intelligence, an approach has been developed for processing spatio-temporal data on the level of coarse categories: qualitative spatio-temporal representation and reasoning (QSTR). Calculi developed in QSTR allow for the meaningful processing of and reasoning with spatio-temporal information. While qualitative calculi are widely acknowledged in the cognitive sciences, there is little behavioral assessment whether these calculi are indeed cognitively adequate. This is an astonishing conundrum given that these calculi are ubiquitous, are often intended to improve processes at the humanmachine interface, and are on several occasions claimed to be cognitively adequate. We have systematically evaluated several approaches to formally characterize spatial relations from a cognitive-behavioral perspective for both static and dynamically changing spatial relations. This contribution will detail our framework, which is addressing the question how formal characterization of space can help us understand how people think with, in, and about space.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

qualitative spatial reasoning
formalized cognition
similarity measures


a decision procedure for bit-vector arithmetic Bit-v ector theories with concatenation and extraction have been shown to be useful and important for hardware verification. We have implemented an extended theory which includes arithmetic. Although deciding equality in suc h a theory is NP-hard, our implementation is efficient for many practical examples. We believ e this to be the first such implementation which is efficient, automatic, and complete.

O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O

examples extraction implementation verification theory hardware practical

design automatian
flip-flops
codec
decision procedures
vectorization
efficiency
placement
level converters
voltage scaling
low power
synthesis
completeness
mpeg4