a rich traceability model for social interactions In 1993, Goguen published a research note addressing the social issues in Requirements Engineering. He identified in the requirements process three major social groups: the client organization; the requirements team; and the development team. However, nowadays there is a lack of technological support that traces requirements to social issues on the requirements team or development team. From early published traceability metamodels to current requirements traceability literature, the client organization and the stakeholders are first-class citizens, but the software engineers and the interactions between these groups are not. In this paper we present a partially formalized RichPicture traceability model to fill this gap. ITrace is a flexible model to weave together the social network graph, the information sources graph, the social interactions graph, and the Requirements Engineering artifacts evolution graph. We empirically developed our traceability model tracking a Transparency catalogue evolution. We also compare our model structure to Contribution Structures.

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 B I 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

rich picture
software evolution
graph-based traceability


AdHoc Probe: end-to-end capacity probing in wireless ad hoc networks Knowledge of end-to-end path capacity is useful for video/audio stream adaptation, network management and overlay design. Capacity estimation in wired and last-hop wireless networks has been extensively investigated, but a thorough and systematic study in ad hoc, multihop wireless networks is still lacking. Yet the rate of a wireless link can change dynamically (and rapidly) due to changes in interference, distance or energy optimization policy. Timely knowledge of path capacity is key to efficient routing, traffic management and application deployment. In this paper, we present AdHoc Probe, a packet-pair based technique, to estimate end-to-end path capacity in ad hoc wireless networks. We apply AdHoc Probe to path capacity estimation in auto rate wireless networks with variable displacement and interference; and, in remote wireless networks across the Internet. Using analysis, simulation and testbed experiments, we show AdHoc Probe can withstand mobility and is able to trace the rate adaptation of wireless networks timely and correctly. AdHoc Probe is simpler, faster and much less intrusive than current schemes.

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

analytical/simulation and experimental validation


Estimating Internal Drift and Just Noticeable Difference in the Perception of Continuous Tempo Drift Is there such a thing as an internal representation of a steady tempo and is this representation itself free from tempo drift? To investigate this question, we propose a new method for studying detection of continuous tempo drift.

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

tempo perception
just noticeable difference (jnd)


Algorithm based on simulated annealing for land-use allocation This article describes the use of simulated annealing for allocation of land units to a set of possible uses on, the basis of their suitability for those uses, and the compactness of the total areas allotted to the same use or kind of use, which are fixed a priori. The results obtained for the Terra Ch district of Galicia (N.W. Spain) using different objective weighting schemes are compared with each other and with those obtained for this district under the same area constraints, using hierarchical optimization, ideal point analysis, and multi-objective land allocation (MOLA) to maximize average use suitability. Inclusion of compactness in the simulated annealing objective function avoids the highly disperse allocations typical of optimizations that ignore this sub-objective.

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

mola
hierarchical optimization
ideal point analysis

multicriterion land allocation
land uses


Evaluating radio frequency identification investments using fuzzy cognitive maps RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is an Auto-ID technology which uses radio waves to automatically identify the individual items. Using RFID systems for identifying and tracking objects, it is possible to improve the performance of a supply chain process in terms of operational efficiency, accuracy and security. RFID systems can be implemented in different levels like item, case or pallet. These various applications create different impacts in supply chain processes. RFID investments are very important strategic decisions so they require a comprehensive evaluation process. The tangible and intangible benefits should be integrated to evaluate them. The fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) is a suitable tool to model causal relations in a non-hierarchical manner for an RFID investment evaluation. In this paper, the FCM method is used to measure the impact of RFID investment in a supply chain process.

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

supply chain
investment evaluation
fuzzy cognitive mapping


Routine Activity Theory and the Determinants of High Cybercrime Countries Cybercrime and the threat it creates are growing in its reach, in accordance with similar growth in information technology. Some countries account for more of the variation in cybercrime activity than others, which affects less criminally involved nations as well, considering that cybercrime does not respect national borders over the Internet. Routine activity theory (RAT) has been used to explain cybercrime at the individual level, but not at the national level. Much research has focused on high cybercrime countries, but this research is often conducted by cybersecurity firms and is exclusively descriptive, making no inferences. This research sought to determine what characteristics predict whether a nation is high in either spamming activity or phishing activity. In a sample of 132 countries, it was found that wealthier nations with more Internet users per capita had higher cybercrime activity. Unemployment was also found to interact with Internet users such that the effect of the proportion of Internet users on spam was strongest in nations with higher unemployment. The implications these findings have for policy and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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

routine activity theory
cybercrime
spam
phishing
unemployment
internet


Markov-binary visibility graph: A new method for analyzing complex systems A new method is proposed for analyzing the complex systems. Because of its binary status it can be used in broad situations. The reliability of binary visibility graph for time series analysis.

O O O O O O O O O O O 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


Inferring intra-motif dependencies of DNA binding sites from ChIP-seq data Statistical modeling of transcription factor binding sites is one of the classical fields in bioinformatics. The position weight matrix (PWM) model, which assumes statistical independence among all nucleotides in a binding site, used to be the standard model for this task for more than three decades but its simple assumptions are increasingly put into question. Recent high-throughput sequencing methods have provided data sets of sufficient size and quality for studying the benefits of more complex models. However, learning more complex models typically entails the danger of overfitting, and while model classes that dynamically adapt the model complexity to data have been developed, effective model selection is to date only possible for fully observable data, but not, e.g., within de novo motif discovery.

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

transcription factor binding sites
de novo motif discovery
model selection


Sensation seeking and internet dependence of Taiwanese high school adolescents The present study examined excessive Internet use of Taiwanese adolescents and a psychological aspect of users, sensation seeking, thus to differentiate motivation of Internet dependents and non-dependents. Seven hundred and fifty three Taiwanese high school students were selected using cluster sampling and 88 of them were categorized as Internet dependent users. Results indicated that Internet dependents spent more time on-line than non-dependents. While Internet dependents perceived significantly more negative Internet influences on daily routines, school performance, and parental relation than non-dependents, both Internet dependents and non-dependents viewed Internet use as enhancing peer relations. Making friends through the Internet has become a popular activity among adolescents, potentially leading to its excessive use. Internet dependents scored significantly higher on overall sensation seeking and disinhibition than Internet non-dependents. However, both groups did not differ in the life experience seeking subscale and thrill and adventure seeking subscale. This finding contradicts that of Lavin, Marvin, McLarney, Nola, and Scott [CyberPsychol. Behav. 2 (2000) 425]. Possible reasons for this discrepancy and for the relation between Internet dependence and disinhibition in Taiwanese adolescents are also discussed.

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 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 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 O O O O O

internet addiction
internet abuse
internet usage patterns
adolescence


Feature Combination in Kernel Space for Distance Based Image Hashing The paper presents a novel feature based indexing scheme for image collections. The scheme presents the extension of distance based hashing to kernel space for generating the indexing structure based on similarity in kernel space. The objective of the scheme is to incorporate multiple features for defining the image indexing space using the concept of multiple kernel learning. However, the indexing problems are defined with unique learning objective; therefore, a novel application of genetic algorithm is presented for the optimization task. The extensive evaluation of the proposed concept is performed for developing word based document indexing application of Devanagari, Bengali, and English scripts. In addition, the efficacy of the proposed concept is shown by experimental evaluations on handwritten digits and natural image collection.

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 B I 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

feature combination
image indexing
multiple kernel learning


Orthogonal slicing for additive manufacturing We propose an accuracy optimization algorithm for additive manufacturing methods. We decompose 3D shapes into parts that are fabricated along an optimal direction. Benefits of our method show for objects that do not fit the fabrication 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


Multivariate stochastic Korovkin theory given quantitatively We introduce and study very general multivariate stochastic positive linear operators induced by general multivariate positive linear operators that are acting on multivariate continuous functions. These are acting on the space of real differentiable multivariate time stochastic processes. Under some very mild, general and natural assumptions on the stochastic processes we produce related multidimensional stochastic Shisha-Mond type inequalities of L(q)-type1 = 0. The astonishing fact here is that basic real Korovkin test functions assumptions are enough for the conclusions of our multidimensional stochastic Korovkin theory. We give an application. (c) 2007 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

stochastic korovkin theory and inequalities

multivariate stochastic modulus of continuity


Reducing startup-time inrush current in charge-pump circuits We have developed a high-efficiency charge-pump power supply circuit with large output current capability for mobile equipment. However, during the commercialization phase, we found that the large inrush current of 270 mA at charge-pump circuit startup-time could cause problems. In this paper we analyze the mechanism that causes this inrush current, and we propose circuitry to reduce it. We show SPICE simulation and measurement results for our proposed circuitry that confirm its effectiveness. By incorporating this circuitry, startup-time inrush current was reduced to 30 mA.

O O B I 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 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 B I O O O O O

charge-pump circuit
dc-dc converter
high-voltage generator circuit


Load-dependent service queues with application to congestion control in broadband networks We analyze D/G/1 and M/G/1 queues where the service time for an arrival depends on the amount of work in the system upon arrival. The models are motivated by the bit dropping methods (e.g. [IEEE J. Select. Areas Commun. 9 (1991) 294]) as a congestion control in broadband networks. The idea there is to reduce packet (cell) transmission time in case of congestion, while maintaining satisfactory quality of service. To study the load-dependent service queues, we first derive a functional equation that characterizes the response time for an arbitrary arrival. Then, we employ and extend a technique based on Laguerre functions in [IEEE Trans. Commun. 38 (1990) 14541 to solve the equation. A new recursion is developed in this paper, which significantly simplifies and enhances the applicability of the technique, and makes it easy to program on computers. Numerical examples for packetized voice in a broadband network are included. The enhanced technique is also applicable to other communication networks and computer systems that can be characterized by similar functional equations. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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

broadband network
congestion control
laguerre functions
packetized voice

bit dropping method
load-dependent service time
queueing analysis


The recursion operator method for generalized symmetries and Bcklund transformations of the Burgers equations In this paper, the generalized symmetries of the second-order Burgers equation are obtained through the symmetry transformation method. The Bcklund transformations (BTs) of the two equations are constructed by the recursion operator method. Then, the infinite number of exact solutions to these equations are investigated in terms of the generalized symmetries and Bcklund transformations. Furthermore, the Bcklund transformations and conservation law of the general Burgers equations are discussed.

O B I 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 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 O O O O O O O

burgers equation
recursion operator method
conservation law


an end-to-end approach to globally scalable programmable networking The three fundamental resources underlying Information Technology are bandwidth, storage, and computation. The goal of wide area infrastructure is to provision these resources to enable applications within a community. The end-to-end principles provide a scalable approach to the architecture of the shared services on which these applications depend. As a prime example, IP and the Internet resulted from the application of these principles to bandwidth resources. A similar application to storage resources produced the Internet Backplane Protocol and Logistical Networking, which implements a scalable approach to wide area network storage. In this paper, we discuss the use of this paradigm for the design of a scalable service for wide area computation, or programmable networking. While it has usually been assumed that providing computational services in the network will violate the end-to-end principles, we show that this assumption does not hold. We illustrate the point by describing Logistical Network Computing, an extension to Logistical Networking that supports limited computation at intermediate nodes.

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

network
point
applications
use
design
computation
service
internet backplane protocol
paper
infrastructure
programmable networking
architecture
storage
bandwidth
internet

communities
examples
network storage
end-to-end design
distributed state management
active networking
extensibility
logistical network computing
wide-area network
store and forward network
sharing
asynchronous communications
resource
information technologies
scalability
programmer


Distributing the personal digital environment throughout your entertainment environment: handling personal metadata across domains It is a fact, that we are surrounded by more and more ubiquitous services in entertainment computation. All sorts of devices are more and more connected, and personalization becomes more and more a major issue. We are living in a world with two layers: the real physical layer being our real-world, and its synthetic overlay consisting of location-based services, chatting applications, or Web 2.0 offers. In the real-world, communication between humans is a matter of personality of different persons: exchanging information about each other, finding common interests, or finding common conversation themes. In the synthetic overlay, communication becomes a matter of distribution of personal profiles or automating profile matching. The open-source platform Portable Personality (P2) (http://www.portable-personality.org) faces this challenge, and provides a platform for cross-service interchange of personal context information based on any generic metadata type. P2's software architecture is designed for mining, enriching, and exchanging personal profiles between arbitrary multimedia services. The long-term vision of P2 is to provide a personality profile rather than a personal context information profile to enable communication between human and device as a matter of personalities, rather than automated matching of profiles. Two different scenarios, the Smart Social Network (SSN), and the personalization of audio-visual data are presented as practical use-case for P2.

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

personalization
metadata
portable personality
p2
personality profile

ambient media
pervasive computation
personal profile
context awareness
context profile
ubiquitous computation


Evaluation of texture registration by epipolar geometry In the process of digitizing the geometry and appearance of 3D objects, texture registration is a necessary step that solves the 2D-3D mapping between the 2D texture images and the 3D geometric model. For evaluation of texture registration with ground truth, accurate datasets can be obtained with a complex setup consisting of calibrated geometry and texture capture devices. We do not have any knowledge of such evaluation performed; current evaluations reflect, at their best, the precision achieved by the algorithms, but fail to identify a possible bias. We propose a new evaluation measure based on the epipolar geometry of texture image pairs, with the advantage that the ground truth can be extracted solely from the texture images, independent of the 3D acquisition. We developed a noise model suitable to our purpose and analysed three distance measures based on epipolar geometry, well known in the computer vision community, to find new theoretical and experimental results. Finally, using the proposed framework, we evaluated a texture registration algorithm based on mutual information and found that its accuracy was under half-pixel.

O O B I 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 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 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 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

texture registration
epipolar geometry
mutual information

epipolar distances
experimental evaluation


Comparative accuracies of artificial neural networks and discriminant analysis in predicting forest cover types from cartographic variables This study compared two alternative techniques for predicting forest cover types from cartographic variables. The study evaluated four wilderness areas in the Roosevelt National Forest, located in the Front Range of northern Colorado. Cover type data came from US Forest Service inventory information, while the cartographic variables used to predict cover type consisted of elevation, aspect, and other information derived from standard digital spatial data processed in a geographic information system (GIS). The results of the comparison indicated that a feedforward artificial neural network model more accurately predicted forest cover type than did a traditional statistical model based on Gaussian discriminant analysis.

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

discriminant analysis
forest cover types
neural networks

artificial intelligence
geographic information systems (gis)
spatial modeling


On the security of context-adaptive information dissemination Information dissemination rather than traditional routing is useful for many application domains in mobile ad hoc networks. Context-adaptive information dissemination is a special variant, which was originally designed for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), but could also be used in other domains, for example, disaster management. In this work, we address the security of this dissemination scheme. The attack analysis shows weaknesses but also how the adaption to context already limits the impact of many attacks. We present and evaluate a sensor-based protection system helping to reduce the margin for attacks to a level of local disturbance, while the overall dissemination is not affected significantly any more. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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

security
information dissemination
context


High-order consistency in valued constraint satisfaction k-consistency operations in constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) render constraints more explicit by solving size-k subproblems and projecting the information thus obtained down to low-order constraints. We generalise this notion of k-consistency to valued constraint satisfaction problems (VCSPs) and show that it can be established in polynomial time when penalties lie in a discrete valuation structure. A generic definition of consistency is given which can be tailored to particular applications. As an example, a version of high-order consistency (face consistency) is presented which can be established in low-order polynomial time given certain restrictions on the valuation structure and the form of the constraint graph.

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 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

discrete optimisation
soft constraints
consistency enforcing
max-csp


Approximation of multiple integrals by simple integrals The Alienor method, based on a-dense curves, has been developed by Yves Cherruault and collaborators, to solve optimization problems. It can be coupled with the decomposition method of Adomian to solve optima control problems also. But a-dense curves can be used in many other problems. Gives an application of a-dense curves for calculating multiple integrals by means of simple integrals.

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


Potential Role of Anti-GAD Antibodies in Abnormal Eye Movements Abstract: Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) catalyzes the conversion of glutamic acid to ?-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Autoantibodies directed against GAD (antiGAD-Ab) have been described in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, stiff-man syndrome, and in a few patients with progressive cerebellar ataxia. The presence of these autoantibodies suggests an autoimmune pathophysiological mechanism for the neurological manifestations in these disorders. However, the exact role of antiGAD-Ab and GABAergic neurotransmission in the pathogenesis of the neurological manifestations, particularly in progressive cerebellar ataxia, is not fully understood. The cases of two patients with subacute cerebellar ataxia associated with antiGAD-Ab presenting with abnormal eye movements are reported. One patient presented a periodic alternating nystagmus (PAN), whereas the other presented a downbeat nystagmus (DBN) and slow vertical saccades. The potential role of antiGAD-Ab and the resultant GABAergic neurotransmission deficit in oculomotor manifestations is discussed.

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

nystagmus
progressive cerebellar ataxia
saccades

glutamic acid decarboxylase (gad)
antigad-ab
?-aminobutyric acid (gaba)


Evaluation of Detection and Discrimination Ability of Peripheral Vision on Notification Information Based on Large Displays We propose an array of glyphs as a notification system using peripheral vision. The system behaviors were controlled by size, rhythm, frequency, and phase shift. The size of the glyph arrays affects detectability more than location or shape. Phase shift is better than frequency as a coding dimension for discriminability. The results are worst-case lower bounds for real applications.

O O B O B O O B I 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

notification information
detection
discrimination
peripheral vision


Emergence of grammatical constructions: evidence from simulation and grounded agent experiments This research takes grammatical constructions (sentence form-to-meaning mappings) as an alternative to abstract generative grammars in the context of understanding the emergence of language. A model of sentence processing based on this construction grammar approach is presented, and then a series of neuropsychological and neurophysiological studies are reviewed that attempt to validate the model and to establish its neurophysiological underpinnings. The resulting model is demonstrated to provide insight into a developmental and evolutionary passage from unitary idiom-like holophrases to progressively more abstract grammatical constructions. The model is then functionally validated by its insertion into a perceptually grounded system that allows spoken language interaction with a human interlocutor. The potential utility of this emergence approach in understanding language is discussed.

O O O O O O O O O O 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 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

neural network
sensorimotor sequence
grammatical construction


A note on the stability of the many-queue head-of-the-line processor-sharing system with permanent customers We consider a single server system consisting of n queues with different types of customers and k permanent customers. The permanent customers and those at the head of the queues are served in processor-sharing by the service facility (head-of-the-line processor-sharing). By means of Loynes' monotonicity method a stationary work load process is constructed and using sample path analysis general stability conditions are derived. They allow to decide which queues are stable and, moreover, to compute the fraction of processor capacity devoted to the permanent customers. In case of a stable system the constructed stationary state process is the only one and for any initial state the system converges pathwise to the steady state.

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 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 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

head-of-the-line processor-sharing
many queues
marked point process
stability condition
loynes' construction
ergodicity


Angular approach combined to mechanical model for tool breakage detection by eddy current sensors The paper presents a new complete approach for Tool Condition Monitoring (TCM) in milling. The aim is the early detection of small damages so that catastrophic tool failures are prevented. A versatile in-process monitoring system is introduced for reliability concerns. The tool condition is determined by estimates of the radial eccentricity of the teeth. An adequate criterion is proposed combining mechanical model of milling and angular approach. Then, a new solution is proposed for the estimate of cutting force using eddy current sensors implemented close to spindle nose. Signals are analysed in the angular domain, notably by synchronous averaging technique. Phase shifts induced by changes of machining direction are compensated. Results are compared with cutting forces measured with a dynamometer table. The proposed method is implemented in an industrial case of pocket machining operation. One of the cutting edges has been slightly damaged during the machining, as shown by a direct measurement of the tool. A control chart is established with the estimates of cutter eccentricity obtained during the machining from the eddy current sensors signals. Efficiency and reliability of the method is demonstrated by a successful detection of the damage.

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 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 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 O O O O O O O

cutting force model
synchronous average
eddy current sensor


Probabilistic stability assessment of slopes using high dimensional model representation This paper presents a new computational tool for probabilistic stability assessment of earth slopes/embankments. The method involves high dimensional model representation (HDMR) that facilitates lower dimensional approximation of the original limit state, response surface generation of HDMR component functions, and Monte Carlo simulation. HDMR is a general set of quantitative model assessment and analysis tools for capturing the high-dimensional relationships between sets of input and output model variables. It is a very efficient formulation of the system response, if higher-order variable correlations are weak, allowing the physical model to be captured by the first few lower-order terms. Once the approximate form of the original limit state is defined, the failure probability can be obtained by statistical simulation. Results of four numerical examples indicate that the proposed method provides accurate and computationally efficient estimates of the failure probability of earth slopes/embankments.

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

high dimensional model representation
response surface
failure probability


Improving Cache Partitioning Algorithms for Pseudo-LRU Policies As the number of concurrently running applications on the chip multiprocessors (CMPs) is increasing, efficient management of the shared last-level cache (LLC) is crucial to guarantee overall performance. Recent studies have shown that cache partitioning can provide benefits in throughput, fairness and quality of service. Most prior arts apply true Least Recently Used (LRU) as the underlying cache replacement policy and rely on its stack property to work properly. However, in commodity processors, pseudo-LRU policies without stack property are commonly used instead of LRU for their simplicity and low storage overhead. Therefore, this study sets out to understand whether LRU-based cache partitioning techniques can be applied to commodity processors. In this work, we instead propose a cache partitioning mechanism for two popular pseudo-LRU policies: Not Recently Used (NRU) and Binary Tree (BT). Without the help of true LRU's stack property, we propose a profiling logic that applies curve approximation methods to derive the hit curve (hit counts under varied way allocations) for an application. We then propose a hybrid partitioning mechanism, which mitigates the gap between the predicted hit curve and the actual statistics. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposal can improve throughput by 15.3% on average and outperforms the stack-estimate proposal by 12.6% on average. Similar results can be achieved in weighted speedup. For the cache configurations under study, it requires less than 0.5% storage overhead compared to the last-level cache. In addition, we also show that profiling mechanism with only one true LRU ATD achieves comparable performance and can further reduce the hardware cost by nearly two thirds compared with the hybrid mechanism.

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


Changing learning with new interactive and media-rich instruction environments: virtual labs case study report Technology has created a new dimension for visual teaching and learning with web-delivered interactive media. The Virtual Labs Project has embraced this technology with instructional design and evaluation methodologies behind the simPHYSIO suite of simulation-based, online interactive teaching modules in physiology for the Stanford students. In addition, simPHYSIO provides the convenience of anytime web-access and a modular structure that allows for personalization and customization of the learning material. This innovative tool provides a solid delivery and pedagogical backbone that can be applied to developing an interactive simulation-based training tool for the use and management of the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) image information system. The disparity in the knowledge between health and IT professionals can be bridged by providing convenient modular teaching tools to fill the gaps in knowledge. An innovative teaching method in the whole PACS is deemed necessary for its successful implementation and operation since it has become widely distributed with many interfaces, components, and customizations. This paper will discuss the techniques for developing an interactive-based teaching tool, a case study of its implementation, and a perspective for applying this approach to an online PACS training tool.

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

picture archiving and communication system training simulator


New aggregation operators based on the Choquet integral and 2-tuple linguistic information ? Considered in this paper is the group decision making problem with inter-dependent or interactive attributes, where evaluation values of decision makers are in linguistic arguments. By using the Choquet integral, some new aggregation operators are introduced, including the 2-tuple correlated averaging operator, the 2-tuple correlated geometric operator and the generalized 2-tuple correlated averaging operator. The proposed operators can better reflect the correlations among the elements. After investigating properties of these operators, a new multiple attribute decision making method based on the new operators is proposed. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed method.

O O O O O O B I 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 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 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

choquet integral
multiple attribute decision making
group decision making


Automatic validation of the Offshore Operators Committee Discharge Model and application to predicting drilling solids accumulation on the sea floor Discharge models must be validated by comparing their predictions with experimental data. Such comparisons improve user confidence in model predictions. The validation process involves significant work for each case tested and requires tedious labor. This paper describes an automated validation system and its use in validating the Offshore Operators Committee (OOC) Mud and Produced Water Discharge Model. Once the validation system is set up, very little additional work is needed for repeated validations to test the model after changes related to maintenance and development. The validation system provides a complete record of all validation methods, data, and results. The principle benefits of the automated validation system are: the combined validation tests are completely documented with an HTML report, the tests are easily repeated, the system quickly reveals flaws arising from model maintenance and development activities, the system can be adapted to other numerical models containing standalone executable modules that read and write text files. The automatic validation system consists of several parts: (1) a hierarchical arrangement of data to segregate individual experiments in separate file system directories; (2) command scripts to run validation tests in each directory (model runs, statistical comparisons of predictions and observations, plots of predictions compared with observations); (3) a top-level script to summarize overall comparison statistics and scatter plots; (4) a report generator to assemble validation results in a linked set of HTML pages with plots; and (5) a tool to compare validations run at different times (e.g., to compare predictions of different versions of the model). Experiments included in the validation system are summarized briefly. One laboratory and one field experiment concerned with particle deposition on the sea floor were added during the development of the validation system. These cases are described in more detail.

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

automatic validation computer numeric discharge model


An Improved Geocast for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks Geographic addressing of packets within mobile ad hoc networks enables novel applications, including hard real-time engagement simulation in military training systems, geographic command and control functions in training and emergency communications, and commercial messaging applications as well. The most scalable implementation of geoaddressing is via a geocast protocol, where nodes selectively retransmit packets based on local decision rules. Well-designed retransmission heuristics yield scalable geographic flooding that outperforms alternative geoaddressing approaches. However, previous geocast implementations, while effective, fall into two categories. Approaches based on flooding are unscalable due to the high load they generate. Scalable approaches, on the other hand, have trouble in complex environments, lacking sufficient intelligence about the necessary directionality of packet flow. The present paper defines a novel geocast heuristic, the Center Distance with Priority (CD-P) Heuristic, which both significantly improves on reliability of existing scalable geocasts and yet also remains scalable as scenario complexity increases. This paper describes the new technique as well as an evaluation study comparing it to previous approaches.

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


Testing inference in heteroskedastic fixed effects models We wrote the test statistics as ratios of Gaussian quadratic forms. We used numerical integration to compute their exact null distributions. We compare the limiting null distribution with the exact null distributions. Most accurate asymptotic approximations are obtained with CHC4 and CHCR0 tests. We recommend that inference in FE models be based such quasi-t test statistics.

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 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

simulation
heteroskedasticity
longitudinal data
quasi-t tests


HoloTrap: Interactive hologram design for multiple dynamic optical trapping This work presents an application that generates real-time holograms to be displayed on a holographic optical tweezers setup; a technique that allows the manipulation of particles in the range from micrometres to nanometres. The software is written in Java, and uses random binary masks to generate the holograms. It allows customization of several parameters that are dependent on the experimental setup, such as the specific characteristics of the device displaying the hologram, or the presence of aberrations. We evaluate the software's performance and conclude that real-time interaction is achieved. We give our experimental results from manipulating 5 pm microspheres using the program.

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

interactive manipulation
digital holography
spatial light modulators


Prediction of eigenvalues and regularization of eigenfeatures for human face verification We present a prediction and regularization strategy for alleviating the conventional problems of LDA and its variants. A procedure is proposed for predicting eigenvalues using few reliable eigenvalues from the range space. Entire eigenspectrum is divided using two control points, however, the effective low-dimensional discriminative vectors are extracted from the whole eigenspace. The estimated eigenvalues are used for regularization of eigenfeatures in the eigenspace. These prediction and regularization enable to perform discriminant evaluation in the full eigenspace. The proposed method is evaluated and compared with eight popular subspace based methods for face verification task. Experimental results on popular face databases show that our method consistently outperforms others. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

pca
feature extraction
dimensionality reduction


Alternative realizations of CMOS current feedback amplifiers for low voltage applications Two variants of a new current feedback amplifier (CFA) are presented in this paper. These CFAs are realized in CMOS technology and both are capable of working at low voltages. It is shown that one circuit performs better than the other by virtue of an increased impedance at its Z terminal achieved through the use of additional transistors. Analysis of both variants of the current conveyor and buffer that form the current feedback amplifier gives an insight into the location of primary poles and zeros of the CFAs. Simulation results indicate an overall gain bandwidth product in excess of 59 MHz and 102 MHz for each circuit at a gain of -10 and with a 3.3 V supply. Experimental results from a chip fabricated in a 0.35 mum CMOS technology agree closely with the simulation results.

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


Evaluation of signal space separation via simulation Signal space separation (SSS) method is an advanced signal-processing approach that can be used to recover bio-magnetic signal and remove external disturbance in empirical magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurements. SSS is based on the solution of the quasi-static approximation of Maxwell equations (i.e., Laplaces equation) which can be expressed as linear combinations of spherical harmonic functions. In applying SSS, MEG measurements can be split into two parts: brain signals and external interferences. In this paper, after a brief review of the basics of SSS, we evaluate SSS systematically via computer simulation and real MEG data. In the simulations of this paper, two types of interference sources with magnetic and electric current dipoles are used. The interference suppression effects and the quality of the reconstruction of the interested signal are investigated. Also, the degree of spherical harmonic functions and its relationship with signal reconstruction and interference suppression are studied thoroughly. Finally, we provide objective assessments of the advantages and limitations of the SSS approach, and its practical value in MEG measurements.

O O B I I O B 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 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 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 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 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 B O

signal space separation
meg
spherical harmonic functions
simulation


Cost optimization of electrical contracted capacity for large customers Reduction of costs is an important component of competitiveness. This paper proposes a methodology for the reduction of electrical costs for large customers, such as industrial companies or hospitals, whenever the electric supply tariff contains a time of use factor and penalizations due to excess of capacity demand (which are usual in a lot of countries). The proposed methodology uses statistical and optimization tools to take advantage of the information obtained from the historical behavior of the customer in order to balance the contract and excess terms in the bill and to allow an appropriate forecast of its future needs. To prove the usefulness of the proposed methodology, a case study is presented in which the electric bill of a large Spanish hospital is substantially reduced.

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 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

electric bill reduction
multivariate optimization
forecasting


Algorithms for transitive closure Let sigma'(n) denote the number of all strongly connected graphs on the n-element set. We prove that sigma'(n) greater than or equal to 2(n2) (1- n(n - 1)/2(n-1)). Hence the algorithm computing a transitive closure by a reduction to acyclic graphs has the expected time O(n(2)), under the assumption of uniform distribution of input graphs. Furthermore, we present a new algorithm constructing the transitive closure of an acyclic graph. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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 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

computational complexity
graph algorithms


A Legendre-pseudospectral method for computing travelling waves with corners (slope discontinuities) in one space dimension with application to Whithams equation family If the dispersion in a nonlinear hyperbolic wave equation is weak in the sense that the frequency ?(k) of cos(kx) is bounded as k??, it is common that (i) travelling waves exist up to a limiting amplitude with wave-breaking for higher amplitudes, and (ii) the limiting wave has a corner, that is, a discontinuity in slope. Because corner waves are not smooth, standard numerical methods converge poorly as the number of grid points is increased. However, the corner wave is important because, at least in some systems, it is the attractor for all large amplitude initial conditions. Here we devise a Legendre-pseudospectral method which is uncorrupted by the singularity. The symmetric (u(X)=u(?X)) wave can be computed on an interval spanning only half the spatial period; since u is smooth on this domain which does not include the corner except as an endpoint, all numerical difficulties are avoided. A key step is to derive an extra boundary condition which uniquely identifies the corner wave. With both the grid point values of u(x) and phase speed c as unknowns, the discretized equations, imposing three boundary conditions on a second order differential equation, are solved by a NewtonRaphson iteration. Although our method is illustrated by the so-called Whithams equation, where is a very general linear operator, the ideas are widely applicable.

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

cnoidal waves
pseudospectral algorithm
whitham equation


Scale-space texture description on SIFT-like textons Visual texture is a powerful cue for the semantic description of scene structures that exhibit a high degree of similarity in their image intensity patterns. This paper describes a statistical approach to visual texture description that combines a highly discriminative local feature descriptor with a powerful global statistical descriptor. Based upon a SIFT-like feature descriptor densely estimated at multiple window sizes, a statistical descriptor, called the multi-fractal spectrum (MFS), extracts the power-law behavior of the local feature distributions over scale. Through this combination strong robustness to environmental changes including both geometric and photometric transformations is achieved. Furthermore, to increase the robustness to changes in scale, a multi-scale representation of the multi-fractal spectra under a wavelet tight frame system is derived. The proposed statistical approach is applicable to both static and dynamic textures. Experiments showed that the proposed approach outperforms existing static texture classification methods and is comparable to the top dynamic texture classification techniques. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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


Simulating human-like decisions in a memory-based agent model Agent-based models have been used to simulate complex social systems in many domains. Historically research in agent decision-making has been performed with the goal of creating an agent who acts rational. However, experimental economics has shown that human beings do not always make rational decisions. Based on Kahneman and Tversky's descriptive theory, this paper proposes a computational agent-based model of human-like intuitive decisions and bounded rationality. A series of experiments are conducted to evaluate the concept, the model and their impacts on endowing agents with human-like decisions. Our experiments show that a selfish agent defers from the strategy of the rational agent and is more similar to human strategy.

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

agent-based modeling and simulation
intuition
q-learning
ultimatum game
sequential bargaining game


Cognitive mapping expert views for policy analysis in the public sector This paper reports the use, in the UK Home Office Prison Department, of cognitive mapping techniques for policy analysis. The methodology used has been developed to facilitate more effective management of messy problems by management teams. Here it is used for the collation, comparison and analysis of the views of many experts in relation to a major policy issue. The analysis makes use of the specially designed computer software, Decision Explorer. The paper discusses the impact of the approach and suggests general implications for the way in which policy analysis is conducted.

B I O O O B I 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 B I O O

group decisions and negotiations
problem structuring


HLLC-type Riemann solver for the BaerNunziato equations of compressible two-phase flow We first construct an approximate Riemann solver of the HLLC-type for the BaerNunziato equations of compressible two-phase flow for the subsonic wave configuration. The solver is fully nonlinear. It is also complete, that is, it contains all the characteristic fields present in the exact solution of the Riemann problem. In particular, stationary contact waves are resolved exactly. We then implement and test a new upwind variant of the path-conservative approach; such schemes are suitable for solving numerically nonconservative systems. Finally, we use locally the new HLLC solver for the BaerNunziato equations in the framework of finite volume, discontinuous Galerkin finite element and path-conservative schemes. We systematically assess the solver on a series of carefully chosen test problems.

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

compressible multiphase flow
hyperbolic equations
nonconservative products
complete riemann solvers
finite volumes
dg finite elements
path-conservative methods


Numerical

evaluation

of

multi-loop

integrals

for

arbitrary

kinematics

with

SecDec

We

present

the

program

SecDec

which

contains

various

new

features.

First,

it

allows

the

numerical

evaluation

of

multi-loop

integrals

with

no

restriction

on

the

kinematics.

Dimensionally

regulated

ultraviolet

and

infrared

singularities

are

isolated

via

sector

decomposition,

while

threshold

singularities

are

handled

by

a

deformation

of

the

integration

contour

in

the

complex

plane.

As

an

application,

we

present

numerical

results

for

various

massive

two-loop

four-point

diagrams.

SecDec

also

contains

new

useful

features

for

the

calculation

of

more

general

parameter

integrals,

related

for

example

to

phase

space

integrals.

Program

summary

Program

title:

SecDec

Catalogue

identifier:

Program

summary

URL:

Program

obtainable

from:

CPC

Program

Library,

Queen's

University,

Belfast,

N.

Ireland

Licensing

provisions:

Standard

CPC

licence,

No.

of

lines

in

distributed

program,

including

test

data,

etc.:

No.

of

bytes

in

distributed

program,

including

test

data,

etc.:

Distribution

format:

tar.gz

Programming

language:

Wolfram

Mathematica,

Perl,

Fortran/C++.

Computer:

From

a

single

PC

to

a

cluster,

depending

on

the

problem.

Operating

system:

Unix,

Linux.

RAM:

Depending

on

the

complexity

of

the

problem

Classification:

Catalogue

identifier

of

previous

version:

Journal

reference

of

previous

version:

Comput.

Phys.

Comm.

Does

the

new

version

supersede

the

previous

version?:

Yes

Nature

of

problem:

Extraction

of

ultraviolet

and

infrared

singularities

from

parametric

integrals

appearing

in

higher

order

perturbative

calculations

in

gauge

theories.

Numerical

integration

in

the

presence

of

integrable

singularities

(e.g.,

kinematic

thresholds).

Solution

method:

Algebraic

extraction

of

singularities

in

dimensional

regularization

using

iterated

sector

decomposition.

This

leads

to

a

Laurent

series

in

the

dimensional

regularization

parameter

E,

where

the

coefficients

are

finite

integrals

over

the

unit

hypercube.

Those

integrals

are

evaluated

numerically

by

Monte

Carlo

integration.

The

integrable

singularities

are

handled

by

choosing

a

suitable

integration

contour

in

the

complex

plane,

in

an

automated

way.

Reasons

for

new

version:

In

the

previous

version

the

calculation

of

multi-scale

integrals

was

restricted

to

the

Euclidean

region.

Now

multi-loop

integrals

with

arbitrary

physical

kinematics

can

be

evaluated.

Another

major

improvement

is

the

possibility

of

full

parallelization.

Summary

of

revisions:

No

restriction

on

the

kinematics

for

multi-loop

integrals.

The

integrand

can

be

constructed

from

the

topological

cuts

of

the

diagram.

Possibility

of

full

parallelization.

Numerical

integration

of

multi-loop

integrals

written

in

C++

rather

than

Fortran.

Possibility

to

loop

over

ranges

of

parameters.

Restrictions:

Depending

on

the

complexity

of

the

problem,

limited

by

memory

and

CPU

time.

The

restriction

that

multi-scale

integrals

could

only

be

evaluated

at

Euclidean

points

is

superseded

in

version

Running

time:

Between

a

few

minutes

and

several

days,

depending

on

the

complexity

of

the

problem.

Test

runs

provided

take

only

seconds.

(C)

Elsevier

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

perturbation theory
feynman diagrams
infrared and threshold singularities


KBRE: a framework for knowledge-based requirements engineering Detecting inconsistencies is a critical part of requirements engineering (RE) and has been a topic of interest for several decades. Domain knowledge and semantics of requirements not only play important roles in elaborating requirements but are also a crucial way to detect conflicts among them. In this paper, we present a novel knowledge-based RE framework (KBRE) in which domain knowledge and semantics of requirements are central to elaboration, structuring, and management of captured requirements. Moreover, we also show how they facilitate the identification of requirements inconsistencies and other-related problems. In our KBRE model, description logic (DL) is used as the fundamental logical system for requirements analysis and reasoning. In addition, the application of DL in the form of Manchester OWL Syntax brings simplicity to the formalization of requirements while preserving sufficient expressive power. A tool has been developed and applied to an industrial use case to validate our approach.

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

requirements engineering
inconsistencies
identification
manchester owl syntax


an approach for texture sdi visualization In this paper we propose an algorithm for generating synthetic texture with desired appearance and size. Also, we propose a proper visualization process for using the received texture to obtain a realistic appearance of 3D surfaces which can by applied in geographic maps, for mapping of a vegetation and other special features onto terrains, to correct failings of a photo, video and satellite images.

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


Image interpolation by two-dimensional parametric cubic convolution Cubic convolution is a popular method for image interpolation. Traditionally, the piecewise-cubic kernel has been derived in one dimension with one parameter and applied to two-dimensional (2-D) images in a separable fashion. However, images typically are statistically nonseparable, which motivates this investigation of nonseparable cubic convolution. This paper derives two new nonseparable, 2-D cubic-convolution kernels. The first kernel, with three parameters (designated 2D-3PCC), is the most general 2-D, piecewise-cubic interpolator defined on [-2, 2] x [-2, 2] with constraints for biaxial symmetry, diagonal (or 90 degrees rotational) symmetry, continuity, and smoothness. The second kernel, with five parameters (designated 2D-5PCC), relaxes the constraint of diagonal symmetry, based on the observation that many images have rotationally asymmetric statistical properties. This paper also develops a closed-form solution for determining the optimal parameter values for parametric cubic-convolution kernels with respect to ensembles of scenes characterized by autocorrelation (or power spectrum). This solution establishes a practical foundation for adaptive interpolation based on local autocorrelation estimates. Quantitative fidelity analyses and visual experiments indicate that these new methods can outperform several popular interpolation methods. An analysis of the error budgets for reconstruction error associated with blurring and aliasing illustrates that the methods improve interpolation fidelity for images with aliased components. For images with little or no aliasing, the methods yield results similar to other popular methods. Both 2D-3PCC and 2D-5PCC are low-order polynomials with small spatial support and so are easy to implement and efficient to apply.

O B O O O B I 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 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 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 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

cubic convolution
interpolation
reconstruction


The empirical distribution of good codes Let the kth-order empirical distribution of a code be defined as the proportion of k-strings anywhere in the codebook equal to every given k-string. We show that for any fixed k, the X th-order empirical distribution of any good code (i.e., a code approaching capacity with vanishing probability of error) converges in the sense of divergence to the set of input distributions that maximize the input/output mutual information of X channel uses, This statement is proved for discrete memoryless channels as well as a large class of channels with memory, If k grows logarithmically (or faster) with blocklength, the result no longer holds for certain good codes, whereas for other good codes, the result can be shown for k growing as fast as a certain fraction of blocklength.

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

approximation of output statistics
channel capacity
error- correcting codes
gaussian channels
shannon theory


The Marking Construction Problem of Petri Nets and Its Heuristic Algorithms The marking construction problem (MCP) of Petri nets is defined as follows: "Given a Petri net N, an initial marking M(i) and a target marking M(t), construct a marking that is closest to Mt among those which can be reached from M(i) by firing transitions." MCP includes the well-known marking reachability problem of Petri nets. MCP is known to be NP-hard, and we propose two schemas of heuristic algorithms: (i) not using any algorithm for the maximum legal firing sequence problem (MAX LFS) or (ii) using an algorithm for MAX LFS. Moreover, this paper proposes four pseudo-polynomial time algorithms: MCG and MCA for (i), and MCHF(k) and MC_feideq_a for (ii), where MCA (MC_feideq_a, respectively) is an improved version of MCG (MCHF(k)). Their performance is evaluated through results of computing experiment.

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

petri nets
marking construction problem
reachability problem
heuristic algorithms


using laboratories to teach software engineering principles in the introductory computer science curriculum If students are to internalize software engineering concepts and incorporate them into their individual software development styles, they must use these concepts during the initial stages of their computer science education. In this paper, we examine how laboratories that emphasize software development can be used to familiarize students with the basic elements of software engineering during the introductory computer science course sequence.

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

computer science
use
paper
sequence
software engineering
software development

concept
computer science curriculum
laboratory
computer science education
student


Numerical investigation of a stability theorem arising from the 2-dimensional analysis of an iterative optimal control algorithm Because many optimal control problems require solution using iterative procedures they fall naturally in the realm of 2-D systems where the two dimensions are response time horizon and iteration index, respectively. The paper uses this observation to employ 2-D systems theory, in the form of unit memory repetitive process techniques, to analyse local stability and convergence behaviour of a continuous optimal control algorithm based on dynamic system optimisation and parameter estimation. Existing work is extended to incorporate unmatched terminal constraints. Necessary and sufficient conditions for stability are obtained whose evaluation require the solution of a difficult eigenvalue problem. The paper shows how solutions can be achieved using numerical and graphical facilities of MATLAB.

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

2-d linear systems
unit memory linear repetitive processes
numerical methods


A non-parametric visual-sense model of images-extending the cluster hypothesis beyond text The main challenge of a search engine is to find information that are relevant and appropriate. However, this can become difficult when queries are issued using ambiguous words. Rijsbergen first hypothesized a clustering approach for web pages wherein closely associated pages are treated as a semantic group with the same relevance to the query (Rijsbergen 1979). In this paper, we extend Rijsbergen's cluster hypothesis to multimedia content such as images. Given a user query, the polysemy in the return image set is related to the many possible meanings of the query. We develop a method to cluster the polysemous images into their semantic categories. The resulting clusters can be seen as the visual senses of the query, which collectively embody the visual interpretations of the query. At the heart of our method is a non-parametric Bayesian approach that exploits the complementary text and visual information of images for semantic clustering. Latent structures of polysemous images are mined using the Hierarchical Dirichlet Process (HDP). HDP is a non-parametric Bayesian model that represents images using a mixture of components. The main advantage of our model is that the number of mixture components is not fixed a priori, but is determined during the posterior inference process. This allows our model to grow with the level of polysemy (and visual diversity) of images. The same set of components is used to model all images, with only the mixture weights varying amongst images. Evaluation results on a large collection of web images show the efficacy of our approach.

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

non-parametric models
image clustering
sense disambiguation


Recognising handwritten Arabic manuscripts using a single hidden Markov model This paper presents a new method on off-line recognition of handwritten Arabic script. The method does not require segmentation into characters, and is applied to cursive Arabic script, where ligatures, overlaps and style variation pose challenges to the recognition system. The method trains a single hidden Markov model (HMM) with the structural features extracted from the manuscript words. The HMM is composed of multiple character models where each model represents one letter from the alphabet. The performance of the proposed method is assessed using samples extracted from a historical handwirtten manuscript.

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

arabic character recognition
cursive script
off-line recognition
viterbi algorithm


Throughput-Delay Tradeoff for Hierarchical Cooperation in Ad Hoc Wireless Networks Hierarchical cooperation has recently been shown to achieve better throughput scaling than classical multihop schemes under certain assumptions on the channel model in static wireless networks. However, the end-to-end delay of this scheme turns out to be significantly larger than those of multihop schemes. A modification of the scheme is proposed here that achieves a throughput-delay tradeoff D(n) = (log n)(2)T(n) for T(n) between theta(root n/log n) and theta(n/log n), where D(n) and T(n) are respectively the average delay per bit and the aggregate throughput in a network of n nodes. This tradeoff complements the previous results of El Gamal et al., which show that the throughput-delay tradeoff for multihop schemes is given by D(n) = T(n) where T(n) lies between theta(1) and theta(root n). Meanwhile, the present paper considers the network multiple-access problem, which may be of interest in its own right.

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

ad hoc wireless networks
hierarchical cooperation


A subjective effort estimation experiment Effort estimation is difficult in general, and in software development it becomes even more complicated if the software process is changed. In this paper a number of alternative interview-based effort estimation methods is presented. The main focus of the paper is to present an experiment in which software engineers were asked to use different methods to estimate the actual effort it would take to perform a number of tasks. The result from the subjective data is compared with the actual outcome from performing the tasks. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.

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 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

experimentation
personal software process


a simultaneous technology mapping, placement, and global routing algorithm for field-programmable gate arrays Technology mapping algorithms for LUT (Look Up Table) based FPGAs have been proposed to transfer a Boolean network into logic-blocks. However, since those algorithms take no layout information into account, they do not always lead to excellent results. In this paper, a simultaneous technology mapping, placement and global routing algorithm for FPGAs, Maple , is presented. Maple is an extended version of a simultaneous placement and global routing algorithm for FPGAs, which is based on recursive partition of layout regions and block sets. Maple inherits its basic processes and executes the technology mapping simultaneously in each recursive process. Therefore, the mapping can be done with the placement and global routing information. Experimental results for some benchmark circuits demonstrate its efficiency and effectiveness.

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

network
fpgas
efficiency
benchmark
layout
account
paper
global routing
partition
technology mapping
placement
process
demonstrate
version
algorithm
circuits

field-programmable-gate-array recursion map informal experimentation region logic effect blocking


What tasks can be performed with an uncalibrated stereo vision system? This article studies the following question: "When is it possible to decide, on the basis of images of point-features observed by an imprecisely modeled two-camera stereo vision system, whether or not a prescribed robot positioning task has been precisely accomplished?" Results are shown for three camera model classes: injective cameras, weakly calibrated projective cameras, and uncalibrated projective cameras. In particular, given a weakly calibrated stereo pair, it is shown that a positioning task can be precisely accomplished if and only if the task specification is invariant to projective transformations. It is shown that injective and uncalibrated projective cameras can accomplish fewer tasks, but are still able to accomplish tasks involving point coincidences. The same formal framework is applied to the problem of determining the set of tasks which can be precisely accomplished with the well-known position-based control architecture. It is shown that, for any class of camera models, the set of tasks which can be precisely accomplished using a position-based control architecture is a subset of the complete set of tasks which can be decided on the set, but includes all positioning tasks based on point coincidences. Two ways of extending the idea of position-based control to accomplish more tasks are also 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

vision-based control
uncalibrated visual servoing
geometric stereo vision
weak calibration


natural person-following behavior for social robots We are developing robots with socially appropriate spatial skills not only to travel around or near people, but also to accompany people side-by-side. As a step toward this goal, we are investigating the social perceptions of a robot's movement as it follows behind a person. This paper discusses our laser-based person-tracking method and two different approaches to person-following: direction-following and path-following. While both algorithms have similar characteristics in terms of tracking performance and following distances, participants in a pilot study rated the direction-following behavior as significantly more human-like and natural than the path-following behavior. We argue that the path-following method may still be more appropriate in some situations, and we propose that the ideal person-following behavior may be a hybrid approach, with the robot automatically selecting which method to use.

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

person following
human-robot interaction
person tracking


Diagonal block orthogonal algebraic space-time block codes This paper proposes a new family of space-time block codes whose transmission rate is 1 symbol per channel use. The proposed space-time codes can achieve full transmit diversity with larger coding gain for the constellation carved from the scaled complex integer ring kappa Z[i]. It is confirmed that the performances of the proposed space-time codes are superior to the existing space-time block codes by our simulation 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 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

fading channels
space-time codes
sphere decoders


Dynamic, unbalanced distribution of tasks on a PS3 cluster system for double precision calculation The article aims to describe an algorithm for dynamic distribution of tasks in a parallel computing system consisting of a network of 9 PlayStation3 (PS3) stations. Due to the fact that the SPU cores do not have units of double precision calculation, these calculations require a longer time. Therefore, an unbalanced distribution of computing tasks on a heterogeneous cluster system as 9PS3 is necessary. The algorithm produces an estimation of the value of ? by calculating the integral \(\pi= \int_{0}^{1} \frac{4}{1+x^{2}}\) and makes PPU-SPU empirical distribution of tasks on a smaller number of intervals. After determining the optimum loading between cores 18PPU (PowerPC Unit) and 54SPU (Synergetic Processor Unit), the integral calculation algorithm goes to a larger number of intervals.

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

unbalanced distribution
double precision


Exact analytic solitary wave solutions for the RKL model Interest in finding exact solitary wave solutions of nonlinear evolution equations by means of different methods has grown steadily in recent years. These exact Solutions are important to understand the mechanism of the complicated nonlinear physical phenomena. By use of the Jacobi elliptic function method, we find the exact analytic solitary wave solutions for the RKL model with cubic-quintic non-Kerr terms, describing the propagation of extremely short pulses in optical fibers. These new solutions may be useful for describing the propagation of optical Pulses in non-Kerr media. (C) 2009 IMACS. Published by Elsevier 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 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

non-kerr medium
exact analytic solutions


An image despeckling approach using quantum-inspired statistics in dual-tree complex wavelet domain We apply quantum theory on image despeckling problem. We use both inter-scale and intra-scale characteristics of wavelet coefficients. We propose a novel QSP-based thresholding function. We achieve better performance on simulated and in vivo medical ultrasound images.

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 O O

ultrasound image
quantum signal processing


Verba Volant Scripta Manent a false axiom within virtual environments. A semi-automatic tool for retrieval of semantics understanding for speech-enabled VR applications Traditional interaction with virtual environments (VE) via widgets or menus forces users to rigidly sequential interactions. Previous research has proved that the adoption of speech recognition (SR) allows more flexible and natural forms of interaction resembling the human-to-human communication pattern. This feature though requires programmers to compile some human supplied knowledge in the form grammars. These are then used at runtime to process spoken utterances into complete commands. Further speech recognition (SR) must be hard-coded into the application. This paper presents a completely automatic process to build a body of knowledge from the information embedded within the application source code. The programmer in fact embeds, throughout the coding process, a vast amount of semantic information. This research work exploits this semantic richness and it provides a self-configurable system, which automatically adapts its understanding of human commands according to the content and to the semantic information defined within the application's source code.

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 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 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


a system for program visualization and problem-solving path assessment of novice programmers This paper describes an educational programming environment, called AnimPascal. AnimPascal is a program animator that incorporates the ability to record problem-solving paths followed by students. The aim of AnimPascal is to help students understand the phases of developing, verifying, debugging, and executing a program. Also, by recording the different versions of student programs, it can help teachers discover student conceptions about programming. In this paper we describe how our system works and present some empirical results concerning student conceptions when trying to solve a problem of algorithmic or programming nature. Finally, we present our plans for further extensions to our software.

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

programming environment
novice programmers
program visualization


Evaluating the use and impact of lecture recording in undergraduates: Evidence for distinct approaches by different groups of students Lecture recordings are increasingly used to supplement lecture attendance within higher education, but their impact on student learning remains unclear. Here we describe a study to evaluate student use of lecture recordings and quantify their impact on academic performance. Questionnaire responses and online monitoring of student's access to recordings indicate that similar to 75% students use this material, the majority in a targeted manner. In contrast, a small subset of students (similar to 5%) are highly dependent on recordings downloading every lecture, and viewing the material for long periods, such that this represents a large proportion of their independent study. This 'high user' group is atypical, as it contains a high proportion of dyslexic and Non-English Speaking Background students. Despite high usage, lecture recordings do not have a significant impact on academic performance, either across the cohort or with students that use the recordings. Overall, this approach appears to be beneficial, but may reduce lecture attendance and encourage surface learning approaches in a minority of students. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

dyslexia
action reasearch
evaluation of impact


System reliability evaluation of nonlinear continuum structuresa probabilistic FEM approach A primary research for system reliability of continuum structures is presented. Progressive failure properties are dealt with by introducing an efficient probabilistic finite element method. An efficient computational method of probability of failure modes is suggested. By using this method, equivalent linearized performance functions for failure modes can be obtained simultaneously so that correlation between those failure modes can be easily obtained. An index termed as the conditional reliability index is suggested as a criterion for identifying sequences of failure modes. A modified branch and bound method is presented to deal with the problem of identifying dominant failure modes. By using the suggested methods, system reliability solution for continuum structures become feasible. A simple numerical example is given to illustrate the suggested methods.

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 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 I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

system reliability
finite element method


A sweepline algorithm for Euclidean Voronoi diagram of circles Presented in this paper is a sweepline algorithm to compute the Voronoi diagram of a set of circles in a two-dimensional Euclidean space. The radii of the circles are non-negative and not necessarily equal. It is allowed that circles intersect each other, and a circle contains others. The proposed algorithm constructs the correct Voronoi diagram as a sweepline moves on the plane from top to bottom. While moving on the plane, the sweepline stops only at certain event points where the topology changes occur for the Voronoi diagram being constructed. The worst-case time complexity of the proposed algorithm is O((n+m)log n), where n is the number of input circles, and m is the number of intersection points among circles. As m can be O(n2), the presented algorithm is optimal with O(n2 log n) worst-case time complexity.

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

euclidean voronoi diagram
circle
sweepline
event


On the Use of Emulab Testbeds for Scientifically Rigorous Experiments Internet is considered a Critical Infrastructure (CI) that is vital for both the economy and the society. Disruptions caused by natural disasters, malicious human actions and even hardware failure pose serious risks. Emulation testbeds are increasingly used to study the Internet in order to improve protection and response mechanisms. These are frequently considered more adequate than software simulators to realistically recreate the complex behavior of networks. In this paper we study how testbeds based on the Emulab software can be used to conduct scientifically rigorous experiments, specifically in terms of: a) experiment fidelity, b) repeatability, c) measurement accuracy, and d) interference. Our study, which is based on extensive experimentation on different testbeds, indicates that the current trend of using emulation testbeds is justified as both realistic and efficient. We show that Emulab-based experiments are representative of real systems in terms of emerging behavior (qualitative) and that repeatable experiments are possible. The main contribution of this tutorial article is that based on experimental results we identified caveats and provided insights to significant configuration parameters and limitations that are further elaborated into a set of guidelines that any Emulab user should be aware of. Then, he/she can decide about the importance of each guideline in the context of a specific study and experiment.

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

emulation fidelity testbeds repeatability


UACAP: A Unified Auxiliary Channel Authentication Protocol Authenticating spontaneous interactions between devices and users is challenging for several reasons: the wireless (and therefore invisible) nature of device communication, the heterogeneous nature of devices, and lack of appropriate user interfaces in mobile devices, and the requirement for unobtrusive user interaction. The most promising approach that has been proposed in literature involves the exploitation of the so-called auxiliary channels for authentication to bridge the gap between usability and security. This concept has spawned the independent development of various authentication methods and research prototypes, that, unfortunately, remain hard to compare and interchange and are rarely available to potential application developers. We present a novel, unified cryptographic authentication protocol framework (UACAP) to unify these approaches on using auxiliary channels and analyze its security properties. This protocol and a selection of auxiliary channels aimed at authentication of mobile devices has been implemented and released in an open-source ubiquitous authentication toolkit (OpenUAT). We also present an initial user study evaluating four of these channels.

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

network architecture and design/wireless communication


Word endpoint detection using dynamic programming The paper deals with the use of dynamic programming for word endpoint detection in isolated word recognition. Endpoint detection is based on likelihood maximization. Expectation maximization approach is used to deal with the problem of unknown parameters. Speech signal and background noise energy is used as features for making decision. Performance of the proposed approach was evaluated using isolated Lithuanian words speech corpus.

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

endpoint detection
dynamic programming
likelihood maximization
expectation maximization


As-conformal-as-possible discrete volumetric mapping ? In this paper, we tackle the problem of generalizing conformal maps to volumetric meshes. Current methods seek for harmonicity but unfortunately, no computational methods optimize conformality in the volumetric context. As it is proven that conformal maps do not exist for general volume transformations, we seek to optimize shape preservation with a generalization of the CauchyRiemann equations. Our algorithm is fast and easily adaptable to existing harmonic mapping methods. Compared to harmonic maps, results show improvements on both angular and volumetric energy measures at a cost below 1% of total computations. The method extends well in any dimension and several research areas could benefit from our derivations of volumetric conformal optimization.

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

conformal map
quasi-conformal map
volumetric map
harmonic map
polycube map