Language Structure Using Fuzzy Similarity Learning of (context-free) grammar rules that are based on alignment between texts of a given collection of sentences has attracted the attention of many researchers. We define and study the alignment profile and formulate fuzzy similarity of alignment profiles for a given collection of sentences. Using the fuzzy-similarity-based profile alignment, we give a methodology to formulate stochastic context-free grammar (CFG) rules. We introduce profile-alignment-based dynamic sentence similarity threshold to formulate the rules of stochastic CFG. The proposed methodology is tested using Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES) dataset of sentences. The benefits of our approach are experimentally demonstrated. Since our approach does not make use of any domain knowledge, it is expected to be useful in wide variety of applications requiring model construction.

O O O O O O O O O O O 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

computational learning
formal languages
fuzzy similarity measure
fuzzy systems
knowledge acquisition
learning systems


Oriented edge-selective band-pass filtering Edge orientations play an important role in recognition due to their function as a primitive visual feature for various kinds of recognition tasks. Filter-based schemes are the most well-known and widely used method for analyzing edge orientation. However, the classical filter-based approach passes not only edges inside the preferred orientation band, but also edges outside the band. This can cause ambiguity in the estimation of edge orientation and can subsequently lead to failure in recognition tasks where edge orientations are used as a primitive feature. In this paper, we propose a novel filtering scheme, referred to as oriented edge-selective band-pass filtering, which passes edges inside the preferred orientation band and prevents edges outside the band from passing through. We present a computational model based on the basic mechanisms of cortical processing, i.e., a recurrent framework integrating the feedforward, lateral, and feedback processes, with the aim of investigating a solution based on the psychophysical and neuro-physiological findings of several decades. In the feedforward stage, our model employs a classical filter-based method to allow as many edges as possible in the preferred orientation band to pass through, while also allowing some edges outside the band to pass. The responses of edges outside the band are then inhibited by recurrent processing, involving two steps: a lateral and a feedback stage. We evaluated the performance of our model against classical filter-based methods, such as Gabor and Neumann filtering, using several artificial and natural images. The results validated the effectiveness 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

edge orientation estimation
image filtering
biological-inspired model


factoring rational polynomials over the complexes We give NC algorithms for determining the number and degrees of the absolute factors (factors irreducible over the complex numbers C) of a multi-variate polynomial with rational coefficients. NC is the class of functions computable by logspace-uniform Boolean circuits of polynomial size and polylogarithmic depth. The measures of size of the input polynomial are its degree d , coefficient length c , number of variables n , and for sparse polynomials, the number of non-zero coefficients s . For the general case, we give a random (Monte-Carlo) NC algorithm in these input measures. If n is fixed, or if the polynomial is dense, we give a deterministic NC algorithm. The algorithm also works in random NC for polynomials represented by straight-line programs, provided the polynomial can be evaluated at integer points in NC. Finally, we discuss a method for obtaining an approximation to the coefficients of each factor whose running time is polynomial in the size of the original (dense) polynomial. These methods rely on the fact that the connected components of a complex hypersurface P ( z 1 , z n ) = 0 minus its singular points correspond to the absolute factors of P .

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

method polynomial factor input approximation size case general algorithm class circuits

measurement
program
variability
point
monte carlo
timing
complexity
randomization
component


On likelihood inference in binary mixed model with an application to COPD data In the cluster regression set up, it is common to collect binary responses from the individuals in a large number of clusters, where the responses of the individuals of a given cluster are structurally correlated through a common random effect shared by the individuals. Obtaining consistent as well as efficient estimates of the parameters of the binary mixed model has, however, proven to be difficult. In this paper, we apply a simulation based likelihood estimation method that provides consistent as well as efficient estimates of the parameters of the model. The performance of the simulated likelihood estimators is compared with that of the simulated moment estimators (J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 93 (1998) 720) through a Monte Carlo study. Also, the likelihood estimation methodology is illustrated by using chronic obstructive pulmonary disease data from Cohen (Amer. J. Epidemiol. 112 (1980) 274).

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

variance component of the random effects


Optimal maintenance policy for multi-component systems under Markovian environment changes Maintenance model for multi-component systems under environmental influence. Opportunity maintenance consideration in multi-component systems. Mathematical proof of existence and optimality of a (nr,Nr) type policy. Iterative approximation algorithm for maintenance policy in multi-component systems.

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

maintenance policy
environmental influence

multi-component system
opportunistic maintenance
markov decision processes


Eulerian Video Magnification for Revealing Subtle Changes in the World Our goal is to reveal temporal variations in videos that are difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye and display them in an indicative manner. Our method, which we call Eulerian Video Magnification, takes a standard video sequence as input, and applies spatial decomposition, followed by temporal filtering to the frames. The resulting signal is then amplified to reveal hidden information. Using our method, we are able to visualize the flow of blood as it fills the face and also to amplify and reveal small motions. Our technique can run in real time to show phenomena occurring at the temporal frequencies selected by the user.

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

video-based rendering
spatio-temporal analysis
eulerian motion
motion magnification


Design, implementation and experimental evaluation of an end-to-end vertical handover scheme on NCTUns simulator This paper presents the simulation study of Host based autonomous Mobile Address Translation using NCTUns simulator. It is a network layer, end-to-end vertical handover solution, based upon modification of Mobile IP with address Translation. Vertical handover approaches generally require new network elements, a new layer in TCP/IP stack, or fixing a protocol at a particular layer. To enhance handover experience, recent approaches focus on reducing signalling, localizing the registration, creating hierarchies, using proxy, preparing handover in advance, predicting target network, or exploiting multicasting and path extension techniques. These approaches, however, demand change in the network infrastructure to support mobility and limit the scope of mobility. Despite end-to-end signalling, the Host based autonomous Mobile Address Translation scheme ensures minimum service disruption and distinctly allows global mobility of the mobile node without requiring any modification in the network. We have simulated the mobility of a multi-interface mobile node in a heterogeneous network environment composed of WiFi (IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11b) and WiMAX (IEEE802.16e) access networks. Performance of the scheme is evaluated taking into account wide range of end-to-end delays between mobile node and the correspondent node, various speeds of the mobile node and different packet loss rates of the network. Based on our detailed simulation study, it has been observed that this scheme offers reduced service disruption time, packet loss and packet latency. The service disruption time is found to be significantly low (typically in the range of 10ms) compared to that of Mobile IP (which is in the order of 100ms); this makes this new scheme perfectly suitable for real time applications. Low service disruption time consequently reduces the packet loss by manyfold and the packet latency remains unaffected during and after handover due to translation of address at the source. The results suggest that this protocol is a viable vertical handover solution due to its simplicity, scalability, low overhead and ready deployability.

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

vertical handover
mobility
simulation study
address translation

heterogeneous wireless networks
performance evaluation
end-to-end approach


Segmentation of the Optic Disc in 3-D OCT Scans of the Optic Nerve Head Glaucoma is the second leading ocular disease causing blindness due to gradual damage to the optic nerve and resultant visual field loss. Segmentations of the optic disc cup and neuroretinal rim can provide important parameters for detecting and tracking this disease. The purpose of this study is to describe and evaluate a method that can automatically segment the optic disc cup and rim in spectral-domain 3-D OCT (SD-OCT) volumes. Four intraretinal surfaces were segmented using a fast multiscale 3-D graph search algorithm. After surface segmentation, the retina in each 3-D OCT scan was flattened to ensure a consistent optic nerve head shape. A set of 15 features, derived from the segmented intraretinal surfaces and voxel intensities in the SD-OCT volume, were used to train a classifier that can determine which A-scans in the OCT volume belong to the background, optic disc cup and rim. Finally, prior knowledge about the shapes of the cup and rim was incorporated into the system using a convex hull-based approach. Two glaucoma experts annotated the cup and rim area using planimetry, and the annotations of the first expert were used as the reference standard. A leave-one-subject-out experiment on 27 optic nerve head-centered OCT volumes (14 right eye scans and 13 left eye scans from 14 patients) was performed. Two different types of classification methods were compared, and experimental results showed that the best performing method had an unsigned error for the optic disc cup of 2.52 +/- 0.87 pixels (0.076 +/- 0.026 mm) and for the neuroretinal rim of 2.04 +/- 0.86 pixels (0.601 +/- 0.026 mm). The interobserver variability as indicated by the unsigned border positioning difference between the second expert observer and the reference standard was 2.52 +/- 1.03 pixels (0.076 +/- 0.031 mm) for the optic disc cup and 2.14 +/- 0.80 pixels (0.064 +/- 0.024 mm for the neuroretinal rim. The unsigned error of the best performing method was not significantly different (p > 0.2) from the interobserver variability.

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

spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (oct)


Optimized admission control scheme for coexisting femtocell, wireless and wireline networks The most important challenge for the implementation of the Future Internet is to make the heterogeneity of access technologies transparent to the end user. Compared to the general case where the interworking networks are independent, the case of femtocells interworking with pre-existing wireless networks poses more challenges due to the sharing of the same backhaul capacity. Therefore, while a user is practically able to initiate the same service through multiple network interfaces, he is allocated capacity from the same capacity pool. However, while the femtocell inherits the QoS mechanisms of cellular networks and is able to provide a reliable CAC, this does not apply to the IP-based networks and that may drastically affect the performance of the femtocell. Hence, we propose an integrated Dynamic Service Admission Control (DSAC) framework for coexisting femtocell, wireless and wireline network environments. In particular, DSAC is able to provide QoS guarantees as a conventional capacity partitioning scheme while at the same time offers better performance in terms of acceptance probability and capacity utilization especially when short term variations of traffic load composition occur.

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

femtocell
admission control
future internet
qos


Fast quarantining of proactive worms in unstructured P2P networks ? P2P worms pose a serious threat to Internet infrastructure and terminal users because of their overwhelming propagation speed. Manual reactions fall behind the fast propagation of P2P worms. Current automatic techniques are still not adequate to be deployed on a large scale for several challenges including low accuracy, low efficiency, etc. In this paper, we bring forward a repair-and-patch approach to quarantine malicious worms quickly in unstructured P2P networks. Our work has two major contributions. Firstly, we propose two kinds of benign worms, which differ in functions and spread strategies, to cooperatively battle against malicious worms. Secondly, we derive discrete difference equations to depict the interplay between malicious and benign worms. Four factors manual countermeasures, P2P topology, configuration diversity and attack and defense strategies are modeled in the equations. Preliminary experiments are promising. Compared with sheer manual reactions, our approach is about two times faster and protects about 35% more hosts. In comparison with benign worms, which search targets by random scanning, our proposed method guards about 34.4% more hosts with lower consumption of bandwidth resources.

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

proactive p2p worm
repair-and-patch approach
benign worm
fast quarantine
low consumption of bandwidth resources


Digital field scholarship and the liberal arts: results from a 201213 sandbox We summarize a recent multi-institutional collaboration in digital field scholarship involving four liberal arts colleges: Davidson College, Lewis & Clark College, Muhlenberg College, and Reed College. Digital field scholarship (DFS) can be defined as scholarship in the arts and sciences for which field-based research and concepts are significant, and digital tools support data collection, analysis, and communication; DFS thus gathers together and extends a wide range of existing scholarship, offering new possibilities for appreciating the connections that define liberal education. Our collaboration occurred as a sandbox, a collective online experiment using a modified WordPress platform (including mapping and other advanced capabilities) built and supported by Lewis & Clark College, with sponsorship provided by the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education. Institutions selected course-based DFS projects for fall 2012 and/or spring 2013. Projects ranged from documentary photojournalism to home energy efficiency assessment. One key feature was the use of readily available mobile devices and apps for field-based reconnaissance and data collection; another was our public digital scholarship approach, in which student participants shared the process and products of their work via public posts on the DFS website. Descriptive and factor analysis results from anonymous assessment data suggest strong participant response and likely future potential of digital field scholarship across class level and gender. When set into the context of the four institutions that supported the 20122013 sandbox, we see further opportunities for digital field scholarship on our and other campuses, provided that an optimal balance is struck between challenges and rewards along technical, pedagogical, and practical axes. Ultimately, digital field scholarship will be judged for its scholarship and for extending the experimental, open-ended inquiry that characterizes liberal education.

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

digital
field
scholarship
liberal arts
mapping


Robust low-sensitivity Adaline neuron based on Continuous Valued Number System In this article Continuous Valued Number System is studied as an alternative method for implementing Analog Neural Networks. Continuous Valued Number System is analog in nature and employs digit level analog modular arithmetic. The information redundancy among the digits allows efficient operations using analog circuitry with arbitrary accuracy. The general operations in this number system are more precise than regular analog operations, thus enabling us to implement large size analog neural networks with more precision. In this article, function evaluation properties of the Continuous Valued Number System are introduced. These key properties are used for developing analog Adaline with a nonlinear activation function. Stochastic modeling of a network of such elements is carried out which indicates that the proposed network has low sensitivity to implementation errors.

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

continuous valued number system (cvns)
cvns adaline neuron
robust analog neural network


A new non-local maximum likelihood estimation method for Rician noise reduction in magnetic resonance images using the KolmogorovSmirnov test An NLML method for denoising MRI based on Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) similarity test is proposed. The proposed method is statistically convincing and performs better than the conventional NLML method. Through the proposed approach the samples for ML estimation can be selected in an adaptive way. Quantitative analysis at various noise levels based on the various similarity measures, shows that the proposed method is more effective than conventional NLML.

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

denoising
kolmogorovsmirnov test
mri
noise

non-local maximum likelihood
non-central chi-square distribution


Empirical modelling of shear strength of RC deep beams by genetic programming This paper investigates the feasibility of using genetic programming (GP) to create an empirical model for the complicated non-linear relationship between various input parameters associated with reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams and their ultimate shear strength. GP is a relatively new form of artificial intelligence, and is based on the ideas of Darwinian theory of evolution and genetics. The size and structural complexity of the empirical model are not specified in advance, but these characteristics evolve as part of the prediction. The engineering knowledge on RC deep beams is also included in the search process through the use of appropriate mathematical functions. The model produced by GP is constructed directly from a set of experimental results available in the literature. The validity of the obtained model is examined by comparing its response with the shear strength of the training and other additional datasets. The developed model is then used to study the relationships between the shear strength and different influencing parameters. The predictions obtained from GP agree well with experimental observations.

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

reinforced concrete deep beams
empirical model building


Testing procedures for detection of linear dependencies in efficiency models The validity of many efficiency measurement methods rely upon the assumption that variables such as input quantities and output mixes are independent of (or uncorrelated with) technical efficiency, however few studies have attempted to test these assumptions. In a recent paper, Wilson (2003) investigates a number of independence tests and finds that they have poor size properties and low power in moderate sample sizes. In this study we discuss the implications of these assumptions in three situations: (i) bootstrapping non-parametric efficiency models; (ii) estimating stochastic frontier models and (iii) obtaining aggregate measures of industry efficiency. We propose a semi-parametric Hausmann-type asymptotic test for linear independence (uncorrelation), and use a Monte Carlo experiment to show that it has good size and power properties in finite samples. We also describe how the test can be generalized in order to detect higher order dependencies, such as heteroscedasticity, so that the test can be used to test for (full) independence when the efficiency distribution has a finite number of moments. Finally, an empirical illustration is provided using data on US electric power generation.

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

data envelopment analysis
correlation
hypothesis test
aggregation


situated evaluation for cooperative systems This paper discusses an evaluation of the MEAD prototype, a multi-user interface generator tool particularly for use in the context of Air Traffic Control (ATC). The procedures we adopted took the form of opportunistic and informal evaluation sessions with small user groups, including Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs). We argue that informal procedures are a powerful and cost effective method for dealing with specific evaluation issues in the context of CSCW but that wider issues are more problematic. Most notably, identifying the validity or otherwise of CSCW systems requires that the context of use be taken seriously, necessitating a fundamental re-appraisal of the concept of evaluation.

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

context of use
use
concept
context
tool
paper
traffic
informal
evaluation
control
user
situated
method
systems
prototype
cost

generation
interfaces
group
rapid prototyping
multiuser interface design
ethnographic observation
multi user
procedure
cooperation
air traffic control
effect


The Aromatase Knockout (ArKO) Mouse Provides New Evidence That Estrogens Are Required for the Development of the Female Brain The classic view of sexual differentiation is that the male brain develops under the influence of testicular secretions, whereas the female brain develops in the absence of any hormonal stimulation. However, several studies have suggested a possible role of estradiol in female neural development, although they did not provide unequivocal evidence that estradiol is indispensable for the development of the female brain and behavior. As a result, the hypothesis subsequently languished because of the lack of a suitable animal model to test estrogen's possible contribution to female differentiation. The recent introduction of the aromatase knockout (ArKO) mouse, which is deficient in aromatase activity because of a targeted mutation in the CYP19 gene and therefore cannot aromatize androgen to estrogen, has provided a new opportunity to reopen the debate of whether estradiol contributes to the development of the female brain. Female ArKO mice showed reduced levels of lordosis behavior after adult treatment with estradiol and progesterone, suggesting that estradiol is required for the development of the neural mechanisms controlling this behavior in female mice. The neural systems affected may include the olfactory systems in that ArKO females also showed impairments in olfactory investigation of odors from conspecifics. Thus, the classic view of sexual differentiation, that is, the female brain develops in the absence of any hormonal secretion, needs to be re-examined.

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

estradiol
aromatase
female differentiation


Scaling of micro-fabricated nanometer-sized Schottky diodes Diodes on the nanometer scale generally show non-ideal transport characteristics. In this paper, the transition of a conventional Schottky diode to a nano-diode is investigated. It is shown that electrostatic effects in small lithographically fabricated diodes can lead to a considerably thinner Schottky barrier, with the consequence of a greatly enhanced tunnelling current. We present numerical simulations as well as analytical calculations of the potential barrier shape in small devices, demonstrating this scaling effect. Special focus is placed on the role of the interconnects.

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

interconnect
nanometer-scale
electrical transport


Fast extraction of minimal paths in 3D images and applications to virtual endoscopy1 ? The aim of this article is to build trajectories for virtual endoscopy inside 3D medical images, using the most automatic way. Usually the construction of this trajectory is left to the clinician who must define some points on the path manually using three orthogonal views. But for a complex structure such as the colon, those views give little information on the shape of the object of interest. The path construction in 3D images becomes a very tedious task and precise a priori knowledge of the structure is needed to determine a suitable trajectory. We propose a more automatic path tracking method to overcome those drawbacks: we are able to build a path, given only one or two end points and the 3D image as inputs. This work is based on previous work by Cohen and Kimmel [Int. J. Comp. Vis. 24 (1) (1997) 57] for extracting paths in 2D images using Fast Marching algorithm. Our original contribution is twofold. On the first hand, we present a general technical contribution which extends minimal paths to 3D images and gives new improvements of the approach that are relevant in 2D as well as in 3D to extract linear structures in images. It includes techniques to make the path extraction scheme faster and easier, by reducing the user interaction. We also develop a new method to extract a centered path in tubular structures. Synthetic and real medical images are used to illustrate each contribution. On the other hand, we show that our method can be efficiently applied to the problem of finding a centered path in tubular anatomical structures with minimum interactivity, and that this path can be used for virtual endoscopy. Results are shown in various anatomical regions (colon, brain vessels, arteries) with different 3D imaging protocols (CT, MR).

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

minimal paths
fast marching
virtual endoscopy

deformable models
level set methods
medical image understanding
eikonal equation


towards platform-independent trusted computing Software independence from hardware platforms is an important feature of growing significance, given the emergence of new distributed computing paradigms. It would be desirable to extend the Trusted Computing mechanisms offered by the Trusted Platform Module into the platform independent Java environment. However, there is currently no generally accepted Trusted Computing API for Java. In this paper, we describe the design of a high-level API for Trusted Computing in Java, which is set to become the new industry standard for Java applications. We describe the current state of the standardization effort being undertaken in Java Specification Request 321 (JSR321).

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


Substrate Specificity of Amadoriase I from Aspergillus fumigatus Abstract: Generation of Amadori products is the major single modification by the Maillard reaction in vivo and a source of biologically active glycoxidation products leading to protein cross-linking in biological tissues. Amadoriase I from Aspergillus fumigatus cleaves Amadori products into deoxyglucosone, hydrogen peroxide, and the corresponding primary amine. It has been reported that Amadori products formed on free amino acids are a good substrate for amadoriase I, whereas the enzyme is unable to cleave Amadori products formed on whole proteins. This work aims to investigate the affinity of amadoriase I for oligopeptides and small proteins. Recombinant amadoriase I was expressed in E. coli and purified by Ni His-tag affinity chromatography. Di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides were derivatized with glucose, and the corresponding Amadori products were purified by TLC and HPLC. Glycated ?-lactoglobulin was also used as a substrate. In both cases the formation of Amadori products was monitored by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The Km of amadoriase for glycated-l-lysine was 4.2 mM, which is in accordance with the literature. Km decreases with the length of peptide, being slightly reduced for dipeptides, and is around 10 mM for tri- and tetrapeptides. Glycated proteins are not substrates of the enzyme; but when amadoriase I was added during the glycation reaction, a significant reduction of Amadori product formation was observed on both peptides and proteins. Data confirm the hypothesis that steric hindrance is critical for amadoriase I activity, indicating that oligopeptides up to four amino acids in length are good substrates. Moreover, these data show that, at least in some experimental conditions, amadoriase I is able to reduce the formation of protein-bound Amadori product.

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

amadori products
amadoriase i
oligopeptides


wheelchair-based open robotic platform and its performance within the ambiennet project This paper presents the design and development of the Robochair robotic wheelchair and its performance within the AmbienNet project. Robochair is an open robotic platform intended to assist challenged users with their daily driving tasks. It uses and extents the Player robotics framework providing uniform access to either robotics hardware and user input/output devices. In addition to that, and from low level point of view, the CANopen communication layer is used for the communication of any device within Robochair, which allows interoperability and exchangeability of different third party devices. In addition, the paper describes a navigation assistance application within the context of AmbienNet project, where an intelligent environment called AmbienNet supports the global navigation of Robochair wheelchair.

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 B I O O O O O O O O O


Development and evaluation of a terminology-based electronic nursing record system The present study was conducted to develop and evaluate a terminology-based electronic nursing record system. The narrative nursing notes of 63 obstetric patients collected over 395 hospital days were decomposed and cross-mapped with the Korean version of the beta version of the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP). The terminology-based nursing record system was developed with a terminology server to manage nursing concepts and nursing phrases, and a user application system to document nursing notes. The system was evaluated in two Korean hospitals by 20 nurses documenting nursing notes of 57 patients. Patterns were found in nursing notes reflecting the nursing process. A total of 14,727 phrases were used for documenting nursing notes, with these phrases consisting of 237 unique phrases. Among the 259 unique nursing concepts extracted from the 237 unique phrases, 103 concepts (39.8%) did not map onto the ICNP. The users were able to find nursing phrases with a success rate of 89.4%. The mean time required for documentation at each input session decreased significantly from 276 to 158s as the users became more experienced.

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

electronic nursing records systems
nursing information systems
nursing terminology


CSG model of the human head for ECT simulation Diagnostic and therapeutic subjecting of the human brain to electrical currents and magnetic field, such as ECT (electroconvulsive treatment), must override the brain's natural protection and is therefore potentially hazardous. The anatomy of the human head is inappropriate for ECT, mainly because of the varying electrical conductivity of its layers. Numerical simulation seems a promising tool for improvement of ECT technique. As the physical parameters of the tissue and dimensions of the head vary from patient to Patient, the model's designer must average these parameters and make certain simplifications. The appropriate level of these simplifications remains to be determined. Numerical simulations of ECT are presented. The calculations involve the finite element model of electrostatic field, using a grid generated on the basis of a realistic, constructive solid geometry (CSG) model of the human head. The results are compared with those obtained with rite simple four-layer model.

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 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


A new dissimilarity method integrating multidimensional mutual information and independent component analysis for non-Gaussian dynamic process monitoring Traditional multivariate statistical processes monitoring (MSPM) techniques like principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) are not well-suited in monitoring non-Gaussian processes because the derivation of T-2 and SPE indices requires the approximate multivariate Gaussian distribution of the process data. In this paper, a novel pattern analysis driven dissimilarity approach is developed by integrating multidimensional mutual information (MMI) with independent component analysis (ICA) in order to quantitatively evaluate the statistical dependency between the independent component subspaces of the normal benchmark and monitored data sets. The new MMI based ICA dissimilarity index is derived from the higher-order statistics so that the non-Gaussian process features can be extracted efficiently. Moreover, the moving-window strategy is used to deal with process dynamics. The multidimensional mutual information based ICA dissimilarity method is applied to the Tennessee Eastman Chemical process. The process monitoring results of the proposed method are demonstrated to be superior to those of the regular PCA, PCA dissimilarity, regular ICA and angle based ICA dissimilarity approaches. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

multidimensional mutual information
dissimilarity index
independent component analysis

non-gaussian process monitoring
fault detection


Development of small molecules designed to modulate protein-protein interactions Protein-protein interactions are ubiquitous, essential to almost all known biological processes, and offer attractive opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Developing small molecules that modulate protein-protein interactions is challenging, owing to the large size of protein-complex interface, the lack of well-defined binding pockets, etc. We describe a general approach based on the "privileged-structure hypothesis" [Che, Ph.D. Thesis, Washington University, 2003] - that any organic templates capable of mimicking surfaces of protein-recognition motifs are potential privileged scaffolds as protein-complex antagonists - to address the challenges inherent in the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.

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

conformational analysis
drug design
peptidomimetics
protein-protein interaction
protein-surface mimetics
privileged scaffold
template design


Using the XCS classifier system for portfolio allocation of MSCI index component stocks In a recent study, Schulenburg and Ross (2001) proposed the LCS for short-term stock forecast. Studley and Bull (2007) proposed the extended classifier system (XCS) agent to model different traders by supplying different input information. Announcement made by Morgan Stanley Capital Investment (MSCI) regarding the additions, removals, and even the weights of the component stocks in its country indices every quarter generally would cause changes to the prices and/or trade volumes of the associated component stocks. This paper takes an XCS in artificial intelligence to dynamically learn and adapt to the changes to the component stocks in order to optimize portfolio allocation of the component stocks. Since these price trends of MSCI component stocks are influenced by unknown and unpredictable surroundings, using XCS to model the fluctuations on financial market allows for the capability to discover the patterns of future trends. This simulation works on the basis of the changes to 121 component stocks in the MSCI Taiwan index between 1998 and 2009 suggests the XCS can produce the great profit and optimize portfolio allocation.

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

financial forecasting
msci taiwan index component stock
reinforcement learning


3-D visualization of structural field data: examples from the Archean Caopatina Formation, Abitibi greenstone belt, Qubec, Canada ? A series of 3-D visualization approaches is presented with the aim of developing better interpretation tools for field-based geologists. Structural data from outcrop, mine and regional scales are used to create speculative 3-D surfaces that can be useful in addressing geological problems. These tools could help in resolving cryptic early fold geometries, extending stratiform mineralizations and the sub-surface interpretation of regional thrusts, unconformities or key lithostratigraphic boundaries. Using sparse data sets from the low-relief and structurally complex Archean Abitibi greenstone belt, I have demonstrated that speculative models can be created from such challenging terrains, provided that existing data are respected and that appropriate methods are applied at a given scale. Examples focus on optimizing the 3-D editing environment for making better interpretations. Applied techniques include custom projections of surface traces, 3-D digitizing, simple Bzier surface patches, and non-cylindrical fold construction using field based plunge models. These are implemented as several UNIX AWK programs in conjunction with commercial 3-D visualization and modeling software gOcad and EarthVision. This integration and visualization study shows that complex fold geometries can be more rigorously constructed using constraining structural field data, but that current 3-D technologies are still very cumbersome for hard rock applications. Future development of field based case studies that will help validate and communicate the benefit of these methods is much needed, and will hopefully better articulate specific requirements to software developers. Professional 3-D software developers are encouraged to work towards the implementation of these types of programs in order to move the regional mapping community beyond 2-D and 21/2-D GIS-based modeling. National surveys and explorationists who are responsible for the collection, management, and archiving of geoscience data need to be diligent in maintaining their structural field data. This will be especially critical as 3-D visualization and modeling techniques, such as those I have presented here, become available to the bedrock mapping community.

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


Inversion of self-potential of idealized bodies anomalies using particle swarm optimization ? The particle swarm optimization (PSO) method was applied to the inversion of single and multiple self-potential (SP) data anomalies caused by buried bodies with simple geometry like spheres, cylinders and inclined sheets. The inversion parameters are the depth of the body, the location of the anomaly, the electric current dipole moment, the polarization angle or the inclination angle and the half-width in the sheet-like body case. The algorithm was tested on synthetic data with single and multiple SP anomalies and applied to two experimental data from Surda area (India) and Vilarelho da Raia (Portugal). The inversion results showed good agreement with the previous results obtained using other techniques. The great advantage of the PSO method is that it is fast and does not require assumptions about the shape of the source of the SP anomaly.

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


Leveraging search and content exploration by exploiting context in folksonomy systems With the advent of Web 2.0 tagging became a popular feature in social media systems. People tag diverse kinds of content, e.g. products at Amazon, music at Last.fm, images at Flickr, etc. In the last years several researchers analyzed the impact of tags on information retrieval. Most works focused on tags only and ignored context information. In this article we present context-aware approaches for learning semantics and improve personalized information retrieval in tagging systems. We investigate how explorative search, initialized by clicking on tags, can be enhanced with automatically produced context information so that search results better fit to the actual information needs of the users. We introduce the SocialHITS algorithm and present an experiment where we compare different algorithms for ranking users, tags, and resources in a contextualized way. We showcase our approaches in the domain of images and present the TagMe! system that enables users to explore and tag Flickr pictures. In TagMe! we further demonstrate how advanced context information can easily be generated: TagMe! allows users to attach tag assignments to a specific area within an image and to categorize tag assignments. In our corresponding evaluation we show that those additional facets of tag assignments gain valuable semantics, which can be applied to improve existing search and ranking algorithms significantly.

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

social media
search and ranking
context
learning semantics


Dense open-shop schedules with release times We study open-shop scheduling problems with job release times. The objective is to minimize the makespan. Dense schedules, easy to construct, are often used as approximate solutions. Performance ratios of the makespans from dense schedules and that of the optimal schedule of the problem are used to evaluate the quality of approximate schedules. It is conjectured (proved for a limited number of machines) that this performance ratio is bounded above by (2-1/m) for m-machine open-shop problems without job release times. In this paper, we extend the conjecture to open-shop problems with job release times. The results proved in this paper are: 1. Dense schedule performance ratio is bounded above by 2 for three-machine open-shop problems with job release times; 2. The conjectured performance ratio upper bound of 5/3 is proved for two special cases of three-machine open-shop problems with job release times; 3. A performance ratio upper bound of 7/4 is proved for three-machine problems. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

scheduling
dense schedule
performance ratio


Variable amplitude Fourier series with its application in gearbox diagnosisPart I: Principle and simulation Vibration signal analysis has been an important method in the detection and diagnosis of gearbox faults. The vibration signals measured from a gearbox are complex multi-component signals, which include tooth meshing vibration, gear shaft rotating vibration and gearbox resonance vibrations. They are often non-stationary and time-varying. When conducting gearbox failure detection, it is not simple to interpret the results coming from traditional Fourier analysis; other signal processing methods such as short-time Fourier series (FS) and wavelet analysis are not always sufficient to exactly extract the desired frequency component for a certain gear. In this paper, a novel signal analysis method, which we named the variable amplitude FS (VAFS), is proposed. This method is based on an improvement of the traditional FS analysis and comes from the analysis of the gear meshing vibration signal model. In part I, the principle of the VAFS is introduced, and then an algorithm for calculating VAFS coefficients is presented. The performance of the VAFS is compared with that of a wavelet transform in the analysis of a numerically generated noisy chirp signal. In part II, the VAFS method is applied in the analysis of the vibration signal of a truck gearbox containing a gear in good, cracked and broken condition, and the results are compared with that of the wavelet analysis.

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 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

variable amplitude fourier series
signal processing


Recent development of polyfluorene-based RGB materials for light emitting diodes As a continuation of our presentation at IUMRS-2000 in Hong Kong, we report the latest development of polyfluorene-based Red, Green and Blue (RGB) materials for light emitting diodes at The Dow Chemical Company. A modified Suzuki coupling process is used to synthesize RGB fluorene-based homopolymers and copolymers. Optimization of reaction conditions has led to a highly efficient procedure to generate polymers with controlled molecular weight (Mw), ranging from 10,000 to above 500,000 depending on the requirements of the desired applications. The optical and electronic properties of the polymers are tailored through selective incorporation of different aromatic units into the fluorene copolymer systems. By using this methodology, a portfolio of fluorene-based polymers has been designed and synthesized, achieving emissive colors that cover the entire visible spectrum. The performance of fluorene-based polymers in light emitting devices has been optimized by modifying the polymer compositions so as to increase charge mobilities and to improve the carrier injection balance. As a result of these compositional changes, devices based on Dow's green emitters, using bi-layer structures on indium tin oxide substrates and evaporated metal cathodes, have demonstrated unprecedented high efficiencies at high brightness levels and long lifetime performance. A device comprised of a Dow green emitting polymer has a low turn-on voltage of 2.25 V and exhibits a peak efficiency of 10.5Cd/A at 6600Cd/m2 at 4.85 V. These devices maintain an efficiency of greater than 10.0Cd/A up to 50,000Cd/m2and demonstrate very good stability as exemplified by a device half-life of greater than 1500-h starting from 1100Cd/m2. Similar outstanding progress with red and blue emitters has also been made and will be discussed.

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


Probabilistic analysis of linear programming decoding We initiate the probabilistic analysis of linear programming (LP) decoding of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. Specifically, we show that for a random LDPC code ensemble, the linear programming decoder of Feldman et al. succeeds in correcting a constant fraction of errors with high probability. The fraction of correctable errors guaranteed by our analysis surpasses previous nonasymptotic results for LDPC codes, and in particular, exceeds the best previous finite-length result on LP decoding by a factor greater than ten. This improvement stems in part from our analysis of probabilistic bit-flipping channels, as opposed to adversarial channels. At the core of our analysis is a novel combinatorial characterization of LP decoding success, based on the notion of a flow on the Tanner graph of the code. An interesting by-product of our analysis is to establish the existence of "probabilistic expansion" in random bipartite graphs, in which one requires only that almost every (as opposed to every) set of a certain size expands, for sets much larger than in the classical worst case setting.

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

binary-symmetric channel (bsc)
channel coding
error-control coding
expanders
factor graphs
low-density parity-check (ldpc) codes
randomized algorithms
sum-product algorithm


Physical and Digital Artifact-Mediated Coordination in Building Design We conducted an ethnographic field study examining how a building design team used representational artifacts to coordinate the design of building systems, structure, and architecture. The goals of this study were to characterize the different interactions meeting participants had with design artifacts, to identify bottlenecks in the design coordination process, and to develop design considerations for CSCW technology that will support in-person design coordination meetings of building design teams. We found that gesturing, navigation, annotation, and viewing were the four primary interactions meeting participants had with design artifacts. The form of the design information (2D vs. 3D, digital vs. physical) had minimal impact on gesture interactions, although navigation varied significantly with different representations of design information. Bottlenecks in the design process were observed when meeting participants attempted to navigate digital information, interact with wall displays, and access information individually and as a group. Based on our observations, we present some possible directions for future CSCW technologies, including new mechanisms for digital bookmarking, interacting with 2D and 3D design artifacts simultaneously, and enriched pointing techniques and pen functionality.

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

artifacts
design coordination
design information
meetings

construction
design development
ethnographic study
interactive workspaces


Direct integration of the Newton potential over cubes In boundary element methods, the evaluation of the weakly singular integrals can be performed either a) numerically, b) symbolically, i.e., by explicit expressions, or c) in a combined manner. The explicit integration is of particular interest, when the integrals contain the singularity or if the singularity is rather close to the integration domain. In this paper we describe the explicit expressions for the sixfold volume integrals arising for the Newton potential, i.e., for a 1/r integrand. The volume elements are axi-parallel bricks. The sixfold integrals are typical for the Galerkin method. However, the threefold integral arising from collocation methods can be derived in the same way.

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


Cross-layer resource orchestration for cloud service delivery: A seamless SDN approach One of the main challenges of cloud-based service provisioning is to deploy a coordinated control of both application- and network-layer resources in order to provide adaptive service data delivery and adequate user service experiences. In this work we propose a signaling framework architecture for cross-layer resource orchestration, where service awareness provided by session control is effectively combined with the flexibility of software-defined network control. Following a hands-on approach, the proposed solution takes advantage of existing and commonly deployed technologies aiming at an incremental deployment of the software-defined control mechanisms for the purpose of cross-functional service orchestration. The signaling framework is presented and validated through experimental activities carried out on a test-bed reproducing a realistic cloud-based service scenario. Results are compared against an analytical model that allows to investigate and quantify the sensitivity of the cloud-based service performance to the most relevant system parameters. The study demonstrates that a critical role is played by the limitations of the response time of real devices such as commercial routers, and highlights how orchestration functions can mitigate the effect of such limitations while addressing scalability of the overall system.

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

cloud computing
software-defined networking
service-oriented networks
anycast service model


A measurement theory view on the granularity of partitions Measurement of granularity is one of the foundational issues in granular computing. This paper investigates a class of measures of granularity of partitions. The granularity of a set is defined by a strictly monotonic increasing transformation of the cardinality of the set. The granularity of a partition is defined as the expected granularity of all blocks of the partition with respect to the probability distribution defined by the partition. Many existing measures of granularity are instances of the proposed class. New measures of granularity of partitions are also introduced.

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

expected granularity
granular computing
granularity

hartley entropy
information theory
partition lattice


Atanassov intuitionistic fuzzy sets generating maps This paper introduces the concept of Atanassov intuitionistic fuzzy sets generating map (AIFSGM) on L-fuzzy spaces. AIFSGMs produce intuitionistic fuzzy sets from lattice valued fuzzy sets.

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

atanassov intuitionistic fuzzy sets generating map

intuitionistic fuzzy set
generalized zadeh function


a framework for fast community extraction of large-scale networks Most of the faster community extraction algorithms are based on the Clauset, Newman and Moore (CNM), which is employed for networks with sizes up to 500,000 nodes. The modification proposed by Danon, Diaz and Arenas (DDA) obtains better modularity among CNM and its variations, but there is no improvement in speed as its authors expressed. In this paper, we identify some inefficiencies in the data structure employed by former algorithms. We propose a new framework for the algorithm and a modification of the DDA to make it applicable to large-scale networks. For instance, the community extraction of a network with 1 million nodes and 5 million edges was performed in about 14 minutes in contrast to former CNM that required 45 hours (192 times the former CNM, obtaining better modularity). The scalability of our improvements is shown by applying it to networks with sizes up to 10 million nodes, obtaining the best modularity and execution time compared to the former algorithms.

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

community analysis
large-scale networks
clustering


Fuzzy neural networks and cognitive modeling Over the last two decades or so, several significant advances have been made in two distinct fields: neural networks and fuzzy systems. The theory of fuzzy systems provides a mathematical framework for capturing the uncertainties associated with human cognitive processes, such as thinking and reasoning, and for emulating corresponding perceptual and control processes. The paradigms of neural networks offer the complementary attributes of learning and adaptation, together with the innate efficiency of parallel operation. In this paper we explore fuzzy neural networks, the product of fusion of neural networks and fuzzy mathematics, which have potential for combining these mathematical tools into a single capsule. For their favorable properties, the fuzzy neural networks could be used in the development of systems with some sort of cognitive abilities. These cognitive systems would have the potential to recapitulate certain aspects of human cognition such as perception, memory, learning, and decision making.

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 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 B I I 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 B I 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

cognitive systems
fuzzy systems
fuzzy neural networks
learning and adaptation


Reducing Instruction Bit-Width for Low-Power VLIW Architectures VLIW (very long instruction word) architectures have proven to be useful for embedded applications with abundant instruction level parallelism. But due to the long instruction bus width it often consumes more power and memory space than necessary. One way to lessen this problem is to adopt a reduced bit-width instruction set architecture (ISA) that has a narrower instruction word length. This facilitates a more efficient hardware implementation in terms of area and power by decreasing bus-bandwidth requirements and the power dissipation associated with instruction fetches. In practice, however, it is impossible to convert a given ISA fully into an equivalent reduced bit-width one because the narrow instruction word, due to bit-width restrictions, can encode only a small subset of normal instructions in the original ISA. Consequently, existing processors provide narrow instructions in very limited cases along with severe restrictions on register accessibility. The objective of this work is to explore the possibility of complete conversion, as a case study, of an existing 32-bit VLIW ISA into a 16-bit one that supports effectively all 32-bit instructions. To this objective, we attempt to circumvent the bit-width restrictions by dynamically extending the effective instruction word length of the converted 16-bit operations. Further, we will show that our proposed ISA conversion can create a synergy effect with a VLES (variable length execution set) architecture that is adopted in most recent VLIW processors. According to our experiment, the code size becomes significantly smaller after the conversion to 16-bit VLIW code. Also at a slight run time cost, the machine with the 16-bit ISA consumes much less energy than the original machine.

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

design
algorithms
performance
vliw architecture
reduced bit-width isa
code generation
power consumption


Scalable growth in IT-enabled service provisioning: a sensemaking perspective Vendors of IT-enabled services must address equivocal and changing requirements from diverse customers while simultaneously making a profit. However, our knowledge of how these organizations can achieve the necessary scalability is limited. Against this backdrop, we leverage organizational sensemaking to investigate how a large vendor attempted to create a scalable service infrastructure through three sequential strategies. This in-depth case study reveals key factors that challenged the efficacy of each strategy. First, addressing equivocality through structural separation exacerbated the organization's challenges because of misaligned collective identities between business units. Second, reducing equivocality through market segmentation proved to be inadequate because individual-level cognitive constraints shaped prepackaged solutions that lacked functionality. Third, responding to equivocality through service modularization was challenged due to lack of social interaction about standardization of component interfaces, system and process redundancies, and inflexible process architectures. We offer a detailed analysis of these strategies and discuss implications in relation to theory and practice. European Journal of Information Systems (2011) 20, 285-302. doi:10.1057/ejis.2011.5; published online 1 March 2011

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

it-enabled services
service management
service innovation
modular design


The dynamics of adaptive behavior: A research program This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the motivations, methodology and current status of an ongoing research program whose long-term goal is to elucidate the essential principles of a theory of adaptive behavior. The thoroughly dynamical nature of both adaptive behavior itself and the causal mechanisms that support it is emphasized throughout. An initial mapping of the basic concepts of adaptive behavior into the language of dynamical systems theory is proposed, and some of the general consequences of this preliminary theoretical framework are discussed. The two key ideas of this framework are (1) that an agent and its environment should be understood as two coupled dynamical systems whose mutual interaction is jointly responsible for the agent's behavior, and (2) that an agent's need to maintain its existence in its environment defines a viability constraint on its behavioral dynamics. A constructive research methodology involving the use of evolutionary algorithms to evolve continuous-time recurrent neural networks for controlling the behavior of model agents is described, and several examples of this methodology are presented, including models of chemotaxis, walking, sequential decision-making and learning. Finally, a detailed dynamical analysis of one evolved walking circuit is presented. This analysis illustrates the kinds of insights that can be obtained by treating agents as dynamical systems and applying the tools of dynamical systems theory to their behavior.

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

adaptive behavior
dynamical systems theory
evolutionary algorithms

autonomous agents
dynamical neural networks


Shape Sensitive Geometric Monitoring An important problem in distributed, dynamic databases is to continuously monitor the value of a function defined on the nodes, and check that it satisfies some threshold constraint. We introduce a monitoring method, based on a geometric interpretation of the problem, which enables to define local constraints at the nodes. It is guaranteed that as long as none of these constraints is violated, the value of the function did not cross the threshold. We generalize previous work on geometric monitoring, and solve two problems which seriously hampered its performance: as opposed to the constraints used so far, which depend only on the current values of the local data, here we incorporate their temporal behavior. Also, the new constraints are tailored to the geometric properties of the specific monitored function. In addition, we extend the concept of safe zones for the monitoring problem, and show that previous work on geometric monitoring is a special case of the proposed extension. Experimental results on real data reveal that the new approach reduces communication by up to three orders of magnitude in comparison to existing approaches, and considerably narrows the gap between achievable results and a newly defined lower bound on communication complexity.

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

data streams
distributed systems
data modeling


a workbench for quality based software re-engineering (poster) This research presents a re-engineering workbench and architecture that allows for legacy systems written in procedural languages to be migrated to new object oriented platforms. This methodology allows for specific design and quality requirements of the target migrant system to be considered during the re-engineering process through an iterative and incremental process. The migration process recovers an object model from the procedural code and incrementally refines it by taking into consideration the design requirements for the migrant system. A case study is presented as a proof of concept.

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

software quality
software migration
software architecture


Generalized locally recurrent probabilistic neural networks with application to text-independent speaker verification An extension of the well-known probabilistic neural network (PNN) to generalized locally recurrent PNN (GLR PNN) is introduced. The GLR PNN is derived from the original PNN by incorporating a fully connected recurrent layer between the pattern and output layers. This extension renders GLR PNN sensitive to the context in which events occur, and therefore, capable of identifying temporal and spatial correlations. In the present work, this capability is exploited to improve the speaker verification performance. A fast three-step method for training GLR PNNs is proposed. The first two steps are identical to the training of original PNNs, while the third step is based on the differential evolution (DE) optimization method.

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 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

recurrent neural networks
hybrid architectures


Efficient classification using parallel and scalable compressed model and its application on intrusion detection We propose a compressed model composed of horizontal and vertical compression. We employ OneR as horizontal compression, AP clustering as vertical compression. We implement a Map-Reduce based scalable and parallel framework for compression. We use KNN and SVM to build intrusion detector using the proposed compressed model. Both KDD99 and CDMC2012 are evaluated to show the detection efficiency and accuracy.

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

compressed model
mapreduce
classification
intrusion detection


Fast Window Based Stereo Matching for 3D Scene Reconstruction Stereo correspondence matching is a key problem in many applications like computer and robotic vision to determine Three-Dimensional (3D) depth information of objects which is essential for 3D reconstruction. This paper presents a 3D reconstruction technique with a fast stereo correspondence matching which is robust in tackling additive noise. The additive noise is eliminated using a fuzzy filtering technique. Experimentations with ground truth images prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.

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

disparity
window cost
stereo vision
3d model


Hybridizing a multi-objective simulated annealing algorithm with a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to solve a multi-objective project scheduling problem In this paper, a multi-objective project scheduling problem is addressed. This problem considers two conflicting, priority optimization objectives for project managers. One of these objectives is to minimize the project makespan. The other objective is to assign the most effective set of human resources to each project activity. To solve the problem, a multi-objective hybrid search and optimization algorithm is proposed. This algorithm is composed by a multi-objective simulated annealing algorithm and a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The multi-objective simulated annealing algorithm is integrated into the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to improve the performance of the evolutionary-based search. To achieve this, the behavior of the multi-objective simulated annealing algorithm is self-adaptive to either an exploitation process or an exploration process depending on the state of the evolutionary-based search. The multi-objective hybrid algorithm generates a number of near non-dominated solutions so as to provide solutions with different trade-offs between the optimization objectives to project managers. The performance of the multi-objective hybrid algorithm is evaluated on nine different instance sets, and is compared with that of the only multi-objective algorithm previously proposed in the literature for solving the addressed problem. The performance comparison shows that the multi-objective hybrid algorithm significantly outperforms the previous multi-objective algorithm.

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


Beyond Heart Rate Variability The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a role in a wide range of somatic and mental diseases. Whereas the role of the ANS in the regulation of the cardiovascular system seems evident, its role in the regulation of other systems associated with allostasis is less clear. Using a model of neurovisceral integration we describe how the ANS and parasympathetic tone in particular may be associated with the regulation of allostatic systems associated with glucose regulation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, and inflammatory processes. Decreased vagal function and heart rate variability (HRV) were shown to be associated with increased fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels, increased overnight urinary cortisol, and increased proinflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins. All of these factors have been associated with increased allostatic load and poor health. Thus, vagal activity appears to play an inhibitory function in the regulation of allostatic systems. The prefrontal cortex and the amygdala are important central nervous system structures linked to the regulation of these allostatic systems via the vagus nerve. Finally, the identification of this neurovisceral regulatory system may help to illuminate the pathway via which psychosocial factors may influence health and disease

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

heart rate variability
cortisol
glucose
allostasis


Normal edge-transitive Cayley graphs of Frobenius groups A Cayley graph for a group G is called normal edge-transitive if it admits an edge-transitive action of some subgroup of the holomorph of G [the normaliser of a regular copy of G in \({{\mathrm{Sym}}}(G)\)]. We complete the classification of normal edge-transitive Cayley graphs of order a product of two primes by dealing with Cayley graphs for Frobenius groups of such orders. We determine the automorphism groups of these graphs, proving in particular that there is a unique vertex-primitive example, namely the flag graph of the Fano plane.

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 B I 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


combinations of abstract domains for logic programming Abstract interpretation [7] is a systematic methodology to design static program analysis which has been studied extensively in the logic programming community, because of the potential for optimizations in logic programming compilers and the sophistication of the analyses which require conceptual support. With the emergence of efficient generic abstract interpretation algorithms for logic programming, the main burden in building an analysis is the abstract domain which gives a safe approximation of the concrete domain of computation. However, accurate abstract domains for logic programming are often complex because of the variety of analyses to perform their interdependence, and the need to maintain structural information. The purpose of this paper is to propose conceptual and software support for the design of abstract domains. It contains two main contributions: the notion of open product and a generic pattern domain. The open product is a new way of combining abstract domains allowing each combined domain to benefit from information from the other components through the notions of queries and open operations. The open product is general-purpose and can be used for other programming paradigms as well. The generic pattern domain Pat ( R )automatically upgrades a domain D with structural information yielding a more accurate domain Pat (D) without additional design or implementation cost. The two contributions are orthogonal and can be combined in various ways to obtain sophisticated domains while imposing minimal requirements on the designer. Both contributions are characterized theoretically and experimentally and were used to design very complex abstract domains such as PAT(OProp ? OMode ? OPS) which would be very difficult to design otherwise. On this last domain, designers need only contribute about 20\% (about 3,400 lines) of the complete system (about 17,700 lines).

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

requirements analysis computation design domain paper minimal pattern program software product methodology interpretation implementation queries support cost generic emergence

communities
efficiency
program analysis
general
informal
combinational
structure
systems
abstraction
optimality
operability
compilation
logic program
complexity
algorithm
completeness


content management for digital museum exhibitions An online exhibition of a digital museum often consists of a variety of multimedia objects such as webpages, animation, and video clips. Ideally, there should be different exhibitions on the same topic for users with different needs. The difficulty is that it is time-consuming to produce illustrative and intriguing online exhibitions. In this paper, we present a content management system for producing exhibitions. This framework is a novel approach for organizing digital collections and for quickly selecting, integrating, and composing objects from the collection to produce exhibitions of different presentation styles, one for each user group. A prototype based on our framework has been implemented and successfully used in the production of a Lanyu digital museum. Using our method, the Lanyu Digital Museum online exhibition has several features: (1) It provides an easy way to compose artifacts extracted from the digital collection into exhibitions. (2) It provides an easy way to create different presentations of the same exhibition content that are catered to users with different needs. (3) It provides easy-to-use film-editing capability to re-arrange an exhibition and to produce new exhibitions from existing ones.

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


Environment and control issues in design The basic principles guiding the operation of the processing units of a chemical process are based on the following objectives. Safe operation of the processing units. Specified production rates must be maintained. Product quality specifications must be maintained. Perform satisfactorily under conditions different from the nominal design conditions. While process design aids in performing the principal function of the industry. that is to convert raw materials into products, it is process control and operability that is responsible for satisfying the above objectives. Currently, the most striking flaw in any industrial operation is the lack of associative interaction between the design and control systems. An improper interaction between the two not only leads to a design which might be uncontrollable, and hence infeasible, but also incurs a lot of expenses while attempting to operate in the uncontrollable regions. This research mainly focuses on analyzing the importance of the interaction between design, controllability and operability issues. A qualitative and a quantitative analysis of the criterion for operability that could be used during the design phase of a process have also been performed. Then these criteria have been tested on several test processes. Controllability has been assessed by the method of singular value analysis (SVA), which helps in the design of different control strategies, and compare them with a controllability index called condition number. Operability is assessed by the economic feasibility, environmental impact, safety, resiliency (ability to tolerate and to recover from undesirable changes and upsets) and flexibility (ability to operate at a range of feed conditions and parameter variations) of the process design. Quantitative measures were developed for economic feasibility (by annual equivalent profit) and environmental impact (environmental impact index). The operability and controllability analysis has been incorporated into the design of the process. While the qualitative analysis gave a feel of all the issues that need to be considered to make a process operable, the quantification of the criterion gave a simple method by which the best operable and controllable alternative can be chosen. Thus, with the above analysis, a procedure to assess the operability and controllability of a process was developed and the importance of their integration with design was proved. This analysis will be described within a framework that evaluates and optimizes processing alternatives where economics, environmental impact, and controllability are considered. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science 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 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 B 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 B O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I B I O 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 O O O O O O O O O O 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 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 I O B O O O O O O O O O O

environmental impact
operability
controllability
singular value analysis


exploring flow in novice programming environments Flow theory describes a way of gauging happiness and motivation. The flow experience has been widely researched within several contexts, such as work and education. There are opportunities to explore the occurrence of flow within the context of novice programming. What can help students achieve flow? Can flow affect programming success?

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


Brief investigation of tests of variability in the two-sample case Several robust methods for testing variability have been reported in previous literature. An examination of these procedures for a wide variety of populations confirms their general robustness. Shoemaker's improvement of the F-test extends its use to a realistic variety of population shapes. However, some combination of the Brown-Forsythe and O'Brien methods is needed to cover the full range of population shapes.

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


Explanations in Software Engineering: The Pragmatic Point of View This article reveals that explanatory practice in software engineering is in accordance with pragmatic explanatory pluralism, which states that explanations should at least partially be evaluated by their practical use. More specifically, I offer a defense of the idea that several explanation-types are legitimate in software engineering, and that the appropriateness of an explanation-type depends on (a) the engineers interests, and (b) the format of the explanation-seeking question he asks, with this format depending on his interests. This idea is defended by considering examples that are representative for explanatory practice in software engineering. Different kinds of technological explanation are spelled out, and the dependence of their appropriateness on interests and question-formats is extensively illustrated.

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

explanation
explanatory pluralism
engineering


Enlargement of the omnidirectional photonic band gap by one-dimensional plasma-dielectric photonic crystals with fractal structure In this paper, an omnidirectional photonic band gap (OBG) which originates from Bragg gap compared to \(\text{ zero- }\overline{n}\) gap or single negative (negative permittivity or negative permeability) gap, realized by one-dimensional plasma-dielectric photonic crystals with fractal structure (ThueMores aperiodic structure), which is composed of plasma and one kind of homogeneous, isotropic dielectric is theoretically studied by the transfer matrix method in detail. Such OBG is insensitive to the incident angle and the polarization of electromagnetic wave. From the numerical results, the bandwidth and central frequency of OBG can be notably enlarged by tuning the thickness of plasma and dielectric layers but cease to change with increasing the ThueMores order. The OBG also can be manipulated by the plasma density. Moreover, the plasma collision frequency has no effect on the bandwidth of OBG.

O O O B I I I 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 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

omnidirectional photonic band gap
transfer matrix method

plasma photonic crystals
fractal sequence


Fractional Brownian motion with stochastic variance: Modeling absolute returns in stock markets We discuss a model for simulating a long-time memory in time series characterized in addition by a stochastic variance. The model is based on a combination of fractional Brownian motion (FBM) concepts, for dealing with the long-time memory, with an autoregressive scheme with conditional heteroskedasticity (ARCH), responsible for the stochasitc variance of the series, and is denoted as FBMARCH. Unlike well-known fractionally integrated autoregressive models, FBMARCH admits finite second moments. The resulting probability distribution functions have power-law tails with exponents similar to ARCH models. This idea is applied to the description of long-time autocorrelations of absolute returns ubiquitously observed in stock markets.

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

fractional brownian motion
stochastic variance
stock markets