hierarchical trust management for wireless sensor networks and its application to trust-based routing In this work, we propose a highly scalable cluster-based hierarchical trust management protocol for wireless sensor networks to effectively deal with selfish or malicious nodes. Unlike prior work, we consider multidimensional trust attributes derived from communication and social networks to evaluate the overall trust of a sensor node. Our peer-to-peer trust evaluation method leverages the cluster-based hierarchical structure for efficient communications. We develop a probability model using stochastic Petri net techniques to analyze the performance of the proposed trust management protocol. We validate the protocol design by comparing subjective trust generated as a result of protocol execution against objective trust obtained from actual node status. We apply our hierarchical trust management protocol to trust-based geographical routing as an application. Our results demonstrate that trust-based geographic routing under identified design settings can approach the ideal performance level achievable by flooding-based routing in message delivery ratio and message delay without incurring substantial message overhead. Furthermore, it can significantly outperform traditional geographic routing protocols that do not use trust concept in selecting forwarding nodes in message delivery ratio over a wide range of design parameter settings.

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

trust management
wireless sensor networks
geographic routing


Optimal experiment selection for parameter estimation in biological differential equation models Parameter estimation in biological models is a common yet challenging problem. In this work we explore the problem for gene regulatory networks modeled by differential equations with unknown parameters, such as decay rates, reaction rates, Michaelis-Menten constants, and Hill coefficients. We explore the question to what extent parameters can be efficiently estimated by appropriate experimental selection.

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

differential equation models
parameter estimation

systems biology
experimental design
data fitting


applying adaptation design patterns Dynamic adaptation may be used to prevent software downtime while new requirements and responses to environmental conditions are incorporated into the system. Previously, we studied over thirty adaptation-related projects to develop twelve adaptation-oriented design patterns that can be leveraged from one adaptive system to another. This paper presents a case study in which we apply our adaptation patterns in the design of a dynamically adaptive news web server. This pattern-based design separates the functional logic from the adaptive logic, resulting in a system that supports dynamic adaptation and is easier to maintain and analyze. Furthermore, to address assurance concerns, we applied automated formal verification techniques to ensure instantiated pattern models satisfy invariant properties specified in each adaptation pattern.

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


Subset feedback vertex sets in chordal graphs ? Given a graph G=(V,E) G = ( V , E ) and a set S?V S ? V , a set U?V U ? V is a subset feedback vertex set of (G,S) ( G , S ) if no cycle in G[V?U] G [ V ? U ] contains a vertex of S. The Subset Feedback Vertex Set problem takes as input G, S, and an integer k , and the question is whether (G,S) ( G , S ) has a subset feedback vertex set of cardinality or weight at most k . Both the weighted and the unweighted versions of this problem are NP-complete on chordal graphs, even on their subclass split graphs. We give an algorithm with running time O(1.6708n) O ( 1.6708 n ) that enumerates all minimal subset feedback vertex sets on chordal graphs on n vertices. As a consequence, Subset Feedback Vertex Set can be solved in time O(1.6708n) O ( 1.6708 n ) on chordal graphs, both in the weighted and in the unweighted case. As a comparison, on arbitrary graphs the fastest known algorithm for these problems has O(1.8638n) O ( 1.8638 n ) running time. We also obtain that a chordal graph G has at most 1.6708n 1.6708 n minimal subset feedback vertex sets, regardless of S . This narrows the gap with respect to the best known lower bound of 1.5848n 1.5848 n on this graph class. For arbitrary graphs, the gap is substantially wider, as the best known upper and lower bounds are 1.8638n 1.8638 n and 1.5927n 1.5927 n , respectively.

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

chordal graph
subset feedback vertex set

maximum number of minimal subset feedback vertex sets


a dynamic trust network based simulation framework for reputation-based service selection Service-oriented computing is a promising approach to software system construction by selecting and composing autonomous services under the open, dynamic and non-deterministic Internet environment. Appropriate selection of high quality services used in from numerous candidates declaring similar functionalities is crucial to the overall quality of the composed system. As authority centers are not generally available in open environments, reputation-based mechanisms must be adopted to evaluate services. With more and more reputation systems proposed in the literature, there is an increasing need to evaluate and compare them objectively and systematically with a common controlled experiment of trust network environment. In this paper we propose a general simulation framework based on dynamic trust network for this purpose. Especially, the framework is capable to simulate the dynamic evolutions of the trust network, in addition to the static snapshots of the trust relationships. With this framework, some case studies are made to evaluate the effectiveness of several representative reputation mechanisms, and some interesting characters are revealed.

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

service selection
trust network
reputation


an iterative method for calculating approximate gcd of univariate polynomials We present an iterative algorithm for calculating approximate greatest common divisor (GCD) of univariate polynomials with the real coefficients. For a given pair of polynomials and a degree, our algorithm finds a pair of polynomials which has a GCD of the given degree and whose coefficients are perturbed from those in the original inputs, making the perturbations as small as possible, along with the GCD. The problem of approximate GCD is transfered to a constrained minimization problem, then solved with a so-called modified Newton method, which is a generalization of the gradient-projection method, by searching the solution iteratively. We demonstrate that our algorithm calculates approximate GCD with perturbations as small as those calculated by a method based on the structured total least norm (STLN) method, while our method runs significantly faster than theirs by approximately up to 30 times, compared with their implementation. We also show that our algorithm properly handles some ill-conditioned problems with GCD containing small or large leading coefficient.

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

ill-conditioned problem
approximate polynomial gcd
optimization
gradient-projection method


Standardization of islet isolation outcome - A new automatic system to determine pancreatic islet viability Pancreatic islet transplantation is emerging as a therapeutic approach for patients affected by diabetes. This approach consists of a minimally invasive procedure replacing insulin-producing cells (pancreatic islets). The technique has been proven successful, but limitations have been identified. One of the major challenges of the procedure is the counting of the isolated pancreatic islets, which is currently jeopardized by subjectivity and inaccuracy. Determination of the accurate islet number is a crucial factor in determining the correlation between the isolation product and clinical outcome. In the proposed study, we have developed software capable of objectively evaluating islet numbers and other viability variables by image analysis. This software is based on image processing and feature extraction algorithms for recognition of the area of interest. This is the first step toward standardization of the isolation outcome and potential clinical success predictability. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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


Cytotoxic

effect

and

molecular

docking

of

4-ethoxycarbonylmethyl-1-(piperidin-4-ylcarbonyl)-thiosemicarbazide-a

novel

topoisomerase

II

inhibitor

The

preliminary

cytotoxic

effect

of

hydrochloride

potent

topoisomerase

II

inhibitor-was

measured

using

a

MTT

assay.

It

was

found

that

the

compound

decreased

the

number

of

viable

cells

in

both

estrogen

receptor-positive

and

estrogen

receptor-negative

cancer

cells,

with

values

of

and

mu

M,

respectively.

To

clarify

the

molecular

basis

of

the

inhibitory

action

of

molecular

docking

studies

were

carried

out.

The

results

suggest

that

targets

the

ATP

binding

pocket.

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

thiosemicarbazide derivative
human topoisomerase ii
cytotoxicity
dft calculation


Numerical modelling of complex turbulent free-surface flows with the SPH method: an overview The gridless smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is now commonly used in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and appears to be promising in predicting complex free-surface flows. However, increasing flow complexity requires appropriate approaches for taking account of turbulent effects, whereas some authors are still working without any turbulence closure in SPH. A review of recently developed turbulence models adapted to the SPH method is presented herein, from the simplistic point of view of a one-equation model involving mixing length to more sophisticated (and thus realistic) models like explicit algebraic Reynolds stress models (EARSM) or large eddy simulation (LES). Each proposed model is tested and validated on the basis of schematic cases for which laboratory data, theoretical or numerical solutions are available in the general field of turbulent free-surface incompressible flows (e.g. open-channel flow and schematic dam break). They give satisfactory results, even though some progress should be made in the future in terms of free-surface influence and wall conditions. Recommendations are given to SPH users to apply this method to the modelling of complex free-surface turbulent flows. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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


Application of the Viable System Model to analyse communications structures: A case study of disaster response in Japan Recent reviews in EJOR (and JORS) have studied OR's contribution to disaster response. Each review finds little contribution from soft OR or modelling disaster information. Effective communication is vital to manage disaster response resources. The Viable System Model (VSM) can examine rapid disaster communication viability. Four disaster case studies use VSM to identify structural communication faults.

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

viable system model
soft or
communication


On the stability analysis of high order Sigma-Delta modulators In this paper we present an approach for stability analysis of high order Sigma-Delta modulators. The approach is based on a parallel decomposition of the modulator. In this representation, the general N-th order modulator is transformed into decomposition of low order modulators, which interact only through the quantizer function. In the simplest case of the loop filter transfer function with real distinct poles, the low order modulators are N first order ones. The decomposition considered helps to extract the sufficient conditions for stability of the N-th order modulator. They are determined by the stability conditions of each of the low order modulators but shifted with respect to the origin of the quantizer function, because of the influence of all other low order modulators. The approach is generalized for the case of repeated poles of the loop filter transfer function.

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

quantizer function
parallel decomposition
stability analysis


Cardio-vascular safety beyond hERG: in silico modelling of a guinea pig right atrium assay As chemists can easily produce large numbers of new potential drug candidates, there is growing demand for high capacity models that can help in driving the chemistry towards efficacious and safe candidates before progressing towards more complex models. Traditionally, the cardiovascular (CV) safety domain plays an important role in this process, as many preclinical CV biomarkers seem to have high prognostic value for the clinical outcome. Throughout the industry, traditional ion channel binding data are generated to drive the early selection process. Although this assay can generate data at high capacity, it has the disadvantage of producing high numbers of false negatives. Therefore, our company applies the isolated guinea pig right atrium (GPRA) assay early-on in discovery. This functional multi-channel/multi-receptor model seems much more predictive in identifying potential CV liabilities. Unfortunately however, its capacity is limited, and there is no room for full automation. We assessed the correlation between ion channel binding and the GPRA's Rate of Contraction (RC), Contractile Force (CF), and effective refractory frequency (ERF) measures assay using over six thousand different data points. Furthermore, the existing experimental knowledge base was used to develop a set of in silico classification models attempting to mimic the GPRA inhibitory activity. The Na < ve Bayesian classifier was used to built several models, using the ion channel binding data or in silico computed properties and structural fingerprints as descriptors. The models were validated on an independent and diverse test set of 200 reference compounds. Performances were assessed on the bases of their overall accuracy, sensitivity and specificity in detecting both active and inactive molecules. Our data show that all in silico models are highly predictive of actual GPRA data, at a level equivalent or superior to the ion channel binding assays. Furthermore, the models were interpreted in terms of the descriptors used to highlight the undesirable areas in the explored chemical space, specifically regions of low polarity, high lipophilicity and high molecular weight. In conclusion, we developed a predictive in silico model of a complex physiological assay based on a large and high quality set of experimental data. This model allows high throughput in silico safety screening based on chemical structure within a given chemical space.

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

in vitro
computational
cardio vascular safety


Quadratic curve and surface fitting via squared distance minimization Quadratic curve and surface fitting to a set of data points are fundamental problems in reverse engineering and many other application areas. We develop the fitting methods for quadratic curves and surfaces based on the squared distance minimization technology. The basic idea of squared distance minimization for curve and surface fitting is first presented. Then we devise the corresponding squared distance term for each quadratic curve and surface, and minimize it to obtain its parameters. We repeat the squared distance minimization and update the parameters of the quadratic curve and surface by iterations until convergency. Consequently, the final fitting result is achieved. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the fitting method.

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

quadratic curve fitting
quadratic surface fitting
point cloud approximation
shape reconstruction


Persistent Betti numbers for a noise tolerant shape-based approach to image retrieval In content-based image retrieval a major problem is the presence of noisy shapes. Noise can present itself not only in the form of continuous deformations, but also as topological changes. It is well known that persistent Betti numbers are a shape descriptor that admits dissimilarity distances stable under continuous shape deformations. In this paper we focus on the problem of dealing with noise that alters the topology of the studied objects. We present a general method to turn persistent Betti numbers into stable descriptors also in the presence of topological changes. Retrieval tests on the Kimia-99 database show the effectiveness of the method.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 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 persistent homology
hausdorff distance
symmetric difference distance


Skepticism relations for comparing argumentation semantics The issue of formalizing skepticism relations between argumentation semantics has been considered only recently in the literature. In this paper we provide a twofold contribution to this kind of analysis. First, starting from the traditional concepts of skeptical and credulous acceptance, we introduce a comprehensive set of seven skepticism relations, which provide a formal Counterpart to several alternative notions of skepticism at an intuitive level. Then we carry out a systematic comparison of a significant set of literature semantics (namely grounded, complete, preferred, stable, semi-stable, ideal. prudent and CF2 sennantics) on the basis of the proposed skepticism relations. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

argumentation semantics
skepticism relations


MARC record conversion: a generalised approach1 The problem of different bibliographic catalogue encodings presents a serious obstacle hampering international inter-library communications and worldwide library search. This paper presents a utility for manipulating hierarchically organised data, which was built to perform MARC record conversion. Data representation and conversion language are described in detail. Existing standards for bibliographic record representation are considered and requirements for their conversion are gathered. The impact of MARC processing requirements on the designed generic conversion language is assessed. Character set conversions, accompanying the record translation procedure, are not discussed in this paper.

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

library
marc
conversion
bibliographic record


The Role of Tuberin in Cellular Differentiation: Are B-Raf and MAPK Involved? Abstract: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a tumor suppressor gene syndrome whose manifestations can include seizures, mental retardation, autism, and tumors in the brain, retina, kidney, heart, and skin. The products of the TSC1 and TSC2 genes, hamartin and tuberin, respectively, heterodimerize and inhibit the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). This review focuses on the genetic and biochemical basis of the renal and pulmonary manifestations of TSC, angiomyolipomas, and lymphangiomyomatosis, respectively. Genetic analyses of sporadic angiomyolipomas revealed that all three components (smooth muscle, vessels, and fat) derive from a common progenitor cell, indicating the ability of cells lacking tuberin to differentiate into multiple lineages. Other genetic studies showed that the benign smooth muscle cells of pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis have the ability to migrate to other organs. These findings suggest that tuberin and hamartin play a role in the regulation of cellular migration and differentiation. We have found that tuberin activates B-Raf kinase and p42/44 MAPK and that cells lacking tuberin have low levels of B-Raf activity. We hypothesize that aberrant B-Raf activity in angiomyolipomas leads to abnormal cellular differentiation and migration.

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

tsc
tuberous sclerosis complex
mtor
lymphangiomyomatosis
tsc2
tuberin
tsc1
hamartin
mapk


Data abstractions: Why and how? The relational data model has become the standard for mainstream database processing despite its well-known weakness in the area of representing application semantics. The research community's response to this situation has been the development of a collection of semantic data models that allow more of the meaning of information to be represented in a database. The primary tool for accomplishing this has been the use of various data abstractions, most commonly: inclusion, aggregation and association. This paper develops a general model for analyzing data abstractions, and then applies it to these three best-known abstractions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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 B I O O B B O B 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

data abstractions
inclusion
aggregation
association
relational data model


Euclidean group invariant computation of stochastic completion fields using shiftable-twistable functions We describe a method for computing the likelihood that a completion joining two contour fragments passes through any given position and orientation in the image plane. Like computations in primary visual cortex ( and unlike all previous models of contour completion), the output of our computation is invariant under rotations and translations of the input pattern. This is achieved by representing the input, output, and intermediate states of the computation in a basis of shiftable-twistable functions.

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

boundary completion
euclidean invariant computation
shiftable basis
fokker-planck equation


An evaluation of simulation to support contract costing As global markets have become more customer oriented, rapid response rates are now often among the most important metrics in business. To achieve the required agility many companies have turned to outsourcing in order to focus on developing their core activities. By its nature, outsourcing increases the complexity of supply chain networks as more companies are drawn into global logistics networks. The relationships between each of these companies are controlled by contractual agreements. The fast pace of modern industry means that these contracts are entered into relatively quickly often without a full understanding of the true cost implications. This paper presents research conducted as part of a project with the aim of developing contract costing software for outsourcing enterprises. Findings are presented from a study conducted on a number of companies in the electronics sector. A simulation-based study focused on one of these companies, with some associated experimentation, is also presented.

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


An in-process customer utility prediction system for product conceptualisation Customer involvement in new product development, especially in the early stage of product conceptualisation, plays an important role for a successful product. In this study, a customer utility prediction system (CUPS) is proposed. The system comprises two modules, namely design knowledge acquisition module and customer utility evaluation module. In the design knowledge acquisition module, a knowledge acquisition technique called general sorting is utilised to establish a design knowledge hierarchy (DKH), in which design options can be generated. In the same module, customer voices towards diverse design options called customer-sensitive design criteria are solicited from customer requirements. Subsequently, in the customer utility evaluation module, a measurement for customer desirability, i.e. customer utility index (CUI), is formulated using conjoint analysis (CA) technique. Finally, the rated criteria are also used as inputs to a radial basis function (RBF) neural network for in-process customer utility prediction. A case study on cellular phone design is used to illustrate the proposed approach.

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

product conceptualisation
design knowledge hierarchy
customer utility index
conjoint analysis

in-process customer utility prediction
radial basis function neural network


The there exists*for all* part of the theory of ground term algebra modulo an AC symbol is undecidable We show that the There Exists*For All* part of the equational theory modulo an AC symbol is undecidable. This solves the open problem 25 from the RTA list. We show that this result holds also for the equational theory modulo an ACI symbol. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).

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

unification
equational theories
decidability


Higher Order Coherent Pairs In this paper, we study necessary and sufficient conditions for the relation $$\begin{array}{@{}l}P_n^{{[r]}}(x) + a_{n-1,r} P_{n-1}^{{[r]}}(x)= R_{n-r}(x) + b_{n-1,r} R_{n-r-1}(x),\\[5pt]\quad a_{n-1,r}\neq0,\ n\geq r+1,\end{array}$$ where {P n (x)} n?0 and {R n (x)} n?0 are two sequences of monic orthogonal polynomials with respect to the quasi-definite linear functionals \(\mathcal{U},\mathcal{V}\), respectively, or associated with two positive Borel measures ? 0,? 1 supported on the real line. We deduce the connection with Sobolev orthogonal polynomials, the relations between these functionals as well as their corresponding formal Stieltjes series. As sake of example, we find the coherent pairs when one of the linear functionals is classical.

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

sobolev inner product
stieltjes functions
semiclassical linear functionals
42c05


Adaptive fuzzy control for chaotic systems with H-infinity tracking performance This paper discusses an adaptive fuzzy controller design method for chaotic systems in the presence of completely unknown nonlinearities and disturbances. All the unknown nonlinear functions are estimated by dynamic fuzzy approximators so that the adaptive fuzzy control approach can be employed in the chaotic systems. Moreover, Hinfinity control method is applied to attenuate the effect of the modeling errors and disturbances in tracking control. An example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

chaotic system
h-infinity tracking performance


A characterization of tree-like Resolution size ? We explain an asymmetric ProverDelayer game which precisely characterizes proof size in tree-like Resolution. Our proof method allows to always achieve the optimal lower bounds. Intuitive information-theoretic interpretation of the game.

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

computational complexity
proof complexity
proverdelayer games


Design of an Embedded Arabic Optical Character Recognition This work presents an embedded Arabic OCR system. The proposed system is compact and portable which make it useful for many applications such as blind assistance and language translation. OCR system consists of the sub-systems: image acquisition, pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction, classification, and post- processing. For each sub-system there are several of algorithms and techniques to be implemented. Working with PCs gives the designer freedom to select the algorithms and techniques according to the required performance, reliability and reusability. However with the embedded systems we are facing many problems and challenges. Such challenges are associated with memory, speed, and computational power. FPGA is selected as the hardware platform for realizing that recognition task. An OCR system is designed and implemented on PC. Then this system is transferred to FPGA after a set of optimization procedures. Utilizing the features of FPGA technology, Hardware / Software co-design is accomplished on an FPGA board. In that design the systems is partitioned into software modules and hardware components to get the advantages of software flexibility and hardware speed. A database of 3000 Arabic characters is used to train and test the performance of the system. The effects of changing the number of features and classification parameters on accuracy, memory and speed are measured. Design points are selected in order to improve the memory required, speed and computation power without affecting the accuracy.

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

arabic character recognition
discriminant functions


MUCS: A model for ubiquitous commerce support The evolution of computing technology and the emergence of wireless networks have contributed to the miniaturization of mobile devices and their increase in power, providing services anywhere and anytime. In this context, new opportunities for technology support have arisen in different areas, for example, education, games and entertainment, automobile, and commerce. We propose a model for ubiquitous commerce support (MUCS). This model uses ubiquitous computing concepts to look for deal opportunities for users who act either as buyers or sellers. This paper also describes two everyday scenarios, in which the MUCS model could be applied, and explains the implemented prototype to be used in them. Finally, we present the results obtained from a practical experiment, which was performed with the participation of users who filled out an evaluation questionnaire. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

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

ubiquitous computing
ubiquitous commerce

buyer and seller support
design science
experiments
prototype development


Reducing the number of ancilla qubits and the gate count required for creating large controlled operations In this paper, we show that it is possible to adapt a qudit scheme for creating a controlled-Toffoli created by Ralph et al. (Phys Rev A 75:022313, 2007) to be applicable to qubits. While this scheme requires more gates than standard schemes for creating large controlled gates, we show that with simple adaptations, it is directly equivalent to the standard scheme in the literature. This scheme is the most gate-efficient way of creating large controlled unitaries currently known; however, it is expensive in terms of the number of ancilla qubits used. We go on to show that using a combination of these standard techniques presented by Barenco et al. (Phys Rev A 52(5):3457, 1995), we can create an n-qubit version of the Toffoli using less gates and the same number of ancilla qubits as recent work using computer optimization. This would be useful in any architecture of quantum computing where gates are cheap but qubit initialization is expensive.

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

gate decompositions
resource reduction
mutli-qubit operations


Application of network calculus to general topologies using turn-prohibition Network calculus is known to apply in general only to feedforward routing networks, i.e., networks where routes do not create cycles of interdependent packet flows. In this paper, we address the problem of using network calculus in networks of arbitrary topology. For this purpose, we introduce a novel graph-theoretic algorithm, called turn-prohibition (TP), that breaks all the cycles in a network and, thus, prevents any interdependence between flows. We prove that the TP-algorithm prohibits the use of at most 1/3 of the total number turns in a network, for any network topology. Using analysis and simulation,, we show that the TP-algorithm significantly outperforms other approaches for breaking cycles, such as the spanning tree and up/down routing algorithms, in terms of network utilization and delay bounds. Our simulation results also show that the network utilization achieved with the TP-algorithm, is within a factor of two of the maximum theoretical network utilization, for networks of up to 50 nodes of degree four. Thus, in many practical cases, the restriction of network calculus to feedforward routing networks may not represent a too significant limitation.

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

acyclic networks
network stability
quality of service


Path planning in expansive configuration spaces We introduce the notion of expansiveness to characterize a family of robot configuration spaces whose connectivity can be effectively captured by a roadmap of randomly-sampled milestones. The analysis of expansive configuration spaces has inspired us to develop a new randomized planning algorithm. This new algorithm tries to sample only the portion of the configuration space that is relevant to the current query, avoiding the cost of precomputing a roadmap for the entire configuration space. Thus, it is well-suited for problems where only a single query is submitted for a given environment. The algorithm has been implemented and successfully applied to complex assembly maintainability problems from the automotive industry.

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

motion planning
random sampling
probabilistic roadmap


ensuring the continuing success of vizsec In this position paper, I share my research findings in the security visualization research, and my thoughts on the problems and challenges we researchers face. I also outline what we need to do to ensure the continuing success of our community. It is my belief that the future of VizSec research depends on successful addressing the following tasks: 1. Generating effective and high-level visualization design guidelines and research methodologies. 2. Conducting studies to quantify effectiveness of security visualization techniques. 3. Contributing to the two parent communities, namely computer security and visualization, by integrating visualization components into existing security tools and feeding back successful visualization designs.

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

security visualization
visualization design


Gauss-Seidel-type methods for energy states of a multi-component Bose-Einstein condensate In this paper, we propose two iterative methods, a Jacobi-type iteration (JI) and a Gauss-Seidel-type iteration (GSI), for the computation of energy states of the time-independent vector Gross-Pitaevskii equation (VGPE) which describes a multi-component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). A discretization of the VGPE leads to a nonlinear algebraic eigen-value problem (NAEP). We prove that the GSI method converges locally and linearly to a solution of the NAEP if and only if the associated minimized energy functional problem has a strictly local minimum. The GSI method can thus be used to compute ground states and positive bound states, as well as the corresponding energies of a multi-component BEC. Numerical experience shows that the GSI converges much faster than JI and converges globally within 10-20 steps. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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


Processor efficient parallel matching In this paper we consider the problem of finding perfect matchings in parallel. We present a RNC algorithm with almost optimal work with respect to sequential algorithms, i.e., it uses O(n(omega)) processors, where omega is the matrix multiplication exponent. Our algorithm is based on an RNC algorithm for computing determinant of a degree one polynomial matrix which is of independent interest.

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

parallel algorithms
maximum matching
fast matrix multiplication


A computer program to simulate Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm experiments with photons Starting from the data gathering and analysis procedures used in Einstein-Podoisky-Rosen-Bohm experiments with photons, we construct a simulation algorithm that satisfies Einstein's criteria of local causality and realism and generates the same type of data as recorded in these idealized expefinnents. The simulation data is analyzed according to the experimental procedure to count coincidences, that is by using an expression for the coincidence counts that, besides depending on the settings of the variable polarizers, explicitly depends on the difference of the time tags of the detection signals in both observation stations and on an adjustable time window. We demonstrate that the simulation algorithm produces data that agrees with the two-particle correlation for the singlet state. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

quantum mechanics
computational techniques


Multi-scale modelling for bending analysis of heterogeneous plates by coupling BEM and FEM A multi-scale modelling for analyzing the bending problem of plates composed of heterogeneous materials is presented. The macro-continuum is modelled by a non-linear formulation of the boundary element method (BEM) taking into account the consistent tangent operator (CTO). The micro-scale is represented by the RVE (representative volume element) being its equilibrium problem solved by a finite element formulation that takes into account the Hill-Mandel Principle of Macro-Homogeneity while the volume averaging hypothesis of the strain and stress tensors is used to make the micro-to-macro transition. Three different boundary conditions are imposed over the RVE: (i) linear displacements, (ii) periodic displacement fluctuation and (iii) uniform boundary tractions. The material behaviour is governed by the Von Mises elasto-plastic criterion although the proposed multi-scale model can be used with any other non-linear model. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the main features and scope of the proposed formulation.

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

multi-scale modeling
homogenization
boundary elements
plate bending


AN INFORMATION - THEORETICAL MODEL FOR STREAMING MEDIA BASED STEGOSYSTEMS Steganography in streaming media differs from steganography in images or audio files because of the continuous embedding process and the necessary synchronization of sender and receiver due to packet loss in streaming media. The conventional theoretical model for image steganography is not appropriate for explaining the security scenarios for streaming media based stegosystems. In this paper, we propose a new information-theoretical model with two pseudo-random sequences imitating the continuous embedding and synchronization characteristics of streaming media based stegosystems. We also discuss the statistical properties of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) speech streams through theoretical analysis and experimental testing. The experimental results show the bit stream consisting of fixed codebook parameters in speech frames is similar in statistical characteristics to a white-noise sequence. The relative entropy between the VoIP speech stream and the embedded secret message has been found to be zero. This leads us to conclude that the proposed streaming media based stegosystem is secure against statistical detection; in other words, the statistical measures cannot detect the existence of the secret message embedded in VoIP speech streams.

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


Hesitant Fuzzy Worth: An innovative ranking methodology for hesitant fuzzy subsets Innovative methodology for ranking hesitant fuzzy sets based on Social Choice. Novel application 1: real problem of ranking universities via metarankings. Novel application 2: procedure for improving teaching performance assessments. New justification of the theoretical model by hesitant fuzzy sets.

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

hesitant fuzzy worth
teaching performance assessments

multi-attribute decision making
hesitant fuzzy element
hesitant fuzzy set
ranking function
score
metaranking of universities


Computational simulation of turbulent mixing with mass transfer In this paper, we present a series of computational simulations of three-dimensional turbulent mixing with mass transfer for various pipe mixing arrangements. The simulations are carried out with the adina software, in which general-purpose finite element and finite volume formulations along with the k? turbulent model are used for incompressible NavierStokes flows with mass transfer. Based on the predicted pressure and velocity profiles and the standard deviation of tracer (or fiber) spatial distributions at certain distances downstream from the injection point, we compare the mixing performances of various transverse, concentric, and multijet mixers as well as four silo mixing units. In addition, we deduce certain design information pertaining to different mixing configurations.

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

turbulent mixing
mass transfer
finite element
silo
pipe


The spectral database SPECCHIO for improved long-term usability and data sharing ? The organised storage of spectral data described by metadata is important for long-term use and data sharing with other scientists. Metadata describing the sampling environment, geometry and measurement process serves to evaluate the suitability of existing data sets for new applications. There is a need for spectral databases that serve as repositories for spectral field campaign and reference signatures, including appropriate metadata parameters. Such systems must be (a) highly automated in order to encourage users entering their spectral data collections and (b) provide flexible data retrieval mechanisms based on subspace projections in metadata spaces. The recently redesigned SPECCHIO system stores spectral and metadata in a relational database based on a non-redundant data model and offers efficient data import, automated metadata generation, editing and retrieval via a Java application. RSL is disseminating the database and software to the remote sensing community in order to foster the use and further development of spectral databases.

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

hyperspectral signatures
mysql
calibration


Channel allocation algorithms for WLANs using distributed optimization The performance of a wireless local area network (WLAN) depends on the channel assignments among interfering access points (APs). Due to the limited number of non-overlapping channels, severe interference scenarios may arise if no appropriated spectrum planning is employed. In our study we focus on WLANs scenarios where APs may belong to different administrative domains, which is actually a very common situation in dense urban deployments. In such cases the use of centralized algorithms is not feasible and the already proposed distributed methods does not guarantee optimal channel assignment. In this paper, therefore, we formalize the channel allocation as a distributed constraint optimization problem (DCOP) and propose a new distributed channel assignment algorithm named DCAA-O, which can find the optimal solution to the channel assignment problem for a group of APs. A suboptimal strategy denoted DCAA-S is also investigated, which aims at reducing the number of control messages to be exchanged between APs, while still achieving a suboptimal solution which is very close to the optimal one. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithms are able to outperform the best known techniques both in terms of solution quality and number of exchanged messages.

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

channel assignment
distributed constraint optimization


Reduced-order modelling of the bending of an array of torsional micromirrors An array of micromirrors for beam steering optical switching has been designed in a thick polysilicon technology. A novel semi-analytical method to calculate the static characteristics of the micromirrors by taking into account the flexural deformation of the structure is presented. The results are compared with 3D coupled-field FEM simulation.

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


Doing more with more information: Changing healthcare planning with OLAP tools On-line analytical processing (OLAP) is an example of a new breed of tools for decision support that give decision makers the flexibility to customize the selection, aggregation, and presentation of data. To understand the impact of this type of tool, we study an implementation of an OLAP interface on the CATCH data warehouse used by knowledge workers at a regional health planning agency in the State of Florida. The results of a qualitative field study show that after the OLAP implementation, these workers made use of the additional capabilities of OLAP (e.g., aggregation levels and intuitive data manipulation), thereby leveraging their individual abilities to enhance and expand on the tasks they performed for their community. Consequently, they were able to perform in more of a consultative role to their clients, and improved their reputation in the community they serve. This research adds a new dimension to prior research in data warehousing by focusing on the decision support capabilities of OLAP.

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


DyDAP: A dynamic data aggregation scheme for privacy aware wireless sensor networks End-to-end data aggregation, without degrading sensing accuracy, is a very relevant issue in wireless sensor networks (WSN) that can prevent network congestion to occur. Moreover, privacy management requires that anonymity and data integrity are preserved in such networks. Unfortunately, no integrated solutions have been proposed so far, able to tackle both issues in a unified and general environment. To bridge this gap, in this paper we present an approach for dynamic secure end-to-end data aggregation with privacy function, named DyDAP. It has been designed starting from a UML model that encompasses the most important building blocks of a privacy-aware WSN, including aggregation policies. Furthermore, it introduces an original aggregation algorithm that, using a discrete-time control loop, is able to dynamically handle in-network data fusion to reduce the communication load. The performance of the proposed scheme has been verified using computer simulations, showing that DyDAP avoids network congestion and therefore improves WSN estimation accuracy while, at the same time, guaranteeing anonymity and data integrity.

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

wireless sensor networks
privacy
anonymity

end-to-end data aggregation
congestion control


Visualization of the time-dependent correlated wavefunctions of positron-hydrogen scattering system Time-dependent approach has been applied to positron-hydrogen scattering. The initial wavefunction of the system in this approach is expanded in terms of three-dimensional dynamical wavefunctions to include all higher angular momenta by solving a set of three coupled differential equations, The entire contributing scattering channels are automatically included in this approach. Therefore, it resolves the problems at the intermediate energies where the positronium-formation is important. The visualization of the two-particle correlated (angular dependent) wavefunction of the system as it evolves has been presented and provides quantitative analysis of the positronium-formation and ionization processes as they occur. The positron impact transfer (combined positronium-formation and ionization) probabilities obtained from the final wavefunction compares very well with those of time-dependent converged close-coupling calculations.

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

time-dependent schrodinger equation
positron-electron correlation
excitation
positronium and ionization


Classifying inventory using an artificial neural network approach This paper presents artificial neural networks (ANNs) for ABC classification of stock keeping units (SKUs) in a pharmaceutical company. Two learning methods were utilized in the ANNs, namely back propagation (BP) and genetic algorithms (GA). The reliability of the models was tested by comparing their classification ability with two data sets (a hold-out sample and an external data set). Furthermore, the ANN models were compared with the multiple discriminate analysis (MDA) technique. The results showed that both ANN models had higher predictive accuracy than MDA. The results also indicate that there was no significant difference between the two learning methods used to develop the ANN. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

abc classification
neural network
genetic algorithms
back propagation


Improving App Inventor usability via conversion between blocks and text ? We have developed TAIL, a textual programming language isomorphic to the blocks language of MIT App Inventor (AI), and have extended AI with code blocks, a novel mechanism that enables bidirectional conversions between blocks and text fragments. TAIL improves AI?s usability by facilitating the reading, writing, and sharing of programs, and may also ease the transition from blocks to text programming.

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


Benefits sought by citizens and channel attitudes for multichannel payment services: Evidence from Italy The study develops and tests a framework of sought benefits by citizens when approaching multichannel payment services. The framework is the basis for a segmentation of Italian citizens' approach to multichannel payment services. We provide implications for policy makers for favoring the diffusion of multichannel payment services. Our study suggests possible ways for turning multichannel service provision into a booster of e-Government diffusion.

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 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

e-government benefits
multichannel services
focus group
cluster analysis


Ternary butterfly subdivision This paper presents an interpolating ternary butterfly subdivision scheme for triangular meshes based on a 19 splitting operator. The regular rules are derived from a C2 C 2 interpolating subdivision curve, and the irregular rules are established through the Fourier analysis of the regular case. By analyzing the eigenstructures and characteristic maps, we show that the subdivision surfaces generated by this scheme is C1 C 1 continuous up to valence 100. In addition, the curvature of regular region is bounded. Finally we demonstrate the visual quality of our subdivision scheme with several examples.

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

subdivision surfaces
interpolating
19 splitting


Assessing the effects of homosexuals and bisexuals on the intrinsic dynamics of HIV/AIDS in heterosexual settings A deterministic compartmental sex-structured HIV/AIDS model for assessing the effects of homosexuals and bisexuals on the intrinsic dynamics of the disease in heterosexual settings in which homosexuality and bisexuality issues have remained taboo is presented. The epidemic threshold and equilibria for the model are determined and stabilities are investigated. Comprehensive qualitative analysis of the model including invariance of solutions and permanence are carried out. The epidemic threshold known as the basic reproductive number suggests that heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality influence the growth of the epidemic in HIV/AIDS affected populations and the partial reproductive number (homosexuality induced or heterosexuality and bisexuality induced) with the larger value influences the overall dynamics of the epidemic in a setting. Numerical simulations of the model show that as long as one of the partial reproductive numbers is greater than unity, the disease will exist in the population. We conclude from the study that homosexuality and bisexuality enlarge the epidemic in a heterosexual setting. The theoretical study highlights the need to carry out substantial research to maphomosexuals and bisexuals as it has remained unclear as to what extent this group has contributed to the epidemic in heterosexual settings especially in southern Africa, which has remained the epidemiological locus of the epidemic. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

heterosexual
reproductive number
permanence

hiv/aids model
homosexual
bisexual
stability


Distances Between Pairs of Vertices and Vertical Profile in Conditioned Galton-Watson Trees We consider a conditioned Galton-Watson tree and prove an estimate of the number of pairs of vertices with a given distance, or, equivalently, the number of paths of a given length. We give two proofs of this result, one probabilistic and the other using generating functions and singularity analysis. Moreover, the latter proof yields a more general estimate for generating functions, which is used to prove a conjecture by Bousquet-Melou and Janson (Bousquet-Melou and Janson, Ann Appl Probab 16 (2006) 1597-1632), saying that the vertical profile of a randomly labelled conditioned Galton-Watson tree converges in distribution, after suitable normalization, to the density of ISE (Integrated Superbrownian Excursion). (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 38, 381-395, 2011

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 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

random galton-watson tree
paths of given length
probabilistic analysis of algorithms
branching process


The importance of key personnel and active management for successful implementation of computer-based technology in palliative care: Results from a qualitative study Symptom assessment is an important issue in palliative care. Computer technology is now available for use in such assessments. The aims of the present study were to investigate the factors that can promote implementation of computer technology in a palliative care unit. Symptom assessment by use of handheld computers combined with a database for storing the assessments and other clinical data were introduced in 2001 at the Palliative Medicine Unit of Trondheim University Hospital. Seventeen respondents (nurses, physicians, and physiotherapists) participated in an in-depth interview. The themes presented in this article are perceived aims, training, information, and communication. A qualitative approach was used in analyzing the data. All the respondents expressed a wish for a resource person, and the expectations regarding this person differed, because this person had to be present at the unit, should provide quick help, should be a driving force, and should be responsible for training and teaching. There is a need for skilled and motivated key personnel in the unit if implementation is to be successful.

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 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 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 B O O O O

computerized technology
key personnel and management


A scalable multi-host RAID-5 with parity consistency This paper proposes a multi-host RAID-5 architecture in which multiple hosts can access disk array via storage area network. In this configuration, parity inconsistency occurs when different hosts try to write to the same stripe simultaneously. Parity consistency can be ensured by the serialization of the writes to the same stripe with locking method. While conventional locking methods can be used, the performance is degraded in the case of large number of hosts. When multiple-reader single-writer file consistency semantic is used, most of the stripes are written exclusively by a single host, so parity inconsistency problem does not occur. By removing locking of those stripes which amounts to 95% in practical workloads, the performance becomes more scalable and 50% faster than using the conventional stripe locking methods.

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

raid
multi-host raid-5
shared file system


Adaptive QoS scheduling in a service-oriented grid environment The use of grid technology and web services for resource sharing has received tremendous attention in recent years. The merging of these 2 technologies is able to provide additional multiple types of services and functionalities. However, the problem of scheduling services to meet quality of service (QoS) requirements remains challenging. This paper proposes an adaptive QoS (A QoS) scheduling algorithm for service-oriented grid environments. A QoS uses benchmarking and curve-fitting based on historical records to estimate job length. Job length and users' QoS requirements are then used to make scheduling decisions. AQoS is able to maximize service availability, reliability, and resource utilization while minimizing total service execution time. Experimental results show that A QoS outperform MIN-MIN and MAX-MIN algorithms by 10%-30% in terms of makespan and 5%-20% in terms of reliability.

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

automatic deployment
dynamic scheduling
service-oriented architecture


A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ICT AND E-BUSINESS Information and communication technologies (ICT) and e-business are affecting our economic progress, social development, and the environment profoundly and in a complex manner. As an emerging field of research, significant interests have been aroused but quantitative studies are rather limited. Traditional systematic approaches for impact studies have been found to be insufficient to deal with this research topic. In order to further explore the relationship between ICT/e-business and the environment, the approach adopted in this study aimed to simulate how ICT/e-business indicators interact with environmental indicators quantitatively. Owing to lack of data and information in the current area in government bodies/councils/research institutes, two questionnaire surveys were conducted. Details of the data collection progress are provided. An artificial neural network (ANN) approach, embedded in a more predictive and empirical model, is suggested herein as a new methodology and possible solution. Furthermore an expert decision support system (EDSS), built around these neural networks with a user-friendly interface and being able to post-process data to information, is developed. The system could be used, for example, by an individual company to analyze how its ICT/e-business adoptions influence its environmental performance.

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

information and communication technology (ict)


Automated Box-Cox Transformations for Improved Visual Encoding The concept of preconditioning data (utilizing a power transformation as an initial step) for analysis and visualization is well established within the statistical community and is employed as part of statistical modeling and analysis. Such transformations condition the data to various inherent assumptions of statistical inference procedures, as well as making the data more symmetric and easier to visualize and interpret. In this paper, we explore the use of the Box-Cox family of power transformations to semiautomatically adjust visual parameters. We focus on time-series scaling, axis transformations, and color binning for choropleth maps. We illustrate the usage of this transformation through various examples, and discuss the value and some issues in semiautomatically using these transformations for more effective data visualization.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 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 transformation
color mapping
statistical analysis
box-cox
normal distribution


Improved lower bounds and exact algorithm for the capacitated arc routing problem In the capacitated arc routing problem (CARP), a subset of the edges of an undirected graph has to be serviced at least cost by a fleet of identical vehicles in such a way that the total demand of the edges serviced by each vehicle does not exceed its capacity. This paper describes a new lower bounding method for the CARP based on a set partitioning-like formulation of the problem with additional cuts. This method uses cut-and-column generation to solve different relaxations of the problem, and a new dynamic programming method for generating routes. An exact algorithm based on the new lower bounds was also implemented to assess their effectiveness. Computational results over a large set of classical benchmark instances show that the proposed method improves most of the best known lower bounds for the open instances, and can solve several of these for the first time.

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

set partitioning
valid inequalities
column generation


MAP detectors for differential pulse-position modulation over indoor optical wireless communications In this letter, it is shown that a MAP detector can be employed with differential pulse-position modulation (L-DPPM) in an indoor optical wireless system. The MAP detector error performance is evaluated and compared with that of a hard-decision detector and MLSD over an intersymbol interference channel. It is shown that a MAP detector provides superb performance even in a dispersive channel with high D-T.

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

optical wireless communications
map detector

differential pulse-position modulation
mlsa


Dynamic programming method for temporal registration of three-dimensional tongue surface motion from multiple utterances This study proposes a new method to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) tongue surface motion during speech using only a few sections of the tongue measured with ultrasound imaging. Reconstruction of static 3D tongue surfaces has been reported. This is the first report for reconstruction of 3D tongue surface motion using ultrasound imaging. To temporally align data from multiple scan locations, a dynamic programming (DP) algorithm was used to line up the tokens collected from different repetitions by using the acoustic signals recorded simultaneously with the ultrasound images. Reconstruction error was evaluated by using a pseudo-motion measurement of known 3D tongue shapes. The average error was 0.39 mm, which was within the ultrasound measurement error, of 0.5 mm.

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

reconstruction of 3d tongue surface
3d tongue surface motion
ultrasound imaging
dynamic programming


Discrete topology on N-dimensional square tessellated grids Topology preservation and detection is a well known concept in the processing of 2- and 3-dimensional binary images. These images can be considered as sets that are mapped on square tessellated (hyper cubic) grids. This paper describes how the formalisms derived for 2D and 3D images can be expanded to N-dimensional images, i.e. binary point sets that are aligned on an N -dimensional square tessellated grid. Topology preserving thinning of objects in an image, informally referred to as skeletonization, is based on the successive erosion of the boundary of an object until locally a primitive shape is detected, e.g. in 3D a surface or a curve. The detection of primitive shapes is done using shape primitives. The generation of shape primitive detectors is based on the possibility to describe the primitives for intrinsic or object dimensions N = N ? 1 by quadratic equations of the form x N = ? ( a n x x + b n x n 2 ) . From this, primitives for lower object dimensions can be derived. A formula is derived that predicts the number of unique shape primitives in each dimension. Their application in measurements on shapes, in conditions for topology detection as used in topology preserving thinning, as well as the determination of standing wave patterns in topological kernels, is described. Finally as on each element of an image at least one of the primitives matches, this can be used to measure the total content of length, area, volume, etc from the objects in the image.

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

mathematical morphology
digital topology
n-dimensional shape
n-dimensional topological kernels
n-dimensional standing waves


Optimal proportioning of concrete aggregates using a self-adaptive genetic algorithm A linear programming problem of the optimal proportioning of concrete aggregates is discussed; and a self-adaptive genetic algorithm is developed to solve this problem. The proposed method is based on changing a range of variables for capturing the feasible region of the optimum solution. A computational verification of this method is compared with the results of the linear programming.

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

aggregates optimization
concrete mixture proportioning
genetic algorithms


distributed error confinement We initiate the study of error confinement in distributed applications, where the goal is that only nodes that were directly hit by a fault may deviate from their correct external behavior, and only temporarily. The external behavior of all other nodes must remain impeccable, even though their internal state may be affected. Error confinement is impossible if an adversary is allowed to inflict arbitrary transient faults on the system, since the faults might completely wipe out input values. We introduce a new fault tolerance measure we call agility , which quantifies the strength of an algorithm that disseminate information, against state corrupting faults.We study the basic problem of broadcast, and propose algorithms that guarantee error confinement with optimal agility to within a constant factor, even in asynchronous networks when the topology is unknown. These algorithms can serve as building blocks in more general reactive systems. Previous results in exploring locality in reactive systems were not error confined, and relied on the assumption (not used in current paper) that the errors hitting each node are probabilistic, such that a faulty node itself, or its neighbor, can detect the node faulty.The main algorithm uses the novel core bootstrapping technique, that seems inherent for voting in reactive networks; its analysis leads to an interesting combinatorial problem. The technique and the analysis may be of independent interest

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

self-stabilization
persistence
distributed algorithms


a calculus for assignments in higher-order languages Imperative assignments are abstractions of recurring programming patterns in purely functional programming languages. When added to higher-order functional languages, they provide a higher-level of modularity and security but invalidate the simple substitution semantics. We show that, given an operational interpretation of a denotational semantics for such a language, it is possible to design a two-level extension of the &lgr; u -calculus. This calculus provides a location-free rewriting semantics of the language and offers new possibilities for reasoning with assignments. The upper level of the calculus factors out all the steps in a reduction sequence which must be in a linear order; the lower level allows a partial ordering of reduction steps.

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

partial ordering
order
reasoning
interpretation
language
design
reduction
sequence
functional languages
denotational semantics
functional programming

program rewrite locatability abstraction semantic factor assignment modular extensibility secure pattern


The Biopsychology-Nonlinear Analysis Toolbox: A Free, Open-Source Matlab-Toolbox for the Non-linear Analysis of Time Series Data We provide a free, open-source toolbox for nonlinear time series analyses. The major goal of this project was to provide a toolbox for nonlinear time series analyses that is easily accessible to a wide range of neuroscientists. The toolbox offers modular, powerful and flexible algorithms embedded in an easy to handle graphical user interface (GUI). The toolbox can be run within the Matlab environment, but also as stand-alone solution without reference to a programming environment that is also usable for different PC operating systems (Windows and Linux). The Biopsychology-Nonlinear Analysis Toolbox and documentation are available freely and open-source from http://biopsynltoolbox.sourceforge.net

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


pca for improving the performance of xcsr in classification of high-dimensional problems XCSR is an accuracy-based learning classifier system (LCS) which can handle classification problems with real-value features. However, as the number of features increases, a high classification accuracy comes at the cost of more resources: larger population sizes and longer computational running times. In this research, we present a PCA-enhanced LCS, which uses principal component analysis (PCA) as a preprocessing step for XCSR, and examine how it performs on complex multi-dimensional real-world data. The experiments show that this technique, in addition to significantly reducing the computational resources and time requirements of XCSR, maintains its high accuracy and even occasionally improves it. In addition to that, it reduces the required population size needed by XCSR.

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

genetics-based machine learning
network intrusion detection
learning classifier systems


Randomized cache placement for eliminating conflicts Applications with regular patterns of memory access can experience high levels of cache conflict misses. In shared-memory multiprocessors conflict misses can be increased significantly by the data transpositions required for parallelization. Techniques such as blocking which are introduced within a single thread to improve locality, can result in yet more conflict misses. The tension between minimizing cache conflicts and the other transformations needed for efficient parallelization leads to complex optimization problems for parallelizing compilers. This paper shows how the introduction of a pseudorandom element into the cache index function can effectively eliminate repetitive conflict misses and produce a cache where miss ratio depends solely on working set behavior. We examine the impact of pseudorandom cache indexing on processor cycle times and present practical solutions to some of the major implementation issues for this type of cache. Our conclusions are supported by simulations of a superscalar out-of-order processor executing the SPEC95 benchmarks, as well as from cache simulations of individual loop kernels to illustrate specific effects. We present measurements of Instructions committed Per Cycle (IPC) when comparing the performance of different cache architectures on whole-program benchmarks such as the SPEC95 suite.

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

conflict avoidance
performance evaluation


Application-Focused Energy-Fidelity Scalability for Wireless Motion-Based Health Assessment Energy-fidelity trade-offs are central to the performance of many technologies, but they are essential in wireless body area sensor networks (BASNs) due to severe energy and processing constraints and the critical nature of certain healthcare applications. On-node signal processing and compression techniques can save energy by greatly reducing the amount of data transmitted over the wireless channel, but lossy techniques, capable of high compression ratios, can incur a reduction in application fidelity. In order to maximize system performance, these trade-offs must be considered at runtime due to the dynamic nature of BASN applications, including sensed data, operating environments, user actuation, etc. BASNs therefore require energy-fidelity scalability, so automated and user-initiated trade-offs can be made dynamically. This article presents a data rate scalability framework within a motion-based health application context which demonstrates the design of efficient and efficacious wireless health systems.

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 B O O O O O O O

experimentation
measurement
energy-fidelity scalability
digital signal processing
wireless communications


Development of an improved gas-kinetic BGK scheme for inviscid and viscous flows This paper deals with the development of an improved gas-kinetic BGK scheme for inviscid and viscous Row fields. As the first step toward efficient calculation, particle distribution functions in the general solution of the BGK model are simplified to the extent that the essential features of the standard gas-kinetic BGK scheme are not lost. Then, improved schemes are suggested, which overcome difficulties that may arise in the applications of BGK-type schemes to compressible viscous flow calculations. A Prandtl number correction method is also developed to allow the present schemes to work for arbitrary :Pr number. For steady state problems, convergence acceleration techniques suitable for the present schemes are developed in the framework of an implicit time integration. Various numerical experiments ranging from one-dimensional shock tubes to viscous turbulent flows are performed to demonstrate accuracy, robustness, and other essential features of the present method. (C) 2000 Academic Press.

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

convergence acceleration
viscous turbulent flows

gas-kinetic bgk scheme
pr number correction


A simple real-time process control experiment using serial communication Microcomputers introduced process control to a new era. A simple and didactic experiment, used to control the temperature of an equipment, is described. Features of this experiment include the use of two computers connected by serial ports and allowing students to build the controller and to disturb the process, (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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

process control
serial communication
experiment
computers


Exemplar longest common subsequence In this paper, we investigate the computational and approximation complexity of the Exemplar Longest Common Subsequence (ELCS) of a set of sequences (ELCS problem), a generalization of the Longest Common Subsequence problem, where the input sequences are over the union of two disjoint sets of symbols, a set of mandatory symbols and a set of optional symbols. We show that different versions of the problem are APX-hard even for instances with two sequences. Moreover, we show that the related problem of determining the existence of a feasible solution of the ELCS of two sequences is NP-hard. On the positive side, we first present an efficient algorithm for the ELCS problem over instances of two sequences where each mandatory symbol can appear in total at most three times in the sequences. Furthermore, we present two fixed-parameter algorithms for the ELCS problem over instances of two sequences where the parameter is the number of mandatory symbols.

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 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

comparative genomics
algorithm design and analysis
combinatorial algorithms
analysis of algorithms
problem complexity


The effectiveness of a computer-assisted math learning program Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programs are considered as a way to improve learning outcomes of students. However, little is known on the schools who implement such programs as well as on the effectiveness of similar information and communication technology programs. We provide a literature review that pays special attention to the existing causal evidence of computer-assisted programs on learning outcomes. The paper relies on a rich data set consisting of (i) pupil-level information on the use of a Dutch computer-assisted program and (ii) detailed school-level information on, among others, outcomes on national exams. The results suggest that schools with lower educational attainments use more frequently CAI programs. This suggests that they use CAI programs to catch up on learning outcomes. Moreover, using an instrumental variable design, we argue that given the participation in the CAI program, making more exercises leads to higher test results. Working with a CAI program seems therefore effective.

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

computer-assisted instruction
mathematics
secondary education


Learning AAM fitting through simulation The active appearance model (AAM) is a powerful method for modeling and segmenting deformable visual objects. The utility of the AAM stems from two fronts: its compact representation as a linear object class and its rapid fitting procedure, which utilizes fixed linear updates. Although the original fitting procedure works well for objects with restricted variability when initialization is close to the optimum, its efficacy deteriorates in more general settings, with regards to both accuracy and capture range. In this paper, we propose a novel fitting procedure where training is coupled with, and directly addresses, AAM fitting in its deployment. This is achieved by simulating the conditions of real fitting problems and learning the best set of fixed linear mappings, such that performance over these simulations is optimized. The power of the approach does not stem from an update model with larger capacity, but from addressing the whole fitting procedure simultaneously. To motivate the approach, it is compared with a number of existing AAM fitting procedures on two publicly available face databases. It is shown that this method exhibits convergence rates, capture range and convergence accuracy that are significantly better than other linear methods and comparable to a nonlinear method, whilst affording superior computational efficiency.

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


Equilibrium point analysis of the binary exponential backoff algorithm A Markovian model of the backoff algorithm used in the slotted 1-persistent carrier sense multiple access/collision detection (CSMA/CD) access protocol is developed in order to analyze the performance of such a network. Due to its complexity, the existing models of the CSMA/ CD protocol do not incorporate the effects of the backoff algorithm. In this work, we developed an approximate Markovian model of the system with a multidimensional state vector and we used the equilibrium point analysis technique in order to analyze the model. The throughput-delay characteristics and the stability behavior of the system are extracted, which conform the simulation results and the predictions of other theoretical models presented in the literature. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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

binary exponential backoff
equilibrium point analysis


competitive concurrent distributed queuing Distributed queuing is a fundamental problem in distributed computing, arising in a variety of applications. The challenge in designing a distributed queuing algorithm is to minimize message traffic and delay. This paper gives a novel competitive analysis of the Arrow distributed queuing protocol under concurrent access. We analyze the combined latency of r simultaneous requests, and derive a competitive ratio of s log r , where s is the stretch of a preselected spanning tree in the network. Our analysis employs a novel greedy characterization of the way the Arrow protocol orders concurrent requests, and yields a new lower bound on the quality of the nearest-neighbor heuristic for the Traveling Salesperson Problem.

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

network
spanning tree
challenge
lower bound
applications
quality
characterization
latency
log
analysis
message
delay
access
distributed
algorithm
paper
traffic

nearest neighbor
competitive analysis
concurrency
competition
heuristics
distributed computation


Molecular

structure

and

vibrational

and

chemical

shift

assignments

of

5-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-4-(p-tolyl)-2,4-dihydro-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione

by

DFT

and

ab

initio

HF

calculations

The

molecular

geometry,

vibrational

frequencies,

gauge

including

atomic

orbital

(GIAO)

and

chemical

shift

values

and

several

thermodynamic

parameters

of

in

the

ground

state

have

been

calculated

by

using

the

Hartree-Fock

(HF)

and

density

functional

method

with

G(d,p)

and

basis

sets.

The

results

of

the

optimized

molecular

structure

are

presented

and

compared

with

the

experimental

X-ray

diffraction.

The

computed

vibrational

frequencies

are

used

to

determine

the

types

of

molecular

motions

associated

with

each

of

the

experimental

bands

observed.

Also,

calculated

chemical

shift

values

compared

with

the

experimental

ones.

The

data

of

the

title

compound

display

significant

molecular

structure

and

IR,

NMR

analysis

provide

the

basis

for

future

design

of

efficient

materials

having

the

of

core.

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


coercive subtyping for the calculus of constructions We present a coercive subtyping system for the calculus of constructions. The proposed system ? C CO over? is obtained essentially by adding coercions and ?-conversion to ? C ? [10], which is a subtyping extension to the calculus of constructions without coercions. Following [17, 18], the coercive subtyping c : A ? B is understood as a special case of typing in arrow type c : A ? B such that the term c behaves like an identity function. We prove that, with respect to this semantic interpretation, the proposed coercive subtyping system is sound and complete, and that this completeness leads to transitivity elimination (transitivity rule is admissible). In addition, we establish the equivalence between ? C CO over? and CC ? , this fact implies that ? C CO over? has confluence, subject reduction and strong normalization. We propose a formalization of coercion inference problem and present a sound and complete coercion inference algorithm.

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

transitivity elimination
sound
inference
subtyping
semantic
interpretation
reduction
case
algorithm
calculus of constructions
normalization
coercion
completeness

semantics of coercions
systems
formalism
transit
ident
functional
extensibility
conversation