Development of Parallel Hybrid Optimisation Techniques Based on Genetic Algorithms and Simulated Annealing
This paper develops coarse-grained parallel algorithms for hybrid optimisation techniques based on genetic algorithms and simulated annealing. The design of the algorithms takes into consideration load balancing, processor synchronisation reduction, communication overhead reduction and memory contention elimination. In addition, the algorithms are designed to avoid the problem of premature convergence which exists in some previous parallel genetic algorithms. The algorithms are implemented on an i860 processor in a simulated environment and are applied to a short-term hydrothermal scheduling problem. The scheduling results are presented and are compared to those found by sequential GAs, by parallel simulated-annealing algorithm and by some earlier parallel genetic algorithms.

title: Development of Hybrid Optimisation Techniques Based on Genetic Algorithms and Simulated Annealing

title: A Distributed Approach to Musical Composition
abstract: Current techniques for automated composition use a single algorithm, focusing on one aspect of musical generation. In our system we make use of several algorithms, distributed using an agent oriented middleware, with each specialising on a separate aspect of composition. This paper describes the architecture and algorithms behind this system, with a focus on the agent framework used for implementation. We show early results which encourage a future application of this framework in automated music composition and analysis.

title: Knowledge Management for a Large Service-Oriented Corporation
abstract: The design and maintenance of complex engineering systems such as a jet engine generates a significant amount of documentation. Increasingly, aerospace manufacturers are shifting their focus from selling products to providing services. As a result, when designing new products, engineers must increasingly consider the engine's complete life-cycle as part of the design process. To identify possible areas of concern, engineers must obtain knowledge gained from the entire life of similar engines. However, because of the size and distributed nature of the company's operation, engineers often do not have access to front-line maintenance data. In addition, the large number of documents accrued makes it impossible for them to be examined thoroughly. This paper presents a prototype knowledge-based document repository for such an application. It searches and analyzes distributed document resources, and provides engineers with a summary view of the underlying knowledge. The aim is to allow engineers to incorporate maintenance issues into the initial design. Unlike existing document repositories and digital libraries, our approach is knowledge-based, where users browse summary reports instead of following suggested links. To test the validity of our proposed architecture, we have developed and deployed a working prototype.

title: SmartSiren: virus detection and alert for smartphones
abstract: Smartphones have recently become increasingly popular because they provide "all-in-one" convenience by integrating traditional mobile phones with handheld computing devices. However, the flexibility of running third-party softwares also leaves the smartphones open to malicious viruses. In fact, hundreds of smartphone viruses have emerged in the past two years, which can quickly spread through various means such as SMS/MMS, Bluetooth and traditional IP-based applications. Our own implementations of two proof-of-concept viruses on Windows Mobile have confirmed the vulnerability of this popular smartphone platform.
 In this paper, we present SmartSiren, a collaborative virusdetection and alert system for smartphones. In order to detect viruses, SmartSiren collects the communication activity information from the smartphones, and performs joint analysis to detect both single-device and system-wide abnormal behaviors. We use a proxy-based architecture to offload the processing burden from resource-constrained smartphones and simplify the collaboration among smartphones. When a potential virus is detected, the proxy quarantines the out-break by sending targeted alerts to those immediately threatened smartphones. We have demonstrated the feasibility of SmartSiren through implementations on a Dopod 577w smartphone, and evaluated its effectiveness using simulations driven by 3-week SMS traces from a national cellular carrier. Our results show that SmartSiren can effectively prevent wide-area virus outbreaks with affordable overhead.

title: Object Assisted Video Coding for Video Conferencing System
abstract: An object-based video coding for video conferencing system is proposed. There are two main processes: segmentation process and face detection process. The segmentation process is used to segment each frame of a video sequence into two non-overlapping regions, namely foreground and background. A novel face detection technique based on chrominance and the contour of the segmented region is applied to the foreground region. Smaller quantization step is used for the facial region to improve viewer's perception while a larger quantization step is used for the background to compensate the coding efficiency. The remaining regions are kept in normal coding quality to prevent degradation of important information other than the facial regio.

title: Design patterns for lazy evaluation
abstract: We propose an object-oriented (OO) formulation and implementation of lazy/delayed evaluation by reusing and extending an existing linear recursive structure (LRS) framework with the help of the strategy, decorator and factory design patters. The result is a robust, flexible framework that can handle both infinite and finite lists and to which existing algorithms for finite lists can be applied without modification. The OO techniques used to develop this model are effective tools for teaching abstraction and design of data structures.