ppxscal/embedding_network huggingface dataset:
Collaborative Early EFL Reading among Distributed Learners: A Simulation Pilot Study
Authors: Yu-Ju Lan, Yao-Ting Sung, Kuo-En Chang, Hsien-Sheng Hsiao
Venue: Proceedings of the Sixth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (2006)

In this paper, we designed a wireless peer-assisted leaning system for early EFL reading to enhance online collaborative EFL reading and provide distributed EFL learners with an opportunity to teach and learn with each other. Compare with the control group, the result shows that wireless EFL reading is emerging as a flexible and portable solution to the pedagogical challenges exist in conventional EFL reading teaching instruction.
Implicit Constraint Enforcement for Stable and Effective Control of Cloth Behavior
Authors: Min Hong, Min-Hyung Choi, Samuel Welch, Doo-Soon Park
Venue: Proceedings of the 2006 International Conference on Hybrid Information Technology - Volume 02 (2006)

Stable and effective enforcement of hard constraints is one of the crucial components in controlling physicsbased dynamic system. This paper presents a new implicit constraint enforcement technique that is stable over large time steps and does not require problem dependent adhoc parameters. The conventional explicit Baumgarte constraint stabilization confines the time step to be within a stability limit and requires users to pick problemdependent coefficients to achieve fast convergence or to prevent oscillations. Although Post-stabilization method provides more accurate constraint enforcement, it requires additional computation burden to correct numerical drift. Proposed implicit constraint enforcement method uses the future time step to estimate the correct magnitude of the constraint forces, resulting in better stability over bigger time steps. In addition, its asymptotic computational complexity is same as the explicit Baumgarte method. Combined with an adaptive constraint activation scheme, the implicit constraint method demonstrates a substantial enhancement of the controllability of cloth simulation.
Video shot segmentation using singular value decomposition
Authors: Z. Cernekova, C. Kotropoulos, I. Pitas
Venue: Proceedings of the 2003 International Conference on Multimedia and Expo - Volume 1 (2003)

A new method for detecting shot boundaries in video sequences using singular value decomposition (SVD) is proposed. The method relies on performing singular value decomposition on the matrix A created from 3D histograms of single frames. We have used SVD for its capabilities to derive a low dimensional refined feature space from a high dimensional raw feature space, where pattern similarity can easily be detected. The method can detect cuts and gradual transitions, such as dissolves and fades, which cannot be detected easily by entropy measures.
A new algorithm for topology optimization using a level-set method
Authors: Samuel Amstutz, Heiko Andrä
Venue: Journal of Computational Physics (2006)

The level-set method has been recently introduced in the field of shape optimization, enabling a smooth representation of the boundaries on a fixed mesh and therefore leading to fast numerical algorithms. However, most of these algorithms use a Hamilton-Jacobi equation to connect the evolution of the level-set function with the deformation of the contours, and consequently they can hardly create new holes in the domain (at least in 2D). In this work, we propose an evolution equation for the level-set function based on a generalization of the concept of topological gradient. This results in a new algorithm allowing for all kinds of topology changes.
A monolithic isolation amplifier in silicon-on-insulator CMOS: Testing and applications
Authors: Geoffrey Marcus, Kim Strohben, Steve Jaskulek, Andreas G. Andreou, Eugenio Culurciello
Venue: Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing (2006)

In this paper, the design and test results of a 4-channel digital isolation amplifier are presented, along with results of a prototype power converter circuit using the amplifier for voltage feedback regulation. The amplifier uses a capacitive coupling technique to transfer digital signals from input to output while preserving galvanic isolation between the two. The isolation amplifier was fabricated in a 0.5 ¿m Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) technology and uses the isolation properties of the SOS substrate to achieve more than 800 V isolation between input and output grounds. Each of the four channels can operate in excess of 100 Mbps using a differential transmission scheme to reject ground bounce transients up to 1 V/¿s. The input circuit can be powered from an on-chip charge-pump to permit single supply operation. The device can be used in a wide variety of applications that require passing signals across an isolation barrier: power supplies, remote sensing, and medical and industrial applications.
Speech acts of war
Authors: John D. Salt
Venue: Proceedings of the 36th conference on Winter simulation (2004)

The British Army currently embraces a manoeuvrist style of command and hopes to gain further operational advantages from Network Enabled Capability (NEC) and effects-based planning (EBP). Many new communications equipments are being procured. Existing approaches to military simulation modeling have, for good reasons, not concentrated on command and control (C2), but this is now changing. The author proposes an approach to the modeling of military command systems based on Searle's theory of speech acts, and suggests that it may have broader application than modeling C2 alone.
Stability analysis of a three-term backpropagation algorithm
Authors: Yahya H. Zweiri, Lakmal D. Seneviratne, Kaspar Althoefer
Venue: Neural Networks (2005)

Efficient learning by the backpropagation (BP) algorithm is required for many practical applications. The BP algorithm calculates the weight changes of artificial neural networks, and a common approach is to use a two-term algorithm consisting of a learning rate (LR) and a momentum factor (MF). The major drawbacks of the two-term BP learning algorithm are the problems of local minima and slow convergence speeds, which limit the scope for real-time applications. Recently the addition of an extra term, called a proportional factor (PF), to the two-term BP algorithm was proposed. The third increases the speed of the BP algorithm. However, the PF term also reduces the convergence of the BP algorithm, and criteria for evaluating convergence are required to facilitate the application of the three terms BP algorithm. This paper analyzes the convergence of the new three-term backpropagation algorithm. If the learning parameters of the three-term BP algorithm satisfy the conditions given in this paper, then it is guaranteed that the system is stable and will converge to a local minimum. It is proved that if at least one of the eigenvalues of matrix F (compose of the Hessian of the cost function and the system Jacobian of the error vector at each iteration) is negative, then the system becomes unstable. Also the paper shows that all the local minima of the three-term BP algorithm cost function are stable. The relationship between the learning parameters are established in this paper such that the stability conditions are met.
Periods in Extensions of Words
Authors: Tero Harju, Dirk Nowotka
Venue: Acta Informatica (2006)

Let &#x03c0;(w) denote the minimum period of the word w,let w be a primitive word with period &#x03c0;(w) < |w|, and let z be a prefix of w. It is shown that if &#x03c0;(wz) = &#x03c0;(w), then |z| < &#x03c0;(w) &#x2212; gcd&#x00a0;(|w|, |z|). Detailed improvements of this result are also proven. Finally, we show that each primitive word w has a conjugate w&#x2032; = vu, where w = uv, such that &#x03c0;(w&#x2032;) = |w&#x2032;| and |u| < &#x03c0;(w). As a corollary we give a short proof of the fact that if u,v,w are words such that u 2 is a prefix of v 2, and v 2 is a prefix of w 2, and v is primitive, then |w| > 2|u|.
A Modular and Evolutive Software for Patient Modeling Using Components, Design Patterns and a Formal XML-Based Component Management System
Authors: Jean-Baptiste Fasquel, Guillaume Brocker, Johan Moreau, Vincent Agnus, Nicolas Papier, Christophe Koehl, Luc Soler, Jacques Marescaux
Venue: Proceedings of the 19th IEEE Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems (2006)

This paper deals with the design aspect of a software for modeling the anatomical and pathological structures of patients from medical images, for diagnosis purposes. In terms of functionalities, it allows to combine image processing algorithms, and to visualize and manipulate 3D models and images. The proposed software uses appropriate design patterns, specific extensible and reusable components and a system managing their combination, thanks to a formal XML-based description of their interfaces. This architecture facilitates the dynamic integration of new functionalities, in particular in terms of image processing algorithms. We describe the structural and behavioral aspects of the proposed component-based architecture.
Proceeding from the 2006 workshop on Game theory for communications and networks
Venue: ACM International Conference Proceeding Series; Vol. 199 (2006)

Welcome to Pisa and to the first Workshop on Game Theory for Networks. This workshop brings together researchers who are applying game theory to analyze, design, and assess the performance of networks.We define network broadly, to include communication networks, peer-to-peer interactions in social networks, and networks found in the biological sciences, such as molecular and genetic networks. All of these are represented in the papers selected by the Program Committee.We are excited about the opportunity to learn from this multi-disciplinary experience. The objective is to generate discussion of best practices in modeling as well as limitations of game theory as a performance assessment and design tool for networks.The eleven papers that will be presented at GameNets 2006 are loosely grouped into four sessions on: wireless networks, complex systems, economic incentives for peering, and provisioning of network paths. Prof. Myrna Wooders, our invited speaker, graciously agreed to present her work on "Strategic Basins of Attraction, the Path Dominance Core and Network Formation Games." We will conclude the workshop with a round-table discussion of future directions for the use of game theory to better understand and design networks.
Theorizing games in/and education
Authors: Richard Halverson, David Shaffer, Kurt Squire, Constance Steinkuehler
Venue: Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Learning sciences (2006)

Games are a nascent topic for educational research, with an increasing numberof conferences (e.g. Games, Learning, & Society), print publications (e.g. Games & Culture), and even federal grants (e.g. Quest Atlantis, RiverWorld, Whyville) recently given to the study and design of gaming technologies in/for education. However, to date, games have been chronically under-theorized - a "technology in search of a paradigm" (Gredler, 1996). This symposium proposes new conceptualizations of games in relation to education. Our collective goal is to better articulate the nature of contemporary interactive technologies so as to forward educational theory; each paper addresses crucial aspects of games and gaming culture against a backdrop of research on learning, education, and society (c.f. Shaffer, Squire, Halverson, & Gee, 2005; Steinkuehler, in press). To do so, this unique symposium combines (a) ethnographies of naturally occurring game environments, (b) game-based learning programs based on findings of how learning occurs in such environments (c) a an empirical model based on games for thought, a type of professional practice simulation games, and (d) a research project using games and game technologies for social science theorizing. Together, these papers suggest new directions for the cognitive sciences pointing toward how to design learning systems for an information age networked society.
The Implementation of Adaptive LMS Clutter Cancellation Based on FM Broadcast
Authors: Wan Hong, Li Shentang, Wang Zhigang
Venue: Proceedings of the First International Conference on Innovative Computing, Information and Control - Volume 1 (2006)

The paper has realized radar echo receiving and adaptive clutter cancellation to non-cooperative passive radar based on FM broadcast illuminator. The preferences methods including of filter order, initial value of filter coefficients and step size are given. And improved method of variable step size is proposed. The experiment of simulation data and detecting data indicate: it has enhanced system stability while convergence rate is improved, and it is helpful to adaptive cancellation for slow time variable system.
A Sandwich Model for Business Integration in BOA (Business Oriented Architecture)
Authors: Juan Zhu, Li Zhen Zhang
Venue: Proceedings of the 2006 IEEE Asia-Pacific Conference on Services Computing (2006)

With the constant development of enterprises, the cost of developing new business becomes higher than that in the past, but there is still no better strategy to integrate old businesses together. Comparing integrated tactics such as EAI (Enterprise Application Integration), SOI (Service-Oriented Integration), etc., combining the most popular technology SOA (Services Oriented Architecture), pouring the relevant experience into integration according to the idea proposed by BOA (Business Oriented Architecture) and utilizing different kinds of Agents to deal with different businesses, I will introduce a Sandwich Model to solve the problem of business integration. And at the end of this paper, the feasibility, advantages, and disadvantages of the model are regarded.
A Graph-Search Based Approach to BPEL4WS Test Generation
Authors: Yuan Yuan, Zhongjie Li, Wei Sun
Venue: Proceedings of the International Conference on Software Engineering Advances (2006)

Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL4WS) is a kind of concurrent programming languages with several special features that raise special challenges for verification and testing. This paper proposes a graph-search based approach to BPEL test case generation, which effectively deals with BPEL concurrency semantics. This approach defines an extension of CFG (Control Flow Graph) - BPEL Flow Graph (BFG) - to represent a BPEL program in a graphical model. Then concurrent test paths can be generated by traversing the BFG model, and test data for each path can be generated using a constraint solving method. Finally test paths and data are combined into complete test cases.
Aggregating time partitions
Authors: Taneli Mielikäinen, Evimaria Terzi, Panayiotis Tsaparas
Venue: Proceedings of the 12th ACM SIGKDD international conference on Knowledge discovery and data mining (2006)

Partitions of sequential data exist either per se or as a result of sequence segmentation algorithms. It is often the case that the same timeline is partitioned in many different ways. For example, different segmentation algorithms produce different partitions of the same underlying data points. In such cases, we are interested in producing an aggregate partition, i.e., a segmentation that agrees as much as possible with the input segmentations. Each partition is defined as a set of continuous non-overlapping segments of the timeline. We show that this problem can be solved optimally in polynomial time using dynamic programming. We also propose faster greedy heuristics that work well in practice. We experiment with our algorithms and we demonstrate their utility in clustering the behavior of mobile-phone users and combining the results of different segmentation algorithms on genomic sequences.
Implementing a general purpose framework using multi-agents for construction management education
Authors: Amlan Mukherjee, Eddy M. Rojas, William D. Winn
Venue: Proceedings of the 36th conference on Winter simulation (2004)

The need for contextually rich educational experiences in construction education has led researchers to explore alternatives using gaming and simulation environments. The work done so far has concentrated on special and general purpose simulations of construction operations with limited interactivity. We claim that it is necessary to have an extensible general purpose framework, for developing a wide variety of situational simulations of construction management processes, that can be used to create interactive environments for training managers. We have introduced such a framework and developed it using multiple autonomous agents. The Virtual Coach is an implementation of the developed framework. It was tested on a class of 19 construction management senior students, and proved to be an useful educational tool.
Packaging capacity analysis of a biopharmaceutical production operation
Authors: Steve Chu, Prasad V. Saraph, Lee Schruben
Venue: Proceedings of the 37th conference on Winter simulation (2005)

This paper discusses an application of discrete event simulation in analyzing packaging capacity at Bayer Corporation's Berkeley, California facility. A discrete event simulation model was used to estimate output under differing employee staffing and scheduling policies, taking into consideration product and equipment requirements. This model was also used to study the effects on packaging operations due to changes in the manufacturing environment. The model and its recommendations were used to support a major business process decision.
Measurement of Relative Brain Atrophy in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: D. D,  Abdala, A. V. Wangenheim
Venue: Proceedings of the 19th IEEE Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems (2006)

This paper presents a new methodology to be used in measuring brain atrophy on imaging exams of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. The methods foresee the usage of a mean brain that serves as a reference volume. Color maps were created following a cold-hot color scheme where highlighted regions of atrophy based on the standard deviation and mean values voxel-wise of the mean brain. Direct measures of the atrophy grade were obtained by statistical comparisons between the mean brain volume and regions identified as atrophied. The proposed method was evaluated using 35 patients, 16 had been previously diagnosed as Alzheimer cases, 7 as MCI, 2 as Vascular Dementia and 10 as Complainers. The mean brain used in this study was created using affine transformations to drive the necessary volume registration and were composed of healthy patients. All diagnostics followed a neuropsychological protocol.
Using Semantic Commonsense Resources in Image Retrieval
Authors: Adrian Popescu, Gregory Grefenstette, Pierre-Alain Moellic
Venue: Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Semantic Media Adaptation and Personalization (2006)

Many people use the Internet is to find pictures of things. When extraneous images appear in response to simple queries on a search engine, the user has a hard time understanding why his seemingly clear request was not properly satisfied. If the computer could only understand what he wanted better, then maybe the results would be more precise. We believe that the introduction of an ontology, though hidden from the user, into current image retrieval engines would provide more accurate image responses to his query. Coordinating the use of an ontology (OWL representation of WordNet) with image processing techniques, we have developed a system that, given an initial query, automatically returns images associated with the query by specializing the query concept using only its deepest hyponyms from the ontology. We show that picking randomly from this new set of images provides a better representation for the initial, more general query. In addition, we exploit the visual aspects of the images for these deepest hyponyms (the leaves of WordNet) to cluster the images into coherent sets. In this way we can present the results in a structured, and even ontologically labeled, manner to the user.
Implementation of an Agent Architecture for Automated Index Tuning
Authors: Rogerio Luis de Carvalho Costa, Sergio Lifschitz, Maira Ferreira de Noronha, Marcos Antonio Vaz Salles
Venue: Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Data Engineering Workshops (2005)

It has been important to extend database management systems to support new requirements of applications and administration. We focus in this paper on the automatic tuning feature, particularly manipulation of indexes. The architectural approach considered here is based on software agents. We briefly present the heuristics involved in the decision upon creation, dropping and the exact moment to proceed with either action. Then we discuss our agentbased database architecture, with its layers and coupling within an actual DBMS. Finally, we explain the way our hypothetical indexes are integrated in PostgreSQL and how they can be used in practice for automated index tuning.
A markerless registration method for augmented reality based on affine properties
Authors: Y. Pang, M. L. Yuan, A. Y. C. Nee, S. K. Ong, Kamal Youcef-Toumi
Venue: Proceedings of the 7th Australasian User interface conference - Volume 50 (2006)

This paper presents a markerless registration approach for Augmented Reality (AR) systems based on the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) natural feature tracker and the affine reconstruction and reprojection techniques. First, the KLT tracker is used to track the corresponding feature points in two control images. Next, four planar points are specified in each control image to set up the world coordinate system. The affine reconstruction and reprojection techniques are used to estimate the image projections of these four specified planar points in the live video sequence, and these image projections are used to estimate the camera pose in real time. A primitive approach that illustrates the basic idea is first discussed and a robust method is given to improve the resistance to the noise. Pre-defined markers are not required in the proposed approach. The virtual models can still be registered on the proper positions using the proposed method even if the specified region is occluded during the registration process.
Translating Ontologies from Predicate-based to Frame-based Languages
Authors: Jos de Bruijn, Stijn Heymans
Venue: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Rules and Rule Markup Languages for the Semantic Web (2006)

Many popular ontology languages are based on (subsets of) first-order predicate logic, where classes are modeled as unary predicates and properties as binary predicates. Specifically, the ontology language OWL DL is based on the Description Logic SHOIQ. F-Logic is an ontology language which is also based on first-order logic, but classes and properties are modeled as terms, rather than predicates. In this paper we define a translation from predicatebased ontologies to F-Logic ontologies and show that this translation preserves entailments for large classes of ontologies, including most of OWL DL. We define the class of equality-safe (E-safe) formulas, show that the Description Logic SHIQ is E-safe, and show that the translation preserves validity of E-safe formulas. Finally, we use these results to close the open problems of layering F-Logic programming on top of Description Logic Programs and language layering in WSML.