ppxscal/embedding_network huggingface dataset:
Resolution analysis for Gradient Direction Matching of object model edges to overhead images
Authors: David W. Paglieroni, Walter G. Eppler
Venue: Computer Vision and Image Understanding (2009)

The problem of computer-assisted broad area search for specific objects of interest in overhead images is considered. To this end, we present a novel efficient Gradient Direction Matching (GDM) algorithm that matches gradient directions associated with object edges to pixel gradient directions (as opposed to image edges, which are less reliable). GDM seamlessly integrates information associated with pixel location and orientation in such a way that the FFT can be exploited for computational efficiency, and it inherently rejects background clutter. The effects of spatial resolution on GDM statistical performance are studied empirically with the goal of gaining insight into how far GDM computational cost can be reduced before matching performance becomes too severely compromised.
Automatically transforming and relating Uppaal models of embedded systems
Authors: Timothy Bourke, Arcot Sowmya
Venue: Proceedings of the 8th ACM international conference on Embedded software (2008)

Relations between models are important for effective automatic validation, for comparing implementations with specifications, and for increased understanding of embedded systems designs. Timed automata may be used to model a system at multiple levels of abstraction, and timed trace inclusion is one way to relate the models. It is known that a deterministic and Τ-free timed automaton can be transformed such that reachability analysis can decide timed trace inclusion with another timed automaton. Performing the transformation manually is tedious and error-prone. We have developed a tool that does it automatically for a large subset of Uppaal models. Certain features of the Uppaal modeling language, namely selection bindings and channel arrays, complicate the transformation. We formalize these features and extend the validation technique to incorporate them. We find it impracticable to manipulate some forms of channel array subscripts, and some combinations of selection bindings and universal quantifiers; doing so either requires premature parameter instantiation or produces models that Uppaal rejects.
On the internet delay space dimensionality
Authors: Bruno Abrahao, Robert Kleinberg
Venue: Proceedings of the 8th ACM SIGCOMM conference on Internet measurement (2008)

We investigate the dimensionality properties of the Internet delay space, i.e., the matrix of measured round-trip latencies between Internet hosts. Previous work on network coordinates has indicated that this matrix can be embedded, with reasonably low distortion, into a 4- to 9-dimensional Euclidean space. The application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) reveals the same dimensionality values. Our work addresses the question: to what extent is the dimensionality an intrinsic property of the delay space, defined without reference to a host metric such as Euclidean space? Is the intrinsic dimensionality of the Internet delay space approximately equal to the dimension determined using embedding techniques or PCA? If not, what explains the discrepancy? What properties of the network contribute to its overall dimensionality? Using datasets obtained via the King [14] method, we study different measures of dimensionality to establish the following conclusions. First, based on its power-law behavior, the structure of the delay space can be better characterized by fractal measures. Second, the intrinsic dimension is significantly smaller than the value predicted by the previous studies; in fact by our measures it is less than 2. Third, we demonstrate a particular way in which the AS topology is reflected in the delay space; subnetworks composed of hosts which share an upstream Tier-1 autonomous system in common possess lower dimensionality than the combined delay space. Finally, we observe that fractal measures, due to their sensitivity to non-linear structures, display higher precision for measuring the influence of subtle features of the delay space geometry.
Arabidopsis thaliana regulatory element analyzer
Authors: Ananyo Choudhury, Ansuman Lahiri
Venue: Bioinformatics (2008)

Summary: In the Arabidopsis thaliana regulatory element analyzer (AtREA) server, we have integrated sequence data, genome-wide expression data and functional annotation data in three application modules which will be useful to identify major regulatory targets of a user-provided cis-regulatory element (CRE), study different features of CRE distribution and evaluate the role of a set of CREs in the regulation of gene expression—independently as well as in combination with other user-provided CREs. Availability: AtREA is freely available at http://www.bioinformatics.org/grn/atrea.html. Contact: ananyo.c@gmail.com
Marple: a demand-driven path-sensitive buffer overflow detector
Authors: Wei Le, Mary Lou Soffa
Venue: Proceedings of the 16th ACM SIGSOFT International Symposium on Foundations of software engineering (2008)

Despite increasing efforts in detecting and managing software security vulnerabilities, the number of security attacks is still rising every year. As software becomes more complex, security vulnerabilities are more easily introduced into a system and more difficult to eliminate. Even though buffer overflow detection has been studied for more than 20 years, it is still the most commonly exploited vulnerability. In this paper, we develop a static analyzer for detecting and helping diagnose buffer overflows with the key idea of categorizing program paths as they relate to vulnerability. We combine path-sensitivity with a demand-driven analysis for precision and scalability. We first develop a vulnerability model for buffer overflow and then use the model in the development of the demand-driven path-sensitive analyzer. We detect and identify categories of paths including infeasible, safe, vulnerable, overflow-input-independent and don't-know. The categorization enables priorities to be set when searching for root causes of vulnerable paths. We implemented our analyzer, Marple, and compared its performance with existing tools. Our experiments show that Marple is able to detect buffer overflows that other tools cannot, and being path-sensitive with prioritization, Marple produces only 1 false positive out of 72 reported overflows. We also show that Marple scales to 570,000 lines of code, the largest benchmark we had.
Neural network based detection of hard exudates in retinal images
Authors: María García, Clara I. Sánchez, María I. López, Daniel Abásolo, Roberto Hornero
Venue: Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine (2009)

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an important cause of visual impairment in developed countries. Automatic recognition of DR lesions in fundus images can contribute to the diagnosis of the disease. The aim of this study is to automatically detect one of these lesions, hard exudates (EXs), in order to help ophthalmologists in the diagnosis and follow-up of the disease. We propose an algorithm which includes a neural network (NN) classifier for this task. Three NN classifiers were investigated: multilayer perceptron (MLP), radial basis function (RBF) and support vector machine (SVM). Our database was composed of 117 images with variable colour, brightness, and quality. 50 of them (from DR patients) were used to train the NN classifiers and 67 (40 from DR patients and 27 from healthy retinas) to test the method. Using a lesion-based criterion, we achieved a mean sensitivity (SE"l) of 88.14% and a mean positive predictive value (PPV"l) of 80.72% for MLP. With RBF we obtained SE"l=88.49% and PPV"l=77.41%, while we reached SE"l=87.61% and PPV"l=83.51% using SVM. With an image-based criterion, a mean sensitivity (SE"i) of 100%, a mean specificity (SP"i) of 92.59% and a mean accuracy (AC"i) of 97.01% were obtained with MLP. Using RBF we achieved SE"i=100%, SP"i=81.48% and AC"i=92.54%. With SVM the image-based results were SE"i=100%, SP"i=77.78% and AC"i=91.04%.
Towards 3D Point cloud based object maps for household environments
Authors: Radu Bogdan Rusu, Zoltan Csaba Marton, Nico Blodow, Mihai Dolha, Michael Beetz
Venue: Robotics and Autonomous Systems (2008)

This article investigates the problem of acquiring 3D object maps of indoor household environments, in particular kitchens. The objects modeled in these maps include cupboards, tables, drawers and shelves, which are of particular importance for a household robotic assistant. Our mapping approach is based on PCD (point cloud data) representations. Sophisticated interpretation methods operating on these representations eliminate noise and resample the data without deleting the important details, and interpret the improved point clouds in terms of rectangular planes and 3D geometric shapes. We detail the steps of our mapping approach and explain the key techniques that make it work. The novel techniques include statistical analysis, persistent histogram features estimation that allows for a consistent registration, resampling with additional robust fitting techniques, and segmentation of the environment into meaningful regions.
Facial expression recognition - A real time approach
Authors: A. Geetha, V. Ramalingam, S. Palanivel, B. Palaniappan
Venue: Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal (2009)

Face localization, feature extraction, and modeling are the major issues in automatic facial expression recognition. In this paper, a method for facial expression recognition is proposed. A face is located by extracting the head contour points using the motion information. A rectangular bounding box is fitted for the face region using those extracted contour points. Among the facial features, eyes are the most prominent features used for determining the size of a face. Hence eyes are located and the visual features of a face are extracted based on the locations of eyes. The visual features are modeled using support vector machine (SVM) for facial expression recognition. The SVM finds an optimal hyperplane to distinguish different facial expressions with an accuracy of 98.5%.
Prototyping recommender systems in jcolibri
Authors: Juan A. Recio-García, Belén Díaz-Agudo, Pedro A. González-Calero
Venue: Proceedings of the 2008 ACM conference on Recommender systems (2008)

Our goal is to support system developers in rapid prototyping recommender systems using Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) techniques. In this paper we describe how jCOLIBRI can serve to that goal. jCOLIBRI is an object-oriented framework in Java for building CBR systems that greatly benefits from the reuse of previously developed CBR systems. jCOLIBRI includes a case base of templates for case-based recommender systems that can be easily adapted to prototype a great variety of alternatives. We describe the contents of the case base and show experimental results from our experience using the recommender templates case base with mid-size projects from undergraduate students.
Digital State at the Leading Edge
Authors: Sanford Borins, Kenneth Kernaghan, David Brown
Venue: Ipac Series In Public Management And Governance (2007)

The impact of information technology (IT) on government in the last five years has been profound. Using the governments of Canada and Ontario (both recognized as international leaders in the use of IT) as case studies, Digital State at the Leading Edge is the first attempt to take a comprehensive view of the influence of IT on the whole of government, including areas such as political campaigning, public consultation, service delivery, knowledge management, and procurement.Exploring the concepts of channel choice, procurement market analysis, organizational integration, and digital leadership, this study looks at the inter-relationships among various aspects of the application of IT to government and politics. The authors seek to understand how IT is transforming government and what the nature of that transformation is. In the process, they offer an explanation of Canada's relative success, and conclude with practical advice to politicians and public servants about how to manage IT in government more effectively. Based on original research undertaken over the last five years, the findings of this innovative study will be of particular interest to those studying or working in the fields of public administration, political science, and information technology.
BPEL to BPMN: The Myth of a Straight-Forward Mapping
Authors: Matthias Weidlich, Gero Decker, Alexander Großkopf, Mathias Weske
Venue: Proceedings of the OTM 2008 Confederated International Conferences, CoopIS, DOA, GADA, IS, and ODBASE 2008. Part I on On the Move to Meaningful Internet Systems: (2008)

An alignment of the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) and the Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) promises seamless integration of process documentation and executable process definitions. Thus, a lot of research has been conducted on a mapping from BPMN to BPEL. The other perspective of this alignment, i.e. a BPEL-to-BPMN mapping, was largely neglected. This paper presents a condensed discussion of such a mapping and its pitfalls. We illustrate why such a mapping is not as straight-forward as commonly assumed and discuss the gaps to be bridged towards a better alignment of both languages.
Innovation for inclusive design: an approach to exploring the iDTV design space
Authors: Mark V. Springett, Richard N. Griffiths
Venue: Proceeding of the 1st international conference on Designing interactive user experiences for TV and video (2008)

This paper describes an approach to the elicitation of accessibility requirements both to improve the design of existing technologies and develop new DTV utilities. The approach builds on previous work in which stalking-horse prototypes were used to explore possible design enhancements to interactive TV facilities. We describe a model of interaction with iDTV facilities that can be used to isolate areas of a design where those with impairments are likely to have difficulties and need alternative of modified design features. This incorporates a model of recovery strategies deployed during interactive sequences. The later section describes a creative technique for follow-up analyses of prototype evaluations. The technique is aimed at participatory exercises in which subjects are exposed to prototype designs or scenarios and encouraged to contribute ideas for re-designs and novel applications.
A negative selection algorithm for classification and reduction of the noise effect
Authors: K. Igawa, H. Ohashi
Venue: Applied Soft Computing (2009)

Artificial Immune Systems (AIS) are a type of intelligent algorithm inspired by the principles and processes of the human immune system. In the last decade, applications of AIS have been studied in various fields. In the application of change/anomaly detection, negative selection algorithms of AIS have been successfully applied. However, negative selection algorithms are not appropriate for multi-class classification problems, because they do not have a mechanism to minimize the danger of overfitting and oversearching. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm to overcome this drawback and to extend the application area of negative selection algorithms to multi-class classification. The algorithm we propose is named Artificial Negative Selection Classifier (ANSC). We investigate the tolerance of ANSC against noise, and introduce a method to reduce the effect of noise into ANSC. The accuracy and data reduction are compared with those from the Artificial Immune Recognition System (AIRS), which is a well known and effective classifier of AIS. The results show that our algorithm is useful for classification problems and the reduction of the noise effect.
A Model for Sharing of Confidential Provenance Information in a Query Based System
Authors: Meiyappan Nagappan, Mladen A. Vouk
Venue: Provenance and Annotation of Data and Processes: Second International Provenance and Annotation Workshop, IPAW 2008, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, June 17-18, 2008. Revised Selected Papers (2008)

Workflow management systems are increasingly being used to automate scientific discovery. Provenance meta-data is collected about scientific workflows, processes, simulations and data to add value. There is a variety of workflow management tools that cater to this. The provenance information may have as much value as the raw data. Typically, sensitive information produced by a computational processes or experiments is well guarded. However, this may not necessarily be true when it comes to provenance information. The issue is how to share confidential provenance information. We present a model for sharing provenance information when the confidentiality level is decided by the user dynamically. The key feature of this model is the Query Sharing concept. We illustrate the model for workflows implemented using provenance enabled Kepler system.
Sediment concentration and bed form structures of Gulf of Cambay from remote sensing
Authors: Pravin D. Kunte
Venue: International Journal of Remote Sensing (2008)

The continental shelf on the west coast of India is the widest off Mumbai and leads to a strongly converging channel, the Gulf of Cambay (GoC). Tides in this Gulf are the largest on the Indian coast. The flow-generated bed forms are significant features in the Gulf of Cambay region, and their presence depends on strong tidal or other currents, capable of moving the sand and also on the availability of sand. Digital data collected onboard Indian Remote sensing satellites IRS-1C and IRS-P4 OCM (Ocean Colour Monitor), covering the GoC region was digitally processed. False colour composites (FCC) of IRS-1C were generated and used to map coastal, near-shore geomorphic features and underwater flow-generated bed form structures. Suspended sediment concentration and their dispersal patterns were studied by processing IRS-P4 data. The impact of high tides on the suspended sediment concentration and sediment flow pattern was studied to understand the mechanism of sediment flow. Based on the suspended sediment concentration, flow structures, geomorphic features and hydrodynamics, it is concluded that fine-grained sediments are transported to the inner Gulf, whereas, sandy sediments are transported south-westwards and outwards of Gulf of Cambay. These sediments, perhaps participate in the formation of bed form structures.
Acknowledging the innate impact of an information technology for engaging people in knowledge work: the case of weblog technology
Authors: Stephan Kaiser, Gordon Muller-Seitz
Venue: International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations (2009)

Today, globally operating enterprises increasingly rely upon Information Technology (IT) for knowledge exchange, even though this does not inevitably result in the assumed enhancements. The impact of IT itself remains rather ambiguous. Guided by Actor-Network Theory (ANT), this paper draws on a 28-month qualitative case study and elucidates the inherent impact of a novel IT phenomenon, corporate blogospheres. A blogosphere consists of weblogs, websites where individuals publicly display their ideas in the form of a diary. Our results indicate that a blogosphere constitutes a powerful actor on its own that is capable of structuring knowledge work. Further, we illustrate how the blogosphere is efficiently organised and maintained by means of the complex interplay between various human as well as nonhuman actors. We conclude with critical reflections and an outlook for future research.
Keynote: Distributed Algorithms and VLSI
Authors: Ulrich Schmid
Venue: Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Stabilization, Safety, and Security of Distributed Systems (2008)

Shrinking feature sizes and increasing clock speeds are the most visible signs of the tremendous advances in VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration). Modern VLSI chips can no longer be viewed as monolithic blocks of synchronous hardware, where all state transitions occur simultaneously. Moreover, the reduced voltage swing needed for high clock speeds and low power consumption dramatically increases the adverse effects of particle hits, crosstalk and ground bouncing, and, hence, leads to much higher failure rates. As a consequence, modern VLSI devices have much in common with the loosely-coupled distributed systems that have been studied by the fault-tolerant distributed algorithms community for decades. This keynote will address ways of utilizing some of the existing research in the VLSI context, and identify new and challenging distributed computing research problems emanating from this important application domain.
Detecting bittorrent blocking
Authors: Marcel Dischinger, Alan Mislove, Andreas Haeberlen, Krishna P. Gummadi
Venue: Proceedings of the 8th ACM SIGCOMM conference on Internet measurement (2008)

Recently, it has been reported that certain access ISPs are surreptitiously blocking their customers from uploading data using the popular BitTorrent file-sharing protocol. The reports have sparked an intense and wide-ranging policy debate on network neutrality and ISP traffic management practices. However, to date, end users lack access to measurement tools that can detect whether their access ISPs are blocking their BitTorrent traffic. And since ISPs do not voluntarily disclose their traffic management policies, no one knows how widely BitTorrent traffic blocking is deployed in the current Internet. In this paper, we address this problem by designing an easy-to-use tool to detect BitTorrent blocking and by presenting results from a widely used public deployment of the tool.
Application note: Compact_Eddy: A compact, low consumption remotely controlled eddy covariance logging system
Authors: A. Matese, G. Alberti, B. Gioli, P. Toscano, F. P. Vaccari, A. Zaldei
Venue: Computers and Electronics in Agriculture (2008)

Compact_Eddy is a handheld computer-based logging system developed for eddy covariance installations. It is flexible to support different types of sonic anemometers, it has storing capability on internal memory, and data processing capability. The software is written in the Visual Basic .NET platform, entirely based on standard Windows operating systems thus allowing easy installation and configuration for a wide range of handheld PCs. The software computes half hourly statistics and fluxes with a simplified procedure, stores binary data with efficient memory usage and can be configured to send periodically, to a remote control station, system status information and basic computations using a GSM modem. The use of a handheld computer resulted in an average real conditions power consumption of 2.9W, very low if compared with other standard logging devices, allowing important savings especially when systems are powered with solar panels in remote areas. Compact_Eddy has been installed and tested in three locations, with very different environmental conditions ranging from eastern European mountain forests to African semi-desertic areas. The field results demonstrated that the system operated reliably, resulting to be a good low-cost alternative to laptop computers and dataloggers.