ppxscal/embedding_network huggingface dataset:
Electronic calendars in the office: an assessment of user needs and current technology
Authors: Christine M. Kincaid, Pierre B. Dupont, A. R. Kaye
Venue: ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS) (1985)

Manufacturers of integrated electronic office systems have included electronic versions of the calendar in almost every system they offer. This paper describes a survey of office workers, carried out to examine their use both of paper calendars and of electronic calendars that are commercially available as part of integrated office systems. It assesses the degree to which electronic calendars meet the needs of users. Our survey shows that the simple paper calendar is a tool whose power and flexibility is matched by few, if any, of the current commercially available electronic calendars. Recommendations for features that should be included in electronic calendars and automatic schedulers are included.
Algorithm 663: Translation of Algorithm 539: basic linear algebra subprograms for FORTRAN usage in FORTRAN 200 for the Cyber 205
Authors: Margreet Louter-Nool
Venue: ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software (TOMS) (1988)

This paper describes the vectorization of the BLAS, a set of basic linear algebra subprograms for FORTRAN usage. The efficiency of the BLAS, as standard available on the CDC Cyber 205, has been examined, and suggestions for improvements were given. This examination has led to the vectorized BLAS as presented here. Moreover, this version admits negative increment values; that is, vectors can also be treated in reverse order. The number of data movements has been kept to a minimum. This BLAS version has been written in CDC FORTRAN 200. It has been optimized for a 1-pipe Cyber 205, but is also appropriate for the 2- and 4-pipe versions.
ADA on distributed hardware
Authors: R. A. Stammers
Venue: Proc. of the IFIP WG 10.3 workshop on Concurrent languages in distributed systems: hardware supported implementation (1984)

&hellip;the design of ADA is based on an implicit assumption of a hardware model with a single shared memory. This paper identifies the ADA facilities influenced by this invalid assumption. It proposes ways to overcome these weaknesses while restricting the power of the language as little as possible. &mdash;From the Author's Abstract
On constructing Karnaugh maps
Authors: Don Thompson
Venue: ACM SIGCSE Bulletin (1987)

Karnaugh [5] created a technique for finding the minimal sum of products form of a boolean function, a technique which is commonly included in the now popular Discrete Mathematics textbooks. Karnaugh maps are introduced in these texts as a topological bridge between boolean algebra and combinational networks, affording a technique for reducing the number of logic gates required to represent a boolean function. This paper will discuss a new, simple method for constructing Karnaugh maps recursively.
The effect of channel-exit protocols on the performance of finite population radom-access systems
Authors: Peter Mathys, Boi V. Faltings
Venue: Proceedings of the 1987 ACM SIGMETRICS conference on Measurement and modeling of computer systems (1987)

Random-access systems (RAS) for collision-type channels have been studied extensively under the assumption of an infinite population which generates a Poisson arrival process. If the population is finite and if the (practically desirable) free-access channel-access protocol is used, then it is shown that the specification of a channel-exit protocol is crucial for the stability and the fairness of the RAS. Free-exit and blocked-exit protocols are analyzed and it is concluded that the p-persistent blocked-exit protocol provides the mechanisms to assure stability and fairness for a wide range of arrival process models.
A Multilevel Parallel Processing Approach to Scene Labeling Problems
Authors: Hsi-Ho Liu, Amitava Das
Venue: IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (1988)

A parallel tree search procedure and multilevel array architectures are presented for scene labeling problems. In the scene labeling problem, when the number of variables is not large, e.g. less than 100, its solutions and search space are not expected to greatly increase with problem size. The multilevel arrays only use a polynomial number of processors at each level and a bus or mesh connection for interlevel communication. This approach is very efficient compared to the binary-tree machine if the number of nodes in the search tree of labeling problem increases polynomially with the number of variables. Because of its regular structure, the multilevel array is particularly suitable for VLSI implementation.
APL&mdash;compilation-where does the time come from?
Authors: Graham C. Driscoll,  Jr., Donald L. Orth
Venue: Proceedings of the international conference on APL: APL in transition (1987)

We have developed an experimental system to compile APL by translating it into a high-level language that has a compiler. The compiled functions can be called by the IBM APL2 interpreter through its name-association interface. Five of the ways in which use of our system saves execution time are discussed here. For scalar APL code, some savings result from the removal of all parsing and much checking for conformability and case at run time. Substantial savings sometimes arise from the feasibility of searching for a wider variety of special cases. Where they apply, such complications as non-zero comparison tolerances are costly; we avoid these costs and expect the programmer to take care of these complications explicitly at the relatively few points where they are needed. By combining loops where possible, we sometimes achieve significant savings. Finally, we conjecture that the greatest savings are most often due to our general method of combining primitive APL operations; we can often eliminate redundant computation and avoid storing and fetching temporary results. Examples are given.
Target-independent high-level microprogramming
Authors: W. C. Hopkins, M. J. Horton, C. S. Arnold
Venue: Proceedings of the 18th annual workshop on Microprogramming (1985)

We describe a system which allows high-level microprogramming without requiring programmer knowledge of the target architecture, depending instead on retargetable microcode generation and optimization. In the ideal system the code generation, microcode compaction, encoding and simulation are driven by a single description of the target microarchitecture. An initial implementation, which is now working for a real microprogrammable processor, demonstrates the feasibility of the key technologies.
Problems in modelling tasks and task views
Authors: Murray S. Mazer
Venue: Proceedings of the ACM SIGOIS and IEEECS TC-OA 1988 conference on Office information systems (1988)

We present the rudiments of a new theory of tasks and task views. The motivating idea is essentially as follows: in an environment in which several organizational agents cooperate to accomplish a common task, each of the agents need only know its own part of the task &mdash; this is the agent's task view. The underlying computer system may take responsibility for coordinating the actions among the different views. We discuss what task views are and why they are interesting. We also consider consistent task specification based on partial orderings of task actions and the problems involved. The major issues are the expressiveness of action conditions, tractable satisfaction of action conditions, and tractable testing for task consistency. Our notion of task consistency leads us to consider, among other things, the &ldquo;expressiveness versus tractability&rdquo; tradeoff encountered in knowledge representation, planning work, and a recent proposal for specification and refinement of office procedures.
Walsh-spectral test for GFSR pseudorandom numbers
Authors: Shu Tezuka
Venue: Communications of the ACM (1987)

By applying Weyl's criterion for k-distributivity to GFSR sequences, we derive a new theoretical test for investigating the statistical property of GFSR sequences. This test provides a very useful measure for examining the k-distribution, that is, the statistical independence of the k-tuple of successive terms of GFSR sequences. In the latter half of this paper, we describe an efficient procedure for performing this test and furnish experimental results obtained from applying it to several GFSR generators with prime period lengths.
Physical database design for relational databases
Authors: S. Finkelstein, M. Schkolnick, P. Tiberio
Venue: ACM Transactions on Database Systems (TODS) (1988)

This paper describes the concepts used in the implementation of DBDSGN, an experimental physical design tool for relational databases developed at the IBM San Jose Research Laboratory. Given a workload for System R (consisting of a set of SQL statements and their execution frequencies), DBDSGN suggests physical configurations for efficient performance. Each configuration consists of a set of indices and an ordering for each table. Workload statements are evaluated only for atomic configurations of indices, which have only one index per table. Costs for any configuration can be obtained from those of the atomic configurations. DBDSGN uses information supplied by the System R optimizer both to determine which columns might be worth indexing and to obtain estimates of the cost of executing statements in different configurations. The tool finds efficient solutions to the index-selection problem; if we assume the cost estimates supplied by the optimizer are the actual execution costs, it finds the optimal solution. Optionally, heuristics can be used to reduce execution time. The approach taken by DBDSGN in solving the index-selection problem for multiple-table statements significantly reduces the complexity of the problem. DBDSGN's principles were used in the Relational Design Tool (RDT), an IBM product based on DBDSGN, which performs design for SQL/DS, a relational system based on System R. System R actually uses DBDSGN's suggested solutions as the tool expects because cost estimates and other necessary information can be obtained from System R using a new SQL statement, the EXPLAIN statement. This illustrates how a system can export a model of its internal assumptions and behavior so that other systems (such as tools) can share this model.
An object-oriented approach to a large scientific application
Authors: Jonathan Jacky, Ira Kalet
Venue: ACM SIGPLAN Notices (1986)

We used an object-oriented design to build a large scientific application: simulation of radiation therapy treatments for cancer. We provide features familiar in the graphics workstation world, including graphic editing of the proposed treatment, multiple views of the treatment in different windows, and computations which proceed concurrently as the input data are being edited. To make our system practical for the typical clinic we used a popular minicomputer and the vendor's operating system and compiler. This paper describes how we implemented objects, inheritance, message passing, windows, and concurrency in (almost) standard Pascal on a VAX under VMS.
Adaptive interface design: a symmetric model and a knowledge-based implementation
Authors: Sherman W. Tyler, Siegfried Treu
Venue: Proceedings of the third ACM-SIGOIS conference on Office information systems (1986)

Adaptation in the user-system interface can be designed to benefit either the system or the user. This paper presents a general model to portray that symmetry and to describe the essential components of the user-oriented version of an adaptive interface system. A function-based interpretation of the process is also characterized. Finally, the types of knowledge bases upon which the adaptation is dependent are described with reference to a prototype system being implemented. Especially those users who have limited understanding of computer technology, such as the numerous workers in offices, are expected to be future beneficiaries of adaptive interface research.
A case example of human factors in product definition: needs finding for a voice output workstation for the blind
Authors: Richard M. Kane, Matthew Yuschik
Venue: ACM SIGCHI Bulletin (1987)

Human factors efforts can contribute to product design at every design phase from conception through evaluation of a product in the field. Early human factors involvement has certain advantages. The major advantage is that it can have greater &ldquo;leverage&rdquo; by influencing more far-reaching aspects of a product. Input at later design phases, on the other hand, may delay product schedules or require a major re-design effort. Input at earlier stages can diminish these problems. As a case example, a needs finding study for a voice output workstation for the blind is described. Users of these workstations participated in a semi-structured interview to determine their needs. Results identified specific features needed. The findings also indicated that the original scope of the project, word processing, should be broadened to include other applications.
Reducing the Branch Penalty in Pipelined Processors
Authors: David J. Lilja
Venue: Computer (1988)

A probabilistic model is developed to quantify the performance effects of the branch penalty in a typical pipeline. The branch penalty is analyzed as a function of the relative number of branch instructions executed and the probability that a branch is taken. The resulting model shows the fraction of maximum performance achievable under the given conditions. Techniques to reduce the branch penalty include static and dynamic branch prediction, the branch target buffer, the delayed branch, branch bypassing and multiple prefetching, branch folding, resolution of branch decision early in the pipeline, using multiple independent instruction streams in a shared pipeline, and the prepare-to-branch instruction.
Assessment of an effort to integrate computer functions in an engineering design firm
Authors: Jonathan A Morell, James Leemon
Venue: ACM SIGMIS Database (1986)

This study is an assessment of a large engineering design firm's efforts to integrate diverse elements of computer use. The integration effort had two elements: the implementation of workstations capable of integrating project management, analysis, text production and graphics production, and a communication function that allowed system users to access both each others' work and data stored in a variety of other computer systems. Methods used were questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Three basic issues were studied: differential affects of the system on professional and clerical workers, impact of the system on document production, and effects the system had on the nature of work in the organization. Observed changes included better document production, growing reliance on the system, and higher productivity. People did either more of the type of work they did prior to using the system, or the same amount of work but better. There was also an indication that some users were able to do tasks they previously sent to others. Explanations are proposed as to why two other effects were not detected-differential impacts on professional and clerical workers, and a shift in the nature of work in the organization.
The LINC was early and small
Authors: W. A. Clark
Venue: Proceedings of ACM conference on History of medical informatics (1987)

The LINC represents one of the earliest attempts to put the stored program computer into the form of a general instrument for laboratory use. In a deliberate departure from the technology of Timesharing then just beginning nearly two decades of development, the LINC was designed for use by individual experimenters and thus anticipated features of the modern personal computer and personal workstation. Built at M.I.T. in 1962, its immediate forebears were the TX-O, ARC-1, and L-1 computers, in turn direct descendents of the M.I.T. Whirlwind and MTC computers. Of course the LINC in its day was neither personal computer nor personal workstation but simply the LINC. The LINC was an outgrowth of interactions between two M.I.T. groups of scientists and engineers: the Communications Biophysics Laboratory interested in the quantification of neuro-electric activity, and the Lincoln Laboratory Digital Computer Group engaged in the development of advanced computers. Twelve LINCs were placed initially in biomedical research laboratories across the country under a unique NIH/NASA-sponsored evaluation program. Ultimately more than 1200 LINC or LINC variants were manufactured commercially for worldwide use. The basic system design went on to influence the design of the DEC PDP-4 and PDP-5 computers, which in turn helped to pave the way to the PDP-8.
Operating system projects on two simulated machines
Authors: James L. Wolfe
Venue: ACM SIGCSE Bulletin (1987)

Descriptions of the capabilities, implementation, and pedagogic worth of operating system projects based on two simulated machines are presented. One machine requires a batch-oriented operating system, involving a complete spooling system and multiprogramming. The other machine requires a terminal-oriented operating system that handles a command language and performs simple file operations. The simulators perform the actions of a real machine, monitor the operating system's performance as it handles simulated workloads, generate reports on the quality and quantity of service provided by the students' systems, and help the students debug their programs by providing traces and dumps on request.
Signal processing in SETI
Authors: D. K. Cullers, Ivan R. Linscott, Bernard M. Oliver
Venue: Communications of the ACM (1985)

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), now being planned at NASA, will require a prodigious amount of highly concurrent signal processing to be done in real time by special-purpose hardware.
MS-DOS Prolog implementations revisited
Authors: Hal Berghel, Richard Rankin, Sanjiv Bhatia
Venue: ACM SIGPLAN Notices (1988)

In an earlier article [11] we proposed a taxonomy for classification of PROLOG implementations. This analysis has been used by ourselves [1], [3], [11] and others [6] in evaluation of current microcomputer-based products. However, it has become out of date for several reasons. First, PROLOG has matured to the point where the language kernels have become comparable in functionality. Thus, many of the features which distinguished products a few years ago no longer do so. Conversely, increasing attention is being paid to extra-and metalogical support, so that there are now features which are distinguishing which were not, only a few years back. It is now quite reasonable to expect a PROLOG implementation to support graphics, virtual memory, modularization, and so forth. Thus, we offer a revision which is more in keeping with the current PROLOG offerings.
Using the LOGOS programming environment&mdash;a case history
Authors: Steve Chapman
Venue: ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad (1987)

LOGOS is a unique programming environment for the APL language. It provides a uniform framework within which APL systems can be created and maintained. This paper describes how LOGOS is used to manage and maintain a large, Sharp APL-based information management system, VIEWPOINT. A brief overview of both LOGOS and VIEWPOINT is presented, and the steps taken to retrofit VIEWPOINT into the LOGOS environment are traced. Emphasis is placed on the practical considerations and consequences of the conversion, and how the facilities of LOGOS are used in practice. Examples are given to demonstrate the effect LOGOS had in changing the way problems relating to the organization and management of VIEWPOINT were approached and solved. Finally, the paper describes areas in which LOGOS provided techniques to solve problems that might not otherwise have been addressed.
Advising roles of a computer consultant
Authors: J. McKendree, J. M. Carroll
Venue: ACM SIGCHI Bulletin (1986)

Several hours of advisory protocols from a consultant for Personal Computing were taped and analysed in terms of the role which the advisor played in the interaction. The advisor's role was determined by the user's initial approach and the advisor's perception of the needs of the user: informing the user about available information, defining terms or procedures, indexing into appropriate solution sources or methods for more complex problems or structuring a nebulous or poorly understood problem. A taxonomy of stages of information exchange is outlined and the patterns of alternation within each advisor role is described. We suggest implications of this study for the design of advisory systems.
Reliable communication in the presence of failures
Authors: Kenneth P. Birman, Thomas A. Joseph
Venue: ACM Transactions on Computer Systems (TOCS) (1987)

The design and correctness of a communication facility for a distributed computer system are reported on. The facility provides support for fault-tolerant process groups in the form of a family of reliable multicast protocols that can be used in both local- and wide-area networks. These protocols attain high levels of concurrency, while respecting application-specific delivery ordering constraints, and have varying cost and performance that depend on the degree of ordering desired. In particular, a protocol that enforces causal delivery orderings is introduced and shown to be a valuable alternative to conventional asynchronous communication protocols. The facility also ensures that the processes belonging to a fault-tolerant process group will observe consistent orderings of events affecting the group as a whole, including process failures, recoveries, migration, and dynamic changes to group properties like member rankings. A review of several uses for the protocols in the ISIS system, which supports fault-tolerant resilient objects and bulletin boards, illustrates the significant simplification of higher level algorithms made possible by our approach.
Graph translation schemes to generate compiler parts
Authors: Michael Sonnenschein
Venue: ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS) (1987)

Graph translation schemes (GTSs) are a generalization of attribute grammars and of some ideas in Koster's language CDL2 They are specially designed to support a compiler writer in defining parts of the back-end of his compiler, but they can also be useful for the specification of the analysis pass of a compiler. GTSs combine elements of functional and of algorithmic specification techniques to allow iterative attribute evaluation and attributing of program graphs. GTSs consist of only a few syntactical elements. We present operational semantics and discuss improvements in the efficiency of the proposed implementation of GTSs.
Computer science as the focus of a secondary school magnet program
Authors: Brian D. Monahan
Venue: Proceedings of the eighteenth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education (1987)

The &ldquo;Magnet Program&rdquo; is a concept that has received a great deal of attention, especially in urban school districts. A magnet program is one which is made available to students who live outside of the area which is usually served by the school in which the program is housed. A key requirement of any magnet program is that participation be voluntary. Students attend magnet programs to take advantage of what those programs offer. In many cases, students in magnet programs spend up to an hour traveling to school each day.