ppxscal/embedding_network huggingface dataset:
The management of information systems occupations: A research agenda
Authors: Jon A Turner, Jack J Baroudi
Venue: ACM SIGCPR Computer Personnel (1986)

It is accepted, generally, that Information Systems (IS) personnel have specific needs and present a unique set of problems for management. This position is challenged. It is our contention that IS personnel exhibit relatively few differences when compared with other, similar, occupational groupings. This does not imply, however, that the unique aspects of IS work are unimportant, or that attention need not be focused on understanding the determinants of particular behavioral outcomes. Rather, it suggests, that the effective management of the IS human resource may well rest more on general management practices than is commonly believed.This paper identifies managerial complaints about IS personnel and provides a summary of research findings. A model, based on accepted principles of worker behavior, intended to integrate much of the previous work, is presented. The IS staff is classified into categories and propositions about each are developed. Specific research questions are formulated which, when answered, will provide more insight into the unique aspects of IS work and will identify managerial strategies for improving employee performance and well being.
Micros and minis - conflict resolution
Authors: Allan Haverkamp
Venue: Proceedings of the 15th annual ACM SIGUCCS conference on User Services (1987)

Micro computers situated in micro computer labs and the desire of faculty to switch to using micro computers and micro-based packages as a tool for teaching is growing rapidly on campuses. This can have its advantages but also, from an economic as well as a practical point of view, is often loaded with disadvantages which can far outweigh the advantages of using a mini or mainframe computer. This paper will focus on some of the advantages and disadvantages, both the obvious and the sometimes obscure, which surround the micro vs. mini or mainframe tool for teaching. From an economic standpoint the discussion will point out the costs of maintaining a micro lab on a cost per student basis taking into account not only the initial hardware and software costs, but also the cost of system administration and hardware maintenance. From a practical standpoint the discussion will point out what little differences there are between packages which can be used on a micro and similar packages that can be used on a mainframe and how easily a student can adapt to using a slightly different but similar-in-purpose package. While it is important that a student be taught how to use tools such as a fourth generation language and a spreadsheet package, that fourth generation language or spreadsheet package does not have to be the most popular package being used on micros. There are very good fourth generation packages and spreadsheet packages available for minis and mainframes.
Idea for a mind
Authors: John V. Jackson
Venue: Issue 101 (July 1987) (1987)

"A computer can only do what it's been told to do." Is this really true? The Japanese have made disproving this notion a national objective. One of the best answers to it is still "What if you teach a computer how to think?" The counter riposte might then be "But there are no rules for thinking. The best thinking is inspirational, creative. No one knows How this is done."
Let's motivate]
Authors: Alan L. Tharp
Venue: ACM SIGCSE Bulletin (1987)

Few endeavors are successful without the proper preparation. For students to learn successfully, they must be prepared for the task; they must be motivated. In the past, much of this motivation has come from sources beyond the classroom. The instructor has had to do little to motivate the students as long as he did not discourage them. Those external motivational factors are not as prominent as they once were and this circumstance places more of the responsibility for motivating the students on the instructor. This paper, which suggests procedures for motivating students, is intended to emphasize the importance of motivation in learning and to foster an awareness of it. The paper also notes the need for greater recognition for those who provide the motivation, that is, the instructors.
Software for neural networks
Authors: James A. Anderson, Edward J. Wisniewski, Susan R. Viscuso
Venue: ACM SIGARCH Computer Architecture News (1988)

Neural networks "compute" though not in the way that traditional computers do. It is necessary to accept their weaknesses to use their strengths. We discuss some of the assumptions and constraints that govern operation of neural nets, describe one particular non-linear network---the BSB model---in a little detail, and present two applications of neural network computations to illustrate some of the peculiarities inherent in this architecture. We show how a network can be trained to estimate answers to simple multiplication problems and how a network can be used to disambiguate lexical items by context. In both examples, the way information is represented in the pattern of system unit activities is at least as important as the details of the learning and retrieval algorithms used.
Recovery management in QuickSilver
Authors: Rober Haskin, Yoni Malachi, Gregory Chan
Venue: ACM Transactions on Computer Systems (TOCS) (1988)

This paper describes QuickSilver, developed at the IBM Almaden Research Center, which uses atomic transactions as a unified failure recovery mechanism for a client-server structured distributed system. Transactions allow failure atomicity for related activities at a single server or at a number of independent servers. Rather than bundling transaction management into a dedicated language or recoverable object manager, Quicksilver exposes the basic commit protocol and log recovery primitives, allowing clients and servers to tailor their recovery techniques to their specific needs. Servers can implement their own log recovery protocols rather than being required to use a system-defined protocol. These decisions allow servers to make their own choices to balance simplicity, efficiency, and recoverability.
Version modeling concepts for computer-aided design databases
Authors: Randy H. Katz, Ellis Chang, Rajiv Bhateja
Venue: Proceedings of the 1986 ACM SIGMOD international conference on Management of data (1986)

We describe a semantic object-oriented data model for representing how a complex design database evolves over time. Structural relationships, introduced by the data management system, are imposed on the objects created by existing CAD tools. The relationships supported by the model are (1) version histories, (2) time-varying configurations, and (3) equivalences among objects of different types. We describe mechanisms for (1) identifying current versions, (2) supporting dynamic configuration binding, and (3) verifying equivalence relationships. The data model is being implemented in a Version Server, under development at the University of California, Berkeley.
Image rendering by adaptive refinement
Authors: Larry Bergman, Henry Fuchs, Eric Grant, Susan Spach
Venue: ACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics (1986)

This paper describes techniques for improving the performance of image rendering on personal workstations by using CPU cycles going idle while the user is examining a static image on the screen. In that spirit, we believe that a renderer's work is never done. Our goal is to convey the most information to the user as early as possible, with image quality constantly improving with time. We do this by first generating a crude image rapidly and then adaptively refining it where necessary as long as the user does not change viewing parameters. The renderer operates in a succession of phases, first displaying only vertices of polygons, next polygon edges, then flat shading polygons, then shadowing polygons, then Gouraud shading polygons, then Phong shading polygons, and finally anti-aliasing. Performance is enhanced by each phase using results from previous phases and trimming the amount of data needed by the next phase. In this way, only a fraction of the pixels in an image may be Phong shaded while the rest may be Gouraud or flat shaded. Similarly anti-aliasing is performed only on pixels around which there is significant color change. The system features fast response to user intervention, encourages user intervention at any moment, and makes useful the idle cycles in a personal computer.
Extending IDL to support concurrent views
Authors: D. Garlan
Venue: ACM SIGPLAN Notices (1987)

Derivation and refinement in IDL currently provide kinds of views in the sense that two IDL structures can describe the same data in different ways. But derivation and refinement are limited in that (a) they do not support concurrent access to shared information and (b) the range of differences between derived views is quite restricted. In this paper we outline an architecture in which IDL is extended to correct these problems. This design allows a collection of IDL-based tools to access a common object base concurrently through views defined as (extended) IDL structures. Mappings between views are provided automatically by the IDL translator and database support mechanisms.
User modeling in UC, the UNIX consultant
Authors: D. N. Chin
Venue: ACM SIGCHI Bulletin (1986)

UC is a natural language computer consultant system for the UNIX operating system. The user model in UC encodes the user's knowledge state and allows UC to tailor its responses to the user. The model encodes apriori knowledge in a double stereotype system that is extremely efficient. Models of individual users are updated dynamically and build on top of the user's stereotype. The model deals with uncertainty in apriori information and attempts to deduce the user's level during the course of a session.
Wireless intraoffice networks
Authors: K. Pahlavan
Venue: ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS) (1988)

An overview of the existing and growing demands for wireless office information networks is provided, and the existing research activities are assessed in some detail. The radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) communication technologies are examined as candidates for wireless intraoffice communications. The available bandwidths, according to federal regulations and characteristics of the channel for RF communications, are given. Digital narrow-band and wideband spread-spectrum RF communications are assessed in terms of supportable data rate or number of simultaneous users in one cell of a cellular architecture in an office environment. Various limitations of IR communications are discussed and existing systems and architectures are reviewed.
Semantic data modeling support for CAD
Authors: J. R. Bedell, F. J. Maryanski
Venue: Proceedings of the 1987 Fall Joint Computer Conference on Exploring technology: today and tomorrow (1987)

The Scrimshaw system is an interactive design tool that supports the creation and editing of three-dimensional hierarchically detailed graphical objects. Scrimshaw is based on an object-oriented data model that permits the construction of arbitrary images. Object types are organized in an is-instance-of hierarchy that provides for inheritance. A locality mechanism adds flexibility by permitting minor deviations in typing without the creation of numerous subtypes. The functionality of Scrimshaw is illustrated by an extensive example of its object-editing capabilities.
Multiple Stuck-Open Fault Detection in CMOS Logic Circuits
Authors: Niraj K. Jha
Venue: IEEE Transactions on Computers (1988)

It is shown that a test set based on two-pattern tests, which are designed to detect single stuck-open faults, can be found that detects all multiple stuck-open faults inside any CMOS gate in the circuit. The concept is extended to three-pattern tests, which are obtained for every single stuck-open fault at the checkpoints. If a certain condition is satisfied, then it can be shown that the resulting test set can detect any multiple stuck-open fault in the circuit. Even when this condition is not fully met, a very large percentage of the multiple stuck-open faults can still be guaranteed to be detected. For the special case of fan-out-free CMOS circuits, it is shown that a single stuck-open fault test set based on two-pattern tests can always be found that has 100% multiple stuck-open fault coverage. This test can also be guaranteed to be robust in the presence of arbitrary delays.
On the power of the frame buffer
Authors: Alain Fournier, Donald Fussell
Venue: ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG) (1988)

Raster graphics displays are almost always refreshed out of a frame buffer in which a digital representation of the currently visible image is kept. The availability of the frame buffer as a two-dimensional memory array representing the displayable area in a screen coordinate system has motivated the development of algorithms that take advantage of this memory for more than just picture storage. The classic example of such an algorithm is the depth buffer algorithm for determining visible surfaces of a three-dimensional scene. This paper constitutes a first attempt at a disciplined analysis of the power of a frame buffer seen as a computational engine for use in graphics algorithms. We show the inherent power of frame buffers to perform a number of graphics algorithms in terms of the number of data fields (registers) required per pixel, the types of operations allowed on these registers, and the input data. In addition to upper bounds given by these algorithms, we prove lower bounds for most of them and show most of these algorithms to be optimal. One result of this study is the introduction of new frame buffer algorithms for computing realistic shadows and for determining the convex intersection of half spaces, an operation important in computational geometry and in rendering objects defined using planes rather than polygons. Another result is that it shows clearly the relationships between different and important areas of research in computer graphics, such as visible surface determination, compositing, and hardware for smart frame buffers.
Dialogue management for gestural interfaces
Authors: J Rhyne
Venue: ACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics (1987)

Gestural interfaces are electronic analogues to pencil and paper. Since the effectiveness of such interfaces depends heavily on enduser familiarity with pencil markup of printed documents, the interface must conform to the user's behaviour and not rely on educating the enduser. Spatial relationships among the gestural forms partially determine the syntactic interpretation of gestures, along with information about the context in the neighborhood of the gesture. Temporal grouping of gestural forms is more important than their temporal sequence. Such characteristics suggest a form of dialogue recognition in which rules do not specify temporal ordering of forms, and in which multiple parses are carried out in parallel.
Strategies found to be effective in the control of computer crime in the Forbes 500 Corporations
Authors: Joseph O'Donoghue
Venue: ACM SIGSAC Review (1987)

This report on corporate computer crime is based on confidential data supplied by 184 major United States corporations. All of the participating corporations are members of the 1985 "Forbes 500" list of the largest United States firms, as prepared by the editors of Forbes magazine. In determining membership the editors follow four basic measures: 1) revenues, 2) net profits, 3) total assets, and 4) stock market value. A ranking among the top 500 United States corporations in any single measure will place a corporation on the collective list. The list, thus constructed, includes a total of 785 major United States corporations.
Automated theorem proving: the resolution method
Authors: R. Peikert
Venue: ACM SIGSAM Bulletin (1987)

The goal of this project is to learn the basic notions of predicate logic and of automated theorem proving. A small theorem prover written in LISP has been taken from [1] and can be used for this project. Knowledge of the programming language LISP is required only for the optional part of the project.
A random NC algorithm for depth first search
Authors: A. Aggarwal, R. Anderson
Venue: Proceedings of the nineteenth annual ACM symposium on Theory of computing (1987)

In this paper we present a fast parallel algorithm for constructing a depth first search tree for an undirected graph. The algorithm is an RNC algorithm, meaning that it is a probabilistic algorithm that runs in polylog time using a polynomial number of processors on a P-RAM. The run time of the algorithm is &Ogr;(TMM(n)log3n), and the number of processors used is PMM(n) where TMM(n) and PMM(n) are the time and number of processors needed to find a minimum weight perfect matching on an n vertex graph with maximum edge weight n.
COBOL on a PC: a new perspective on a language and its performance
Authors: Paul J. Jalics
Venue: Communications of the ACM (1987)

A comparison of Cobol performance on the PC AT Enhanced versus an IBM 370 mainframe suggests that high-quality PC compiler implementations&mdash;combined with the new language features of the Cobol 85 Standard&mdash;are improving the PC environment for Cobol to the point where serious applications can now be developed and debugged on the PC, either to be run on the PC itself, or for eventual uploading to a mainframe.
Transporting the linguistic string project system from a medical to a Navy domain
Authors: Elaine Marsh, Carol Friedman
Venue: ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS) (1985)

The Linguistic String Project (LSP) natural language processing system has been developed as a domain-independent natural language processing system. Initially utilized for processing sets of medical messages and other texts in the medical domain, it has been used at the Naval Research Laboratory for processing Navy messages about shipboard equipment failures. This paper describes the structure of the LSP system and the features that make it transportable from one domain to another. The processing procedures encourage the isolation of domain-specific information, yet take advantage of the syntactic and semantic similarities between the medical and Navy domains. From our experience in transporting the LSP system, we identify the features that are required for transportable natural language systems.
A Clustering Approximation Technique for Queueing Network Models with a Large Number of Chains
Authors: E de Souza e Silva, S S Lavenberg, R R Muntz
Venue: IEEE Transactions on Computers (1986)

The past few years have witnessed an increasing number of large distributed computer system implementations based on local area networks. In these systems a number of resources (CPU's, file servers, disks, etc.) are shared among jobs originating at different sites. Evaluating the performance of such large systems typically requires the solution of a queueing network model with a large number of closed chains, which precludes the use of exact solution techniques. Therefore, it is important to develop accurate and cost-effective methods for the approximate analysis of closed queueing networks with many chains. In this paper, we present an approach based on the clustering of chains and service centers. The method is applicable to queueing networks with single server fixed rate, infimite server and multiple server service centers. We present the results obtained when the method is used to solve large queueing network models. Extensive comparison of this method to existing approximation techniques indicates that the approach has better accuracy/cost characteristics.
Relativizing complexity classes with sparse oracles
Authors: Timothy J. Long, Alan L. Selman
Venue: Journal of the ACM (JACM) (1986)

Baker, Gill, and Solovay constructed sparse sets A and B such that P(A) &ne; NP(A) and NP(B) &ne; co-NP(B). In contrast to their results, we prove that P = NP if and only if for every tally language T, P(T) = NP( T), and that NP = co-NP if and only if for every tally language T, NP(T) = co-NP(T). We show that the polynomial hierarchy collapses if and only if there is a sparse set S such that the polynomial hierarchy relative to S collapses. Similar results are obtained for several other complexity classes.
A fast parallel algorithm for the maximal independent set problem
Authors: Richard M. Karp, Avi Wigderson
Venue: Journal of the ACM (JACM) (1985)

A parallel algorithm is presented that accepts as input a graph G and produces a maximal independent set of vertices in G. On a P-RAM without the concurrent write or concurrent read features, the algorithm executes in O((log n)4) time and uses O((n/(log n))3) processors, where n is the number of vertices in G. The algorithm has several novel features that may find other applications. These include the use of balanced incomplete block designs to replace random sampling by deterministic sampling, and the use of a &ldquo;dynamic pigeonhole principle&rdquo; that generalizes the conventional pigeonhole principle.
An object-oriented approach to algebra system design
Authors: S. K. Abdali, Guy W. Cherry, Neil Soiffer
Venue: Proceedings of the fifth ACM symposium on Symbolic and algebraic computation (1986)

This paper describes a new computer algebra system design based on the object-oriented style of programming and an implementation of this design, called Views, written in Smalltalk-80. The design is similar in goals to other 'new' generation computer algebra systems, by allowing the runtime creation of computational domains and providing a way to view these domains as members of categories such as 'group', 'ring' or 'field'. However, Views introduces several unique features. The most notable is the strong distinction made between a domain and its view as a member of a particular category. This distinction between the implementation of a domain and its adherence to a set of algebraic laws allows a great degree of flexibility when choosing the algebraic structures that are to be active during a computation. It also allows for a richer variety of interrelationships among categories than exhibited in other systems.
An evaluation of branch architectures
Authors: J. A. DeRosa, H. M. Levy
Venue: Proceedings of the 14th annual international symposium on Computer architecture (1987)

Branch instructions form a significant fraction of executed instructions, and their design is thus a crucial component of any architecture. This paper examines three alternatives in the design of branch instructions: delayed vs. non-delayed branches, one- vs. two-instruction branches, and the use or non-use of condition codes. Simulation and analytical techniques are used to provide quantitative comparisons between these choices.
A comparison of four design methods for real-time systems
Authors: J. C. Kelly
Venue: Proceedings of the 9th international conference on Software Engineering (1987)

The purpose of this paper is to compare four design methods which are of current interest in real-time software development. The comparison presents the relative strengths and weakness of each method with additional information on graphic notation and the recommended sequence of steps involved in the use of each method. The methods selected for comparison were:STRUCTURED DESIGN FOR REAL-TIME SYSTEMSOBJECT ORIENTED DESIGNPAMELA (Process Abstraction Method for Embedded Large Applications)SCR (Software Cost Reduction project - Naval Research Laboratory) Readers interested in a framework for comparing methods, an overview of the four selected methodologies, and an aid to narrowing candidates for adoption should find this find this paper helpful.