ppxscal/embedding_network huggingface dataset:
An input-checking function for APL systems
Authors: Richard Levine
Venue: Proceedings of the international conference on APL (1984)

The subject of this paper is an APL utility function with simple, powerful, and coherent input-checking features. The function requests from the user some specific input, validates it, and returns a result in &ldquo;massaged&rdquo; form. CHECK embodies a consistent user-friendly approach to dialogue. It allows the user to enter HELP, STOP, END, &ldquo;macros&rdquo;, and other special entries. It also allows the user fairly unrestricted access to native APL. These design features will enhance many large applications.
The complexity of the equivalence problem for counter machines, semilinear sets, and simple programs
Authors: Eitan M. Gurari, Oscar H. Ibarra
Venue: Proceedings of the eleventh annual ACM symposium on Theory of computing (1979)

It is shown that the class of relations (functions) definable by Presburger formulas is exactly the class of relations (functions) computable by finite-reversal multicounter machines. An upper bound of 2c(N/logN)4 on the deterministic time complexity of the equivalence problem for such machines is established. In fact, it is proved that the inequivalence problem is NP-complete. These results are used to derive some upper bounds on the complexity of the equivalence problem for semilinear sets and simple programs. For example, it is shown that the equivalence problem for semilinear sets (these sets are exactly the Presburger relations) is decidable in deterministic time 22cN2. A class of programs which realize exactly the relations (functions) definable by Presburger formulas is shown to have an NP-complete inequivalence problem. Hence, its equivalence problem is decidable in deterministic time 2p(N). This bound is a four-level exponential improvement over a previously known result.
A case for TOOLPACK
Authors: Webb Miller
Venue: ACM SIGNUM Newsletter (1979)

We propose a collaborative effort to develop a systematized collection of software tools for Fortran programming.
Software Engineering session overview and introductory comments
Authors: Murray R. Berkowitz
Venue: Proceedings of the ACM '82 conference (1982)

For the fourth consecutive year, the National ACM Conference is giving attention to the field of Software Engineering. This year builds on what has gone before&mdash;&ldquo;Structured Program Planning and Design: Standardization Needs&rdquo; (ACM '79 - Detroit), &ldquo;More on Structured Design&rdquo; (ACM '80 - Nashville), and the &ldquo;Software Engineering Tutorial&rdquo; (ACM '81 - Los Angeles)&mdash;providing for some measure of continuity. This session contains original papers stressing techniques for implementing reliable, maintainable, well-engineered software. Presented are state-of-the-art applications of software engineering techniques addressing architectural, structural, behavioral, and informational considerations. The Ariel Pashtan paper &ldquo;Object Oriented Operating Systems: An Emerging Design Methodology&rdquo; emphasizes architectural considerations. This survey analyzes eight major operating systems. These operating systems undergo a functional decomposition with a view toward the behavioral and informational requirements by way of the object model concept. Pashtan shows us how object implementation techniques may be applied and leaves us to consider &ldquo;whether 'thinking in terms of objects' will become a standard design methology for operating systems&rdquo;.
Philosophic comments on data base context and management in design automation
Authors: Edwin B. Hassler,  Jr.
Venue: Proceedings of the 11th Design Automation Workshop (1974)

The word &ldquo;context&rdquo; in the title is chosen quite specifically. In design automation the data base structure and organization are relevant but not of primary concern: rather, the content of a data base and its interaction with various processes are of greater importance. It might appear that the word &ldquo;environment&rdquo; is more appropriate in this context, but this is true only if it is further qualified. Therefore, I have chosen to use the word &ldquo;context&rdquo;, since where a design automation data base is utilized it should explain its own meaning by virtue of being there; otherwise, it is not performing the function for which it was designed. The words &ldquo;design automation&rdquo; are not well defined in common usage. In the eyes of some people design automation is a very restrictive discipline relating only to the actual design of a device as small as a circuit composed of only a few electrical components, or a piece of mechanical cabinetry. Design automation in its broadest sense must be concerned with the life of a device from conception to end of life. Under this definition of design automation a device is a complete entity.
Distributed ray tracing
Authors: Robert L. Cook, Thomas Porter, Loren Carpenter
Venue: ACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics (1984)

Ray tracing is one of the most elegant techniques in computer graphics. Many phenomena that are difficult or impossible with other techniques are simple with ray tracing, including shadows, reflections, and refracted light. Ray directions, however, have been determined precisely, and this has limited the capabilities of ray tracing. By distributing the directions of the rays according to the analytic function they sample, ray tracing can incorporate fuzzy phenomena. This provides correct and easy solutions to some previously unsolved or partially solved problems, including motion blur, depth of field, penumbras, translucency, and fuzzy reflections. Motion blur and depth of field calculations can be integrated with the visible surface calculations, avoiding the problems found in previous methods.
A theoretical analysis of the role of documentation in the comprehension of computer programs
Authors: Ruven Brooks
Venue: Proceedings of the 1982 conference on Human factors in computing systems (1982)

The Problem of Optimizing Computer Program Documentation Thls assessment is entlrely by trial and error, usually of the most informal and anecdotal kind. Given the propensity of computer sclence to invent and propose new kinds of documentation, a useful task for engineerlng psychology is the development of a set of design guides for the selection of these devices. Not only would such information be useful for assessing new devices, but it could also be used to suggest where existing devices could be improved. Hence, development of such design guides is a task of immediate and practical relevance to improving software development and maintenance.
Uses of simulation in the design of large scale information systems
Authors: J. M. Jenkins, R. G. Maher
Venue: Proceedings of the second conference on Applications of simulations (1968)

The Business Information System we will describe is a combination of four different concepts: 1. Information Retrieval - fixed inquiry response. 2. Data Processing - mechanization of clerical activity. 3. Management Information Processing - response to semi-structured inquiry with minor scientific processing. 4. Scientific Processing - one-shot or low repetition mathematically oriented processing. As shown in Figure 1, current plans call for each of the systems to be implemented by 9 computer complexes, each of which is composed of one or more central processors. A message switching communications processor is used to tie these computers into a unified system. Our uses of simulation are concerned with the evaluation of preliminary and detail designs of the aforementioned system. The simulations fall into five major classes: 1. Internal processes 2. Communications networks 3. Manual and man/machine studies 4. Computer complex simulations 5. Total system simulations The material presented discusses not only the approaches adopted, but also compares and evaluates alternative approaches which are available. The objective is to provide a set of guidelines which may be helpful to others.
Modeling polyhedral solids bounded by multi-curved parametric surfaces
Authors: Yehuda E. Kalay
Venue: Proceedings of the 19th Design Automation Conference (1982)

Since the beginning of geometric modeling as a field of CAD a decade ago, the methods for interactive design of solid objects and interactive design of free-formed surfaces (of degree 3 and higher) were developed along parallel but disjoint strands. One led to the development of techniques for representing and manipulating the shape of polyhedral solids bounded mostly by planes, while the other led to the development of techniques for the mathematical representation of curved surfaces, without paying attention to their combination into volumetric solids. Though the need for integrating solid object modeling with surface modeling for the design of such artifacts as machine parts, aircraft, cars and ships has been widely recognized, there is so-far no modeling system which provides such capabilities in a general way. An integrated solids modeling system for representing and manipulating polyhedral objects bounded by bicubic parametric surfaces, is presented. Its basic capabilities include the representation of solids through a surface-based model, such that the surface underlying any face can be replaced by another surface that has been modeled independently. Other functionalities include scaling, rotation and translation of shapes, and their pairwise combination into more complex shapes by means of spatial set operators.
The relational data model for CAD(Tutorial/Panel/Workshop): Close encounters of the third normal form
Authors: Stanley Wong
Venue: Proceedings of the 20th Design Automation Conference (1983)

The relational data model has been gaining steady acceptance by the design automation community. Although it has existed for many years and is currently all the rage in the data base research community, its acceptance by the DA community has been slow. The goal of this session will be to explore the role and applicability of the relational data model for CAD applications, primarily as applied to the design of digital electronic components and systems.
Now you may compose temporal logic specifications
Authors: Howard Barringer, Ruurd Kuiper, Amir Pnueli
Venue: Proceedings of the sixteenth annual ACM symposium on Theory of computing (1984)

A compositional temporal logic proof system for the specification and verification of concurrent programs is presented. Versions of the system are developed for shared variables and communication based programming languages that include procedures.
An environment for producing well-engineered microcomputer software
Authors: R. Sterling Eanes, Carl K. Hitchon, Richard M. Thall, John W. Brackett
Venue: Proceedings of the 4th international conference on Software engineering (1979)

The Microprocessor Software Engineering Facility (MSEF) is an integrated set of software tools to support the development and maintenance of microcomputer software. The MSEF is hosted on a PDP-11 computer under the UNIX operating system but could support the production of software for many different microcomputers. The MSEF Change Control Library promotes defining, updating, and integrating parts of a software configuration, isolation of user work environments, and version control. The MSEF supports the organized testing of software components by associating test scenarios and test results with the components to be tested. The MSEF also provides automatic change logging with a configuration audit trail. A macro assembler supporting structured langauge constructs is included in the tool complement.
Measurement criteria for virtual memory paging rules
Authors: John W. McCredie,  Jr.
Venue: Proceedings of the 1969 24th national conference (1969)

Systems analysts are designing algorithms to reduce the large overhead costs of present paging schemes in virtual memory computer systems. In this paper an analytic and a simulation model expose serious deficiencies of a well known definition of a &ldquo;bad replacement&rdquo; in such systems. The use of this complex definition to evaluate replacement rules can actually lead to degraded performance. A simpler definition is proposed. The analysis indicates that for the class of problems studied, simulation techniques appear to have advantages over probabilistic models.
A word processing application for inexperienced users
Authors: Geoffrey D. Alexander
Venue: Proceedings of the 9th annual ACM SIGUCCS conference on User services (1981)

With the introduction of high quality printers into the university computer center environment, a new type of user emerges. This user, usually untrained in the use of computers, presents many challenges for the computer center staff. Application programs must be written to allow the inexperienced user to obtain the benefits of the high quality printer with a minimal amount of training. One such application developed at Clemson is the THESIS program. Written in Waterloo SCRIPT, THESIS allows graduate students to format theses and dissertations in accordance with the Clemson University Graduate School's requirements. This paper will discuss the development of THESIS with regard to the ease of use, the documentation prepared for THESIS, and the types of questions frequently asked by graduate students using THESIS.
Teaching machine programs that generate problems as a function of interaction with students
Authors: Leonard Uhr
Venue: Proceedings of the 1969 24th national conference (1969)

This paper presents and describes a computer program that will generate specific problems to give a student that are tailor made to his performance. The program is initially given only general specifications for the type of problem. At run time, as a function of the student's successes and failures, the program a) computes appropriate hints, b) decides whether to make the next problem easier or more difficult, c) computes the next problem, d) outputs it to the student, e) computes the answer to the problem, and f) compares the student's answer with its computed answer. The hints and problem types coded into the present program are relatively simple, but it appears that this method can be extended to handle a wide variety of content areas, including arithmetic, algebra, logic, and the teaching of facts, as in civics, geography, and foreign languages. This method in effect has the computer write the programmed instructional materials. The human being need no longer write the detailed frames, but instead writes the general problem types, and the computer code that generates particular problems from them. The program is now also in a position to generate problems that are especially appropriate for and tailor-made to the student's current state of knowledge.
An approach towards reliable software
Authors: J. C. Rault
Venue: Proceedings of the 4th international conference on Software engineering (1979)

After recalling the various general approaches to reliable software, this paper stresses the necessity and rationale for quantitative and/or automated assessment of software &ldquo;reliability&rdquo; and &ldquo;quality&rdquo;. As an illustration, techniques for quantitative evaluation of software reliability are first surveyed. Then, a more general scheme that encompasses software reliability as a particular case is proposed; software quality is shown to be dependent on various factors that can be control led or measured through a set of analyzers and computer aids. In the author's opinion, the proposed control and measurement procedures, still quite unexploited, should profitably supplement the other more conventional approaches to reliable software.
The impact of professionalization efforts on the computer manager (Panel)
Authors: Malcolm H. Gotterer
Venue: Proceedings of the 1971 26th annual conference (1971)

The computer specialist has changed drastically in the last two decades. With the initial installation of computers people were recruited from many walks of life to work with this new technology. There was little educational opportunities except courses by hardware manufacturers and technical manuals. The initial group therefore had to learn much by trial and error and there was emphasis on communications between specialists for the purpose of sharing experience. Slowly an organized body of knowledge has been emergiing so that courses, both formal and informal, may be offered in many computer techniques. Curriculums for training computer specialists have been developed so that today past-high school education leading to the degrees of Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctor can be earned in such fields as computer science, management information systems, data processing information science and others. Another force in the development of computer specialists has been the professional societies. While comparatively few actually belong to these organizations it is reasonable to state that their influence has been greater than only the numbers of members. Attendance at meetings where technical data is exchanged has been high. Readership of publications is also high. The importance of these non academic information exchanges can not be overlooked or underestimated.
The role of the computer in ethnographic analysis (abstract only)
Authors: Paul Beynon Davies
Venue: Proceedings of the joint conference on Easier and more productive use of computer systems. (Part - I): Information processing in the social sciences and humanities - Volume 1981 (1981)

Art and architecture literature presents indexing difficulties due to the absence of a recognized controlled vocabulary. A recent investigation showed a number of independent partial efforts targeted to local needs. The Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) group is building on the experience of others to create a unified, hierarchical thesaurus for these fields. Although the thesaurus itself will be in machine "readable form, the real value of automation will be the ability to search hierarchically the literature indexed with the AAT.
Experimenting an Indoor Bluetooth-Based Positioning Service
Authors: G. Anastasi, R. Bandelloni, M. Conti, F. Delmastro, E. Gregori, G. Mainetto
Venue: Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (2003)

The Bluetooth wireless technology is an emerging technology originally designed as a short-range connectivity solution for personal, portable, and handheld electronic devices. This paper briefly presents the functionality and the architecture of an indoor positioning service based on this technology. Most of the design choices for the service have been stronglyinfluenced by Bluetooth features. The effectiveness of the indoor positioning service is critically analyzed. Experimental and simulation results used for defining the policy of mobile device discovery are shown.
A new technique for improving the quality of computer programs
Authors: R. S. Scowen
Venue: Proceedings of the 4th international conference on Software engineering (1979)

A new rule is proposed for computer systems: Every item of data stored by a computer program should subsequently be read; if not, a program must state explicitly whenever it wishes to overwrite or destroy an unused value. This rule is unknown in previous computer systems, yet violations usually indicate a confusing, incorrect or inefficient program. Many programming errors also manifest themselves as violations of this rule. The idea has been tested on practical programs by modifying a compiler used at NPL. The results are encouraging: when programs are being developed sources of inefficiency are often indicated and many errors show themselves more rapidly. The new rule is no hindrance when writing clear well-structured programs, but confused or obscure programs are more difficult to get (almost!) working. The technique can be implemented in suitably designed hardware very cheaply and easily.
On Euclid's algorithm and the computation of polynomial greatest common divisors
Authors: W. S. Brown
Venue: Proceedings of the second ACM symposium on Symbolic and algebraic manipulation (1971)

This paper examines the computation of polynomial greatest common divisors by various generalizations of Euclid's algorithm. The phenomenon of coefficient growth is described, and the history of successful efforts first to control it and then to eliminate it is related. The recently developed modular algorithm is presented in careful detail, with special attention to the case of multivariate polynomials. The computing times for the subresultant PRS algorithm, which is essentially the best of its kind, and for the modular algorithm are analyzed, and it is shown that the modular algorithm is markedly superior. In fact, the modular algorithm can obtain a GCD in less time than is required to verify it by classical division.
MARS - Missouri Automated Radiology System, computer graphics in an automated department
Authors: D. J. Manson, James L. Lehr, G. S. Lodwick
Venue: Proceedings of the 1972 SIGGRAPH seminar on Computer graphics in medicine (1972)

One begins increasingly to hear the phrase &ldquo;out of control&rdquo; in reference to rising health care costs. Whether or not the health care system is out of control, cost projections are beginning to approach 10% of the gross national product. A very small percent of health care costs represent the application of technology in medicine; computer automation techniques offer the promise to both increase the quality of health care and reduce costs. Our effort has been to apply these techniques to an entire department of Radiology and thus to test the cost effectiveness of automated health care in the clinical context. I am reporting today on modules of our system that involve the use of computer graphics. I should like first to make a philosophical point. The concept of a total hospital information system is logically prior to that of any particular department. We begin by postulating that such a system will include a central file with selective access. By constructing a system that meets the needs of our department we will (1) have guaranteed the peripheral specification necessary to any system; 2) demonstrated a model for information processing applicable to other departments with similar information requirements; and 3) be ready to aid in the integration of intra-department information systems when they are ready. This paper is concerned I ) with the medical information system being transferred to a small stand-alone computer; 2) with the system test of a 35 mm radiographic imaging system; 3) computer assisted diagnosis and 4) direct computer diagnosis from chest radiographs.
Interactive proof checking
Authors: Thomas Reps, Bowen Alpern
Venue: Proceedings of the 11th ACM SIGACT-SIGPLAN symposium on Principles of programming languages (1984)

Knowledge of logical inference rules allows a specialized proof editor to provide a user with feedback about errors in a proof under development. Providing such feedback involves checking a collection of constraints on the strings of the proof language. Because attribute grammars allow such constraints to be expressed in a modular, declarative fashion, they are a suitable underlying formalism for a proof-checking editor. This paper discusses how an attribute grammar can be used in an editor for partial-correctness program proofs in Hoare-style logic, where verification conditions are proved using the sequent calculus.
Macrognosographics: A reason to keep flowcharting
Authors: Richard K. Brewer
Venue: Proceedings of the seventh SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education (1977)

Several rationales for flowcharting computer programs are discussed along with weaknesses, strengths, and current trends. One often over-looked motivation is the use of &ldquo;macro-flowcharts&rdquo; to compare, for pedagogical reasons, the gross features of various classes of processes involved in applied programs. The techniques and virtues of this approach are the focus of the paper.