ppxscal/embedding_network huggingface dataset:
A node-centric analysis of metagraphs and its applications to workflow models
Authors: Vincent Yen
Venue: Enterprise Information Systems (2007)

Business processes and its related workflow systems have received greater interest in practice and research in the last decade. Many analytical methodologies for analysis and design of workflow systems emerged. A recent formal approach to study workflows using a graph-theoretic method called 'metagraphs' has demonstrated effectiveness for analysing connectivity and interactions of information and resources between workflow components. However, past works in analysis of metagraph are element-based. Since nodes in metagraphs represent either the input or output of an activity it is natural to process information contained in a node taken as a unit. This paper takes a node-centric view on metagraphs that is a major departure from the element-based approach today. The change in focus requires provisioning an analysis framework under the node-centric views. New basic constructs including, but not limited to, concepts such as: 'surplus sets', 'deficit sets', 'state of a path', and 'node-centric view of adjacency matrices' are introduced. The approach produces computational feasible systems for elements that are over supplied and/or under supplied from a source node to a target node of any path of the metagraph. Such information could be valuable for designing workflow systems. Also, the node-centric approach is shown to be an extension of the basic constructs of element-view metagraphs and is a complementary method for validating information requirements of workflow modelling. Illustrative examples are given.
Towards easing the diagnosis of bugs in OS code
Authors: Henrik Stuart, René Rydhof Hansen, Julia L. Lawall, Jesper Andersen, Yoann Padioleau, Gilles Muller
Venue: Proceedings of the 4th workshop on Programming languages and operating systems (2007)

The rapid detection and treatment of bugs in operating systems code is essential to maintain the overall security and dependability of a computing system. A number of techniques have been proposed for detecting bugs, but little has been done to help developers analyze and treat them. In this paper we propose to combine bug-finding rules with transformations that automatically introduce bug-fixes or workarounds when a possible bug is detected. This work builds on our previous work on the Coccinelle tool, which targets device driver evolution.
Interactive multimedia services over open NGN testbed
Authors: Adel Al-Hezmi, Oliver Friedrich, Stefan Arbanowski, Thomas Magedanz
Venue: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Testbeds and research infrastructures for the development of networks & communities (2008)

Delivering multimedia services over Next Generation Networks challenges the developers to define a unified and converged framework. However the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Projects offers basic features of such a framework, which enables the provisioning of multimedia services with quality of service and mobility support across heterogeneous networks. The Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS has recently launched the FOKUS Media Interoperability Lab (MIL) which is based on the "Open IMS Playground" testbed. MIL is as an open environment gathering all major IMS core components, and a triple play toolkit originating from own developments as well as major industry players, which can be used by academic and industrial partners for early prototyping of innovative interactive multimedia services and the related system components. This paper introduces the relevant technologies and provides an overview of the lab architecture and the relevant multimedia services at FOKUS. The validation of this architecture is demonstrated with an implementation of different enablers within the Playground as well as an adapted User Agent demonstrating the interaction of streaming and basic NGN telecommunication services.
Implicit ownership types for memory management
Authors: Tian Zhao, Jason Baker, James Hunt, James Noble, Jan Vitek
Venue: Science of Computer Programming (2008)

The Real-time Specification for Java (RTSJ) introduced a range of language features for explicit memory management. While the RTSJ gives programmers fine control over memory use and allows linear allocation and constant-time deallocation, the RTSJ relies upon dynamic runtime checks for safety, making it unsuitable for safety critical applications. We introduce ScopeJ, a statically-typed, multi-threaded, object calculus in which scopes are first class constructs. Scopes reify allocation contexts and provide a safe alternative to automatic memory management. Safety follows from the use of an ownership type system that enforces a topology on run-time patterns of references. ScopeJ's type system is novel in that ownership annotations are implicit. This substantially reduces the burden for developers and increases the likelihood of adoption. The notion of implicit ownership is particularly appealing when combined with pluggable type systems, as one can apply different type constraints to different components of an application depending on the requirements without changing the source language. In related work we have demonstrated the usefulness of our approach in the context of highly-responsive systems and stream processing.
Multimedia Data Modeling Through a Semantic View Mechanism
Authors: Qing Li, Jianmin Zhao, Xinzhong Zhu
Venue: World Wide Web (2008)

The semantics of multimedia data, which features context-dependency and media-independency, is of vital importance to multimedia applications but inadequately supported by the state-of-the-art database technology. In this paper, we address this problem by proposing MediaView as an extended object-oriented view mechanism to bridge the "semantic gap" between conventional databases and semantics-intensive multimedia applications. This mechanism captures the dynamic semantics of multimedia using a modelling construct named media view, which formulates a customized context where heterogeneous media objects with similar/related semantics are characterized by additional properties and user-defined semantic relationships. Due to the complex ingredients and dynamic application requirements of multimedia databases, it is however difficult for users to define by themselves individual media views in a top---down fashion. To this end, a unique approach of constructing media views logically is devised. In addition, a set of user level operators is defined and implemented to accommodate the specialization and generalization relationships among the views. The usefulness and elegancy of MediaView are demonstrated by its application in a multi-modal information retrieval system.
The Paradigms, They Are A-Changin'
Authors: Richard Mateosian
Venue: IEEE Micro (2008)

Richard Mateosian first reviews the Adobe Technical Communication Suite, which includes FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Captivate, and Acrobat 3D. Having accumulated a set of products for the same audience, Adobe has taken the added step of making them work together smoothly. Mateosian also recommends Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition, by David Pogue, as an indispensable resource for PC users who need to use a Mac or are considering moving permanently to a Mac.
Adapting X3D for multi-touch environments
Authors: Y. Jung, J. Keil, J. Behr, S. Webel, M. Zöllner, T. Engelke, H. Wuest, M. Becker
Venue: Proceedings of the 13th international symposium on 3D web technology (2008)

Multi-touch interaction on tabletop displays is a very active field of todays HCI research. However, most publications still focus on tracking techniques or develop a gesture configuration for a specific application setup. Very few explore generic high level interfaces for multi-touch applications. In this paper we present a comprehensive hardware and software setup, which includes an X3D based layer to simplify the application development process. We present a robust FTIR based optical tracking system, examine in how far current sensor and navigation abstractions in the X3D standard are useful and finally present extensions to the standard, which enable designers and other non-programmers to develop multi-touch applications very efficiently.
Fault-Tolerance in Universal Middleware Bridge
Authors: Kyung-Deok Moon, Jun Hee Park, K. H. (Kane) Kim, Liangchen Zheng, Qian Zhou
Venue: Proceedings of the 2008 11th IEEE Symposium on Object Oriented Real-Time Distributed Computing (2008)

Universal Middleware Bridge (UMB) provides seamless interoperation among heterogeneous home network middleware. There have been high demands for the UMB components (UMB core and adaptors) to have fault-tolerance capabilities. This paper presents a TMO structuring approach together with new implementation techniques for the fault-tolerant TMO-replica structuring scheme called PSTR. PSTR implementations of UMB components provide fault tolerance capabilities essential in realizing high reliability for the UMB facility.
IBM POWER6 microprocessor physical design and design methodology
Authors: R. Berridge, R. M. Averill,  III, A. E. Barish, M. A. Bowen, P. J. Camporese, J. DiLullo, P. E. Dudley, J. Keinert, D. W. Lewis, R. D. Morel, T. Rosser, N. S. Schwartz, P. Shephard, H. H. Smith, D. Thomas, P. J. Restle, J. R. Ripley, S. L. Runyon, P. M. Williams
Venue: IBM Journal of Research and Development (2007)

The IBM POWER6™ microprocessor is a 790 million-transistor chip that runs at a clock frequency of greater than 4 GHz. The complexity and size of the POWER6 microprocessor, together with its high operating frequency, present a number of significant challenges. This paper describes the physical design and design methodology of the POWER6 processor. Emphasis is placed on aspects of the design methodology, technology, clock distribution, integration, chip analysis, power and performance, random logic macro (RLM), and design data management processes that enabled the design to be completed and the project goals to be met.
Eigenvalue bounds for independent sets
Authors: C. D. Godsil, M. W. Newman
Venue: Journal of Combinatorial Theory Series B (2008)

We derive bounds on the size of an independent set based on eigenvalues. This generalizes a result due to Delsarte and Hoffman. We use this to obtain new bounds on the independence number of the Erdos-Renyi graphs. We investigate further properties of our bounds, and show how our results on the Erdos-Renyi graphs can be extended to other polarity graphs.
Global output-feedback stabilization for a class of stochastic non-minimum-phase nonlinear systems
Authors: Shu-Jun Liu, Zhong-Ping Jiang, Ji-Feng Zhang
Venue: Automatica (Journal of IFAC) (2008)

In this paper, the problem of output-feedback stabilization is investigated for the first time for a class of stochastic nonlinear systems whose zero dynamics may be unstable. Under the assumption that the inverse dynamics of the system is stochastic input-to-state stabilizable, a stabilizing output-feedback controller is constructively designed by the integrator backstepping method together with a new reduced-order observer design and the technique of changing supply functions. It is shown that, under small-gain type conditions for small signals, the resulting closed-loop system is globally asymptotically stable in probability. The obtained results extend the existing methodology from deterministic systems to stochastic systems. An example is given to demonstrate the main features and effectiveness of the proposed output-feedback control scheme.
Learning to rank with SoftRank and Gaussian processes
Authors: John Guiver, Edward Snelson
Venue: Proceedings of the 31st annual international ACM SIGIR conference on Research and development in information retrieval (2008)

In this paper we address the issue of learning to rank for document retrieval using Thurstonian models based on sparse Gaussian processes. Thurstonian models represent each document for a given query as a probability distribution in a score space; these distributions over scores naturally give rise to distributions over document rankings. However, in general we do not have observed rankings with which to train the model; instead, each document in the training set is judged to have a particular relevance level: for example "Bad", "Fair", "Good", or "Excellent". The performance of the model is then evaluated using information retrieval (IR) metrics such as Normalised Discounted Cumulative Gain (NDCG). Recently Taylor et al. presented a method called SoftRank which allows the direct gradient optimisation of a smoothed version of NDCG using a Thurstonian model. In this approach, document scores are represented by the outputs of a neural network, and score distributions are created artificially by adding random noise to the scores. The SoftRank mechanism is a general one; it can be applied to different IR metrics, and make use of different underlying models. In this paper we extend the SoftRank framework to make use of the score uncertainties which are naturally provided by a Gaussian process (GP), which is a probabilistic non-linear regression model. We further develop the model by using sparse Gaussian process techniques, which give improved performance and efficiency, and show competitive results against baseline methods when tested on the publicly available LETOR OHSUMED data set. We also explore how the available uncertainty information can be used in prediction and how it affects model performance.
On the design of traps for feeding 3d parts on vibratory tracks
Authors: Onno c. Goemans, A. frank Van der stappen
Venue: Robotica (2008)

In the context of automated feeding (orienting) of industrial parts, we study the algorithmic design of traps in the bowl feeder track that filter out all but one orientation of a given polyhedral part. We propose a new class of traps that removes a V-shaped portion of the track. The proposed work advances the state-of-the-art in algorithmic trap design by extending earlier work1,6,17—which focuses solely on 2D parts—to 3D parts, and by incorporating a more realistic part motion model in the design algorithm. We exploit the geometric structure of the design problem and build on concepts and techniques from computational geometry to obtain an efficient algorithm that reports the complete set of valid traps.
Autonomous navigation of wireless robot swarms with covert leaders
Authors: Xiaofeng Han, Louis F. Rossi, Chien-Chung Shen
Venue: Proceedings of the 1st international conference on Robot communication and coordination (2007)

The integration of advanced computation, wireless communication, and control technologies has facilitated the creation of autonomous robot swarms for many civil and military applications. In nature, animals that travel in groups often rely on social interactions among group members to make movement decisions. In many cases, few individuals within the group have pertinent knowledge about the destination and/or migration routes. In this paper, we adapt a swarm model developed for animal groups to study the unique problems associated with covert leadership in the context of wireless robot swarms. We term this problem autonomous navigation with covert leaders. In this covert leadership problem, only a small subset of robots in a robot swarm possess extra information that guides their movement, and both this information and the identities of those individuals possessing this information remain covert (to minimize the chance of being compromised). We describe a distributed navigation algorithm, where each robot locally makes its movement decision solely based on one-hop information collected via wireless communications. The effectiveness and merits of the described navigation algorithm are demonstrated through extensive simulations.
Optimization and selection of cutters for 3D pocket machining
Authors: Z. Bouaziz, A. Zghal
Venue: International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (2008)

The machining of complex geometrical shapes with a CNC machine tool requires the determination of cutting conditions namely the depth of cut, the feed rate, the cutter diameter, the number of cutters in use, etc. The number and the diameter of the cutters used for the machining of a given pocket has an important effect on the machining time. Consequently, it is necessary to have an algorithm for the optimization of a set of cutters for the machining of a given pocket. This paper is an attempt to determine an optimal set of cutters for the hollowing out of 3D prismatic pockets by means of a CNC machine tool. This approach requires first of all the synthesis of the analytical models developed to calculate the cutting time related to the use of the roughing cutter utilization, the under-roughing cutter utilization, the machining of inner contour corner, and the corner of its bottom. Then, an optimizing algorithm based on these analytical models has been developed. It helps to select the most appropriate set of cutters from the tools available in the production workshop. This algorithm is applied to a particular geometry of a prismatic pocket, and the results show that the optimal choice allows a reduction in the machining time.
Technical creativity and the challenge of "governing" software development
Authors: Clay Williams
Venue: Proceedings of the 1st international workshop on Software development governance (2008)

Software development is both a highly technical and a highly creative activity. Because it is technical, there is a temptation to treat it as something that can be mechanized and deterministically controlled. The creative aspects of software development imply that this urge will lead to failure for all but the most mundane projects. In this talk, I will explore approaches to governing software development that are cognizant of the tension between treating it as a technical activity and treating it as a creative act. The talk begins by presenting a basic overview of the creative nature of software development, including the variability that creativity injects into software development projects. I then present two potential governance responses to this variability: a command and control response, and a "tuning" response. I argue that the tuning response is more suitable for work that is both technical and creative, and I close with some suggestions on what tuning-based governance would look like in organizations of various scales.
Efficient tree pattern matching
Authors: S. R. Kosaraju
Venue: Proceedings of the 30th Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (1989)

A classic open problem on tree pattern matching is whether the naive O(mn)-step algorithm for finding all the occurrences of a pattern tree of size m in a text tree of size n can be improved. An O(nM/sup 0.75/ polylog(m))-step algorithm for this tree pattern matching problem is designed. The problems of linear string matching with don't care symbols and linear string max-min convolution are treated.
Thermo-resistance based micro-calorimeter for continuous chemical enthalpy measurements
Authors: G. Velve Casquillas, F. Bertholle, M. Le Berre, S. Meance, L. Malaquin, J. J. Greffet, Y. Chen
Venue: Microelectronic Engineering (2008)

We present a thermo-resistance based micro-calorimeter using a glass/platinum/PDMS prototyping technology which is more flexible than the existing silicon based technology for lab on a chip device integration. Resistance monitoring and fluid injection techniques are optimized in order to reduce thermal noises and improve the detection sensibility. We used neutralization acid-base reaction to evaluate the device capability in determination of both reagent concentration and reaction enthalpy. We also performed a glucose/glucose oxydase enzymatic reaction to illustrate the advantage of using PDMS device for the studies of aerobic reaction.
Environmental Sensor Data Visualization for Aquafarm Monitoring
Authors: Eung Kon Kim, Heetack Ceong, Sung-Ju Jung
Venue: Proceedings of the 2007 Frontiers in the Convergence of Bioscience and Information Technologies (2007)

In this paper, we present methods for visualizing various data received from environmental sensors into forms of 2D, 3D graphs and animation to manage fish farms in local area. Our visualization is user friendly and based on four main criteria: time, data, representation and analysis, and provides the focus+context view. The viewer selects what data to look at (i.e. a aquaculture farm to monitor, water quality parameters, and time period) and how to look at it at any time and from anywhere.
Noncooperative power control and transmission scheduling in wireless collision channels
Authors: Ishai Menache, Nahum Shimkin
Venue: ACM SIGMETRICS Performance Evaluation Review (2008)

We consider a wireless collision channel, shared by a finite number of mobile users who transmit to a common base station using a random access protocol. Mobiles are self-optimizing, and wish to minimize their individual average power investment subject to minimum-throughput demand. The channel state between each mobile and the base station is stochastically time-varying and is observed by the mobile prior to transmission. Given the current channel state, a mobile may decide whether to transmit or not, and to determine the transmission power in case of transmission. In this paper, we investigate the properties of the Nash equilibrium of the resulting game in multiuser networks. We characterize the best-response strategy of the mobile and show that it leads to a "water-filling"-like power allocation. Our equilibrium analysis then reveals that one of the possible equilibria is uniformly best for all mobiles. Furthermore, this equilibrium can be reached by a simple distributed mechanism that does not require specific information on other mobiles' actions. We then explore some additional characteristics of the distributed power control framework. Braess-like paradoxes are reported, where the use of multiple power levels can diminish system capacity and also lead to larger per-user power consumption, compared to the case where a single level only is permitted.
Search based software testing of object-oriented containers
Authors: Andrea Arcuri, Xin Yao
Venue: Information Sciences: an International Journal (2008)

Automatic software testing tools are still far from ideal for real world object-oriented (OO) software. The use of nature inspired search algorithms for this problem has been investigated recently. Testing complex data structures (e.g., containers) is very challenging since testing software with simple states is already hard. Because containers are used in almost every type of software, their reliability is of utmost importance. Hence, this paper focuses on the difficulties of testing container classes with nature inspired search algorithms. We will first describe how input data can be automatically generated for testing Java containers. Input space reductions and a novel testability transformation are presented to aid the search algorithms. Different search algorithms are then considered and studied in order to understand when and why a search algorithm is effective for a testing problem. In our experiments, these nature inspired search algorithms seem to give better results than the traditional techniques described in literature. Besides, the problem of minimising the length of the test sequences is also addressed. Finally, some open research questions are given.