Extracting knowledge from XML document repository: a semantic Web-based approach

XML plays an important role as the standard language for representing structured data for the traditional Web, and hence many Web-based knowledge management repositories store data and documents in XML. If semantics about the data are formally represented in an ontology, then it is possible to extract knowledge: This is done as ontology definitions and axioms are applied to XML data to automatically infer knowledge that is not explicitly represented in the repository. Ontologies also play a central role in realizing the burgeoning vision of the semantic Web, wherein data will be more sharable because their semantics will be represented in Web-accessible ontologies. In this paper, we demonstrate how an ontology can be used to extract knowledge from an exemplar XML repository of Shakespeare’s plays. We then implement an architecture for this ontology using de facto languages of the semantic Web including OWL and RuleML, thus preparing the ontology for use in data sharing. It has been predicted that the early adopters of the semantic Web will develop ontologies that leverage XML, provide intra-organizational value such as knowledge extraction capabilities that are irrespective of the semantic Web, and have the potential for inter-organizational data sharing over the semantic Web. The contribution of our proof-of-concept application, KROX, is that it serves as a blueprint for other ontology developers who believe that the growth of the semantic Web will unfold in this manner.

Haifa verification conference 2007

This special section contains a selection of contributions originally presented at the Third Haifa Verification Conference (HVC’07). The scope of this conference covers all types of verification of both hardware and software systems. While there is widespread agreement on the importance of verification, it is clear that different systems require different approaches. Several distinct fields of research have developed, devoted to either software or hardware, or to a particular verification approach such as formal or testing/simulation. Each of these paradigms has an extensive publication history and its own dedicated conference. Yet there is much to be gained from sharing knowledge and experience. HVC’s goal is to serve as a venue for researchers from all fields of verification, enabling them to exchange ideas and learn from one another. It is our hope that by gathering these experts together in one conference, we are fostering the emergence of new trends that combine ideas and insights from different domains.     

MASHA: A multi-agent system handling user and device adaptivity of Web sites

A user that navigates on the Web using different devices should be characterized by a global profile, which represents his behaviour when using all these devices. Then, the user’s profile could be usefully exploited when interacting with a site agent that is able to provide useful recommendations on the basis of the user’s interests, on one hand, and to adapt the site presentation to the device currently exploited by the user, on the other hand. However, it is not suitable to construct such a global profile by a software running on the exploited device since this device (e.g., a mobile phone or a palmtop) may have limited resources. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a multi-agent architecture, called MASHA, handling user and device adaptivity of Web sites, in which each device is provided with a client agent that autonomously collects information about the user’s behaviour associated to just that device. However, the user profile contained in this client is continuously updated with information coming from a unique server agent, associated with the user. Such information is collected by the server agent from the different devices exploited by the user, and represents a global user profile. The third component of this architecture, called adapter agent, is capable to generate a personalized representation of the Web site, containing some useful recommendations derived by both an analysis of the user profile and the suggestions coming from other users exploiting the same device.     

Neural Network Based Stereotyping for User Profiles

This paper discusses an approach of establishing system models of users’ task related characteristics, such as domain knowledge in human-computer interaction. Several neural networks are tested for the modelling process. These networks function as associative memories that capture the causal relationships among assumptions about the users’ characteristics. The outputs from the networks are considered as stereotypes assigned to individual users. It is suggested that this approach can be expected to overcome some limitations of user modelling approaches in terms of pattern recognition and classification.     

Priority scheduling service for E-commerce web servers

Service scheduling is one of the crucial issues in E-commerce environment. E-commerce web servers often get overloaded as they have to deal with a large number of customers’ requests—for example, browse, search, and pay, in order to make purchases or to get product information from E-commerce web sites. In this paper, we propose a new approach in order to effectively handle high traffic load and to improve web server’s performance. Our solution is to exploit networking techniques and to classify customers’ requests into different classes such that some requests are prioritised over others. We contend that such classification is financially beneficial to E-commerce services as in these services some requests are more valuable than others. For instance, the processing of “browse” request should get less priority than “payment” request as the latter is considered to be more valuable to the service provider. Our approach analyses the arrival process of distinct requests and employs a priority scheduling service at the network nodes that gives preferential treatment to high priority requests. The proposed approach is tested through various experiments which show significant decrease in the response time of high priority requests. This also reduces the probability of dropping high priority requests by a web server and thus enabling service providers to generate more revenue.     

Usability Testing of Academic Library Web Sites

ABSTRACT

This is a selective annotated bibliography of books, journal articles, and electronic resources relating to the usability assessment or testing of the academic library Web site. It focuses on the library Web site specifics, thus answering a librarian's need for one source of information on the available publications. All journal articles have been written by or for academic librarians. This bibliography embraces the issues of usability testing as a process, its goals, objectives, tools, and methodology. The bibliography is grouped by the following topics: background information, tools and methodologies, case studies, dedicated Web sites, and samples of presentations.     

Agent-based architectural framework enhancing configurability,autonomy and scalability of context-aware pervasive services

Multi-agent software architectures have gained in popularity due to their beneficial behavior in designing and implementing sophisticated applications. However, current approaches in implementing such architectures have led to application-specific, non-scalable implementations which limit the reusablity and improvement of the whole architecture. Moreover, these attempts lack features to enhance the user experience, thus slowing the adoption of the resulting services. In this paper we describe a fully-fledged multi-agent architecture covering a large variety of preferred features including capabilities of ‘plugging’ ubiquitous services, servicing mobile users, interconnecting remote similar architectures and interfacing with advanced software components such as knowledge bases. This framework exploits a wide-range of context-aware components making it essentially context-aware, allowing for the development of ubiquitous context-aware human-centric services, which are the focus of our research. To illustrate the flexibility of this architectural framework, we present four services which were built using this architectural paradigm by different development teams and elaborate on their overall behavior.     

Fractal Shape

This present paper deals with the fractal geometry applied in architecture. The generative rules for fractals can be used to develop the students’ knowledge about shape grammar. Students use that knowledge to increase their own shape vocabulary in the early stages of architectural design.     

Informational Architectures of the SSA and Knud L?nberg-Holm

This paper offers an account of the unusual protosystemic and informational approach to architecture that emerged in the early 1930’s within the largely unknown Structural Study Associates (SSA), a circle of architects around Buckminster Fuller. It examines the design of a dynamic information system for architects by SSA members Knud L?nberg-Holm and Carl Theodore Larson and compares them to pre- and post-war knowledge indexing systems and world projects. This study also explores the systems-oriented positions outlined by these architects. This provides a view of American architecture of the era that counters the one presented by the canonical International Style Exhibition of 1932, which essentially edited out the more variegated approaches to modern architecture and technology as represented by the SSA and especially L?nberg-Holm.     

Towards Next Generation Internet Management: CNGI-CERNET2 Experiences

Manageability is an important feature of next generation Internet;management and monitoring of IPv6-based networks are proving a big challenge.While leveraging current IPv4-based SNMP management scheme to IPv6 networks' management need is necessary,it is more urgent to coin a new network management architecture to accommodate the scalability and extensibility requirements of next generation Internet management.The paper proposes a novel network management architecture,IMN(Internet Management Network),whi...     

Integration of humanoid robots in collaborative working environment: a case study on motion generation

This paper illustrates through a practical example an integration of a humanoid robotic architecture, with an open-platform collaborative working environment called BSCW (Be Smart-Cooperate Worldwide). BSCW is primarily designed to advocate a futuristic shared workspace system for humans. We exemplify how a complex robotic system (such as a humanoid robot) can be integrated as a proactive collaborative agent which provides services and interacts with other agents sharing the same collaborative environment workspace. Indeed, the robot is seen as a ‘user’ of the BSCW which is able to handle simple tasks and reports on their achievement status. We emphasis on the importance of using standard software such as CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) in order to easily build interfaces between several interacting complex software layers, namely from real-time constraints up to basic Internet data exchange.     

Using FORAY Models to Enable MPSoC Memory Optimizations

With the technology advances it becomes feasible to implement a large multiprocessor system on a single chip. In such Systems-on-Chip (SoCs), a significant portion of energy is spent in the memory subsystem. There are several approaches reducing this energy, including the ones at physical, architecture and algorithmic levels. Classical approaches, including algorithmic and some architectural approaches, use static analysis and transformation of the application source code. However, often it is not possible to perform static analysis and optimization of a program’s memory access behavior unless the program is written in an easily analyzable form, e.g., free from pointer arithmetic. In this paper, we introduce the FORAY model of a program that allows aggressive analysis of the application’s memory behavior and enables such optimizations on arbitrary code which are not possible to apply otherwise. We then present FORAY-GEN: an automated profile-based approach for extraction of the FORAY model from the original program. We also outline our approach in applying FORAY-GEN for multiprocessor SoCs. We demonstrate how FORAY-GEN enhances applicability of other memory subsystem optimization approaches, resulting in an average of two times increase in the number of memory references that can be analyzed by existing static approaches.     

Wiki-supported collaborative learning in primary education: How a dialogic space is created for thinking together

This paper explores how wikis may be used to support primary education students’ collaborative interaction and how such an interaction process can be characterised. The overall aim of this study is to analyse the collaborative processes of students working together in a wiki environment, in order to see how primary students can actively create a shared context for learning in the wiki. Educational literature has already reported that wikis may support collaborative knowledge-construction processes, but in our study we claim that a dialogic perspective is needed to accomplish this. Students must develop an intersubjective orientation towards each others’ perspectives, to co-construct knowledge about a topic. For this purpose, our project utilised a ‘Thinking Together’ approach to help students develop an intersubjective orientation towards one another and to support the creation of a ‘dialogic space’ to co-construct new understanding in a wiki science project. The students’ asynchronous interaction process in a primary classroom—which led to the creation of a science text in the wiki—was analysed and characterised, using a dialogic approach to the study of CSCL practices. Our results illustrate how the Thinking Together approach became embedded within the wiki environment and in the students’ collaborative processes. We argue that a dialogic approach for examining interaction can be used to help design more effective pedagogic approaches related to the use of wikis in education and to equip learners with the competences they need to participate in the global knowledge-construction era.     

Rule-based personalized comparison shopping including delivery cost

Comparison shopping allows customers to reduce time and effort when searching for product information and prices. However, traditional comparison sites mainly compare product prices without using precise information on delivery cost. To overcome this limitation, we adopted a rule-based comparison shopping framework using the eXtensible Rule Markup Language (XRML) architecture, which computes the exact personalized delivery cost at comparison sites. The prototype ConsiderD, which was developed for this purpose, computes the exact delivery costs considering the shipping rules, destination, delivery speed, and shipping rates. The XRML architecture effectively maintains the consistency of formal rules with the original Web pages. To demonstrate the performance of rule-based comparisons, we conducted an experiment on the purchase of books based on real-world data from five leading online bookstores. This experiment shows that rule-based comparison can significantly outperform data-based comparison in terms of the total cost of product and delivery. We also found that the comparison of delivery cost is very important because the variance of delivery cost can be as big as the variance of book prices itself.     

A software architecture framework for on-line option pricing

The problem of growing computational complexity in the finance industry demands manageable, high-speed and real-time solutions in solving complex mathematical problems such as option pricing. In current option trading scenarios, determining a fair price for options “any time” and “anywhere” has become vital yet difficult computational problem. In this study, we have designed, implemented, and deployed an architecture for pricing options on-line using a hand-held device that is J2ME-based Mobile computing-enabled and is assisted by web mining tools. In our architecture, the client is a MIDP user interface, and the back end servlet runs on a standalone server bound to a known port address. In addition, the server uses table-mining techniques to mine real-time data from reliable web sources upon the mobile trader’s directive. The server performs all computations required for pricing options since mobile devices have limited battery power, low bandwidth, and low memory. We have parallelized and implemented various computational techniques such as binomial lattice and finite differencing. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies that facilitate the mobile-enabled-trader to compute the price of an option in ubiquitous fashion. This architecture aims at providing the trader with various computational techniques to avail (to provide results from approximate to accurate results) while on-the-go and to make important and effective trading decisions using the results that will ensure higher returns on investments in options.

基于语义Web的案例表示和CBR系统结构研究

文中基于语义Web技术，从应用实例出发，提出一种基于语义Web的案例表示方法和对应的CBR系统结构，以适应目前Internet环境下的知识共享、知识管理工具和知识应用的发展。     

Semantic Web based innovative design knowledge modeling for collaborative design

This paper describes a study about how to use the Semantic Web technologies for innovative design knowledge modeling in a multi-agent distributed design environment. Semantic Web based knowledge modeling for innovative design is proposed as prelude to the meaningful agent communication and knowledge reuse for collaborative work among multidisciplinary organizations. A model for innovative design is proposed at first, based on which a knowledge schema is brought forward. For sharing the design knowledge among an internet-based or distributed work team, even globally, A RDF-based knowledge model is presented to realize its representation on Semantic Web. A Semantic Web based repository for innovative design and its API for topper Semantic Web applications have been also constructed. The proposed knowledge modeling extends traditional product modeling with capabilities of innovative design, knowledge sharing and distributed problem solving, and is employed as a content language within the messages in the proposed multi-agent system architecture. The proposed approach is viewed as a promising knowledge management method that facilitates the implementation of computer supported cooperative work in innovative design of Semantic Web applications.     

Organisational adaptation of multi-agent systems in a peer-to-peer scenario

Organisations in multi-agent systems (MAS) have proven to be successful in regulating agent societies. Nevertheless, changes in agents’ behaviour or in the dynamics of the environment may lead to a poor fulfilment of the system’s purposes, and so the entire organisation needs to be adapted. In this paper we focus on endowing the organisation with adaptation capabilities, instead of expecting agents to be capable of adapting the organisation by themselves. We regard this organisational adaptation as an assisting service provided by what we call the Assistance Layer. Our generic Two Level Assisted MAS Architecture (2-LAMA) incorporates such a layer. We empirically evaluate this approach by means of an agent-based simulator we have developed for the P2P sharing network domain. This simulator implements 2-LAMA architecture and supports the comparison between different adaptation methods, as well as, with the standard BitTorrent protocol. In particular, we present two alternatives to perform norm adaptation and one method to adapt agents’ relationships. The results show improved performance and demonstrate that the cost of introducing an additional layer in charge of the system’s adaptation is lower than its benefits.