Graphical objects

We introduce the concept of graphical objects, the abstraction paradigms to study them, and their applications in computer graphics. Intuitively, graphical objects encompass all the entities manipulated in a graphics system. This notion makes it possible to unify similar research topics appearing in the literature separately. We study the problem of object metamorphosis, which includes the problem of image metamorphosis. Although we are not primarily concerned with implementation issues in this paper, the concepts we introduce can be exploited for system design and development that use object-oriented programming.     

Efficient handling of tuples with embedded large objects

Modern database systems and storage manager toolkits usually provide a large object abstraction. Very often large objects are not used as standalone entities, but rather embedded within an aggregate of different types, i.e. a tuple. Depending on the large object's size and access probability, query performance is determined by the representation of the large object: either inlined within the aggregate or swapped out to a separate object. This paper describes a sound and general large object interface extension which automatically switches the representation of large objects according to their actual size. The optimum threshold size for switching the large object's representation is determined, based upon a linear cost model. Furthermore, a SHORE-based implementation and its performance are presented. It turns out that switching the representation of large objects yields great performance improvements for objects whose size is varying from quite small to large.     

企业信息门户

本文研究了企业信息门户的发展历程、建设目标、功能及设计方案;对企业信息门户的软件供应商进行了研究、对比。同时介绍了与相关信息系统的关系,并对信息门户的技术发展进行了展望。本文对企业进行信息门户建设具有很好参考、借鉴价值。     

Constraint satisfaction with an object-oriented knowledge representation language

This article gives a detailed presentation of constraint satisfaction in the hybrid LAURE language. LAURE is an object-oriented language for Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications that allows the user to combine rules, constraints, and methods that cooperate on the same objects in the same program. We illustrate why this extensibility is necessary to solve some large and difficult problems by presenting a real-life application of LAURE. We describe the syntax and the various modes in which constraints may be used, as well as the tools that are proposed by LAURE to extend constraint resolution. The resolution strategy as well as some implementation details are given to explain how we obtain good performances.     

约束分解技术回顾与展望

约束满足问题是一个强有力的知识表示框架,可以有效地解决许多问题。由于约束满足问题一般情况下是NP难度的问题,因此通过约束分解来降低计算的开销具有十分重要的意义。主要描述约束分解在约束满足问题中的地位、经典的分解技术和约束分解技术的发展历史,然后简要地分析这些分解技术。介绍了关于约束分解研究的最新状况,并描述、分析和总结其主要求解思想。最后根据存在的问题与不足提出了下一步的工作方向和研究思路。     

Automatic source-code parallelization using HICOR objects

We show that by using an intermediate representation, which supports a formalized interface on which to construct parallelization tools, the mapping of the representation onto parallel architectures can be performed quickly and efficiently. An intermediate representation called HICOR (Hierarchical Intermediate Code Object Representation) is shown to facilitate the exploitation of parallel operations by providing an abstraction layer for performing high-level intermediate code analysis, scheduling, and code generation. An object-oriented design approach has been employed in the development of HICOR and associated tools. Source language constructs are transformed into specialized object classes. Inheritance properties provided by the object-oriented paradigm are utilized to provide a common interface to each object in the HICOR representation. It is this interface that provides the needed consistency and flexibility in which to construct tools that has since been lacking. In particular, a tool to performCompile-Time Scheduling is presented. The scheduling algorithm employed differs from traditional scheduling problems in that merging of tasks is performed to reduce both task creation and communication costs in determining the final schedule. Architectural parameters are provided as input to the heuristic allowing the scheduler to produce near-optimal results for a wide variety of MIMD architectures. Once the final schedule is determined theTarget Code Generator, also presented, is used to generate the corresponding target code. A prototype system has been implemented in C++ which incorporates the HICOR intermediate representation with the tools described. The target architectures include the Sun 630 MP/4, Sequent Symmetry S81, and Stardent Titan.     

Learning to generate novel views of objects for class recognition

Multi-view object class recognition can be achieved using existing approaches for single-view object class recognition, by treating different views as entirely independent classes. This strategy requires a large amount of training data for many viewpoints, which can be costly to obtain. We describe a method for constructing a weak three-dimensional model from as few as two views of an object of the target class, and using that model to transform images of objects from one view to several other views, effectively multiplying their value for class recognition. Our approach can be coupled with any 2D image-based recognition system. We show that automatically transformed images dramatically decrease the data requirements for multi-view object class recognition.     

Boolean set operations on non-manifold boundary representation objects

For Boolean operations on geometric models, we have developed an intersection algorithm for non-manifold boundary models with vertices, linear edges, planar faces, and volumetric regions. The algorithm operates by intersecting entities in an ordered manner, from vertex to edge, then to face elements. Singular intersections are systematically handled by determining if an entity in one object is within a tolerance region of the entity in the other object. The algorithm performs Boolean operations between objects of different dimensionality as well as solids. An implementation of the proposed algorithm and the experimental results are briefly discussed.     

Mathematical morphological operations of boundary-represented geometric objects

The resemblance between the integer number system with multiplication and division and the system of convex objects with Minkowski addition and decomposition is really striking. The resemblance also indicates a computational technique which unifies the two Minkowski operations as a single operation. To view multiplication and division as a single operation, it became necessary to extend the integer number system to the rational number system. The unification of the two Minkowski operations also requires that the ordinary convex object domain must be appended by a notion of inverse objects or negative objects. More interestingly, the concept of negative objects permits further unification. A nonconvex object may be viewed as a mixture of ordinary convex object and negative object, and thereby, makes it possible to adopt exactly the same computational technique for convex as well as nonconvex objects. The unified technique, we show, can be easily understood and implemented if the input polygons and polyhedra are represented by their slope diagram representations.     

Interactive scheduling as a constraint satisfiability problem

A constraint satisfiability problem consists of a set of variables, their associated domains (i.e., the set of values the variable can take) and a set of constraints on these variables. A solution to the CSP is an instantiation (or labeling) of all the variables which does not violate any of the constraints. Since constraint satisfiability problems are, in general, NP-complete, it is of interest to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of heuristic algorithms as applied, in particular, to our application. Our research effort attempts to determine which algorithms perform best in solving the student scheduling problem (SSP) and under what conditions. We also investigate the probabilistic techniques of Nudel for finding a near-optimal instantiation order for search algorithms, and develop our own modifications which can yield a significant improvement in efficiency for the SSP. Experimental results have been collected and are reported here. Our system was developed for and used at Bar-Ilan University during the registration period, being available for students to construct their timetables.     

Knowledge representation for mathematical discovery: Three experiments in graph theory

This paper describes the nature of mathematical discovery (including concept definition and exploration, example generation, and theorem conjecture and proof), and considers how such an intelligent process can be simulated by a machine. Although the material is drawn primarily from graph theory, the results are immediately relevant to research in mathematical discovery and learning.The thought experiment, a protocol paradigm for the empirical study of mathematical discovery, highlights behavioral objectives for machine simulation. This thought experiment provides an insightful account of the discovery process, motivates a framework for describing mathematical knowledge in terms of object classes, and is a rich source of advice on the design of a system to perform discovery in graph theory. The evaluation criteria for a discovery system, it is argued, must include both a set of behavior to display (behavioral objectives) and a target set of facts to be discovered (factual knowledge).Cues from the thought experiment are used to formulate two hierarchies of representational languages for graphy theory. The first hierarchy is based on the superficial terminology and knowledge of the thought experiment. Generated by formal grammars with set-theoretic semantics, this eminently reasonable approach ultimately fails to meet the factual knowledge criteria. The second hierarchy uses declarative expressions, each of which has a semantic interpretation as a stylized, recursive algorithm that defines a class by generating it correctly and completely. A simple version of one such representation is validated by a successful, implemented system called Graph Theorist (GT) for mathematical research in graph theory. GT generates correct examples, defines and explores new graph theory properties, and conjectures and proves theorems.Several themes run through this paper. The first is the dual goals, behavioral objectives and factural knowledge to be discovered, and the multiplicity of their demands on a discovery system. The second theme is the central role of object classes to knowledge representation. The third is the increased power and flexibility of a constructive (generator) definition over the more traditional predicate (tester) definition. The final theme is the importance of examples and recursion in mathematical knowledge. The results provide important guidance for further research in the simulation of mathematical discovery.     

Virtual math objects with pedagogical,mathematical, and cognitive fidelity

The examination of mathematical and cognitive fidelity for math related websites has been studied by Web designers; yet teachers, and especially pre-service teachers, as users of technology in the classroom, also need to be familiar with pedagogical, mathematical, and cognitive fidelity. What is pedagogical, mathematical, and cognitive fidelity; and, what makes a math website high in pedagogical, mathematical, and cognitive fidelity are discussed in this article. Evidence is shown that technology high in pedagogical, mathematical, and cognitive fidelity, when used in the classroom, improves student academic achievement.     

基于贝叶斯网络和互信息的检索用户模型

个性化信息服务越来越成为信息检索领域研究的热点.将贝叶斯网络和互信息相结合,用于个性化检索的用户建模中,建立了一个能同时表达特征词的统计分布和特征词间的语义相关性的用户模型.模型以贝叶斯网络结构为框架,包含了特征词的概率统计信息和特征词间互信息,并引入了时间机制.实验结果表明,用该模型进行信息检索,在查全率和查准率方面都得到了提高.     

利用约束优化数据库WEB视图上的查询

当前,许多大的WEB站点的信息和数据呈现出结构化或半结构化的特点,因而可经抽象,作为类似关系数据库或者面向对象数据库并加以处理,以提高操作效率,特别是在此基础上进行的查询操作。但查询这些抽象的结构化或半结构化的视图需要新的技术。由于数据存储比较分散,并且多数以HTML、XML等形式存放,因而网络访问成为主要的查询代价构成要素。为此通过利用WEB数据库的冗余来减少网络访问。文章采用数据模型Araneus的一个子集作为数据模型,并利用链接约束、包含约束、范围约束以及多种规则重写关系代数表达式,以期达到优化查询结果的目的。     

Labeling Schemes for Tree Representation

This paper deals with compact label-based representations for trees. Consider an n-node undirected connected graph G with a predefined numbering on the ports of each node. The all-ports tree labeling ℒ _all gives each node v of G a label containing the port numbers of all the tree edges incident to v. The upward tree labeling ℒ _up labels each node v by the number of the port leading from v to its parent in the tree. Our measure of interest is the worst case and total length of the labels used by the scheme, denoted M _up (T) and S _up (T) for ℒ _up and M _all (T) and S _all (T) for ℒ _all . The problem studied in this paper is the following: Given a graph G and a predefined port labeling for it, with the ports of each node v numbered by 0,…,deg (v)−1, select a rooted spanning tree for G minimizing (one of) these measures. We show that the problem is polynomial for M _up (T), S _up (T) and S _all (T) but NP-hard for M _all (T) (even for 3-regular planar graphs). We show that for every graph G and port labeling there exists a spanning tree T for which S _up (T)=O(nlog log n). We give a tight bound of O(n) in the cases of complete graphs with arbitrary labeling and arbitrary graphs with symmetric port labeling. We conclude by discussing some applications for our tree representation schemes. A preliminary version of this paper has appeared in the proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on Distributed Computing (IWDC), Kharagpur, India, December 27–30, 2005, as part of Cohen, R. et al.: Labeling schemes for tree representation. In: Proceedings of 7th International Workshop on Distributed Computing (IWDC), Lecture Notes of Computer Science, vol. 3741, pp. 13–24 (2005). R. Cohen supported by the Pacific Theaters Foundation. P. Fraigniaud and D. Ilcinkas supported by the project “PairAPair” of the ACI Masses de Données, the project “Fragile” of the ACI Sécurité et Informatique, and by the project “Grand Large” of INRIA. A. Korman supported in part by an Aly Kaufman fellowship. D. Peleg supported in part by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation.     

BSP-fields: An exact representation of polygonal objects by differentiable scalar fields based on binary space partitioning

The problem considered in this work is to find a dimension independent algorithm for the generation of signed scalar fields exactly representing polygonal objects and satisfying the following requirements: the defining real function takes zero value exactly at the polygonal object boundary; no extra zero-value isosurfaces should be generated; C¹ continuity of the function in the entire domain. The proposed algorithms are based on the binary space partitioning (BSP) of the object by the planes passing through the polygonal faces and are independent of the object genus, the number of disjoint components, and holes in the initial polygonal mesh. Several extensions to the basic algorithm are proposed to satisfy the selected optimization criteria. The generated BSP-fields allow for applying techniques of the function-based modeling to already existing legacy objects from CAD and computer animation areas, which is illustrated by several examples.