Nesting in Euler Diagrams: syntax,semantics and construction

This paper considers the notion of nesting in Euler diagrams, and how nesting affects the interpretation and construction of such diagrams. After setting up the necessary definitions for concrete Euler diagrams (drawn in the plane) and abstract diagrams (having just formal structure), the notion of nestedness is defined at both concrete and abstract levels. The concept of a dual graph is used to give an alternative condition for a drawable abstract Euler diagram to be nested. The natural progression to the diagram semantics is explored and we present a nested form for diagram semantics. We describe how this work supports tool-building for diagrams, and how effective we might expect this support to be in terms of the proportion of nested diagrams.     

A method for describing the syntax and semantics of UML statecharts

In this article we present a method for describing the language of UML statecharts. Statecharts are syntactically defined as attributed graphs, with well-formedness rules specified by a set of first-order predicates over the abstract syntax of the graphs. The dynamic semantics of statecharts is defined by Abstract State Machines parameterized with syntactically-correct attributed graphs. The presented approach covers many important constructs of UML statecharts, including internal, completion, interlevel and compound transitions as well as history pseudostates. It also contains strategies to handle state entry/exit actions, state activities, synch states and choice pseudostates.     

Rich meta object facility formal integration platform: syntax, semantics and implementation

Traditionally formal papers bridge interpretation gaps of informal OMG specifications. The papers are often not holistic but rather concentrate on certain aspects of the original specification. This increases often the gap between research and practice because it is difficult to understand and combine different semantic methodologies. This paper formalizes and extends the Meta Object Facility of the Object Management Group towards a platform to explore and combine formal methodologies. The extension focuses primarily on algorithms with an action language to define all kinds of normative and desired behavior. The methodology includes mechanisms to support arbitrary dependent language layers. Exemplary syntax and semantics of the methodology is introduced on base of the original specifications. This is complemented by an implementation supporting the graphical definition and simulation of instantiated models. The platform binding is supported by code generators allowing the easy connection of powerful analysis techniques. The platform binding can be done on all layers finding the optimal mixture between independent semantic variants currently in the discussion and established dependent semantic variants strengthening the bridge between research and practice.     

The Rovereto Emotion and Cooperation Corpus: a new resource to investigate cooperation and emotions

The Rovereto Emotion and Cooperation Corpus (RECC) is a new resource collected to investigate the relationship between cooperation and emotions in an interactive setting. Previous attempts at collecting corpora to study emotions have shown that this data are often quite difficult to classify and analyse, and coding schemes to analyse emotions are often found not to be reliable. We collected a corpus of task-oriented (MapTask-style) dialogues in Italian, in which the segments of emotional interest are identified using psycho-physiological indexes (Heart Rate and Galvanic Skin Conductance) which are highly reliable. We then annotated these segments in accordance with novel multimodal annotation schemes for cooperation (in terms of effort) and facial expressions (an indicator of emotional state). High agreement was obtained among coders on all the features. The RECC corpus is to our knowledge the first resource with psycho-physiological data aligned with verbal and nonverbal behaviour data.     

计算机网络犯罪侦查技术及策略研究

计算机网络犯罪是一种犯罪的新形态,网络犯罪必须在特定的空间内实施,与传统犯罪形式相比,不会留下物质性痕迹、犯罪目的与动机的特殊性、犯罪证据的即时性和不可物化性,及其犯罪具有极高的隐蔽性,这些使得计算机网络犯罪行为不易被发现、识别和侦破。该文结合计算机网络技术应用与犯罪案件的侦查,对计算机网络犯罪的形态、计算机网络犯罪案件的侦查技术和侦查策略进行了详细的阐述。     

The red and black semantics: a fuzzy language

The complexity of abstract art languages create new semantics in art. This model tries to implement its conceptual language within creating a new virtual environment. The gap between art and technology has been approached with a fuzzy logic engine which uses a red and black semantic codification. The examples include the application of this metalanguage to a virtual artwork experimentation.     

The theory of tone semantics: Concept,foundation, and application

Tone semantics is a psychoacoustic-based theory of gestalt perception that deals with tone perception and the assignment of functional relationships between tones in the musical context. The theory provides an operational account of semantics in terms of complex dynamic systems theory and forms the basis for non-symbolic research in music imagination. This is illustrated by an application in the automatic recognition of tone centers from acoustical input. An analysis of the basic concepts and related epistemological and methodological principles reveals a promising paradigm for music research.     

The person-machine confrontation: Investigations into the pragmatics of dialogism

Erroneously attributing propositional attitudes (desires, beliefs...) to computational artefacts has become internationally commonplace in the public arena, especially amongst the new generation of non-initiated users. Technology for rendering machines user-friendly is often inspired by interpersonal human communication. This calls forth designers to conceptualise a major component of human intelligence: the sense ofcommunicability, and its logical consequences. The inherentincommunicability of machines subsequently causes a shift in design strategy. Though cataloguing components of bouts between person and machine with Speech Act Theory has been popular, I will endeavour to present thesine qua non for their insertion into a larger unit of discourse — their societal embodiment. I shall argue that the so-called intelligence of the artificial should to be seenas a purposeful act that is socially generated, because it comes of Man,for Man. Designership will provide the forum for evolving user requirements and interface renewal.     

The syntax of interactive command languages: A framework for design

Various qualities of simple command languages, such as ease of use and flexibility, are defined in terms of syntax. Certain design attributes—namely style, structure and level of abstraction—are described for command languages, and these attributes are shown to strongly influence the defined qualities. Commands are designed for three functions to show how the design trade-offs are made in light of the qualities and attributes discussed.     

Execution levels for aspect-oriented programming: Design,semantics, implementations and applications

In aspect-oriented programming (AOP) languages, advice evaluation is usually considered as part of the base program evaluation. This is also the case for certain pointcuts, such as if pointcuts in AspectJ, or simply all pointcuts in higher-order aspect languages like AspectScheme. While viewing aspects as part of base level computation clearly distinguishes AOP from reflection, it also comes at a price: because aspects observe base level computation, evaluating pointcuts and advice at the base level can trigger infinite regression. To avoid these pitfalls, aspect languages propose ad-hoc mechanisms, which increase the complexity for programmers while being insufficient in many cases. After shedding light on the many facets of the issue, this paper proposes to clarify the situation by introducing levels of execution in the programming language, thereby allowing aspects to observe and run at specific, possibly different, levels. We adopt a defensive default that avoids infinite regression, and gives advanced programmers the means to override this default using level-shifting operators. We then study execution levels both in practice and in theory. First, we study the relevance of the issues addressed by execution levels in existing aspect-oriented programs. We then formalize the semantics of execution levels and prove that the default semantics is indeed free of a certain form of infinite regression, which we call aspect loops. Finally, we report on existing implementations of execution levels for aspect-oriented extensions of Scheme, JavaScript and Java, discussing their implementation techniques and current applications.     

HiMotion: a new research resource for the study of behavior,cognition, and emotion

The HiMotion research project was designed to create a multimodal database and several support tools for the study of human behavior, cognition and emotion, in the context of computer-based tasks designed to elicit cognitive load and specialized affective responses. The database includes both human-computer interaction (HCI) and psychophysiological data, collected through an experimental setup that we devised for synchronized recording of keyboard, mouse, and central/ peripheral nervous system measurements. Currently we provide a battery of five different cognitive tasks, and a video bank for affective elicitation, together with a set of introductory and self-reporting screens. We have conducted two experiments, one involving a population of 27 subjects, which followed the cognitive tasks protocol, and another involving a population of 20 subjects, which followed the video bank visualization protocol. We provide an overview of several studies that have used the HiMotion database to test multiple hypothesis in the behavioral and affective domains, highlighting the usefulness of our contribution.     

Dialogue and power: the use of dialogue for participatory change

In this article I discuss some potential problems inherent in dialogue based methods when it comes to contributing to enduring participatory change. By dialogue-based methods I refer mainly to the dialogue conference and the development organisation, as described by Gustavsen (1992) and Pålshaugen (1998), (2001) and (2002). In a broader sense I refer to the linguistically oriented framework of these methods. The empirical context for the paper is a planned enterprise development project. This will be run as a network project among four to seven small and medium sized companies and at a general level it aims to increase the capacity for continuous learning and change in the enterprises. Here the involvement and mobilisation of all employees is important, and dialogue-based methods will be used. Based on prior work with these enterprises, I see some potential obstacles up front concerning the ability of dialogue-based methods to contribute to enduring participatory change. In the article these concerns are discussed through different theoretical perspectives and illustrated with examples from the field.