Modelling structures in generic space, a condition for adaptiveness of monitoring cognitive agent

The adaptiveness of agents is one of the basic conditions for the autonomy. This paper describes an approach of adaptiveness forMonitoring Cognitive Agents based on the notion of generic spaces. This notion allows the definition of virtual generic processes so that any particular actual process is then a simple configuration of the generic process, that is to say a set of values of parameters. Consequently, generic domain ontology containing the generic knowledge for solving problems concerning the generic process can be developed. This lead to the design of Generic Monitoring Cognitive Agent, a class of agent in which the whole knowledge corpus is generic. In other words, modeling a process within a generic space becomes configuring a generic process and adaptiveness becomes genericity, that is to say independence regarding technology. In this paper, we present an application of this approach on Sachem, a Generic Monitoring Cognitive Agent designed in order to help the operators in operating a blast furnace. Specifically, the NeuroGaz module of Sachem will be used to present the notion of a generic blast furnace. The adaptiveness of Sachem can then be noted through the low cost of the deployment of a Sachem instance on different blast furnaces and the ability of NeuroGaz in solving problem and learning from various top gas instrumentation.     

Sometime = always + recursion ≡ always on the equivalence of the intermittent and invariant assertions methods for proving inevitability properties of programs

Summary We propose and compare two induction principles called always and sometime for proving inevitability properties of programs. They are respective formalizations and generalizations of Floyd invariant assertions and Burstall intermittent assertions methods for proving total correctness of sequential programs whose methodological advantages or disadvantages have been discussed in a number of previous papers. Both principles are formalized in the abstract setting of arbitrary nondeterministic transition systems and illustrated by appropriate examples. The sometime method is interpreted as a recursive application of the always method. Hence always can be considered as a special case of sometime. These proof methods are strongly equivalent in the sense that a proof by one induction principle can be rewritten into a proof by the other one. The first two theorems of the paper show that an invariant for the always method can be translated into an invariant for the sometime method even if every recursive application of the later is required to be of finite length. The third and main theorem of the paper shows how to translate an invariant for the sometime method into an invariant for the always method. It is emphasized that this translation technique follows the idea of transforming recursive programs into iterative ones. Of course, a general translation technique does not imply that the original sometime invariant and the resulting always invariant are equally understandable. This is illustrated by an example.     

Interval routing schemes

In this paper the problem of routing messages along shortest paths in a distributed network without using complete routing tables is considered. In particular, the complexity of deriving minimum (in terms of number of intervals) interval routing schemes is analyzed under different requirements. For all the cases considered NP-hardness proofs are given, while some approximability results are provided. Moreover, relations among the different cases considered are studied.This work was supported by the EEC ESPRIT II Basic Research Action Program under Contract No. 7141 Algorithms and Complexity II, by the EEC Human Capital and Mobility MAP project, and by the Italian MURST 40% project Algoritmi, Modelli di Calcolo e Strutture Informative.     

Unitary immersions of nonlinear systems

In this paper, we define what we call a unitary immersion of a nonlinear system. We observe that, for classical Hamiltonian systems, this notion contains, in some sense, the concept of quantization. We restrict our attention to degree-zero unitary immersions, where all observation functions must be represented by operators of the type multiplication by a function. We show that the problem of classifying such degree-zero unitary immersions of a given nonlinear system is not obvious. In some cases, we solve this problem.Chargé de Recherche au CNRS.Maître de Conférences.     

Reaping the whirlwind: Reply to Harnad's “other bodies,other minds”

Harnad's proposed robotic upgrade of Turing's Test (TT), from a test of linguistic capacity alone to a Total Turing Test (TTT) of linguisticand sensorimotor capacity, conflicts with his claim that no behavioral test provides even probable warrant for attributions of thought because there is no evidence of consciousness besides private experience. Intuitive, scientific, and philosophical considerations Harnad offers in favor of his proposed upgrade are unconvincing. I agree with Harnad that distinguishing real from as if thought on the basis of (presence or lack of) consciousness (thus rejecting Turing (behavioral) testing as sufficient warrant for mental attribution)has the skeptical consequence Harnad accepts — there is in factno evidence for me that anyone else but me has a mind. I disagree with hisacceptance of it! It would be better to give up the neo-Cartesian faith in private conscious experience underlying Harnad's allegiance to Searle's controversial Chinese Room Experiment than give up all claim to know others think. It would be better to allow that (passing) Turing's Test evidences — evenstrongly evidences — thought.     

LAR: A logic of algorithmic reasoning

Summary Reasoning about programs involves some logical framework which seems to go beyond classical predicate logic. LAR is an extension of predicate logic by additional concepts which are to formalize our natural reasoning about algorithms. Semantically, this extension introduces an underlying time scale on which formulas are considered and time shifting connectives. Besides a full model-theoretic treatment, a consistent and complete formal system for LAR is given. The pure logical system can serve as a basis for various theories. As an example, a theory of while program schemes is developed which contains Hoare's correctness proof system.     

A Note on the Ohya-Masuda Quantum Algorithm

We analyze the Ohya-Masuda quantum algorithm that solves the so-called satisfiability problem, which is an NP-complete problem of the complexity theory. We distinguish three steps in the algorithm, and analyze the second step, in which a coherent superposition of states (a pure state) transforms into an incoherent mixture presented by a density matrix. We show that, if nonideal (in analogy with nonideal quantum measurement), this transformation can make the algorithm to fail in some cases. On this basis we give some general notions on the physical implementation of the Ohya-Masuda algorithm.     

Choosing reference classes and building provisional models

A well-known problem in default logic is the ability of naive reasoners to explain bothg and ¬g from a set of observations. This problem is treated in at least two different ways within that camp.One approach is examination of the various explanations and choosing among them on the basis of various explanation comparators. A typical comparator is choosing the explanation that depends on the most specific observation, similar to the notion of narrowest reference class.Others examine default extensions of the observations and choose whatever is true in any extension, or what is true in all extensions or what is true in preferred extensions. Default extensions are sometimes thought of as acceptable models of the world that are discarded as more knowledge becomes available.We argue that the notions of specificity and extension lack clear semantics. Furthermore, we show that the problems these ideas were supposed to solve can be handled easily within a probabilistic framework.     

A Stylometric Analysis of Ya?ar Kemal’s ? nce Memed Tetralogy

We analyze four nce Memed novels of Yaar Kemal using six style markers: most frequent words, syllable counts, word type – or part of speech – information, sentence length in terms of words, word length in text, and word length in vocabulary. For analysis we divide each novel into five thousand word text blocks and count the frequencies of each style marker in these blocks. The style markers showing the best separation are most frequent words and sentence lengths. We use stepwise discriminant analysis to determine the best discriminators of each style marker. We then use these markers in cross validation based discriminant analysis. Further investigation based on multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) reveals how the attributes of each style marker group distinguish among the volumes.     

From “website” to “on-line presence”: From “internet” to “information society”

This paper discusses some of the key drivers that will enable businesses to operate effectively on-line, and looks at how the notion of website will become one of an on-line presence which will support the main activities of an organisation. This is placed in the context of the development of the information society which will allow individuals-as consumers or employees-quick, inexpensive and on-demand access to vast quantities of entertainment, services and information. The paper draws on an example of these developments in Australasia.     

How to Pass a Turing Test

I advocate a theory of syntactic semantics as a way of understanding how computers can think (and how the Chinese-Room-Argument objection to the Turing Test can be overcome): (1) Semantics, considered as the study of relations between symbols and meanings, can be turned into syntax – a study of relations among symbols (including meanings) – and hence syntax (i.e., symbol manipulation) can suffice for the semantical enterprise (contra Searle). (2) Semantics, considered as the process of understanding one domain (by modeling it) in terms of another, can be viewed recursively: The base case of semantic understanding –understanding a domain in terms of itself – is syntactic understanding. (3) An internal (or narrow), first-person point of view makes an external (or wide), third-person point of view otiose for purposes of understanding cognition.     

Algebraic and functional specification of an interactive serializable database interface

Summary A formal functional specification of a serializable interface for an interactive database is given and refined into two different versions with distinct strategies for solving read/write conflicts. The formalization is based on techniques of algebraic specification for defining the basic data structures and functional system specification by streams and stream processing functions for defining the properties concerning interaction. It is especially demonstrated how different specification techniques can be used side by side. Manfred Broy finished his studies with the Diplom in Mathematics and Computer Science at the Technical University of Munich. Till 1983 he was research and teaching assistant at the Institut für Informatik and the Sonderforschungsbereich 49 Programmiertechnik. At the Technical University of Munich he also did his Ph.D. (in February 1980 with the subject: Transformation parallel ablaufender Programme) and qualified as an university lecturer (in 1982 with the subject: A Theory for Nondeterminism, Parallelism, Communication and Concurrency). In April 1983 he became a Full Professor for Computer Science at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Passau. Since October 1989 he has been Full Professor for Computer Science at the Technical University of Munich. His fields of interests are: Programming languages, program development, programming methodology and distributed systems.This work was supported by the DFG Project Transformation paralleler Programme and by the Sonderforschungsbereich 342 Werkzeuge und Methoden für die Nutzung paralleler Architekturen     

Human–Machine Interaction in Intelligent Robotic Systems: A Unifying Consideration with Implementation Examples

In this paper, we propose a two-layer sensor fusion scheme for multiple hypotheses multisensor systems. To reflect reality in decision making, uncertain decision regions are introduced in the hypotheses testing process. The entire decision space is partitioned into distinct regions of correct, uncertain and incorrect regions. The first layer of decision is made by each sensor indepedently based on a set of optimal decision rules. The fusion process is performed by treating the fusion center as an additional virtual sensor to the system. This virtual sensor makes decision based on the decisions reached by the set of sensors in the system. The optimal decision rules are derived by minimizing the Bayes risk function. As a consequence, the performance of the system as well as individual sensors can be quantified by the probabilities of correct, incorrect and uncertain decisions. Numerical examples of three hypotheses, two and four sensor systems are presented to illustrate the proposed scheme.     

The role of “craft language” in learning “Waza”

The role of craft language in the process of teaching (learning) Waza (skill) will be discussed from the perspective of human intelligence.It may be said that the ultimate goal of learning Waza in any Japanese traditional performance is not the perfect reproduction of the teaching (learning) process of Waza. In fact, a special metaphorical language (craft language) is used, which has the effect of encouraging the learner to activate his creative imagination. It is through this activity that the he learns his own habitus (Kata).It is suggested that, in considering the difference of function between natural human intelligence and artificial intelligence, attention should be paid to the imaginative activity of the learner as being an essential factor for mastering Kata.This article is a modified English version of Chapter 5 of my bookWaza kara shiru (Learning from Skill), Tokyo University Press, 1987, pp. 93–105.     

Global storage cells for attributes in an attribute grammar

Summary Very much space is needed to store the values of all attribute instances in an attributed tree at the corresponding nodes; for that reason global cells are often used to store values of attribute instances. But these global cells must contain the right value at the right time, and, therefore, not all evaluation sequences of attribute instances are admissible, if one uses global cells.In this paper we will study first the problem arising during the construction of such admissible evaluation sequences for attributed trees, if no special property of an underlying ag is presumed. This will lead to a number of restrictions on the practically allowed use of global cells. After that we will provide a method for the construction of admissible evaluation sequences for arbitrary attribute trees of given attribute grammars, if global cells are used in the restricted sense. The proposed method is independent of special classes of attribute grammars and can be used with arbitrary evaluator generators.     

Nonlockability in Multirings and Hypercubes at Serial Transmission of Data Blocks

For the multiring and hypercube, a method of conflictless realization of an arbitrary permutation of large data items that can be divided into many smaller data blocks was considered, and its high efficiency was demonstrated.     

Quantitative perceptual representation of prepositional semantics

In this paper we concentrate on spatial prepositions, more specifically we are interested here in projective prepositions (eg. in front of, to the left of) which have in the past been treated as semantically uninteresting. We demonstrate that projective prepositions are in fact problematic and demand more attention than they have so far been afforded; after summarising the important components of their meaning, we review the deficiencies of past and current approaches to the decoding problem; that is, predicting what a locative expression used in a particular situation conveys. Finally we present our own approach. Motivated by the shortcomings of contemporary work, we integrate elements of Lang's conceptual representation of objects' perceptual and dimensional characteristics, and the potential field model of object proximity that originated in manipulator and mobile robot path-finding.     

Regenerative simulation of response times in networks of queues: statistical efficiency

Summary This paper deals with the statistical efficiency of estimation methods for passage times in closed, multiclass networks of queues with priorities. Informally, a passage time is the time for a job to traverse a portion of the network. Such quantities are important in computer and communication system models, and in this context, quantities other than mean values are of interest. We consider here the efficiencies of the marked job method for passage time simulation (based on the tracking of a distinguished job) and the decomposition method in which observed passage times for all of the jobs enter in the construction of point and interval estimates. We show that the decomposition method is superior in that, for simulations of equal length, it produces tighter confidence intervals. We also calculate theoretical values for variance constants entering into central limit theorems used to obtain confidence intervals for mean passage times. These results provide a means of quantifying the relative efficiency of the decomposition method.     

Consumer Satisfaction for Internet Service Providers: An Analysis of Underlying Processes

A key managerial challenge, of interest to academics and practitioners alike, is the assessment and management of customer satisfaction. In this paper, we examine the underlying processes involving consumer satisfaction and switching patterns among ISPs using different satisfaction models, including the expectations-disconfirmation model, the attribution model, and an affective model. Our results indicate that the satisfaction levels of ISP consumers are generally relatively low, despite the fact that consumer expectations of ISPs are also low, reflecting mediocrity in the marketplace. In addition, consumers attribute their dissatisfaction to ISP indifference and believe that managing dissatisfaction is within the control of the ISP. Moreover, affective factors play an important role in satisfaction processes and switching behavior. Customer service including technical support and responsiveness of service staff is an important determinant factor in ISP selection. We suggest that as the ISP market matures, service providers that pay attention to affective factors and to building relationships with their customers will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace of the future.     

Using computer technology to teach and evaluate prewriting

The purpose of this research was to determine whether computer-aided instruction may be effectively utilized in stimulating prewriting composition when the CAI is based upon (1) conceptual (cognitive) strategies, (2) data-driven guidance (resulting from CAE techniques), and (3) recent findings in tutorial strategies research. If this specifically designed CAI is as good a means of prewriting instruction as personal tutoring and a better means than classroom instruction, then the practical and economical implications may be weighed in a decision to use such techniques. Forty-three college freshmen in three basic writing classes participated in this study. One class was exposed to a CAI medium, the other two either to a human tutor or to classroom instruction. A computer-aided evaluation of previous essays provided focus, and other intellectual processing cues provided information on an expository topic; this database was then used to construct a CAI program to encourage specificity and depth of intellectual processing in students' prewriting composition. The program also possessed and was designed to provide conceptual guidance through the use of five heuristic procedures; thus it contained two key elements that a human tutor would possess in working with a topic—knowledge of the topic, and a means for eliciting that knowledge from the tutee. The second treatment method used consisted of instruction by human tutors, utilizing the same methodology. The control for the study consisted of a classroom instruction group. Results showed the CAI group demonstrating gains in every category of measurement utilized in this study, and its performances was significantly better than both the tutorial group on two of the post-test measures. The CAI group was superior, through not significantly, on post-test performances in every category used in the study except fluency.