The Interactive Workspaces project: experiences with ubiquitous computing rooms

The Interactive Workspaces project explores new possibilities for people working together in technology-rich spaces. The project focuses on augmenting a dedicated meeting space with large displays, wireless or multimodal devices, and seamless mobile appliance integration.     

Improving semi-empirical equations of ultimate bearing capacity of shallow foundations using soft computing polynomials

This study presents the ultimate bearing capacity of shallow foundations in meaningful ways and improves its semi-empirical equations accordingly. Approaches including weighted genetic programming (WGP) and soft computing polynomials (SCP) are utilized to provide accurate prediction and visible formulas/polynomials for the ultimate bearing capacity. Visible formulas facilitate parameter studies, sensitivity analysis, and applications of pruning techniques. Analytical results demonstrate that the proposed SCP is outstanding in both prediction accuracy and provides simple polynomials as well. Notably, the SCP identifies that the shearing resistance angle and foundation geometry impact on improving the Vesic's semi-empirical equations.     

Interactive 3D object recognition pipeline on mobile GPGPU computing platforms using low-cost RGB-D sensors

In this work, we propose the implementation of a 3D object recognition system which will be optimized to operate under demanding time constraints. The system must be robust so that objects can be recognized properly in poor light conditions and cluttered scenes with significant levels of occlusion. An important requirement must be met: The system must exhibit a reasonable performance running on a low power consumption mobile GPU computing platform (NVIDIA Jetson TK1) so that it can be integrated in mobile robotics systems, ambient intelligence or ambient-assisted living applications. The acquisition system is based on the use of color and depth (RGB-D) data streams provided by low-cost 3D sensors like Microsoft Kinect or PrimeSense Carmine. The resulting system is able to recognize objects in a scene in less than 7 seconds, offering an interactive frame rate and thus allowing its deployment on a mobile robotic platform. Because of that, the system has many possible applications, ranging from mobile robot navigation and semantic scene labeling to human–computer interaction systems based on visual information. A video showing the proposed system while performing online object recognition in various scenes is available on our project website (http://www.dtic.ua.es/~agarcia/3dobjrecog-jetsontk1/).     

普适计算：人本计算

普适计算强调以人为本的计算思想，它主张计算应迎合人的习性，自主地与使用者产生互动，使用户能集中精力于所要完成的任务。在普适计算环境下，计算将融入到人们的日常生活之中，使人们能够随时随地无妨碍地获得计算和信息服务。综述了普适计算的发展历史、现状和研究热点，分析和讨论了普适计算的概念和特性，最后对目前一些具有代表性的普适计算研究项目进行了简要的介绍和分析。     

Logical foundations of multilevel databases

In this paper, we propose a formal model for multilevel databases. This model aims at being a generic model, that is it can be interpreted for any kind of database (relational, object-oriented …). Our model has three layers. The first layer corresponds to a model for a non-protected database. The second layer corresponds to a model for a multilevel database. In this second layer, we propose a list of theorems that must be respected in order to build a secure multilevel database. We also propose a new solution to manage cover stories without using the ambiguous technique of polyinstantiation. The third layer corresponds to a model for a MultiView database, that is, a database that provides at each security level a consistent view of the multilevel database. Finally, as an illustration, we interpret our 3-layer model in the case of an object-oriented database.     

Logical foundations of nonmonotonic reasoning

In this paper we shall review the main appraches to nonmonotonic reasoning which we classify from the perspective of their underlying logical settings as classical, intuitionistic, three-valued/partial models, and conditional. We shall be placing special emphasis on some of the prominent approaches. We shall also give hints on potential future directions and emphasize that more theoretical work is still needed before a move to application is made.     

Set-theoretic foundations of data-structure representation

A formal set-theoretic model for the computer representation of data is developed. The key idea of the model is the concept of the distinguished urelement. A Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory ZF is the starting point. This theory contains all the fundamental sets which are required. A new Zermelo-Fraenkel theory ZF' is then formed which is identical to ZF except that it contains an additional constant a, interpreted as a urelement.Working in ZF', new definitions for the usual constructions in mathematics (e.g. permutation, projection, join, composition) are developed for the elements in ZF. These definitions are far better suited for computer representations than are the usual definitions. In particular, the new definition of ordered n-tuple possesses a symmetry not found in the usual definition.To insure rapid and accurate computer implementation of common set-theoretic operations such as union, intersection, difference, etc., it is extremely useful to have a canonical well ordering on the set of computer-representable elements. Using an extremely large class of sets from ZF' (one which contains ZF) as the basic sets, such an ordering theory is developed. Computation of the ordering involves simple checks on trees in a top-down manner.Finally, using the framework developed, a new definition of Codd's first normal form is presented. In contrast to previous definitions, this one allows sets as well as urelements as domain elements, while being perfectly consistent with the axioms of ZF'.     

Information systems theoretical foundations

Some basic concepts concerning information systems are defined and investigated. With every information system a query language is associated and its syntax and semantics is formally defined. Some elementary properties of the query language are stated. The presented approach leads to a new information systems organization. The presented idea was implemented and the implementation shows many advantages compared with other methods.     

Changing computing: the computing community and DARPA

Between 1962 and 1986, the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) provided significant support for computer science R&D. The design and implementation of the support programs of this office was the responsibility of a small group of computer scientists who emerged from the growing computer science community. Program directors focused on radical technologies, organized programs to develop them, and promoted their use in various settings, with substantial success. A better understanding of the evolution of the Department of Defense's policy for computing R&D can be gained from an analysis of the backgrounds, research experience, interests and methods of the people engaged to design and implement this policy in IPTO     

Morphic computing

In this paper, we introduce a new type of computation called “morphic computing”. Morphic computing is based on field theory and more specifically morphic fields. Morphic fields were first introduced by Rupert Sheldrake [R. Sheldrake, A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Morphic Resonance (second edition, 1985), Park Street Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 1995), 1981] from his hypothesis of formative causation that made use of the older notion of morphogenetic fields. Rupert Sheldrake [R. Sheldrake, A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Morphic Resonance (second edition, 1985), Park Street Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 1995), 1981] developed his famous theory, morphic resonance, on the basis of the work by French philosopher Henri Bergson. Morphic fields and its subset morphogenetic fields have been at the center of controversy for many years in mainstream science and the hypothesis is not accepted by some scientists who consider it a pseudoscience. We claim that morphic computing is a natural extension of holographic computation, quantum computation, soft computing, and DNA computing. All natural computations bonded by the turing machine can be formalised and extended by our new type of computation model—morphic computing. In this paper, we introduce the basis for this new computing paradigm and its extensions such as quantum logic and entanglement in morphic computing, morphic systems and morphic system of systems (M-SOS). Its applications to the field of computation by words as an example of the morphic computing, morphogenetic fields in neural network and morphic computing, morphic fields - concepts and web search, and agents and fuzzy in morphic computing will also be discussed.