On the (Non-)Existence of Polynomial Kernels for P l -Free Edge Modification Problems

Given a graph G=(V,E) and a positive integer k, an edge modification problem for a graph property Π consists in deciding whether there exists a set F of pairs of V of size at most k such that the graph $H=(V,E\vartriangle F)$ satisfies the property Π. In the Π edge-completion problem, the set F is constrained to be disjoint from E; in the Π edge-deletion problem, F is a subset of E; no constraint is imposed on F in the Π edge-editing problem. A number of optimization problems can be expressed in terms of graph modification problems which have been extensively studied in the context of parameterized complexity (Cai in Inf. Process. Lett. 58:171–176, 1996; Fellows et al. in FCT, pp. 312–321, 2007; Heggernes et al. in STOC, pp. 374–381, 2007). When parameterized by the size k of the set F, it has been proved that if Π is a hereditary property characterized by a finite set of forbidden induced subgraphs, then the three Π edge-modification problems are FPT (Cai in Inf. Process. Lett. 58:171–176, 1996). It was then natural to ask (Bodlaender et al. in IWPEC, 2006) whether these problems also admit a polynomial kernel. in polynomial time to an equivalent instance (G′,k′) with size bounded by a polynomial in k). Using recent lower bound techniques, Kratsch and Wahlström answered this question negatively (Kratsch and Wahlström in IWPEC, pp. 264–275, 2009). However, the problem remains open on many natural graph classes characterized by forbidden induced subgraphs. question to characterize for which type of graph properties, the parameterized edge-modification problems have polynomial kernels. Kratsch and Wahlström asked whether the result holds when the forbidden subgraphs are paths or cycles and pointed out that the problem is already open in the case of P ₄-free graphs (i.e. cographs). This paper provides positive and negative results in that line of research. We prove that Parameterized cograph edge-modification problems have cubic vertex kernels whereas polynomial kernels are unlikely to exist for the P _l -free edge-deletion and the C _l -free edge-deletion problems for l?7 and l≥4 respectively. Indeed, if they exist, then NP?coNP/poly.     

Event clock message passing automata: a logical characterization and an emptiness checking algorithm

We are interested in modeling behaviors and verifying properties of systems in which time and concurrency play a crucial role. We introduce a model of distributed automata which are equipped with event clocks as in Alur et al. (Theor Comput Sci 211:253–273, 1999), which we call Event Clock Message Passing Automata (ECMPA). To describe the behaviors of such systems we use timed partial orders (modeled as message sequence charts with timing). Our first goal is to extend the classical Büchi-Elgot-Trakhtenbrot equivalence to the timed and distributed setting, by showing an equivalence between ECMPA and a timed extension of monadic second-order (MSO) logic. We obtain such a constructive equivalence in two different ways: (1) by restricting the semantics by bounding the set of timed partial orders; (2) by restricting the timed MSO logic to its existential fragment. We next consider the emptiness problem for ECMPA, which asks if a given ECMPA has some valid timed execution. In general this problem is undecidable and we show that by considering only bounded timed executions, we can obtain decidability. We do this by constructing a timed automaton which accepts all bounded timed executions of the ECMPA and checking emptiness of this timed automaton.     

An evaluation of Landsat TM spectral data and SAR-derived textural information for lithological discrimination in the Red Sea Hills,Sudan

The effectiveness of spectral and textural information in the identification of surface rock types in an arid region, the Red Sea Hills of Sudan, is evaluated using spectral information from the six Landsat TM optical bands and textural features derived from Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) C-band HH polarization data. An initial classification is derived from Landsat TM data alone using three classification algorithms, Gaussian maximum likelihood, a multi-layer feed-forward neural network and a Kohonen self-organizing feature map (SOM), to generate lithological maps, with classification accuracy being measured using a confusion matrix approach. The feed-forward neural net produced the highest overall classification accuracy of 57 per cent and was, therefore, selected for the second experiment, in which texture measures from SIR-C C-band HH-polarized synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data are added to selected TM spectral features. Four methods of measuring texture are employed, based on the Fourier power spectrum, grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), multi-fractal measures, and the multiplicative autoregressive random field (MAR) model. The use of textural information together with a subset of the TM spectral features leads to an increase in classification accuracy to almost 70 per cent. Both the MAR model and the GLCM matrix approach perform better than Fourier and multi-fractal based methods of texture characterization.     

Using latent semantic indexing for multilanguage information retrieval

In this paper, a method for indexing cross-language databases for conceptual query matching is presented. Two languages (Greek and English) are combined by appending a small portion of documents from one language to the identical documents in the other language. The proposed merging strategy duplicates less than 7% of the entire database (made up of different translations of the Gospels). Previous strategies duplicated up to 34% of the initial database in order to perform the merger. The proposed method retrieves a larger number of relevant documents for both languages with higher cosine rankings when Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is employed. Using the proposed merge strategies, LSI is shown to be effective in retrieving documents from either language (Greek or English) without requiring any translation of a user's query. An effective Bible search product needs to allow the use of natural language for searching (queries). LSI enables the user to form queries with using natural expressions in the user's own native language. The merging strategy proposed in this study enables LSI to retrieve relevant documents effectively using a minimum of the database in a foreign language.Michael W. Berry is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He recieved a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990, and an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from North Carolina State University at Raleigh in 1983. His current interests include scientific computing, parallel algorithms, information retrieval applications, and computer performance evaluation. He is a member of the ACM, SIAM, and the IEEE Computer Society.Paul G. Young is now employed as an Associate Consultant with Oracle Government Services in Knoxville, TN. In 1984 he graduated from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in S. Hamilton, MA and became an Ordained Presbyterian Minister (PCUSA). He later received an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Tennessee in 1994.     

Accurate measurement of changes in electron scattering in the de Haas-van Alphen effect

A new method for the accurate determination of smallchanges in the Dingle temperature measured in the de Haas-van Alphen effect is described. The method is illustrated with some measurements in copper and potassium, in which changes in the Dingle temperature of only a few millikelvin could be resolved.Supported by the Science Research Council.     

Comparison of 3D OS-EM and 4D MAP-RBI-EM reconstruction algorithms for cardiac motion abnormality classification using a motion observer

Using a heart motion observer, we compared the performance of two image reconstruction techniques, a 3D OS-EM algorithm with post Butterworth spatial filtering and a 4D MAP-RBI-EM algorithm. The task was to classify gated myocardial perfusion (GMP) SPECT images of beating hearts with or without regional motion abnormalities. Noise-free simulated GMP SPECT projection data was generated from two 4D NCAT beating heart phantom models, one with normal motion and the other with a 50% motion defect in a pie-shaped wedge region-of-interest (ROI) in the anterior-lateral left ventricular wall. The projection data were scaled to clinical GMP SPECT count level before Poisson noise was simulated to generate 40 noise realizations. The noise-free and noisy projection data were reconstructed using the two reconstruction algorithms, parameters chosen to optimize the tradeoff between image bias and noise. As a motion observer, a 3D motion estimation method previously developed was applied to estimate the radial motion on the ROI from two adjacent gates. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were computed for radial motion magnitudes corresponding to each reconstruction technique. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated as an index for classification of regional motion. The reconstructed images with better bias and noise tradeoff were found to offer better classification for hearts with or without regional motion defects. The 3D cardiac motion estimation algorithm, serving as a heart motion observer, was better able to distinguish the abnormal from the normal regional motion in GMP SPECT images obtained from the 4D MAP-RBI-EM algorithm than from the 3D OS-EM algorithm with post Butterworth spatial filtering.     

暴露木结构防火设计概述

在设计防火建筑时,大型木构件燃烧缓慢的特性是很早以来就被认识到了的优点。在美国,用木材来建造安全防火的建筑已有一个多世纪的成功历史。本文对在美国如何进行暴露木结构的防火设计进行了概述。     

Model networks—synthesis and structure

Model networks synthesized by endlinking processes are shown to be close to ideality and to exhibit few defects. Structure determinations carried out chiefly by neutron coherent scattering experiments on gels with deuterium labelled crosslinks demonstrated that the average distance between neighbor crosslinks d is a linear function of the cubic root of the swelling ratio Q. On the other hand, from the meansquare radius of gyration of the elastic chains it was established that no “supercoiling” can occur upon deswelling. To interpret the elasticity moduli measured on model networks we have tried to use De Gennes' treatment of semi-dilute systems. Assuming that the swelling equilibrium is reached when the segment concentration is close to c* seems quite reasonable, since this leads to scaling laws with exponents very close to the experimental ones.     

Polyester–Polycarbonate blends. IV. Poly(ε-caprolactone)

Polycarbonate blends with poly(ε-caprolactone) were prepared by both melt-blending and solution-blending techniques, and the properties of these blends were studied by thermal analytical and dynamic mechanical testing methods. Each blend composition was found to have a single glass transition temperature, and the temperature location of this transition was found to be a function only of blend composition and to be independent of the blending technique employed. This behavior led to the conclusions that these two polymers form blends containing a single amorphous phase comprised of the two materials and that this miscible phase results primarily from physical rather than chemical interactions between the two polymers. A reversible liquid-liquid-type phase separation was found to occur when the blend system was heated to high melt temperatures. The temperature required for phase separation, the lower critical solution temperature, was found to vary with blend composition and component molecular weight in the manner expected from thermodynamic considerations. The level of crystallinity of poly(ε-caprolactone) was affected by the presence of the polycarbonate. The polycarbonate also crystallized to an appreciable extent in many of the blends.     

Pressure–volume–temperature relationships of solid and molten polypropylene and poly(butene-1)

Experimental data on the dependence of the specific volume on temperature and pressure (PVT data) to 2000 kg/cm² of isotactic polypropylene and isotactic poly(butene-1) are reported and discussed. The temperature range covered is 30–297°C for polypropylene and 30–246°C for poly(butene-1), thus encompassing the solid and molten states of both materials. An empirical equation of state based on the Tait equation can be fitted to the melt data of both materials. The coefficients reported reproduce the measured specific volumes with a standard deviation of less than 0.001 cm³/g.