Volume 2, Issue 3

This paper surveys principal concepts involved in various approaches to web search. There are many attempts to improve key word search. There is the concept of exploratory search, which represents a shift towards more complex view of the interested fellow’s role, widening her options. We propose a more radical shift towards viewing information seeking as cognitive traveling in the digital information space involving both web and digital libraries.

Currently many devices provide information about moving objects and location-based services that accumulate a huge volume of moving object data, including trajectories. This paper deals with two useful analysis tasks — mining moving object patterns and trajectory outlier detection. We also present our experience with the TOP-EYE trajectory outlier detection algorithm, which we applied to two real-world data sets.

Composition-nominative logics are algebra-based logics of partial predicates constructed in a semantic-syntactic style on the methodological basis, which is common with programming. They can be considered as generalizations of traditional logics on classes of partial predicates that do not have fixed arity. In this paper we present and investigate algorithms for solving the satisfiability problem in various classes of composition-nominative logics. We consider the satisfiability problem for logics of the propositional, renominative, and quantifier levels and prove the reduction of the problem to the satisfiability problem for classical logics. The method developed in the paper enables us to leverage existent state-of-the-art satisfiability checking procedures for solving the satisfiability problem in composition-nominative logics, which could be crucial for handling industrial instances coming from domains such as program analysis and verification. The reduction proposed in the paper requires extension of logic language and logic models with an infinite number of unessential variables and with a predicate of equality to a constant.

In our paper we investigate the possibilities of modal logics in coalgebras of program systems. We deal with a simplified model of an intrusion detection system. We model an intrusion detection system as a coalgebra and construct its Kripke model of coalgebraic modal linear logic using powerset endofunctor. In this model we present our idea how a fragment of epistemic linear logic can provide knowledge and belief of intrusion attempt.

Composition of High Level Petri Nets in terms of joining relevant places and/or transitions is considered in the paper. In case of place composition type safe and combined types composition is contemplated. The process of composition is proposed and analysed in three separate cases with respect to the general approaches with minimal composition interface in each case but an analogous extension of the interface follows immediately from the approach introduced. Properties of the composition mechanism are analysed, namely preserving of boundedness, liveness and deadlock freedom. Conditions for preserving of the desired properties are introduced. Usability of the compositional mechanism is analysed in the process of de/compositional analysis.

This paper presents a model of a system for invariant object recognition, which consists of five stages. The first stage shifts the object so that the centroid of the object coincides with the center of the image plane. The second stage is an application of the polar-coordinate transforms used to obtain N-dimensional vectors-representations of the input object. In this stage, any rotation of the input object becomes a cyclic shift of the output value of this stage. The third stage employs CT (Certain Transform), a class of shift-invariant transformations to provide invariant representations for cyclically shifted inputs. The next stage normalizes the outputs of the previous stage to obtain scale invariance. The final stage realizes a classification.

The final goal of our research is to show that the performance of statistical rule induction can be improved by augmenting training data with semantic information. In order to prove this hypothesis, a statistical grammar induction system is to be created the knowledge base of which is represented by Extended Conceptual Graphs (ECGs). Since generalization and specialization are the basic operations of induction, they are of great significance in machine learning. As a consequence, the paper aims at investigating the least common generalization and the greatest common specialization of two ECG graphs. These operations should be traced back to the examination of ECG graph element instances. For this reason, a domain-specific ECG element instance type lattice (T′,≺) has been generated for the given test environment. Our final conclusion is that the least common generalization and the greatest common specialization of two ECG graphs always exist and can be computed. Therefore, the definition of the ≺ relation on element instances can be extended to a partial relation ⪯ on ECG diagram graphs, according to which F 1 ⪯ F 2 if graph Γ 1 is more specialized than Γ 2.

The paper deals with an issue of a design, development and implementation of a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) system and corresponding virtual worlds, specified in an object-oriented fashion. A virtual world object structure, reflecting a division of VR system into subsystems with respect to affected senses, is introduced. It also discusses virtual worlds building process, utilizing the software development technique of stepwise refinement, and possibilities of parallel processing in VR systems. The final part describes a VR system that has been implemented at the home institution of the authors according to some of the ideas presented here.

3D model creation and visualization is often used in digital preservation of looks and structure of historical buildings. Virtual reality (VR) technologies facilitate this 3D model creation and visualization. 3D scanner can be used for acceleration of the data collection and model creation. 3D displays can be used to improve visual perception and 3D printing can be used for physical model creation. In this paper is presented the way for preservation of historical buildings using virtual reality technologies. Example of preservation procedure, which consists from 3D scanning, 3D model creation, optimization and visualization, is shown on the historical building of The State Theatre of Košice.

Software engineers have long recognized the need to shift focus from developing systems to developing system families. One way to develop software family is to develop configurable systems. A configuration (initial settings of a program), written in application-specific language, can be expressed using many different formats, such as XML, YAML, attribute-oriented programming, etc., each one having pros and cons. Often the target group of users is too wide to meet their expectations by using only one format. This paper analyzes options that system providers have in supporting multiple configuration languages or sources. An enhanced abstraction tool is chosen as the best solution, and its architecture is briefly presented. The main contribution to the tool’s design is advocation of the declarative representation of mapping of input languages to output format.

A graphical user interface (GUI, UI) is an important part of an application, with which users interact directly. It should be implemented in the best way with respect to understandability. If a user does not understand the terms in the UI, he or she cannot work with it; then the whole system is worthless. In order to serve well the UI should contain domain-specific terms and describe domain-specific processes. It is the primary source for domain analysis right after domain users and experts. Our general goal is to propose a method for an automatic domain analysis of user interfaces. First, however, the basic principles and stereotypes must be defined that are used when creating user interfaces and rules must be derived for creating an information extracting algorithm. In this paper these stereotypes are listed and analyzed and a set of rules for extracting domain information is created. A taxonomy of UIs and a taxonomy of components based on their domain-specific information is also proposed. Our DEAL method for extracting this information is outlined and a prototype of DEAL is presented. Also our goals for the future are listed: expanding the prototype for different components and different types of UIs.

In presence of rapid development of information and communications technology (ICT) able to increase data processing, much more data can be stored, used and/or mediated and disseminated. Today, information and knowledge become a resource of strategic importance in complex systems, both business and military. On the other hand the question of credibility of the collected data arises: complex systems have to deal with an increasing access to information with less knowledge about their origins and their quality. Due to this lack of information on information, contemporary organizations suffer from organizational indifference. In this paper the ways and means for ensuring semantic interoperability in order to achieve information superiority in complex systems are examined, with special emphasis to military systems using Command and Control Information Systems (C2IS). Canonical messages (canonical intermediaries) based on canonical forms (canonical data models and formats) reduce the number of transformation maps that system must create and manage. An approach based on canonical messaging within the military domain is presented: Multilateral Interoperability Programme (MIP). If implemented correctly and consistently it should lead to achievement of information superiority.

This paper deals with the activities of the MONICA research group of the Computer Networks Laboratory at the Technical University of Košice in Slovakia. MONICA stands for the Monitoring and Optimization of Network Infrastructures, Communications and Applications. Our main areas of interest are related to development of the BasicMeter tool built in conformity with the IPFIX architecture. In this paper we give an overview of our solution and proposal of several enhancements over the scope of IPFIX, such as time synchronization for the One-Way Delay measurements, the protocol for direct communication with the analyzing application, the centralized management of the monitoring platform, and support for real-time monitoring.

Remote laboratories deal with performing real lab experiments remotely via the Internet. Recent advances in the Internet/web technologies and computer-controlled instrumentation allow net-based techniques to be used for setting up remote real laboratory access. This paper deals with the solutions for remote laboratory providing services for the operation of remote laboratory. The paper addresses problems related to the requirement of flexible, secure and easy remote access to laboratory equipment as well as the need for hardware and/or software re-configuration. This paper presents a unique concept for logical topology change with the usage of Q-in-Q tunneling and automated self-repair feature after failure.

This paper describes two methods for realization of configurable time continuous linear and non-linear dynamical models. The first method is based on classical PC plus A/D and D/A converters and the second one is based on a microcontroller (Atmel ARM7). Both methods can be used for verification of algorithms for control and identification of processes, modeling of transport processes dynamics using simulation experiments, if simulations run in real time. The application of a microcontroller allows a simple realization of changing parameters and also non-linearity of the process. In the paper we also pay attention to the realization of real time in a programmable environment under Microsoft Windows and the realization of precise calculations in floating point on microcontrollers.