14705463
C to Java migration experiences
With the growing popularity of the Java programming language for both client and server side applications in network-centric computing, there is a rising need for programming libraries that can be easily integrated into Java programs. In a previous paper, we surveyed current strategies for integrating C source code into Java programs, pointed out their weaknesses and presented goals for an improved migration approach. In this paper, we present the Ephedra approach to software migration and report on the results of three case studies transliterating C source code to Java using the Ephedra environment.
222672
Development and maintenance of a Web site for a Bachelor program
This paper describes our experiences with the development and maintenance of the BSENG Web site, which provides information about a new Bachelor program for software engineering at the University of Victoria. The site's requirements lead to a design that emphasizes simplicity to ease maintenance. We used Macromedia Dreamweaver to develop the site. During development, we identified two important maintenance tasks: detection of dead links and preservation of the site's navigational structure, that are not well supported by Dreamweaver. We discuss how we use the Rigi reverse engineering environment to aid the Web site developer with these maintenance tasks.
33984452
Using System Networks to Build Rhetorical Structures
We are currently engaged in a project to study the generation of instructional texts for common consumer devices. Our initial efforts have focused on an exhaustive corpus-based analysis of instruction booklets for cordless telephones. In this paper, we present our analysis of the way the various processes used in this domain are expressed. Our emphasis here is on the relationship between the surface grammatical coding of these processes and the underlying rhetorical structure of the text. This analysis has been formalized using a systemic-functional framework, with the resulting system networks forming the basis for the Imagene text generation system.
8053050
Characterization of Neuropathological Shape Deformations
We present a framework for analyzing the shape deformation of structures within the human brain. A mathematical model is developed describing the deformation of any brain structure whose shape is affected by both gross and detailed physical processes. Using our technique, the total shape deformation is decomposed into analytic modes of variation obtained from finite element modeling, and statistical modes of variation obtained from sample data. Our method is general, and can be applied to many problems where the goal is to separate out important from unimportant shape variation across a class of objects. In this paper, we focus on the analysis of diseases that affect the shape of brain structures. Because the shape of these structures is affected not only by pathology but also by overall brain shape, disease discrimination is difficult. By modeling the brain's elastic properties, we are able to compensate for some of the nonpathological modes of shape variation. This allows us to experimentally characterize modes of variation that are indicative of disease processes. We apply our technique to magnetic resonance images of the brains of individuals with schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and normal-pressure hydrocephalus, as well as to healthy volunteers. Classification results are presented.
14471368
A Unified Framework for Constructing Multimodal Experiments and Applications
Inspired by a Wizard of Oz (WOZ) simulation experiment, we developed a working prototype of a system that enables users to interact with a map display through synergistic combinations of pen and voice. To address many of the issues raised by multimodal fusion, our implementation employed a distributed multi-agent framework to coordinate parallel competition and cooperation among processing components. Since then, the agent-based infrastructure has been enhanced with a collaboration technology, creating a framework in which multiple humans and automated agents can naturally interact within the same graphical workspace.Our current endeavour is the leveraging of this architecture to create a unified implementation framework for simultaneously developing both WOZ simulated systems and their fully-automated counterparts. Bootstrapping effects made possible by such an approach are illustrated by an experiment currently under way in our laboratory: as a naive subject draws, writes, and speaks requests to a (simulated) interactive map, a hidden Wizard responds as efficiently as possible using our best fullyautomated system, through either standard graphical interface devices or multimodal combinations of pen and voice. The input choices made by both subject and Wizard are invaluable, and the data collected from each can be applied directly to evaluating and improving the automated part of the system.
15685117
MetaBank: A Knowledge-Base of Metaphoric Language Conventions
The frequent and conventional use of nonliteral language has been a major stumbling block for natural language processing systems since the early machine translation efforts. Metaphor, metonymy, and indirect speech acts are among the most troublesome phenomena. Recent computational efforts addressing these problems have taken an approach that emphasizes the use of systematic knowledge about nonliteral language conventions. We are currently engaged in an effort to supply this knowledge in the case of conventional metaphor. We are constructing MetaBank: an empirically derived and theoretically motivated knowledge-base of English metaphorical conventions. This article describes our three-part approach to the construction of MetaBank: the collection of on-line textual resources and databases of linguistic generalizations, the development of a methodology for analyzing these resources, and the construction of a knowledge-base based on the preceding analyses.
46312706
Automatic handwriting gestures recognition using hidden Markov models
Hidden Markov models have been successfully employed in speech recognition and, more recently, in sign language interpretation. They seem adequate for visual recognition of gestures. In this paper, two problems often eluded are considered. We propose to use the Bayesian information criterion in order to determine the optimal number of model states. We describe the contribution of continuous models in opposition to symbolic ones. Experiments on handwriting gestures show recognition rate between 88% and 100%.