18404050
AntWeb - the adaptive Web server based on the ants' behavior
We present the AntWeb system, developed under the research area of Web Intelligence (WI). Our approach to AntWeb application is inspired by the ant colonies foraging behavior, to adaptively mark the most significant links, by means of the shortest route to arrive to target pages. We consider the Web users as artificial ants, and use the ant theory as a metaphor to guide user's activity in the Web site. We describe the ant's theory in which AntWeb is based on. We also present the AntWeb system, its implementation and a case study with some experiments. The database in AntWeb stores a vast amount of information related to the users' visit to Web sites, which can be useful for further Web mining.
12034739
An Algorithm for Determining the Controllers of Supervised Entities at the First and Second Levels: A Case Study with the Brazilian Central Bank
An algorithm was developed and implemented to find controllers from the stock shares for some financial institutions for the Brazilian Central Bank (BCB). The original problem is similar to a typical Sum of Subset problem that is suggested to be solved by a backtracking algorithm and the problem complexity is NP-complete. Usually BCB solves this problem manually which is time consuming and prone to errors. The heuristical approximation algorithm presented in this paper has polynomial complexity O(n3) and is based on subroutines for determining controllers at the first two levels. The paper describes the basic concepts and business rules currently employed in BCB, our algorithm and its major subroutines, it gives a brief complexity analysis and an example illustration at level 2. Our experimental results indicate the feasibility of an automation of the process of finding controllers. Though developed for BCB, our algorithm works equally well for other financial institutions.
26434237
Method to Balance the Communication Among Multi-agents in Real Time Traffic Synchronization
A method to balance the communication among Multi-Agents in real time traffic synchronization is proposed in this research. The paper presents Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) problem and its synchronization property. For such a complex problem, combing grid computing with multi-agent coordination techniques to improve ATFM computational efficiency is the main objective of actual research. To demonstrate the developed model – ATFM in Grid Computing (ATFMGC), the grid architecture, the basic components and the relationship among them are described. At the same time, the function of agents (tactical planning agent etc.), their knowledge representation and inference processes are also discussed. As criteria to measure the effective to reduce quantity of the communication among agents and the delay of the flights, Standard of Balancing among Agents (SBA) is used in the analysis. The simulation shows the efficiency of the developed model and successful application in the case study.
15110406
Grid Service Agents for Real Time Traffic Synchronization
Grid Service Agents for Real Time Traffic Synchronization is proposed in this research. The paper presents Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) problem and its synchronization property. For such a complex problem, using grid computing with multi-agent coordination and negotiation techniques to improve ATFM computational efficiency is the main objective of actual even further research. To demonstrate the developed model - Air Traffic Flow Management in Grid Computing (ATFMGC), the grid architecture, the basic components and relationships among them are described. At the same time, the function of agents, their knowledge representation and inference processes are also discussed. As an example, a tactical planning case study related with some Brazilian airports is illustrated.
37514455
An Algorithm for Determining the Controllers of Supervised Entities at the First Level: Brazilian Central Bank Case Study
To find controllers from the stock shares of a financial institution is an important task in the Brazilian Central Bank (BCB). The original problem is typically called Sum of Subset and suggested to be resolved by backtrack algorithm with NP-complete complexity. Currently BCB solves this problem manually which is time consuming and suffered from errors. In this study, an approximation algorithm with polynomial complexity O(n) for determining controllers was developed and implemented in BCB. This algorithm includes subroutines for determining controller at levels 1, 2, 3 and the main loops of combination. This paper describes the basic concepts and business rules currently employed in BCB, complexity analysis of the algorithm and its step by step applications at the first level. The implementation and experiment results indicate the feasibility of automation of controllers finding process. Though developed for BCB, it works equally well for all financial institutions which are controlled by stockholders in Brazil.
18531635
A generalized model for network survivability
The high expectation of network to be available and perform at all time has created growing concerns between network operators and engineers all over the globe. Network should be available to users whenever they want to use them. In the wake of an attack, network should be also able to recover as soon as possible. A survivable network is one that can provide services in the presence of an attack or failure and be able to recover fully in a timely manner. Designing a model for network survivability basically involves the understanding of three key issues, i.e, how the system will function in the wake of failures, what will be the impact of failures on the user, and how to overcome these failures. To achieve these goals, this paper proposes a quantitative approach to evaluate the network survivability in terms of using a generalized model; we consider a more complex system with several faults to study the survivability of a network using Markov chain. In presenting a better survivability performance, some numerical comparisons for the network availability, failure frequency and survivability is also developed.
2727371
Constructivist learning systems: a new paradigm
The educational enterprise is in the midst of a philosophical shift from a behaviorist to a constructivist paradigm. If constructivism is to be taken seriously as a new educational paradigm in the information age, learning technology R&D must pay more attention to learners instead of teachers. A constructivist learning environment (CLE) is a technology-rich, open place where a learner can use a variety of tools and information resources in his pursuit of learning goals and problem-solving activities. Wherein the learner can draw upon information resources and tools to actively construct knowledge, generate a diverse array of ideas, develop multiple modes of representation, engage in social interaction, and solve authentic problems. Four major elements are bound together by their roles in the establishment of a CLE: public knowledge system; distributed instructional system; learning community; constructivist learning system.
35066294
A 2-adic approach to the analysis of cyclic codes
This paper describes how 2-adic numbers can be used to analyze the structure of binary cyclic codes and of cyclic codes defined over Z/sub 2(a)/, a/spl ges/2, the ring of integers modulo 2/sup a/. It provides a 2-adic proof of a theorem of McEliece that characterizes the possible Hamming weights that can appear in a binary cyclic code. A generalization of this theorem is derived that applies to cyclic codes over Z/sub 2(a)/ that are obtained from binary cyclic codes by a sequence of Hensel lifts. This generalization characterizes the number of times a residue modulo 2/sup a/ appears as a component of an arbitrary codeword in the cyclic code. The limit of the sequence of Hensel lifts is a universal code defined over the 2-adic integers. This code was first introduced by Calderbank and Sloane (1995), and is the main subject of this paper. Binary cyclic codes and cyclic codes over Z/sub 2(a)/ are obtained from these universal codes by reduction modulo some power of 2. A special case of particular interest is cyclic codes over Z/sub 4/ that are obtained from binary cyclic codes by means of a single Hensel lift. The binary images of such codes under the Gray isometry include the Kerdock, Preparata, and Delsart-Goethals codes. These are nonlinear binary codes that contain more codewords than any linear code presently known. Fundamental understanding of the composition of codewords in cyclic codes over Z/sub 4/ is central to the search for more families of optimal codes. This paper also constructs even unimodular lattices from the Hensel lift of extended binary cyclic codes that are self-dual with all Hamming weights divisible by 4. The Leech lattice arises in this way as do extremal lattices in dimensions 32 through 48.
18767466
Spectra of Regular Graphs and Hypergraphs and Orthogonal Polynomials
Abstract In this paper we study the distribution of eigenvalues of regular graphs, regular hypergraphs, and biregular bipartite graphs of given girth by considering the polynomials orthogonal with respect to the measures attached to the spectra of such graphs and to the continuous spectra of their ‘universal covers’. Our estimates are tight for Biggs graphs and generalized polygons. We also give an application to the distribution of eigenvalues of Hecke operators acting on weight 2 cusp forms for certain congruence subgroups.
6001623
A segment alignment approach to protein comparison
MOTIVATION
Local structure segments (LSSs) are small structural units shared by unrelated proteins. They are extensively used in protein structure comparison, and predicted LSSs (PLSSs) are used very successfully in ab initio folding simulations. However, predicted or real LSSs are rarely exploited by protein sequence comparison programs that are based on position-by-position alignments.


RESULTS
We developed a SEgment Alignment algorithm (SEA) to compare proteins described as a collection of predicted local structure segments (PLSSs), which is equivalent to an unweighted graph (network). Any specific structure, real or predicted corresponds to a specific path in this network. SEA then uses a network matching approach to find two most similar paths in networks representing two proteins. SEA explores the uncertainty and diversity of predicted local structure information to search for a globally optimal solution. It simultaneously solves two related problems: the alignment of two proteins and the local structure prediction for each of them. On a benchmark of protein pairs with low sequence similarity, we show that application of the SEA algorithm improves alignment quality as compared to FFAS profile-profile alignment, and in some cases SEA alignments can match the structural alignments, a feat previously impossible for any sequence based alignment methods.