15460911
Polyhedral sampling for multiattribute preference elicitation
A basic requirement for running multiattribute auctions is knowledge of the utility function of the buyer that trades off nonprice attributes against price. We present and study an approach that elicits this preference structure based on a markovian polyhedral sampling scheme called the "Hit-and-Run" algorithm. An advantage of this technique is its relative simplicity - it relies only on matrix algebra as opposed to the use of nonlinear optimization techniques by other methods in the literature. Computational results suggest that this method is fast and accurate.
7750491
Revisiting correlations and scheduling in Web servers
Mathematical models play an important role in the design, analysis, control, optimization, management andplanning of Web server systems. To be most effective in each of these areas, such models must capture in sufficient detail the key characteristics of Web server workloads, the key characteristics of Web server scheduling policies for executing these workloads, and the impact of these workload and scheduling policy characteristics on Web server performance and related measures . Of particular interest in our study are very efficient mathematical methods that can be exploited online to support an increasingly important range of real-time applications (e .g., dynamic control of quality of service in Web servers to best satisfy service-level agreements), as well as in efficient interactive tools often used offline for many different purposes (e.g., what-ifanalysis and stochastic optimization for capacity planning). A significant body of research has investigated the workloads found in practice at a wide variety of Web server environments ; e.g ., see [1, 8, 18]. Most of these studies have demonstrated that the client request patterns exhibited at many different types of Web server environments have strong dependence structures and that the requested files sizes at these Web servers are independent and identically distributed (i .i .d.) according to a heavy-tailed or subexponential distribution . However, the vast majority of these studies appear to have completely ignored the issue of whether there is any correlation between the client request arrival times and the requested file sizes or the request service times. This includes studies of Web server workload characterization and generation, Web server performance models, and Web server scheduling policies . In this study, we consider data from various commercial Web server environments to revisit the issues of different forms of correlation in these Web server workloads and their implications on Web server performance and scheduling policies . Theresults ofour data analysis demonstrate the existence ofsignificant dependencies between the client request interarrival times and the corresponding file sizes and service times. Our analysis also shows a strong dependence structure within the interarrival process of client requests, whereas the sequence of service times is essentially i .i .d . To the best ofour knowledge, this is the first study to identify and quantify significant dependencies between the arrival and service processes in Web server environments (as opposed to network environments, where this issue goes all the way back to Kleinrock [15]). We then investigate the source of this cross correlation between the client request interarrival times and the corresponding file sizes and service times. The results of our data analysis support the view that such cross correlations are primarily due to certain mixing effects involving the superposition of different classes of client requests each with different service requirements . We next turn to consider a mathematical analysis of queueing Mark S. Squillante Mathematical Sciences Department IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA mss@watson .ibm .com
544524
Chessboard distributions
We review chessboard distributions for modeling partially specified finite-dimensional random vectors. Chessboard distributions can match a given set of marginals, a given covariance structure, and various other constraints on the distribution of a random vector. It is necessary to solve a potentially large linear program to set up a chessboard distribution, but random vectors can then be rapidly generated.
22054365
Study of a Simulated Stream Machine for Dataflow Computation
Abstract In this paper, a stream-based dataflow architecture is proposed, and its simulation model, which has helped to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed architectural concept, is discussed. The machine integrates the conventional Von Neumann type of control flow subsystem with a dataflow processing element of token storage type. The control flow unit tackles the dynamic nature of the stream structure including input/output whereas the dataflow unit does the computation part in an applicative style. A pipelined version of the stream machine is also discussed. The effectiveness of the machine is studied by running a few example programs in the simulated machine. The machine is expected to be useful in real time signal processing applications.
29763170
Fractal image compression: a randomized approach
The fractal image compression is inherently time intensive and thus there is a growing need to increase its speedup. This paper presents a fast encoding scheme where the domain blocks are searched randomly for every range block. An analysis of the basic fractal image compression method has been carried out and on the basis of the analysis a method for image characterization has been proposed. Then a detailed theoretical analysis of this randomized fractal compression scheme has been presented and the results are validated with the experimental ones. The random approach has been found to be quite efficient giving considerable increase in speed-up compared to several other approaches.
16879982
Stabilizing Phase-Clocks
Abstract This note considers the problem of synchronizing a network of digital clocks: the clocks all run at the same rate, however, an initial state of the network may place the clocks in arbitrary phases. The problem is to devise a protocol to advance or retard clocks so that eventually all clocks are in phase. The solutions presented in this note are protocols in which all processes are identical and use a constant amount of space per process. One solution is a deterministic protocol for a tree network; another solution is a probabilistic protocol for a network of arbitrary topology.
1136530
A graph-theoretic approach for studying the convergence of fractal encoding algorithm
In this paper, we present a graph-theoretic interpretation of convergence of fractal encoding based on partial iterated function system (PIFS). First we have considered a special circumstance, where no spatial contraction has been allowed in the encoding process. The concept leads to the development of a linear time fast decoding algorithm from the compressed image. This concept is extended for the general scheme of fractal compression allowing spatial contraction (on averaging) from larger domains to smaller ranges. A linear time fast decoding algorithm is also proposed in this situation, which produces a decoded image very close to the result obtained by an ordinary iterative decompression algorithm.
25755124
An Algorithm for Computing a Convex and Simple Path of Bounded Curvature in a Simple Polygon

AbstractAbstract. In this paper we study the collision-free path planning problem for a point robot, whose path is of bounded curvature(i.e., constrained to have curvature at most 1), moving in the plane inside an n -sided simple polygon P . Given two points sand tinside Pand two directions of travel, one at sand one at t , the problem is to compute a convex and simple path of bounded curvature inside Pfrom sto tconsisting of straight-line segments and circular arcs such that (i) the radius of each circular arc is at least 1, (ii) each segment on the path is the tangent between the two consecutive circular arcs on the path, (iii) the given initial direction at sis tangent to the path at sand (iv) the given final direction at tis tangent to the path at t . We propose an O(n4)time algorithm for this problem. Using the notion of complete visibility, Pis pruned to another polygon P'such that any convex and simple path from sto tinside Palso remains inside P' . Then our algorithm constructs the locus of center of a circle of unit radius translating along the boundary of P'and, using this locus, the algorithm constructs a convex and simple path of bounded curvature. Our algorithm is based on the relationship between the Euclidean shortest path, link paths and paths of bounded curvature, and uses several properties derived here on convex and simple paths of bounded curvature. We also show that the path computed by our algorithm can be transformed in O(n)time to a minimalconvex and simple path of bounded curvature. Using this transformation and two necessary conditions proposed here for the shortest convex and simple path of bounded curvature, a minimalbounded curvature path is located in O(n4)time whose length, except in special situations involving arcs of length greater than π , is at most twice the length of a shortest convex and simple path of bounded curvature.
