30422301
Web Taxonomy Integration Using Spectral Graph Transducer
We address the problem of integrating objects from a source taxonomy into a master taxonomy. This problem is not only currently pervasive on the web, but also important to the emerging semantic web. A straightforward approach to automating this process would be to train a classifier for each category in the master taxonomy, and then classify objects from the source taxonomy into these categories. Our key insight is that the availability of the source taxonomy data could be helpful to build better classifiers in this scenario, therefore it would be beneficial to do transductive learning rather than inductive learning, i.e., learning to optimize classification performance on a particular set of test examples. In this paper, we attempt to use a powerful transductive learning algorithm, Spectral Graph Transducer (SGT), to attack this problem. Noticing that the categorizations of the master and source taxonomies often have some semantic overlap, we propose to further enhance SGT classifiers by incorporating the affinity information present in the taxonomy data. Our experiments with real-world web data show substantial improvements in the performance of taxonomy integration.
42579325
A data model and algebra for the Web
The recent emergence of XML as a standard for representation and exchange of data on the Web has drawn significant attention. But existing semistructured data models, such as OEM, cannot support XML naturally and fully. A new data model named XOM is proposed in this paper as the common data model for the Web data source. Based on rooted connected directed graphs both cyclic and acyclic, whose nodes are labeled and edges are ranked, XOM can describe the aggregation relationship as well as the general reference relationship (linkage) between XML elements. Through ranked closure operation, both tree-oriented and graph-oriented models can be unified in XOM. As the formal foundation for query processing and optimization for Web data, a new algebra called XOM algebra, which includes six operations, i.e., object union, difference, select, project, paste and cut, is also proposed. In comparison with relational algebra, XOM algebra is more flexible and powerful.
206133548
An efficient algorithm to rank Web resources
Abstract How to rank Web resources is critical to Web Resource Discovery (Search Engine). This paper not only points out the weakness of current approaches, but also presents in-depth analysis of the multidimensionality and subjectivity of rank algorithms. From a dynamics viewpoint, this paper abstracts a user's Web surfing action as a Markov model. Based on this model, we propose a new rank algorithm. The result of our rank algorithm, which synthesizes the relevance, authority, integrativity and novelty of each Web resource, can be computed efficiently not by iteration but through solving a group of linear equations.
1978214
A Language Modeling Approach to Passage Question Answering
This paper reports our efforts on developing a language modeling approach to passage question answering. In particular, we address the following two problems: (i) generalized language modeling for question classification; (ii) constrained language modeling for passage retrieval.
9840052
Finding Fastest Paths on A Road Network with Speed Patterns
This paper proposes and solves the Time-Interval All Fastest Path (allFP) query. Given a user-defined leaving or arrival time interval I, a source node s and an end node e, allFP asks for a set of all fastest paths from s to e, one for each sub-interval of I. Note that the query algorithm should find a partitioning of I into sub-intervals. Existing methods can only be used to solve a very special case of the problem, when the leaving time is a single time instant. A straightforward solution to the allFP query is to run existing methods many times, once for every time instant in I. This paper proposes a solution based on novel extensions to the A* algorithm. Instead of expanding the network many times, we expand once. The travel time on a path is kept as a function of leaving time. Methods to combine travel-time functions are provided to expand a path. A novel lower-bound estimator for travel time is proposed. Performance results reveal that our method is more efficient and more accurate than the discrete-time approach.
15449547
Encoding Solutions of the Frame Problem in Dynamic Logic
We investigate the relationship amongst some solutions to the frame problem. We encode Pednault's syntax-based solution [20], Baker's state-minimization policy [1], and Gelfond & Lifchitz's Action Language A [7] in the propositional dynamic logic (PDL). The formal relationships among these solutions are given. The results of the paper show that dynamic logic, as one of the formalisms for reasoning about dynamic domains, can be used as a formal tool for comparing and unifying logics of action.
989393
Temporal and spatio-temporal aggregations over data streams using multiple time granularities
Temporal and spatio-temporal aggregations are important but costly operations for applications that maintain time-evolving data (data warehouses, temporal databases, etc.). In this paper, we examine the problem of computing such aggregates over data streams. The aggregates are maintained using multiple levels of temporal granularities: older data is aggregated using coarser granularities while more recent data is aggregated with finer detail. We present specialized indexing schemes for dynamically and progressively maintaining temporal and spatio-temporal aggregates. Moreover, these schemes can be parameterized. The levels of granularity as well as their corresponding index sizes (or validity lengths) can be dynamically adjusted. This provides a useful trade-off between aggregation detail and storage space. Analytical and experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed structures. We first address the temporal aggregation problem. A general framework of aggregating at multiple time granularities is then proposed. Finally, we show how to utilize this framework to solve the range-temporal and spatio-temporal aggregation problems.
5070409
Index based processing of semi-restrictive temporal joins
Temporal joins are important but very costly operations. While a temporal join can involve the whole time (and/or key) domain, we consider the more general case where the join is defined by some time-key rectangle from the whole space (i.e., when the user is interested in joining portions of the-usually large-temporal data). In the most restrictive join, objects (within this rectangle) are joined together based on key equality and interval intersection. This paper concentrates on semi-restrictive joins, i.e., when either the key equality (equi-join) or the interval intersection (time-join) predicates are used. Given the large relations created by the ever increasing time dimension, we assume that each temporal relation is indexed and examine efficient ways to process semi-restrictive temporal joins. Utilizing an index is helpful since it directs the join towards the objects that are within the time-key rectangle. A straightforward approach is to perform an unsynchronized join. An index selection query on each relation identifies all objects within the time-key rectangle which are then joined. Although simple, this approach ignores the data distribution in the other relation. Instead, in a synchronized join, both indices are concurrently traversed as the join is computed. Synchronized semi-restrictive join algorithms can be performed utilizing traditional indices like B+-trees or R-trees. The drawback of this approach is that traditional indices do not achieve good temporal data clustering. Better clustering is achieved by temporal indices through record copying. Nevertheless, record copies can greatly affect the correctness and effectiveness of join performance.
10916589
Efficient aggregation over objects with extent
We examine the problem of efficiently computing sum/count/avg aggregates over objects with non-zero extent. Recent work on computing multi-dimensional aggregates has concentrated on objects with zero extent (points) on a multi-dimensional grid, or one-dimensional intervals. However, in many spatial and/or spatio-temporal applications objects have extent in various dimensions, while they can be located anywhere in the application space. The aggregation predicate is typically described by a multi-dimensional box (box-sum aggregation). We examine two variations of the problem. In the simple case an object's value contributes to the aggregation result as a whole as long as the object intersects the query box. More complex is the functional box-sum aggregation introduced in this paper, where objects participate in the aggregation proportionally to the size of their intersection with the query box. We first show that both problems can he reduced to dominance-sum queries. Traditionally dominance-sum queries are addressed in main memory by a static structure, the ECDF-tree. We then propose two extensions, namely the ECDF-B-trees, that make this structure disk-based and dynamic. Finally, we introduce the DA-tree that combines the advantages from each ECDF-B-tree. We run experiments comparing the performance of the ECDF-B-trees, the BA-tree and a traditional R*-tree (which has been augmented to include aggregation information on its index nodes) over spatial datasets. Our evaluation reaffirms that the BA-tree has more robust performance. Compared against the augmented R*-tree, the BA-tree offers drastic improvement in query performance at the expense of some limited extra space.