Exploration via design and the cost of uncertainty in keyword auctions

Abstract: We present a deterministic exploration mechanism for sponsored search auctions, which enables the auctioneer to learn the relevance scores of advertisers, and allows advertisers to estimate the true value of clicks generated at the auction site. This exploratory mechanism deviates only minimally from the mechanism being currently used by Google and Yahoo! in the sense that it retains the same pricing rule, similar ranking scheme, as well as, similar mathematical structure of payoffs. In particular, the estimations of the relevance scores and true-values are achieved by providing a chance to lower ranked advertisers to obtain better slots. This allows the search engine to potentially test a new pool of advertisers, and correspondingly, enables new advertisers to estimate the value of clicks/leads generated via the auction. Both these quantities are unknown a priori, and their knowledge is necessary for the auction to operate efficiently. We show that such an exploration policy can be incorporated without any significant loss in revenue for the auctioneer. We compare the revenue of the new mechanism to that of the standard mechanism at their corresponding symmetric Nash equilibria and compute the cost of uncertainty, which is defined as the relative loss in expected revenue per impression. We also bound the loss in efficiency, as well as, in user experience due to exploration, under the same solution concept (i.e. SNE). Thus the proposed exploration mechanism learns the relevance scores while incorporating the incentive constraints from the advertisers who are selfish and are trying to maximize their own profits, and therefore, the exploration is essentially achieved via mechanism design. We also discuss variations of the new mechanism such as truthful implementations.


For-profit mediators in sponsored search advertising

Abstract: A mediator is a well-known construct in game theory, and is an entity that plays on behalf of some of the agents who choose to use its services, while the rest of the agents participate in the game directly. We initiate a game theoretic study of sponsored search auctions, such as those used by Google and Yahoo!, involving {\em incentive driven} mediators. We refer to such mediators as {\em for-profit} mediators, so as to distinguish them from mediators introduced in prior work, who have no monetary incentives, and are driven by the altruistic goal of implementing certain desired outcomes. We show that in our model, (i) players/advertisers can improve their payoffs by choosing to use the services of the mediator, compared to directly participating in the auction; (ii) the mediator can obtain monetary benefit by managing the advertising burden of its group of advertisers; and (iii) the payoffs of the mediator and the advertisers it plays for are compatible with the incentive constraints from the advertisers who do dot use its services. A simple intuition behind the above result comes from the observation that the mediator has more information about and more control over the bid profile than any individual advertiser, allowing her to reduce the payments made to the auctioneer, while still maintaining incentive constraints. Further, our results indicate that there are significant opportunities for diversification in the internet economy and we should expect it to continue to develop richer structure, with room for different types of agents to coexist.


Projection semantics for rigid loops

Abstract: A rigid loop is a for-loop with a counter not accessible to the loop body or any other part of a program. Special instructions for rigid loops are introduced on top of the syntax of the program algebra PGA. Two different semantic projections are provided and proven equivalent. One of these is taken to have definitional status on the basis of two criteria: `normative semantic adequacy' and `indicative algorithmic adequacy'.


Delayed Correlations in Inter-Domain Network Traffic

Abstract: To observe the evolution of network traffic correlations we analyze the eigenvalue spectra and eigenvectors statistics of delayed correlation matrices of network traffic counts time series. Delayed correlation matrix D is composed of the correlations between one variable in the multivariable time series and another at a time delay \tau . Inverse participation ratio (IPR) of eigenvectors of D deviates substantially from the IPR of eigenvectors of the equal time correlation matrix C. We relate this finding to the localization and discuss its importance for network congestion control. The time-lagged correlation pattern between network time series is preserved over a long time, up to 100\tau, where \tau=300 sec. The largest eigenvalue \lambda_{max} of D and the corresponding IPR oscillate with two characteristic periods of 3\tau and 6\tau . The existence of delayed correlations between network time series fits well into the long range dependence (LRD) property of the network traffic. The ability to monitor and control the long memory processes is crucial since they impact the network performance. Injecting the random traffic counts between non-randomly correlated time series, we were able to break the picture of periodicity of \lambda_{max}. In addition, we investigated influence of the periodic injections on both largest eigenvalue and the IPR, and addressed relevance of these indicators for the LRD and self-similarity of the network traffic.


Better Algorithms and Bounds for Directed Maximum Leaf Problems

Abstract: The {\sc Directed Maximum Leaf Out-Branching} problem is to find an out-branching (i.e. a rooted oriented spanning tree) in a given digraph with the maximum number of leaves. In this paper, we improve known parameterized algorithms and combinatorial bounds on the number of leaves in out-branchings. We show that \begin{itemize} \item every strongly connected digraph $D$ of order $n$ with minimum in-degree at least 3 has an out-branching with at least $(n/4)^{1/3}-1$ leaves; \item if a strongly connected digraph $D$ does not contain an out-branching with $k$ leaves, then the pathwidth of its underlying graph is $O(k\log k)$; \item it can be decided in time $2^{O(k\log^2 k)}\cdot n^{O(1)}$ whether a strongly connected digraph on $n$ vertices has an out-branching with at least $k$ leaves. \end{itemize} All improvements use properties of extremal structures obtained after applying local search and of some out-branching decompositions.


Logic, Design & Organization of PTVD-SHAM; A Parallel Time Varying & Data Super-helical Access Memory

Abstract: This paper encompasses a super helical memory system's design, 'Boolean logic & image-logic' as a theoretical concept of an invention-model to 'store time-data' in terms of anticipating the best memory location ever for data/time. A waterfall effect is deemed to assist the process of potential-difference output-switch into diverse logic states in quantum dot computational methods via utilizing coiled carbon nanotubes (CCNTs) and carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNFETs). A 'quantum confinement' is thus derived for a flow of particles in a categorized quantum well substrate with a normalized capacitance rectifying high B-field flux into electromagnetic induction. Multi-access of coherent sequences of 'qubit addressing' is gained in any magnitude as pre-defined for the orientation of array displacement. Briefly, Gaussian curvature of k<0 is debated in aim of specifying the 2D electron gas characteristics in scenarios where data is stored in short intervals versus long ones e.g. when k'>(k<0) for greater CCNT diameters, space-time continuum is folded by chance for the particle. This benefits from Maxwell-Lorentz theory in Minkowski's space-time viewpoint alike to crystal oscillators for precise data timing purposes and radar systems e.g., time varying self-clocking devices in diverse geographic locations. This application could also be optional for data depository versus extraction, in the best supercomputer system's locations, autonomously. For best performance in minimizing current limiting mechanisms including electromigration, a multilevel metallization and implant process forming elevated sources/drains for the circuit's staircase pyramidal construction, is discussed accordingly.


Expressing an NP-Complete Problem as the Solvability of a Polynomial Equation

Abstract: We demonstrate a polynomial approach to express the decision version of the directed Hamiltonian Cycle Problem (HCP), which is NP-Complete, as the Solvability of a Polynomial Equation with a constant number of variables, within a bounded real space. We first introduce four new Theorems for a set of periodic Functions with irrational periods, based on which we then use a trigonometric substitution, to show how the HCP can be expressed as the Solvability of a single polynomial Equation with a constant number of variables. The feasible solution of each of these variables is bounded within two real numbers. We point out what future work is necessary to prove that P=NP.


Singular curves and cusp points in the joint space of 3-RPR parallel manipulators

Abstract: This paper investigates the singular curves in two-dimensional slices of the joint space of a family of planar parallel manipulators. It focuses on special points, referred to as cusp points, which may appear on these curves. Cusp points play an important role in the kinematic behavior of parallel manipulators since they make possible a nonsingular change of assembly mode. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it reviews an important previous work, which, to the authors' knowledge, has never been exploited yet. Second, it determines the cusp points in any two-dimensional slice of the joint space. First results show that the number of cusp points may vary from zero to eight. This work finds applications in both design and trajectory planning.


Building Decision Procedures in the Calculus of Inductive Constructions

Abstract: It is commonly agreed that the success of future proof assistants will rely on their ability to incorporate computations within deduction in order to mimic the mathematician when replacing the proof of a proposition P by the proof of an equivalent proposition P' obtained from P thanks to possibly complex calculations. In this paper, we investigate a new version of the calculus of inductive constructions which incorporates arbitrary decision procedures into deduction via the conversion rule of the calculus. The novelty of the problem in the context of the calculus of inductive constructions lies in the fact that the computation mechanism varies along proof-checking: goals are sent to the decision procedure together with the set of user hypotheses available from the current context. Our main result shows that this extension of the calculus of constructions does not compromise its main properties: confluence, subject reduction, strong normalization and consistency are all preserved.


Espaces de repr\'esentation multidimensionnels d\'edi\'es \`a la visualisation

Abstract: In decision-support systems, the visual component is important for On Line Analysis Processing (OLAP). In this paper, we propose a new approach that faces the visualization problem due to data sparsity. We use the results of a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to reduce the negative effect of sparsity by organizing differently data cube cells. Our approach does not reduce sparsity, however it tries to build relevant representation spaces where facts are efficiently gathered. In order to evaluate our approach, we propose an homogeneity criterion based on geometric neighborhood of cells. The obtained experimental results have shown the efficiency of our method.


Un index de jointure pour les entrep\^ots de donn\'ees XML

Abstract: XML data warehouses form an interesting basis for decision-support applications that exploit heterogeneous data from multiple sources. However, XML-native database systems currently bear limited performances and it is necessary to research ways to optimize them. In this paper, we propose a new index that is specifically adapted to the multidimensional architecture of XML warehouses and eliminates join operations, while preserving the information contained in the original warehouse. A theoretical study and experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of our index, even when queries are complex.


S\'election simultan\'ee d'index et de vues mat\'erialis\'ees

Abstract: Indices and materialized views are physical structures that accelerate data access in data warehouses. However, these data structures generate some maintenance overhead. They also share the same storage space. The existing studies about index and materialized view selection consider these structures separately. In this paper, we adopt the opposite stance and couple index and materialized view selection to take into account the interactions between them and achieve an efficient storage space sharing. We develop cost models that evaluate the respective benefit of indexing and view materialization. These cost models are then exploited by a greedy algorithm to select a relevant configuration of indices and materialized views. Experimental results show that our strategy performs better than the independent selection of indices and materialized views.


Report on Generic Case Complexity

Abstract: This article is a short introduction to generic case complexity, which is a recently developed way of measuring the difficulty of a computational problem while ignoring atypical behavior on a small set of inputs. Generic case complexity applies to both recursively solvable and recursively unsolvable problems.


Computability Closure: Ten Years Later

Abstract: The notion of computability closure has been introduced for proving the termination of higher-order rewriting with first-order matching by Jean-Pierre Jouannaud and Mitsuhiro Okada in a 1997 draft which later served as a basis for the author's PhD. In this paper, we show how this notion can also be used for dealing with beta-normalized rewriting with matching modulo beta-eta (on patterns \`a la Miller), rewriting with matching modulo some equational theory, and higher-order data types (types with constructors having functional recursive arguments). Finally, we show how the computability closure can easily be turned into a reduction ordering which, in the higher-order case, contains Jean-Pierre Jouannaud and Albert Rubio's higher-order recursive path ordering and, in the first-order case, is equal to the usual first-order recursive path ordering.


Clusters, Graphs, and Networks for Analysing Internet-Web-Supported Communication within a Virtual Community

Abstract: The proposal is to use clusters, graphs and networks as models in order to analyse the Web structure. Clusters, graphs and networks provide knowledge representation and organization. Clusters were generated by co-site analysis. The sample is a set of academic Web sites from the countries belonging to the European Union. These clusters are here revisited from the point of view of graph theory and social network analysis. This is a quantitative and structural analysis. In fact, the Internet is a computer network that connects people and organizations. Thus we may consider it to be a social network. The set of Web academic sites represents an empirical social network, and is viewed as a virtual community. The network structural properties are here analysed applying together cluster analysis, graph theory and social network analysis.


IRVO: an Interaction Model for designing Collaborative Mixed Reality systems

Abstract: This paper presents an interaction model adapted to mixed reality environments known as IRVO (Interacting with Real and Virtual Objects). IRVO aims at modeling the interaction between one or more users and the Mixed Reality system by representing explicitly the objects and tools involved and their relationship. IRVO covers the design phase of the life cycle and models the intended use of the system. In a first part, we present a brief review of related HCI models. The second part is devoted to the IRVO model, its notation and some examples. In the third part, we present how IRVO is used for designing applications and in particular we show how this model can be integrated in a Model-Based Approach (CoCSys) which is currently designed at our lab.


Properties of polynomial bases used in a line-surface intersection algorithm

Abstract: In [5], Srijuntongsiri and Vavasis propose the "Kantorovich-Test Subdivision algorithm", or KTS, which is an algorithm for finding all zeros of a polynomial system in a bounded region of the plane. This algorithm can be used to find the intersections between a line and a surface. The main features of KTS are that it can operate on polynomials represented in any basis that satisfies certain conditions and that its efficiency has an upper bound that depends only on the conditioning of the problem and the choice of the basis representing the polynomial system. This article explores in detail the dependence of the efficiency of the KTS algorithm on the choice of basis. Three bases are considered: the power, the Bernstein, and the Chebyshev bases. These three bases satisfy the basis properties required by KTS. Theoretically, Chebyshev case has the smallest upper bound on its running time. The computational results, however, do not show that Chebyshev case performs better than the other two.


Sorting and Selection in Posets

Abstract: Classical problems of sorting and searching assume an underlying linear ordering of the objects being compared. In this paper, we study a more general setting, in which some pairs of objects are incomparable. This generalization is relevant in applications related to rankings in sports, college admissions, or conference submissions. It also has potential applications in biology, such as comparing the evolutionary fitness of different strains of bacteria, or understanding input-output relations among a set of metabolic reactions or the causal influences among a set of interacting genes or proteins. Our results improve and extend results from two decades ago of Faigle and Tur\'{a}n. A measure of complexity of a partially ordered set (poset) is its width. Our algorithms obtain information about a poset by queries that compare two elements. We present an algorithm that sorts, i.e. completely identifies, a width w poset of size n and has query complexity O(wn + nlog(n)), which is within a constant factor of the information-theoretic lower bound. We also show that a variant of Mergesort has query complexity O(wn(log(n/w))) and total complexity O((w^2)nlog(n/w)). Faigle and Tur\'{a}n have shown that the sorting problem has query complexity O(wn(log(n/w))) but did not address its total complexity. For the related problem of determining the minimal elements of a poset, we give efficient deterministic and randomized algorithms with O(wn) query and total complexity, along with matching lower bounds for the query complexity up to a factor of 2. We generalize these results to the k-selection problem of determining the elements of height at most k. We also derive upper bounds on the total complexity of some other problems of a similar flavor.


An Architecture Framework for Complex Data Warehouses

Abstract: Nowadays, many decision support applications need to exploit data that are not only numerical or symbolic, but also multimedia, multistructure, multisource, multimodal, and/or multiversion. We term such data complex data. Managing and analyzing complex data involves a lot of different issues regarding their structure, storage and processing, and metadata are a key element in all these processes. Such problems have been addressed by classical data warehousing (i.e., applied to "simple" data). However, data warehousing approaches need to be adapted for complex data. In this paper, we first propose a precise, though open, definition of complex data. Then we present a general architecture framework for warehousing complex data. This architecture heavily relies on metadata and domain-related knowledge, and rests on the XML language, which helps storing data, metadata and domain-specific knowledge altogether, and facilitates communication between the various warehousing processes.


Data Mining-based Materialized View and Index Selection in Data Warehouses

Abstract: Materialized views and indexes are physical structures for accelerating data access that are casually used in data warehouses. However, these data structures generate some maintenance overhead. They also share the same storage space. Most existing studies about materialized view and index selection consider these structures separately. In this paper, we adopt the opposite stance and couple materialized view and index selection to take view-index interactions into account and achieve efficient storage space sharing. Candidate materialized views and indexes are selected through a data mining process. We also exploit cost models that evaluate the respective benefit of indexing and view materialization, and help select a relevant configuration of indexes and materialized views among the candidates. Experimental results show that our strategy performs better than an independent selection of materialized views and indexes.


Autonomy with regard to an Attribute

Abstract: This paper presents a model of autonomy called autonomy with regard to an attribute applicable to cognitive and not cognitive artificial agents. Three criteria (global / partial, social / nonsocial, absolute / relative) are defined and used to describe the main characteristics of this type of autonomy. A software agent autonomous with regard to the mobility illustrates a possible implementation of this model.


Cactus Framework: Black Holes to Gamma Ray Bursts

Abstract: Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are intense narrowly-beamed flashes of gamma-rays of cosmological origin. They are among the most scientifically interesting astrophysical systems, and the riddle concerning their central engines and emission mechanisms is one of the most complex and challenging problems of astrophysics today. In this article we outline our petascale approach to the GRB problem and discuss the computational toolkits and numerical codes that are currently in use and that will be scaled up to run on emerging petaflop scale computing platforms in the near future. Petascale computing will require additional ingredients over conventional parallelism. We consider some of the challenges which will be caused by future petascale architectures, and discuss our plans for the future development of the Cactus framework and its applications to meet these challenges in order to profit from these new architectures.


The Trade-offs with Space Time Cube Representation of Spatiotemporal Patterns

Abstract: Space time cube representation is an information visualization technique where spatiotemporal data points are mapped into a cube. Fast and correct analysis of such information is important in for instance geospatial and social visualization applications. Information visualization researchers have previously argued that space time cube representation is beneficial in revealing complex spatiotemporal patterns in a dataset to users. The argument is based on the fact that both time and spatial information are displayed simultaneously to users, an effect difficult to achieve in other representations. However, to our knowledge the actual usefulness of space time cube representation in conveying complex spatiotemporal patterns to users has not been empirically validated. To fill this gap we report on a between-subjects experiment comparing novice users error rates and response times when answering a set of questions using either space time cube or a baseline 2D representation. For some simple questions the error rates were lower when using the baseline representation. For complex questions where the participants needed an overall understanding of the spatiotemporal structure of the dataset, the space time cube representation resulted in on average twice as fast response times with no difference in error rates compared to the baseline. These results provide an empirical foundation for the hypothesis that space time cube representation benefits users when analyzing complex spatiotemporal patterns.


Interface groups and financial transfer architectures

Abstract: Analytic execution architectures have been proposed by the same authors as a means to conceptualize the cooperation between heterogeneous collectives of components such as programs, threads, states and services. Interface groups have been proposed as a means to formalize interface information concerning analytic execution architectures. These concepts are adapted to organization architectures with a focus on financial transfers. Interface groups (and monoids) now provide a technique to combine interface elements into interfaces with the flexibility to distinguish between directions of flow dependent on entity naming. The main principle exploiting interface groups is that when composing a closed system of a collection of interacting components, the sum of their interfaces must vanish in the interface group modulo reflection. This certainly matters for financial transfer interfaces. As an example of this, we specify an interface group and within it some specific interfaces concerning the financial transfer architecture for a part of our local academic organization. Financial transfer interface groups arise as a special case of more general service architecture interfaces.


Fast and Simple Relational Processing of Uncertain Data

Abstract: This paper introduces U-relations, a succinct and purely relational representation system for uncertain databases. U-relations support attribute-level uncertainty using vertical partitioning. If we consider positive relational algebra extended by an operation for computing possible answers, a query on the logical level can be translated into, and evaluated as, a single relational algebra query on the U-relation representation. The translation scheme essentially preserves the size of the query in terms of number of operations and, in particular, number of joins. Standard techniques employed in off-the-shelf relational database management systems are effective for optimizing and processing queries on U-relations. In our experiments we show that query evaluation on U-relations scales to large amounts of data with high degrees of uncertainty.


Sampling Algorithms and Coresets for Lp Regression

Abstract: The Lp regression problem takes as input a matrix $A \in \Real^{n \times d}$, a vector $b \in \Real^n$, and a number $p \in [1,\infty)$, and it returns as output a number ${\cal Z}$ and a vector $x_{opt} \in \Real^d$ such that ${\cal Z} = \min_{x \in \Real^d} ||Ax -b||_p = ||Ax_{opt}-b||_p$. In this paper, we construct coresets and obtain an efficient two-stage sampling-based approximation algorithm for the very overconstrained ($n \gg d$) version of this classical problem, for all $p \in [1, \infty)$. The first stage of our algorithm non-uniformly samples $\hat{r}_1 = O(36^p d^{\max\{p/2+1, p\}+1})$ rows of $A$ and the corresponding elements of $b$, and then it solves the Lp regression problem on the sample; we prove this is an 8-approximation. The second stage of our algorithm uses the output of the first stage to resample $\hat{r}_1/\epsilon^2$ constraints, and then it solves the Lp regression problem on the new sample; we prove this is a $(1+\epsilon)$-approximation. Our algorithm unifies, improves upon, and extends the existing algorithms for special cases of Lp regression, namely $p = 1,2$. In course of proving our result, we develop two concepts--well-conditioned bases and subspace-preserving sampling--that are of independent interest.


Sources of Superlinearity in Davenport-Schinzel Sequences

Abstract: A generalized Davenport-Schinzel sequence is one over a finite alphabet that contains no subsequences isomorphic to a fixed forbidden subsequence. One of the fundamental problems in this area is bounding (asymptotically) the maximum length of such sequences. Following Klazar, let Ex(\sigma,n) be the maximum length of a sequence over an alphabet of size n avoiding subsequences isomorphic to \sigma. It has been proved that for every \sigma, Ex(\sigma,n) is either linear or very close to linear; in particular it is O(n 2^{\alpha(n)^{O(1)}}), where \alpha is the inverse-Ackermann function and O(1) depends on \sigma. However, very little is known about the properties of \sigma that induce superlinearity of \Ex(\sigma,n). In this paper we exhibit an infinite family of independent superlinear forbidden subsequences. To be specific, we show that there are 17 prototypical superlinear forbidden subsequences, some of which can be made arbitrarily long through a simple padding operation. Perhaps the most novel part of our constructions is a new succinct code for representing superlinear forbidden subsequences.


Numerical Calculation With Arbitrary Precision

Abstract: The vast use of computers on scientific numerical computation makes the awareness of the limited precision that these machines are able to provide us an essential matter. A limited and insufficient precision allied to the truncation and rounding errors may induce the user to incorrect interpretation of his/hers answer. In this work, we have developed a computational package to minimize this kind of error by offering arbitrary precision numbers and calculation. This is very important in Physics where we can work with numbers too small and too big simultaneously.


Understanding the Properties of the BitTorrent Overlay

Abstract: In this paper, we conduct extensive simulations to understand the properties of the overlay generated by BitTorrent. We start by analyzing how the overlay properties impact the efficiency of BitTorrent. We focus on the average peer set size (i.e., average number of neighbors), the time for a peer to reach its maximum peer set size, and the diameter of the overlay. In particular, we show that the later a peer arrives in a torrent, the longer it takes to reach its maximum peer set size. Then, we evaluate the impact of the maximum peer set size, the maximum number of outgoing connections per peer, and the number of NATed peers on the overlay properties. We show that BitTorrent generates a robust overlay, but that this overlay is not a random graph. In particular, the connectivity of a peer to its neighbors depends on its arriving order in the torrent. We also show that a large number of NATed peers significantly compromise the robustness of the overlay to attacks. Finally, we evaluate the impact of peer exchange on the overlay properties, and we show that it generates a chain-like overlay with a large diameter, which will adversely impact the efficiency of large torrents.


The Kinematics of Manipulators Built From Closed Planar Mechanisms

Abstract: The paper discusses the kinematics of manipulators builts of planar closed kinematic chains. A special kinematic scheme is extracted from the array of these mechanisms that looks the most promising for the creation of different types of robotic manipulators. The structural features of this manipulator determine a number of its original properties that essentially simplify its control. These features allow the main control problems to be effectively overcome by application of the simple kinematic problems. The workspace and singular configurations of a basic planar manipulator are studied. By using a graphic simulation method, motions of the designed mechanism are examined. A prototype of this mechanism was implemented to verify the proposed approach.


Generalized Solution Concepts in Games with Possibly Unaware Players

Abstract: Most work in game theory assumes that players are perfect reasoners and have common knowledge of all significant aspects of the game. In earlier work, we proposed a framework for representing and analyzing games with possibly unaware players, and suggested a generalization of Nash equilibrium appropriate for games with unaware players that we called generalized Nash equilibrium. Here, we use this framework to analyze other solution concepts that have been considered in the game-theory literature, with a focus on sequential equilibrium. We also provide some insight into the notion of generalized Nash equilibrium by proving that it is closely related to the notion of rationalizability when we restrict the analysis to games in normal form and no unawareness is involved.


Removing Manually-Generated Boilerplate from Electronic Texts: Experiments with Project Gutenberg e-Books

Abstract: Collaborative work on unstructured or semi-structured documents, such as in literature corpora or source code, often involves agreed upon templates containing metadata. These templates are not consistent across users and over time. Rule-based parsing of these templates is expensive to maintain and tends to fail as new documents are added. Statistical techniques based on frequent occurrences have the potential to identify automatically a large fraction of the templates, thus reducing the burden on the programmers. We investigate the case of the Project Gutenberg corpus, where most documents are in ASCII format with preambles and epilogues that are often copied and pasted or manually typed. We show that a statistical approach can solve most cases though some documents require knowledge of English. We also survey various technical solutions that make our approach applicable to large data sets.


A note on minimal matching covered graphs

Abstract: A graph is called matching covered if for its every edge there is a maximum matching containing it. It is shown that minimal matching covered graphs contain a perfect matching.


On trees with a maximum proper partial 0-1 coloring containing a maximum matching

Abstract: I prove that in a tree in which the distance between any two endpoints is even, there is a maximum proper partial 0-1 coloring such that the edges colored by 0 form a maximum matching.


Bandlimited Field Reconstruction for Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract: Wireless sensor networks are often used for environmental monitoring applications. In this context sampling and reconstruction of a physical field is one of the most important problems to solve. We focus on a bandlimited field and find under which conditions on the network topology the reconstruction of the field is successful, with a given probability. We review irregular sampling theory, and analyze the problem using random matrix theory. We show that even a very irregular spatial distribution of sensors may lead to a successful signal reconstruction, provided that the number of collected samples is large enough with respect to the field bandwidth. Furthermore, we give the basis to analytically determine the probability of successful field reconstruction.


Moveability and Collision Analysis for Fully-Parallel Manipulators

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to characterize the moveability of fully-parallel manipulators in the presence of obstacles. Fully parallel manipulators are used in applications where accuracy, stiffness or high speeds and accelerations are required \cite{Merlet:97}. However, one of its main drawbacks is a relatively small workspace compared to the one of serial manipulators. This is due mainly to the existence of potential internal collisions, and the existence of singularities. In this paper, the notion of free aspect is defined which permits to exhibit domains of the workspace and the joint space free of singularity and collision. The main application of this study is the moveability analysis in the workspace of the manipulator as well as path-planning, control and design.


A Normalizing Intuitionistic Set Theory with Inaccessible Sets

Abstract: We propose a set theory strong enough to interpret powerful type theories underlying proof assistants such as LEGO and also possibly Coq, which at the same time enables program extraction from its constructive proofs. For this purpose, we axiomatize an impredicative constructive version of Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory IZF with Replacement and $\omega$-many inaccessibles, which we call \izfio. Our axiomatization utilizes set terms, an inductive definition of inaccessible sets and the mutually recursive nature of equality and membership relations. It allows us to define a weakly-normalizing typed lambda calculus corresponding to proofs in \izfio according to the Curry-Howard isomorphism principle. We use realizability to prove the normalization theorem, which provides a basis for program extraction capability.


Working Modes and Aspects in Fully-Parallel Manipulator

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to characterize the notion of aspect in the workspace and in the joint space for parallel manipulators. In opposite to the serial manipulators, the parallel manipulators can admit not only multiple inverse kinematic solutions, but also multiple direct kinematic solutions. The notion of aspect introduced for serial manipulators in [Borrel 86], and redefined for parallel manipulators with only one inverse kinematic solution in [Wenger 1997], is redefined for general fully parallel manipulators. Two Jacobian matrices appear in the kinematic relations between the joint-rate and the Cartesian-velocity vectors, which are called the "inverse kinematics" and the "direct kinematics" matrices. The study of these matrices allow to respectively define the parallel and the serial singularities. The notion of working modes is introduced to separate inverse kinematic solutions. Thus, we can find out domains of the workspace and the joint space exempt of singularity. Application of this study is the moveability analysis in the workspace of the manipulator as well as path-planing and control. This study is illustrated in this paper with a RR-RRR planar parallel manipulator.


The Isoconditioning Loci of A Class of Closed-Chain Manipulators

Abstract: The subject of this paper is a special class of closed-chain manipulators. First, we analyze a family of two-degree-of-freedom (dof) five-bar planar linkages. Two Jacobian matrices appear in the kinematic relations between the joint-rate and the Cartesian-velocity vectors, which are called the ``inverse kinematics" and the "direct kinematics" matrices. It is shown that the loci of points of the workspace where the condition number of the direct-kinematics matrix remains constant, i.e., the isoconditioning loci, are the coupler points of the four-bar linkage obtained upon locking the middle joint of the linkage. Furthermore, if the line of centers of the two actuated revolutes is used as the axis of a third actuated revolute, then a three-dof hybrid manipulator is obtained. The isoconditioning loci of this manipulator are surfaces of revolution generated by the isoconditioning curves of the two-dof manipulator, whose axis of symmetry is that of the third actuated revolute.


Workspace and Assembly modes in Fully-Parallel Manipulators : A Descriptive Study

Abstract: The goal of this paper is to explain, using a typical example, the distribution of the different assembly modes in the workspace and their effective role in the execution of trajectories. The singular and non-singular changes of assembly mode are described and compared to each other. The non-singular change of assembly mode is more deeply analysed and discussed in the context of trajectory planning. In particular, it is shown that, according to the location of the initial and final configurations with respect to the uniqueness domains in the workspace, there are three different cases to consider before planning a linking trajectory.


Conception Isotropique D'Une Morphologie Parall\`Ele : Application \`a L'Usinage

Abstract: The aim of this paper is the isotropic design of a hybrid morphology dedicated to 3-axis machining applications. It is necessary to ensure the feasibility of continuous, singularity-free trajectories, as well as a good manipulability in position and velocity. We want to propose an alternative design to conventional serial machine-tools. We compare a serial PPP machine-tool (three prismatic orthogonal axes) with a hybrid architecture which we optimize only the first two axes. The critrerion used for the optimization is the conditioning of the Jacobian matrices. The optimum, namely isotropy, can be obtained which provides our architecture with excellent manipulability properties.


A distributed Approach for Access and Visibility Task under Ergonomic Constraints with a Manikin in a Virtual Reality Environment

Abstract: This paper presents a new method, based on a multi-agent system and on digital mock-up technology, to assess an efficient path planner for a manikin for access and visibility task under ergonomic constraints. In order to solve this problem, the human operator is integrated in the process optimization to contribute to a global perception of the environment. This operator cooperates, in real-time, with several automatic local elementary agents. The result of this work validates solutions brought by digital mock-up and that can be applied to simulate maintenance task.


On complexity of special maximum matchings constructing

Abstract: For bipartite graphs the NP-completeness is proved for the problem of existence of maximum matching which removal leads to a graph with given lower(upper)bound for the cardinality of its maximum matching.


Splay Trees, Davenport-Schinzel Sequences, and the Deque Conjecture

Abstract: We introduce a new technique to bound the asymptotic performance of splay trees. The basic idea is to transcribe, in an indirect fashion, the rotations performed by the splay tree as a Davenport-Schinzel sequence S, none of whose subsequences are isomorphic to fixed forbidden subsequence. We direct this technique towards Tarjan's deque conjecture and prove that n deque operations require O(n alpha^*(n)) time, where alpha^*(n) is the minimum number of applications of the inverse-Ackermann function mapping n to a constant. We are optimistic that this approach could be directed towards other open conjectures on splay trees such as the traversal and split conjectures.


Design of Multistage Decimation Filters Using Cyclotomic Polynomials: Optimization and Design Issues

Abstract: This paper focuses on the design of multiplier-less decimation filters suitable for oversampled digital signals. The aim is twofold. On one hand, it proposes an optimization framework for the design of constituent decimation filters in a general multistage decimation architecture. The basic building blocks embedded in the proposed filters belong, for a simple reason, to the class of cyclotomic polynomials (CPs): the first 104 CPs have a z-transfer function whose coefficients are simply {-1,0,+1}. On the other hand, the paper provides a bunch of useful techniques, most of which stemming from some key properties of CPs, for designing the proposed filters in a variety of architectures. Both recursive and non-recursive architectures are discussed by focusing on a specific decimation filter obtained as a result of the optimization algorithm. Design guidelines are provided with the aim to simplify the design of the constituent decimation filters in the multistage chain.


Mod\'elisation Dynamique d'un Robot Parall\`ele \`a 3-DDL : l'Orthoglide

Abstract: In this article, we propose a method for calculation of the inverse and direct dynamic models of the Orthoglide, a parallel robot with threedegrees of freedom in translation. These models are calculated starting from the elements of the dynamic model of the kinematic chain structure and equations of Newton-Euler applied to the platform. These models are obtained in explicit form having an interesting physical interpretation.


Degeneracy study of the forward kinematics of planar 3-RPR parallel manipulators

Abstract: This paper investigates two situations in which the forward kinematics of planar 3-RPR parallel manipulators degenerates. These situations have not been addressed before. The first degeneracy arises when the three input joint variables r1, r2 and r3 satisfy a certain relationship. This degeneracy yields a double root of the characteristic polynomial in t, which could be erroneously interpreted as two coalesce assembly modes. But, unlike what arises in non-degenerate cases, this double root yields two sets of solutions for the position coordinates (x, y) of the platform. In the second situation, we show that the forward kinematics degenerates over the whole joint space if the base and platform triangles are congruent and the platform triangle is rotated by 180 deg about one of its sides. For these "degenerate" manipulators, which are defined here for the first time, the forward kinematics is reduced to the solution of a 3rd-degree polynomial and a quadratics in sequence. Such manipulators constitute, in turn, a new family of analytic planar manipulators that would be more suitable for industrial applications.


Kinematic Analysis of a Family of 3R Manipulators

Abstract: The workspace topologies of a family of 3-revolute (3R) positioning manipulators are enumerated. The workspace is characterized in a half-cross section by the singular curves. The workspace topology is defined by the number of cusps that appear on these singular curves. The design parameters space is shown to be divided into five domains where all manipulators have the same number of cusps. Each separating surface is given as an explicit expression in the DH-parameters. As an application of this work, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition for a 3R orthogonal manipulator to be cuspidal, i.e. to change posture without meeting a singularity. This condition is set as an explicit expression in the DH parameters.


The Computation of All 4R Serial Spherical Wrists With an Isotropic Architecture

Abstract: A spherical wrist of the serial type with n revolute (R) joints is said to be isotropic if it can attain a posture whereby the singular values of its Jacobian matrix are all equal to sqrt(n/3). What isotropy brings about is robustness to manufacturing, assembly, and measurement errors, thereby guaranteeing a maximum orientation accuracy. In this paper we investigate the existence of redundant isotropic architectures, which should add to the dexterity of the wrist under design by virtue of its extra degree of freedom. The problem formulation, for, leads to a system of eight quadratic equations with eight unknowns. The Bezout number of this system is thus 2^8=256, its BKK bound being 192. However, the actual number of solutions is shown to be 32. We list all solutions of the foregoing algebraic problem. All these solutions are real, but distinct solutions do not necessarily lead to distinct manipulators. Upon discarding those algebraic solutions that yield no new wrists, we end up with exactly eight distinct architectures, the eight corresponding manipulators being displayed at their isotropic postures.


A design oriented study for 3R Orthogonal Manipulators With Geometric Simplifications

Abstract: This paper proposes a method to calculate the largest Regular Dextrous Workspace (RDW) of some types of three-revolute orthogonal manipulators that have at least one of their DH parameters equal to zero. Then a new performance index based on the RDW is introduced, the isocontours of this index are plotted in the parameter space of the interesting types of manipulators and finally an inspection of the domains of the parameter spaces is conducted in order to identify the better manipulator architectures. The RDW is a part of the workspace whose shape is regular (cube, cylinder) and the performances (conditioning index) are bounded inside. The groups of 3R orthogonal manipulators studied have interesting kinematic properties such as, a well-connected workspace that is fully reachable with four inverse kinematic solutions and that does not contain any void. This study is of high interest for the design of alternative manipulator geometries.


Design of a Spherical Wrist with Parallel Architecture: Application to Vertebrae of an Eel Robot

Abstract: The design of a spherical wrist with parallel architecture is the object of this article. This study is part of a larger project, which aims to design and to build an eel robot for inspection of immersed piping. The kinematic analysis of the mechanism is presented first to characterize the singular configurations as well as the isotropic configurations. We add the design constraints related to the application, such as (i) the compactness of the mechanism, (ii) the symmetry of the elements in order to ensure static and dynamic balance and (iii) the possibility of the mechanism to fill the elliptic form of the ell sections.


Passive Control Architecture for Virtual Humans

Abstract: In the present paper, we introduce a new control architecture aimed at driving virtual humans in interaction with virtual environments, by motion capture. It brings decoupling of functionalities, and also of stability thanks to passivity. We show projections can break passivity, and thus must be used carefully. Our control scheme enables task space and internal control, contact, and joint limits management. Thanks to passivity, it can be easily extended. Besides, we introduce a new tool as for manikin's control, which makes it able to build passive projections, so as to guide the virtual manikin when sharp movements are needed.


An Integrated Crosscutting Concern Migration Strategy and its Application to JHotDraw

Abstract: In this paper we propose a systematic strategy for migrating crosscutting concerns in existing object-oriented systems to aspect-based solutions. The proposed strategy consists of four steps: mining, exploration, documentation and refactoring of crosscutting concerns. We discuss in detail a new approach to aspect refactoring that is fully integrated with our strategy, and apply the whole strategy to an object-oriented system, namely the JHotDraw framework. The result of this migration is made available as an open-source project, which is the largest aspect refactoring available to date. We report on our experiences with conducting this case study and reflect on the success and challenges of the migration process, as well as on the feasibility of automatic aspect refactoring.


Two polynomial algorithms for special maximum matching constructing in trees

Abstract: For an arbitrary tree we investigate the problems of constructing a maximum matching which minimizes or maximizes the cardinality of a maximum matching of the graph obtained from original one by its removal and present corresponding polynomial algorithms.


Memory efficient scheduling of Strassen-Winograd's matrix multiplication algorithm

Abstract: We propose several new schedules for Strassen-Winograd's matrix multiplication algorithm, they reduce the extra memory allocation requirements by three different means: by introducing a few pre-additions, by overwriting the input matrices, or by using a first recursive level of classical multiplication. In particular, we show two fully in-place schedules: one having the same number of operations, if the input matrices can be overwritten; the other one, slightly increasing the constant of the leading term of the complexity, if the input matrices are read-only. Many of these schedules have been found by an implementation of an exhaustive search algorithm based on a pebble game.


Pricing Asian Options for Jump Diffusions

Abstract: We construct a sequence of functions that uniformly converge (on compact sets) to the price of Asian option, which is written on a stock whose dynamics follows a jump diffusion, exponentially fast. Each of the element in this sequence solves a parabolic partial differen- tial equation (not an integro-differential equation). As a result we obtain a fast numerical approximation scheme whose accuracy versus speed characteristics can be controlled. We analyze the performance of our numerical algorithm on several examples.


On the Polyphase Decomposition for Design of Generalized Comb Decimation Filters

Abstract: Generalized comb filters (GCFs) are efficient anti-aliasing decimation filters with improved selectivity and quantization noise (QN) rejection performance around the so called folding bands with respect to classical comb filters. In this paper, we address the design of GCF filters by proposing an efficient partial polyphase architecture with the aim to reduce the data rate as much as possible after the Sigma-Delta A/D conversion. We propose a mathematical framework in order to completely characterize the dependence of the frequency response of GCFs on the quantization of the multipliers embedded in the proposed filter architecture. This analysis paves the way to the design of multiplier-less decimation architectures. We also derive the impulse response of a sample 3rd order GCF filter used as a reference scheme throughout the paper.


Mixed Integer Linear Programming For Exact Finite-Horizon Planning In Decentralized Pomdps

Abstract: We consider the problem of finding an n-agent joint-policy for the optimal finite-horizon control of a decentralized Pomdp (Dec-Pomdp). This is a problem of very high complexity (NEXP-hard in n >= 2). In this paper, we propose a new mathematical programming approach for the problem. Our approach is based on two ideas: First, we represent each agent's policy in the sequence-form and not in the tree-form, thereby obtaining a very compact representation of the set of joint-policies. Second, using this compact representation, we solve this problem as an instance of combinatorial optimization for which we formulate a mixed integer linear program (MILP). The optimal solution of the MILP directly yields an optimal joint-policy for the Dec-Pomdp. Computational experience shows that formulating and solving the MILP requires significantly less time to solve benchmark Dec-Pomdp problems than existing algorithms. For example, the multi-agent tiger problem for horizon 4 is solved in 72 secs with the MILP whereas existing algorithms require several hours to solve it.


A Characterisation of First-Order Constraint Satisfaction Problems

Abstract: We describe simple algebraic and combinatorial characterisations of finite relational core structures admitting finitely many obstructions. As a consequence, we show that it is decidable to determine whether a constraint satisfaction problem is first-order definable: we show the general problem to be NP-complete, and give a polynomial-time algorithm in the case of cores. A slight modification of this algorithm provides, for first-order definable CSP's, a simple poly-time algorithm to produce a solution when one exists. As an application of our algebraic characterisation of first order CSP's, we describe a large family of L-complete CSP's.


A fixed point iteration for computing the matrix logarithm

Abstract: In various areas of applied numerics, the problem of calculating the logarithm of a matrix A emerges. Since series expansions of the logarithm usually do not converge well for matrices far away from the identity, the standard numerical method calculates successive square roots. In this article, a new algorithm is presented that relies on the computation of successive matrix exponentials. Convergence of the method is demonstrated for a large class of initial matrices and favorable choices of the initial matrix are discussed.


Animation of virtual mannequins, robot-like simulation or motion captures

Abstract: In order to optimize the costs and time of design of the new products while improving their quality, concurrent engineering is based on the digital model of these products, the numerical model. However, in order to be able to avoid definitively physical model, old support of the design, without loss of information, new tools must be available. Especially, a tool making it possible to check simply and quickly the maintainability of complex mechanical sets using the numerical model is necessary. Since one decade, our team works on the creation of tool for the generation and the analysis of trajectories of virtual mannequins. The simulation of human tasks can be carried out either by robot-like simulation or by simulation by motion capture. This paper presents some results on the both two methods. The first method is based on a multi-agent system and on a digital mock-up technology, to assess an efficient path planner for a manikin or a robot for access and visibility task taking into account ergonomic constraints or joint and mechanical limits. In order to solve this problem, the human operator is integrated in the process optimization to contribute to a global perception of the environment. This operator cooperates, in real-time, with several automatic local elementary agents. In the case of the second approach, we worked with the CEA and EADS/CCR to solve the constraints related to the evolution of human virtual in its environment on the basis of data resulting from motion capture system. An approach using of the virtual guides was developed to allow to the user the realization of precise trajectory in absence of force feedback. The result of this work validates solutions through the digital mock-up; it can be applied to simulate maintenability and mountability tasks.


A Framework to Illustrate Kinematic Behavior of Mechanisms by Haptic Feedback

Abstract: The kinematic properties of mechanisms are well known by the researchers and teachers. The theory based on the study of Jacobian matrices allows us to explain, for example, the singular configuration. However, in many cases, the physical sense of such properties is difficult to explain to students. The aim of this article is to use haptic feedback to render to the user the signification of different kinematic indices. The framework uses a Phantom Omni and a serial and parallel mechanism with two degrees of freedom. The end-effector of both mechanisms can be moved either by classical mouse, or Phantom Omni with or without feedback.


A Comparative Study between Two Three-DOF Parallel Kinematic Machines using Kinetostatic Criteria and Interval Analysis

Abstract: This paper addresses the workspace analysis of two 3-DOF translational parallel mechanisms designed for machining applications. The two machines features three fixed linear joints. The joint axes of the first machine are orthogonal whereas these of the second are parallel. In both cases, the mobile platform moves in the Cartesian $x-y-z$ space with fixed orientation. The workspace analysis is conducted on the basis of prescribed kinetostatic performances. Interval analysis based methods are used to compute the dextrous workspace and the largest cube enclosed in this workspace.


The Virtual Manufacturing concept: Scope, Socio-Economic Aspects and Future Trends

Abstract: The research area "Virtual Manufacturing (VM)'' is the use of information technology and computer simulation to model real world manufacturing processes for the purpose of analysing and understanding them. As automation technologies such as CAD/CAM have substantially shortened the time required to design products, Virtual Manufacturing will have a similar effect on the manufacturing phase thanks to the modelling, simulation and optimisation of the product and the processes involved in its fabrication. After a description of Virtual Manufacturing (definitions and scope), we present some socio-economic factors of VM and finaly some "hot topics'' for the future are proposed.


A Classification of 3R Orthogonal Manipulators by the Topology of their Workspace

Abstract: A classification of a family of 3-revolute (3R) positining manipulators is established. This classification is based on the topology of their workspace. The workspace is characterized in a half-cross section by the singular curves. The workspace topology is defined by the number of cusps and nodes that appear on these singular curves. The design parameters space is shown to be divided into nine domains of distinct workspace topologies, in which all manipulators have similar global kinematic properties. Each separating surface is given as an explicit expression in the DH-parameters.


OA@MPS - a colourful view

Abstract: The open access agenda of the Max Planck Society, initiator of the Berlin Declaration, envisions the support of both the green way and the golden way to open access. For the implementation of the green way the Max Planck Society through its newly established unit (Max Planck Digital Library) follows the idea of providing a centralized technical platform for publications and a local support for editorial issues. With regard to the golden way, the Max Planck Society fosters the development of open access publication models and experiments new publishing concepts like the Living Reviews journals.


Covering a line segment with variable radius discs

Abstract: The paper addresses the problem of locating sensors with a circular field of view so that a given line segment is under full surveillance, which is termed as the Disc Covering Problem on a Line. The cost of each sensor includes a fixed component, and a variable component that is proportional to the field-of-view area. When only one type of sensor or, in general, one type of disc, is available, then a simple polynomial algorithm solves the problem. When there are different types of sensors in terms of fixed and variable costs, the problem becomes NP-hard. A branch-and-bound algorithm as well as an efficient heuristic are developed. The heuristic very often obtains the optimal solution as shown in extensive computational testing.


Instrumented Collective Learning Situations (ICLS): the Gap between Theoretical Research and Observed Practices

Abstract: According to socio-constructivism approach, collective situations are promoted to favor learning in classroom, at a distance or in a blended educational context. So, many Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are provided to teachers but there are no clear studies about the way they are used and perceived. Our research is based on the hypothesis that practices of educational actors (instructional designers and tutors) are far away from theoretical results of research in education technologies. In this paper, we consider a precise kind of situation: Instrumented Collective Learning Situations (ICLS). By a survey on 13 fields in higher education in France, Switzerland and Canada, we present how ICLS are designed and how teachers used them. Conclusions give an indication on the gap between the way information technologies are prescribed and the way they are actually used and perceived by teachers.


Situations d'apprentissage collectives instrument\'ees : \'etude de pratiques dans l'enseignement sup\'erieur

Abstract: Currently, educational platforms propose many tools of communication, production, labour division or collective work management in order to support collective activities. But it is not guaranteed that actors (instructional designers, tutors or learner) are really using them. Our work, describe characteristics of instrumented learning situations (ICLS) in the higher education. Our intention is to determine: if ICLS are really existing; which form they take (in terms of scenario, tools, type of activity...) ; if recommendations resulting from research tasks are taken into account by instructional designers and if the instructional designer prescribed activities are really follow by learners or tutors? To answer these questions, we have made a survey about ICLS actors uses.


Optimal Design of Ad Hoc Injection Networks by Using Genetic Algorithms

Abstract: This work aims at optimizing injection networks, which consist in adding a set of long-range links (called bypass links) in mobile multi-hop ad hoc networks so as to improve connectivity and overcome network partitioning. To this end, we rely on small-world network properties, that comprise a high clustering coefficient and a low characteristic path length. We investigate the use of two genetic algorithms (generational and steady-state) to optimize three instances of this topology control problem and present results that show initial evidence of their capacity to solve it.


Inductive Definition and Domain Theoretic Properties of Fully Abstract

Abstract: A construction of fully abstract typed models for PCF and PCF^+ (i.e., PCF + "parallel conditional function"), respectively, is presented. It is based on general notions of sequential computational strategies and wittingly consistent non-deterministic strategies introduced by the author in the seventies. Although these notions of strategies are old, the definition of the fully abstract models is new, in that it is given level-by-level in the finite type hierarchy. To prove full abstraction and non-dcpo domain theoretic properties of these models, a theory of computational strategies is developed. This is also an alternative and, in a sense, an analogue to the later game strategy semantics approaches of Abramsky, Jagadeesan, and Malacaria; Hyland and Ong; and Nickau. In both cases of PCF and PCF^+ there are definable universal (surjective) functionals from numerical functions to any given type, respectively, which also makes each of these models unique up to isomorphism. Although such models are non-omega-complete and therefore not continuous in the traditional terminology, they are also proved to be sequentially complete (a weakened form of omega-completeness), "naturally" continuous (with respect to existing directed "pointwise", or "natural" lubs) and also "naturally" omega-algebraic and "naturally" bounded complete -- appropriate generalisation of the ordinary notions of domain theory to the case of non-dcpos.


Kinematic and stiffness analysis of the Orthoglide, a PKM with simple, regular workspace and homogeneous performances

Abstract: The Orthoglide is a Delta-type PKM dedicated to 3-axis rapid machining applications that was originally developed at IRCCyN in 2000-2001 to meet the advantages of both serial 3-axis machines (regular workspace and homogeneous performances) and parallel kinematic architectures (good dynamic performances and stiffness). This machine has three fixed parallel linear joints that are mounted orthogonally. The geometric parameters of the Orthoglide were defined as function of the size of a prescribed cubic Cartesian workspace that is free of singularities and internal collision. The interesting features of the Orthoglide are a regular Cartesian workspace shape, uniform performances in all directions and good compactness. In this paper, a new method is proposed to analyze the stiffness of overconstrained Delta-type manipulators, such as the Orthoglide. The Orthoglide is then benchmarked according to geometric, kinematic and stiffness criteria: workspace to footprint ratio, velocity and force transmission factors, sensitivity to geometric errors, torsional stiffness and translational stiffness.


Neutrality and Many-Valued Logics

Abstract: In this book, we consider various many-valued logics: standard, linear, hyperbolic, parabolic, non-Archimedean, p-adic, interval, neutrosophic, etc. We survey also results which show the tree different proof-theoretic frameworks for many-valued logics, e.g. frameworks of the following deductive calculi: Hilbert's style, sequent, and hypersequent. We present a general way that allows to construct systematically analytic calculi for a large family of non-Archimedean many-valued logics: hyperrational-valued, hyperreal-valued, and p-adic valued logics characterized by a special format of semantics with an appropriate rejection of Archimedes' axiom. These logics are built as different extensions of standard many-valued logics (namely, Lukasiewicz's, Goedel's, Product, and Post's logics). The informal sense of Archimedes' axiom is that anything can be measured by a ruler. Also logical multiple-validity without Archimedes' axiom consists in that the set of truth values is infinite and it is not well-founded and well-ordered. On the base of non-Archimedean valued logics, we construct non-Archimedean valued interval neutrosophic logic INL by which we can describe neutrality phenomena.


Estimation of Small s-t Reliabilities in Acyclic Networks

Abstract: In the classical s-t network reliability problem a fixed network G is given including two designated vertices s and t (called terminals). The edges are subject to independent random failure, and the task is to compute the probability that s and t are connected in the resulting network, which is known to be #P-complete. In this paper we are interested in approximating the s-t reliability in case of a directed acyclic original network G. We introduce and analyze a specialized version of the Monte-Carlo algorithm given by Karp and Luby. For the case of uniform edge failure probabilities, we give a worst-case bound on the number of samples that have to be drawn to obtain an epsilon-delta approximation, being sharper than the original upper bound. We also derive a variance reduction of the estimator which reduces the expected number of iterations to perform to achieve the desired accuracy when applied in conjunction with different stopping rules. Initial computational results on two types of random networks (directed acyclic Delaunay graphs and a slightly modified version of a classical random graph) with up to one million vertices are presented. These results show the advantage of the introduced Monte-Carlo approach compared to direct simulation when small reliabilities have to be estimated and demonstrate its applicability on large-scale instances.


RS-232 Led Board

Abstract: This article demonstrates how to develop a Microchip PIC16F84 based device that supports RS-232 interface with PC. Circuit (LED Board) design and software development will be discussed. PicBasic Pro Compiler from microEngineering Labs, Inc. is used for PIC programming. Development of LED Board Control Console using C/C++ is also briefly discussed. The project requires basic work experience with Microchip PICs, serial communication and programming.


International Standard for a Linguistic Annotation Framework

Abstract: This paper describes the Linguistic Annotation Framework under development within ISO TC37 SC4 WG1. The Linguistic Annotation Framework is intended to serve as a basis for harmonizing existing language resources as well as developing new ones.


A Formal Model of Dictionary Structure and Content

Abstract: We show that a general model of lexical information conforms to an abstract model that reflects the hierarchy of information found in a typical dictionary entry. We show that this model can be mapped into a well-formed XML document, and how the XSL transformation language can be used to implement a semantics defined over the abstract model to enable extraction and manipulation of the information in any format.


Consistency of the group Lasso and multiple kernel learning

Abstract: We consider the least-square regression problem with regularization by a block 1-norm, i.e., a sum of Euclidean norms over spaces of dimensions larger than one. This problem, referred to as the group Lasso, extends the usual regularization by the 1-norm where all spaces have dimension one, where it is commonly referred to as the Lasso. In this paper, we study the asymptotic model consistency of the group Lasso. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the consistency of group Lasso under practical assumptions, such as model misspecification. When the linear predictors and Euclidean norms are replaced by functions and reproducing kernel Hilbert norms, the problem is usually referred to as multiple kernel learning and is commonly used for learning from heterogeneous data sources and for non linear variable selection. Using tools from functional analysis, and in particular covariance operators, we extend the consistency results to this infinite dimensional case and also propose an adaptive scheme to obtain a consistent model estimate, even when the necessary condition required for the non adaptive scheme is not satisfied.


Faster subsequence recognition in compressed strings

Abstract: Computation on compressed strings is one of the key approaches to processing massive data sets. We consider local subsequence recognition problems on strings compressed by straight-line programs (SLP), which is closely related to Lempel--Ziv compression. For an SLP-compressed text of length $\bar m$, and an uncompressed pattern of length $n$, C{\'e}gielski et al. gave an algorithm for local subsequence recognition running in time $O(\bar mn^2 \log n)$. We improve the running time to $O(\bar mn^{1.5})$. Our algorithm can also be used to compute the longest common subsequence between a compressed text and an uncompressed pattern in time $O(\bar mn^{1.5})$; the same problem with a compressed pattern is known to be NP-hard.


A Knowledge-Based Analysis of Global Function Computation

Abstract: Consider a distributed system N in which each agent has an input value and each communication link has a weight. Given a global function, that is, a function f whose value depends on the whole network, the goal is for every agent to eventually compute the value f(N). We call this problem global function computation. Various solutions for instances of this problem, such as Boolean function computation, leader election, (minimum) spanning tree construction, and network determination, have been proposed, each under particular assumptions about what processors know about the system and how this knowledge can be acquired. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for the problem to be solvable that generalizes a number of well-known results. We then provide a knowledge-based (kb) program (like those of Fagin, Halpern, Moses, and Vardi) that solves global function computation whenever possible. Finally, we improve the message overhead inherent in our initial kb program by giving a counterfactual belief-based program that also solves the global function computation whenever possible, but where agents send messages only when they believe it is necessary to do so. The latter program is shown to be implemented by a number of well-known algorithms for solving leader election.


Zero-automatic queues and product form

Abstract: We introduce and study a new model: 0-automatic queues. Roughly, 0-automatic queues are characterized by a special buffering mechanism evolving like a random walk on some infinite group or monoid. The salient result is that all stable 0-automatic queues have a product form stationary distribution and a Poisson output process. When considering the two simplest and extremal cases of 0-automatic queues, we recover the simple M/M/1 queue, and Gelenbe's G-queue with positive and negative customers.


Workspace and Kinematic Analysis of the VERNE machine

Abstract: This paper describes the workspace and the inverse and direct kinematic analysis of the VERNE machine, a serial/parallel 5-axis machine tool designed by Fatronik for IRCCyN. This machine is composed of a three-degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel module and a two-DOF serial tilting table. The parallel module consists of a moving platform that is connected to a fixed base by three non-identical legs. This feature involves (i) a simultaneous combination of rotation and translation for the moving platform, which is balanced by the tilting table and (ii) workspace whose shape and volume vary as a function of the tool length. This paper summarizes results obtained in the context of the European projects NEXT ("Next Generation of Productions Systems").


e-Science initiatives in Venezuela

Abstract: Within the context of the nascent e-Science infrastructure in Venezuela, we describe several web-based scientific applications developed at the Centro Nacional de Calculo Cientifico Universidad de Los Andes (CeCalCULA), Merida, and at the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Caracas. The different strategies that have been followed for implementing quantum chemistry and atomic physics applications are presented. We also briefly discuss a damage portal based on dynamic, nonlinear, finite elements of lumped damage mechanics and a biomedical portal developed within the framework of the \textit{E-Infrastructure shared between Europe and Latin America} (EELA) initiative for searching common sequences and inferring their functions in parasitic diseases such as leishmaniasis, chagas and malaria.


The Kinetostatic Optimization of a Novel Prismatic Drive

Abstract: The design of a mechanical transmission taking into account the transmitted forces is reported in this paper. This transmission is based on Slide-o-Cam, a cam mechanism with multiple rollers mounted on a common translating follower. The design of Slide-o-Cam, a transmission intended to produce a sliding motion from a turning drive, or vice versa, was reported elsewhere. This transmission provides pure-rolling motion, thereby reducing the friction of rack-and-pinions and linear drives. The pressure angle is a suitable performance index for this transmission because it determines the amount of force transmitted to the load vs. that transmitted to the machine frame. To assess the transmission capability of the mechanism, the Hertz formula is introduced to calculate the stresses on the rollers and on the cams. The final transmission is intended to replace the current ball-screws in the Orthoglide, a three-DOF parallel robot for the production of translational motions, currently under development for machining applications at Ecole Centrale de Nantes.


Mumford dendrograms

Abstract: An effective $p$-adic encoding of dendrograms is presented through an explicit embedding into the Bruhat-Tits tree for a $p$-adic number field. This field depends on the number of children of a vertex and is a finite extension of the field of $p$-adic numbers. It is shown that fixing $p$-adic representatives of the residue field allows a natural way of encoding strings by identifying a given alphabet with such representatives. A simple $p$-adic hierarchic classification algorithm is derived for $p$-adic numbers, and is applied to strings over finite alphabets. Examples of DNA coding are presented and discussed. Finally, new geometric and combinatorial invariants of time series of $p$-adic dendrograms are developped.


A Six Degree-Of-Freedom Haptic Device Based On The Orthoglide And A Hybrid Agile Eye

Abstract: This paper is devoted to the kinematic design of a new six degree-of-freedom haptic device using two parallel mechanisms. The first one, called orthoglide, provides the translation motions and the second one, called agile eye, produces the rotational motions. These two motions are decoupled to simplify the direct and inverse kinematics, as it is needed for real-time control. To reduce the inertial load, the motors are fixed on the base and a transmission with two universal joints is used to transmit the rotational motions from the base to the end-effector. Two alternative wrists are proposed (i), the agile eye with three degrees of freedom or (ii) a hybrid wrist made by the assembly of a two-dof agile eye with a rotary motor. The last one is optimized to increase its stiffness and to decrease the number of moving parts.


Analyse Comparative des Manipulateurs 3R \`a Axes Orthogonaux

Abstract: A family of 3R orthogonal manipulators without offset on the third body can be divided into exactly nine workspace topologies. The workspace is characterized in a half-cross section by the singular curves. The workspace topology is defined by the number of cusps and nodes that appear on these singular curves. Based on this classification, we evaluate theses manipulators by the condition number related to the joint space and the proportion of the region with four inverse kinematic solutions compared to a sphere containing all the workspace. This second performance number is in relation with the workspace. We determine finally le topology of workspace to which belong manipulators having the best performance number values.


An Exhaustive Study of the Workspace Topologies of all 3R Orthogonal Manipulators with Geometric Simplifications

Abstract: This paper analyses the workspace of the three-revolute orthogonal manipulators that have at least one of their DH parameters equal to zero. These manipulators are classified into different groups with similar kinematic properties. The classification criteria are based on the topology of the workspace. Each group is evaluated according to interesting kinematic properties such as the size of the workspace subregion reachable with four inverse kinematic solutions, the existence and the size of voids, and the size of the regions of feasible paths in the workspace.


Practical Approach to Knowledge-based Question Answering with Natural Language Understanding and Advanced Reasoning

Abstract: This research hypothesized that a practical approach in the form of a solution framework known as Natural Language Understanding and Reasoning for Intelligence (NaLURI), which combines full-discourse natural language understanding, powerful representation formalism capable of exploiting ontological information and reasoning approach with advanced features, will solve the following problems without compromising practicality factors: 1) restriction on the nature of question and response, and 2) limitation to scale across domains and to real-life natural language text.


Integration of a Balanced Virtual Manikin in a Virtual Reality Platform aimed at Virtual Prototyping

Abstract: The work presented here is aimed at introducing a virtual human controller in a virtual prototyping framework. After a brief introduction describing the problem solved in the paper, we describe the interest as for digital humans in the context of concurrent engineering. This leads us to draw a control architecture enabling to drive virtual humans in a real-time immersed way, and to interact with the product, through motion capture. Unfortunately, we show this control scheme can lead to unfeasible movements because of the lack of balance control. Introducing such a controller is a problem that was never addressed in the context of real-time. We propose an implementation of a balance controller, that we insert into the previously described control scheme. Next section is dedicated to show the results we obtained. Finally, we propose a virtual reality platform into which the digital character controller is integrated.


Balanced Virtual Humans Interacting with their Environment

Abstract: The animation of human avatars seems very successful; the computer graphics industry shows outstanding results in films everyday, the game industry achieves exploits... Nevertheless, the animation and control processes of such manikins are very painful. It takes days to a specialist to build such animated sequences, and it is not adaptive to any type of modifications. Our main purpose is the virtual human for engineering, especially virtual prototyping. As for this domain of activity, such amounts of time are prohibitive.


Virtual reality: A human centered tool for improving Manufacturing

Abstract: Manufacturing is using Virtual Reality tools to enhance the product life cycle. Their definitions are still in flux and it is necessary to define their connections. Thus, firstly, we will introduce more closely some definitions where we will find that, if the Virtual manufacturing concepts originate from machining operations and evolve in this manufacturing area, there exist a lot of applications in different fields such as casting, forging, sheet metalworking and robotics (mechanisms). From the recent projects in Europe or in USA, we notice that the human perception or the simulation of mannequin is more and more needed in both fields. In this context, we have isolated some applications as ergonomic studies, assembly and maintenance simulation, design or training where the virtual reality tools can be applied. Thus, we find out a family of applications where the virtual reality tools give the engineers the main role in the optimization process. We will illustrate our paper by several examples where virtual reality interfaces are used and combined with optimization tools as multi-agent systems.


A New Six Degree-of-Freedom Haptic Device based on the Orthoglide and the Agile Eye

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present a new six degree-of-freedom (dof) haptic device using two parallel mechanisms. The first one, called orthoglide, provides the translation motions and the second one produces the rotational motions. These two motions are decoupled to simplify the direct and inverse kinematics, as it is needed for real-times control. To reduce the inertial load, the motors are fixed on the base and a transmission with two universal joints is used to transmit the rotational motions from the base to the end-effector. The main feature of the orthoglide and of the agile eye mechanism is the existence of an isotropic configuration. The length of the legs and the range limits of the orthoglide are optimized to have homogeneous performance throughout the Cartesian workspace, which has a nearly cubic workspace. These properties permit to have a high stiffness throughout the workspace and workspace limits that are easily understandable by the user.


L'orthoglide : une machine-outil rapide d'architecture parall\`ele isotrope

Abstract: This article presents the Orthoglide project. The purpose of this project is the realization of a prototype of machine tool to three degrees of translation. The characteristic of this machine is a parallel kinematic architecture optimized to obtain a compact workspace with homogeneous performance. For that, the principal criterion of design which was used is the isotropy.


An exploratory study of Google Scholar

Abstract: The paper discusses and analyzes the scientific search service Google Scholar (GS). The focus is on an exploratory study which investigates the coverage of scientific serials in GS. The study shows deficiencies in the coverage and up-to-dateness of the GS index. Furthermore, the study points up which Web servers are the most important data providers for this search service and which information sources are highly represented. We can show that there is a relatively large gap in Google Scholars coverage of German literature as well as weaknesses in the accessibility of Open Access content. Keywords: Search engines, Digital libraries, Worldwide Web, Serials, Electronic journals


Semi-local string comparison: algorithmic techniques and applications

Abstract: A classical measure of string comparison is given by the longest common subsequence (LCS) problem on a pair of strings. We consider its generalisation, called the semi-local LCS problem, which arises naturally in many string-related problems. The semi-local LCS problem asks for the LCS scores for each of the input strings against every substring of the other input string, and for every prefix of each input string against every suffix of the other input string. Such a comparison pattern provides a much more detailed picture of string similarity than a single LCS score; it also arises naturally in many string-related problems. In fact, the semi-local LCS problem turns out to be fundamental for string comparison, providing a powerful and flexible alternative to classical dynamic programming. It is especially useful when the input to a string comparison problem may not be available all at once: for example, comparison of dynamically changing strings; comparison of compressed strings; parallel string comparison. The same approach can also be applied to permutation strings, providing efficient solutions for local versions of the longest increasing subsequence (LIS) problem, and for the problem of computing a maximum clique in a circle graph. Furthermore, the semi-local LCS problem turns out to have surprising connections in a few seemingly unrelated fields, such as computational geometry and algebra of semigroups. This work is devoted to exploring the structure of the semi-local LCS problem, its efficient solutions, and its applications in string comparison and other related areas, including computational molecular biology.


The Review and Analysis of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Principles

Abstract: The History of HCI is briefly reviewed together with three HCI models and structure including CSCW, CSCL and CSCR. It is shown that a number of authorities consider HCI to be a fragmented discipline with no agreed set of unifying design principles. An analysis of usability criteria based upon citation frequency of authors is performed in order to discover the eight most recognised HCI principles.


A Comparative Study of Parallel Kinematic Architectures for Machining Applications

Abstract: Parallel kinematic mechanisms are interesting alternative designs for machining applications. Three 2-DOF parallel mechanism architectures dedicated to machining applications are studied in this paper. The three mechanisms have two constant length struts gliding along fixed linear actuated joints with different relative orientation. The comparative study is conducted on the basis of a same prescribed Cartesian workspace for the three mechanisms. The common desired workspace properties are a rectangular shape and given kinetostatic performances. The machine size of each resulting design is used as a comparative criterion. The 2-DOF machine mechanisms analyzed in this paper can be extended to 3-axis machines by adding a third joint.


Kinematic Analysis of a New Parallel Machine Tool: the Orthoglide

Abstract: This paper describes a new parallel kinematic architecture for machining applications: the orthoglide. This machine features three fixed parallel linear joints which are mounted orthogonally and a mobile platform which moves in the Cartesian x-y-z space with fixed orientation. The main interest of the orthoglide is that it takes benefit from the advantages of the popular PPP serial machines (regular Cartesian workspace shape and uniform performances) as well as from the parallel kinematic arrangement of the links (less inertia and better dynamic performances), which makes the orthoglide well suited to high-speed machining applications. Possible extension of the orthoglide to 5-axis machining is also investigated.


Understanding the Characteristics of Internet Short Video Sharing: YouTube as a Case Study

Abstract: Established in 2005, YouTube has become the most successful Internet site providing a new generation of short video sharing service. Today, YouTube alone comprises approximately 20% of all HTTP traffic, or nearly 10% of all traffic on the Internet. Understanding the features of YouTube and similar video sharing sites is thus crucial to their sustainable development and to network traffic engineering. In this paper, using traces crawled in a 3-month period, we present an in-depth and systematic measurement study on the characteristics of YouTube videos. We find that YouTube videos have noticeably different statistics compared to traditional streaming videos, ranging from length and access pattern, to their active life span, ratings, and comments. The series of datasets also allows us to identify the growth trend of this fast evolving Internet site in various aspects, which has seldom been explored before. We also look closely at the social networking aspect of YouTube, as this is a key driving force toward its success. In particular, we find that the links to related videos generated by uploaders' choices form a small-world network. This suggests that the videos have strong correlations with each other, and creates opportunities for developing novel caching or peer-to-peer distribution schemes to efficiently deliver videos to end users.


Products of irreducible random matrices in the (Max,+) Algebra

Abstract: We consider the recursive equation ``x(n+1)=A(n)x(n)'' where x(n+1) and x(n) are column vectors of size k and where A(n) is an irreducible random matrix of size k x k. The matrix-vector multiplication in the (max,+) algebra is defined by (A(n)x(n))_i= max_j [ A(n)_{ij} +x(n)_j ]. This type of equation can be used to represent the evolution of Stochastic Event Graphs which include cyclic Jackson Networks, some manufacturing models and models with general blocking (such as Kanban). Let us assume that the sequence (A(n))_n is i.i.d or more generally stationary and ergodic. The main result of the paper states that the system couples in finite time with a unique stationary regime if and only if there exists a set of matrices C such that P {A(0) in C} > 0, and the matrices in C have a unique periodic regime.


The Computation of All 4R Serial Spherical Wrists With an Isotropic Architecture

Abstract: A spherical wrist of the serial type is said to be isotropic if it can attain a posture whereby the singular values of its Jacobian matrix are all identical and nonzero. What isotropy brings about is robustness to manufacturing, assembly, and measurement errors, thereby guaranteeing a maximum orientation accuracy. In this paper we investigate the existence of redundant isotropic architectures, which should add to the dexterity of the wrist under design by virtue of its extra degree of freedom. The problem formulation leads to a system of eight quadratic equations with eight unknowns. The Bezout number of this system is thus 2^8 = 256, its BKK bound being 192. However, the actual number of solutions is shown to be 32. We list all solutions of the foregoing algebraic problem. All these solutions are real, but distinct solutions do not necessarily lead to distinct manipulators. Upon discarding those algebraic solutions that yield no new wrists, we end up with exactly eight distinct architectures, the eight corresponding manipulators being displayed at their isotropic posture.


GCP: Gossip-based Code Propagation for Large-scale Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract: Wireless sensor networks (WSN) have recently received an increasing interest. They are now expected to be deployed for long periods of time, thus requiring software updates. Updating the software code automatically on a huge number of sensors is a tremendous task, as ''by hand'' updates can obviously not be considered, especially when all participating sensors are embedded on mobile entities. In this paper, we investigate an approach to automatically update software in mobile sensor-based application when no localization mechanism is available. We leverage the peer-to-peer cooperation paradigm to achieve a good trade-off between reliability and scalability of code propagation. More specifically, we present the design and evaluation of GCP ({\emph Gossip-based Code Propagation}), a distributed software update algorithm for mobile wireless sensor networks. GCP relies on two different mechanisms (piggy-backing and forwarding control) to improve significantly the load balance without sacrificing on the propagation speed. We compare GCP against traditional dissemination approaches. Simulation results based on both synthetic and realistic workloads show that GCP achieves a good convergence speed while balancing the load evenly between sensors.


Further Comments on "Residue-to-Binary Converters Based on New Chinese Remainder Theorems"

Abstract: Ananda Mohan suggested that the first New Chinese Remainder Theorem introduced by Wang can be derived from the constructive proof of the well-known Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT) and claimed that Wang's approach is the same as the one proposed earlier by Huang. Ananda Mohan's proof is however erroneous and we show here that Wang's New CRT I is a rewriting of an algorithm previously sketched by Hitz and Kaltofen.


Bijective Faithful Translations among Default Logics

Abstract: In this article, we study translations between variants of defaults logics such that the extensions of the theories that are the input and the output of the translation are in a bijective correspondence. We assume that a translation can introduce new variables and that the result of translating a theory can either be produced in time polynomial in the size of the theory or its output is polynomial in that size; we however restrict to the case in which the original theory has extensions. This study fills a gap between two previous pieces of work, one studying bijective translations among restrictions of default logics, and the other one studying non-bijective translations between default logics variants.


Interactive Small-Step Algorithms I: Axiomatization

Abstract: In earlier work, the Abstract State Machine Thesis -- that arbitrary algorithms are behaviorally equivalent to abstract state machines -- was established for several classes of algorithms, including ordinary, interactive, small-step algorithms. This was accomplished on the basis of axiomatizations of these classes of algorithms. Here we extend the axiomatization and, in a companion paper, the proof, to cover interactive small-step algorithms that are not necessarily ordinary. This means that the algorithms (1) can complete a step without necessarily waiting for replies to all queries from that step and (2) can use not only the environment's replies but also the order in which the replies were received.


Interactive Small-Step Algorithms II: Abstract State Machines and the<br> Characterization Theorem

Abstract: In earlier work, the Abstract State Machine Thesis -- that arbitrary algorithms are behaviorally equivalent to abstract state machines -- was established for several classes of algorithms, including ordinary, interactive, small-step algorithms. This was accomplished on the basis of axiomatizations of these classes of algorithms. In Part I (Interactive Small-Step Algorithms I: Axiomatization), the axiomatization was extended to cover interactive small-step algorithms that are not necessarily ordinary. This means that the algorithms (1) can complete a step without necessarily waiting for replies to all queries from that step and (2) can use not only the environment's replies but also the order in which the replies were received. In order to prove the thesis for algorithms of this generality, we extend here the definition of abstract state machines to incorporate explicit attention to the relative timing of replies and to the possible absence of replies. We prove the characterization theorem for extended abstract state machines with respect to general algorithms as axiomatized in Part I.