Abstract Domains for Type Juggling

Web scripting languages, such as PHP and JavaScript, provide a wide range of dynamic features that make them both flexible and error-prone. In order to prevent bugs in web applications, there is a sore need for powerful static analysis tools. In this paper, we investigate how Abstract Interpretation may be leveraged to provide a precise value analysis providing rich typing information that can be a useful component for such tools. In particular, we define the formal semantics for a core of PHP that illustrates type juggling, the implicit type conversions typical of PHP, and investigate the design of abstract domains and operations that, while still scalable, are expressive enough to cope with type juggling. We believe that our approach can also be applied to other languages with implicit type conversions

Abstract Domains for Type Juggling

Web scripting languages, such as PHP and JavaScript, provide a wide range of dynamic features that make them both flexible and error-prone. In order to prevent bugs in web applications, there is a sore need for powerful static analysis tools. In this paper, we investigate how Abstract Interpretation may be leveraged to provide a precise value analysis providing rich typing information that can be a useful component for such tools. In particular, we define the formal semantics for a core of PHP that illustrates type juggling, the implicit type conversions typical of PHP, and investigate the design of abstract domains and operations that, while still scalable, are expressive enough to cope with type juggling. We believe that our approach can also be applied to other languages with implicit type conversions

Trapping Electromagnetic Solitons in Cylinders

Electromagnetic waves, in vacuum or dielectrics, can be confined in unbounded cylinders in such a way that they turn around the main axis. For particular choices of the cylinder's section, interesting stationary configurations may be assumed. By refining some results obtained in previous papers, additional more complex situations are examined here. For such peculiar guided waves an explicit expression is given in terms of Bessel's functions. Possible applications are in the development of whispering gallery resonators.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Sequential Composition of Dynamically Dexterous Robot Behaviors

We report on our efforts to develop a sequential robot controller-composition technique in the context of dexterous “batting” maneuvers. A robot with a flat paddle is required to strike repeatedly at a thrown ball until the ball is brought to rest on the paddle at a specified location. The robot’s reachable workspace is blocked by an obstacle that disconnects the free space formed when the ball and paddle remain in contact, forcing the machine to “let go” for a time to bring the ball to the desired state. The controller compositions we create guarantee that a ball introduced in the “safe workspace” remains there and is ultimately brought to the goal. We report on experimental results from an implementation of these formal composition methods, and present descriptive statistics characterizing the experiments.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67990/2/10.1177_02783649922066385.pd

Two Stream LSTM: A Deep Fusion Framework for Human Action Recognition

In this paper we address the problem of human action recognition from video sequences. Inspired by the exemplary results obtained via automatic feature learning and deep learning approaches in computer vision, we focus our attention towards learning salient spatial features via a convolutional neural network (CNN) and then map their temporal relationship with the aid of Long-Short-Term-Memory (LSTM) networks. Our contribution in this paper is a deep fusion framework that more effectively exploits spatial features from CNNs with temporal features from LSTM models. We also extensively evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. We find that by combining both the sets of features, the fully connected features effectively act as an attention mechanism to direct the LSTM to interesting parts of the convolutional feature sequence. The significance of our fusion method is its simplicity and effectiveness compared to other state-of-the-art methods. The evaluation results demonstrate that this hierarchical multi stream fusion method has higher performance compared to single stream mapping methods allowing it to achieve high accuracy outperforming current state-of-the-art methods in three widely used databases: UCF11, UCFSports, jHMDB.Comment: Published as a conference paper at WACV 201

Feeding the three headed monster of Higher Education

The integrated Taught Postgraduate framework (PGT) at Northumbria University supports a range of postgraduate programmes in design disciplines, design management and design practice by distance learning as well as professional doctorates. The framework provides rigorous taught modules dealing with subjects including creative thinking, research principles, intellectual property, design strategy, commercialisation, reflective practice, contemporary influences on design, design value and cross cultural communication. These theoretically grounded modules have been developed over a ten year period and provide the foundation for the PG provision at Northumbria. Students value the content of these modules but have in the past struggled to connect them and develop a mutually enforcing relationship between theory and practice. Northumbria, like many other UK universities, manages its Schools under three portfolios: Research, Enterprise and Teaching and Learning. Most academic roles operate within one of these ‘silos’ and it is often structurally problematic for academics to move between portfolios to combine their respective aims. This paper examines the difficulties faced by academics whose activities span research, enterprise and teaching and learning. It documents the recent evolution of the PGT framework at Northumbria to support the integration of these portfolios of activity for the benefit of the students, academics and school as a whole. The authors have developed a taught PG ‘lattice’ structure that maps theoretical modules of study against industry-based practice. Multidisciplinary teams of students carry out technology led projects for commercial clients supported by experts and specialists in the field. Hence the same theoretical concepts are applied from the standpoint of different disciplines within the same team. This structure has enabled the integration of distinctly theoretical areas of design expertise with their application in practice through industry based projects that: Provide teaching resources including materials, new technologies, industry specialists and commercially realistic parameters Create income and develop intellectual property leading to royalties, equity and spin off consultancy Generate research papers, publications and exhibitions. These outcomes align with teaching and learning, enterprise and research respectively. This paper presents an innovative PG model and describes case study material from strategic commercial projects with companies and consortiums

From Service to Experience: Understanding and Defining the Hospitality Business

Failure adequately to define or understand hospitality as a commercial phenomenon has created a fragmented academic environment and a schizophrenia in the industry that has the potential to limit its development as a global industry. This article suggests that, by redefining hospitality as behaviour and experience, a new perspective emerges that has exciting implications for the management of hospitality businesses. A framework to describe hospitality in the commercial domain is proposed. This framework suggests a focus on the host–guest relationship, generosity, theatre and performance, ‘lots of little surprises’, and the security of strangers – a focus that provides guests with experiences that are personal, memorable and add value to their lives