Synote: weaving media fragments and linked data

While end users could easily share and tag the multimedia resources online, the searching and reusing of the inside content of multimedia, such as a certain area within an image or a ten minutes segment within a one-hour video, is still difficult. Linked data is a promising way to interlink media fragments with other resources. Many applications in Web 2.0 have generated large amount of external annotations linked to media fragments. In this paper, we use Synote as the target application to discuss how media fragments could be published together with external annotations following linked data principles. Our design solves the dereferencing, describing and interlinking methods problems in interlinking multimedia. We also implement a model to let Google index media fragments which improves media fragments' online presence. The evaluation shows that our design can successfully publish media fragments and annotations for both semantic Web agents and traditional search engines. Publishing media fragments using the design we describe in this paper will lead to better indexing of multimedia resources and their consequent findabilit

Query processing in temporal object-oriented databases

This PhD thesis is concerned with historical data management in the context of objectoriented databases. An extensible approach has been explored to processing temporal object queries within a uniform query framework. By the uniform framework, we mean temporal queries can be processed within the existing object-oriented framework that is extended from relational framework, by extending the existing query processing techniques and strategies developed for OODBs and RDBs. The unified model of OODBs and RDBs in UmSQL/X has been adopted as a basis for this purpose. A temporal object data model is thereby defined by incorporating a time dimension into this unified model of OODBs and RDBs to form temporal relational-like cubes but with the addition of aggregation and inheritance hierarchies. A query algebra, that accesses objects through these associations of aggregation, inheritance and timereference, is then defined as a general query model /language. Due to the extensive features of our data model and reducibility of the algebra, a layered structure of query processor is presented that provides a uniforrn framework for processing temporal object queries. Within the uniform framework, query transformation is carried out based on a set of transformation rules identified that includes the known relational and object rules plus those pertaining to the time dimension. To evaluate a temporal query involving a path with timereference, a strategy of decomposition is proposed. That is, evaluation of an enhanced path, which is defined to extend a path with time-reference, is decomposed by initially dividing the path into two sub-paths: one containing the time-stamped class that can be optimized by making use of the ordering information of temporal data and another an ordinary sub-path (without time-stamped classes) which can be further decomposed and evaluated using different algorithms. The intermediate results of traversing the two sub-paths are then joined together to create the query output. Algorithms for processing the decomposed query components, i. e., time-related operation algorithms, four join algorithms (nested-loop forward join, sort-merge forward join, nested-loop reverse join and sort-merge reverse join) and their modifications, have been presented with cost analysis and implemented with stream processing techniques using C++. Simulation results are also provided. Both cost analysis and simulation show the effects of time on the query processing algorithms: the join time cost is linearly increased with the expansion in the number of time-epochs (time-dimension in the case of a regular TS). It is also shown that using heuristics that make use of time information can lead to a significant time cost saving. Query processing with incomplete temporal data has also been discussed

2D object reconstruction with ASP

Damages to cultural heritage due to human malicious actions or to natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, tornadoes) are nowadays more and more frequent. Huge work is needed by professional restores to reproduce, as best as possible, the original artwork or architecture opera starting from the potsherds. The tool we are presenting in this paper is devised for being a digital support for this kind of work. As soon as the fragments of the opera are cataloged, a user (possibly young students, and even children, using a tablet or a smartphone as playing with a video game) can propose a partial reconstruction. The final part of the job is left to an ASP program that first computes a pre-processing task to find coherence between (sides of) fragments, and then tries to reconstruct the original object. Experiments are made here focusing on 2D reconstruction (frescoes, reliefs, etc)

All Source Analysis System (ASAS): Migration from VAX to Alpha AXP computer systems

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL's) experience migrating existing VAX applications to Digital Equipment Corporation's new Alpha AXP processor is covered. The rapid development approach used during the 10-month period required to migrate the All Source Analysis System (ASAS), 1.5 million lines of FORTRAN, C, and Ada code, is also covered. ASAS, an automated tactical intelligence system, was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the U. S. Army. Other benefits achieved as a result of the significant performance improvements provided by Alpha AXP platform are also described