Weiyi Ho

The Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) is an emer ging standard for describing data on the Web. As the widespread activities of the In ternet and the Web results in vast amounts of data to be generated everyday, the manipulation of such semi-structured te xtual data is however becoming an important issue in XML storage research. The unique feature of semi-structured data is generally suitable for storage in a tree-like data form. Locating data in this form is base d on tree-pattern matching techniques. As a result, effectively evaluating path expression is the key to provide efficient access to such tree-like data storage. In this paper, we apply two novel signature base d access methods, which can significantly extend the scope of tree-pattern cluster in order to navigate massive XML databases. We present the process of producing the signatures in details, and further provi de the algorithms to demonstrate how they would work. We also show the advantages of using exte nded tree-pattern clusteri ng techniques in handling large amounts of XML documents.

Srinivasan T

This peer-reviewed paper presents original scientific research in computer science and information systems, addressing "Ai Game Playing Approach for Fast Processor Allocation in Hypercube Systems Using Veitch Diagram". The authors discuss theoretical foundations, system architectures, empirical evaluations, and practical implications for modern digital ecosystems. Published in IJCSIS Vol. 1 No. 1 (2006).

Weiyi Ho

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a language fo r storing and exchanging structured and semi- structured data in a flexible format. As previous sources support public XML export, increasing amounts of public and private data are described in XML. Due to the flexible characteristics of XML it is today employed for the representation of data in virtually al l areas of computing, and particularly in web-based applications. One of the most important tasks in XML document processing is querying and navigating, that is the extraction of parts of a document that match a structural condition and are in a specific context. However, due to the nature of current file storage and the tree-like view of XML documents, XML file accessing is in a sequential manner and the navigation is often costly. Great challenges arise from the demands of integrating and manipulating XML data from different sources. In this paper, we address the fundamental issues and develop a comprehensive solution with regard to the enhancement of XML structural query execution. We present this e nhancing process in detail , and further provide the operation examples to demonstrate how they would work. We also conduct a series of experiments based on our proposed approach and report our findings.

Eugene Ageenko, Alexey Podlasov

Raster topographic images consist of a set of layers depicted in arbitrary color. There exist strong correspondence between the color of the layer and its semantic meaning. Often there is a need to separate or extract semantic layers from the map. The separation results in severe artifacts in places where semantic layers would overlap (e.g. elevations lines drawn on top of the topographic map). In the current work, we design the technique to reconstruct the sema ntic layers from the color layers resulting from the image separation process. The proposed technique pr ovides good visual quality of the reconstructed image layers, and can therefore be applied for se lective layer removal/extraction, which is often necessary in map processing and analyzing applications. It improves the accuracy of the data analysis and measurement tasks. The technique requires few co mputation resources and can be successfully used in mobile computers and terminals.

Steven J. Zeil

AlgAE is a framework for algorithm animation to support undergraduate education in programming. AlgAE is aimed at rapid development of animations of C++ or Java c ode extracted from the instructor's own notes or from the course's textbook. It can be used by instructors in a live classroom setting, by students studying or reviewing course material, or as part of internet-delivered courseware. This paper presents an overview of the AlgAE arch itecture, the process of developing a new animation, and assesses the degree to which th e AlgAE design supports its goal of facilitating rapid development of animations.

Yang-Wai Chow, Ronald Pose, Matthew Regan

The popularity and success of networked virtual environments in applications such as massively multiplayer online games has led to the development of very large-scale multi-user networked virtual environments. Such systems create virtual worlds where t housands of users, who might be physically located all over the globe, can interact together through the shared virtual environment. In order for users to collaborate and interact comfortably with one anot her, huge quantities of data have to be exchanged through the network so as to maintain consistency in the shared state of the virtual environment. The amount of data generated by these large-scale networked virtual environment systems place tremendous demands on the network, and limitations in term s of networking resources can degrade system performance by causing network congestions, which consequently result in message transmission delays. This in turn impedes user interacti on, as these delays affect consistency in the shared state of the virtual environment. This paper investigates the implementation of a priority updating network communications model, designed to reduce the overall amount of netw ork traffic and bandwidth utilization, whilst at the same time not greatly compromising on the real-time interactive nature of these large-scale multi-user virtual environments.

Jean-Marc Perronne MIPS, Université de Haute Alsace

The design of the control software for complex system s is a difficult task. It requires the modeling, the simulation, the integration and the adaptation of a mu ltitude of interconnected entities and behaviors. In this context, the present paper describes a modeli ng framework. It proposes to objectify the behaviors which leads to a two-level modeling process based on th ree concepts: resources - software images of the controlled system - behaviors applied to these res ources, and meta-behaviors, - i.e. means for behavior integration and adaptation. To complete the pr oposed modeling framework, a coherent model-based approach supported by model-checking tools, that ensu res the development of va lidated applications, is considered. Finally, to illustrate the elements men tioned, this paper uses the control software of a walking robot as a running example.

Beda Christoph Hammerschmidt andVolker Linnemann

Common web service architectures fo llow the classical client-server m odel with the client bound to the web service by a static physical connection. In this paper we show that this m odel is too restricted for some business scenarios and motivate th e paradigm and the advantages of migratable web services . Migratable web services are instances of conventional web services that can change their executing host at runtime without loosing the actual state and the c onnection to their clients. Migratable web services exceed remote installation of code because the current state of a web service instance is preserved. We present a prototypical implementation based on Apache Axis which allows the seamless migration of arbitrary web service instances between different hosts. The connection to the clients is not affected by migration processes as the physical client-server model is abstracted to a logical client server model. The discovering of migrated service instances may use centralized as well as decentralized approaches. We present a JXTA based P2P grid that is used to discover an instance of a web service after multiple unnoticed migrations.

John Knight User-Lab

This paper investigates engagability in the context of moderating online courses. It investigates the influences on the use of the online modules and student engagement. The authors explore this through a study of an online course in Professional Studies for Media and Communications. The study describes the reflections of students by applying textual analysis of user-tests and interviews. The methods provide a potentially useful tool for measuring engagement with online resources.

Pedro Isaías

Editorial preface for Volume 1, Issue 1 of the IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems (IJCSIS). This issue brings together peer-reviewed original research contributions covering the wide spectrum of Information Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, and Digital Transformation.