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Node Re-Usability in Structured Hypertext Systems
Get PDFWhen the size of a graph-based hyperdocument exceeds a certain limit, the graph structure gets complicated and causes navigation and document management problems. A simple solution for this problem is the structuring ofthe hyperdocument into several smaller units. In this approach each unit contains nodes that share common properties and their link structures. Srnuller. more manageable networks (called webs) which have their own, less complex graph structures are the result. In this paper we propose a model for hypertext systems which allows hyperclocument structuring using webs. The model demonstrates node re-usability which becomes essential as it is verylikely that the smaller units created will share nodes. The implementation details of a hypertext authoring system, HypAS, based on the proposel model is also provided
A Simulation Game for Software Project Management
Get PDFThe software industry is one of the most rapidly growing
businesses in our age. Yet, this growth has not been a wellbalanced one. On the one hand, on the technical side, programming languages, programming techniques and methodologies have exhibited an unprecedented growth (1). But on the other hand, the art and science of managing software projects has not enjoyed such a growth. Management of software systems has been plagued by overruns, late deliveries, and users1 dissatisfaction (1). The objective of this project is to design an interactive simulation game based on a system dynamics model of software project management. It is hoped that the game will provide insights into the effectiveness of various management strategies, especially when the project is behind schedule.
The project comprised three major steps. The first step was to
construct a dynamic model of how software projects are managed in software developing organizations. After studying several models that already exist in the literature ( 4 , 5 ) , I decided to simplify and modify the system dynamics model (in Dynamo) constructed by Tarek-Abdel Hamid and Stuart Madnick (1). In order to construct a model (in Stella 11) that can be the background of a participatory simulation game, I made certain modifications, additions and deletions. I simulated this model under various conditions and studied its properties in order to make sure that it was a reliable and robust model.
The second step of the project was to complete the gaming
interface for the developed model. For this purpose, several wellestablished principles in constructing informative and userfriendly computer gaming interfaces were utilized (2,6,7). The final game interface is graphical and consists of two major
environments (the "simulator controls" and the "information
system"), and numerous pop-up windows. In order to implement the
game in an IBM-PC environment, the game was coded using the
graphics-based spreadsheet software WingZ.
The third and final step was testing and validating the
system. The system dynamics model that I modified for the game had already been subjected to validity testing and was found to be quite reliable (1). In addition, I tested my version of the model by running it under various typical and extreme conditions. Tests of the gaming version have demonstrated the game to be robust even under various extreme and unlikely player decisions. Tests with independent player subjects have also confirmed this and have demonstrated the game to be potentially very useful. The overall behavior of the game satisfies my goal of constructing an interactive simulation game which is able to reflect the characteri.stics of real life software management projects, and respond to player decisions in a realistic way so as to provide an interactive learning laboratory for software project management
Implementation of an Information Retrieval System (ANIRS) with Ranking and Browsing Capabilities
Get PDFThis report describes an implementation of a cluster based
information retrieval system with statistical ranking facilities, ANIRS. ANIRS uses the vector space model to represent the document database. In this model, the database is defined by a document by term, D, matrix. In this matrix, each row represents the terms in a single document and each column represents the documents that contain a single term.
In ANIRS, two matching methodologies are allowed: a full database search and a cluster based search. The system uses a
natural language query interface. It incorporates suffix
stripping for term conglomeration. Two methods of query
refinement are used: relevance feedback and document seed
searching. Cluster browsing, the ability to look at all the
documents in a single cluster, is also implemented
Dynamic Signature File Partitioning Based on Term Characteristics
Get PDFSignature files act as a filter on retrieval to discard a large number of non-qualifying data items. Linear hashing with superimposed signatures (LHSS) provides an effective retrieval filter to process queries in dynamic databases. This study is an analysis of the effects of reflecting the term query and occurrence characteristics to signatures in LHSS. This approach relaxes the unrealistic uniform frequency assumption and lets the terms with high discriminatory power set more bits in signatures. The simulation experiments based on the derived formulas show that incorporating the term characteristics in LHSS improves retrieval efficiency. The paper also discusses the further benefits of this approach to alleviate the potential imbalance between the levels of efficiency and relevancy
Signature File Hashing Using Term Occurrence and Query Frequencies
Get PDFSignature files act as a filter on retrieval to discard a large number of non-qualifying data items. Linear hashing with superimposed signatures (LHSS) provides an effective retrieval filter to process queries in dynamic databases. This study is an analysis of the effects of reflecting the term occurrence and query frequencies to signatures in LHSS. This approach relaxes the unrealistic uniform frequency assumption and lets the terms with high discriminatory power set more bits in signatures. The simulation experiments based on the derived formulas explore the amount of page savings with different occurrence and query frequency combinations at different
hashing levels. The results show that the performance of LHSS improves with the hashing level and the larger is the difference between the term discriminatory power values of the terms, the higher is the retrieval efficiency. The paper also discusses the benefits of this approach to alleviate the imbalance between the levels of efficiency and relevancy in unrealistic uniform frequency assumption case
Librarian A Multi-User License Manager
Get PDFA common problem in network administration is that there are often more workstations on a network than there are available licensed copies of the various software products. The purpose of the software described herein is to provide the tools necessary to manage and enforce software licensing agreements
by insuring that no more that the licensed number of copies of any given package are in operation concurrently on a network. In addition, these tools collect usage statistics so that an administrator can determine where, when, and how many copies of each product are used. This type of information can prove invaluable in management and purchase decisions.
This software was designed to meet the following goals:
It should allow management of software products without modification tothose products. The tools allow a centralized license manager to bequeried before a product is run. Typically this is done through menu system or a shell script.
It should run on systems that support public domain network protocols such as TCP/IP and Remote Procedure Call. The software has been tested on IBM RS/6000 (AIX), IBM PCs running Sun's PC-NFS, NeXT Workstations, and DEC Vaxes (Ultrix).
It should support license management for IBM PC (MS-DOS) machines as well as UNIX machines, given a UNIX based file serve.
To accomplish these goals, the system was designed as an RPC client server application. In essence, each client that desires to run a licensed application must first "check out" that software from the server. When finished, clients "check in" the application. It is up to the client to follow the procedure. Also, tools are provided for the administrator to perform various management operations
HypIR: Hypertext Based Information Retrieval
Get PDFInformation Retrieval (IR), which is also known as text or document retrieval, is the process of locating and retrieving docri)nents that are relevant to the user queries. In
hypertext environments, docuinent databases are organized as a network of nodes which are interconnected by various types of links. This study introduces a hypertext-based text retrieval system, HypIR. In HypIR, the sentantic relationships ainong docuinents are obtained using a clustering algorithm. A new approach providing the advantages of system maps and history list is introduced to prevent the user fiotn being lost in the IR hivperspace. The paper presents the underlying concepts and iinplementation details. HypIR is based on the object-oriented paradigm and its execution platforin is HyperCard
Location-Allocation Analysis of Retailing Using Microsoft Windows
Get PDFThe chief objective of this research project is to provide a user-friendly graphical interface for location-allocation analysis of retailing. An application program named Loc is developed with Microsoft Windows. The application program allows a user to interactively supply the paramters for a location-allocation algorithm. It also presents maps and reports to assist users to analyze the results. The program serves very well as an instructional tool for the concepts of location-allocation analysis. It is also a tool for decision makers for conducting quick visual comparison of location plans.
This paper is a description of the research project. The next secion introduces the basic concepts of location-allocation analysis in general and the application of such analysis to retailing. The third section describes the characteristics and functionalitites of the Loc program. Since the secondary objective of this research project is to explore the programming features of Microsoft Windows, the fourth section is a detailed discussion of the Windows programming environment and its object-oriented nature in particular. Some future enhancements of the application program are suggested in the last section