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International Review on Computers and Software - March 2007 - Papers

Towards a Practical and Valid Model for Assessing Quality of Information on the Web
Proactive Cyber Defense and Reconfigurable Framework for Cyber Security
Personalizing Information Retrieval in a Distributed Environment
A Reliable Image Retrieval System Based on Spatial Disposition Graph Matching
Retrieval System for Distributed Component Repositories
Multidimensional Pattern Construction and Logical Reuse for the Design of Data Marts
Intelligent Data Bases for an Effective Industrial Maintenance Management: the Autonomous Agents ConWorm of
CONRAD System
Towards a Graphical Querying Language for XML
Augmented Reality as a Design Tool for Maintenance Applications
Modeling and Simulation of Multi-Agents Reactive Decisional Systems Using Business Process Management Concepts
Abstractions with Strong Preservation of Concurrent Systems
An Approach of Flat Heterogeneous Modeling Based on Heterogeneous Interface Components
A Method to Incorporate Negative Value into a Trust Model

International Review on Computers and Software - Papers

Towards a Practical and Valid Model for Assessing Quality of Information on the Web
by M. J. Kargar, A. R. Ramli, H. Ibrahim, S. B. Noor

Abstract - Information quality (IQ) on the web has become a critical concern of organizations and individuals. The growth of data warehouses and the direct access of information from various sources on the web by managers and information users have increased the need for, and awareness of, high quality information. Yet, despite a decade of active research, Information quality lacks comprehensive methodology for its assessment and improvement and a few researches have presented practical way for measuring IQ criteria. This paper attempts to address some of the issues involved in information quality by classifying and discussing a wide ranging set of quality of information frameworks. In our classification, we consider three origins: criteria, models and validation methods of the models and criteria. This classification prepares a bed for developing practical and at the same time valid information quality model.

Keywords: Information quality, Information quality assessment, Information quality model, Web quality, quality metric.

Proactive Cyber Defense and Reconfigurable Framework for Cyber Security

by H. Saini, D. Saini

Abstract - Defense of online information in today’s time is much critical due to the attacks of different malicious objects such as virus, worm, Trojans, spam, malwares, etc. Every one should at prime importance to consider the implementation of proper cyber security methods such as firewalls, encryptions, cryptography, biometrics, digital certificates, proxy servers, intrusion detectors, etc. to ensure that all their online information is secured. In this paper, we present a framework for cyber defense after analyzing all the possible aspects of the cyber space. This framework is implemented and found suitable in many aspects such as good sensory features, flexibility, extensibility, reconfigurable, economic, and user friendly. The paper also gives a methodology for implementing the framework in an enterprise/organization having already existing cyber defense system.

Keywords: Cyber defense, Cyber space, Cyber defense framework, Cyber attack.

Personalizing Information Retrieval in a Distributed Environment
by S. Kechid, L. Tamine-Lechani, M. Boughanem, H. Drias

Abstract - Information personalization is the process of enhancing an information seeking process with user preferences in order to provide accurate results in response to a user query. The underlying idea is that different users have different backgrounds, goals and interests when seeking information and so a same query may cover different specific information needs according to who emitted it. In this paper, we address information personalization in a distributed environment. Most prior research in distributed information access focused on selecting and merging information that have the most relevant content according to the query but ignored the user’s specific needs. With the ever expanding Web, users are faced with a huge number of information resources; consequently, such query-based information access strategies lead to inaccurate query results. In order to tackle this problem, we propose (a) models for representing both user and information source using feature based profiles (b) algorithms for source selection and results merging that personalize the computation of the relevance score of a document in response to the user’s query.
The proposed personalization approach has been experimented using a multi-agent based framework dealing with several known search engines. The experimental results obtained show the effectiveness of our approach.

Keywords: Distributed information retrieval, user profile, source profile, source selection, result merging and multi-agent system.

A Reliable Image Retrieval System Based on Spatial Disposition Graph Matching
by E. Zagrouba, S. Ouni, W. Barhoumi

Abstract - Content-based retrieval of multimedia information is one of the most difficult research topics in multimedia computing and information retrieval. However, the domain of image retrieval is still an open problem in comparison with the obtained results in the domain of text retrieval. In this paper, we present a reliable approach for image indexing and retrieval mainly based on the spatial positions of significant regions extracted from the studied images, in order to reduce the semantic gap between the query image and the retrieved ones. For modelling spatial configuration, we propose a novel graph-based data structure that we called Partial Graph of Relative Spatial Relations (PGRSR). The proposed graph can be considered as a better candidate for modelling semantically rich data. It permits to describe the degree of relative positioning between the significant regions not necessary adjacent. Thus, the image retrieval will consist principally to the resolution of a graph matching problem. For this, we present a novel algorithm of graph matching while proposing a measure of similarity between graphs allowing the ranking of the retrieved images. Besides, we combine both text and image features for image indexing and retrieval in order to more reduce the semantic gap. The efficiency of the proposed approach is illustrated while studying many scenarios on two different databases. The first database is homogenous and contains 120 images (composed of 560 regions) of countries flags. The second database contains 600 heterogeneous images (composed of 3220 regions) of diverse real-world indoor and outdoor scenes. The promising recorded results were evaluated while using the precision and recall assessment criteria.

Keywords: Graph of Relative Spatial Relations, Image Indexing and Retrieval, Matching, Regions Segmentation, Textual Keywords.

Retrieval System for Distributed Component Repositories

by R. Bhatia, M. Dave, R. C. Joshi

Abstract - A component retrieval system must satisfy stringent timing constraints when applied to distributed repositories. As the size of component repositories increases, the efficiency of the retrieval system becomes a pressing concern. Instead of performing a dedicated and manual search, we propose to delegate this task to mobile agents, a paradigm that provides an efficient solution in terms of dealing with the objects in a network. Mobile agents can be used for effective and efficient software component retrieval from distributed repositories. It reduces resource usage at developers ease. Our model employs mobile agent to carry user query to various servers on the network, searches the candidate components in all repositories and informs user via email. Component search is based on weights carried by various component descriptions in formal specifications using Z. A tool has been developed and verified using Aglet Software Development Kit (ASDK version Aglets 1.1b3 by IBM) and javamail 1.3 & jaf 1.0.2.

Keywords: Formal Specifications, Mobile Agent, Reusable Libraries, And Reusable Models.

Multidimensional Pattern Construction and Logical Reuse for the Design of Data Marts

by J. Feki, H. Ben-Abdallah

Abstract - Design patterns have demonstrated their advantages in accelerating the development of complex systems. These advantages motivated us to investigate their integration in the design of decisional systems. As a result of our investigation, we propose a method for data mart (DM) design, based on the reuse of multidimensional patterns (MP). These latter are multidimensional schemas that represent typical, analytical requirements in a given domain. In addition, MP are generic, i.e., independent of a particular operational information system. An MP can be adapted by a decision-maker through a set of reuse operations to derive a DM schema. Furthermore, to provide for this DM design approach, we have developed a method for the construction of MP.

Keywords: Design pattern, Multidimensional pattern, Data mart design, Logical pattern instantiation.

Intelligent Data Bases for an Effective Industrial Maintenance Management: the Autonomous Agents ConWorm of CONRAD System

by B. Sid Ahmed, B. Hafida

Abstract - The goal of this paper is to introduce an information system management model dedicated to the industrial maintenance and represented by an "intelligent" data base where autonomous agents will transform information to strategic knowledge referring to space-time. Their first role is to allow through a “reversed feedback” to analyze information in entry of the system and to propose a control ensuring system protection against not representative or erroneous information. Their second role is to make it possible to propose at exit strongly correlated strategic variables regroupings and through these last the management tasks regrouping per "management categories". Lastly, we will describe the information system which we called CONRAD and the autonomous agents that we called ConWorm, dedicated to the task of transformation and control.

Keywords: Autonomous agent, industrial management, Human Computer Interaction.

Towards a Graphical Querying Language for XML

by I. Amous, A. Jedidi, F. Gargouri, F. Sèdes

Abstract - In this paper, we propose our approach of graphical querying based on the spatio-temporal metadata. This proposition improves information retrieve and presents documents suitable to the user’s needs. We propose the extension of the XQuery language by new operators integrated in its initial grammar, called XQuery++. We present more examples of XQuery++ queries using spatio-temporal operators. Our extension is validated in a prototype called GXQuery++, designed by UML. In the end, an evaluation of our metadata use in queries is given.

Keywords: Metadata, graphical querying, XQuery++, spatio-temporal operators, GXQuery++.

Augmented Reality as a Design Tool for Maintenance Applications
by N. Zenati, N. Zerhouni

Abstract - One of the main weaknesses with traditional computing is the fact that the numerical world of the computer is decoupled from the user’s real world. The application of Augmented Reality (AR) can provide interactive systems in which real objects and computer data are combined in a cohesive way. This new paradigm has many potential applications in various fields, in particular in the maintenance domain. It allows the user to see computer generated virtual objects superimposed to the real world through the see-through Head Mounted Display (HMD). The technician of maintenance, when using this system, can interact with the virtual world and have additional information, such as instruction for performing maintenance tasks in form of text messages, images, 3-D models of pieces or audio such as speech instruction.
In this paper, we propose a design process of the maintenance system focused on the analysis of the interaction between the user, the system and the real world. This area is based on the UML notation. The use of UML represents our ergonomic and software design process basis for AR systems. This process also is based on ergonomic characteristics study within a UML system description and on the hybrid PAC-Amodeus model architecture adaptation for the AR systems.

Keywords: Augmented reality, maintenance, Human-Computer-Interaction, V-model, PAC-Amodeus architecture.

Modeling and Simulation of Multi-Agents Reactive Decisional Systems Using Business Process Management Concepts
by M. Berrada, B. Bounabat, M. Harti

Abstract - A Reactive system is one that is in continual interaction with its environment, and executes at a pace determined by that environment. Due to their complex nature, reactive systems are extremely difficult to specify and validate. In this paper, we propose a new approach for modeling for such systems using Business Process Modeling Notation BPMN. This approach allows also the simulation of processes achieved by agents composing such systems using the Business Process Execution Language for Web Services BPEL4WS.

Keywords: Agent, BPEL4WS, BPMN, Modeling, Reactive systems, Simulation.

Abstractions with Strong Preservation of Concurrent Systems
by M. Bourahla

Abstract - In this paper, we present a method to generate strongly preserving abstractions for model checking concurrent systems. The concurrent system which can be infinite, is first described by a program using a defined syntax and semantics. This program is abstracted using the framework of abstract interpretation where an abstract function will be given. This abstract program is demonstrated to be an accurate approximation of the original program which may contain spurious behaviors. These spurious behaviors will be identified and removed using a new defined abstraction framework based on the restrictions. The new produced abstract program is an exact approximation of the original program.

Keywords: Model Checking, Abstractions, Concurrent Systems.

An Approach of Flat Heterogeneous Modeling Based on Heterogeneous Interface Components
by A. M. Mbobi, F. Boulanger, M. Feredj

Abstract - Data processing applications are increasingly heterogeneous, mixing different technical domains such as telecommunications, digital and analog electronics, signal processing algorithms, etc. These domains have different methods of modeling and design that consider their components and relationships in different ways. To mix these different domains, modeling languages and platforms generally use a hierarchical approach where the hierarchy of the model is coupled to the change of model of computation. Moreover, heterogeneous components cannot be used and what happens when data crosses the boundary between two domains depends on the modeling environment.
This paper presents a flat heterogeneous modeling approach that solves these issues by using Heterogeneous Interface Components, which gives more control to the designer on the semantics of the interactions between models of computation.

Keywords: Heterogeneity, Embedded Systems, Modeling, Design, Model of Computation.

A Method to Incorporate Negative Value into a Trust Model
by F. Azimzadeh, S. Khatun, B. M. Ali

Abstract - Trust is an important issue for security. Trust issues influence not only the specification of security policies but also the techniques needed to manage and implement security policies for systems. Certification is one of the main components trust models. Traditional trust model did not consider revocation of certification, but usually revocation happens. Maurer’s trust model has been used by most researches. The model including two parts: deterministic and probabilistic model. In this paper we have used a tailored form of “credential networks” to incorporate revocation statues in deterministic model. By incorporating revocation, we have omitted the path of trust include the certification revocation in the probabilistic model.

Keywords: Trust model, Certification, Revocation, PKI.