Showing papers on "Adaptation (computer science) published in 1993"

Four Systems for Emotion Activation: Cognitive and Noncognitive Processes

Abstract: The significant role of emotions in evolution and adaptation suggests that there must be more than 1 mechanism for generating them. Nevertheless, much of current emotion theory focuses on cognitive processes (appraisal, attribution, and construal) as the sole, or primary, means of eliciting emotions. As an alternative to this position, the present model describes 4 types of emotion-activating systems, 3 of which involve noncognitive information processing. From an evolutionary-developmental perspective, the systems maybe viewed as a loosely organized hierarchical arrangement, with neural systems, the simplest and most rapid, at the base and cognitive systems, the most complex and versatile, at the top. The emotion-activating systems operate under a number of constraints, including genetically influenced individual differences. The hierarchical organization of the systems for generating emotions provides an adaptive advantage.

Product and Promotion Adaptation in Export Ventures: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract: While the desirability of marketing adaptation vs. standardization has long been debated within both academic and business circles, empirical studies investigating the conditions under which each strategy becomes appropriate have been rare. This article provides a formal investigation of the correlates of product and promotion adaptation in export ventures. A conceptual framework of product and promotion adaptation in export ventures is proposed to integrate the diverse perspectives on the issue of standardization versus adaptation. The conceptual framework is further specified in a testable form and tested via data collected by a series of in-depth personal interviews with export marketing managers. The results support the contingency perspective recently emerging in the standardization literature, and suggest that the degree of the various aspects of product adaptation (i.e., upon and after entry) and promotion adaptation (i.e., positioning, packaging/labeling, and promotional approach) are significantly influenced by company, product/industry, and export market characteristics. However, the profile of the correlates varies across the various aspects of product and promotion adaptation.

Standardization versus Adaptation of International Marketing Strategy: An Empirical Investigation:

Abstract: An issue debated frequently in the international marketing literature centers on whether a business should pursue a strategy that is standardized across national markets or adapted to individual na...

Adaptive systems: from intelligent tutoring to autonomous agents

Abstract: Computer systems which can automatically alter aspects of their functionality or interface to suit the needs of individuals or groups of users have appeared over the years in a variety of guises. Most recently, attention has focused on intelligent interface agents, which are seen as specialised, knowledge-based systems acting on behalf of the user in some aspect of the interaction. Similar requirements for automatic adaptation have been noted in intelligent tutoring systems, natural-language systems and intelligent interfaces. The paper brings together the research which has emanated from a number of backgrounds, and provides a unifying perspective on adaptive systems in general. An architecture for adaptive systems and a methodology for their development are presented. The paper also describes software support for producing adaptive systems, and offers some experimental evidence to justify both the desirability and feasibility of exploiting an adaptive system approach to human-computer interaction

Measurement and Meaningful Management

Abstract: It is commonly assumed that management is responsible for the performance of a system. Since measurement is closely identified with management intentions and practices, as the latter change, the former requires adaptation. Shifts in the reality of the workplace will have implications for performance assessment and implementation. One of the major implications of ongoing changes in the workplace is that traditional measurement systems are becoming more complex. It no longer suffices for a measurement system to be valid; it must also be legitimate and functional. Three conditions-validity, legitimacy, and functionality-have to be considered simultaneously for a performance measurement system to be "fit for use." Each dimension shifts with changes in the environment. Performance measurement systems that do not take these shifts into account will eventually get out of sync with management ends. It is therefore necessary to continuously adapt measures and measurement practices to the changing requirements of systems and their environment.

Retrieving Adaptable Cases: The Role of Adaptation Knowledge in Case Retrieval

Abstract: The retrieval of a suitable case is of crucial importance to the success of case-based reasoning. A good criterion for judging “case suitability” is how complex a case will be to adapt. However, it has proven difficult to directly calculate this measure of case “adaptability” without incurring the full cost of adaptation. This has led most researchers to exploit semantic similarity as a more tractable (albeit less accurate) answer to the question of case suitability.

Adaptation to Stress in Team Decision-Making and Coordination:

Abstract: Teams with records of superior performance have one common critical characteristic: they are extremely adaptive to varying task demands. These teams were observed to switch between several differen...

Adaptation of geographic information systems for transportation

Abstract: This report documents and presents a top-level design and implementation plan for geographic information systems (GISs) for transportation. The basis for the design and implementation plan has been first an assessment of the current state of the art of GIS for transportation (GIS-T) through interviews with DOTs and MPOs and through a survey of GIS vendors, and second a projection of technological developments through the next five to ten years. A GIS-T may be thought of as a union of a GIS and a transportation information system, with enhancements to the GIS software and to the transportation data. A central significance of GIS-T technology is in its potential to serve as the long-sought data and systems integrator for transportation agencies. Given that so many transportation data are or can be geographically referenced, the GIS-T enabled and managed concept of location provides a basis for integrating databases and information systems across almost all transportation agency applications. In order to realize the greatest benefits of GIS-T, DOTs should develop agency-wide strategic plans that comprehend not only GIS technology adoption and application, but also concurrent adoption and application of open-systems standards and of a wide range of imminent complementary technologies, from computer networking and distributed computing, through new data storage media and database architectures, through computer-aided software engineering, to computer-based graphics and computer-aided design. The plans should address a full range of application scales, because GIS has the potential to become ubiquitous throughout all functional areas of transportation agencies. The recommended approach is top down for system design, then bottom up for application development. A GIS-T server-net architecture with computational and data management labor divided among different kinds of servers is recommended. (Fifteen kinds are suggested as a plausible first iteration for the required design.) Implementation of the server net can be incremental with a conceptual architecture in place as an organizing principle before complete physical realization is feasible, just as the concept of location can serve as a conceptual integrator for data schemas before the GIS enabled and managed spatial databases required for actual integration are fully available and as they are being incrementally constructed.

Vision assistance in scenes with extreme contrast

Abstract: The performance and architecture of a high dynamic range camera (HDRC) chip and the conceptional advantages for its adaptation to image processing systems in traffic environments are discussed. The HDRC chip was developed with 64*64 pixels using a standard digital 1.2- mu m CMOS technology. It is shown that the implementation proves the functionality and indicates the system performance of a highly dynamic range camera is feasible. >

Searching for a Place to Stand: Toward a Workable Ethical Philosophy for Marketing

Abstract: The authors suggest and support three characteristics that should be useful for the development of a workable ethical philosophy for marketing. They also illustrate why the adaptation of currently ...

Graceful adaptation of guaranteed performance service connections

Abstract: Most of the solutions proposed to support guaranteed performance communication services in a packet-switching network adopt a connection-oriented and reservation-oriented approach. In this approach, the resource allocation and route selection decisions are made during connection establishment on the basis of the current resource availability and real-time network load, and are usually kept for the duration of the connection's life time. However, such an approach shows two major limitations: first, the communication service provided is usually fixed, with limited or no capability of adapting to dynamic changes in the clients' requirements; second, a low utilization of the network may be observed. In the paper, the authors present a flexible management scheme that allows graceful adaptation of guaranteed performance service connections. Mechanisms have been devised to allow changing of the trade and performance parameters of a real-time connection during its lifetime. These mechanisms, together with an adaptation policy, can make more efficient use of the network resources by performing cooperative, consenting, high-level multiplexing. the authors distinguish between two types of adaptation: client initiated adaptation and network initiated adaptation. They give examples for both types and present results from simulation experiments to show the effectiveness of the approach. >

Cognition in Design: Viewing the Hidden Side of the Design Process:

Abstract: In this paper some research findings in cognitive science are reviewed and summarized, and these findings are extended into the domain of design methodology. An understanding of the importance of the representation of design problems requires insight into the organization and utilization of knowledge which are achieved through categorization and associated cognitive processes. A hypothetical model for the design process is proposed in which a design task involves an identification process, instantiation of a concept prototype, and the subsequent adaptation of the prototype to satisfy design criteria. An informational core associated with this concept prototype is employed to facilitate reasoning and justification processes in design. These cognitive findings are incorporated into the parameter analysis methodology to encourage the creation of innovative designs in a cognitive framework.

Flexible method adaptation in CASE: the metamodeling approach

Abstract: There is an obvious need to improve the adaptation of methods into Computer Aided Software/Systems Engineering (CASE) tools. This paper presents a new approach to adapting methods into CASE environments, called metamodeling. It applies a new generation CASE tool or CASE shell to offer flexible mechanisms to specify and implement methods, or to modify existing ones in tools. This allows customization of CASE support for local needs. Metamodeling is a key step in such a customization and adaptation task. During metamodeling a formal model of the method to be supported is derived. This paper offers guidelines for a method adaptation process based on metamodeling. The goal of the process is to examine and improve methods so as to adapt them flexibly and successfully into the contingent local needs in order to achieve a sufficient fit between users’ cognitive skills, special methods, and tool support. The practicality of the method adaptation guidelines is demonstrated by reporting a case study where a ‘manual’ method called Activity Modelling was adapted into a CASE shell called MetaEdit. We also suggest criteria to evaluate the adaptation outcome and illuminate them in our adaptation case. The paper ends up with a speculation of how the nature of IS development methods is likely to change due to increased computer support. This will make the dominating ‘paperand-pencil’ mentality obsolete, and introduce more flexible, complex and versatile methods which are supported by powerful analytical tools offering unprecented functionality such as simulation or hypertext features. We believe that the metamodeling approach will form an essential core of method development and use in years to come, as it can be used to extend and rnodify organizations’ knowledge about methods and to make them learn more rapidly.

A Yupiaq world view : implications for cultural, educational, and technological adaptation in a contemporary world

Abstract: This case study examines some of the cultural and educational implications of the intersection of a Western world view and a Yupiaq world view in a remote Yupiaq Eskimo village on the Kuskokwim River in southwestern Alaska. The study examines how the contemporary Yupiaq people have adapted their belief system, educational practices and subsistence lifestyle to accommodate a mix of Western and indigenous cultural traditions and technologies. It involves the documentation of Yupiaq practices in a traditional fish camp and science education in a school setting. The most important vehicle for data gathering was the role of participant-observer, because it was congruent with the way Yupiaq people learn. In addition to patient observation, emphasis was placed on document analysis, informal conversations, and interviews as the primary sources of data from the fieldwork. The study addresses the aspirations of Yupiaq people for self-determination and self-reliance by providing a pedagogical framework which attempts to meld Western and Yupiaq knowledge generation and use, based on the data gathered in the field. Special attention is given to the generation and application of scientific knowledge in a manner suited to the maintenance of Yupiaq cultural traditions and world view in a contemporary world.

User-centered approach to adaptive interfaces

Abstract: Both adaptive and adaptable user interfaces are intended to fit the needs of individual users and their tasks better. A problem with these interfaces is that users must have and use additional knowledge, either to understand the automatic, system-driven adaptations or to adapt the interface on their own. Beyond these two extreme approaches, an automatically self-adapting system and a user manually adapting the system, the approach introduced in this paper strives for a third option, in which users are able to tell the system how to adapt itself. Accordingly, methods include adaptive adaptation (i.e. modifying the adaptation strategies) and implicit adaptation (i.e. changing the underlying models). The applicability of these findings is illustrated in the context of an adaptive action prompting environment.

A Multistrategy Case-Based and Reinforcement Learning Approach to Self-Improving Reactive Control Systems for Autonomous Robotic Navigation

Abstract: This paper presents a self-improving reactive control system for autonomous robotic navigation. The navigation module uses a schemabased reactive control system to perform the navigation task. The learning module combines case-based reasoning and reinforcement learning to continuously tune the navigation system through experience. The case-based reasoning component perceives and characterizes the system’ s environment, retrieves an appropriate case, and uses the recommendations of the case to tune the parameters of the reactive control system. The reinforcement learning component refinesthe content of the cases based on the current experience. Together, the learning components perform on-line adaptation, resulting in improved performance as the reactive control system tunes itself to the environment, as well as on-line learning, resulting in an improved library of cases that capture environmental regularities necessary to perform on-line adaptation. The system is extensively evaluated through simulation studies using several performance metrics and system configurations.

Learning Adaptation Strategies by Introspective Reasoning about Memory Search

Abstract: In case-based reasoning systems, the case adaptation process is traditionally controlled by static libraries of hand-coded adaptation rules. This paper proposes a method for learning adaptation knowledge in the form of 6dapLaLioa strategies of the type developed and hand-coded by Kass [90] . Adaptation strategies differ from standard adaptation rules in that they encode general memory search procedures for finding the information needed during case adaptation; this paper focuses on the issues involved in learning memory search procedures to form the basis of new adaptation strategies. It proposes a method that starts with a small library of abstract adaptation rules and uses introspective reasoning about the system’s memory organization to generate the memory search plans needed to apply those rules. The search plans are then packaged with the original abstract rules to form new adaptation strategies for future use. This process allows a CBR system not only to learn about its domain, by storing the results of case adaptation, but also to learn how to apply the cases in its memory more effectively.

The TCQ–PE: An Adaptation of the Teacher Concerns Questionnaire Instrument to a Physical Education Setting

Abstract: In a three-phase study, the routine task concerns of physical educators were identified for a planned adaptation of the Teacher Concerns Questionnaire. The first phase of the study identified a list of some 500 concerns, which inductive analysis reduced to 10. A 10-item questionnaire followed by a 5-point Likert scale was then sent to a sample of 500 physical educators. Analysis of the data identified 5 items for use in the Teacher Concerns Questionnaire–Physical Education (TCQ–PE). In the final phase of the study, the newly adapted questionnaire was tested on a sample of experienced physical educators. The strong correlation coefficients obtained support the use of these items in the revised instrument. The TCQ–PE, in conjunction with other assessment techniques, represents a valuable data gathering source for continued research into physical education teacher concerns.

The future of intelligent interfaces: not just “how?”, but “what?” and “why?”

Abstract: The paper argues that the future development of intelligent interfaces depends as much upon understanding the scope and purpose of their intelligent behaviour as upon developing the mechanisms that operate them. It reviews the different ways in which an interface can be intelligent, what it can be intelligent about, for what purpose and under whose control. The dimensions of intelligence include data to human action, command syntax to organizational context and reduce error to become rich. We know the solution, but what’s the problem? INTELLIGENT INTERFACES: A TAXONOhlY Mostly, the term intelligent interface is used to refer to user Interfaces that respond flexibly to events in some purposeful u’ay. However, the standard computer science meaning of the term intelligent also includes systems that have explicit human knowledge represented within them in some sense. In such cases, the system may not be flexible or adaptive but might use hunches and heuristics provided by human experts rather than straightforward algorithms. As it is rather hard to reconcile either of these technical uses of the word intelligent with its everyday meaning, its seems appropriate to accept either for our purposes. Thus the concept of an intelligent interface does not describe a single class of objects. In the sense that an intelligent interface responds flexibly to events, it can be thought of as adaptive. We can classify adaptive interfaces in terms of the agent that performed the adaptauon (Edmonds, 1981) :● the system specialist “ [he trained userflocal expert ● the end user “ the system itself. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the ACM copyright notice and the title af the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Association for Computing Machinery. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee and/or specific permission. @ 1992 ACM 0-89791 -557 -7/92 /0012 /0013 . ..$1 .50 The level of concern of the adaptation can also be classified● perceptual and motor skills ● user goals and the meaning of the activity ● the information environment. This results in the space identified in (Edmonds,1987). A brief look at these categories makes it clear igure 1 that different types of adaptive interfaces can offer different benefits, raise different human factors questions and need different implementation techniques. Even more noticeable is that some are much harder to realise than others. We can see, therefore, that a taxonomy of intelligent interfaces is needed if we are consider them in a way that enables us to develop generic results. Drawing particularly on the above classifications and those of Malinowski et al (1992), we can begin to define just such a taxonomy. There are a number of fundamental questions that one can ask about any particular intelligent interface and that can form the basis of the taxonomy. The basic questions are:● what is the interface being intelligent about? ● to what purpose is change made? ● what is the protocol for agreeing change? ● who has access to the knowledge employed? Let us consider each of these in a little more detail. ● What is the interface being intelligent about? The first question is whether it is intelligent about the user or the services that are available to the user within the system, in some sense. In the case of the user, as above, we can see a range of possibilities from issues such as the user’s motor skills to the information environment in which tJey are operating. In the case of the services, an important issue is whether they are fixed and well understood or open and unpredictable as in the case of process control or CSCW, where they involve other human participants. ● To what purpose is change made? Intelligent User Interfaces ’93 13 on request prompted automatic