Using Genetic Algorithm for Scheduling Tasks of Computational Grids in the Gridsim Simulator

Computer processing power has evolved considerably in recent years. However, there are problems that still require many machines to perform a large amount of processing in a parallel and distributed way. In this context, the task scheduling in a distributed system present many algorithms. In this chapter, the authors present a scheduler based on genetic algorithms in order to distribute tasks more efficiently in a computational grid; it has been implemented in GRIDSIM, a computational grid simulator with the features and attributes of a real grid.

Home Automation by Brain-Computer Interface

In the present work, the authors use the Brain Computer Interface technology to allow the dependent persons the utilization of the basic elements of their house, such as turning on and turning off lamps, rolling up and down a roller shutter, or switching on the heating system. For doing this, it is necessary to automate these devices and to centralize its managing in a platform, which constitutes a domotics system. In order to achieve this, the authors have used the MindWave NeuroSky ® commercial device. It is affordable, portable, and wireless, and senses and delivers the computer the electroencephalographic signals produced in the frontal lobe and the levels of attention, relaxation, and blinking to the computer. In order to determine the efficiency of the obtained signals a test software was designed, which verified the operation´s device with different persons. The authors conclude that the easiest way to control the attention levels is concentrating on a certain point, and the way to control the relaxation levels is by closing the eyes. As a second step, the authors develop a software that takes the signal from the EEG (Electro Encephalo Graphy) sensor, processes it, and sends signals via USB to an Arduino board, which is associated with electronics that complies the different tasks. The user chooses the action by managing the attention levels. When they are higher than a particular threshold value, the action is executed. In order to disable this action, the user must lower the threshold level and overcome it again. This is the simplest and fastest way to handle, but it brings several problems: if the user concentrates for any other reason and this signal exceeds the threshold, it causes the activation of an involuntary action. To solve this problem, the authors use a three variables combination that can become independent of each other thru training properly. These variables are attention, meditation, and blink. When you comply with the three simultaneous previously established conditions, the action is executed, and when they return to fulfill the conditions, the action is deactivated. The software also has the feature of personalizing its conditions, so it can be best for any user, even a novice one.

(Re)Engineering Cultural Heritage Contexts using Creative Human Computer Interaction Techniques and Mixed Reality Methodologies

The contribution of this research is to argue that truly creative patterns for interaction within cultural heritage contexts must create situations and concepts that could not have been realised without the intervention of those interaction patterns. New forms of human-computer interaction and therefore new tools for navigation must be designed that unite the strengths, features, and possibilities of both the physical and the virtual space. The human-computer interaction techniques and mixed reality methodologies formulated during this research are intended to enhance spatial cognition while implicitly improving pattern recognition. This research reports on the current state of location-based technology including Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) and GPS. The focus is on its application for use within cultural heritage as an educational and outreach tool. The key questions and areas to be investigated include: What are the requirements for effective digital intervention within the cultural heritage sector? What are the affordances of mixed and augmented reality? What mobile technology is currently being utilised to explore cultural heritage? What are the key projects? Finally, through a series of case studies designed and implemented by the author, some broad design guidelines are outlined. The chapter concludes with an overview of the main issues to consider when (re)engineering cultural heritage contexts.

Design and Behaviour Computer Animation for Children

A study of the three-dimensional design strategies through color, shape, and the audiovisual script for the child audience is presented in this chapter. The authors show the key elements that allow for a balanced combination between 3D design, communicability, and pedagogy. The triadic interrelations are analyzed and evaluated by communicability experts, whose results are presented graphically. Finally, there are the results of the behaviour computer animation of the main characters in the analyzed chapters from a perspective of communicability for 3D computer animation.

Museum Information and Communicability Evaluation

The authors present the first results of a heuristic analysis of the evolution of the commercial off-line systems related to the main European museums. The analysis is diachronic, that is, since 1990, and includes the different modalities of interactive design in the different supports for interactive information, such as floppy, CD, and DVD. The authors also present a methodology for the analysis of the presentation of the paintings and sculptures inside these systems called Museum Information and Communicability Evaluation (MICE).

Degree of Similarity of Web Applications

In this chapter, the authors present a way of measuring the similarity between two Web applications. For this, they define the degree of similarity between two Web applications, taking into account only the Webpages composed of HTML tags. The authors also introduce an algorithm used to calculate this value, its implementation being made in the Java programming language.

Storyboard and Computer Animation for Children

The authors present the key elements of the storyboard and computer graphics that must be contained in the computer animations that are broadcast as miniseries and are based on world-known literary works. The first analyses are established to set a differentiation between the contents aimed at the adult and the child audience. Finally, the authors make known the necessary strategies of storytelling applied to computer animation, bearing in mind the time and production cost factor.

Prediction of Change-Prone Classes Using Machine Learning and Statistical Techniques

For software development, availability of resources is limited, thereby necessitating efficient and effective utilization of resources. This can be achieved through prediction of key attributes, which affect software quality such as fault proneness, change proneness, effort, maintainability, etc. The primary aim of this chapter is to investigate the relationship between object-oriented metrics and change proneness. Predicting the classes that are prone to changes can help in maintenance and testing. Developers can focus on the classes that are more change prone by appropriately allocating resources. This will help in reducing costs associated with software maintenance activities. The authors have constructed models to predict change proneness using various machine-learning methods and one statistical method. They have evaluated and compared the performance of these methods. The proposed models are validated using open source software, Frinika, and the results are evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. The study shows that machine-learning methods are more efficient than regression techniques. Among the machine-learning methods, boosting technique (i.e. Logitboost) outperformed all the other models. Thus, the authors conclude that the developed models can be used to predict the change proneness of classes, leading to improved software quality.

Learning by Means of an Interactive Multimodal Environment

This chapter presents the Stanza Logo-Motoria, an Interactive Multimodal Environment (IME) for learning, which the authors have been developing and experimenting with since 2009 in several educational institutions. The aim of this chapter is a) to describe the activities carried out by the Resonant Memory, the first application for the Stanza Logo-Motoria, b) to illustrate the validation protocol of the system used as a listening tool for learning English as a Second Language (ESL), and finally, c) to document the positive partial results that demonstrate the improvement in ESL oral comprehension in pupils using the Stanza Logo-Motoria. The authors have also found that this environment can offer pupils: a) a truly interactive multimodal learning experience, b) a social opportunity for learning among children, and c) an intrinsically motivating experience.

Building Recommendation Service with Social Networks and Semantic Databases

In this chapter, it is shown how useful user services can be created through the integration of social networks and semantic databases. The authors developed a recommendation service in a form of a Web-based application, where a user's interests are imported from social network Facebook and linked with additional data from open semantic database Freebase. Based on a custom implementation of k-nearest neighbors algorithm, the developed method is able to find recommendations based on users’ interests enriched with semantic information. The resulting list of found recommendations is then shown to the user in some basic categories like movies, music, games, books, and others.