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Efficient management of service level agreements which govern provision of service compositions remains a big challenge in the Web services environment. This paper reports innovative research aiming at supporting autonomous establishment of a set of interrelated service level agreements for service compositions. In this paper, an agent-based framework is proposed to exploit agent interaction and negotiation capabilities for achieving agreements on service provision. Based on this framework, this paper also discusses mechanisms for agents representing service consumers and providers to negotiate quality of service constraints for constituent services in a coordinated way, with a focus on achieving end-to-end quality of service requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to discover resource rapidly and exactly in distributed and heterogeneous grid environment is a key problem that affects grid computing performance. In this paper, the P2P method is used to improve scalability of resource discovery mechanism, and a decentralized resource discovery method with well scalability is presented, this method uses binary tree to manage data, each node in grid is responsible for managing a part of resource information. Experimental result shows that the method presented in this paper can resolve many problems that exist in centralized mechanism, such as poor scalability, heavy load on resource information server and single point failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a prototype desktop ambient display system known as the Ambient Workplace (AW) that is used to visualise some aspects of cooperation among a group of co-workers. The AW draws on the ambient technology paradigm by providing a visualisation that represents the interactions of the co-workers (either individuals or groups) in their peripheral attention zone. The paper discusses the development of a prototype system based on a series of indices and uses a maritime flags metaphor. The paper also presents some early results from a user study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-learning has been adopted by more and more educational institutions to implement their new learning and teaching strategy around the world. Students can study their courses which could be run by different universities which run different e-learning platforms. A universal data integrated e-learning platform is essential to transparentise the significant difference among disparate data sources which are used by different e-learning systems. This paper proposes an effective data integration mechanism for e-learning system. At the same time security concerns are discussed. The workflow-based data integration approach is shown in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses personalised cooperative mobile learning. Context, context-awareness and the application of context-awareness are considered. The development of a generic RDF context framework is presented, adaptability is considered and comparisons are drawn with related research. Context definitions are domain specific with each domain requiring specific contextual design. In this paper, the focus is the context definition for a student in the domain of higher education. A context reasoning ontology is introduced to provide support for intelligent context processing. The paper concludes that RDF/RDFS combined with OWL and Jena provides a basis for the creation of context, context reasoning with ontology enabling effective intelligent context processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context technology is a core component in cooperative mobile applications. Based on our research project "A Context Framework for Personalised Mobile Learning in Pedagogic Systems", this paper presents a semantic context model called "SmartContext", which includes a standardised context template, a context reasoning ontology and a context middleware to investigate a solution for supporting cooperative mobile learning. The integration of "SmartContext" with the current e-learning system in University of Central England is also included in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an approach of multidisciplinary knowledge modeling for concurrent and collaborative design. Firstly, a method to acquire the knowledge from simulation and specification is studied. The knowledge is used to constitute concurrent and collaborative design model. Secondly, a concurrent and collaborative design algorithm is presented to solve the model. Finally, the method is demonstrated by a design example of bogie. The results prove that multidisciplinary knowledge modeling from simulation data and specification is feasible, and the proposed method can be applied in concurrent and collaborative design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the extended quality function deployment (QFD) in life cycle design (LCD) based on the traditional QFD which is often used at the requirement analysis stage. By investigating QFD in the product life cycle design, the extended QFD is proposed with the theoretical frame. The extension begins with the analysis of requirement by adding environment and cost factors, instead of only customer requirements, as the input of the 1st level house of quality (HoQ). Accordingly, multi-target values are built in. In a sequential process of the LCD, the extension carries out requirement deployment, function deployment, equipment deployment, part deployment, cost deployment and reliability deployment. Finally, this paper reveals how to apply the extended QFD in LCD and how to choose and adjust HoQ for different products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to manage constraint information in cooperative design due to its variety and changeability. The concept of Constraint Information Visualization (CIV) in cooperative design and CIV framework comprising the CIV methodology are put forward to control cooperative design flow efficiently, detect constraint conflicts early and negotiate the contradiction under the support of visualization. On the basis of classification and representation of constraint information, this paper discusses the importance of CIV and its formalized description for cooperative design. The procedure of visual mapping and harmony evaluation is given in details. The main step of visual mapping is divided into classification mapping, structure and harmony mapping and detailed property mapping. Visual Mapping implements mapping from constraint information to visual representation with corresponding mapping modes. The concepts of local harmony and global harmony are also proposed for cooperation. An application of CIV verifies CIV methodology, which will direct a new way to implement complicated constraints management in cooperative design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an application framework for constructing sketch-based cooperative design (especially for distributed conceptual design) tools. Three key issues are addressed: (1) how to represent and store sketch document; (2) how does the system infer the designers' intention and help them to complete the design process; (3) how to implement the communication between the client and the server. Solutions to these problems are proposed in this paper. The framework has been implemented and tested on a variety of applications, for example, cooperative UML diagram design. The primary experiments demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is devoted to application of formal concept analysis and collaborative design in shipbuilding. Sourcing and shoring strategies of a Norwegian multinational design company is illustrated by a concept lattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, collaborative product development has become a strategic necessity to develop high quality products at low cost and with quick response time to market demand. Past decades have seen significant advances to collaborative product development. However, Enterprises are still confronted with some problems. Firstly, the research in strategic level of collaborative product development is lacking. There are no formal processes and models for collaborative product development. On the other hand, the full alignment between information system and collaborative business is still missing. The information system cannot adapt to the fast changed business. This paper aims to provide the strategy and reference business model for collaborative product development. And then, to support the implementation of strategy and model, a workflow and web service based engineering collaboration portal is developed. The workflow is used to model and execute the collaborative product development processes, and the web service is the implementing technology of the portal. The combination of workflow and web service can fit the gap between business and information system and achieve on-demand business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a document recommendation system based on clustering peer-to-peer networks. It's an unstructured P2P system. In this system each agent-peer can learn user's interest, then it helps user share and recommend documents with the other users. Since each peer in our P2P networks is a node, in order to cluster them, we import the concept of Group. Each group is composed of peers. The types of documents, which belong to a same group, are uniform. This paper presents how these peers help users to share and to recommend documents, and how they cluster into groups. Our experiment results show the advantages of the document recommendation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative team members usually come from diverse disciplines; their demands for knowledge are also different from each other. This paper is mainly concerned with how to capturing designers' knowledge demands in collaborative team. With the view from workflow, designers' knowledge demand is modeled from three aspects, members, roles, and tasks' requirements for knowledge. Based on the model of knowledge demand, some intelligent mining methods are proposed so that designers' knowledge demand could be derived automatically. With the knowledge demand model, a knowledge supply system could be developed to realize: knowledge within an appropriate domain could be delivered to the proper user among the collaborative team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused on differential conversion, which is a new approach to data transformation between different software systems. The strategy of differential conversion, which is built on a log of changes and identifier mapping, was introduced in CDVE 2006 in a purely theoretical paper entitled Data Exchange in CAD during Iterative Work with Heterogeneous Systems. A specific case study of differential conversion in use is elaborated in this text. It is about an intelligent bi-directional transformation between DWG and SVG. DWG is a proprietary CAD-format of the AutoCAD system, whereas SVG is an open, generic graphics format, based on XML. The implemented transformation allows usage of a model created in a CAD-system within a cooperative design intended for non-CAD users. It is useful not only for reading, but even for writing into the model and modifying it. Any changes made are returned back to the original model. The following case exemplifies the previously discussed strategy. For example, a project submitter, or another party in the review process, can use a normal, generic SVG editor for writing comments and proposals into the model. A solver can transform them back into the CAD-model, without other entities in the model being damaged. This case study describes differential export and import tools and takes note of the particular solutions of the log of changes and identifier mapping problems. It also describes the relationship to the original differential conversion proposal, discusses the particular implementation, and again generalizes into some design pattern for differential conversion implementation projects in the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the complexity of application system for enterprises, an important challenge is to dynamically schedule and integrate the heterogeneous and distributed services or activities to work cooperatively and efficiently. An effective technology to resolve the problem is grid service. A grid service built on both grid computing and web services technologies is an extended Web service. An application system for enterprises is a grid service composition that consists of a collection of grid services related by data and control flow. Therefore, there is a need for modeling and analyzing techniques and tools for reliable and effective grid service composition. The Petri net based method is an idea approach. In this paper, we use a colored dynamic timed Petri net (CDTPN) to model the grid service composition. The definition of CDTPN for grid service and an algorithm to construct a composite service are proposed. We give a definition of reachable service graph and an algorithm for constructing the reachable service graph of CDTPN. Finally, we discuss the correctness and effectiveness of the grid service composition by analyzing the reachable service graph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the challenges for ubiquitous computing is to design systems that can be both understood by their users and at the same time understand the users themselves. As information and its meaning becomes more associated with the communities that provide and use it, how will it be possible to build effective systems for these users? We have been examining these issues via ethnographic analysis of the information and community supporting system that we have developed and employed at conference events. This paper presents initial analysis and suggests greater focus on the interaction between members of micro-communities of users in future ubicomp research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, new information and communication technologies have lived a secret life. For individuals and institutions around the world, this constellation of mobile phones, personal computers, the internet, software, games, and other computing objects have supported a complex set of religious and spiritual needs. In this paper, I offer a survey of emerging and emergent techno-spiritual practices, and the anxieties surrounding their uptake. I am interested in particular in the ways in which religious uses of technology represent not only a critique of dominant visions of technology's futures, but also suggest a very different path(s) for ubiquitous computing's technology envisioning and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents our recent research work on Peer to Peer distributed information sharing based on mobile agent. From various perspectives, our work focuses on how to improve information retrieval efficiency in a P2P distributed information sharing system. A new model based on mobile agent is proposed and the new migration algorithm of mobile agent based on ant colony algorithm (ACA) is presented to implement P2P information retrieval. In order to evaluate and validate the model, we built a simulated P2P prototype consisting of a network of peer nodes; mobile agent migrating in the network, making peer nodes communication with each other. The results show some advantages of the proposed approach for the P2P distributed information sharing based on mobile agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the collaborative editing system becomes prevalent, further requirement on content based collaboration is presented by editors. This paper focuses on how to implement content based collaboration. In order to combine the advantage of nature language processing technology in content parsing, we present the shallow nature language parsing technology in collaborative editing system. This technology is based on the segmentation and the text classification. This paper also discusses the reason why the shallow nature language parsing technology is useful in content based collaboration and its further use in collaborative editing system. In addition, it has already been used in our collaborative multimedia editing system which is designed for Chinese teaching material editor. From the result of experiment, it shows that the system really reduces the time in editing collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a cooperative design approach based on multi-disciplinary knowledge modeling for automobile development. The design knowledge from multidisciplinary domain is obtained to establish multidisciplinary knowledge model. Then multidisciplinary cooperative design method allows multidisciplinary designer to synthetically coordinate and design considering multidisciplinary knowledge. The method described in this paper was used to develop knowledge driven multidisciplinary cooperative design system, which is applied to automobile development processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foundation of a traditional workflow management system is process-based management. We have proposed to integrate policy-based management in workflow management systems to improve the flexibility and the dynamic behavior. In this paper, how to implement policy-based management in a workflow system is discussed. To construct policy model, a meta modeling method with four layer structure is introduced. The main tasks in each layer of the meta modeling architecture are described. To define where and when to apply policies in a workflow, a Control Point model is introduced. A workflow process meta model supporting policy-based management is presented. The architecture of a simple prototype system to support policy based management is also presented. The new approach has better flexibility in design time and higher adaptability at run-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright and integrity protection over product data is becoming an urgent requirement, because in a Distributed Networked Manufacturing environment, enterprises have to interact with each other to share product data. In this paper, we introduce a novel watermarking solution for product data based on the idea of fractal, which classifies product data watermarks into three tiers: fractal watermark, tree-structure watermark, and tree-node watermark. It embeds watermarks not only in value-carrying nodes but also in product structures that "glue" all the nodes together by embedding multiple structure watermarks in product data. Simulation results show that the proposed technique is robust against various forms of malicious attacks of product data, and naturally immune from structure transformation attacks and subtractive (sub-tree) attacks. Moreover, the solution can protect tree-structure data whose knowledge is mainly embodied in the tree structure efficiently. It is very easy to implement and popularize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic policy enables the system to adjust the policies according to the changing circumstance, and makes the system more flexible and adaptive. We have proposed a dynamic model and the idea is to dynamically change the policy according to a pair of states rather than one state, which provides more information for the policy decision making, thus makes policy more accurate. The dynamic policy architecture based on this model is built in this paper, and we describe the components and steps of detecting a change, deciding the pair of current and previous states and picking up the policy according to the change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge representation is a key to the success of conceptual design where much implicit knowledge is left by different designers involved in the design. The traditional methods of knowledge representation lack explicit expressions for knowledge sharing. This paper presents a framework of functional knowledge based on ontology which can provide a good inference mechanism, in order to represent knowledge formally and explicitly in the conceptual design. The framework consists of three-level ontology constrained by semantic and syntax. In addition, a function structure meta-model (FSFM, Function-Solution-Findings-Model) is proposed for the innovative design in the conceptual design phase according to the knowledge framework. The knowledge ontology layers are defined in the meta-model and their relationship in the meta-model is discussed as well. Ontology modeling language OWL is applied to describe function ontology. Finally, an example is proposed to illustrate the process of the solving model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient scheduling methods are essential for time and cost reduction in grid workflow applications, depicted by directed acyclic graphs (DAG). Few of the proposed algorithms consider users' demands when allocating tasks to heterogeneous resources with different capabilities and costs. In this paper, a dynamic time and cost tradeoff heuristic is presented to optimize the cost and time of the whole workflow. The algorithm identifies the time-critical activities and cost-critical activities in each ready list generated during the workflow execution. Appropriate services are allocated to time-critical and cost-critical activities based on different QoS criteria. Experimental results show that the algorithm can achieve a better tradeoff between workflow completion time and execution cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide-area protection system (WPS) is a trend of the future power system control. It monitors the contingency of a power system from the system-wide view and takes an instant action to restore the power system to its stable point. Because of the special characteristics, the WPS scheme is difficult to be simulated and tested under a conventional development environment. A Web services-based architecture for WPS design and simulation is proposed in this paper. This novel architecture wraps the legacy energy management system (EMS) functions into standard Web service interfaces, and provides standard remote computing and security evaluation services from EMS to WPS. Under this architecture, WPS scheme can be simulated and tested efficiently and the gap between simulation and running environment will be filled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional non-cooperative game theory is neither Pareto optimal nor fair. It will lead to the loss of efficiency among the homogeneous network services. In this paper, a cooperative game theory based network resource negotiation model carried on by agents is presented. Compared with previous research, the current work focuses on efficiency and fairness. Its chief aim is to utilize cooperation and aggregated of the homogeneous services. The model is based on the idea of the asymmetric NBS (Nash Bargaining Solution) and coalitional game from cooperative game theory. Then a two-stage negotiation algorithm is presented. The homogeneous network services coalition reaches agreement by multi-lateral negotiation using the algorithm. Finally the comparison analysis results demonstrate the advantages of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to construct dynamic, flexible virtual organizations becomes one of the most desired features of a distributed application system. This paper proposes an agent-mediated service framework for constructing virtual organizations at the business level. Through dynamic matching between business services and Web services, and the negotiation between virtual organization agent and partners' agents, virtual organizations can be constructed dynamically by choosing partners on-the-fly. The framework has been implemented and tested in a real setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative software development is called for to meet the requirement of the increasingly expanding software scale. A more advanced software development environment is needed to support the collaborative software development activity. The contribution of this paper is an architecture of process-centered context-aware software development environment, called CASDE, which effectively supports the collaborative development activity. We first discuss the software development activity using activity theory, and highlight its collaborative features. We then present the architecture of CASDE with a brief introduction to its key elements. The focus of the architecture lies in its support to the three levels of collaboration, i.e., co-ordinated level, co-operative level, and co-constructive level. Due to its supportive and integrated nature, the architecture can support collaboration effectively. CASDE is believed to be able to play a positive role in supporting the collaborative software development activity and improving the quality of software systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the multi-actors interaction during collaborative design, conflicts can be revealed from disagreements between designers about proposed designs. A critical element of collaborative design would be conflict resolution. This paper proposes a methodology to support designers during the process of conflict management; focusing mainly on identifying the conflict resolution team and evaluating the selected solution impact issues. The methodology is based on product data dependencies network which is composed of the handled data and the dependency links between them. Qualification concepts are introduced to manage these dependencies. In order to identify this network, a traceability model to track the design process is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide availability of wireless devices has become one of the main challenges for designers of collaborative applications like collaborative graphics editing. Mobile devices are not as "standardized" as stationary computers but are much more diverse with respect to computing resources, connection bandwidth and display capabilities. In this paper, we present a semi-replicated architecture which supports multiple degrees of consistency maintenance for collaborative graphics editing systems in heterogeneous environments. To maintain consistency of the replicas on mobile embedded devices, either data consistency or semantic consistency is maintained based on the prediction of the regions of interest. The proposed on demand consistency maintenance scheme for mobile sites makes collaboration more efficiently. The scheme is realized in our prototype system of collaborative graphics editing system that can work well in heterogeneous environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Co-assembler is a customer-oriented collaborative product configuration system, which guides and advises customers to configure their products according to their needs. The system aims to capture customers' needs and convert them into technical specifications, helping facilitate e-commerce for enterprises. In this paper, we focus on discussing the subsystems that apply expert design knowledge and artificial intelligence to assist customers in choosing suitable forms, sizes, styles, colors and product configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid distributed manufacturing execution system (HDMES) can be widely considered as a typical case of complicated application system. In this paper, the management characteristics of a multi-location special steel enterprises are analyzed; the flat-style management pattern system architecture for Special Steel Enterprises Information System (SSEIS) is constructed and the hardcore functional structures of HDMES—planning and scheduling system and material flow tracking system are brought about. This paper proposes the usage of applied information models to support the distributed product manufacturing process. On the basis of the corresponding relation between production number and contract number, the contract-tracking model is proposed. Based on the grouping of products with similar attributes, the material balance model is put forward. This system is developed based on J2EE and its interrelated modules work dynamically and systematically in Web environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of a design supporting system for press die of automobile panels. The proposed system supports the design process of press die efficiently and systematically by utilizing standard data, and reflecting knowledge of press die design collected and accumulated through the interviews with design specialists working in a Korean motor company. This paper illustrates a methodology for systematic press die design, automatic checking of dimensions and implementation.In addition the rule-based design system is developed based on the product data. All components of the press die are regarded as product data and the components are regarded as the unit of press die. Parametric design using knowledge base and standard database is introduced to make it easier to deal with the complicated design knowledge easily. For implementation, the rule-based design system is programmed with C++ and Motif and the system can be linked with CATIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have shown that collaboration is still badly supported in Software Development Environments (SDEs). This is why we try to take benefits from a theory developed in Social and Human Sciences, the Activity Theory, to better understand the cooperative human activities in which SD is realized. This paper particularly focuses on the experience crystallization principle to propose new solutions while enhancing the support for collaboration in the widely used Eclipse IDE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been difficult to handle unexpected exceptions in collaborative design. The expert system based method is extensively used, but it seems mission impossible not to loss some information when storing the expert experience in structured format, and to interact friendly in natural language. Aiming at these, we proposed a knowledge acquisition based approach for unexpected exceptions handling in collaborative design, which enable design engineer to define an exception using natural language, and make expert experience stored in natural language which is zero information loss. In this paper, two methods for mining similar records are proposed, and the performance comparison is shown that our approach is more efficient, extendable and precise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important aspect in GSM/GPRS network optimizing, frequency optimizing is theoretically reduced to the channel assignment problem (CAP). This paper puts forward HFA, an engineering-oriented heuristic CAP algorithm that takes the assignment difficulty coefficient (ADC) and the call priority as heuristics for channel allocation. We introduce the concept of hotspot cells, which has higher priority in channel assignment, and elaborate the rules for calculating channel separations on the basis of radio propagation models and geographical information. HFA is verified by the 21-cell benchmark and has been used to optimize the GSM/GPRS networks in several cities of Liaoning Province. Suggestions are also presented on heuristic assignment of PN offsets in CDMA2000 systems and of scrambling codes in WCDMA systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed and real time collaborative applications are developing at a trememdous speed. People now can effortlessly collaborate with each other in a relatively small scale and location. But there are still numerous challenges to extend the application to a large scale, for example, tens of thousands of users distribute all over the world. Effective and efficient data and object location is one of the most critical issues. In this paper, we presented a Resilient Mechanism for Data and object Location and routing (RDLM), a self-organizing, scalable, robust wide-area infrastructure that efficiently routes requests to content in the presence of heavy load and network faults. Simulation experiments show that RDLM has a satisfying performance especially under heavy network traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sharing information between team members and the need to collaborate on design work to ensure that all elements of the design are compatible is essential. The type of information to be shared in a design project takes many different forms which can be stored digitally and processed electronically using all types of digital devices. Peer-to-Peer computing has opened up the possibility for information to be transferred directly between digital devices so that mobile phones, PDA's, networked computers, and other communicable devices could be used to pass information between team members. The use of XML allows information to be held in data structures and these structures can be processed in a peer-to-peer environment using software tools. This paper shows through the creation of a simple prototype and a tool called JXTA from the SUN Corporation how the sharing of data structures using Peer-to-Peer computing can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application self-reconfiguration is essential in order to complement the flexibility and adaptability for sensor networks in the environment monitoring domain. In this paper, we mainly focus on the issue of application self-reconfiguration from the point of cooperation. Based on our previous works, we conclude the features of cooperation in sensor networks, and propose a hierarchical cooperation model to describe the cooperative manners. Finally, we utilize the layered cooperation model to realize application self-recon-figuration in sensor networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to describe a framework that extends and combines two CSCW theories, Situated Action (SA) and Distributed Cognition (DC), to provide situated support for human activities in small workgroups. SA characterises teamwork as unpredictable, ill structured or emergent (often all of these) and people need creative processes to find solutions to their problems. In order to provide support, we draw on DC. We extend this concept into a framework called Cognitive Dust, which is composed of cognitive processes and anything observable in a focus domain. Cognitive Dust, which is collected through a multi modal infrastructure, allows us to measure complexity in various aspects of workspace activities and we use complexity as a marker for creativity. This allows us to identify when creativity is occurring and suggests opportunities for providing dynamic, contextually relevant, situated support for the group. This paper describes Cognitive Dust, which is the first step in a research project that will ultimately enable a computer infrastructure to provide group support without human assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context awareness, context sharing and context processing are key requirements for the future CSCW, HCI and Ubiquitous computing systems. However, research issues of collaborative context have not been completely addressed till now. While arguing that a generic context model is very important for building context-aware collaborative applications, this paper proposes a new semantic rich context modeling approach, Ontology for Contextual Collaborative Applications (OCCA), for collaborative environments. Based on OCCA, mechanisms for context query, context matching and collaboration awareness control are devised using semantic query and reasoning technology to support the three perspectives of a context model, i.e., information space, interaction space and collaboration control. We present an evaluation study on the features and performance of OCCA and context query services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In groupware development, one of the most important work-group support issues is providing information about the context under which a group interacts. Research has been done in order to clarify the relationship between context and group work. The goal of this paper is to describe an experiment aimed at evaluating Interaction Context relevance on the collaboration level in group interactions supported by groupware and to establish a way to specify context aspects in groupware design. A case study was set up and carried out with this purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative testing is an effective way of distributed interoperability in pursuit of automated testing. In this paper, a novel collaborative testing approach named Collaborative Automated Testing Framework (CATF) which meets the requirements of not only automated testing but also collaborative operation is proposed. Through the abstract analysis in terms of extended dynamic dataflow (DDF) model's viewpoint incorporating with UML2.0 profile of MDA, we design the framework with an automated engine working as a Finite State Machine (FSM). Particularly, as a approach to collaborative testing at a system level, CATF is implemented with component modules based on J2EE and verified to be of efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile computing system using mobile Web Services now supports advanced methods for application integration through the Internet at distributed computing environments. Mobile Web Services on mobile networks is the foundation for ubiquitous healthcare that gives patients better medical services anytime and anywhere. However, available existing web contents are mainly used for desktops on wired networks, but are not yet compatible with mobile Web Services. In this paper, we suggested the cooperative mobile healthcare information support system. The designed system can achieve the advanced inquiring manner of medical information for collaborate diagnosis at both desktop and mobile machines, and also afford to support wider accessibility of users over wireless and wired network environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently an integrated multiplatform system aiming at offering travel service over several communication channels is under development. A set of cooperating systems in completely different platforms will work together to provide integrated services to the clients anywhere and anytime. The structure, communication environment, some special issues and implementation of the system are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a systematic approach to integrate domain-dependent design tools in artificial bone scaffolds process. Integrated solution of CAD modelling and properly analysis of biomedicine knowledge are utilized to design complicated bone scaffolds. FEA and CFD are comprehensively analyzed for the mechanical and internal micro circulation properties. A case study of a successful artificial bone scaffolds model demonstrates that the cooperative design methodology can facilitate the design in the multi-physics domain substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative simulation technology is an important factor in improving the efficiency of complex product design. Although High Level Architecture (HLA)-based simulation technology can meet the needs for simulation in product design, it's also marked by many deficiencies. In this paper, we focus on the introduction of web services into HLA simulation system and propose a Web Services-Based HLA Collaborative Simulation Framework (WSHLA). The framework uses web services to encapsulate the invocations of HLA services and then make simulation system more interoperable and reusable. Firstly, the overall structure of WSHLA and the proxy, which acts on behalf of a federate and interacts with Runtime Infrastructure (RTI), are presented. Then, the detailed design and implementation process of WSHLA are discussed. Experimental results show that, using web services, the framework can make up for the deficiencies in HLA simulation system and ensure WSHLA-based collaborative simulation goes smoothly at the expense of some time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In workflow and grid environment, the security challenges with the appearance of composite service increasingly become more severe than before especially to the traditional static access control model and dynamic authorization model. To solve these challenges, we presented a Dynamic Access Control Prediction mechanism for service workflow on the basis of Markov Chain. In fact, this prediction mechanism is only one part of the larger system, Composite-Service Authorization Prediction platform (CAP), which is totally composed of three key modules-— composite-service pre-processing, result feedback, and authorization prediction. In this paper, we present the design of its architecture as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]