Michelle Y. Kim

Asynchronous disk interleaving: approximating access delays

The performance implications of asynchronous disk interleaving are examined. In an asynchronous system, adjacent subblocks are placed independently of each other. Since each of the disks in such a system is treated independently while being accessed as a group, the access delay of a request for a data block in an n-disk system is the maximum of n access delays. Using approximate analysis, a simple expression for the expected value of such a maximum delay is obtained. The analysis approximation is verified by simulation using trace data; the relative error is found to be at most 6%. >

Extensible MPEG-4 textual format (XMT)

This paper describes the Extensible MPEG-4 Textual format (XMT), a framework for representing MPEG-4 scene description using a textual syntax. The XMT allows the content authors to exchange their content with other authors, tools or service providers, and facilitates interoperability with both the X3D, developed by the Web3D consortium, and the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) from the W3C consortium.

XVM: a bridge between xml data and its behavior

XML has become one of the core technologies for contemporary business applications, especially web-based applications. To facilitate processing of diverse XML data, we propose an extensible, integrated XML processing architecture, the XML Virtual Machine (XVM), which connects XML data with their behaviors. At the same time, the XVM is also a framework for developing and deploying XML-based applications. Using component-based techniques, the XVM supports arbitrary granularity and provides a high degree of modularity and reusability. XVM components are dynamically loaded and composed during XML data processing. Using the XVM, both client-side and server-side XML applications can be developed and deployed in an integrated way. We also present an XML application container built on top of the XVM along with several sample applications to demonstrate the applicability of the XVM framework.

Modeling timed user-interactions in multimedia documents

Interactive multimedia documents (or systems) can be characterized by active user participation and the diversity of multimedia information accessed at various levels of granularity. They need to support extensive user participation in selecting and tailoring the information and its presentation. Multimedia information fragments may vary from portions of video, pieces of audio, newspaper quotations or chapters of a book. Effectively managing the creation, evolution and complexity of multimedia documents formed by combining media fragments is an essential capability. We consider the hyperstory model of a multimedia document, where a document is structured hierarchically in three dimensions: time, space and asynchrony. The model provides a layered approach in structuring multimedia documents, thus reducing the complexities of large systems. The hyperstory model supports user interactions that are timed, and also supports preemptive resuming. Timed user interactions with the document are modeled with a newly introduced timed Petri-net (TPN*). TPN* is used to infer the behavior of the system. This paper describes TPN*s modeling and analysis and its application to the hyperstory model.

Parallel Operation of Magnetic Disk Storage Devices: Synchronized Disk Interleaving

A group of disks may be interleaved to speed up data transfers in a manner analogous to the speedup achieved by main memory interleaving. Conventional disks may be used for interleaving by spreading data across disks and by treating multiple disks as if they were a single one. Furthermore, the mechanical movement of the interleaved disks may be synchronized to simplify control and also to optimize performance. In addition, checksums may be placed on separate checksum disks in order to improve reliability. In this paper, we study synchronized disk interleaving as a high performance mass storage system architecture. The advantages and limitations of the proposed disk interleaving scheme are analyzed using the M/G/1 queueing model and compared to the conventional disk access mechanism.

Creative multimedia for children: Isis story builder

Isis is a multimedia authoring tool for children, where videos, photos, drawings, texts, sounds and cartoons are treated as electronic building blocks (time boxes . al Adoptin a metaphor of simple building blocks, Isis d lows c “ dren to create complex time-space multimedia stories by stacking and arranging “time boxes” on the screen. The algorithms within Isis are based on symbolic temporal constraints, such as “co-start”, “co-end”, “co-occur”, “meet”.

Home health care support

We describe an ap@ication to interconnect health care providers and thew patients in the home. The application includes information services, symptom analy SIS, ~idance in the performance of procedures, emotmnal support, and communications among the health care providers, patients and caretakers.

A multimedia information system for home health-care support

The author describes Guardian, a knowledge based home health-care support system in the domain of childhood leukaemia. Guardian is part of a joint project between IBM Research and the New England Medical Center for building a prototype home-care system for children with leukaemia. The prototype system consists of a set of applications, including consultation and symptoms analysis, procedure guidance, emotional support, and communications, implemented in Smalltalk/OS2. This article focuses on the knowledge-based system, which helps parents better understand the symptoms or problems their child is experiencing and provides them with relevant therapeutic information.

Disk Interleaving and Very Large Fast Fourier Transforms

Disk interleaving (disk striping) distributes fragments of a data block across a group of disks. For applications with regular I/O reference patterns and requiring large block transfers, interleaving can speed data transfers and reduce I/O times. Com puting fast Fourier transforms is one such application; the algorithm assumes that the entire array to be transformed should fit in the main memory. Occasionally arrays exceed the capacity of the main memory and reside in secondary storage. We have used synchronous and asynchronous disk striping to compute very large three-dimensional FFTs. We present a two-pass algorithm for com puting data stored on interleaved disks and analyze the I/O times. A large FFT ex ample provides a quantitative view of the advantages of disk interleaving for this application.

XVM: XML Virtual Machine

XML is an emerging standard for data representation and data exchange on the Internet. XML-based web applications have been widely used in e-commerce and enterprise information management. In this paper, we propose an extensible, integrated XML processing architecture, the XML Virtual Machine (XVM). The XVM provides a framework for processing XML data, developing and deploying XML-based applications. By using a component-based technique, the XVM provides a high degree of modularity and reusability. XVM components are dynamically loaded and composed during XML data processing. New components can be easily added to existing applications and new applications can reuse existing components without difficulty. These features enable an XML application to keep up with requirements and schema evolution and to process compound documents. Both client-side and server-side XML applications can be developed and deployed in an integrated way. Also in this paper, we present an XML application container built on top of the XVM, along with several sample applications.