Lorenz Hilty, Environmental impact of ICT: A conceptual framework and some strategic recommendations , In: OECD Workshop on ICTs and Environmental Challenges. 2008. (Conference Presentation)
|
|
Bruno Staffelbach, Ethische Massstäbe für militärisches Handeln: Buch eines Berufsoffiziers und Theologen, In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 118, p. 65, 23 May 2008. (Newspaper Article)
|
|
Thomas Baumgartner, Markus Heinrichs, Aline Vonlanthen, Urs Fischbacher, Ernst Fehr, Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans, Neuron, Vol. 58 (4), 2008. (Journal Article)
Trust and betrayal of trust are ubiquitous in human societies. Recent behavioral evidence shows that the neuropeptide oxytocin increases trust among humans, thus offering a unique chance of gaining a deeper understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying trust and the adaptation to breach of trust. We examined the neural circuitry of trusting behavior by combining the intranasal, double-blind, administration of oxytocin with fMRI. We find that subjects in the oxytocin group show no change in their trusting behavior after they learned that their trust had been breached several times while subjects receiving placebo decrease their trust. This difference in trust adaptation is associated with a specific reduction in activation in the amygdala, the midbrain regions, and the dorsal striatum in subjects receiving oxytocin, suggesting that neural systems mediating fear processing (amygdala and midbrain regions) and behavioral adaptations to feedback information (dorsal striatum) modulate oxytocin’s effect on trust. These findings may help to develop deeper insights into mental disorders such as social phobia and autism, which are characterized by persistent fear or avoidance of social interactions. |
|
Elaine May Huang, Anna Koster, Jan Borchers, Overcoming assumptions and uncovering practices: When does the public really look at public displays?, In: Pervasive, Germany, 2008. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
|
|
M Shimizu, T Kato, M Lungarella, A Ishiguro, Adaptive reconfiguration of a modular robot through heterogeneous inter-module connections, In: IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, 2008-05-19. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
|
|
V V Guerra, J Ebert, Developing social competencies in educational contexts (eSoCo), In: EARLI Biennual Meeting for Special Interest Groups (SIG) 10, 15 and 21 (Social Interaction, Learning and Diversity), 2008-05-19. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
|
|
S Miyashita, M Kessler, M Lungarella, How morphology affects self-assembly in a stochastic modular robot, In: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2008), IEEE Computer Society, Los Alamitos, 2008-05-19. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
Self-assembly is a process through which an organized structure can spontaneously form from simple parts. Taking inspiration from biological examples of self-assembly, we designed and built a water-based modular robotic system consisting of autonomous plastic tiles capable of aggregation on the surface of water. In this paper, we investigate the effect of the morphology (here: shape) of the tiles on the yield of the self-assembly process, that is, on the final amount of the desired aggregate. We describe experiments done with the real system as well as with a computer simulation thereof. We also present results of a mathematical analysis of the modular system based on chemical rate equations which point to a power-law relationship between yield rate and shape. Using the real system, we further demonstrate how through a single parameter (here: the externally applied electric potential) it is possible to control the self-assembly of propeller-like aggregates. Our results seem to provide a starting point (a) for quantifying the effect of morphology on the yield rates of self- assembly processes and (b) for assessing the level of modular autonomy and computational resources required for emergent functionality to arise. |
|
Helmut Max Dietl, Egon Franck, Die Champions League als Zwei-Klassengesellschaft, Schweizerische Nationalbank, Weblogs @ iconomix.ch, http://www.iconomix.ch/de/blog/9-die-champions-league-als-zwei-klassengesellschaft/, 2008-05-16. (Scientific Publication In Electronic Form)
|
|
Andrea Schenker-Wicki, Programmakkreditierung: Sinn oder Unsinn? , In: 70. Jahrestagung des Verbands der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft e.V.. 2008. (Conference Presentation)
|
|
G Fuhrmann Alpert, G Hein, N Tsai, M J Naumer, R T Knight, Temporal characteristics of audiovisual information processing, Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 28 (20), 2008. (Journal Article)
In complex natural environments, auditory and visual information often have to be processed simultaneously. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies focused on the spatial localization of brain areas involved in audiovisual (AV) information processing, but the temporal characteristics of AV information flow in these regions remained unclear. In this study, we used fMRI and a novel information-theoretic approach to study the flow of AV sensory information. Subjects passively perceived sounds and images of objects presented either alone or simultaneously. Applying the measure of mutual information, we computed for each voxel the latency in which the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal had the highest information content about the preceding stimulus. The results indicate that, after AV stimulation, the earliest informative activity occurs in right Heschl's gyrus, left primary visual cortex, and the posterior portion of the superior temporal gyrus, which is known as a region involved in object-related AV integration. Informative activity in the anterior portion of superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, right occipital cortex, and inferior frontal cortex was found at a later latency. Moreover, AV presentation resulted in shorter latencies in multiple cortical areas compared with isolated auditory or visual presentation. The results provide evidence for bottom-up processing from primary sensory areas into higher association areas during AV integration in humans and suggest that AV presentation shortens processing time in early sensory cortices. |
|
Y Zhou, A Runtime Architecture-Based Approach for the Dynamic Evolution of Distributed Component-Based Systems, In: International Conference on Software Engineering, Doctoral Symposium, 2008-05-13. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
Dynamic evolution of distributed component-based systems (DCS) is an important task in software engineering. Several challenges are posed in this process. For example, how to preserve consistency during evolution and how to reflect the abstract evolution specification in the concrete reconfiguration implementation. Having observed the generality of software architecture, researchers have proposed various architectural description languages (ADLs), enabling evolution techniques, etc. to investigate the problem. These approaches typically employ the formal semantics of dynamic ADLs at the incremental levels of refinement in the design phase or the explicit maintenance of software architecture at runtime. However, different ADLs usually address different concerns and the lack of runtime support for the causal relation between ADLs and the running system easily leads to the mismatch between them, thus inevitably sacrifices their usability. We propose an approach based on a runtime architecture which is visually generated from an attributed type graph meta-model, exists through the lifecycle of DCS, establishes the causal relation between architectural topology and system configuration, and directs the dynamic evolution. |
|
H C Gall, G Reif, Semantic Web technologies in software engineering, In: 30th International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE 2008), 2008-05-10. (Conference or Workshop Paper)
Over the years, the software engineering community has developed various tools to support the specification, development, and maintainance of software. Many of these tools use proprietary data formats to store artifacts which hamper interoperability. However, the Semantic Web provides a common framework that allows data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community boundaries. Ontologies are used define the concepts in the domain of discourse and their relationships and as such provide the formal vocabulary applications use to exchange data. Beside the Web, the technologies developed for the Semantic Web have proven to be useful also in other domains, especially when data is exchanged between applications from different parties. Software engineering is one of these domains in which recent research shows that Semantic Web technologies are able to reduce the barriers of proprietary data formats and enable interoperability.
In this tutorial, we present Semantic Web technologies and their application in software engineering. We discuss the current status of ontologies for software entities, bug reports, or change requests, as well as semantic representations for software and its documentation. This way, architecture, design, code, or test models can be shared across application boundaries enabling a seamless integration of engineering results. |
|
J Ratzinger, T Sigmund, H C Gall, On the Relation of Refactorings and Software Defect Prediction, In: International Working Conference on Mining Software Repositories, 2008-05-10. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
This paper analyzes the influence of evolution activities such as refactoring on software defects. In a case study of five open source projects we used attributes of software evolution to predict defects in time periods of six months. We use versioning and issue tracking systems to extract 110 data mining features, which are separated into refactoring and non-refactoring related features. These features are used as input into classification algorithms that create prediction models for software defects. We found out that refactoring related features as well as non-refactoring related features lead to high quality prediction models. Additionally, we discovered that refactorings and defects have an inverse correlation: The number of software defects decreases, if the number of refactorings increased in the preceding time period. As a result, refactoring should be a significant part of both bug fixes and other evolutionary changes to reduce software defects. |
|
T Reinhard, S Meier, Reinhard Stoiber, C Cramer, Martin Glinz, Tool Support for the Navigation in Graphical Models, In: 30th International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE'08), Association for Computing Machinery, New York, 2008-05-10. (Conference or Workshop Paper published in Proceedings)
Graphical models are omnipresent in the software engineering field, but most current graphical modeling languages do not scale with the increasing size and complexity of today’s systems. The navigation in the diagrams becomes a major problem especially if different aspects of the system are scattered over multiple, only loosely coupled diagrams.
In this paper we present the hierarchical navigation capabilities of the Adora modeling tool. The user of this tool can freely control the level of detail in different parts of the model to reduce the size and complexity of the diagrams being displayed. Our fisheye visualization technique makes it possible to integrate all modeling aspects (structure, data, behavior, etc.) in one coherent model while keeping the size and complexity of the diagrams within reasonable limits. |
|
Jürg Syz, Property Derivatives: Recent Developments in Switzerland, In: Pan-European Property Derivatives Conference. 2008. (Conference Presentation)
|
|
Ramazan Gençay, Liquidity-Induced Dynamics in Futures Markets, In: Symposium on Chaos and Complex Systems. 2008. (Conference Presentation)
Futures contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange are the most liquid instruments
for trading crude oil, which is the world’s most actively traded physical
commodity. Under normal market conditions, traders can easily find counterparties for
their trades, resulting in an efficient market with virtually no return predictability. Yet
even this extremely liquid instrument suffers from liquidity shocks that induce periods
of increased volatility and significant return predictability. This paper identifies an important
and recurring cause of these shocks: the accumulation of extreme and opposing
positions by the two main trader classes in the market, namely hedgers and speculators.
As positions become extreme, approaching their historical limits, counterparties
for trades become scarce and prices must adjust to induce trade. These liquidity-induced
price adjustments are found to be driven by systematic speculative behavior and are
determined to be significant. |
|
Helmut Max Dietl, Egon Franck, Umkämpfter Arbeitsmarkt im Fussball: vom Umgang der Clubs mit "guten" und "schlechten" Risiken, In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 101, p. 62, 2 May 2008. (Newspaper Article)
Der Fussballmarkt ist ein ganz besonderer Markt. Das hat auch damit zu tun, dass die Leistungen der Beschäftigten in keiner anderen Branche derart stark schwanken wie im Fussball, wie die Autoren schreiben. |
|
Ulrike Malmendier, Geoffrey Tate, Burak Güner, Financial Expertise of Directors, Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 88 (2), 2008. (Journal Article)
We analyze how directors with financial expertise affect corporate decisions. Using a novel panel data set, we find that financial experts exert significant influence, though not necessarily in the interest of shareholders. When commercial bankers join boards, external funding increases and investment-cash flow sensitivity decreases. However, the increased financing flows to firms with good credit but poor investment opportunities. Similarly, investment bankers on boards are associated with larger bond issues but worse acquisitions. We find little evidence that financial experts affect compensation policy. The results suggest that increasing financial expertise on boards may not benefit shareholders if conflicting interests (e.g., bank profits) are neglected. |
|
A Pitti, M Lungarella, Y Kuniyoshi, Metastability and functional integration in anisotropically coupled map lattices, European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Vol. 63 (2), 2008. (Journal Article)
Metastability is a property of systems composed of many interacting parts wherein the parts exhibit simultaneously a tendency to function autonomously (local segregation) and a tendency to cooperate (global integration). We study anisotropically coupled map lattices and discover that for specific values of the coupling control parameters the entire system transits to a metastable regime. We show that this regime manifests a quasi-stable state in which the system can flexibly switch to another such state. We
briefly discuss the relevance of our findings for information processing, functional integration, etastability
in the brain, and phase transitions in complex systems. |
|
Giovanni Barone-Adesi, Robert F Engle, Loriano Mancini, A GARCH option pricing model with filtered historical simulation, Review of Financial Studies, Vol. 21 (3), 2008. (Journal Article)
We propose a new method for pricing options based on GARCH models with filtered historical innovations. In an incomplete market framework, we allow for different distributions of historical and pricing return dynamics, which enhances the model's flexibility to fit market option prices. An extensive empirical analysis based on S&P 500 index options shows that our model outperforms other competing GARCH pricing models and ad hoc Black-Scholes models. We show that the flexible change of measure, the asymmetric GARCH volatility, and the nonparametric innovation distribution induce the accurate pricing performance of our model. Using a nonparametric approach, we obtain decreasing state-price densities per unit probability as suggested by economic theory and corroborating our GARCH pricing model. Implied volatility smiles appear to be explained by asymmetric volatility and negative skewness of filtered historical innovations. |
|