Abstract
Sparse coding is an important optimization problem with numerous applications. In this paper, we describe the problem and the commonly used pursuit methods, and propose a best-first tree search algorithm employing multiple queues for unexplored tree nodes. We assess the effectiveness of our method in an extensive computational experiment, showing its superiority over other methods even for modest computational time. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Abstract
Advance technology development and wide use of the World Wide Web have made it possible for new product development organizations to access multi-sources of data-related customer complaints. However, the number of customer plaints of highly innovative consumer electronic products is still increasing; that is, product quality and reliability is at risk. This article aims to understand why existing solutions from literature as well as from industry to deal with these increasingly complex multiple data sources are not able to manage product quality and reliability. Three case studies in industry are discussed. On the basis of the case study results, this article also identifies a new research agenda that is needed to improve product quality and reliability under this circumstance. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract
In this paper we present the framework Abstraction-Carrying CodE Platform for Timing validation (ACCEPT), designed for timing analysis of embedded real-time systems using the worst-case execution time (WCET) as the safety parameter. In the context of real-time embedded code safety, we describe in detail the component responsible for generating and checking the WCET certificates. In particular, the checking mechanism is efficiently designed so that code consumers can autonomously verify that the received code meet theirs internal real-time requirements. The certificate generation/checking mechanism is inspired in the Abstraction-Carrying Code framework and implemented using Abstract Interpretation and Linear Programming. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Abstract
Version vectors (VV) are used pervasively to track dependencies between replica versions in multi-version distributed storage systems. In these systems, VV tend to have a dual functionality: identify a version and encode causal dependencies. In this paper, we show that by maintaining the identifier of the version separate from the causal past, it is possible to verify causality in constant time (instead of O(n) for VV) and to precisely track causality with information with size bounded by the degree of replication, and not by the number of concurrent writers. © 2012 Authors.

Abstract
Personal mobile devices with real practical computational power and Internet connectivity are currently widespread throughout all levels of society. This is so much so that the most popular of these devices, the smart phone, in all its varied ubiquitous manifestations is nowadays the de facto personal mobile computing platform, be it for civil or even military applications. In parallel with these developments, Internet application providers like Google and Facebook are developing and deploying an ever increasing set of personal services that are being aggregated and structured over personal user accounts were an ever increasing set of personal private sensitive attributes is being massively aggregated. In this paper we describe OFELIA (Open Federated Environment for Leveraging of Identity and Authorization), a framework for user centric identity management that provides an identity/authorization versatile infrastructure that does not depend upon the massive aggregation of users identity attributes to offer a versatile set of identity services. In OFELIA personal attributes are distributed among and protected by several otherwise unrelated AAs (Attribute Authorities). Only the user mobile device knows how to aggregate these scattered AAs identity attributes back into some useful identifiable entity identity. Moreover by recurring to an IdB (Identity Broker), acting as a privacy enhancing blind caching-proxy, in OFELIA the identity attributes location in the Internet is hidden from the RP/SP (Relying Party, Service Provider) that wants to have temporary access to the users personal data. The mobile device thus becomes the means by which the user can asynchronously exercise discretionary access control over their most sensitive dynamic identity attributes in a simple but highly transparent way.

Abstract