In this paper we describe a cyberspace of scientific papers, in which the most cited and significant documents are represented by a large size and the distance between documents is proportional to their semantic similarity. A new measure of semantic similarity of documents is proposed that is determined by the maximum correlation between explicit and implicit connectivity of the documents. A new science contextual citation index (SCCI) that is defined by a correlation maximum with a science citation index (SCI) is proposed and implemented. SCCI can more accurately measure scientific impact, find significant documents and evaluate new articles with zero SCI. SCCI also can be used in subject areas that do not have formal references. The proposed cyberspace more accurately displays semantic similarity between significant articles.

We extend our system for radio astronomical monitoring by a module for numerical modeling of real antennas, based on the laws of wave optics. We use far field approximation, suitable for phased array radio telescopes, searching deep space signals. We have implemented the main computation on GPU, achieving acceleration factor 52 and providing real time performance of the module. Visualization of the resulting wave patterns helps to separate true deep space signals from the near Earth satellite radio interference. In particular, we model in detail a scenario of a satellite signal coming through the side lobe of SETI ATA-42 telescope. Such signals can be responsible for the false alarms in monitoring procedures, used in searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. We also analyze a scenario of searching pulsar signals with BSA/LPI radio telescope and their separation from background radio interference.

Individual handwriting is an important feature of a person, reflecting his personality, cultural and intellectual level. The possibility of using in the cyberspace a unique manner of writing the text, which is inherent in every person, promotes the strengthening of the personal principle, emphasizes the uniqueness of the individual. The article deals with the problem of constructing individual digital fonts based on handwriting samples. To describe the font, a "trajectory format" is used, in which characters of the font are represented by fat curves. A fat curve is a family of circles centered on a smooth curve. To build a font for a given pattern, we solve the problem of fitting the fat curves to the bitmap image of handwritten text. The article proposes the solution of this problem, based on the continuous medial representation of the object shape in binary images.

We extend our system for radio astronomical monitoring by a cross-validation filter, separating near Earth radio frequency interference (RFI) from deep space signals. The filter searches for similar signals in a nearby frequency band, coming from a different spatial direction than the tested signal. The filter passes the signals which do not have such duplicates. We apply this technique to a database of SETI Institute (setilive.org), containing 1.5 millions of sky observations in a frequency range 0.5-11.2~GHz, where our primary selection identified 28 strong signals possessing extraterrestrial (ET) signature. Cross-validation allows to filter out 24 of those signals as satellite RFI. We present parameters for the remaining 4 signals and discuss statistical significance of these findings.

Building resilient infrastructures is cross-disciplinary topic which is important in systems engineering, network security, transportation systems, etc. This paper describes dynamic quantitative model for estimating infrastructure resilience and it potential costs. Currently there are no models that could describe dynamic effects of threat impact on infrastructure and estimate costs of different prevention strategies. This work defines multilayered graph model that describes threat impact through system interdependencies at every moment of time and chooses optimal response strategy in the terms of system performance and resilience strategy costs.

An application of Virtual Environment for real-time analysis of radio astronomical data is presented. Serving as an interface to radio astronomical databases or being applied to live data from the radio telescope, the application supports various data filters measuring signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), Doppler's drift, degree of signal localization on celestial sphere and other useful tools for signal extraction and classification. The application is created using Avango VE framework (avango.com). The application has been used for analysis of radio astronomical data from SETI Institute (setilive.org).

Recently, new interactive devices such as hap tic devices became available for game development. 6DOF hap tic devices give the user an opportunity "to feel" the simulated virtual environment in the way similar to the real world. Hap tic-based interaction can add a new dimension to "serious games" development. The user can "feel" objects surfaces and complex objects interaction forces in a 3D virtual environment. In this paper, we propose two hap tic-based serious games. In the first "T Puzzle" game, the user can "feel" the weight of objects, rotate and move the 3D puzzle pieces in the virtual world. This game can be used to improve the user's spatial abilities. In the second "Mol Docking" game, the player can feel interaction forces between molecular systems and learn the process of molecular docking in collaborative virtual environment.

This work is dedicated to detailed analysis of fire dispatchers activity. The main question is how to detect locations, which require immediate dispatching of fire brigades. In other words, every minute dispatcher should choose location, order and quantity of fire brigades to be dispatched. Article considers several factors, which could influence fire locations priority decision and proposes a heuristics that computes priority of fire locations based on those factors. Also, this article briefly touches visualization techniques of fire location factors with the help of emergency management ontology.

The main article focus is creating of machine and human readable vocabulary describing emergencies. Vocabulary tends to solve problem of low interoperability and technological and semantic incompatibility of departmental information systems. Vocabulary is developed in the form of OWL ontology. Proposed ontology could help to establish shared situation awareness between all participants of crisis management (emergency services, medical services, police, population exposed to risk). Article describes all stages for creating such ontology, from creating high level conceptual metamodel to development of formal ontology and it evaluation in real information system prototype. Ontology depicts all phases of emergency management, from mitigation and preparedness to recovery. Developed ontology is deployed to public access and could be freely used in information systems, it could serve as semantic foundation for information exchange within "system-of-systems".

Cancelable biometric technique is one of the most effective methods of template protection. Essentially, the crucial security aspect of a biometric system is template protection. The concept behind the cancelable biometric or cancel ability is a transformation of a biometric data or extracted feature into an alternative form, which cannot be used by the imposter or intruder easily, and can be revoked if compromised. In this paper, we present a novel architecture for template generation in the context of situation awareness system in real and virtual application. We develop a novel cancelable biometric template generation algorithm utilizing random biometric fusion, random projection and selection. Proposed random cross-folding method generate cancelable biometric template from multiple bio-metric traits. We further validate the performance of the pro-posed algorithm using a virtual multimodal face and ear data-base.

This report describes an ongoing Russian research program, which aimed at development of a methodological framework for a nation-wide multi-hazard crisis management "system of systems" (SoS) for built environment. In addition to a currently available system of separate departmental legacy cyber systems, targeted, mainly, at disaster response and recovery only, the proposed SoS shall provide a shared situational awareness of the stakeholders (operators and authorities, responsible for built environment - municipalities, Ministry of Emergency, Fire Brigades, Ambulance, Police, etc.) and the citizens under risk during at a whole life-cycle of hypothetical crisis, especially at pre-crisis and crisis stages. One of the cornerstone of crisis management SoS development is a common core ontology for conceptualization of risk-related activities within SoS framework. This article is focused on a proposed shared situation awareness meta-model and its distinctions from the prior art and concurrent developments.

The main article focus is leveraging power of human-oriented modelling paradigms such as UML and concept maps frameworks for creating upper levels of crisis management ontology. Domain experts, which are involved in ontology creation process, usually are not comfortable with direct ontology creation. From the other side, ontology engineers may not know modelled domain as deeply as experts. Utilization of intermediate modelling techniques such as UML and concept maps removes gap between domain experts and ontology engineers. This work includes detailed research of workflow for transforming UML and concept maps model to OWL ontology which is ready for further formalization. Comparison of UML and concept maps workflows for creating upper levels of crisis ontology is provided.

Visual perception of 3D space is a major source of information for a person. The role of athlete's visual perception in movement behaviour is very important for adequate action in sport. Given the specialization of our team (virtual environment technology), we decided to investigate the impact of visual 3Dperception different parameters on the results of the virtual alpine skiing.

Resilience of the civil built environment is an ultimate mean for protecting the human lives, the private or public assets and biogeocenosis environment during natural catastrophe, major industrial accident or terrorist calamity. This paper outlines a theoretical framework of a new paradigm - "risk-informed, multi-hazard resilience of built environment" and gives a sketch of concept map for a minimal set of the shared (between different scientific and engineering cyber worlds) computational and analytic resources, which can facilitate a designing and maintaining of a higher level of the real built environment resilience.

Virtual 3D model of the Valley of Geysers, Kamchatka provides virtual travelling and interactive storytelling in the cyberspace and serves for scientific visualization, geodynamical processes modeling, disaster preparedness and response, environmental studies, ecological education, and virtual ecotourism.

Traditional situational analysis of a problem (conflict) is bound in its opportunities due to difficulties related with risk valuation and changing character of subjective probabilities of possible alternatives and reflection ranks of main actors. This paper focuses on the usage of multi role virtual games as a platform for the situational analysis. Particularly, it studies the opportunity to use Second Life virtual world as a universal base for modeling diverse complex, emergency and high-risk situations. The results of the "Hostage-rescue" test modeling experiment are discussed. Reconstruction of the real historical event "Operation Entebbe" (hostage-taking in a plane followed by a rescue mission, took place in 1976) and scenarios of emerging worst-case situation in a manned spacecraft are developed as a direction for further studies.

A method to estimate interpolation properties of a given point concerning a given surface to be interpolated is introduced. Benefit of using this method for mesh repairing and mesh decimation is highlighted.

In this paper we introduce Simulated Reality (SR) as a new concept for the interplay between simulation, optimization and interactive visualization. We see SR as a new metaphor for the interactive visual exploration of simulation and optimization results. The vision of Simulated Reality implies interactive behavior of simulations. Fact is today that simulations might still need hours of computation time, especially in crash worthiness. This paper shows approaches to come closer to the vision of SR. Combining design of experiments methods, metamodeling, new interpolation schemes and innovative graphics methods, we enable to user to interact with simulation parameters, optimization criteria and come to a new interpolated crash result within seconds. The approaches have been successfully applied for solution of real life car design optimization problems.

New types of trees of structure and linked lists with variable order relations (RTR-trees and RTR-lists) are discussed. Using them enables application of the direct kinematic scheme for simulation of 3D-objects with reorderable structure, making the logic of behavior simulation more natural

This paper considers the representation of an induced virtual environment (IVE) system as a distributed system with remote supervision of real objects (first of all - space vehicles) according to telemetry data. The general approach of middleware and client layer software implementation and peculiarities of such software are described.

We describe a system for real-time simulation of linear elastic deformations of volumetric objects in virtual environments, implemented in Avango VE framework [T. H. Avocado (1999)]. The approach makes use of the methods of finite and boundary elements and precomputed Green's functions, and supports real-time interactive deformations of large elastic models, containing more than 10,000 volumetric nodes, at the graphics update rate 85fps.

We have implemented a scheme for elimination of depolarization artefacts in passive stereo-projection systems. These problems appear due to non-perfectness of stereo-projection equipment: depolarization of the light due to reflection from the screen or due to the passage through the screen; non-ideality of polarizing filters; mixing of left- and right-eye images in a change of relative orientation of the filters. These effects lead to strong violations in stereo-perception (known as "ghosts"). They can be eliminated by software methods, using linear filtering of the image before its projection to the screen, based on the formula L' = L -/spl alpha/R, R' = R -/spl alpha/L , where L, R are images, destined for the left and right eye respectively, /spl alpha/ is constant, defining intensity of the ghosts. This receipt, in theory leading to exact compensation of the ghosts, in practice possesses certain limitations, which allow not complete elimination but only strong suppression of the ghosts, at very careful calibration of the system. We have implemented this algorithm in VE system Avango by means of texture mappings. All necessary operations are performed by the graphics board, thus providing the real-time rendering rate. The described method considerably improves stability of stereo-perception, making high-quality performances of virtual environment possible on affordable equipment.

Differential geometry and topology are the areas of higher mathematics, which particularly require visual representation of studying objects for better understanding of the material. On the other hand, the complex structure of such objects makes their visualization a challenge for modern graphical systems. In this video we demonstrate real-time methods for adequate representation of topologically non-trivial objects in virtual environment systems, particularly the acceleration of standard mechanisms for rendering of transparent surfaces, applicable for complex cases of self-intersecting time-dependent surfaces, not necessarily admitting continuous fields of normal vectors. We also use the technique of image-based rendering, which places stereo-photographs of real environments as static background for 3D virtual scenes. The methods are implemented in educational application, which demonstrates the main properties of elementary topological objects (Möbius band, Klein bottle, projective plane etc) and gives a possibility to explore interactively the complex constructions, arising in higher mathematics.

A visualization approach to the study of singularities on the world sheets of strings is presented. A representation of the world sheet in terms of specified supporting curve is discussed, which enables effective use of the visualization techniques for its study. The desirable ways of future research using computer animation and virtual reality are discussed.>

We introduce the concept of streamballs for flow visualization. Streamballs are based upon implicit surface generation techniques adopted from the well-known metaballs. Their property to split or merge automatically in areas of significant divergence or convergence makes them an ideal tool for the visualization of arbitrary complex fields. Using convolution surfaces generated by continuous skeletons for streamball construction offers the possibility to visualize even tensor fields.>

Some years ago it was established that the muon catalyzed fusion phenomenon could be used for the production of energy. This fact has been causing a rebirth of interest in the universal methods of solving the quantum Coulomb three-body problem. The adiabatic hyperspherical (AHS) approach considered in this joint project has definite advantages in comparison with other methods. The case study proposed focuses on the study of the structure and behavior of the wave function of bound states of a quantum three-body system as well as of the basis functions of the AHS approach. Adapted scientific visualization tools such as surface rendering, volume ray tracing and texturing will be used. Visualization allows to discover interesting features in the behavior of the basis functions and to analyze the convergence of the AHS-expansion for the wave functions.>

A pipeline approach is suggested for building up presentation graphics systems from modules performing elementary transformations of graphics objects. Different ways of composing pipelines are discussed which allow the minimal system configuration and the best use of graphics hardware capabilities. It is shown that the pipeline model of a virtual graphics device yields drivers, minimal in size and simple to implementation.