Other Computer Engineering Commons^™

Aviation Cybersecurity: An Overview, Gary C. Kessler, J. Philip Craiger

J. Philip Craiger, Ph.D.

Information security—aka cybersecurity—is the most rapidly growing threat to critical infrastructures, including the aviation industry. Due to the plethora of digital devices, ubiquity of the Internet and other networks, and the rapid growth in the adoption of technology, everyone is an information system security manager. Every professional in the aviation and aeronautics industry use computers, mobile devices, tablets, GPS devices, and/or other hardware on a daily basis, as well as go online for a variety of reasons.

Attacks on information have been ongoing since the inception of the industry a hundred years ago, in such forms as intellectual property theft …

The Computer Modeling Of A Space Habitat: The City College Experience, Orlando Mcallister

Orlando McAllister

No abstract provided.

Large-Scale Flexible Membrane For Automatic Strain Monitoring Of Transportation Infrastructure, Simon Laflamme, Venkata D. Kolipara, Hussam S. Saleem, Randall L. Geiger

Randall Geiger

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of transportation infrastructures is a complex task, typically conducted by visual inspection due to the technical and economical constrains of existing health monitoring technologies. It results that health monitoring is highly dependent on scheduling and on the judgment of the inspectors, which can be costly and ineffective. Thus, it is fundamental to automate the SHM process to allow timely inspection, maintenance, and management of transportation infrastructure. The authors propose a flexible membrane that can be deployed over large surfaces, at low cost, for automatic and continuous monitoring of strains. The membrane, termed sensing skin, is constituted …

The Engineering Admissions Partnership Program: A Navigation Strategy For Community College Students Seeking A Pathway Into Engineering, Marcia R. Laugerman, Mack C. Shelley, Steven K. Mickelson, Diane T. Rover

Diane Rover

This paper presents the evaluation of a program designed to improve transfer outcomes for community college students pursuing an engineering degree. The program, the Engineering Admissions Partnership Program (E-APP), was designed to improve the navigational success of community college transfer students through connections to the university. These connections include coordinated academic advising, peer-mentoring, campus visits, and online social and professional networks. The objective of the study is to determine the efficacy of the E-APP and its interventions, which will be measured by increased participation rates and increased university retention rates for E-APP participants. Outcome data for the students are analyzed …

Open Source Database And Website To Provide Free And Open Access To Inactive U.S. Patents In The Public Domain, Yuenyong Nilsiam, Joshua M. Pearce

Joshua M. Pearce

Although theoretically the patent system is meant to bolster innovation, the current United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is cumbersome and involves a significant time investment to locate inactive patents less than 20 years old. This article reports on the development of an open source database to find these public domain ideas. First, a search strategy is explained. Then the operation and use of free and open source software are detailed to meet the needs of open hardware innovators. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate the utility of the approach with 3-D printing. The results showed how …

Data And Network Optimization Effect On Web Performance, Steven Rosenberg, Surbhi Dangi, Isuru Warnakulasooriya

Surbhi Dangi

In this study, we measure the effects of two software approaches to improving data and network performance: 1. Content optimization and compression; and 2. Optimizing network protocols. We achieve content optimization and compression by means of BoostEdge by ActivNetworks and employ the SPDY network protocol by Google to lower the round trip time for HTTP transactions. Since the data and transport layers are separate, we conclude our investigation by studying the combined effect of these two techniques on web performance. Using document mean load time as the measure, we found that with and without packet loss, both BoostEdge and SPDY …

Modification In Weighted Clustering Algorithm For Faster Clustering Formation By Considering Absolute Attributes Of Mobile Nodes And Greedy Method For Role Selection Of Mobile Nodes In Manet, Vijayanand Kumar, Rajesh Kumar Yadav

Innovative Research Publications IRP India

Wirelessly allocated mobile nodes which are configured in a geographically adjacent to each other can form cluster by applying rules on the mobile nodes. Each cluster family have different members with different assigned roles such as cluster head, cluster members, gateway members and ordinary nodes which can perform roles of any three mentioned roles as the time progresses based on absolute and relative attribute information. Absolute attributes of mobile nodes can be mobility, energy consumed and entropy of the mobile node. Relative attributes can be considered as neighbour information and sum of distances of neighbours etc. Relative attributes are the …

Creating Business Value From Digital Data Streams: The Role Of Organizational Interventions, Rajeev Sharma, Abhijith Anand, Tim Coltman

Abhijith Anand

No abstract provided.

Addressing Food Wastage By Tracking The Expiry Date, Shiva P. Bachu

Electronics Elements

We know trash is an enormous problem in the world since trash does not only affect just humans but it also affects living creatures in general. The biggest contributor of trash in the United States is food waste. Food waste is produced by every human and the amounts of food waste is astonishing. Americans throw away almost half of the food that they buy, which is almost worth $165 billion per year. Food waste which end up in landfills and incinerators produces methane which is a greenhouse gas and can contribute to global warming. Trash in general and food waste …

Answer Credibility: A Language Modeling Approach To Answer Validation, Protima Banerjee, Hyoil Han

Hyoil Han

Answer Validation is a topic of significant interest within the Question Answering community. In this paper, we propose the use of language modeling methodologies for Answer Validation, using corpus-based methods that do not require the use of external sources. Specifically, we propose a model for Answer Credibility which quantifies the reliability of a source document that contains a candidate answer and the Question’s Context Model.

Survey Of Word Sense Disambiguation Approaches, Xiaohua Zhou, Hyoil Han

Hyoil Han

Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) is an important but challenging technique in the area of natural language processing (NLP). Hundreds of WSD algorithms and systems are available, but less work has been done in regard to choosing the optimal WSD algorithms. This paper summarizes the various knowledge sources used for WSD and classifies existing WSD algorithms according to their techniques. The rationale, tasks, performance, knowledge sources used, computational complexity, assumptions, and suitable applications for each class of WSD algorithms are also discussed. This paper will provide users with general knowledge for choosing WSD algorithms for their specific applications or for further …

Impact Of Detector-Element Active-Area Shape And Fill Factor On Image Sampling, Restoration, And Super-Resolution, Russell C. Hardie, Douglas R. Droege, Alexander J. Dapore, Mark E. Greiner

Russell C. Hardie

In many undersampled imaging systems, spatial integration from the individual detector elements is the dominant component of the system point spread function (PSF). Conventional focal plane arrays (FPAs) utilize square detector elements with a nearly 100% fill factor, where fill factor is defined as the fraction of the detector element area that is active in light detection. A large fill factor is generally considered to be desirable because more photons are collected for a given pitch, and this leads to a higher signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR). However, the large active area works against super-resolution (SR) image restoration by acting as an additional …

A Map Estimator For Simultaneous Superresolution And Detector Nonunifomity Correct, Russell Hardie, Douglas Droege

Russell C. Hardie

During digital video acquisition, imagery may be degraded by a number of phenomena including undersampling, blur, and noise. Many systems, particularly those containing infrared focal plane array (FPA) sensors, are also subject to detector nonuniformity. Nonuniformity, or fixed pattern noise, results from nonuniform responsivity of the photodetectors that make up the FPA. Here we propose a maximuma posteriori (MAP) estimation framework for simultaneously addressing undersampling, linear blur, additive noise, and bias nonuniformity. In particular, we jointly estimate a superresolution (SR) image and detector bias nonuniformity parameters from a sequence of observed frames. This algorithm can be applied to video in …

Coming Down To Earth: Helping Teachers Use 3d Virtual Worlds In Across-Spaces Learning Situations, Juan Muñoz Cristóbal, Luis Prieto, Juan Asensio Pérez, Alejandra Martínez Monés, Ivan Jorrín Abellán, Yannis Dimitriadis

Ivan M. Jorrín Abellán

Different approaches have explored how to provide seamless learning across multiple ICT-enabled physical and virtual spaces, including three-dimensional virtual worlds (3DVW). However, these approaches present limitations that may reduce their acceptance in authentic educational practice: The difficulties of authoring and sharing teacher-created designs across different 3DVW platforms, or the lack of integration of 3DVWs with existing technologies in the classroom ecosystem (e.g., widespread web-based learning platforms such as Moodle, or mobile augmented reality applications). Focusing on a specific kind of 3DVW (virtual globes, such as Google Earth, used like 3DVWs), we propose a system that enables teachers to deploy across-spaces …

Cloud Enabled Attack Vectors, Ryan Jasper

Ryan Jasper

The purpose of this directed project and related research was to demonstrate and catalog a new attack vector that utilizes cloud managed infrastructure. Cloud computing is a recent trend that is creating significant hype in the IT sector. Being that cloud computing is a new theme in the computing world, there are many security concerns that remain unknown and unexplored. The product of this directed project provides a

documented taxonomy of the new attack vector and how to mitigate risk from this kind of attack.

The new attack vector creates efficiencies throughout the lifecycle of an attack and greatly reduces …

Embodied Interaction With Visualization And Spatial Navigation In Time-Sensitive Scenarios, Yu-Ting Li, Juan Wachs

Yu-Ting Li

Paraphrasing the theory of embodied cognition, all aspects of our cognition are determined primarily by the contextual information and the means of physical interaction with data and information. In hybrid human-machine systems involving complex decision making, continuously maintaining a high level of attention while employing a deep understanding concerning the task performed as well as its context are essential. Utilizing embodied interaction to interact with machines has the potential to promote thinking and learning according to the theory of embodied cognition proposed by Lakoff. Additionally, the hybrid human-machine system utilizing natural and intuitive communication channels (e.g., gestures, speech, and body …

From Verification To Implementation: A Model Translation Tool And A Pacemaker Case Study, Miroslav Pajic, Zhihao Jiang, Insup Lee, Oleg Sokolsky, Rahul Mangharam

Oleg Sokolsky

Model-Driven Design (MDD) of cyber-physical systems advocates for design procedures that start with formal modeling of the real-time system, followed by the model’s verification at an early stage. The verified model must then be translated to a more detailed model for simulation-based testing and finally translated into executable code in a physical implementation. As later stages build on the same core model, it is essential that models used earlier in the pipeline are valid approximations of the more detailed models developed downstream. The focus of this effort is on the design and development of a model translation tool, UPP2SF, and …

Openorbiter Operating Software, Dayln Limesand, Christoffer Korvald, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

The operating software team of the OpenOrbiter project has been tasked with developing software for general spacecraft maintenance, performing mission tasks and the monitoring of system critical aspects of the spacecraft. To do so, the team is developing an autonomous system that will be able to continuously check sensors for data, and schedule tasks that pertain to the current mission and general maintenance of the onboard systems. Development in support of these objectives is ongoing with work focusing on the completion of the development of a stable system. This poster will present an overview of current work on the project …

Intelligent Firefly Algorithm For Global Optimization, Seif-Eddeen K. Fateen, Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet

Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet

Intelligent firefly algorithm (IFA) is a novel global optimization algorithm that aims to improve the performance of the firefly algorithm (FA), which was inspired by the flashing communication signals among firefly swarms. This chapter introduces the IFA modification and evaluates its performance in comparison with the original algorithm in twenty multi-dimensional benchmark problems. The results of those numerical experiments show that IFA outperformed FA in terms of reliability and effectiveness in all tested benchmark problems. In some cases, the global minimum could not have been successfully identified via the firefly algorithm, except with the proposed modification for FA.

Service Oriented Solution Modeling And Variation Propagation Analysis Based On Architectural Building Blocks, Liang-Jie Zhang, Jia Zhang

Jia Zhang

In spite of the widely recognized benefits of applying Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) to design enterprise-scale software systems, its actual application practice is not always a success. One major reason is the lack of a systematic engineering process and tool supported by reusable architectural artifacts. Toward this ultimate goal, this paper proposes a new method of architectural building blocks (ABB)-based SOA solution design and it is applicable to any layered or tiered infrastructure. We present the modeling of solution-level architectural artifacts and their relationships, whose formalization enables event-based variation notification and propagation analysis. The goal is to provide architecture-level support …

A Human Proximity Operations System Test Case Validation Approach, Justin Huber, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

A Human Proximity Operations System (HPOS) poses numerous risks in a real world environment. These risks range from mundane tasks such as avoiding walls and fixed obstacles to the critical need to keep people and processes safe in the context of the HPOS’s situation-specific decision making. Validating the performance of an HPOS, which must operate in a real-world environment, is an ill posed problem due to the complexity that is introduced by erratic (non-computer) actors. In order to prove the HPOS’s usefulness, test cases must be generated to simulate possible actions of these actors, so the HPOS can be shown …

Exposing Multiple User-Specific Data Denominated Products From A Single Small Satellite Data Stream, Atif F. Mohammad,, Emanuel Grant, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh, Scott Kerlin

Jeremy Straub

This paper presents a research work on small satellite data stream and related distribution to associated stakeholders, which is a field that needs to get explored in more detail. The algorithm that is presented to extract USDDP (User-Specific Data Denominated Products) is a self managing body, which will be within as Open Space Box environment or OSBE as a novel idea. It contains an individual stream transmitted by the small satellite, which later is to be converted into USDDP. The context defined here deals with area in detail. Contexts are vitally important because they control, influence and affect everything within …

Greek Patent Protection System And The Impacts Of Information Technology Industry, Emmanouil Alexander Zografakis Ez

Emmanouil Alexander Zografakis EZ

Our era can be characterized as the era of knowledge proliferation and bountifulness. That has marked our era as the era following the pace of the Information Society Development. Information Society has also brought about a remarkable IT development pace over countries. Thereby, it is greatly important all that raw knowledge to become mind figments, ideas and even inventions and innovations. It is also essential to highlight that such a beneficial process will ensure the continuity of the IT development. The only way to achieve that goal is to find a way to secure all that aforementioned knowledge which is …

Introducing Freedom Space And Wordifier In Cw Systems, Sadegh Aminifar, Arjuna Bin Marzuki

Sadegh Aminifar

This paper investigates the fuzzy systems in point of view of computing with words (CW) and introduces the concept of freedom space and wordifier. It is discussed that if present fuzzy systems compatible with CW or not. If not, what are the deficiencies? The solutions are investigated while introducing the concepts of “freedom space” and “worifier” and their roll in CW systems.A novel fuzzification model also is introduced which is more compatible with computing with words than traditional fuzzification models.

Gene-Machine, A New Search Heuristic Algorithm, Alfredo O. Garcia Woods Prog.

Alfredo O Garcia Woods Prog.

This paper introduces Gene-Machine, an efficient and new search heuristic algorithm, based in the building-block hypothesis [1] [2].

It is inspired by natural evolution, but does not use some of the concepts present in genetic algorithms like population, mutation and generation.

This heuristic exhibits good performance in comparison with genetic algorithms, and can be used to generate useful solutions to optimization and search problems.

Open Space Box Model: Service Oriented Architecture Framework For Small Spacecraft Collaboration And Control, Atif F. Mohammad, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

A Cubesat is a small satellite with very less competence to compute, it requires software engineering techniques, which can enhance the computational power for this small box. A model-driven approach of software engineering, which is called OSBM or Open Space Box Modeling technique, is an excellent solution to this re-source maximization challenge. OSBM facilitates apparition of the key solution pro-cesses computation and satellite related data elements using Service Oriented Ar-chitecture 3.0 (SOA 3.0) as base to work on to design services. The key challenges that can be handled by utilizing OSBM include concurrent operation and tasking of few as five …

Cyber-Physical Modeling Of Implantable Cardiac Medical Devices, Zhihao Jiang, Miroslav Pajic, Rahul Mangharam

Rahul Mangharam

The design of bug-free and safe medical device software is challenging, especially in complex implantable devices that control and actuate organs in unanticipated contexts. Safety recalls of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators between 1990 and 2000 affected over 600,000 devices. Of these, 200,000 or 41%, were due to firmware issues and their effect continues to increase in frequency. There is currently no formal methodology or open experimental platform to test and verify the correct operation of medical device software within the closed-loop context of the patient. To this effect, a real-time Virtual Heart Model (VHM) has been developed to model …

From Verification To Implementation: A Model Translation Tool And A Pacemaker Case Study, Miroslav Pajic, Zhihao Jiang, Insup Lee, Oleg Sokolsky, Rahul Mangharam

Rahul Mangharam

Model-Driven Design (MDD) of cyber-physical systems advocates for design procedures that start with formal modeling of the real-time system, followed by the model’s verification at an early stage. The verified model must then be translated to a more detailed model for simulation-based testing and finally translated into executable code in a physical implementation. As later stages build on the same core model, it is essential that models used earlier in the pipeline are valid approximations of the more detailed models developed downstream. The focus of this effort is on the design and development of a model translation tool, UPP2SF, and …

Modeling Cardiac Pacemaker Malfunctions With The Virtual Heart Model, Zhihao Jiang, Rahul Mangharam

Rahul Mangharam

Implantable cardiac devices such as artificial pacemakers deliver therapies according to the timing information from the heart. Such devices work under the assumptions of perfect sensing, which are: (a) the pacemaker leads remain in place, and (b) the pacing therapy in one chamber (e.g. atrium) is insulated from the other chambers (e.g. ventricles). But there are common cases which violate these assumptions and the mechanisms for imperfect sensing cannot be captured by a simple signal generator. In this paper we use the Penn Virtual Heart Model (VHM) to investigate the spatial and temporal aspects of the electrical conduction system of …

Model-Based Closed-Loop Testing Of Implantable Pacemakers, Zhihao Jiang, Miroslav Pajic, Rahul Mangharam

Rahul Mangharam

The increasing complexity of software in implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators accounts for over 40% of device recalls. Testing remains the principal means of verification in the medical device certification regime. Traditional software test generation techniques, where the tests are generated independently of the operational environment, are not effective as the device must be tested within the context of the patient's condition and the current state of the heart. It is necessary for the testing system to observe the system state and conditionally generate the next input to advance the purpose of the test. To this …