Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Design And Implementation Of A Toolkit For The Creation Of Virtual Environments, Jesse Kinross-Smith

Theses : Honours

Virtual Reality is a field that is steadily increasing in popularity and interest. New developments in both hardware and software have empowered developers with new devices allowing faster and better quality interaction with virtual environments. However, the emphasis of research in virtual environments has been more concerned with development of new display and input devices, as opposed to the investigation of different methods of interaction that a three-dimensional environment offers. This project designs and implements a three-dimensional, interactive, virtual environment development system upon an existing three-dimensional rendering engine. The aim of the project is to allow users to generate virtual …

Execution Performance Issues In Full-Text Information Retrieval, Eric W. Brown

Computer Science Department Faculty Publication Series

The task of an information retrieval system is to identify documents that will satisfy a user’s information need. Effective fulfillment of this task has long been an active area of research, leading to sophisticated retrieval models for representing information content in documents and queries and measuring similarity between the two. The maturity and proven effectiveness of these systems has resulted in demand for increased capacity, performance, scalability, and functionality, especially as information retrieval is integrated into more traditional database management environments. In this dissertation we explore a number of functionality and performance issues in information retrieval. First, we consider creation …

Packet Loss Correlation In The Mbone Multicast Network, Maya Yajnik, Jim Kurose, Don Towsley

Computer Science Department Faculty Publication Series

The recent success ofmulticast applications such as Internet teleconferencing illustrates the tremendous potential of applications built upon wide-area multicast communication services. A critical issue for such multicast applications and the higher layer protocols required to support them is the manner in which packet losses occur within the multicast network. In this paper we present and analyze packet loss data collected on multicast-capable hosts at 17 geographically distinct locations in Europe and the US and connected via the MBone. We experimentally and quantitatively examine the spatial and temporal correlation in packet loss among participants in a multicast session. Our results show …

Arbitrary Views Of High-Dimensional Space And Data, Andrew Ellerton

Theses : Honours

Computer generated images of three dimensional scenes objects are the result of parallel/perspective projections of the objects onto a two dimensional plane. The computational techniques may be extended to project n-dimensional hyperobjects onto (n-1) dimensions, for n > 3. Projection to one less dimension may be applied recursively for data of any high dimension until that data is two-dimensional, when it may be directed to a computer screen or to some other two-dimensional output device. Arbitrary specification of eye location, target location, field-of-view angles and other parameters provide flexibility, so that data may be viewed-and hence perceived-in previously unavailable ways. However, …

An Investigation Into An Effective Method Of Automatically Analysing Oracle Applications To Count Function Points, J. L. Wong

Theses : Honours

Function Point Analysis (FPA) is a synthetic software estimation metric used for computing the size and complexity of applications. It was first introduced by Allan. J. Albrecht during the mid-seventies, as a result of a lengthy research based on applications that were developed using COBOL and PL/1 programming languages. The purpose of this research· is to investigate the possibility, and the most effective method, of automatically performing a Function Point Analysis on Oracle applications that consist of Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports. The research revealed a seemingly lack of other researches on this topic. As FPA was invented a few …

Knowledge-Directed Vision: Control, Learning, And Integration, Bruce A. Draper, Allen R. Hanson, Edward M. Riseman

Computer Science Department Faculty Publication Series

The knowledge-directed approach to image interpretation, popular in the 1980's, sought to identify objects in unconstrained two-dimensional images and to determine the threedimensional relationships between these objects and the camera by applying large amounts of object- and domain-specific knowledge to the interpretation problem. Among the primary issues faced by these systems were variations among instances of an object class and differences in how object classes were defined in terms of shape, color, function, texture, size, and/or substructures. This paper argues that knowledge-directed vision systems typically failed for two reasons. The first is that the low- and mid-level vision procedures that …

Time- And Cost-Optimal Parallel Algorithms For The Dominance And Visibility Graphs, D. Bhagavathi, H. Gurla, S. Olariu, J. L. Schwing, J. Zhang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The compaction step of integrated circuit design motivates associating several kinds of graphs with a collection of non-overlapping rectangles in the plane. These graphs are intended to capture various visibility relations amongst the rectangles in the collection. The contribution of this paper is to propose time- and cost-optimal algorithms to construct two such graphs, namely, the dominance graph (DG, for short) and the visibility graph (VG, for short). Specifically, we show that with a collection of n non-overlapping rectangles as input, both these structures can be constructed in θ (log n) time using n processors in the CREW model.

On The Complexity Of Manpower Shift Scheduling, Hoong Chuin Lau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We consider the shift assignment problem in manpower scheduling, and show that a restricted version of it is NP-hard by a reduction from 3SAT. We then present polynomial algorithms to solve special cases of the problem and show how they can be deployed to solve more complex versions of the shift assignment problem. Our work formally defines the computational intractibility of manpower shift scheduling and thus justifies existing works in developing manpower scheduling systems using combinatorial and heuristic techniques.

A Systematic Tradeoff Methodology For Acquiring And Validating Imprecise Requirements, J. Yen, Xiaoqing Frank Liu, W. A. Tiao

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Requirement analysis is one of the most important phases in a software development process. Existing requirement methodologies are limited in specifying requirements that are usually vague and imprecise, and in supporting tradeoff analysis between the conflicting requirements. In this paper, the elasticity of imprecise requirements is captured using fuzzy logic to facilitate tradeoffs between conflicting requirements. Based on the marginal rate of substitution in decision science, we have developed a systematic approach to elicit the structures and the parameters of imprecise requirements, to validate the scheme for aggregating requirements, and to assess relative priorities of conflicting requirements.

Adaptive Information Filtering As A Means To Overcome Information Overload, Daniel R. Tauritz

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Information Filtering is concerned with filtering data streams in such a way as to leave only pertinent data (information) to be perused. When the data streams are produced in a changing environment (as most if not all are) the filtering has to adapt too in order to remain effective. Adaptive Information Filtering (AIF) is concerned with filtering in changing environments. The changes may occur both on the transmission side (the nature of the streams can change), and on the reception side (the interest of a user can change). The thesis research described in this paper combines trigram analysis, clustering, and …

Optimization Of The Discriminatory Power Of A Trigram Based Document Clustering Algorithm Using Evolutionary Computation, Daniel R. Tauritz

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Tuning Numeric Parameters To Troubleshoot A Telephone-Network Loop, Christopher J. Merz, M. J. Pazzani, A. P. Danyluk

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Nynex Max expert system analyzes the result of an automated electric test on a telephone line and determines the type of problem. However, tuning the system's parameter values can be difficult. The Opti-Max system can automatically set these parameters by analyzing decisions made by experts who troubleshoot problems

A User Interface For The Visualization And Manipulation Of Arrays, Jennifer Leopold, A. Ambler

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The success of spreadsheets has shown that a visual representation of a 2D array greatly facilitates solving certain problems. However, spreadsheets are not general-purpose programming environments and are not suited to many problems that might naturally be solved using multi-dimensional arrays. Furthermore, spreadsheets employ a textual notation for cell references in formulas. This notation, which adds to the programmer''s burden by distinguishing between relative and absolute addressing, can be difficult to understand and is error-prone even for the most experienced users. In this paper, we present a user interface for multi-dimensional arrays within Formulate, a form-based visual programming language. This …

Simulator For The Performance Analysis Of Cpm Schemes In An Indoor Wireless Environment, Ronald Chua

Theses : Honours

A software simulator for characterising Continuous Phase Modulation (CPM) schemes in an indoor multipath environment has been developed using SIMULINK and MATLAB. The simulator is capable of simulating a wide range of CPM schemes to determine bandwidth efficiency and robustness to additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rician fading. Initial trials of the simulator indicate that the simulator is functioning correctly. Eventually, the simulator will be used to determine the most suitable modulation scheme for the development of an actual indoor wireless system.

Randomized Approximation Of The Constraint Satisfaction Problem, Hoong Chuin Lau, Osamu Watanabe

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We consider the Weighted Constraint Satisfaction Problem (W-CSP) which is a fundamental problem in Artificial Intelligence and a generalization of important combinatorial problems such as MAX CUT and MAX SAT. In this paper, we prove non-approximability properties of W-CSP and give improved approximations of W-CSP via randomized rounding of linear programming and semidefinite programming relaxations. Our algorithms are simple to implement and experiments show that they are run-time efficient.

Three-Dimensional Segmentation And Visualization Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data, William L. Bell Jr.

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I shall study and compare various methods for manipulating two- and three-dimensional image data produced with a nuclear magnetic resonance scanner. In particular, I will examine ways of focusing upon specific structures internal to the object under study (segmentation); and will explore means of rendering realistic images of these structures on a computer screen using depth-cueing, shading, and ray-casting techniques.
The 3DHEAD volumetric dataset used for this project was created with the Siemens Magnetom and was provided courtesy of Siemens Medical Systems, Inc., Iselin, NJ. This dataset consists of 109 slices of a human head, with each …

A Search Tool To Enhance The Selection And Utilisation Of Reusable Software Modules Within The Object-Oriented Paradigm, Robert H. Cross

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The affinity for reuse within the object-oriented paradigm may enable high levels of productivity; however, gains will become realisable only if a systems developer has access to tools which aid in the selection of classes. A method for object-oriented analysis and design is detailed and its process is assisted by an object-oriented search tool based on reference and corporate library technology. The search tool contributes to the determination of suitable existing inheritable classes and an explanation of its construction and use is included. A practical demonstration of the method, using the search tool, is elaborated. The thesis demonstrates that text …

Embedded Particle Computation In Evolved Cellular Automata, Wim Hordijk, James P. Crutchfield, Melanie Mitchell

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In our work we are studying how genetic algorithms (GAs) can evolve cellular automata (CAs) to perform computations that require global coordination. The evolving cellular automata" framework is an idealized means for studying how evolution (natural or computational) can create systems that perform emergent computation, in which the actions of simple components with local information and communication give rise to coordinated global information processing [3].

In previous work [4, 5], we analyzed the process by which a genetic algorithm designed CAs to perform particular tasks. In this paper we focus on how these CAs implement the emergent computational strategies for …

System For Synchronizing Execution By A Processing Element Of Threads Within A Process Using A State Indicator Us:5553305, Robert Iannucci, Steven Gregor

Robert A Iannucci

No abstract provided.

How Can Software Reliability Engineering (Sre) Help System Engineers And Software Architects?, Robert Yacobellis

Robert H Yacobellis

No abstract provided.

Brain Activation Modulated By Sentence Comprehension, Marcel Adam Just, Patricia A. Carpenter, Timothy A. Keller, William F. Eddy, Keith R. Thulborn

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

A Control Basis For Multilegged Walking, Manfred Huber, Willard S. Macdonald, Roderic Grupen

Roderic Grupen

This paper presents a distributed control approach to legged locomotion that constructs behavior on-line by activating combinations of reusable feedback control laws drawn from a control basis. Sequences of such controller activations result in flexible aperiodic step sequences based on local sensory information. Different tasks are achieved by varying the composition functions over the same basis controllers, rather than by geometric planning of leg placements or the design of new task-specific behaviors. In addition, the device-independent nature of the control basis allows its generalization not only over task domains, but also over different hardware platforms. To show the applicability of …

Achieving Balance In Software Engineering Curricula, Tim Comber, Bruce Lo, Richard Watson

Tim Comber

Achieving balance is an issue that faces all curriculum designers. The complexity of the software process demands a pluralistic approach to systems development. This pluralism must also be reflected in the education and training of future software engineers. How can we integrate the diverse views into a unified curriculum framework? How can we cover all topics that are deemed essential for the discipline. We must balance specialised software engineering topics with fundamental topics in computer science and we must also balance the variety of software engineering topics amongst themselves within the relatively short three-year undergraduate curriculum. Very often, what is …