Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Pattern Discovery In Dna Using Stochastic Automata, Shweta Shweta

Master's Projects

We consider the problem of identifying similarities between different species of DNA. To do this we infer a stochastic finite automata from a given training data and compare it with a test data. The training and test data consist of DNA sequence of different species. Our method first identifies sentences in DNA. To identify sentences we read DNA sequence one character at a time, 3 characters form a codon and codons form proteins (also known as amino acid chains).Each amino acid in proteins belongs to a group. In total we have 5 groups’ polar, non-polar, acidic, basic and stop codons. …

Optical Flow At Occlusion Boundaries And In Occlusion Regions, Hua Meng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Optical flow is an important research area in the Computer Vision field, with the estimation of optical flow at occlusion still an open problem. Traditional approaches to this problem have either used additional terms in a regularization calculation (the flow still tends to “bleed” across occlusion boundaries) or a local least squares calculation that attempted to minimize the influence of two adjacent differently moving regions on the optical flow at points close to both regions (the flow still tends to be “corrupted” by the two regions). Ideally, optical flow for two adjacent differently moving regions should be distinct right up …

Surface Reconstruction From Noisy And Sparse Data, Mark A. Brophy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

We introduce a set of algorithms for registering, filtering and measuring the similarity of unorganized 3d point clouds, usually obtained from multiple views.

We contribute a method for computing the similarity between point clouds that represent closed surfaces, specifically segmented tumors from CT scans. We obtain watertight surfaces and utilize volumetric overlap to determine similarity in a volumetric way. This similarity measure is used to quantify treatment variability based on target volume segmentation both prior to and following radiotherapy planning stages.

We also contribute an algorithm for the drift-free registration of thin, non- rigid scans, where drift is the build-up …

Neural Decomposition Of Time-Series Data For Effective Generalization, Luke Godfrey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We present a neural network technique for the analysis and extrapolation of time-series data called Neural Decomposition (ND). Units with a sinusoidal activation function are used to perform a Fourier-like decomposition of training samples into a sum of sinusoids, augmented by units with nonperiodic activation functions to capture linear trends and other nonperiodic components. We show how careful weight initialization can be combined with regularization to form a simple model that generalizes well. Our method generalizes effectively on the Mackey-Glass series, a dataset of unemployment rates as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, a time-series of monthly international …

Implementation Techniques For The Truncated Fourier Transform, Li Zhang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

We study various algorithms for the Truncated Fourier Transform (TFT) which is a variation of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) that allows one to work with an input vector of arbitrary size without zero padding. After a review of the original algorithms for the forward and inverse TFT introduced by J. van der Hoeven, we consider the variation of D. Harvey as well as that of J. Johnson and L.C. Meng. Both variations are based on Cooley-Tukey like formulas. The former is called strict general radix as it strictly follows the specifications proposed by J. van der Hoeven, while the …

Developing Java Programs On Android Mobile Phones Using Speech Recognition, Santhrushna Gande

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Nowadays Android operating system based mobile phones and tablets are widely used and had millions of users around the world. The popularity of this operating system is due to its multi-tasking, ease of access and diverse device options. “Java Programming Speech Recognition Application” is an Android application used for handicapped individuals who are not able or have difficultation to type on a keyboard. This application allows the user to write a compute program (in Java Language) by dictating the words and without using a keyboard. The user needs to speak out the commands and symbols required for his/her program. The …

Generalized Inclusion-Exclusion, Mike W. Ghesquiere

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sets are a foundational structure within mathematics and are commonly used as a building block for more complex structures. Just above this we have functions and sequences before an explosion of increasingly specialized structures. We propose a re-hanging of the tree with hybrid sets (that is, signed multi-sets), as well hybrid functions (functions with hybrid set domains) joining the ranks of sequences and functions. More than just an aesthetic change, this allows symbolic manipulation of structures in ways that might otherwise be cumbersome or inefficient. In particular, we will consider simplifying the product and sum of two piecewise functions or …

Naturalists’ Perspectives On The Use Of Mobile Technology During A Nature Hike, Aubin Marishka Radzewicz St. Clair

Master's Theses

Naturalists act as our link between scientific knowledge and the public’s understanding of natural history and conservation efforts. In order for them to succeed, they need access to reference materials as well as up-to-date information (Mankin, Warner, & Anderson, 1999). Incorporating mobile technology (i.e. tablets) into naturalists’ endeavors in natural history and environmental education can be used as supportive and educational tools. My project investigated how newly trained naturalists used tablet technology while leading groups of children on nature hikes. I investigated naturalists’ views on the use of mobile technology as a tool during the hikes. My research was guided …

Post-Silicon Functional Validation With Virtual Prototypes, Kai Cong

Dissertations and Theses

Post-silicon validation has become a critical stage in the system-on-chip (SoC) development cycle, driven by increasing design complexity, higher level of integration and decreasing time-to-market. According to recent reports, post-silicon validation effort comprises more than 50% of the overall development effort of an 65nm SoC. Though post-silicon validation covers many aspects ranging from electronic properties of hardware to performance and power consumption of whole systems, a central task remains validating functional correctness of both hardware and its integration with software. There are several key challenges to achieving accelerated and low-cost post-silicon functional validation. First, there is only limited silicon observability …

Novel Methods For Learning And Adaptation In Chemical Reaction Networks, Peter Banda

Dissertations and Theses

State-of-the-art biochemical systems for medical applications and chemical computing are application-specific and cannot be re-programmed or trained once fabricated. The implementation of adaptive biochemical systems that would offer flexibility through programmability and autonomous adaptation faces major challenges because of the large number of required chemical species as well as the timing-sensitive feedback loops required for learning. Currently, biochemistry lacks a systems vision on how the user-level programming interface and abstraction with a subsequent translation to chemistry should look like. By developing adaptation in chemistry, we could replace multiple hard-wired systems with a single programmable template that can be (re)trained to …

Simple Macro: Addon For World Of Warcraft, Yemane Gebreyesus

Computer Engineering

This senior project was started to try and solve a problem within World of Warcraft. That particular problem is the underdeveloped default macro interface, which Simple Macro aims to remedy by creating a more user-friendly interface that is accessible by a wider audience. It employs a click through method of accessing and editing data to reduce the amount of typing necessary. The addon also has a feature to specifically help players that want to change a target in certain groups of macros all at once. The project was developed in both Lua and XML.

Using Cellular Automata And Lattice Boltzmann Methods To Model Cancer Growth: Analysis Of Combination Treatment Outcomes, Jenna L. Butler

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In Canada it is estimated that 76,600 people will die of cancer in 2014. Cancer, a collection of over 200 diseases, has differences existing between globally, between individuals and overtime in one individual. Treatment options are similarly varied. These differences make selecting the best possible treatment for every type of cancer very challenging. In addition, with no single cure for cancer, treatments are often combined in different ways to form the best overall option. In an attempt to synthesize the properties of these diseases into a collection of common cellular changes, Hanahan and Weinberg proposed ``the hallmarks of cancer" -- …

An Open Source Advertisement Server, Pushkar Umaranikar

Master's Projects

This report describes a new online advertisement system and its implementation for the Yioop open source search engine. This system was implemented for my CS298 project. It supports both selling advertisements and displaying them within search results. The selling of advertisement is done using a novel auction system, which we describe in this paper. With this auction system, it is possible to create an advertisement, attach keywords to it, and add it to the advertisement inventory. An advertisement is displayed on a search results page if the search keyword matches the keywords attached to the advertisement. Display of advertisements is …

Driver Telematics Analysis, Karthik Vakati

Master's Projects

For automobile insurance firms, telemetric analysis represents a valuable and growing way to identify the risk associated with each driver. The pricing decisions of an insurer are best accounted for if they are made considering the driver’s behavior instead of just the vehicle characteristics and the best way to understand a driver’s behavior is to leverage the telemetric analysis. Decisions made on such factors can eventually lead to increased premium or reduced liability for unsafe or reckless drivers and can also help in transitioning the burden to the policies that lead to increased liability.

The dataset provided for this project …

Maximizing The Speed Of Influence In Social Networks, Yubo Wang

Master's Projects

Influence maximization in social networks is the problem of selecting a limited

size of influential users as seed nodes so that the influence from these seed nodes can propagate to the largest number of other nodes in the network. Previous studies in influence maximization focused on three areas, i.e., designing propagation models, improving algorithms of seed-node selection and exploiting the structure of social networks. However, most of these studies ignored the time constraint in influence propagation. In this paper, I studied how to maximize influence propagation in a given time, i.e., maximizing the speed of influence propagation in social networks. …

Geological Object Recognition In Extraterrestrial Environments, Gregory M. Elfers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

On July 4 1997, the landing of NASA’s Pathnder probe and its rover Sojourner marked the beginning of a new era in space exploration; robots with the ability to move have made up the vanguard of human extraterrestrial exploration ever since. With Sojourners landing, for the rst time, a ground traversing robot was at a distance too far from earth to make direct human control practical. This has given rise to the development of autonomous systems to improve the e?ciency of these robots,in both their ability to move,and their ability to make decisions regarding their environment. Computer Vision comprises a …

Sensitivity Of Mixed Models To Computational Algorithms Of Time Series Data, Gunaime Nevine

Doctoral Dissertations

Statistical analysis is influenced by implementation of the algorithms used to execute the computations associated with various statistical techniques. Over many years; very important criteria for model comparison has been studied and examined, and two algorithms on a single dataset have been performed numerous times. The goal of this research is not comparing two or more models on one dataset, but comparing models with numerical algorithms that have been used to solve them on the same dataset.

In this research, different models have been broadly applied in modeling and their contrasting which are affected by the numerical algorithms in different …

Epistemological Databases For Probabilistic Knowledge Base Construction, Michael Louis Wick

Doctoral Dissertations

Knowledge bases (KB) facilitate real world decision making by providing access to structured relational information that enables pattern discovery and semantic queries. Although there is a large amount of data available for populating a KB; the data must first be gathered and assembled. Traditionally, this integration is performed automatically by storing the output of an information extraction pipeline directly into a database as if this prediction were the ``truth.'' However, the resulting KB is often not reliable because (a) errors accumulate in the integration pipeline, and (b) they persist in the KB even after new information arrives that could rectify …

Detecting Learning Styles In Video Games, Benjamin Cooley

Master's Theses

Video games are increasingly becoming more intelligent, able to adapt themselves to the individual gamer. Learning styles are a set of models used to categorize people into different types of learners to explain why some people learn better through different methods. Since learning and exploration are such fundamental parts of the video game experience, it is interesting to consider the possibility of applying these learning style models to video games, allowing the video game to adapt to its player, providing a better experience. To consider such adaptation, the game must first be able to detect that learning style from how …

A Web-Based Temperature Monitoring System For The College Of Arts And Letters, Rigoberto Solorio

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In general, server rooms have restricted access requiring that staff possess access codes, keys, etc. Normally, only administrators are provided access to protect the physical hardware and the data stored in the servers. Servers also have firewalls to restrict outsiders from accessing them via the Internet. Servers also cost a lot of money. For this reason, server rooms also need to be protected against overheating. This will prolong the lifecycle of the units and can prevent data loss from hardware failure.

The California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), Specifically the College of Arts and Letters server room has faced power …

An Application Of The Autism Management Platform To Tracking Student Progress In The Special Education Environment, Ryan Thomas Burns

Computational and Data Sciences Theses

In the age of online courses and digital textbooks, several areas of academia, such as special education, are far behind in the technological revolution. Some teachers use long unstructured digital documents, while others maintain large physical files for students containing every piece of information or coursework they have ever received. Could these extremely unstructured approaches to data collection and aggregation be streamlined with a software platform built specifically for this purpose? Could this platform also be built to accommodate multiple integrations and practical new features? Most importantly, in terms of usability, would this software be enjoyable to use? The Autism …

Current Practices For Product Usability Testing In Web And Mobile Applications, Spencer W. Black

Honors Theses and Capstones

Software usability testing is a key methodology that ensures applications are intuitive and easy to use for the target audience. Usability testing has direct benefits for companies as usability improvements often are fundamental to the success of a product. A standard usability test study includes the following five steps: obtain suitable participants, design test scripts, conduct usability sessions, interpret test outcomes, and produce recommendations. Due to the increasing importance for more usable applications, effective techniques to develop usable products, as well as technologies to improve usability testing, have been widely utilized. However, as companies are developing more cross-platform web and …

Police Opinions Of Digital Evidence Response Handling In The State Of Georgia: An Examination From The Viewpoint Of Local Agencies’ Patrol Officers, Tanya Macneil

CCE Theses and Dissertations

This research examined opinions of local law enforcement agencies’ patrol officers in the State of Georgia regarding preparedness and expectations for handling of digital evidence. The increased criminal use of technology requires that patrol officers be prepared to handle digital evidence in many different situations. The researcher’s goal was to gain insight into how patrol officers view their preparedness to handle digital evidence as well as their opinions on management expectations regarding patrol officers’ abilities to handle digital evidence. The research focused on identifying whether a gap existed between patrol officers’ opinions of digital evidence and the patrol officers’ views …

Determinants Of Intention To Use New Technology: An Investigation Of Students In Higher Education, Yolanda Dupree

CCE Theses and Dissertations

The federal government continues to monitor the cost of paper texts as an essential component of postsecondary education expenses. The Higher Education Act (HEA), which was initially passed in 1965, was created to buttress the educational resources of colleges and universities. Along with addressing the benefits of financial aid in postsecondary and higher education, the act referenced the projected financial burdens of paper texts. The last 2008 reauthorization suggested that colleges and universities develop plans to reduce the costs of college. Congress is currently working to reauthorize the legislation. Based on this information, the problem identified in this study explored …

Novel Computational Methods For Transcript Reconstruction And Quantification Using Rna-Seq Data, Yan Huang

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

The advent of RNA-seq technologies provides an unprecedented opportunity to precisely profile the mRNA transcriptome of a specific cell population. It helps reveal the characteristics of the cell under the particular condition such as a disease. It is now possible to discover mRNA transcripts not cataloged in existing database, in addition to assessing the identities and quantities of the known transcripts in a given sample or cell. However, the sequence reads obtained from an RNA-seq experiment is only a short fragment of the original transcript. How to recapitulate the mRNA transcriptome from short RNA-seq reads remains a challenging problem. We …

Exploring Algorithmic Musical Key Recognition, Nathan J. Levine

CMC Senior Theses

The following thesis outlines the goal and process of algorithmic musical key detection as well as the underlying music theory. This includes a discussion of signal-processing techniques intended to most accurately detect musical pitch, as well as a detailed description of the Krumhansl-Shmuckler (KS) key-finding algorithm. It also describes the Java based implementation and testing process of a musical key-finding program based on the KS algorithm. This thesis provides an analysis of the results and a comparison with the original algorithm, ending with a discussion of the recommended direction of further development.

Electronic Health Record Simulator, Samuel M. Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Electronic Health Record Simulator is exactly that; it is meant to simulate an EHR (like those found in hospitals and clinics) for use in an academic setting. Its purpose is to familiarize students with the operation of real-world EHRs in order to better prepare them for the workforce. It allows instructors to create fictional patients (with full lab values), and allows students to fill in information as in a real EHR.

Creating A Mobile Game, Timothy Jasany

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The world we live in today is one that revolves around technology. Whether you are checking your email or paying a bill, most of these actions can be accomplished through the use of technology. One of the most powerful pieces of technology is a cell phone, which can accomplish most tasks any other device can do. Since this piece of technology is growing better and better each day I decided to learn how to program android devices. Cell phones are becoming more widely used by the general public, which I think means that in the near future that cell phones …

Improving Energy Efficiency And Quality Of Service In An Integrated Wireless-Optical Broadband Access Network, Maha Shihab Ahmed

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Exponential growth in the volume of wireless data, boosted by the growing popularity of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, is forcing telecommunication industries to rethink network design, and focus on developing high capacity mobile broadband networks. Accordingly, researchers have undertaken developmental work for an integrated wireless-optical broadband access network (WOBAN). Passive optical networks (PONs) and fourth generation (4G) wireless networks are two major candidate technologies for the WOBAN. PON is a wired access technology, well-known for its high capacity, whereas 4G is a wireless broadband access technology, popular for its ease of deployment and ability to offer …