Digital Commons Network^™

View-Centric Reasoning About Parallel And Distributed Computation, Marc L. Smith

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The development of distributed applications has not progressed as rapidly as its enabling technologies. In part, this is due to the difficulty of reasoning about such complex systems. In contrast to sequential systems, parallel systems give rise to parallel events, and the resulting uncertainty of the observed order of these events. Loosely coupled distributed systems complicate this even further by introducing the element of multiple imperfect observers of these parallel events. The goal of this dissertation is to advance parallel and distributed systems development by producing a parameterized model that can be instantiated to reflect the computation and coordination properties …

Security In Distributed Systems - A Framework For Different Application Types, Ingo Stengel

Theses

Security is a factor which decides upon the applicability of distributed applications. Therefore this thesis deals with security in distributed systems. The complexity of the existing distributed technologies makes it necessary to reduce the number of distributed technologies considered in this thesis, i.e. concentrating on: Java, Mobile Agents and CORBA, where only Java-based mobile agents will be considered.

After a short review of basic security principles including firewalls, existing security problems in the above mentioned distributed technologies are analysed. Additional generic problems in distributed systems are outlined.

Solutions are referring to two different areas: those regarding security problems with firewalls …

An Evaluation Of Two Different Data Modeling Techniques For Data Warehousing, Litao Fu

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The database community is devoting increasing attention to the research themes concerning data warehouses. After having invested a lot of time and resources to build huge and complex information systems, managers ask for support in obtaining quickly summary information to help in planning and decision making. Data warehousing systems address this issue by enabling managers to acquire and integrate information from different sources and to query efficiently very large databases. Building a data warehouse requires adopting design and implementation techniques completely different from those underlying information. Multidimensional data structures used for decision support applications in data warehouses have rather different …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Organisational Size And Industry Type With The Development And Use Of Executive Information Systems In The Manufacturing Sector, Nigel Warne

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this investigative research is to provide quantitative detail to better understand the development and use of Executive Information Sysytems (EIS) in the Australian Manufacturing sector. This investigation is an extension of previous research done on EIS in Australia (Prevan, 1992; Pervan and Phua, 1997) and looks more closely at the independent variables of organisation size and industry type in their relationaship with the development and use of EIS. A broad literature review provides a descriptive model that gives some insight into the development and use of EIS over more than fifteen years. Over eighty per cent of …

Design And Implementation Of A University Department Website, Margaret M. Rick

Graduate Research Papers

The website design cycle consists of four important components: (1) planning, (2) production, (3) implementation, and (4) operation. Within these components are a variety of vital tasks ranging from defining the objective and audience to conceptualizing the site, determining content, and creating, testing, and revising the site. Numerous rules or accepted principles guide the design process from color and font selection, to graphic creation, to site navigation layout. Once created, a website must be maintained: content should be updated and outside links verified on a regular basis. A site that is not maintained or kept current is of no benefit …

Distance Spectra For Trellis Coded Modulation Schemes On Channels With Intersymbol Interference, Sabi̇re Haciömeroğlu, Melek D. Yücel

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The effect of intersymbol interference on distance spectra for trellis coded 8-PSK, 16-QAM and 32-AMPM modulation schemes is evaluated using the methods proposed by Schlegel. Distance spectra of 16-state 8-PSK scheme are computed for different intersymbol interference channels. It is seen that on channels with intersymbol interference the spectral lines are spread into a nearly continuous spectrum and the minimum Euclidean distance between codewords decreases severely. Hence, although the main contribution at large signal to noise ratios comes from the minimum Euclidean distance ( d_{free} ) , higher spectral components also become very important at moderate values of the signal …

Control Chart Pattern Recognition Using Artificial Neural Networks, Şeref Sağiroğlu, Erkan Beşdok, Mehmet Erler

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Precise and fast control chart pattern (CCP) recognition is important for monitoring process environments to achieve appropriate control and to produce high quality products. CCPs can exhibit six types of pattern: normal, cyclic, increasing trend, decreasing trend, upward shift and downward shift. Except for normal patterns, all other patterns indicate that the process being monitored is not functioning correctly and requires adjustment. This paper describes a new type of neural network for speeding up the training process and to compare three training algorithms in terms of speed, performance and parameter complexity for CCP recognition. The networks are multilayered perceptrons trained …

A Novel Application Development Environment For Large-Scale Scientific Computations, Alok Choudhary, Mahmut Kandemir, Wei-Keng Liao, G Memik, S More, X Shen, A Singh, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

A paper describing a novel application development environment for working with large-scale scientific data sets.

Sicnn Optimisation, Two Dimensional Implementation And Comparison, Grant Walker

Theses : Honours

The study investigates the process of optimisation, implementation and comparison of a Shunting Inhibitory Cellular Neural Network (SICNN) for Edge Detection. Shunting inhibition is lateral inhibition where the inhibition function is nonlinear. Cellular Neural Networks are locally interconnected nonlinear, parallel networks which can exist as either discrete time or continuous networks. The name given to Cellular Neural Networks that use shunting inhibition as their nonlinear cell interactions are called Shunting Inhibitory Cellular Neural Networks. This project report examines some existing edge detectors and thresholding techniques. Then it describes the optimisation of the connection weight matrix for SICNN with Complementary Output …

State-Based Reconstructability Modeling For Decision Analysis, Michael S. Johnson, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reconstructability analysis (RA) is a method for detecting and analyzing the structure of multivariate categorical data. Jones and his colleagues extended the original variable-based formulation of RA to encompass models defined in terms of system states (Jones 1982; Jones 1985; Jones 1985; Jones 1986; Jones 1989). In this paper, we demonstrate that Jones’ previous work comprises two separable ideas: the “g to k” transformation and state-based modeling. We relate the concept of state-based modeling to established variable-based RA methods (Klir 1985; Krippendorff 1986), and demonstrate that statebased modeling, when applied to event and decision tree models, is a valuable adjunct …

Mapcast : Real-Time Collaboration With Concept Maps, Brett Greay

Theses : Honours

This thesis describes the development of the application mapCAST, a computer-based concept-mapping tool that allows synchronous collaboration via TCP/IP networks, such as the Internet The useability and feasibility of mapCAST as a computer-based tool was examined and analysed in a real world situation. Results indicate that mapCAST is successful as a collaborative tool in a situations involving knowledge organisation, but lacks certain functionality that many Macintosh users are accustomed to.

Mobile Agents: Motivations And State-Of-The-Art Systems, Robert S. Gray, George Cybenko, David Kotz, Daniela Rus

Dartmouth Scholarship

A mobile agent is an executing program that can migrate, at times of its own choosing, from machine to machine in a heterogeneous network. On each machine, the agent interacts with stationary service agents and other resources to accomplish its task. In this chapter, we first make the case for mobile agents, discussing six strengths of mobile agents and the applications that benefit from these strengths. Although none of these strengths are unique to mobile agents, no competing technique shares all six. In other words, a mobile-agent system provides a single general framework in which a wide range of distributed …

Teleradiology As A Foundation For An Enterprise-Wide Health Care Delivery System, John David N. Dionisio, Ricky K. Taira, Usha Sinha, David B. Johnson, Benjamin Y. Dai, Gregory H. Tashima, Stephen Blythe, Richard Johnson, Hooshang Kangarloo

Computer Science Faculty Works

An effective, integrated telemedicine system has been developed that allows (a) teleconsultation between local primary health care providers (primary care physicians and general radiologists) and remote imaging subspecialists and (b) active patient participation related to his or her medical condition and patient education. The initial stage of system development was a traditional teleradiology consultation service between general radiologists and specialists; this established system was expanded to include primary care physicians and patients. The system was developed by using a well-defined process model, resulting in three integrated modules: a patient module, a primary health care provider module, and a specialist module. …

Main Issues Rural Women Experience With Information & Communication Technology, Teresa Maiolo

All other publications

This brief report will outline the main issues rural women encountered with information and communications technology. This information was derived from interviewing twenty-one rural women from the South West, Eastern Goldfields, Murchison, Gascoyne, and Kimberley regions of Western Australia.

An Architectural Framework For Performance Analysis: Supporting The Design, Configuration, And Control Of Dis /Hla Simulations, David B. Cavitt

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Technology advances are providing greater capabilities for most distributed computing environments. However, the advances in capabilities are paralleled by progressively increasing amounts of system complexity. In many instances, this complexity can lead to a lack of understanding regarding bottlenecks in run-time performance of distributed applications. This is especially true in the domain of distributed simulations where a myriad of enabling technologies are used as building blocks to provide large-scale, geographically disperse, dynamic virtual worlds. Persons responsible for the design, configuration, and control of distributed simulations need to understand the impact of decisions made regarding the allocation and use of the …

B. A Java Dialectic, Douglas Lyon, Frances Grodzinsky

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

Many books often gush over Java. People want to know, before they learn a language, what the drawbacks are for a language. They want to know what the strenghs are. After all, a computer language is just a tool. We shape our tools, and there after, our tools shape us! This chapter contains a dialog between three Java instructors. The participants are, Professors Good, Bad and Ugly. Professor Good is a strong proponent of Java. Professor Bad is a strong opponent of Java. Professor Ugly has been leaning toward the asthetic analysis of the language, particularly with an eye toward …

Persistence Differences In Community College Courses Taught In Classrooms And Through Alternative Formats, Andrew A. Runyan

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

While distance education programs continue to expand, the occurrence of higher dropout rates in those programs as compared to the same courses offered in lecture/lab settings remains a point of contention between supporters and detractors of non-traditional forms of education. This study used a foundation of research on dropout in higher education as the basis for an investigation of dropout rates in non-traditional forms of instruction in a community college setting. Course delivery formats studied included videotape-based courses, Internet-based courses, and courses offered in a self-paced laboratory environment. For each of these formats, the same course, offered in a lecture/lab …

An Efficient Algorithm To Determine The Periodic Steady-State Solutions Of Nonlinear Systems Using Extended Spectral Analysis, Gülay Tohumoğlu

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

A new method for the solution of nonlinear periodic systems was developed. It avoids the time domain calculations of the whole network equations. In the proposed method, by forming the augmented network as linear and nonlinear subnetworks these subnetworks are formulated in complex frequency and time domain respectively. Using spectral analysis the steady-state periodic solution of the whole nonlinear network is reached by an iterative approach. The method can be applied efficiently to weak and strong nonlinear circuits equally well. When we divide the network into a large linear subnetwork and a small nonlinear subnetwork, this method can be applied …

A Scene Similarity Metric For Matching Configurations Of Image Objects, James Carswell

Articles

This paper proposes a novel solution to querying image databases by matching raster features to imagery completely in the raster/spatial domain using the shape of single features together with their spatial relations as the matching primitives. The core feature-based matching module combines a revised least-squares matching algorithm, to accomplish the matching process on binary images, with a unique implementation of a feature library that organizes and links query objects with their images in the database, thus enabling fast and efficient real-time retrieval of relevant imagery. The purpose is to extend this previous work of ours, which matches on the shape …

An Examination Of A Multidimensional Model Of Customer Satisfaction With Internet Purchasing, Kathleen Vanscoyoc

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

The World Wide Web and Internet have transformed the competitive business environment and altered the customer-firm relationship by creating a new retailing format and service enterprise. It is rapidly growing as a competitive distribution medium in which customer satisfaction will be a major success factor in the development and maintenance of this new retailing format. Despite its growing importance as a new shopping medium, little empirical research has been conducted that examines the relationship between Internet shopping, customer satisfaction, company image, and future online purchasing. Research is needed to develop theoretical models that will systematically explain and predict behavior related …

Vhdl Design And Simulation For Embedded Zerotree Wavelet Quantisation, Hung Huynh

Theses : Honours

This thesis discusses a highly effective still image compression algorithm – The Embedded Zerotree Wavelets coding technique, as it is called. This technique is simple but achieves a remarkable result. The image is wavelet-transformed, symbolically coded and successive quantised, therefore the compression and transmission/storage saving can be achieved by utilising the structure of zerotree. The algorithm was first proposed by Jerome M. Shapiro in 1993, however to minimise the memory usage and speeding up the EZW processor, a Depth First Search method is used to transverse across the image rather than Breadth First Search method as initially discussed in Shapiro's …

An Investigation On Sun Microsystems Jini Technology, Ferdina D. Soeyadi

Theses : Honours

Sun Microsystems introduced the Jini^TM Technology as its vision of the future in networking, where services can be registered dynamically and he used easily regardless of their location in the network. This is an investigation of feasibility on such claims made by Sun regarding Jini^TM and comparisons with the directly similar Universal Plug and Play from Microsoft. The aim is to implement a simple application of the Jini^TM Technology in order to demonstrate its capabilities as a contribution to the distributed computing research.

Virtual Reality And The Modern Ideology Of Order And Control, Craig I. Murrihy

Theses : Honours

In this thesis I will examine the construction of the concept of Virtual Reality. I argue that rather than a technology of liberation as it is often perceived, virtual realities' conception has been influenced significantly by a discourse of control and order. I examine books, articles and films concerning Virtual Reality to support this claim. Furthermore this discourse of control and order is born out of a larger ideology of Western culture that values order and control. Throughout modernity this ideology has manifested itself through techniques and technologies of social and environmental control. I provide a brief historical outline highlighting …

Exploiting Don't Cares To Enhance Functional Tests, Mark W. Weiss, Sharad C. Seth, Shashank K. Mehta, Kent L. Einspahr

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

In simulation based design verification, deterministic or pseudo-random tests are used to check functional correctness of a design. In this paper we present a technique generating tests by specifying the don’t care inputs in the functional specifications so as to improve their coverage of both design errors and manufacturing faults. The don’t cares are chosen to maximize sensitization of signals in the circuit. The tests generated in this way require only a fraction of pseudo-exhaustive test patterns to achieve a high multiplicity of fault coverage.

Lsmac And Lsnait: Two Approaches For Cluster-Based Scalable Web Servers, Xuehong Gana, Trevor Schroeder, Steve Goddard, Byrav Ramamurthy

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Server responsiveness and scalability are more important than ever in today’s client/server dominated network environments. Recently, researchers have begun to consider cluster-based computers using commodity hardware as an alternative to expensive specialized hardware for building scalable Web servers. In this paper, we present performance results comparing two cluster-based Web servers based on different server infrastructures: MAC-based dispatching (LSMAC) and IP-based dispatching (LSNAT). Both cluster-based server systems were implemented as application-space programs running on commodity hardware. We point out the advantages and disadvantages of both systems. We also identify when servers should be clustered and when clustering will not improve performance.

Optical Communication Networks For The Next-Generation Internet, Arun K. Somani, Byrav Ramamurthy

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Computer and telecommunication networks are changing the world dramatically and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. The Internet, primarily based on packet switches, provides very flexible data services such as e-mail and access to the World Wide Web. The Internet is a variable-delay, variable- bandwidth network that provides no guarantee on quality of service (QoS) in its initial phase. New services are being added to the pure data delivery framework of yesterday. Such high demands on capacity could lead to a “bandwidth crunch” at the core wide-area network, resulting in degradation of service quality. Fortunately, technological innovations …

Virtual Topology Reconfiguration Of Wavelength-Routed Optical Wdm Networks, Byrav Ramamurthy, Ashok Ramakrishnan

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

The bandwidth requirements of the Internet are increasing every day and there are newer and more bandwidth-thirsty applications emerging on the horizon. Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is the next step towards leveraging the capabilities of the optical fiber, especially for wide-area backbone networks. The ability to switch a signal at intermediate nodes in a WDM network based on their wavelengths is known as wavelength-routing. One of the greatest advantages of using wavelength-routing WDM is the ability to create a virtual topology different from the physical topology of the underlying network. This virtual topology can be reconfigured when necessary, to improve …

Image-Driven Simplification And Optimization Of Polygonal Models, Peter Lindstrom

Link Foundation Modeling, Simulation and Training Fellowship Reports

Model simplification is often used in computer graphics to reduce the complexity of large polygonal models. For many graphics applications, the goal of this process is to produce a coarser model that is visually similar to the original, allowing the complex original model to be replaced with little or no loss in perceived quality. Existing simplification techniques, however, rely on geometry-based heuristics as an indirect indicator of visual similarity. We propose a novel image-driven simplification method that uses rendered images of a model and an image metric as a means of measuring visual similarity. Using this approach, changes in appearance …

Some Remarks On Fair Exchange Protocol, Jianying Zhou, Robert H. Deng, Feng Bao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Fair exchange turns out to be an increasingly important topic due to the rapid growth of electronic commerce. An exchange is deemed to be fair if at the end of exchange, either each party receives the expected item or neither party receives any useful information about the other’s item. Several protocols for fair exchange have been proposed in recent years. In this paper, we first examine a newly published fair exchange protocol and point out its flaws and weaknesses. We then put forward a more efficient and secure protocol and give an informal analysis.

Analysis Of Intangible Factors In Waste Minimization Projects, Halvard E. Nystrom, William Ralph Kehr

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Continual population growth and rising standards of living that accelerate the consumption of limited resources, are forcing society to encourage conservation of these resources. These resources not only include raw material, but also the areas to dispose of the wastes. As a result, communities are driving industries towards waste minimization by limiting waste generation and landfill availability. Firms'' environmentally friendly strategies can gain competitive advantage by leading in environmental practices. This advantage emanates from the reduction of risk of environmental regulatory overreaction, as well as improved asset utilization and landfill utilization. However, these intangible benefits are difficult to identify and …