Digital Commons Network^™

Reasoning And Learning With Imperfect Casebases: An Agent Perspective With An Expert Model, Leen-Kiat Soh

School of Computing: Technical Reports

Traditionally, case-based reasoning (CBR) (e.g., Watson and Marir 1994) assumes that the cases in the casebase are correct, useful in both time and space. Otherwise, the cases would not have been stored in the casebase in the first place. Cases are supposed to be useful in guiding us to a successful solution, or in preventing us from repeating the same failure.

Privacy-Preserving Multivariate Statistical Analysis: Linear Regression And Classification, Wenliang Du, Yunghsiang S. Han, Shigang Chen

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

Analysis technique that has found applications in various areas. In this paper, we study some multivariate statistical analysis methods in Secure 2-party Computation (S2C) framework illustrated by the following scenario: two parties, each having a secret data set, want to conduct the statistical analysis on their joint data, but neither party is willing to disclose its private data to the other party or any third party. The current statistical analysis techniques cannot be used directly to support this kind of computation because they require all parties to send the necessary data to a central place. In this paper, We define …

Ilmda: Intelligent Learning Materials Delivery Agents, Leen-Kiat Soh, L.D. Miller, Todd Blank, Suzette Person

School of Computing: Technical Reports

In this paper, we describe an intelligent agent that delivers learning materials adaptively to different students, factoring in the usage history of the learning materials, the student static background profile, and the student dynamic activity profile. Our assumption is that through the interaction of a student going through a learning material (i.e., a topical tutorial, a set of examples, and a set of problems), our agent will be able to capture and utilize the student’s activity as the primer to select the appropriate example or problem to administer to the student. Even if the agent fails to do so, it …

On Cooperative Learning Teams For Multiagent Team Formation, Leen-Kiat Soh

School of Computing: Technical Reports

In this paper, we propose a team formation methodology based on cooperative learning teams, adopted from the area of educational research. Cooperative learning is a type of learning where students work in teams and learn through team-based interactions. In education, research in assigning students to appropriate teams and enforcing fair assessment of student performance in a team have generated useful policies and rules. In our multiagent systems project, we use these policies and rules as the underlying framework to evaluate and form teams. We have built a system called I-MINDS as an infrastructure to support cooperative learning among remote and …

Uncheatable Grid Computing, Wenliang Du, Jing Jia, Manish Mangal, Mummoorthy Murugesan

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

Grid computing is a type of distributed computing that has shown promising applications in many fields. A great concern in grid computing is the cheating problem described in the following: a participant is given D = {x1,...,xn}, it needs to compute f(x) for all x ∈ D and return the results of interest to the supervisor. How does the supervisor efficiently ensure that the participant has computed f(x) for all the inputs in D, rather than a subset of it? If participants get paid for conducting the task, there are incentives for cheating. In this paper, we propose a novel …

Reconstructability Analysis With Fourier Transforms, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fourier methods used in two‐ and three‐dimensional image reconstruction can be used also in reconstructability analysis (RA). These methods maximize a variance‐type measure instead of information‐theoretic uncertainty, but the two measures are roughly collinear and the Fourier approach yields results close to that of standard RA. The Fourier method, however, does not require iterative calculations for models with loops. Moreover, the error in Fourier RA models can be assessed without actually generating the full probability distributions of the models; calculations scale with the size of the data rather than the state space. State‐based modeling using the Fourier approach is also …

A Gcd Attack Resistant Crthacs For Secure Group Communications, Xukai Zou, Byrav Ramamurthy, Spyros S. Magliveras

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

In this paper, we propose an improved CRTHACS scheme for secure group communications. The scheme resists several GCD attacks which exist in the original CRTHACS scheme [2] and were recently reported in [1].

Infrastructure Support For Controlled Experimentation With Software Testing And Regression Testing Techniques, Hyunsook Do, Sebastian Elbaum, Gregg Rothermel

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Where the creation, understanding, and assessment of software testing and regression testing techniques are concerned, controlled experimentation is an indispensable research methodology. Obtaining the infrastructure necessary to support such experimentation, however, is difficult and expensive. As a result, progress in experimentation with testing techniques has been slow, and empirical data on the costs and effectiveness of techniques remains relatively scarce. To help address this problem, we have been designing and constructing infrastructure to support controlled experimentation with testing and regression testing techniques. This paper reports on the challenges faced by researchers experimenting with testing techniques, including those that inform the …

Art Network Discussion, Paul Thomas

Creative Connections Symposium @ BEAP2004 September 4, 2004

No abstract provided.

Speech Enabled E-Learning Technology For Adult Literacy Tutoring, Jason Meade

Theses

This research presents the work involved in developing a speech-enabled e-Learning prototype for use in literacy tutoring. As the main objective was to develop an interface for literacy learning, initial research concentrated on establishing a framework for literacy e-Leaming through the use of speech technology. Requirements for best practice e-Learning and the relevance of learning theories to an e-Learning application were also investigated. The technologies to facilitate this, such as text to speech technologies and mark-up languages, were addressed during the implementation of speech-enabled prototypes. Both server-side and client-side prototypes were implemented to investigate speech technology. Testing found the server-side …

Creating A Video Device Application, Kevin Septor

Honors Theses

A video device, such as a webcam, has the capability to be used in many ways, including recording video and behaving like a security camera. A TV tuner card can also record video, and in addition be used for watching television. However, the video hardware and device driver the operating system uses to access it are only capable of delivering raw frames of video. A user space application is necessary for exploiting the capabilities of such a device beyond reading sequential frames of video. This research explores the desiderata in a powerful video device application, and introduces a program that …

A Similarity Based Concordance Approach To Word Sense Disambiguation, Ramakrishnan B. Guru

Masters Theses

This study attempts to solve the problem of Word Sense Disambiguation using a combination of statistical, probabilistic and word matching algorithms. These algorithms consider that words and sentences have some hidden similarities and that the polysemous words in any context should be assigned to a sense after each execution of the algorithm. The algorithm was tested with sufficient sample data and the efficiency of the disambiguation performance has proven to increase significantly after the inclusion of the concordance methodology.

Using Spki/Sdsi For Distributed Maintenance Of Attribute Release Policies In Shibboleth, Sidharth Nazareth, Sean W. Smith

Computer Science Technical Reports

The Shibboleth middleware from Internet2 provides a way for users at higher-education institutions to access remote electronic content in compliance with the inter-institutional license agreements that govern such access. To protect end-user privacy, Shibboleth permits users to construct attribute release policies that control what user credentials a given content provider can obtain. However, Shibboleth leaves unspecified how to construct these policies. To be effective, a solution needs to accommodate the typical nature of a university: a set of decentralized fiefdoms. This need argues for a public-key infrastructure (PKI) approach---since public-key cryptography does not require parties to agree on a secret …

A Sat-Based Polynomial Space Algorithm For Answer Set Programming, Enrico Giunchiglia, Marco Maratea, Yuliya Lierler

Computer Science Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The relation between answer set programming (ASP) and propositional satisfiability (SAT) is at the center of many research papers, partly because of the tremendous performance boost of SAT solvers during last years. Various translations from ASP to SAT are known but the resulting SAT formula either includes many new variables or may have an unpractical size. There are also well known results showing a one-to-one correspondence between the answer sets of a logic program and the models of its completion. Unfortunately, these results only work for specific classes of problems.

In this paper we present a SAT-Based decision procedure for …

An Emergent Framework For Self-Motivation In Developmental Robotics, James Marshall, Doug Blank, Lisa Meeden

Computer Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

This paper explores a philosophy and connectionist al- gorithm for creating a long-term, self-organizing develop- mental robot control system. This intrinsic algorithm and architecture implements self-motivation by creating a sys- tem capable of anticipating its next state, while simultane- ously attempting to seek out that which it cannot predict. These competing internal pressures are designed to drive the system in a manner reminiscent of a co-evolutionary arms race.

Dit-Call: Naturally Speaking But Slow, Dermot Campbell, Marty Meinardi, Bunny Richardson, Eugene Coyle, Olivia Donnellan, Pak Kui Leung, Ciaran Macdonaill, Elmar Jung, Charles Pritchard

Articles

This paper introduces a new development in speech technology and describes its planned application in an EFL context. Special attention is paid to the pedagogical potential of the resultant language tool.

Using Autonomous Robots To Integrate Middle School Academic Standards, Technology Standards, And 21st Century Workplace Skills, Barbara M. Burckart

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The amount of knowledge that students are required to master continues to grow. Teachers struggle to find age appropriate ways to integrate state academic standards, technology standards, and 21st century workplace skills. Improved problem solving skills are deemed important to these standards as well as in the workplace. This dissertation utilized a robot design project to examine the changes in problem solving skills of seventh grade science students. In the process, 21st century workplace skills, technology standards, and South Carolina middle school science and math standards were identified and integrated into the learning process.

To test the validity of the …

The Education Of Information Security Professionals: An Analysis Of Industry Needs Vs Academic Curriculum In The 21st Century, Albert L. Fundaburk

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

This research compared the employment of the skills and attributes needed by information systems security professionals in an information systems security work environment with those taught in NSA Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. Using two surveys the goal of this research was to determine if the skills and attributes identified in the CISSP were employed in an information systems work environment and if these skills were taught in colleges and universities designated as NSA Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.

The skills and attributes within the10 domains of the CISSP were identified by 23 questions …

Implementation Of An Individual Professional Development System Using A Web-Accessible Database, Edward R. Lovitt

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is looking for ways to encourage new careers in education and retain current faculty working in the field. A successful working relationship between supervisors and faculty is crucial to continued attractiveness of a career in education. These shared relationships exist in "learning organization" models, which are used in professional development offerings that stress the importance of learning by individuals, as a way to benefit the entire institution.

This developmental study focused on building partnerships with supervisors and faculty. These partnerships require contracts or individual development plans that can be reviewed for progress and modified for future needs. The …

Applying Security Risk Management To Internet Connectivity In K-12 Schools And School Districts, Carol C. Woody

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Internet connectivity has been added to the classrooms of United States (U.S .) K-12 schools, but recognition of the security risks and related management responsibilities to address increased risk exposure is not apparent. Providing a sufficient level of access for K-12 students to learn through exploration and experimentation needs to be balanced with sufficient limitations to minimize the risk of technically proficient participants inflicting harm through school resources. Problems of inappropriate use such as adjusting grades, tampering with work of other students, and defacing Web sites by K-12 students are already appearing in U.S. newspapers. In addition, the growing level …

The 7 C'S For Creating Living Software: A Research Perspective For Quality-Oriented Software Engineering, Mehmet Akşi̇t

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

This article proposes the 7 C's for realizing quality-oriented software engineering practices. All the desired qualities of this approach are expressed in short by the term living software. The 7 C's are: Concern-oriented processes, Canonical models, Composable models, Certifiable models, Constructible models, Closure property of models and Controllable models. Each C is explained by the help of a set of definitions, a short overview of the background work and the problems that software engineers may experience in realizing the corresponding C. Further, throughout the article, a software development example is presented for illustrating the realization of the 7 C's. Finally, …

Guided Model Checking With A Bayesian Meta-Heuristic, Michael D. Jones, Peter Lamborn, Kevin Seppi

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a formal verification algorithm for finding errors in models of complex concurrent systems. The algorithm improves explicit guided model checking by applying the Empirical Bayes method to revise heuristic estimates of the distance from a given state to an error state. Guided search using the revised estimates finds errors with less search effort than the original estimates.

Digital Mountain: From Granite Archive To Global Access, William A. Barrett, Luke A. D. Hutchison, Douglas J. Kennard, Heath E. Nielson, Dallan Quass

Faculty Publications

Large-scale, multi-terabyte digital libraries are becoming feasible due to decreasing costs of storage, CPU, and bandwidth. However, costs associated with preparing content for input into the library remain high due to the amount of human labor required. This paper describes the Digital Microfilm Pipeline – a sequence of image processing operations used to populate a large-scale digital library from a “mountain” of microfilm and reduce the human labor involved. Essential parts of the pipeline include algorithms for document zoning and labeling, consensus-based template creation, reversal of geometric transformations and Just-In-Time Browsing, an interactive technique for progressive access of image content …

Istart: Interactive Strategy Training For Active Reading And Thinking, Danielle S. Mcnamara, Irwin B. Levinstein, Chutima Boonthum

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Interactive Strategy Training for Active Reading and Thinking (iSTART) is a Web-based application that provides young adolescent to college-age students with high-level reading strategy training to improve comprehension of science texts. iSTART is modeled after an effective, human-delivered intervention called self-explanation reading training (SERT), which trains readers to use active reading strategies to self-explain difficult texts more effectively. To make the training more widely available, the Web-based trainer has been developed. Transforming the training from a human-delivered application to a computer-based one has resulted in a highly interactive trainer that adapts its methods to the performance of the students. The …

Resource Harvesting Within The Oai-Pmh Framework, Herbert Van De Sompel, Michael L. Nelson, Carl Lagoze, Simeon Warner

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Motivated by preservation and resource discovery, we examine how digital resources, and not just metadata about resources, can be harvested using the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). We review and critique existing techniques for identifying and gathering digital resources using metadata harvested through the OAI-PMH. We introduce an alternative solution that builds on the introduction of complex object formats that provide a more accurate way to describe digital resources. We argue that the use of complex object formats as OAI-PMH metadata formats results in a reliable and attractive approach for incremental harvesting of resources using the OAI-PMH.

Better Foreground Segmentation Through Graph Cuts, Nicholas Howe, Alexandra Deschamps

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

For many tracking and surveillance applications, background subtraction provides an effective means of segmenting objects moving in front of a static background. Researchers have traditionally used combinations of morphological operations to remove the noise inherent in the background-subtracted result. Such techniques can effectively isolate foreground objects, but tend to lose fidelity around the borders of the segmentation, especially for noisy input. This paper explores the use of a minimum graph cut algorithm to segment the foreground, resulting in qualitatively and quantitiatively cleaner segmentations. Experiments on both artificial and real data show that the graphbased method reduces the error around segmented …

Incremental Genetic K-Means Algorithm And Its Application In Gene Expression Data Analysis, Yi Lu, Shiyong Lu, Farshad Fotouhi, Youping Deng, Susan J. Brown

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

In recent years, clustering algorithms have been effectively applied in molecular biology for gene expression data analysis. With the help of clustering algorithms such as K-means, hierarchical clustering, SOM, etc, genes are partitioned into groups based on the similarity between their expression profiles. In this way, functionally related genes are identified. As the amount of laboratory data in molecular biology grows exponentially each year due to advanced technologies such as Microarray, new efficient and effective methods for clustering must be developed to process this growing amount of biological data.

Results

In this paper, we propose a new clustering …

Sensor Fusion For Video Surveillance, Lauro Snidaro, Gian Luca Foresti, Ruixin Niu, Pramod K. Varshney

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

In this paper, a multisensor data fusion system for object tracking is presented. It is able to track in real-time multiple targets in outdoor environments. The system can take advantage of the redundant information coming from different sensors monitoring the same scene. The measurements (positions of the targets) obtained from the available sources are fused together to obtain a more accurate estimate. Data fusion is performed considering sensor reliability at every time instant. A confidence measure has been employed to weight sensor data in the fusion process. Compared to single camera systems, the adopted approach has produced more accurate and …

An Efficient Scheme For Aggregation And Presentation Of Network Performance, Gurhan Gunduz, Shrideep Pallickara, Geoffrey C. Fox

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

The Internet is presently being used to support increasingly complex interaction models as a result of more and more applications, services and frameworks becoming network centric. Efficient utilization of network and networked resources is of paramount importance. Network performance gathering is a precursor to any scheme that seeks to provide adaptive routing capabilities for interactions. In this paper we present a network performance aggregation framework that is extensible and appropriate for distributed messaging systems that span multiple realms, disparate communication protocols and support different applications.

Active Set Support Vector Regression, David R. Musicant, Alexander Feinberg

Computer Science Faculty Work

We present ASVR, a new active set strategy to solve a straightforward reformulation of the standard support vector regression problem. This new algorithm is based on the successful ASVM algorithm for classification problems, and consists of solving a finite number of linear equations with a typically large dimensionality equal to the number of points to be approximated. However, by making use of the Sherman-Morrison-Woodbury formula, a much smaller matrix of the order of the original input space is inverted at each step. The algorithm requires no specialized quadratic or linear programming code, but merely a linear equation solver which is …