Digital Commons Network^™

The Re-Engineering Of The Air Force Institute Of Technology Student Information System, Douglas J. Wu

Theses and Dissertations

This research describes the design and implementation issues associated with re-engineering the Air Force Institute of Technology Student Information System (AFITSIS). Currently, AFITSIS executes on aging relational database technology and has unfriendly user interface mechanisms. The two research objectives met were to research current AFITSIS requirements, design, and implementation, and use object-oriented methods to design an alternative implementation based on proposed object database management system standards. This research explores how AFITSIS performance and capabilities might be enhanced by taking advantage of new object-oriented software engineering techniques. One of the primary benefits of this research is a detailed object modeling technique …

Improving Intrusion Detection In Unix-Based Networks, David R. Landry

Theses and Dissertations

Computer security has not kept pace with the rapid growth of networked systems. Through its connection to the Internet, the Department of Defense is vulnerable to computer-based attacks. Current intrusion detection systems are still unproven, too complicated, or too costly for most system security officers to implement. The attack methods used by system intruders are known and can be represented as groups of commands called attack signatures. This thesis investigates methods for detecting intruders by monitoring command usage. Testing was conducted in both controlled and uncontrolled circumstances. With controlled testing, it was shown that 7 of the 11 signatures could …

Designing And Implementing An Ada Language Binding Specification For Odmg-93, Stephen R. Lindsay

Theses and Dissertations

Object-oriented database management systems (ODBMSs) represent the latest advancement in database technology, combining the reusability and maintainability of the object-oriented programming paradigm with the ability to efficiently store and retrieve a wide range of data types as well as code to manipulate stored data. Unfortunately, programmers developing software in the Ada programming language do not have the ability to interface to object databases without significant customized code development. One important reason for this has been the absence of a standard defining the constructs accessing ODBMS functionality. This thesis documents the creation of an Ada language binding to the ODMG-93 standard …

Modeling Workload Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Air Force Wing Command And Control, Michael D. Sarchet

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the feasibility of applying software engineering technology to the Air Force wing command and control (C2) domain. As part of this research, domain analysis and object-oriented techniques were investigated and a specific approach was chosen to analyze the domain. Analysis of the domain resulted in an object-oriented domain model that captured the key objects, operations, and associations of wing C2. The domain model was used to design and implement a prototype software tool that enables wing decision makers to make assessments about automation's impact on wing C2 operations.

Development Of A Mammographic Image Processing Environment Using Matlab, John L. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is a disease that accounts for a disturbingly large number of deaths in females each year. Its prevalence is a topic of concern to all of us since it can affect our families, friends, and coworkers. Although mammographic screening is the most effective method currently available for the early detection of breast cancer, it is far from being an infallible procedure. Mammographic reading is error prone, partly because of the complexity of the task and partly because of the variability in human performance. Computers offer high reproducibility, and when used as an adjunct by the radiologist, may improve …

Minimizing The Impact Of Synchronization Overhead In Parallel Discrete Event Simulations, Andrew C. Walton

Theses and Dissertations

A Parallel Discrete Event Simulation Coprocessor was designed for conservative synchronization protocols and was implemented in software using some of a parallel computer's nodes to act as coprocessors. The coprocessor was designed to offload synchronization overhead and next event queue management from the nodes running the simulation. The coprocessor was designed to accelerate simulations based on the Simulation Protocol Evaluation on a Concurrent Testbed with ReUsable Modules (SPECTRUM) environment. The research was conducted in three steps: the SPECTRUM environment was ported from an Intel iPSC-2 to an Intel Paragon XP-S, the coprocessor was designed and the simulations were timed, with …

Multiple Model Adaptive Estimation And Head Motion Tracking In A Virtual Environment: An Engineering Approach, James E. Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Software engineering tools and techniques were applied to design and implement an application that reduces lag typically present in virtual environment displays. The application was a Multiple Model Adaptive Estimator (MMAE), composed of three Kalman filters, that predicted head orientation one sample period into the future. The environment rendering software used these predictions to generate the environment display. Each of the filters in the MMAE was designed for a different assumed head motion type (benign, moderate, or heavy), which allowed the MMAE to adapt to changes in head movement characteristics. The use of Ada 9X as an implementation language for …

Image Perception Wavelet Simulation And Enhancement For The Visually Impaired, Lemuel Ray Myers Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This research delves into the area of image enhancement for the visually impaired. Binocular macular degeneration a visual impairment, affects many Americans; since this condition could not be corrected with conventional glasses the literature suggested using an enhancement system which used a pre-emphasis algorithm to enhance the input image for output to the observer. The work of Dr. Eli Peli, a pioneer in the field of image enhancement, is examine and reproduced. Since his work concentrated mainly on frequency analysis of images, the bulk of this research involves using discrete wavelet analysis to augment that work. A biorthogonal wavelet set …

A Comparison Of Error Categorization Schemes For Use In Software System Safety Programs, Richard Escobedo, Jim Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Software safety is becoming increasingly important in the development of DoD advanced weapon systems. To make software safer, hazard conditions must be avoided along with the errors that accompany them. The first step in identifying errors is classifying error data. The area of software error classification is not as advanced as other software development areas. The technical literature lacks examples of comprehensive taxonomies that can be applied to various computer software domains and applications. The predominant approach is to organize errors into categories particular to the program currently in work. The typical error scheme is made of narrow categories that …

Unification Of Larch And Z-Based Object Models To Support Algebraically-Based Design Refinement: The Larch Perspective, Catherine J. Lin

Theses and Dissertations

This research describes the feasibility of developing object-oriented LARCH specifications, part of a dual approach for formally extending object-oriented analysis models using LARCH and Z. The first phase consisted of two steps establishing a set of transformation heuristics for algebraically representing object models and implementing a robust LARCH parser. The LARCH parser produced abstract syntax trees ASTs of objects forming the basis for analyzing the similarities and differences between Z-based and LARCH-based object representations. The second phase used the analysis of LARCH and Z to identify fundamental core constructs in the languages and abstract syntax trees. These core constructs consisted …

Next Generation Real-Time Systems: Investigating The Potential Of Partial-Solution Tasks, Robert E. J. Caley

Theses and Dissertations

While the cyclic executive and fixed-priority scheduling strategies have been sufficient to handle traditional real- time requirements. they are insufficient for dealing with the complexities of next-generation real-time systems. New methods of intelligent control must be developed for guaranteeing on-time task completion for real-time systems that are faced with unpredictable and dynamically changing requirements. Implementing real-time processes as partial-solution tasks is one technique that may be beneficial. This type of task. when combined with intelligent control, has the potential for increasing pre-runtime schedulability, system maintainability. and runtime robustness. This research investigates the benefits of partial-solution tasks by experimentally measuring the …

The Photo-Realistic Afit Virtual Cockpit, Milton E. Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) has pursued research in virtual environments since 1988. This research expands the current capabilities of the AFIT Virtual Cockpit (VC) by increasing the realism of the cockpit environment and improving the pilot's command interface. Realism is improved creating console elements from texture maps and polygonal models; these elements include working dials, switches and circuit breakers. The pilot command interface is improved in part by adapting the AFIT Information Pod using a two-dimensional mouse input to the virtual three-dimensional environment. This immersive virtual environment is also improved by modifications to the Head Mounted Display …

Predicting Protein Structure Using Parallel Genetic Algorithms, George H. Gates Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The protein folding problem is a biochemistry Grand Challenge problem. The challenge is to reliably predict natural three-dimensional structures of polypeptides. Genetic algorithms (GAs) are robust, semi-optimal search techniques modeling natural evolutionary processes. Fast messy GAs (fmGAs) are variants of messy GAs that reduce the exponential time complexity to polynomial. This investigation evaluates the merits of parallel SGAs and fmGAs for minimizing the potential energy of a pentapeptide, (Met)-enkephalin. AFIT's energy model is compared to a similar model in a commercial package called QUANTA. Differences between the two models are identified and resolved to enhance GAs' abilities to correctly fold …

Enhanced Visual User Interface Support For Domain-Oriented Application Composition Systems, Richard A. Guinto

Theses and Dissertations

This research refined the functionality and usability of a previously developed visual interface for a domain-oriented application composition system. The refinements incorporated more sophisticated user interface design concepts1 to reduce user workload. User workload was reduced through window reordering, menu redesign, and Human Computer Interaction techniques such as; combining repetitive procedures into single commands, reusing composition information whenever possible and deriving new information from existing information. The Software Refinery environment, including its visual interface tool INTERVISTA, was used to develop techniques for visualizing and manipulating objects contained in a formal knowledge base of objects. The interface was formally validated with …

Display User Manual Version 1.1, Edward Mascarenhas, Vernon J. Rego

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Ariadne User Manual Version 2.0, Edward Mascarenhas, Vernon J. Rego, Vaidy Sunderam

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Performance Monitoring Of Hybrid Intelligent Systems, Nariman Abdel Baky, Fikret Ercal

Computer Science Technical Reports

Development of an automated system to enable the ongoing monitoring and control of the performance of HIS is a step towards increasing the confidence and security with which ordinary users will perceive AI-based Systems. The main objective of this research was to develop a prototype intelligent system to perform this monitoring. The proposed monitming system integrates performance metrics for the HIS's components with heuristics for evaluating data quality by checking data types, data ranges, percentage of missing data and the composition of data. The research demonstrated the possibility of developing such system and the feasibility of using it for a …

Ccsp - A Formal System For Distributed Program Debugging, Hanan Lutfiyya, Bruce Mcmillin, Beth Arrowsmith, Cristina Serban

Computer Science Technical Reports

One major problem with programming in a parallel/distributed environment is the difficulty in debugging the programs owing to the complex interactions of their component processes. Complete knowledge of the program's state is not generally attainable in a distributed system. This paper presents a distributed system for debugging distributed programs that allows for the execution and evaluation of embedded assertions expressed in Hoare's CSP [6]. We show examples of the use of this system, prove its correctness, and describe how the system can be used for the more general case of ensuring an application's correctness at run-time.

The Fat-Pyramid And Universal Parallel Computation Independent Of Wire Delay, Ronald I. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper shows that a fat-pyramid of area Θ(A) requires only O(log A) slowdown to simulate any competing network of area A under very general conditions. The result holds regardless of the processor size (amount of attached memory) and number of processors in the competing networks as long as the limitation on total area is met. Furthermore, the result is valid regardless of the relationship between wire length and wire delay. We especially focus on elimination of the common simplifying assumption that unit time suffices to traverse a wire regardless of its length, since the assumption becomes more and more …

Generalized Probabilistic Reasoning And Empirical Studies On Computational Efficiency And Scalability, Eric P. Baenen

Theses and Dissertations

Expert Systems are tools that can be very useful for diagnostic purposes, however current methods of storing and reasoning with knowledge have significant limitations. One set of limitations involves how to store and manipulate uncertain knowledge: much of the knowledge we are dealing with has some degree of uncertainty. These limitations include lack of complete information, not being able to model cyclic information and limitations on the size and complexity of the problems to be solved. If expert systems are ever going to be able to tackle significant real world problems then these deficiencies must be corrected. This paper describes …

Knowledge-Based Safety Training System (Kbsts): A Prototype Implementation, Venky Shankararaman, B. S. Lee

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A computer-based safety training system for process operators must be able to make effective presentation of textual material, test the trainee's understanding through quizzes and facilitate plant simulation. The general framework of such a system is presented in an earlier paper (Computers in Industry, Vol. 17, 1991, pp. 349–358). In this paper, we discuss the development and implementation of a prototype Knowledge-Based Safety Training System based on the framework. The design philosophy, system architecture and the plant modelling methodology are described.

A New Approach To Automatic Target Recognition Using Wavelet Transforms, Anitha Panapakkam, S. N. Balakrishnan, Daniel St. Clair

Computer Science Technical Reports

Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) systems have significant impact in defense applications. There is a continuing need to develop new and robust techniques to handle the increasingly complex ATR problem. The objectives of this thesis are two-fold. First a new technique to be used for ATR is developed and secondly an integrated ATR system to investigate and combine all subsystems is developed. In this thesis, we have developed a new technique for the feature extraction stage of ATR problem using wavelet transforms. Wavelet transforms have been one of the widely investigated areas of research in the past few years. The promising …

Autonomous Robot Navigation In Unknown Terrains Using Parallel Numerical Artificial Potential Fields, John C. Schneider

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

We present a new artificial potential field formulation for resolution complete robot navigation that unifies the purely geometric path planning problem with the lower level force control problem. Our formulation is designed for numerical computation over a massively parallel mesh of processors and is responsive to newly discovered terrain features. It does not suffer from many of the problems commonly associated with potential fields and with adequate resolution provides provably correct, collision free convergence to the goal. In addition, our formulation supports many desirable, practical features required for implementation, such as bounded actuator torques, attainable incremental constructability, realizable computation and …

Semantics Vs. Syntax Vs. Computations Machine Models For Type-2 Polynomial-Time Bounded Functionals (Preliminary Draft), James S. Royer

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Technical Reports

This paper investigates analogs of the Kreisel-Lacombe-Shoenfield Theorem in the context of the type-2 basic feasible functionals, a.k.a. the Mehlhorn-Cook class of type-2 polynomial-time functionals. We develop a direct, polynomial-time analog of effective operation, where the time bound on computations is modeled after Kapron and Cook's scheme for their basic polynomial-time functionals. We show that (i) if P = NP, these polynomial-time effective operations are strictly more powerful on R (the class of recursive functions) than the basic feasible functions, and (ii) there is an oracle relative to which these polynomial-time effective operations and the basic feasible functionals have the …

1.1, Yolanda Jones

E-lert

No abstract provided.

Icdm: Integrated Cooperative Decision Making - In Practice, Leonard Myers, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

Multi-agent systems provide an attractive architecture for the implementation of complex systems. Much of the research is focussed on complete automation of the decision making process as a means of duplicating human abilities for working with new problems and environments. There as also a need for systems that employ the human as an agent and rely on human abilities for common sense and deep thought. The CAD Research Center at Cal Poly and CDM Technologies have significant experience in building systems of the latter type that assist human users in solving complex problems in planning, design and economics. This experience …

Multimedia Authoring, Development Environments, And Digital Video Editing, Fillia Makedon, James W. Matthews, Charles B. Owen, Samuel A. Rebelsky

Dartmouth Scholarship

Multimedia systems integrate text, audio, video, graphics, and other media and allow them to be utilized in a combined and interactive manner. Using this exciting and rapidly developing technology, multimedia applications can provide extensive benefits in a variety of arenas, including research, education, medicine, and commerce. While there are many commercial multimedia development packages, the easy and fast creation of a useful, full-featured multimedia document is not yet a straightforward task.

This paper addresses issues in the development of multimedia documents, ranging from user-interface tools that manipulate multimedia documents to multimedia communication technologies such as compression, digital video editing and …

Covering Radius 1985-1994, G. D. Cohen, S. N. Litsyn, Antoine C. Lobstein, H. F. Mattson Jr

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Technical Reports

We survey important developments in the theory of covering radius during the period 1985-1994. We present lower bounds, constructions and upper bounds, the linear and nonlinear cases, density and asymptotic results, normality, specific classes of codes, covering radius and dual distance, tables, and open problems.

Design And Implementation Of Tools To Increase User Control And Knowledge Elicitation In A Virtual Battlespace, Jim J. Rohrer

Theses and Dissertations

AFIT's Synthetic BattleBridge is an immersive command observatory for viewing large-area activity within a virtual environment. Three basic areas for improvement are addressed: (1) an improved, immersive, user interface, (2) direct control of atmospheric effects, and (3) improved knowledge elicitation by means of remote viewers, a new space scope, and an enhanced RADAR scope. These requirements are analyzed and implemented. Some functionality was lost but the results show a general improvement of environmental control and knowledge elicitation.

Contour Ranking On Coarse Grained Machines: A Case Study For Low-Level Vision Computations, Farooq Hameed, Ashfaq A. Khokhar, Susanne E. Hambrusch, Jamshed Patel

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.