Digital Commons Network^™

Preserd - Privacy Ensured Service Discovery In Mobile Peer-To-Peer Environment, Santhosh Muthyapu

Masters Theses

"In mobile peer-to-peer networks many service discovery protocols have been proposed. Most of these protocols disregard the exposure of the participating peers' privacy details, although they consider the security issues. In these methods, the participating peers must provide their identities, during the service discovery process, to be authorized to utilize the service. However, a peer might not be willing to reveal its identity until it identifies the service providing peer. So these peers face a problem; should the requesting peer or the service providing peer reveal the identity first, and hence, this is similar to the chicken-and-egg problem. The protocol …

Image Analysis Techniques For Vertebra Anomaly Detection In X-Ray Images, Mohammed Das

Masters Theses

"In this research, imaging techniques are investigated for the analysis and detection of abnormalities in cervical and lumbar vertebrae. Detecting vertebra anomalies pertaining to osteoarthritis such as claw, traction and anterior osteophytes can aide in treatment plans for the patient. New size invariant features were developed for the detection of claw, traction and anterior osteophytes in cervical spine vertebrae. Using a K-means clustering and nearest centroid classification approach, the results were generated that were capable of discriminating cervical vertebrae for presence of anomalies related to osteophytes. The techniques developed can be integrated into systems based on querying spine images to …

Co-Evolutionary Automated Software Correction: A Proof Of Concept, Joshua Lee Wilkerson

Masters Theses

"The task of ensuring that a software artifact is correct can be a very time consuming process. To be able to say that an algorithm is correct is to say that it will produce results in accordance with its specifications for all valid input. One possible way to identify an incorrect implementation is through the use of automated testing (currently an open problem in the field of software engineering); however, actually correcting the implementation is typically a manual task for the software developer. In this thesis a system is presented which automates not only the testing but also the correction …

A Time Series Classifier, Christopher Mark Gore

Masters Theses

"A time series is a sequence of data measured at successive time intervals. Time series analysis refers to all of the methods employed to understand such data, either with the purpose of explaining the underlying system producing the data or to try to predict future data points in the time series...An evolutionary algorithm is a non-deterministic method of searching a solution space, and modeled after biological evolutionary processes. A learning classifier system (LCS) is a form of evolutionary algorithm that operates on a population of mapping rules. We introduce the time series classifier TSC, a new type of LCS that …

Critical Infrastructure Protection And The Domain Name Service (Dns) System, Mark Edward Snyder

Masters Theses

"Components of the critical infrastructure of any system are natural targets for attack. Any inherent weakness of such components can potentially expose the entire system to vulnerability. The Domain Name System (DNS) is one component of the proper functioning of the Internet. Although DNS is a relatively simple, isolated component, it serves as a straightforward example for the study of distributed systems in general, and as such, we have explored properties of DNS to examine how enterprise-scale, critical infrastructure components are vulnerable to attack, what protections are afforded to defenders of such components, the inherent weaknesses of such systems, and …

Development Of Integrated Process Simulation System Model For Spent Fuel Treatment Facility Design, Yitung Chen, Sean Hsieh

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The major objectives will lead to the creation of a framework that combines all the strengths of AMUSE’s complicated calculations, well-established commercial system process package, and ISOPro’s flexible parameter optimization modules. Development of the process simulation code can be done using the solvent extraction process at Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with the research team from the Mechanical Engineering Department at UNLV.

Research accomplishments:

• Completed final version of the ISOPro User Manual associated with summarized ISOPro source codes.

• Redesigned and completed use case and design class diagrams (DCD) of the ISOPro package using ArgoUML.

• Improved ISOPro system …

Phase-Shifting Haar Wavelets For Image-Based Rendering Applications, Mais Alnasser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we establish the underlying research background necessary for tackling the problem of phase-shifting in the wavelet transform domain. Solving this problem is the key to reducing the redundancy and huge storage requirement in Image-Based Rendering (IBR) applications, which utilize wavelets. Image-based methods for rendering of dynamic glossy objects do not truly scale to all possible frequencies and high sampling rates without trading storage, glossiness, or computational time, while varying both lighting and viewpoint. This is due to the fact that current approaches are limited to precomputed radiance transfer (PRT), which is prohibitively expensive in terms of memory …

Association-Based Image Retrieval For Automatic Target Recognition., Arun D. Kulkarni, H. Gunturu, S. Dalta

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Model-based automatic target recognition (ATR)systems deal with recognizing three dimensional objects from two dimensional images. In order to recognizeand identify objects the ATRsystem must have one or more stored models. Multiple two dimensional views of each three dimensional objectthat may appear in the universe it deals withare stored in the database. During recognition, two dimensional view of atarget object is used a query image and the search is carried out to identify the corresponding three dimensional object. Stages of a model-based ATR system include preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, and searching thedatabase. One of the most important problems in a model-based …

Cs 480/680-01: Comparative Programming Languages, Michael L. Raymer

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Information Technology Adoption By Small Businesses In Minority And Ethnic Communities, Sajda Qureshi, Anne S. York

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Information systems adoption by small businesses often is viewed as a basic building block of economic development. Yet, the components that impact business success and thus economic development are mostly unexplored, especially within the context of minority and ethnic communities, both domestically and internationally. Given that IT adoption in small businesses is very often the domain of the business owner, an investigation of how the attributes of individual business owners and the context in which they are embedded is essential. This paper develops an integrative model of the role that IT adoption plays in business success and the economic development …

Optrr: Optimizing Randomized Response Schemes For Privacy-Preserving Data Mining, Zhengli Huang, Wenliang Du

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

The randomized response (RR) technique is a promising technique to disguise private categorical data in Privacy-Preserving Data Mining (PPDM). Although a number of RR-based methods have been proposed for various data mining computations, no study has systematically compared them to find optimal RR schemes. The difficulty of comparison lies in the fact that to compare two PPDM schemes, one needs to consider two conflicting metrics: privacy and utility. An optimal scheme based on one metric is usually the worst based on the other metric. In this paper, we first describe a method to quantify privacy and utility. We formulate the …

Automated Regression Testing Approach To Expansion And Refinement Of Speech Recognition Grammars, Raul Dookhoo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes an approach to automated regression testing for speech recognition grammars. A prototype Audio Regression Tester called ART has been developed using Microsoft's Speech API and C#. ART allows a user to perform any of three tasks: automatically generate a new XML-based grammar file from standardized SQL database entries, record and cross-reference audio files for use by an underlying speech recognition engine, and perform regression tests with the aid of an oracle grammar. ART takes as input a wave sound file containing speech and a newly created XML grammar file. It then simultaneously executes two tests: one with …

Alayzing The Effects Of Modularity On Search Spaces, Ozlem Garibay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We are continuously challenged by ever increasing problem complexity and the need to develop algorithms that can solve complex problems and solve them within a reasonable amount of time. Modularity is thought to reduce problem complexity by decomposing large problems into smaller and less complex subproblems. In practice, introducing modularity into evolutionary algorithm representations appears to improve search performance; however, how and why modularity improves performance is not well understood. In this thesis, we seek to better understand the effects of modularity on search. In particular, what are the effects of module creation on the search space structure and how …

Vcluster: A Portable Virtual Computing Library For Cluster Computing, Hua Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Message passing has been the dominant parallel programming model in cluster computing, and libraries like Message Passing Interface (MPI) and Portable Virtual Machine (PVM) have proven their novelty and efficiency through numerous applications in diverse areas. However, as clusters of Symmetric Multi-Processor (SMP) and heterogeneous machines become popular, conventional message passing models must be adapted accordingly to support this new kind of clusters efficiently. In addition, Java programming language, with its features like object oriented architecture, platform independent bytecode, and native support for multithreading, makes it an alternative language for cluster computing. This research presents a new parallel programming model …

Semantic Video Retrieval Using High Level Context, Yusuf Aytar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video retrieval - searching and retrieving videos relevant to a user defined query - is one of the most popular topics in both real life applications and multimedia research. This thesis employs concepts from Natural Language Understanding in solving the video retrieval problem. Our main contribution is the utilization of the semantic word similarity measures for video retrieval through the trained concept detectors, and the visual co-occurrence relations between such concepts. We propose two methods for content-based retrieval of videos: (1) A method for retrieving a new concept (a concept which is not known to the system and no annotation …

Appearance-Driven Material Design, Mark Colbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the computer graphics production environment, artists often must tweak specific lighting and material parameters to match a mind's eye vision of the appearance of a 3D scene. However, the interaction between a material and a lighting environment is often too complex to cognitively predict without visualization. Therefore, artists operate in a design cycle, where they tweak the parameters, wait for a visualization, and repeat, seeking to obtain a desired look. We propose the use of appearance-driven material design. Here, artists directly design the appearance of reflected light for a specific view, surface point, and time. In this thesis, we …

New Method For Approximating Vague Sets To Fuzzy Sets Based On Voting Model, Jian Liu, Zhizhan Liu, Shunxiang Wu, Yongjian Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

By analyzing Vague Sets voting model, we bring forth a new method for approximating Vague Sets to Fuzzy Sets, and its general process is presented in the article. In a voting model, firstly, we suppose that the abstainers must vote for once more, and the results are close studied. Then the randomicity, uncertainty, and conformity of voting are found. As we know, an abstainer may favor somebody, oppose somebody, or just abstain. In this article, we suppose the distribution of results is consistent with a normal distribution. So, we advance the new approximation method based on Gauss Distribution. © 2008 …

Generalized Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman Formulation-Based Neural Network Control Of Affine Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems, Zheng Chen, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we consider the use of nonlinear networks towards obtaining nearly optimal solutions to the control of nonlinear discrete-time (DT) systems. The method is based on least squares successive approximation solution of the generalized Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (GHJB) equation which appears in optimization problems. Successive approximation using the GHJB has not been applied for nonlinear DT systems. The proposed recursive method solves the GHJB equation in DT on a well-defined region of attraction. The definition of GHJB, pre-Hamiltonian function, HJB equation, and method of updating the control function for the affine nonlinear DT systems under small perturbation assumption are proposed. …

Evaluating Mobility Predictors In Wireless Networks For Improving Handoff And Opportunistic Routing, Libo Song

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

We evaluate mobility predictors in wireless networks. Handoff prediction in wireless networks has long been considered as a mechanism to improve the quality of service provided to mobile wireless users. Most prior studies, however, were based on theoretical analysis, simulation with synthetic mobility models, or small wireless network traces. We study the effect of mobility prediction for a large realistic wireless situation. We tackle the problem by using traces collected from a large production wireless network to evaluate several major families of handoff-location prediction techniques, a set of handoff-time predictors, and a predictor that jointly predicts handoff location and time. …

Developing A Process Model For The Forensic Extraction Of Information From Desktop Search, Timothy Pavlic, Jill Slay, Benjamin Turnbull

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Desktop search applications can contain cached copies of files that were deleted from the file system. Forensic investigators see this as a potential source of evidence, as documents deleted by suspects may still exist in the cache. Whilst there have been attempts at recovering data collected by desktop search applications, there is no methodology governing the process, nor discussion on the most appropriate means to do so. This article seeks to address this issue by developing a process model that can be applied when developing an information extraction application for desktop search applications, discussing preferred methods and the limitations of …

Energy Efficient Correlated Data Aggregation For Wireless Sensor Networks, Seung Jong Park, Raghupathy Sivakumar

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Data aggregations from Sensors to a sink in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are typically characterized by correlation along the spatial, semantic, and temporal dimensions. Exploiting such correlation when performing data aggregation can result in considerable improvements in the bandwidth and energy performance of WSNs. For the sensors-to-sink data delivery, we first explore two theoretical solutions: the shortest path tree (SPT) and the minimum spanning tree (MST) approaches. To approximate the optimal solution (MST) in case of perfect correlation among data, we propose a new aggregation which combines the minimum dominating set (MDS) with the shortest path tree (SPT) in order …

Super Fuzzy Matrices And Super Fuzzy Models For Social Scientists, Florentin Smarandache, W.B. Vasantha Kandasamy, K. Amal

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The concept of supermatrix for social scientists was first introduced by Paul Horst. The main purpose of his book was to introduce this concept to social scientists, students, teachers and research workers who lacked mathematical training. He wanted them to be equipped in a branch of mathematics that was increasingly valuable for the analysis of scientific data. This book introduces the concept of fuzzy super matrices and operations on them. The author has provided only those operations on fuzzy supermatrices that are essential for developing super fuzzy multi expert models. We do not indulge in labourious use of suffixes or …

A Growth-Theoretic Empirical Analysis Of Simultaneity In Cross-National E-Commerce Development, Shu-Chun Ho, Robert J. Kauffman, Ting-Peng Liang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The emergence of information and communication technologies infrastructure has transformed the global economy. The development of information technology infrastructure is limited to some developed countries though. This research explores the role of information technology infrastructure in B2C e-commerce growth at the country-level from the perspective of growth theory in economics. We propose a hybrid exogenous and endogenous growth model to explain e-commerce growth. We estimate a panel data model that incorporates the direct effects of e-commerce infrastructure and other key explanatory variables. We further specify a simultaneous effects model that permits the analysis of reverse causality in the association between …

Face Annotation Using Transductive Kernel Fisher Discriminant, Jianke Zhu, Steven C. H. Hoi, Michael R. Lyu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Face annotation in images and videos enjoys many potential applications in multimedia information retrieval. Face annotation usually requires many training data labeled by hand in order to build effective classifiers. This is particularly challenging when annotating faces on large-scale collections of media data, in which huge labeling efforts would be very expensive. As a result, traditional supervised face annotation methods often suffer from insufficient training data. To attack this challenge, in this paper, we propose a novel Transductive Kernel Fisher Discriminant (TKFD) scheme for face annotation, which outperforms traditional supervised annotation methods with few training data. The main idea of …

Factors Affecting The Information Quality Of Personal Web Portfolios, P. Katerattanakul, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Personal Web portfolios have become a popular information source and an effective method for individuals to present themselves to others in cyberspace. Thus, the quality of personal Web portfolios is critical and affects the perception that others have of the individuals. But how do we measure quality of personal Web portfolios? What are the important factors affecting quality of personal Web portfolios? This study presents the development of an instrument measuring factors affecting information quality of personal Web portfolios. The proposed instrument, based on the Information Quality framework, was refined and validated to assess its construct validity, convergent validity, and …

Web-Based Service Exchange System For Agents And Humans Alike, Evens Jean, Machigar Ongtang, A. R. Hurson

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Semantic Web research aims at bridging the gap between how humans and agents process information readily available on the Internet. One of the great challenges to this goal lies in the fact that humans, contrary to agents, can extract the meaning of words based on its context. This work introduces a service exchange system for the Web that allows agents to intelligently process information, as would humans. This is achieved by the use of thesauri to help agents resolve semantic heterogeneity in the information being processed. The framework for the exchange system has been realized under the aglet platform on …

Social Network Analysis Of Video Bloggers' Community, John Warmbrodt, Hong Sheng, Richard H. Hall

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Video blogs (or vlogs) have become increasingly popular in recent years. As the main motivation for vlogging is to interact with other vloggers, it is important to investigate the structure of the videobloggers' community and the interactions among vloggers. This research conducted a quantitative analysis using social network analysis. A list of personal vloggers was identified from VlogDIR and linking patters of vlogs were analyzed. The results suggest that video bloggers' community is highly decentralized and exhibits a core/periphery structure.

Probabilistic Sales Forecasting For Small And Medium-Size Business Operations, Randall E. Duran

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

One of the most important aspects of operating a business is the forecasting of sales and allocation of resources to fulfill sales. Sales assessments are usually based on mental models that are not well defined, may be biased, and are difficult to refine and improve over time. Defining sales forecasting models for small- and medium-size business operations is especially difficult when the number of sales events is small but the revenue per sales event is large. This chapter reviews the challenges of sales forecasting in this environment and describes how incomplete and potentially suspect information can be used to produce …

Intelligent Query For Real Estate Search, Mandeep Jandir

Master's Projects

The purpose of this project is to improve search query accuracy in a real estate website by developing an intelligent query system which provides the best matching result for standard search criteria. This intelligent query website utilizes fuzzy logic and partial membership to filter query results based on user input data. Fuzzy logic helps obtain results that are otherwise not attainable from a non-fuzzy search. A non-fuzzy search entails search results that match exactly with the given criteria. This project also allows a user to do a free keyword search. This type of search uses synonyms of the keywords to …

A New Design For The Hudson Community School District's Website, Shannon Michelle Horn

Honors Program Theses

Technology is increasingly becoming a bigger and more important part of our daily lives. Especially in such institutions as the public education system, the Internet is becoming more widely used as a source of information and a means of communication between the district and parents, students, the community, and even teachers. The Internet, and all forms of technology, is increasingly becoming the primary way people access information, especially in education. As more and more schools are depending on the Internet to promote their schools, they are in tum becoming dependent on how outsiders view their website as a first impression …