Digital Commons Network^™

A Robust Controller For The Manipulation Of Micro Scale Objects, Qinmin Yang, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A suite of novel robust controllers is presented for the manipulation and handling of micro-scale objects in a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) where adhesive, surface tension, friction and van der Waals forces are dominant. Moreover, these forces are typically unknown. The robust controller overcomes the unknown system dynamics and ensures the performance in the presence of actuator constraints by assuming that the upper bounds on these forces are known. On the other hand, for the robust adaptive controller, the unknown forces are estimated online. Using the Lyapunov approach, the uniformly ultimate boundedness (UUB) of the closed-loop manipulation error is shown for …

The Inns President's Welcome, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Systems Analysis And Design: Should We Be Researching What We Teach?, A. Bajaj, D. Batra, A. Hevner, J. Parsons, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A guiding premise of academic scholarship is that knowledge gained from first-hand research experience is disseminated to students via the classroom. However, that valuable connection is lost when professors are not researching what they teach. In this paper, we explore issues of mismatch between teaching and research in the Information Systems (IS) discipline. Specifically, while systems analysis and design (SA&D) is an integral topic in IS curricula, this topic is the research specialty of few IS professors. This situation is reflected by the low number of research publications in this area; particularly in the leading mainstream IS journals. We characterize …

Robust Temporal Constraint Networks, Hoong Chuin Lau, Thomas Ou, Melvyn Sim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we propose the Robust Temporal Constraint Network (RTCN) model for simple temporal constraint networks where activity durations are bounded by random variables. The problem is to determine whether such temporal network can be executed with failure probability less than a given 0 ≤ E ≤ 1 for each possible instantiation of the random variables, and if so. how one might find a feasible schedule with each given instantiation. The advantage of our model is that one can vary the value of ∊ to control the level of conservativeness of the solution. We present a computationally tractable and …

Exploring Bit-Difference For Approximate Knn Search In High-Dimensional Databases, Bin Cui, Heng Tao Shen, Jialie Shen, Kian-Lee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we develop a novel index structure to support effcient approximate k-nearest neighbor (KNN) query in high-dimensional databases. In high-dimensional spaces, the computational cost of the distance (e.g., Euclidean distance) between two points contributes a dominant portion of the overall query response time for memory processing. To reduce the distance computation, we first propose a structure (BID) using BIt-Difference to answer approximate KNN query. The BID employs one bit to represent each feature vector of point and the number of bit-difference is used to prune the further points. To facilitate real dataset which is typically skewed, we enhance …

Security Of An Ill-Posed Operator Based Scheme For Image Authentication, Yongdong Wu, Robert H. Deng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This letter analyzes the security of an image authentication scheme which exploits the instability of an ill-posed operator. Since the ill-posed operator produces only a limited number of authentic images regardless of the number of watermarks, an attacker can impersonate an image owner to generate authentic images at a high probability. Our experiments demonstrate that our attack is both practical and effective.

Development Of Integrated Process Simulation System Model For Spent Fuel Treatment Facility (Sftf) Design: Quarterly Report October 1-December 31, 2004, Yitung Chen, Sean Hsieh

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) and Transmutation Research Program- University Participation Program (TRP-UPP) supported by Department of Energy of the United States have been developing many important technologies for the transmutation of nuclear waste to address long-term disposal issues. While successfully embedding AMUSE module into a dedicated System Engineering Model (TRPSEMPro), developed by the Nevada Center for Advanced Computational Methods (NCACM) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas collaborating with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), ANL is interested in further simulating the Light Water Reactor (LWR) Spent Fuel Treatment Facility (SFTF) combining commercial process simulation and analysis packages and core …

A Bayesian Technique For Task Localization In Multiple Goal Markov Decision Processes, James Carroll, Kevin Seppi

Faculty Publications

In a reinforcement learning task library system for Multiple Goal Markov Decision Process (MGMDP), localization in the task space allows the agent to determine whether a given task is already in its library in order to exploit previously learned experience. Task localization in MGMDPs can be accomplished through a Bayesian approach, however a trivial approach fails when the rewards are not distributed normally. This can be overcome through our Bayesian Task Localization Technique (BTLT).

Variable Resolution Discretization In The Joint Space, Christopher K. Monson, Kevin Seppi, David Wingate, Todd S. Peterson

Faculty Publications

We present JoSTLe, an algorithm that performs value iteration on control problems with continuous actions, allowing this useful reinforcement learning technique to be applied to problems where a priori action discretization is inadequate. The algorithm is an extension of a variable resolution technique that works for problems with continuous states and discrete actions. Results are given that indicate that JoSTLe is a promising step toward reinforcement learning in a fully continuous domain.

Justilm: Few-Shot Justification Generation For Explainable Fact-Checking Of Real-World Claims, Fengzhu Zeng, Wei Gao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Justification is an explanation that supports the verdict assigned to a claim in fact-checking. However, the task of justification generation is previously oversimplified as summarization of fact-check article authored by professional checkers. In this work, we propose a realistic approach to generate justification based on retrieved evidence. We present a new benchmark dataset called ExClaim for Explainable Claim verification, and introduce JustiLM, a novel few-shot retrieval-augmented language model to learn justification generation by leveraging fact-check articles as auxiliary resource during training. Our results show that JustiLM outperforms in-context learning (ICL)-enabled LMs including Flan-T5 and Llama2, and the retrieval-augmented model Atlas …

Method For Identifying Individuals, Manoj Thulasidas

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A method and system for identifying a subject comprises obtaining a digitised recording of an electrocardiogram measurement of the subject to be identified, the digitised recording being a cyclic waveform having a peak amplitude. The digitised recording is normalised to reduce variations due to physiological effects, and the normalised recording is processed to determine a feature vector in the frequency domain. The distance between the determined feature vector and a predetermined feature vector is measured to identify the subject.

Supporting Field Study With Personalized Project Spaces In A Geographical Digital Library, Ee Peng Lim, Aixin Sun, Zehua Liu, John Hedberg, Chew-Hung Chang, Tiong-Sa Teh, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Yin-Leng Theng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Digital libraries have been rather successful in supporting learning activities by providing learners with access to information and knowledge. However, this level of support is passive to learners and interactive and collaborative learning cannot be easily achieved. In this paper, we study how digital libraries could be extended to serve a more active role in collaborative learning activities. We focus on developing new services to support a common type of learning activity, field study, in a geospatial context. We propose the concept of personal project space that allows individuals to work in their personalized environment with a mix of private …

Factors Impacting E-Government Development, Keng Siau, Y. Long

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

E-government is a way for governments to use new technologies such as the Internet to provide citizens with more convenient access to government information and services, to improve the quality of services, and to provide greater opportunities for citizens to participate in democratic institutions and processes. This research investigates factors impacting e-government development. Based on the growth theory and human capital theory from the economics literature, we hypothesize that information and computer technology, and human development are two factors impacting e-government development. The hypotheses were empirically tested using secondary data from the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme. …

Annotation Manager: An Automated Web-Based Content Management System For Digital Libraries With Annotated Bibliographies, Frenny Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

With the expansion of the World Wide Web in the 90s, individuals (especially students) are always on a quest for information resources especially in the form of Web sites. Yet many of them are overwhelmed when faced with deciding which site will best suit their research needs. As a result, these individuals may select a resource for less than optimal reasons. To ease some of the burden, libraries have made great advances to provide a place to organize information resources. Such places are called library portals, and they typically provide a gateway to web resources by categorizing and annotating them …

High Performance P300 Speller For Brain-Computer Interface, Cuntai Guan, Manoj Thulasidas, Jiankang Wu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

P300 speller is a communication tool with which one can input texts or commands to a computer by thought. The amplitude of the P300 evoked potential is inversely proportional to the probability of infrequent or task-related stimulus. In existing P300 spellers, rows and columns of a matrix are intensified successively and randomly, resulting in a stimulus frequency of 1/N (N is the number of rows or columns of the matrix). We propose a new paradigm to display each single character randomly and individually (therefore reducing the stimulus frequency to 1/(N*N)). On-line experiments showed that this new speller significantly improved the …

Topology Control Of Ad Hoc Wireless Networks For Energy Efficiency, Maggie Xiaoyan Cheng, Mihaela Cardei, Jinhua Sun, Xiaochun Cheng, Lusheng Wang, Yinfeng Xu, Ding-Zhu Du

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

In ad hoc wireless networks, to compute the transmission power of each wireless node such that the resulting network is connected and the total energy consumption is minimized is defined as a Minimum Energy Network Connectivity (MENC) problem, which is an NP-complete problem. In this paper, we consider the approximated solutions for the MENC problem in ad hoc wireless networks. We present a theorem that reveals the relation between the energy consumption of an optimal solution and that of a spanning tree and propose an optimization algorithm that can improve the result of any spanning tree-based topology. Two polynomial time …

Theoretical And Practical Complexity Of Unified Modeling Language: Delphi Study And Metrics Analyses, J. Erickson, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Systems have become increasingly complex, and as a result development methods have become more complex as well. The unified modeling language (UML) has been criticized for the often cited and sometimes over- whelming complexity it presents to its users, and those seeking to learn to use it. Using Rossi and Brinkkemper’s (1996) complexity metrics, Siau and Cao (2001) completed a complexity analysis of UML and 36 other modeling techniques, finding that UML is indeed more complex than other techniques. Siau, Erickson and Lee (2002) proposed that Rossi and Brinkkemper’s metrics present the theoretical maximum complexity, known as theoretical complexity. This …

Vertical Sensitivity For The Information Security Health Rating Of Enterprises, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu, Nagarajan Dayasindhu, Raghavan Subramanian

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

INFOSeMM Maturity model was developed jointly by SMU and Infosys. It is recognized that different industry verticals will have different levels of recommended maturity levels. This paper articulates the need for developing the industry vertical benchmarks.

Recommender Systems For Multimedia Libraries: An Evaluation Of Different Models For Datamining Usage Data, Raquel Oliveira Araujo

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Many recommender systems exist today to help users deal with the large growth in the amount of information available in the Internet. Most of these recommender systems use collaborative filtering or content-based techniques to present new material that would be of interest to a user. While these methods have proven to be effective, they have not been designed specifically for multimedia collections. In this study we present a new method to find recommendations that is not dependent on traditional Information Retrieval (IR) methods and compare it to algorithms that do rely on traditional IR methods. We evaluated these algorithms using …

The Value Of Mobile Commerce To Customers, Keng Siau, H. Sheng, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This research studies the values of m-commerce using a qualitative means-ends approach, called Value-Focused Thinking. The conceptual foundation for this research is the Work System Framework. By interviewing both current and potential m-commerce users, we captured the values of m-commerce and develop a means-ends objective network to illustrate the relationships among these values. As one of the first empirical research to assess the values of m-commerce, this research contributes to an increased understanding of mcommerce. The means-ends objective network also serves as a theoretical foundation for future research in mcommerce. For practitioners, our findings highlight the concerns and issues of …

U-Commerce: Emerging Trends And Research Issues, H. Galanxhi-Janaqi, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Ubiquitous commerce or u-commerce is the combination of traditional e-commerce and wireless, television, voice and silent commerce. U-commerce implies ubiquity, universality, uniqueness and unison. It is not a replacement for other types of commerce, but an extension of them. While bringing many benefits, there are challenges and impediments to overcome. Research is needed to assess the value of u-commerce and to address its related issues and challenges. Questions that need to be addressed are: What is the value of u-commerce? What are the ways to maximize the benefits and value of u-commerce? Is it the right technology and what directions …

Values Of Mobile Commerce To Customers, Keng Siau, H. Sheng, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This research studies the values of m-commerce using a qualitative means-ends approach, called Value-Focused Thinking. The conceptual foundation for this research is the Work System Framework. By interviewing both current and potential m-commerce users, we captured the values of m-commerce and develop a means-ends objective network to illustrate the relationships among these values. As one of the first empirical research to assess the values of m-commerce, this research contributes to an increased understanding of m-commerce. The means-ends objective network also serves as a theoretical foundation for future research in m-commerce. For practitioners, our findings highlight the concerns and issues of …

Design Lessons On Access Features In Paper, Yin-Leng Theng, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Ming Yin, Eng-Kai Suen, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Using Nielsen's Heuristic Evaluation, this paper reports a user study with six usability-trained subjects to evaluate PAPER's access features in assisting users to retrieve information efficiently, part of an on-going design partnership with stakeholders and designers/developers. PAPER (Personalised Adaptive Pathways for Exam Resources) is an improved version evolving from an earlier implementation of GeogDL built upon G-Portal, a geospatial digital library infrastructure. After two initial evaluations with student and teacher design partners, PAPER has evolved into a system containing a new bundle of personalized, interactive services with four modules: mock exam; personal coach (practice and review); trend analysis and performance …

On Security Notions For Steganalysis, Kisik Chang, Robert H. Deng, Feng Bao, Sangjin Lee, Hyungjun Kim, Jongin Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

There have been some achievements in steganalysis recently. Many people have been making strides in steganalysis. They have approached steganalysis from different angles; from information theory to complexity theory. Anderson gave a possibility that there is a provable secure steganographic system, but there had not been complexity theoretical approaches for years. In 2002, Katzenbeisser and Petitcolas defined the conditional security of steganography and gave a possibility for a practical, provable secure steganography for the first time, and Hopper et al. introduced a provable secure steganographic algorithm in the sense of complexity theory. Chang et al. also tried to define the …

Automatic Model Structuring From Text Using Biomedical Ontology, Joshi R., Li X., Ramachandaran S., Tze-Yun Leong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Bayesian Networks and Influence Diagrams are effective methods for structuring clinical problems. Constructing a relevant structure without the numerical probabilities in itself is a challenging task. In addition, due to the rapid rate of innovations and new findings in the biomedical domain, constructing a relevant graphical model becomes even more challenging. Building a model structure from text with minimum intervention from domain experts and minimum training examples has always been a challenge for the researchers. In the biomedical domain, numerous advances have been made which may make this dream a possibility now. We are currently trying to build a general …

Automating The Extraction Of Domain-Specific Information From The Web-A Case Study For The Genealogical Domain, Troy L. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Current ways of finding genealogical information within the millions of pages on the Web are inadequate. In an effort to help genealogical researchers find desired information more quickly, we have developed GeneTIQS, a Genealogy Target-based Information Query System. GeneTIQS builds on ontology-based methods of data extraction to allow database-style queries on the Web. This thesis makes two main contributions to GeneTIQS. (1) It builds a framework to do generic ontology-based data extraction. (2) It develops a hybrid record separator based on Vector Space Modeling that uses both formatting clues and data clues to split pages into component records. The record …

Target-Dominant Chinese-English Machine Translation, Dan Su

Theses and Dissertations

Information exchange is increasing rapidly with the advent of globalization. As the language spoken by the most people in today's world, Chinese will play an important role in information exchange in the future. Therefore, we need an efficient and practical means to access the increasingly large volume of Chinese data. This thesis describes a target-dominant Chinese-English machine translation system, which can translate a given Chinese news sentence into English. We conjecture that we can improve the state of the art of MT using a TDMT approach. This system has participated in the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) 2004 …

Does The Halting Necessary For Hardware Trace Collection Inordinately Perturb The Results?, Myles G. Watson

Theses and Dissertations

Processor address traces are invaluable for characterizing workloads and testing proposed memory hierarchies. Long traces are needed to exercise modern cache designs and produce meaningful results, but are difficult to collect with hardware monitors because microprocessors access memory too frequently for disks or other large storage to keep up. The small, fast buffers of the monitors fill quickly; in order to obtain long contiguous traces, the processor must be stopped while the buffer is emptied. This halting may perturb the traces collected, but this cannot be measured directly, since long uninterrupted traces cannot be collected. We make the case that …

Real-Time Image Enhancement Using Texture Synthesis, Matthew J. Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an approach to real-time image enhancement using texture synthesis. Traditional image enhancement techniques are typically time consuming, lack realistic detail, or do not scale well for large magnification factors.

Real-time Enhancement using Texture Synthesis (RETS) combines interpolation, classification, and patch-based texture synthesis to enhance low-resolution imagery, particularly aerial imagery. RETS uses as input a low-resolution source image and several high-resolution sample textures. The output of RETS is a high-resolution image with the structure of the source image, but with detail consistent with the high-resolution sample textures. We show that RETS can enhance large amounts of imagery in …

Parsing Concurrent Xml, Ionut E. Iacob, Alex Dekhtyar, Kazuyo Kaneko

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Concurrent markup hierarchies appear often in document-centric XML documents, as a result of different XML elements having overlapping scopes. They require significantly different approach to management and maintenance. Management of XML documents composed of concurrent markup has been mostly studied by the document processing community and has attracted attention of computer scientists only recently. In this paper we discuss the architecture of an XML parser for concurrent XML. This parser uses a GODDAG data structure in place of traditional DOM Tree to store concurrent markup on top of the document content and provides a DOM-like API that allows software developers …