Digital Commons Network^™

Lily-A Generator For Compiler Frontends, Thomas J. Sager

Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

The Slicing Extent Technique For Fast Ray Tracing, Sudhanshu Kumar Semwal

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

A new technique for image generation using ray tracing is introduced. The “Slicing Extent Technique” (SET) partitions object space with slicing planes perpendicular to all three axes. Planes are divided into two dimensional rectangular cells, which contain pointers to nearby objects. Cell size and the space between slices varies, and is determined by the objects’ locations and orientations. Unlike oct-tree and other space-partitioning methods, SET is not primarily concerned with dividing space into mutually exclusive volume elements (‘voxels’) and identifying objects within each voxel. Instead, SET is based on analysis of projections of objects onto slicing planes. In comparison to …

Design And Performance Analysis Of A Relational Replicated Database Systems, Jon Gregory Hanson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The hardware organization and software structure of a new database system are presented. This system, the relational replicated database system (RRDS), is based on a set of replicated processors operating on a partitioned database. Performance improvements and capacity growth can be obtained by adding more processors to the configuration. Based on designing goals a set of hardware and software design questions were developed. The system then evolved according to a five-phase process, based on simulation and analysis, which addressed and resolved the design questions. Strategies and algorithms were developed for data access, data placement, and directory management for the hardware …

Multilist And Inverted File System Performance Measurements, Ashok Chandramouli

Masters Theses

"This study evaluates the multilist and inverted file systems. It describes the structure of the two file system and then proceeds to investigate the performance. The performance is based on quantitative estimates of space requirements for file system, time to retrieve records, time to insert a record, time to delete a record, time to update a record and time to exhaustively read and reorganize the file system. The study then investigates specific situations in which one file system seems to perform better than the other"--Abstract, page ii.

Ethernet Performance: Design And Implementation Study, Michael M. Chaney

Masters Theses

"General concepts concerning local area network designs, functions and topologies will be presented. Ethernet as a multipoint bus topology local area network will be presented in detail. The Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) method of fairly regulating access to the shared network bus is studied. The Ethernet Network in relation to the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) is reviewed, but only the layers pertaining to Ethernet are discussed throughout the majority of the paper. The specifications as described by Xerox, Digital and Intel are presented to help the designer understand the network's physical limitations. Analytical models are used to predict …

Lily: A Parser Generator For Ll(1) Languages, Timothy Topper Taylor

Masters Theses

This paper discusses the design and implementation of Lily, a language for generating LL(1) language parsers, originally designed by Dr. Thomas J. Sager of the University of Missouri--Rolla. A method for the automatic generation of parser tables is described which creates small, highly optimized tables, suitable for conversion to minimal perfect hash functions.

An implementation of Lily is discussed with attention to design goals, implementation of parser table generation, and table optimization techniques. Proposals are made detailing possibilities for further augmentation of the system. Examples of Lily programs are given as well as a manual for the system.

The Implementation Of A Compiler Targeted To A Multiprocessor Environment, R. Dwight Schettler

Masters Theses

"This research is an application of the techniques which have been developed for the detection and exploitation of implicit parallelism. A system has been developed based on Intel 86/12A single board computers utilizing dual-port RAM for communication. The compiler system accepts the source code of a simple block structured language and generates parallel programs to be executed on the Multibus system. The techniques used for detection of parallelism are stressed"--Abstract, page ii.

Medial Axis Transform Using Ridge Following, Richard Mark Volkmann

Masters Theses

"The intent of this investigation has been to find a robust algorithm for generation of the medial axis transform (MAT). The MAT is an invertible, object centered, shape representation defined as the collection of the centers of disks contained in the shape but not in any other such disk. Its uses include feature extraction, shape smoothing, and data compression. MAT generating algorithms include brushfire, Voronoi diagrams, and ridge following. An improved implementation of the ridge following algorithm is given. Orders of the MAT generating algorithms are compared. The effects of the number of edges in the polygonal approximation, shape area, …

Performance Parameter Measurements Of Generic Files, Sankarraman Subramanian

Masters Theses

"This study discusses the performance parameter measurements of generic files, the pile file, the sequential file, the indexed-sequential file, the indexed file and the direct file. The file performance measurements are compiled in a software package. The study then describes the use of such software package as a simulation tool in a file design environment"--Abstract, page iii.

Decoding Substitution Ciphers By Means Of Word Matching With Application To Ocr, George Nagy, Sharad C. Seth, Kent Einspahr

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

A substitution cipher consists of a block of natural language text where each letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a distinct symbol. As a problem in cryptography, the substitution cipher is of limited interest, but it has an important application in optical character recognition. Recent advances render it quite feasible to scan documents with a fairly complex layout and to classify (cluster) the printed characters into distinct groups according to their shape. However, given the immense variety of type styles and forms in current use, it is not possible to assign alphabetical identities to characters of arbitrary size …

Intensional Reasoning About Knowledge, Oliver B. Popov

Doctoral Dissertations

"As demands and ambitions increase in Artificial Intelligence, the need for formal systems that facilitate a study and a simulation of a machine cognition has become an inevitability. This paper explores and developes the foundations of a formal system for propositional reasoning about knowledge. The semantics of every meaningful expression in the system is fully determined by its intension, the set of complexes in which the expression is confirmed. The knowledge system is based on three zeroth-order theories of epistemic reasoning for consciousness, knowledge and entailed knowledge. The results presented in the paper determine the soundness and the completeness of …

A.R.M.S., Arbitrary Robot Modeling System, William Richard Gerlt

Masters Theses

“This paper deals with the mathematical modeling of robot arms. Modeling robot arms includes finding a suitable way to describe a robot, turning the description into a mathematical system, and using the system to find a set of equations which can be used to control the robot.

One of the problems associated with robot modeling is that it involves a great deal of mathematics. When the process is done by hand, the large volume of mathematics makes the process very time consuming and prone to errors. These problems are part of the motivation for automating the modeling of robots.

ARMS …

Impact Of Automation On Process Control Decision-Making, Steven M. Miller, Susan R. Bereiter

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper investigates changes in the process control of a vehicle assembly plant which had been modernized from a principally manual procedure to one that uses programmable automation extensively. Process control is defined as the information flow and decision-making required to perform basic process operations. We investigate the effects of implementing a computer-integrated production system on the amount and types of process control decision-making and on the distribution of process control decision-making between humans and machines. After automation, the emphasis on decisions regarding product quality specifications increased and the emphasis on decisions related to flexibility in handling a variety of …

A Proposed C Language Binding For The Graphical Kernel System-3d, Mark Gerard Bolten

Masters Theses

"This thesis introduces a proposed C language binding definition for the International Standards Organization's draft international standard of the Graphical Kernel System-3D. This work augments the earlier C language binding of the two dimensional version of the Graphical Kernel System commonly known as GKS. The proposed function interface will provide a basis for, if not a final, C language binding for the three dimensional version of the Graphical Kernel System"--Abstract, page ii.

The Use Of Services In The Tilde Environment, Craig E. Wills

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

On The Analysis Of The Average Height Of A Digital Trie: Another Approach, Wojciech Szpankowski

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Resolution And Addressability Requirements For Digital Display Systems Used In Word-Processing And Computer-Aided-Drafting Applications, Stephen T. Knox

Dissertations and Theses

Two hardware factors contributing to the overall image quality of digital CRTs are display resolution and addressability. The relationship between these two factors and human performance was modeled by a metric of display quality, the Resolution Addressability Ratio (RAR), and investigated within the contexts of Word-Processing (WP) and Computer-Aided-Drafting (CAD) tasks. The findings indicate a perceptual limit to MTF bandwidth improvements, and significant differences in display quality requirements between the two applications. The regression of image quality as a function of RAR metric values resulted in an r² = 0.94 for the WP task and an r² = 0.79 for …

Computers And The Nature Of Man: A Historian's Perspective On Controversies About Artificial Intelligence, Judith V. Grabiner

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

The purpose of the present paper is to provide a historical perspective on recent controversies, from Turing's time on, about artificial intelligence, and to make clear that these are in fact controversies about the nature of man. First, I shall briefly review three recent controversies about artificial intelligence, controversies over whether computers can think and over whether people are no more than information-processing machines. These three controversies were each initiated by philosophers who, irrespective of what the programs of their time actually did, viewed with alarm the argument that if a machine can think, a thinking being is just a …

A Formal Grammar Approach To Human Factors Research, Herbert E. Dunsmore

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

An O(H**6) Quintic Spline Collocation Method For Fourth Order Two-Point Boundary Value Problems, M. Irodotou-Ellina, Elias N. Houstis

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Mica: Prototyping An Expert System Consultant, Joseph Howard Marchal, Arlan R. Dekock

Computer Science Technical Reports

The United States, as the world's largest producer and consumer of scrap and flake mica, has an obvious economic interest in applications of artificial intelligence technology that would expedite beneficiation of mica. In the fall of 1985, personnel of the Tuscaloosa and Rolla research centers of the Bureau of Mines and of the University of Missouri-Rolla, Institute for Artificial Intelligence started the following long term research project: Develop an Expert System Consultant for the three basic stages of mica beneficiation: Stage 1: characterization of the material; Stage 2: treatment to obtain a concentrate; and Stage 3: evaluation of the resulting …

Genesis Of An Expert System For Umr Degree Auditing, Ruth Sue Dare, Arlan R. Dekock

Computer Science Technical Reports

This paper describes the features, design, and development of an expert system for degree auditing at the University of Missouri--Rolla. It summarizes artificial intelligence as it is known today while specifically addressing expert systems. It describes selected expert systems currently in existence.

The present audit procedure utilized at the University of Missouri--Rolla is discussed. A description is given of the design and development of an expert system, written in LISP, to conduct a degree audit. Finally there are concluding remarks which include an analysis of the system and a discussion of possible system enhancement.

A Computerized Audio-Visual Speech Model, Joaquin Alberto Vila Ruiz, Arlan R. Dekock

Computer Science Technical Reports

This thesis describes an expert system able to animate (graphically) and reproduce (acoustically) a text in any language which uses the Latin alphabet. A rule editor has been developed to create and modify the set of letter-to-sound rules of the target language. A parser has been implemented to apply the set of rules and translate text-to-speech. Each phoneme has a unique sound and thus requires its particular positioning of the vocal organs which are displayed in two different projections: a front view and a profile cross view of a human face in synchronization with the output sounds of the speech …

Quick Ceph™, A Computer Program For Cephalometric Analysis And Treatment Planning, Günther Blaseio

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The quantification of cephalometric radiographs is an integral part of orthodontic treatment planning. Numerous computer programs have been designed to digitize headfilms and to provide accurate graphic output and exact measurements. Yet these early systems were either huge, bulky and expensive or were limited in their practical use. The aim of this development was to combine modern computer and electronic equipment with advanced software engineering. The result is a universal cephalometric program written in the computer language "C" with presently seven standard and virtually limitless user definable analyses, growth forecasting, mouse-driven interactive VTO, arch length calculation, superimpositions, table of values …

Algebraic Geometry For Computer-Aided Geometric Design, Thomas W. Sederberg, Ronald N. Goldman

Faculty Publications

Classical algebraic geometry has been virtually ignored in computer-aided geometric design. However, because it deals strictly with algorithms, it is really more suited to this field than is modern algebraic geometry, which introduces abstractions far removed from the algorithmic nature of computer-aided design. This tutorial examines resultants, curve implicitization, curve inversion, and curve intersection. Discussion follows a series of examples simple enough for those with only a modest algebra background to follow.

Data Structure For The Use Of Patterns In The Perceptual Ordering Of The Game Of Chess, Russ L. Hanna, Arlan R. Dekock

Computer Science Technical Reports

It is well known that the way one perceives a problem can influence the difficulty of solving the problem in a profound way. In the case of computer chess playing programs, one finds that most programs perceive the game in much the same way. They are all based on Shannon's original proposal for chess playing programs. His approach was to generate all of the possible combinations of moves up to a certain number of plays and then a subset of all combinations to a deeper level thereafter. Each of these moves would then be evaluated as to its relative worth. …

A Semantic Basis For Parallel Algorithm Design, Roger E. Eggen, John R. Metzner

Computer Science Technical Reports

As computing demands increase, emphasis is being placed on parallel architectures- To efficiently use parallel machines, software must be designed to take advantage of these machines. This research concentrates on an abstraction of algorithm design to permit the expression of parallel programs. The abstraction emphasizes thought about algorithms at a high level as opposed to algorithm implementation at a statement level. A model based on data flow allows algorithm expression using flow diagrams. The model specifies operating system requirements that support parallel programming at a module level. Paths are used to carry data between modules. Data enter modules through ports. …

Command Execution In A Heterogeneous Environment, John T. Korb, Craig E. Wills

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Lexical Analysis Using Table Look-Up, Brian Keith Smith, Dominic Soda, George Winston Zobrist

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Administration Documents

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Padilla, Anne. First and Second Language Acquisition: A Comparison
• Scott, Angela. Salted and Unsalted Snacks: Taste Preferences of Second Grade Students in a Rural Area School
• Fuqua, Nancy. Acceptance by High School Students of Muffins Containing Supplemental Soy Polysaccharides
• Mans, Glee. Preference Levels of High School Freshmen for Four Cheese Food Products
• Denney, Pam. Consumer Acceptance of UHT Choclate Lowfat Milk
• Harris, Carla. Jacques-Louis David: Raphael of the Sansculottes
• Vaughn, James. Corporate Reorganization …