Digital Commons Network^™

A Generic Intelligent Architecture For Computer-Aided Training Of Procedural Knowledge, Freeman A. Kilpatrick Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) development is a knowledge-intensive task, suffering from the same knowledge acquisition bottleneck that plagues most Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. This research presents an architecture that requires knowledge only in the form of a shallow knowledge base and a simulation to produce a training system. The knowledge base provides the basic procedural knowledge while the simulation provides context. The remainder of the knowledge required for training is learned through the interaction of these components in a state-space scenario exploration process and inductive machine learning. These knowledge components are used only at the interface level, allowing the internal …

On The Interaction Of Object-Oriented Design Patterns And Programming Languages, Gerald Baumgartner, Konstantin Läufer, Vincent F. Russo

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Design patterns are distilled from many real systems to catalog common programming practice. However, some object-oriented design patterns are distorted or overly complicated because of the lack of supporting programming language constructs or mechanisms. For this paper, we have analyzed several published design patterns looking for idiomatic ways of working around constraints of the implementation language. From this analysis, we lay a groundwork of general-purpose language constructs and mechanisms that, if provided by a statically typed, object-oriented language, would better support the implementation of design patterns and, transitively, benefit the construction of many real systems. In particular, our catalog of …

R-By-C Crozzle: An Np-Hard Problem, Michelle Gower, Ralph W. Wilkerson

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

In an Australian Magazine, a Monetary Prize is Awarded to the Person with the Best Answer to a Word Puzzle Called a Crozzle. the Placement of Words into a Ten by Fifteen Grid Obtaining the Highest Score is the Best Answer. Various Search Techniques Have Been Employed to Solve This Problem, Yet No One Has Shown Whether There is a Polynomial-Time Algorithm to Find the Best Crozzle. This Paper Creates a Similar Word Puzzle, Called R-By-C Crozzle, by Lifting the Constraint on the Grid Size. R-By-C Crozzle is Not in NP, But There Exists a Polynomial Reduction to It from …

Near Perfect Hash Table For Image Databases, Sanjiv K. Bhatia, Chaman Sabharwal

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

In image database systems, a perfect hash table can be used to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the image retrieval process. In our earlier work, we have proposed heuristic algorithms to compute the minimal perfect hash table from symbolic picture objects. The hash table thus computed cannot be modified easily, limiting its application to fixed databases like the ones on CD-ROMs. In this paper, we propose a new data structure to allow for insertion and deletion in the hash table. The new data structure, the near-perfect hash table, allows a limited number of collisions on some of the hash …

Data Parallel Implementation Of Surface-To-Surface Intersection, Terence M. Burke, Chaman Sabharwal

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The sequential surface-to-surface intersection algorithm has been extensively studied in the past decade. With the advent of parallel processing machines, it is desirable to parallelize this algorithm to gain extra computation speed for real time applications. An earlier attempt to parallelize this algorithm was on shared memory parallel computer due to the highly shared model of data structure [Chang 1991). A shared memory machine is not available at every location. Instead, we have implemented it on distributed parallel computer iPSC/860 with 32 processors. The initial development was done using PVM software in heterogeneous environment consisting of Sun workstations and 486's …

Wright State University College Of Engineering And Computer Science Bits And Pcs Newsletter, Volume 12, Number 2, February 1996, College Of Engineering And Computer Science, Wright State University

BITs and PCs Newsletter

A fourteen page newsletter created by the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science that addresses the current affairs of the college.

Fast Compression Of Transportable Tcl Scripts, Robert S. Gray

Computer Science Technical Reports

An information agent is charged with the task of searching a collection of electronic resources for information that is relevant to the user's current needs. These resources are often distributed across a network and can contain tremendous quantities of data. One of the paradigms that has been suggested for allowing efficient access to such resources is transportable agents -- the agent is sent to the machine that maintains the information resource; the agent executes on this remote machine and then returns its results to the local machine. We have implemented a transportable agent system that uses the Tool Command Language …

A Secure Message Broadcasting System (Smbs), Mark Crosbie, Ivan Krsul, Steve Lodin, Eugene H. Spafford

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Graphics For Macromolecular Crystallography And Electron Microscopy, Ioana Maria Martin, Dan C. Marinescu

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Web//Ellpack: A Networked Computing Service On The World Wide Web, Sanjiva Weerawarana, Elias N. Houstis, John R. Rice, Margaret G. Gaitatzes, Shahani Markus

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Multiagent Environment For Mpses, Tzvetan T. Drashansky, Anupam Joshi, John R. Rice, Elias N. Houstis, Sanjiva Weerawarana

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Identifying And Exploiting Concurrency In Object-Based Real-Time Systems, Guohui Yu

Dissertations

The use of object-based mechanisms, i.e., abstract data types (ADTs), for constructing software systems can help to decrease development costs, increase understandability and increase maintainability. However, execution efficiency may be sacrificed due to the large number of procedure calls, and due to contention for shared ADTs in concurrent systems. Such inefficiencies are a concern in real-time applications that have stringent timing requirements. To address these issues, the potentially inefficient procedure calls are turned into a source of concurrency via asynchronous procedure calls (ARPCs), and contention for shared ADTS is reduced via ADT cloning. A framework for concurrency analysis in object-based …

A Performance Comparison Of Tcp/Ip And Mpi On Fddi, Fast Ethernet, And Ethernet, Saurab Nog, David Kotz

Computer Science Technical Reports

Communication is a very important factor affecting distributed applications. Getting a close handle on network performance (both bandwidth and latency) is thus crucial to understanding overall application performance. We benchmarked some of the metrics of network performance using two sets of experiments, namely roundtrip and datahose. The tests were designed to measure a combination of network latency, bandwidth, and contention. We repeated the tests for two protocols (TCP/IP and MPI) and three networks (100 Mbit FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), 100 Mbit Fast Ethernet, and 10 Mbit Ethernet). The performance results provided interesting insights into the behaviour of these networks …

Wright State University College Of Engineering And Computer Science Bits And Pcs Newsletter, Volume 12, Number 1, January 1996, College Of Engineering And Computer Science, Wright State University

BITs and PCs Newsletter

A twelve page newsletter created by the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science that addresses the current affairs of the college.

The Isomorphism Conjecture Fails Relative To A Random Oracle, Stuart A. Kurtz, Stephen R. Mahaney, James S. Royer

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

Berman and Hartmanis [BH77] conjectured that there is a polynomialtime computable isomorphism between any two languages complete for NP with respect to polynomial-time computable many-one (Karp) reductions. Joseph and Young [JY85] gave a structural definition of a class of NP-complete sets---the k-creative sets---and defined a class of sets (the K k f 's) that are necessarily k-creative. They went on to conjecture that certain of these K k f 's are not isomorphic to the standard NP-complete sets. Clearly, the Berman--Hartmanis and Joseph--Young conjectures cannot both be correct. We introduce a family of strong one-way functions, the scrambling functions. If …

Neural Computation Of The Eigenvectors Of A Symmetric Positive Definite Matrix, Wenyu Julie Tsai

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Assistance For Remote Robot Supervision, Robin R. Murphy, Erika Rogers

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper describes current work on a cooperative tele-assistance system for semi-autonomous control of mobile robots. This system combines a robot architecture for limited autonomous perceptual and motor control with a knowledge-based operator assistant which provides strategic selection and enhancement of relevant data. It extends recent developments in artificial intelligence in modeling the role of visual interactions in problem solving for application to an interface permitting the human and remote to cooperate in cognitively demanding tasks such as recovering from execution failures, mission planning, and learning. The design of the system is presented, together with a number of exception-handling scenarios …

A Study Of Visual Reasoning In Medical Diagnosis, Erika Rogers

Computer Science and Software Engineering

The purpose of this paper is to describe experimental work conducted in the area of diagnostic radiology,with an emphasis on how perception and problem solving interact in this type of task. This work was part of a larger project whose goals included the development of an information-processing model of visual interaction,and the subsequent design of an intelligent cooperative assistant for this domain.

Verbal protocol data was collected from eight radiologists (six residents and two experts) while they examined seven different computer-displayed chest x-rays. A brief overview of the methodology and analysis techniques is presented, together with specific results from one …

Technical-Legal Aspects Of Software Patents, Kenneth Nolan Nichols

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Semantic And Schematic Similarities Between Database Objects: A Context-Based Approach, Vipul Kashyap, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

In a multidatabase system, schematic conflicts between two objects are usually of interest only when the objects have some semantic similarity. We use the concept of semantic proximity, which is essentially an abstraction/mapping between the domains of the two objects associated with the context of comparison. An explicit though partial context representation is proposed and the specificity relationship between contexts is defined. The contexts are organized as a meet semi-lattice and associated operations like the greatest lower bound are defined. The context of comparison and the type of abstractions used to relate the two objects form the basis of a …

Snap, Crackle, Webwindows!, Geoffrey C. Fox, Wojtek Furmanski

Northeast Parallel Architecture Center

We elaborate the SNAP---Scalable (ATM) Network and (PC) Platforms---view of computing in the year 2000. The World Wide Web will continue its rapid evolution, and in the future, applications will not be written for Windows NT/95 or UNIX, but rather for WebWindows with interfaces defined by the standards of Web servers and clients. This universal environment will support WebTop productivity tools, such as WebWord, WebLotus123, and WebNotes built in modular dynamic fashion, and undermining the business model for large software companies. We define a layered WebWindows software architecture in which applications are built on top of multi-use services. We discuss …

Control Uniqueness In Reconstructability Analysis, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

When the reconstructability analysis of a directed system yields a structure in which a generated variable appears in more than one subsystem, information from all of the subsystems can be used in modeling the relationship between generating and generated variables. The conceptualization and procedure proposed here is discussed in relation to Klir's concept of control uniqueness.

Information Systems In Non-Profit Organizations: Enhancing Performance Through Online Help, Robert H. Lane

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to focus attention on the problems which non-profit organizations face in dealing with employee dissatisfaction and turnover among clerical staff whose principal responsibility is data entry. To address the problem, a presentation on the background, a discussion of the managerial and information systems implications, and an end-user needs assessment culminated in the development of an online help system for an IDM AS/400-based membership management package.

The system enables the data entry staff to easily locate the answers to most of their commonly asked questions without leaving their workstation, thus reducing the need for as …

An Assessment Of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (Atm) Training For Educators, Dan A. Niswander

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to develop and evaluate a hypertext-based training tutorial/guide on asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) technology for use by school district educators and technology planners. A review of literature indicated training needs on new broadband technologies were not being adequately met from the point of view of an educational environment. An interactive hypertext solution was proposed, designed, and developed based on the needs of adult learners. An analysis of these needs indicated adults prefer flexibility in navigating between training topics as well as in the pace of material presentation, that is, whether to proceed at a …

Low Cost Video For Distance Education, Michael J. Simpson

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

A distance education system has been designed for Nova Southeastern University (NSU) . The design was based on emerging low cost video technology. The report presented the design and summarizes existing distance education efforts and technologies.

The design supported multimedia electronic classrooms, and enabled students to participate in multimedia classes using standard telephone networks. Results were presented in three areas: management, courseware, and, systems.

In the area of management, the report recommended that the University separately establish, fund, and staff the distance education project. Supporting rationale was included.

In the area of courseware, the importance of quality courseware was highlighted. …

A Review Of Commercial And Research Cluster Management Software, Mark Baker, Geoffrey C. Fox, Hon W. Yau

Northeast Parallel Architecture Center

In the past decade there has been a dramatic shift from mainframe or ‘host-centric’ computing to a distributed ‘client-server’ approach. In the next few years this trend is likely to continue with further shifts towards ‘network-centric’ computing becoming apparent. All these trends were set in motion by the invention of the mass-reproducible microprocessor by Ted Hoff of Intel some twenty-odd years ago. The present generation of RISC microprocessors are now more than a match for mainframes in terms of cost and performance. The long-foreseen day when collections of RISC microprocessors assembled together as a parallel computer could outperform the vector …

An Application Perspective On High-Performance Computing And Communications, Geoffrey C. Fox

Northeast Parallel Architecture Center

We review possible and probable industrial applications of HPCC focusing on the software and hardware issues. Thirty-three separate categories are illustrated by detailed descriptions of five areas -- computational chemistry; Monte Carlo methods from physics to economics; manufacturing; and computational fluid dynamics; command and control; or crisis management; and multimedia services to client computers and settop boxes. The hardware varies from tightly-coupled parallel supercomputers to heterogeneous distributed systems. The software models span HPF and data parallelism, to distributed information systems and object/data flow parallelism on the Web. We find that in each case, it is reasonably clear that "HPCC works …

A Tale Of Two Applications On The Nii, Geoffrey C. Fox

Northeast Parallel Architecture Center

We describe the expected capability of the NII (as an evolution of the Internet) interns of five broad service areas---collaboration, multimedia information dissemination, commerce, metacomputing, and Webtop productivity. We illustrate the demands on these services and the technology implications by examination of two application areas---manufacture of complex systems, such as aircraft and crisis management, command and control.

Web Intelligent Query - Disconnected Web Browsing Using Cooperative Techniques, Ramanathan Kavasseri, Todd Keating, Michael Wittman, Anupam Joshi, Sanjiva Weerawarana

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Scalable Scientific Software Libraries And Problem Solving Environments, John R. Rice

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.