Digital Commons Network^™

Producing Software Using Tools In A Workstation Environment, Mark Sherman, Robert L. Scot Drysdale

Computer Science Technical Reports

We discuss how we taught students to build and use translation, interpretive, editing and monitoring tools in an undergraduate software engineering course. Students used the tools on low-cost workstations (Macintoshes) to build large, group projects. The students' projects used all available features of workstation environments, including graphics, windows, fonts, mice, networks, and sound generators. We found that 1) the use of tools increased student productivity, 2) a shift in a data structure and algorithm topics is needed to cover material relevant for workstation environments, 3) new topics in system design are required for a workstation environment, 4) traditional material can …

Prolog., Ralph W. Wilkerson

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

A Description is Given of Prolog, a Contraction of Programming in Logic, Which Uses the Formalism of Mathematical Logic as its Primary Design Principle. the Structure of Prolog is Examined, and a Database Program is Described to Illustrate its application. an Application to an Artificial Intelligence Problem, the Towers of Hanoi, is Also Given.

Tutorials For Software : A Comparison Of The Appleworks Software Tutorial With Pre-Entered Data And An Experimental Tutorial With User Entered Data, Toni L. Steil

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The attention directed toward computer software research has been sparse which is quite evident in particular facets such as learning methods, specifically towards tutorials. Some authors have identified various important issues which include cognitive factors, reduction of presentation of superfluous information, and the importance of interaction with software and hardware. The present . study examined two tutorials which were similar except in their level of required user behaviors. Tutorial A required only user manipulation of disk stored data. Tutorial B required the user to enter the data into the computer, design the screen format, and then to manipulate it. It …

An Exact Analysis For Efficient Computation Of Random-Pattern Testability In Combinational Circuits, Sharad C. Seth, Bhargab B. Bhattacharya, Vishwani Agrawal

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Experimental evidence shows that low testability in a typical circuit is much more likely due to poor observability than poor controllability. Thus, from theoretical and practical standpoints, it is important to develop an accurate model for observability computation. One such model, in terms of supergates, is proposed in the first part of this paper thus complimenting our earlier work. It is now possible to obtain exact random-pattern testability for each line in a circuit.

The second part of the paper analyzes the supegate structure of a circuit from a graph theoretic viewpoint. Finding a supergate is related to determining the …

Mica: Prototyping An Expert System Consultant, Joseph Howard Marchal

Masters Theses

"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 …

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

Doctoral Dissertations

"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. …

Modelling Dynamic Entities In Relational Database Systems, Dominic Carmen Soda

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Genesis Of An Expert System For Umr Degree Auditing, Ruth Sue Dare

Masters Theses

"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"--Abstract, page ii.

Research Note: Getting Graphic: Computer Graphics In Biochemistry, Wilmon B. Chipman

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

A Generalized Information Structure To Be Used In A Human-Factors Knowledge Base, Bruce J. Wachlin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to design a generalized information structure that can be used in a human-factors knowledge base. The information structure will take into account the human factors requirements and the hardware characteristics of the system. In this thesis the design and implementation of several prototype systems of a generalized information structure to be used in a human-factors knowledge base are presented.

Stability Problems In Local Area Networks: A Qualitative Approach, Wojciech Szpankowski, Dan Marinsecu, Vernon J. Rego

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

The Design And Implementation Of A High-Speed Incremental Portable Prolog Compiler, Kenneth A. Bowen, Kevin A. Buettner, Ilyas Cicekli, Andrew Turk

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Technical Reports

The design and implementation of a relatively portable Prolog compiler achieving 12K LIPS on the standard benchmark is described. The compiler is incremental and uses decompilation to implement retract, clause, and listing, as well as support the needs of its four-port debugger. The system supports modules, garbage collection, database pointers, and a full range of built-ins.

Statistics On Logic Simulation, K. F. Wong, Mark A. Franklin, Roger D. Chamberlain, B. L. Shing

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

The high costs associated with logic simulation of large VLSI based systems have led to the need for new computer architectures tailored to the simulation task. Such architecture have the potential for significant speedups over standard software based logic simulators. Several commercial simulation engines have been produced to satisfy need in this area. To properly explore the space of alternative simulation architectures, data is required on the simulation process itself. This paper presents a framework for such data gathering activity by first examining possible sources of speedup in the logic simulation task, examining the sort of data needed in the …

Overloading Of Names In Distributed Systems, Douglas E. Comer, Ralph E. Droms

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Communication Sub-System For Mvs/Xa, Dan C. Marinescu

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Retrospective Data Filter, Richard J. Prengaman, Robert E. Thurber, Joe Phipps, Ronald I. Greenberg, Wai L. Hom, James F. Jaworski, Guy W. Riffle

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In a target detection communication system, apparatus and method for determining the presence of probable targets based on contacts (which can indicate the presence of a target, noise, chatter, or objects not of interest) detected within a predefined position sector or sectors over a specified number of scans. The position of each detected contact, as a contact of interest, is compared with the positions of contacts detected at previous times or scans. Velocity profiles indicate which previous contacts support the likelihood that the contact of interest represents a target having a velocity within a defined band. The likelihood, which can …

Data Structures And Algorithms For The String Statistics Problem, A. Apostolico, F. P. Preparata

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Improving The Worst Case Performance Of The Hunt-Szymanski Strategy For The Longest Common Subsequence Of Two Strings, Alberto Apostolico

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Randomized Routing On Fat-Trees, Ronald I. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Fat-trees are a class of routing networks for hardware-efficient parallel computation. This paper presents a randomized algorithm for routing messages on a fat-tree. The quality of the algorithm is measured in terms of the load factor of a set of messages to be routed, which is a lower bound on the time required to deliver the messages. We show that if a set of messages has load factor lambda on a fat-tree with n processors, the number of delivery cycles (routing attempts) that the algorithm requires is O(lambda+lgnlglgn) with probability 1-O(1/ …

High Performance Switching Circuits For Vlsi, Ali Reza Feizi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Interconnection topology and device performance are of major concern in the design of LSI/VLSI systems, Pass networks are very suitable in this regard because of low power consumption, high density, and simple interconnection topology. A special type of pass networks called Binary Tree Structured (BTS) pass networks uses almost minimum number of transistors for the design of switching circuits. An algorithmic procedure is developed here for BTS pass networks which is very efficient in terms of both execution time and memory space. Based on these networks, the necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the design of multiple-output pass networks. …

Design Of Multivariable Feedback Control Systems Via Spectral Assignment, Mohsen Marefat

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

During the past 15 year s significant advances have been made towards developing viable synthesis- techniques for multivariable feedback control systems. The entire aggregate of this theoretical work has been reviewed and consolidated. Diverse notations have been standardized into a single system. A two-step design philosophy for spectral assignment has been developed which first meets stability and time response requirements by assigning eigenvalues and eigenvector s and then provides for attainment of secondary objectives without significant deviation from the initial assignment. Finally, a computer-aided design package has been created to streamline the process of mathematical calculation and to allow users …

Using Supercomputers Today And Tomorrow, John R. Rice

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Practical Application To Data Consistency Validation Using Finite State Automata, Michael Lee Richardson

Masters Theses

The data which are input to a complex information system must often be verified for both syntactic and semantic consistency. The syntactic consistency can be enforced in a straightforward manner during the data entry process. The semantic inconsistencies can be more difficult to discover. A general approach, using finite state automata, is demonstrated here as applied to enforce consistency on client questionnaire responses in a large information system. This approach is developed using those software engineering standards are outlined and justified in this research. A discussion of semantic inconsistencies which require more sophisticated techniques is included.

A Parallel Branch And Bound Algorithm For Integer Linear Programming Models, Rochelle L. Boehning, Billy E. Gillett

Computer Science Technical Reports

A parallel branch and bound algorithm is developed for use with MIMD computers to study the efficiency of parallel processors on general integer linear programming problems. The Haldi and IBM test problems and a System Design model are used in the implementation of the algorithm. Initially the algorithm solves the Haldi and IBM test problems on a single processor computer which simulates a multiple processor computer. The algorithm is then implemented on the Denelcor HEP multiprocessor using two of the IBM problems to compare the results of the simulation to the results using an MIMD computer. Finally the algorithm is …

Analog Computer Simulation With Automatic Scaling By Digital Computer, Mark Anthony Motter

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A computer-aided design approach for the simplification of analog computer simulation is presented. The simulation configuration consists of an EAI 2000 analog computer with serial communications link to a PDP — 11/24 digital computer. Under control of the PDP-11, the analog simulations are realized with appropriate time and magnitude scaling which adjusts the range of the simulation coefficients and prevents overloads of the analog components. The analog computer hardware configuration accommodates both stable plants up to eighth order and closed-loop systems up to tenth order. Cascade compensation is provided for the closed-loop systems.

The plant may be described by either …

Color Display Of Vowel Spectra As A Training Aid For The Deaf, Amir Jalali Jagharghi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this research was to develop a transformation for mapping speech parameters to color parameter. This transformation is done in real-time, and the resulting color parameter are continuously displayed on a color monitor. This visual speech display is to be used as a speech articulation training aid for the deaf. The conversion of speech acoustic signals into speech parameter was accomplished using special -purpose electronics. The real-time conversion of speech parameter to display parameter was controlled by an 8086/8088 microprocessor operating in an S-100 bus structure. The coefficients of the Karhunen-Loeve series expansion of speech power spectra were …

On The Probable Performance Of Graph Coloring Algorithms, Jonathan S. Turner

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

We define a natural probability distribution over the set of k-colorable graphs on n vertices and study the probable performance of several algorithms on graphs selected from this distribution. The main results are listed below. • We describe an algorithm to determine if a given n vertex graph is k-colorable, which runs in time O(n + m log k), where m is the number of edges. We show that this algorithm can successfully identify almost all random k-colorable graphs for constant or slowly growing values of k. • We show that an algorithm proposed by Brelas, and justified on experimental …

Representing Graph Families With Edge Grammars, Francine Berman, Gregory Shannon

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Approaching Distributed Database Implementations Through Functional Programming Concepts, Robert M. Keller, Gary Lindstrom

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

The application of functional programming concepts to the data representation and querying aspects of databases has been discussed by Shipman and Buneman, et al. respectively. We argue the suitability of a function-based approach to additional aspects of database systems, including updating, transaction serialization, and physical distribution and communication. It is shown how the NmergeH extension of a purely functional model permits serializable concurrent "primary site" distribution control. We also present preliminary experimental results which indicate that a reasonable degree of concurrency is attainable from the functional approach.

Collecting Data About Logic Simulation, Roger D. Chamberlain, Mark A. Franklin

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Design of high performance hardware and software based gate-switch level logic simulators requires knowledge about the logic simulation process itself. Unfortunately, little data is publically available concerning key aspects of this process. An example of this is the lack of published empirical measurements relating to the time distribution of events generated by such simulators. This paper presents a gate-switch level logic simulator lsim which is oriented towards the collection of data about the simulation process. The basic components of lsim are reviewed, and its relevant data gathering facilities are discussed. An example is presented which illustrates the use of lsim …