Digital Commons Network^™

Artificial Intelligence: Myths And Realities, Hugo D'Alarcao

Bridgewater Review

Artificial intelligence the name conjures images of mechanical monsters, the Golem, Dr. Frankenstein’s creation and the rebellious computer Hal. We have always been fascinated by the possibility of creating a machine in our image, but this fascination is often accompanied by apprehension. We fear losing control of our creation and suspect that it might turn against us. It is this duality, this conflict between the desire to create and the fear of the consequences of the creation that has been so successfully exploited by writers. It is also, in part, this fascination that has recently brought the field of Artificial …

The Algebraic Degree Of Geometric Optimization Problems, Chanderjit Bajaj

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Perturbation Analysis Of The Limit Cycle Of The Free Van Der Pol Equation, Mohammad Dadfar, James Geer, Carl M. Andersen

Computer Science Faculty Publications

. A power series expansion in the damping parameter E of the limit cycle U(t; E) of the free van der Pol equation Ul + E( U2 _1) U + U =0 is constructed and analyzed. Coefficients in the expansion are computed up to 0(E24) in exact rational arithmetic using the symbolic manipulation system MACSYMA and up to O(E163) using a FORTRAN program. The series is analyzed using Pade approximants. The convergence of the series for the maximum amplitude of the limit cycle is limited by two pairs of complex conjugate singularities in the complex e-plane. These singularities are the …

Six Copyright Theories For The Protection Of Computer Object Programs, I. Trotter Hardy

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Note On Finding A Maximum Empty Rectangle, Mikhail J. Atallah, Greg N. Frederickson

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Simple Method For Organizing Nearly Optimal Binary Search Trees, Joy L. Henderson, John R. Metzner

Computer Science Technical Reports

Improving the efficiency of retrieving information concerns users of computer systems involved in many applications- One way of addressing this concern is to organize a sorted sequence into a binary search tree. Knuth's Algorithm K is a bottom-up organization algorithm that always constructs a binary tree which minimizes average search time. However, the cost of executing Algorithm K is prohibitive for a large tree. The aim of this work is to find a less costly method of organizing sorted sequences into nearly-optimal binary search trees.

We present a top-down organization method which yields better average search times than top-down methods …

Ciegen: A System For Testing Knowledge Base Compilation Heuristics On A Microcomputer, Jayne D. Ward, Billy E. Gillett, Arlan R. Dekock

Computer Science Technical Reports

The expert system has proven itself to be a valuable aid in diagnosing and treating problems in domains requiring expertise. The commercial world has been alerted to this fact and the thrust is to make the expert system portable and available on small computers.

The goal of this research has been to lay the groundwork for a domain independent expert system builder on a microcomputer. The result of this effort was CIEGEN, a system consisting of a rule compiler, inference engine, and rule generator developed on the IBM PC. It is domain independent, responsible for transforming a knowledge base of …

A Graphical Representation Of An Executing Program, Sherry A. Lile, Arlan R. Dekock, John Bruce Prater, Darrow Finch Dawson

Computer Science Technical Reports

This thesis describes the rationale for a computer program used as a teaching aid, as well as, the design, development, and implementation of that computer program. The program is a prototype that displays, line by line, a graphical depiction of a BASIC program being executed. Icons are used to represent FOR-NEXT loops, the contents of variables, I/O, and other programming elements. The internal logic associated with the Arithmetic-Logic Unit is also represented. The purpose is to produce an environment where the student may visualize the processes occurring in memory by viewing a symbolic portrayal of an executing program. The example …

Expressive Power In First Order Topology, Paul Bankston

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

A first order representation (f.o.r.) in topology is an assignment of finitary relational structures of the same type to topological spaces in such a way that homeomorphic spaces get sent to isomorphic structures. We first define the notions "one f.o.r. is at least as expressive as another relative to a class of spaces" and "one class of spaces is definable in another relative to an f.o.r.", and prove some general statements. Following this we compare some well-known classes of spaces and first order representations. A principal result is that if X and Y are two Tichonov spaces whose posets of …

Modeling A Token Ring With Non-Exhaustive Service, André B. Bondi

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Modeling The Effect Of Local Area Network Contention On The Performance Of Host Computers, André B. Bondi

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

The Optimal Trajectory Modelling Of Robot Manipulators, Mary Claire Miller, Chung You Ho, Arlan R. Dekock

Computer Science Technical Reports

Greater robot capability can be achieved through the use of robot manipulator control systems. Crucial to the success of these control systems is the optimal trajectory modelling of the path traced by the end- effector. To create this optimal path the utilization of B-Spline curve functions will be investigated, and compared to Cubic Spline curve functions.

An Experimental Study Of The Effects Of Modularity On Resource Consumption In Software Development, Alan D. Christiansen, Arlan R. Dekock, John Bruce Prater

Computer Science Technical Reports

Many authors have encouraged the use of modular programming techniques in software development. In fact, there is almost total agreement within industrial and academic circles that modularity is a desirable feature of any software package. Unfortunately, the desirability of modular design is almost always voiced without support from experimental evidence.

This paper consists of an experiment comparing the resource consumption of programmers based on the modularity practices employed during the design and programming phases of software development. The experiment tests the effectiveness of modularity in reducing psychological complexity of software.

The results of the research show that in some cases …

Rediflow Multiprocessing, Robert M. Keller, Frank C. H. Lin, Jiro Tanaka

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

We discuss the concepts underlying Rediflow, a multiprocessing system being designed to support concurrent programming through a hybrid model of reduction, dataflow, and von Neumann processes. The techniques of automatic load-balancing in Rediflow are described in some detail.

On Terminal Assignments That Minimize The Density, Mikhail J. Atallah, Susanne E. Hambrusch

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

An Experimental Study Of The Effects Of Modularity On Resource Consumption In Software Development, Alan D. Christiansen

Masters Theses

"Many authors have encouraged the use of modular programming techniques in software development. In fact, there is almost total agreement within industrial and academic circles that modularity is a desirable feature of any software package. Unfortunately, the desirability of modular design is almost always voiced without support from experimental evidence.

This thesis consists of an experiment comparing the resource consumption of programmers based on the modularity practices employed during the design and programming phases of software development. The experiment tests the effectiveness of modularity in reducing psychological complexity of software.

The results of the research show that in some cases …

The Optimal Trajectory Modelling Of Robot Manipulators, Mary Claire Miller

Masters Theses

"Greater robot capability can be achieved through the use of robot manipulator control systems. Crucial to the success of these control systems is the optimal trajectory modelling of the path traced by the end- effector. To create this optimal path the utilization of B-Spline curve functions will be investigated, and compared to Cubic Spline curve functions"--Abstract, page ii.

A Simple Method For Organizing Nearly Optimal Binary Search Trees, Joy L. Henderson

Masters Theses

"Improving the efficiency of retrieving information concerns users of computer systems involved in many applications- One way of addressing this concern is to organize a sorted sequence into a binary search tree. Knuth's Algorithm K is a bottom-up organization algorithm that always constructs a binary tree which minimizes average search time. However, the cost of executing Algorithm K is prohibitive for a large tree. The aim of this work is to find a less costly method of organizing sorted sequences into nearly-optimal binary search trees.

We present a top-down organization method which yields better average search times than top-down methods …

A Focus Of Attention Algorithm For Expert Systems, Kevin W. Whiting

Masters Theses

"This research is primarily concerned with increasing the performance of expert systems. A refined focus of attention strategy and its affect on performance are discussed. Early expert systems used a brute force approach to process the knowledge base. Each production rule in the knowledge base was evaluated each cycle. More recently, processing efficiency has been increased by focusing the attention of the inference engine on a subset of the rules by "filtering" for further testing, only rules that could possibly fire given the current content of the context base. Focus of attention as developed in this research increases performance over …

A Graphical Representation Of An Executing Program, Sherry A. Lile

Masters Theses

"This thesis describes the rationale for a computer program used as a teaching aid, as well as, the design, development, and implementation of that computer program. The program is a prototype that displays, line by line, a graphical depiction of a BASIC program being executed. Icons are used to represent FOR-NEXT loops, the contents of variables, I/O, and other programming elements. The internal logic associated with the Arithmetic-Logic Unit is also represented. The purpose is to produce an environment where the student may visualize the processes occurring in memory by viewing a symbolic portrayal of an executing program. The example …

Program Modeling And Control Synthesis For Robotic Manipulators, Ramiz Najib Ballou

Masters Theses

"The control and programming methodology of industrial robots is becoming increasingly important. The speed and accuracy of data generation, and the performance of the robot are considered the most important factors in robotics control.

This paper presents and discusses algorithms that solve for the inverse solution for a given point in space at a very high speed based on the top down abstract method. The algorithms are independent of any specific type of manipulator configuration or programming language. The algorithms were implemented or the IBM-PC using the FORTRAN language to control the Armdroid robot. The program generates 500 sets of …

Ciegen: A System For Testing Knowledge Base Compilation Heuristics On A Microcomputer, Jayne D. Ward

Masters Theses

"The expert system has proven itself to be a valuable aid in diagnosing and treating problems in domains requiring expertise. The commercial world has been alerted to this fact and the thrust is to make the expert system portable and available on small computers.

The goal of this research has been to lay the groundwork for a domain independent expert system builder on a microcomputer. The result of this effort was CIEGEN, a system consisting of a rule compiler, inference engine, and rule generator developed on the IBM PC. It is domain independent, responsible for transforming a knowledge base of …

Robotic Realities: Near Term Prospects And Problems, Robert U. Ayres, Steven M. Miller

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Industrial robots are automation, but with a difference. Other machine tools are extensions of human capabilities, while robots are seen mainly as substitutes for human workers. Robots will find most of their industrial applications during the next decade or two in the metal-working sectors, where they will begin to displace semiskilled machine operatives in medium to large batch production operations. They cannot substitute for skilled machinists or other workers doing nonroutine jobs, or specialized, dedicated hard automation used in mass production. The current generation of robots, lacking sensory data processing and interpretation capabilities, can potentially replace up to 1.3 million …

Implementing A Scalar C Compiler On The Cyber 205, Kuo-Cheng Li, Herb Schwetman

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Proportional Advancement From Regional Programming Contests, John R. Metzner

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Collocation Software For Second Order Elliptic Partial Differential Equations, Elias N. Houstis, W. F. Mitchell, John R. Rice

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Reduced Set Of Phages For Typing Salmonellae, Melvin Gershman, George Markowsky

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

A set composed of 27 phages is described for differentiating Salmonella spp. representative of groups A, B, C₁, C₂, D₁, D₂, E₁, E₂, E₃, E₄, G₁, K, and N. All of the 1,245 cultures used in this effort were typable and were differentiated on the basis of the 420 phage patterns observed. All results were reproducible. Characteristic phage patterns were produced by a variety of Salmonella serovars isolated from campus incidents and a number of hospital, family, restaurant, and processing plant outbreaks …

A Comparative Study Of Christian Mathematical Realism And Its Humanistic Alternatives, Paul Zwier

ACMS Journal 2004

This paper addresses the growing popularity of views of mathematics that see it primarily as a social entity and that reject Platonism. It contrasts two Christian realist philosophies - those of Alvin Plantinga and Vernon Poythress - with the secular perspective of Philip Davis and Reuben Hersch. It affirms the insight of Davis and Hersch that mathematics is indeed a social entity. However, it argues that belief in God enables a fuller understanding of mathematics - one that accounts for the apparent transcendence of mathematics and its power to explain concepts in the physical world.

Coarse Topologies In Nonstandard Extensions Via Separative Ultrafilters, Paul Bankston

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Modeling Multimicrocomputer Networks, Daniel A. Reed

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.