Computer Engineering Commons^™

Subjective Readiness Forecasting Using Supervised Machine Learning And Wearable Device Data, Nathaniel Michael Weiland

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Recent advances in wearable technology allow continuous monitoring of physiological and behavioral data, opening new opportunities for real-time assessments of readiness and well-being. However, creating predictive models that generalize across diverse users remains challenging, especially in high-stakes settings like the military, where preventable injuries, illnesses, and stress-related performance declines are frequent. This research assesses the feasibility of using supervised machine learning models trained on wearable device data to predict subjective readiness indicators—recovery, stress, injury, and illness. Data from over 10,000 users in the OHWS (Optimizing the Human Weapons System) program combined daily check ins with physiological metrics from Garmin, Polar, …

Dataset Generation For Routing Policy Study In Ad Hoc Wireless Networks, Vishnu Vishnu Priya

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Ad Hoc wireless networks, with their decentralized architecture and dynamic topology, present challenges in reliable and energy-efficient routing. While machine learning (ML) and reinforcement learning (RL) offer promising solutions, progress is limited by the lack of realistic, high-fidelity datasets. This research introduces a simulation-based framework for generating four diverse datasets representing combinations of node mobility (mobile vs. static) and spatial distribution (random vs. clustered). Each dataset captures critical metrics such as Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), bottleneck rate, and power consumption across multi-hop paths. A lookahead-based greedy routing algorithm with scenario-aware power control is implemented to emulate practical behavior. Supervised ML models, …

Isometric Centroid Encoder (Ice) And Synthetic Data Generation Approaches For Biological Datasets, Prathyusha Kanakamalla

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This thesis addressed two main challenges in biological data analysis: structure-preserving dimensionality reduction and synthetic data generation for small sample datasets. I proposed the Isometric Centroid Encoder (ICE), a supervised dimensionality reduction method that preserves pairwise distances between class centroids during dimension reduction. Unlike existing methods like Centroid Encoder and Super Encoder, ICE explicitly maintains geometric relationships between biological classes, achieving nearly perfect structure preservation at C dimensions (where C equals the number of classes) with strong performance even in 2D and 3D spaces. Additionally, I compared three generative models (VAE, LSH-GAN, and scDiffusion) for synthetic data generation on small …

Ultrasonic Sensor-Based Sound Synthesis Using Raspberry Pi Pico W, Niraj Jaishwal

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

At the intersection of Human Computer Interaction and digital art, this project transforms simple motion into musical expression. It explores an interactive real-time sound synthesis system using ultrasonic sensors to generate continuous audio. The objective is to design a system that maps physical distances into musical parameters such as pitch and amplitude, which will create a responsive audio environment. Two ultrasonic sensors are used in combination with the Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller running CircuitPython and Adafruit Audio Hat for real-time sound output. One sensor controls the pitch of the generated tone, while the other controls volume. This enables expressive …

Personalized Physics Learning Through Ai: Insights From Problem Generation, Chatbot Dialogues, And Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Atharva Dange

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform science education, yet questions remain on how best to integrate these technologies into teaching and learning. This dissertation investigates the use of AI-driven tools in university physics courses through three complementary studies. In the first study, a generative language model (ChatGPT) was used to create novel physics homework problems aligned with course objectives. Analysis showed that, after expert vetting, AI-generated questions can foster higher-order problem-solving and reduce student reliance on solution memorization, though careful instructor oversight is required to ensure accuracy. The second study embedded an AI chatbot as a learning aid in …

Leveraging Counterfactuals For Enhanced Natural Language Inference: A Multitask Knowledge Distillation Approach, Brian J. Davis

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Natural-language inference (NLI) asks whether a hypothesis is entailed by, contradicts, or is neutral with respect to a premise. Modern transformers reach high raw accuracy on benchmarks such as SNLI, MNLI, and ANLI, yet they often rely on brittle lexical shortcuts and provide little insight into their decision process. This thesis shows that counterfactual-augmented knowledge distillation can simultaneously boost robustness and supply faithful, token-level explanations—without scaling model size. Four T5-v1_1 students (60M, 220M, 770M, 3B parameters) are trained under four curricula: (1) standard fine-tuning, (2) fine-tuning with free-text rationales, (3) multi-task distillation with naive counterfactuals, and (4) multi-task distillation with …

Optimizing Cloud Computing Resources For Operational Cost And Application Performance Using Machine Learning, Isaac K. Matthew

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As AI-driven workloads accelerate the growth of cloud initiatives and spending, resource waste also increases due to persistent inefficiencies in cloud compute and infrastructure management. Overprovisioned resources and suboptimal configurations often lead to operational inefficiencies and unnecessary financial overhead. These challenges arise from the difficulty of anticipating resource demands in dynamic workloads and selecting suitable virtual machines to ensure optimal performance. Our research proposes a holistic, data-driven framework for managing cloud compute resources that reduces costs without compromising application performance. We integrate a predictive, model-driven, threshold-based autoscaling solution for cloud-native applications with an optimized instance right-sizing approach to select cost-effective …

Reducing Operator Training Time Through Virtual Reality: A Case Study On The Lpkf Protomat E44 Machine, Joshua C. Patel

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This thesis presents the development of an immersive virtual reality (VR) simulation that replicates the operation of the LPKF ProtoMat E44 PCB milling machine. Aimed at reducing operator training time and improving procedural understanding, the simulation offers an interactive and realistic environment where users can safely engage with machine workflows and start-up sequences. The emphasis is on accurate representation, usability, and maintaining immersion to support intuitive learning. Although formal evaluation is outside the scope of this work, the system is designed to serve as a foundation for cost-effective, scalable training in technical and manufacturing contexts, offering a modern alternative to …

Scalable Real-Time Stream Clustering For Unbounded Text Streams, Nathaniel C. Crossman

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Social media, AI systems, IoT sensors, and other platforms generate vast amounts of streaming data. Given this vast volume of information, techniques that can reduce and aggregate data into meaningful topics are essential. One such technique is the two-phase stream clustering approach. In the first, online micro-clustering phase, the system forms micro-clusters from the incoming data stream, incrementally merges new items into related existing micro-clusters, and prunes or fades micro-clusters as they become inactive, producing a constantly updating yet compact set of micro-clusters representing potential topics and subtopics of the stream. In the second, offline macro-clustering phase, these micro-clusters are …

Patient Subset Classification Using Encoded Embeddings And Knowledge Graph Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Benjamin A. Holmes

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The widespread adoption of electronic medical records has created a vast reservoir of clinical data that can be leveraged to better understand how interventions relate to patient outcomes. Much of this information, however, exists as unstructured free-text, posing significant challenges for traditional statistical and machine-learning methods. Solving these challenges would allow the extraction of specific patient subpopulations (clinically relevant cohorts of individuals who share overlapping symptoms, risk factors, or diagnostic criteria), which could be used in precision medicine. Despite this promise, extracting these subpopulations from unstructured medical notes is an ongoing challenge due to the variability of clinical language and …

Generative Adversarial Networks (Gans) For High-Dimensional Biological Data, Harigovind Harikumar

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This thesis investigates the application of Generative AI models, mainly Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) models to high dimensional and low sample size biological datasets like Motion Sickness, Breast Cancer, Crohn, and Melanoma. We utilized and compared three generative AI frameworks: Vanilla GAN, Wasserstein GAN (WGAN), Locality-Sensitive Hashing GAN (LSH-GAN) and Omics GAN. To address the challenges associated with high-dimensionality and low sample size, which was leading to very poor outputs of biological synthetic samples, we came up with an approach to stop the model when it reaches its saturation level. That is, we printed the loss plots to see where …

Pixmix Attack: Implementation And Evaluation Of A Novel Pixel Injection On Digital Video Port (Dvp) Interface In Embedded Camera Systems With Pcb Hardware Trojan, Sayed Md Tashfi Nowroz

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Image sensors are at the heart of machine vision systems in robotics, industrial automation, and surveillance systems which ideally operate with minimal human supervision and only occasional maintenance. The image sensors convert visible light into electrical signals which are locally decoded to image on the printed circuit board (PCB) by an ordinary embedded processor System on Chip (SoC). This thesis investigates a critical vulnerability in such systems, targeting the communication protocol at the signal level during runtime. Specifically, it focuses on a novel attack in the Digital Video Port (DVP) protocol, possible to exploit with PCB-based hardware Trojans, to craft …

A Secure Ml-Assisted Framework For Resilient And Efficient Prediction Of Physiotherapy Sequence In Bilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Pratik Pandurang Kharat

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Bilateral idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by compression of the median nerve at both wrists, leading to symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Unlike unilateral cases, bilateral idiopathic CTS presents distinct therapeutic challenges due to the simultaneous involvement of both hands and the lack of an identifiable underlying cause. This study explores the application of machine learning techniques to predict the optimal sequence of physiotherapeutic interventions Stretching followed by Myofascial Mobilization (S/M) or the reverse (M/S) in female patients with bilateral idiopathic CTS and right hand dominance. Data were drawn from a …

Learning Under Data Scarcity: Reasoning And Negative Distillation For Texts And Graphs, Calvin T. Greenewald

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Modern machine learning (ML) models rely on large amounts of high-quality labeled data to achieve optimal performance. However, in many real-world domains, such as cyber security, acquiring sufficient labeled data is often infeasible due to cost, privacy concerns, and the rapid evolution of underlying phenomena. This challenge underscores the importance of learning under data scarcity. This thesis addresses this challenge by proposing distinct, modality-specific techniques for text and graph domains, which allow models to generalize effectively with minimal data. For text classification task, we incorporate distilled rationales from large language models and adversarial perturbations into the input space to improve …

Generalizing Medical Image Segmentation Task With Efficient Deep Learning Models, Abel A. Reyes-Angulo

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Medical Image Segmentation is a critical task in the field of medical imaging, playing a crucial role in diagnostics, treatment planning, and disease monitoring. The emergence of Deep Learning (DL) has ushered in a new era in Artificial Intelligence (AI), propelling remarkable advancements in key domains like language translation, object recognition, and recommendation systems. This evolution has been accompanied by continuous enhancements in computational efficiency and improvements in predictive accuracy. The introduction of sophisticated algorithms, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and transformers, exemplifies these advancements. DL algorithms have demonstrated exceptional efficacy in medical image segmentation tasks, showcasing the potential …

Lara : A Light And Anti-Overfitting Retraining Approach For Unsupervised Time Series Anomaly Detection, Feiyi Chen, Zhen Qin, Mengchu Zhou, Yingying Zhang, Shuiguang Deng, Lunting Fan, Guansong Pang, Qingsong Wen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Most of current anomaly detection models assume that the normal pattern remains the same all the time. However, the normal patterns of web services can change dramatically and frequently over time. The model trained on old-distribution data becomes outdated and ineffective after such changes. Retraining the whole model whenever the pattern is changed is computationally expensive. Further, at the beginning of normal pattern changes, there is not enough observation data from the new distribution. Retraining a large neural network model with limited data is vulnerable to overfitting. Thus, we propose a Light Anti-overfitting Retraining Approach (LARA) based on deep variational …

Cognitive Map Generation For Vision And Language Navigation, Alexander Sandoval Mesa

Dissertations and Theses

Visual-Language Navigation (VLN) presents significant challenges for autonomous agents, such as robots and virtual assistants, particularly in complex, dynamic environments where the seamless integration of visual perception and natural language understanding is critical. Traditional VLN systems often struggle with effectively aligning language instructions and visual scene understanding, limiting their adaptability and navigation efficiency.

This thesis proposes a novel Cognitive Map-based framework that addresses these challenges by transforming natural language navigation instructions into structured graph representations. The Cognitive Map consists of nodes representing waypoints, landmarks, decision points, and edges encoding spatial relationships and navigational actions. These maps are generated using Large …

Facial Chick Sexing: An Automated Chick Sexing System From Chick Facial Image, Marta Veganzones Rodriguez, Thinh Phan, Arthur F.A. Fernandes, Vivian Breen, Jesus Arango, Michael T. Kidd, Ngan Le

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Chick sexing, the process of determining the gender of day-old chicks, is a critical task in the poultry industry due to the distinct roles that each gender plays in production. While effective traditional methods achieve high accuracy, color, and wing feather sexing is exclusive to specific breeds, and vent sexing is invasive and requires trained experts. To address these challenges, we propose a novel approach inspired by facial gender classification techniques in humans: facial chick sexing. This new method does not require expert knowledge and aims to reduce training time while enhancing animal welfare by minimizing chick manipulation. We develop …

Fuzzing Drones For Anomaly Detection: A Systematic Literature Review, Vikas Kumar Malviya, Wei Minn, Lwin Khin Shar, Lingxiao Jiang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Drones, also referred to as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), are becoming popular today due to their uses in different fields and recent technological advancements which provide easy control of UAVs via mobile apps. However, UAVs may contain vulnerabilities or software bugs that cause serious safety and security concerns. For example, the communication protocol used by the UAV may contain authentication and authorization vulnerabilities, which may be exploited by attackers to gain remote access over the UAV. Drones must therefore undergo extensive testing before being released or deployed to identify and fix any software bugs or security vulnerabilities. Fuzzing is one …

An Optimized Generalized Multi-Color Point Implicit Solver For Intel Gpus Using Oneapi Esimd, Joseph Wassell, Mohammad Zubair, Aaron Walden, Gabriel Nastac, Eric Nielsen, Timothée Ewart

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper presents an efficient implementation of a linear-solver kernel relevant to FUN3D, a suite of computational fluid dynamics software developed at NASA’s Langley Research Center. The linear solver is optimized for a range of block sizes commonly used in FUN3D. The implementation targets Aurora, the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility’s (ALCF) exascale machine featuring Intel Data Center Max 1550 GPUs. The linear solver’s performance is memory bandwidth-bound due to its low arithmetic intensity. The primary performance challenges stem from variable matrix row lengths and indirect memory access patterns inherent in unstructured-grid applications. Variable block sizes introduce additional complexity through differing …

Survey: A Study On Image Encryption Using Dna In Bioinformatics, Rana M. Zaki, Zaed S. Mahdi, Matheel E. Abdulmunim

Journal of Soft Computing and Computer Applications

One area of study between computer science and biology is bioinformatics, which deals with methods for collecting, processing, storing, and evaluating biological data. Sequences of RiboNucleic Acid (RNA), DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA), and proteins make up biological data, which has a wide range of uses in domains such as feature extraction, data segmentation, data security, and more. In cryptography, DNA sequences are used as data carriers, enhancing the unique properties of biomolecules. This approach involves using DNA sequences to enhance the security of confidential data that must be transmitted over networks or stored securely. Several DNA-based security techniques have been developed, …

New Feature Selection Using Principal Component Analysis, Zaid Mundher Radeef, Soukaena Hassan Hashem, Ekhlas Khalaf Gbashi

Journal of Soft Computing and Computer Applications

Dimensionality reduction techniques streamline machine learning by reducing data complexity, improving model accuracy, and cutting computational costs. They remove noise and irrelevant features, making models faster and more efficient. These techniques also enhance data visualization and interpretation by condensing data into manageable, insightful dimensions. Ultimately, dimensionality reduction leads to simpler, more interpretable models without sacrificing critical information, making it a cornerstone of efficient data analysis and machine learning applications. Theoretically, feature extraction tends to create new features that encapsulate more information by combining multiple existing features, resulting in more concentrated and informative features. In contrast, feature selection involves choosing a …

Development Of A Hybrid Methodology Of Deep Learning And Machine Learning For Lung Nodule Detection In Medical Computed Tomography Images, Zaed S. Mahdi, Rana M. Zaki, Alaa Kadhim Farhan, Negar Majma

Journal of Soft Computing and Computer Applications

Deep learning and machine learning play an important role in the medical field, helping doctors make accurate, fast and effective diagnosis. Despite the progress achieved in the use of modern technologies in detecting cancerous nodes, current studies still suffer from some challenges and limitations that must be addressed to obtain high efficiency in identifying cancerous nodes. These challenges include using image pre-processing, combining deep learning and machine learning techniques, and constantly adapting to clinical changes, in order to address this. A hybrid methodology has been proposed for detecting cancerous nodules in the lung in medical Computed Tomography (CT) images. It …

Enhancing Image Classification Using A Convolutional Neural Network Model, Zena M. Saadi, Ahmed T. Sadiq, Omar Z. Akif, Marwa M. Eid

Journal of Soft Computing and Computer Applications

In recent years, with the rapid development of the current classification system in digital content identification, automatic classification of images has become the most challenging task in the field of computer vision. As can be seen, vision is quite challenging for a system to automatically understand and analyze images, as compared to the vision of humans. Some research papers have been done to address the issue in the low-level current classification system, but the output was restricted only to basic image features. However, similarly, the approaches fail to accurately classify images. For the results expected in this field, such as …

Improved Rapidly-Exploring Random Tree Using Firefly Algorithm For Robot Path Planning, Dena Kadhim Muhsen, Firas Abdulrazzaq Raheem, Yuhanis Yusof, Ahmed T. Sadiq, Faiz Al Alawy

Journal of Soft Computing and Computer Applications

In robotics, efficient path planning makes robots work independently and move through changing environments over time. This study combines the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) architecture with the Firefly Algorithm (FA) to make robot’s path-planning better. The proposed ERRT-FA, which stands for "Enhanced RRT with Firefly Algorithm", generates better routes using Firefly social habits. Plan routes using Firefly social habits can effectively aid in exploring configuration space. The role of the FA is to enhance the RRT algorithm by providing an optimized exploration of the search space, ultimately leading to optimizing the path found by the RRT algorithm and better paths …

Cropsync: Ai-Powered Sustainable Crop Management, Ziad Doughan, Ibrahim Mneimneh, Zouheir Nakouzi, Noor Al Khaib, Samer Damaj, Jamal Chaaban, Hamza Mrad, Sari Itani

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

CropSync is a smart agriculture system that uses AI and IoT technologies to enable sustain- able crop management and precision farming. The system aims to address the challenges faced by the agriculture sector, such as increasing food production to meet global population demands while minimizing environmental impact. CropSync integrates sensors, cameras, and cloud-based analytics to provide farmers with real-time insights and recommendations for optimizing crop cul- tivation. The system upholds engineering professional and ethical standards, considering broader social, environmental, and economic implications. From a social perspective, CropSync improves food security and enhances farmers’ livelihoods through increased productivity and efficient re- …

Simulation Of Cascade Failure In Urban Rail Transit Hypernetworks Based On Hypergraph Theory, Zijin Han, Mingjun Qian, Xixian Wang, Kaiyue Zhang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to enhance the resilience of urban rail transit networks to ensure stable operations and passenger safety in the face of emergencies, hypergraph theory is introduced to construct a hypergraph based urban rail transit hypernetwork model, and a nonlinear load-capacity cascading failure model based on passenger flow weighting is established. In response to the passenger evacuation process at actual transportation network stations, a load redistribution mechanism is proposed, taking into consideration both the network level and the importance of passenger flow. To address scenarios where stations in actual traffic networks can still accommodate loads during shutdowns, a node …

A Fast Federated Learning-Based Crypto-Aggregation Scheme And Its Simulation Analysis, Boshen Lü, Xiao Song

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To solve the problem of increased computation and communication costs caused by using homomorphic encryption (HE) to protect all gradients in traditional cryptographic aggregation (cryptoaggregation) schemes, a fast crypto-aggregation scheme called RandomCrypt was proposed. RandomCrypt performed clipping and quantization to fix the range of gradient values and then added two types of noise on the gradient for encryption and differential privacy (DP) protection. It conducted HE on noise keys to revise the precision loss caused by DP protection. RandomCrypt was implemented based on a FATE framework, and a hacking simulation experiment was conducted. The results show that the proposed …

Critical Node Identification Method For Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Cluster Considering Localized Features, Chenglong Shi, Xiang Hua, Dong Wang, Jinjin Zhang, Tianqi Jiang, Yuanzhang Dang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the problem that the UAV cluster critical node identification methods focus on the global network and ignore the correlation between nodes and their local features, a critical nodes identification method for unmanned aerial vehicle cluster considering local features is proposed. An unmanned aerial vehicle cluster network model is constructed based on complex network theory. The Laplacian energy is introduced to evaluate the importance of node within two hops, and information entropy is combined to evaluate the importance of node in a specific motif to comprehensive identify the critical nodes. Simulation results demonstrate that this method identifies critical …

Optimization Of Urban Agglomeration Transportation Network Evacuation Paths, Bowei He, Chengbing Li, Shida Nie, Jialin Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Given the complexity of the internal transportation network structure within urban agglomerations and the presence of numerous alternative routes, this paper proposes an enhanced ant colony algorithm to address the evacuation path problem of urban agglomeration transportation networks. A comprehensive urban agglomeration transportation network model is constructed, in which the issue of virtual transfer edges within the urban scope is considered and a weighting function is constructed taking into account the travelling time cost and the transferring time cost. Optimizations are applied to the ant colony algorithm, constructing an adaptive adjustment of state transitions and an information pheromone update …