Computer Engineering Commons^™

Extension Of Model-Based Fault Diagnosis Techniques For Network Systems, Ahmed Naail Abeer

Computer Science and Engineering Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Supporting Developer-Onboarding With Enhanced Resource Finding And Visual Exploration, Jianguo Wang

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding the basic structure of a code base and a development team are essential to get new developers up to speed in a software development project. Developers do so through the process of early experimentation with code and the creation of mental models of technical and social structures in a project. However, getting up-to-speed in a new project can be challenging due to difficulties in: finding the right place to begin explorations, expanding the focus to determine relevant resources for tasks, and identifying dependencies across project elements to gain a high-level overview of project structures. In this thesis, I first …

Getting It Right The First Time: Predicted Performance Guarantees From The Analysis Of Emergent Behavior In Autonomous And Semi-Autonomous Systems, Ronald C. Arkin, Damian M. Lyons, Shu Jiang, Prem Nirmal, Munzir Zafar

Faculty Publications

A crucially important aspect for mission-critical robotic operations is ensuring as best as possible that an autonomous system be able to complete its task. In a project for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) we are developing methods to provide such guidance, specifically for counter-Weapons of Mass Destruction (C-WMD) missions. In this paper, we describe the scenarios under consideration, the performance measures and metrics being developed, and an outline of the mechanisms for providing performance guarantees.

Navigation Of Uncertain Terrain By Fusion Of Information From Real And Synthetic Imagery, Damian M. Lyons, Prem Nirmal, D. Paul Benjamin

Faculty Publications

We consider the scenario where an autonomous platform that is searching or traversing a building may observe unstable masonry or may need to travel over unstable rubble. A purely behaviour-based system may handle these challenges but produce behaviour that works against long-terms goals such as reaching a victim as quickly as possible. We extend our work on ADAPT, a cognitive robotics architecture that incorporates 3D simulation and image fusion, to allow the robot to predict the behaviour of physical phenomena, such as falling masonry, and take actions consonant with long-term goals.

We experimentally evaluate a cognitive only and reactive only …

Using A Virtual World For Robot Planning, D. Paul Benjamin, John V. Monaco, Yixia Lin, Christopher Funk, Damian M. Lyons

Faculty Publications

We are building a robot cognitive architecture that constructs a real-time virtual copy of itself and its environment, including people, and uses the model to process perceptual information and to plan its movements. This paper describes the structure of this architecture. The software components of this architecture include PhysX for the virtual world, OpenCV and the Point Cloud Library for visual processing, and the Soar cognitive architecture that controls the perceptual processing and task planning. The RS (Robot Schemas) language is implemented in Soar, providing the ability to reason about concurrency and time. This Soar/RS component controls visual processing, deciding …

Information Encryption And Retrieval In Mid-Rf Range Using Acousto-Optic Chaos, Monish Ranjan Chatterjee, Abhinay Kundur

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent work, low-frequency AC signal encryption, decryption and retrieval using system-parameter based keys at the receiver stage of an acousto-optic (A-O) Bragg cell under first-order feedback have been demonstrated [1,2]. The corresponding nonlinear dynamics have also been investigated using the Lyapunov exponent and the so-called bifurcation maps [3]. The results were essentially restricted to A-O chaos around 10 KHz, and (baseband) signal bandwidths in the 1-4 KHz range. The results have generally been satisfactory, and parameter tolerances (prior to severe signal distortion at the output) in the ±5% - ±10% range have been obtained.

Periodic AC waveforms, and a …

How To Describe And Propagate Uncertainty When Processing Time Series: Metrological And Computational Challenges, With Potential Applications To Environmental Studies, Christian Servin, Martine Ceberio, Aline Jaimes, Craig Tweedie, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Time series comes from measurements, and measurements are never absolutely accurate. Traditionally, when we deal with an individual measurement or with a sample of measurement results, we subdivide a measurement error into random and systematic components: systematic error does not change from measurement to measurement which random errors corresponding to different measurements are independent. In time series, when we measure the same quantity at different times, we can also have correlation between measurement errors corresponding to nearby moments of time. To capture this correlation, environmental science researchers proposed to consider the third type of measurement errors: periodic. This extended classification …

Optimizing Computer Representation And Computer Processing Of Epistemic Uncertainty For Risk-Informed Decision Making: Finances Etc., Vladik Kreinovich, Nitaya Buntao, Olga Kosheleva

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Uncertainty is usually gauged by using standard statistical characteristics: mean, variance, correlation, etc. Then, we use the known values of these characteristics (or the known bounds on these values) to select a decision. Sometimes, it becomes clear that the selected characteristics do not always describe a situation well; then other known (or new) characteristics are proposed. A good example is description of volatility in finance: it started with variance, and now many descriptions are competing, all with their own advantages and limitations.

In such situations, a natural idea is to come up with characteristics tailored to specific application areas: e.g., …

Research-Related Projects For Graduate Students As A Tool To Motivate Graduate Students In Classes Outside Their Direct Interest Areas, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In most graduate programs, students are required to take both "depth" classes -- classes in the areas of the student's direct interest -- and "breadth" classes, classes outside their direct interest areas. Naturally, the student's interest in "breadth" classes is often naturally lower than their interest in the "depth" classes. To enhance the students' interest in the "breadth" classes, a natural idea is to make research-related project an important part of the class, a project in which the student can apply the skills that he or she learns in the class to the research area of direct interest to this …

Datalogger Sequence Execution Engine (Dsqee), Edmund Yingxiang Yee

Computer Engineering

The PolySat Research Group accepts projects from several companies that wish to use a CubeSat for some experiment. One of the projects called Intelligent Payload Experiment, or IPEX, needs software to interact with out system avionics. One of these software will be datalogger, which will be augmented from its original datalogging scheme to support sequentially execution of commands/algorithms that our client, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, or JPL, need. My part of the project explains the software design decisions behind datalogger.

Check Image Processing: Webp Conversion And Micr Scan Android Application, Trevor Bliss

Computer Engineering

As more users favor smartphones over computers for simple tasks, small businesses are constantly exploring mobile options to present to their customers. This write-up documents an Android application designed for a small company, which allows users to send pictures of checks to the company’s servers for processing. The picture is taken with the devices built-in camera and is converted to Google’s new image format, WebP. The company’s server processes the check and returns the check’s MICR code as a response. This application leverages the Android NDK and JNI to use Google’s open source image conversion libraries as well as socket …

Exploring The Components Of Dynamic Modeling Techniques, Charles Daniel Turnitsa

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Upon defining the terms modeling and simulation, it becomes apparent that there is a wide variety of different models, using different techniques, appropriate for different levels of representation for any one system to be modeled. Selecting an appropriate conceptual modeling technique from those available is an open question for the practitioner. Existing methods for describing techniques do not capture enough information about the expressive potential of those techniques such that an appropriate selection decision can be made. A formal method to describe conceptual modeling techniques that captures enough about the technique to distinguish it from others is identified as a …

Smart Sensing And Performance Analysis For Cognitive Radio Networks, Yanxiao Zhao

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Static spectrum access policy has resulted in spectrum scarcity as well as low spectrum utility in today's wireless communications. To utilize the limited spectrum more efficiently, cognitive radio networks have been considered a promising paradigm for future network. Due to the unique features of cognitive radio technology, cognitive radio networks not only raise new challenges, but also bring several fundamental problems back to the focus of researchers. So far, a number of problems in cognitive radio networks have remained unsolved over the past decade. The work presented in this dissertation attempts to fill some of the gaps in the research …

Multi-Term Approximation To The Boltzmann Transport Equation For Electron Energy Distribution Functions In Nitrogen, Yue Feng

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Plasma is currently a hot topic and it has many significant applications due to its composition of both positively and negatively charged particles. The energy distribution function is important in plasma science since it characterizes the ability of the plasma to affect chemical reactions, affect physical outcomes, and drive various applications. The Boltzmann Transport Equation is an important kinetic equation that provides an accurate basis for characterizing the distribution function—both in energy and space.

This dissertation research proposes a multi-term approximation to solve the Boltzmann Transport Equation by treating the relaxation process using an expansion of the electron distribution function …

Health Nexus: A Serious Game Prototype For Prevention And Treatment Of Obesity And Diabetes, Joseph C. Miller

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Electronic games are a prevalent phenomenon of American culture and entertainment. Serious games are video games that take advantage of games' intrinsic entertaining and challenging characteristics for serious purposes, such as education, training, advertisement, and political campaigns. A significant number of serious games have been developed for a variety of diverse purposes. The last few years have witnessed the inception and growth of motion sensing technologies for games, including Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation Move, and Microsoft Kinect. These motion sensing technologies usually require game players' physical body movement in order to perform and achieve in the games, such as playing …

Image-Guided Robotic Dental Implantation With Natural-Root-Formed Implants, Xiaoyan Sun

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Dental implantation is now recognized as the standard of the care for tooth replacement. Although many studies show high short term survival rates greater than 95%, long term studies (> 5 years) have shown success rates as low as 41.9%. Reasons affecting the long term success rates might include surgical factors such as limited accuracy of implant placement, lack of spacing controls, and overheating during the placement.

In this dissertation, a comprehensive solution for improving the outcome of current dental implantation is presented, which includes computer-aided preoperative planning for better visualization of patient-specific information and automated robotic site-preparation for superior …

Ceg 221-01: Advanced C For Engineers, Jay Dejongh

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course introduces advanced constructs, algorithms, and data structures in the C programming language. Emphasis is on problem solving and techniques useful to engineers. Topics include functions, array, pointers, structures as well as sorting algorithms, linked lists, complex numbers, stacks, queues, hash tables, and binary trees. 4 credit hours. Prerequisite: CEG220 (Introduction to C Programming for Engineers).

Ceg 355-01: Introduction To The Design Of Information Technology Systems, Thomas C. Hartrum

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

Introduction to the design of information systems comprising modern technologies such as SQL database programming, networks, and distributed computing with CORBA, electronic and hypertext (HTML) documents, and multimedia.

Ceg 460/660-01: Introduction To Software Computer Engineering, Nikolaos Bourbakis

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course is concerned with the techniques of designing and constructing large programs. Some of the required basic concepts necessarily have to be developed using small programs as examples. To this extent, we also study programming-in-the-small. The overall objectives are to present an overview of issues in the development of software, to discuss terminology, to illustrate via example case studies, and to give sufficiently detailed advice on how to develop quality software and present a way of communication via UML. Hands-on experience is emphasized through the use of homework and a class project.

Ceg 479/679-01: Computer Animation, Thomas Wischgoll

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Ceg 702-01: Advanced Communication Networks, Bin Wang

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Ceg 260-01: Digital Computer Hardware/Switching Circuits, Meilin Liu

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

We will discuss and cover basic digital, combinational and sequential logic systems. Labs will be used to gain valuable practical experience in implementing elementary circuits and logic designs.

Ceg 2350: Os Concepts And Usage, Richard Van Hook

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

Provides introduction to Linux and Windows operating systems and system administration. Covers files and directories, ownership and sharing, programs and processes, system calls, libraries, dynamic linking, command line shells, scripting, regular expressions and secure network protocols.

Ceg 360/560-01: Digital System Design, Travis E. Doom

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

Design of digital systems. Topics include flip-flops, registers, counters, programmable logic devices, memory devices, register-level design, and microcomputer system organization. Students must show competency in the design of digital systems. 3 hours lecture, 2 hours lab. Prerequisite: CEG 260.

Ceg 463/663-01: The Personal Software Development Process, John A. Reisner

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

In this course, you will learn about more about one particular way to address some of the challenges and issues associated with successful software development. Specifically, you will learn about (and use) the Personal Software Process (PSP), designed to help individual software practitioners become more adept at their craft through the use of project planning, project tracking, defect analysis, review and verification activities, software measurement, and process management. This course--and the PSP-are somewhat unique in that they aim to help software engineers become more successful, not by examining issues associated with large-scale development (as is the case with many software …

Cs 740: Complexity Theory And Algorithm Analysis, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

What does it mean to say that some computational problem is intrinsically more difficult than some other problem? How can I claim that I have found a good algorithmic solution? The study of these questions gives rise to an area of Theoretical Computer Science called Complexity Theory, which is based on a systematic and thorough formal study of the complexity of problems with respect to their algorithmic solvability, using Turing machines as main conceptual tool. In this class, we will understand how problem and algorithm complexity is measured, and discuss some of the main complexity classes arising from this study. …

Cs 141: Computer Programming I, Vanessa Starkey

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

Introduction to use of computers as a problem-solving tool. Examples from and applications to a broad range of problems. Methodology for algorithm design and for structured modular implementation is stressed. Three hours lecture, two hours lab.

Cs 205: Introduction To Computers And Office Productivity Software, Terri Bauer

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

Focus on learning MS Office software applications including intermediate word processing, spreadsheets, database and presentation graphics using a case study approach where critical thinking and problem solving skills are required. Computer concepts are integrated throughout the course to provide an understanding of the basics of computing, the latest technological advances and how they are used in industry. Ethics and issues encountered in business are discussed to challenge students on societal impact of technology.

Cs 214-01: Visual Basic Programming, Radar Pangaean

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course will teach the fundamentals of object oriented programming using Visual BASIC to solve simple to medium complexity programming problems. The course will cover: algorithms, VB’s data types, coding standards, decision and looping constructs, arrays and structures, functions and procedures, file I/O, the standard GUI elements supported by Visual BASIC, and custom classes. Students will use texts and reference materials while coding. No previous programming experience is required. Basic algebra and computer skills are required.

Cs 241: Computer Programming - Ii, Michael Ondrasek

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

The CS 241 course is a continuation of CS 240. The emphasis in CS 241 is on solving more complex problems using object oriented programming. Prerequisite: CS240. Students must register for both lecture and one laboratory section. 4 credit hours.