Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Predicting The Fluency Of Text With Shallow Structural Features: Case Studies Of Machine Tanslation And Human-Written Text, Jieun Chae, Ani Nenkova

Ani Nenkova

Sentence fluency is an important component of overall text readability but few studies in natural language processing have sought to understand the factors that define it. We report the results of an initial study into the predictive power of surface syntactic statistics for the task; we use fluency assessments done for the purpose of evaluating machine translation. We find that these features are weakly but significantly correlated with fluency. Machine and human translations can be distinguished with accuracy over 80%. The performance of pairwise comparison of fluency is also very high—over 90% for a multi-layer perceptron classifier. We also test …

Class-Level Spectral Features For Emotion Recognition, Dmitri Bitouk, Ragini Verma, Ani Nenkova

Ani Nenkova

The most common approaches to automatic emotion recognition rely on utterance-level prosodic features. Recent studies have shown that utterance-level statistics of segmental spectral features also contain rich information about expressivity and emotion. In our work we introduce a more fine-grained yet robust set of spectral features: statistics of Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients computed over three phoneme type classes of interest – stressed vowels, unstressed vowels and consonants in the utterance. We investigate performance of our features in the task of speaker-independent emotion recognition using two publicly available datasets. Our experimental results clearly indicate that indeed both the richer set of spectral …

Performance Confidence Estimation For Automatic Summarization, Annie Louis, Ani Nenkova

Ani Nenkova

We address the task of automatically predicting if summarization system performance will be good or bad based on features derived directly from either single- or multi-document inputs. Our labelled corpus for the task is composed of data from large scale evaluations completed over the span of several years. The variation of data between years allows for a comprehensive analysis of the robustness of features, but poses a challenge for building a combined corpus which can be used for training and testing. Still, we find that the problem can be mitigated by appropriately normalizing for differences within each year. We examine …

Digital Wayfinding: A User Study, M Ryan Hess

M Ryan Hess

The DePaul University Richardson Library conducted a study of an interactive, touch-based wayfinding screen in order to determine 1) what specific content needs users desire in digital wayfinding services and 2) are user content needs so broad, a more full-feature experience with access to all library web content would be preferred. The three-phase study included analysis of click analytics data, observations of user interactions and questionnaires targeting user experiences and expectations. The study builds on research at other libraries around point-of-need wayfinding signage and usability of digital information. Phase 1 involved capturing anonymous click analytics of user interactions, over a …

Blackboard-Based Electronic Warfare System, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

With internet-connected, SCADA and cyber-physical systems becoming the next battlefield for crime and warfare, technologies for defending and attacking these systems are growing in prevalence. For entities with significant asset collections that are prospectively vulnerable to this type of an attack, autonomous response, retaliation and attack capabilities are necessary to respond to a growing threat from numerous sectors. This paper presents a command and control technique for cyberwarfare based on the Blackboard Architecture. It discusses the utility of this approach and proposes a distributed command system that can run across multiple nodes of various types.

Implementing And Testing A Novel Chaotic Cryptosystem, Samuel Jackson, Scott Kerlin, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

Cryptography in the domain of small satellites is a relatively new area of research. Compared to typical desktop computers, small satellites have limited bandwidth, processing power, and battery power. Many of the current encryption schemes were developed for desktop computers and servers, and as such may be unsuitable for small satellites. In addition, most cryptographic research in the domain of small satellites focuses on hardware solutions, which can be problematic given the limited space requirements of small satellites.

This paper investigates potential software solutions that could be used to encrypt and decrypt data on small satellites and other devices with …

Performance Tuning In Answer Set Programming, Matt Buddenhagen, Yuliya Lierler

Yuliya Lierler

Enhancing Manufacturing Planning And Control Systems Through Artificial Intelligence Techniques, Ronald S. Dattero, John J. Kanet, Edna M. White

John J. Kanet

Manufacturing planning and control systems are currently dominated by systems based upon Material Requirements Planning (MRP). MRP systems have a number of fundamental flaws. A potential alternative to MRP systems is suggested after research into the economic batch scheduling problem. Based on the ideas of economic batch scheduling, and enhanced through artificial intelligence techniques, an alternative approach to manufacturing planning and control is developed. A framework for future research on this alternative to MRP is presented.

Capacity Planning With Financial And Operational Hedging In Low‐Cost Countries, Lijian Chen, Shanling Li, Letian Wang

Lance (Lijian) Chen

The authors of this paper outline a capacity planning problem in which a risk-averse firm reserves capacities with potential suppliers that are located in multiple low-cost countries. While demand is uncertain, the firm also faces multi-country foreign currency exposures. This study develops a mean-variance model that maximizes the firm’s optimal utility and derives optimal utility and optimal decisions in capacity and financial hedging size. The authors show that when demand and exchange rate risks are perfectly correlated, a risk- averse firm, by using financial hedging, will achieve the same optimal utility as a risk-neutral firm. In this paper as well, …

A Simulation-Based Approach To Solve A Specific Type Of Chance Constrained Optimization, Lijian Chan

Lance (Lijian) Chen

We solve the chance constrained optimization with convex feasible set through approximating the chance constraint by another convex smooth function. The approximation is based on the numerical properties of the Bernstein polynomial that is capable of effectively controlling the approximation error for both function value and gradient. Thus, we adopt a first-order algorithm to reach a satisfactory solution which is expected to be optimal. When the explicit expression of joint distribution is not available, we then use Monte Carlo approach to numerically evaluate the chance constraint to obtain an optimal solution by probability. Numerical results for known problem instances are …

Re-Solving Stochastic Programming Models For Airline Revenue Management, Lijian Chen, Tito Homem-De-Mello

Lance (Lijian) Chen

We study some mathematical programming formulations for the origin-destination model in airline revenue management. In particular, we focus on the traditional probabilistic model proposed in the literature. The approach we study consists of solving a sequence of two-stage stochastic programs with simple recourse, which can be viewed as an approximation to a multi-stage stochastic programming formulation to the seat allocation problem. Our theoretical results show that the proposed approximation is robust, in the sense that solving more successive two-stage programs can never worsen the expected revenue obtained with the corresponding allocation policy. Although intuitive, such a property is known not …

Ancillary Service Capacity Optimization For Both Electric Power Suppliers And Independent System Operator, Lijian Chen, Dengfeng Sun, Guang Li

Lance (Lijian) Chen

Ancillary Services (AS) in electric power industry are critical to support the transmission of energy from generators to load demands while maintaining reliable operation of transmission systems in accordance with good utility practice. The ancillary services are procured by the independent system operator (ISO) through a process called the market clearing process which can be modeled by the partial equilibrium from the ends of ISO. There are two capacity optimization problems for both Market participants (MP) and Independent System Operator (ISO). For a market participant, the firm needs to determine the capacity allocation plan for various AS to pursue operating …

Capacity-Driven Pricing Mechanism In Special Service Industries, Lijian Chen, Suraj M. Alexander

Lance (Lijian) Chen

We propose a capacity driven pricing mechanism for several service industries in which the customer behavior, the price demand relationship, and the competition are significantly distinct from other industries. According our observation, we found that the price demand relationship in these industries cannot be modeled by fitted curves; the customers would neither plan in advance nor purchase the service strategically; and the competition would be largely local. We analyze both risk neutral and risk aversion pricing models and conclude the proposed capacity driven model would be the optimal solution under mild assumptions. The resulting pricing mechanism has been implemented at …

Cognitive Activity Support Tools: Design Of The Visual Interface, Paul Parsons

Paul Parsons

This dissertation is broadly concerned with interactive computational tools that support the performance of complex cognitive activities, examples of which are analytical reasoning, decision making, problem solving, sense making, forecasting, and learning. Examples of tools that support such activities are visualization-based tools in the areas of: education, information visualization, personal information management, statistics, and health informatics. Such tools enable access to information and data and, through interaction, enable a human-information discourse. In a more specific sense, this dissertation is concerned with the design of the visual interface of these tools. This dissertation presents a large and comprehensive theoretical framework to …

Preparing Computer Science Graduates For The 21st Century, Paul Parsons

Paul Parsons

The nature of computer use has changed remarkably in the past fifty years. However, most undergraduate computer science courses are still often taught through an old paradigm that is not adequate to address modern concerns. This 90 minute seminar will address some issues relevant to preparing computer scientists for the 21st century. These include issues central to human-computer interaction (HCI) such as cognitive and perceptual aspects of computer users, ergonomics, and human factors. Although there has been literature on this topic for at least the past 15 years, it is still not widely recognized nor understood by the majority of …

Clinical Data Warehousing: A Business Analytics Approach For Managing Health Data, Lekha Narra, Tony Sahama, Peta Stapleton

Peta B. Stapleton

Heterogeneous health data is a critical issue when managing health information for quality decision making processes. In this paper we examine the efficient aggregation of lifestyle information through a data warehousing architecture lens. We present a proof of concept for a clinical data warehouse architecture that enables evidence based decision making processes by integrating and organising disparate data silos in support of healthcare services improvement paradigms.

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Dr Daniel Edwards

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Dr Jacob Pearce

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

An Intelligent Attitude Determination And Control System Concept For A Cubesat Class Spacecraft, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

An attitude determination and control system (ADCS) is used to orient a spacecraft for a wide variety of purposes (e.g., to keep a camera facing Earth or orient the spacecraft for propulsion system use). The proposed intelligent ADCS has several key features: first, it can be used in multiple modes, spanning from passive stabilization of two axes and unconstrained spin on a third to three-axis full active stabilization. It also includes electromagnetic components to ‘dump’ spin from the reaction wheels. Second, the ADCS utilizes an incorporated autonomous control algorithm to characterize the effect of actuation of the system components and, …

Design And Implementation Of Satellite Software To Facilitate Future Cubesat Development, Timothy Whitney, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

The OpenOrbiter project is a campus-wide effort at the University of North Dakota to design and build a low-cost CubeSat-class satellite. The intent is to create a publically- available framework that allows a spacecraft to be built with a parts cost of less than USD $5,000 (excluding mission payload-specific costs). This paper focuses on OpenOrbiter’s software system methodology and implementation.

Current work seeks to create a generalized framework that other CubeSat developers can use directly or alter to suit their mission needs. It discusses OpenOrbiter’s overall design goals with an emphasis on software design. The software architecture is divided into …

Collaboration And Health Care Diagnostics: An Agent Based Model Simulation, Sebastian Linde, George K. Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal

This paper presents a simple ABM simulation that seeks to provide insight into the public health benefits that derive from greater collaboration among health care professionals. In particular, the paper compares the efficiency, delivery and timeliness of health care diagnostics under two contrasting paradigms–one in which collaboration is encouraged, and an- other where it is not. The preliminary results of this study suggest that while the effect of cooperation on aggregate public health depends on the patient search algorithm employed, its effect on overall efficiency and timeliness of health care diagnostics and treatment is significant and pos- itive. Since the …

Software Metrics And Dashboard, Shilpika Shilpika, George K. Thiruvathukal, Saulo Aguiar, Konstantin Läufer, Nicholas J. Hayward

George K. Thiruvathukal

Software metrics are a critical tool which provide continuous insight to products and processes and help build reliable software in mission critical environments. Using software metrics we can perform calculations that help assess the effectiveness of the underlying software or process. The two types of metrics relevant to our work is complexity metrics and in-process metrics. Complexity metrics tend to focus on intrinsic code properties like code complexity. In-process metrics focus on a higher-level view of software quality, measuring information that can provide insight into the underlying software development process.

Our aim is to develop and evaluate a metrics dashboard …

Filesystems: Addressing The Last-Mile “Problem” In Services-Oriented/Cloud Computing, George K. Thiruvathukal, Joseph P. Kaylor, Konstantin Läufer

George K. Thiruvathukal

We have designed and implemented RestFS, a software framework that provides a uniform, configurable connector layer for mapping remote web-based resources to local filesystem-based resources, recognizing the similarity between these two types of resources. Such mappings enable programmatic access to a resource, as well as composition of two or more resources, through the local operating system’s standard filesystem application programming interface (API), script-able file-based command-line utilities, and interprocess communication (IPC) mechanisms. The framework supports automatic and manual authentication.

As part of this talk, we demonstrate a new filesystem that interfaces to the SketchFab.com service to support 3D model visualization. For …

An Object-Oriented Framework For Userland Filesystem Development, George K. Thiruvathukal, Joseph P. Kaylor, Konstantin Läufer

George K. Thiruvathukal

Userland filesystems (also known as virtual/installable filesystems) represent a promising direction for interfacing the traditional filesystem concept to specific domain instances (e.g. finance, bioinformatics, astronomy, photo sharing services, etc.) One might initially be inclined to think of filesystems as “old school” or “so 1980s” but their use remains an established practice in computational science and in many business domains, owing to the stability of filesystems interfaces and the continued perception of having great overall performance. While the promise of building one’s own userland filesystems is great, the approach has seen little adoption, owing to the complexity of working with low-level …

Gendered Jobs And The New Gender Gap, George K. Thiruvathukal, Jon Ross

George K. Thiruvathukal

This presentation discusses how to address 21st Century employment challenges by dismantling gender-specific barriers to entry. We take an interdisciplinary approach by focusing on areas such as education, public policy, culture, and media (among others).

At Shu, Having Fun Learning Is Part Of The Game, Robert Mccloud

Robert McCloud

A collaborative team of faculty and students from across Sacred Heart University is developing a new recruiting and information tool aimed at introducing prospective and new students and their families to the University using media that today’s students are comfortable with—gaming technology. The project team, led by Robert McCloud, associate professor of computer sciences and information technology, includes several other faculty members with complementary skills such as 3D animation and digital motion, music composition and script writing.

Teleradiology As A Foundation For An Enterprise-Wide Health Care Delivery System, John David N. Dionisio, Ricky K. Taira, Usha Sinha, David B. Johnson, Benjamin Y. Dai, Gregory H. Tashima, Stephen Blythe, Richard Johnson, Hooshang Kangarloo

John David N. Dionisio

An effective, integrated telemedicine system has been developed that allows (a) teleconsultation between local primary health care providers (primary care physicians and general radiologists) and remote imaging subspecialists and (b) active patient participation related to his or her medical condition and patient education. The initial stage of system development was a traditional teleradiology consultation service between general radiologists and specialists; this established system was expanded to include primary care physicians and patients. The system was developed by using a well-defined process model, resulting in three integrated modules: a patient module, a primary health care provider module, and a specialist module. …

3d Virtual Worlds And The Metaverse: Current Status And Future Possibilities, John David N. Dionisio, William G. Burns Iii, Richard Gilbert

John David N. Dionisio

Moving from a set of independent virtual worlds to an integrated network of 3D virtual worlds or Metaverse rests on progress in four areas: immersive realism, ubiquity of access and identity, interoperability, and scalability. For each area, the current status and needed developments in order to achieve a functional Metaverse are described. Factors that support the formation of a viable Metaverse, such as institutional and popular interest and ongoing improvements in hardware performance, and factors that constrain the achievement of this goal, including limits in computational methods and unrealized collaboration among virtual world stakeholders and developers, are also considered.

The Next Step, Benjamin Y. Dai, Lynn Thompson, John David N. Dionisio, Hooshang Kangarloo, Ricky K. Taira

John David N. Dionisio

In traditional radiology practice, reports are typically dictated and then transcribed.? While the free-text reports represent the semantic knowledge interpreted and conveyed by a physician, the information can be hard to access. The advantages of representing medical data in a structured format using standard terminology are clearly recognized. These include the ability to implement a standardized electronic medical record, automatically invoke medical guidelines when appropriate, and conduct outcomes research. Standard structured reports facilitate intelligent indexing, searching, and retrieval of documents from clinical databases. Recent attempts have been made in the industry to enable structured data entry using preformatted templates, but …

Improving The Computer Science In Bioinformatics Through Open Source Pedagogy, John David N. Dionisio, Kam D. Dahlquist

John David N. Dionisio

Bioinformatics relies more than ever on information technologies. This pressures scientists to keep up with software development best practices. However, traditional computer science curricula do not necessarily expose students to collaborative and long-lived software development. Using open source principles, practices, and tools forms an effective pedagogy for software development best practices. This paper reports on a bioinformatics teaching framework implemented through courses introducing computer science students to the field. The courses led to an initial product release consisting of software and an Escherichia coli K12 GenMAPP Gene Database, within a total "incubation time" of six months.