Computer Sciences Commons^™

To Explore Agent Technology In E-Commerce Mighty House Agent, Thirumalai Phiyadharshini

Student Works (2000-2009)

Agent technology is becoming more popular among system designers who want their system to be more personalized, continuously running and semi-autonomous. These properties make agents useful for a wide variety of information and process management tasks. It should come as no surprise that these same qualities are particularly useful for the information-rich and process-rich environment of electronic commerce. As such agent technology in electronic commerce (e-commerce) would be essential to improve on-line shopping which is becoming more and more popular these days. It is in these roles that agent system designers have the challenge to accurately identify and the opportunity …

Multicast Communication In Circuit-Switched Optical Networks, Ran Libeskind-Hadas, Rami Melhem

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

In this paper we examine the problem of multicast routing in Wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks. In particular, we examine wavelength and routing assignment problems in circuit-switched WDM networks. We show that although the routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) problem is NP-complete in general, the wavelength assignment (WA) problem can be solevd in a polynomial time.

A Model To Evaluate The Effect Of Organizational Adaptation, Holly A. H. Handley, Alexander H. Levis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

When an organization’s output declines due to either internal changes or changes in its external environment, it needs to adapt. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of different adaptation strategies on organizational per- formance, an organizational model composed of individual models of a five stage interacting decision maker was designed using an object oriented design approach and implemented as a Colored Petri net. The concept of entropy is used to calculate the total activity value, a surrogate for decision maker workload, based on the functional partition and the adaptation strategy being implemented. The individual decision maker’s total activity is monitored, …

Design Verification And Functional Testing Of Finite State Machines, Mark W. Weiss, Sharad C. Seth, Shashank K. Mehta, Kent L. Einspahr

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

The design of a finite state machine can be verified by simulating all its state transitions. Typically, state transitions involve many don’t care inputs that must be fully expanded for an exhaustive functional verification. However, by exploiting the knowledge about the design structure it is shown that only a few vectors from the fully expanded set suffice for both design verification and testing for manufacturing defects. The main contributions of the paper include a unified fault model for design errors and manufacturing faults and a function-based analysis of the circuit structure for the purpose of generating tests under the unified …

Diffserver: Application Level Differentiated Services For Web Servers, Gautam Rao, Byrav Ramamurthy

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Web content hosting, in which a Web server stores and provides Web access to documents for different customers, is becoming increasingly common. For example, a web server can host webpages for several different companies and individuals. Traditionally, Web Service Providers (WSPs) provide all customers with the same level of performance (best-effort service). Most service differentiation has been in the pricing structure (individual vs. business rates) or the connectivity type (dial-up access vs. leased line, etc.). This report presents DiffServer, a program that implements two simple, server-side, application-level mechanisms (server-centric and client-centric) to provide different levels of web service. The results …

On The Folkman-Lawrence Topological Representation Theorem For Oriented Matroids Of Rank 3, Jürgen Bokowski, Susanne Mock, Ileana Streinu

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

We present a new direct proof of the Folkman-Lawrence topological representation theorem for oriented matroids of rank 3. © 2001 Academic Press.

Mobile Data Management, Sanjay Kumar Madria, Sourav S. Bhowmick

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The management of data in the mobile computing environment offers new challenging problems. Existing software needs to be upgraded to accommodate this environment. To do so, the critical parameters need to be understood and defined. We have surveyed some problems and existing solutions

Multi -Mission Attitude Determination System For Balloon Flight, Liping Mo

Doctoral Dissertations

MADS (Multi-mission Attitude Determination System) is a new software package used to determine the attitude of instruments on a high-altitude balloon employed for scientific experiments. There is no existing system for the automated determination of the attitude of instruments in balloon experiments, so we have developed MADS to do the data analysis for balloon experiments to find the location of astrophysical sources such as gamma-ray or x-ray sources.

The two areas that required most work were modeling star trackers and modeling the motion of the balloon. Star trackers are used on satellites, but are far too expensive and sophisticated to …

Latent Maximum Entropy Principle For Statistical Language Modeling, Shaojun Wang, Ronald Rosenfeld, Yunxin Zhao

Kno.e.sis Publications

We describe a unified probabilistic framework for statistical language modeling, the latent maximum entropy principle. The salient feature of this approach is that the hidden causal hierarchical dependency structure can be encoded into the statistical model in a principled way by mixtures of exponential families with a rich expressive power. We first show the problem formulation, solution, and certain convergence properties. We then describe how to use this machine learning technique to model various aspects of natural language, such as syntactic structure of sentences, semantic information in a document. Finally, we draw a conclusion and point out future research directions.

Generalized Metrics And Topology In Logic Programming Semantics, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Many fixed-point theorems are essentially topological in nature. Among them are the Banach contraction mapping theorem on metric spaces and the fixed-point theorem for Scott-continuous mappings on complete partial orders. The latter theorem is fundamental in denotational semantics since semantic operators in most programming language paradigms satisfy its requirements. The use of negation in logic programming and non-monotonic reasoning, however, renders some semantic operators to be non-monotonic, hence discontinuous with respect to the Scott topology, and therefore invalidates the standard approach, so that alternative methods have to be sought. In this thesis, we investigate topological methods, including generalized metric fixed-point …

Legal Deposit Of Electronic Publications : Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia's Experience, Shahrozat Ibrahim

Student Works (2000-2009)

The main purpose of this study is to analyse the statistical data of non-print/ electronic publications received and registered by the National Depository Centre, Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia since the enforcement of the Deposit of Library Material Act, 1986. Statistical data of non-print/electronic publications received from the years 1988-2000 were obtained from the National Depository Centre, Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia. The study revealed that out of the 7,926 titles of non-print publications received and registered from the year 1988-2000, only 165 titles (2.08%) are electronic publications, of which CD-ROMs constitute 1.87%, while diskettes and computer software constitute 0.19% and 0.03% respectively. The …

A Framework For Performance And Value Assessment Of E-Business Systems In Corporate Travel Distribution, A.M. Chircu, Robert J. Kauffman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This chapter proposes and illustrates a framework that the authors call the value life cycle for e-commerce systems. Based on recent research results that relate to technology investments in the corporate travel industry and related theoretical and empirical perspectives, the authors lay out the corporate travel e-commerce system solutions value life cycle. The perspective involves estimating the maximum value that that an organization can obtain by implementing an e-commerce system in a specific industry and competitive environment. It also considers multiple factors that act as value contingencies for the implementation process. These create barriers to value accrual and to …

A Study Of Journal Overlaps, Duplicates And Costs In The Field Of Computer Science Held In Selected Malaysian University Libraries, Siew Ling Ng

Student Works (2000-2009)

This study aims to find out the holding status of the journal collection in computer science in five selected local university libraries, that is libraries of the University of Malaya (UM), University of Science Malaysia (USM), University of Technology Malaysia (UTM), National University of Malaysia (UKM) and University Putra Malaysia (UPM). These universities are selected because they offered courses on computer science. The study also aims to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of computer science journal collection in these universities and the degree of duplicates, overlaps, and the costs of serials in computer science. The study focused on 301 current …

Hopfield Model For Shortest Path Computation And Routing In Atm Network, Chee Weng Lee

Student Works (2000-2009)

This research focuses on the application of Hopfield neural network and Boltmann machine in solving the shortest path routing problem in the ATM network environment. Hopfield neural network and Boltzmann machine are two types of neural network which are commonly used for solving optimization problem such as the shortest path routing problem. The objectives of this research are to construct a Hopfield neural network and a Boltzmann machine for solving the shortest path routing problem in the ATM network. Both of these two types of neural network are built based on a chosen example of an A TM network. The …

Tackling The Deficit - It Solutions For Art Appreciation - Needs Study And Provision Project At Primary School Level., Séan Ó Hargáin

Theses

This project looks at the changing environment in terms of the approach to the Visual Arts curriculum at Primary School level. It aims to provide an innovative solution to the art appreciation area, which is being given equal status with the art creation area, which traditionally has been the main focus of the curriculum.

The Project includes a review of the curricular climate, both at home and abroad. In this context it focusses particularly on the role of Information Technology in addressing access problems from those living remote from major population, and therefore major artistic centres.

Primary Research included involved …

An Approach To Networking In Irish Primary Schools, Donal A. O'Connor

Theses

In this Thesis, I hope to develop an approach to networking in the Irish Primary school which will provide practical as well as theoretical advice to Primary Teachers. In the pages that follow, I will detail a general outline of the principles of computer networking and detail models appropriate to the primary school.

At the outset, I wish to acknowledge that there are as many solutions to the primary school’s networking requirements as there are individual schools. This document is intended as a general set of guidelines for the average Primary school in this country. By this, I mean schools …

Development Of A Networked Interactive Information Environment Within A National Park, John Clifton

Theses

For the most part, the Killarney National Park (KNP) currently disseminates information to visitors in paper format and by word of mouth in a non-coherent fashion. Society as a whole is moving towards an Information Age delivered through an electronic medium. This project aims to facilitate the KNP in delivering a new electronically presented information experience to its global visitors.

Electronic media facilitate the delivery of in-depth multimedia as well as multilingual information. This information will be made available on demand to visitors and delivered through a variety of media including information points and handheld devices to facilitate the various …

A Fresh Look At The Provision Of Bandwidth To A Health Agency, James G. Leahy

Theses

This thesis describes development of a networking infrastructure to support a Regional Health Service in Ireland. It covers:-

• The design, building, commissioning and delivery of a Forward Emergency Control Vehicle to provide the video, voice and data communications needed to enhance delivery of patient care in Disaster Situations. The main focus here is on the integration of satellite and terrestrial communications.

• By studying the history of telecommunications provision over copper, the best use is made of the legacy copper cabling in and between existing buildings on a campus to provide both voice and data services.

• A financial …

Software Architecture In Project Management, Kum Yeng Looi

Student Works (2000-2009)

Software architecture is vital for large and complex software systems in which the main means is controlling complexity. Currently, software development has been deteriorating from architecture point of view over the years as a result of adaptation of vast changing of system requirements. Consequently, architecture improvement of existing software is therefore turning more and more important. Software architecture is a set of concepts and design decisions about the structure and texture of software that must be made prior to concurrent engineering to enable effective satisfaction of architecturally significant explicit functional and quality requirements and implicit requirements of the product family, …

Remote Monitoring System, Chin Kee Tan

Student Works (2000-2009)

Research is conducted to analysis and evaluate about the Remote Monitoring System. The details process of developing the Remote Monitoring System will be discussed throughout whole section of this project. The primary objective of this project is to explore on how Remote Monitoring CCTV process work as well as the application area used in Remote Monitoring CCTV system. This project involves creating a real time monitoring video camera system as a prototype. The developer will perform the development of the system according to system development life cycle. Stages of the system development life cycle for developing the remote monitoring software …

An Investigation Into The Use Of Software Code Metrics In The Industrial Software Development Environment, Tim Littlefair

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This work describes a project that investigates the use of software metrics based on measurement of source code in industrial software development. Literature is examined relating to considerations of quality in industry; to software engineering; to emergent technologies in the software industry including the object-oriented paradigm and software patterns; to software product and process metrics; and to cultural factors affecting workplaces in the software industry. It then expounds theoretical and practical work aimed at specifying, designing and implementing a source code analyzer for use in a typical industrial project setting. There is an explanation of the design and outcomes of …

Performance Evaluation Of Hybrid Coding Of Images Using Wavelet Transform And Predictive Coding, S. R. Subramanya, Chaman Sabharwal

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Image compression techniques are necessary for the storage of huge amounts of digital images using reasonable amounts of space, and for their transmission with limited bandwidth. Several techniques such as predictive coding, transform coding, subband coding, wavelet coding, and vector quantization have been used in image coding. While each technique has some advantages, most practical systems use hybrid techniques which incorporate more than one scheme. They combine the advantages of the individual schemes and enhance the coding effectiveness. This paper proposes and evaluates a hybrid coding scheme for images using wavelet transforms and predictive coding. The performance evaluation is done …

Workstation Clusters For Parallel Computing, J. Stone, Fikret Erçal

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Workstation clusters have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional parallel supercomputers for many workloads requiring high performance computing. The use of parallel computing for scientific simulations has increased tremendously in the last ten years, and parallel implementations of scientific simulation codes are now in widespread use. There are two dominant parallel hardware/software architectures in use today: distributed memory, and shared memory. Systems implementing shared memory provide cooperating processes with a shared memory address space that can be accessed by all processors. In shared memory systems, parallel processing occurs through the use of shared data structures, or through emulation of …

Perceptual Cues And Subjective Organization In A Virtual Information Workspace, Todd M. Eischeid

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The key to effectively using the immense body of data on the Internet is an efficient method of organizing relevant information. Researchers and designers are beginning to promote the advantages of three-dimensional (3D) models of information storage and retrieval; however, the potential benefits of perceptual depth cues have not been systematically studied.

The present study used a computer task to examine the effectiveness of three types of virtual desktops. A two-dimensional (2D) virtual desktop display, lacking in the cues that give the illusion of depth, was compared to two different 3D virtual desktops, both of which used perceptual cues to …

New Sequential And Scalable Parallel Algorithms For Incomplete Factor Preconditioning, David A. Hysom

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

The solution of large, sparse, linear systems of equations Ax = b is an important kernel, and the dominant term with regard to execution time, in many applications in scientific computing. The large size of the systems of equations being solved currently (millions of unknowns and equations) requires iterative solvers on parallel computers. Preconditioning, which is the process of translating a linear system into a related system that is easier to solve, is widely used to reduce solution time and is sometimes required to ensure convergence. Level-based preconditioning (ILU(ℓ)) has long been used in serial contexts and is widely recognized …

Lock-Free Scheduling Of Logical Processes In Parallel Simulation, Xiaowen Liu, David M. Nicol, King Tan Dartmouth College

Computer Science Technical Reports

With fixed lookahead information in a simulation model, the overhead of asynchronous conservative parallel simulation lies in the mechanism used for propagating time updates in order for logical processes to safely advance their local simulation clocks. Studies have shown that a good scheduling algorithm should preferentially schedule processes containing events on the critical path. This paper introduces a lock-free algorithm for scheduling logical processes in conservative parallel discrete-event simulation on shared-memory multiprocessor machines. The algorithm uses fetch\&add operations that help avoid inefficiencies associated with using locks. The lock-free algorithm is robust. Experiments show that, compared with the scheduling algorithm using …

Ambiguity-Directed Sampling For Qualitative Analysis Of Sparse Data From Spatially-Distributed Physical Systems, Chris Bailey-Kellogg, Naren Ramakrishnan

Computer Science Technical Reports

A number of important scientific and engineering applications, such as fluid dynamics simulation and aircraft design, require analysis of spatially-distributed data from expensive experiments and complex simulations. In such data-scarce applications, it is advantageous to use models of given sparse data to identify promising regions for additional data collection. This paper presents a principled mechanism for applying domain-specific knowledge to design focused sampling strategies. In particular, our approach uses ambiguities identified in a multi-level qualitative analysis of sparse data to guide iterative data collection. Two case studies demonstrate that this approach leads to highly effective sampling decisions that are also …

The Partial Evaluation Approach To Information Personalization, Naren Ramakrishnan, Saverio Perugini

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Information personalization refers to the automatic adjustment of information content, structure, and presentation tailored to an individual user. By reducing information overload and customizing information access, personalization systems have emerged as an important segment of the Internet economy. This paper presents a systematic modeling methodology— PIPE (‘Personalization is Partial Evaluation’) — for personalization. Personalization systems are designed and implemented in PIPE by modeling an information-seeking interaction in a programmatic representation. The representation supports the description of information-seeking activities as partial information and their subsequent realization by partial evaluation, a technique for specializing programs. We describe the modeling methodology at a …

A Robot Team That Can Search, Rescue, And Serve Cookies: Experiments In Multi-Modal Person Identification And Multi-Robot Sound Localization., Doug Blank, G. Beavers

Computer Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

A team of three robots placed second in both the Urban Search and Rescue and Hors d’Oeuvres Anyone? events at the 2000 American Association of Artificial Intelligence au- tonomous robot competitions. This paper describes the multi- robot, low-cost sound localization technique, and the multi- sensor, person recognition system used in the AAAI contests by the robot team.

A Market-Based Model For Resource Allocation In Agent Systems, Jonathan Bredin, David Kotz, Daniela Rus

Dartmouth Scholarship

In traditional computational systems, resource owners have no incentive to subject themselves to additional risk and congestion associated with providing service to arbitrary agents, but there are applications that benefit from open environments. We argue for the use of markets to regulate agent systems. With market mechanisms, agents have the abilities to assess the cost of their actions, behave responsibly, and coordinate their resource usage both temporally and spatially. \par We discuss our market structure and mechanisms we have developed to foster secure exchange between agents and hosts. Additionally, we believe that certain agent applications encourage repeated interactions that benefit …