Computer Sciences Commons^™

Using Machine Learning To Identify Hate Speech And Offending Language On Twitter., Mayara Lorens, Thayene Lorens

ICT

This project focuses on applying Machine Learning (ML) techniques to detect hate speech and offensive language on Twitter, addressing ethical concerns like cyberbullying and fostering a safer online environment. The topic is chosen for its societal significance and business relevance, as hostile online behaviour negatively impacts user experiences and platform credibility.

To achieve this, the study implements four distinct ML models to develop an automated system capable of identifying and categorising content as offensive, non-offensive, or neutral. The system aims to contribute to mitigating harmful interactions on social media and improving user safety by effectively classifying potentially problematic content.

The …

Using Unsupervised Learning Methods In Extracting Features For Classifying Rice Varieties From Rice Grains Images., Kevin Anthony Martinez

ICT

Rice, a staple food for nearly half of the global population, requires accurate classification of its varieties to ensure food quality, support agricultural trade, and enhance yield optimisation. Traditional manual classification methods are time-intensive and error-prone, prompting this study's exploration of unsupervised learning for feature extraction from rice grain images. The research tested classifiers on 75,000 rice samples across five classes, with 15,000 samples per class.

The study's DCGAN-CNN model achieved the highest classification accuracy of 99.67%. However, the PCA-CNN model underperformed, with only 20% accuracy, due to implementation errors. Recommendations for improvement include optimising model parameters such as learning …

The Hip Ontology: A Formal Framework To Support Disaster Risk Reduction And Management, Shirly Stephen, Mark Schildhauer, Krzysztof Janowicz, Kitty Currier, Pascal Hitzler, Cogan Shimizu, Colby K. Fisher, Dean Rehberger

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Open data initiatives and knowledge graphs, in synergy, have contributed to an increasing volume of disaster-related data in the Semantic Web. Synthesizing and enriching these data is critical to support all aspects of data-driven disaster risk reduction and management. A standard template that coherently defines, maps, and classifies the wide range of hazards to which communities are exposed is a key input for this task. The UNDRR-ISC Hazard Information Profiles (HIPs) provide evidence-informed standardization of hazard nomenclature and definitions and a “science-backed” classification. Unfortunately, they are not in a machine-readable format. This paper develops the HIP Ontology as its FAIR …

Efficient Hierarchical Contrastive Self-Supervising Learning For Time Series Classification Via Importance-Aware Resolution Selection, Kevin Garcia, Juan M. Perez, Yifeng Gao

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Recently, there has been a significant advancement in designing Self-Supervised Learning (SSL) frameworks for time series data to reduce the dependency on data labels. Among these works, hierarchical contrastive learning-based SSL frameworks, which learn representations by contrasting data embeddings at multiple resolutions, have gained considerable attention. Due to their ability to gather more information, they exhibit better generalization in various downstream tasks. However, when the time series data length is significant long, the computational cost is often significantly higher than that of other SSL frameworks. In this paper, to address this challenge, we propose an efficient way to train hierarchical …

Predicting Quality Of Life In Driving Scene Using Image Recognition Techniques And User Group Information, Ployrada Suvarnakuta

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study presents a machine learning approach for predicting perceived urban Quality of Life (QoL) by integrating visual features from street-level imagery with personal attributes, including demographic, socioeconomic, and travel behavior data. Using datasets from Bangkok and London, we trained supervised models—Support Vector Machines and Multilayer Perceptrons—under multiple input configurations to evaluate the contribution of each data type. Results show that combining visual and personal features improves prediction accuracy compared to using visual features alone. Statistical feature selection identified income, education, housing stability, and travel patterns as consistently important predictors, with some variation across urban contexts. These findings underscore the …

Predicting An Optimal Medication/Prescription Regimen For Patient Discordant Chronic Comorbidities Using Multi-Output Models, Ichchha Pradeep Sharma, Tam Nguyen, Shruti Ajay Singh, Tom Ongwere

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper focuses on addressing the complex healthcare needs of patients struggling with discordant chronic comorbidities (DCCs). Managing these patients within the current healthcare system often proves to be a challenging process, characterized by evolving treatment needs necessitating multiple medical appointments and coordination among different clinical specialists. This makes it difficult for both patients and healthcare providers to set and prioritize medications and understand potential drug interactions. The primary motivation of this research is the need to reduce medication conflict and optimize medication regimens for individuals with DCCs. To achieve this, we allowed patients to specify their health conditions and …

Invoice Processing With Rpa, Maheen Sohail

MSCS Research Projects

This project aims to develop an automated invoice processing system leveraging Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technologies to streamline invoice management, reduce manual effort, and minimize errors. The system captures invoice images via a mobile application and validates the vendor against a predefined vendor list. Recognized vendor’s invoices are uploaded to SharePoint and sent for further processing with OCR to extract data, while others are routed for approval before being processed further. This dual-path workflow ensures both speed and accuracy in handling invoices.

Developed with Microsoft Power Apps and automated using Microsoft Power Automate, the system …

Judging Our New Judges: Why We Must Remove Artificial Intelligence From Our Courtrooms Now, Kieran Duffy Newcomb

Honors Theses and Capstones

In this paper, I explore some of the ways in which artificial intelligence might enhance the sentencing process through recidivism prediction technology. Notably, this technology can increase the accuracy of risk predictions and the speed with which sentencing decisions are reached. I then show, however, that the recidivism prediction technology is likely to turn into what data scientist Cathy O’Neil calls a Weapon of Math Destruction. The potential harmfulness of this technology is due not to the inherent nature of the technology, but the symbiotic relationship it will have with our already harmful criminal justice system. I argue that the …

A Deep Learning Model For Early Diagnosis Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus From Facial Images, Shourav Bikash Dey

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) poses significant challenges due to its complex and varied symptoms making diagnosis extremely challenging and time consuming. Symptoms of SLE often mimics other autoimmune or physical conditions and around 5 million people worldwide suffers from this condition, as reported by the Lupus Foundation of America during their study in 2019. However, diagnosis is much more difficult in developing countries with backdated clinical technology and setup therefore, making it virtually unknown the exact number of SLE patient count worldwide. Among all the heterogeneous symptoms presented by SLE, Butterfly Malar Rash (BMR) is one of the symptoms that …

Quantitative Verification For Massive Linear Systems, Qing Liu

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The verification of linear systems has been an active area of research for decades. Reachability analysis is a key component in verification problems. It involves computing the system’s reachable set, the set of reachable states in the state space from a given set of initial states. Most verification methods primarily focus on qualitative verification, which answers whether or not a system may violate specified safety conditions. This paper extends this qualitative verification to quantitative verification by introducing a novel approach, employing probabilistic stars (Probstars) to compute reachable sets, which augment traditional star sets by integrating Gaussian-distributed random variables with …

Multispectral Deep Neural Network Fusion Method For Low-Light Object Detection, Keval Thaker, Sumanth Chennupati, Nathir Rawashdeh, Samir A. Rawashdeh

Michigan Tech Publications

Despite significant strides in achieving vehicle autonomy, robust perception under low-light conditions still remains a persistent challenge. In this study, we investigate the potential of multispectral imaging, thereby leveraging deep learning models to enhance object detection performance in the context of nighttime driving. Features encoded from the red, green, and blue (RGB) visual spectrum and thermal infrared images are combined to implement a multispectral object detection model. This has proven to be more effective compared to using visual channels only, as thermal images provide complementary information when discriminating objects in low-illumination conditions. Additionally, there is a lack of studies on …

Student Attitudes And Intentions To Use Continuous Authentication Methods Applied To Mitigate Impersonation Attacks During E-Assessments, Andrea E. Green

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

No solution can ultimately eliminate cheating in online courses. However, universities reserve funding for authentication systems to minimize the threat of cheating in online courses. Most higher education institutions use a combination of authentication methods to secure systems against impersonation attacks during online examinations. Authentication technologies ensure that an online course is protected from impersonation attacks. However, it is important that authentication methods secure systems against impersonation attacks with minimal disruption during an examination. Authentication methods applied to secure e-assessments against impersonation attacks may impact a student’s attitude and intentions to use the e-examination system.

In this regard, the research …

Heed The Warning Signs: The Effectiveness Of Message Popup Warnings For Deterring The Spread Of Misinformation, Hollis Greenberg

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

As false news can propagate to others rapidly, social media platforms employ multiple methods to combat misinformation. Debunking techniques are warning features embedded into a platform’s interface that alert readers of misinformation. These warnings have two goals: to “debunk” false information and to prevent the further spread of misinformation. Researchers have evaluated the effectiveness of debunking techniques to understand how users increase their awareness of misinformation, and what users do with the information given in warning messages. Message popup warnings are a newer and understudied type of debunking technique.

The overarching research question of this study was: Are message popup …

Empirical Assessment Of Remote Workers’ Cyberslacking And Computer Security Posture To Assess Organizational Cybersecurity Risks, Ariel Luna

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Role Of Tacit And Explicit Knowledge Hiding In Organizations, Darren Wiggins

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge Hiding (KHi) is the deliberate act of withholding knowledge from others, driven by distrust. This distrust stems from three key factors: rationalized hiding, evasive hiding, and playing dumb. The latter two, evasive hiding and playing dumb, are particularly detrimental as they foster a cycle of mutual distrust within the workplace. To counteract this, organizations have significantly invested in promoting Tacit Knowledge (TK) and Explicit Knowledge (EK) sharing. These initiatives aimed to facilitate knowledge transfer, foster collaboration, enhance problem-solving capabilities, and strengthen social and interpersonal relationships.

Recent studies highlighted the importance of understanding the attributes linked to TK and EK. …

Using Ontological Methods To Compare Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 And Cobit 19, Aaron Marshall Ramey

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Cybersecurity frameworks developed by a variety of organizations and implemented by a much larger collection of organizations differ in their focus and application. Whether designed by a private or government organization, the primary goal is to provide a framework to assess and reduce risk. The Department of Defense (DoD) has recently implemented the second version of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC 2.0). In some situations, compliance with CMMC 2.0 has already become mandatory for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Compliance will soon be required for all Large Businesses (LB) and Small Businesses (SB) within the DIB. While COBIT 19 …

Combating Disinformation On Social Media Networks With Media And Information Literacy Training For Social Media Network Users, Oscar Kwok Chao Ho

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

In the Internet age, social media networks (SMNs), such as Facebook (FB), Instagram (IG), and Twitter (TW), have gained popularity and become an essential part of human life. SMNs provide ease of connection to family, friends, and communities; however, they increase the chances social media network users (SMN users) will disclose private information (PI), causing critical harm to SMN users’ information privacy (IP). Furthermore, SMN users are exposed to significant amounts of disinformation, misinformation, or fake news, which they share without realizing the information is untrustworthy.

The goal of this developmental research was to investigate, examine, and understand the effects …

Enhancing Sentiment Analysis In Niche Domains: Introducing Diverse Datasets And Evaluating Model Performance In Car Dealership And Board Game Reviews, Kimon Andreou

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) has witnessed significant advancements in recent decades, with text classification emerging as a critical task, particularly in sentiment analysis applications. However, a constant challenge within sentiment analysis research is the scarcity of diverse and specialized labeled datasets. The present dissertation addresses this gap by developing two novel, labeled textual datasets sourced from niche areas: BoardGameGeek.com's top 250 board game reviews and TrustPilot.com's car dealership reviews

The main goal of this dissertation is to enrich sentiment analysis methodologies by providing unique datasets and insights into the performance of current models within specialized domains. By …

A Technique For Visualization Of Multivariate Categorical Data, Janice James

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Multivariate Categorical Data (MCD) plays a significant role in many industries, and the ability to understand the data is critical for insight and decision making. Visualization is a key tool for understanding the data. This dissertation designed and implemented a novel technique for visualizing MCD called Pivoting Parallel Charts (PPC). The design of PPC was informed by studying several existing MCD visualization techniques.

PPC visualizes MCD as a sequence of parallel axes with affixed bar charts. A user-specified axis, called the pivot, acts as the crucial point of consideration for all data relationships. The bar charts are color-coded by the …

Development Of The Passphrase Alleviating Abstraction, Remembering, And Strength (Palabras) Method, Juan Manuel Madrid

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The currently most used method for computer authentication is the password because it is simple to implement, and users are familiar with it. However, passwords are vulnerable to attacks that can be mitigated by increasing the complexity of the chosen password, particularly in length. One possible approach to increasing the complexity of passwords is by using passphrases. Passphrases can be easier to remember than a standard password, improving memorability. They can reduce the loss of work time and productivity related to forgotten passwords. To achieve the required balance between complexity and memorability, the concept of passphrase categories can be applied, …

Creation Of A Digital Storage System For Genome Sequencing Metadata, Jacquelin W. Olexa

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

As the field of computational genomics continues to expand in both potential and application, it is now more imperative than ever to ensure that massive genetic sequencing datasets are properly stored in an accessible manner. This project sought to establish a practical, user-friendly, secure system for a genomics research lab (the Good Lab; thegoodlab.org) at the University of Montana. A MySQL database and connected web application was ruled the best configuration to maximize utility and accessibility for the lab’s researchers. Building the logical framework for the database, creating the server, and sourcing data occurred over several months. The dataset ranged …

The Process Of Video Game Development: Watermelon Willy, Jade Westgor

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Developing a video game requires and provides skills that can be very helpful for computer science students, as well as skills that relate to storytelling/worldbuilding, organization, and artistic expression. This paper goes over the process I have taken in order to design, develop, and evaluate the game Watermelon Willy from the very start to alpha testing. The process started some time ago with the idea being present in my head for a while, however the project started with some basic storyboards to map out some of the fundamental aspects of the game. Coding began with a simple template, which was …

Deterministic And Stochastic Dynamics Of Marine Food Webs, Julian A. Hernandez S.

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Ecologists have long been concerned with understanding the behavior and evolutionary patterns exhibited within complex ecological communities. Under- standing the delicate balance that sustains ecosystems is crucial in determining how these communities evolve over time. Recently, researchers have combined deterministic Lotka-Volterra dynamics with different types of synthetic food webs (cascade, niche and generalized cascade models), and have analyzed the mechanisms behind primary extinction events and the ensuing secondary extinction cascade. These studies also enabled the exploration of the complex interplay of species loss to explain how food web structure influences primary and secondary extinction. We have extended these ideas to …

Infusing Commonsense Via Knowledge Bases In Multipurpose Robotic Task Organization, Rafael Omar Hidalgo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This research explores the innovative integration of commonsense knowledge (CSK) within AI systems, with a particular focus on domestic robotics. At the heart of this study is the Robo- CSK-Organizer, a groundbreaking system that utilizes a classical knowledge base, namely ConceptNet, to enhance robotic decision-making through sophisticated object organization and classification. This system is contrasted with a ChatGPT-based organizer, examining their performance in terms of ambiguity resolution, consistency in object placement, adaptability to task classifications, and crucially, in explainability, a key aspect of XAI (Explainable AI). Through a combination of controlled experiments, quantitative and qualitative analysis, the study demonstrates that …

Feature Matching Methods Comparison With Limited Computing Power, Xu Du

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This work presents a comparative analysis of feature-matching techniques implemented on low-end hardware, focusing on their efficiency and performance under various image transformations. The study evaluates several well-established feature matching algorithms, including ORB, AKAZE, BRISK, FAST combined with ORB, and SIFT, for their robustness against rotation, perspective, and scale changes in images. The base image used for experimentation features is the Montclair State University's Red Hawk mascot—a complex, textured subject that presents a substantial challenge for feature matching algorithms. The experiment simulates real-world conditions by applying a series of transformations to the base image and utilizes the default settings of …

Assessing Organizational Investments In Cybersecurity And Financial Performance Before And After Data Breach Incidents Of Cloud Saas Platforms, Munther B. Ghazawneh

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Prior research indicated that providing inappropriate investment in organizations for Information Technology (IT) security makes these organizations suffer from IT security issues that may cause data breach incidents. Data breaches in cloud Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms lead to the disclosure of sensitive information, which causes disruption of services, damage to the organizational image, or financial losses. Massive data breaches still exist in cloud SaaS platforms which result in data leaks and data theft of customers in organizations.

IT security risks and vulnerabilities cost organizations millions of dollars a year as organizations may face an increase in cybersecurity challenges. …

Development Of Cybersecurity Footprint Index For Manufacturing Companies To Assess Organizational Cyber Posture, John A. Del Vecchio

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

With the continued changes in how businesses work, cyber-attack targets are constantly in flux between organizations, individuals, and various aspects of the supply chain of interconnected companies delivering goods and services. As one of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors, manufacturing is known for complex integrated Information Systems (ISs) incorporated heavily into production operations. Many of these ISs are procured and supported by third parties, also called interconnected entities in the supply chain. Disruptions to manufacturing companies would not only have significant financial losses but would also have economic and safety impacts on society. The vulnerabilities of interconnected companies create inherited …

Constructed Language (Conlang) Audio Honing, Ronald B. Oakes

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

An important aspect of a constructed language (conlang) is how it sounds when spoken. This dissertation designs and implements a tool to allow the user to hear how their conlang sounds when spoken. This tool will generate spoken language based on sample text in the constructed language. Further, it will enable the user to manipulate the phonetics of the language and hear how these changes impact the language in its spoken form.

This tool also allows users to assess the preferability of the language’s phonetics using Net Auditory Distance under the framework of Beats-and-Bindings Phonology. It was shown that the …

Studies In Prefix Rewriting, Ashley Marie Suchy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this dissertation, we introduce computational problems with respect to prefix grammars and introduce a new concept called \emph{left-linear phrase-structure grammars}.

(Meta-)Physical Artworks: Digital Augmentation In Art Observation, Macy A. Toppan

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Augmented art— the subgenre of art that incorporates physical and digital artwork— is a rapidly growing field driven by advancing technology and a new generation for whom that tech is a given. Yet the presence of media like augmented and virtual reality in exhibition remains a controversial subject. Rather than focusing on the many theoretical debates about whether digital pieces can qualify as "good" art, we study it in practice through the eyes of the casual art observer. This paper highlights the audience in a within-participant study that asked viewers to take in a physical sculpture intentionally built with virtual …