Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Note On The Aymptotic Behavior Of The Heights In B-Tries For B Large, Charles Knessl, Wojciech Szpankowski

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

An Agent-Based Netcentric Framework For Multidisciplinary Problem Problem Solving Environments (Mpse), S. Markus, Elias N. Houstis, A. C. Catlin, John R. Rice, P. Tsompanopoulou, D. Gottfried, Ke Su

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Cluster-Based Database Selection Techniques For Routing Bibliographic Queries, Jian Xu, Ee Peng Lim, Wee-Keong Ng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we focus on the database selection problem in the context of a global digital library consisting of a large number of online bibliographic servers. Each server hosts a bibliographic database that contains bibliographic records each of which consists of text values for a number of pre-defined bibliographic attributes such as title, author, call number, subject, etc.. Each bibliographic database supports user queries on the bibliographic attributes. Since bibliographic records are relatively small in size, we only consider bibliographic databases that support boolean queries on the bibliographic attributes, and the query results are not ranked. While focusing on …

Mobile Agents And The Future Of The Internet, David Kotz, Robert S. Gray

Dartmouth Scholarship

Use of the Internet has exploded in recent years with the appearance of the World-Wide Web. In this paper, we show how current technological trends may lead to a system based substantially on mobile code, and in many cases, mobile agents. We discuss several technical and non-technical hurdles along the path to that eventuality. It seems likely that, within a few years, nearly all major Internet sites will be capable of hosting and willing to host some form of mobile code or mobile agents.

The Robustness Of Relaxation Rates In Constraint Satisfaction Networks, Tony R. Martinez, Dan A. Ventura, D. Randall Wilson, Brian Moncur

Faculty Publications

Constraint satisfaction networks contain nodes that receive weighted evidence from external sources and/or other nodes. A relaxation process allows the activation of nodes to affect neighboring nodes, which in turn can affect their neighbors, allowing information to travel through a network. When doing discrete updates (as in a software implementation of a relaxation network), a goal net or goal activation can be computed in response to the net input into a node, and a relaxation rate can then be used to determine how fast the node moves from its current value to its goal value. An open question was whether …

A Neural Model Of Centered Tri-Gram Speech Recognition, Tony R. Martinez, Dan A. Ventura, D. Randall Wilson, Brian Moncur

Faculty Publications

A relaxation network model that includes higher order weight connections is introduced. To demonstrate its utility, the model is applied to the speech recognition domain. Traditional speech recognition systems typically consider only that context preceding the word to be recognized. However, intuition suggests that considering both preceding context as well as following context should improve recognition accuracy. The work described here tests this hypothesis by applying the higher order relaxation network to consider both precedes and follows context in speech recognition. The results demonstrate both the general utility of the higher order relaxation network as well as its improvement over …

Combining Cross-Validation And Confidence To Measure Fitness, Tony R. Martinez, D. Randall Wilson

Faculty Publications

Neural network and machine learning algorithms often have parameters that must be tuned for good performance on a particular task. Leave-one-out cross-validation (LCV) accuracy is often used to measure the fitness of a set of parameter values. However, small changes in parameters often have no effect on LCV accuracy. Many learning algorithms can measure the confidence of a classification decision, but often confidence alone is an inappropriate measure of fitness. This paper proposes a combined measure of Cross- Validation and Confidence (CVC) for obtaining a continuous measure of fitness for sets of parameters in learning algorithms. This paper also proposes …

Cross Validation And Mlp Architecture Selection, Timothy L. Andersen, Tony R. Martinez

Faculty Publications

The performance of cross validation (CV) based MLP architecture selection is examined using 14 real world problem domains. When testing many different network architectures the results show that CV is only slightly more likely than random to select the optimal network architecture, and that the strategy of using the simplest available network architecture performs better than CV in this case. Experimental evidence suggests several reasons for the poor performance of CV. In addition, three general strategies which lead to significant increase in the performance of CV are proposed. While this paper focuses on using CV to select the optimal MLP …

Extending The Power And Capacity Of Constraint Satisfaction Networks, Tony R. Martinez, Xinchuan Zeng

Faculty Publications

This work focuses on improving the Hopfield network for solving optimization problems. Although much work has been done in this area, the performance of the Hopfield network is still not satisfactory in terms of valid convergence and quality of solutions. We address this issue in this work by combing a new activation function (EBA) and a new relaxation procedure (CR) in order to improve the performance of the Hopfield network. Each of EBA and CR has been individually demonstrated capable of substantially improving the performance. The combined approach has been evaluated through 20,000 simulations based on 200 randomly generated city …

The Little Neuron That Could, Timothy L. Andersen, Tony R. Martinez

Faculty Publications

SLPs (single layer perceptrons) oflen exhibit reasonable generalization performance on many problems of interest. However, due to the well known limitations of SLPs very little effort has been made to improve their performance. This paper proposes a method for improving the performance of SLPs called "wagging" (weight averaging). This method involves training several different SLPs on the same training data, and then averaging their weights to obtain a single SLP. The performance of the wagged SLP is compared with other more complex learning algorithms (bp, c4.5, ibl, MML, etc) on 15 data sets from real world problem domains. Surprisingly, the …

Neural Networks And Structured Knowledge: Knowledge Representation And Reasoning, Franz J. Kurfess

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This collection of articles is the first of two parts of a special issue on "Neural Networks and Structured Knowledge." The contributions to the first part shed some light on the issues of knowledge representation and reasoning with neural networks. Their scope ranges from formal models for mapping discrete structures like graphs or logical formulae onto different types of neural networks, to the construction of practical systems for various types of reasoning. In the second part to follow, the emphasis will be on the extraction of knowledge from neural networks, and on applications of neural networks and structured knowledge to …

Asymptotic Average Redundancy Of Huffman (And Shannon-Fano) Block Codes, Wojciech Szpankowski

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Eclectic Learning And Stagger, J. Cory Barker, Jargalsaihan Batsaihan

Faculty Publications

This project compares two machine-learning methods, Stagger and Eclectic on their classification correctness. Both systems were tested with real-world data sets previously used and tested in other machine learning and statistical literature. The Eclectic System performed better than Stagger on every data set.

Newton Parameter Update Algorithm For Recurrent Neural Networks Applied To Adaptive System Identification And Control, Donald Allen Gates

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This paper shows that the combination of a second-order neural network parameter update algorithm and internal network feedback can be effectively used for adaptive, nonlinear, dynamical system identification and control. Adaptive neural identification and control algorithms are typically utilized for real-time applications where the rate of adaptation is often critical. A fast, adaptive network parameter update algorithm is presented.

Simulation results show that this algorithm is capable of quickly identifying and adapting to changes in system parameters, making it feasible to use for real-time control and fault accommodation applications.

Dynamic And Interactive 3d Simulation Over The World Wide Web, Rajesh Vennam

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The thesis presents the development of a new and novel three-dimensional simulation tool over the WWW using Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). VRML is a 3D analog to HTML and serves as a simple, multiplatform language for publishing 3D Web pages. In general, most people use VRML for developing three-dimensional models or worlds that provide little or no interaction for the users. This tool combines interaction and dynamic object creation. A thorough study of VRML is done to explore the features of VRML that could be combined to develop methodologies for creation of dynamic and interactive 3D objects over the …

A Family Of Hierarchical Encoding Techniques For Image And Video Communications, Samah A. Senbel

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

As the demand for image and video transmission and interactive multimedia applications continues to grow, scalable image and video compression that has robust behavior over unreliable channels are of increasing interest. These desktop applications require scalability as a main feature due to its heterogeneous nature, since participants in an interactive multimedia application have different needs and processing power. Also, the encoding and decoding algorithm complexity must be low due to the practical considerations of low-cost low-power receiver terminals. This requires image and video encoding techniques that jointly considers compression, scalability, robustness, and simplicity.

In this dissertation, we present a family …

Probabilistic Crowding: Deterministic Crowding With Probabilistic Replacement, Ole J. Mengshoel, David E. Goldberg

Ole J Mengshoel

This paper presents a novel niching algorithm, probabilistic crowding. Like its predecessor deterministic crowding, probabilistic crowding is fast, simple, and requires no parameters beyond that of the classical GA. In probabilistic crowding, subpopulations are maintained reliably, and we analyze and predict how this maintenance takes place.

This paper also identifies probabilistic crowding as a member of a family of algorithms, which we call integrated tournament algorithms. Integrated tournament algorithms also include deterministic crowding, restricted tournament selection, elitist recombination, parallel recombinative simulated annealing, the Metropolis algorithm, and simulated annealing.

Existence Theorems For Scheduling To Meet Two Objectives, April M. Rasala

Dartmouth College Undergraduate Theses

We will look at the existence of schedules which are simultaneously near-optimal for two criteria. First, we will present some techniques for proving existence theorems, in a very general setting, for bicriterion scheduling problems. We will then use these techniques to prove existence theorems for a large class of problems. We will consider the relationship between objective functions based on completion time, flow time, lateness and the number of on-time jobs. We will also present negative results first for the problem of simultaneously minimizing the maximum flow time and average weighted flow time and second for minimizing the maximum flow …

Zero-Parity Stabbing Information, Joseph O'Rourke, Irena Pashchenko

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Everett et al. [EHN96, EHN97] introduced several varieties of stabbing information for the lines determined by pairs of vertices of a simple polygon P, and established their relationships to vertex visibility and other combinatorial data. In the same spirit, we define the “zero-parity (ZP) stabbing information” to be a natural weakening of their “weak stabbing information,” retaining only the distinction among {zero, odd, even > 0} in the number of polygon edges stabbed. Whereas the weak stabbing information’s relation to visibility remains an open problem, we completely settle the analogous questions for zero parity information, with three results: (1) ZP information …

Analysis Of N-Tier Architecture Applied To Distributed-Database Systems, Alexandre G. Valente

Theses and Dissertations

N-tier architecture has been more commonly used as a methodology for developing large database applications. This work evaluates the use of this architecture instead of the classical Client/Server architecture in developing corporate applications based on distributed databases. The comparison between architectures is performed using applications that execute transactions similar to those defined in the Transaction Process Council Type C benchmark (TPC-C). The environment used for development and testing was the AFIT Bimodal Cluster (ABC); a heterogeneous cluster of PCs, running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 OS. The comparative experimental analysis demonstrated that the N-tier architecture allows more efficient bandwidth utilization between …

Computers, Art And Smart Rooms: A Smart Picture Frame That Senses The Weather And Genetically Evolves Images, Marisa E. Kolodny

Dartmouth College Undergraduate Theses

By using sensors to sense the environment and genetic programming to evolve images, this thesis explores two methods for developing smart pictures that can be integrated with a living space. The system presented senses the weather and indoor conditions, displays current weather and forecast information retrieved from the web, and displays genetically evolved images. Sensing the weather not only provides the user with information they might find useful, but also allows the computer to gain a better understanding of the user which in turn allows the computer to respond more accurately. Genetic programming allows the computer to better respond to …

An Application Of Word Sense Disambiguation To Information Retrieval, Jason M. Whaley

Dartmouth College Undergraduate Theses

The problems of word sense disambiguation and document indexing for information retrieval have been extensively studied. It has been observed that indexing using disambiguated meanings, rather than word stems, should improve information retrieval results. We present a new corpus-based algorithm for performing word sense disambiguation. The algorithm does not need to train on many senses of each word; it uses instead the probability that certain concepts will occur together. That algorithm is then used to index several corpa of documents. Our indexing algorithm does not generally outperform the traditional stem-based tf.idf model.

A Two Dimensional Crystalline Atomic Unit Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robot, Marsette Arthur Vona Iii

Dartmouth College Undergraduate Theses

Self-reconfigurable robots are designed so that they can change their external shape without human intervention. One general way to achieve such functionality is to build a robot composed of multiple, identical unit modules. If the modules are designed so that they can be assembled into rigid structures, and so that individual units within such structures can be relocated within and about the structure, then self-reconfiguration is possible. We propose the Crystalline Atomic unit modular self-reconfigurable robot, where each unit is called an Atom. In two dimensions, an Atom is square. Connectors at the faces of each Atom support structure formation …

The Implementation Of Dassf Otcl Apis, Hongxia Quan

Dartmouth College Undergraduate Theses

As an extension of Tcl, Otcl provides basic functionality for object-oriented programming in scripting language Tcl. We implemented the Otcl APIs for DaSSF (a parallel simulator software written in C++ at Dartmouth College) using Tclcl software package written in University of California at Berkeley. This document discussed the issues involved in the implementation, especially the communications between C++ objects and Otcl objects required by DaSSF and the naming problems.

Ismis: A Military Transportation Decision-Support Framework, Stephen Goodman, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper discusses the challenges that the Information Revolution poses to transportation planning, execution and training in the US military services. Attention is drawn to the opportunities provided by global connectivity and the manner in which these opportunities can be applied to advantage in an integrated, collaborative, decision-support framework. The characteristics of military deployment operations are discussed in respect to system requirements such as parallel activities, internal representation of information (rather than data), intelligent assistance, and the integration of planning, execution and training functions.

The Integrated Strategic Mobility Interface System (ISMIS) is described as a framework that is designed to …

Wright State University College Of Engineering And Computer Science Bits And Pcs Newsletter, Volume 15, Number 6, June 1999, College Of Engineering And Computer Science, Wright State University

BITs and PCs Newsletter

An eight page newsletter created by the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science that addresses the current affairs of the college.

A Multilevel Secure Workflow Management System, Myong H. Kang, Judith N. Froscher, Amit P. Sheth, Krzysztof J. Kochut, John A. Miller

Kno.e.sis Publications

The Department of Defense (DoD) needs multilevel secure (MLS) workflow management systems to enable globally distributed users and applications to cooperate across classification levels to achieve mission critical goals. An MLS workflow management system that allows a user to program multilevel mission logic, to securely coordinate widely distributed tasks, and to monitor the progress of the workflow across classification levels is required. In this paper, we present a roadmap for implementing MLS workflows and focus on a workflow builder that is a graphical design tool for specifying such workflows.

(Almost) Optimal Parallel Block Access For Range Queries, Mikhail J. Atallah, Sunil Prabhakar

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Considerations For An Effective Telecommunications-Use Policy, Michael E. Whitman, Anthony M. Townsend, Robert J. Aalberts

Faculty Articles

Recent changes in federal telecommunications legislation have underscored the importance of an up-to-date and effective telecommunications-use policy in business organizations. With the proliferation of the Internet, intranets, and email as commonplace business tools, the potential for misuse and subsequent liability has become an increasing concern. Even though the recent Supreme Court decision struck down the obscenity provisions of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), it left intact legislation that effectively mandates development of a sound telecommunications-use policy. In addition to potential liability for systems misuse, organizations have also had to address issues of individual employee privacy within the new systems.

This …

Investigating Measures For Pairwise Document Similarity, Jeffrey D. Isaacs

Dartmouth College Undergraduate Theses

The need for a more effective similarity measure is growing as a result of the astonishing amount of information being placed online. Most existing similarity measures are defined by empirically derived formulas and cannot easily be extended to new applications. We present a pairwise document similarity measure based on Information Theory, and present corpus dependent and independent applications of this measure. When ranked with existing similarity measures over TREC FBIS data, our corpus dependent information theoretic similarity measure ranked first.