Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Automatic Video Classification, Don Jayakody

Master's Projects

Within the past few years video usage has grown in a multi-fold fashion. One of the major reasons for this explosive video growth is the rising Internet bandwidth speeds. As of today, a significant human effort is needed to categorize these video data files. A successful automatic video classification method can substantially help to reduce the growing amount of cluttered video data on the Internet. This research project is based on finding a successful model for video classification. We have utilized various schemes of visual and audio data analysis methods to build a successful classification model. As far as the …

Heuristic Search Cryptanalysis Of The Zodiac 340 Cipher, Pallavi Kanagalakatte Basavaraju

Master's Projects

The Zodiac 340 cipher is one of the most famous unsolved ciphers of all time. It was allegedly written by “the Zodiac”, whose identity remains unknown to date. The Zodiac was a serial killer who killed a number of people in and around the San Francisco Bay area during the 1960s. He is confirmed to have seven victims, two of whom survived [1], although in taunting letters to the news media he claims to have killed 37 people. During this time, an encrypted message known as the Zodiac 408 cipher was mailed to 3 different newspapers in the San Francisco …

Msg: A Gap-Oriented Genetic Algorithm For Multiple Sequence Alignment, Philip Heller

Master's Projects

Traditional Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) Algorithms are deterministic. Genetic algorithms for protein MSA have been documented. However, these are not able to exceed in all cases the scores obtained by Clustal­W, the freely available de­facto standard. My solution, called “MSG”, places gaps rather than amino acids. The algorithm is multi­tribal, uses only a few very simple operators with adaptive frequencies, and jumpstarts one population from the Clustal­W solution. Results are reported for 14 data sets, on all of which MSG exceeds the Clustal­W score.

Health Literacy In The Mathematics Classroom: The Iowa Core Curriculum As An Opportunity To Deepen Students’ Understanding Of Mathematics, Elana Joram, Susan Roberts-Dobie, Nadene Davidson

Faculty Publications

By 2012, all high schools in Iowa will be required to incorporate the new Iowa Core Curriculum, followed by elementary and middle schools in 2014 (Iowa Department of Education, 2009). The Iowa Core Curriculum addresses the question: "How is Iowa's educational system preparing our youth for successful lives in the 21st-century global environment?" (Davidson, 2009). It consists of core content standards, and identifies essential concepts and skills for content areas. The Iowa Core Curriculum also includes the ―21st Century Skills‖ of ―health, financial, technology, and civic literacy, and employability skills. These skills are to be infused into existing subject matter …

Web Social Mining, Hady W. Lauw, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

No abstract provided.

A Comprehensive Study For Rfid Malwares On Mobile Devices, Qiang Yan, Yingjiu Li, Tieyan Li, Robert Huijie Deng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technique has been widely accepted as wireless identification standard in the business world. While RFID technique enables efficient collection of identification information, it also introduces new security risk due to the emerging of RFID malwares. This risk becomes increasingly severe due to the adoption of internet in RFID applications (e.g., track and trace in EPCglobal network) and the use of mobile devices as RFID readers. The prior work to defend the threat of RFID malwares has mainly focused on the protection of front-end tag-reader communications and back-end database systems. Less work has been conducted to defend …

Distributed Utility-Based Rate Adaptation Protocols For Prioritized, Quasi-Elastic Flows, Sharanya Eswaran, Matthew P. Johnson, Archan Misra, Thomas La Porta

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper considers rate adaptation for streaming multimedia data in a wireless sensor network (WSN) consisting of multiple missions, where each mission subscribes to data streams from multiple sensors, and each sensor's data is utilized by multiple heterogenous missions. We specifically consider the application of the distributed network utility maximization (NUM) framework to a previously unconsidered scenario where the different missions have different priorities, as well as minimum utility demands. When all the utility demands are feasible, we first show that the addition of a penalty for failing to reach the minimum utility demand to the base NUM protocol leads …

Multiuser Private Queries Over Encrypted Databases, Yanjiang Yang, Feng Bao, Xuhua Ding, Robert H. Deng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Searchable encryption schemes allow users to perform keyword-based searches on an encrypted database. Almost all existing such schemes only consider the scenario where a single user acts as both the data owner and the querier. However, most databases in practice do not just serve one user; instead, they support search and write operations by multiple users. In this paper, we systematically study searchable encryption in a practical multiuser setting. Our results include a set of security notions for multiuser searchable encryption as well as a construction which is provably secure under the newly introduced security notions. We also discuss how …

Quc-Tree: Integrating Query Context Information For Efficient Music Retrieval, Jialie Shen, Dacheng Tao, Xuelong Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we introduce a novel indexing scheme-query context tree (QUC-tree) to facilitate efficient query sensitive music search under different query contexts. Distinguished from the previous approaches, QUC-tree is a balanced multiway tree structure, where each level represents the data space at different dimensionality. Before the tree structure construction, principle component analysis (PCA) is applied for data analysis and transforming the raw composite features into a new feature space sorted by the importance of acoustic features. The PCA transformed data and reduced dimensions in the upper levels can alleviate suffering from dimensionality curse. To accurately mimic human perception, an …

Dynamic Web Service Selection For Reliable Web Service Composition, San-Yih Hwang, Ee Peng Lim, Chien-Hsiang Lee, Cheng-Hung Chen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper studies the dynamic web service selection problem in a failure-prone environment, which aims to determine a subset of Web services to be invoked at run-time so as to successfully orchestrate a composite web service. We observe that both the composite and constituent web services often constrain the sequences of invoking their operations and therefore propose to use finite state machine to model the permitted invocation sequences of Web service operations. We assign each state of execution an aggregated reliability to measure the probability that the given state will lead to successful execution in the context where each web …

Tuning On-Air Signatures For Balancing Performance And Confidentiality, Baihua Zheng, Wang-Chien Lee, Peng Liu, Dik Lun Lee, Xuhua Ding

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we investigate the trade off between performance and confidentiality in signature-based air indexing schemes for wireless data broadcast. Two metrics, namely, false drop probability and false guess probability, are defined to quantify the filtering efficiency and confidentiality loss of a signature scheme. Our analysis reveals that false drop probability and false guess probability share a similar trend as the tuning parameters of a signature scheme change and it is impossible to achieve a low false drop probability and a high false guess probability simultaneously. In order to balance the performance and confidentiality, we perform an analysis to …

The Price Of Stability In Selfish Scheduling Games, Lucas Agussurja, Hoong Chuin Lau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Game theory has gained popularity as an approach to analysing and understanding distributed systems with self-interested agents. Central to game theory is the concept of Nash equilibrium as a stable state (solution) of the system, which comes with a price − the loss in efficiency. The quantification of the efficiency loss is one of the main research concerns. In this paper, we study the quality and computational characteristics of the best Nash equilibrium in two selfish scheduling models: the congestion model and the sequencing model. In particular, we present the following results: (1) In the congestion model: first, the best …

Dna Sequence Representation By Use Of Statistical Finite Automata, Asmi Shah

Master's Projects

This project defines and intends to solve the problem of representing information carried by DNA sequences in terms of amino acids, through application of the theory of finite automata. Sequences can be compared against each other to find existing patterns, if any, which may include important genetic information. Comparison can state whether the DNA sequences belong to the same, related or entirely different species in the ‘Tree of Life’ (phylogeny). This is achieved by using extended and statistical finite automata. In order to solve this problem, the concepts of automata and their extension, i.e. Alergia algorithm have been used. In …

Visualized Architecture Knowledge Management Collaboration Services, Ashish Kaul

Master's Projects

Software (system) architecture knowledge is a critical element in making effective design/ implementation decisions for Information Technology departments within companies. This knowledge can be codified and/ or personalized so as to harness the advantages and avoid the missed steps of implementers before us. In research of architecture knowledge enablement, there have been a few ventures, including but not limited to, Processcentric Architecture Knowledge Management Environment (PAKME) [3] and Architecture Design Decision Support System (ADDSS) [4]. In study of these ventures, we find modest attempts at focusing on dissecting types of architecture knowledge and enabling access to details through web tools. …

World Wide Web – Common Communication Language, Mohamed Ali

Master's Projects

The purpose for the World Wide Web – Common Communication Language (W3-CCL) is to allow internet users around the world communicate using a single common language. This common language is based on images / symbols and other known communication tactics such as Sign Language, Ancient Egyptian Language, etc. The W3- CCL is to be used in building sites’ contents, chatting, sending messages / e-mails, and any information sharing related operations on the internet. The scope of this project is limited to W3-CCL proof of concept via building an e-commerce website for a specific domain; moreover, the W3-CCL usage will be …

Clustering Algorithm For Enhanced Bibliography Visualization, Sriram Krishnan

Master's Projects

A Bibliography is a list of books, publications, journals etc., with details such as authors and references. Visualization could be used as a data analysis tool to represent various types of data, analyze huge chunks of data easily and arrive at interesting results. The idea of this project is to provide a medium which eases the combination of bibliography with visualization. Though there are many sources of bibliographic data like the Digital Bibliography and Library Project (DBLP), Citeseer, Google Scholar, none of these data could be used directly for deducing relations between various entities or for visualizing the relationship between …

Mrcraig: Mapreduce And Ensemble Classifiers For Parallelizing Data Classification Problems, Glenn Jahnke

Master's Projects

In this paper, a novel technique for parallelizing data-classification problems is applied to finding genes in sequences of DNA. The technique involves various ensem- ble classification methods such as Bagging and Select Best. It then distributes the classifier training and prediction using MapReduce. A novel sequence classification voting algorithm is evaluated in the Bagging method, as well as compared against the Select Best method.

Substituent Effect On The Electronic And Assembling Properties Of Asymmetric Phenazine Derivatives, Bin Cao

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Currently, one-dimensional (1-D) nanostructures have drawn much interest because of their potential applications for nanoscale optoelectronic devices. Self-assembly (SA) based on π-conjugated systems through various intermolecular interactions has been widely used to produce 1-D nanostructure. Morphology of the assembled structures can be modified by incorporating substituents, which provide additional secondary interactions. Meanwhile, those substituents also influence the electronic properties of the molecules. Previous studies have made little effort to systematically study subsistent effects on both electronic and SA properties.

The primary objective of this research is to generate controllable 1-D structures through SA, and to provide a fundamental understanding of …

Zirconia-Magnesia Inert Matrix Fuel And Waste Form: Synthesis, Characterization And Chemical Performance In An Advanced Fuel Cycle, Kiel Steven Holliday

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is a significant buildup in plutonium stockpiles throughout the world, because of spent nuclear fuel and the dismantling of weapons. The radiotoxicity of this material and proliferation risk has led to a desire for destroying excess plutonium. To do this effectively, it must be fissioned in a reactor as part of a uranium free fuel to eliminate the generation of more plutonium. This requires an inert matrix to volumetrically dilute the fissile plutonium. Zirconia-magnesia dual phase ceramic has been demonstrated to be a favorable material for this task. It is neutron transparent, zirconia is chemically robust, magnesia has good …

Two-Tank Indirect Thermal Storage Designs For Solar Parabolic Trough Power Plants, Joseph E. Kopp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The performance of a solar thermal parabolic trough plant with thermal storage is dependent upon the arrangement of the heat exchangers that ultimately transfer energy from the sun into steam. The steam is utilized in a traditional Rankine cycle power plant. The most commercially accepted thermal storage design is an indirect two-tank molten salt storage system where molten salt interacts with the solar field heat transfer fluid (HTF) through a heat exchanger. The molten salt remains in a closed loop with the HTF and the HTF is the heat source for steam generation. An alternate indirect two tank molten salt …

Efficient Clustering Techniques For Managing Large Datasets, Vasanth Nemala

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The result set produced by a search engine in response to the user query is very large. It is typically the responsibility of the user to browse the result set to identify relevant documents. Many tools have been developed to assist the user to identify the most relevant documents. One such a tool is clustering technique. In this method, the closely related documents are grouped based on their contents. Hence if a document turns out to be relevant, so are the rest of the documents in the cluster. So it would be easy for a user to sift through the …

Optimization Of Channel Geometry In A Proton Exchange Membrane (Pem) Fuel Cell, Jephanya Kasukurthi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bipolar plates are the important components of the PEM fuel cell. The flow distribution inside the bipolar plate should be uniform. Non-uniform flow distribution inside the bipolar leads to poor performance of the fuel cell and wastage of expensive catalyst. A single channel PEM fuel cell is taken and electrochemical analysis is carried out on it. The results are compared with the available published experimental data obtained by other research group, and they are found to be in good agreement. A baseline design of the bipolar plate is taken and numerical analysis is carried out. The results show that the …

Hierarchical Routing In Manets Using Simple Clustering, Adam Carnine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis presents both a review of current MANET routing protocols and a new MANET routing algorithm. The routing protocols reviewed include representative samples from the three primary forms of routing found in MANETS: proactive routing, reactive routing and hybrid routing. Secure algorithms are given special treatment in the review. In addition several protocol enhancements are discussed.

The proposed routing protocol is designed to support networks of a medium size, containing over 200 nodes but less than 3,000 nodes. The design is intentionally simple to allow ease of implementation in comparison with other MANET protocols that provide similar functionality.

Experimental And Numerical Study Of A Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer For Hydrogen Production, Sachin S. Deshmukh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hydrogen as a fuel source has received attention from researchers globally due to its potential to replace fossil based fuels for energy production. Research is being performed on hydrogen production, storage and utilization methods to make its use economically feasible relative to current energy sources. The PEM electrolyzer is used to produce hydrogen and oxygen using water and electricity. Focus of our study is to provide a benchmark experiment and numerical model of a single cell electrolyzer that can assist in improving the current state of understanding of this system. Parametric analysis of an experimental cell was performed to understand …

Spectroscopic Investigation Of Palladium-Copper Bimetallic Systems For Pem Fuel Cell Catalysts, Timo Hofmann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the main barriers to commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells systems is cost, which is largely due to the need of platinum (Pt)-containing catalysts. In this thesis we investigate bimetallic systems consisting of a base metal (copper) and a noble metal (palladium) that, as an alloy on the nanoscale, mimic the electronic properties that make Pt desirable as a catalyst.

We present a detailed investigation of the electronic structure of carbon-supported Pd/Cu nanoparticle catalysts, model bilayer thin film systems, alloys, and various metal reference samples. We have investigated the valence band structure of the catalysts using a …

Static High Pressure Ft-Ir Spectroscopic Studies Of Tatb, Brian F. Yulga

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Static high-pressure experiments utilizing diamond anvil cells (DACs) provide an alternative method to shockwave studies for extracting precise information on the physical and chemical properties of energetic materials. Due to mechanical restraints (e.g. small sample sizes and apertures), synchrotron radiation sources are ideal for probing the structure of materials at the molecular level. 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) is an insensitive (tertiary) high explosive (iHE) useful in military applications. Compared to other conventional iHEs, it is a safer and more stable energetic material. Its unique properties cause it to be of interest in the energetic materials research community. A series of Fourier-transform infrared …

Empirically Derived Formulas To Predict Indoor Maximum, Average, And Minimum Temperatures In Roofpond Buildings Using Minimum Climatic Information, Ibrahim Kivarkis Kako

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis introduces an empirically developed formula to predict the comfort conditions and thermal performance of a Skytherm(TM) Southwest Roofpond placed over a light-weight un-insulated structure built at the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The predictive formula introduced in this study may be used in different parts of the world (particularly developing nations where insulation and air-conditioning are rarely used) to predict the performance of a Skytherm(TM) Southwest Roofpond using minimal climate data.

The data collected in the experimental setup at the Natural Energies Advanced Technologies Laboratory included outside and inside temperatures of various surfaces …

Nlo Evolution Of Color Dipoles In N=4sym, Ian Balitsky, Giovanni A. Chrilli

Physics Faculty Publications

High-energy behavior of amplitudes in a gauge theory can be reformulated in terms of the evolution of Wilson-line operators. In the leading logarithmic approximation it is given by the conformally invariant BK equation for the evolution of color dipoles. In QCD, the next-to-leading order BK equation has both conformal and non-conformal parts, the latter providing the running of the coupling constant. To separate the conformally invariant effects from the running-coupling effects, we calculate the NLO evolution of the color dipoles in the conformal N = 4 SYM theory. We define the "composite dipole operators" with the rapidity cutoff preserving conformal …

Opportunistic Sensing: Security Challenges For The New Paradigm, Apu Kapadia, David Kotz, Nikos Triandopoulos

Dartmouth Scholarship

We study the security challenges that arise in Opportunistic people-centric sensing, a new sensing paradigm leveraging humans as part of the sensing infrastructure. Most prior sensor-network research has focused on collecting and processing environmental data using a static topology and an application-aware infrastructure, whereas opportunistic sensing involves collecting, storing, processing and fusing large volumes of data related to everyday human activities. This highly dynamic and mobile setting, where humans are the central focus, presents new challenges for information security, because data originates from sensors carried by people— not tiny sensors thrown in the forest or attached to animals. In this …

Temporal And Geochemical Insights Related To Volcanic And Plutonic Activity Within Big Bend National Park, Texas, Daniel Paul Miggins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Big Bend National Park located in the southeastern part of the Trans-Pecos Magmatic Province in west Texas contains a diverse suite of volcanic and intrusive rocks. Ongoing geologic mapping, geochronology, and geochemical studies have focused on the timing and geological relationships associated with these volcanic and intrusive rocks. Igneous activity within Big Bend National Park occurred from 46.5 to 22.0 Ma. Precise 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb zircon geochronology has resolved the timing of this activity into five discrete episodes: 1) eruption and emplacement of both intrusive and volcanic mafic rocks at 46.5 Ma followed by ~42.0 Ma mafic volcanic pulse; 2) …