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Analysis of Web Services on J2EE Application Servers
The Internet became a standard way of exchanging business data between B2B and B2C applications and with this came the need for providing various services on the web instead of just static text and images. Web services are a new type of services offered via the web that aid in the creation of globally distributed applications. Web services are enhanced e-business applications that are easier to advertise and easier to discover on the Internet because of their flexibility and uniformity. In a real life scenario it is highly difficult to decide which J2EE application server to go for when deploying a enterprise web service. This thesis analyzes the various ways by which web services can be developed & deployed. Underlying protocols and crucial issues like EAI (enterprise application integration), asynchronous messaging, Registry tModel architecture etc have been considered in this research. This paper presents a report by analyzing what various J2EE application servers provide by doing a case study and by developing applications to test functionality.
Hopfield Networks as an Error Correcting Technique for Speech Recognition
I experimented with Hopfield networks in the context of a voice-based, query-answering system. Hopfield networks are used to store and retrieve patterns. I used this technique to store queries represented as natural language sentences and I evaluated the accuracy of the technique for error correction in a spoken question-answering dialog between a computer and a user. I show that the use of an auto-associative Hopfield network helps make the speech recognition system more fault tolerant. I also looked at the available encoding schemes to convert a natural language sentence into a pattern of zeroes and ones that can be stored in the Hopfield network reliably, and I suggest scalable data representations which allow storing a large number of queries.
Modeling the Impact and Intervention of a Sexually Transmitted Disease: Human Papilloma Virus
Many human papilloma virus (HPV) types are sexually transmitted and HPV DNA types 16, 18, 31, and 45 account for more than 75% if all cervical dysplasia. Candidate vaccines are successfully completing US Federal Drug Agency (FDA) phase III testing and several drug companies are in licensing arbitration. Once this vaccine become available it is unlikely that 100% vaccination coverage will be probable; hence, the need for vaccination strategies that will have the greatest reduction on the endemic prevalence of HPV. This thesis introduces two discrete-time models for evaluating the effect of demographic-biased vaccination strategies: one model incorporates temporal demographics (i.e., age) in population compartments; the other non-temporal demographics (i.e., race, ethnicity). Also presented is an intuitive Web-based interface that was developed to allow the user to evaluate the effects on prevalence of a demographic-biased intervention by tailoring the model parameters to specific demographics and geographical region.
A general purpose semantic parser using FrameNet and WordNet®.
Syntactic parsing is one of the best understood language processing applications. Since language and grammar have been formally defined, it is easy for computers to parse the syntactic structure of natural language text. Does meaning have structure as well? If it has, how can we analyze the structure? Previous systems rely on a one-to-one correspondence between syntactic rules and semantic rules. But such systems can only be applied to limited fragments of English. In this thesis, we propose a general-purpose shallow semantic parser which utilizes a semantic network (WordNet), and a frame dataset (FrameNet). Semantic relations recognized by the parser are based on how human beings represent knowledge of the world. Parsing semantic structure allows semantic units and constituents to be accessed and processed in a more meaningful way than syntactic parsing, moving the automation of understanding natural language text to a higher level.
Impact of actual interference on capacity and call admission control in a CDMA network.
An overwhelming number of models in the literature use average inter-cell interference for the calculation of capacity of a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network. The advantage gained in terms of simplicity by using such models comes at the cost of rendering the exact location of a user within a cell irrelevant. We calculate the actual per-user interference and analyze the effect of user-distribution within a cell on the capacity of a CDMA network. We show that even though the capacity obtained using average interference is a good approximation to the capacity calculated using actual interference for a uniform user distribution, the deviation can be tremendously large for non-uniform user distributions. Call admission control (CAC) algorithms are responsible for efficient management of a network's resources while guaranteeing the quality of service and grade of service, i.e., accepting the maximum number of calls without affecting the quality of service of calls already present in the network. We design and implement global and local CAC algorithms, and through simulations compare their network throughput and blocking probabilities for varying mobility scenarios. We show that even though our global CAC is better at resource management, the lack of substantial gain in network throughput and exponential increase in complexity makes our optimized local CAC algorithm a much better choice for a given traffic distribution profile.
Performance comparison of data distribution management strategies in large-scale distributed simulation.
Data distribution management (DDM) is a High Level Architecture/Run-time Infrastructure (HLA/RTI) service that manages the distribution of state updates and interaction information in large-scale distributed simulations. The key to efficient DDM is to limit and control the volume of data exchanged during the simulation, to relay data to only those hosts requiring the data. This thesis focuses upon different DDM implementations and strategies. This thesis includes analysis of three DDM methods including the fixed grid-based, dynamic grid-based, and region-based methods. Also included is the use of multi-resolution modeling with various DDM strategies and analysis of the performance effects of aggregation/disaggregation with these strategies. Running numerous federation executions, I simulate four different scenarios on a cluster of workstations with a mini-RTI Kit framework and propose a set of benchmarks for a comparison of the DDM schemes. The goals of this work are to determine the most efficient model for applying each DDM scheme, discover the limitations of the scalability of the various DDM methods, evaluate the effects of aggregation/disaggregation on performance and resource usage, and present accepted benchmarks for use in future research.
An Analysis of Motivational Cues in Virtual Environments.
Guiding navigation in virtual environments (VEs) is a challenging task. A key issue in the navigation of a virtual environment is to be able to strike a balance between the user's need to explore the environment freely and the designer's need to ensure that the user experiences all the important events in the VE. This thesis reports on a study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of various navigation cues that are used to motivate users towards a specific target location. The results of this study indicate some significant differences in how users responded to the various cues.
Improved Approximation Algorithms for Geometric Packing Problems With Experimental Evaluation
Geometric packing problems are NP-complete problems that arise in VLSI design. In this thesis, we present two novel algorithms using dynamic programming to compute exactly the maximum number of k x k squares of unit size that can be packed without overlap into a given n x m grid. The first algorithm was implemented and ran successfully on problems of large input up to 1,000,000 nodes for different values. A heuristic based on the second algorithm is implemented. This heuristic is fast in practice, but may not always be giving optimal times in theory. However, over a wide range of random data this version of the algorithm is giving very good solutions very fast and runs on problems of up to 100,000,000 nodes in a grid and different ranges for the variables. It is also shown that this version of algorithm is clearly superior to the first algorithm and has shown to be very efficient in practice.
Performance Evaluation of Data Integrity Mechanisms for Mobile Agents
With the growing popularity of e-commerce applications that use software agents, the protection of mobile agent data has become imperative. To that end, the performance of four methods that protect the data integrity of mobile agents is evaluated. The methods investigated include existing approaches known as the Partial Result Authentication Codes, Hash Chaining, and Set Authentication Code methods, and a technique of our own design, called the Modified Set Authentication Code method, which addresses the limitations of the Set Authentication Code method. The experiments were run using the DADS agent system (developed at the Network Research Laboratory at UNT), for which a Data Integrity Module was designed. The experimental results show that our Modified Set Authentication Code technique performed comparably to the Set Authentication Code method.
Agent Extensions for Peer-to-Peer Networks.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks have seen tremendous growth in development and usage in recent times. This attention has brought many developments as well as new challenges to these networks. We will show that agent extensions to P2P networks offer solutions to many problems faced by P2P networks. In this research, an attempt is made to bring together JXTA P2P infrastructure and Jinni, a Prolog based agent engine to form an agent based P2P network. On top of the JXTA, we define simple Java API providing P2P services for agent programming constructs. Jinni is deployed on this JXTA network using an automated code update mechanism. Experiments are conducted on this Jinni/JXTA platform to implement a simple agent communication and data exchange protocol.
Intelligent Memory Management Heuristics
Automatic memory management is crucial in implementation of runtime systems even though it induces a significant computational overhead. In this thesis I explore the use of statistical properties of the directed graph describing the set of live data to decide between garbage collection and heap expansion in a memory management algorithm combining the dynamic array represented heaps with a mark and sweep garbage collector to enhance its performance. The sampling method predicting the density and the distribution of useful data is implemented as a partial marking algorithm. The algorithm randomly marks the nodes of the directed graph representing the live data at different depths with a variable probability factor p. Using the information gathered by the partial marking algorithm in the current step and the knowledge gathered in the previous iterations, the proposed empirical formula predicts with reasonable accuracy the density of live nodes on the heap, to decide between garbage collection and heap expansion. The resulting heuristics are tested empirically and shown to improve overall execution performance significantly in the context of the Jinni Prolog compiler's runtime system.
A Comparison of Agent-Oriented Software Engineering Frameworks and Methodologies
Agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE) covers issues on developing systems with software agents. There are many techniques, mostly agent-oriented and object-oriented, ready to be chosen as building blocks to create agent-based systems. There have been several AOSE methodologies proposed intending to show engineers guidelines on how these elements are constituted in having agents achieve the overall system goals. Although these solutions are promising, most of them are designed in ad-hoc manner without truly obeying software developing life-cycle fully, as well as lacking of examinations on agent-oriented features. To address these issues, we investigated state-of-the-art techniques and AOSE methodologies. By examining them in different respects, we commented on the strength and weakness of them. Toward a formal study, a comparison framework has been set up regarding four aspects, including concepts and properties, notations and modeling techniques, process, and pragmatics. Under these criteria, we conducted the comparison in both overview and detailed level. The comparison helped us with empirical and analytical study, to inspect the issues on how an ideal agent-based system will be formed.
Embedded monitors for detecting and preventing intrusions in cryptographic and application protocols.
There are two main approaches for intrusion detection: signature-based and anomaly-based. Signature-based detection employs pattern matching to match attack signatures with observed data making it ideal for detecting known attacks. However, it cannot detect unknown attacks for which there is no signature available. Anomaly-based detection builds a profile of normal system behavior to detect known and unknown attacks as behavioral deviations. However, it has a drawback of a high false alarm rate. In this thesis, we describe our anomaly-based IDS designed for detecting intrusions in cryptographic and application-level protocols. Our system has several unique characteristics, such as the ability to monitor cryptographic protocols and application-level protocols embedded in encrypted sessions, a very lightweight monitoring process, and the ability to react to protocol misuse by modifying protocol response directly.
Resource Allocation in Mobile and Wireless Networks
The resources (memory, power and bandwidth) are limited in wireless and mobile networks. Previous research has shown that the quality of service (QoS) of the mobile client can be improved through efficient resources management. This thesis contains two areas of research that are strongly interrelated. In the first area of research, we extended the MoSync Algorithm, a network application layer media synchronization algorithm, to allow play-out of multimedia packets by the base station upon the mobile client in a First-In-First-Out (FIFO), Highest-Priority-First (PQ), Weighted Fair-Queuing (WFQ) and Round-Robin (RR) order. In the second area of research, we make modifications to the DSR and TORA routing algorithms to make them energy aware routing protocols. Our research shows that the QoS of the mobile client can be drastically improved through effective resource allocation.
Routing Optimization in Wireless Ad Hoc and Wireless Sensor Networks
Wireless ad hoc networks are expected to play an important role in civilian and military settings where wireless access to wired backbone is either ineffective or impossible. Wireless sensor networks are effective in remote data acquisition. Congestion control and power consumption in wireless ad hoc networks have received a lot of attention in recent research. Several algorithms have been proposed to reduce congestion and power consumption in wireless ad hoc and sensor networks. In this thesis, we focus upon two schemes, which deal with congestion control and power consumption issues. This thesis consists of two parts. In the first part, we describe a randomization scheme for congestion control in dynamic source routing protocol, which we refer to as RDSR. We also study a randomization scheme for GDSR protocol, a GPS optimized variant of DSR. We discuss RDSR and RGDSR implementations and present extensive simulation experiments to study their performance. Our results indicate that both RGDSR and RDSR protocols outperform their non-randomized counterparts by decreasing the number of route query packets. Furthermore, a probabilistic congestion control scheme based on local tuning of routing protocol parameters is shown to be feasible. In the second part we present a simulation based performance study of energy aware data centric routing protocol, EAD, proposed by X. Cheng and A. Boukerche. EAD reduces power consumption by requiring only a small percentage of the network to stay awake. Our experiments show that EAD outperforms the well-known LEACH scheme.
Bounded Dynamic Source Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a collection of mobile platforms or nodes that come together to form a network capable of communicating with each other, without the help of a central controller. To avail the maximum potential of a MANET, it is of great importance to devise a routing scheme, which will optimize upon the performance of a MANET, given the high rate of random mobility of the nodes. In a MANET individual nodes perform the routing functions like route discovery, route maintenance and delivery of packets from one node to the other. Existing routing protocols flood the network with broadcasts of route discovery messages, while attempting to establish a route. This characteristic is instrumental in deteriorating the performance of a MANET, as resource overhead triggered by broadcasts is directly proportional to the size of the network. Bounded-dynamic source routing (B-DSR), is proposed to curb this multitude of superfluous broadcasts, thus enabling to reserve valuable resources like bandwidth and battery power. B-DSR establishes a bounded region in the network, only within which, transmissions of route discovery messages are processed and validated for establishing a route. All route discovery messages reaching outside of this bounded region are dropped, thus preventing the network from being flooded. In addition B-DSR also guarantees loop-free routing and is robust for a rapid recovery when routes in the network change.
Building an Intelligent Filtering System Using Idea Indexing
The widely used vector model maintains its popularity because of its simplicity, fast speed, and the appeal of using spatial proximity for semantic proximity. However, this model faces a disadvantage that is associated with the vagueness from keywords overlapping. Efforts have been made to improve the vector model. The research on improving document representation has been focused on four areas, namely, statistical co-occurrence of related items, forming term phrases, grouping of related words, and representing the content of documents. In this thesis, we propose the idea-indexing model to improve document representation for the filtering task in IR. The idea-indexing model matches document terms with the ideas they express and indexes the document with these ideas. This indexing scheme represents the document with its semantics instead of sets of independent terms. We show in this thesis that indexing with ideas leads to better performance.
XML-Based Agent Scripts and Inference Mechanisms
Natural language understanding has been a persistent challenge to researchers in various computer science fields, in a number of applications ranging from user support systems to entertainment and online teaching. A long term goal of the Artificial Intelligence field is to implement mechanisms that enable computers to emulate human dialogue. The recently developed ALICEbots, virtual agents with underlying AIML scripts, by A.L.I.C.E. foundation, use AIML scripts - a subset of XML - as the underlying pattern database for question answering. Their goal is to enable pattern-based, stimulus-response knowledge content to be served, received and processed over the Web, or offline, in the manner similar to HTML and XML. In this thesis, we describe a system that converts the AIML scripts to Prolog clauses and reuses them as part of a knowledge processor. The inference mechanism developed in this thesis is able to successfully match the input pattern with our clauses database even if words are missing. We also emulate the pattern deduction algorithm of the original logic deduction mechanism. Our rules, compatible with Semantic Web standards, bring structure to the meaningful content of Web pages and support interactive content retrieval using natural language.
Modeling Complex Forest Ecology in a Parallel Computing Infrastructure
Effective stewardship of forest ecosystems make it imperative to measure, monitor, and predict the dynamic changes of forest ecology. Measuring and monitoring provides us a picture of a forest's current state and the necessary data to formulate models for prediction. However, societal and natural events alter the course of a forest's development. A simulation environment that takes into account these events will facilitate forest management. In this thesis, we describe an efficient parallel implementation of a land cover use model, Mosaic, and discuss the development efforts to incorporate spatial interaction and succession dynamics into the model. To evaluate the performance of our implementation, an extensive set of simulation experiments was carried out using a dataset representing the H.J. Andrews Forest in the Oregon Cascades. Results indicate that a significant reduction in the simulation execution time of our parallel model can be achieved as compared to uni-processor simulations.
The Multipath Fault-Tolerant Protocol for Routing in Packet-Switched Communication Network
In order to provide improved service quality to applications, networks need to address the need for reliability of data delivery. Reliability can be improved by incorporating fault tolerance into network routing, wherein a set of multiple routes are used for routing between a given source and destination. This thesis proposes a new fault-tolerant protocol, called the Multipath Fault Tolerant Protocol for Routing (MFTPR), to improve the reliability of network routing services. The protocol is based on a multipath discovery algorithm, the Quasi-Shortest Multipath (QSMP), and is designed to work in conjunction with the routing protocol employed by the network. MFTPR improves upon the QSMP algorithm by finding more routes than QSMP, and also provides for maintenance of these routes in the event of failure of network components. In order to evaluate the resilience of a pair of paths to failure, this thesis proposes metrics that evaluate the non-disjointness of a pair of paths and measure the probability of simultaneous failure of these paths. The performance of MFTPR to find alternate routes based on these metrics is analyzed through simulation.
Analyzing Microwave Spectra Collected by the Solar Radio Burst Locator
Modern communication systems rely heavily upon microwave, radio, and other electromagnetic frequency bands as a means of providing wireless communication links. Although convenient, wireless communication is susceptible to electromagnetic interference. Solar activity causes both direct interference through electromagnetic radiation as well as indirect interference caused by charged particles interacting with Earth's magnetic field. The Solar Radio Burst Locator (SRBL) is a United States Air Force radio telescope designed to detect and locate solar microwave bursts as they occur on the Sun. By analyzing these events, the Air Force hopes to gain a better understanding of the root causes of solar interference and improve interference forecasts. This thesis presents methods of searching and analyzing events found in the previously unstudied SRBL data archive. A new web-based application aids in the searching and visualization of the data. Comparative analysis is performed amongst data collected by SRBL and several other instruments. This thesis also analyzes events across the time, intensity, and frequency domains. These analysis methods can be used to aid in the detection and understanding of solar events so as to provide improved forecasts of solar-induced electromagnetic interference.
DirectShow Approach to Low-Cost Multimedia Security Surveillance System
In response to the recent intensive needs for civilian security surveillance, both full and compact versions of a Multimedia Security Surveillance (MSS) system have been built up. The new Microsoft DirectShow technology was applied in implementing the multimedia stream-processing module. Through Microsoft Windows Driver Model interface, the chosen IEEE1394 enabled Fire-i cameras as external sensors are integrated with PC based continuous storage unit. The MSS application also allows multimedia broadcasting and remote controls. Cost analysis is included.
An Annotated Bibliography of Mobile Agents in Networks
The purpose of this thesis is to present a comprehensive colligation of applications of mobile agents in networks, and provide a baseline association of these systems. This work has been motivated by the fact that mobile agent systems have been deemed proficuous alternatives in system applications. Several mobile agent systems have been developed to provide scalable and cogent solutions in network-centric applications. This thesis examines some existing mobile agent systems in core networking areas, in particular, those of network and resource management, routing, and the provision of fault tolerance and security. The inherent features of these systems are discussed with respect to their specific functionalities. The applicability and efficacy of mobile agents are further considered in the specific areas mentioned above. Although an initial foray into a collation of this nature, the goal of this annotated bibliography is to provide a generic referential view of mobile agent systems in network applications.
A Security Model for Mobile Agents using X.509 Proxy Certificates
Mobile agent technology presents an attractive alternative to the client-server paradigm for several network and real-time applications. However, for most applications, the lack of a viable agent security model has limited the adoption of the agent paradigm. This thesis presents a security model for mobile agents based on a security infrastructure for Computational Grids, and specifically, on X.509 Proxy Certificates. Proxy Certificates serve as credentials for Grid applications, and their primary purpose is temporary delegation of authority. Exploiting the similarity between Grid applications and mobile agent applications, this thesis motivates the use of Proxy Certificates as credentials for mobile agents. A new extension for Proxy Certificates is proposed in order to make them suited to mobile agent applications, and mechanisms are presented for agent-to-host authentication, restriction of agent privileges, and secure delegation of authority during spawning of new agents. Finally, the implementation of the proposed security mechanisms as modules within a multi-lingual and modular agent infrastructure, the Distributed Agent Delivery System, is discussed.
DADS - A Distributed Agent Delivery System
Mobile agents require an appropriate platform that can facilitate their migration and execution. In particular, the design and implementation of such a system must balance several factors that will ensure that its constituent agents are executed without problems. Besides the basic requirements of migration and execution, an agent system must also provide mechanisms to ensure the security and survivability of an agent when it migrates between hosts. In addition, the system should be simple enough to facilitate its widespread use across large scale networks (i.e Internet). To address these issues, this thesis discusses the design and implementation of the Distributed Agent Delivery System (DADS). The DADS provides a de-coupled design that separates agent acceptance from agent execution. Using functional modules, the DADS provides services ranging from language execution and security to fault-tolerance and compression. Modules allow the administrator(s) of hosts to declare, at run-time, the services that they want to provide. Since each administrative domain is different, the DADS provides a platform that can be adapted to exchange heterogeneous blends of agents across large scale networks.
Visualization of Surfaces and 3D Vector Fields
Visualization of trivariate functions and vector fields with three components in scientific computation is still a hard problem in compute graphic area. People build their own visualization packages for their special purposes. And there exist some general-purpose packages (MatLab, Vis5D), but they all require extensive user experience on setting all the parameters in order to generate images. We present a simple package to produce simplified but productive images of 3-D vector fields. We used this method to render the magnetic field and current as solutions of the Ginzburg-Landau equations on a 3-D domain.
The Design and Implementation of a Prolog Parser Using Javacc
Operatorless Prolog text is LL(1) in nature and any standard LL parser generator tool can be used to parse it. However, the Prolog text that conforms to the ISO Prolog standard allows the definition of dynamic operators. Since Prolog operators can be defined at run-time, operator symbols are not present in the grammar rules of the language. Unless the parser generator allows for some flexibility in the specification of the grammar rules, it is very difficult to generate a parser for such text. In this thesis we discuss the existing parsing methods and their modified versions to parse languages with dynamic operator capabilities. Implementation details of a parser using Javacc as a parser generator tool to parse standard Prolog text is provided. The output of the parser is an “Abstract Syntax Tree” that reflects the correct precedence and associativity rules among the various operators (static and dynamic) of the language. Empirical results are provided that show that a Prolog parser that is generated by the parser generator like Javacc is comparable in efficiency to a hand-coded parser.
A Study of Perceptually Tuned, Wavelet Based, Rate Scalable, Image and Video Compression
In this dissertation, first, we have proposed and implemented a new perceptually tuned wavelet based, rate scalable, and color image encoding/decoding system based on the human perceptual model. It is based on state-of-the-art research on embedded wavelet image compression technique, Contrast Sensitivity Function (CSF) for Human Visual System (HVS) and extends this scheme to handle optimal bit allocation among multiple bands, such as Y, Cb, and Cr. Our experimental image codec shows very exciting results in compression performance and visual quality comparing to the new wavelet based international still image compression standard - JPEG 2000. On the other hand, our codec also shows significant better speed performance and comparable visual quality in comparison to the best codec available in rate scalable color image compression - CSPIHT that is based on Set Partition In Hierarchical Tree (SPIHT) and Karhunen-Loeve Transform (KLT). Secondly, a novel wavelet based interframe compression scheme has been developed and put into practice. It is based on the Flexible Block Wavelet Transform (FBWT) that we have developed. FBWT based interframe compression is very efficient in both compression and speed performance. The compression performance of our video codec is compared with H263+. At the same bit rate, our encoder, being comparable to the H263+ scheme, with a slightly lower (Peak Signal Noise Ratio (PSNR) value, produces a more visually pleasing result. This implementation also preserves scalability of wavelet embedded coding technique. Thirdly, the scheme to handle optimal bit allocation among color bands for still imagery has been modified and extended to accommodate the spatial-temporal sensitivity of the HVS model. The bit allocation among color bands based on Kelly's spatio-temporal CSF model is designed to achieve the perceptual optimum for human eyes. A perceptually tuned, wavelet based, rate scalable video encoding/decoding system has been designed and implemented based on this …
Dynamic Resource Management in RSVP- Controlled Unicast Networks
Resources are said to be fragmented in the network when they are available in non-contiguous blocks, and calls are dropped as they may not end sufficient resources. Hence, available resources may remain unutilized. In this thesis, the effect of resource fragmentation (RF) on RSVP-controlled networks was studied and new algorithms were proposed to reduce the effect of RF. In order to minimize the effect of RF, resources in the network are dynamically redistributed on different paths to make them available in contiguous blocks. Extra protocol messages are introduced to facilitate resource redistribution in the network. The Dynamic Resource Redistribution (DRR) algorithm when used in conjunction with RSVP, not only increased the number of calls accommodated into the network but also increased the overall resource utilization of the network. Issues such as how many resources need to be redistributed and of which call(s), and how these choices affect the redistribution process were investigated. Further, various simulation experiments were conducted to study the performance of the DRR algorithm on different network topologies with varying traffic characteristics.
Higher Compression from the Burrows-Wheeler Transform with New Algorithms for the List Update Problem
Burrows-Wheeler compression is a three stage process in which the data is transformed with the Burrows-Wheeler Transform, then transformed with Move-To-Front, and finally encoded with an entropy coder. Move-To-Front, Transpose, and Frequency Count are some of the many algorithms used on the List Update problem. In 1985, Competitive Analysis first showed the superiority of Move-To-Front over Transpose and Frequency Count for the List Update problem with arbitrary data. Earlier studies due to Bitner assumed independent identically distributed data, and showed that while Move-To-Front adapts to a distribution faster, incurring less overwork, the asymptotic costs of Frequency Count and Transpose are less. The improvements to Burrows-Wheeler compression this work covers are increases in the amount, not speed, of compression. Best x of 2x-1 is a new family of algorithms created to improve on Move-To-Front's processing of the output of the Burrows-Wheeler Transform which is like piecewise independent identically distributed data. Other algorithms for both the middle stage of Burrows-Wheeler compression and the List Update problem for which overwork, asymptotic cost, and competitive ratios are also analyzed are several variations of Move One From Front and part of the randomized algorithm Timestamp. The Best x of 2x - 1 family includes Move-To-Front, the part of Timestamp of interest, and Frequency Count. Lastly, a greedy choosing scheme, Snake, switches back and forth as the amount of compression that two List Update algorithms achieves fluctuates, to increase overall compression. The Burrows-Wheeler Transform is based on sorting of contexts. The other improvements are better sorting orders, such as “aeioubcdf...” instead of standard alphabetical “abcdefghi...” on English text data, and an algorithm for computing orders for any data, and Gray code sorting instead of standard sorting. Both techniques lessen the overwork incurred by whatever List Update algorithms are used by reducing the difference between adjacent sorted …
Temporally Correct Algorithms for Transaction Concurrency Control in Distributed Databases
Many activities are comprised of temporally dependent events that must be executed in a specific chronological order. Supportive software applications must preserve these temporal dependencies. Whenever the processing of this type of an application includes transactions submitted to a database that is shared with other such applications, the transaction concurrency control mechanisms within the database must also preserve the temporal dependencies. A basis for preserving temporal dependencies is established by using (within the applications and databases) real-time timestamps to identify and order events and transactions. The use of optimistic approaches to transaction concurrency control can be undesirable in such situations, as they allow incorrect results for database read operations. Although the incorrectness is detected prior to transaction committal and the corresponding transaction(s) restarted, the impact on the application or entity that submitted the transaction can be too costly. Three transaction concurrency control algorithms are proposed in this dissertation. These algorithms are based on timestamp ordering, and are designed to preserve temporal dependencies existing among data-dependent transactions. The algorithms produce execution schedules that are equivalent to temporally ordered serial schedules, where the temporal order is established by the transactions' start times. The algorithms provide this equivalence while supporting currency to the extent out-of-order commits and reads. With respect to the stated concern with optimistic approaches, two of the proposed algorithms are risk-free and return to read operations only committed data-item values. Risk with the third algorithm is greatly reduced by its conservative bias. All three algorithms avoid deadlock while providing risk-free or reduced-risk operation. The performance of the algorithms is determined analytically and with experimentation. Experiments are performed using functional database management system models that implement the proposed algorithms and the well-known Conservative Multiversion Timestamp Ordering algorithm.
Extensions to Jinni Mobile Agent Architecture
We extend the Jinni mobile agent architecture with a multicast network transport layer, an agent-to-agent delegation mechanism and a reflection based Prolog-to-Java interface. To ensure that our agent infrastructure runs efficiently, independently of router-level multicast support, we describe a blackboard based algorithm for locating a randomly roaming agent. As part of the agent-to-agent delegation mechanism, we describe an alternative to code-fetching mechanism for stronger mobility of mobile agents with less network overhead. In the context of direct and reflection based extension mechanisms for Jinni, we describe the design and the implementation of a reflection based Prolog-to-Java interface. The presence of subtyping and method overloading makes finding the most specific method corresponding to a Prolog call pattern fairly difficult. We describe a run-time algorithm which provides accurate handling of overloaded methods beyond Java's reflection package's limitations.
Dynamic Grid-Based Data Distribution Management in Large Scale Distributed Simulations
Distributed simulation is an enabling concept to support the networked interaction of models and real world elements that are geographically distributed. This technology has brought a new set of challenging problems to solve, such as Data Distribution Management (DDM). The aim of DDM is to limit and control the volume of the data exchanged during a distributed simulation, and reduce the processing requirements of the simulation hosts by relaying events and state information only to those applications that require them. In this thesis, we propose a new DDM scheme, which we refer to as dynamic grid-based DDM. A lightweight UNT-RTI has been developed and implemented to investigate the performance of our DDM scheme. Our results clearly indicate that our scheme is scalable and it significantly reduces both the number of multicast groups used, and the message overhead, when compared to previous grid-based allocation schemes using large-scale and real-world scenarios.
Multi-Agent Architecture for Internet Information Extraction and Visualization
The World Wide Web is one of the largest sources of information; more and more applications are being developed daily to make use of this information. This thesis presents a multi-agent architecture that deals with some of the issues related to Internet data extraction. The primary issue addresses the reliable, efficient and quick extraction of data through the use of HTTP performance monitoring agents. A second issue focuses on how to make use of available data to take decisions and alert the user when there is change in data; this is done with the help of user agents that are equipped with a Defeasible reasoning interpreter. An additional issue is the visualization of extracted data; this is done with the aid of VRML visualization agents. The cited issues are discussed using stock portfolio management as an example application.
Algorithms for Efficient Utilization of Wireless Bandwidth and to Provide Quality-of-Service in Wireless Networks
This thesis presents algorithms to utilize the wireless bandwidth efficiently and at the same time meet the quality of service (QoS) requirements of the users. In the proposed algorithms we present an adaptive frame structure based upon the airlink frame loss probability and control the admission of call requests into the system based upon the load on the system and the QoS requirements of the incoming call requests. The performance of the proposed algorithms is studied by developing analytical formulations and simulation experiments. Finally we present an admission control algorithm which uses an adaptive delay computation algorithm to compute the queuing delay for each class of traffic and adapts the service rate and the reliability in the estimates based upon the deviation in the expected and obtained performance. We study the performance of the call admission control algorithm by simulation experiments. Simulation results for the adaptive frame structure algorithm show an improvement in the number of users in the system but there is a drop in the system throughput. In spite of the lower throughput the adaptive frame structure algorithm has fewer QoS delay violations. The adaptive call admission control algorithm adapts the call dropping probability of different classes of traffic and optimizes the system performance w.r.t the number of calls dropped and the reliability in meeting the QoS promised when the call is admitted into the system.
The Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Agent-Based File System
As bandwidth constraints on LAN/WAN environments decrease, the demand for distributed services will continue to increase. In particular, the proliferation of user-level applications requiring high-capacity distributed file storage systems will demand that such services be universally available. At the same time, the advent of high-speed networks have made the deployment of application and communication solutions based upon an Intelligent Mobile Agent (IMA) framework practical. Agents have proven to present an ideal development paradigm for the creation of autonomous large-scale distributed systems, and an agent-based communication scheme would facilitate the creation of independently administered distributed file services. This thesis thus outlines an architecture for such a distributed file system based upon an IMA communication framework.
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