3764367
eLearning assessment through textual analysis of class discussions
Most of the elearning classes use discussion forums to support class interaction. This paper presents a novel approach that automatically assesses student class performance by analyzing knowledge density in online class messages. Class performance of students is evaluated from three perspectives: the quality of their course work, the quantity of their efforts, and the activeness of their participation; three measures - knowledge density, message length, and message count, are derived from class messages respectively. Together, they are used to calculate a performance indicator score. The experiment shows that there is a high correlation between the performance indicator scores and the actual grades assigned by instructors. The rank orders of students by the performance indicator score are highly correlated with those by the actual grades as well.
3822993
Learning by Examples: Identifying Key Concepts from Text Using Pre-Defined Inputs
3763580
Extracting Features from Web Search Returned Hits for Hierarchical Classification
3226359
Segmentation, Registration, and Deformation Analysis of 3D MR Images of Mice
We demonstrate our mouse MR image and shape analysis pipeline. The long term goal of our work is the description of structural shape variations in normal, genetically identical mice and the subsequent detection of pathological phenotypes in genetically modified mice. The pipeline begins with the acquisition and reconstruction of high resolution MR images of mice. Regions of the images containing organs under study are enhanced via edge-preserving smoothing and mouse organs are segmented using a deformable mesh model. Images are registered using a multi-resolution approach and displacement fields are used to calculate local volume changes. Detailed descriptions and results for each step of the pipeline are presented.
1201471
Lossy and lossless compression for color-quantized images
An efficient compression scheme for color-quantized images based on progressive coding of color information has been developed. Rather than sorting color indexes into a linear list structure, a binary-tree structure of color indexes is proposed. With this structure the new algorithm can progressively recover an image from 2 colors up to all of the colors contained in the original image, i.e., a lossless recovery achieved. Experimental results show that it can efficiently compress images in both lossy and lossless cases. Typically for color-quantized Lena image with 256 colors, the algorithm achieved 0.5 bpp lower than state-of-the-art lossless compression methods while preserving the efficient lossy compression. Such a compression scheme is very attractive to many applications that require the ability to fast browsing or progressive transmission, and if necessary, to exactly recover the original image.
18290114
Improved Rates and Asymptotic Normality for Nonparametric Neural Network Estimators
We obtain an improved approximation rate (in Sobolev norm) of r/sup -1/2-/spl alpha//(d+1)/ for a large class of single hidden layer feedforward artificial neural networks (ANN) with r hidden units and possibly nonsigmoid activation functions when the target function satisfies certain smoothness conditions. Here, d is the dimension of the domain of the target function, and /spl alpha//spl isin/(0, 1) is related to the smoothness of the activation function. When applying this class of ANNs to nonparametrically estimate (train) a general target function using the method of sieves, we obtain new root-mean-square convergence rates of Op([n/log(n)]/sup -/(1+2/spl alpha//(d+1))/[4(1+/spl alpha//(d+1))])=op(n/sup -1/4/) by letting the number of hidden units /spl tau//sub n/, increase appropriately with the sample size (number of training examples) n. These rates are valid for i.i.d. data as well as for uniform mixing and absolutely regular (/spl beta/-mixing) stationary time series data. In addition, the rates are fast enough to deliver root-n asymptotic normality for plug-in estimates of smooth functionals using general ANN sieve estimators. As interesting applications to nonlinear time series, we establish rates for ANN sieve estimators of four different multivariate target functions: a conditional mean, a conditional quantile, a joint density, and a conditional density. We also obtain root-n asymptotic normality results for semiparametric model coefficient and average derivative estimators.
1385145
Simulation based deadlock analysis for system level designs
In the design of highly complex, heterogeneous, and concurrent systems, deadlock detection and resolution remains an important issue. In this paper, we systematically analyze the synchronization dependencies in concurrent systems modeled in the Metropolis design environment, where system functions, high level architectures and function-architecture mappings can be modeled and simulated. We propose a data structure called the dynamic synchronization dependency graph, which captures the runtime (blocking) dependencies. A loop-detection algorithm is then used to detect deadlocks and help designers quickly isolate and identify modeling errors that cause the deadlock problems. We demonstrate our approach through a real world design example, which is a complex functional model for video processing and a high level model of function-architecture mapping.
11415872
On the largest eigenvalues of trees
An upper bound for the largest eigenvalues of all but a few families of trees is given in this paper. This upper bound depends only on the vertex number of trees under consideration.