Actionable pattern analysis in computing and business intelligence systems

With advances in science and technology, computing and business intelligence (BI) systems are steadily becoming more complex with an increasing variety of heterogeneous software and hardware components. They are thus becoming progressively more difficult to monitor, manage and maintain. Traditional approaches to system management have largely relied on domain experts through a knowledge acquisition process that translates domain knowledge into operating rules and policies. It is widely acknowledged as a cumbersome, labor intensive, and error prone process, besides being difficult to keep up with the rapidly changing environments. In addition, many traditional business systems deliver primarily pre-defined historic metrics for a long-term strategic or mid-term tactical analysis, and lack the necessary flexibility to support evolving metrics or data collection for real-time operational analysis. There is thus a pressing need for automatic and efficient approaches to monitor and manage complex computing and BI systems. To realize the goal of autonomic management and enable self-management capabilities, we propose to mine system historical log data generated by computing and BI systems, and automatically extract actionable patterns from this data. This dissertation focuses on the development of different data mining techniques to extract actionable patterns from various types of log data in computing and BI systems. Four key problems—Log data categorization and event summarization, Leading indicator identification , Pattern prioritization by exploring the link structures , and Tensor model for three-way log data are studied. Case studies and comprehensive experiments on real application scenarios and datasets are conducted to show the effectiveness of our proposed approaches.

High-performance liquid chromatography measurement of carotenoids in human serum, etoposide in pig cerebrospinal fluid and measurement of the aggregation of xanthophylls in aqueous solutions

The present study measured a chemotherapy drug, etoposide, in pig cerebrospinal fluid after intraventricular administrations were made directly into the fourth ventricle of the brain; cytotoxic concentrations for a twenty-four hour period after infusions. The analytical method developed validates the potential treatment of malignant brain tumors. The increase in serum carotenoid concentration in 30 healthy individuals was measured after supplementation with lutein. HPLC analysis of serum levels of carotenoids showed an increase in the concentration of lutein and a constant concentration of other major serum carotenoids. An initial attempt to measure the enthalpy of aggregation of xanthophylls was conducted by using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The enthalpy of lutein aggregation and AH range of zeaxanthin disordering of aggregation are reported. Monomethyl ether of lutein did not aggregate in any of the aqueous solutions.

Blood Lead Levels in Children and Environmental Lead Contamination in Miami Inner City, Florida

Studies have shown that the environmental conditions of the home are important predictors of health, especially in low-income communities. Understanding the relationship between the environment and health is crucial in the management of certain diseases. One health outcome related to the home environment among urban, minority, and low-income children is childhood lead poisoning. The most common sources of lead exposure for children are lead paint in older, dilapidated housing and contaminated dust and soil produced by accumulated residue of leaded gasoline. Blood lead levels (BLL) as low as 10 μg/dL in children are associated with impaired cognitive function, behavior difficulties, and reduced intelligence. Recently, it is suggested that the standard for intervention be lowered to BLL of 5 μg /dl. The objectives of our report were to assess the prevalence of lead poisoning among children under six years of age and to quantify and test the correlations between BLL in children and lead exposure levels in their environment. This cross-sectional analysis was restricted to 75 children under six years of age who lived in 6 zip code areas of inner city Miami. These locations exhibited unacceptably high levels of lead dust and soil in areas where children live and play. Using the 5 μg/dL as the cutoff point, the prevalence of lead poisoning among the study sample was 13.33%. The study revealed that lead levels in floor dust and window sill samples were positively and significantly correlated with BLL among children (p < 0.05). However, the correlations between BLL and the soil, air, and water samples were not significant. Based on this pilot study, a more comprehensive environmental study in surrounding inner city areas is warranted. Parental education on proper housecleaning techniques may also benefit those living in the high lead-exposed communities of inner city Miami.

Patterns of acculturative stress: Continuity, discontinuity, and adjustment among Latino youth

This study evaluated inter- and intra-individual changes in acculturation, acculturative stress, and adaptation experiences, as well as their associations with adjustment outcomes among a group of Latino adolescents in South Florida. Specifically, the current study investigated the incidence, changes, and effects of stressors that arise from acculturation experiences (e.g., related to culture, discrimination, language difficulties) among Latino youth by employing a person-centered approach and a longitudinal research design. Four separate groups of analyses were conducted to investigate (a) within-group differences in levels of reported acculturative stress, (b) patterns of continuity and discontinuity in levels of acculturative stress across time, (c) adjustment outcomes associated with distinct patterns of acculturative stress within each measurement occasion, and (d) predictive relations between longitudinal acculturative stress trajectories in early adolescence and psychosocial adjustment outcomes in young adulthood. ^ Results from the multivariate analyses indicated great within group heterogeneity in acculturative stress among Latino youth during early adolescence, as well as significant continuity and discontinuity in the patterns of shifts among acculturative stress profiles between contiguous measurement occasions. Within each developmental period, membership in acculturative stress clusters was significantly and differentially associated with multiple adjustment outcomes, suggesting that maladaptive outcomes are more likely to occur among Latino adolescents experiencing high levels of psychological distress across multiple acculturative domains. In general, Latino youth acculturation is best understood as multi-dimensional, to be variable across time, and to be fluid and responsive to multiple factors and influences. Implications for preventive strategies are discussed with regard to acculturation and developmental psychology research literatures. ^

Soviet and Western bloc competition in the less developed world and the collapse of Détente

The purpose of my dissertation was to examine the competition between the U.S.-led Western bloc and the Soviet bloc in the less developed world during Détente. I assessed whether or not the Soviet bloc pushed for strategic gains in the less developed world in the middle-to-late 1970's and whether this contributed to the U.S. decision to abandon Détente in 1979. I made the attempt to test the international relations theory of balance of threat realism (Walt, 1992). I accomplished the test in two ways. First, I measured the foreign aid allocations (military and economic) made by each respective bloc towards the Third World by using a quantitative approach. Second, I examined U.S. archives using the process-tracing/historical method. The U.S. archives gave me the ability to evaluate how U.S. decision-makers and U.S. intelligence agencies interpreted the actions of the Soviet bloc. They also gave me the chance to examine the U.S. response as we evaluated the policies that were pushed by key U.S. decision-makers and intelligence agencies. On the question of whether or not the Soviet bloc was aggressive, the quantitative evidence suggested that it was not. Instead, the evidence found the Western-bloc to have been more aggressive in the less developed world. The U.S. archives also showed Soviet actions to have been defensive. Key U.S. decision-makers and intelligence agencies attested to this. Finally, the archives show that U.S. officials pushed for aggressive actions against the Third World during the final years of Détente. Thus, balance of threat realism produced an incorrect assessment that U.S. aggression in the late 1970's was a response to Soviet aggression during Détente. The evidence suggests structural Marxism and domestic politics can better explain U.S./Western actions. The aggressive foreign aid allocations of the West, coupled with evidence of U.S. decision-makers/agencies vehemently concerned about the long-term prospects of the West, strengthened structural Marxism. Domestic politics can also claim to explain the actions of U.S. decision-makers. I found extensive archival evidence of bureaucratic inter-agency conflict between the State Department and other intelligence agencies in areas of strategic concern to the U.S.

Field programmable gate array based target detection and gesture recognition

The move from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) represents a six times increases in data, which needs to be processed. With expanding resolutions and evolving compression, there is a need for high performance with flexible architectures to allow for quick upgrade ability. The technology advances in image display resolutions, advanced compression techniques, and video intelligence. Software implementation of these systems can attain accuracy with tradeoffs among processing performance (to achieve specified frame rates, working on large image data sets), power and cost constraints. There is a need for new architectures to be in pace with the fast innovations in video and imaging. It contains dedicated hardware implementation of the pixel and frame rate processes on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to achieve the real-time performance. ^ The following outlines the contributions of the dissertation. (1) We develop a target detection system by applying a novel running average mean threshold (RAMT) approach to globalize the threshold required for background subtraction. This approach adapts the threshold automatically to different environments (indoor and outdoor) and different targets (humans and vehicles). For low power consumption and better performance, we design the complete system on FPGA. (2) We introduce a safe distance factor and develop an algorithm for occlusion occurrence detection during target tracking. A novel mean-threshold is calculated by motion-position analysis. (3) A new strategy for gesture recognition is developed using Combinational Neural Networks (CNN) based on a tree structure. Analysis of the method is done on American Sign Language (ASL) gestures. We introduce novel point of interests approach to reduce the feature vector size and gradient threshold approach for accurate classification. (4) We design a gesture recognition system using a hardware/ software co-simulation neural network for high speed and low memory storage requirements provided by the FPGA. We develop an innovative maximum distant algorithm which uses only 0.39% of the image as the feature vector to train and test the system design. Database set gestures involved in different applications may vary. Therefore, it is highly essential to keep the feature vector as low as possible while maintaining the same accuracy and performance^

Numerical investigation on the heat transfer enhancement using micro/nano phase-change particulate flow

The introduction of phase change material fluid and nanofluid in micro-channel heat sink design can significantly increase the cooling capacity of the heat sink because of the unique features of these two kinds of fluids. To better assist the design of a high performance micro-channel heat sink using phase change fluid and nanofluid, the heat transfer enhancement mechanism behind the flow with such fluids must be completely understood. ^ A detailed parametric study is conducted to further investigate the heat transfer enhancement of the phase change material particle suspension flow, by using the two-phase non-thermal-equilibrium model developed by Hao and Tao (2004). The parametric study is conducted under normal conditions with Reynolds numbers of Re = 90–600 and phase change material particle concentrations of ϵp ≤ 0.25, as well as extreme conditions of very low Reynolds numbers (Re < 50) and high phase change material particle concentration (ϵp = 50%–70%) slurry flow. By using the two newly-defined parameters, named effectiveness factor ϵeff and performance index PI, respectively, it is found that there exists an optimal relation between the channel design parameters L and D, particle volume fraction ϵp, Reynolds number Re, and the wall heat flux qw. The influence of the particle volume fraction ϵp, particle size dp, and the particle viscosity μ p, to the phase change material suspension flow, are investigated and discussed. The model was validated by available experimental data. The conclusions will assist designers in making their decisions that relate to the design or selection of a micro-pump suitable for micro or mini scale heat transfer devices. ^ To understand the heat transfer enhancement mechanism of the nanofluid flow from the particle level, the lattice Boltzmann method is used because of its mesoscopic feature and its many numerical advantages. By using a two-component lattice Boltzmann model, the heat transfer enhancement of the nanofluid is analyzed, through incorporating the different forces acting on the nanoparticles to the two-component lattice Boltzmann model. It is found that the nanofluid has better heat transfer enhancement at low Reynolds numbers, and the Brownian motion effect of the nanoparticles will be weakened by the increase of flow speed. ^