A relatively new model of error control is the limited magnitude error over high radix channels. In this error model, the error magnitude does not exceed a certain limit known beforehand. In this dissertation, we study systematic error control codes for common channels under the assumption that the maximum error...
This dissertation explores algorithms for learning ranking functions to efficiently solve search problems, with application to automated planning. Specifically, we consider the frameworks of beam search, greedy search, and randomized search, which all aim to maintain tractability at the cost of not guaranteeing completeness nor optimality. Our learning objective for...
Parallel processors are classified into two classes: shared-memory multiprocessors and distributed- memory multiprocessors. In the shared-memory system, processors communicate through a common memory unit. However, in the distributed multiprocessor system, each processor has its own memory unit and the communications among the processors are performed through an interconnection network. Thus,...
This dissertation addresses two fundamental problems in computer vision—namely,
multitarget tracking and event recognition in videos. These problems are challenging
because uncertainty may arise from a host of sources, including motion blur,
occlusions, and dynamic cluttered backgrounds. We show that these challenges can be
successfully addressed by using a multiscale,...
This dissertation addresses a number of inter-related and fundamental problems in computer vision. Specifically, we address object discovery, recognition, segmentation, and 3D pose estimation in images, as well as 3D scene reconstruction and scene interpretation. The key ideas behind our approaches include using shape as a basic object feature, and...
A distributed system is a network of multiple autonomous computational nodes designed primarily for performance scalability and robustness. The performance of a distributed system depends critically on how tasks and resources are distributed among the nodes. Thus, a main thrust in distributed system research is to design schemes for distributing...
Acting intelligently to efficiently solve sequential decision problems requires the ability to extract hierarchical structure from the underlying domain dynamics, exploit it for optimal or near-optimal decision-making, and transfer it to related problems instead of solving every problem in isolation. This dissertation makes three contributions toward this goal.
The first...
Within the past several years the technology of high-throughput sequencing has transformed the study of biology by offering unprecedented access to life's fundamental building block, DNA. With this transformation's potential a host of brand-new challenges have emerged, many of which lend themselves to being solved through computational methods. From de...
The meteoric rise and prevalent usage of wireless networking technologies for mobile
communication applications have captured the attention of media and imagination of
public in the recent decade. One such proliferation is experienced in Wireless Sensor
Networks (WSNs), where multimedia enabled elements are fused with integrated
sensors to empower tightly...
It is possible to purchase, for as little as $10,000, a cluster of computers with the capability to rival the supercomputers of only a few years ago. Now, users that have little to no experience developing distributed applications or managing a cluster are in a position to do so. To...