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Seminar Schedule for Fall 2005
Date	Speaker	Title	Institution	Location
9/23/05	Vinod Vokkarane	Dual-Homing Survivability for the Next-Generation Internet	UMassD	DION 101
10/7/05	Li Shen	Image and Shape Analysis in Biomedical Applications	UMassD	DION 101
10/21/05	Haiping Xu	A Methodology for Role-Based Modeling of Multi-Agent Software Systems	UMassD	DION 101
10/28/05	Gaoyan Xie	Bridge the Formal and Informal---Software Verification	UMassD	DION 101
11/4/05	BenYuan Liu	Coverage of Wireless Sensor Networks	UMass, Lowell	DION 101
11/18/05	Eugene Eberbach	$-Calculus of Bounded Rational Agents: Flexible Optimization as Search under Bounded Resources in Interactive Systems	UMassD	DION 101
12/2/05	Ramprasad Balasubramanian	Oceanic Feature detection and tracking in AVHRR and SeaWIF Satellite imagery.	UMassD	DION 101
12/9/05 12/16/05		Graduate student research presentation	UMassD	DION 101

Date: 11/4/05
Title: Coverage of Wireless Sensor Networks
Speaker: Benyuan Liu

Wireless sensor networks are expected to have a wide variety of applications that are not available using traditional technologies. From environment monitoring to biological sensing in a human body, and from war fighting to disaster recovery, wireless sensor networks will significantly affect the way we work and live. The coverage of a sensor network represents the quality of surveillance that the network can provide, for example, how well a region of interest is monitored by sensors, and how effectively a sensor network can detect intruders.  It is important to understand how the coverage of a sensor network depends on various network parameters in order to better design and use sensor networks for different application scenarios. We approach the coverage problem from a theoretical perspective and explore the fundamental limits and properties of the coverage of a large-scale sensor network. We characterize the asymptotic behavior of the coverage measures for a variety of network scenarios in both stationary and mobile sensor networks. We find that the coverage of a sensor network exhibits different behaviors for different network configuration and parameters. Based on the analytical characterizations of the network coverage, we further discuss the implications to network planning and protocol performance of sensor networks.

Date: 10/28/05
Title: Bridge the Formal and Informal---Software Verification
Speaker: Gaoyan Xie

Abstract: Formal verification and software testing are the two extremes for the quality assurance of computer software. Traditionally, a formal verification works on a formal specification of a given system and employees a mathematically sound technique to check whether the system specification satisfies certain desired properties. Once finished, a formal verification technique always gives definite and unambiguous answers, which are preferred in developing high-assurance systems.  Software testing, on the contrary, is basically a trial and error method that exercises an implementation of a system, trying to expose as many system defects as possible. The results of testing are never definite since it is impractical to achieve complete test. Additionally, testing is labor-intensive and is usually the major cost factor of software development. With the increased demanding for developing reliable software and for reducing development cost through test automation, in recent years there has been a trend of bringing these two extremes together to take advantages of the both ends. This talk introduces one typical work in this trend, called software verification, which applies a formal verification technique called model-checking to software at the source code level and uses testing techniques to facilitate the verification. This talk also addresses some intriguing issues that arise from the interplay between model checking and software testing.

Date: 10/21/05
Title: Towards a Role-Based Agent Development Environment for Open Multi-Agent Software Systems
Speaker: Haiping Xu

Abstract: Multi-agent systems (MAS) are rapidly emerging as a powerful paradigm for modeling and developing distributed information systems. In an open multi-agent system, agents can not only join or leave an agent society at will, but also take or release roles dynamically. Most of existing work on MAS uses role modeling for system analysis; but role models are only used at conceptual level with no realizations in the implemented system. In this talk, we first propose a formal framework for role-based modeling of open multi-agent systems. We specify role organization and role space as containers of conceptual roles and role instances, respectively. Then we propose a three layered design model for development of open MAS. Our approach provides a potential solution for automated MAS development. Finally, we use a prototype of Role-based Agent Development Environment (RADE) with a case study to show how it may support rapid application development of open MAS.

Date: 10/7/05
Title: Image and Shape Analysis in Biomedical Applications
Speaker: Li Shen

Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss two recent studies on image and shape analysis and their applications in two biomedical domains. The first work is a new computational framework for morphometric analysis of 3D surfaces that aims to localize regionally specific shape changes between groups of 3D objects. The effectiveness of this framework is demonstrated in a computational neuroscience application for identifying hippocampal shape changes in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The second work is the development of STAT, a Spatio-Temporal Analysis Tool, which incorporates useful image analysis functions such as object identification, segmentation and registration. I will demonstrate these functions for spatio-temporal modeling of pulmonary nodules in perfusion magnetic resonance image sequences. The resulting time intensity profiles of nodules region capture important angiogenic patterns in the lung that has a potential in distinguishing between cancer and benign nodules and helping early detection. If time permits, I will also talk about some other ongoing projects in my lab.
Date: 9/23/05
Title: Dual-Homing Survivability for the Next-Generation Internet
Speaker: Dr. Vinod Vokkarane

Abstract: Dual homing is a fault-tolerant technique generally used to increase the survivability of IP-based access networks. While protection techniques are generally used to provide survivability in all-optical core networks.  In this talk, we evaluate how the dual-homing architecture introduces attractive design choices for implementing survivable optical networks. We investigate several approaches for providing survivability against two independent failures, one in the IP access network and the other in the optical core network. In the past, dual-homing and protection techniques have been studied separately.  In this talk, we discuss several coordinated dual-homing protection techniques to provide survivability in an all-optical core network. In this talk, we will discuss several new algorithmic solutions and compare the performance of these solutions. We also discuss the applicability of the concept of dual-homing to other types of networks, such as wireless sensor networks.

Seminar Schedule for Spring 2005
Date	Speaker	Title	Institution	Location
3/23/05	Sumesh Philip	Scalable Location Management in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks	SUNY BuffaloUMassD	DION 101
3/25/05	Gaoyan Xie	Verification by Model Checking	Washington State University, Pullman	DION 101
3/31/05	Hairong Fu	Authentication Protocols	North Dakota State University, Fargo
4/8/05	Boleslaw Mikolajczak	Verification and Validation of Concurrent Object-Oriented Systems using Colored Petri Nets	UMassD	DION 101
4/22/05	Zhigang Zhu	Special topic on Computer Vision	City College of New York	DION 101
4/29/05	Emad Aboelela		UMassD	DION 101
5/13/05	Graduate Students	1. Jason Femino, Spiking Neuron Network with Static Synapses for Modeling of Olfactory Processing 2. L. Atallah, The $-Calculus Process Algebra Applied to Selected Algorithms in Bioinformatics. 3. Ch.-Y. Hung, Testing Capabilities of Common Control Language and ER1 Robot. 4. Hui-Lan Chi, Quality Evaluation of Voice-over-IP Connections 5. Cheng-Kang Yang, Detect the Abnormal Transaction and Auto-reply. 6. Swapnil Chaudhari, Segmentation of Eddies Using Heat Content	UMassD	DION 101
5/20/05	Graduate Students	1. Chandana Kancherla, A Service-Oriented Peer-to-Peer System for University Library Resource Sharing 2. Animesh Basnet, Formulation of Decision Support Systems Architectures for Highway Toll Plazas. 3. Jen-Ta Huang, Optimal Topology Design for Optical Burst Switched Networks

 

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