My Keyboard is Sharper than Your Sword

Abstract
Human animation from motion capture data is typically limited to whatever movement was performed by the actor. A method to create a wider range of motion in the animation utilizes the motion capture database to synthesize new poses. This paper proposes a method to generate original natural poses based on the characteristics of natural poses based on motion capture data. Principal Component Analysis is used to transform the data into a reduced dimensional space. An unconstrained pose data set is created by calculating the position of the human skeleton based on the reduced dimensional space. Constrained pose data can be created using interpolation and iteration on the unconstrained pose data. We show some example results of the generated poses and compare these poses to poses created with iterative inverse kinematics methods. Results show that our method is more accurate and more natural than iterative inverse kinematics methods.

Abstract
Evaluation of student works is a time consuming process that must be completed within a fixed schedule. When the enrollment to a particular course is quite high, it is difficult to grade the students' works in an efficient and consistent manner. In this paper we describe a method to use automatic grading software for a computer competency course based on our work in the CSE 101 course at Michigan State University. Tests are taken in the computer lab using Lon-CAPA, an educational content management software. The automated grading software runs on a separate server. Grading is based on whether students successfully pass a certain number of criteria. The automatic software grader can quickly go through the test and determine the status of some of the criteria. The paper shows that the auto graders significantly reduces grading time and has helped us be on time with grading.
Keywords: Evaluation, e-learning, online test, automatic grading, XML

Abstract: Understanding a web document and the sections inside the document is very important for web transformation and information retrieval from web pages. Detecting pagelets, which are small features located inside a web page, in order to understand a web document's structure is a difficult problem. Current work on pagelet detection focuses only on finding the location of the pagelet without regard to its functionality. We describe a method to detect both the location and functionality of pagelets using HTML element patterns. For each pagelet type, an HTML element pattern is created and matched to a web page. Sections of the web page that matches the patterns are marked as pagelet candidates. We test this technique on multiple popular web pages from the news and e-commerce genres. We find that this method adequately recalls various pagelets from the web page.

Abstract: The goal of this project is to make the Web more accessible by providing some of the features naturally available to sighted users to users with visual impairments. These features are direct access and gestalt understanding, which can emerge from simplification and summarization. Simplification is achieved by retaining sections of the webpage that are considered important while removing the clutter. The purpose of summarization is to provide the users with a preview of the webpage. Simplification and summarization are implemented as a "guide dog" that helps users navigate the entire website. Simplifying the Web and summarizing the contents require understanding the structure underlying the entire webpage document. By understanding the structure, we can decide which sections of the webpage are important and therefore to keep, and which ones are clutter and need to be skipped. The bulk of our work has been in understanding the structure of a random document with the goal of transforming its contents into a format that is more accessible to users with disabilities as well as users of mobile devices. Understanding the structure of a random webpage is a difficult problem. We propose a novel method using a combination of pagelet feature recognition and genre-based templates.

Abstract: Students needs lots of programming practice in order for them to be able to correctly implement the concepts taught in programming classes. Due to the workload of marking and grading the students programs, automatic correction tools are needed. We describe a web based multiplayer game called Algoshop which is used to facilitate student programming practice. Algoshop checks whether the program correctly solves the problem given to the student. Furthermore, Algoshop is able to tell the students how good his solution is in terms of optimality and structure. As a game, Algoshop may also encourage student to practice indepently.

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Abstract
The report is commonly used as a tool to represent and organize data on a medium, commonly paper, such that only relevant information is shown and obtained by an entity having a need for it. The current line of computer based report writers gathers data from a database and prints the relevant information to the user. The layout and the filtering of data is still the responsibility of the user.
We have implemented a report writer component, which uses XML (eXtended Markup Language) to represent the report's layout and data filter. In this paper we will describe the report writer component, the reason XML is chosen as the representation, and show how it is possible to represent a report through XML
Keywords: Report Writer, System Information, XML

Abstract
Currently there is so much information available on the Internet that it is increasingly difficult for a user to find the information he needs immediately. Part of the problem is the growth of the World Wide Web and the large amount of websites currently in existence.
We believe that for information to be more accessible to the general public, it must be easily and freely accessed and exposed in many sites simultaneously. Therefore in this paper we propose and describe the design, verification and implementation of a new protocol called SQRP (acronym for Short Query Response Protocol) that runs over the widely used TCP/IP. This protocol controls the sharing of information between Internet hosts to encourage faster information dispersal.
Keywords: Internet, Protocol, Information Dispersion, World Wide Web

Abstract: None Available

This paper discusses the division of cell-phone based mobile applications.

This presentation is an introduction to smartcards (what they are, what application can they run), and the egate open contest. Hopefully someone from our lab will be a contender in this contest. Due to copyright issues, the downloadable version is a toned down (summary) version from the one presented, and no I will not send you the original.