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Description
In a healthcare setting, the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) provides ancillary services to the Operating Room (OR), Emergency Room, Labor & Delivery, and off-site clinics. SPD's function is to reprocess reusable surgical instruments and return them to their home departments. The management of surgical instruments and medical devices can impact

In a healthcare setting, the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) provides ancillary services to the Operating Room (OR), Emergency Room, Labor & Delivery, and off-site clinics. SPD's function is to reprocess reusable surgical instruments and return them to their home departments. The management of surgical instruments and medical devices can impact patient safety and hospital revenue. Any time instrumentation or devices are not available or are not fit for use, patient safety and revenue can be negatively impacted. One step of the instrument reprocessing cycle is sterilization. Steam sterilization is the sterilization method used for the majority of surgical instruments and is preferred to immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS) because terminally sterilized items can be stored until needed. IUSS Items must be used promptly and cannot be stored for later use. IUSS is intended for emergency situations and not as regular course of action. Unfortunately, IUSS is used to compensate for inadequate inventory levels, scheduling conflicts, and miscommunications. If IUSS is viewed as an adverse event, then monitoring IUSS incidences can help healthcare organizations meet patient safety goals and financial goals along with aiding in process improvement efforts. This work recommends statistical process control methods to IUSS incidents and illustrates the use of control charts for IUSS occurrences through a case study and analysis of the control charts for data from a health care provider. Furthermore, this work considers the application of data mining methods to IUSS occurrences and presents a representative example of data mining to the IUSS occurrences. This extends the application of statistical process control and data mining in healthcare applications.
ContributorsWeart, Gail (Author) / Runger, George C. (Thesis advisor) / Li, Jing (Committee member) / Shunk, Dan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
This dissertation transforms a set of system complexity reduction problems to feature selection problems. Three systems are considered: classification based on association rules, network structure learning, and time series classification. Furthermore, two variable importance measures are proposed to reduce the feature selection bias in tree models. Associative classifiers can achieve

This dissertation transforms a set of system complexity reduction problems to feature selection problems. Three systems are considered: classification based on association rules, network structure learning, and time series classification. Furthermore, two variable importance measures are proposed to reduce the feature selection bias in tree models. Associative classifiers can achieve high accuracy, but the combination of many rules is difficult to interpret. Rule condition subset selection (RCSS) methods for associative classification are considered. RCSS aims to prune the rule conditions into a subset via feature selection. The subset then can be summarized into rule-based classifiers. Experiments show that classifiers after RCSS can substantially improve the classification interpretability without loss of accuracy. An ensemble feature selection method is proposed to learn Markov blankets for either discrete or continuous networks (without linear, Gaussian assumptions). The method is compared to a Bayesian local structure learning algorithm and to alternative feature selection methods in the causal structure learning problem. Feature selection is also used to enhance the interpretability of time series classification. Existing time series classification algorithms (such as nearest-neighbor with dynamic time warping measures) are accurate but difficult to interpret. This research leverages the time-ordering of the data to extract features, and generates an effective and efficient classifier referred to as a time series forest (TSF). The computational complexity of TSF is only linear in the length of time series, and interpretable features can be extracted. These features can be further reduced, and summarized for even better interpretability. Lastly, two variable importance measures are proposed to reduce the feature selection bias in tree-based ensemble models. It is well known that bias can occur when predictor attributes have different numbers of values. Two methods are proposed to solve the bias problem. One uses an out-of-bag sampling method called OOBForest, and the other, based on the new concept of a partial permutation test, is called a pForest. Experimental results show the existing methods are not always reliable for multi-valued predictors, while the proposed methods have advantages.
ContributorsDeng, Houtao (Author) / Runger, George C. (Thesis advisor) / Lohr, Sharon L (Committee member) / Pan, Rong (Committee member) / Zhang, Muhong (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
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Description
This thesis dives into the world of artificial intelligence by exploring the functionality of a single layer artificial neural network through a simple housing price classification example while simultaneously considering its impact from a data management perspective on both the software and hardware level. To begin this study, the universally

This thesis dives into the world of artificial intelligence by exploring the functionality of a single layer artificial neural network through a simple housing price classification example while simultaneously considering its impact from a data management perspective on both the software and hardware level. To begin this study, the universally accepted model of an artificial neuron is broken down into its key components and then analyzed for functionality by relating back to its biological counterpart. The role of a neuron is then described in the context of a neural network, with equal emphasis placed on how it individually undergoes training and then for an entire network. Using the technique of supervised learning, the neural network is trained with three main factors for housing price classification, including its total number of rooms, bathrooms, and square footage. Once trained with most of the generated data set, it is tested for accuracy by introducing the remainder of the data-set and observing how closely its computed output for each set of inputs compares to the target value. From a programming perspective, the artificial neuron is implemented in C so that it would be more closely tied to the operating system and therefore make the collected profiler data more precise during the program's execution. The program is designed to break down each stage of the neuron's training process into distinct functions. In addition to utilizing more functional code, the struct data type is used as the underlying data structure for this project to not only represent the neuron but for implementing the neuron's training and test data. Once fully trained, the neuron's test results are then graphed to visually depict how well the neuron learned from its sample training set. Finally, the profiler data is analyzed to describe how the program operated from a data management perspective on the software and hardware level.
ContributorsRichards, Nicholas Giovanni (Author) / Miller, Phillip (Thesis director) / Meuth, Ryan (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
The objective of this research is to determine an approach for automating the learning of the initial lexicon used in translating natural language sentences to their formal knowledge representations based on lambda-calculus expressions. Using a universal knowledge representation and its associated parser, this research attempts to use word alignment techniques

The objective of this research is to determine an approach for automating the learning of the initial lexicon used in translating natural language sentences to their formal knowledge representations based on lambda-calculus expressions. Using a universal knowledge representation and its associated parser, this research attempts to use word alignment techniques to align natural language sentences to the linearized parses of their associated knowledge representations in order to learn the meanings of individual words. The work includes proposing and analyzing an approach that can be used to learn some of the initial lexicon.
ContributorsBaldwin, Amy Lynn (Author) / Baral, Chitta (Thesis director) / Vo, Nguyen (Committee member) / Industrial, Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
Penetration testing is regarded as the gold-standard for understanding how well an organization can withstand sophisticated cyber-attacks. However, the recent prevalence of markets specializing in zero-day exploits on the darknet make exploits widely available to potential attackers. The cost associated with these sophisticated kits generally precludes penetration testers from simply

Penetration testing is regarded as the gold-standard for understanding how well an organization can withstand sophisticated cyber-attacks. However, the recent prevalence of markets specializing in zero-day exploits on the darknet make exploits widely available to potential attackers. The cost associated with these sophisticated kits generally precludes penetration testers from simply obtaining such exploits – so an alternative approach is needed to understand what exploits an attacker will most likely purchase and how to defend against them. In this paper, we introduce a data-driven security game framework to model an attacker and provide policy recommendations to the defender. In addition to providing a formal framework and algorithms to develop strategies, we present experimental results from applying our framework, for various system configurations, on real-world exploit market data actively mined from the darknet.
ContributorsRobertson, John James (Author) / Shakarian, Paulo (Thesis director) / Doupe, Adam (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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Description
Classical planning is a field of Artificial Intelligence concerned with allowing autonomous agents to make reasonable decisions in complex environments. This work investigates
the application of deep learning and planning techniques, with the aim of constructing generalized plans capable of solving multiple problem instances. We construct a Deep Neural Network that,

Classical planning is a field of Artificial Intelligence concerned with allowing autonomous agents to make reasonable decisions in complex environments. This work investigates
the application of deep learning and planning techniques, with the aim of constructing generalized plans capable of solving multiple problem instances. We construct a Deep Neural Network that, given an abstract problem state, predicts both (i) the best action to be taken from that state and (ii) the generalized “role” of the object being manipulated. The neural network was tested on two classical planning domains: the blocks world domain and the logistic domain. Results indicate that neural networks are capable of making such
predictions with high accuracy, indicating a promising new framework for approaching generalized planning problems.
ContributorsNakhleh, Julia Blair (Author) / Srivastava, Siddharth (Thesis director) / Fainekos, Georgios (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
Medical records are increasingly being recorded in the form of electronic health records (EHRs), with a significant amount of patient data recorded as unstructured natural language text. Consequently, being able to extract and utilize clinical data present within these records is an important step in furthering clinical care. One important

Medical records are increasingly being recorded in the form of electronic health records (EHRs), with a significant amount of patient data recorded as unstructured natural language text. Consequently, being able to extract and utilize clinical data present within these records is an important step in furthering clinical care. One important aspect within these records is the presence of prescription information. Existing techniques for extracting prescription information — which includes medication names, dosages, frequencies, reasons for taking, and mode of administration — from unstructured text have focused on the application of rule- and classifier-based methods. While state-of-the-art systems can be effective in extracting many types of information, they require significant effort to develop hand-crafted rules and conduct effective feature engineering. This paper presents the use of a bidirectional LSTM with CRF tagging model initialized with precomputed word embeddings for extracting prescription information from sentences without requiring significant feature engineering. The experimental results, run on the i2b2 2009 dataset, achieve an F1 macro measure of 0.8562, and scores above 0.9449 on four of the six categories, indicating significant potential for this model.
ContributorsRawal, Samarth Chetan (Author) / Baral, Chitta (Thesis director) / Anwar, Saadat (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
This thesis describes a multi-robot architecture which allows teams of robots to work with humans to complete tasks. The multi-agent architecture was built using Robot Operating System and Python. This architecture was designed modularly, allowing the use of different planners and robots. The system automatically replans when robots connect or

This thesis describes a multi-robot architecture which allows teams of robots to work with humans to complete tasks. The multi-agent architecture was built using Robot Operating System and Python. This architecture was designed modularly, allowing the use of different planners and robots. The system automatically replans when robots connect or disconnect. The system was demonstrated on two real robots, a Fetch and a PeopleBot, by conducting a surveillance task on the fifth floor of the Computer Science building at Arizona State University. The next part of the system includes extensions for teaming with humans. An Android application was created to serve as the interface between the system and human teammates. This application provides a way for the system to communicate with humans in the loop. In addition, it sends location information of the human teammates to the system so that goal recognition can be performed. This goal recognition allows the generation of human-aware plans. This capability was demonstrated in a mock search and rescue scenario using the Fetch to locate a missing teammate.
ContributorsSaba, Gabriel Christer (Author) / Kambhampati, Subbarao (Thesis director) / Doupé, Adam (Committee member) / Chakraborti, Tathagata (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
One of the core components of many video games is their artificial intelligence. Through AI, a game can tell stories, generate challenges, and create encounters for the player to overcome. Even though AI has continued to advance through the implementation of neural networks and machine learning, game AI tends to

One of the core components of many video games is their artificial intelligence. Through AI, a game can tell stories, generate challenges, and create encounters for the player to overcome. Even though AI has continued to advance through the implementation of neural networks and machine learning, game AI tends to implement a series of states or decisions instead to give the illusion of intelligence. Despite this limitation, games can still generate a wide range of experiences for the player. The Hybrid Game AI Framework is an AI system that combines the benefits of two commonly used approaches to developing game AI: Behavior Trees and Finite State Machines. Developed in the Unity Game Engine and the C# programming language, this AI Framework represents the research that went into studying modern approaches to game AI and my own attempt at implementing the techniques learned. Object-oriented programming concepts such as inheritance, abstraction, and low coupling are utilized with the intent to create game AI that's easy to implement and expand upon. The final goal was to create a flexible yet structured AI data structure while also minimizing drawbacks by combining Behavior Trees and Finite State Machines.
ContributorsRamirez Cordero, Erick Alberto (Author) / Kobayashi, Yoshihiro (Thesis director) / Nelson, Brian (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Computing and Informatics Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
Feature learning and the discovery of nonlinear variation patterns in high-dimensional data is an important task in many problem domains, such as imaging, streaming data from sensors, and manufacturing. This dissertation presents several methods for learning and visualizing nonlinear variation in high-dimensional data. First, an automated method for discovering nonlinear

Feature learning and the discovery of nonlinear variation patterns in high-dimensional data is an important task in many problem domains, such as imaging, streaming data from sensors, and manufacturing. This dissertation presents several methods for learning and visualizing nonlinear variation in high-dimensional data. First, an automated method for discovering nonlinear variation patterns using deep learning autoencoders is proposed. The approach provides a functional mapping from a low-dimensional representation to the original spatially-dense data that is both interpretable and efficient with respect to preserving information. Experimental results indicate that deep learning autoencoders outperform manifold learning and principal component analysis in reproducing the original data from the learned variation sources.

A key issue in using autoencoders for nonlinear variation pattern discovery is to encourage the learning of solutions where each feature represents a unique variation source, which we define as distinct features. This problem of learning distinct features is also referred to as disentangling factors of variation in the representation learning literature. The remainder of this dissertation highlights and provides solutions for this important problem.

An alternating autoencoder training method is presented and a new measure motivated by orthogonal loadings in linear models is proposed to quantify feature distinctness in the nonlinear models. Simulated point cloud data and handwritten digit images illustrate that standard training methods for autoencoders consistently mix the true variation sources in the learned low-dimensional representation, whereas the alternating method produces solutions with more distinct patterns.

Finally, a new regularization method for learning distinct nonlinear features using autoencoders is proposed. Motivated in-part by the properties of linear solutions, a series of learning constraints are implemented via regularization penalties during stochastic gradient descent training. These include the orthogonality of tangent vectors to the manifold, the correlation between learned features, and the distributions of the learned features. This regularized learning approach yields low-dimensional representations which can be better interpreted and used to identify the true sources of variation impacting a high-dimensional feature space. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this method for nonlinear variation pattern discovery on both simulated and real data sets.
ContributorsHoward, Phillip (Author) / Runger, George C. (Thesis advisor) / Montgomery, Douglas C. (Committee member) / Mirchandani, Pitu (Committee member) / Apley, Daniel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016