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The web provides a lot of fluid information but this information changes, moves, and even disappears over time. Bookmark lists, portals, and paths are collections where the building blocks are web pages, which are susceptible to these changes. A lot of research, both in industry and in academia, focuses on organizing this vast amount of data. In this thesis, I present context-based algorithms for measuring changes to a document. The methods proposed use other documents in a collection as the context for evaluating changes in the web pages. These metrics will be used in maintaining paths as the individual pages in paths change. This approach will enhance the evaluations of change made by the currently existing Path Manager, in the Walden's Paths project that is being developed in the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries at Texas A&M University.

The web provides a lot of fluid information but this information changes, moves, and even disappears over time. Bookmark lists, portals, and paths are collections where the building blocks are web pages, which are susceptible to these changes. A lot of research, both in industry and in academia, focuses on organizing this vast amount of data. In this thesis, I present context-based algorithms for measuring changes to a document. The methods proposed use other documents in a collection as the context for evaluating changes in the web pages. These metrics will be used in maintaining paths as the individual pages in paths change. This approach will enhance the evaluations of change made by the currently existing Path Manager, in the Walden's Paths project that is being developed in the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries at Texas A&M University.

Abstract These two stories, written in first person, are two statements on the nature of self-love, romance, and loneliness. Embers voices a girl in a dying relationship as she tries to establish human connections before her best and only friend leaves the country. Crossing Paths is Jonathan’s beginning, an awakening triggered by a move to a new, uncanny and thickly forested environment. He begins the story as a grim, solitary figure, and through a gradual series of risks and victories, he succeeds in escaping his solitude and building a more complete life for himself. Though the two protagonists are separated my age, distance, and profession, the conclusions of both stories make similar statements with regards to the value of human connection, romantic and otherwise.

In this paper we will show how recent advances in the combinatorics of lattice paths can be applied to solve interesting and nontrivial problems in the theory of queues. The problems we discuss range from classical ones like M^a/M^b/1 systems to open tandem systems with and without global blocking and to queueing models that are related to random walks in a quarter plane like the Flatto-Hahn model or systems with preemptive priorities. (author´s abstract) / Series: Research Report Series / Department of Statistics and Mathematics

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This research project identifies some factors for the justification in having parallel network links of similar reliability. There are two key questions requiring consideration: 1) When is it optimal to have or create two parallel paths of equal or similar reliability? 2) How could a multi-criteria selection method be implemented for assigning expenditure? Asset and project management always have financial constraints and this requires a constant balancing of funds to priorities. Many methods are available to address these needs but two of the most common tools are risk assessment and economic evaluations. In principal both are well utilised and generally respected in the engineering community; when it compares parallel systems both tend to favour a single priority link, a single option. Practical conception also tends to support this concept as the expenditure strengthens one link well above the alternative. The example used to demonstrate the point that there is potential for parallel paths of equal or similar reliability is the Wellington link from near the airport (Troy Street) up the coast to Paekakariri. Both the local and highway options have various benefits of ease of travel to shopping facilities. Investigating this section provides several combinations from parallel highways to highway and local roads, so will have differing management criteria and associated land use. Generalised techniques are to be applied to the network. Risk is addressed as a reliability index figure that is preset to provide a consistent parameter (equal reliability) for each link investigated. Consequences are assessed with multi-criteria selection focusing on local benefits and shortcomings. Several models are used to build an understanding on how each consequence factor impacts on the overall model and to identify consequences of such a process. Economics are briefly discussed as the engineering community and funding is almost attributed to financial constraints. No specific analytical assessment has been completed. General results indicate there are supporting arguments to undertake a multi-selection criteria assessment while comparing parallel networks. Situations do occur when there is benefit for parallel networks of equal or similar reliability and therefore equal funding to both can be supported.

We provide a formal mathematical definition of the Shortest Paths for All Flows (SP-AF) problem and provide many efficient algorithms. The SP-AF problem combines the well known Shortest Paths (SP) and Bottleneck Paths (BP) problems, and can be solved by utilising matrix multiplication. Thus in our research of the SP-AF problem, we also make a series of contributions to the underlying topics of the SP problem, the BP problem, and matrix multiplication. For the topic of matrix multiplication we show that on an n-by-n two dimensional (2D) square mesh array, two n-by-n matrices can be multiplied in exactly 1.5n ‒ 1 communication steps. This halves the number of communication steps required by the well known Cannon’s algorithm that runs on the same sized mesh array. We provide two contributions for the SP problem. Firstly, we enhance the breakthrough algorithm by Alon, Galil and Margalit (AGM), which was the first algorithm to achieve a deeply sub-cubic time bound for solving the All Pairs Shortest Paths (APSP) problem on dense directed graphs. Our enhancement allows the algorithm by AGM to remain sub-cubic for larger upper bounds on integer edge costs. Secondly, we show that for graphs with n vertices, the APSP problem can be solved in exactly 3n ‒ 2 communication steps on an n-by-n 2D square mesh array. This improves on the previous result of 3.5n communication steps achieved by Takaoka and Umehara. For the BP problem, we show that we can compute the bottleneck of the entire graph without solving the All Pairs Bottleneck Paths (APBP) problem, resulting in a much more efficient time bound. Finally we define an algebraic structure called the distance/flow semi-ring to formally introduce the SP-AF problem, and we provide many algorithms for solving the Single Source SP-AF (SSSP-AF) problem and the All Pairs SP-AF (APSP-AF) problem. For the APSP-AF problem, algebraic algorithms are given that utilise faster matrix multiplication over a ring.