BadRank is a method for detecting spam web sites, based on the premise that a page is spam if it points to another spam page; i.e., the BadRank score of a page is the weighted sum of the BadRank scores of the pages that it links to. BadRank is an important tool in spam detection. We consider the mathematical structure of BadRank, showing how it can be modified to guarantee that the iterates con...

6 Cognitive impairments prevent older adults from using powered 7 wheelchairs due to safety concerns, thus reducing their mobility and 8 independence. An intelligent powered wheelchair is proposed to help 9 restore mobility, while ensuring safe navigation. Machine vision and 10 learning techniques are used to help prevent collisions with obstacles, as 11 well as provide navigation assistance th...

In machine learning, nonconvex optimization problems with multiple local optimums are often encountered. Graduated Optimization Algorithm (GOA) is a popular heuristic method to obtain global optimums of nonconvex problems through progressively minimizing a series of convex approximations to the nonconvex problems more and more accurate. Recently, such an algorithm GradOpt based on GOA is propos...

The young driver problem is typified by high crash rates early in licensure that decline with experience, but are higher initially and decline more slowly for the youngest novices. Despite considerable effort, only Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS) policies have been shown to improve novice young driver safety outcomes. Unfortunately, GDLS policies are mostly limited to countries with a ...

We studied a reviewer-prompting system designed to improve the timeliness of journal reviews. The prompting system consisted of an e-mail message sent individually to reviewers noting the manuscript number, review due date, and associated social amenities for the timely completion of the task. Our results indicated that the prompting system increased timely reviews.