Research News

M.S. Thesis
Kaan Karataş, Developing A Framework to Evaluate the Usability of Virtual and Mixed Reality Environments to Practice Model-Based Systems Engineering

This thesis aims to understand the applicability of virtual reality or mixed reality environments to perform model-based systems engineering and develop a prototype for a framework for such uses. By conducting user tests with people from systems engineering and interactive application and game development background, identifies the primary advantages and disadvantages of using these environments compared to desktop environment. The outcomes serve as a strong baseline for possible future research and established that the virtual reality or mixed reality environments can be suitable for model-based systems engineering.

Date: 26.11.2024 Place: A-212

M.S. Thesis
Ümit Eronat, A Comparative Analysis of Various 3D Mesh Optimization Algorithms for Assessing Effectiveness on Sustaining Virtual Visual Illusion

This thesis presents a method of comparing the cost-effectiveness of 3D mesh simplification algorithms using the McGurk effect, where visual and auditory cues are combined to create an illusion. The study involves designing a human head mesh, animating mouth movements, and recording certain syllable sounds to produce a virtual scene. Using this virtual scene and applying three different mesh simplification algorithms on the animated head, a user study was conducted to test and measure the effectiveness of each algorithm for each different syllable in medium and high difficulty levels. Results highlight the balance between computational efficiency and perceptual accuracy, providing insights for 3D modeling and virtual reality applications.

Date: 29.11.2024 / 10:00 Place: A-212

M.S. Thesis
Yasin Aksüt, An Analysis Of Kerberoasting Attack And Detection With Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms

Active Directory (AD) is one of the most widely used directory services today, playing a key role in organizing and managing network resources within an organization. A robust security strategy is crucial to prevent and detect AD attacks, which can be difficult to detect due to their blend in with normal network traffic. One such attack is the Kerberoasting attack, which exploits weaknesses in the Kerberos authentication protocol. To detect these attacks, supervised machine learning algorithms are being proposed. And also publicly available dataset to measure the efficiency of these algorithms for Kerberoasting attacks was created and shared.

Date: 22.11.2024 / 14:00 Place: A-108

Ph.D. Thesis
Onur Erdoğan, EnSCAN: “En”semble “S”coring for Prioritizing “CA”usative Varia“N”ts Across Multi-Platform GWAS for Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Introducing the EnSCAN framework, we propose a pioneering algorithm to consolidate selected variants even across distinct platforms, thereby prioritizing candidate causative loci and enhancing ML outcomes through combining prior information captured from each multi-model of each dataset. The proposed ensemble algorithm utilizes chromosomal locations of SNVs by mapping to cytogenetic bands, along with the proximities between pairs and multi-model via Random Forest validations to prioritize SNVs and candidate causative genes for Alzheimer Disease. The scoring method is scalable and can be applied to any multi-platform genotyping study. We present how the proposed EnSCAN scoring algorithm prioritizes the candidate causative variants related to LOAD among three GWAS datasets.

Date: 06.09.2024 / 16:00 Place: B-116

M.S. Thesis
İrem Selin Deniz, An Investigation of Issue Labeling in Open Source Software Projects Using Large Language Models

In the evolving landscape of open source software projects, effective issue management remains a pivotal aspect of sustaining project success. Issue reports provide valuable information as they are created for reporting bugs, requesting new features, or asking questions about a software product. The high number of issue reports, which vary widely in quality, requires accurate issue classification mechanisms to prioritize work and manage resources effectively. Properly assigned issue labels are crucial for effective project management and for the reliability of research conducted to improve issue management as they often assume the assigned issue labels as the ground truth. This study aims to assess the reliability of the assigned issue labels in open source software development projects to improve issue management processes. The research involves collecting two datasets of issue reports from open source software development projects hosted on GitHub. Experiments were conducted with the state-of-the-art large language models for issue label classification. Furthermore, a qualitative analysis was performed to evaluate the relevance of the assigned issue labels with respect to the content of the issues. The empirical study performed on issue reports revealed a significant mismatch between the assigned labels and the actual content of the issues. The study also demonstrated the effectiveness of the state-of-the-art large language models in classifying issue labels, highlighting concerns about the reliability of issue labels in open source software development projects.

Date: 06.09.2024 / 11:00 Place: A-108