Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis And Examination Of Consensus Attacks In Blockchain Networks, Thomas R. Clark

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This paper examines consensus attacks as they relate to blockchain networks. Consensus attacks are a significant threat to the security and integrity of blockchain networks, and understanding these attacks is crucial for developers and stakeholders. The primary contribution of the paper is to present blockchain and consensus attacks in a clear and accessible manner, with the aim of making these complex concepts easily understandable for a general audience. Using literature review, the paper identifies various methods to prevent consensus attacks, including multi-chain networks, proof-of-work consensus algorithms, and network auditing and monitoring. An analysis revealed that these methods for preventing consensus …

Analyzing Motivation And Sense Of Belonging Belonging In Cs1 Review Sessions, Cory Longenecker

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The Computer Science Department at James Madison University has a Teaching Assistant program which aims to help students succeed in early-level Computer Science courses. Part of this program is a review session, the Fourth Hour, which provides students extra help on the concepts taught each week in class. Historically, attendance at this review session has been low. Because of this, the study aimed to increase attendance by motivating students through interventions, primarily offering quiz retakes to students who attended. Additionally, this study looked at the reported sense of belonging for participants who attended.

We made three conclusions from survey data …

Locomotion And Life History In A Leaping Primate: Mechanics And Energetics Of Movement Throughout The Propithecus Lifespan, Nicholas Heslep

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Arboreal primates are typically altricial, exhibit long juvenile periods, and use dynamic locomotor behaviors that can be challenging and risky. Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) have particularly slow life histories for their size, with long juvenile periods, protracted reproductive careers, and long life spans. Slow somatic growth poses potential mechanical challenges for juvenile sifaka who use thigh-powered vertical clinging and leaping to follow group members during travel. I examined mechanical and energetic costs of movement in developing sifaka. I instrumented 8 wild sifaka (3 yearlings, 3 subadults, 2 adults) in 4 social groups with inertial sensors measuring tri-axial acceleration for …

Improvements To Isru For Rocket Fuel Generation, Justin Sharp

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The development of efficient in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies is crucial for the establishment of an extraterrestrial, self-sustaining colony. The generation of rocket fuel at potential colony locations is necessary to provide the transportation of people and cargo to and from these locations.Three processes are discussed for the improvement of ISRU methods to generate rocket fuel: electrolysis and electrochemical improvements to the process of crude fuel production, physical and chemical methods for separation of gaseous H2 and O2, and materials and cryogenics engineering for storage and transportation of liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX). Storage and transportation of cryogenics …

Dynamic Return Relationships In The Market For Cryptocurrency: A Var Approach, Julian Gouffray

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This paper examines how the Bitcoin-altcoin return relationship has evolved in periods between 2015 and 2020. To understand this relation, we observe data on the cryptocurrency Bitcoin and prominent altcoins Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Stellar, and Monero, which collectively represent over 90% of the market throughout the observed period. We employ a vector autoregressive model (VAR) to produce forecast error variance decompositions, orthogonal impulse response functions, and Granger-causality tests. We find evidence that Bitcoin return variation has increasingly explained altcoin returns and that market inefficiency increased between 2017 and 2020, as shown by increased Granger causality between Bitcoin and altcoins. These …

Statistical Analyses Of Hemp Cannabinoid Test Results, Rachel J. Stegmeier

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Cannabis sativa L. is a flowering plant used for recreational and industrial purposes that produces a class of compounds called cannabinoids. Industrial hemp is a strain of Cannabis sativa L. that has been propagated to have a low Δ 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹THC) and a high cannabidiol (CBD) content. With recent advancements in legislation, farms are now growing hemp for fiber, CBD production and other hemp derived product purposes but crops risk being destroyed if THC content levels exceed the current maximum legal limit of 0.3%. For the present study hemp samples were dried, ground, extracted with various alcohols, …

Circular Economy And The Potential For Extended Producer Responsibility Policies, Erin Quinn

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This thesis was developed based on an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Policy briefing I created during my internship at RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) during the summer of 2021. This project expands upon the work created during the internship. It examines the connection between circular economy and EPR policies, as well as how they can create effective strategies for waste reduction and recycling in the U.S. It demonstrates how the current linear economic system under which the U.S operates and its connection to single-stream recycling are inefficient at best. The thesis then describes how a circular economy (CE) …

Identifying Key Stream Restoration Variables In An Agriculturally Impaired Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Julia Portmann

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans several states, supports diverse ecosystems, and is crucial to local economies. However, agricultural practices in this region impair water quality. The Smith Creek watershed, within the Shenandoah Valley, was designated a showcase watershed in 2010 by the United States Department of Agriculture to demonstrate the efficacy of implementing restoration projects. We sampled fifteen farms ranging from unrestored to thirty-six years since restoration. At each site, we conducted a kick-net survey for macroinvertebrates, measured canopy cover, algal density, substrate size, and bank height and angle. We identified macroinvertebrates to family and calculated the Chesapeake Basin-wide Index …

Deep Fakes: The Algorithms That Create And Detect Them And The National Security Risks They Pose, Nick Dunard

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The dissemination of deep fakes for nefarious purposes poses significant national security risks to the United States, requiring an urgent development of technologies to detect their use and strategies to mitigate their effects. Deep fakes are images and videos created by or with the assistance of AI algorithms in which a person’s likeness, actions, or words have been replaced by someone else’s to deceive an audience. Often created with the help of generative adversarial networks, deep fakes can be used to blackmail, harass, exploit, and intimidate individuals and businesses; in large-scale disinformation campaigns, they can incite political tensions around the …

Determining Biostratigraphy And Correlation Using Color Alteration Index And Lithofacies Of Conodonts In The Edinburg Formation, Central Virginia, Lauren Showalter

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Conodont species, CAI and lithofacies analysis are used as methods of correlation to determine the relative age, depositional environment, and post depositional burial history of the Edinburg Formation in central Virginia. Samples collected for conodont microfossils yielded faunas of Baltoniodus sp. or Amorphognathus sp., Periodon grandis and Protopanderodus liripipus from a site near Luray and Drepanoistodus suberectus, Plectodina sp., Protopanderodus liripipus, Oistodus sp., Phragmodus undatus, Erismodus radicans and Panderodus gracilis from a site in Harrisonburg. The species supports a Late Ordovician (Late Sandbian age). Conodonts from both sites have a CAI of 4-5, indicating post-depositional heating of …

Higher Order Fourier Finite Element Methods For Hodge Laplacian Problems On Axisymmetric Domains, Nicole E. Stock

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

We construct efficient higher order Fourier finite element spaces to approximate the solution of Hodge Laplacian problems on axisymmetric domains. In [16], a new family of Fourier finite element spaces was constructed by using the lowest order finite element methods. These spaces were used to discretize Hodge Laplacian problems in [18]. In this research, we extend the results of [16,18] by constructing higher order Fourier finite element spaces. We demonstrate that these new higher order Fourier finite element methods provide improved computational efficiency as well as increased accuracy.

Heuristically Secure Threshold Lattice-Based Cryptography Schemes, James D. Dalton

Masters Theses, 2020-current

In public-key encryption, a long-term private key can be an easy target for hacking and deserves extra protection. One way to enhance its security is to share the long-term private key among multiple (say n) distributed servers; any threshold number (t, t ≤ n) of these servers are needed to collectively use the shared private key without reconstructing it. As a result, an attacker who has compromised less than t servers will still not be able to reconstruct the shared private key.

In this thesis, we studied threshold decryption schemes for lattice-based public-key en- cryption, which is one of the …

Google Books, Jody Condit Fagan

Libraries

Google Books’ (GB) full-text search of more than 40 million books offers significant value for libraries and their patrons. However, Google’s refusal to disclose information about the coverage of GB, as well as observed gaps and inaccuracies in the collection and its metadata, makes it difficult to recommend with confidence for a given research need. While most search and retrieval functions work well, glitches aren’t hard to find, which suggests GB development is focused on user experiences that relate to monetization. Privacy and equity concerns surrounding GB mirror those of other big technology platforms. Still, every librarian should familiarize themselves …

An Axiomatic Construction Of The Real Number System, Leonard Van Wyk

Libraries

Starting from the Peano Axioms, we construct the natural numbers, the integers, the rationals, and the reals.

Examining Co2 Model Observation Residuals Using Act-America Data, Tobias Gerken, Sha Feng, Klaus Keller, Thomas Lauvaux, Joshua P. Digangi, Yonhoon Choi, Bianca Baier, Kenneth J. Davis

Department of Integrated Science and Technology - Faculty Scholarship

An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright (2021) American Geophysical Union.

Please refer to:
Gerken, Tobias, Sha Feng, Klaus Keller, Thomas Lauvaux, Joshua P. DiGangi, Yonghoon Choi, Bianca Baier, and Kenneth J. Davis. Examining CO2 Model Observation Residuals Using ACT-America Data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126, no.18 (2021): e2020JD034481. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD034481

Atmospheric CO₂ inversion typically relies on the specification of prior flux and atmospheric model transport errors, which have large uncertainties. Here, we used ACT-America airborne observations to compare CO₂ model-observation mismatch in the eastern U.S. and during four climatological seasons for the mesoscale …

Improving A Wireless Localization System Via Machine Learning Techniques And Security Protocols, Zachary Yorio

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The recent advancements made in Internet of Things (IoT) devices have brought forth new opportunities for technologies and systems to be integrated into our everyday life. In this work, we investigate how edge nodes can effectively utilize 802.11 wireless beacon frames being broadcast from pre-existing access points in a building to achieve room-level localization. We explain the needed hardware and software for this system and demonstrate a proof of concept with experimental data analysis. Improvements to localization accuracy are shown via machine learning by implementing the random forest algorithm. Using this algorithm, historical data can train the model and make …

An Analysis Of Technological Components In Relation To Privacy In A Smart City, Kayla Rutherford, Ben Lands, A. J. Stiles

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

A smart city is an interconnection of technological components that store, process, and wirelessly transmit information to enhance the efficiency of applications and the individuals who use those applications. Over the course of the 21st century, it is expected that an overwhelming majority of the world’s population will live in urban areas and that the number of wireless devices will increase. The resulting increase in wireless data transmission means that the privacy of data will be increasingly at risk. This paper uses a holistic problem-solving approach to evaluate the security challenges posed by the technological components that make up a …

A Pilot Study On The Impact Of Teaching Assistant Led Cs1 Study Sessions Using Peer Instruction, Megan E. Gilbert

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

James Madison University’s Computer Science program strives to be a student-centered learning environment with a focus on creating a community for undergraduate success. National data reveals computer science has the lowest student retention rate compared to other STEM majors. The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) has compiled a list of ways to retain students in Computer Science. In particular, NCWIT calls for collaboration indicate that “a sense of belonging, or a feeling of fit, is important for supporting student interest and persistence.” One aspect of creating community is the department’s longstanding commitment to provide undergraduate teaching assistants …

From Branches To Fibers - Investigating F-Actin Networks With Biochemistry And Mathematical Modeling, Melissa A. Riddle

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

F-actin networks have different structures throughout the cell depending on their location or mechanical role. For example, at the leading edge of a migrating cell, F-actin is organized in a region called the lamellipodia as a branched network responsible for pushing the membrane outwards. Behind the lamellipodia is a lamellar actin network where focal adhesions and stress fibers originate, and then within the cell cortex, actin is arranged in a gel-like network. Stress fibers are an important organization of F-actin and how they arise from either the branched lamellipodia network or the gel-like cortex network is poorly understood. Our approach …

A Novel Approach To Updating Municipal Tax Parcel Impervious Surface Calculations, Patrick D. Muradaz

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Accurate impervious surface calculations are important to many municipalities due to the high volumes of surface rainwater runoff caused by high impervious surface density. Municipalities must deal with this runoff through the establishment and maintenance of drainage facilities. To help offset the added cost of these facilities, many municipalities impose taxes and fees on privately owned impervious surfaces such as homes, driveways, and patios. Currently, in order for a city like Harrisonburg to calculate tax parcel impervious surface density, aerial images must be manually digitized or mapped using computer-based classification techniques using predictive models. These methods of impervious surface calculations …

Detecting Credit Card Fraud: An Analysis Of Fraud Detection Techniques, William Lovo

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Advancements in the modern age have brought many conveniences, one of those being credit cards. Providing an individual the ability to hold their entire purchasing power in the form of pocket-sized plastic cards have made credit cards the preferred method to complete financial transactions. However, these systems are not infallible and may provide criminals and other bad actors the opportunity to abuse them. Financial institutions and their customers lose billions of dollars every year to credit card fraud. To combat this issue, fraud detection systems are deployed to discover fraudulent activity after they have occurred. Such systems rely on advanced …

An Analysis And Comparison Of Knot Polynomials, Hannah Steinhauer

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Knot polynomials are polynomial equations that are assigned to knot projections based on the mathematical properties of the knots. They are also invariants, or properties of knots that do not change under ambient isotopy. In other words, given an invariant α for a knot K, α is the same for any projection of K. We will define these knot polynomials and explain the processes by which one finds them for a given knot projection. We will also compare the relative usefulness of these polynomials.

Refining Interpretations Of A Deglacial Record In Gulf Of Mexico Marine Sediment Cores Using Foraminifera C-14 Dates And Multi-Proxy Sediment Analyses, Lindsey R. Monito

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The upper fourteen sections of three cores recovered from the International Marine Past Global Changes Study (IMAGES) VIII/Paleoceanography of the Atlantic and Geochemistry (PAGE) 127 expedition of 2002, are stratigraphic records of the climate and provenance variations that influenced sediment deposition in the Gulf of Mexico during the Pleistocene and Holocene. Though originally cored by the USGS for gas hydrate investigations, cores MD02-2535, MD02-2555, and MD02-2560 have been repurposed for undergraduate course-based paleoclimate research at JMU. Shipboard interpretations of the color reflectance data for these cores suggested that two dark stratigraphic intervals present in all of the cores were regional …

Can Auxiliary Information Improve Rasch Estimation At Small Sample Sizes?, Derek Sauder

Dissertations, 2020-current

The Rasch model is commonly used to calibrate multiple choice items. However, the sample sizes needed to estimate the Rasch model can be difficult to attain (e.g., consider a small testing company trying to pretest new items). With small sample sizes, auxiliary information besides the item responses may improve estimation of the item parameters. The purpose of this study was to determine if incorporating item property information (i.e., characteristics of the items related to item difficulty) in a random effects linear logistic test model (RE-LLTM) would improve estimation of item difficulty. A simulation study was conducted that varied sample size, …

Curvature In Compressed Thin Cylindrical Shells Approaching The Isometric Limit, Nicole Voce

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The ability to manipulate surface elastic instabilities finds many applications in engineering smart interfaces, e.g. in fluid-structure interaction and micro-fabrication. We study the buckling of a thin cylindrical shell constrained to slide onto an inner non-deformable pipe. Our goal is to characterize the relationship between the shell thickness and the localization of stresses by using curvature measurements. First, we induce surface buckling by immobilizing one end of the shell and applying force to the other end. Then, we obtain a virtual reconstruction of the surface from 3D optical scanning and compute the Gaussian curvature for every point on the mesh. …

Lightning Activity In The Continental United States On An Enso Time Scale, 2002-2015, Tyler M. Gingrich

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This investigation examined the frequency and spatial pattern of lightning in the continental United States from 2002 to 2015. Before analysis, flashes were grouped based on their El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase and Spatial Synoptic Classification (SSC) type for the winter season (December, January, and February). The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between planetary teleconnections, synoptic scale air masses, and micro scale phenomena, specifically lightning, in the continental United States. Evidence suggests ENSO cold phase flashes tend to have a lower frequency in number of flashes and flash days, as well as a northward …

A Multi-Input Deep Learning Model For C/C++ Source Code Attribution, Richard J. Tindell Ii

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Code stylometry is applying analysis techniques to a collection of source code or binaries to determine variations in style. The variations extracted are often used to identify the author of the text or to differentiate one piece from another.

In this research, we were able to create a multi-input deep learning model that could accurately categorize and group code from multiple projects. The deep learning model took as input word-based tokenization for code comments, character-based tokenization for the source code text, and the metadata features described by A. Caliskan-Islam et al. Using these three inputs, we were able to achieve …

Modeling Species Distribution And Habitat Suitability Of American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius) In Virginia, Jacob D. J. Peters

Masters Theses, 2020-current

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a well-known and sought-after medicinal plant native to North America that is facing increased threat of extinction due to overharvesting, herbivory, and habitat loss. Species distribution and habitat suitability models may be valuable to landowners interested in sustainable harvest or to institutions interested in the conservation and restoration of the species. With unequal sampling efforts across a region of interest, it is likely that some locations with appropriate habitat may be misrepresented in model predictions. This study refined a state-derived species distribution model for ginseng through increased sampling effort across the Cumberland Plateau …

Generating Acoustic Projections Using 3d Models, Jake A. Brazelton

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Raytracing is used in commercial graphics engines most commonly for lighting effects, but it also has many uses when it comes to acoustic simulation. Adopted directly from these computer graphics programs, the formulas presented herein enable the visualization of acoustic intensity levels throughout a 3D space using Python 3 and the OpenGL library. In addition to visualization, they also provide the ability to calculate the reverberation time and critical distance of an enclosed space in relation to its size and material makeup. The described application bundles all of these components together in a Qt5 application that allows users to view …

Towards Natural Language Understanding In Text-Based Games, Anthony Snarr

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Text-based games are a very promising space for language-focused machine learning. Within them are huge hurdles in machine learning, like long-term planning and memory, interpretation and generation of natural language, unpredictability, and more. One problem to consider in the realm of natural language interpretation is how to train a machine learning model to understand a text-based game’s objective. This work considers treating this issue like a machine translation problem, where a detailed objective or list of instructions is given as input, and output is a predicted list of actions. This work also explores how a supervised learning system might learn …