Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Efficient Cryptographic Primitives: Secure Comparison, Binary Decomposition And Proxy Re-Encryption, Feng Li

Doctoral Dissertations

”Data outsourcing becomes an essential paradigm for an organization to reduce operation costs on supporting and managing its IT infrastructure. When sensitive data are outsourced to a remote server, the data generally need to be encrypted before outsourcing. To preserve the confidentiality of the data, any computations performed by the server should only be on the encrypted data. In other words, the encrypted data should not be decrypted during any stage of the computation. This kind of task is commonly termed as query processing over encrypted data (QPED).

One natural solution to solve the QPED problem is to utilize fully …

Design And Implementation Of A Broker For Cloud Additive Manufacturing Services, Venkata Prashant Modekurthy

Masters Theses

"The growing number of cloud Additive Manufacturing (AM) services, offered by different providers over the Internet, makes it challenging for consumers to compare these cloud AM services to select a service of their choice. In addition, it is even more challenging for consumers to compare these cloud AM services against their personal preferences. This is because, consumers personal preferences on multiple service attributes such as price, material, accuracy, and schedule, should be considered for cloud AM service selection. The decentralized nature of these cloud AM services coupled by the need to consider consumers personal preferences during cloud AM service selection, …

Quantification Of Information Flow In Cyber Physical Systems, Li Feng

Doctoral Dissertations

"In Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs), traditional security mechanisms such as cryptography and access control are not enough to ensure the security of the system since complex interactions between the cyber portion and physical portion happen frequently. In particular, the physical infrastructure is inherently observable; aggregated physical observations can lead to unintended cyber information leakage. Information flow analysis, which aims to control the way information flows among different entities, is better suited for CPSs than the access control security mechanism. However, quantifying information leakage in CPSs can be challenging due to the flow of implicit information between the cyber portion, the …

Synthesis Of Different Sizes & Functions Nanoparticles, Jiaming Geng

Masters Theses

"Nanogels, whose size range from 1 to 100nm, have been interested in many research areas: cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, catalysts, photochemistry, and in optical switches or sensors. In Petroleum Engineering area, nanogels can be used as conformance control agent and emulsion stabilizer. And after grafting functional groups or hybrid, nanogels can be used as tracer for the visual modeling.

Though nanoparticles have been studied for more than 20 years, few of them are about nanogels. In the thesis, stirring rate, surfactant type and concentration were found have a large impact on the synthesis of nanogels. And cationic nanogels have salt and acid …

Application Of Loglinear Models To Claims Triangle Runoff Data, Netanya Lee Martin

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, we presented in detail different aspects of Verrall's chain ladder method and their advantages and disadvantages. Insurance companies must ensure there are enough reserves to cover future claims. To that end, it is useful to estimate mean expected losses. The chain ladder technique under a general linear model is the most widely used method for such estimation in property and casualty insurance. Verrall's chain ladder technique develops estimators for loss development ratios, mean expected ultimate claims, Bayesian premiums, and Bühlmann credibility premiums. The chain ladder technique can be used to estimate loss development in cases where data …

Energy Disaggregation In Nialm Using Hidden Markov Models, Anusha Sankara

Masters Theses

"This work presents an appliance disaggregation technique to handle the fundamental goal of the Non-Intrusive Appliance Load Monitoring (NIALM) problem i.e., a simple breakdown of an appliance level energy consumption of a house. It also presents the modeling of individual appliances as load models using hidden Markov models and combined appliances as a single load model using factorial hidden Markov models. Granularity of the power readings of the disaggregated appliances matches with that of the readings collected at the service entrance. Accuracy of the proposed algorithm is evaluated using publicly released Tracebase data sets and UK-DALE data sets at various …

Performance Analysis And Modelling Of Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Panels, Nicole C. Annis

Doctoral Dissertations

A photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panel was constructed, tested, and modelled using both MATLAB and TRNSYS. During the experimental testing, which took place on the Missouri University of Science and Technology campus in Rolla, Missouri; two identical PVT panels were tested alongside two PV panels to gather an electrical baseline for comparison. Approximately 69 days’ worth of data were of data were collected during the summer of 2014. The PV electrical, PVT electrical, PVT thermal and PVT combined (electrical and thermal) efficiencies were 3.5-5.6%, 3.4-5.4%, 20.9-11.6%, and 24.3-17.0%, respectively.

A MATLAB program was developed using existing equations for one-dimensional, quasi-steady model of …

Discrete Analogues Of Some Classical Special Functions, Thomas Joseph Cuchta

Doctoral Dissertations

"Analogues of special functions on time scales are studied with special focus on the time scale 𝕋 = hℤ. Functions investigated in particular include complex monomials, new trigonometric functions, Gaussian bell, Hermite and Laguerre polynomials, Bessel functions, and hypergeometric series"--Abstract, page iii.

Small Sample Umpu Equivalence Testing Based On Saddlepoint Approximations, Renren Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

"In the first section, we consider small sample equivalence tests for exponentiality. Statistical inference in this setting is particularly challenging since equivalence testing procedures typically require a much larger sample size, in comparison to classical "difference tests", to perform well. We make use of Butler's marginal likelihood for the shape parameter of a gamma distribution in our development of equivalence tests for exponentiality. We consider two procedures using the principle of confidence interval inclusion, four Bayesian methods, and the uniformly most powerful unbiased (UMPU) test where a saddlepoint approximation to the intractable distribution of a canonical sufficient statistic is used. …

Some Combinatorial Applications Of Sage, An Open Source Program, Jessica Ruth Chowning

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, we consider the usefulness of Sage, an online and open-source program, in analyzing permutation puzzles such as the Rubik's cube and a specific combinatorial structure called the projective plane. Many programs exist to expedite calculations in research and provide previously-unavailable solutions; some require purchase, while others, such as Sage, are available for free online. Sage is asked to handle a small permutation puzzle called Swap, and then we explore how it calculates solutions for a Rubik's cube. We then discuss projective planes, Sage's library of functions for dealing with projective planes, and how they relate to the …

Dependability Analysis And Recovery Support For Smart Grids, Isam Abdulmunem Alobaidi

Masters Theses

"The increasing scale and complexity of power grids exacerbate concerns about failure propagation. A single contingency, such as outage of a transmission line due to overload or weather-related damage, can cause cascading failures that manifest as blackouts. One objective of smart grids is to reduce the likelihood of cascading failure through the use of power electronics devices that can prevent, isolate, and mitigate the effects of faults. Given that these devices are themselves prone to failure, we seek to quantify the effects of their use on dependability attributes of smart grid. This thesis articulates analytical methods for analyzing two dependability …

A New Technique For Modeling The Geomorphology Of A Slow Moving, Soft-Slope Landslide Using Terrestrial Lidar, Nathan Bradley Rohrbaugh

Masters Theses

"Soft slope movement is a big problem whether it involves an engineered slope, one that is near infrastructure, or both. Active landslides that fail slowly sometimes allow ample time to affect remedial works. In order to plan effective remedial works, there needs to be a model of the entire geometry of the slide. This thesis describes a new approach to evaluate the morphology of slope geometry using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data obtained from simple targets strategically positioned on a slide body. The data was gathered in three-month intervals over a period of one year to allow enough time …

A Gaussian Mixture Model For Automated Vesicle Fusion Detection And Classification, Haohan Li

Masters Theses

"Accurately detecting and classifying vesicle-plasma membrane fusion events in fluorescence microscopy, is of primary interest for studying biological activities in a close proximity to the plasma membrane. In this paper, we present a novel Gaussian mixture model for automated identification of vesicle-plasma membrane fusion and partial fusion events in total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy image sequences. Image patches of fusion event candidates are detected in individual images and linked over consecutive frames. A Gaussian mixture model is fit on each image patch of the patch sequence with outliers rejected for robust Gaussian fitting. The estimated parameters of Gaussian functions over …

Hyper-Heuristics For The Automated Design Of Black-Box Search Algorithms, Matthew Allen Martin

Masters Theses

"Within the field of Black-Box Search Algorithms (BBSAs), there is a focus on improving algorithm performance over increasingly diversified problem classes. However, these general purpose problem solvers have no guarantee to perform well on an arbitrary problem class that a practitioner needs to solve. The problem classes that the research in this thesis most applies to are difficult problems that are going to be solved multiple times. BBSAs tailored to one of these problem class can be expected to significantly outperform the more general purpose problem solvers, including canonical Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs). The first paper in this thesis explores a …

Advanced Sustainable Concrete Materials For Infrastructure Applications, Kaylea Ann Smith

Masters Theses

"This study was performed to examine the effects of cement replaced by high volumes of Class C fly-ash on durability characteristics of concrete up to 120 days. Specifically, this study investigates possibility of amending American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) to allow High Volume Fly-ash (HVFA) concrete to cure until later ages prior to testing instead of 28 days. Five mix designs were compared with varying fly-ash percentages from 0 to 70% (by total cementitious mass). No other additives were present in any of the five mix designs. Water-to-cementitious ratio (w/cm) and total cementitious material remained constant as 0.40 …

Occurrence, Monitoring And Removal Of Drinking Water Contaminants By Advanced Technologies, Danielle Marie West

Doctoral Dissertations

"In order to maintain drinking water primary standards compliance under the USEPA Stage 2 Disinfectant Disinfection Byproducts Rule, drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) are switching from free chlorine (FC) to chloramines (MCA). Concerns are raised as MCA disinfection has been linked N-nitrosamine formation. N-nitrosamines are a group of nitrogenous DBPs (N-DBPs) which are highly carcinogenic in comparison to regulated DBPs (THMs and HAAs, generated by FC disinfection). Also in the forefront of drinking water concerns are other emerging drinking water contaminants such as perchlorate. Perchlorate is a contaminant which can enter drinking water from natural deposits or through introduction by …

On Testing Common Indices For Several Multi-Index Models: A Link-Free Approach, Xuejing Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

"To avoid the curse of dimensionality, and to help us better understand the structure of the high dimensional data, methods for dimension reduction are clearly called for. The common linear dimension reduction techniques for single population include principal component analysis (PCA) which is unsupervised in regression and supervised Partial Least Squares (PLS). Modern sufficient dimension reduction techniques, like the ones we consider, constitute a form of supervised linear dimension reduction which outperform PCA and PLS without the underlying model assumptions.

In practice, we often deal with situations where the same variables are being measured on objects from different groups, and …

Nano-Structured Materials For Energy Storage Applications, Dongxue Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

"Hydrogen is a non-polluting and efficient energy carrier. One barrier to utilizing hydrogen is a reliable storage method. NaAlH₄ is the prototypical example of a complex metal hydride with high hydrogen storage capacities (~ 5.5 wt.%) and acceptable reaction temperatures of around 100⁰ when using catalyst. On decomposition of these complex hydrides, such as NaAlH₄, one is left with monohydride NaH. The kinetics of diffusion in the monohydrides is important because reversibility hinges on mass transport and the formation of [AlH₄]^- anions that must structurally coordinate with the alkali metal cation on hydrogen absorption. …

Quantum Inspired Algorithms For Learning And Control Of Stochastic Systems, Karthikeyan Rajagopal

Doctoral Dissertations

"Motivated by the limitations of the current reinforcement learning and optimal control techniques, this dissertation proposes quantum theory inspired algorithms for learning and control of both single-agent and multi-agent stochastic systems.

A common problem encountered in traditional reinforcement learning techniques is the exploration-exploitation trade-off. To address the above issue an action selection procedure inspired by a quantum search algorithm called Grover's iteration is developed. This procedure does not require an explicit design parameter to specify the relative frequency of explorative/exploitative actions.

The second part of this dissertation extends the powerful adaptive critic design methodology to solve finite horizon stochastic optimal …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Studies Of Novel Ionic Liquid Based Electrolytes, Avinash Raju Vadapalli

Doctoral Dissertations

"Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have received substantial interest as nonaqueous electrolytes in lithium ion- and metal-air batteries in recent years due to their low volatility, non-flammability, wide liquid range, and thermal stability characteristics. Towards developing a new generation of high specific energy lithium ion batteries, a series of imidazolium and pyrrolidinium based ionic liquids were synthesized and explored as nonaqueous electrolytes in lithium-, lithium ion-, and lithium-air batteries. Pyrrolidinium-TFSI based ionic liquids have wide electrochemical stability (5.7 - 6.2 V vs Li/Li⁺); however, they show limited thermal stabilities and lithium cell discharge characteristics. TFSI-based ionic liquids are …

Origin And Stratigraphic Architecture Of The Middle Permian Lower And Upper Quanzijie Low-Order Cycles, Bogda Mountains, Nw China, Jonathan Obrist-Farner

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study is carried out in the Bogda Mountains, NW China, and aims to provide a detailed sedimentary, stratigraphic, environmental, and paleoclimatic reconstruction in the paleo-mid-latitude along the east coast of Pangea. The Middle Permian lower and upper Quanzijie low-order cycles (QZJ LCs) provide a nearly complete sedimentary record in an area were little is known. In the first part of this work, the previously-established QZJ LC is divided into two LCs on the basis of regional stratigraphic correlation and major changes in depositional environments and tectonic and climatic processes. The newly-established lower QZJ LC is mainly composed of meandering …

Synthesis, Characterization And Application Of Acrylic Colloidal Unimolecular Polymer (Cup), Ameya Manohar Natu

Doctoral Dissertations

"Colloidal Unimolecular Polymer (CUP) particles were prepared by the process of water reduction on amphiphilic acrylic copolymers prepared via free radical polymerization technique. The formation of CUP particles was driven by the polymer-polymer interaction being greater than the polymer-solvent interaction and entropically favored by release of the water. It was demonstrated by Dynamic Light Scattering technique that CUP particles based on copolymers below 13,000 MW were unstable and the particles aggregated to a higher particle size. For the polymers with molecular weight (MW) above 13,000, a good correlation between the theoretical and experimental CUP particle size was observed. The rheology …

Enabling Near-Term Prediction Of Status For Intelligent Transportation Systems: Management Techniques For Data On Mobile Objects, Lasanthi Nilmini Heendaliya

Doctoral Dissertations

"Location Dependent Queries (LDQs) benefit from the rapid advances in communication and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies to track moving objects' locations, and improve the quality-of-life by providing location relevant services and information to end users. The enormity of the underlying data maintained by LDQ applications - a large quantity of mobile objects and their frequent mobility - is, however, a major obstacle in providing effective and efficient services. Motivated by this obstacle, this thesis sets out in the quest to find improved methods to efficiently index, access, retrieve, and update volatile LDQ related mobile object data and information. …

Volterra Difference Equations, Nasrin Sultana

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation consists of five papers in which discrete Volterra equations of different types and orders are studied and results regarding the behavior of their solutions are established. The first paper presents some fundamental results about subexponential sequences. It also illustrates the subexponential solutions of scalar linear Volterra sum-difference equations are asymptotically stable. The exact value of the rate of convergence of asymptotically stable solutions is found by determining the asymptotic behavior of the transient renewal equations. The study of subexponential solutions is also continued in the second and third articles. The second paper investigates the same equation using the …

Accuracy Of Theory For Calculating Electron Impact Ionization Of Molecules, Hari Chaluvadi

Doctoral Dissertations

The study of electron impact single ionization of atoms and molecules has provided valuable information about fundamental collisions. The most detailed information is obtained from triple differential cross sections (TDCS) in which the energy and momentum of all three final state particles are determined. These cross sections are much more difficult for theory since the detailed kinematics of the experiment become important. There are many theoretical approximations for ionization of molecules. One of the successful methods is the molecular 3-body distorted wave (M3DW) approximation. One of the strengths of the DW approximation is that it can be applied for any …

Effects Of N-Acetylcysteine Amide In Preventing/Treating Cataracts, Sri Krishna Yasaswi Maddirala

Doctoral Dissertations

"Cataract, the opacification of an eye lens, is a common pathological abnormality of the lens accounting for approximately 50% of all blindness. The only effective treatment currently available for a cataract is the surgical removal of the affected lens and replacement with an artificial lens for the restoration of vision. Although, cataract surgery is considered to be a very successful procedure in terms of visual outcome, the cost of surgery, need for trained personnel and surgeons, and postsurgical complications, limit the worldwide availability and accessibility of this procedure. Hence, alternative preventive and treatment procedures are worthy of investigation. The lens …

Approximation Methods In Relativistic Eigenvalue Perturbation Theory, Jonathan Howard Noble

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this dissertation, three questions, concerning approximation methods for the eigenvalues of quantum mechanical systems, are investigated: (i) What is a pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian, and how can its eigenvalues be approximated via numerical calculations? This is a fairly broad topic, and the scope of the investigation is narrowed by focusing on a subgroup of pseudo-Hermitian operators, namely, PT-symmetric operators. Within a numerical approach, one projects a PT-symmetric Hamiltonian onto an appropriate basis, and uses a straightforward two-step algorithm to diagonalize the resulting matrix, leading to numerically approximated eigenvalues. (ii) Within an analytic ansatz, how can a relativistic Dirac Hamiltonian be …

Distributed State Verification In The Smart Grid Using Physical Attestation, Thomas Patrick Roth

Doctoral Dissertations

"A cyber process in a distributed system can fabricate its internal state in its communications with its peers. These state fabrications can cause other processes in the distributed system to make incorrect control decisions. Cyber-physical systems have a unique advantage in the detection of falsified states because processes typically have observable effects on a shared physical infrastructure. This physical infrastructure acts as a high-integrity message channel that broadcasts changes in individual process states. The objective of this research is to demonstrate that there are cases where physical feedback from the shared infrastructure can be used to detect state fabrications. To …

Analytical And Numerical Studies Of Photo-Injected Charge Transport In Molecularly-Doped Polymers, Amrita Roy Chowdhury

Doctoral Dissertations

"The mobility of photo-injected charge carriers in molecularly-doped polymers (MDPs) exhibits a commonly observed, and nearly universal Poole-Frenkel field dependence, µ ~ exp [square root (ß₀E)], that has been shown to arise from the correlated Gaussian energy distribution of transport sites encountered by charges undergoing hopping transport through the material. Analytical and numerical studies of photo-injected charge transport in these materials are presented here with an attempt to understand how specific features of the various models developed to describe these systems depend on the microscopic parameters that define them. Specifically, previously published time-of-flight mobility data for the molecularly …

Small Sample Saddlepoint Confidence Intervals In Epidemiology, Pasan Manuranga Edirisinghe

Doctoral Dissertations

"In section 1, we develop a novel method of confidence interval construction for directly standardized rates. These intervals involve saddlepoint approximations to the intractable distribution of a weighted sum of Poisson random variables and the determination of hypothetical Poisson mean values for each of the age groups. Simulation studies show that, in terms of coverage probability and length, the saddlepoint confidence interval (SP) outperforms four competing confidence intervals obtained from the moment matching (M8), gamma-based (G1,G4) and ABC bootstrap (ABC) methods.

In section 2, we first consider Brillinger's classical model for a vital rate estimate with a random denominator. We …