Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Automatic Detection And Prevention Of Fake Key Attacks In Signal, Tarun Kumar Yadav

Theses and Dissertations

The Signal protocol provides end-to-end encryption for billions of users in popular instant messaging applications like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google Allo. The protocol relies on an app-specific central server to distribute public keys and relay encrypted messages between the users. Signal prevents passive attacks. However, it is vulnerable to some active attacks due to its reliance on a trusted key server. A malicious key server can distribute fake keys to users to perform man-in-the-middle or impersonation attacks. Signal applications support an authentication ceremony to detect these active attacks. However, this places an undue burden on the users to manually …

Controller Design For Coordinated Encirclement Of Moving Targets, Puneet Jain

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents controllers that use relative range and bearing measurements to steer unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to circular trajectories around stationary, constantly moving and constantly accelerating targets. The range and bearing to the target, along with their derivaties are estimated. These, along with the estimated local heading of the UAVs, are used in the control law, and to estimate the velocity of the target. In this work, six controllers are presented. The controller for a stationary target is derived using Lyapunov's direct method, and feedback linearization is used for the constant velocity and accelerating targets. A new controller is …

Inclusion Of Kinetic Proteomics In Multi-Omics Methods To Analyze Calorie Restriction Effects On Aging, Richard Hajime Carson

Theses and Dissertations

One of the greatest risk factors for disease is advanced age. As the human lifespan has increased, so too have the burdens of caring for an increasingly older population suffering from rising rates of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and dementia. The need for improving medical technology and developing new therapies for age-related diseases is manifest. Yet our understanding of the processes of aging and how to attenuate the effects of aging remains incomplete. Various studies have established calorie restriction as a robust method for extending lifespan in laboratory organisms; however the mechanism is a topic of much debate. Advancing …

Exploring The Relationship Between Vocabulary Scaling And Algorithmic Performance In Text Classification For Large Datasets, Wilson Murray Fearn

Theses and Dissertations

Text analysis is a significant branch of natural language processing, and includes manydifferent sub-fields such as topic modeling, document classification, and sentiment analysis.Unsurprisingly, those who do text analysis are concerned with the runtime of their algorithmsSome of these algorithms have runtimes that depend jointly on the size of the corpus beinganalyzed, as well as the size of that corpus's vocabulary. Trivially, a user may reduce theamount of data they feed into their model to speed it up, but we assume that users will behesitant to do this as more data tends to lead to better model quality. On the other …

Coordinated Persistent Homology And An Application To Seismology, Nickolas Brenten Callor

Theses and Dissertations

The theory of persistent homology (PH), introduced by Edelsbrunner, Letscher, and Zomorodian in [1], provides a framework for extracting topological information from experimental data. This framework was then expanded by Carlsson and Zomorodian in [2] to allow for multiple parameters of analysis with the theory of multidimensional persistent homology (MPH). This particular generalization is considerably more difficult to compute and to apply than its predecessor. We introduce an intermediate theory, coordinated persistent homology (CPH), that allows for multiple parameters while still preserving the clarity and coherence of PH. In addition to introducing the basic theory, we provide a polynomial time …

Two Fields, One Pellet: Combining Demographics And Population Genetics Through Non-Invasive Sampling Of Snowshoe Hare Fecal Pellets In Michigan., Genelle Nicole Uhrig

Theses and Dissertations

As climate continues to change at a rapid rate, species are increasingly vulnerable to the resulting environmental changes. This is especially true for species whose fitness is closely linked to climate-associated environmental conditions. One of these vulnerable species is snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus, who depends on the timing and duration of snowfall to provide camouflage when they go through seasonal pelage changes from brown in the summer to white in the winter. Whereas snowshoe hare are stable across the core of their range, populations along the southern range edge are experiencing declines due to climate driven environmental changes that cause …

Image Encryption And Stegenography Based On Computational Single Pixel Imaging, Hossein Ghanbari Ghalehjoughi

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple layers of information security are introduced based on computational ghost imaging (CGI). We show, in the first step, that it is possible to design a very reliable image encryption scheme using 3D computational ghost imaging with two single-pixel detectors sending data through two channels. Through the Normalized Root Mean Square scale, it is then shown that a further level of security can be achieved by merging data-carrying channels into one and using a coded order for their placement in the sequence of bucket data carried by the single channel. Yet another layer of security is introduced through hiding the …

A Game Modeling Of A Closed-Loop Supply Chain In A Water-Energy Nexus: Technology Advancement, Market Competition And Capacity Limit, Nabeel Hamoud

Theses and Dissertations

Water and energy are two scarce and concerning resources interconnected in the water-energy nexus. In the nexus, production of energy needs water, and production of water needs energy. For better management of these resources in the nexus, this research considers a supply chain that consists of water suppliers, power suppliers, and consumers of these commodities. In the chain, water suppliers purchase power from power suppliers, and power suppliers purchase water from water suppliers. Other consumers can also buy these resources at the water and power markets. Each firm tries to maximize its own profit. The suppliers of water and power …

Quantifying The Variability In Heavy Metal Concentrations In Produce Grown In Metals-Rich Soil, Harris Lowell Byers

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood Pb exposure is associated with a multitude of poor health outcomes. In food-insecure areas, growing fresh produce in residential backyard gardens is one option for parents; however, commonly grown crops are known to accumulate Pb in consumable tissues when grown in metals-rich soils. A variety of produce representing a continuum of consumable tissues were grown in soils collected from two residential vegetable gardens, a former metal foundry, and commercial topsoil purchased from a local hardware store. The concentrations of heavy metals in crop tissues were measured with custom wavelength dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) spectroscopy and portable energy dispersive X-ray …

The Dynamics And Speciation Of Arsenic In Drinking Water Wells In Eastern Wisconsin, Evvan Plank

Theses and Dissertations

Arsenic typically develops in Eastern Wisconsin groundwater as a result of oxidation of sulfide bearing minerals in the limestone bedrock (Schreiber et al. 2000). Naturally occurring arsenic exists in groundwater as oxyanions which have two oxidation states, As(III) and As(V). Under ambient pH conditions As(V) is primarily present as an anion (i.e., H2AsO4-) while As(III) tends to be uncharged (i.e., H3AsO3), making it much more difficult to remove through the existing treatment techniques such as adsorption and reverse osmosis (RO). Although many studies exist establishing arsenic concentrations across Wisconsin, there is a lack of investigations into the concentrations of each …

Seasonal Offshore/Inshore Migration Of Round Gobies, Erik Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the invasion of round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) in Lake Michigan, they have become integrated into both the nearshore and offshore food webs. Round gobies can be found in shallower water (<20 m) during the summer, but they disappear from these depths in early fall. They have been collected, occasionally, offshore in depths greater than 70 m during fall and early spring. These observations and other anecdotal evidence indicate that round goby migrate offshore during the fall and return in the spring. To study this, a large remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used to conduct video transects offshore at various depths. The offshore sampling showed that round gobies migrated away from nearshore habitat in early October and were almost exclusively found deeper than 20 m by November. The round gobies remained offshore (>30 m) until mid-May, when they began the return to nearshore habitat. The cues to start the offshore and return migrations were not the focus of this project, but the fall offshore migrations coincided with decreasing temperatures nearshore in the fall, and in spring, the offshore movement of the thermal bar. The offshore migration in fall provide an increase in forage opportunity for deep, cold-water predators such as …

Zhvillimi I Ueb Aplikacionit Për Menaxhimin E Qendrave Të Karrierës: Ubt Campus, Elhame Krasniqi

Theses and Dissertations

Ueb aplikacionet janë bërë pjesë e rëndësishme e bizneseve dhe institucioneve në përgjithësi pasi janë duke mundësuar shkëmbim dhe menaxhim të informacionit nga të gjitha vendet ku do që ndodhemi, rëndësia e ueb aplikacioneve responsive është një mundësi e mirë për tu përshtatur pajisjeve të ndryshme. Qëllimi i këtij studimi është të ofrojmë njohuri shtesë rreth praktikimit të këtyre aplikacioneve nga institucionet e arsimit të lartë, më saktësisht se si këto ueb aplikacioneve do të mund t’iu ofrojnë studenteve një ambient më të mirë për komunikim me njeri tjetrin e deri tek menaxhimi më i mirë i qendrave të karrierës …

Dizajnimi I Web Faqës Së Shpedicionit “Vjosa”, Fitore Bajrami

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë temë diplome do të trajtohet krijimi dhe dizajnimi i një Web faqeje të Agjensionit Doganor (shpedicioni) “VJOSA”.

Krijimi i Web faqes është bërë me gjuhët e shënjimit (markup language) siç janë HTML dhe JavaScript po ashtu edhe me programet e Adobe si Photoshop dhe Dreamweaver dhe duke i kushtuar shumë rëndësi dizajnit të Web-it.

Në kapitullin e fundit do të prezentojmë Web faqen e Shpedicionit Vjosa ku demonstrohen disa parime të cilat duhet t’i ketë nje web faqe për të tërhequr vizitorët siç janë: lehtësia për të naviguar, përmbajtja e mirë, informacione relevante dhe të sakta, funksione te …

Privatësia Ne Sistemet Rekomanduese, Krist Domgjoni

Theses and Dissertations

Sistemet rekomanduese janë shumë të përdorshme në ditet e sotme. Ato përdoren në internet për të ndihmuar një shfrytëzues të gjej një produkt të deshiruar në kohë sa më të shpejtë. SR pothuajse gjenden në çdo faqe të internetit, sidomos në kompanitë e mëdha siç janë: Facebook, eBay, Amazon, NetFlix etj. Në raste konkrete këto sisteme ndihmojnë që përdoruesi të gjejë një libër, film, artikull, produkt me preferenca të tij, poashtu në rrjetet sociale përdoren për të takuar shokë që kanë interesa të njejta në fusha të ndryshme. Këto kompani I përdorin sistemet rekomanduese sepse sjellin përfitime marramendëse në kohë …

Efektet E Digjitalizimit Të Shërbimeve Publike Te Bizneset - Rast Studimi Komuna E Ferizajit, Ardit Mehmeti

Theses and Dissertations

Zhvillimi dhe përdorimi i TIK-ut (Teknologjia e Informatave dhe Komunikimit) rezultoi me krijimin e Shoqërisë Informative, në epiqendrën e së cilës është roli i informatave në shoqërinë e sotme. Ky zhvillim aq i hovshëm ka ndikuar në masë të madhe edhe në marrëdhëniet në mes të institucioneve dhe komunitetit të biznesit. Biznesi elektronik është forma më bashkohore e organizimit e cila në masë të madhe varet nga përdorimi i teknologjisë informatike, përkatësisht përdorimi i këtyre aplikimeve, sistemeve apo platformave. TIK ka lehtësuar të bërit biznes duke zgjeruar me lehtë tregun, duke ulur kostot e shpenzimeve, kursimin e kohës, duke ngritur …

C# Implementimi I Capsule Network Në Detektimin E Objekteve Në Imazhe, Bashkim Salihu

Theses and Dissertations

Rrjeti me kapsula apo CapsNet është një qasje e re dhe interesante për zgjidhjen e problemeve në Computer Vision. Me publikimet e fundit është vërtetuar se kjo qasje e re është e saktë në detektimin e objekteve edhe nëse ato objekte janë të shtrembëruara apo pamja është prej një këndi tjetër. Implementimi i CapsNet është realizuar në shumicën e gjuhëve programuese si Python, R, Java etj.

Në këtë temë është bërë implementimi në C# duke përdorur Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit (CNTK), si vegël per krijimin e modelit dhe trajnimin e tij. Rezultatet e fituara pas implementimit na tregojnë se implementimi në …

Arkitektura E Mikroshërbimeve Duke Perdorur .Net Core Dhe Reactjs, Gurakuq Krasniqi

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë punim diplome do të trajtohet implementimi i arkitekturës së mikroshërbimeve duke përdorur teknologjitë më bashkëkohore si .NET Core dhe React duke u bazuar në sistemin për menaxhimin e temës së diplomës. Mënyra e dizajnimit të arkitekturës softuerike ka evoluar që nga fillimi i përdorimit e deri në ditët e sotme dhe si rezultat i evoluconit kemi dizajne të ndryshme, ku secila nga to përdoret varësisht nga specifikat e sistemit dhe kërkesat që ato i përshtaten në mënyrën më efektive. Qëllimi kryesor i këtij punimi të diplomës është shtjellimi i realizimit dhe implementimit të sistemit për menaxhimin e temave …

Analiza E “Student Response System” Dhe Impakti I Tyre Në Ngritjen E Ndërveprimit Brenda Klasës, Kimete Haxhiu

Theses and Dissertations

Involvimi i teknologjisë po bëhet një komponentë thelbësore e klasës moderne dhe studentët kanë nevojë për mjete të tilla për të rritur interaktivitetin dhe të nxënit e tyre. Student Response Systems apo SRS, kujdesen pikërisht për këtë nevojë dhe përfaqësojnë disa nga teknologjitë më të mira dhe më të reja të arsimit që gjenden sot. Student Response System lejon mësimdhënësit të parashtrojnë pyetje ose të trajtojnë një problem në klasë, ku përmes tyre studentët japin përgjigjet e tyre në një pajisje dhe menjëherë grumbullohen përgjigjet e tyre për mësimdhënësin. Kjo ofron një mbështetje për procesin mësimor, duke marrë parasyshë që …

Zhvillimi I Sistemit Për Monitorim Të Ardhjes Dhe Largimit Nga Puna - Bazuar Në Java Sockets, Redon Bejtullahu

Theses and Dissertations

Sistemet për monitorimin e ardhjes dhe largimit nga puna bëjnë monitorimin e saktë dhe preciz të kohës së qëndrimit në orar të punës. Sistemet mund të gjenerojnë statistika komplekse rreth monitorimit të aktivitetit të punëtorit. Fokusi i zhvillimit të një sistemi të tillë është kontrolli i vijueshmërisë së punëtorëve në punë duke përfshirë largimet e hershme nga puna dhe tej zgjatjet e pauzave. Sistemi i monitorimit është i ndarë në dy pjesë atë administrative dhe pjesa raportuese, pjesa administrative kontrollon të gjithë sistemin dhe është përgjegjëse për monitorimin e tij, ndërsa pjesa raportuese përbëhet nga pajisja e cila bartet nga …

Cloud Based Iot Architecture, Nathan Roehl

Theses and Dissertations

The Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing have grown in popularity over the past decade as the internet becomes faster and more ubiquitous. Cloud platforms are well suited to handle IoT systems as they are accessible and resilient, and they provide a scalable solution to store and analyze large amounts of IoT data. IoT applications are complex software systems and software developers need to have a thorough understanding of the capabilities, limitations, architecture, and design patterns of cloud platforms and cloud-based IoT tools to build an efficient, maintainable, and customizable IoT application. As the IoT landscape is constantly changing, …

Photocatalytic Degradation Of Simazine Under Visible Light Using Zinc Oxide/Molybdenum Disulfide Heterostructures, Alexandria Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

The photocatalytic degradation of simazine under visible light by using ZnO/MoS2 heterostructures was investigated. Reaction parameters studied to optimize simazine degradation included pH, loading mass of the photocatalyst, and percentage of MoS2 in the heterostructure. pH 2 was the optimal environment for the degradation reaction of all catalysts. A loading mass of 20 mg for each of the ZnO/MoS2 photocatalysts was determined to be the most effective for in the degradation process. The degradation reactions were observed to follow 2nd order kinetics for all photocatalysts at all temperatures. Band gap studies confirmed a lower energy than that of pure ZnO …

Learning To Detect Pedestrians By Watching Videos, Andrew Y. Chen

Theses and Dissertations

The field of deep learning has experienced a resurgence in the recent years, particularly resulting with the advent of AlexNet. Supervised learning is currently the most common and practical machine learning method. The struggle with employing supervised learning to approach problems is that it requires training data. Sufficient training data is correlated with performance for deep learning models. The issue is that preparing the training data can be a tedious and labor intensive task, especially on a large scale. The purpose of this paper is to determine how efficient a machine can learn when trained on automatically annotated data. The …

Constructing Associative Rings From Certain Hypergroups, Oscar Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Tight hypergroups give rise to associative rings if the so-called general normality condition holds\cite{ARTICLE:1}. We consider four examples of tight hypergroups which do not satisfy the general normality condition and show that they still give rise to associative rings. Our examples are HM332(24),HM10353(32), HM10933(32) and HM10941(32)[1].

Histological Evidence Of Annual And Lunar Reproductive Rhythms Of Atlantic Sea Urchin, Arbacia Punctulata In The Gulf Of Mexico: Changes In Nutritive Phagocytes In Relation To Gametogenesis, Eleazar Hernandez Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental phenomena such as temperature, photoperiod, tidal cycle, and lunar rhythm act as external cues that stimulate the reproductive activity of marine organisms. In this study, I report the annual and lunar reproductive cycles, and changes in nutritive phagocytes (NPs) in relation to gonadal maturation of Atlantic sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata, a primeval species). Monthly and weekly changes in gonadal development/maturation were observed histologically. In male, the testicular lobules were densely packed with sperm from June to August. In female, on the other hand, mature eggs first appeared in some ovaries in May, numerically increased from June to …

A Landscape-Scaled And Community Ecology Approach To Wildlife Corridor Design In South Texas, James A. Stilley

Theses and Dissertations

A formidable challenge in landscape ecology is developing a sound resolution to mitigate the impacts of habitat fragmentation and restore connectivity to a degraded landscape. The problem is worldwide landscapes are becoming primarily anthropogenic and areas set aside for wildlife are small and isolated. Researchers’ have developed the concept of the wildlife corridor to mediate this situation but a proper methodology to implement this concept is still in its infancy. This study aims to uncover a quantitative and repeatable wildlife corridor design methodology based on the least cost analysis strategy with both a singular focal taxa approach and a comprehensive …

A Sinking Feeling: The Fate Of Concrete Pyramids Deployed In Artificial Reefs In The Texas Gulf Of Mexico, Cameron J. Moody

Theses and Dissertations

The deployment of 2,611 concrete pyramids in Texas gulf waters represents a significant undertaking. In collaboration with Texas Parks and Wildlife, bathymetric sidescan data was collected at three reefs hit by Hurricane Harvey from 2017 to 2019. All reefs lost significant pyramid height between 2017 and 2019. The pyramids demonstrated greater subsidence in the year when Harvey occurred and minimal subsidence the following year. Pyramids that moved outside the reefs were due to hurricane forces and shrimp trawl activity. Pyramids that remained inside the reef remained at their deployment location for two reefs. The pyramids remaining in the third reef …

Detecting Phone-Related Pedestrian Behavior Using A Two-Branch Convolutional Neural Network, Humberto Saenz

Theses and Dissertations

With the wide use of smart phones, distraction has become a major safety concern to roadway users. The distracted phone-use behaviors among pedestrians, like Texting, Game Playing and Phone Calls, have caused increasing fatalities and serious injuries. With the increasing usage of driver monitor systems on intelligent vehicles, distracted driver behaviors can be efficiently detected and warned. However, the research of phone-related distracted behavior by pedestrians has not been systemically studied. It is desired to improve both the driving and pedestrian safety by automatically discovering the phone-related pedestrian distracted behaviors. In this thesis, we propose a new computer vision-based method …

An Implementation Of Fully Convolutional Network For Surface Mesh Segmentation, Taiyu Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an implementation of a 3-Dimensional triangular surface mesh segmentation architecture named Shape Fully Convolutional Network, which is proposed by Pengyu Wang and Yuan Gan in 2018. They designed a deep neural network that has a similar architecture as the Fully Convolutional Network, which provides a good segmentation result for 2D images, on 3D triangular surface meshes. In their implementation, 3D surface meshes are represented as graph structures to feed the network. There are three main barriers when applying the Fully Convolutional Network to graph-based data structures.

• First, the pooling operation is much harder to apply to …

Probing The Early Steps In The Catalytic Reduction Of Nitrite To Ammonia, Catalyzed By Cytochrome C Nitrite Reductase, Md Mahbbat Ali

Theses and Dissertations

Cytochrome c Nitrite Reductase (ccNiR) is a periplasmic, decaheme homodimeric enzyme that catalyzes the six-electron reduction of nitrite to ammonia. Under standard assay conditions catalysis proceeds without detected intermediates, and it’s been assumed that this is also true in vivo. However, this report demonstrates that in vitro it’s possible to trap putative intermediates by controlling the electrochemical potential at which reduction takes place. Such experiments provide valuable insights regarding ccNiR-catalyzed nitrite ammonification.

UV/Vis spectropotentiometry showed that nitrite-loaded Shewanella oneidensis ccNiR is reduced in a concerted 2-electron step to generate an {FeNO}7 moiety at the active site, with an associated midpoint …

Optimizing Hydrogen Sulfide Removal And Biogas Production Using The Water Wash Method, Brian Leightner

Theses and Dissertations

Biogas forms from decomposing organic material in agricultural digesters, landfills, and wastewater treatment plant digesters. Biogas is mostly composed of methane, and can be used as a carbon-based fuel. Microorganisms that consume organics in these waste streams also produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S) as part of the biogas, in varying trace amounts. H2S is corrosive to engines and pipes for machinery, a human health hazard when inhaled, and an aquatic hazard when dissolved in water. Water washing is an absorption process that dissolves hydrogen sulfide and other water soluble compounds in this process and carries it away from the gas, thereby …