An Examination Of What Motivates Utah Residents To Adopt The Practice Of Rainwater Harvesting, D. Wayne Honaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although most of the earth is covered in water, a very limited amount of that water is fresh water, which is essential to our survival. Therefore, it is imperative that we do all that is possible to conserve and protect our extremely limited water resources, especially in arid regions such as the American West. While there are many ways and means to protecting and preserving our water resources, this thesis focuses on the strategy of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as it is done throughout the state of Utah. RWH is defined as taking the precipitation that falls on our built structures ...

New Ca-Id-Tims Detrital Zircon Constraints On Middle Neoproterozoic Sedimentary Successions, Southwestern United States, Abigail R. Bullard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Three related sedimentary successions located in Arizona, Utah, and California were deposited in basins on proto-North America during the early rifting of Rodinia (~780 Mya). Previous detrital zircon U-Pb maximum ages for the units are inexact, making it difficult to piece together what happened at this point in Earth history.

We report better maximum age constraints on these units obtained by subjecting detrital zircons to high-precision CA-ID-TIMS analysis, which provide more exact 206 Pb/238U ages. These new data significantly improve the precision for the base of the ChUMP units, with an average age of 775. 63 ± 0.27 Ma ...

Improving Accuracy Of The Edgebox Approach, Kamna Yadav

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Object region detection plays a vital role in many domains ranging from self-driving cars to lane detection, which heavily involves the task of object detection. Improving the performance of object region detection approaches is of great importance and therefore is an active ongoing research in Computer Vision. Traditional sliding window paradigm has been widely used to identify hundreds of thousands of windows (covering different scales, angles, and aspect ratios for objects) before the classification step. However, it is not only computationally expensive but also produces relatively low accuracy in terms of the classifier output by providing many negative samples. Object ...

Climate Change Perceptions And Adaptation Among Small-Scale Farmers In Uganda: A Community-Based Participatory Approach, Thomas Derr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change in the East African country of Uganda is causing severe variations in the once predictable seasonal weather patterns that farmers had come to depend on. This, in combination with social and economic challenges, has significantly increased the vulnerability of farmers who make up the majority of Uganda’s population. Previous knowledge and observations suggest that Ugandan farmers may be reluctant or slow to change their practices in response to the changing climate. Strategies are therefore needed to identify challenges and sustainable solutions. This research used qualitative data collection methods known as participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and participatory action ...

Multi-Resolution Analysis Using Wavelet Basis Conditioned On Homogenization, Abibat Adebisi Lasisi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers an approximation strategy using a wavelet reconstruction scheme for solving elliptic problems. The foci of the work are on (1) the approximate solution of differential equations using multiresolution analysis based on wavelet transforms and (2) the homogenization process for solving one and two-dimensional problems, to understand the solutions of second order elliptic problems. We employed homogenization to compute the average formula for permeability in a porous medium. The structure of the associated multiresolution analysis allows for the reconstruction of the approximate solution of the primary variable in the elliptic equation. Using a one-dimensional wavelet reconstruction algorithm proposed ...

Running The Cañons Of The Rio Grande: Part 2 Boquillas Canyon, Texas And Coahuila, Todd L. Blythe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 1899, Robert T. Hill led the first scientific exploration of the remote segment of the Rio Grande known as the Big Bend. Hill’s observations from this expedition were published in an article titled “Running the Cañons of the Rio Grande.” At the time of Hill’s expedition, the stream flow of the Rio Grande was largely depleted by water development in the upstream portions of the basin. The continued overallocation of the Rio Grande has led to the degradation of aquatic ecosystems in the Big Bend, one of North America’s largest transboundary protected areas, such that management ...

The Influence Of Mechanical Stratigraphy On Thrust-Ramp Nucleation And Propagation Of Thrust Faults, Sarah S. Wigginton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our current understanding of thrust fault kinematics predicts that thrust faults nucleate on low angle, weak surfaces before they propagate upward and forms a higher angle ramp. While this classic kinematic and geometric model serves well in some settings, it does not fully consider the observations of footwall deformation beneath some thrust faults. We examine an alternative end-member model of thrust fault formation called “ramp-first” fault formation. This model hypothesizes that in mechanically layered rocks, thrust ramps nucleate in the structurally strong units, and that faults can propagate both upward and downward into weaker units forming folds at both fault ...

The Role Of Information Communication Technologies (Icts) In Shaping Identity Threats And Responses, Mary Macharia

Theses and Dissertations

With the rising use of social media, people are increasingly experiencing, and responding to, identity threats online. This sometimes leads to online backlash via “cybermobs” or the creation of online social movements that traverse offline. Prior information systems (IS) research on identity threats and responses largely focuses on information communication technology (ICT) implementations within organizations in an offline context. Therefore, we lack understanding of ICT-mediated identity threats and responses and ways to promote healthier and productive interactions online. This two-essay dissertation seeks to fill this gap. Essay 1 combines a review of ICT-mediated identity threats with a qualitative study (based ...

Perennial Biomass Crop Establishment, Community Characteristics, And Productivity In The Upper Us Midwest: Effects Of Cropping Systems Seed Mixtures And Biochar Applications, Catherine L. Bonin, Rivka B. Fidel, Chumki Banik, David A. Laird, Robert Mitchell, Emily A. Heaton

Agronomy Publications

Native perennial plants have potential as bioenergy feedstocks, but their use is currently limited by relatively long establishment times and low biomass yields. Some research suggests that incorporating plant species diversity and applying biochar as a soil amendment might alleviate these limitations by creating a more resilient crop and soil system. The objective of this research was to investigate how 1) seeded plant diversity and 2) biochar soil amendments interact to affect the establishment, yield, and plant species composition of biomass cropping systems during the first four years of growth on productive soils. We measured species emergence, cover, peak and ...

Designing Climate Policy: Lessons From The Renewable Fuel Standard And The Blend Wall, Gabriel E. Lade, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, Aaron Smith

Economics Working Papers

Many policies mandate renewable energy production to combat global climate change. These policies often differ significantly from first-best policy prescriptions. Among the largest renewable energy mandates enacted to date is the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which mandates biofuel consumption far beyond what is feasible with current technology and infrastructure. In this article, we critically review the methods used by the Environmental Protection Agency to project nearand long-term compliance costs under the RFS, and draw lessons from the RFS experience to date that would improve the program’s efficiency. The lessons are meant to inform both future RFS rulemaking and the ...

Mapping Knowledge Units Using A Learning Management System (Lms) Course Framework, Casey Rackley

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to examine the outcomes of using a Learning Management System (LMS) course as a framework for mapping the Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) 2019 Knowledge Units (KU) to college courses. The experience shared herein will be useful to faculty who are interested in performing the mapping and applying for CAE-CDE designation.

Hijacking Wireless Communications Using Wifi Pineapple Nano As A Rogue Access Point, Shawn J. Witemyre, Tamirat T. Abegaz, Bryson R. Payne, Ash Mady

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Wireless access points are an effective solution for building scalable, flexible, mobile networks. The problem with these access points is often the lack of security. Users regularly connect to wireless access points without thinking about whether they are genuine or malicious. Moreover, users are not aware of the types of attacks that can come from “rogue” access points set up by attackers and what information can be captured by them. Attackers use this advantage to gain access to users’ confidential information. The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the WiFi Pineapple NANO used as a rogue ...

Adopting The Cybersecurity Curriculum Guidelines To Develop A Secondary And Major Academic Discipline In Cybersecurity Postsecondary Education, Wasim Alhamdani

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

A suggested curriculum for Secondary and Major Academic discipline in Cybersecurity Postsecondary Education is presented. This curriculum is developed base on the Association for Computing Machinery guidelines and the National Centers of Academic Excellence Cyber Operations program

Towards A Development Of Predictive Models For Healthcare Hipaa Security Rule Violation Fines, Jim Furstenberg, Yair Levy

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) Security Rule (SR) mandate provides a national standard for the protection of electronic protected health information (ePHI). The SR’s standards provide healthcare covered entities (CEs’) flexibility in how to meet the standards because the SR regulators realized that all health care organizations are not the same. However, the SR requires CEs’ to implement reasonable and appropriate safeguards, as well as security controls that protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of their ePHI data. However, compliance with the HIPAA SR mandates are confusing, complicated, and can be costly to CEs ...

Using Project Management Knowledge And Practice To Address Digital Forensic Investigation Challenges, Steven S. Presley, Jeffrey P. Landry, Michael Black

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The management of digital forensics investigations represents a unique challenge. The field is relatively new, and combines the technical challenges of Information Systems with the legal challenges of forensics investigations. The challenges for the Digital Forensics Investigators and the organizations they support are many. This research effort examines the characteristics and challenges of Digital Forensics Investigations and compares them with the features and knowledge areas of project management. The goal was to determine if project management knowledge, as defined in a common body of knowledge, would be helpful in addressing digital forensics investigation challenges identified in the literature. The results ...

Cybersecurity Education Employing Experiential Learning, Travis Lowe, Casey Rackley

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a curriculum design that employs Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory stages and Kolb’s Learning Styles in four consecutive class sessions. The challenge each class is to present students with perplexing and often frustrating network problems that someday might be encountered on the job. By using Kolb’s theory, students address those problems from the perspective of each learning style, while passing through each phase of the learning cycle. As a result, students gain stronger cognitive thinking skills and hands-on troubleshooting skills in preparation for work as network administrators or cybersecurity ...

Capturing The Existential Cyber Security Threats From The Sub-Saharan Africa Zone Through Literature Database, Samuel B. Olatunbosun, Nathanial J. Edwards, Cytyra D. Martineau

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Abstract - The Internet brought about the phenomenon known as Cyber-space which is boundless in nature. It is one of the fastest-growing areas of technical infrastructure development over the past decade. Its growth has afforded everyone the opportunity to carry out one or more transactions for personal benefits. The African continent; often branded as ‘backward’ by the Western press has been able to make substantial inroads into the works of Information and Computer Technology (ICT). This rapid transition by Africans into ICT power has thus opened up the opportunities for Cybercriminal perpetrators to seek and target victims worldwide including America for ...

A Blockchain-Based Security-Oriented Framework For Cloud Federation, Ramandeep Kaur Sandhu, Kweku Muata A. Osei-Bryson

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cloud federations have been formed to share the services, prompt and support cooperation, as well as interoperability among their already deployed cloud systems. However, the creation and management of the cloud federations lead to various security issues such as confidentially, integrity and availability of the data. Despite the access control policies in place, an attacker may compromise the communication channel processing the access requests and the decisions between the access control systems and the members(users) and vice-versa. In cloud federation, the rating of the services offered by different cloud members becomes integral to providing the users with the best ...

Laboratory Exercises To Accompany Industrial Control And Embedded Systems Security Curriculum Modules, Gretchen Richards

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The daily intrusion attempts and attacks on industrial control systems (ICS) and embedded systems (ES) underscore the criticality of the protection of our Critical Infrastructures (CIs). As recent as mid-July 2018, numerous reports on the infiltration of US utility control rooms by Russian hackers have been published. These successful infiltration and possible manipulation of the utility companies could easily translate to a devastating attack on our nation’s power grid and, consequently, our economy and well-being. Indeed, the need to secure the control and embedded systems which operate our CIs has never been so pronounced. In our attempt to address ...

Information Privacy Concerns In The Age Of Internet Of Things, Madhav Sharma, David Biros

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Internet of things (IoT) offer new opportunities for advancement in many domains including healthcare, home automation, manufacturing and transportation. In recent years, the number of IoT devices have exponentially risen and this meteoric rise is poised to continue according to the industry. Advances in the IoT integrated with ambient intelligence are intended to make our lives easier. Yet for all these advancements, IoT also has a dark side. Privacy and security were already priorities when personal computers, devices and work stations were the only point of vulnerability to personal information, however, with the ubiquitous nature of smart technologies has increased ...