Digital Commons Network^™

Archaeological Predictive Meta-Modeling In Pre-Columbian Mexico, Peter Stamm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeological Predictive Modeling stands firmly as an important tool for Archaeologists to predict undiscovered sites from civilizations all across the globe. While powerful, this methodology is not without its own set of qualms. Striking a balance between pure a data-driven approach while also observing leading expert theories can be a complicated task. Going further, deciding on the specific domain of features to emphasize or overlook can be a challenge within itself, as one misstep can drastically change the output of model, sometimes for the worst. In addition, creating models that can expose their reasoning process can be rather difficult to …

Creating An Iot User Centric Security And Privacy Label, Luke Joseph Gleba

Theses and Dissertations

Concerns for cybersecurity awareness and training in the public have been rising at astronomical rates over the past few years. People globally have entered a critical intersection with computers. Computers are being used in everyday life, and users do not have an easy way to understand their own cyber risk. Consumers deserve to know how secure their new Internet of Things (IoT) system is in a quick, efficient way before they purchase the device and while they own it. The following research looks to improve on ideas for the criteria and the development of a security label. Few prototypes currently …

Insider Threat: A Case Study Of The Maroochy Water Services Attack, Samuel Rector

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

In 2000, a former employee at Hunter Watertech went rogue and caused a spill of 800,000 liters of sewage. He leveraged his insider knowledge and access to stolen equipment in order to seek retribution for the company that wronged him. After three months of torment police arrested him and an investigation and many studies were done on the incident. A consensus remains that much of this chaos was preventable with simple cybersecurity implementations.

The Odds Don’T Lie: Mathematical Reasoning And Societal Ignorance In Don’T Look Up, Nysa Vedwan, Shane Carey

LASER Journal

In Adam McKay’s 2021 satirical sci-fi movie Don’t Look Up, two astronomers discover a comet heading directly toward Earth. Despite overwhelming evidence and near-certainty of global extinction, their warnings are ignored and ridiculed. This paper discusses the mathematical and scientific foundations of the movie’s social and political reception, and specifically focuses on orbital prediction and probabilistic modeling as they relate to public understanding of risk. This paper shows how data is often undermined by political and social dynamics, by connecting the fictional events of the movie with real-world crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate emergency. In Don’t Look …

Future Vision And Action Recommendations, Sondoss Elsawah, Melissa Haeffner, Anthony Jakeman

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Let us imagine a future world where water management is more fully integrated and supported by the science of sociohydrology and related metadisciplines. This is a vision for the future where the social, cultural, environmental, and economic values of water are explicitly considered through the lens of the science–water policy interface. The ultimate value of research will be measured by how much it supports improvements in water resources and hazards management and, in particular, completes and enriches the science–water policy interface.

Interpreting Extension Professionals' Viewpoints On Agricultural Climate Change Programming, Aaron B. Wilson, Alli Wenman, Samuel Pratsch, Kenneth Genskow, Patrick Robinson, Dennis Todey, Laurie Nowatzke, Namah Chiamo Taku-Forchu, Moses Wanyakha

Journal of Extension

We evaluated Extension professionals' attitudes and beliefs from Midwestern "1862" land-grant universities around three themes: prioritizing climate programming, farmers' perceptions, and the role of Extension leadership in building capacity to integrate climate change into programs. Using key informant interviews and a two-hour virtual workshop, we developed 'coordinate planes' to illustrate the tensions and contradictions among the three themes, with participants expressing highly diverse viewpoints across the region. Results identify the need for Extension leadership to support multi-state programs and shared resources that provide consistent guidance and expectations around climate change programming while recognizing the intrinsic state context and values.

Fair Use In The Age Of Generative Ai: Navigating Copyright Challenges In Educational Contexts, Wendy Wallberg

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

Generative AI tools are everywhere, but what’s actually allowed when it comes to copyright and teaching? This session breaks down what fair use means in the age of AI, covers current legal cases, and offers practical tools to help educators and institutions use AI responsibly and confidently.

Butte Medical Monitoring Working Group Meeting, Mike Mcanulty, Eric Hassler

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Implementation And Assessment Of The Openbci Platform As An Accessible Brain- Computer Interface, Jewell Norris

Honors Theses

OpenBCI is a low-cost, open-source platform for alternative brain-computer interface (BCI) software and hardware. This thesis evaluates OpenBCI’s electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) capabilities by constructing and testing a 16-channel EEG system using the Ultracortex Mark IV headset and Cyton + Daisy biosensing board. The viability of the system was assessed through real-time BCI control and comparison to a clinical-grade EEG system. Real-time BCI control of an online falling-block game was tested via the use of eye blinks EMG (channels Fp1/Fp2) and head-tilt accelerometer inputs. The BCI game demonstrated reliable control despite minor latency and artifact sensitivity. For clinical comparison, …

Attitude Control Of Quadrotor Uav Based On Disturbance Observer And Command Filtering, Boning Li, Ming Chen, Shuchang Qi, Haoran Meng, Lei Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: A finite-time fault-tolerant control scheme based on backstepping was proposed for the attitude tracking control problem of quadrotor UAVs. A finite-time neural network disturbance observer was designed, which could quickly compensate for the impacts of actuator failures and external disturbances, thereby enhancing the system's robustness. A first-order command filter and a compensation mechanism were introduced, which could avoid the computational complexity caused by differentiating the virtual control law and eliminate the influence of filtering errors. The hyperbolic tangent function was selected as the constraint function for the input torque, which restricted the input signal to prevent excessive magnitude …

Cooperative Guidance Method Considering Impact Time And Area Sealing, Zheng Guo, Guofei Li, Hua Xiong, Yunjie Wu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the problem of multi-vehicle cooperative strike against maneuvering targets, a cooperative guidance method considering impact time control and terminal area sealing was proposed. The distributed disturbance observer was utilized to estimate target maneuvers. Based on the consensus errors of the impact time, the cooperative guidance law in the line-of-sight direction was proposed to achieve simultaneous hits on targets at a specified time. By considering the motion states of targets, the instructions of the terminal area sealing were designed to construct the sliding mode surface and design the line-of-sight guidance law, so as to ensure the convergence of …

Cv: Fadi Wedyan (Computer Science), Fadi Wedyan

ECaMS Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Constraints On Inner Core Composition From Seismicanisotropy: The Importance Of Light Elements And Nickel, Jada Bollmeyer, Daniel A. Frost, Prajna Paramita Das

Faculty Publications

The inner core is seismically anisotropic, with PKIKP waves traversing the inner core parallel to the rotation axis faster than those in the equatorial plane. This anisotropy increases with depth into the inner core and may result from alignment of iron crystals deformed during inner core growth. Using previously calculated elastic properties of iron, we seek to determine the most likely iron-light element alloy (FeC, FeO, FeS, or FeSi). For each FeX alloy, we interpolate elastic tensors across the pressure and temperature range of the inner core and model the anisotropy resulting from flow during core growth. Lastly, we compare …

Secret Key Generation Based On The Physical Layer Characteristics For Iot Networks, Abdullah Dakhlallah Alshamdayn

Doctoral Dissertations

The rapid expansion of low-resource devices, coupled with advances in telecommunications, has significantly increased the number of connected devices and enabled the development of affordable, energy-efficient, portable, and high-performance sensors for diverse applications. However, this convenience comes with security and privacy concerns related to the reliability of hardware, software, and communication infrastructure. The extensive interconnectivity of limited-resource devices and the transmission of large data volumes pose significant security challenges in wireless networks. The future wireless technologies, such as 5G, will enable the transfer of critical data, including personal, financial, military, and industrial information, necessitating secure communication in wireless networks. Generally, …

Towards Robust Autonomous Systems: Handling Multi-Modal Uncertainties In Gps-Denied Environments, Vivya Kalidindi

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on designing a robust and uncertainty-aware framework for autonomous systems operating in GPS-denied environments, such as indoor infrastructures, underground tunnels, and lunar surfaces. The proposed framework addresses the challenges posed by multi-modal uncertainties, including sensor noise, distributional shifts under adverse conditions, and conflicting decision-making preferences. These challenges compromise the reliability and adaptability of autonomous platforms. To overcome these challenges, the proposed framework adopts a layered architecture that integrates advanced methodologies across the sensing, perception, and decision-making layers. At the sensing layer, an Edge-Kalman Filter combined with a density ratio-based update mechanism is employed to reduce aleatoric uncertainty …

Connected-Component Labeling Using Hls For High-Energy Particle Physics Instruments, Nick Song, Marion Sudvarg, Roger Chamberlain

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many instruments used in high-energy particle physics observations, e.g., gamma-ray telescopes, use FPGAs for front-end signal processing of raw sensor data. The use of high-level synthesis (HLS) to express the signal processing algorithms has the potential to significantly reduce development time for new instruments of this type. We describe our experience with one of the computational stages in the signal processing pipeline, island detection, exploring its implementation across multiple configurations: 1D versus 2D islands, and 4-way versus 8-way connected-component labeling (CCL) in the 2D configuration. We report resource usage and performance for both configurations of 2D island detection, including the …

Modular Architecture For High-Performance And Low Overhead Data Transfers, Rasman Mubtasim Swargo, Engin Arslan, Md Arifuzzaman

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-performance applications necessitate rapid and dependable transfer of massive datasets across geographically dispersed locations. Traditional file transfer tools often suffer from resource underutilization and instability due to fixed configurations or monolithic optimization methods. We propose AutoMDT, a novel Modular Data Transfer Architecture, to address these issues by employing a deep reinforcement learning agent to simultaneously optimize concurrency levels for read, network, and write operations. This solution incorporates a lightweight network-system simulator, enabling offline training of a Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) agent in approximately 45 minutes on average, thereby overcoming the impracticality of lengthy online training in production networks. AutoMDT's modular …

Modeling And Optimizing Real-Time Telescope Interaction For Multi-Wavelength Observation Of Gamma-Ray Bursts, Ye Htet, Marion Sudvarg, Honghao Yang, Jeremy Buhler, Roger Chamberlain, James Buckley

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multi-wavelength observation of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) requires real-time interaction among multiple telescopes. A gamma-ray telescope detects and localizes a GRB in the sky and must then communicate with an optical telescope to direct the latter toward the GRB as quickly as possible. We previously developed software for ADAPT, a suborbital gamma-ray telescope, to localize GRBs in real time, on a timescale shorter than that of the GRB itself. This work therefore studies progressive localization, in which ADAPT computes a series of increasingly accurate location estimates during a GRB to enable a partner instrument to more rapidly find it. We describe …

Playa Sediment Bioaccessibility Presents Previously Unknown Risks To Population Health In A Water-Stressed Region Undergoing Lake Desiccation: Salton Sea, Usa, Jordan Jaeger

Theses

Globally, drylands are expanding, and endorheic basins are in rapid decline. Saline lake desiccation exposes lakebed playa likely to become dust, posing potential health risks to surrounding communities. Studies investigating health risks from playa dust exposure often focus on health effects associated with the presence of airborne particulates, but fewer studies investigate health risks associated with dust source chemistry. This study examines dust source particle composition in a desiccating inland sea in a water-stressed agricultural region of California. Specifically, chemical bioaccessibility of bound trace elements uncovers risks to children, adults, and agricultural worker health. Arsenic exposure via sediment ingestion poses …

Source Apportionment And Potential Health Risks Of Trace Metals In A Contaminated Urban River In New York/New Jersey Harbor System, Md Shahnul Islam, Sana Mirza, Huan Feng, Tapos Kumar Chakraborty, Yu Qian, Shinjae Yoo

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Lower Passaic River (LPR), located within the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuarine System, has experienced long-term industrial activities, resulting in elevated concentrations of trace metals in sediment and water. This study aims to assess the bioaccumulation behavior, potential human health risks, and sources of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) in the LPR. Trace metal concentrations were measured in water, sediment, and seven edible aquatic species. Data were analyzed using statistical approaches, and evaluated by bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) and human health risk assessments based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guidelines. Results showed that Hg exhibited the highest …

Final Butte Mine Waste Repository Geotechnical Investigation Work Plan, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

A Scalable Cybersecurity Model For Academic Makerspaces, William Faircloth

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Academic makerspaces have become integral hubs of innovation on university campuses, providing students with access to industrial-grade operational technology (OT) such as 3D printers and CNC machines. However, the security posture for these spaces has overwhelmingly focused on physical safety, creating a significant cybersecurity gap. This oversight leaves networked OT vulnerable to cyberattacks, which threaten student intellectual property, expensive equipment, and the integrity of the broader institutional network. This research addresses this critical vulnerability by developing and implementing a secure and scalable cybersecurity model at the Old Dominion University Computer Science Makerspace, founded on two core principles: robust network segmentation …

Deconstructing Tycoon 2fa: A Static Analysis Approach To Threat Intelligence And Automated Defense, Daniel A. Austin Jr

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

It's gotten much easier to be a cybercriminal. We're seeing a boom in "Phishing-as-a-Service" (PaaS) platforms, which sell advanced phishing attacks as a ready-to-use product. This means almost anyone can now get the tools to launch sophisticated attacks, even if they don't have a lot of technical skill.

This research dives into one of the most prominent threats, the Tycoon 2FA phishing kit. This kit is dangerous because it's designed to bypass Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) using what is known as an Adversary-in-the-Middle (AiTM) attack.

This paper covers how I built and tested a set of Python-based tools to perform "static …

Trustworthy Federated Learning Framework For Secure, Efficient, And Quality-Aware Distributed Ai, Asadullah Tariq

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Federated Learning (FL) emerged as a significant advancement in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), enabling collaborative model training across distributed devices while maintaining data privacy. As the importance of FL and its application in various areas increased, addressing trustworthiness issues in its various aspects became crucial. In FL process, not all client data may be relevant to the learning objective and incorporating updates from irrelevant data can harm the model's performance. The selection of training samples significantly impacts model performance, as datasets with errors, skewed distributions, or low diversity can lead to inaccurate and unstable models. To address these …

Cv: Mathias Plass (Cybersecurity), Mathias Plass

ECaMS Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

On Trinomial Units Of The Group Ring RcN, César A. Hernandez Melo, Fernanda Diniz De Melo Hernandez, Patricia Massae Kitani

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

Let R be an associative ring with identity, C_n be the cyclic group of order n, and g be a generator of C_n. In this manuscript, for i ∈ N such that 1 ≤ i < n and gcd(i, n) = 1, the algebraic properties of the trinomial elements h_i = -1 + g + g^-i in the group ring RC_n are investigated. More precisely, necessary and sufficient conditions are given for an element h_i to be a unit in RC_n. When h_i is a unit, explicit formulas for computing …

End-Regular Flower Graphs CR,S, Joerg Koppitz, Suparat Phantukang, Phurinut Srisawad, Somnuek Worawiset

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

In the present paper, we study the regularity of the endomorphism monoid of a class of graphs, which generalizes the cycle graph. We give a complete list of all end-regular r × s flower graphs. In particular, for an odd integer s ≥ 3, the s × s flower graph Cs,s has a regular endomorphism monoid, i.e., Cs,s is end-regular. For Cs,s, s ≥ 3 odd, we determine the cardinality and the rank of its endomorphism monoid (including a generating set of minimal size).

Some Properties Of Nabla Laplace Transform On Isolated Time Scales, Müfi̇t Şan, Huri̇ye Dağ, Manuel D. Ortigueira

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

This study presents the properties of the bilateral and unilateral nabla Laplace transform, defined on isolated time scales. Furthermore, it explores the nabla Laplace transforms of several elementary functions, employing various proof techniques from real and complex analysis. The findings are illustrated with examples, demonstrating the applicability of these definitions.

An Investigation Of New Associated Curves Of A Frenet Curve In Euclidean N-Space, Bedi̇a Meri̇h Özçeti̇n

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

In this study, we introduce the V2-direction curve, Vn−1-direction curve and Vn-direction curve of a Frenet curve in n-dimensional Euclidean space. We provide characterizations and investigate the relationships between the Frenet apparatus of the principal curve and the corresponding apparatus of the direction curves. We also present an application for all direction curves with the results shown using computer code implemented in MATLAB.

Cv: Cynthia Howard (Computer Science), Cynthia Howard

ECaMS Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.