Digital Commons Network^™

Adaptive Automation Design And Implementation, Jason M. Bindewald

Theses and Dissertations

Automations allow us to reduce the need for humans in certain environments, such as auto-pilot features on unmanned aerial vehicles. However, some situations still require human intervention. Adaptive automation is a research field that enables computer systems to adjust the amount of automation by taking over tasks from or giving tasks back to the user. This research develops processes and insights for adaptive automation designers to take theoretical adaptive automation ideas and develop them into real-world adaptive automation system. These allow developers to design better automation systems that recognize the limits of computers systems, enabling better designs for systems in …

Simultaneous Stress And Field Control Of Sustainable Switching Of Ferroelectric Phases, P. Finkel, M. Staruch, A. Amin, M. Ahart, Samuel E. Lofland

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

In ferroelectrics, manifestation of a strong electromechanical coupling is attributed to both engineered domain morphology and phase transformations. However, realization of large sustainable and reversible strains and polarization rotation has been limited by fatigue, nonlinearity and hysteresis losses. Here, we demonstrate that large strain and polarization rotation can be generated for over 40 × 106 cycles with little fatigue by realization of a reversible ferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition in [011] cut Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) relaxor ferroelectric single crystal. Direct tuning of this effect through combination of stress and applied electric field, confirmed both macroscopically and microscopically with x-ray and Raman scattering, reveals …

Characterization, Dna Binding And Cleavage Activities Of New Prodigiosin And Tambjamine Analogues And Their Cu²⁺ And Zn²⁺ Complexes, Karen Chichetu

Dissertations and Theses

Prodigiosins and tambjamines are natural compounds from bacterial and marine sources belonging to a family containing a common 4-methoxy-2,2'-bipyrrole core. These compounds have received a lot of interest due to their promising biological activities. Studies have suggested DNA as a potential therapeutic target for the natural prodigiosin and tambjamine due to their ability to facilitate oxidative DNA cleavage in the presence of Cu²⁺. Based on this we sought to study the metal binding activity of new prodigiosin and tambjamine analogues. A new prodigiosin analogue was synthesized and complexed with Cu²⁺. This revealed 1:1 complex formation between …

Computational Investigation Of Pernicious Compounds: Arsenic And High Energy Density Materials And Their Relevant Mechanisms, Lenora Kathleen Harper

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The underlying mechanisms of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and high energy density materials (HEDMs) are poorly understood, yet important to the development of chemical applications in military science and technology. The reactivity of arsenite and arsenic-based CWA lewisite with biological thiols plays an important role in toxicity of these elements. Toxic effects of arsenite are eliminated when arsenite and selenite are co-administered, due to their antagonistic relationship. The arsenic-based CWA lewisite is detoxified by the dithiol-containing British anti-lewisite (BAL). The reduction of arsenous acid by thiol, the formation of an As-Se species, and the detoxification of lewisite with BAL have …

Social Identity-Based Threats To Human Security: Gender Practice In Sustainable Development And Conflict Transformation, Emma W. Buck

Capstone Collection

I seek to advocate for practitioners in conflict transformation and/or sustainable development to build awareness around the peoples who, according to the status afforded them by their identities within a social context, experience threats to their own sense of human security within situations of violent conflict and/or underdevelopment. This capstone does so by examining gender -- that is, the context-specific distinctions between men and women-- as a social context that influences an individual’s feelings of human security. The capstone then expands a practitioner’s means of addressing gender-based threats to human security in situ. I will first define and situate …

Continuous Monitoring System Based On Systems' Environment, Eli Weintraub, Yuval Cohen

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

We present a new framework (and its mechanisms) of a Continuous Monitoring System (CMS) having new improved capabilities, and discuss its requirements and implications. The CMS is based on the real-time actual configuration of the system and the environment rather than a theoretic or assumed configuration. Moreover, the CMS predicts organizational damages taking into account chains of impacts among systems' components generated by messaging among software components. In addition, the CMS takes into account all organizational effects of an attack. Its risk measurement takes into account the consequences of a threat, as defines in risk analysis standards. Loss prediction is …

Measuring Hacking Ability Using A Conceptual Expertise Task, Justin S. Giboney, Jeffrey G. Proudfoot, Sanjay Goel, Joseph S. Valacich

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Hackers pose a continuous and unrelenting threat to organizations. Industry and academic researchers alike can benefit from a greater understanding of how hackers engage in criminal behavior. A limiting factor of hacker research is the inability to verify that self-proclaimed hackers participating in research actually possess their purported knowledge and skills. This paper presents current work in developing and validating a conceptual-expertise based tool that can be used to discriminate between novice and expert hackers. The implications of this work are promising since behavioral information systems researchers operating in the information security space will directly benefit from the validation of …

A Review Of Recent Case Law Related To Digital Forensics: The Current Issues, Kelly A. Cole, Shruti Gupta, Dheeraj Gurugubelli, Marcus K. Rogers

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Digital forensics is a new field without established models of investigation. This study uses thematic analysis to explore the different issues seen in the prosecution of digital forensic investigations. The study looks at 100 cases from different federal appellate courts to analyze the cause of the appeal. The issues are categorized into one of four categories, ‘search and seizure’, ‘data analysis’, ‘presentation’ and ‘legal issues’. The majority of the cases reviewed related to the search and seizure activity.

Keywords: Computer Investigation, Case Law, Digital Forensics, Legal Issues, and Courts

The Human And Environmental Effects Of Cbrn Weapons, Brendan M. Doran

Student Theses 2015-Present

Since the first use of modern weapons of mass destruction during the First World War, the World has lived in fear of these horrifying instruments of death. Gripped by this fear, countries around the world have continued to research, develop, and test these weapons in the spirit of mutually assured destruction. Over the years, science and warfare have continually refined their methods of human extermination, bringing forth some of the most terrifyingly effective weapon systems ever devised. However, the testing and use of these weapons is often a step into the unknown. The repercussions of deploying these weapons are sometimes …

Defining Cybercrime & Government Involvement, Kristen Kile

Senior Seminars

No abstract provided.

The Implications Of Self-Driving Cars On Insurance, Amanda Lobello

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles, are being researched and tested by automakers, technology industry leaders, and other institutions. Lawmakers and politicians are discussing the legislation that will affect the fate of such technology. Primary benefits include safety, mobility, free time, less traffic, and green effects. However, there are also obstacles to the implementation of self-driving vehicles including consumer acceptance, legal liability, and cost. With the potential shift in responsibility from driver to automaker, rating factors for insurance may change, weighing more heavily on the model of the car as a factor. The fate of auto insurance is in …

Eigenvectors Of Interpoint Distance Matrices, Michelle F. Craft

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

In this paper, the eigenvectors of interpoint distance matrices will be discussed. When plotted against each other, the eigenvectors of the distance matrix of evenly spaced points in one dimension produce some interesting patterns. An explanation and description of the patterns will be discussed. After examining many aspects of the general Euclidean interpoint distance matrix of order N, D, as well as characteristics of the eigenvectors themselves,some conclusions can be made. Furthermore, research revealed a similarity between our matrices, D, and the Discrete Cosine Transform Matrix, DCT-2. This research led to additional conclusion about our matrices D and allowed for …

Investigations Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Bacterial Pathogen–Host Interactions: Construction Of A Dual Plasmid System For Incorporation Of Unnatural Amino Acids Into Pseudomonas Syringae Pv. Tomato Dc3000, Scotty D. Raber

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A dual plasmid system for the incorporation of unnatural amino acids into plant pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, has been designed. This invention is expected to allow (a) mutations of proteins synthesized by the bacterium, P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000, that can capture molecular targets, especially for such modified proteins secreted by the phytopathogen into the host plant cells of A. thaliana and S. lycopersicum, (b) expression of biological probes in the bacterial species to monitor changes in redox, nutritional, and other small molecule states over pre-, post- and in situ disease stages, and secretion of such biological …

Gal: A Stepwise Model For Automated Cloud Shadow Detection In Hico Oceanic Imagery Utilizing Guided Filter, Pixel Assignment, And Geometric Linking, Jennerpher Renee Meyers

Dissertations

Detection of cloud shadow pixels is an important step in image processing in several remote sensing ocean-color application domains, such as obtaining chlorophyll content. While shadow detection algorithms do exist, the vast majority are for over land which leaves few options for detection over water.

The detection of cloud shadow over water in HICO imagery is a unique problem. As its name implies, HICO (Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean) imagery is produced for coastal and oceanic regions. Since land based algorithms remove water before processing, these approaches would not be applicable. The only currently published HICO shadow pixel detection …

Discovering Rock Features With Geophysical Exploration And Archaeological Testing At The Mississippian Pile Mound Site, Upper Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee, Jeremy G. Menzer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Pile Mound survey includes magnetometry paired with targeted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction (EMI) surveys of the mound and testing of associated features over the ca. 6.5 ha site. The GPR survey discovered six rock features (five large rock features within the mound and one marking the outside of the mound). Knowledge of mounds in the Upper Cumberland Plateau (UCP) is lacking—the closest other studied sites are at the Corbin Site, Croley-Evans, Bell Site, and Beasley Mounds, approximately 75 – 100 km away. However, the most similar mound construction is found at Corbin and Cherokee sites, some 175 …

Development, Validation, And Application Of Analytical Methods For Characterizing Adsorbed Protein Orientation, Conformation, And Bioactivity, Aby Thyparambil

All Dissertations

The structure and bioactivity of adsorbed proteins are tightly interrelated and play a key role in their interaction with the surrounding environment. These factors are of critical importance in many biotechnological applications. However, because the bioactive state of an adsorbed protein is a function of the orientation, conformation, and accessibility of its bioactive site(s), the isolated determination of just one or two of these factors will typically not be sufficient to understand the structure-function relationships of the adsorbed layer. Rather a combination of methods is needed to address each of these factors in a synergistic manner to provide a complementary …

Gameon: P2p Gaming On Public Transport, Nairan Zhang, Youngki Lee, Meera Radhakrishnan, Rajesh Krishna Balan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Mobile games, and especially multiplayer games are a very popular daily distraction for many users. We hypothesise that commuters travelling on public buses or trains would enjoy being able to play multiplayer games with their fellow commuters to alleviate the commute burden and boredom. We present quantitative data to show that the typical one-way commute time is fairly long (at least 25 minutes on average) as well as survey results indicating that commuters are willing to play multiplayer games with other random commuters. In this paper, we present GameOn, a system that allows commuters to participate in multiplayer games with …

Handling Human Hacking: Creating A Comprehensive Defensive Strategy Against Modern Social Engineering, Charles Snyder

Senior Honors Theses

Social engineering is one of the most devastating threats to any company or business. Rather than relying upon technical flaws in order to break into computer networks, social engineers utilize a suave personality in order to deceive individuals through clever conversation. These devious conversations frequently provide the attacker with sufficient information to compromise the company’s computer network. Unlike common technical attacks, social engineering attacks cannot be prevented by security tools and software. Instead of attacking a network directly, a social engineer exploits human psychology in order to coerce the victim to inadvertently divulge sensitive information. Further complicating the issue, the …

Investigation Of Bioactive Metabolites From The Antarctic Sponge Dendrilla Membranosa And Marine Microorganisms, Chris G. Witowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural products continue to be a valuable source of compounds in research involving chemical ecology and drug discovery. Secondary metabolites are biosynthesized to benefit the host organism in its environment (feeding deterrence from predators, antibiotic properties to avoid infection, etc.) but these compounds also serve as useful scaffolds in drug discovery applications. The research herein describes both aspects of these two branches of natural products chemistry. The Antarctic sponge Dendrilla membranosa produces diterpenes, of which membranolide A, deters feeding of the predatory amphipod Gondogenia antarctica. A metabolomic study of several sponges was undertaken to determine environmental factors that govern …

Tactical Ai In Real Time Strategy Games, Donald A. Gruber

Theses and Dissertations

The real time strategy (RTS) tactical decision making problem is a difficult problem. It is generally more complex due to its high degree of time sensitivity. This research effort presents a novel approach to this problem within an educational, teaching objective. Particular decision focus is target selection for a artificial intelligence (AI) RTS game model. The use of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) in this tactical decision making problem allows an AI agent to make fast, effective solutions that do not require modification to the current environment. This approach allows for the creation of a generic solution building tool that is …

Examining The Return On Investment Of Test And Evaluation, Nathan C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This research examined the return on investment of Department of Defense test and evaluation. The thesis analyzed the return on investment of the cost avoidance achieved if an issue discovered late in the program had been discovered and corrected during developmental test and evaluation. The methodology utilized two case study examples from the Joint Primary Training Aircraft System to calculate the potential cost avoidance and the potential return on investment if the program had discovered and corrected the issues during developmental test and evaluation. The result of one case was a 9,260% return on investment. The other case results ranged …

Unified Behavior Framework For Discrete Event Simulation Systems, Alexander J. Kamrud

Theses and Dissertations

Intelligent agents provide simulations a means to add lifelike behavior in place of manned entities. Generally when developed, a single intelligent agent model is chosen, such as rule based, behavior trees, etc. This choice introduces restrictions into what behaviors agents can manifest, and can require significant testing in edge cases. This thesis presents the use of the UBF in the AFSIM environment. The UBF provides the flexibility to implement any and all intelligent agent models, allowing the developer to choose the model he/she feels best fits the experiment at hand. Furthermore, the UBF demonstrates several key software engineering principles through …

Optimization Of Aggregating Agents And Sers Substrates For Sers Detection Of Cotinine And Trans 3'-Hydroxycotinine, Sungyub Han

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation mainly focuses on applications of Surface Enhance Raman Scattering (SERS) to detect tobacco-related biomarkers with optimized experimental conditions (pH and aggregating agents) and SERS substrates (silica core and silver shell nanoparticles). Cotinine (COT) and trans 3-hydroxycotinine (3HC), metabolized from nicotine as one of main chemicals of tobacco, have been used as tobacco biomarkers because their half-life are longer than that of nicotine, which enable to monitor the tobacco exposure. The effects of aggregating agents and pH on SERS detection of COT and 3HC were investigated. Aggregating agents play an important role in SERS detection of target molecules since …

Dynamic Game-Theoretic Models To Determine The Value Of Intrusion Detection Systems In The Face Of Uncertainty, David Paul Moured

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Firms lose millions of dollars every year to cyber-attacks and the risk to these companies is growing exponentially. The threat to monetary and intellectual property has made Information Technology (IT) security management a critical challenge to firms. Security devices, including Intrusion Detections Systems (IDS), are commonly used to help protect these firms from malicious users by identifying the presence of malicious network traffic. However, the actual value of these devices remains uncertain among the IT security community because of the costs associated with the implementation of different monitoring strategies that determine when to inspect potentially malicious traffic and the costs …

Establishing A Framework For The Recognition Of Local Arboricultural Practitioners, Paul Yuen King Chan

Faculty of Design & Environment (THEi)

No abstract provided.

Fluorescent Biological Aerosol Particles In Coastal Canada And The Link To Atmospheric Ice Nuclei, Jixiao Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bioaerosols are a subgroup of atmospheric aerosols and are often linked to the spread of human, animal and plant diseases. Bioaerosols also may play an indirect effect on environmental processes, including the formation of precipitation and alteration of the global climate through their role as nuclei for cloud droplet formation. Several types of biological organisms (e.g., fungi and bacteria) have been shown to be effective ice nuclei (IN) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN).

During 21 days in August 2013 we participated in a collaborative international campaign at a rural, coastal site near the village of Ucluelet on the west coast …

Strengthening The Resiliency Of Dryland Forest-Based Livelihoods In Ethiopia And South Sudan: A Review Of Literature On The Interaction Between Dryland Forests, Livelihoods And Forest Governance, Steven Lawry, Rebecca J. Mclain, Habtemariam Kassa

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Dry forests account for nearly half of the world’s tropical and subtropical forests and provide a multitude of ecological services. They contribute to hydrological cycles and livestock and wildlife provisioning; and host pollinators and wild plants. They are also important ecological zones for dryland agriculture and pastoral livelihood strategies that support hundreds of millions of people around the world. Dry forests cover large areas and their biomass stores carbon and helps mitigate climate change. Dry forests are particularly important to people in Africa. They provide wood for construction and energy, contribute to local diets with wild fruits, vegetables, nuts, edible …

Behavior-Based Anomaly Detection On Big Data, Hyunjoo Kim, Jonghyun Kim, Ikkyun Kim, Tai-Myung Chung

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Recently, cyber-targeted attacks such as APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) are rapidly growing as a social and national threat. It is an intelligent cyber-attack that infiltrates the target organization and enterprise clandestinely using various methods and causes considerable damage by making a final attack after long-term and through preparations. These attacks are threatening cyber worlds such as Internet by infecting and attacking the devices on this environment with the malicious code, and by destroying them or gaining their authorities. Detecting these attacks requires collecting and analysing data from various sources (network, host, security equipment, and devices) over the long haul. Therefore, …

Traditional Medicine Usage And The Transmission Of Traditional Ecological Knowledge In Three Villages Near Phnom Kulen National Park, Kayla N. Deur

Environmental Studies / Environmental Science Student Scholarship

Traditional ecological knowledge refers to knowledge regarding the relationships between humans and the natural environment. This knowledge and skill set is acquired by local and indigenous peoples through generations of direct contact with the environment, and is often shared in an intergenerational pattern of verbal retelling and instruction. Traditional medicine is one component of traditional ecological knowledge, and this paper outlines the investigation of traditional medicine usage and the transmission of such knowledge in three villages near Phnom Kulen National Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews at homes that were both randomly and purposively …

The Numerical Solution Of The Exterior Impedance (Robin) Problem For The Helmholtz’S Equation Via Modified Galerkin Method: Superllipsoid, Hy Dinh

Mathematics Theses

This thesis focuses on finding the solution for the exterior Robin Problem for the Helmholtz Equation and therefore, determines how a convergent smooth surface depending on its outer shape, in this case the superellipsoid, responds to different outer waves. The primary purpose is to calculate the possibility of a certain object, acquiring sufficient conditions, to either submerge under respectively high water pressure or maintain in outer space; if applicable, this approach can be used for a new efficient design of a portion of a submarine or part of a space craft, the second of more interest to NASA, one of …