Digital Commons Network^™

A Reexamination Of The Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus Collaris Collaris) In Arkansas, Ashley A. Grimsley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Loss of suitable habitat is a threat to species worldwide. Habitat destruction, including loss, change, and fragmentation of habitat, is the leading cause of species extinction. Eastern collared lizards (Crotaphytus collaris collaris) are habitat specialists on glades. Both C. c. collaris and glade habitats are rare and of special concern in the state of Arkansas. Many glade populations have already been extirpated in the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri. Increasing knowledge of the distribution, habitat structure, and population dynamics of C. c. collaris is important to ensure the survival of this species in Arkansas.

A literature review of …

Basic Research On The Characteristics Of A Constricted Pulsed Glow Discharge, Sean Daniel Andersen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In certain plasma discharge experiments, it has been observed that under specific conditions a plasma glow discharge column tends to seek the central location of the discharge electrodes away from the electrode edges and chamber walls. Further, the column appears to have the properties of a stabilized equilibrium plasma pinch in a glow (non-arc-like) state. This is unusual since, normally field enhancements occur on edges resulting in arc-like discharge breakdown. Also, the column of plasma that protrudes from the anode emits highly intense, non-uniform light that is uncharacteristically bright for a glow discharge.

The main purpose of this thesis is …

Resilient Image Fusion, Tiranee Achalakul, Joohan Lee, Stephen Taylor

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

The paper describes a distributed spectral-screening PCT algorithm for fusing hyper-spectral images in remote sensing applications. The algorithm provides intrusion tolerance from information warfare attacks using the notion of computational resiliency. This concept uses replication to achieve fault tolerance, but goes further to dynamically regenerate replication in response to an attack or failure. The concepts of resiliency are incorporated through library technology that is application independent. This library hides the details of communication protocols required to achieve dynamic replication and reconfiguration in distributed applications. The paper provides a status report on our progress in developing the concept and applying it …

Resilient Image Fusion, Tiranee Achalakul, Joohan Lee, Stephen Taylor

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

The paper describes a distributed spectral-screening PCT algorithm for fusing hyper-spectral images in remote sensing applications. The algorithm provides intrusion tolerance from information warfare attacks using the notion of computational resiliency. This concept uses replication to achieve fault tolerance, but goes further to dynamically regenerate replication in response to an attack or failure. The concepts of resiliency are incorporated through library technology that is application independent. This library hides the details of communication protocols required to achieve dynamic replication and reconfiguration in distributed applications. The paper provides a status report on our progress in developing the concept and applying it …

Mathweb: A Concurrent Image Analysis Tool Suite For Multi-Spectral Data Fusion, Tiranee Achalakul, Peter D. Haaland, Stephen Taylor

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

This paper describes a preliminary approach to the fusion of multi-spectral image data for the analysis of cervical cancer. The long-term goal of this research is to define spectral signatures and automatically detect cancer cell structures. The approach combines a multi-spectral microscope with an image analysis tool suite, MathWeb. The tool suite incorporates a concurrent Principal Component Transform (PCT) that is used to fuse the multi-spectral data. This paper describes the general approach and the concurrent PCT algorithm. The algorithm is evaluated from both the perspective of image quality and performance scalability.

Deep-Water Benthic Habitat Characterization And Cable Impact Assessment For The South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility (Sfomf), Charles Messing, Brian K. Walker, John K. Reed

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Using Modeling And Simulation To Examine The Benefits Of A Network Tasking Order, Matthew D. Compton, Kenneth M. Hopkinson, Gilbert L. Peterson, James T. Moore

Faculty Publications

The Global Information Grid (GIG) is the military’s computer and communications network which supports the myriad of military missions. Military missions are highly planned, passing through many hands in the strategy-to-task methodology to ensure completeness, accuracy, coordination, cohesion, and appropriateness. A benefit of this planning is the possibility to collect knowledge of future conditions that could be of use to network designers whose goals include optimizing and protecting the GIG. This advanced knowledge includes which networked military equipment will be involved, what their capabilities are, where they will be, when they will be there, and particulars on the required data …

Decentralized Riemannian Particle Filtering With Applications To Multi-Agent Localization, Martin J. Eilders

Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this research is to develop consistent nonlinear decentralized particle filtering approaches to the problem of multiple agent localization. A key aspect in our development is the use of Riemannian geometry to exploit the inherently non-Euclidean characteristics that are typical when considering multiple agent localization scenarios. A decentralized formulation is considered due to the practical advantages it provides over centralized fusion architectures. Inspiration is taken from the relatively new field of information geometry and the more established research field of computer vision. Differential geometric tools such as manifolds, geodesics, tangent spaces, exponential, and logarithmic mappings are used …

Energy Aware Algorithms For Managing Wireless Sensor Networks, Abhishek Karpate

Student Work

While the majority of the current Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) research has prioritized either the coverage of the monitored area or the energy efficiency of the network, it is clear that their relationship must be further studied in order to find optimal solutions that balance the two factors. Higher degrees of redundancy can be attained by increasing the number of active sensors monitoring a given area which results in better performance. However, this in turn increases the energy being consumed. In our research, we focus on attaining a solution that considers several optimization parameters such as the percentage of coverage, …

Self-Organizing Neural Networks For Learning Air Combat Maneuvers, Teck-Hou Teng, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper reports on an agent-oriented approach for the modeling of adaptive doctrine-equipped computer generated force (CGF) using a commercial-grade simulation platform known as CAE STRIVECGF. A self- organizing neural network is used for the adaptive CGF to learn and generalize knowledge in an online manner during the simulation. The challenge of defining the state space and action space and the lack of domain knowledge to initialize the adaptive CGF are addressed using the doctrine used to drive the non-adaptive CGF. The doctrine contains a set of specialized knowledge for conducting 1-v-1 dogfights. The hierarchical structure and symbol representation of …

Electron Transport Models And Precision Measurements In A Constant Voltage Chamber, Justin Dekany, Alec Sim, Jerilyn Brunson, Jr Dennison

Posters

The conductivity of the material is a key transport parameter in spacecraft charging that determines how deposited charge will redistribute throughout the system, how rapidly charge imbalances will dissipate, and what equilibrium potential will be established under given environmental conditions. As the requirements for space missions extend to new regions of space and more stringent requirements are placed on spacecraft performance, it becomes necessary to better understand the underlying conduction mechanisms that determine the dynamic response of insulators to temperature, electric field dose rate, and sample conditioning and history. This study performed detailed measurements of the transient conductivity of representative …

Agricultural Efficiency And The End Of The Oil Age; Building A Future Of Longevity, Keith Mchugh

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis uses an efficiency analysis of agricultural systems to assert that, in lieu of rising prices of fossil fuel, people need to come into more direct contact with their food systems. With a switch to smaller, more efficient farms that rely less on fossil fuel and are connected with the communities they supply for, we can avoid an energy crisis turning into a famine. These smaller-scale systems can help create self-contained, carbon-neutral communities.

Forensic Analysis Of Linux Physical Memory: Extraction And Resumption Of Running Processes., Ernest D. Mougoue

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Traditional digital forensics’ procedures to recover and analyze digital data were focused on media-type storage devices like hard drives, hoping to acquire evidence or traces of malicious behavior in stored files. Usually, investigators would image the data and explore it in a somewhat “safe” environment; this is meant to reduce as much as possible the amount of loss and corruption that might occur when analysis tools are used. Unfortunately, techniques developed by intruders to attack machines without leaving files on the disks and the ever dramatically increasing size of hard drives make the discovery of evidence difficult. These increased interest …

The Analysis Of Protein-Bound Thiocyanate In Plasma Of Smokers And Non-Smokers As A Marker Of Cyanide Exposure, Stephanie L. Youso, Gary A. Rockwood, Brian A. Logue

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

When cyanide is introduced into the body, it quickly transforms through a variety of chemical reactions, normally involving sulfur donors, to form more stable chemical species. Depending on the nature of the sulfur donor, cyanide may be transformed into free thiocyanate, the major metabolite of cyanide transformation, 2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid or protein-bound thiocyanate (PB-SCN) adducts. Because protein adducts are generally stable in biological systems, it has been suggested that PB-SCN may have distinct advantages as a marker of cyanide exposure. In this study, plasma was analyzed from 25 smokers (chronic low-level cyanide exposure group) and 25 non-smokers for PB-SCN. The amount …

Developing A Gis-Database And Risk Index For Potentially Polluting Marine Sites, Giuseppe Masetti, Brian R. Calder, Lee Alexander

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The increasing availability of geospatial marine data provides an opportunity for hydrographic offices to contribute to the identification of “Potentially Polluting Marine Sites” (PPMS). These include shipwrecks, oil rigs, pipelines, and dumping areas. To adequately assess the environmental risk of these sites, relevant information must be collected and converted into a multi-scale geodatabase suitable for site inventory and geo-spatial analysis. In addition, a Risk Index – representing an assessment of the magnitude of risk associated with any site – can be derived to determine the potential impacts of these PPMS. However, the successful collection and integration of PPMS information requires …

Hybrid Nanostructures For Artificial Machine Olfaction, Landon Joseph Oakes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The detection of low level concentrations of particles in a gaseous environment is of importance to many fields, especially Homeland Security. The ability to identify ppb concentrations of explosives and their degradation products can aid in the detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), ammunition dumps, or hidden explosives. One method of accomplishing this task is through the use of an array of chemiresistors in an electronic nose device. For this study, chemiresistors were constructed using 3-D silica nanospring mats with a contiguous film of ZnO nanocrystals and ZnO nanocrystals decorated by metallic nanoparticles. Samples with an average grain size of …

Nmr Characterization Of Parathion: Properties, Transport, And Reaction Kinetics, Emma Catherine Baker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The hydrolysis reaction of parathion (PTH) to produce para-nitrophenolate (pNP) and O,O-diethylthiophosphate (DETP) was examined in a minimally disturbed liquid-liquid biphasic reaction system by proton and phosphorous nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The effect of the micellar cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), on PTH transport, hydrolysis, and system characteristics including reactant-product concentrations, pNP partition coefficients, pNP surface activity, ultraviolet degradation of pNP, oxidation of pNP, and impurities in PTH are reported. Surfactant reaction systems resulted in a 2.5 order of magnitude increase in the amount of PTH transported into the aqueous layer as compared to the control system at 2100 …

Arsenic Contamination In Groundwater In Vietnam: An Overview And Analysis Of The Historical, Cultural, Economic, And Political Parameters In The Success Of Various Mitigation Options, Thuy M. Ly

Pomona Senior Theses

Although arsenic is naturally present in the environment, 99% of human exposure to arsenic is through ingestion. Throughout history, arsenic is known as “the king of poisons”; it is mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic. Even in smaller concentrations, it accumulates in the body and takes decades before any physical symptoms of arsenic poisoning shows. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the safe concentration of arsenic in drinking water is 10 µg/L. However, this limit is often times ignored until it is decades too late and people begin showing symptoms of having been poisoned.

This is the current situation for Vietnam, …

Solvation Of Organic Cations In The Gas Phase And Within Molecular Clusters, Ahmed Hamid

Theses and Dissertations

The role of the solvent in ionic and ion-molecule interactions is of fundamental importance in kinetics and thermodynamics of solution chemistry. However, the study of the ionic interactions in the presence of a large number of solvent molecules is very challenging. Therefore, the gas-phase is the appropriate medium to study such reactions on a molecular level where the ion-solvent interaction can be examined by studying ions surrounded with a cluster of solvent molecules in the complete absence of the any interference caused by the bulk of the solvent. In nature, organic ions can form hydrogen bonds with solvents. An insight …

Clean Water In Haiti, Hannah Mchugh

2012 Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Activity - Documents

In the past few years, Haiti has been a topic that has been in the news here in the United States for many reasons. These reports typically show the faces of hundreds of starving and injured Haitians who live in turmoil and they discuss the disasters that have befallen the country. While these reports do not usually show the more pleasant aspects, they are relatively accurate in showing the state of the majority of the country. A major impact on a country that is in such a dire state is the presence and availability of clean water. But to understand …

Hydrophilic Polymers Of Poly (2-Hydroxy Ethyl Methacrylate) With Tunable Properties For Drug Release, Sequestration Of Blistering Agent, Preparation Of Ultra-Strong Hydrogels & Thermal Stability Of Various Organic Azides, Ramakanth Ananthoji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The design and synthesis of new finely tunable porous materials has spurred interest in developing novel uses in a variety of systems. Zeolites, inorganic materials with high thermal and mechanical stability, in particular, have been widely examined for use in applications such as catalysis, ion exchange and separation. A relatively new class of inorganic-organic hybrid materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has recently surfaced, and many have exhibited their efficiency in potential applications such as ion exchange and drug delivery. A more recent development is the design and synthesis of a subclass of MOFs based on zeolite topologies (i.e. ZMOFs), …

Chemistry & Biochemistry Newsletter, Department Of Chemistry & Biochemistry, South Dakota State University

Chemistry & Biochemistry Newsletter: 2002-2015

Inside:

Page 2 NSF Grant Challenges Traditional Teaching Strategies

Page 3 Economic Development Important CBC Research Outcome

Page 4 High-Tech Equipment Helps Department Study Molecules

Page 5 Chemistry Education Joins Western Regional Graduate Student Exchange; Alum Jared L. Anderson Joins LCGC’s Editorial Advisory board; Adam Hoppe Wins Berg Award for Research Excellence

Page 6 CBC Doctoral Candidate is SDSU’s Grad Student of the Year; The Robert and Katherine Burris Distinguished Lecture Series

Page 7 Universities & K-12 Schools Partner Up to Improve Math and Science; Recent Graduates

Page 8 Alum Update; Recent Grants; Another CBC Student Featured on SDSU’s Web …

Taxonomic Classification Of Media Reports In The Cyber Attack Domain, Jinhua Zhang

Student Work

Cyber-attacks have become a huge threat to the information age. In a previous study, cyber-attacks associated with events in Social, Political, Economic and Cultural (SPEC) dimensions were analyzed [6]. The task of this research is to construct an automated classifier that can classify media reports related to past and current cyber-attack events according to the SPEC taxonomy. The classifier was built on a machine learning principle incorporated with approaches focused on 1) document indexing; 2) calculation of classification thresholds; 3) definition of classification effectiveness; and 4) calculation of precision and recall. The classifier is expected to perform with acceptable effectiveness …

Optical And Electrochemical Sensors For The Detection Of Metal Ions And Nerve Gas Mimics Via Fluorescein And Coumarin Derivatives, Fasil Adefris Abebe

Dissertations

Trace element detection of metals, for example, iron, Copper and zinc, are important in biological systems and in the environment. Many of us are aware that our cells contain metal ions that are “tied” up in proteins. However, chelatable or “free” trace elements can also be found in small quantities, and can have a negative impact on our bodies. Despite the increasing surge in developing sensors for metals and nerve gas agents, efficient detection still remains a challenge. Among the various sensors developed so far, fluorescence sensors play an important role due to their simplicity. I design fluorescein-based chemosensors for …

Health Nexus: A Serious Game Prototype For Prevention And Treatment Of Obesity And Diabetes, Joseph C. Miller

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Electronic games are a prevalent phenomenon of American culture and entertainment. Serious games are video games that take advantage of games' intrinsic entertaining and challenging characteristics for serious purposes, such as education, training, advertisement, and political campaigns. A significant number of serious games have been developed for a variety of diverse purposes. The last few years have witnessed the inception and growth of motion sensing technologies for games, including Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation Move, and Microsoft Kinect. These motion sensing technologies usually require game players' physical body movement in order to perform and achieve in the games, such as playing …

Comparative Analysis Of Two Biological Warfare Air Samplers Using Live Surrogate Agents, James C. Enderby

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force has several high-volume biological air samplers, including the XMX/2L-MIL and the Biocapture 650. Limited information is available on either in terms of its collection of viruses and bacteria. However, previous research on the XMX/2L-MIL has determined that modifications to the secondary flow rate and the use of a virus preserving collection media may provide improved virus collection rates. In this thesis, these modifications were investigated to determine their impact on the collection of viral and bacterial aerosols. Additionally, relative collection rates were compared against those for the Biocapture 650. MS2 bacteriophage was the viral surrogate …

Analysis Of The Impact Of Data Normalization On Cyber Event Correlation Query Performance, Smile T. Ludovice

Theses and Dissertations

A critical capability required in the operation of cyberspace is the ability to maintain situational awareness of the status of the infrastructure elements that constitute cyberspace. Event logs from cyber devices can yield significant information, and when properly utilized they can provide timely situational awareness about the state of the cyber infrastructure. In addition, proper Information Assurance requires the validation and verification of the integrity of results generated by a commercial log analysis tool. Event log analysis can be performed using relational databases. To enhance database query performance, previous literatures affirm denormalization of databases. Yet database normalization can also increase …

A Black Hole Attack Model For Reactive Ad-Hoc Protocols, Christopher W. Badenhop

Theses and Dissertations

Net-Centric Warfare places the network in the center of all operations, making it a critical resource to attack and defend during wartime. This thesis examines one particular network attack, the Black Hole attack, to determine if an analytical model can be used to predict the impact of this attack on ad-hoc networks. An analytical Black Hole attack model is developed for reactive ad-hoc network protocols DSR and AODV. To simplify topology analysis, a hypercube topology is used to approximate ad-hoc topologies that have the same average node degree. An experiment is conducted to compare the predicted results of the analytical …

A Women-Only Comparision Of The U.S. Air Force Fitness Test And The Marine Combat Fitness Test, Tarah D. Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

In 2009, Captain Thomas Worden determined the Air Force Physical Fitness Test (AFPFT) poorly predicted combat capability for his 86 study participants. With only 5 of these 86 volunteers being women, this limited Worden's findings to primarily men. This follow-on research investigated whether these results carried over to women. We recruited 61 female volunteers and compared their performance on the AFPFT to the Marine Combat Fitness Test, the proxy for combat capability. Like Worden's research, we discovered little association between the two (R² of 0.161). However, this association significantly increased (adj R² of 0.572) when utilizing the raw …

Using Multiattribute Utility Copulas In Support Of Uav Search And Destroy Operations, Beau A. Nunnally

Theses and Dissertations

The multiattribute utility copula is an emerging form of utility function used by decision analysts to study decisions with dependent attributes. Failure to properly address attribute dependence may cause errors in selecting the optimal policy. This research examines two scenarios of interest to the modern warfighter. The first scenario employs a utility copula to determine the type, quantity, and altitude of UAVs to be sent to strike a stationary target. The second scenario employs a utility copula to examine the impact of attribute dependence on the optimal routing of UAVs in a contested operational environment when performing a search and …