Digital Commons Network^™

Single Cell Pharmacodynamic Modeling Of Cancer Cell Lines, Arnab Mutsuddy

All Dissertations

Cancer is one of the leading causes of disease related death worldwide. Since the discovery of the genomic origins of cancer, targeted therapy has been developed towards specific mutations implicated for oncogenic transformation. However, current standard-of-care for mapping cancer patients to efficacious drug combination is often inadequate. The pathophysiology of tumor progression relies on the dysregulation of biomolecular pathways of which the topology and the dynamics challenge prognosis. Moreover, the overall genomic instability involved in disease states and the resulting inter-patient as well as intra-tumoral heterogeneity challenge rationalization of therapy and clinical decision-making. It highlights the need for the use …

Digital Twin In Military Ground Vehicles: Design And Predictive Maintenance, Conner W. Eddy

All Theses

Digital twin technology builds upon virtual engineering models, computer simulation, and real-time field data streaming to enable next-generation designs and predictive maintenance. A digital twin is a computer-based high-fidelity collection of models that predicts the performance of dynamic systems per operating cycles, input feature parameters, and data communication from a physical plant. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is growing in importance and is central to virtual design processes where the digital twin toolset fits into this emerging architecture. The product design process can be advanced using digital twin resources by eliminating the need for, and cost from, continual physical prototyping, reliability …

Reinforcement Learning-Based Energy Management For Electric Vehicle Application, Yiming Ye

All Dissertations

The increasing concerns about transportation pollution and fossil fuel depletion motivate many studies on vehicle electrification and advanced energy-saving propulsion systems. When Comparing with traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, electrified vehicles, such as battery and supercapacitor electric vehicles, are equipped with more than one power source in the hybrid propulsion system, which can save more energy through efficient power combinations. Lithium-ion batteries are the preferred choice for energy storage in electric vehicles due to their superior energy density and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, matching the required power input and output leads to in an unwanted growth in the size of the battery, …

Volatile Crystalline Semiconductor Core Fibers, Thomasina Zaengle

All Dissertations

Optical fibers play critical roles across many facets of everyday life from communications to e-commerce to sensing and security. The ubiquity of optical fibers arises from their intrinsic clarity and, as glasses, their ability to be thermally drawn at high speeds over long distances when suitably heated about their glass transition temperature. Sixteen years ago, the first thermally drawn crystalline core fibers were fabricated using the molten core method, whereby a melt is confined within a glass capillary tube that is then drawn to fiber. This opened the door to crystalline semiconductor core fibers, which are now the backbone of …

Zero-Knowledge Reductions And Confidential Arithmetic, Marvin Jones

All Dissertations

The changes in computing paradigms to shift computations to third parties have resulted in the necessity of these computations to be provable. Zero-knowledge arguments are probabilistic arguments that are used to to verify computations without secret data being leaked to the verifying party.

In this dissertation, we study zero-knowledge arguments with specific focus on reductions. Our main contributions are:

1. Provide a thorough survey in a variety of zero-knowledge techniques and protocols.
2. Prove various results of reductions that can be used to study interactive protocols in terms of subroutines. Additionally, we identify an issue in the analogous definition of zero-knowledge for …

Hpc-Enabled Fast And Configurable Dynamic Simulation, Analysis, And Learning For Complex Power System Adaptation And Control, Cong Wang

All Dissertations

This dissertation presents an HPC-enabled fast and configurable dynamic simulation, analysis, and learning framework for complex power system adaptation and control. Dynamic simulation for a large transmission system comprising thousands of buses and branches implies the latency of complicated numerical computations. However, faster-than-real-time execution is often required to provide timely support for power system planning and operation. The traditional approaches for speeding up the simulation demand extensive computing facilities such as CPU-based multi-core supercomputers, resulting in heavily resource-dependent solutions. In this work, by coupling the Message Passing Interface (MPI) protocol with an advanced heterogeneous programming environment, further acceleration can be …

Converging Human Intelligence With Ai Systems To Advance Flood Evacuation Decision Making, Rishav Karanjit

All Theses

The powers that artificial intelligence (AI) has developed are astounding, with recent success in integrating into a human cognitive workflow. AI will attain its full potential only if, as part of its intelligence, it also actively teams up with humans to co-create solutions. Combining AI simulation with human understanding and strategic abilities through data convergence may optimize the process and provide a capacity akin to "teaming intelligence." This thesis will introduce the concepts of Human AI Convergence (HAC) capabilities for flood evacuation decision-making. The concept introduced in this thesis is the first step toward the HAC concept in weather disaster …

Cyber Attack Surface Mapping For Offensive Security Testing, Douglas Everson

All Dissertations

Security testing consists of automated processes, like Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) and Static Application Security Testing (SAST), as well as manual offensive security testing, like Penetration Testing and Red Teaming. This nonautomated testing is frequently time-constrained and difficult to scale. Previous literature suggests that most research is spent in support of improving fully automated processes or in finding specific vulnerabilities, with little time spent improving the interpretation of the scanned attack surface critical to nonautomated testing. In this work, agglomerative hierarchical clustering is used to compress the Internet-facing hosts of 13 representative companies as collected by the Shodan search …

Composites 4.0: Enabling The Modernization Of Legacy Manufacturing Assets In South Carolina, Amit Makarand Deshpande, Gayatri Keskar, Sai Aditya Pradeep, Saeed Farahani, Srikanth Pilla

Publications

Composites 4.0 is the implementation of Industry 4.0 concepts to plastics and composites manufacturing with the goal to overcome the complexities associated with these materials. Due to very complex process-structure-property relationships associated with plastics and composites, a wide range of process parameters need to be tracked and monitored. Furthermore, these parameters are often affected by the tool and machinery, human intervention and variability and should thus, be monitored by integrating intelligence and connectivity in manufacturing systems. Retrofitting legacy manufacturing systems with modern sensing and control systems is emerging as one of the more cost-effective approaches as it circumvents the substantial …

High-Performance Vlsi Architectures For Lattice-Based Cryptography, Weihang Tan

All Dissertations

Lattice-based cryptography is a cryptographic primitive built upon the hard problems on point lattices. Cryptosystems relying on lattice-based cryptography have attracted huge attention in the last decade since they have post-quantum-resistant security and the remarkable construction of the algorithm. In particular, homomorphic encryption (HE) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) are the two main applications of lattice-based cryptography. Meanwhile, the efficient hardware implementations for these advanced cryptography schemes are demanding to achieve a high-performance implementation.

This dissertation aims to investigate the novel and high-performance very large-scale integration (VLSI) architectures for lattice-based cryptography, including the HE and PQC schemes. This dissertation first presents …

Efficiency Of Homomorphic Encryption Schemes, Kyle Yates

All Theses

In 2009, Craig Gentry introduced the first fully homomorphic encryption scheme using bootstrapping. In the 13 years since, a large amount of research has gone into improving efficiency of homomorphic encryption schemes. This includes implementing leveled homomorphic encryption schemes for practical use, which are schemes that allow for some predetermined amount of additions and multiplications that can be performed on ciphertexts. These leveled schemes have been found to be very efficient in practice. In this thesis, we will discuss the efficiency of various homomorphic encryption schemes. In particular, we will see how to improve sizes of parameter choices in homomorphic …

Computational Tradespace Exploration, Analysis, And Decision-Making: A Proposed Framework For Organizational Self-Assessment, Julia Daniels

All Theses

The ability to assess technical feasibility, project risk, technical readiness, and realistic performance expectations in early-phase conceptual design is a challenging mission-critical task for large procurement projects. At present, there is not a well-defined framework for evaluating current practices of organizations performing computational trade studies. One such organization is the US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC). When defining requirements and priorities for the next-generation autonomy-enabled ground vehicle system, GVSC is faced with the challenge of an increasingly complex programmatic tradespace due to emerging complexities of ground vehicle systems. This thesis aims to document and evaluate tradespace processes, methods, and …

Snap : A Software-Defined & Named-Data Oriented Publish-Subscribe Framework For Emerging Wireless Application Systems, Manveen Kaur

All Dissertations

The evolution of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) has given rise to an emergent class of CPSs defined by ad-hoc wireless connectivity, mobility, and resource constraints in computation, memory, communications, and battery power. These systems are expected to fulfill essential roles in critical infrastructure sectors. Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET) and a swarm of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV swarm) are examples of such systems. The significant utility of these systems, coupled with their economic viability, is a crucial indicator of their anticipated growth in the future. Typically, the tasks assigned to these systems have strict Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirements and require sensing, perception, and …

Pasture Biomass Estimation Using Crop Surface Modeling And Vegetation Indices, Brendan Macinnis

All Theses

Biomass estimations are a critical function of any grazing or haylage system. Determination of ideal harvesting or grazing times help optimize the quality and quantity of above-ground biomass (AGB). The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Alfalfa and Tall Fescue biomass estimations. Using a DJI Mavic Pro, RGB and NDVI images were taken and used to create orthomosaic images. Structure-from-motion (SfM) techniques were used to developed digital elevation models to evaluate the change in canopy height (∆H) between pre- and post-harvests. Change in canopy height (∆H) was shown to provide the …

The Development Of Tigra: A Zero Latency Interface For Accelerator Communication In Risc-V Processors, Wesley Brad Green

All Dissertations

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) give developers the ability to design application specific hardware by means of software, providing a method of accelerating algorithms with higher power efficiency when compared to CPU or GPU accelerated applications. FPGA accelerated applications tend to follow either a loosely coupled or tightly coupled design. Loosely coupled designs often use OpenCL to utilize the FPGA as an accelerator much like a GPU, which provides a simplifed design flow with the trade-off of increased overhead and latency due to bus communication. Tightly coupled designs modify an existing CPU to introduce instruction set extensions to provide a …

Designing And Evaluating Accessible E-Learning For Students With Visual Impairments In K-12 Computing Education, Earl W. Huff Jr

All Dissertations

This dissertation explores the pathways for making K-12 computing education more accessible for blind or visually impaired (BVI) learners. As computer science (CS) expands into K-12 education, more concerted efforts are required to ensure all students have equitable access to opportunities to pursue a career in computing. To determine their viability with BVI learners, I conducted three studies to assess current accessibility in CS curricula, materials, and learning environments. Study one was interviews with visually impaired developers; study two was interviews with K-12 teachers of visually impaired students; study three was a remote observation within a computer science course. My …

Intelligent Resource Prediction For Hpc And Scientific Workflows, Benjamin Shealy

All Dissertations

Scientific workflows and high-performance computing (HPC) platforms are critically important to modern scientific research. In order to perform scientific experiments at scale, domain scientists must have knowledge and expertise in software and hardware systems that are highly complex and rapidly evolving. While computational expertise will be essential for domain scientists going forward, any tools or practices that reduce this burden for domain scientists will greatly increase the rate of scientific discoveries. One challenge that exists for domain scientists today is knowing the resource usage patterns of an application for the purpose of resource provisioning. A tool that accurately estimates these …

A Computational Evaluation Of Turbulence Generators In Co-Axial Ground Heat Exchangers, Rohit Ashok Rao

All Theses

The heat transfer of ground heat exchangers used in geothermal heating and cooling of buildings partially depends on the velocity, or more specifically the Reynolds number (Re), of the fluid circulating inside the geothermal pipe. Higher Re induces higher heat exchange, which can be achieved with higher fluid velocity. However, the pumping energy necessary to achieve the high fluid velocity is significant. Alternatively, turbulence generators (turbulators) in the form of helical wings inserted inside the pipe can generate and maintain a turbulent flow even at small fluid velocities, thereby inducing higher heat transfer. However, the inclusion of helical turbulators creates …

Cloud-Based Low-Cost Wireless Distributed Indoor Temperature And Humidity Monitoring System, Ningxuan Wen

All Theses

In the U.S., buildings are usually responsible for about 40% of total energy consumption, indicating a great potential for energy saving. It is reported that in EU countries, about 60% to 70% of the consumed energy in buildings are for space heating, and the rest of the energy are mostly accounted by hot water and electrical appliance. On the other hand, the indoor climate comfort is strongly related to the life quality and productivity of the occupants. There is no doubt that any improvement in building control and optimization will lead to a significant energy savings while still maintain the …

Tarn: Towards A Traffic Analysis Resistant Network, Christian Geddings Barrineau

All Theses

The Internet today is made up of large networks known as autonomous systems (AS). These networks are given ownership over static blocks of IP prefixes, which they announce using the border gateway protocol (BGP). These static mappings of IP prefixes to ASes are well known and publicly available. This makes it easy for individuals, corporations, and governments to target specific entities for traffic analysis. This thesis describes traffic analysis in terms three scopes of trust, discussing the risks and requirements at each level. It then looks at traffic captured at Clemson University, showing how much information is actually made available …

Privacy-Preserving Image Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks, David Karl Langbehn

All Theses

The process of image classification using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) often relies on access to large, annotated datasets and the use of cluster or cloud-based computing resources. However, many classification applications such as those in healthcare or defense introduce privacy concerns that prevent the collection of such data and the use of pre-existing large scale computing systems. Although many solutions to privacy preserving machine learning have previously been explored, the added computational complexity incurred with training on encrypted values inhibits these systems from executing in real-time. One of the most promising solutions that facilitates secure machine learning is secure multi-party …

Generating Training Data For Machine Learning Applications In Manufacturing Through Purposeful Failure, Ethan Wescoat

All Theses

Manufacturing unexpected downtime contributes a significant cost drain to manufacturers. To reduce unexpected downtime, manufacturers invest in diagnostic and prognostic systems for determining equipment health. These systems help maintenance staff by providing predictions of equipment degradation over time. Based on these predictions, maintenance staff schedule repairs to prevent equipment failure from occurring during production. However, challenges still exist preventing the widespread implementation of these systems in the production environment. The amount and quality of data for training machine learning algorithms to predict these failures are two of these challenges. Existing methods of run-to-failure testing take too long to acquire the …

Cosacc: Cloud-Based Speed Advisory For Connected Vehicles In A Signalized Corridor, Hsien-Wen Deng

All Theses

The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility of cloud-based real-time connected vehicle (CV) applications. The author developed a cloud-based speed advisory application for CVs in a signalized corridor (COSACC) to achieve this objective. The contribution of this study is threefold. First, it introduced a serverless cloud computing architecture using Amazon Web Services (AWS) for real-time CV applications. Second, the author developed a real-time optimization-based speed advisory algorithm that is deployable in AWS. Third, this study utilized a cloud-in-the-loop simulation testbed using AWS and Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO), which is a microscopic traffic simulator. The author conducted …

An Appetite For The Tasteless: An Evaluation Of Off-Color Humor In Adult Animations And Video Games, Presented Through A Proposed Interactive Narrative Via A Procedurally Generated Material Library, Mark William Keller

All Theses

Off-color humor has propelled adult animation into its Golden Age. The success of this genre has prompted media studios to begin developing original series for subscription video-on-demand services. The technology used for these over the top (OTT) streaming services have improved to the point that providers have begun developing cloud-based gaming. These improvements, along with developments in rendering systems, have made it possible to create interactive media across both video and gaming platforms using similar assets. This document will detail the successes of adult animation and the proposal for more interactive narrative media within this category. Accompanying the text will …

Vlsi Architecture For Polar Codes Using Fast Fourier Transform-Like Design, Weihang Tan

All Theses

Polar code is a novel and high-performance communication algorithm with the ability to theoretically achieving the Shannon limit, which has attracted increasing attention recently due to its low encoding and decoding complexity. Hardware optimization further reduces the cost and achieves better timing performance enabling real-time applications on resource-constrained devices. This thesis presents an area-efficient architecture for a successive cancellation (SC) polar decoder. Our design applies high-level transformations to reduce the number of Processing Elements (PEs), i.e., only log₂ N pre-computed PEs are required in our architecture for an N-bit code.

We also propose a customized loop-based shifting register to …

Articulating The Cloud: Understanding Data Centers, Renewable Energy, And Public Policy, Bailey R. Troutman

All Theses

Experts urge that drastic steps must be taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as the ongoing climate crisis worsens. Amid this, it is also important to understand the relationships between media infrastructures and the finite resources they require. This thesis goes beyond arguing that data centers are inherently unsustainable media infrastructures that consumers rely on to access the Internet and cloud storage. Instead, this thesis focuses on Google as an industry leading company in the United States to assess how the company understands their role in the climate crisis, and how they define renewable energy and sustainability. To do so, …

Power Bounded Computing On Current & Emerging Hpc Systems, Pengfei Zou

All Dissertations

Power has become a critical constraint for the evolution of large scale High Performance Computing (HPC) systems and commercial data centers. This constraint spans almost every level of computing technologies, from IC chips all the way up to data centers due to physical, technical, and economic reasons. To cope with this reality, it is necessary to understand how available or permissible power impacts the design and performance of emergent computer systems. For this reason, we propose power bounded computing and corresponding technologies to optimize performance on HPC systems with limited power budgets.

We have multiple research objectives in this dissertation. …

Factors Influencing Students’ Choice Of An Institution Of Higher Education, Michael Bryan Moody

All Dissertations

This study examined the following research question: What factors influence student college selection process? The study sought to fill an existing gap in the literature by examining what role technology and other relevant factors have on students’ decision-making as related to college choice. By identifying influencers of college choice, the study’s findings can add to the body of knowledge that admission counselors might use as they develop an appropriate recruiting mix of strategies best suited for today’s college applicants

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As the theoretical framework, this research drew on the previous work of Hamrick & Hossler (1996) which combined constructs of …

Huge Data Analytics With Transparent In-Network Memory Computing (Presentation), Ling Liu, James Bae, Wenqi Cao, Semih Sahin, Yanzhao Wu, Qi Zhang

Large Scale Networking (LSN) Workshop on Huge Data: A Computing, Networking and Distributed Systems Perspective

No abstract provided.

5g, Edge Computing And Future Network Support For Huge Data (Presentation), Zhi-Li Zhang

Large Scale Networking (LSN) Workshop on Huge Data: A Computing, Networking and Distributed Systems Perspective

No abstract provided.