Digital Commons Network^™

Ecosystem-Based Management In The Colorado River Delta, Karen Hae-Myung Hyun

Open Access Dissertations

The Colorado River Delta (CRD) is only 8% of its original size and is mainly sustained on agricultural run-off from the Mexicali Valley. Clearly current management of this ecosystem has not been effective and a new paradigm is needed. Ecosystem-based management (EBM), the process of controlling human activities to protect, conserve, and enhance the quality of ecosystems to meet current and future needs, provides a way forward. This study uses nine common EBM principles to analyze legislation, research, management plans, and community actions of six major CRD institutions, establishing a governance baseline. This study also utilizes scenario analysis to depict …

Advances In Global Optimization, Rajeswar R. Gattupalli

Open Access Dissertations

Optimization is an active area of research and an important computational tool in many fields of science and engineering. While many effective global optimization algorithms have been developed over the past decades, there is still a need for improved robustness, reliability and efficiency. Examples where improvements in robustness, reliability and efficiency are needed include finding the global minimum of molecular modeling problems and finding all physically relevant solutions for mathematical models of chemical engineering applications. This dissertation describes two novel advanced global optimization tools--a multi-scale terrain/funneling methodology and logarithmic barrier-terrain method--that provide improved robustness, reliability and computational efficiency for solving …

Paleo-And Environmental Magnetic Studies Of Late Cenozoic Estuarine, Lacustrine, And Terrestrial Sediments, Clifford William Heil Jr.

Open Access Dissertations

Magnetic studies of sedimentary records provide an opportunity to characterize both anthropogenic and naturally-induced climate change and place these changes in a temporal framework in order to understand the timing of these changes and potential forcing mechanisms. The focus of this dissertation is the use of paleomagnetism and environmental magnetism in different environments (estuarine, lacustrine, and terrestrial), that span thousands to millions of years, to characterize changes in depositional environment overtime, identify the mechanisms responsible for those changes, constrain them within the geologic time scale, and ultimately relate those changes to regional and/or global climate. The Chesapeake Bay is a …

Client Nurse Interactions With Schizophrenic Clients: A Descriptive Study, Karen Vincent Pounds

Open Access Dissertations

Social dysfunction is one of the hallmark characteristics of chronic schizophrenia. Social cognition has been identified as having a role in this feature of the disorder. Recent literature and research has focused on facial and vocal affect recognition and social cue perception. Each of these functions influences an individual's ability to respond in a social situation. Despite the growing body of research, little is known about the actual interaction of providers with these clients. This qualitative descriptive research study focused on the interactions of a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) with three clients with schizophrenia in an urban community mental health …

Tandem Conjugate Addition -- Cyclization Reactions Of L-Methyl Prolinate With α,β-Unsaturated Ketones Catalyzed By L-Proline, Sergio Sandoval

Open Access Dissertations

L-methyl prolinate and various α,β-unsaturated ketones were reacted by a tandem sequence of conjugate addition and subsequent autocatalytic intramolecular cyclization to yield 1,3-dicarbonyl-pyrrolizidine ring systems in modest yield. This methodology represents a tandem and green preparative reaction sequence where L-proline is self-generated as an organocatalyst subsequent to the first step and prior to the second step of the process. This sequence of reactions is a one-pot, tandem, and green preparative reaction for the synthesis of various pyrrolizidine derivatives which can be performed in a general and simple way under solventless and room temperature conditions. This methodology is modest yielding and …

Speaking Out: Class, Race, And Gender In The Writings Of Ruth Mcenery Stuart, Edith Summers Kelley, And Harriette Simpson Arnow, Claire E. Reynolds

Open Access Dissertations

This study analyzes representations in American fiction of social issues during periods of national turmoil. Ruth McEnery Stuart, Edith Summers Kelley, and Harriette Simpson Arnow draw characters marginalized by class, gender, race, and ethnicity who negotiate survival amid crisis and adverse socioeconomic conditions. Giving voice to people who could not speak for themselves, the texts perform the work of cultural resistance to a discourse that privileges capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy while oppressing the poor, women, and non-whites. Following an introductory chapter, I present the authors and their works chronologically, beginning each chapter with a brief overview of the historical …

Testing The Pecking-Order Theory: Evidence From Chinese Listed Companies, Jinlan Ni, Miaomiao Yu

Economics Faculty Publications

The pecking-order theory of capital structure, which predicts that firms prefer internal to external finance, is one of the most influential theories of corporate leverage. This article examines whether the financial structure of China's listed companies follows a pecking order from debt to equity. Using the entire cross-section sample of China's listed companies in 2004, the authors find no evidence that China's listed companies follow a pecking order when they need funds to finance investment projects. Further subgroup analyses indicate that big companies follow a pecking order and small and medium companies do not. These results suggest that the Chinese …

Economics Of Science, Arthur M. Diamond Jr.

Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Acidiphilium Acidiphilium To Bioleach Metals From Printed Circuit Boards, Diana Goglia Arora

Open Access Master's Theses

As many as 500 million computers became obsolete between the years of 2000 and 2007 (U.S. EPA, 2007), due in large part to the increasing rate of technological advances. Printed circuit boards (PCB) are the essential components of most electronic waste. Metals that are contained within PCB are potentially hazardous to the environment. These metals include copper, aluminum, chromium, mercury, zinc, lead, and nickel (Li et. al., 2004). If not contained properly, metals can leach into soils and possibly damage the ecosystem. This problem of growing electronic waste not only exists in the USA, but it also extends overseas in …

A Bayesian Stormwater Quality Model And Its Application To Water Quality Monitoring, Pedro M. Avellaneda

Doctoral Dissertations

Stormwater runoff is a topic of research that over the years has increasingly grown due to its impact on our water resources. Treatment systems have been developed to mitigate this impact by preserving the pre-development hydrologic and water quality characteristics of the drainage areas. Understanding of the systems' treatment capabilities is required for stormwater management. The goal of this research was to study the application of a decay treatment model as a conceptual tool for understanding the pollutant removal characteristics of stormwater systems. Three systems were studied in this research: a sand filter, a gravel wetland, and a retention pond. …

The 2007 Analysis Of Information Remaining On Disks Offered For Sale On The Second Hand Market, Andy Jones, Craig Valli, Glenn S. Dardick, Iain Sutherland

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

All organisations, whether in the public or private sector, increasingly use computers and other devices that contain computer hard disks for the storage and processing of information relating to their business, their employees or their customers. Individual home users also increasingly use computers and other devices containing computer hard disks for the storage and processing of information relating to their private, personal affairs. It continues to be clear that the majority of organisations and individual home users still remain ignorant or misinformed of the volume and type of information that is stored on the hard disks that these devices contain …

Who Is Reading The Data On Your Old Computer?, Vivienne Mee

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Researchers at Rits Information Security performed a study in how the Irish population disposes of their old computers. How would you dispose of your old computer, or how would the company you work for dispose of their old computers?

The majority of Irish homeowners, would bring their old computers to local civic amenity centres, give it away to a relative or sell it on to another party.

Some organisations would give their old equipment to a staff member, as a gift gesture, others may simply discard in the local civic amenity site.

What is wrong with the methods currently being …

Developing A Process Model For The Forensic Extraction Of Information From Desktop Search, Timothy Pavlic, Jill Slay, Benjamin Turnbull

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Desktop search applications can contain cached copies of files that were deleted from the file system. Forensic investigators see this as a potential source of evidence, as documents deleted by suspects may still exist in the cache. Whilst there have been attempts at recovering data collected by desktop search applications, there is no methodology governing the process, nor discussion on the most appropriate means to do so. This article seeks to address this issue by developing a process model that can be applied when developing an information extraction application for desktop search applications, discussing preferred methods and the limitations of …

Book Review: Challenges To Digital Forensic Evidence, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This issue presents the fifth Book Review column for the JDFSL. It is an experiment to broaden the services that the journal provides to readers, so we are anxious to get your reaction. Is the column useful and interesting? Should we include more than one review per issue? Should we also review products? Do you have suggested books/products for review and/or do you want to write a review? All of this type of feedback -- and more -- is appreciated. Please feel free to send comments to Gary Kessler ([email protected]) or Glenn S. Dardick ([email protected]).

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Therapeutic Heat: Effects Of Superficial And Deep Heating Modalities On Hamstring Flexibility, Nicole Lee Lounsberry

All Volumes (2001-2008)

Poor muscle flexibility has often been associated with injury. Therapeutic heating modalities are frequently used to increase the extensibility of the muscle. The purpose of this study was to compare immediate changes in hamstring flexibility following the application of superficial (moist heat pack) and deep (1 MHz ultrasound) heating modalities. Twenty-four college aged subjects met the inclusion criteria and volunteered for this study. Subjects reported to the Athletic Training Lab and received either the ultrasound or moist heat pack treatment. Hamstring flexibility was measured pre and post treatment using an active knee extension test with an inclinometer. An average of …

Trends In Virtualized User Environments, Diane Barrett

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Virtualized environments can make forensics investigation more difficult. Technological advances in virtualization tools essentially make removable media a PC that can be carried around in a pocket or around a neck. Running operating systems and applications this way leaves very little trace on the host system. This paper will explore all the newest methods for virtualized environments and the implications they have on the world of forensics. It will begin by describing and differentiating between software and hardware virtualization. It will then move on to explain the various methods used for server and desktop virtualization. Next, it will explain how …

Data Mining Techniques In Fraud Detection, Rekha Bhowmik

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The paper presents application of data mining techniques to fraud analysis. We present some classification and prediction data mining techniques which we consider important to handle fraud detection. There exist a number of data mining algorithms and we present statistics-based algorithm, decision treebased algorithm and rule-based algorithm. We present Bayesian classification model to detect fraud in automobile insurance. Naïve Bayesian visualization is selected to analyze and interpret the classifier predictions. We illustrate how ROC curves can be deployed for model assessment in order to provide a more intuitive analysis of the models.

Analysis Of Information Remaining On Hand Held Devices Offered For Sale On The Second Hand, Andy Jones, Craig Valli, Iain Sutherland

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The ownership and use of mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants and other hand held devices is now ubiquitous both for home and business use. The majority of these devices have a high initial cost, a relatively short period before they become obsolescent and a relatively low second hand value. As a result of this, when the devices are replaced, there are indications that they tend to be discarded. As technology has continued to develop, it has led to an increasing diversity in the number and type of devices that are available, and the processing power and the storage capacity of …

Steganography: Forensic, Security, And Legal Issues, Merrill Warkentin, Ernst Bekkering, Mark B. Schmidt

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Steganography has long been regarded as a tool used for illicit and destructive purposes such as crime and warfare. Currently, digital tools are widely available to ordinary computer users also. Steganography software allows both illicit and legitimate users to hide messages so that they will not be detected in transit. This article provides a brief history of steganography, discusses the current status in the computer age, and relates this to forensic, security, and legal issues. The paper concludes with recommendations for digital forensics investigators, IT staff, individual users, and other stakeholders.

Book Review: The Dotcrime Manifesto: How To Stop Internet Crime, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Remote Forensics May Bring The Next Sea Change In E-Discovery: Are All Networked Computers Now Readily Accessible Under The Revised Federal Rules Of Civil Procedure?, Joseph J. Schwerha, Scott Inch

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The recent amendments to Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure created a two-tiered approach to discovery of electronically stored information (“ESI”). Responding parties must produce ESI that is relevant, not subject to privilege, and reasonably accessible. However, because some methods of storing ESI, such as on magnetic backup tapes and within enormous databases, require substantial cost to access and search their contents, the rules permit parties to designate those repositories as “not reasonably accessible” because of undue burden or cost. But even despite the difficulty in searching for ESI, the party’s duty to preserve potentially responsive evidence …

The Forensics Aspects Of Event Data Recorders, Jeremy S. Daily, Nathan Singleton, Elizabeth Downing, Gavin W. Manes

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The proper generation and preservation of digital data from Event Data Recorders (EDRs) can provide invaluable evidence to automobile crash reconstruction investigations. However, data collected from the EDR can be difficult to use and authenticate, complicating the presentation of such information as evidence in legal proceedings. Indeed, current techniques for removing and preserving such data do not meet the court’s standards for electronic evidence. Experimentation with an EDR unit from a 2001 GMC Sierra pickup truck highlighted particular issues with repeatability of results. Fortunately, advances in the digital forensics field and memory technology can be applied to EDR analysis in …

An Evaluation Of Windows-Based Computer Forensics Application Software Running On A Macintosh, Gregory H. Carlton

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The two most common computer forensics applications perform exclusively on Microsoft Windows Operating Systems, yet contemporary computer forensics examinations frequently encounter one or more of the three most common operating system environments, namely Windows, OS-X, or some form of UNIX or Linux. Additionally, government and private computer forensics laboratories frequently encounter budget constraints that limit their access to computer hardware. Currently, Macintosh computer systems are marketed with the ability to accommodate these three common operating system environments, including Windows XP in native and virtual environments. We performed a series of experiments to measure the functionality and performance of the two …

To License Or Not To License: An Examination Of State Statutes Regarding Private Investigators And Digital Examiners, Thomas Lonardo, Doug White, Alan Rea

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In this paper the authors examine statutes that regulate, license, and enforce investigative functions in each US state. After identification and review of Private Investigator licensing requirements, the authors find that very few state statutes explicitly differentiate between Private Investigators and Digital Examiners. After contacting all state agencies the authors present a distinct grouping organizing state approaches to professional Digital Examiner licensing. The authors conclude that states must differentiate between Private Investigator and Digital Examiner licensing requirements and oversight.

Book Review: Guide To Computer Forensics And Investigations (3rd Ed.), Keyu Jiang, Ruifeng Xuan

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Data Security Measures In The It Service Industry: A Balance Between Knowledge & Action, N. Mlitwa, Y. Kachala

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

That “knowledge is power” is fast becoming a cliché within the intelligentsia. Such power however, depends largely on how knowledge itself is exchanged and used, which says a lot about the tools of its transmission, exchange, and storage. Information and communication technology (ICT) plays a significant role in this respect. As a networked tool, it enables efficient exchanges of video, audio and text data beyond geographical and time constraints. Since this data is exchanged over the worldwide web (www), it can be accessible by anyone in the world using the internet. The risk of unauthorised access, interception, modification, or even …

Extraction And Categorisation Of User Activity From Windows Restore Points, Damir Kahvedžić, Tahar Kechadi

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The extraction of the user activity is one of the main goals in the analysis of digital evidence. In this paper we present a methodology for extracting this activity by comparing multiple Restore Points found in the Windows XP operating system. The registry copies represent a snapshot of the state of the system at a certain point in time. Differences between them can reveal user activity from one instant to another. The algorithms for comparing the hives and interpreting the results are of high complexity. We develop an approach that takes into account the nature of the investigation and the …

Data Recovery From Palmmsgv001, Satheesaan Pasupatheeswaran

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Both SMS and MMS data analysis is an important factor in mobile forensic analysis. Author did not find any mobile forensic tool that is capable of extracting short messages (SMS) and multimedia messages (MMS) from Palm Treo 750. SMS file of Palm Treo 750 is called PalmMgeV001 and it is a proprietary file system. A research work done to find a method to recover SMS data from PalmMsgV001 file. This paper is going to describe the research work and its findings. This paper also discusses a methodology that will help recover SMS data from PalmMsgV001. The PalmMsgV001 file is analysed …