Digital Commons Network^™

Experimental Evaluation Of Select Servers And Firewalls Under Denial Of Service Security Attacks, Raja Sekhar Reddy Gade

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Internet security requires newer prevention mechanisms to be implemented on web-servers and routers. Firewall/Intrusion Prevention mechanisms (IPS) can be deployed on host servers or routers as an added line of defense against Internet attacks. In this thesis, we evaluate performance of security mechanisms provided by these devices against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The host based firewalls on Windows servers-2003 and 2008 were evaluated. In this thesis, we also evaluated Juniper Networks Netscreen-5GT firewall/IPS, and Cisco ASA-5510/IPS that are used in protecting web-servers against DDoS attacks. It was found that the host based firewalls and protection mechanisms on the …

Investigating Heavy Metal Accumulation And Oxidative Stress Tolerance Of Non-Accumulators And Hyperaccumulators In The Brassicaceae Plant Family, Fritzie Joy Into

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Physiological and enzymatic analysis indicated that the non-accumulator A. thaliana showed an oxidative stress response in all assays except for protein carbonylation. Other non-accumulator plant species showed a significant difference in oxidative stress response in the TBARS assay; however, for some assays no stress response was evident. The hyperaccumulator plant species showed no significant difference in oxidative stress as indicated by the all of the assays with the exception of T. montanum var. montanum which showed an oxidative stress response in the SOD assay. Basal catalase enzyme activity was notably higher in the hyperaccumulators T. montanum var. montanum and T. …

Solving Differential Equations In R, Karline Soetaert, Thomas Petzoldt, R. Woodrow Setzer

The R Journal

Although R is still predominantly applied for statistical analysis and graphical representation, it is rapidly becoming more suitable for mathematical computing. One of the fields where considerable progress has been made recently is the solution of differential equations. Here we give a brief overview of differential equations that can now be solved by R.

Online Reproducible Research: An Application To Multivariate Analysis Of Bacterial Dna Fingerprint Data, Jean Thioulouse, Claire Valiente-Moro, Lionel Zenner

The R Journal

This paper presents an example of online reproducible multivariate data analysis. This example is based on a web page providing an online computing facility on a server. HTML forms contain editable R code snippets that can be executed in any web browser thanks to the Rweb software. The example is based on the multivariate analysis of DNA fingerprints of the internal bacterial flora of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae. Several multivariate data analysis methods from the ade4 package are used to compare the fingerprints of mite pools coming from various poultry farms. All the computations and graphical displays …

The Molecular Mechanism Of Viral Transactivator Rta-Mediated Kaposi’S Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (Kshv) Lytic Replication, Hui-Ju Wen

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a member of the gamma-herpesvirinae subfamily and displays two distinct life phases, latency and lytic replication. Infection with KSHV mostly results in a latent state. A small population of infected cells can spontaneously undergo lytic phase, which is marked by abundant viral gene expression and production of infectious viral progeny. Lytic replication is important for transmission of KSHV in the population and development of diseases. RTA (replication and transcription activator) is a master regulator of KSHV lytic replication. Expression of RTA alone is sufficient to disrupt KSHV latency and initiate the lytic replication cascade. The …

Evaluation Of Periodontal Scaling Task And Development Of Force–Endurance Models For Simulated Scaling Task, Vettrivel Gnaneswaran

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Force exertion is critical in grasping and holding activities at sub-maximal levels. Exertion misjudgments lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) impairing performance and productivity. Published literatures on grasping have addressed the force balance and endurance issues for non-prehensile movements of hand. However, little information is available on the force exerted in precision gripping employed in health care. Professionals, especially dental hygienists, when treating patients adopt awkward postures for extended period leading to cumulative trauma. Literatures on cumulative trauma have identified force exertion to be an important risk factor. Lack of information on fatigue with precision gripping motivated this research to establish …

Development And Characterization Of Shock Tubes For Laboratory Scale Blast Wave Simulation, Aaron D. Holmberg

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in American soldiers exposed to a blast wave has created an urgent need to better understand the effects of blast wave insult to the head. Developing techniques that can experimentally simulate well controlled blast waves in a laboratory environment is a critical component of the research efforts towards this goal. For this work, a 4-in. cylindrical uniform shock tube and a nonuniform shock tube combining a 4-in. cylindrical gas driver with a 9-in. square driven section have been developed. The hosting laboratory, gas handling system, multichannel data acquisition systems, and the related network …

Hydraulic Conductivity, Infiltration, And Runoff From No-Till And Tilled Cropland, Jessica H. Deck

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

Infiltration and runoff are important processes that affect the efficiency of center pivot irrigation systems. No-till planting systems potentially influence the hydraulic properties of soils and the soil surface conditions. The result of long-term use of no-till could be higher infiltration and lower runoff from rainfall and irrigation.

This potential was investigated in Nebraska on two center pivot irrigated sites; Fillmore County and Phelps County, one furrow irrigated site; South Central Agriculture Laboratory (SCAL), and one dryland site; Rogers Farm. Paired treatments were used at each location, one that was no-till planted and one that used two to three operations …

An Investigation Of Sustainable Environmental Practices And Consumer Attitudes & Behaviors Toward Hotel Bathroom Amenities, Edward James Bobbett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the 1980s hotel operators became concerned with greening and sustainability. It was at this time the hospitality industry began focusing on energy efficiency and the sustainable development of tourism (Chan & Lam, 2001; Welford, Ytterhus, & Eligh, 1999). Since then, a global trend has emerged as hotels introduce programs to reduce the amount of resources used and the overall environmental impact they have on the planet, or their carbon footprint. The hospitality industry has introduced programs such as recycling in both the front and back of the house, energy-efficient lighting, towel re-use programs, linen exchange programs, Green Certifications, and …

Renewable Source Thermoplastics, Travis Palmer Ball

Master's Theses

This thesis is concerned with developing renewable resource thermoplastic materials to replace existing non-renewable or possibly hazardous industry standard products.

Cerenol TPU Incorporation

Dupont has recently developed a renewable source Polyol (Cerenol) which is derived from 1,3 propane diol processed from corn feeds. This material, which is a three carbon ether repeat unit, is in the pre-commercial stage and is meant to directly compete with petroleum based polyols as a drop-in replacement in thermoplastic polyurethanes. A model kinetic study was performed to compare relative reactivity of the Cerenol polyol to standard four carbon repeat unit petroleum-based polyol ether (PTMEG). A …

Design Charts For Retaining Walls In Seismic Areas, Yingwei Wu, Shamsher Prakash

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Retaining walls have failed either by sliding away from the backfill or due to combined action of sliding and rocking displacements, during earthquakes. Performance based design of the retaining walls in seismic areas must account for the likely displacements, in addition to calculating the usual factors of safety against failure in bearing, sliding and overturning. a realistic model for estimating dynamic displacement has been developed, which accounts for the combined action of sliding and rocking and takes into consideration, non-linear soil stiffness in sliding, and rocking, geometrical and material damping in sliding, and rocking, and coupling effects. This model was …

Evaluation Of Compacted Silt Characteristics By Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Testing, Desislava Z. Slavova, David M. Weidinger, Adam F. Sevi, Louis Ge

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Unintrusive measurement of field modulus and moisture content of roadway subgrade and fill materials greatly enhances field control during construction. Establishing a measurement method in a laboratory setting provides an initial assessment of a tool's possible usefulness in the field. an ultrasonic test system was used in this research in order to determine the wave velocities of cylindrical soil specimens in a laboratory setting in support of a Briaud Compactive Device (BCD) research project. the BCD is a non-destructive test method that can quickly determine soil modulus both in the laboratory and the field. Cylindrical soil samples of silt were …

Augmented Epa With Augmented Efie Method For Packaging Analysis, Zuhui Ma, Lijun Jiang, Wengcho Chew, Maokun Li, Zhiguo Qian

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

It is evident that the low frequency full wave electromagnetic modelling is necessary for IC packaging analysis. Considering the complexity, it is very difficult to solve the whole problem directly. Even though the domain decomposition method is a legitimate approach for these types of problems, the domain decomposition method based on the equivalence principle has the low frequency breakdown issue. In this paper, we developed a low frequency augmented equivalence principle algorithm (AEPA) with the augmented electric field integral equation (AEFIE) for packaging and IC analysis. On the equivalence surfaces, not only the electric current and the magnetic current, but …

Modeling And Simulation Of Jp-8 Fuel Based Hybrid Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System, Kalyan Nishtala

Theses

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) are solid state energy conversion devices that operate at high temperatures (800 to 1000 ±C). Their inherent advantage of fuel flexibility, tolerance to impurities, faster chemical kinetics with non precious catalyst materials and capability of supporting bottoming cycle components make them an attractive proposition for energy generation in comparison to other fuel cell technologies. To assist the advancement of this technology, this work develops dynamic, computer-based, mathematical models of an Auto-thermal reformer (ATR) based SOFC system with Jet Propellant-8 as the fuel to the ATR. Limitations in the existing models of SOFC systems lie in …

Frequency-Domain Turbo Detection For Ldpc-Coded Single-Carrier Mimo Underwater Acoustic Communications, Longbao Wang, Jun Tao, Chengshan Xiao, T. C. Yang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a frequency-domain detection scheme for single-carrier multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) underwater acoustic (UWA) communication using low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. the new scheme employs turbo equalization technology together with iterative decoding technique, leading to a double-layer turbo detection structure. in the outer-layer turbo equalization, a soft-decision frequency-domain equalizer (FDE) iteratively exchanges soft information with the soft-decision LDPC channel decoder. within each outer-layer iteration, the LDPC decoder performs inner-layer iterative decoding with sum-product algorithm. the new scheme achieves excellent detection performance attributing to the double layers of iterative operation, which has been tested by experimental data measured in two undersea …

Oversampled Ofdm Detector For Mimo Underwater Acoustic Communications, Jun Tao, Jingxian Wu, Yahong Rosa Zheng, Chengshan Xiao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, an oversampled orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) detector is proposed for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. with simple time-domain oversampling and frequency-domain signal processing, the new oversampled OFDM (OOFDM) detector can achieve multipath diversity that is unavailable in a conventional uncoded OFDM system, while maintaining the similar complexity as the conventional OFDM system. the new OOFDM detector can be directly applied to the received OFDM signals without changing the structure of the OFDM transmitter. the proposed MIMO OOFDM detector has been tested by field trial data collected in the SPACE08 experiment launched near Martha's Vineyard, …

Equivalent Circuit Models For Evaluation Of Bandgap Limits For Planar Electromagnetic Bandgap Structures, Francesco De Paulis, Leo Raimondo, Antonio Orlandi, Liehui Ren, Jun Fan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this work different physic based equivalent lumped element circuits models representing planar EBG structures are developed. their results, in terms of evaluation of the lower and upper limits of the bandgap, are compared with a three-dimensional simulation considered as reference. Guidelines for the use of these models for their use in planar EBG design are developed. ©2010 IEEE.

Nanowire Based Materials And Architectures As Anodes For Li-Ion Batteries., Praveen Meduri 1982-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Energy independence requires that the nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil imports. This can be achieved through electrification of transportation vehicles if proper battery technology can be developed. In addition, the renewable energy sources such as solar and wind tend to be intermittent with time scales ranging from seconds to hours. So, a suitable energy storage technology is essential for integrating renewable sources for base load generation. Lithium ion battery technology is promising; however, the big challenge limiting its widespread implementation is with capacity, durability and safety. A dramatic advancement is needed in terms of materials used for both …

Role Of Eukaryotic Sel-1 Like Repeat Containing Genes In Helicobacter Pylori Evolution And Pathogenesis., Kalyani Putty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) establishes life-long gastric infection in billions of humans, and is often responsible for diseases such as peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. Cumulative actions of genetic drift and natural selection over several millennia sculpted the present Hp population structure, which is characterized by extreme genetic diversity and striking geographic clustering of genotypes. Natural selection is more commonly imprinted in DNA sequences of Hp proteins that interact with host components; however, in most instances biological relevance of selection during Hp infection remains unknown. Here, I attempted to elucidate the consequence of natural selection in two different contexts: (1) …

Dynamic Probe Positioning Within Peer-To-Peer Networks For Mining Contraband File Exchanges., Derek Reese

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Peer-to-peer networks have been growing in popularity over the past decade. There have been many new innovations that greatly improve access to a wide variety of content. This expanded capability combined with a strong sense of anonymity has given rise to increased proliferation of illicit content. In particular the increase in child pornography has been a growing concern in the United States and other countries. Thus law enforcement is motivated to find improved means for finding those sharing this material online. Due to the dynamic and expansive nature of peer-to-peer networks, there is a need to develop methods that allow …

Cultivating Our Mosaic : Understanding The Language Choices Of Canadian Immigrant Students., Julia E. Kiernan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the competing views of multilingualism that shape U.S. and Canadian post-secondary literacy education. Drawing on education, English studies, globalization theory, applied linguistics, translation studies, multiculturalism, and second-language studies, this project engages in a study of multilingual students from writing courses at a Canadian university. The analysis focuses on the relationships between Canadian multilingualism and current U.S. scholarship surrounding English monolingualism in terms of eradicationism, language segregation, and language interaction. The findings challenge previous research and popular opinion, as well as Canadian government policy, all of which tend to designate Canadian classrooms and society as definitively accepting of …

Implementation Of A Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard System., Kristopher L. Kumler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many dedicated-use computer systems sold as complete products require a turn-key design delivered to the customer. This requires a system which is stable, secure, and serviceable. Adaptability of the system to existing software applications is a key consideration for many vendors. This thesis attempts to establish and gather best practices for designing, configuring, and building a Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 2009 system. An existing real-world system will be used as a case study and example implementation. The end result will be a relatively compact, secure, and efficient Microsoft Windows Operating System image to support the target software application.

A Generic Framework For Context-Dependent Fusion With Application To Landmine Detection., Ahmed Chamseddine Ben Abdallah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For complex detection and classification problems, involving data with large intra-class variations and noisy inputs, no single source of information can provide a satisfactory solution. As a result, combination of multiple classifiers is playing an increasing role in solving these complex pattern recognition problems, and has proven to be a viable alternative to using a single classifier. Over the past few years, a variety of schemes have been proposed for combining multiple classifiers. Most of these were global as they assign a degree of worthiness to each classifier, that is averaged over the entire training data. This may not be …

Development Of A Simulation And Evaluation Environment For A Traffic Flow Analysis System., Peter Bernhardt 1973-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A system for analysis of the traffic flow on public streets and highways through the use of Floating Car Data (FCD) relies completely on the number of simultaneously contributing vehicles, a fact that is no barrier for the phases of conception and development but poses a serious issue for the testing of such a system. Especially for smaller institutions or companies where the ability and resources to field the required number of participants is not given which in turn leads to the need for computational support to substitute the use of real vehicles by simulation. This thesis focuses on the …

Assessment And Performance Of Vsn-Inv Normalization On The Nci-60 Microrna Expression Profiles., Martin T. Disibio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multiple normalization methods have been proposed for the analysis of microRNA microarray expression profiles but there is no consensus method. One of the more robust methods, quantile normalization, is commonly used in transcript (mRNA) studies and was therefore used for normalizing the first microRNA expression profiles of the NCI-60 cell panel, published in 2007. In this study the appropriateness of VSN-Inv, a recently proposed alternative normalization method, to the NCI-60 dataset is verified. VSN-Inv normalization results in much increased inter-sample correlations among control groups, and significantly higher intra-chip correlations of duplicate probes, versus quantile and no normalization. Furthermore, VSN-Inv normalization …

Treatment Of Severe Aortic Stenosis : Experimental Design, Testing, And Analysis Of An Aortic Valve Bypass Apical Cannula., Joel Douglas Graham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aortic Valve Bypass surgery has found renewed interest to researchers due to its application in high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. This therapy consists of construction of a conduit containing a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve from the apex of the left ventricle to the descending thoracic aorta. Blood is ejected from the left ventricle via both the native stenotic aortic valve and the conduit. This thesis proposes a design for one of the least developed components of this system, the cannula component that sits inside the left ventricle and allows for flow of blood from the left ventricle and into …

Seeking A Spiritual Home For Women : A Comparative Study Of Chen Ran's And Amy Tan's Fictions., Jing He 1979-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With increasing cross-cultural infiltrations and accelerated interflows among people of all nationalities in this globalized world, the focus of comparative literature has experienced a shift from traditional Eurocentric cannons to a broader space incorporating literary works from marginalized cultures in its exploration of both particularities and commonalities. This dissertation aims to address the loss and reconstruction of women's self-identities as reflected in the fictions of contemporary Chinese woman writer Chen Ran and Chinese American woman writer Amy Tan. Drawing ideas from identity theories and postmodern feminist theories, the author compares the major motifs, rhetorical devices and writing strategies of the …

Molecular Engineering Design Of The Sapo-34 And Zif-8 Membranes For Co2 Separation From Ch4 And N2., Surendar Reddy Venna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The separation of C02 from light gases is a very important environmental and energy issue. The state-of-the-art process for the purification of C02 uses amine adsorption, which is a complex, and costly. Membrane technology is far less expensive and requires less energy consumption. Although polymeric membranes can separate CO2, high pressures plasticize them and decrease their separation ability considerably. Zeolite membranes have significant advantages over traditional polymeric membranes, such as high thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability. Furthermore, the development of superior performance membranes for gas mixture separations requires novel materials with fundamentally different structural, adsorption and transport properties than those …

Project: Love Yours, Wei Hsiao

Theses

Project: Love Yours is a graduate thesis project that examined the importance of emotional attachments to product longevity in the context of problems where our material culture is distant and disposable. Through research memory was identified as an influential factor in attachment formation. By incorporating the philosophical concept of imperfection as a design strategy to stimulate the process of memory building, three concept solutions were developed. The design implementation in four product prototypes proves to be successful in encouraging memories to grow within each product. As ownership continues over the years, we can anticipate memories to accumulate and build up …

Statistical Channel Modeling Of Wireless Shallow Water Acoustic Communications From Experiment Data, Jian Zhang, Jesse Cross, Yahong Rosa Zheng

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper analyzes statistical characteristics of underwater acoustic channels estimated by ocean experimental data. the baseband complex channel impulse responses (CIRs) are estimated by a time-domain least square method with sliding windows applied to long probing sequences. the probability density functions (PDF) of the real part, imaginary part, magnitude, and phase of the CIR are evaluated, and the two sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test is used to measure fitness of the magnitude PDF to the Gamma, Rayleigh, and compound-K distributions. the second-order statistics of the channel are also investigated in terms of autocorrelation function, channel coherence time, and scattering function. the experimental …