Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Identifying Social Media Users That Are Susceptible To Phishing Attacks, Zoe Metzger

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Phishing scams are a billion-dollar problem. According to Threatpost, in 2020, business email compromise phishing attacks cost the US economy $ 1.8 billion. Social media phishing scams are also on the rise with 74% of companies experiencing social media attacks in 2021 according to Proofpoint. Educating users about phishing scams is an effective strategy for reducing phishing attacks. Despite efforts to combat phishing, the number of attacks continues to rise, likely indicative of a reticence of users to change online behaviors. Existing research into predicting vulnerable social media users that are susceptible to phishing mostly focuses on content analysis of …

Achieving Equitable Offshore Wind Development: Lessons From European Stakeholders, Kacey Hirshfeld

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Biden Administration has set aggressive offshore wind energy goals, aiming to have 30 gigawatts of offshore energy in place by 2030. This amount of energy has the potential to power 10 million homes (White House, 2022), helping the administration to reach larger clean energy goals. In Virginia, Dominion Energy aims to have 2.6 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2026, enough to power up to 660,000 homes (Dominion Energy).

While the upcoming offshore wind energy development will create clean energy and green jobs, the ocean is no longer an open field for development and already supports a complex matrix …

Development Of 3d And 360 Gis-Based Models To Visualize Projected Sea Level Rise In Coastal Virginia, Candice M. Vinson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Science communication is a skill that can be strengthened with practice. Like any skill, it helps to know what you need to practice in order to get better at it. When presenting information to an audience, the skill of science communication comes into play as early as the first draft of a presentation. As you think about how you will tell your story to the audience, you likely consider including text on slides, images, graphs, maps, or even videos. However, it is crucial to remember that accessibility barriers are something we must often consciously work to rid our presentations of, …

Voting Rules And Properties, Zhuorong Mao

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis composes of two chapters. Chapter one considers the higher order of Borda Rules (Bp) and the Perron Rule (P) as extensions of the classic Borda Rule. We study the properties of those vector-valued voting rules and compare them with Simple Majority Voting (SMV). Using simulation, we found that SMV can yield different results from B1, B2, and P even when it is transitive. We also give a new condition that forces SMV to be transitive, and then quantify the frequency of transitivity when it fails.

In chapter two, we study the `protocol paradox' of approval voting. In approval …

Environmental Justice In The Elizabeth River Watershed: Exploring The Utility Of Environmental Justice Screening Tools, Julianna M. Ramirez

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Environmental Justice (EJ) movement has long highlighted the disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards experienced by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and low-income communities across the country. Environmental practitioners have recently focused on utilizing EJ screening tools, which combine environmental and social data to visualize vulnerable communities, to begin to address environmental injustice rampant in BIPOC and low-income communities. This project explores EJ theoretical frameworks and the historical context of social oppression and environmental pollution in the Elizabeth River watershed (ERW) of Virginia to: 1) understand the social, political, and economic context behind environmental injustice; and 2) generate goals …

“Garden-Magic”: Conceptions Of Nature In Edith Wharton’S Fiction, Jonathan Malks

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I situate Edith Wharton’s guiding idea of “garden-magic” at the center of my thesis because Wharton’s fiction shows how a garden space could naturalize otherwise inadmissible behaviors within upper-class society while helping a character tie such behavior to a greater possibility for escape. To this end, Wharton situates gardens as idealized touchstones within the built environment of New York City, spaces where characters believe they can reach self-actualization within a version of nature that is man-made. Actualization, in this sense, stems from a character’s imaginative escape that is enabled by a perception of the garden as a kind of natural …

Contentious Vulnerability: Infrastructure, Assemblages, And Environmental Justice Communities, Mads Emmett

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Charles City County, Virginia has been the target of several large developmental proposals in recent years. Two of these proposed projects, the C4GT and Chickahominy natural gas power stations, have faced opposition from residents of Charles City County and people across the state who are concerned about the environmental impacts and health risks associated with fossil fuel infrastructure. These proposed power plants are part of an extensive assemblage of infrastructure: an uneven built network of physical and affective relationships brought together through contingencies which involves human and non-human parts and facilitates the distribution of resources and people around the world …

Filling In The Gaps: Applications Of Deep Learning, Satellite Imagery, And High Performance Computing For The Estimation And Distribution Of Geospatial Data, Seth Goodman

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Many regions around the world suffer from a lack of authoritatively-collected data on factors critical to understanding human well-being. This challenges our ability to understand the progress society is making towards reducing poverty, improving lifespans, or otherwise improving livelihoods. A growing body of research is exploring how deep learning algorithms can be used to produce novel estimates of sparse development data, and how access to such data can impact development efforts. This dissertation contributes to this literature in three parts. First, using Landsat 8 satellite imagery and data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, convolutional neural networks …

Gis & Middle Earth, Robert A. Rose

Arts & Sciences Open Educational Resources

Did Frodo take the best path to destroy the One Ring?

With the right spatial data layers and utilizing the power of a geographic information system, a least cost path analysis could reveal whether there was a better route that Frodo could have taken from the Shire to Mount Doom to destroy the ring of power.

After several years of development, the Center for Geospatial Analysis at William & Mary, has developed an extensive list of GIS layers of Middle Earth, including a 50 meter elevation model, roads, rivers, realms and many others. These data formed the basis for an …

Human Dimensions Of A Participatory, Collaborative Modeling Process - Oysterfutures, Taylor Dawn Goelz

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Participatory, collaborative modeling processes represent a unique decision-making technique within natural resources management that allows for the combination of stakeholder involvement with the analytical and predictive power of scientific models. The continued use of participatory modeling within decision-making processes depends in part upon the willingness of stakeholders to participate. Continued participation of stakeholders is key to the persistence and overall success of these processes, and yet limited information exists concerning the impacts of these processes on participants. The consideration of human dimensions advances our understanding of the design and function of participatory modeling processes, including their ability to create consensus …

Human Induced Cyclical Erosion Due To Altered Sediment Bypassing Mechanisms Of A Barrier Island And The Resultant Impact On The Housing Market, Andrew R. Fallon

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Large-Scale Storm Surge And High-Resolution Sub-Grid Inundation Model For Coastal Flooding Applications: A Case Study During Hurricane Sandy, Jon Derek Loftis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Coastal inundation initiated via storm surge by hurricanes and nor'easters along the U.S. East Coast is a substantial threat to residential properties, community infrastructure, and human life. During and after the storm, compounding with heavy precipitation and upland drainage, inundation can be caused by the combination of storm surge and river-induced inland flooding in various locations throughout the coastal plain. Thus, coastal inundation can be expanded from the open coast upstream into the tributaries of the New York Bay including the Hudson and East River systems. Given the cross-disciplinary nature of the dynamics (encompassing hydraulics, oceanography, and hydrology), and the …

Methylmercury Exposure Affects Risk-Taking Behaviors In Zebra Finches: Tradeoffs Between Eating And Being Eaten, Megan Elizabeth Kobiela

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

A Case Study In The Effectiveness Of Marine Protected Areas (Mpas): The Islands Of Bonaire And Curacao, Dutch Caribbean, Noelle J. Relles

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The islands of Bonaire and Curacao, Dutch Caribbean, were both mapped along their leeward coasts for dominant coral community and other benthic cover in the early 1980s. This mapping effort offers a unique baseline for comparing changes in the benthic community of the two islands since that time, particularly given the marked differences between the two islands. Bonaire is well-protected and completely surrounded by a marine protected area (MPA), which includes two no-diving marine reserves; additionally, Bonaire's population is only around 15,000. In contrast, the island of Curacao is home to 140,000 inhabitants and marine protection is limited, with a …

The Consequences Of Shoreline Development For Near-Shore Communities In Chesapeake Bay, Usa: A Before-After Control-Impact Study, Theresa M. Davenport

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Hardened shorelines and their construction introduce stressors to a system by altering near-shore habitats. They can reduce biodiversity and abundance of benthic infauna and marsh-edge nekton and epifauna. In this study, I investigated the impacts of shoreline development on near-shore communities using a temporal and spatial approach, by use of a before-after control-impact (BACI) study design at four sub-estuaries within Chesapeake Bay that represent three different types of shoreline change. The BACI study was used to examine infaunal density, biomass, and diversity for two size classes of infauna (3-mm: larger species and adults, 500-!m: smaller species and juveniles), as well …

Rogue Fishermen: Codfish, Atlantic Items, And The Isles Of Shoals, Megan Victor

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Observations Of Storm Morphodynamics Using Coastal Lidar And Radar Imaging System (Claris): Importance Of Wave Refraction And Dissipation Over Complex Surf-Zone Morphology At A Shoreline Erosional Hotspot, Katherine L. Brodie

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Elevated water levels and large waves during storms cause beach erosion, overwash, and coastal flooding, particularly along barrier island coastlines. While predictions of storm tracks have greatly improved over the last decade, predictions of maximum water levels and variations in the extent of damage along a coastline need improvement. In particular, physics based models still cannot explain why some regions along a relatively straight coastline may experience significant erosion and overwash during a storm, while nearby locations remain seemingly unchanged. Correct predictions of both the timing of erosion and variations in the magnitude of erosion along the coast will be …

Accounting For Undesirable Outputs In Productivity Measurements: Application To The California-Oregon Drift Gillnet Fishery, Tara L. Scott

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Many production activities typically produce undesirable outputs, e.g., the production of the pollutant sulfur dioxide in the generation of electricity. Traditional economic metrics may overstate the efficiency and productivity of these production activities by failing to account for the undesirable outputs. These omissions can lead to conclusions that are biased against resource conservation and protection. Many fisheries capture their target species concomitantly with undesirable outputs such as bycatch of juvenile fish, marine mammals, sea birds, and sea turtles. One such fishery is the California-Oregon (CA/OR) drift gillnet fishery (DGNF), which incidentally takes protected species, such as sea turtles and marine …

Modeling Shoreline Change And Resulting Wetland Response Due To Erosion And Sea-Level Rise: A Case Study In Dorchester County, Maryland, Mirtha Karinna Nunez

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The present study was focused on developing a shoreline change forecast and wetland response model for Dorchester County, MD, to evaluate the vulnerability of wetlands to shoreline erosion and inundation due to relative sea level rise. The model considers the following forces involved in wetland stability and sustainability: inundation (as a function of topography and sea-level rise), shoreline erosion, vertical accretion and horizontal migration. To predict the long-term risk to nearshore wetlands and the potential habitat zone for wetlands in the next 50 years, shoreline change due to inundation and erosion/accretion was assessed within the frameworks of two-dimensional and three-dimensional …

Building Efficient Wireless Infrastructures For Pervasive Computing Environments, Bo Sheng

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Pervasive computing is an emerging concept that thoroughly brings computing devices and the consequent technology into people's daily life and activities. Most of these computing devices are very small, sometimes even "invisible", and often embedded into the objects surrounding people. In addition, these devices usually are not isolated, but networked with each other through wireless channels so that people can easily control and access them. In the architecture of pervasive computing systems, these small and networked computing devices form a wireless infrastructure layer to support various functionalities in the upper application layer.;In practical applications, the wireless infrastructure often plays a …

An Interoperable And Secure Architecture For Internet-Scale Decentralized Personal Communication, David Alan Bryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Interpersonal network communications, including Voice over IP (VoIP) and Instant Messaging (IM), are increasingly popular communications tools. However, systems to date have generally adopted a client-server model, requiring complex centralized infrastructure, or have not adhered to any VoIP or IM standard. Many deployment scenarios either require no central equipment, or due to unique properties of the deployment, are limited or rendered unattractive by central servers. to address these scenarios, we present a solution based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standard, utilizing a decentralized Peer-to-Peer (P2P) mechanism to distribute data. Our new approach, P2PSIP, enables users to communicate with minimal …

Quantifying The Overwash Component Of Barrier Island Morphodynamics: Onslow Beach, Nc, Amy C. Foxgrover

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A quantification of the role that barrier island overwash plays in the evolution of Onslow Beach, a barrier island located on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is presented. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and sediment vibracores provide an estimate of the relevant-sand prism above a silty/peat contact underlying the island. The average thickness from the surface, as determined from lidar, to this geologically-defined base, is less than 1 m and equates a total volume of approximately 1.8 ± 1.1 × 106 m3 over the 4.8 km stretch of Onslow Beach from 1 km north of the New River Inlet to …

Variability In Geologic Framework And Shoreline Change: Assateague And Wallops Islands, Eastern Shore Of Virginia, Geoffrey L. Wikel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

International Trade In Seafood And Related Products: An Assessment Of U.S. Trade Patterns, James E. Kirkley, John M. Ward, Christopher M. Moore, Christopher Hayes, Brian Hooker, John Walden

Reports

No abstract provided.

Predicting Future Shoreline Condition Based On Land Use Trends, Logistic Regression, And Fuzzy Logic, Lynne M. Dingerson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The lower Chesapeake Bay and adjacent coastal waters serve as the primary summer nursery areas for juvenile sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The large population of juvenile sandbar sharks in this ecosystem benefits from increased food availability that fuels rapid growth and from limited exposure to large shark predators. Juvenile growth and survival is the most critical life history stage for sandbar sharks, and juvenile nursery grounds will continue to play an important role in the slow recovery of this stock from severe population declines due to overfishing. The goal of this study was to assess …

Socioeconomic Effects Of Area Management And The Potential For Community-Based Co-Management: A Case Study Of The Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery, Winifred L. Ryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Community concerns regarding natural resource management may be addressed in several forms. The community may participate as part of the public in the management process; community concerns may be included in social impact assessment; and communities may directly participate as managers of resources whether on their own or in conjunction with higher levels of government. In fisheries, typically community concerns are addressed through social impact assessment which is perceived to be lacking in social theory, history, and often effect (Boggs 1994, Little and Krannich 1989). More recent activity and newer regulations show success with co-management, a management regime of shared …

An Analysis Of Wetland Patterns And Functions At The Watershed And Sub-Watershed Scales, With *Policy Applications, Jennifer Newton Bissonnette

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This dissertation addresses the need to define potential impacts of recent and proposed changes in federal wetland regulation in a quantifiable manner. Consideration was made not only of total wetland acreage and wetland types that could sustain losses, but also to categorize the effect such losses would have in terms of wetland functions, at the watershed scale. This work took a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach, and included employing a best-professional judgment model for scoring habitat, water quality and flood attenuation functions to determine potential cumulative impacts; a water quality study which related wetland and watershed variables to nutrient and …

Use Of Remote Sensing To Identify Essential Habitat For Aeschynomene Virginica (L) Bsp, A Threatened Tidal Freshwater Wetland Plant, Elizabeth M. Mountz

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Urbanization And Land Use On Pah Accumulation In Wetland Sediments, Kimani L. Kimbrough

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The relationship between wetland polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations and adjacent land use was assessed using surface sediments, sediment cores and global information systems (GIS) in the Elizabeth River, Virginia, an urbanized subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay. Wetlands adjacent to parking lots and petroleum industrial sites exhibited the highest PAH concentrations of all land uses in surfaces sediment and historically. Automobile and coal are the dominant sources of PAHs in wetland sediments historically as determined by relative concentration, fingerprinting and source specific compounds. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test used to compare sixteen surface sediment sites based on land use …

Coastal Zone Landscape Classification Using Remote Sensing And Model Development, Kevin R. Slocum

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Coastal zone landscape characterization and empirical model development were evaluated using multi-spectral airborne imagery. Collectively, four projects are described that address monitoring and classification issues common to the resource management community. Chapter 1 discusses opportunities for remote sensing. Chapter 2 examines spectral and spatial image resolution requirements, as well as training sample selection methods required for accurate landscape classification. Classification accuracy derived from 25nm imagery with 4m pixel sizes outperformed 70nm imagery with 1m pixel sizes. Eight natural and five cultural landscape features were tested for classification accuracy. Chapter 3 investigated the ability to characterize 1m multispectral imagery into rank-ordered …