Showing papers by "Florida Polytechnic University published in 2015"

Tiered guidance for risk-informed environmental health and safety testing of nanotechnologies

Abstract: Provided the rapid emergence of novel technologies containing engineered nanomaterials, there is a need to better understand the potential environmental, health, and safety effects of nanotechnologies before wide-scale deployment. However, the unique properties of nanomaterials and uncertainty regarding applicable test methods have led to a lack of consensus regarding the collection and evaluation of data related to hazard and exposure potentials. Often, overly conservative approaches to characterization and data collection result in prolonged, unfocused, or irrelevant testing, which increases costs and delays deployment. In this paper, we provide a novel testing guidance framework for determining whether a nanotechnology has the potential to release material with nano-specific parameters that pose a risk to humans or the environment. The framework considers methods to categorize nanotechnologies by their structure and within their relevant-use scenarios to inform testing in a time- and resource-limited reality. Based on the precedent of dredged sediment testing, a five-tiered approach is proposed in which opportunities are presented to conclude testing once sufficient risk-related information has been collected, or that the technology in question does not require nano-specific scrutiny. A series of screening stages are suggested, covering relevant aspects including size, surface area, distribution, unique behaviors, and release potential. The tiered, adaptive guidance approach allows users to concentrate on collecting the most relevant data, thus accelerating technology deployment while minimizing risk.

Anomaly Behavior Analysis System for ZigBee in smart buildings

Abstract: Smart Building (SB) exploits advances in information and communication technologies in order to provide the next generation of information and automation services that will significantly reduce operational costs and improve performance and efficiency. SB elements are typically interconnected using short range wireless communication technologies such as ZigBee, which is the most used wireless communication protocol for SBs. However, ZigBee protocol has multiple vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cyberattacks. In this paper, we present an Anomaly Behavior Analysis System (ABAS) for ZigBee protocol to be used in SBs. Our ABAS can detect both known and unknown ZigBee attacks with a high detection rate and low false alarms. Additionally, after detection, our system classifies the attack based on the impact, origin, and destination. We evaluate our approach by launching many attack scenarios such as DoS, Flooding, and Pulse DoS attacks, and then we compare our results with other intrusion detection systems such as secure HAN, signature IDS, and specification IDS.

A probabilistic approach for pediatric epilepsy diagnosis using brain functional connectivity networks.

Abstract: The lives of half a million children in the United States are severely affected due to the alterations in their functional and mental abilities which epilepsy causes. This study aims to introduce a novel decision support system for the diagnosis of pediatric epilepsy based on scalp EEG data in a clinical environment. A new time varying approach for constructing functional connectivity networks (FCNs) of 18 subjects (7 subjects from pediatric control (PC) group and 11 subjects from pediatric epilepsy (PE) group) is implemented by moving a window with overlap to split the EEG signals into a total of 445 multi-channel EEG segments (91 for PC and 354 for PE) and finding the hypothetical functional connectivity strengths among EEG channels. FCNs are then mapped into the form of undirected graphs and subjected to extraction of graph theory based features. An unsupervised labeling technique based on Gaussian mixtures model (GMM) is then used to delineate the pediatric epilepsy group from the control group. The study results show the existence of a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001) between the mean FCNs of PC and PE groups. The system was able to diagnose pediatric epilepsy subjects with the accuracy of 88.8% with 81.8% sensitivity and 100% specificity purely based on exploration of associations among brain cortical regions and without a priori knowledge of diagnosis. The current study created the potential of diagnosing epilepsy without need for long EEG recording session and time-consuming visual inspection as conventionally employed.

Investigating Young Children's Use of Reading Strategies: A Longitudinal Study.

Abstract: In this three-year study, the authors examined the reading strategy use of 16 primary-grade students as they read fiction and expository text. The students (9 boys and 7 girls) represented low, average, and above-average readers. Structured interviews and observational data were collected each year as they progressed from first to third grade. Even though students dropped some strategies while beginning to use others, statistical analyses of the interview data revealed few statistical significant differences in the students’ reported strategy use. The data indicated there was alignment between students’ reported and observed strategy use. The analyses of the observational data also revealed the students had high accuracy percentages but low retelling scores.

A mechanistic study of the synthesis, single crystal X-ray data and anticarcinogenic potential of bis(2-pyridyl)selenides and -diselenides

Abstract: The reaction of bis(organyl)diselenide with a reducing agent, such as LiAlH4, NaBH4, Li(C2H5)3BH, etc., generally leads to cleavage of the Se–Se bond resulting in the formation of the corresponding organylselenols/selenolates. However, this work for the first time demonstrates the scisson of the C(pyridine)–Se bond in bis(2-pyridyl)diselenides with LiAlH4. The reaction affords analytically pure bis(2-pyridyl)selenides in near quantitative yields. The reaction pathway involves the formation of a selenated aluminato complex followed by the scission of the C(pyridine)–Se bond and generation of LiAlSeH2. The generation of LiAlSeH2 was established by experimental and NMR analysis. The mechanism of the reaction has been supported by theoretical analysis. Single crystal X-ray structure determination of bis(3-methyl-2-pyridyl)selenide (2e) was performed and it shows that the molecules are self-assembled in a 2D-network of C–H⋯N hydrogen bonds and π⋯π stacking interactions. The synthesized compounds were also evaluated against the Raji cancer cell line (acute lymphoid leukemia).

DNS-IDS: Securing DNS in the Cloud Era

Abstract: Recently, there has been a rapid growth in cloud computing due to their ability to offer computing and storage on demand, its elasticity, and significant reduction in operational costs. However, cloud security is a grand obstacle for full deployment and utilization of cloud services. In this paper, we address the security of the DNS protocol that is widely used to translate the cloud domain names to correct IP addresses. The DNS protocol is prone to attacks like cache poisoning attacks and DNS hijacking attacks that can lead to compromising user's cloud accounts and stored information. We present an anomaly based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) for the DNS protocol (DNS-IDS) that models the normal operations of the DNS protocol and accurately detects any abnormal behavior or exploitation of the protocol. The DNS-IDS system operates in two phases, the training phase and the operational phase. In the training phase, we model the normal behavior of the DNS protocol as a finite state machine and we derive the normal temporal statistics of how normal DNS traffic transition within that state machine and store them in a database. To bound the normal event space, we also apply few known DNS attacks (e.g. Cache poisoning) and store the temporal statistics of the abnormal DNS traffic transition in a separate database. Then we develop an anomaly metric for the DNS protocol that is a function of the temporal statistics for both the normal and abnormal transitions of the DNS by applying classification algorithms like the Bagging algorithm. During the operational phase, the anomaly metric is used to detect DNS attacks (both known and novel attacks). We have evaluated our approach against a wide range of DNS attacks (DNS hijacking, Kaminsky attack, amplification attack, Birthday attack, DNS Rebinding attack). Our results show attack detection rate of 97% with very low false positive alarm rate (0.01397%), and round 3% false negatives.

Effects of terrain variations in Wireless Sensor Network deployments

Abstract: This research highlights the need for more accurate wireless sensor network deployments (WSN) models to support decision-making. Specifically, it presents the effects of terrain variations on network connectivity in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) deployments. Through use of statistical hypothesis testing, visualization, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), results support significant difference in network connectivity when comparing deployment performance under ideal versus more practical or irregular terrains. These results point to the inadequacy of current simulation environments for supporting deployment decision-making, and point to the need for future research that that improves WSN performance via better deployment techniques.

2D LIDAR as a distributed interaction tool for virtual and augmented reality video games

Abstract: The current rise in augmented and virtual reality video games has created a need for immersive interactivity devices that do not interfere with game play Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems can be used to create very accurate 2D or 3D representations of an area We propose using an affordable 2D LIDAR system operating over a network as a method for interacting with a virtual or augmented reality environment A distributed haptic feedback system is also designed in order to provide feedback to the user of the system Both sets of devices communicate wirelessly with a central game server This allows the user to reach into a real world environment, and feel a response based upon interactions in the virtual environment in near real time

A process model for information retrieval context learning and knowledge discovery

Abstract: In this paper we take a fresh look at the information retrieval (IR) problem of balancing recall with precision in electronic document extraction. We examine the IR constructs of uncertainty, context and relevance, proposing a new process model for context learning, and introducing a new IT artifact designed to support user driven learning by leveraging explicit knowledge to discover implicit knowledge within a corpus of documents. The IT artifact is a prototype designed to present a small set of extracted documents from a targeted corpus based upon user inputted criteria. The prototype provides the user with the opportunity to balance exploration and exploitation, via iterative relevance feedback to address the problem of imprecision resulting from uncertainty. We model the problem as an exploration---exploitation dilemma and apply it to a specific case of IR called eDiscovery. We conduct a series of behavioral experiments to evaluate the model and the artifact. Our initial findings indicate that the proposed model and the artifact improve performance in the IR result.

Nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications

Abstract: 1Florida Polytechnic University, 4700 Research Way, Lakeland, FL 33805, USA 2The Polytechnic School, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA 3Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritanagar, Coimbatore 641112, India 4United Technologies Research Corporation, 411 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT 06118, USA 5Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA

Gaming, fitness, and relaxation

Abstract: A game was designed to encourage the player to exercise their physical and mental faculties through the use of wearable devices. The player would receive in-game benefits from curling and punching repetitions, meditating, and calm movement while wearing commercially available ECG and EEG devices.

Declarative cyber physical systems modeling to facilitate autonomous vehicles design

Abstract: Major challenges faced by connected intelligent vehicles, particularly autonomous vehicles, include complexity, dynamics, concurrency, timing, safety, security, and reliability. Among them, the complexity is the key factor for vehicle design. Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) are systems consisting of computational components and physical elements. In this paper a declarative CPS modeling framework is proposed such that autonomous vehicles can be articulately modeled to effectively overcome above challenges. A CPS is made up of sensing units in physical environment that input physical signals to control units, actuation units that alter the physical environment, and control units that sends optimized control signals to actuation units. The declarative CPS model can be used to unify the design of both cyber and physical components. This paper also compares the performance of two implementations of CPS sensing and actuation units: one using declarative networking, the other using imperative networking.

29 Hydrogen Energy

Abstract: Hydrogen is a good alternative to fossil fuels for the production, distribution, and storage of energy. Steam reforming of natural gas, or steam methane reformation (SMR), is one of the most developed and commercially used technologies for hydrogen production. Partial oxidation (POX) refers to the conversion of heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks into a mixture of H2, CO, and CO2 using superheated steam and oxygen. In the thermal path hydrogen can be produced in two ways: direct gasification and pyrolysis to produce liquid bio-oil, followed by steam reforming. Fossil fuels, electricity, biomass, and sunlight are four potential resources to use in H2 production. Photochemical and photoelectrochemical systems are currently at a very early stage of development. Hydrogen storage is essential, especially for the on-board vehicular applications that lead to a hydrogen-based economy. This chapter presents various hydrogen storage methods with respect to their physical and chemical phenomena. Keywords: biomass; hydrogen energy; hydrogen storage methods; partial oxidation (POX); steam methane reformation (SMR)