ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE COMPUTING AGE

The utilization of computer technology applied to historical artifact investigation has opened a number of locked doors despite numerous concerns by critics. Through the use of computer technology, both scientist and historians now have the ability to perform in-depth investigations into aspects surrounding various questionable historical occurrences. However, some critics feel the application of computer technology could bring unwanted answers to some historically significant events. In this paper I will introduce my research by initially giving a brief background into the evolution of computer technology applied to historical investigation. Through the explanation of various technological tools of the trade, I will attempt to justify computing technology’s practicality through examples such as; finding lost history, science vs. religion, solving mystery, and historical preservation

Identifying environmental and forensics aspects of human spaceflight mishaps through extreme case study analysis: Lessons for future human spaceflight mishap investigators and technical authorities

This study is an in-depth analysis and case study of human spaceflight fatalities, studying the forensic data, engineering data, and spaceflight environment that separates spaceflight mishaps when compared to other mishaps, but most especially to aviation mishaps. Because the Federal Aviation Administration will be charged with certifying commercial private spaceflights, and the National Transportation Safety Board will be charged with the investigation of private spaceflight mishaps, this information will be critical to future investigators as well as future spacecraft technical developers and engineers. The study will use the qualitative method of Case Study using extreme cases in which fatalities occurred. Cross-case comparison will be undertaken for identification of trends in human spaceflight mishaps, and then comparison of the spaceflight findings to the known literature of aviation mishaps will allow for identification of commonality or disparity between the two populations

Estrogen Signaling and Endocrine Disruption Potential in the Embryonic Development of the Female Reproductive Tract of the American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis

Perturbation of endocrine signaling during critical embryonic developmental windows has been implicated in many female reproductive system disorders. Reproductive tract anomalies in women exposed in utero to synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol, prescribed as a miscarriage preventative, provided some of the first evidence for this “embryonic origins of adult disease” paradigm and suggested a role for estrogen signaling in female reproductive tract (FRT) differentiation. Developmental studies of FRT in other vertebrates have great value in furthering our understanding of embryonic origins of reproductive disorders. The alligator is a particularly intriguing model as an environmental sentinel species with temperature dependent sex determination, which allows for controlled manipulation of sexual differentiation in laboratory experiments. The signals involved in determining regionally specific cell fates in FRT of alligators and other crocodilians are not yet known, but multiple studies in their closest extant evolutionary relative, birds, underscore the role of estrogen signaling in this process. Here I seek to characterize the role of estrogen signaling in the developing alligator FRT. I treated alligator embryos with estradiol-17β (E2) and pharmaceutical agonists that are selective for their two estrogen receptor isoforms, ERα and ERβ. The ERα agonist, propyl pyrazole triol (PPT), induced significant enlargement of the developing FRT, compared with controls and E2 and ERβ agonist treatments. Histological analysis revealed precocious glandulogenesis and connective tissue differentiation similar to mature FRT in these enlarged tissues. PPT treatment also altered expression of steroid hormone receptors and growth factor IGF1. Further experiments assessing this

Drones, Signals, and the Techno-Colonisation of Landscape

This research project is a cross-disciplinary, creative practice-led investigation that interrogates increasing military interest in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). The project’s central argument is that painted visualisations of normally invisible aspects of contemporary EMS-enabled warfare can reveal useful, novel, and speculative but informed perspectives that contribute to debates about war and technology. It pays particular attention to how visualising normally invisible signals reveals an insidious techno-colonisation of our extended environment from Earth to orbiting satellites

Program and Proceedings: The Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1880-2023. 142th Anniversary Year. One Hundred-Thirty-Third Annual Meeting April 21, 2023. Hybrid Meeting: Nebraska Wesleyan University & Online, Lincoln, Nebraska

AERONAUTICS & SPACE SCIENCE Chairperson(s): Dr. Scott Tarry & Michaela Lucas HUMANS PAST AND PRESENT Chairperson(s): Phil R. Geib & Allegra Ward APPLIED SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SECTION Chairperson(s): Mary Ettel BIOLOGY Chairpersons: Lauren Gillespie, Steve Heinisch, and Paul Davis BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES Chairperson(s): Annemarie Shibata, Kimberly Carlson, Joseph Dolence, Alexis Hobbs, James Fletcher, Paul Denton CHEM Section Chairperson(s): Nathanael Fackler EARTH SCIENCES Chairpersons: Irina Filina, Jon Schueth, Ross Dixon, Michael Leite ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Chairperson: Mark Hammer PHYSICS Chairperson(s): Dr. Adam Davis SCIENCE EDUCATION Chairperson: Christine Gustafson 2023 Maiben Lecturer: Jason Bartz 2023 FRIEND OF SCIENCE AWARD TO: Ray Ward and Jim Lewi

An Empirical Examination of Frontal Sinus Outline Variability Using Elliptic Fourier Analysis: Implications for Identification, Standardization, and Legal Admissibility

The comparison of frontal sinus radiographs for positive identification has become an increasingly applied and accepted technique among forensic anthropologists, radiologists, and pathologists. However, the current method of outline comparison by visual assessment fails to meet evidence admissibility guidelines as set forth in the 1993 case of Daubert v. Merrell-Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Specifically, no empirical testing of the uniqueness of frontal sinus outlines has ever been performed, there has been no evaluation of the probability of misidentification using the technique, there are no standards controlling the technique’s operation, and there are no subjective standards for confirming or rejecting a putative identification. Despite the fact that identifications based upon frontal sinus radiograph comparisons have been routinely accepted by scientists, medical examiners and law enforcement officers, these shortcomings could pose serious problems if forensic scientists were ever called upon to testify regarding such an identification in trial. This study investigated frontal sinus outline variability using Elliptic Fourier Analysis (EFA), a geometric morphometric approach that fits a closed curve to an ordered set of data points, generating a set of coefficients that can be treated as shape descriptors used as variables in discriminatory or other multivariate analyses, or used to reproduce the outline. By modeling 2-dimensional representations of frontal sinuses (as seen in posterior-anterior cranial radiographs) as closed contours by digitizing their outer borders, differences in their shapes were assessed quantitatively by comparing the Euclidean distances between the EFA-generated outlines. The probability of misidentification was assessed using likelihood ratios and posterior probabilities based on the EFA coefficients. Results showed that there is a quantifiable and significant difference between the shapes of different individuals’ frontal sinus outlines as represented by Euclidean distances, since distances between outlines of different individuals were shown to be significantly larger than those between replicates (simulated antemortem and postmortem) of the same individual. Likelihood ratios using EFA coefficients showed that the probability of a frontal sinus match given the correct identification versus the probability of a match from the population at large was very high, and therefore the probability of misidentification was very low. This study concluded that for individuals with sufficiently remarkable frontal sinus outlines, using EFA coefficients of digitized frontal sinus outlines to estimate the probability of a correct identification, and thereby confirm or reject a presumptive identification, is a reliable technique. Given these results, EFA comparison of frontal sinus outlines is recommended when it may be necessary to provide quantitative substantiation for a forensic identification based on these structures

Cyber-Physical Threat Intelligence for Critical Infrastructures Security

Modern critical infrastructures can be considered as large scale Cyber Physical Systems (CPS). Therefore, when designing, implementing, and operating systems for Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), the boundaries between physical security and cybersecurity are blurred. Emerging systems for Critical Infrastructures Security and Protection must therefore consider integrated approaches that emphasize the interplay between cybersecurity and physical security techniques. Hence, there is a need for a new type of integrated security intelligence i.e., Cyber-Physical Threat Intelligence (CPTI). This book presents novel solutions for integrated Cyber-Physical Threat Intelligence for infrastructures in various sectors, such as Industrial Sites and Plants, Air Transport, Gas, Healthcare, and Finance. The solutions rely on novel methods and technologies, such as integrated modelling for cyber-physical systems, novel reliance indicators, and data driven approaches including BigData analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Some of the presented approaches are sector agnostic i.e., applicable to different sectors with a fair customization effort. Nevertheless, the book presents also peculiar challenges of specific sectors and how they can be addressed. The presented solutions consider the European policy context for Security, Cyber security, and Critical Infrastructure protection, as laid out by the European Commission (EC) to support its Member States to protect and ensure the resilience of their critical infrastructures. Most of the co-authors and contributors are from European Research and Technology Organizations, as well as from European Critical Infrastructure Operators. Hence, the presented solutions respect the European approach to CIP, as reflected in the pillars of the European policy framework. The latter includes for example the Directive on security of network and information systems (NIS Directive), the Directive on protecting European Critical Infrastructures, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Cybersecurity Act Regulation. The sector specific solutions that are described in the book have been developed and validated in the scope of several European Commission (EC) co-funded projects on Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), which focus on the listed sectors. Overall, the book illustrates a rich set of systems, technologies, and applications that critical infrastructure operators could consult to shape their future strategies. It also provides a catalogue of CPTI case studies in different sectors, which could be useful for security consultants and practitioners as well