Determining the Most Vital Arcs within a Multi-Mode Communication Network Using Set-Based Measures

Technology has dramatically changed the way the military has disseminated information over the last fifty years. The Air Force has adapted to the change by operating a network with various ways to disseminate information. The Air Operating Center (AOC) is a large contributor to disseminating information in the Air Force. When the standard mode of sending information is disrupted, the AOC seeks both alternative ways available to send information and long term approaches to decrease vulnerability of its standard procedures. In this thesis, we seek to identify and quantify the most vital components within a multi-mode communications network via a combination of a set-based efficiency and set-based cost efficiency measures that utilize the all pairs shortest path (APSP) problem and minimum cost flow (MCF) problem. We capture the phenomenon that network components must work together to provide flow by examining how the network performs when sets of arcs are disrupted. We run 125 different computational experiments examining varying degrees of damage experienced by the network. From these results, we deduce insights into the characteristics of the most vital arcs in a multi-mode communication network which can inform future fortification decisions

Integrating population biology into conservation management for endangered Nassau grouper Epinephelus striatus

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Groupers are a phylogenetically diverse group and include many ecologically and economically valuable predatory marine fishes that have experienced drastic population declines. Reproduction via spawning aggregations increases the vulnerability of grouper species such as Nassau grouper Epinephelus striatus to overfishing, and this is likely to be a major contributing factor to population declines. However, the lack of information pertaining to population structure and dynamics of Nassau grouper spawning aggregations has impeded effective ecosystem-based fisheries management for remaining stocks. Worldwide, The Bahamas has the largest number of known Nassau grouper spawning aggregations, yet very little is known about the overall status of groupers in the region. Landings of Nassau grouper in The Bahamas have declined by 86% in the last 20 years from a peak of 514 t in 1997. Available data suggest that existing management measures are failing in their attempts to prevent further declines. Effective management strategies are urgently needed that balance ecological and socioeconomic considerations to enable a sustainable Nassau grouper fishery. This review provides an analysis of the reproductive and population biology of Nassau grouper and a suggested framework to direct future research efforts for enhancing conservation management of this endangered marine fish species.Financial support was provided to K.D.S. from the Shirley Oakes Butler (Overseas) and (Bahamian) Charitable Trust via the Lyford Cay Foundation and the East Nassau Rotary Club Foundation and to C.P.D. by the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation and a grant to the Perry Institute for Marine Science by the Disney Conservation Fund’s Reverse The Decline Program

Master of Science in Computer Science

thesisIn today's IP networks, any host can send packets to any other host irrespective of whether the recipient is interested in communicating with the sender or not. The downside of this openness is that every host is vulnerable to an attack by any other host. We ob- serve that this unrestricted network access (network ambient authority) from compromised systems is also a main reason for data exfiltration attacks within corporate networks. We address this issue using the network version of capability based access control. We bring the idea of capabilities and capability-based access control to the domain of networking. CeNet provides policy driven, fine-grained network level access control enforced in the core of the network (and not at the end-hosts) thereby removing network ambient authority. Thus CeNet is able to limit the scope of spread of an attack from a compromised host to other hosts in the network. We built a capability-enabled SDN network where communication privileges of an endpoint are limited according to its function in the network. Network capabilities can be passed between hosts, thereby allowing a delegation-oriented security policy to be realized. We believe that this base functionality can pave the way for the realization of sophisticated security policies within an enterprise network. Further we built a policy manager that is able to realize Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) policy based network access control using capability operations. We also look at some of the results of formal analysis of capability propagation models in the context of networks

An Overview of the Rising Challenges in Implementing Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 is the fourth industrial revolution that was first introduced in Germany which then becomes a trend of future manufacturing industries. The Industry 4.0 also referred as the umbrella concept for new industrial paradigm which consists of a number of future industry characteristics, were related to cyber-physical systems (CPS), internet of things (IoT), internet of services (IoS), robotics, big data, cloud manufacturing and augmented reality. By adopting these technologies as the key development in more intelligent manufacturing processes including devices, machines, modules, and products, the process of information exchange, action and control will stimulate each other, subsequently to an intelligent manufacturing environment. However, in order to fully utilize the advantages of industry 4.0, there are some challenges that need to be overcome. This paper reviews the challenges in implementing Industry 4.0. The literatures found in this paper mainly from Google Scholar, Science Direct and Emerald. In short, the challenges can be imparted into seven major categories. There are data management and Integration, knowledge-driven, process, security, capital, workforce, and education

Circular Tutelage: a Sustainable Approach Toward Remediation and Enhancement of Endangered Areas

Nowadays, one of the most important topics in the public dialogue concerns the concept of sustainability and its application in everyday life, given the urgence to reduce or counteract the negative effects partly caused by human activities. Fighting poverty, eradicating hunger and malnutrition, increasing the quality of life, protecting and restoring biodiversity, ensuring access to energy sources are just some of the goals for sustainable development included in the United Nations Organization's 2030 Agenda. Every country is called to make its contribution to jointly face these great challenges, rising from the awareness that the planet's resources are limited, unequally distributed and their exploitation often involves the alteration of delicate environmental balances. In the present work, a very productive transitional area prone to suffer from pollution and dangerous algal blooms, has been studied in order to propose methodologies and solutions which, if adopted, can contribute not only to mitigate environmental damages but also to provide new tools that can contribute to the development of local populations in a circular economy perspective. In particular, research has been carried out aimed at the development of solutions for the environmental restoration of ecosystems threatened by human pressure, proposing highly circular and sustainable processes based on the use of biomass from wastes or by-products. The proposed production processes are aimed at exploiting and valorizing these wastes, avoiding the compromission of the hygiene and quality of the ecosystem. In addition to the environmental sustainability also the economic and social one are considered in the proposed solutions. The area is characterized by a semi-enclosed lagoon structure, depths of up to two meters, over 25 km2. This area alone is responsible for the production of 55% of all clams produced in Italy, with over fifty million euros in turnover; essentially a collective heritage for the cities and economies that depend precisely on mussel farming and supporting activities. In order to mitigate the effects related to the excessive presence of algal biomass in the area, a cost / benefit analysis was carried out to determine the possibility of exploit this biomass as a secondary raw material for the production of market goods such as biofuels, drugs, supplements, and much more. The possibilities for economic exploitations of the biomass would in fact make the collection of this component from the environment advantageous and would avoid negative phenomena in the aquatic environment. The feasibility of the proposed solutions was also accompanied by a foresight analysis in which possible social dynamics were considered which have led, in the past, to the failure of a project whose mission was to safeguard and improve the conditions of the lagoon. In order to carry out the feasibility study, in addition to the composition of the constituent elements of algae determination, their possible contamination by various classes of pollutants, whose presence could constitute an obstacle to their exploitation, was also studied. The thesis also considers another voluminous waste biomass present in the lagoon, namely byproduct seashells which constitute a process waste from the bivalves that are produced in the lagoon and which, unfortunately, are often illegally discharged into the canals or deployed in landfill and classified as special waste. Landfilling not only has an economic impact on small fishing businesses but also reduces the sustainability of aquaculture activities, which according to many, will be a key sector for development in the coming years. Hence, the shell of the clam essentially consists of calcium carbonate and can be used as a constituent of soil conditioners and fertilizers for agricultural purposes or as an adsorbent material in biofilters and in environmental bioremediation methodologies.Oggigiorno, una delle tematiche di maggior rilievo nel dialogo comune riguarda il concetto di sostenibilità e della sua applicazione nel quotidiano per rispondere all’esigenza di ridurre o contrastare vari effetti negativi in parte causati dalle attività umane. Contrastare la povertà, eradicare la fame e la malnutrizione, tutelare e ripristinare la biodiversità, sicurezza energetica, sono solo alcuni degli obiettivi per lo sviluppo sostenibile presenti nell’Agenda 2030 dell’Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite. Ogni Paese è chiamato a fornire il suo contributo per affrontare in comune queste grandi sfide, nate dalla consapevolezza che le risorse del pianeta sono limitate, distribuite iniquamente e il loro sfruttamento spesso comporta l’alterazione di delicati equilibri ambientali. Nel presente lavoro di tesi si è studiato un ecosistema di transizione molto produttivo, ma fragile, per proporre metodologie e soluzioni che se adottate possano contribuire non solo a mitigare i danni ambientali, ma anche a fornire nuovi strumenti che possano contribuire allo sviluppo delle popolazioni locali in un’ottica di economia circolare. In particolare, si sono effettuate ricerche orientate allo sviluppo di soluzioni per il ripristino ambientale di ecosistemi minacciati dalla pressione antropica, proponendo processi altamente circolari e sostenibili basati sull’utilizzo di biomasse provenienti da scarti o sottoprodotti. I processi produttivi proposti sono orientati a sfruttare e valorizzare questi scarti evitando che compromettano l’igiene e la qualità degli ecosistemi in cui essi sono presenti o in cui vengono riversati. In questo ambito si sono approfonditi argomenti propri della sfera sociale ed economica, per garantire oltre alla sostenibilità ambientale anche quella economica e sociale delle soluzioni proposte. La zona è caratterizzata da una struttura lagunare semichiusa, fondali profondi massimo due metri e complessivamente è uno specchio d’acqua di 25 km2. Quest’area sola è responsabile per la produzione del 55% di tutte le vongole prodotte in Italia, con oltre cinquanta milioni di euro di volume d’affari; sostanzialmente un patrimonio collettivo per le città e le economie che dipendono appunto dalle attività di mitilicoltura e dalle attività consortili e coadiuvanti. Allo scopo di mitigare gli effetti legati alla presenza eccessiva di biomassa algale nella zona, si è svolta una analisi costi / benefici per determinare la possibilità di sfruttare al meglio tale biomassa come materia prima seconda per la produzione di oggetti e beni di consumo, come biocombustibili, farmaci, integratori e tanto altro. La possibilità di sfruttare economicamente la biomassa renderebbe infatti vantaggiosa la raccolta di questa componente dall’ambiente. La realizzabilità delle soluzioni proposte è stata inoltre corredata da un’analisi in previsione in cui si sono considerate possibili dinamiche sociali che hanno portato, in passato, al fallimento di un progetto che aveva la missione di salvaguardare e migliorare le condizioni della laguna. inoltre, è stata studiata la composizione degli elementi costitutivi di alghe e anche la loro possibile contaminazione da parte di varie classi di inquinanti la cui presenza potrebbe costituire un ostacolo per il loro sfruttamento. Nella tesi viene inoltre considerata anche un’altra voluminosa biomassa di scarto presente nella laguna, “il capulerio” che costituisce uno scarto di lavorazione dei bivalvi prodotti. Lo smaltimento in discarica non solo incide economicamente sulle piccole imprese di pescatori, ma riduce la sostenibilità delle attività di acquacultura. In un’ottica di sostenibilità e circolarità, il guscio delle conchiglie è costituito da carbonato di calcio e può trovare impiego come costituente di ammendanti e fertilizzanti per scopi agricoli o come materiale adsorbente in biofiltri e in altre metodologie di bioremediazione ambientale

3D in vitro-based alternative approaches to ecotoxicity assessment

Given bioethics and the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) principle, reliable test platforms are required due to the increased presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the ecosystem. However, typical fish cell cultures show numerous limitations compared to primary cells. Therefore, there is a demand to develop novel systems for reproductive toxicity assessments as alternatives to animal testing. In this thesis, a zebrafish liver (ZFL) cell line was applied to three-dimensional (3D) cell culture techniques including in silico systems. The 3D structure of the zebrafish estrogen receptor was generated to evaluate modes of action upon estrogenic chemical exposure. The integration of the in silico model and in vitro platforms provided valuable tools for screening EDCs. Besides, 3D ZFL spheroids exhibited increased gene expressions in liver functions and vitellogenin levels compared to monolayer cells. The use of hydrogels and nanofibers regulated intercellular organization and physiological function and compensated for the shortcomings in the spheroid culture. These findings suggest the engineering of novel 3D platforms shows promise as alternative tools that are useful for further eco-environmental assessment. Therefore, the current studies have yielded robust alternative platforms to animal and primary cells for identifying potential EDCs. These approaches can contribute to reducing the experimental use of animals under the 3Rs principle.Angesichts der Bioethik, dem 3R-Prinzip (Replacement, Reduction, und Refinement) und des Bestehens endokrin aktive Substanzen (EASs) im Ökosystem sind Testplattformen notwendig. Typische Fischzellkulturen weisen im Vergleich zu Primärzellen Limitierungen auf. Daher besteht Bedarf an der Entwicklung neuartiger Systeme für Reproduktionstoxizitätsbewertungen als Alternative zu Tierversuchen. In dieser Doktorarbeit wurde eine Zebrafischleber-Zelllinie auf 3D-Zellkulturtechniken, samt in-silico Systeme eingesetzt. Die 3D-Struktur des Zebrafisch-Östrogenrezeptors wurde generiert, um Wirkungsweisen unter dem Einfluß von östrogenen Chemikalien auszuwerten. Die Integration des in silico Modells und in vitro Plattformen ergaben wertvolle Werkzeuge für das Screening von EASs. 3D Sphäroide zeigten im Vergleich zu Monoschichtzellen eine erhöhte leberspezifische Genexpression und Vtg Konzentrationen. Die Nutzung von Hydrogelen und Nanofasern regulierte die interzelluläre Organisation und physiologische Funktion und kompensierte die Mängel in der Sphäroidkultur. Diese Resultate deuten darauf hin, dass die Entwicklung neuartiger 3D-Plattformen ein vielversprechender Ansatz ist und für weitere Öko-Umweltbewertungen lohnend sind. Die vorgelegte Arbeit zeigt, dass die erzeugte, robuste, alternative Plattformen zu tierischen und primären Zellen es ermöglicht EASs zu identifizieren. Diese Ansätze können dazu beitragen die experimentelle Nutzung von Tieren nach dem 3R-Prinzip zu reduzieren

Proceedings of 2009 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

This conference was planned and conducted as part of the state water resources research annual program with the support and collaboration of the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, under Grant Agreement Number 06HQGR0087. The views and conclusions contained in this document and presented at the symposium are those of the abstract authors and presenters and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government or other symposium organizers and sponsors

Tsunamis from source to coast

Tsunami disasters pose a significant threat to coastal communities. In the last decades, tsunamis caused enormous destruction and exceeding 250000 fatalities. International efforts led to sig-nificant advances in tsunami science and research, but recent events demonstrated some limi-tations. Thus, it is essential to increase our knowledge of the source to coast tsunami phenom-enon. A better understanding of potential tectonic structures and other generation mechanisms is needed, especially in complex geologic domains or where sources are unknown. Furthermore, we need to improve Tsunami Warning Systems (TWSs) to provide timely alerts for communi-ties in the near field. Therefore, potential tsunamigenic sources in the diffuse plate boundary setting and the near field of the southwest Iberian margin (SWIM) are investigated. For the March 31, 1761, trans-atlantic tsunami, numerical modelling has been used to propose a structure that agrees with tsunami travel times, tsunami observations, macroseismic data, and kinematic plate modelling. Since there exists a description of a tsunami for the November 11, 1858, Sétubal earthquake, its source has been investigated using macroseismic analysis. The analysis suggests a local structure in a compressive regime with weak to moderate tsunamigenic potential. Future tsu-nami hazard assessments need to include the sources of the investigated events. To quickly estimate the tsunami impact, the Tsunami Runup Predictor (TRP), an empirical source-to-coast method to instantly provide first-order estimates of the tsunami runup based on waveform parameters has been developed. The TRP is helpful for emergency managers and evacuation planning for near-field events. Moreover, the author of this thesis contributed to the tsunami impact assessment of September 28, 2018, Palu tsunami, where tsunamis generated by multiple sources caused runup heights up to 9.2 m. However, for local sources, tsunami warning remains challenging; thus, communities need to be prepared how to respond appropriately to earthquakes and tsunamis with or without warning

Highly migratory shark fisheries research by the National Shark Research Consortium (NSRC), 2002-2007

The National Shark Research Consortium (NSRC) includes the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory, the Pacific Shark Research Center at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the Shark Research Program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida. The consortium objectives include shark-related research in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the U.S., education and scientific cooperation