BLOCKGRID: A BLOCKCHAIN-MEDIATED CYBER-PHYSICAL INSTRUCTIONAL PLATFORM

Includes supplementary material, which may be found at https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/66767Blockchain technology has garnered significant attention for its disruptive potential in several domains of national security interest. For the United States government to meet the challenge of incorporating blockchain technology into its IT infrastructure and cyber warfare strategy, personnel must be educated about blockchain technology and its applications. This thesis presents both the design and prototype implementation for a blockchain-mediated cyber-physical system called a BlockGrid. The system consists of a cluster of microcomputers that form a simple smart grid controlled by smart contracts on a private blockchain. The microcomputers act as private blockchain nodes and are programmed to activate microcomputer-attached circuits in response to smart-contract transactions. LEDs are used as visible circuit elements that serve as indicators of the blockchain’s activity and allow demonstration of the technology to observers. Innovations in networking configuration and physical layout allow the prototype to be highly portable and pre-configured for use upon assembly. Implementation options allow the use of BlockGrid in a variety of instructional settings, thus increasing its potential benefit to educators.Civilian, CyberCorps: Scholarship for ServiceApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite

Conversion to a microcomputer-based accounting system

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_comm/1117/thumbnail.jp

Embedded Systems Based on Open Source Platforms

Ways and possibilities for design, implementation and application of microcomputer-based embedded systems using open source hardware and software platforms are considered, proposed and described. It is proposed to use open source hardware and software microcomputer-based technologies for design and implementation of embedded systems in many practical needs and applications. Main advantages and possibilities of application and implementation of such embedded systems are considered and described. Two practically designed and implemented systems performing needed data acquisition and control are presented and described. Used technologies for realization of the systems and embedded applications of the solutions are described. Open source microcomputer boards, appropriate sensors, actuators and additional electronics are used for implementation of the systems hardware. Open source tools and programs and LINUX operating system are used for implementation of the systems software. Modular approach is applied in the systems design and realization. Easy system expandability, simplifying maintenance and adaptation of the system to user requirements and needs are enabled with such approach. Balance between functionality and cost of the systems was also achieved. Optimization according to user requirements and needs, low consumption of electrical energy and low cost of the system are main advantages of such systems compared with standard embedded systems. These systems are optimized and specialized systems for specific needs and requirements of users

Distributed expert systems for ground and space applications

Presented here is the Spacecraft Command Language (SCL) concept of the unification of ground and space operations using a distributed approach. SCL is a hybrid software environment borrowing from expert system technology, fifth generation language development, and multitasking operating system environments. Examples of potential uses for the system and current distributed applications of SCL are given

Mirage: A Novel Multiple Protein Sequence Alignment Tool

A fundamental problem in computational biology is the organization of many related sequences into a multiple sequence alignment (MSA) [2]. MSAs have a range of research applications, such as inferring phylogeny [22] and identifying regions of conserved sequence that indicate functional similarity [18]. In the case of protein isoforms, MSAs are valuable tools for transitively annotating post-translational modifications (PTMs) by enabling information transfer between known PTM sites and the sites that they align to [11]. For protein MSA tools, one challenging biological phenomenon is alternative splicing, wherein identical genomic sequence will differentially select from a subset of available coding regions (exons), depending on the biochemical environment [21]. Traditional methods struggle to align the islands of non-homologous sequence produced by alternative splicing, and frequently compensate for the penalties incurred from aligning non-identical characters by aligning small pieces of relatively similar sequence from alternative exons in a way that avoids extreme gap penalties but falsely indicates sequence homology. Presented here is Mirage, a novel protein MSA tool capable of accurately aligning alternatively spliced proteins by first mapping proteins to the genomic sequence that encoded them and then aligning proteins to one another based on the relative positions of their coding DNA. This method of transitive alignment demonstrates an awareness of intron splice site locations and resolves the problems associated with alternative splicing in traditional MSA tools