Identity Theft Prevention Measures for State Unemployment Benefits Offices: A Case Study of Workforce West Virginia

Identity theft continues to pose an increasingly complex problem for government benefits offices. The purpose of this study was to explore the environmental factors that affected a state unemployment benefits office’s ability to reduce identity theft. Current research focused on protecting information systems’ hardware, software, and related infrastructure, focusing on cyberattacks such as phishing, Trojan horses, or illegal access. The U.S. government focuses on informing the consumer and assisting small businesses through risk assessments, strategic plans, and regulations for cybersecurity. Researchers have not conducted a thorough investigation of the environment that makes state government benefit offices susceptible to identity theft. The theoretical framework for this study was open systems theory using the six dimensions of digital governance. The research question involved the identification of the barriers to a state unemployment benefits office’s ability to reduce identity theft. A qualitative case study approach concentrated on the external environmental factors that affect the system. Data collection included documents, archival records, and artifacts from multiple sources. The outcome of this research may help to inform state governments to improve policies and procedures by providing administrative, operational, and technical controls. This study has implications for positive social change to inform efforts to reduce human costs (identity theft) and financial costs (government program fraud and individual recovery)

Master of Science

thesisQuantification of groundwater-surface water exchange and the role of hyporheic flow in this exchange is increasingly of interest to a wide range of disciplines (e.g., hydrogeology, geochemistry, biology, ecology). The most direct method to quantify groundwater-surface water exchange is a seepage meter, first developed in the 1940s. Widespread use of the traditional 1970s-era 55-gallon half-barrel seepage meter has shown that the method is subject to potential errors, particularly in flowing waters (e.g., streams, rivers, tidal zones). This study presents two new direct seepage measurement devices, the Shelby tube and the seepage blanket, designed to minimize potential measurement errors associated with flowing surface waters. The objective of the study is to develop and test the new methods by comparing results (specific discharge, hydraulic conductivity, and dissolved constituent concentration) to established methods. Results from both laboratory and field testing suggest that the new devices have utility in quantifying the water and dissolved constituent exchange between surface water and groundwater

Shifting the Quantum-Classical Boundary: Theory and Experiment for Statistically Classical Optical Fields

The growing recognition that entanglement is not exclusively a quantum property, and does not even originate with Schr\"odinger's famous remark about it [Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc. 31, 555 (1935)], prompts examination of its role in marking the quantum-classical boundary. We have done this by subjecting correlations of classical optical fields to new Bell-analysis experiments, and report here values of the Bell parameter greater than ${\cal B} = 2.54$. This is many standard deviations outside the limit ${\cal B} = 2$ established by the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell inequality [Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 880 (1969)], in agreement with our theoretical classical prediction, and not far from the Tsirelson limit ${\cal B} = 2.828...$. These results cast a new light on the standard quantum-classical boundary description, and suggest a reinterpretation of it.Comment: Comments and Remarks are warmly welcome! arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1406.333

Multicolour Entanglement

The entanglement of squeezed light beams is critical for quantum optical applications, but has so far been achieved with only two light beams. Now, researchers have surpassed this restriction and achieved entanglement with three beams of different colours. They also report a finite loss level for disentanglement of one beam from the other two

Community College Developmental Education Services: Perspectives of Spanish-Speaking Latino Early Childhood Educators

The purpose of this single case study was to understand the perceptions of Latino Spanish-speaking English learners on the efficacy of developmental education services at a western United States community college. The conceptual frameworks used in the investigation included critical theory related to human emancipation, social learning theory aligned to second language acquisition, and contemporary adult learning theories. The goal of the investigation was to understand how students used and perceived the developmental education services to transition from Spanish language instruction to English coursework. Research questions focused on how the developmental education services contributed to the successful completion of the child development practicum for Latino Spanish-speaking English learners. The primary data collection method was in-depth individual interviews of a purposeful sample of 9 successful students. Data were transcribed, coded, and themes were developed based on the components of the conceptual frameworks. Findings indicated that participants relied on Spanish instruction for comprehensible context, but needed consistent education support services and information from a culturally responsive institution in a language they understood. The results prompted the development of a multicultural introduction to college course designed to facilitate access to developmental education services. Implications for social change include developing curriculum to inform Spanish-speaking English learners in the community college system and remediating the shortage of qualified Latino preschool teachers in the community, thereby providing positive role models for young Latino children

Shifting the Quantum-Classical Boundary: Theory and Experiment for Statistically Classical Optical Fields

The growing recognition that entanglement is not exclusively a quantum property, and does not even originate with Schrödinger’s famous remark about it [Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 31, 555 (1935)], prompts the examination of its role in marking the quantum-classical boundary. We have done this by subjecting correlations of classical optical fields to new Bell-analysis experiments and report here values of the Bell parameter greater than ℬ=2.54. This is many standard deviations outside the limit ℬ=2 established by the Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt Bell inequality [Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 880 (1969)], in agreement with our theoretical classical prediction, and not far from the Tsirelson limit ℬ=2.828…. These results cast a new light on the standard quantum-classical boundary description, and suggest a reinterpretation of it

NASA Cube Quest Challenge: Citizen Inventors Advance CubeSats into Deep Space on 2018 EM-1 Mission

Cube Quest Challenge, sponsored by Space Technology Mission Directorate\u27s Centennial Challenges program, is NASA\u27s first in-space prize competition. Cube Quest is open to any U.S.-based, nongovernment CubeSat developer. Entrants will compete for one of three available 6U CubeSat dispenser slots on the EM-1 mission - the first un-crewed lunar flyby of the Orion spacecraft launched by the Space Launch System in early 2018. The Cube Quest Challenge will award up to $5M in prizes. The advanced CubeSat technologies demonstrated by Cube Quest winners will enable NASA, universities, and industry to more quickly and affordably accomplish science and exploration objectives. This paper describes the teams, their novel CubeSat designs, and the emerging technologies for CubeSat operations in deep space environment. Over a 2-year development period, teams demonstrate progress and vie for one of three available dispenser slots on NASA\u27s SLS vehicle through a series of ground-based competitions called Ground Tournaments . The first Ground Tournament (GT-1) was conducted in August of 2015. The remaining three events are at roughly 6-month intervals. Judges assess the team\u27s designs and mission plans for technical excellence and compliance with rules and safety requirements. The top three winners of the fourth Ground Tournament, scheduled for March 2017, will be selected for integration with the SLS vehicle. After being dispensed in a trans-lunar injection trajectory, the three competing CubeSats will boldly go where no CubeSat has operated before, to compete at the moon and well beyond. The in-space competition is also open to qualified teams that can procure their own launch. There are two competition tracks: Lunar Derby requires teams to successfully achieve and maintain a lunar orbit, while the Deep Space Derby will be conducted only after CubeSats have achieved a range of over 4M km from Earth. Once in either lunar orbit or beyond 4M km, teams will attempt to achieve or exceed communications data goals (rates and data volume over time), to survive the longest (up to a year), and to successfully communicate from the farthest distance (for the Deep Space Derby). To survive in deep space and demonstrate the rigor needed to operate at the moon or beyond and attempt prizes, teams will have to push the envelope of CubeSat capabilities. Teams will have to demonstrate advancements in propulsion in order to get into lunar orbit, in navigation without GPS or Earth\u27s magnetic field, in reliability, in fault tolerance and radiation hardening to survive and operate in deep space beyond the Van Allen belts, and in long distance communications capabilities that no CubeSat has previously demonstrated. Twelve teams of citizen inventors registered for GT-1 and ten for GT-2. About two thirds of the competitors are from academia, while the remaining teams are small companies. At GT-1 there was one high school team and a team comprised of one individual engineer. Cube Quest is open to any team at no charge. Teams develop CubeSats on their own time without government support

Measurement master equation

We derive a master equation describing the evolution of a quantum system subjected to a sequence of observations. These measurements occur randomly at a given rate and can be of a very general form. As an example, we analyse the effects of these measurements on the evolution of a two-level atom driven by an electromagnetic field. For the associated quantum trajectories we find Rabi oscillations, Zeno-effect type behaviour and random telegraph evolution spawned by mini quantum jumps as we change the rates and strengths of measurement.Comment: 14 pages and 8 figures, Optics Communications in pres