Accessible Remote Testbed for Cyber-Physical Systems Security of the Smart Grid

With growing concerns for cyber security of critical infrastructures like the power grid, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) security testbeds are essential in providing controlled testing environments for evaluating and validating novel CPS security tools and technologies, thereby accelerating the transition of research to industrial practice. The engineering of such testbeds requires significant investments in money, time and modeling efforts to provide a scalable, high-fidelity, realistic attack/defense platform. Therefore, there is a strong need in research community, academia and industry to create remotely accessible testbeds that enable access to a broader user community through frameworks that support a range of use-cases such as vulnerability assessments, impact analysis, product testing, attack-defense exercises, and operator training. This thesis will focus on remote access framework that has been implemented on PowerCyber - CPS security testbed for Smart Grid at Iowa State University. Firstly, this thesis introduces the motivation for enabling remote access on PowerCyber by reviewing state-of-the-art work in the area along with engineering challenges. Secondly, the thesis elaborates on fundamental building blocks that enable remote experimentation, such as the front-end user interface, backend experiment automation and also describes the architecture, overall design flow and story-board constructs of the remote access framework. Thirdly, the thesis describes a case study of coordinated cyber-attack/defense experimentation on a wide-area power system protection scheme called Remedial Action Scheme using PowerCyber remote access framework. Details of how the remote access framework facilitated diverse user community engagement is included with survey results, use-case studies and user feedback. Finally, the thesis concludes by identifying future work to broaden the scope and features of PowerCyber remote access framework developed.</p

Molecular modelling of epitope presentation using membrane protein OmpC

294-297<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:="" en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-IN">Three-dimensional models of the chimeric S. typhi OmpC protein carrying an epitope from rotavirus VP4 capsid protein on either of two exposed loops ( fourth and sixth) were constructed separately, using computer-aided homology modelling. The theoretical model of S. typhi OmpC was used as a template. The monomers were initially energy minimized. The trimers were generated for both ihe chimeric S. typhi OmpC proteins and the structures were optimized after several cycles of minimization. The surface accessibility calculations for the resulting models show that epitope recognition should be more effective in the fourth loop than in the sixth loop. in accordance with the experimental results on the immunogenic nature of the rotaviral epitope inserted into the two putative loops of S. typhi OmpC.</span

Meiosis in elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) (Poaceae, Poales) and their interspecific hybrids

The cultivated and sexually compatible species Pennisetum purpureum (elephant grass, 2n = 4x = 28) and Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet, 2n = 2x = 14) can undergo hybridization which favors the amplification of their genetic background and the introgression of favorable alleles into breeding programs. The main problem with interspecific hybrids of these species is infertility due to triploidy (2n = 3x = 21). This study describes meiosis in elephant grass x pearl millet hybrids and their progenitors. Panicles were prepared according to the conventional protocol for meiotic studies and Alexander’s stain was used for assessing pollen viability. Pearl millet accessions presented regular meiosis with seven bivalents and high pollen viability. For elephant grass, 14 bivalents in diakinesis and metaphase I were observed. The BAG 63 elephant grass accession, derived from tissue culture, presented a high frequency of meiotic abnormalities. The three hybrid accessions presented a high frequency of abnormalities characterized by irregular chromosomal segregation which resulted in the formation of sterile pollen