Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Measurement Of The Parameter Kappa, And Reevaluation Of Kappa For Small To Moderate Earthquakes At Seismic Stations In The Vicinity Of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, Glenn Biasi, John G. Anderson, Amy J. Smiecinski, Nevada Seismological Laboratory

Publications (YM)

We address two primary questions. First, what are the values of seismic spectral decay parameter kappa at stations on and around Yucca Mountain. Second, can small and/or moderate earthquakes provide estimates of kappa that are valid for conditions of strong ground motion.

Distributed Web Service Coordination For Collaboration Applications And Biological Workflows, Janaka Lalith Balasooriya

Computer Science Dissertations

In this dissertation work, we have investigated the main research thrust of decentralized coordination of workflows over web services. To address distributed workflow coordination, first we have developed “Web Coordination Bonds” as a capable set of dependency modeling primitives that enable each web service to manage its own dependencies. Web bond primitives are as powerful as extended Petri nets and have sufficient modeling and expressive capabilities to model workflow dependencies. We have designed and prototyped our “Web Service Coordination Management Middleware” (WSCMM) system that enhances current web services infrastructure to accommodate web bond enabled web services. Finally, based on core …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2007, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

U.S.-Korea Cooperative Research: Carbon Monoxide As A Substrate For Microbial Maintenance, Gary M. King

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Bacteria play an important role in the global budget of carbon monoxide (CO). Largely unknown bacterial populations in soils and the water column of aquatic systems oxidize hundreds of teragrams per year, or about 10%-20% of the estimated annual flux to the atmosphere. In spite of their biogeochemical significance, relatively little is known about the identity of CO-oxidizing populations active in situ, their phylogenic and physiological diversity or the importance of CO as substrate for their basic metabolic needs. of CO oxidizers. It is clear that CO at high concentrations (> 1000 ppm) can serve as a sole source of …

Improving Information Security Management In Nonprofit Organisations With Action, Mark Carey-Smith, Karen Nelson, Lauren May

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Information security is vital for protecting important assets of organisations, including the information resources and the organisation’s reputation. In Australia, the nonprofit sector makes a significant contribution to society but is under represented in the information security literature. This paper describes research in progress that is investigating and improving information security management in some nonprofit organisations (NPOs), which incorporates a participatory action research methodology. This approach will enhance the skill set likely to be present in Australian nonprofit organisations, producing a more sustainable solution, as well as contributing to the open literature. The Technology Acceptance Model will be utilised as …

Device- Versus Network-Centric Authentication Paradigms For Mobile Devices: Operational And Perceptual Trade-Offs, S. Karatzouni, N. L. Clarke, S. M. Furnell

Australian Information Security Management Conference

The increasing capability and functionality of mobile devices is leading to a corresponding increase in the need for security to prevent unauthorised access. Indeed, as the data and services accessed via mobile devices become more sensitive, the existing method of user authentication (predominately based upon Personal Identification Numbers) appears increasingly insufficient. An alternative basis for authentication is offered by biometric approaches; which have the potential to be implemented in a non-intrusive manner and also enable authentication to be applied in an ongoing manner, beyond initial point-of-entry. However, the implementation of any authentication mechanism, particularly biometric approaches, introduces considerations of where …

Intrusion Detection System (Ids) Techniques And Responses For Mobile Wireless Networks, Krishnun Sansurooah

Australian Information Security Management Conference

In recent years, the rapidly expanding area of mobile and wireless computing applications was definitely redefined the concept of network security. Even though that wireless had opened a new and exiting world with its advancing technology it is no doubt that it is popularity is on the rise. However, the biggest concern with either wireless or mobile computing applications in security. It can no longer be effective in the traditional way of securing networks with the use of firewalls and even with the use of stronger encryption algorithm keys. The need to develop and research for new structures and methods …

Medical Insecurity: When One Size Does Not Fit All, Patricia A. Williams

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Security is most commonly seen as a business concept. This is one reason for the poor uptake and implementation of standard security processes in non-business environments such as general medical practice. It is clear that protection of sensitive patient information is imperative yet the overarching conceptual business processes required to ensure this protection are not well suited to this context. The issue of sensitivity of information, together with the expectation that security can be effectively implemented by non-security trained professionals creates an insecure environment. The general security processes used by business, including those for risk assessment, are difficult to operationally …

Security Issues Within Virtual Worlds Such As Second Life, Chia Yao Lee, Matthew Warren

Australian Information Security Management Conference

The advancement in Internet and bandwidth has resulted in a number of new applications to be developed. An area of advancement has been in the development of virtual worlds, where people can interact together via virtual characters. Virtual World systems have been so complex that virtual lives can be lived, including all aspect of life such as education, commerce, social activities etc. Not surprisingly, the problems that exist in the real world such as theft, fraud, vandalism and terrorism, also exist in the virtual worlds. The more developed these virtual worlds become the greater the breaches of security will be …

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Exploration In The Rumford River

Watershed Access Lab Projects

The students of Qualters Middle School performed a study called “Benthic Macroinvertebrate Exploration in the Rumford River”. The study was conducted on October 16, 2007 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The study location consisted of one site located at 143 Chauncy Street.

The purpose of this study was to introduce benthic macroinvertebrates and their role as indicators for evaluating stream water quality. Students utilized state of the art methods and techniques during all aspects of this study.

The Rumford River is listed on the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) National Priority List (NPL). The river was polluted with dioxins, furans and phenols by …

Comparative Nutrient Data For Two Locations On The Marstons Mills River

Watershed Access Lab Projects

On October 30, 2007, we deployed water samplers at two locations along the Marstons Mills River: River Road and Hyrdo Dam/Route 28. We programmed a Sigma at each location to take a water sample each hour for 24 hours, to determine the amount of dissolved nutrients in the water in the course of one day. When compared to the discharge at each site, we found that the Hydro Dam location moved nearly 117 000 000 liters of water, 10 000 grams of phosphorus, and 25 000 grams of nitrogen-nitrate each day. Only a short distance upstream, the River Road location …

How Healthy Is Furnace Brook

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Located across the street from the High school is Furnace Brook. Mike Gilbert and I are conducting an independent Study to determine the relative health of the Furnace Brook. This small stream is a tributary of the South River in Marshfield, Ma. To access the health will we be using a macro-invertebrate biological index as our primary tool? We will also be conducting a riparian survey as well as both a stream profile and flow. To start with we scouted the watershed using both aerial photos and Google earth. After driving to several potential areas we designated three sample sites: …

Rumford River Monitoring Project

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Land use within a watershed can negatively impact water quality. Students investigated these impacts by collecting water samples at one sample site along the Rumford River at Route 123, Norton, MA. These samples were analyzed for phosphorus and nitrogen levels, as well as temperature and dissolved oxygen. Results of these tests are as follows:

The greatest potential impacts come from run off. Most of the land around the Rumford River has been developed for residential housing. These houses have septic systems for waste disposal. The TCP golf course is also located near the Norton Reservoir. Potential sources of nitrogen come …

Palmer River Water Discharge And Nutrient Study

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Can significant differences in Discharge and Nutrient concentration & load be determined or inferred for the Palmer River? Students studied 2 sites. These were located at Wilmarth Bridge Road (just off of Route 44) and at Reed Street (further south & downstream). Between the 2 sites are a few farms as well as a golf course. It is possible that runoff from these 2 sources has influenced the amount of phosphates &/or nitrates found in the Palmer River. Most Primary & Secondary habitat characteristics were the same for both sites; though Reed Street exhibited more variations

Students collected data on …

Rivernet Watershed Access Lab Program Overview - Dec. 2007, Kevin Curry

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Brief overview of the RiverNet Watershed Access program - its history and the achievements of the many participating teachers and students from throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

An Investigation Into The Usability Of Graphical Authentication Using Authentigraph, Paul Minne, Jason Wells, Damien Hutchinson, Justin Pierce

Australian Information Security Management Conference

There is increasing coverage in the literature relating to the different facets surrounding the security service of authentication, but there is a need for further research into the usability of graphical authentication. Specifically, the usability and viability of graphical authentication techniques for providing increased security needs to be further explored. There is a significant amount of evidence relating to traditional authentication techniques which highlight the fact that as technological advances grip modern societies, the requirement for more advanced authentication and security approaches increases. The exponential growth in the number of people using the Internet carries with it the high potential …

Information Security Surveys: A Review Of The Methodologies, The Critics And A Pragmatic Approach To Their Purposes And Usage, Alexis Guillot, Sue Kennedy

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Each year the latest information security surveys are released to the computing and business communities. Often their findings and their methodologies are subject to criticism from the information security community, professional bodies and others in the profession. This paper looks at the viewpoints of both the producers and the critics of the surveys. The criticisms cover such issues as the methodologies, the response rates, the experience of the respondents, the design of the questions and the interpretation of the results. This paper looks at these issues and discusses the validity of these criticisms, the impact of the surveys and their …

Network Security – Is Ip Telephony Helping The Cause?, Paul Hansen, Andrew Woodward

Australian Information Security Management Conference

The major players in the Public Branch Exchange (PBX) market are moving rapidly towards the implementation of IP Telephony. What will be the effect on network security overall? Will the push to IP Telephony damage the good work already devoted to security networks? As more doorways open up on our networks there is an increased chance we have opened another unseen vector for hackers and other malicious organisation or individuals to access the data stored on server and users workstations, corrupting that data or destroying it. Is it better from a security perspective to have IP telephony only between PBX …

A Comprehensive Firewall Testing Methodology, Murray Brand

Australian Information Security Management Conference

This paper proposes an all encompassing test methodology for firewalls. It extends the life cycle model to revisit the major phases of the life cycle after a firewall is in service as foundations for the tests. The focus of the tests is to show that the firewall is, or isn’t, still fit for purpose. It also focuses on the traceability between business requirements through to policy, rule sets, physical design, implementation, egress and ingress testing, monitoring and auditing. The guidelines are provided by a Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP). The methodology is very much process driven and in keeping …

Increasing Security In The Physical Layer Of Wireless Communication, Luke Golygowski

Australian Information Security Management Conference

This paper introduces a concept of increasing securing in the Physical layer (PHY) of wireless communication. It gives a short description of current status of wireless standards and their security. Despite the existence of advanced security protocols such as IEEE 802.11i or WLAN VPNs, wireless networks still remain vulnerable to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks aiming at PHY and Data Link Layers. The new solution challenges the problems with the currently defined PHY and Data Link layers. The concept introduced here, holds a promise of descending with some of the security measures to the lower layers of the TCP/IP and in this …

Network Security Devices And Protocols Using State Model Diagrams, C. Nuangjamnong, D. Veal, S. P. Maj

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Network security is concerned with protecting sensitive information, limiting unauthorised access, and reinforcing network performance. An important factor in network security is encryption. Internet Security Protocol (IPSec) is the de facto open standard for encryption and replaces the older Cisco Encryption Technology (CET). Both encryption protocols are typically implemented and managed using the text based Command Line Interface (CLI). A graphical user interface (GUI) is available; however, it is not routinely used. Regardless of whether the CLI or GUI is used, both encryption suites are complex to implement and manage. State Model Diagrams (SMDs) were developed and successfully used as …

Securing Voip: A Framework To Mitigate Or Manage Risks, Peter James, Andrew Woodward

Australian Information Security Management Conference

In Australia, the past few years have seen Voice over IP (VoIP) move from a niche communications medium used by organisations with the appropriate infrastructure and capabilities to a technology that is available to any one with a good broadband connection. Driven by low cost and no cost phone calls, easy to use VoIP clients and increasingly reliable connections, VoIP is replacing the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) in a growing number of households. VoIP adoption appears to be following a similar path to early Internet adoption, namely little awareness by users of the security implications. Lack of concern about …

The Need For A Security/Privacy Model For The Health Sector In Ghana, James Tetteh Ami-Narh, Patricia A. Williams

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Many developing countries around the world are faced with the dilemma “brain-drain” as their healthcare professionals seek better economic opportunities in other countries. This problem is compounded by a lack of robust healthcare infrastructure requiring substantive improvements to bring them up to date. This impacts a countries ability to understand morbidity and mortality patterns which impact health care policy and program planning. The lack of IT infrastructure also negatively affects the safety, quality, and efficiency of health care delivery in these countries. Ghana is faced with this precise set of circumstances as it struggles to adopt policies to overcome these …

The Phantasm Of Atm Withdrawal, Nattakant Utakrit

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Despite the stringent legislation and increased enforcement aimed at combating financial crime, fraud using cash machines remains a public concern. The problem of ATM fraud is happening on a global scale and the ramifications have been felt in Australia. This paper highlights the stratagems of financial crime, in particular of ATM fraud. The abuse of ATMs with intelligent methods used by perpetrators will be discussed. At the same time, the paper will present some global cases of ATM fraud. Finally this paper will illustrate countermeasures and security methods, such as biometrics and premises protections of banks, financial institutions and customers, …

Importance Of Verification And Validation Of Data Sources In Attaining Information Superiority, Gautham Kasinath, Leisa Armstrong

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Information superiority has been defined as a state that is achieved when a competitive advantage is derived from the ability to exploit a superior information position. To achieve such a superior information position enterprises and nations, alike, must not only collect and record correct, accurate, timely and useful information but also ensure that information recorded is not lost to competitors due to lack of comprehensive security and leaks. Further, enterprises that aim to attain information superiority must also ensure mechanisms of validating and verifying information to reduce the chances of mis-information. Although, research has been carried out into ways to …

The Need For An Investigation Into Possible Security Threats Associated With Sql Based Emr Software, Lee Heinke

Australian Information Security Management Conference

An increasing amount of E-health software packages are being bundled with Standard Query Language (SQL) databases as a means of storing Electronic Medical Records (EMR’s). These databases allow medical practitioners to store, change and maintain large volumes of patient information. The software that utilizes these databases pulls data directly from fields within the database based on standardized query statements. These query statements use the same methods as web-based applications to dynamically pull data from the database so it can be manipulated by the Graphical User Interface (GUI). This paper proposes a study for an investigation into the susceptibility of popular …

Analysis Of Pki As A Means Of Securing Odf Documents, Gautham Kasinath, Leisa Armstrong

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) has for the last two decades been a means of securing systems and communication. With the adoption of Open Document Format (ODF) as an ISO standard, the question remains if the unpopular, expensive, complex and unmaintainable PKI can prove to be a viable means of securing ODF documents. This paper analyses the drawbacks of PKI and evaluates the usefulness of PKI in provisioning robust, cheap and maintainable XML security to XML based ODF. This paper also evaluates the existing research on XML security, more specifically fine grained access control.

Medical Identity Theft – Not Feeling Like Yourself?, Darren Webb

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Hospital and general practice healthcare providers today rely heavily on the information and communication technologies they employ to provide access to patient and associated data. The continuing migration to wireless means of data transfer has afforded system users more convenient and timely access to information via the use of 802.11 based wireless network capable devices. Through the increased digital connectivity of these internet and wireless based networks, new avenues of criminal activity such as medical identity theft have been steadily increasing as malicious individuals and organisations seek to abuse the digital ubiquity of the electronic medical record. The increased need …

Taxonomy Of Iphone Activation And Sim Unlocking Methods, Marwan Al-Zarouni, Haitham Al-Hajri

Australian Information Security Management Conference

This paper will discuss the different methods of SIM unlocking and activation for the Apple iPhone. Early iPhone activation and SIM card fabrication methods as well as the latest software only methods will be discussed. The paper will examine the benefits and drawbacks of each method. It will provide a step-by-step guide to creating a specially crafted SIM card for an iPhone by using Super SIM and Turbo SIM methods. The paper will also include a section on recovering (unbricking) the iPhone and other advanced hacks

A Single Channel Attack On 915mhz Radio Frequency Identification Systems, Christopher Bolan

Australian Information Security Management Conference

There has been some speculation as to the protection offered by the Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum utilised by RFID technology. This paper explores the construction of an attack based on the broadcast of an attack signal in a single channel. The study details an experiment on two groups of tags where the experimental group are exposed to an attack signal broadcast on a single channel. With consistent findings across both control and experimental groups the experiment clearly demonstrates that FHSS offers no protection against such an attack.