TTU Published Journals @ Volpe Library
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Protection Against Cross-Site Scripting Attacks
No full textThe use of web browser cookies has become quite prevalent online. Cookies follow internet users everywhere they go, whether to keep them logged in to certain services or to personalize the advertisements they receive. Since these cookies can contain sensitive information like usernames and passwords, it is of utmost importance that they are protected from any malicious activity. One common way to steal a user's cookie is through Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks, where malicious scripts are injected into text comments on websites, such as forum discussion boards, that allow users to submit text messages and comments. These malicious scripts, injected into text, may deliver web browser cookies to the attacker without making the user aware of the hostile action taking place. To combat these attacks, we are proposing easily implementable solutions for those who host websites that allow users to submit text messages and comments. To analyze the proposed solutions, we have created two versions of the same website to portray the difference in XSS attacks on protected versus unprotected websites
Towards Standardization of IoT Message Exchange for Intrusion Data Sharing in Heterogeneous Environments
No full textThe necessities of modern day lives today depend heavily on usage of Internet of Things (IoT). Exponential growth of this technology has led to increase in security and privacy concerns. Heterogeneity of the IoT Sensors is a major limitation for security decision makers who have to extract and integrate data from different IoT sensors to assess overall security posture of the network. Current security solutions cater to homogeneous networks where devices use similar configurations and protocols for communication. The heterogeneous nature of IoT demands a unified solution where IoT sensors can communicate with standard protocols and enable decision makers to naturally integrate and analyze data coming from various diverse sources. This work designs and implements a standard Message Exchange Protocol for IoT called IoTMEF. In this regard, we have designed and developed a heterogeneous IoT testbed based on a smart home scenario. It is completely customizable and usable for security research in the IoT space
*WINNER* Is There a Relationship Between BMI and Blood Pressure
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between body mass index (BMI) and systolic blood pressure. A strong correlation between these measurements would allow us to educate the population on the effects of BMI on hypertension, helping the population counteract the effects of hypertension. The study included 16 Exercise Science majors ranging in age from 20 to 33. Participants were initially surveyed to determine if they had followed requested protocol, which included abstaining from food, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and participation in exercise 30-minutes before testing. Each participant’s blood pressure was taken, along with his or her height and weight to calculate BMI. The results showed that there was a positive and moderate relationship between BMI and systolic blood pressure (r = .45). In conclusion, the results indicated that BMI lacked explanatory power on a person’s blood pressure
Securing Automotive Networks with Vehicle-Agnostic Technologies
Get PDFModern vehicles are incredibly complex and operate through an exchange of information between many Electronic Control Units (ECUs)—which are small embedded computers that can contain an array of sensors and inputs. These ECUs communicate through Controller Area Networks (CANs), a broadcast network with a lightweight protocol, which have been mandated for use in most vehicles since 2008. Previous research has shown that a vehicles CANs are critically vulnerable to exploitation: hackers can remotely execute code and collect potentially sensitive private information. Although numerous examples of intrusions and attacks have been demonstrated through research, the practical application of cybersecurity remains inconsistent across automotive manufacturers. Further, passenger vehicle manufacturers use propriety encodings for CAN messages, obfuscating the meaning of data. To help solve this critical issue, we present our research towards producing a vehicle-agnostic intrusion detection system. Our proposed solution is an after-market prototype which can plug in to an automotive on-board diagnostic port to monitor network traffic. The prototype uniquely configures itself per-vehicle and uses a suite of algorithms to determine the presence of a cyber-attack. Our research expands upon current CAN detection solutions by matching signals in the obfuscated network with known values generated from automotive diagnostic services
*WINNER* Rheological and Turbidimetric Characterization of Early-phase Wound Gels
No full textTreatment of dermal wounds and development of new techniques by which dermal wound healing can be accelerated with minimal scarring are of global interest. During the early stages of the wound healing process, a loose platelet plug is stabilized by the formation of a fibrin gel matrix. A fibrin gel is formed when the protein fibrinogen is enzymatically cleaved by thrombin and crosslinked by Factor XIII. These fibrin matrices help to halt blood flow from the wounded site and serve as a scaffold by which cell transport and adhesion may occur. Various medical disorders, deficiencies, and diseases can result in abnormal wound healing, i.e. scarring or inability to form stable, lasting clots. The study of these bio-gels is expected to result in advancements in wound healing techniques and a better understanding of the behavior of dermal wounds, transport of cellular and other items through such wounds, and resultant scarring control. Towards this end, rheological techniques were explored to characterize structural properties of such early-phase wound media during gel formation. Fibrin gels were prepared using 1, 3, 6, and 12 mg/ml fibrinogen, 1 U/ml thrombin, and 5mM CaCl2, final concentrations. Rheology and turbidity data indicate that gels formed in the presence of higher fibrinogen concentrations develop more rigid structures sooner than those formed at lower fibrinogen concentrations. Such results provide a foundation for future studies to explore the effects of mixing and the influence of modified versions of fibrinogen on gel properties and species transport through such gels
*WINNER* Data Collection towards Understanding Stormwater Management and Flooding Issues in the Town of Gainesboro, Jackson County, TN
No full textThe Town of Gainesboro of Jackson County, Tennessee has recently experienced significant flooding and stormwater management issues. Located in an economically distressed county, it does not have the resources necessary to determine the cause of the issues. Speculated causes include the age and condition of the Town’s stormwater management infrastructure, overgrown vegetation present in Doe Creek, a stream that drains much of the runoff from Gainesboro, and increased runoff due to land use change in the draining locations since 2010. However, prior to this project, limited data was available to determine the factors contributing to flooding. Therefore, this project aimed to collect data to provide a true understanding of the problem and hopefully lead to a more effective solution. In order to achieve this objective, information was gathered concerning: historic weather data, historic land-use data, topographical information, soil data, data on Doe Creek and its tributaries, water quality data, flood maps, storm drain and sewer maps with details on invert elevation and sizes, and socio-demographic data. Overall, none of the speculated causes were proven. The speculated cause of the Town’s poor stormwater management infrastructure was identified as a data gap and is to be resolved in the future steps of this project
Discrimination of African-American Soldiers During World War II
No full textAfrican-Americans in the military during World War II experienced high levels of discrimination, even though they wore the same uniform as white soldiers. Many African-Americans felt that they were fighting two wars: the war against foreign enemies and the war against discrimination. African-Americans made efforts to prove themselves to their fellow white soldiers. Officer training was denied to many African-American soldiers even though many passed the test to enter the training program. While black and white men went through the same training, many African-Americans received commissions in labor units instead of fighting units. In other cases, the military allowed more specialized training, such as the Tuskegee Airmen. African-Americans also experienced discrimination when interacting with other countries, such as Australia, France, and Britain, which enacted laws specifically to prevent black American soldiers from interacting with their citizens. All nations failed to recognize black Americans for their service, and in the U.S. , African-American soldiers did not receive the Medal of Honor when their white counterparts did. The discrimination experienced by African-American soldiers connected with other issues that were at the center of the Civil Rights Movement. While the U.S. military desegregated in 1948, it was not until after the Civil Rights Movement that African-Americans began receiving recognition for their service
Alumni Perceptions of Improvements Needed in the TN Tech School of Agriculture
No full textAny university, regardless of the size of the institution, inherently takes upon itself the responsibility of cultivating the most employable college graduates possible. A university’s never-ending quest to stamp its impression upon various industries through their graduates is quintessential to its continuity and the success of its students. Its alumni are undoubtedly a reflection of the quality of the institution. This study was conducted amongst Tennessee Technological University’s School of Agriculture alumni in order to magnify what qualities they feel are strengths in the School of Agriculture as well as what strikes them as opportunities for improvement. The perceived value of courses and educational methods in relevance to their current careers were also evaluated. Responses were collected via Qualtrics using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Overall, it was found that the faculty-student relationships within the School of Agriculture were an overwhelming strength. Additionally, alumni identified laboratory experiences in agriculture courses and leadership training in clubs and organizations were beneficial in pursuing current professional endeavors. Meanwhile many graduates felt that support regarding assistance with internship placement was inadequate and their personal marketing skills - resume skills and interviewing abilities, were in need of improvement prior to graduation. Graduates also offered valuable feedback regarding improvements for their particular concentration. The evidence presented has profound implications on the School of Agriculture - how the School may be refined in order to produce students who obtain employment with minimal stress and how it may ameliorate students’ experience during their tenure at TN Tech
Adding solid handling to liquid state thioridazine drugs
No full textSolid state drugs encounter issues related to polymorphism (conversion into different crystalline structures with different reactivity) or low bioavailability (low aqueous solubility due to their hydrophobic nature). Converting these solid drugs into an ionic liquid state will address the indicated issues and add new, more favorable properties such as multifunctionality. However, liquid state drugs can be highly viscous, leading to difficulties in handling. Supported ionic liquid phases (SILP) strategy (i.e., adsorption of a compound on the surface of a solid support) adds a solid handling advantage to the highly viscous liquid state compounds. Thioridazine is a solid state phenothiazine pharmaceutical that exhibits side effects such as cardiac arrythmia. By combining thioridazine cation with lidocaine cation (an antiarrhythmic drug) and docusate anion into a new liquid state compound, namely a double salt ionic liquid (DSIL), these side effects may be eliminated. However, the issue related to the high viscosity remains. This issue can be eliminated and the new drug can be delivered into the body using SILP strategy. This presentation shows our effort towards the formation of new SILP materials by adsorbing/loading thioridazine DSILs onto hydrophilic silica solid support. Silica was used for its known eco-friendly properties in medicinal delivery. Through an adjustment of amount of the drug loaded on silica, several loadings were investigated
*WINNER* Cleavage of tert-Butoxycarbonyl (BOC) Groups from Indoles and Other Heterocycles Using an Addition-Elimination Strategy with 3-Methoxypropylamine.
No full textIn the pursuit of synthesizing unsymmetrical complexant molecules with frustrated Lewis pairs for potential use in SANEX-type processes, a recently published method has been developed for the cleavage of BOC-protecting groups on various deactivated substrates. Under mild conditions, BOC-protected indoles, 1,2-indazoles, imidazoles, and 1,2-pyrazoles were deprotected utilizing addition-elimination reactions with nucleophilic primary amines. In comparison to more common BOC-deprotection methods, such as treatment with mineral acids, reducing agents, or Lewis acids, these mild conditions afford a feasible means to deprotect heterocycles that are acid sensitive, thereby expanding the scope of potential protection-deprotection synthetic methodologies relevant to many branches of chemistry. Synthesis of BOC-protected substrates, condition optimization, purification protocol, and substrate scope will be discussed