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The Use of Low-Cost Sensors and a Convolutional Neural Network to Detect and Classify Mini-Drones
Get PDFThe increasing commercial availability of mini-drones and quadrotors has led to their greater usage, highlighting the need for detection and classification systems to ensure safe operation. Instances of drones causing serious complications since 2019 alone include shutting down airports [1-2], spying on individuals [3-4], and smuggling drugs and prohibited items across borders and into prisons [5-6]. Some regulatory measures have been taken, such as registration of drones above a specific size and the establishment of no-fly zones in sensitive areas such as airports, military bases, and national parks. While commercial systems exist to detect drones [7-8], they are expensive, unreliable, and often rely on a single sensor. This thesis will explore the practicality of using low-cost, Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) sensors and machine learning to detect and classify drones.
A Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) USB camera [9], FLIR Lepton 3.0 thermal camera [10], miniDSP UMA-16 acoustic microphone array [11], and a Garmin LIDAR [12] were mounted on a robotic sensor platform and integrated using a Minisforum Z83-F with 4GB RAM and Intel Atom x5-Z8350 CPU to collect data from drones operating in unstructured, outdoor, and real-world environments. Approximately 1,000 unique measurements were taken from three mini-drones – Parrot Swing, Parrot Quadcopter, and Tello Quadcopter – using the RGB, thermal, and acoustic sensors. Deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNNs), based on Resnet-50 [13-14], trained to classify the drones, achieved accuracies of 96.6% using the RGB images, 82.9% using the thermal images, and 71.3% using the passive acoustic microphone array
The Development and Evaluation of a New Analytical Model for the Characterization of Friction Induced Disc Brake Vibration
Get PDFThis research proposes a new method of modeling vibration of disc brake systems. This modeling method treats the brake pads of a disc braking system as lumped spring-mass-damper subsystems and the disc as a continuous bar. This modeling concept increases both the ease of analytical expression and the insight provided into the behavior of the real-world systems. This paper describes the analytical expression of this model and its implementation in Matlab. A parameter variation study yielded results that agree with existing research, which serves to validate the fundamental principles of this proposed modeling method
Memory FORESHADOW: Memory FOREnSics of HArDware CryptOcurrency Wallets – A Tool and Visualization Framework
Get PDFWe present Memory FORESHADOW: Memory FOREnSics of HArDware cryptOcurrency Wallets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the primary account of cryptocurrency hardware wallet client memory forensics. Our exploratory analysis revealed forensically relevant data in memory including transaction history, extended public keys, passphrases, and unique device identifiers. Data extracted with FORESHADOW can be used to associate a hardware wallet with a computer and allow an observer to deanonymize all past and future transactions due to hierarchical deterministic wallet address derivation. Additionally, our novel visualization framework enabled us to measure both the persistence and integrity of artifacts produced by the Ledger and Trezor hardware wallet clients. The framework can be generalized for use in future memory forensics work
Millennials Acceptance of Insurance Telematics: An Integrative Empirical Study
Get PDFInsurance telematics is a recent technology-enabled service innovation advanced by insurance companies and adopted by millions of drivers worldwide. This research study explores the insurance telematics technology acceptance and use among the new Millennials generation, which represents both a challenge and an opportunity for insurers. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the study uses data from 138 Millennials in the USA to delve into their perceived attitudinal behavior and intention to use insurance telematics. The findings provide empirical confirmation of the integrative and predictive power of the proposed combined theoretical framework (TAM-TPB) to explain insurance telematics adoption and use. The results also suggest a sophistication-level shift in Millennials preferences from functionality evaluation to applicability value sought through the adoption and use. And the findings ascertain the role of perceived enjoyment, trust, and social media as critical factors influencing Millennials attitudinal behavior and intention to use insurance telematics. Considering these results, the authors further discuss implications for scholars and practitioners, and suggest future research directions
Emergency Management Plan to Increase Resilience in Transportation Sector Vehicles to an EMP Attack
Get PDFA vulnerability exists in the U.S. to an attack from a nuclear weapon of mass destruction (WMD) optimized to generate an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) with potential for widespread damage to electrical components in the critical infrastructure including non-military (non-MIL) transportation sector vehicles. The purpose of this study was to develop a plan on how hazard risks from an EMP attack can be better understood for modern-day, “electronics-heavy”, transportation sector vehicles leading to affordable mitigation countermeasures that could be implemented as part of an emergency management plan. The FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and preceding executive order signed by the President in 2019 supported this investigation to find ways to strengthen the transportation sector vehicle critical infrastructure from an EMP strike. A threat assessment analysis was used to identify capabilities of state actors and terrorist organizations that are of concern in national security forums. The hazards risk analysis utilized a hybrid emergency management/engineering approach to help visualize critical vehicle electronics sub-systems and components, and their respective potential failure modes. A comprehensive test plan was designed for modern-day, non-MIL transportation sector vehicles to identify the hazard risks which was accompanied by a failure modes and effects analysis template (FMEA) to quantify risks and prioritize mitigation countermeasures. Data from the literature from past testing, EMP resilience technical standards, and product information from expert suppliers who market EMP mitigation hardware were utilized to develop affordable mitigation countermeasure proposals for initial testing. The proposed emergency management plan was based on a strategic implementation of EMP mitigation countermeasures on non-MIL transportation sector modified to become resilient to EMP to support continuity in emergency services and delivery of lifeline supplies to the public after an EMP attack. A methodology was developed for enhanced logistics systems to address repair of un-modified, “as-built” vehicles damaged from the EMP attack. The results of this study will provide a foundation for future projects that can be executed to yield a transportation sector vehicle infrastructure more resilient to an EMP attack which is consistent with the FEMA National Preparedness Goal, and the recent FY2020 NDAA legislation and Presidential executive order
Impact of Denial of Sexual Offenses on Sentencing and Treatment Strategies
Get PDFThe prevalence of sexual offenses calls for a reevaluation of how the system treats offenders and addresses indicators of risk. How an individual convicted of a sexual offense accepts or denies the assault can weigh heavily on the sanctions imposed upon them, and how the system processes the offender. Acceptance of guilt is an important goal in offender treatment programs, and denial is reportedly used as an indicator of high risk of recidivism. Deeper examination into how individuals who deny their offense are understood and processed throughout treatment aids in the identification of best practices for working with sex offender denial. Assessing practitioner conceptions of sex offender denial and treatment strategies targeting denial via interviews established a more in-depth understanding of how the criminal justice system engages with deniers. This study utilized interviews with probation officers and treatment staff to compile a comprehensive analysis of how professionals in the criminal justice system address sex offender denial. Key themes within the topic area of sex offender denial and treatment that arose through practitioner interviews consisted of how the criminal justice system processes these individuals, common characteristics of the sex offender criminal population, the role of denial in offending behavior and treatment, best practices for addressing denial in probation and treatment, and goals and strategies in sex offender probation and treatment
Advancing Sustainability Education in Business Studies through Digital Service Learning
Get PDFTo support the development of a society that is attuned to the challenges presented by sustainable development, it is vital that higher education business students understand the value of sustainability, and act in a way that is consistent with these values. This paper explores a sustainability-focused experiential learning activity through investigating the utility of an emerging form of service learning in the digital space for developing global citizens. The paper presents an international case study of educators who employed digital service learning in various business education contexts. The research reports on the perceptions of higher education students in relation to their awareness, critical thinking and action for sustainability. The paper has practical contributions in identifying an opportunity for implementing sustainability curriculum into higher education for business
Examining the Role of Supervisor Support on Generation Z\u27s Intention to Quit
Get PDFThe purpose of this research is to examine Generation Z’s unmet expectations and work-related boredom and its impact on their intention to quit. The study investigates the moderating role of the supervisor support in the relationship between work-related boredom and intention to quit. This research advances the understanding of the adverse effects of employees\u27 unmet expectations and work-related boredom. Generation Z joins the organizations with unrealistic expectations of work that, in turn, promote lower levels of commitment and higher turnover, and therefore warrants more research. Data were collected from 336 Generation Z respondents working in the information technology industry. The data were analyzed using least square regressions and bootstrapping techniques. The findings confirm that supervisor support moderates the relationship between work-related boredom and employees’ intention to quit such that if the degree of supervisor support is higher, then the relation is weaker. HRM practitioners need to be candid in explaining the job description and job specifications during the interview; more importantly, organizations need to address the expectations even before they are hired. The findings indicate that high supervisor support buffers the adverse effects of unmet expectations and work-related boredom. The study suggests that coaching could be an effective tool to support Generation Z’s aspirations and well-being in the workplace. Therefore, organizations should make coaching a key element in the organization’s culture and part of a manager\u27s job
The Effects of Emotionally Appealing Messages on Perceptions About Marine Plastic Pollution: Implications for Science Communication on Social Media Outlets
Get PDFMarine plastic pollution (MPP) is one of the most pressing problems in the world today with many effects on ecological, economic, and social aspects of society. Global plastic production is around 322 million tons, with 10% of the world’s plastic products entering the ocean every year. Environmental campaigns use humor and shock in order to influence consumer behavior in regard to plastic products. Such approaches are important to utilize on social media in order to effectively communicate the issues posed by MPP. In this study, students and staff at the University of New Haven campus were given a survey containing social media posts using humor or shock to display information about MPP. The survey asked questions about participant demographics, social media use, everyday habits before and after reviewing the social media examples. User responses were analyzed and compared to determine the most effective emotional appeal for marine plastic pollution outreach. The results in this study showed that there was no significant difference between the shocking or humorous emotional appeal in regard to the sustainable behavior of participants. Most participants stated marine plastic pollution is an issue at the forefront of today’s media, so this study did not change their opinion on whether MPP was a problem. This study implies that gender, academic background and pre-exposure to MPP may play a role in changing behavior. The conclusions of this study may be used for environmental advertisements in terms of the most effective appeal for different audience backgrounds
Exploring the Learning Efficacy of Digital Forensics Concepts and Bagging & Tagging of Digital Devices in Immersive Virtual Reality
Get PDFThis work presents the first account of evaluating learning inside a VR experience created to teach Digital Forensics (DF) concepts, and a hands-on laboratory exercise in Bagging & Tagging a crime scene with digital devices. First, we designed and developed an immersive VR experience which included a lecture and a lab. Next, we tested it with (n = 57) participants in a controlled experiment where they were randomly assigned to a VR group or a physical group. Both groups were subjected to the same lecture and lab, but one was in VR and the other was in the real world. We collected pre- and post-test results to assess the participants’ knowledge in DF concepts learned. Our experimental results indicated no significant differences in scores between the immersive VR group and the physical group. However, our results showed faster completion times in VR by the participants, which hints at VR being more time efficient, as virtual environments can be spun programmatically with little downtime