Iowa State University Research Foundation Inc

Ratnesh Kumar

Liang Dong

Shawana Tabassum

Robert J Weber

Gunjan Pandey

Qiugu Wang

Meng Li

Azahar Ali

Changyan Zhou

Alaa Al Ghazo

Zhen Xu

Kanishka Aman Singh

A hybrid approach involving the mix of communication patterns and passive fingerprinting is used to identify unknown device types, manufacturers, and models of devices of digital control systems. ANDVI implementation maps the identified devices to their known vulnerabilities. According to one example, to identify how interdependence among existing atomic vulnerabilities may be exploited by an adversary to stitch together an attack that can compromise the system, model-checking based A2G2V is employed. According to another example, an A2G2V algorithm uses existing model-checking tools, an architecture description tool, and code to generate an attack-graph that enumerates the set of all possible sequences in which atomic-level vulnerabilities can be exploited to compromise system security. In yet another example, identification of label-cuts within an attack-graph automatically identifies a set of critical-attacks that, when blocked, renders the system secure. A linear complexity approximation utilizing SCCs helps identify the minimum label-cut representing a critical-attacks set.

Cybersecurity algorithms and tools for supervisory control and data acquisition and industrial control systems

A technique, and its applications, for high resolution, rapid, and simple nanopatterning. The general method has been demonstrated in several forms and applications. One is patterning nanophotonic structures at an optical fiber tip for refractive index sensing. Another is patterning nanoresonator structures on a sensor substrate for plasmonic effect related detection of VOCs. In the latter example, a graphene oxide coated plasmonic crystal as a gas sensor capable of identifying different gas species using an array of such structures. By coating the surface of multiple identical plasmonic crystals with different thicknesses of Graphene-Oxide (GO) layer, the effective refractive index of the GO layer on each plasmonic crystal is differently modulated when exposed to a specific gas. Identification of various gas species is accomplished using pattern recognition algorithm.

Nano-patterning methods including: (1) patterning of nanophotonic structures at optical fiber tip for refractive index sensing and (2) plasmonic crystal incorporating graphene oxide gas sensor for detection of volatile organic compounds

An integrated dual-modality microfluidic sensor chip and methods for using the same. In one form, the sensor comprises a patterned periodic array of nanoposts coated with a noble metal and graphene oxide (GO) to detect target biomarker molecules in a limited sample volume. The device generates both electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) signals from a single sensing area of the metal-GO nanoposts. The metal-GO nanoposts are functionalized with specific receptor molecules, serving as a spatially well-defined nanostructured working electrode for electrochemical sensing, as well as a nanostructured plasmonic crystal for SPR-based sensing via the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons. The integrated dual-modality sensor offers higher sensitivity (through higher surface area and diffusions from nanoposts for electrochemical measurements), as well as the dynamic measurements of antigen-antibody bindings (through the SPR measurement), while operating simultaneously in a same sensing area using a same sample volume.

Integrated dual-modality microfluidic sensor for biomarker detection using lithographic plasmonic crystal

An electrophoresis chip-based setup for detection of different ions in buffer solution. The device is able to differentiate ions in, e.g., real soil or other solutions, and to detect concentration of a specific ion in the solution. Fabrication of the electrophoresis chip can use a soft lithography based molding process. The chip can be made out of PDMS on a glass substrate where on-chip valves were used to control timing of injecting sample and buffer solutions. Detection electrodes are used to detect the presence of ions over a period of several minutes. A controllable high voltage power supply system and related signal acquisition, processing and detection setup can be implemented with the sensor in a system. A microfluidic system for automated collection of soil sample through a porous ceramic and using vacuum suction can be used.

Electrophoretic soil nutrient sensor for agriculture

The invention relates to a bistable piezoelectric cantilever-based vibration energy harvester that increases the energy harvested over a broad frequency of vibrations by introducing bistability to the cantilever through use of two repelling magnets, one mounted on the cantilever and one at a location facing the first. This increases the amplitude and velocity of cantilever vibration, hence harvested power, while nonlinearity makes the system efficient over almost the entire range of frequencies, lower than the natural resonant frequency of the linear version without the magnets. Such improved performance is seen while the cantilever remains in the bistable mode. To broaden the range of vibration amplitudes over which the harvester continues to operate in bistable mode, the harvester includes a mechanical way of tuning the magnetic force, by spring-loading the magnet facing the mounted one, enabling self-adjustment of the distance between the magnets automatically that favors bistable operation over a larger range of excitations, and that too without needing any extra energy.

Broad spectrum and wide amplitude range vibration energy harvester: bistable piezoelectric transduction, synchronized extraction, self-actuated adaptation

A soil sensor includes a housing, an antenna disposed within the housing, a measurement circuit disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the antenna, the circuit configured to measure impedance of soil at a plurality of different frequencies using the antenna as a sensor electrode, and a wireless interface disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the antenna and configured for wireless communications over the antenna at its communications frequency.

Low RF-band impedance spectroscopy based sensor for in-situ, wireless soil sensing

A method of translation of a chart associated with a graphical modeling environment into an input/output-extended finite automata (I/O-EFA) model is provided. The method includes receiving a representation of the chart and processing the representation of the chart with a computing device by (a) representing atomic models for each individual state of the chart, (b) applying composition rules to interconnect the atomic models while preserving state execution and transition behaviors to obtain the I/O-EFA model.

Semantic translation of stateflow diagrams into input/output extended finite automata and automated test generation for simulink/stateflow diagrams

A method of semantic translation of a class of diagrams to input/output-extended finite automata is provided. The method includes receiving a data representation of a diagram, said diagram comprising a plurality of blocks and said diagram being associated with a graphical modeling environment which defines semantics for executing the diagram, and processing, using a computing device, the data representation of the diagram to translate the diagram to an input/output-extended finite automata model.

Growing community of inventors

Ames, IA, United States of America

Ratnesh Kumar