A hardware-in-the-loop framework for remote monitoring of safety critical systems

This paper presents a hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) testbed for remote monitoring of safety-critical systems. The testbed creates a secure environment for remote operations by establishing a communication link using open platform communication unified architecture (OPC-UA) industrial protocol resilient to cyber-attacks. The testbed uses a hypothetical Asherah nuclear power plant (Asherah NPP) by incorporating its physics, control systems, instrumentation, and communication networks to be controlled by a remote controller device, a Siemens S7 1500 programmable logic controller (PLC). The HIL capabilities of the testbed allow real-time assessment of industrial communication networks by integrating hardware, simulating data flow with malicious scripts, and identifying vulnerabilities. The testbed is particularly useful for predictive maintenance procedures and efficient operation of nuclear power plants, ultimately improving the cybersecurity of instrumentation and control systems in safety-critical applications. An internet of things (IoT)-based framework of the proposed HiL testbed for remote monitoring of safety critical systems has also been proposed at the end of the paper

Identifying security challenges in the transition from traditional to smart manufacturing through IIoT retrofitting

The integration of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors and devices into traditional manufacturing environments offers significant benefits in terms of efficiency, adaptability, and data-driven decision-making. However, the transition from traditional manufacturing systems to smart manufacturing systems, often achieved through retrofitting legacy systems, introduces new security risks that must be carefully addressed to ensure operational resilience. This paper explores the vulnerabilities and threats associated with retrofitting legacy systems with modern Industrial IoT technologies. By examining recent case studies and industry incidents, critical security gaps that emerge from the coexistence of legacy systems and contemporary IoT solutions are identified. These gaps include unauthorized access, data breaches, system manipulation. The research emphasizes the necessity of adopting a proactive cybersecurity approach that is well-suited to the specific vulnerabilities and risks associated with retrofitting traditional manufacturing systems. These measures include updated security protocols, enhanced device management practices, secure software updates, and ongoing system monitoring. By implementing these strategies, manufacturers can mitigate risks, protect their intellectual property, and maintain operational continuity. Outcome of the paper provide manufacturers with strategic insights and practical recommendations to safeguard the integrity and reliability of their smart manufacturing environments against evolving cyber threats. By addressing these security challenges proactively, organizations can realize the full potential of IIoT technologies while minimizing risks to their operations

Autonomous Vehicles for All?

The traditional build-and-expand approach is not a viable solution to keep roadway traffic rolling safely, so technological solutions, such as Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), are favored. AVs have considerable potential to increase the carrying capacity of roads, ameliorate the chore of driving, improve safety, provide mobility for those who cannot drive, and help the environment. However, they also raise concerns over whether they are socially responsible, accounting for issues such as fairness, equity, and transparency. Regulatory bodies have focused on AV safety, cybersecurity, privacy, and legal liability issues, but have failed to adequately address social responsibility. Thus, existing AV developers do not have to embed social responsibility factors in their proprietary technology. Adverse bias may therefore occur in the development and deployment of AV technology. For instance, an artificial intelligence-based pedestrian detection application used in an AV may, in limited lighting conditions, be biased to detect pedestrians who belong to a particular racial demographic more efficiently compared to pedestrians from other racial demographics. Also, AV technologies tend to be costly, with a unique hardware and software setup which may be beyond the reach of lower-income people. In addition, data generated by AVs about their users may be misused by third parties such as corporations, criminals, or even foreign governments. AVs promise to dramatically impact labor markets, as many jobs that involve driving will be made redundant. We argue that the academic institutions, industry, and government agencies overseeing AV development and deployment must act proactively to ensure that AVs serve all and do not increase the digital divide in our society

A room temperature acetone sensor based on synthesized tetranitro-oxacalix[4]arenes: Thin film fabrication and sensing properties

Tetranitro-oxacalix[4]arenes were prepared to determine their thin film fabrication and gas sensing applications. Firstly, tetranitro-oxacalix[4]arenes (1-3) were synthesized via nucleophilic aromatic sub-stitution reaction (SNAr) using substituted resorcinol derivatives and 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene with moderate to high yields. Later, successfully synthesized materials were utilized to construct thin films using the spin coating method and the characterization of the deposited films was performed with UV-vis and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Characterization results indicated that high-quality spin coated thin films were prepared using these materials. The sensing abilities of the spin-coated thin films of tetranitro-oxacalix[4]arenes (1-3) were tested using the SPR method for volatile organic vapours of acetone, chloroform, toluene, ethanol and benzene. High concentration sensitivity values of 0.0700 x 10(-3), 0.1001 x 10(-3) and 0.8653 x 10(-3) with normalized response/ppm unit for acetone vapour were obtained for thin films (1-3), respectively. The sensors obtained using especially thin films 1 and 3 showed high responses toward acetone even at low concentration ranges between 3.8-15.2 ppm. These sensors have the advantages of high sensitivity, reusability and reproducibility of results which make them compatible for practical acetone-detection applications. (c) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.TUBITAK [113Z706]We thank Cansu OZKAYA for valuable contributions to this study. We are grateful to TUBITAK (Project No 113Z706) for financial support for the synthesis of studied molecules (1-3)

Structural Assessment of the 13th Century Great Mosque and Hospital of Divrigi: A World Heritage Listed Structure

The Great Mosque and Hospital of Divrigi is located in the central eastern part of Turkey, in Divrigi, Sivas. The historical facility consists of a monumental mosque and a two-story hospital, which are adjacent to each other. The structure dates back to 13th century Mengujekids period and has been listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage since 1985. Great Mosque and Hospital of Divrigi is particularly notable for its monumental stone portals that are decorated with three-dimensional ornaments carved from stone. The structural system of the monument consists of multi-leaf stone masonry walls and stone piers that support the roof structure which consists of stone and brick arches and vaults. The structure is located about 90 km away from the North Anatolian Fault Line, that has been causing several destructive earthquakes. Consequently, the structure is prone to destructive seismic activities. In this study, after a brief introduction on the structural system and current condition of the structure, the structural performance of the Great Mosque and Hospital of Divrigi is investigated through site observations and structural analyses. For this purpose, linear and nonlinear 3D finite element models of the structure are developed and the structure is examined under the effects of vertical loads and seismic actions. In the light of the analyses results, recommendations for potential interventions are outlined for further preservation of the structure

Effect of curing time on selected properties of soil stabilized with fly ash, marble dust and waste sand for road sub-base materials

The properties of sub-base filling materials in highway construction are essential, as they can determine the performance of the road in service. Normally, the existing materials are removed and replaced with new materials that have adequate load-bearing capacity. Rising environmental concern and new environmental legislations have made construction professionals consider other methods. These methods include stabilizing the existing materials with other additives to improve their performance. Additives can be waste materials generated by different industries. In this work, the existing excavated soil is stabilized with waste materials. The wastes consisted of fly ash, marble dust and waste sand. The percentage addition of waste materials was 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% (by mass) of the existing soil. The soil/waste specimens were cured for 1, 7, 28, 56, 90 and 112 days before testing. Testing included the dry unit weight and unconfined compressive strength ( qu) as well as X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy observation. Also, the California Bearing Ratio values were obtained and are reported in this investigation. The results showed that the qu values increased with the increase in waste materials content. Also, there is tendency for the dry unit weight to increase with the increase in waste materials

5G-PPP Technology Board:Delivery of 5G Services Indoors - the wireless wire challenge and solutions

The 5G Public Private Partnership (5G PPP) has focused its research and innovation activities mainly on outdoor use cases and supporting the user and its applications while on the move. However, many use cases inherently apply in indoor environments whereas their requirements are not always properly reflected by the requirements eminent for outdoor applications. The best example for indoor applications can be found is the Industry 4.0 vertical, in which most described use cases are occurring in a manufacturing hall. Other environments exhibit similar characteristics such as commercial spaces in offices, shopping malls and commercial buildings. We can find further similar environments in the media & entertainment sector, culture sector with museums and the transportation sector with metro tunnels. Finally in the residential space we can observe a strong trend for wireless connectivity of appliances and devices in the home. Some of these spaces are exhibiting very high requirements among others in terms of device density, high-accuracy localisation, reliability, latency, time sensitivity, coverage and service continuity. The delivery of 5G services to these spaces has to consider the specificities of the indoor environments, in which the radio propagation characteristics are different and in the case of deep indoor scenarios, external radio signals cannot penetrate building construction materials. Furthermore, these spaces are usually “polluted” by existing wireless technologies, causing a multitude of interreference issues with 5G radio technologies. Nevertheless, there exist cases in which the co-existence of 5G new radio and other radio technologies may be sensible, such as for offloading local traffic. In any case the deployment of networks indoors is advised to consider and be planned along existing infrastructure, like powerlines and available shafts for other utilities. Finally indoor environments expose administrative cross-domain issues, and in some cases so called non-public networks, foreseen by 3GPP, could be an attractive deployment model for the owner/tenant of a private space and for the mobile network operators serving the area. Technology-wise there exist a number of solutions for indoor RAN deployment, ranging from small cell architectures, optical wireless/visual light communication, and THz communication utilising reconfigurable intelligent surfaces. For service delivery the concept of multi-access edge computing is well tailored to host virtual network functions needed in the indoor environment, including but not limited to functions supporting localisation, security, load balancing, video optimisation and multi-source streaming. Measurements of key performance indicators in indoor environments indicate that with proper planning and consideration of the environment characteristics, available solutions can deliver on the expectations. Measurements have been conducted regarding throughput and reliability in the mmWave and optical wireless communication cases, electric and magnetic field measurements, round trip latency measurements, as well as high-accuracy positioning in laboratory environment. Overall, the results so far are encouraging and indicate that 5G and beyond networks must advance further in order to meet the demands of future emerging intelligent automation systems in the next 10 years. Highly advanced industrial environments present challenges for 5G specifications, spanning congestion, interference, security and safety concerns, high power consumption, restricted propagation and poor location accuracy within the radio and core backbone communication networks for the massive IoT use cases, especially inside buildings. 6G and beyond 5G deployments for industrial networks will be increasingly denser, heterogeneous and dynamic, posing stricter performance requirements on the network. The large volume of data generated by future connected devices will put a strain on networks. It is therefore fundamental to discriminate the value of information to maximize the utility for the end users with limited network resources

5G-PPP Technology Board:Delivery of 5G Services Indoors - the wireless wire challenge and solutions

The 5G Public Private Partnership (5G PPP) has focused its research and innovation activities mainly on outdoor use cases and supporting the user and its applications while on the move. However, many use cases inherently apply in indoor environments whereas their requirements are not always properly reflected by the requirements eminent for outdoor applications. The best example for indoor applications can be found is the Industry 4.0 vertical, in which most described use cases are occurring in a manufacturing hall. Other environments exhibit similar characteristics such as commercial spaces in offices, shopping malls and commercial buildings. We can find further similar environments in the media & entertainment sector, culture sector with museums and the transportation sector with metro tunnels. Finally in the residential space we can observe a strong trend for wireless connectivity of appliances and devices in the home. Some of these spaces are exhibiting very high requirements among others in terms of device density, high-accuracy localisation, reliability, latency, time sensitivity, coverage and service continuity. The delivery of 5G services to these spaces has to consider the specificities of the indoor environments, in which the radio propagation characteristics are different and in the case of deep indoor scenarios, external radio signals cannot penetrate building construction materials. Furthermore, these spaces are usually “polluted” by existing wireless technologies, causing a multitude of interreference issues with 5G radio technologies. Nevertheless, there exist cases in which the co-existence of 5G new radio and other radio technologies may be sensible, such as for offloading local traffic. In any case the deployment of networks indoors is advised to consider and be planned along existing infrastructure, like powerlines and available shafts for other utilities. Finally indoor environments expose administrative cross-domain issues, and in some cases so called non-public networks, foreseen by 3GPP, could be an attractive deployment model for the owner/tenant of a private space and for the mobile network operators serving the area. Technology-wise there exist a number of solutions for indoor RAN deployment, ranging from small cell architectures, optical wireless/visual light communication, and THz communication utilising reconfigurable intelligent surfaces. For service delivery the concept of multi-access edge computing is well tailored to host virtual network functions needed in the indoor environment, including but not limited to functions supporting localisation, security, load balancing, video optimisation and multi-source streaming. Measurements of key performance indicators in indoor environments indicate that with proper planning and consideration of the environment characteristics, available solutions can deliver on the expectations. Measurements have been conducted regarding throughput and reliability in the mmWave and optical wireless communication cases, electric and magnetic field measurements, round trip latency measurements, as well as high-accuracy positioning in laboratory environment. Overall, the results so far are encouraging and indicate that 5G and beyond networks must advance further in order to meet the demands of future emerging intelligent automation systems in the next 10 years. Highly advanced industrial environments present challenges for 5G specifications, spanning congestion, interference, security and safety concerns, high power consumption, restricted propagation and poor location accuracy within the radio and core backbone communication networks for the massive IoT use cases, especially inside buildings. 6G and beyond 5G deployments for industrial networks will be increasingly denser, heterogeneous and dynamic, posing stricter performance requirements on the network. The large volume of data generated by future connected devices will put a strain on networks. It is therefore fundamental to discriminate the value of information to maximize the utility for the end users with limited network resources