Showing papers by "Swedish Defence Research Agency published in 2015"

A Survey of Industrial Control System Testbeds

Abstract: Conducting security tests such as vulnerability discovery within Industrial Control Systems (ICS) help reduce their vulnerability to cyber attacks. Unfortunately, the extreme availability requirements on ICS in operation make it difficult to conduct security tests in practice. For this reason, researchers and practitioners turn to testbeds that mimic real ICS. This study surveys ICS testbeds that have been proposed for scientific research. A total of 30 testbeds are identified. Most of these aim to facilitate vulnerability analysis, education and tests of defense mechanisms. Testbed components are typically implemented as simulation models. Testbed fidelity is rarely addressed, and at best briefly discussed.

A computational study of supersonic combustion in strut injector and hypermixer flow fields

Abstract: Achieving sufficiently high combustion efficiency and stability in supersonic combustion is extremely challenging and highly dependent on the fuel-injection and mixing strategies adopted. A viable approach to this is the strut injector, which by inducing flow recirculation, facilitates flame stabilization in the strutwake. In this investigation we examine in detail the flow, mixing, self-ignition and flame stabilization mechanisms of conventional and alternating-wedge injection struts. In order to analyze these, we consider NAL’s supersonic combustor, equipped with two conventional two-stage injection struts, and an alternating-wedge injection strut, in conjunction with ONERA’s vitiation air heater. Experimental results, including spontaneous flame images, wall-pressure and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) images of hydroxyl (OH) are here combined with computational results based on finite-rate chemistry Large Eddy Simulation (LES) with skeletal hydrogen-air reaction mechanisms. The spontaneous flame images and the predicted flame structures for both injector-strut types agree well qualitatively, demonstrating that combustion LES captures the overall features of the experiments. Detailed comparisons between experimental data and computational results for the wall pressure and for mean and rms OH-PLIF cross-sections show acceptable agreement, indicating that the LES results can be used to further study the intrinsic features of the flame structure and the stabilization mechanism. These results indicate significant differences in flow and flame structures between both two-stage injection struts and the alternating-wedge injection strut tested. More specifically, the longitudinal vorticity introduced by the alternating-wedge injection strut increases the combustion efficiency but results in an intermittent auto-ignition phenomenon. For the two-stage injection struts combustion consists of auto-ignition pockets surrounded by self-igniting fronts embedded in a background of non-premixed flames or stirred reactors. In contrast, the alternating-wedge injection strut vigorous combustion is observed proceeding through a multi-mode (auto-ignition, non-premixed, premixed) combustion event.

The sufficiency of the theory of planned behavior for explaining information security policy compliance

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to challenge the assumption that the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) includes all constructs that explain information security policy compliance and investigates if anticipated regret or constructs from the protection motivation theory add explanatory power The TPB is an established theory that has been found to predict compliance with information security policies well Design/methodology/approach – Responses from 306 respondents at a research organization were collected using a questionnaire-based survey Extensions in terms of anticipated regret and constructs drawn from the protection motivation theory are tested using hierarchical regression analysis Findings – Adding anticipated regret and the threat appraisal process results in improvements of the predictions of intentions The improvements are of sufficient magnitude to warrant adjustments of the model of the TPB when it is used in the area of information security policy compliance Originality/value – This study is t

Scaffolding of a bacterial genome using MinION nanopore sequencing

Abstract: Second generation sequencing has revolutionized genomic studies. However, most genomes contain repeated DNA elements that are longer than the read lengths achievable with typical sequencers, so the genomic order of several generated contigs cannot be easily resolved. A new generation of sequencers offering substantially longer reads is emerging, notably the Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) RS II system and the MinION system, released in early 2014 by Oxford Nanopore Technologies through an early access program. The latter has highly advantageous portability and sequences samples by measuring changes in ionic current when single-stranded DNA molecules are translocated through nanopores. We show that the MinION system produces long reads with high mapability that can be used for scaffolding bacterial genomes, despite currently producing substantially higher error rates than PacBio reads. With further development we anticipate that MinION will be useful not only for assembling genomes, but also for rapid detection of organisms, potentially in the field.

A Meta-Analysis of Studies on Protection Motivation Theory and Information Security Behaviour

Abstract: Individuals' willingness to take security precautions is imperative to their own information security and the information security of the organizations they work within. This paper presents a meta-analysis of the protection motivation theory PMT to assess how its efficacy is influenced by the information security behavior it is applied to. It investigates if the PMT explains information security behavior better if: 1 The behavior is voluntary? 2 The threat and coping method is concrete or specific? 3 The information security threat is directed to the person itself? Synthesized data from 28 surveys suggests that the answers to all three questions are yes. Weighted mean correlation coefficients are on average 0.03 higher for voluntary behavior than mandatory behavior, 0.05 higher for specific behaviors than studies of general behaviors, 0.08 higher to threat appraisal when the threat targets the individual person instead of the person's organization or someone else.

Global emergence of Alphaviruses that cause arthritis in humans.

Abstract: Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) may cause severe emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, which pose a significant threat to human and animal health in the world today. These infectious diseases range from mild febrile illnesses, arthritis, and encephalitis to haemorrhagic fevers. It is postulated that certain environmental factors, vector competence, and host susceptibility have a major impact on the ecology of arboviral diseases. Presently, there is a great interest in the emergence of Alphaviruses because these viruses, including Chikungunya virus, O'nyong'nyong virus, Sindbis virus, Ross River virus, and Mayaro virus, have caused outbreaks in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and America. Some of these viruses are more common in the tropics, whereas others are also found in temperate regions, but the actual factors driving Alphavirus emergence and re-emergence remain unresolved. Furthermore, little is known about the transmission dynamics, pathophysiology, genetic diversity, and evolution of circulating viral strains. In addition, the clinical presentation of Alphaviruses may be similar to other diseases such as dengue, malaria, and typhoid, hence leading to misdiagnosis. However, the typical presence of arthritis may distinguish between Alphaviruses and other differential diagnoses. The absence of validated diagnostic kits for Alphaviruses makes even routine surveillance less feasible. For that purpose, this review describes the occurrence, genetic diversity, clinical characteristics, and the mechanisms involving Alphaviruses causing arthritis in humans. This information may serve as a basis for better awareness and detection of Alphavirus-caused diseases during outbreaks and in establishing appropriate prevention and control measures.

Features for micro-Doppler based activity classification

Abstract: Safety and security applications benefit from better situational awareness. Radar micro-Doppler signatures from an observed target carry information about the target's activity, and have potential to improve situational awareness. This article describes, compares, and discusses two methods to classify human activity based on radar micro-Doppler data. The first method extracts physically interpretable features from the time-velocity domain such as the main cycle time and properties of the envelope of the micro-Doppler spectra and use these in the classification. The second method derives its features based on the components with the most energy in the cadence-velocity domain (obtained as the Fourier transform of the time-velocity domain). Measurements from a field trial show that the two methods have similar activity classification performance. It is suggested that target base velocity and main limb cadence frequency are indirect features of both methods, and that they do often alone suffice to discriminate between the studied activities. This is corroborated by experiments with a reduced feature set. This opens up for designing new more compact feature sets. Moreover, weaknesses of the methods and the impact of non-radial motion are discussed.

Methodologies for assessment of limit of detection and limit of identification using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Abstract: Here we rationally evaluate surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates in terms of limit of detection (LOD), limit of identification (LOI) and dynamic range for ten common narcotic drug analytes. The drugs were amphetamine, cocaine, methadone, diazepam, methylphenidate, oxazepam, tramadol, morphine, buprenorphine and 6-monoacetylmorphine. A Raman microscope system was complemented with portable instrumentation, both in conjunction with commercial SERS substrates, and, by vibrational peak assignments, the functionality of substrates and pureness of samples was ensured. The dynamic range is explored qualitatively by concentration series measurements, where the Langmuir adsorption isotherm provided good fits. Moreover, an output fit parameter, the inverse of Langmuir constant, was found to roughly scale with LOD and can therefore be helpful in SERS substrate evaluations. Four different statistical methodologies were tested to estimate LOD: (i) a general formula to calculate a one-sided prediction interval for the mean value of blanks (LOD B ), (ii–iii) calculated from a one-sided prediction interval (at significance level 0.05) of a linear regression line, where the obtained limit of detection in the signal domain was sometimes outside the linear concentration range, which is why the corresponding concentration was calculated from (ii) a linear calibration curve (LOD LR ) and (iii) a non-linear calibration curve (LOD NR ), and (iv) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to estimate LOD ROC . Here, a new optimization approach was introduced for LOD ROC estimation, based on interpolation and thus better suited to handle a few data points spanning a large concentration range. LOI was assessed by discriminant analysis of partial least squares (PLS-DA) classification for seven of the drug compounds using PLS-DA, and the extracted LOIs were found to be higher than the LODs and were varying with respect to accuracy of the model which is strongly correlated to the probability of false positive detection that can be accepted.

Reacting flow in an industrial gas turbine combustor: LES and experimental analysis

Abstract: In this investigation the physics of the reacting swirling flow of a commercial industrial gas turbine burner (SGT-100) was researched using combustion Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and experiments. In the experimental studies the flow field, temperature and major species concentrations were measured using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), OH Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (OH-PLIF), one-dimensional laser Raman scattering and OH chemiluminescence imaging. For the finite-rate chemistry LES, two global and two skeletal reaction mechanisms were utilized to evaluate the accuracy and tradeoffs of global and skeletal reaction mechanisms. This type of assessments has previously been carried out for simple flames but not for industrial flames at laboratory conditions with detailed measurement data. The LES predictions generally show very good agreement with the experimental data for the flow field, temperature and major species. Different reaction mechanisms do not affect the flow field as much as the temperature and species profiles, which show clear imprints of the selected reaction mechanism. The results further indicate that the industrial flame is best captured with the skeletal reaction mechanisms, whilst the global mechanisms predict too compact flames. The results from the skeletal reaction mechanisms are then used in conjunction with the experimental data to assess the flame characteristics which best can be described as interacting flamelets embedded in an environment of distributed reaction zones.

Levels of sP-selectin and hs-CRP Decrease with Dietary Intervention with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Combined: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract: Background/Objectives Inflammation and oxidative stress are central in many disease states. The major anti-oxidative enzymes contain selenium. The selenium intake in Europe is low, and supplementat ...

Generation and Characterization of Six Recombinant Botulinum Neurotoxins as Reference Material to Serve in an International Proficiency Test

Abstract: The detection and identification of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) is complex due to the existence of seven serotypes, derived mosaic toxins and more than 40 subtypes. Expert laboratories currently use different technical approaches to detect, identify and quantify BoNT, but due to the lack of (certified) reference materials, analytical results can hardly be compared. In this study, the six BoNT/A1-F1 prototypes were successfully produced by recombinant techniques, facilitating handling, as well as improving purity, yield, reproducibility and biosafety. All six BoNTs were quantitatively nicked into active di-chain toxins linked by a disulfide bridge. The materials were thoroughly characterized with respect to purity, identity, protein concentration, catalytic and biological activities. For BoNT/A₁, B₁ and E₁, serotypes pathogenic to humans, the catalytic activity and the precise protein concentration were determined by Endopep-mass spectrometry and validated amino acid analysis, respectively. In addition, BoNT/A₁, B₁, E₁ and F₁ were successfully detected by immunological assays, unambiguously identified by mass spectrometric-based methods, and their specific activities were assigned by the mouse LD50 bioassay. The potencies of all six BoNT/A1-F1 were quantified by the ex vivo mouse phrenic nerve hemidiaphragm assay, allowing a direct comparison. In conclusion, highly pure recombinant BoNT reference materials were produced, thoroughly characterized and employed as spiking material in a worldwide BoNT proficiency test organized by the EQuATox consortium.

Cognitive Learning, Monitoring and Assistance of Industrial Workflows Using Egocentric Sensor Networks

Abstract: Today, the workflows that are involved in industrial assembly and production activities are becoming increasingly complex. To efficiently and safely perform these workflows is demanding on the workers, in particular when it comes to infrequent or repetitive tasks. This burden on the workers can be eased by introducing smart assistance systems. This article presents a scalable concept and an integrated system demonstrator designed for this purpose. The basic idea is to learn workflows from observing multiple expert operators and then transfer the learnt workflow models to novice users. Being entirely learning-based, the proposed system can be applied to various tasks and domains. The above idea has been realized in a prototype, which combines components pushing the state of the art of hardware and software designed with interoperability in mind. The emphasis of this article is on the algorithms developed for the prototype: 1) fusion of inertial and visual sensor information from an on-body sensor network (BSN) to robustly track the user’s pose in magnetically polluted environments; 2) learning-based computer vision algorithms to map the workspace, localize the sensor with respect to the workspace and capture objects, even as they are carried; 3) domain-independent and robust workflow recovery and monitoring algorithms based on spatiotemporal pairwise relations deduced from object and user movement with respect to the scene; and 4) context-sensitive augmented reality (AR) user feedback using a head-mounted display (HMD). A distinguishing key feature of the developed algorithms is that they all operate solely on data from the on-body sensor network and that no external instrumentation is needed. The feasibility of the chosen approach for the complete action-perception-feedback loop is demonstrated on three increasingly complex datasets representing manual industrial tasks. These limited size datasets indicate and highlight the potential of the chosen technology as a combined entity as well as point out limitations of the system.

Characterization of Ricin and R. communis Agglutinin Reference Materials

Abstract: Ricinus communis intoxications have been known for centuries and were attributed to the toxic protein ricin. Due to its toxicity, availability, ease of preparation, and the lack of medical countermeasures, ricin attracted interest as a potential biological warfare agent. While different technologies for ricin analysis have been established, hardly any universally agreed-upon "gold standards" are available. Expert laboratories currently use differently purified in-house materials, making any comparison of accuracy and sensitivity of different methods nearly impossible. Technically challenging is the discrimination of ricin from R. communis agglutinin (RCA120), a less toxic but highly homologous protein also contained in R. communis. Here, we established both highly pure ricin and RCA120 reference materials which were extensively characterized by gel electrophoresis, liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI MS/MS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight approaches as well as immunological and functional techniques. Purity reached >97% for ricin and >99% for RCA120. Different isoforms of ricin and RCA120 were identified unambiguously and distinguished by LC-ESI MS/MS. In terms of function, a real-time cytotoxicity assay showed that ricin is approximately 300-fold more toxic than RCA120. The highly pure ricin and RCA120 reference materials were used to conduct an international proficiency test.

A Mathematical Modeling Study of Tracer Mixing in a Continuous Casting Tundish

Abstract: A mathematical model based on a water model was developed to study the tracer mixing in a single strand tundish. The mixing behavior of black ink and KCl solution was simulated by a mixed composition fluid model, and the data were validated by water modeling results. In addition, a model that solves the scalar transport equation (STE) without any physical properties of the tracer was studied and the results were compared to predictions using the density-coupled model. Furthermore, the mixing behaviors of different amounts of KCl tracers were investigated. Before the model was established, KCl tracer properties such as the KCl molecule diffusion (KMD), the water molecule self-diffusion (WSD) in KCl solution, and the KCl solution viscosity (KV) were evaluated. The RTD curve of 250 mL KCl for the KMD case was closer to the water modeling results than that of the case implemented with only density. Moreover, the ensemble average deviation of the RTD curves of the cases implemented with KMD + WSD, KMD + KV, and KMD + WSD + KV to the KMD case is less than 0.7 pct. Thus, the water self-diffusion and KV were neglected, while the KCl density and KMD were implemented in the current study. The flow pattern of black ink was similar to the STE result i.e., the fluid flowed upwards toward the top surface and formed a large circulating flow at the outlet nozzle. The flow behavior of the 100, 150, and 250 mL KCl cases exhibited a strong tendency to sink to the tundish bottom, and subsequently flow through the holes in the dam. Thereafter, it propagated toward the outlet nozzle. Regarding the KCl tracer amount, the tracer concentration propagated to the outlet nozzle much faster for the larger amount case than for the smaller amount cases. However, the flow pattern for the 50 mL KCl case was somewhat different. The fluid propagated to the top surface which acted like black ink during the initial injection, and subsequently the fluid flowed throughout the holes at a much slower pace. The breakthrough time and peak concentration of RTD curves of model predictions and water modeling results showed a good agreement (all difference within 12.5 pct) for the 100, 150, and 250 mL KCl cases.

VHF/UHF bistatic and passive SAR ground imaging

Abstract: Bistatic and passive radar are emerging technologies for covert ground surveillance based on cooperative or non-cooperative transmitters, respectively. The latter uses transmitters of opportunity, e.g. terrestrial digital video broadcasting (DVB-T). In the paper, we show results from two unique experiments conducted using airborne systems operating in the VHF and UHF bands. The first experiment investigates UHF-band passive synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in receive-only mode. DVB-T signals transmitted from a 300-m tall mast are used and SAR images are formed at ranges up to 15 km. The second experiment investigates VHF-band bistatic SAR with a transmitting airborne radar and a receive-only system on a small helicopter. Results show significantly higher signal-to-clutter ratio for man-made objects in forested areas at bistatic elevation angles of 20°.

Dispersion and self-orientation of gold nanoparticles in sol–gel hybrid silica – optical transmission properties

Abstract: Silica-based hybrid materials doped with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of different shapes were prepared with an adapted sol–gel technology (using MTEOS) and polished to high optical quality. Both spherical (23 and 45 nm in diameter) and bipyramidal (36, 50 and 78 nm in length) AuNPs were prepared and used as dopants. The AuNPs were functionalized with a novel silicone polymer for compatibilization with the sol–gel medium. The glass materials showed well defined localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorbance from the visible to NIR. No redshifts in the spectra, due to the increase in doping concentration, were observed in the glasses, proving that no or very small SPR coupling effects occur. Spectroscopic Muller Matrix Ellipsometry showed that the shorter bipyramidal AuNPs (36 and 50 nm in length) have a clear preferred orientation in the MTEOS matrix, i.e. a tendency to be oriented with their long axis in the plane parallel to the glass surfaces. Dispersions of AuNPs have proven to be good optical power limiters that depend on particle size and geometry. The solid-state glass materials showed good optical power limiting at 532 nm for nanosecond pulses, which did not depend on the size or geometry of the AuNPs. In contrast to the observation at 532 nm, at 600 nm no optical limiting effect was observed. In these solids, as for dispersions of AuNPs, the optical limiting response is caused by scattering.

Plasma assisted combustion: Effects of O3 on large scale turbulent combustion studied with laser diagnostics and Large Eddy Simulations

Abstract: In plasma-assisted combustion, electric energy is added to the flame where the electric energy will be transferred to kinetic energy of the free electrons that, in turn, will modify the combustion chemical kinetics. In order to increase the understanding of this complex process, the influence of one of the products of the altered chemical kinetics, ozone (O3), has been isolated and studied. This paper reports on studies using a low-swirl methane (CH4) air flame at lean conditions with different concentrations of O3 enrichment. The experimental flame diagnostics include Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) imaging of hydroxyl (OH) and formaldehyde (CH2O). The experiments are also modeled using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) with a reaction model based on a skeletal CH4-air reaction mechanism combined with an O3 sub-mechanism to include the presence of O3 in the flame. This reaction mechanism is based on fundamental considerations including reactions between O3 and all other species involved. The experiments reveal an increase in CH2O in the low-swirl flame as small amounts of O3 is supplied to the CH4-air stream upstream of the flame. This increase is well predicted by the LES computations and the relative radical concentration shift is in good agreement with experimental data. Simulations also reveal that the O3 enrichment increase the laminar flame speed, su, with ∼10% and the extinction strain-rate, Iext, with ∼20%, for 0.57% (by volume) O3. The increase in Iext enables the O3 seeded flame to burn under more turbulent conditions than would be possible without O3 enrichment. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the increase in Iext due to O3 enrichment is primarily due to the accelerated chain-branching reactions H 2 + O â OH + H , H 2 O + O â OH + OH and H + O 2 â OH + O . Furthermore, the increase in CH2O observed in both experiments and simulations suggest a significant acceleration of the chain-propagation reaction CH 3 + O â CH 2 O + H . (Less)

Transmission of tularemia from a water source by transstadial maintenance in a mosquito vector

Abstract: Mosquitoes are thought to function as mechanical vectors of Francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica (F. t. holarctica) causing tularemia in humans. We investigated the clinical relevance of transstadially maintained F. t. holarctica in mosquitoes. Aedes egypti larvae exposed to a fully virulent F. t. holarctica strain for 24 hours, were allowed to develop into adults when they were individually homogenized. Approximately 24% of the homogenates tested positive for F. t. DNA in PCR. Mice injected with the mosquito homogenates acquired tularemia within 5 days. This novel finding demonstrates the possibility of transmission of bacteria by adult mosquitoes having acquired the pathogen from their aquatic larval habitats.

Identification of RIP-II toxins by affinity enrichment, enzymatic digestion and LC-MS

Abstract: Type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein toxins (RIP-II toxins) were enriched and purified prior to enzymatic digestion and LC-MS analysis. The enrichment of the RIP-II family of plant proteins, such as ricin, abrin, viscumin, and volkensin was based on their affinity for galactosyl moieties. A macroporous chromatographic material was modified with a galactose-terminated substituent and packed into miniaturized columns that were used in a chromatographic system to achieve up to 1000-fold toxin enrichment. The galactose affinity of the RIP-II proteins enabled their selective enrichment from water, beverages, and extracts of powder and wipe samples. The enriched fractions were digested with trypsin and RIP-II peptides were identified based on accurate mass LC-MS data. Their identities were unambiguously confirmed by LC-MS/MS product ion scans of peptides unique to each of the toxins. The LC-MS detection limit achieved for ricin target peptides was 10 amol and the corresponding detection limit for the full metho...