Search Results (25)

Accurate recognition of power grid operation behaviors is crucial for ensuring both safety and operational efficiency in smart grid systems. However, this task presents significant challenges due to dynamic environmental variations, limited labeled training data availability, and the necessity for continuous model adaptation. To overcome these limitations, we propose an Incremental Spatio-temporal Augmented Sampling (ISAS) method for power grid operation behavior recognition. Specifically, we design a spatio-temporal Feature-Enhancement Fusion Module (FEFM) which employs multi-scale spatio-temporal augmented fusion combined with a cross-scale aggregation mechanism, enabling robust feature learning that is resilient to environmental interference. Furthermore, we introduce a Selective Replay Mechanism (SRM) that implements a dual-criteria sample selection strategy based on error variability and feature-space divergence metrics, ensuring optimal memory bank updates that simultaneously maximize information gain while minimizing feature redundancy. Experimental results on the power grid behavior dataset demonstrate significant advantages of the proposed method in recognition robustness and knowledge retention compared to other methods. For example, it achieves an accuracy of 89.80% on sunny days and maintains exceptional continual learning stability with merely 2.74% forgetting rate on three meteorological scenarios. Full article

Modern day hardware design is heavily focused on software simulations and verification. ASIC design is complex, and its abstraction may lead to losing motivation to develop knowledge and skills in the field. It is also very costly and inaccessible outside the industry, especially on a larger scale. FPGAs are devices which are affordable and allow unexperienced people, like students, to have an accessible and observable starting point in hardware development. On the other hand, protocol standards and devices nowadays are so complex that one will need to spend years to understand and feel comfortable dealing with corporate methodologies, environments and development process. One of the still evolving, recently developed ISA for example, RISC-V, is a broad area to learn. Often the fastest and in-depth way to learn is by observation, getting familiar with accessible yet challenging design and making modifications to and experimenting with such platforms. Full article

This work introduces a novel custom-designed 16-bit RISC-V processor, intended for educational purposes and for use in low-resource equipment. The implementation, despite providing registers of 16 bits, is based on RV32E RISC-V ISA, but with some key differences like a reduced instruction set that is optimized for embedded systems, the removal of floating-point instructions, reduced register count, and modified data types. These changes enable the processor to operate efficiently in resource-constrained environments while still maintaining assembly-level compatibility with the standard RISC-V architecture. The educational aspects of this project are also a key focus. By working on this project, students can gain hands-on experience with digital logic design, Verilog programming, and computer architecture. The project also includes tools and scripts to help students transform assembly code into binary format, making it easier for them to test and verify their designs. Additionally, the project’s open-source nature allows for collaboration and the sharing of knowledge among students and researchers worldwide. Full article

Cybercrime is currently rapidly developing, requiring an increased demand for information security knowledge. Attackers are becoming more sophisticated and complex in their assault tactics. Employees are a focal point since humans remain the ‘weakest link’ and are vital to prevention. This research investigates what cognitive and internal factors influence information security awareness (ISA) among employees, through quantitative empirical research using a survey conducted at a Dutch financial insurance firm. The research question of “How and to what extent do cognitive and internal factors contribute to information security awareness (ISA)?” has been answered, using the theory of situation awareness as the theoretical lens. The constructs of Security Complexity, Information Security Goals (InfoSec Goals), and SETA Programs (security education, training, and awareness) significantly contribute to ISA. The most important research recommendations are to seek novel explaining variables for ISA, further investigate the roots of Security Complexity and what influences InfoSec Goals, and venture into qualitative and experimental research methodologies to seek more depth. The practical recommendations are to minimize the complexity of (1) information security topics (e.g., by contextualizing it more for specific employee groups) and (2) integrate these simplifications in various SETA methods (e.g., gamification and online training). Full article

The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between the structure of phytocenoses in riparian wetland ecosystems and the hydrologic regime in a lowland river floodplain. The hydrobotanical study was conducted over three years—2017, 2018, and 2019—which differed in hydrological conditions (wet, average, and dry) in a middle section of the Supraśl floodplain (NE Poland) as a case study. The results showed that the structure and pattern of phytocenoses in the floodplain are primarily controlled by the hydrological regime of the river and the geomorphological features of the area. The reach and duration of the flood contributed to a specific pattern of riparian vegetation. Based on the plant community structure and riparian habitat indicators such as soil moisture, fertility, reaction pH, soil granulometry, and organic matter content, four habitat types were identified and supported by linear discriminant analysis (LDA): wet, semi-wet, semi-dry, and dry zones. The indicator species analysis (ISA) revealed species characteristic of the zones with the dominance of reed rush, reed canary grass, anthropogenic or partially natural herbaceous communities along watercourses or riparian meadows, respectively. Natural inundation of the river water is an important driver of site-specific vegetation elements and habitat types and determines habitat availability, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions of wetlands. This knowledge can serve as the basis for conservation efforts, sustainable management practices, and decision-making processes aimed at maintaining the biodiversity and ecological integrity of riparian ecosystems in similar regions. Full article

Background and objectives: Several factors may account for food behavior, including common genetic variation. Robust evidence shows that specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are involved in palatability phenotypes. Considering the limited knowledge of these associations in the context of admixed groups, like the Brazilian population, we aimed to investigate associations of SNPs in the TAS1R and TAS2R taste receptor gene families with diet quality. Methods: A sample of 901 individuals ≥ 12 years old from the general population, categorized into age groups (adolescents, adults, and elderly), was interviewed in the Health Survey of Sao Paulo (ISA-Capital). Data on socioeconomic, demographic, and health characteristics were collected, including dietary information from two 24 h recalls in two nonconsecutive days and blood samples. The 24 h recalls were analyzed using the Revised Brazilian Healthy Eating Index (BHEI-R), comprising 12 components referring to food groups, nutrients, and calories from saturated fats, alcohol, and added sugar. Blood samples were genotyped for 255 SNPs in the TAS2R gene family (related to bitterness) and 73 SNPs in the TAS1R (related to sweetness and umaminess). BHEI-R was normally inversed transformed (invBHEIR). After data cleaning and quality control procedures, genotype and phenotype data of 637 individuals were made available for association analysis with invBHEI-R using linear models adjusted for age, age2, age × sex, sex, BMI, and the two first principal components of ancestry. Genetic taste scores (GTSs) were derived from the significant SNPs of each gene family and tested for associations. Analysis was performed with the software R version 4.0.2 using a significance level of 0.05. Results: There were 31 SNPs of TAS2R genes and four SNPs of TAS1R genes significantly associated with BHEI-R (p < 0.05). GTSs were positively associated, and their use increased the model’s performance, especially with TAS2R SNPs (r² rose from 0.135 to 0.188). Conversely, the estimated effect of the TAS1R score on BHEI-R was 2.02 higher than the TAS2R one. Discussion: Our results show potential genetic influences on diet quality by applying genetic taste scores. Unraveling associations between SNPs and food intake might help guide public policies towards healthier food behavior considering genetic differences, i.e., personalized nutrition. Full article

The source strength and sink demand as well as their interaction have been demonstrated to co-regulate the synthesis of starch and determine the grain quality, but the knowledge of the underlying physiological mechanisms is limiting. An indica variety, Yangdao 6, and a japonica variety, Jinxiangyu 1, were planted with three treatments, including normal growth plant (CK), leaf-cutting (LC) and spikelet-thinning (ST). The transcript levels of starch metabolic genes, physicochemical characteristics of starch and appearance, milling, cooking and tasting qualities of rice under different treatments were determined. The ST treatment increased the relative expression of genes related to the synthesis of short branch-chains of amylopectin (SSI, BEI, BEIIb) and amylose (GBSSI) and reduced the relative expression of medium-long to long branch-chains of amylopectin synthesis genes (SSIIa, SSIIIa, SSIIIb, ISA1). When comparing ST with the CK treatment, starch granules became smoother with higher contents of short branch-chains and lower ratios of medium-long and long branch-chains of amylopectin; the crystallinity and the value of 1045/1022 cm⁻¹ was decreased; for pasting properties, the setback and pasting temperature were decreased; the peak viscosity, hot viscosity, breakdown and final viscosity were significantly increased. Meanwhile, the ST treatment improved the appearance, milling and cooking and tasting qualities. The opposite results were observed under the LC treatment. These results indicated that source strength and sink size would regulate expression levels of starch metabolic genes, which is pivotal for the contents of amylose and short/long branch chains ratio of amylopectin, thus changing the structure and physicochemical properties of starch and grain quality. Here, we speculated that the improved source strength in terms of higher leaf/canopy photosynthesis and small sink size, such as small panicle size, would be preferred traits in high grain quality rice breeding. Full article

Although commercial deep seabed mining could provide the international community with new sources of metals and minerals, it can potentially cause adverse effects on the marine environment and biodiversity of the Area. To date, insufficient scientific knowledge has been obtained about the complex deep seabed ecosystems and the detailed impacts of deep seabed mining. The International Seabed Authority has begun to make provisions for exploiting mineral resources and related environmental protection requirements. The draft exploitation regulations take precautionary approaches such as stipulating rules, including environmental standards and guidelines, environment impact assessment, environmental management and monitoring plan, and regional environmental management plan. However, there are still apparent differences and controversies about these rules between States. This article elaborates on the evolution and content of drafted rules and explores the manifested specific divergences and interest conflicts in formulating these rules. Implementing precautionary approaches requires balancing potential serious environmental risks, available scientific evidence, and cost-effectiveness. This article also explores the essential requirements of taking precautionary approaches for governing commercial deep seabed mining. The ISA, sponsoring States, Contractors, scientists, experts, and public all play roles in the governance of imminent commercial deep seabed mining. Strengthening multi-subject participation in the ISA’s law-making process for deep seabed environmental protection can be conducive to promoting consensus on taking precautionary approaches to govern commercial deep seabed mining. Full article

The traces of process executions are a strategic source of information, from which a model of the process can be mined. In our recent work, we have proposed SIM (semantic interactive miner), an innovative process mining tool to discover the process model incrementally: it supports the interaction with domain experts, who can selectively merge parts of the model to achieve compactness, generalization, and reduced redundancy. We now propose a substantial extension of SIM, making it able to exploit (both automatically and interactively) pre-encoded taxonomic knowledge about the refinement (ISA relations) and composition (part-of relations) of process activities, as is available in many domains. The extended approach allows analysts to move from a process description where activities are reported at the ground level to more user-interpretable/compact descriptions, in which sets of such activities are abstracted into the “macro-activities” subsuming them or constituted by them. An experimental evaluation based on a real-world setting (stroke management) illustrates the advantages of our approach. Full article

This study aims to identify and examine factors influencing employees’ information security awareness (ISA) in the telework environment. Specifically, the authors identify and examine the influence factors rooted in the knowledge-attitude-behavior (KAB) model (i.e., knowledge, attitude, and behavior) and knowledge inertia theory (i.e., experience and learning inertia). This study uses online survey data from 305 employees who have telework experience. We apply the structural equation modeling technique to assess the proposed research model. This research is among the pioneering studies that identify and examine the factors influencing employees’ ISA in the telework environment. Our study is also one of the first to investigate antecedents to employees’ ISA rooted in the KAB model and knowledge inertia theory in a telework environment. Results show that employees’ ISA in the telework environment is significantly influenced by their knowledge, behavior toward following security guidelines, and learning inertia, whereas attitude and experience inertia have no significant effect on employees’ ISA. Full article

Knowledge representation learning is representing entities and relations in a knowledge graph as dense low-dimensional vectors in the continuous space, which explores the features and properties of the graph. Such a technique can facilitate the computation and reasoning on the knowledge graphs, which benefits many downstream tasks. In order to alleviate the problem of insufficient entity representation learning caused by sparse knowledge graphs, some researchers propose knowledge graph embedding models based on instances and concepts, which utilize the latent semantic connections between concepts and instances contained in the knowledge graphs to enhance the knowledge graph embedding. However, they model instances and concepts in the same space or ignore the transitivity of isA relations, leading to inaccurate embeddings of concepts and instances. To address the above shortcomings, we propose a knowledge graph embedding model that differentiates concepts and instances based on spatial transformation—CIST. The model alleviates the gathering issue of similar instances or concepts in the semantic space by modeling them in different embedding spaces, and adds a learnable parameter to adjust the neighboring range for concept embedding to distinguish hierarchical information of different concepts, thus modeling the transitivity of isA relations. The above features of instances and concepts serve as auxiliary information so that thoroughly modeling them could alleviate the insufficient entity representation learning issue. For the experiments, we chose two tasks, i.e., link prediction and triple classification, and two real-life datasets: YAGO26K-906 and DB111K-174. Compared with state of the arts, CIST achieves an optimal performance in most cases. Specifically, CIST outperforms the SOTA model JOIE by 51.1% on Hits@1 in link prediction and 15.2% on F1 score in triple classification. Full article

Recent reports indicate that over 85% of data breaches are still caused by a human element, of which healthcare is one of the organizations that cyber criminals target. As healthcare IT infrastructure is characterized by a human element, this study comprehensively examined the effect of psycho-socio-cultural and work factors on security behavior in a typical hospital. A quantitative approach was adopted where we collected responses from 212 healthcare staff through an online questionnaire survey. A broad range of constructs was selected from psychological, social, cultural perception, and work factors based on earlier review work. These were related with some security practices to assess the information security (IS) knowledge, attitude and behavior gaps among healthcare staff in a comprehensive way. The study revealed that work emergency (WE) has a positive correlation with IS conscious care behavior (ISCCB) risk. Conscientiousness also had a positive correlation with ISCCB risk, but agreeableness was negatively correlated with information security knowledge (ISK) risk and information security attitude (ISA) risk. Based on these findings, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation methods combined with cutting-edge technologies can be explored to discourage IS risks behaviors while enhancing conscious care security practice. Full article

Recent climate scenarios predict dramatic changes for the inland region of Portugal, where the increase in air temperature might reach +5 °C by 2100, accompanied by a strong decrease in precipitation and an increase in extreme events. Such forecasts imply changes in thermal and hydrological patterns in the coming decades, leading to an increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of droughts and floods. Consequently, the sustainable development of Portugal’s inland region will inevitably depend on the ability to adapt to such climate-related changes. The project AQUADAPT, funded by ‘La Caixa’ Foundation, aims to promote the resilience of river ecosystems to climate change, through risk assessment and the construction of adaptation tools. We will develop a high-resolution monitoring and warning system through modelling, forecasting and planning techniques using freshwater fishes as indicators, and test nature-based solutions in degraded areas of protected and agricultural areas. The innovative character of this project lies in the multidisciplinary approach gathering investigation, planning tools and dissemination, and its relevance lies in the construction of replicable products at the national and international context. By bringing together academic partners (ISA-CEF and IST-CERIS), public administration (APA) and companies (EDIA), the project AQUADAPT uses a multidisciplinary-approach gathering investigation, planning tools and dissemination. The gained knowledge of climate and hydrological changes, their impacts and possible natural responses to promote resistance and resilience of ecosystems will allow the construction of scenarios and alternatives for informed decision making by politicians, managers and other stakeholders for the coming decades. This way, the project AQUADAPT will nurture the transformation towards a more sustainable region for people and nature. Full article

Once an industrial process is designed, the real implementation of the process control is programmed into Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) devices on the shop floor. These devices are programmed with their low-level coding languages. This presents several drawbacks, such as inconsistencies and naming errors between the design and the implementation steps, or difficulties in integrating new Industry 4.0 functionalities. This paper presents a design and management methodology, and a software architecture to overcome these drawbacks. The objective of the methodology is the interconnectivity of domain knowledge, software, and hardware components to automatically generate Industry 4.0 Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) for industrial processes. The methodology is composed of five main steps: designing the process, programming the PLC, capturing data, managing the process and visualizing it. Based on the methodology and the architecture, a set of tools targeting ISA-88 processes has been implemented and validated. IEC-61512 (also known as ANSI/ISA-88) is a standard addressing batch process control. It follows a design philosophy for describing equipment and procedures, equally applicable to manual processes. The methodology has been validated on a process controlled by a Siemens 1200 PLC. The main advantages of this methodology identified during the validation are: (i) reduction in the time required to design the ISA-88 process, (ii) reduction in the PLC programming time and associated errors, (iii) automatic integration of a CPS with data capture and visualization functionalities, and (iv) remote management of the process. Full article

Throughout time, European policies on climate and energy change have generated several transformations in the building sector. In this endeavour, digital technologies have played an essential role in energy efficiency through process optimisation. However, data integration and exchange between different solutions is still challenging to achieve. With the advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) based solutions, one of the latest innovations, new opportunities are envisioned. IoT solutions have been implemented in smart grids, intelligent buildings, smart cities, and other sectors in recent years. Following the guidelines of ISA/ANSI 95-Enterprise-Control System Integration, the edge computing apps and cloud platform are needed to solve data bottlenecks, data ingestion, data integration aspects, bringing at the same time new knowledge related to user comfort, energy management and accessibility. This research focuses on a case study that shows how the thermal comfort of a building can be controlled and improved through an IoT vertically integrated solution. The deployed solution opens new possibilities for cross-functional integration and data aggregation, an essential step towards energy efficiency. Full article