Towards a Framework for Smart Manufacturing adoption in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Smart Manufacturing (SM) paradigm adoption can scale production with demand without compromising on the time for order fulfillment. A smart manufacturing system (SMS) is vertically and horizontally connected, and thus it can minimize the chances of miscommunication. Employees in an SME are aware of the operational requirements and their responsibilities. The machine schedules are prepared based on the tasks a machine must perform. Predictive maintenance reduces the downtime of machines. Design software optimizes the product design. Production feasibility is checked with the help of simulation. The concepts of product life cycle management are considered for waste reduction. Employee safety, and ergonomics, identifying new business opportunities and markets, focus on employee education and skill enhancement are some of the other advantages of SM paradigm adoption. This dissertation develops an SM paradigm adoption framework for manufacturing SMEs by employing the instrumental research approach. The first step in the framework identified the technical aspects of SM, and this step was followed by identifying the research gaps in the suggested methods (in literature) and managerial aspects for adopting SM paradigm. The technical and the managerial aspects were integrated into a toolkit for manufacturing SMEs. This toolkit contains seven modular toolboxes that can be installed in five levels, depending on an SME’s readiness towards SM. The framework proposed in this dissertation focuses on how an SME’s readiness can be assessed and based on its present readiness what tools and practices the SMEs need to have to realize their tailored vision of SM. The framework was validated with the help of two SMEs cases that have recently adopted SM practices

Configuration and Assessment of a Senior Level Course in Biometric Systems

It is very important that modern topics be covered at the senior undergraduate level in order that students benefit from (1) advanced STEM concepts, (2) project based learning, (3) a systems level perspective and (4) real world applications. This will help students that proceed to graduate school and who take up employment in government or industry. This paper describes a senior level undergraduate course in biometrics, a multidisciplinary area that is highly relevant to society and which has a rapidly growing global market. The course objectives, broad learning outcomes and curricular plan are described. Assessment results based on the analysis of a concept inventory test and student surveys (target versus control group) related to the learning outcomes show that the course was very successful

Cyber Operator Competencies: The Role of Cognitive Competencies in Cyber Operator Practice and Education

PhD Dissertations in Child and Youth Participation and Competence Development (BUK): 17. Articles 2, 3 and 4 have been removed from the digital thesis due to lack of permission from the publishers. These can be viewed in the relevant journals/books, and in the printed thesis.The theme of this thesis is the role of cognitive competencies in cyber operator practice and education. Cyber operator practice is a new field of research where the importance and attention is growing rapidly. Research has accumulated a solid amount of knowledge about the technical skills required by a cyber operator. However, less is known about the cognitive competencies that support cyber operator proficiency. In order to gain insight into the cognitive demands of cyber operators, the cognitions of young cyber officers(1) attending the Norwegian Defence Cyber Academy have been studied. Findings contributes to the development of theory and evidence-based knowledge needed to develop educational guidelines for the cyber operator workforce. This dissertation proposes and take steps towards validation of a conceptual framework, The Hybrid Space, that describes the cognitive work environment of military cyber operators. The Hybrid Space conceptual framework is introduced in the first article of this thesis and is used in all parts of the study. Methodological contributions include a method and a software to collect quantitative data on cyber operators’ cognitive focus and assess cognitive agility. Cognitive agility is proposed as a competence and a measure of cyber operator performance. Empirical data collected during a cyber defence exercise support our theoretical assumption and helps to further develop The Hybrid Space conceptual framework. Findings indicate that knowledge and understanding of cyberspace as a domain of operations and the cognitive competencies supporting cyber operator proficiency are limited. Cognitive agility is proposed as a cognitive competency and is associated with higher levels of selfregulation. These findings suggest that cognitive competencies can indeed support cyber operator performance. This thesis therefore contributes to cyber operator practice and education by suggesting that education and training would benefit from including the development of cognitive competencies alongside the technical education and training needed to become a cyber operator. In this way, this thesis adds new insight and perspective into the novel area of cyber operator practice. The results provide the first indications that cyber operator performance can be supported by the development of cognitive competencies during education. 1 Cyber officer and cyber operator are used interchangeably throughout the articles and this extended abstract. The reason is that the students undergo the same education, but the position they later get determine their career path and the accompanying title. The use of the terms is maturing in both military and civilian sectors. As of now neither finite guidelines nor agreed upon norms exist that guide the use of the titlesSammendrag Temaet for denne doktoravhandlingen er rollen til kognitive kompetanser i cyber operator praksis og utdanning. Cyber operator praksis er et nytt forskningsfelt som har fatt stor oppmerksomhet de siste arene. Forskning pa omradet har produsert kunnskap om hvilke tekniske kunnskaper og ferdigheter en cyber operator ma ha. Mindre kunnskap finnes om de kognitive kompetansene som en cyber operator trenger for a kunne utove sin praksis effektivt. For a fa bedre innsikt i de kognitive kravene som cyber operatorer stilles ovenfor har jeg studert unge cyber offiserer under utdanning pa Forsvarets Ingeniorhogskole (2) (FIH). Denne avhandlingen bidrar med kunnskap og empirisk grunnlag for a utvikle forskningsbasert utdanning for fremtidens cyber operatorer. Avhandlingen fremholder og starter validering et konseptuelt rammeverk, The Hybrid Space, som beskriver de kognitive kravene militare cyber operatorer ma forholde seg til i utovelsen av sitt virke. Rammeverket blir introdusert i forste artikkel av denne avhandlingen og blir brukt som konseptuelt fundament i resten av avhandlingen. Avhandlingen fremlegger ogsa en metode og et dataverktoy som kan brukes til a samle inn kvantitative data om cyber operatorers kognitive fokus. Dette dataverktoyet kan ogsa benyttes til a undersoke hvordan cyber operatorer utviser kognitiv fleksibilitet over tid nar de gjennomforer en cyber operasjon. Kognitiv fleksibilitet foreslas som et prestasjonsmal for cyber operatorer. Empiriske data innhentet under en cyberforsvars ovelse bekrefter vare teoretiske hypoteser og bidrar til videre utvikling av det konseptuelle rammeverket. Hovedfunnene indikerer at kunnskap om og forstaelse for cyberspace som operasjonsdomene og rollen til kognitive kompetanser i cyber operatorens utforelse av cyber operasjoner er begrenset. Denne avhandlingen argumenter for at evne til fleksibel kognitiv manover i operasjonsmiljoet, definert som ‘cognitive agility’, er en viktig kognitiv kompetanse for cyber operatorer som kan predikeres ved a undersoke evne til selvregulering. Disse funnene indikerer at kognitive kompetanser kan bidra til a understotte cyber operatorers prestasjon. Avhandlingen bidrar til cyber operator praksis og utdanning ved a vise til at utvikling av cyber operator kompetanse bor inkludere utvikling av kognitive kompetanser i tillegg til utvikling av tekniske kunnskaper og ferdigheter. Med disse funnene bidrar denne avhandlingen bidrar til ny innsikt og perspektiv pa cyber operator praksis og utdanning. 2 Forsvarets Ingeniørhøgskole (FIH) endret i 2018 navn til Cyberingeniørskolen (CIS) og ble samtidig underlagt Forsvarets Høgskole (FHS)

Organizational Interaction Mechanisms Affecting Strategic Decision-Making During Cybercrime Investigations

Antud lõputöö eesmärk on mõista ja selgitada organisatsioonide vahelist suhtlust õiguskorra tagamisel otsuste langetamise valdkondades kui nähtust, mis hõlmab koostöö ja teabe jagamise kontseptsioone ning viise, mis mõjutavad küberkuritegevuse uurimise protsesse. Uurimisobjekti probleem tuleneb ebapiisavast interdistsiplinaarsest tööst ja teoreetilistest sotsiaalteaduste arengutest tehnika vallas ning täpsemalt kavandatud lahenduste puudumisest, mis võiks suunata küberkuritegevuse uurimisega seotud juhtimisfunktsioone. Selle tulemusena seisavad õiguskaitsebürood (ÕKBd) silmitsi üha kasvavate raskustega, mis puudutavad nii protsesse, kommunikatsiooni kui koostööd, mis tulenevad keerulise teabe jagamise vajadusest. Eelkõige tekitavad raskusi küsimusi õigeaegne teabevahetus ja usaldamatus. Lõputöös on liigitatud takistused, mis võivad pidurdada uurimisprotsesse ja mõju strateegiliste otsuste langetamisel. Samuti püüab lõputöö sõnastada tingimused, mis on vajalikud optimaalse ja koostööl põhineva teabevahetuskeskkonna loomiseks, et võidelda küberkuritegevuse vastu.\n\rMetoodiline lähenemine hõlmab kvalitatiivset sisuanalüüsi, uuringud, juhtumikirjeldust ja teiseste andmete kasutamist. Esiteks, määratleb töö terminid ja eristab mõisted tõlgenduste kaudu, et aidata luua täpne olukorra kaardistus küberkuritegevuse ökosüsteemis. Antud kaardistus hõlmab ökosüsteemi sidusrühmade vaatepunktist ja määratleb nende koostoime mehhanismid. Seejärel määratletakse lõputöös põhilised takistused ja vajadused, mille uuriv protsess paljastab, ja tehakse ettepanek uue optimeeritud küberkuritegevuse uurimise analüüsi mudeliks. See analüütiline tööriist saab teavitada ja raporteerida protsessi etappidest, mis vajaks suuremat uurimist. Viimasena uuritakse Kolumbia politsei küberkuritegevuskeskuse (KKT) juhtumit, et näitlikustada, kuidas uuritud perspektiive saaks rakendada. \n\rTöö tulemused soovitavad, et funktsionaalseid aspekte saaks parandada, kui lisada juhtimise elemente uurimisprotsessi ettevalmistavasse järku. Ühtlasi saab hõlbustada kriminaalmenetluse uurimisel ka suhtlust sidusrühmadega ja teabe varustamisega. Veelgi enam, läbi haldusmenetlusprotsesside saab parandada nii usaldussuhteid kui teabe liikumise mustreid ja lõpuks suurendada organisatsioonide tõhusust võitluses küberkuritegevusega.\n\rSee lõputöö panustab teoreetilise baasi arendamisse, selgitab põhimõisted, mis tulenevad interdistsiplinaarsest kontseptsioonide ja teooriate integratsioonist. Samuti esitleb lõputöö praktilisi vahendeid, mida saab kohaldada juhtimisorganisatsioonide koostoimemehhanismidele küberkuritegevuse uurimisel. Töös esitletakse vajaduste analüüsi tulemusi, parimate praktikate rakendamise suuniseid ning ettepanekut optimeeritud uurimismudeli ellurakendamiseks, mis lähtub organisatsiooni suhtluse vajadustest. Eelnimetatud moodustavad tööriistkasti praktilistest vahenditest, mida rakendada juhtimistehnikates, et suurendada tõhusust ja toetada otsuste tegemist võitluses küberkuritegevusega.The aim of this thesis is to understand and explain organizational interaction in law enforcement decision-making spheres, as a phenomenon that involves the concepts of collaboration, cooperation and information sharing, and the way that these affect cybercrime investigation processes. The problem research steams from the insufficient interdisciplinary work and theoretical developments of social sciences within technical fields and more specifically the lack of conceptualizations that could guide managerial functions related to cyber crime investigations. As a result, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) face increasing difficulties concerning processes, communication, and collaboration derived from complex information sharing needs, and in particular, issues of timely delivery and mistrust. The thesis is concerned with a classification of impediments that may obstruct investigation processes and impact strategic decision-making, and with the formulation of the necessary conditions to generate an optimal and collaborative information-sharing environment for fighting against cybercrime. \n\r\n\rThe methodological approach includes qualitative content analysis, surveys, a case study and the use of secondary data. First, the work defines terms and differentiates concepts via interpretation, to help to establish an accurate mapping of the current situation within a cybercrime ecosystem from the stakeholders’ point of view and determine their interaction mechanisms. Then, it progresses onto the identification of the main obstacles and needs that the investigative process reveals, and proposes a new optimized model of cybercrime investigations analysis. This analytical tool can inform and report on the stages of the process that would require greater intervention. Last, the case of the Police Cybercrime Center (CCP) of Colombia is studied; to illustrate how these perspectives may apply.\n\r\n\rThe results of this work suggest that by including management elements at the preparatory stage of the investigative process, functional aspects could be improved, and the interaction with stakeholders and the provision of information to support the criminal investigation can be facilitated. Furthermore, that via administrative procedures, trust relationships can be improved as well as information flow patterns and ultimately increase organizational efficiency in the fight against cybercrime. \n\r\n\rThis thesis contributes with theoretical development, clarification of key terms resulting from the interdisciplinary integration of concepts and theories, and practical instruments applicable to guide managerial organizational interaction mechanisms in cybercrime investigations. Other contributions of meaningful implications are the results of the analysis of needs, the guidelines for the implementation of best practices, and the proposal of implementation of an optimized model of investigation based on the need of organizational interaction. Those conform a toolbox of practical instruments for the implementation of managerial techniques to enhance effectiveness and support decision-making in combating cybercrime

Countering Expansion and Organization of Terrorism in Cyberspace

Terrorists use cyberspace and social media technology to create fear and spread violent ideologies, which pose a significant threat to public security. Researchers have documented the importance of the application of law and regulation in dealing with the criminal activities perpetrated through the aid of computers in cyberspace. Using routine activity theory, this study assessed the effectiveness of technological approaches to mitigating the expansion and organization of terrorism in cyberspace. The study aligned with the purpose area analysis objective of classifying and assessing potential terrorist threats to preempt and mitigate the attacks. Data collection included document content analysis of the open-source documents, government threat assessments, legislation, policy papers, and peer-reviewed academic literature and semistructured interviews with fifteen security experts in Nigeria. Yin\u27s recommended analysis process of iterative and repetitive review of materials was applied to the documents analysis, including interviews of key public and private sector individuals to identify key themes on Nigeria\u27s current effort to secure the nation\u27s cyberspace. The key findings were that the new generation of terrorists who are more technological savvy are growing, cybersecurity technologies are effective and quicker tools, and bilateral/multilateral cooperation is essential to combat the expansion of terrorism in cyberspace. The implementation of recommendations from this study will improve the security in cyberspace, thereby contributing to positive social change. The data provided may be useful to stakeholders responsible for national security, counterterrorism, law enforcement on the choice of cybersecurity technologies to confront terrorist expansion, and organization in cyberspace

Faculty Perceptions of Open Educational Resources in Cyber Curriculum: A Pilot Study

The cyber landscape is growing and evolving at a fast pace. Public and private industries need qualified applicants to protect and defend information systems that drive the digital economy. Currently, there are not enough candidates in the pipeline to fill this need in the workforce. The digital economy is still growing, thus presenting an even greater need for skilled workers in the future. The lack of a strong workforce in cybersecurity presents many challenges to safeguarding U.S. national security and citizens across the world. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation defines Open Educational Resources (OER) as teaching, learning, and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation, and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions. OERs weaken barriers to learning by reducing costs, increasing access, and allowing adaptability of educational materials to meet the needs of an instructor in their field. In this study, the research aims to study cyber faculty members from higher educational institutions in the United States to determine their perceptions of using OER for cyberlearning. A survey instrument from the Babson Survey Research Group was adopted and adapted by the researcher for use in statistical analysis. Individuals from cyber professional organizations, an academic conference, and professional development opportunities in the Summer of 2019 completed the survey to help build the sample for data analysis. The research questions in the study aim to look for statistically significant differences in perceptions of cyber faculty by looking at their years of experience and the number of specialty roles faculty fill in their cyber endeavors. Further understanding of the perceptions of OER by cyber faculty will help understand the roles these educational tools play in tackling the challenges that exist in the cyber landscape

Methods for Using Manpower to Assess USAF Strategic Risk

With limited personnel resource funding availability, senior US Air Force (USAF) decision makers struggle to base enterprise resource allocation from rigorous analytical traceability. There are over 240 career fields in the USAF spanning 12 enterprises. Each enterprise develops annual risk assessments by distinctive core capabilities. A core capability (e.g. Research and Development) is an enabling function necessary for the USAF to perform its mission as part of the Department of Defense (DOD). Assessing risk at the core capability is a good start to assessing risk, but is still not comprehensiveness enough. One of the twelve enterprises has linked its task structure to Program Element Codes (PECs). Planners and programmers use amount of funding per PEC to assess tasks needed to address a desired capability. For the first time, a linkage between core functions, core capabilities, PECs, tasks and manpower has been developed. We now can provide an objective nomenclatured way to compute personnel risk. All resources planned are not programmed (i.e. resource allocated and budgeted); the delta between the two translate into capability gaps and a level of strategic risk. A USAF career field risk demonstration is performed using normal, sigmoid and Euclidean-norm functions. Understanding potential personnel shortfalls at the career field level should better inform core capability analysis, and thus increase credibility and defensibility of strategic risk assessment

A computer vision approach to improving cattle digestive health by the monitoring of faecal samples

The digestive health of cows is one of the primary factors that determine their well-being and productivity. Under- and over-feeding are both commonplace in the beef and dairy industry; leading to welfare issues, negative environmental impacts, and economic losses. Unfortunately, digestive health is difficult for farmers to routinely monitor in large farms due to many factors including the need to transport faecal samples to a laboratory for compositional analysis. This paper describes a novel means for monitoring digestive health via a low-cost and easy to use imaging device based on computer vision. The method involves the rapid capture of multiple visible and near-infrared images of faecal samples. A novel three-dimensional analysis algorithm is then applied to objectively score the condition of the sample based on its geometrical features. While there is no universal ground truth for comparison of results, the order of scores matched a qualitative human prediction very closely. The algorithm is also able to detect the presence of undigested fibres and corn kernels using a deep learning approach. Detection rates for corn and fibre in image regions were of the order 90%. These results indicate the potential to develop this system for on-farm, real time monitoring of the digestive health of individual animals, allowing early intervention to effectively adjust feeding strategy

Integrating Narcissus-derived galanthamine production into traditional upland farming systems

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a disorder associated with progressive degeneration of memory and cognitive function. Galantamine is a licenced treatment for AD but supplies of the plant alkaloid that it is produced from, galanthamine, are limited. This three-year system study tested the potential to combine Narcissus-derived galanthamine production with grassland-based ruminant production. Replicate plots of permanent pasture were prepared with and without bulbs of Narcissus pseudonarcissus sown as lines into the sward. Two different fertiliser regimes were imposed. The above-ground green biomass of N. pseudonarcissus was harvested in early spring and the galanthamine yield determined. In the second harvest year a split-plot design was implemented with lines of N. pseudonarcissus cut annually and biennially. All plots were subsequently grazed by ewes and lambs and animal performance recorded. Incorporation of N. pseudonarcissus into grazed permanent pasture had no detrimental effects on the health or performance of the sheep which subsequently grazed the pasture. There was no consistency to the effects of fertiliser rates on galanthamine yields. There was no difference in overall galanthamine yield if N. pseudonarcissus was cut biennially (1.64 vs. 1.75 kg galanthamine/ha for annual combined vs biennial cuts respectively; s.e.d = 0.117 kg galanthamine/ha; ns). This study verified the feasibility of a dual cropping approach to producing plant-derived galanthamine