Safety and Reliability - Safe Societies in a Changing World

The contributions cover a wide range of methodologies and application areas for safety and reliability that contribute to safe societies in a changing world. These methodologies and applications include: - foundations of risk and reliability assessment and management - mathematical methods in reliability and safety - risk assessment - risk management - system reliability - uncertainty analysis - digitalization and big data - prognostics and system health management - occupational safety - accident and incident modeling - maintenance modeling and applications - simulation for safety and reliability analysis - dynamic risk and barrier management - organizational factors and safety culture - human factors and human reliability - resilience engineering - structural reliability - natural hazards - security - economic analysis in risk managemen

Cyber-Physical Threat Intelligence for Critical Infrastructures Security

Modern critical infrastructures comprise of many interconnected cyber and physical assets, and as such are large scale cyber-physical systems. Hence, the conventional approach of securing these infrastructures by addressing cyber security and physical security separately is no longer effective. Rather more integrated approaches that address the security of cyber and physical assets at the same time are required. This book presents integrated (i.e. cyber and physical) security approaches and technologies for the critical infrastructures that underpin our societies. Specifically, it introduces advanced techniques for threat detection, risk assessment and security information sharing, based on leading edge technologies like machine learning, security knowledge modelling, IoT security and distributed ledger infrastructures. Likewise, it presets how established security technologies like Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), pen-testing, vulnerability assessment and security data analytics can be used in the context of integrated Critical Infrastructure Protection. The novel methods and techniques of the book are exemplified in case studies involving critical infrastructures in four industrial sectors, namely finance, healthcare, energy and communications. The peculiarities of critical infrastructure protection in each one of these sectors is discussed and addressed based on sector-specific solutions. The advent of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) is expected to increase the cyber-physical nature of critical infrastructures as well as their interconnection in the scope of sectorial and cross-sector value chains. Therefore, the demand for solutions that foster the interplay between cyber and physical security, and enable Cyber-Physical Threat Intelligence is likely to explode. In this book, we have shed light on the structure of such integrated security systems, as well as on the technologies that will underpin their operation. We hope that Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection stakeholders will find the book useful when planning their future security strategies

Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction towards E-shopping in Malaysia

Online shopping or e-shopping has changed the world of business and quite a few people have decided to work with these features. What their primary concerns precisely and the responses from the globalisation are the competency of incorporation while doing their businesses. E-shopping has also increased substantially in Malaysia in recent years. The rapid increase in the e-commerce industry in Malaysia has created the demand to emphasize on how to increase customer satisfaction while operating in the e-retailing environment. It is very important that customers are satisfied with the website, or else, they would not return. Therefore, a crucial fact to look into is that companies must ensure that their customers are satisfied with their purchases that are really essential from the ecommerce’s point of view. With is in mind, this study aimed at investigating customer satisfaction towards e-shopping in Malaysia. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed among students randomly selected from various public and private universities located within Klang valley area. Total 369 questionnaires were returned, out of which 341 questionnaires were found usable for further analysis. Finally, SEM was employed to test the hypotheses. This study found that customer satisfaction towards e-shopping in Malaysia is to a great extent influenced by ease of use, trust, design of the website, online security and e-service quality. Finally, recommendations and future study direction is provided. Keywords: E-shopping, Customer satisfaction, Trust, Online security, E-service quality, Malaysia

The role of wild leporids as reservoirs of infectious agents

Tese de doutoramento em Ciências Veterinárias, apresentada à Universidade de Évora, 2017.Orientadora Líbia Zé-Zé e coorientadora Isabel Lopes de Carvalho, Centro de Estudos de Vetores e Doenças Infeciosas (CEVDI), Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal.Acesso em conformidade com o repositório da UE.The European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and the Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis), are keystones species in various ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula and on the local game-based economy. This thesis aimed to investigate the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2), detected in Portugal in 2012 and currently disseminated in the continent and autonomous regions (Azores, Madeira, Berlengas). Given its alarming impact in the wild rabbit populations, the Portuguese Government has recently activated a plan aiming the control of the disease (Despatch 4757/2017 of May 31st). A second objective of this thesis was the epidemiological surveillance of Francisella tularensis zoonotic vector-borne pathogenic bacterium, with potential impact on Human Health. The Iberian hare is considered reservoir and potential sentinel species for this pathogen. Several methodologies were used to carry out the studies presented in this work, including basic pathology, microbiology and molecular methods. Data analysis involved the resource to phylogenetic inference, statistical programs and bioformatics (e.g. R software). This work enabled the development and validation of the first molecular diagnostic method for RHDV2, currently figuring in the OIE manual, and allowed insights into to the virus dynamic evolution in different epidemiologic and geographic contexts, widening the comprehension of RHDV2 phylogenetic relations among the strains that circulate in Portugal from 2012 until 2017. This study also made possible to ascertain the tularaemia epidemiologic situation in Portugal, confirming the role of wild leporids as reservoirs for the agent and enabling preliminary conclusions on Public Health risk in the country. Moreover, this work allowed confirming ticks as the main vectors for Francisella tularensis in Portugal. Globally, this work contributed to the state-of-the-art of both infections and produced relevant information that can be used to adjust the medical and sanitary prophylactic measures of both diseases to the present reality.Os leporídeos silvestres coelho-bravo (Oryctolagus cuniculus) e lebre ibérica (Lepus granatensis), são determinantes no equilíbrio de vários ecossistemas na Península Ibérica e, simultaneamente, espécies cinegéticas de relevante importância económica. Esta tese visou investigar o vírus da doença hemorrágica dos coelhos de tipo 2 (RHDV2), detetado em Portugal desde 2012 e atualmente disseminado no continente e arquipélagos (Açores, Madeira, Berlengas). Dado o impacto alarmante nas populações de coelho-bravo, o Governo Português ativou recentemente um plano para controlo da doença (Despacho 4757/2017 de 31 de Maio). Um segundo objetivo desta tese consistiu na epidemiovigilância da Francisella tularensis, uma bactéria patogénica zoonótica transmitida por vetores, com potencial impacto em Saúde Pública. A lebre ibérica é seu reservatório e potencial espécie sentinela. Os estudos apresentados nesta tese envolveram a utilização de metodologias clássicas de patologia, microbiologia e moleculares. Para a análise de dados produzidos recorremos, entre outros, a inferências filogenéticas, e a programas de análise estatística e bioformática (eg R software). Este trabalho permitiu o desenvolvimento e validação do primeiro método molecular de diagnóstico para RHDV2, presentemente adotado pelo manual da OIE, e contribuiu para uma compreensão da dinâmica de evolução do vírus em cenários epidemiológicos e geográficos distintos, alargando o conhecimento das relações filogenéticas entre as estirpes que circularam em Portugal entre 2012 e 2017. No que diz respeito à tularémia, este estudo permitiu aferir a situação epidemiológica da doença em Portugal, confirmando o papel dos leporideos silvestres como reservatório e possibilitando conclusões preliminares sobre o risco desta zoonose para a Saúde pública no país. Adicionalmente, permitiu confirmar que os ixodídeos são o principal vetor de F. tularensis em Portugal. Globalmente, este trabalho contribuiu para o estado-da-arte das duas infeções, e disponibilizou informação relevante para adequar o diagnóstico e a profilaxia sanitária e médica destas duas doenças à realidade atualN/