A Taxonomy-based Analysis of Attacks on Industrial Control Systems

Most critical infrastructure depends on industrial control and automation systems to manage their processes. However, industrial control and automation systems were found to have many vulnerabilities owing to their design. They were initially designed to operate as air-gapped systems. However, with the evolution and the expansion of the industry, they are increasingly being targeted by attackers. Thus, preventative methods must be implemented to minimize/ prevent ICSs from being compromised by patching the vulnerabilities and addressing possible attack vectors. In order to prepare to defend against forthcoming attacks on critical infrastructure, it is vital to understand how past attacks have been carried out. This study analyzed and cataloged cases of attacks against ICSs to form a taxonomy that can be used as a tool to analyze the nature of ICS attacks. The taxonomy developed by this study can aide interested parties to determine potential attack vectors an attacker may choose, based on the attributes discussed in the study. Moreover, this paper also serves as a resource for the interested parties to understand ICSs

Review of equality statistics

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) commissioned this review as part of its remit to map the equalities landscape across England, Scotland and Wales. The report examines the extent to which data are available for the following equality strands: sex; ethnicity / race; disability; religion or belief; age; sexual orientation; and also for socio-economic status (social class). The extent to which statistics are available at different levels of geographic classification (UK, GB, England, Scotland and Wales and regional and local areas within this) is investigated. The report addresses the ten domains of equality identified in the equality measurement framework in the Equalities Review.1 These are: Longevity Physical security Health Education Standard of living Productive and valued activities Individual, family and social life Participation, influence and voice Identity, expression and self-respect Legal securit

Model-based optimisation and control strategy for the primary drying phase of a lyophilisation process

The standard operation of a batch freeze-dryer is protocol driven. All freeze-drying phases (i.e., freezing, primary and secondary drying) are programmed sequentially at fixed time points and within each phase critical process parameters (CPPs) are typically kept constant or linearly interpolated between two setpoints. This way of operating batch freeze-dryers is shown to be time consuming and inefficient. A model-based optimisation and real-time control strategy that includes model output uncertainty could help in accelerating the primary drying phase while controlling the risk of failure of the critical quality attributes (CQAs). In each iteration of the real-time control strategy, a design space is computed to select an optimal set of CPPs. The aim of the control strategy is to avoid product structure loss, which occurs when the sublimation interface temperature (Ti) exceeds the the collapse temperature (Tc) common during unexpected disturbances, while preventing the choked flow conditions leading to a loss of pressure control. The proposed methodology was experimentally verified when the chamber pressure and shelf fluid system were intentionally subjected to moderate process disturbances. Moreover, the end of the primary drying phase was predicted using both uncertainty analysis and a comparative pressure measurement technique. Both the prediction of Ti and end of primary drying were in agreement with the experimental data. Hence, it was confirmed that the proposed real-time control strategy is capable of mitigating the effect of moderate disturbances during batch freeze-drying

Development of a new intervention (VOLITION): To facilitate the inVolvement of OLder people living with multiple long-term condITions in decisION-making about their healthcare during general practice consultations

Introduction The population is ageing and two thirds of older people in the UK have multiple long-term health problems. These patients consult with GPs frequently. They live with a burden of illness and treatments, poor quality of life and associated healthcare costs. Ensuring high-quality personalised care for these patients is challenging. Potential benefits of shared decision-making (SDM) have been acknowledged. However, there are few existing interventions designed with the aim of facilitating SDM in this field. Aim The aim of VOLITION is to facilitate the involvement of older people living with multiple long-term conditions in decision-making about their healthcare during UK general practice consultations. Methods An Intervention Mapping (IM) framework was adopted as a means of systematically applying existing literature, new data and relevant theory in the development, refinement and planning for the evaluation of VOLITION. Patient and public involvement was central and expert stakeholder opinion was obtained. A Cochrane review of similar interventions was published, and VOLITION components were subsequently drafted. Focus groups with patients and GPs enabled the refinement of behaviour-change objectives. A mixed-methods exploratory-explanatory study informed plans to implement VOLITION in the context of remote vs. face-to-face consultations. Findings VOLITION consists of i) a prompt to patients, inviting them to express their personal preferences for involvement and ii) training for GPs, delivering a responsive patient-tailored approach to SDM, tackling challenges experienced by GPs when implementing SDM in practice. Discussion This project addresses recommendations from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, for SDM research targeting patient groups who often believe in the decisional authority of the health care practitioner. VOLITION adheres to NHS England’s universal personalised care plan, to empower patients in the management of their healthcare and to train health care practitioners in SDM. Conclusion A full, definitive trial of VOLITION is planned. An effective intervention, designed using end-user perspectives, has the potential to influence high-quality patient-centred care for older people living with MLTC.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Bridging Gaps Between Conservation Action and Policy on Small Island Developing States – Case Analog of The Republic of Mauritius

Mauritius, a small island state in the Indian Ocean, is a biodiversity hotspot with highly threatened forest ecosystems. It is also a country where environmental and conservation programs have been successful in the past. However, the issue of funding has received relatively less attention and national park systems are chronically underfunded. As part of assessing the potential for local funding, we assessed the demand for forest recreation. Recreation in forest ecosystems is one of the cornerstones of modern nature-based tourism. Tourism is increasingly a favored tool to promote conservation of natural forests, especially in developing countries where conservation financing can be intermittent. At policy level, stakeholders on the island have limited opportunity to translate conservation policies they help formulate into direct action. Enhancing the stakeholder engagement process is all-the-more relevant on a small island developing state where differences in gender, income, ethnicity interplay with differences in resource access and power distribution. Our study is organized in three core chapters. In Chapter 2 we explored means of ensuring and enhancing conservation funding on the island. To that end, we designed and administered survey based contingent valuation approach to estimate the willingness to pay for conservation of state and privately owned forested sites. Study results suggest international and domestic tourists have a mean willingness to pay of USD 7.73 and USD 3.74 respectively, for conservation. These values represent amounts that visitors are willing to pay for conservation every time they visit a public or private forested site. Results show that education and mid-level supervisory roles positively influence willingness to pay values. Study results also show that people aged 50 and above, not having any supervisory role, married with one child or less, tend to have lower willingness to pay for conservation. In Chapter 3, we focused on the contribution of domestic tourism to the conservation potential of native forests in the small island developing state of Mauritius. Our study used individual travel cost data from 188 residents, collected from in-person surveys at nine forested areas on the island. Results indicate that the consumer surplus for naturetourism ranges between USD 3,739.21 and USD 3,975.54 per person per year. Our models also show that visit rates, and therefore residents’ investment into tourism activities in forests, can increase with better sensitization campaigns and better understanding of the role played by forestland managers. Our most conservative estimate gives native forests of the island an annual recreation value of USD 260 million. The third aspect of our study, explored in Chapter 4, used analytic hierarchy process (AHP), in combination with an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) associated to conservation programs and policies developed on the island. Our findings present a robust overview of stakeholder preferences by establishing their priorities and assessing existing conflicts. Our findings show that state and private stakeholders favor expansion of existing nurseries and the setting up of new ones to increase re-afforestation programs. The opportunities to raise funds through corporate social responsibility and nature-based tourism are also prioritized in their chosen strategies. Refining identification and management of invasive species remain a priority for the scientific community. Other stakeholders view their continued participation in conservation policy formulation as a strong factor to keep building upon, but seek to address the lack of legal enforcement in forestlands as well as development threats to environmentally sensitive areas. Our study contributes to the literature by empirically assessing willingness to pay for conservation between and among international and national tourists visiting forest sites in Mauritius and developing an approach for determining predictors and mean willingness to pay values. We show that conservation strategies can extract greater benefit from the stakeholder engagement processes of formulating conservation policy by integrating AHP and developing outcomes that have better stakeholder buy-in than a one-size-fits-all solution

CBR and MBR techniques: review for an application in the emergencies domain

The purpose of this document is to provide an in-depth analysis of current reasoning engine practice and the integration strategies of Case Based Reasoning and Model Based Reasoning that will be used in the design and development of the RIMSAT system. RIMSAT (Remote Intelligent Management Support and Training) is a European Commission funded project designed to: a.. Provide an innovative, 'intelligent', knowledge based solution aimed at improving the quality of critical decisions b.. Enhance the competencies and responsiveness of individuals and organisations involved in highly complex, safety critical incidents - irrespective of their location. In other words, RIMSAT aims to design and implement a decision support system that using Case Base Reasoning as well as Model Base Reasoning technology is applied in the management of emergency situations. This document is part of a deliverable for RIMSAT project, and although it has been done in close contact with the requirements of the project, it provides an overview wide enough for providing a state of the art in integration strategies between CBR and MBR technologies.Postprint (published version

Supporting employees with common mental health problems at work:A realist approach

Handreiking voor leidinggeven verbetert steun aan medewerkers met psychische klachten:De steun van leidinggevenden voor werknemers met psychische klachten kan verbeterd worden door een nieuwe, wetenschappelijk onderbouwde aanpak. Deze gaat over signaleren en bespreekbaar maken van psychische klachten bij medewerkers en het tijdig inzetten van werkaanpassingen voordat verzuim optreedt. Dat blijkt uit de onderzoeken van promovenda Suzanne van Hees. Zij promoveert op vrijdag 30 juni 2023 aan Tilburg University. Eén op de vijf personen krijgt in het werkzame leven te maken met veel voorkomende psychische problemen, zoals stress, angst, depressie of mentale vermoeidheid. Er ontstaat dan meer kans op verminderde productiviteit of ziekteverzuim. De werkcontext is complex en de praktijk leert dat het moeilijk is om grip te krijgen op het voorkomen van verzuim. Waarom blijft de ene medewerker wel werken bij psychische problemen en de andere medewerker niet? En hoe kan de werkgever, met name de direct leidinggevende, werkbehoud bevorderen en psychisch verzuim voorkomen? Focus op mogelijkheden:De onderzoeksresultaten laten zien dat er meer focus mag liggen op wat een werknemer belangrijk vindt en op diens mogelijkheden, juist ook als het minder goed gaat op het werk. Een veilig werkklimaat, waar gesproken mag worden over psychische gezondheid, vormt een fundamentele basis van waaruit werkbehoud bevorderd kan worden. De relatie met de leidinggevende, gebaseerd op wederzijds vertrouwen, blijkt hierin van groot belang te zijn. Bijvoorbeeld om te zoeken naar de juiste werkaanpassingen om uitval te voorkomen.Preventie psychisch verzuim:Vanuit deze resultaten heeft Van Hees, samen met haar collega’s, een preventieve, gedragsgerichte aanpak voor leidinggevenden ontwikkeld, om medewerkers beter te kunnen ondersteunen. Deze kan worden ingezet in de vorm van coachende gesprekken tussen leidinggevende en arbeidsdeskundige, bij voorkeur voordat verzuim heeft plaatsgevonden. De aanpak werd gebruikt in gesprekken tussen 92 leidinggevenden en arbeidsdeskundigen over medewerkers met risico op verzuim. Hierin werden thema’s zoals signaleren van veranderend gedrag, voeren van moeilijke gesprekken en stimuleren van eigen regie besproken. Uit de evaluatie wordt duidelijk dat de nieuwe aanpak bewustzijn, eigen vertrouwen, vaardigheden en steunend gedrag van leidinggevenden versterkt. Waar leidinggevenden vanwege de privacy niet naar de medische toestand mogen vragen, kunnen zij wel in gesprek gaan over wat de medewerker belangrijk vindt in werk, en goed uitvragen wat iemand wél kan ondanks de psychische klachten. Hierbij zijn regelmogelijkheden, tijdelijke werkaanpassingen en steun van collega’s essentieel. Financiering:Dit onderzoek is gefinancierd door Instituut GAK en is uitgevoerd door HAN University of Applied Sciences, Lectoraat Arbeidsdeskundigheid en TRANZO, Tilburg University, Academische werkplaats arbeid en gezondheid.Meer informatie:Download hier de wetenschappelijk onderbouwde handreiking voor leidinggevenden Blijven werken met psychische klachten (han.nl)Suzanne van Hees MSc Suzanne van Hees MSc | Tilburg University (departement Tranzo, Tilburg School for Social and Behavioral Sciences en Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen) promoveert op vrijdag 30 juni om 13.30 in de aula van Tilburg University. Titel proefschrift: Supporting employees with common mental health problems at work: a realist approach. Promotoren: prof. dr. R.W.B. Blonk, Co-promotores: dr. S. Oomens en dr. B.E. Carlier. De promotie is ook te volgen via livestream Promotie G.M. van Hees MSc | Tilburg UniversityNeem voor meer informatie contact op met persvoorlichting Tilburg University via 013-466 4000 of [email protected]

Techniques for improving client relations in family planning programs

Demand for children and demand for contraceptives are not independent of the system of supply. And client transactions are the major means for lowering costs. Family planning workers, providers of services and mass media campaigns, are the harbingers of new ideas and new delivery systems that could modify the demand for fertility regulation and patterns of contraceptive use. The authors describe four broad techniques for improving client relations, emphasizing their potential as entry points into program development (systematic change). These techniques are presented as a sampling of experience that can be brought to bear on dysfunctional client relations. Among examples described: Patient flow analysis (PFA). A self-administered time-and-motion diagnosis that allows computerized documentation of patient flow and personnel use in health service clinics. Using relatively unobtrusive data collection, PFA seeks to get a representative snapshot of a program and its dysfunctions, replicating a typical clinic session. Data are later diagnosed and remedies proposed for bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Training and visit (T&V). A managerial approach for dealing with geographically scattered outreach programs. The four main principles of T&V: focus on a few key tasks, frequent in-service training and supervision, regularity and predictability, and face-to-face communication. The T&V model focuses on what workers should be doing with their time in the field to meet client needs. A goal of T&V: to enable all clients to name their worker and the day of the week s/he visits, and identify a few themes from their most recent encounter. Activity planning. The antithesis of T&V, activity planning calls for abandoning rigid time-place-movement schedules and specific messages and replacing them with a fluid work schedule adapted to local conditions. Workers must be well-trained in collecting data, listening and building rapport, and communicating with conviction. The quality of the worker-client relationship is all-important. A weakness is that if the workers have no objective they lose control of the exchange with clients. Training and worker empowerment. Training by itself is not enough for systematic change - training for what? But training can serve as an entry point into organizational development when it is rooted in methodologies that help to develop the participant's technical and interpersonal skills and ability to innovate. But training must be accompanied by changes in the system of supply that supports and facilitates innovation and quality of care. Techniques to improve client relations can address either the client-provider interface directly or the system of underlying determinants. It is important to ask basic questions: Is the idea to fix a single worker-client dysfunction or is it to provide a continuous program for modification and growth? Who will be affected by the change? Whoor what will be responsible for initiating and overseeing the course of action? What are the short- and long-run goals of intervention?Health Monitoring&Evaluation,ICT Policy and Strategies,Adolescent Health,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Geographical Information Systems

Intervening on hypertension in Zambia: development of a culturally sensitized lifestyle programme to reduce disease incidence in urban areas

Background/purpose: Hypertension, like other non-communicable diseases, is becoming a major public health problem for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Its increasing prevalence is driven by an epidemiological transition with more people leading unhealthy lifestyles, including poor diet and physical inactivity. This project aimed to explore the use of participatory methods with an urban community in Zambia in co-developing a culturally sensitized hypertension prevention intervention. Methods: The intervention development study was divided into four phases. I scoped and synthesized existing literature on risk factors (non-modifiable and modifiable) for hypertension in SSA in Phase One. The identified risk factors and their drivers informed Phase Two community members focus group discussions and stakeholder interviews to explore the local context in the study site to clarify the problem, identify which hypertension risk factors were malleable (potential factors to target), the mechanism of change, and how to deliver this. The findings informed the development of the causal pathway, the intervention theory of change and the Phase Three co-development of the intervention core components and small-scale evaluation. Five co-development workshops (four with local residents and one with local stakeholders) iteratively informed identification of priority risk factors, the delivery format and setting, and finalization of intervention core components. The pilot intervention was then tested with volunteer participants (N=34) to assess feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness in Phase four. Results: The scoping review identified the most common risk factors for hypertension in SSA. Residents FGDs and key stakeholder interviews, informed by the scoping review findings, identified a number of potentially malleable hypertension risk factors at individual and interpersonal levels, including high salt intake and other dietary factors, low physical activity, excess body weight, central obesity, high alcohol intake and smoking. From these, the workshops prioritised intervening on salt intake, other dietary factors, and physical inactivity. Using these suggestions, an 8-week group-based intervention (CHiPI) was codeveloped. Stakeholders proposed evaluation of the CHiPI on a small scale and delivery through churches: “nearly all residents belong to a church”. Stakeholders also identified community health workers and church leaders as delivery facilitators. The intervention core components were agreed and refined in close consultation with residents. These included linguistic and cultural adaptations of SMART goal setting and self-monitoring tools, which were iteratively tested and refined to reflect the local socio-cultural context. The small-scale evaluation of the intervention showed high acceptability, feasibility and potential effectiveness in improving health literacy, adoption of healthier diets (less salt added during cooking [p=0.014], reduction in added salt to the plate at mealtimes [p=0.001], increased fruit intake [p=0.001], reduced fried meals [p = 0.001]), increased physical activity [p=0.01] and reduced sedentary lifestyle [p = 0.001]. Reductions in body weight [p = 0.002], BMI [p = 0.001], WC [p = 0.001], SBP [-3mmHg, p=0.003] and DBP [-4mmHg, p = 0.001] were also observed. Conclusions and implications: Participatory methods succeeded in engaging local residents and stakeholders in the development of a potentially effective culturally sensitized, 8-week, group-based hypertension prevention lifestyle intervention for delivery through churches in Zambia. Having demonstrated high feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness, taking this intervention to a larger evaluation to obtain evidence of effectiveness can inform hypertension prevention intervention development in Zambia and other SSA countries