Secure Communication Architecture for Dynamic Energy Management in Smart Grid

open access articleSmart grid takes advantage of communication technologies for efficient energy management and utilization. It entails sacrifice from consumers in terms of reducing load during peak hours by using a dynamic energy pricing model. To enable an active participation of consumers in load management, the concept of home energy gateway (HEG) has recently been proposed in the literature. However, the HEG concept is rather new, and the literature still lacks to address challenges related to data representation, seamless discovery, interoperability, security, and privacy. This paper presents the design of a communication framework that effectively copes with the interoperability and integration challenges between devices from different manufacturers. The proposed communication framework offers seamless auto-discovery and zero- con figuration-based networking between heterogeneous devices at consumer sites. It uses elliptic-curve-based security mechanism for protecting consumers' privacy and providing the best possible shield against different types of cyberattacks. Experiments in real networking environment validated that the proposed communication framework is lightweight, secure, portable with low-bandwidth requirement, and flexible to be adopted for dynamic energy management in smart grid

A Multi-User, Single-Authentication Protocol for Smart Grid Architectures

open access articleIn a smart grid system, the utility server collects data from various smart grid devices. These data play an important role in the energy distribution and balancing between the energy providers and energy consumers. However, these data are prone to tampering attacks by an attacker, while traversing from the smart grid devices to the utility servers, which may result in energy disruption or imbalance. Thus, an authentication is mandatory to efficiently authenticate the devices and the utility servers and avoid tampering attacks. To this end, a group authentication algorithm is proposed for preserving demand–response security in a smart grid. The proposed mechanism also provides a fine-grained access control feature where the utility server can only access a limited number of smart grid devices. The initial authentication between the utility server and smart grid device in a group involves a single public key operation, while the subsequent authentications with the same device or other devices in the same group do not need a public key operation. This reduces the overall computation and communication overheads and takes less time to successfully establish a secret session key, which is used to exchange sensitive information over an unsecured wireless channel. The resilience of the proposed algorithm is tested against various attacks using formal and informal security analysis

Resource Efficient Authentication and Session Key Establishment Procedure for Low-Resource IoT Devices

open access journalThe Internet of Things (IoT) can includes many resource-constrained devices, with most usually needing to securely communicate with their network managers, which are more resource-rich devices in the IoT network. We propose a resource-efficient security scheme that includes authentication of devices with their network managers, authentication between devices on different networks, and an attack-resilient key establishment procedure. Using automated validation with internet security protocols and applications tool-set, we analyse several attack scenarios to determine the security soundness of the proposed solution, and then we evaluate its performance analytically and experimentally. The performance analysis shows that the proposed solution occupies little memory and consumes low energy during the authentication and key generation processes respectively. Moreover, it protects the network from well-known attacks (man-in-the-middle attacks, replay attacks, impersonation attacks, key compromission attacks and denial of service attacks)

A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY ON ACCOUNTABILITY OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) PRACTICES IN OMAN LNG AND OMIFCO AT SUR CITY IN OMAN

Purpose: The objective of the study is to familiarise policymakers and practitioners in both the companies in their achievements of CSR projects and specialization by comparing Corporate Social Responsibility Practices (CSR) in Oman Liquefied Natural Gas Company LLC (Oman LNG) and Oman India Fertilizer Company (OMIFCO). Design /methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey was adopted and the details of the companies’ business CSR approaches, CSR projects, measurements of CSR projects, disclosure, and challenges, in the long run, were obtained from the CSR experts in the companies. Further, secondary data was also collected from the companies’ websites, annual reports, and CSR bulletins. Findings: The results of the study indicate that both the companies contribute to society in a positive way as they are accountable to implement CSR as they are the main players in Sur. Both the companies, value developing a practical CSR strategy in their business model concerning customers, stakeholders, contractors, and suppliers, more importantly, the society. However, there is no systematic approach and assessment approach to the level of impact on their CSR projects. Research Limitations / Implications: It is suggested that there is a need to establish a formal mean of dialogue between both the companies and the rest of the stakeholders in order to harmonize CSR projects so that replication of projects can be avoided. To achieve harmony of CSR projects, it is necessary to unite and share the best practices and innovative initiatives of CSR, through the development of a guide to familiarise the CSR concepts along with the tools and methodologies. Practical Implications: It can be seen that setting measurable goals, techniques, sustainability issue mapping, sustainability management system, life cycle assessment and CSR reporting are the significant gaps in the CSR approach of both the companies and the model practices should prescribe the same. Originality/value: This is the first-hand study of its kind as there is no comparative study of O&G companies has been done

Utility of limited protocol magnetic resonance imaging lumbar spine for nerve root compression in a developing country, is it accurate and cost effective?

STUDY Design: Cross sectional study.PURPOSE: To determine the accuracy of the screening magnetic resonance study of the lumbar spine in the diagnosis of nerve root compression in cases of low back pain as compared to the routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the lumbar spine.OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: No local study has been conducted for this purpose. In an international study, the reported sensitivity and specificity of screening MRI lumbar spine protocol in the detection of nerve root compression are 54% and 100% respectively.Methods: Patients of both genders older than 20 years of age with low back pain of any duration or any severity who were referred to the radiology department of Aga Khan University Hospital for MRI of their lumbar spine were evaluated. Two sets of MRI imaging were recruited for each patient: one labeled as \u27screening\u27 and the other labeled as \u27routine\u27. The findings of screening MRI were compared with the findings of the routine MRI study.Results: A total of 109 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in this study. The diagnostic accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of the screening protocol in our study was 100%, 100% and 100%, respectively in comparison with the routine MRI lumbar spine study for the detection of nerve root compression.CONCLUSIONS: Our data proved that the MRI screening study is a highly accurate tool, and its findings are comparable to the routine study for the detection of nerve root compression especially in cases of lumbar spondylosis

Grantmaking With A Gender Lens : Five Practice Case Studies

This booklet is an EFC (European Foundation Centre) thematic network's first collaborative piece of work. It presents collected case studies on foundation grantmaking programmes where using a gender lens made a real difference to the people concerned. Criminal justice, climate change, migration, labour rights, workers' health and disability are the foundation programme areas discussed. Indeed, these diverse areas, all equally important, have something in common: they were all approached through a gender lens which allows each foundation to fully understand the issues it tackles, and adapt its response accordingly. This publication addresses what a gender lens is and how a foundation can use it; And tries to answer some questions

A systematic review of biomarkers in Takotsubo syndrome : A focus on better understanding the pathophysiology

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Hospital-based ultra-sonographic prevalence and spectrum of thyroid incidentalomas in Pakistani population

Introduction: Thyroid incidentalomas (TIs) are clinically asymptomatic nodules found accidentally during imaging studies ordered for some other reasons. Being easily accessible, non-invasive, and inexpensive, thyroid ultrasound (US) is a key investigation in the management of thyroid nodules.Methods: This ultrasound-based cross-sectional study was performed in the radiology department of a major tertiary care hospital. Every second patient visiting the emergency department was a potential candidate for a thyroid ultrasound. Patients having ages greater than 20 years were included in the study.Results: A total of 250 patients were included in the study. Out of these, 175 were female and 75 were male. The majority (54.80%) were in the age group 21-30 years. Nodules were found in 65 (26%) patients and in the majority of cases (67.7%) they were multiple in number. Associated lymphadenopathy was seen in only one patient. Thyroid nodules were more common in females as compared to males (75.38% versus 24.62%). According to Thyroid Imaging and Reporting Data System (TI-RADS) classification, the majority of the nodules were falling in TI-RADS 1 (74%) followed by TI-RADS 3 (9.60%) and 4A (8.80%).Conclusion: The thyroid nodules are more commonly seen in females as compared to males. A significant association is seen between the frequency of thyroid nodules and increasing age. The majority of thyroid nodules fall in TI-RADS 1 category followed by TI-RADS 3 and 4A

The legal position of community mediation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: a critical analysis

Resolving neighbourhood disputes in the community through amicable settlements has been in practice in different provinces of Pakistan in various forms such as Panchayat, Jirga, Faislo. Nevertheless, these traditional dispute settlement mechanisms do not exactly resemble the contemporary community mediation practices. Accordingly, this paper aims to discover the legal status of community mediation in the Pakistani legal system. It can be observed that there is no specific legal framework governing the community mediation, the training and qualifications of community mediators, and the community mediation centres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Thus, this paper proposes that there is a need to legislate a comprehensive legal framework which covers mediation from all dimensions - including community mediation - at the federal level by giving importance to the traditional dispute resolution methods in place in various provinces of Pakistan and also learning experiences from other suitable jurisdictions