Enhancement of Security in RFID using RSA Algorithm

A huge revolution has occurred in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies during the past decades. More vendors are involved, and have invested in this technology, which promises wholesale changes across a broad spectrum of business activities. Currently, RFID systems are usually available in low, high, ultra-high, and microwave frequencies with passive, semi-passive (or semi-active) and active transponders or tags. Tags might be either Chipless, or contain a microchip with read only, or read and write memory. The component controlling communication in a RFID system is called a reader or interrogator, which can be stationary or portable depending on the application. In order for the tags to transmit their data, the tags must be in the reader’s field or interrogation zone, and receive the necessary energy (in form of radio waves) from the reader. Although promising, RFID is not without its challenges, which arise from both a technological and usage point of View (IT Pro, 2005).  A common concern with RFID is data security. Data Security is a key area in RFID usage, it determines wholly whether this technology will be adopted fully especially in this part of the world (Eastern and Central Africa) for business processes and automation. For this technology to be utilized fully and realized then the users of the system MUST be assured of their data’s security.People who use devices that carry personal financial information, such as credit card or other ID numbers, do not want others to access their accounts. These are significant security vulnerabilities in RFID. Some researchers have proposed schemes that would require tags to authenticate readers, thus transmitting information only to authorized readers.This research paper addresses the security challenge in RFID by proposing RSA algorithm as a viable solution to encrypt data over transmission and also authenticate the reader and the tags. Keywords: RFID, Security, authenticate, Data Security

Financial management practices and firm performance among micro and small enterprises in Busia town,Kenya

Micro and Small Enterprises refer to those enterprises that employ less than 50 employees. Micro enterprises employ 0-9 employees, while small enterprises employ 10 – 49 employees and they account for 75 per cent of the total employment and 30 per cent of the Kenya’s gross domestic product. However, two thirds of micro and small enterprises fail within the first few months of operation. Majority of micro and small enterprises are characterized by low growth rate and transition to medium and large enterprises. Access to expansion capital has been adversely cited as a major cause of the low levels of growth. This study seeks to assess how financial management practices affects performance of micro and small enterprises in Busia Town, Kenya. Specific objectives of the study was: to establish the effects of working capital management, Cash Flow Management, asset management and financial reporting on performance of micro and small enterprises. Descriptive research design was adopted to guide the research. The target population for the study was 712 small scale traders in Busia Town from which a sample of 88 respondents was selected using the simple random sampling technique. Data was collected using a questionnaire designed and administered to the business owner managers by the researcher. The data collected was coded and cleaned before analysis. Analysis of data on the other hand was done using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics such as mean mode, frequency counts and percentages was used to summarize responses. Relationship between variables as well as statistical inferences was done using a multiple regression analysis. Regression model was used in determining relationship between variables. The study is expected to shed light on how micro and small traders in Busia Town manage their finances and whether and how this enhance or hinder business performance. Keywords: Firm Performance, Financial Management Practices, MSEs

Ion Transport and Interfacial Dynamics in Disordered Block Copolymers of Ammonium-Based Polymerized Ionic Liquids

A series of diblock copolymers bearing a polymerized ionic liquid (polyIL) block (poly­(<i>N</i>-(methacryloyloxy)­ethyl-<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethyl-<i>N</i>-ethylammonium bis­(trifluoro­methylsulfonyl)­imide)) and a noncharged block (poly­(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)) or poly­(<i>n</i>-butyl methacrylate) (PBuMA)) were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), and broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) to probe the effect of ion concentration on the morphology and ion transport in these polyelectrolytes. Two majority PMMA block copolymers, having mole ratios of the polyIL of 0.19 and 0.22, exhibited evidence of aggregation indicated by interfacial polarization in the dielectric spectra. The 0.19 mole ratio sample also displayed two distinct glass transitions by DSC. The SAXS measurements showed that no long-range order was present in these samples. The ionic conductivity of these samples were lower than the polyIL homopolymer due to hindered ion transport at the aggregate boundaries. Copolymers with majority polyIL blocks were found to exhibit disorder based on SAXS and DSC measurements. Furthermore, at a mole fraction of 0.91 of the polyIL the ionic conductivity was enhanced by a factor of ca. 1.5 with respect to the polyIL homopolymer, with a similar increase observed for the static dielectric permittivity. The effective number density and mobility of the ions were calculated for these systems from BDS and WAXS data, indicating that the enhancement of the ionic conductivity corresponds to an increase in the density of mobile charge carriers. The higher effective number density of charge carriers correlates with increased static dielectric permittivity, suggesting that ion pair dissociation is the likely mechanism behind the observed enhancement of ion transport. This study showcases the wealth of information that can be obtained from a combination of complementary experimental techniques