Cybersecurity for industrial Internet of Things: architecture, models and lessons learned

Modern industrial systems now, more than ever, require secure and efficient ways of communication. The trend of making connected, smart architectures is beginning to show in various fields of the industry such as manufacturing and logistics. The number of IoT (Internet of Things) devices used in such systems is naturally increasing and industry leaders want to define business processes which are reliable, reproducible, and can be effortlessly monitored. With the rise in number of connected industrial systems, the number of used IoT devices also grows and with that some challenges arise. Cybersecurity in these types of systems is crucial for their wide adoption. Without safety in communication and threat detection and prevention techniques, it can be very difficult to use smart, connected systems in the industry setting. In this paper we describe two real-world examples of such systems while focusing on our architectural choices and lessons learned. We demonstrate our vision for implementing a connected industrial system with secure data flow and threat detection and mitigation strategies on real-world data and IoT devices. While our system is not an off-the-shelf product, our architecture design and results show advantages of using technologies such as Deep Learning for threat detection and Blockchain enhanced communication in industrial IoT systems and how these technologies can be implemented. We demonstrate empirical results of various components of our system and also the performance of our system as-a-whole

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Farmers’ satisfaction with Agricultural Credit: The case of Greece

The existence of an appropriate institutional framework pertaining to the financial system in agriculture, that will support efficient financial mediation, reduce transaction costs, and facilitate the farmers’ access to loaned capital on favourable terms, is considered to be an essential step as regards the course of competitiveness in Greek agriculture. This paper is based on an empirical study on a sample of farmers. The aim of this research study is to examine the farmers’ satisfaction with current structures and services related to agricultural credit, as provided in Greece at present. On a second level, this objective of this paper is to develop a typology of farmers, based on their satisfaction structures (by a methodological scheme based on Principal Axes Factoring (PAF), Hierarchical and K-Means Cluster Analysis). The results of this typology will allow for conclusions and proposals to be deduced, regarding the potential for improving agricultural credit, with the growth of the agricultural sector as the ultimate aim. The PAF highlighted five factors-dimensions that can be used to analyze the farmers’ satisfaction with agricultural credit. The first and most important factor is linked to the financial terms of credit and to transaction costs. The second focuses on the human aspect of services, on facilities and equipment. The third factor pertains to the possibility of receiving such services on a personal basis. The fourth is linked to the terms of lending, and the fifth factor exclusively defines the particular properties of agricultural credit

Farmers’ satisfaction with Agricultural Credit: The case of Greece

The existence of an appropriate institutional framework pertaining to the financial system in agriculture, that will support efficient financial mediation, reduce transaction costs, and facilitate the farmers’ access to loaned capital on favourable terms, is considered to be an essential step as regards the course of competitiveness in Greek agriculture. This paper is based on an empirical study on a sample of farmers. The aim of this research study is to examine the farmers’ satisfaction with current structures and services related to agricultural credit, as provided in Greece at present. On a second level, this objective of this paper is to develop a typology of farmers, based on their satisfaction structures (by a methodological scheme based on Principal Axes Factoring (PAF), Hierarchical and K-Means Cluster Analysis). The results of this typology will allow for conclusions and proposals to be deduced, regarding the potential for improving agricultural credit, with the growth of the agricultural sector as the ultimate aim. The PAF highlighted five factors-dimensions that can be used to analyze the farmers’ satisfaction with agricultural credit. The first and most important factor is linked to the financial terms of credit and to transaction costs. The second focuses on the human aspect of services, on facilities and equipment. The third factor pertains to the possibility of receiving such services on a personal basis. The fourth is linked to the terms of lending, and the fifth factor exclusively defines the particular properties of agricultural credit.Agricultural Credit, Satisfaction, funding, Principal Axes Factoring, Financial Marketing, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Consumer/Household Economics, Financial Economics, Marketing,

The New Food Safety Standard ISO 22000. Assessment, Comparison and Correlation with HACCP and ISO 9000:2000. The Practical Implementation in Victual Business

The present paper aims to study the application of new standard of food safety: ISO 22000:2005 in the catering industry. At the beginning the study made a comparison between ISO 22000 with the HACCP system and the ISO 9000:2000 standard, in order to identify their similarities and differences, while it pinpoints and records the reasons for creating and applying the ISO 22000 standard. Due to the preliminary nature of this study, we are given the opportunity to assess the practical application of ISO 22000 in an array of victual businesses and the repercussions on them, through their managers’ points of view. The present research will explore the influence of the ISO 22000 to the food safety issues, marketing, financial, operational and the business personnel. The research is preliminary. The method used to approach the issue was based on primary research through an appropriate questionnaire focusing on 20 victual businesses where the new standard has already been put into practice. In-depth site interviews were conducted at each firm to obtain detailed information about the ISO 22000:2005 registration process and experience. The conclusions from the current study identified the advantages and disadvantages of the ISO 22000 implementation. Also, explores the problems and barriers that face managers. Finally, it explores marketing managers’ attitudes towards ISO certification. ISO 22000, certification is a valuable tool to ensure food safety and quality requirements for food products while provide catering industry with reliability in order to meet consumers needs and wants

Chapter 12: Life Cycle Performance Assessment (LCPA) Tools

In this chapter, the assessment of both the economic and environmental performance of a vessel over its life cycle is addressed, having as a reference approach the Life Cycle Performance Assessment (LCPA) Tool under development in HOLISHIP project. First, on the basis of a literature review, the concepts of life cycle cost and life cycle assessment are briefly recalled. The ideal target is that these two issues shall be integrated and adapted into the ship design process within a circular economy perspective. Then, a separate reference is made to the end of ship's life phase, explaining the possible strategies to be adopted and highlighting the limitation in estimating energetic and economic performances of this phase in an early design stage. The issue is nevertheless of increasing interest to this regard, as well. A brief review of Codes and Rules related to end of life assessment procedures is also presented. After this, the selection of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) adopted for the LCPA tool is discussed. These KPIs have been divided in two separate categories: environmental and economic. A methodology to compare KPIs for different ship configurations is then proposed, with an attempt to perform an integrated assessment of environmental and economic aspects. Finally, the relation between KPIs and vessel characteristics is presented. Depending on the level of detail available, the calculation of KPIs and its accuracy are varying accordingly. Finally, issues of uncertainty of certain parameters (e.g., fuel price, freight rates etc.) and their effect on the KPIs are briefly addressed and ways to their consideration are outlined. Results of application of the HOLISHIP LCPA will be presented in the planned Volume II of the HOLISHIP projec