SeBoCom Pre-Study - A preliminary study on Secure Border Communications

This document contains the outcome of the SeBoCom pre-study. The main objective of the SeBoCom project was to define the way to proceed to a further and complete study. This task was to be achieved through this pre-study and through a Workshop involving end-users to stimulate the discussion and gain input regarding their needs. This pre-study collects some initial data on the present Communications infrastructures outlining the co-existence of many different systems, some already based on digital technology, others outdated or quite obsolete. One of the key finding of the present study is the need to define joint procedures to manage communications among different bodies belonging to different Member States: the most reliable and secure telecommunication infrastructure will be useless if there is no agreement on the type and structure of communications that are transmitted over the infrastructure. The pre-study initially considers the pivotal role played by communications in Border Protection field operations, analyzing the different operational aspects. It subsequently presents the state if the art of the communication infrastructures of Border Security Forces in Europe as well as the expected future scenarios obtained through questionnaires sent to the contact points in the Member States. An initial broad view of the requirements for Secure Border Communications is outlined; this is followed by an analysis of the lessons learned in previous events; then a survey of the previous/ongoing studies on similar topics is also presented. The last chapters provide a Technology Survey and the conclusions based on the outcome of the pre-study and of the Workshop held in Ispra on May 27th and 28th 2008.JRC.G.6-Sensors, radar technologies and cybersecurit

Secure RFID for Humanitarian Logistics

Extreme events like hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes cause massive disruption to society, including large death tolls and property damage. In recent years, many events like the Katrina disaster have shown the importance of efficient disaster management to alleviate the resulting pain and suffering and to mitigate the consequences of the disaster. Disaster management includes a large set of activities including the care of the survivors needs, protection of assets from any further damage and provision of shelter, water, food, and medicines to dislocated people. The creation of effective disaster supply chain to deliver necessary goods to disaster relief organizations is an essential. In this context, this chapter will present the application and benefits of secure RFID to prevent tampering or replacement of the shipment through RFID security threats.JRC.DG.G.6-Security technology assessmen

Cultivo de cobertura de centeno: efecto del momento de secado y fertilización nitrogenada sobre agua útil, evolución de biomasa aérea y control de malezas para siembras tempranas y tardías de maíz

Nuestros sistemas productivos han experimentado un proceso de agriculturización con predominancia de cultivos de verano, principalmente de soja. Esto ha significado una importante reducción en el aporte de residuos y en los contenidos de materia orgánica (MO), debido a su aporte de biomasa limitado. Por otra parte, los barbechos químicos invernales a base de Glifosato han generado resistencia y tolerancia en algunas malezas. En este contexto la inclusión de cultivos de cobertura (CC) sería una alternativa viable por su aporte de residuos en superficie atenuando la pérdida de MO, mejorando la eficiencia de uso de agua (EUA) y contribuyendo al control de malezas. El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar producción de materia seca (MS), EUA, MO del suelo, relación C/N '1 control de malezas bajo CC de centeno con diferentes manejos. El estudio fue realizado en la Facultad de Agronomía de la UNLPam. Se valuaron dos fechas de secado (agosto y septiembre) y dos tratamientos de fertilización nitrogenada para dos fechas de siembra de un cultivo de Maíz (octubre y diciembre). También se incluyó un barbecho químico siempre limpio. Se hallaron diferencias en cuanto a producción de MS y EUA, debido a los efectos de la fecha de quemado y la fertilización, siendo el centeno fertilizado y quemado en septiembre el que presentó los mayores valores en estos dos parámetros. En cuanto nivel de agua útil y MO no se observaron diferencias para las dos fechas de siembra de maíz. Por su parte, solo los CC quemados en septiembre evitaron la emergencia de malezas para la fecha temprana de siembra de maíz. La mayor relación C/N se observó en centenos testigos quemados en septiembre

Security and defence research in the European Union: a landscape review

This landscape report describes the state of play of the European Union’s policies and activities in security and defence and the EU-funded research aimed at supporting them, with an exclusive focus on intentional harm. It is organised around several thematic building blocks under the umbrella of the three core priorities defined in the European agenda on security. The report reviews the current main risks and threats but also those that may emerge within the next 5 years, the policy and operational means developed to combat them, the main active stakeholders and the EU legislation in force. In this context, a short history of EU research on security and defence is presented, followed by an inventory of relevant research and development projects funded under the Horizon 2020 framework programme during the period 2014-2018. The specific contributions of the Joint Research Centre to security research are also highlighted. Finally, future avenues for security and defence research and development are discussed. Please note that the executive summary of this landscape report has been published simultaneously as a companion document.JRC.E.7-Knowledge for Security and Migratio

Observation of proton-tagged, central (semi)exclusive production of high-mass lepton pairs in pp collisions at 13 TeV with the CMS-TOTEM precision proton spectrometer

The process pp -> pl(+)l(-)p(()*()), with l(+)l(-) a muon or an electron pair produced at midrapidity with mass larger than 110 GeV, has been observed for the first time at the LHC in pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV. One of the two scattered protons is measured in the CMS-TOTEM precision proton spectrometer (CT-PPS), which operated for the first time in 2016. The second proton either remains intact or is excited and then dissociates into a low-mass state p*, which is undetected. The measurement is based on an integrated luminosity of 9.4 fb(-1) collected during standard, high-luminosity LHC operation. A total of 12 mu(+)/mu(-) and 8 e(+)e(-) pairs with m(l(+)l(-)) > 110 GeV, and matching forward proton kinematics, are observed, with expected backgrounds of 1.49 +/- 0.07 (stat) +/- 0.53 (syst) and 2.36 +/- 0.09 (stat) +/- 0.47(syst), respectively. This corresponds to an excess of more than five standard deviations over the expected background. The present result constitutes the first observation of proton-tagged gamma gamma collisions at the electroweak scale. This measurement also demonstrates that CT-PPS performs according to the design specifications.Peer reviewe

Hard color-singlet exchange in dijet events in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Events where the two leading jets are separated by a pseudorapidity interval devoid of particle activity, known as jet-gap-jet events, are studied in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The signature is expected from hard color-singlet exchange. Each of the highest transverse momentum (p(T)) jets must have p(T)(jet) > 40 GeV and pseudorapidity 1.4 0.2 GeV in the interval vertical bar eta vertical bar < 1 between the jets are observed in excess of calculations that assume only color-exchange. The fraction of events produced via color-singlet exchange, f(CSE), is measured as a function of p(T)(jet2), the pseudorapidity difference between the two leading jets, and the azimuthal angular separation between the two leading jets. The fraction f(CSE) has values of 0.4-1.0%. The results are compared with previous measurements and with predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics. In addition, the first study of jet-gap-jet events detected in association with an intact proton using a subsample of events with an integrated luminosity of 0.40 pb(-1) is presented. The intact protons are detected with the Roman pot detectors of the TOTEM experiment. The f(CSE) in this sample is 2.91 +/- 0.70(stat)(-1.01)(+1.08)(syst) times larger than that for inclusive dijet production in dijets with similar kinematics.Peer reviewe

Measurement of single-diffractive dijet production in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV with the CMS and TOTEM experiments

A Publisher's Erratum to this article was published on 03 May 2021. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-08863-wPeer reviewe

Measurement of single-diffractive dijet production in proton–proton collisions at s=8 TeV\sqrt{s} = 8\,\text {Te}\text {V} with the CMS and TOTEM experiments

Measurements are presented of the single-diffractive dijet cross section and the diffractive cross section as a function of the proton fractional momentum loss ξ ξ and the four-momentum transfer squared t. Both processes p p → p X p p → p X and p p → X p p p → X p , i.e. with the proton scattering to either side of the interaction point, are measured, where X X includes at least two jets; the results of the two processes are averaged. The analyses are based on data collected simultaneously with the CMS and TOTEM detectors at the LHC in proton–proton collisions at s √ =8TeV s=8TeV during a dedicated run with β ∗ =90m β∗=90m at low instantaneous luminosity and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 37.5nb −1 37.5nb−1 . The single-diffractive dijet cross section σ p X jj σjj p X , in the kinematic region ξ<0.1 ξ<0.1 , 0.03<|t|<1GeV 2 0.03<|t|<1GeV2 , with at least two jets with transverse momentum p T >40GeV pT>40GeV , and pseudorapidity |η|<4.4 |η|<4.4 , is 21.7±0.9(stat) +3.0 −3.3 (syst)±0.9(lumi)nb 21.7±0.9(stat)−3.3+3.0(syst)±0.9(lumi)nb . The ratio of the single-diffractive to inclusive dijet yields, normalised per unit of ξ ξ , is presented as a function of x, the longitudinal momentum fraction of the proton carried by the struck parton. The ratio in the kinematic region defined above, for x values in the range −2.9≤log 10 x≤−1.6 −2.9≤log10⁡x≤−1.6 , is R=(σ p X jj /Δξ)/σ jj =0.025±0.001(stat)±0.003(syst) R=(σjj p X /Δξ)/σjj=0.025±0.001(stat)±0.003(syst) , where σ p X jj σjj p X and σ jj σjj are the single-diffractive and inclusive dijet cross sections, respectively. The results are compared with predictions from models of diffractive and nondiffractive interactions. Monte Carlo predictions based on the HERA diffractive parton distribution functions agree well with the data when corrected for the effect of soft rescattering between the spectator partons

Customer satisfaction within a large scale retail trading group: research design and control

Even in contexts where Customer Management techniques are not very advanced, the need for relations with customers is as strong as to suggest expensive ad hoc researches able to simultaneously measure the satisfaction levels, to detect the eventual inadequacy of selling actions, to investigate the relations of customers with competitors. This is why the Grande Migliore Group in Palermo commissioned a research from the University of Palermo. The research was made in year 2008 at 10 Grande Migliore shops in Palermo and in other Western Sicily towns. The multipurpose nature of the research and the features of the customers population suggested the adoption of an ad hoc research design, the features and control of which are described in this paper with particular focus on the impact of some non sampling errors