Managing Safety and Ensuring Asset Integrity Through Judicious PFP Application

Passive fire protection (PFP) is applied to steel structures in process plants to delay temperature rise and maintain structural integrity until active firefighting methods are deployed and fire is contained. Our largest gas plant was developed in several phases spanning over 25years with fireproofing designed and applied as per existing philosophy during respective execution phases. During recent Risk Management Survey, potential gaps in fireproofing were observed and survey recommended a campaign to review and identify similar gaps across entire Plant. This paper highlights the approach for gap identification, assessment and optimal recommendations which ensure safety and asset integrity while avoiding high OPEX. Fire hazard evaluation is carried out based on risk assessment of fire and hydrocarbon leakage scenarios in process plant, and recommendations for fire prevention, protection and firefighting measures are provided. Requirement of fire protection is dependent on fire source and resulting fire influence zone (fireproofing zone drawings, FPZ). Structures which are located within the FPZ are then evaluated as per identified criteria in a sequential approach (e.g. whether sudden collapse will cause significant damage, structure supports equipment containing toxic material etc.). Further detailed assessment of structural members and their impact on overall structural stability and integrity is carried out for identified structures to determine fireproofing needs. Based on the outcome, fireproofing is applied for identified members. The scope involved assessment of structural steel fireproofing in the entire complex comprising of over 40 numbers process units and 12 numbers utility units. Several teams conducted physical site survey to identify the actual fireproofing based on zone drawings across the entire plant. Desktop assessment and identification of gaps were carried out primarily based on Project fireproofing specifications, fireproofing zone drawings, fireproofing location drawings, fireproofing schedule, structural design calculations and 3-D models wherever available for respective areas. Study revealed that actual fireproofing at site in each phase of plant is consistent within all process units installed as part of that particular project, however inconsistencies were observed when compared across the different phases, probably due to different interpretation of requirements. To ensure consistency a common criteria was established considering fire source, equipment supported by structure, criticality of member and industry standards. Optimized solutions was recommended to avoid high OPEX while ensuring asset integrity and safety. Fireproofing criteria are general guidelines susceptible to various interpretations by respective users. Establishment of common criteria and elimination of ambiguities in specifications enables consistent application of fireproofing, resulting in optimization while ensuring asset safety and integrity. The approach adopted by ADNOC Gas Processing can be shared with other group companies to enable each organization be prepared to justify the actions in case of any external / internal audits.

Intelligent Pitch Controller Identification and Design

This paper exhibits a comparative assessmentbased on time response specification performance between modern and classical controller for a pitch control system of an aircraft system. The dynamic modeling of pitch control system is considered on the design of an autopilot that controls the pitch angle It starts with a derivation of a suitable mathematical model to describe the dynamics of an aircraft. For getting close to actual conditionsthe white noise disturbance is applied to the system.In this paper it is assumed that the modelpitch control systemis not available. So using the identification system and Box-Jenkins model estimator we identify the pitch control system System’s identification is a procedure for accurately characterizing the dynamic response behavior of a complete aircraft, of a subsystem, or of an individual component from measureddata.To study the effectiveness of the controllers, the LQR Controller and PID Controller and fuzzy controller is developed for controlling the pitch angle of an aircraft system. Simulation results for the response of pitch controller are presented instep’s response. Finally, the performances of pitch control systems are investigated and analyzed based on common criteria of step’s response in order to identify which control strategy delivers better performance with respect to the desired pitch angle. It is found from simulation, that the fuzzy controller gives the best performance compared to PID and LQR controller.

Perancangan Spesifikasi Keamanan untuk Pengembangan Aplikasi Secure Chat Berdasarkan Common Criteria For It Security Evaluation

<p class="Abstrak">Spesifikasi keamanan sangat penting bagi pengembangan aplikasi <em>chatting</em> karena dapat menentukan tingkat keamanan aplikasi yang tentunya akan berdampak pada kepercayaan pengguna. Namun, pengembangan fitur keamanan pada aplikasi yang beredar belum semua didasarkan pada suatu spesifikasi kebutuhan keamanan yang jelas. Misanya, aplikasi Mxit dan QQ Mobile tidak memenuhi satu pun dari tujuh kategori keamanan untuk <em>secure chat</em> yang dikeluarkan oleh Electronic Frontiers Foundtaion (EFF). Bahkan, Yahoo! Messenger belum menerapkan disain keamanan yang baik, misalnya kita tidak dapat memverifikasi identitas kontak kita. Selain itu, Yahoo! Messenger tidak menerapkan <em>perfect forward secrecy</em>. Artinya, fitur keamanan pada beberapa aplikasi<em> chat</em> dikembangkan tidak berdasarkan pada rancangan spesifikasi keamanan. Pada penelitian ini, dilakukan perancangan spesifikasi keamanan untuk pengembangan aplikasi <em>secure chat</em> dengan mengacu pada <em>Common Criteria for IT Security Evaluation Version 3.1:2017</em>. Pada hasil rancangan tersebut, telah ditentukan 28 famili dari 7 kelas <em>Secure Functional Requirement</em> (SFR) yang harus dipenuhi dalam pengembangan aplikasi secure chat. Hasil rancangan telah divalidasi dengan metode <em>expert judgment</em>.</p><p class="Abstrak"><em><strong>Abstract</strong></em></p><p class="Abstrak"><em>Security specifications are very important for chat application development because they can determine the level of its security which, of course, will have an impact on user trust. However, the development of outstanding application security features is not all based on a clear security requirement specification. For example, the Mxit and QQ Mobile applications do not meet any of the seven security categories for secure chat issued by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). In fact, Yahoo! Messenger has not implemented a good security design, for example, we cannot verify the identity of our contacts and do not apply perfect forward secrecy. This means that security features in some chat applications are developed not based on security specification designs. In this study, the design of security specifications for secure chat application development was carried out by referring to the Common Criteria for IT Security Evaluation Version 3.1: 2017. In the design results, 28 families of 7 classes of Secure Functional Requirements (SFR) have been determined that must be met in the development of secure chat applications. The design result has been validated using expert judgment method.</em></p>

Improving the efficiency of the steganographic method of data hiding with the application of iterative functions and noise addition

The development of computer and digital technology contributes to the growth of information flows transmitted through open and closed communication channels. In many cases, this information is confidential, financial, or commercial in nature and is of value to its owners. This requires the development of mechanisms to protect information from unauthorized access. There are two fundamental areas of secure data transmission over the open communication channels – cryptography and steganography. The fundamental difference between them is that cryptography hides from others the content of the message, and steganography hides the very fact of the message transmission. This paper is devoted to steganographic methods of data concealment, which are less researched than cryptographic, but have significant potential for use in a variety of applications. One of the important characteristics of most methods is their effectiveness. In general, efficiency is assessed in the context of solving specific problems. However, the most common criteria for the effectiveness of steganographic methods are the amount of hidden data and the method of transmitting the secret key to the receiving party, which will not allow the attacker to intercept it. Because media files make up a significant portion of network traffic, a digital image is chosen as the stegocontainer. It is proposed to determine the coordinates of the embedding location on the basis of iterative functions. The advantage of their use is the compactness of the description of the coordinates of the pixels in which the data will be hidden. In addition, it is proposed to use the Diffie-Gellman algorithm to transfer the parameters of iterative functions to the receiving side. This method of key distribution makes the steganographic method less vulnerable to being stolen by an attacker. The second performance criterion is the amount of hidden data. The paper found that the moderate addition of multiplicative noise makes it possible to increase the amount of hidden data without significantly reducing the visual quality of the stegocontainer. To analyze the distortions in the image-stegocontainer, which are due to the influence of noise and modification of the lower bits of pixels, the method of a quantitative assessment of visual quality is used, which is based on the laws of visual perception. Keywords: steganographic data hiding; hiding efficiency; iterative functions; Diffie-Gelman algorithm.

Heat Exchanger Design and Optimization

A heat exchanger is a unit operation used to transfer heat between two or more fluids at different temperatures. There are many different types of heat exchangers that are categorized based on different criteria, such as construction, flow arrangement, heat transfer mechanism, etc. Heat exchangers are optimized based on their applications. The most common criteria for optimization of heat exchangers are the minimum initial cost, minimum operation cost, maximum effectiveness, minimum pressure drop, minimum heat transfer area, minimum weight, or material. Using the data modeling, the optimization of a heat exchanger can be transformed into a constrained optimization problem and then solved by modern optimization algorithms. In this chapter, the thermal design and optimization of shell and tube heat exchangers are presented.

Public administration in the Republic of Belarus: principles for sustainable development

Introduction. The article describes the principles of building state policy for the implementation of sustainable development goals in the Republic of Belarus. The authors analyse the compliance of the Belarusian national legislation with the principles of effective public administration in the interests of sustainable development.Material and methods. The study is based on general scientific and special methods. In view of the nature of the researched issues, the comparative research of the legal base of the Republic of Belarus, as well as analogy were of particular importance. Much attention was paid to the analysis of the National Concept of Sustainable Development of the Republic of Bela­rus until 2035 and the Roadmap for the implementation of the SDGs in the Republic of Belarus.Results. The effectiveness of public administration should be assessed by the fol­lowing parameters: security, international recognition, the ability of the state to pro­vide access to quality education and health care, the ability to involve the regions, the ability to provide basic infrastructure (transport capabilities, registration, statistics), the ability to replenish the treasury – taxation, the ability to organize management: the structure of public administration, procedures and selection of management person­nel, rational consumption of goods and services, maximum conservation of ecosystems in the process of natural resource management, cooperation with international part­ners and international organizations, development of integration processes with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union.Discussion and Conclusions. Today it is necessary to take into consideration that both Belarus and Russia are involved in the implementation of the UN SDGs as part of the implementation of the Union State project. So, it is extremely important to harmonize our approaches, including in matters of effective public administration. And it is necessary to introduce common criteria for evaluating efficiency, which can have a positive effect through the synergy of both systems, to coordinate public admin­istration in both countries. In addition, joint implementation, and preparation of joint projects in terms of improving public administration should be carried out.

Cybersecurity, Multilateral Export Control, and Standard Setting Arrangements

This chapter focuses on two trade mechanisms and their role in pursuing the policy imperatives of promoting international trade in information and communication technologies (ICTs) while seeking to mitigate cybersecurity risks. The first mechanism, international standard setting and certification efforts, aims to facilitate international trade by providing benchmarks and assurances for security features. In contrast, the second mechanism, international export controls, explicitly seeks to restrict the trade in certain ICT goods for national and international security purposes. The chapter begins by introducing the concepts of standards and certification, and surveying the landscape of cybersecurity standard setting before providing a discussion of the major intergovernmental certification scheme, the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement. It then looks at the Wassenaar Arrangement and examines its recent experience in bringing two types of technologies, intellectual property (IP) surveillance systems and intrusion software, under the purview of export controls.

On Multiquadric Shape Determining Strategies in Image Reconstruction Applications: A Comparative Study

After being introduced to approximate two-dimensional geographical surfaces in 1971, the multivariate radial basis functions (RBFs) have been receiving a great amount of attention from scientists and engineers. Over decades, RBFs have been applied to a wide variety of problems. Approximation, interpolation, classification, prediction, and neural networks are inevitable in nowadays science, engineering, and medicine. Moreover, numerically solving partial differential equations (PDEs) is also a powerful branch of RBFs under the name of the ‘Meshfree/Meshless’ method. Amongst many, the so-called ‘Generalized Multiquadric (GMQ)’ is known as one of the most used forms of RBFs. It is of (ɛ 2 + r 2) β form, where r = ║x-x Θ║2 for x, x Θ ∈ ℝ n represents the distance function. The key factor playing a very crucial role for MQ, or other forms of RBFs, is the so-called ‘shape parameter ɛ’ where selecting a good one remains an open problem until now. This paper focuses on measuring the numerical effectiveness of various choices of ɛ proposed in literature when used in image reconstruction problems. Condition number of the interpolation matrix, CPU-time and storage, and accuracy are common criteria being utilized. The results of the work shall provide useful information on selecting a ‘suitable and reliable choice of MQ-shape’ for further applications in general.

Two-Pore Channels in Cancer Hallmarks: An Update Review

Cancer is one of the most disastrous diseases that leads to a serious threat to millions of people’s health worldwide. Cancer is distinguished by multiple common criteria, known as the “cancer hallmarks" which calcium signaling has either direct or indirect correlation with each of them. An emerging body of evidence suggests that two-pore channels/calcium signaling machinery has a crucial role in the promotion of diverse aspects of cancer, particularly in several cancer hallmarks including cell proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, invasion, metastasis, and metabolic reprogramming. Recent findings linked two-pore channels/calcium signaling machinery with autophagy, chemoresistance, and patients' survival in cancer. The present review provides current findings on the roles of two-pore channels in cancer, particularly in several cancer hallmarks, autophagy, and chemoresistance. Furthermore, a specific focus on recent data concerning the two-pore channels antagonists and novel inhibitors is discussed. This review will furnish readers with a more in-depth understanding of the significance of two-pore channel calcium signalling in cancer and its potential as a druggable target for cancer therapy

Fragmentation and Connectivity of Island Forests in Agricultural Mediterranean Environments: A Comparative Study between the Guadalquivir Valley (Spain) and the Apulia Region (Italy)

Habitat loss and fragmentation are considered some the main threats to biodiversity. Original forests have suffered an accentuated fragmentation and agricultural homogenization, leaving only some areas of natural vegetation, relegated to strongly anthropized disconnected patches (island forests, IFs) in a hostile matrix. These patches of original vegetation could be the key for the design and management of ecological corridors to promote species migration, an essential strategy for meeting the consequences of Global Change. This study proposes a comparative analysis of the fragmentation and connectivity of IFs of Quercus in two typically Mediterranean areas of predominantly agricultural use: the Guadalquivir valley (Spain) and the Apulia region (Italy). A retrospective comparison is also carried out in the Guadalquivir valley. The aim is to develop an objective new methodology to locate the patches of most interest using quantitative and qualitative data. Reference cartography of current island forests of Quercus species was developed from several digital sources and validated with orthoimages and field observations. Fragmentation analysis was based on graph structures using the software Conefor 2.6, a reliable tool for assessment of the role of patches in the landscape. Area and distance were used as node and connector values. Dispersion distance was established as 500 m, based on the maximum dispersion of acorns. Results indicate that the Guadalquivir valley has suffered an intensive fragmentation in recent decades. Both the Guadalquivir and Apulia regions host some IFs with the relevant potential to contribute as core habitats in the creation of connections to other natural protected sites. Many residual IFs in the landscape could contribute as stepping stones in the design and management of ecological corridors. Our methodology highlights the value of IFs to develop assessment strategies using homogenized available digital cartography and common criteria for the dispersion distances in graph theory analysis. The application of this new methodology could help in the management of protected sites using highly fragmented areas to allow the species movement through inhospitable landscapes in a unique opportunity to connect the different protected areas.