Secure, dynamic and distributed access control stack for database applications

In database applications, access control security layers are mostly developed from tools provided by vendors of database management systems and deployed in the same servers containing the data to be protected. This solution conveys several drawbacks. Among them we emphasize: 1) if policies are complex, their enforcement can lead to performance decay of database servers; 2) when modifications in the established policies implies modifications in the business logic (usually deployed at the client-side), there is no other possibility than modify the business logic in advance and, finally, 3) malicious users can issue CRUD expressions systematically against the DBMS expecting to identify any security gap. In order to overcome these drawbacks, in this paper we propose an access control stack characterized by: most of the mechanisms are deployed at the client-side; whenever security policies evolve, the security mechanisms are automatically updated at runtime and, finally, client-side applications do not handle CRUD expressions directly. We also present an implementation of the proposed stack to prove its feasibility. This paper presents a new approach to enforce access control in database applications, this way expecting to contribute positively to the state of the art in the field.

Secure, dynamic and distributed access control stack for database applications

In database applications, access control security layers are mostly developed from tools provided by vendors of database management systems and deployed in the same servers containing the data to be protected. This solution conveys several drawbacks. Among them we emphasize: (1) if policies are complex, their enforcement can lead to performance decay of database servers; (2) when modifications in the established policies implies modifications in the business logic (usually deployed at the client-side), there is no other possibility than modify the business logic in advance and, finally, 3) malicious users can issue CRUD expressions systematically against the DBMS expecting to identify any security gap. In order to overcome these drawbacks, in this paper we propose an access control stack characterized by: most of the mechanisms are deployed at the client-side; whenever security policies evolve, the security mechanisms are automatically updated at runtime and, finally, client-side applications do not handle CRUD expressions directly. We also present an implementation of the proposed stack to prove its feasibility. This paper presents a new approach to enforce access control in database applications, this way expecting to contribute positively to the state of the art in the field.

Development and Verification of Control and Protection Strategies in Hybrid AC/DC Power Systems for Smart Grid Applications

Modern power networks incorporate communications and information technology infrastructure into the electrical power system to create a smart grid in terms of control and operation. The smart grid enables real-time communication and control between consumers and utility companies allowing suppliers to optimize energy usage based on price preference and system technical issues. The smart grid design aims to provide overall power system monitoring, create protection and control strategies to maintain system performance, stability and security. This dissertation contributed to the development of a unique and novel smart grid test-bed laboratory with integrated monitoring, protection and control systems. This test-bed was used as a platform to test the smart grid operational ideas developed here. The implementation of this system in the real-time software creates an environment for studying, implementing and verifying novel control and protection schemes developed in this dissertation. Phasor measurement techniques were developed using the available Data Acquisition (DAQ) devices in order to monitor all points in the power system in real time. This provides a practical view of system parameter changes, system abnormal conditions and its stability and security information system. These developments provide valuable measurements for technical power system operators in the energy control centers. Phasor Measurement technology is an excellent solution for improving system planning, operation and energy trading in addition to enabling advanced applications in Wide Area Monitoring, Protection and Control (WAMPAC). Moreover, a virtual protection system was developed and implemented in the smart grid laboratory with integrated functionality for wide area applications. Experiments and procedures were developed in the system in order to detect the system abnormal conditions and apply proper remedies to heal the system. A design for DC microgrid was developed to integrate it to the AC system with appropriate control capability. This system represents realistic hybrid AC/DC microgrids connectivity to the AC side to study the use of such architecture in system operation to help remedy system abnormal conditions. In addition, this dissertation explored the challenges and feasibility of the implementation of real-time system analysis features in order to monitor the system security and stability measures. These indices are measured experimentally during the operation of the developed hybrid AC/DC microgrids. Furthermore, a real-time optimal power flow system was implemented to optimally manage the power sharing between AC generators and DC side resources. A study relating to real-time energy management algorithm in hybrid microgrids was performed to evaluate the effects of using energy storage resources and their use in mitigating heavy load impacts on system stability and operational security.

Enabling effective operational decision making on a Combined Heat and Power System using the 5C architecture

The use of Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) to optimise industrial energy systems is an approach which has the potential to positively impact on manufacturing sector energy efficiency. The need to obtain data to facilitate the implementation of a CPS in an industrial energy system is however a complex task which is often implemented in a non-standardised way. The use of the 5C CPS architecture has the potential to standardise this approach. This paper describes a case study where data from a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system located in a large manufacturing company was fused with grid electricity and gas models as well as a maintenance cost model using the 5C architecture with a view to making effective decisions on its cost efficient operation. A control change implemented based on the cognitive analysis enabled via the 5C architecture implementation has resulted in energy cost savings of over €7400 over a four-month period, with energy cost savings of over €150,000 projected once the 5C architecture is extended into the production environment.

An internet-based control engineering laboratory

This paper presents LABNET, an internet-based remote laboratory for control engineering education developed at UEM-University. At present, the remote laboratory integrates three basic physical systems (level control, temperature control and ship stabilizing system). In this paper, the LABNET architecture is presented and discussed in detail. Issues concerned with concurrent user access, local or remote feedback, automatic report generating and reusing of experiment’s templates have been addressed. Furthermore, the experiences gained developing, testing and using the system will be also presented and their consequences for future design.

Optimal control of non-linear systems through hybrid cell-mapping/artificial-neural-networks techniques

In this paper, a real-time optimal control technique for non-linear plants is proposed. The control system makes use of the cell-mapping (CM) techniques, widely used for the global analysis of highly non-linear systems. The CM framework is employed for designing approximate optimal controllers via a control variable discretization. Furthermore, CM-based designs can be improved by the use of supervised feedforward artificial neural networks (ANNs), which have proved to be universal and efficient tools for function approximation, providing also very fast responses. The quantitative nature of the approximate CM solutions fits very well with ANNs characteristics. Here, we propose several control architectures which combine, in a different manner, supervised neural networks and CM control algorithms. On the one hand, different CM control laws computed for various target objectives can be employed for training a neural network, explicitly including the target information in the input vectors. This way, tracking problems, in addition to regulation ones, can be addressed in a fast and unified manner, obtaining smooth, averaged and global feedback control laws. On the other hand, adjoining CM and ANNs are also combined into a hybrid architecture to address problems where accuracy and real-time response are critical. Finally, some optimal control problems are solved with the proposed CM, neural and hybrid techniques, illustrating their good performance.

A second order control-volume finite-element least-squares strategy for simulating diffusion in strongly anisotropic media

An unstructured mesh �nite volume discretisation method for simulating di�usion in anisotropic media in two-dimensional space is discussed. This technique is considered as an extension of the fully implicit hybrid control-volume �nite-element method and it retains the local continuity of the ux at the control volume faces. A least squares function recon- struction technique together with a new ux decomposition strategy is used to obtain an accurate ux approximation at the control volume face, ensuring that the overall accuracy of the spatial discretisation maintains second order. This paper highlights that the new technique coincides with the traditional shape function technique when the correction term is neglected and that it signi�cantly increases the accuracy of the previous linear scheme on coarse meshes when applied to media that exhibit very strong to extreme anisotropy ratios. It is concluded that the method can be used on both regular and irregular meshes, and appears independent of the mesh quality.