EPEC: an efficient privacy-preserving energy consumption scheme for smart grid communications

In this paper, we propose an efficient privacy-preserving energy consumption scheme with updating certificates, called EPEC, for secure smart grid communications. Specifically, the proposed EPEC scheme consists of four phases: gateways initialization, party registration, privacy-preserving energy consumption, and updating certificates. Based on the bilinear pairing, the identity-based encryption, and the strategy of updating certificates, EPEC can achieve data privacy, gateway privacy, and is robust to data replay attack, availability attack, modification attack, man-in-the-middle attack, and Sybil attack. Through extensive performance evaluations, we demonstrate the effectiveness of EPEC in terms of transmission delay performance at the HAN gateway and average delivery ratio, by implementing three types of curves including, the Barreto–Naehrig curve with modulus 256 bits, the Kachisa–Schaefer–Scott curve with modulus 512 bits, and the Barreto–Lynn–Scott curve with modulus 640 bits.     

The JDTDOA algorithm applied to signal recovery: a performance analysis

This article suggests a novel method to retrieve a narrowband signal sent in a multipath environment with a delay spread considering ISI between symbols. The proposed method does not require any preamble nor known signal. Using the joint direction and time delay of arrivals estimation algorithm developed in prior work, the directions and time delays of arrival in the multipath channel are jointly estimated and associated while keeping a low computational cost. In this process, a MVDR beamformed copy of each arriving signal is created. The quality of these “pseudo copies” is evaluated and compared to the original direct and reflected signals in this work. Another beamforming method, the Moore–Penrose pseudoinverse, with better retrieval of the direct and reflected signals is also proposed. Using a simple delay-and-sum operation on the previously beamformed copies, it is possible to substantially improve the the system’s performance in terms of bit error rate. An approach using oversampling on the array antenna is introduced to improve performance. Numerical simulations are discussed to support theory.     

Bounded Tamper Resilience: How to Go Beyond the Algebraic Barrier

Related key attacks (RKAs) are powerful cryptanalytic attacks where an adversary can change the secret key and observe the effect of such changes at the output. The state of the art in RKA security protects against an a-priori unbounded number of certain algebraic induced key relations, e.g., affine functions or polynomials of bounded degree. In this work, we show that it is possible to go beyond the algebraic barrier and achieve security against arbitrary key relations, by restricting the number of tampering queries the adversary is allowed to ask for. The latter restriction is necessary in case of arbitrary key relations, as otherwise a generic attack of Gennaro et al. (TCC 2004) shows how to recover the key of almost any cryptographic primitive. We describe our contributions in more detail below. (1) We show that standard ID and signature schemes constructed from a large class of \(\Sigma \)-protocols (including the Okamoto scheme, for instance) are secure even if the adversary can arbitrarily tamper with the prover’s state a bounded number of times and obtain some bounded amount of leakage. Interestingly, for the Okamoto scheme we can allow also independent tampering with the public parameters. (2) We show a bounded tamper and leakage resilient CCA-secure public key cryptosystem based on the DDH assumption. We first define a weaker CCA-like security notion that we can instantiate based on DDH, and then we give a general compiler that yields CCA security with tamper and leakage resilience. This requires a public tamper-proof common reference string. (3) Finally, we explain how to boost bounded tampering and leakage resilience [as in (1) and (2) above] to continuous tampering and leakage resilience, in the so-called floppy model where each user has a personal hardware token (containing leak- and tamper-free information) which can be used to refresh the secret key. We believe that bounded tampering is a meaningful and interesting alternative to avoid known impossibility results and can provide important insights into the security of existing standard cryptographic schemes.     

Geometrical design of thin film photovoltaic modules for improved shade tolerance and performance

Partial shading in photovoltaic modules is an important reliability and performance concern for all photovoltaic technologies. In this paper, we show how cell geometry can be used as a design variable for improved shade tolerance and performance in monolithic thin film photovoltaic modules (TFPV). We use circuit simulations to illustrate the geometrical aspects of partial shading in typical monolithic TFPV modules with rectangular cells, and formulate rules for shade tolerant design. We show that the problem of partial shading can be overcome by modifying the cell shape and orientation, while preserving the module shape and output characteristics. We discuss two geometrical designs with cells arranged in radial and spiral patterns, which (i) prevent the reverse breakdown of partially shaded cells, (ii) improve the overall power output under partial shading, and (iii) in case of spiral design, may additionally improve the module efficiency by reducing sheet resistance losses. We compare these designs quantitatively using realistic parameters and discuss the practical aspects for their implementation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Random waypoint mobility model in cellular networks

In this paper we study the so-called random waypoint (RWP) mobility model in the context of cellular networks. In the RWP model the nodes, i.e., mobile users, move along a zigzag path consisting of straight legs from one waypoint to the next. Each waypoint is assumed to be drawn from the uniform distribution over the given convex domain. In this paper we characterise the key performance measures, mean handover rate and mean sojourn time from the point of view of an arbitrary cell, as well as the mean handover rate in the network. To this end, we present an exact analytical formula for the mean arrival rate across an arbitrary curve. This result together with the pdf of the node location, allows us to compute all other interesting measures. The results are illustrated by several numerical examples. For instance, as a straightforward application of these results one can easily adjust the model parameters in a simulation so that the scenario matches well with, e.g., the measured sojourn times in a cell.     

A New Design Concept for High-Performance Fading Channel Simulators Using Set Partitioning

In this paper, we introduce a new technique for the design of high-performance Rayleigh fading channel simulators. The proposed design method uses set partitioning – a technique, which plays a key role in the design of trellis-coded modulation schemes. We show how set partitioning can be used to design multiple uncorrelated fading waveforms enabling the simulation of Rayleigh fading channels. For the important case of isotropic scattering, we show that the sample average of the generated waveforms results in a deterministic process, the autocorrelation function (ACF) of which tends to the zeroth-order Bessel function of the first kind as the number of sample functions increases. The proposed procedure is completely deterministic. The comparison with a stochastic procedure using Monte Carlo techniques will be made. A study of the performance shows clearly that the new technique using set partitioning outperforms by far existing Monte Carlo methods.     

The novel communication algorithm and the throughput analysis for wireless sensor networks

Aiming at the significance of the energy controls of wireless sensor networks, an economical energy consumption algorithm for wireless communicating in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is presented. Based on the algorithm, the maximal system throughput of WSN is analyzed, and the upper bound of throughput of WSN is proposed and proved. Some numerical simulations are conducted and analyzed. The conclusions include that the transmitting radius of sensor node and the parameters of the energy cost function have significant influence upon the throughput, but the monitoring region radius has little influence. For the same transmitting distance, the more the hopping of information trans- mitting, the better the throughput of WSN. On the other hand, for the energy optimization of the whole WSN, the trade-off problem between the throughput capacity and the relay nodes is proposed, and the specific expression of relay hops that minimized the energy consumptions and the maximal throughput of WSN under the specific situation is derived.     

New Criteria of Robust $$H_\infty $$ Stability for Fuzzy Mixed-Delay Systems with Nonlinear Noise Disturbances

This paper investigates new criteria of the robust \(H_\infty \) stability for a class of uncertain stochastic fuzzy mixed-delay systems with nonlinear noise disturbances by employing an improved free-weighting matrix approach. The fuzzy system is based on the Takagi–Sugeno model that is often used to represent the complex nonlinear systems in terms of fuzzy sets and fuzzy reasoning. To reflect more realistic dynamical behaviors of the system, both the parameter uncertainties and stochastic disturbances are considered, the stochastic disturbances are given in the form of a Brownian motion. The mixed delays comprise both discrete and distributed time-varying delays. In terms of a stochastic fuzzy Lyapunov functional, a sufficient criterion is proposed to investigate dynamical behaviors of the system in the mean-square sense with an \(H_\infty \) performance index.     

A Novel Approach for Diagnosis of Analog Circuit Fault by Using GMKL-SVM and PSO

This paper presents a novel analog circuit fault diagnosis approach using generalized multiple kernel learning-support vector machine (GMKL-SVM) method and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. First, the wavelet coefficients’ energies of impulse responses are generated as features. Then, a diagnosis model is constructed by using GMKL-SVM method based on features. Meanwhile, the PSO algorithm yields parameters for the GMKL-SVM method. Sallen-Key bandpass filter and two-stage four-op-amp biquad lowpass filter fault diagnosis simulations are given to demonstrate the proposed diagnose procedure, and the comparison simulations reveal that the proposed approach has higher diagnosis precision than the referenced methods.     

Wetting interaction between Sn-Zn-Ag solders and Cu

The wetting interaction of Sn-(7.1–9)Zn-(0–3)Ag solders with Cu was investigated from 230°C to 300°C. The wetting time, wetting forces, and activation energy of the wetting reaction were studied. The wetting time decreases with increasing temperature and increases with Ag content. The wetting force exhibits a disproportional correlation to temperature rise, while no trend was observed with respect to Ag content. The wetting behavior was ascribed to the interaction between Cu and Zn. The AgZn₃ compound was formed at the interface when the solder contains 0.3% Ag and above, while it was formed within the bulk solder at 2% Ag and above.