Physical Security Research Articles

Physical Security to Cybersecurity (Challenges and Implications in the Modern Digital Landscape)

The transition from physical security to cybersecurity is a critical aspect of modern security management in the digital age. This research paper explores the challenges and implications of this transition, with a focus on the impact on digital assets and information, challenges for individuals, organizations, and governments, and best practices for mitigating cybersecurity risks. The literature review discusses the evolution of physical security and cybersecurity, key concepts and frameworks in cybersecurity, and best practices for managing cybersecurity risks. The research findings highlight the limitations of physical security in the digital landscape and emphasize the need for a proactive and comprehensive approach to cybersecurity. Contributions to the field of cybersecurity include insights into the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats, the importance of risk assessment and incident response planning, and the need for governance and risk management strategies. The limitations of the study are acknowledged, and recommendations for future research are provided. Overall, this research paper contributes to the field of cybersecurity by providing valuable insights and recommendations for enhancing cybersecurity measures in the modern digital landscape.

Detour-RS: Reroute Attack Vulnerability Assessment with Awareness of the Layout and Resource

Recent decades have witnessed a remarkable pace of innovation and performance improvements in integrated circuits (ICs), which have become indispensable in an array of critical applications ranging from military infrastructure to personal healthcare. Meanwhile, recent developments have brought physical security to the forefront of concern, particularly considering the valuable assets handled and stored within ICs. Among the various invasive attack vectors, micro-probing attacks have risen as a particularly menacing threat. These attacks leverage advanced focused ion beam (FIB) systems to enable post-silicon secret eavesdropping and circuit modifications with minimal traceability. As an evolved variant of micro-probing attacks, reroute attacks possess the ability to actively disable built-in shielding measures, granting access to the security-sensitive signals concealed beneath. To address and counter these emerging challenges, we introduce a layout-level framework known as Detour-RS. This framework is designed to automatically assess potential vulnerabilities, offering a systematic approach to identifying and mitigating exploitable weaknesses. Specifically, we employed a combination of linear and nonlinear programming-based approaches to identify the layout-aware attack costs in reroute attempts given specific target assets. The experimental results indicate that shielded designs outperform non-shielded structures against reroute attacks. Furthermore, among the two-layer shield configurations, the orthogonal layout exhibits better performance compared to the parallel arrangement. Furthermore, we explore both independent and dependent scenarios, where the latter accounts for potential interference among circuit edit locations. Notably, our results demonstrate a substantial near 50% increase in attack cost when employing the more realistic dependent estimation approach. In addition, we also propose time and gas consumption metrics to evaluate the resource consumption of the attackers, which provides a perspective for evaluating reroute attack efforts. We have collected the results for different categories of target assets and also the average resource consumption for each via, required during FIB reroute attack.

A Study on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in Mental Health Professionals and the Psychosocial Factors Affecting This

Introductionhe present study investigates irritable bowel syndrome in mental health professionals and the characteristics of psychosocial factors that affect this.ObjectivesMethodsThe present study selected an irritable bowel syndrome group among 291 mental health professionals based on the Rome III criteria, and investigated demographic variables. The Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), Psychosocial Well-being Index (PWI), and Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) were used to evaluate psychosocial factors. An independent t-test and chi-square test were used to determine differences between the groups, and a logistic regression analysis was used to determine the odds ratio (OR) of IBS based on occupational stress. SPSS 21.0 (IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 21.0) was utilized for all statistics.ResultsDifferences in demographic variables based on IBS group were not statistically significant. Depressive symptoms (t = -4.767, p<0.001) and anxiety (t = -4.068, p<0.001) were higher in the IBS group, and psychosocial well-being was lower (t = 2.288, p<0.05). The OR of IBS based on depressive symptoms was 5.737 (95% CI = 2.24–14.69). There were significant differences in occupational stress based on IBS within the subordinate domains of physical environment (t = -3.160, p<0.01), job demand (t = -3.273, p<0.01), interpersonal conflict (t = -2.295, p<0.05), job security (t = -3.005, p<0.01), and lack of reward (t = -2.046, p<0.05). The OR of IBS based on the subordinate domains of occupational stress was 3.708 (95% CI = 1.20-11.41) in physical environment, and 3.759 (95% CI = 1.33-10.56) in job demand.ConclusionsThe results of the present study verify that psychosocial factors in mental health professionals have a close correlation with IBS. Accordingly, improvements in both IBS symptoms and quality of life should occur through proactive intervention in these variables.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

An Integrated Physical Security to Enhanced Smart Campus Conceptual Framework

An Integrated Physical Security to Enhanced Smart Campus Conceptual Framework

AI기반 보안산업의 육성과제

Recently, the government's interest in industries utilizing AI has been amplified, with initiatives such as announcing a roadmap aiming to achieve the goal of becoming the world's fifth largest information security industry by 2027, with a market size of 30 trillion won, driven by digitalization and expansion in the security domain. AI represents a paradigm shift demanding innovation across nations, societies, and industries, necessitating proactive preparation and response. In the security sector, the paradigm is shifting from traditional human security to integrated security, convergence security, and AI security. To establish a foothold in the global security market, it is imperative to apply new security systems tailored to the Fourth Industrial Revolution through technological innovation, foster convergence security and physical security industries. Therefore, this study aims to propose the nurturing and development direction of the security industry based on AI, which is the core technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as society evolves into a hyper-intelligent, hyper-connected, and hyper-convergent society. To foster the AI-based security industry, the application and operation of AI-based security systems need to be expanded across the entire security business. These include applying AI virtual security guards, AI-based security robots, AI-based drones, AI-based intelligent video monitoring in security rooms, AI-based autonomous driving technology and smart parking solutions, AI-based security systems in personal protection tasks, AI-based on-site crowd management systems, AI-based IoT integrated security systems, and operation of AI-based machine security systems that can be applied to the six security tasks regulated by security laws and regulations. From a policy perspective, policy support for creating new jobs and ensuring stable employment in AI security-related fields should follow. At the national level, there should be policies to nurture and support the AI-based security industry, along with efforts to address ethical issues related to AI. Furthermore, new education programs related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and AI need to be introduced according to security laws and regulations. From a technological and academic perspective, it is necessary to enhance the professionalism of security companies to actively respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and continuous development of AI-related security technologies is essential. Academic research should continue, focusing on in-depth research and development of AI security applications in various security sectors.

Investigating information security risk management in Yemeni banks: An CILOS-TOPSIS approach

In today's digital age, the banking sector faces increasing challenges in ensuring operational resilience, protecting customer assets, and maintaining a competitive edge. Prioritizing information security risk management (ISRM) practices is crucial to effectively address these challenges. This paper aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method in evaluating and improving ISRM practices in Yemeni banks. The study employs an integrated CILOS-TOPSIS model, considering two criteria and five sub-criteria, with criteria weights determined using the CILOS method. The results highlight the significance of specific criteria in ISRM, with the existence of a comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plan (C2.1) standing out as a top priority (weight: 0.266). Additionally, the frequency of data backups and the presence of an active backup policy (C2.2) and the adequacy of physical security measures (C1.1) are identified as crucial factors (weights: 0.228 and 0.203, respectively). Furthermore, the TOPSIS method is employed to rank 13 banks based on these criteria, revealing the top-performing banks as B10, B4, B13, B1, and B12. Conversely, the 7th, 5th, and 6th ranked banks require attention for improvement. The paper provides comprehensive details on criteria weighting, bank ranking, and recommendations for enhancements. The findings presented in this paper offer valuable insights to decision-makers in the banking sector, enabling them to effectively guide their efforts and allocate resources to areas, controls, and banks that require greater attention.

Features of state regulation of defense procurements

The article is devoted to the consideration of state regulation in the field of public procurement, in particular in the defense-industrial complex. The main law defining the basic principles and mechanisms of procurement is the Law of Ukraine «On Public Procurement». However, during the period of martial law, many changes were made in the procedures and mechanisms of public procurement, changes were already made more than once, through the adoption of separate laws and by-laws. The article analyzes the peculiarities of the application of public procurement mechanisms in certain sectors of the economy, in particular the defense-industrial complex. The necessity of modernization and improvement the procurement procedures for successful and effective compliance with the principles of competition and overcoming corruption, and other principles stipulated by legislation, is argued. Mechanisms for conducting procurement procedures are analyzed as one of the key elements of increasing the effectiveness of state economic policy, which is based, in particular, on the principles of fair competition, openness and transparency, non-discrimination of participants, objectivity and impartiality of evaluation of tender offers.
 It is substantiated that it is important to borrow international procurement experience to ensure compliance of national legislation with EU legislation. The issue of ensuring the appropriate level of defense capability of Ukraine in the conditions of countering full-scale military aggression on the territory of Ukraine by the Russian Federation is quite acute. A pressing challenge now is to ensure the rational spending of budget funds and the effective functioning and development of the state defense procurement system. It has been proven that the mechanism for the redistribution of budget funds should have the most transparent order of organization and the order of execution of the concluded procurement contract, which in the case of defense procurement involves reducing the number of closed procurements, excessive secrecy, increasing competitive procedures in the procurement of imported products and services, further improving pricing, canceling profit limits, accounting for inflation and life cycle cost.
 It is argued that consideration of physical, economic and informational security requirements is extremely important. It is about compliance with the principles of protecting customers from military threats, ensuring the simplification of public procurement by reducing the terms of the procurement procedure and simplifying the requirements for procedure participants, the effectiveness of the procurement process and the efficiency of the use of funds, primarily through the involvement of domestic entrepreneurs in tenders and ensuring the development of the domestic market, stability and defense capability.

Securing Against Physical Intrusions

Offline device hacking refers to the exploitation of vulnerabilities in electronic devices without requiring an active internet connection. This paper explores various techniques used by hackers to compromise offline devices, including physical tampering, firmware manipulation, and side-channel attacks. Additionally, the risks associated with offline device hacking are discussed, such as unauthorized access to sensitive data, device control, and potential damage to infrastructure. Furthermore, mitigation strategies to defend against offline device hacking are examined, including robust physical security measures, firmware authentication mechanisms, and the implementation of secure boot processes. Understanding the methods employed by attackers and adopting effective countermeasures are crucial for safeguarding offline devices and maintaining the integrity of critical systems in today's interconnected world.

A cyberattack resilient model for battery electric bus transit fleets using real-time adaptive system information

This paper aims to assess and tackle the cyber–physical security threats stemming from vulnerabilities of battery-based electric bus (BEB) fleets to cyberattacks. An optimization model is adopted for scheduling the battery swapping in BEB fleets and is utilized for cybersecurity assessments. New methods are proposed for detection of false data injection attacks (FDIAs) against the information of the BEB scheduling model. A supervised machine learning-based method is used for identification of potential cyberattacks against the system parameters that govern the operation of the BEB transit fleet. The proposed cybersecurity model is integrated with the BEB scheduling model to form a cyberattack-resilient scheduling framework for the BEB transit fleet. Two categories of data are considered for the simulation of attack scenarios and assessment of the proposed cybersecurity framework: Type 1 – Signals that are received from sources local to the battery swapping station (BSS), and Type 2 – Signals that are received from sources external to the BSS which can be intercepted and tampered by the attacker. The simulation results are presented to evaluate potential disruptions in the BEB transit operation due to FDIAs against the system’s operating parameters. It is demonstrated that a soft cyberattack mildly deviating the fleet operating parameters, e.g., the bus arrival time by up to 10 min or battery SoC by 5%, does not cause a considerable impact on the scheduling parameters or the financial metrics. A moderate or aggressive attack, however, affecting the fleet operating parameters considerably, can adversely impact the scheduling information and the fleet financial metrics.

Barriers and Enablers of Postnatal Care by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) Workers: A Community-Based Qualitative Study From Tribal Gujarat.

Background The care provided to the mother and child from delivery to six weeks after is defined as postnatal care. The postnatal period is both a happy and critical phase for the mother and the newborn. However, the provision of high-quality care services is often ignored during this time. The objective of this study was to assess postnatal care services quality by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and associated factors such as newborn care in rural tribal areas of Gujarat, India. Methodology An ethnographic approach was adopted. Four primary health centers (PHCs) were selected purposively from Sankheda Block, Chhotaudepur, a tribal district in the eastern part of Gujarat. Information on obstacles and facilitators of postnatal care services was collected using in-depth interviews (IDIs) with a purposive sample of 22 ASHAs working in selected PHCs. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results The median age of the ASHA workers was 39 years and ranged from 30 to 51 years (N = 22). Most ASHAs encountered logistical challenges when offering postnatal care services (e.g., they struggled to care for the mother and her babies because they were missing essential equipment, such as a thermometer and a salter-type baby weighing machine, or they had broken equipment). The two main issues facing ASHAs were incentives and timely payments. There were concerns about their safety and physical security during fieldwork. The majority of ASHA workers had good experiences during postnatal home visits, and they received support from other healthcare workers. There were many misconceptions and false assumptions in the community regarding breastfeeding, prelacteal feeding, family planning, and contraception methods. ASHAs wanted to become long-term government employees and believed they were entitled to sufficient training, assistance, recognition, and remuneration for the duties they performed. Conclusions Postnatal mothers receive considerably less attention than antenatal mothers because it mostly depends on ASHA workers and field staff. ASHA workers are doing their best regarding postnatal care. This study revealed some issues ASHAs face, including logistic issues, transportation issues, regular and timely payment issues, and local-level acceptance issues.

Active Gait System for Real-Time Surveillance Against Cyber-Physical Attacks

Cyberterrorism, espionage, and warfare are serious threats to national security. These attacks can harm people or destroy critical infrastructures like the data centres, computer networks, and systems. Surveillance systems currently used in monitoring critical infrastructures, national key points, and military exclusion zones (MEZ) are ineffective in detecting unauthorised intrusions. These issues compromise the stability of the countries, and the safety of the citizens and result in the loss of important assets. This experimental research study developed a Cyber Physical Security (CPS) defense gait-recognition monitoring system. Autonomous Machine Learning (ML) technology was employed to enhance the precision and reliability of the system against CPA, in tracking access, managing security clearances, and triggering alerts in the event of unauthorized entries to restricted areas.

THE IMPLICATIONS OF ARMS PROLIFERATION AND INSECURITY ON HUMAN SECURITY IN AFRICA: A CASE STUDY OF MALI AND NIGERIA

Mali and Nigeria are both faced with the presence of insurgencies, militia, terrorism and other violent non-state actors (VNSAs), who perpetrate large-scale violence; thus, creating daunting security challenges in these countries. This goes pari passu with the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALWs) in these countries. While these countries have inherent human security challenges, this spate of insecurity will not only inhibit the quest for human security, but further deteriorate it. Thus, this paper examines the interrelationship between arms proliferation, violent conflicts and insecurity in these countries and their implication on human security. The study is anchored on the State Collapse theory and the Ex-post Facto research design. The Documentary Observation method of data is utilised; hence, data is generated from secondary sources such as academic publications, organisational publications, databases, etc. For data analysis, the study adopts the Causal Analysis and Process Tracing methods of data analysis. The study found that the proliferation of SALWs and violent conflicts complement each other in Mali and Nigeria, thus, creating high-scale insecurity challenges in both countries. It also found that the implications of this state of affairs on human security are enormous in these countries; particularly in the aspects of physical security, food security, economic security, environmental security and political security. On these bases, the study advocates for relevant stakeholders such as the governments, ECOWAS, religious organisations and traditional institutions to play key roles in addressing the menace

Novel cyber-physical architecture for optimal operation of renewable-based smart city considering false data injection attacks: Digital twin technologies for smart city infrastructure management

Smart grid is considered a cyber-physical system, which is a combination of physical devices and computational processes. Since there are lots of interactions between the cyber layer and the physical layer, the operation, management, and security of the entire system are crucial topics that must be taken into account. In this regard, this paper tackles two problems in AC MGs, as a special case of smart cities. Firstly, a framework is proposed to solve the optimal scheduling problem in these systems. In this stage, the optimal management and scheduling of the system are structured and modeled as an optimization problem. The dragonfly is utilized as a powerful optimization technique to solve this optimization problem. It is worth noting that in this paper different renewable energy sources, as well as batteries are considered. Since cyber-attacks are among the greatest threats to the system and can cause disruption and outage in smart grids, in this paper a deep-learning-based method called long short-term memory along with the concept of prediction interval is utilized to develop a cyber-attack detection model for false data injection attacks on smart meters. The proposed cyber-attack detection model is first trained using historical data and then is used in real-time for detection. In order to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed optimal scheduling scheme, the modified IEEE 33-bus test system is utilized. Also, for testing the proposed cyber-attack detection model a real-world dataset is used. The simulation results show the great performance and effectiveness of both proposed methodologies. It should be noted that all model are simulated in digital twin simulator. The novel LSTM-based cyber-attack detection model enhances security in electric grids, demonstrating remarkable accuracy.

ВДОСКОНАЛЕННЯ ОДНОГО ІЗ НАПРЯМІВ НОРМАТИВНО-ПРАВОВОГО РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ФІЗИЧНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ ПЕРСОНАЛУ ЯК СКЛАДОВОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ В УСТАНОВАХ ВИКОНАННЯ ПОКАРАНЬ

The article defines the need to make changes to the regulatory and legal acts on the handling of weapons by personnel of bodies and institutions for the execution of punishments, taking into account the need to provide firearms and special equipment and training in the rules and methods of applying elements of physical security, which in turn are a component of general security in penitentiary institutions for the transition to the latest, modern types of weapons according to NATO standards. It is noted that in order to ensure the security of places of deprivation of liberty is one of the main tasks defined by legislative and other normative legal acts of Ukraine (in particular, the Criminal Code of Ukraine, laws of Ukraine: “On State Criminal and Executive Service”, “On pre-trial detention”, rules of internal procedure of institutions for the execution of punishments and the rules of the internal procedure of pretrial detention centers of the State Criminal and Executive Service of Ukraine), which are in front of the personnel of bodies and institutions for the execution of punishments. In today’s realities, Order of the State Department on Issues of Execution of Punishments of the penitentiary institutions No. 86 dated May 17, 2001. “Small arms shooting course for members of the rank and command staff of the Criminal and Executive System” has lost its relevance against the background of the reform of the penitentiary service system with the need to switch to the latest, modern weapons in accordance with NATO standards and the implementation of the recommendations of the European Penitentiary Rules. The article states that the problem of handling weapons exists and it must be solved as soon as possible for the reliable protection of personnel and contingents under guard in the penitentiary institutions, which is an urgent necessity in today’s conditions. That is why there was a real need to develop a new normative-legal Act on the training of penitentiary institutions personnel, which will be intended not only for the skillful and effective use of small arms during the performance of official tasks: “A small arms shooting course for members of the rank and command staff of the State Criminal and Executive Service of Ukraine”, and mastering the skills of shooting with the latest weapons, according to NATO standards. Key words: physical safety, shooting course, handling of weapons, performance of official tasks.

Mobile Robot for Security Applications in Remotely Operated Advanced Reactors

This review paper addresses the escalating operation and maintenance costs of nuclear power plants, primarily attributed to rising labor costs and intensified competition from renewable energy sources. The paper proposes a paradigm shift towards a technology-centric approach, leveraging mobile and automated robots for physical security, aiming to replace labor-intensive methods. Focusing on the human–robot interaction principle, the review conducts a state-of-the-art analysis of dog robots’ potential in infrastructure security and remote inspection within human–robot shared environments. Additionally, this paper surveys research on the capabilities of mobile robots, exploring their applications in various industries, including disaster response, exploration, surveillance, and environmental conservation. This study emphasizes the crucial role of autonomous mobility and manipulation in robots for diverse tasks, and discusses the formalization of problems, performance assessment criteria, and operational capabilities. It provides a comprehensive comparison of three prominent robotic platforms (SPOT, Ghost Robotics, and ANYmal Robotics) across various parameters, shedding light on their suitability for different applications. This review culminates in a research roadmap, delineating experiments and parameters for assessing dog robots’ performance in safeguarding nuclear power plants, offering a structured approach for future research endeavors.

Evaluation of the current technologies used for the physical security and safety of selected railway tunnel portals as a case study in the Czech Republic

The security and safety of the railway tunnels require technical measures, information processes, and trained experts. Proper implementation and integration of these elements is crucial to protect lives, property, and the operation of the rail network. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe technological security and safety measures at the portals of selected railway tunnels greater than 1000 m in the conditions of the Czech Republic and their subsequent evaluation. The method of semi-structured interviews with experts with experience in the implementation of security and safety measures was used for the elaboration. SWOT analysis was used to assess the safety level of selected railway tunnels. The evaluation was carried out based on multi-criteria decision making and pairwise evaluation on the principle of Fuller’s triangle. The technical solutions of two currently known technological solutions in the case study for accident elimination based on lidar detection supplemented by cameras are characterized by fundamental differences. The solution in the Ejpovice tunnel focuses on the detection of objects in the immediate vicinity of the portal or already entered it. The solution in the Březenský tunnel focuses on a larger detection zone extending tens of meters in front of the tunnel portal and is divided into two parts with different logic, the pre-alarm and the alarm itself. Integration of individual elements into a proactive and automated system that uses modern AI-based analytical algorithms and respects the process and technology specifics of the railway environment is important for the safety and security of the railway tunnel.

An overview of cybersecurity in Zimbabwe's financial services sector.

As nations, businesses, and individuals rely on the Internet for everyday use, so are cybercriminals manipulating systems to access information illegally and disrupting services for financial gain. The global cost of cybercrime eclipsed one trillion US Dollars in 2020, with Africa losing US $3.5 billion. A quantitative research methodology was adopted to investigate factors affecting cybercrime in Zimbabwean financial institutions. The study focused on the technical aspects of cybersecurity. Data were collected from July 2022 to October 2022, targeting technology experts in the financial services sector. Participants were recruited from 13 institutions to rank cybersecurity constructs, frameworks, and challenges associated with cybersecurity. Data was collected using a questionnaire distributed to participants. Descriptive statistics were used to extract meanings from the responses that measure mean and standard deviation. Network and data security were the most highly ranked cybersecurity constructs, while physical security was the least. The top three barriers are increasing sophistication of threats, limited skills and emerging technologies, while lack of executive support was the least. The top frameworks used are the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT), while a fifth is yet to adopt cybercrime frameworks. The study proposes that financial institutions establish a cybersecurity culture to fight cybercrime, addressing cybersecurity barriers and following best practices. Financial institutions should invest in cybersecurity technologies, train security specialists, and employ a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The study's small sample may affect the generalisability of the results. Financial institutions should implement strategies to raise awareness and collaborate with institutions to train cybersecurity security specialists to close the skills gap.

Разработка способа расчета стоимости монтажа инженерных заграждений при изучении дисциплин инженерно-технической защиты

Specialists in technical information security deal with the physical security of various industrial objects. This article introduces a new method for approximating costs of installing a concertina razor wire obstacle. The method can be implemented as part of information security disciplines. The research involved a review of academic sources, scientific publications, and regulatory documents, which showed that courses of information security and engineering hardly ever cover the issue of costs calculation. The author developed a method for approximate calculation of the costs of installing reinforced barbed wire in its single-level concertina razor variant, including a simplified training sample for a hypothetical protected object. The results obtained can be applied as part of courses of engineering and information security, e.g., as laboratory tasks, tutorials, or research projects. The results may also be of interest to technical specialists involved in the engineering and technical data protection at various facilities that require physical security.

A Consequence-Informed Licensing Path Selection for the Design of Physical Protection Systems at Commercial Nuclear Power Facilities

The survivability of the domestic nuclear power industry depends on the cost-competitiveness of safe and secure nuclear power generation. Advanced reactor design concepts aim to have increased safety margins over traditional large light water reactors (LWRs). With increased safety margins comes the potential for a corresponding decrease in off-site risk to the general public from a hypothetical release of radioactivity due to sabotage or theft. Without sacrificing safety or security, advanced reactor designers may be able to achieve operational cost improvements over current LWRs in part by designing less burdensome physical protection systems (PPSs) and by replacing on-site response forces with off-site response forces. To accommodate these developments, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is drafting new rulemakings for physical security when licensing through the current frameworks in 10 CFR 50 or 10 CFR 52 along with drafting an entirely new licensing framework: 10 CFR 53. A novel technology-inclusive consequence-informed methodology for the selection of the optimal licensing path for the design of PPSs at advanced fixed-site commercial nuclear power facilities is presented herein. This methodology proposes integrating security considerations at the beginning of a reactor facility design effort to streamline the licensing process. Off-site total effective dose equivalents at the exclusion area and low population zone boundaries were identified as the key metrics when determining a design’s most appropriate licensing path that in turn affects the design requirements placed upon the PPS. Given these metrics, source-term generation of potential adversary-induced physics-based sabotage actions utilizing severe accident modeling software and off-site plume dispersal modeling were identified as appropriate for determining siting constraints, potential target sets for hypothetical sabotage events, and their subsequent off-site dose consequences. The methodology proposes using the consequence results from the sabotage modeling, in combination with desired cost-saving PPS characteristics, to help inform the licensing path selection. Once a licensing path is chosen, the methodology utilizes the Design and Evaluation Process Outline to evaluate an effective PPS following the licensing requirements placed on the facility. This paper also presents examples of hypothetical commercial nuclear power facilities with varying consequence levels and demonstrations of how to select the optimal licensing pathways for each.

O le tagata ma lona aiga, o le tagata ma lona fa’asinomaga (Every person belongs to a family and every family belongs to a person): Development of a parenting framework for adolescent mental wellbeing in American Samoa

American Samoan adolescents experience a high prevalence of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. To complement existing health system efforts, family-based interventions may be a feasible, cost-effective, and relevant opportunity to promote mental health. This community-partnered, qualitative study aimed to: (1) identify potential family-related psychosocial protective factors for adolescent mental health and (2) develop a framework for a parenting program to promote adolescent mental health in American Samoa. Applying the fa’afaletui framework developed for research in Samoan communities, which emphasizes the importance of weaving a range of community member perspectives to reach consensus, semi-structured in-depth interviews with adult key informants (n = 28) were conducted between October 2020 and February 2021. Results were validated through five focus groups with Samoan adolescents (n = 35) between May and June 2022. Adult participants were sampled for diversity in profession, age, gender, education, and region of residence; adolescent participants were sampled for diversity in gender. Participants were recruited using personal networks and snowball sampling; adolescent participants also responded to Facebook advertising. The semi-structured interviews focused on broad topics including common mental health problems, contributors to mental illness, and potential interventions, among others. Transcripts were coded in duplicate and analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. Themes were collaboratively mapped onto an adapted fonofale model, an existing framework for Pacific Island health research. Six themes described key practices: (1) provide emotional safety and security; (2) provide physical safety and security; (3) encourage sense of self; (4) strengthen intergenerational communication skills; (5) prioritize quality time; and (6) cultivate healthy coping strategies. Participants also expressed the importance of a supportive environment grounded in culture, family and community, and caregiver mental health. These results provide an initial step to identify family-focused factors that promote adolescent mental health in American Samoa and categorize them into a framework to inform intervention development. Drawing on a collaborative and community-partnered process, these findings provide the first evidence-based framework to develop a parenting program to promote adolescent mental wellbeing and resilience in Samoan communities.