• Energy Research

The Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) has seen rapid growth in the development of real-time applications due to its ease of management and cost-effective attributes. However, the balance between optimization of network lifetime and load distribution between sensor nodes is a critical matter for the development of energy-efficient routing solutions. Recently, many solutions have been proposed for constraint-based networks using the cloud paradigm. However, they achieve network scalability with the additional cost of routing overheads and network latency. Moreover, the sensors’ data is transmitted towards application users over the uncertain medium, which leads to compromised data security and its integrity. Therefore, this work proposes a light-weight secure and energy-efficient fog-based routing (SEFR) protocol to minimize data latency and increase energy management. It exploits the Quality of Service (QoS) factors and facilitates time-sensitive applications with network edges. Moreover, the proposed protocol protects real-time data based on two levels of cryptographic security primitives. In the first level, a lightweight data confidentiality scheme is proposed between the cluster heads and fog nodes, and in the second level, a high-performance asymmetric encryption scheme is proposed among fog and cloud layers. The analysis of simulation-based experiments has proven the significant outcomes of the proposed protocol compared to existing solutions in terms of routing, security, and network management.

Fossil fuels are depended upon often in the transport sector. The use of diesel engines in all areas produce pollutants, such as NOx and CO, which cause serious environmental pollution and hazards, such as global climate change and breathing difficulties. Conventional fuel usage should be reduced, and there should be a shift toward alternative fuels. For compression ignition (CI) engines, microalgae biodiesel has been promoted as a clean, sustainable fuel. This is because it possesses desired traits, such as a quick rate of development, high productivity, and the capacity to turn CO2 into fuel. When algal biodiesel is used, pollutants, such as CO, UBHC, and smoke, are typically reduced, whereas NOx emissions are typically increased. The adoption of an exhaust gas recirculation technology and the advancement or delay of injection timing can effectively reduce NOx formation. Incorporating antioxidant chemicals such as butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA) into fuel also minimizes NOx formation. In this study, the use of microalgae biodiesel as a substitute fuel for CI engines was investigated by altering the injection timing and adding each antioxidant in two doses. According to ASTM standard test procedures for biodiesel, the fuel qualities of various blends of algal biodiesel with antioxidants were tested and compared with the diesel fuel. The experiments were conducted using CI engines, and parameters were examined, such UBHC, CO, NOx, and smoke opacity. In comparison to diesel fuel, B20 + 30% BHA (21 bTDC) blends produced 49% lower oxides of nitrogen. The smoke, HC, and CO emissions of fuel blend B20 + 30% BHA (25 bTDC) were reduced by 33.33%, 32.37%, and 11.21%, respectively, compared with those of diesel fuel. The fuel blend B20 + 30% BHA (25 bTDC) showed the highest brake thermal efficiency of 14.52% at peak load condition. A multi-output regression deep long short-term memory (MDLSTM) model was designed to predict the performance and emissions of CI engines operating with varied fuel mixtures. The average RMSE and R2 values for the proposed MDLSTM were 0.38 and 0.9579, respectively.

A healthy road network plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of any country. Road management authorities struggle with pavement repair approaches and the finances to keep the existing road network to its best functionality. It has been observed that real-time road condition monitoring can drastically reduce road and vehicle maintenance expenses. There are various methods to analyze road health, but most are either expensive, costly, time-consuming, labor-intensive, or imprecise. This study aims to design a low-cost smart road health monitoring system to identify the road section for maintenance. An automized sensor-based system is developed to assist the road sections for repair and rehabilitation. The proposed system is mounted in a vehicle and the data have been collected for a more than 1000 km road network. The data have been processed using SPSS, and it shows that the proposed system is adequate for detecting the road quality. It is concluded that the proposed system can identify the vulnerable sections to add to the pavement maintenance plan. In the future, the created application can be launched as a smart citizen app where each car driver can install this application and can monitor the road quality automatically.

Educational institutes always explore new ways and trends to improve teaching and ensure learning in the classroom, especially at the higher educational level. In this fast-growing, dynamic world, the field of information technology (IT) has made huge progress in different sectors, including the education sector. Initially, the educational process and stakeholders’ resistance made it challenging to implement new information-technology-based solutions in this key sector, but the recent pandemic made it easier at different stages. Universities must allow students to play an active role in developing pedagogy and share their ideas in order to meet the 21st century learning needs of today’s students. This paper investigates the key challenges in a 21st century education. An extensive literature review was carried out for this research, followed by targeted expert feedback. The paper concludes that universities must cope with enrollment, finance and student support concerns in addition to transitioning their on-campus programs to virtual settings. Faculty must be interactive, captivating, collaborative and thought-provoking. Students should have a choice in how they learn knowledge and display it in accordance with their requirements and preferences. Technology usage should be interesting, efficient and responsible to improve the learner’s experience. Students should also be taught how their education will affect their future and global impact.

In contemporary academia, accreditation stands as a vital process for universities to uphold their reputation and deliver quality education to students. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) significantly contribute to this process by enabling institutions to assess their performance in crucial areas, such as student outcomes, faculty engagement, and research effectiveness. To achieve sustainable accreditation, universities necessitate a comprehensive data management system capable of handling extensive data and generating pertinent insights. High-quality education remains paramount for academic institutions to equip students with essential professional skills, thereby enabling societal economic advancement. A sustainable quality management system is an innovative approach emphasizing continuous improvement and long-term planning to enhance an organization’s overall performance and maintain a competitive edge within the sector. This paper presents a case study on sustainable quality assurance in higher education, underscoring the importance of KPIs in accreditation and the need for a robust data management system to ensure sustainability. Additionally, it highlights the significance of delivering high-quality education and the role of a sustainable quality management system in realizing this objective.

Buffer Overflow (BOF) has been a ubiquitous security vulnerability for more than three decades, potentially compromising any software application or system. This vulnerability occurs primarily when someone attempts to write more bytes of data (shellcode) than a buffer can handle. To date, this primitive attack has been used to attack many different software systems, resulting in numerous buffer overflows. The most common type of buffer overflow is the stack overflow vulnerability, through which an adversary can gain admin privileges remotely, which can then be used to execute shellcode. Numerous mitigation techniques have been developed and deployed to reduce the likelihood of BOF attacks, but attackers still manage to bypass these techniques. A variety of mitigation techniques have been proposed and implemented on the hardware, operating system, and compiler levels. These techniques include No-EXecute (NX) and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR). The NX bit prevents the execution of malicious code by making various portions of the address space of a process inoperable. The ASLR algorithm randomly assigns addresses to various parts of the logical address space of a process as it is loaded in memory for execution. Position Independent Executable (PIE) and ASLR provide more robust protection by randomly generating binary segments. Read-only relocation (RELRO) protects the Global Offset Table (GOT) from overwriting attacks. StackGuard protects the stack by placing the canary before the return address in order to prevent stack smashing attacks. Despite all the mitigation techniques in place, hackers continue to be successful in bypassing them, making buffer overflow a persistent vulnerability. The current work aims to describe the stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability and review in detail the mitigation techniques reported in the literature as well as how hackers attempt to bypass them.

Evidence from well-established theories of various disciplines manifests that, in the current technology-led world, continued professional development (CPD) of information professionals plays a paramount role in the uplift of institutions. CPD of university library professionals via e-learning programs leads to the implementation of user-centric-services through the initiation of emerging technological tools and the latest methods of service-delivery. The focus of this study is to shed light on the factors influencing e-learning for CPD of working librarians, challenges being encountered for e-learning adoption, and to propose the best practices for designing an efficient e-learning portfolio. For meeting the focused study-objectives, the authors applied PRISMA guidelines and procedures. An extensive search was conducted utilizing the world’s 16 leading e-databases and digital tools containing the most relevant core studies. Consequently, 30 impact factor research papers published in renowned databases were included through the identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion process. Findings revealed that different factors—including organizational survival, continuous changes, adoption of emerging technologies, and professional growth—encouraged e-learning for CPD of information professionals. The study results showed that four main challenges—technical difficulties, lack of funds, reliance upon conventional models, and overwhelming work-load—were encountered for e-learning adoption. The authors proposed a framework for the development of an effective and efficient e-learning portfolio for building professional expertise among university librarians to support the organizational vision and mission statement. The recommended framework is based upon emergent categories and sub-categories extracted via thematic analysis of the existing empirical studies. This study has theoretical insights for the researchers through valuable addition in the body of literature and practical considerations for policy implementers to construct sustainable policies for devising e-learning programs to develop professional expertise in the university library workforce for attainment of value-added outcomes.

Urban settlements often deal with the massive transportation problems caused by mixed land-use development and improper travel services. This situation propels travel accessibility issues within urban centers. This research is intended to focus on the 3rd largest city of Pakistan’s Sindh province, i.e., Sukkur, where residents were found struggling to reach their desired destinations. The study area has naturally grown without planning guidelines, generating traffic congestion and haphazard land-use patterns. This research aims to measure accessibility within the city center using trip rate analysis and a GIS-based isochrone model (1-km radius). In total, 234 household trips were randomly considered according to Morgan’s sampling standards. The results revealed that scattered locations caused heavy traffic volumes without public transport facilities. The ratio of traveling by bike for shopping was recorded at 17.24%. Commuting by car; home-based, health, and shopping trips were ranked 1st (5.52%), 2nd (2.76%), and 3rd (1.38%), respectively. The isochrone-based maps were delineated to clarify the temporal accessibility features. Only three shopping activities were found to be accessible within 6 min. Most of the banks were found to be highly accessible. None of the health facilities were located within a 0–6 minute isochronal boundary. Two entertainment sites were accessible within 0–6 min. The residential neighborhoods were not close to the city center. Only three parks and six religious facilities were accessible within 6–12 min. The study findings clarified mixed land use activities accessed through multiple travel modes in the city center. Executing traffic management implications is a need of the time to induce sustainable transportation guidelines. Besides, the results may contribute to SDG 11.2, i.e., “affordable and sustainable transport systems” available for local commuters. The findings of this study are also relevant to evaluating the progress of some cities on SDG 11.2 regarding accessing feasible transportation services.