Vulnerability definition

Kimura, M. 2005. Software vulnerability Definition, modeling, and practical evaluation. In Kolowrocki, K. (ed.). Advances in Safety and Reliability 1047-1052, Balkema. 

The Severe Accident Policy Statement formulates systematic safety examinations for detection of accident vulnerabilities and implementation of cost-effective changes. The NRC issued Generic Letter 88-20 to implement this plan through IPEs. While the primary goal was the identification of plant vulnerabilities, no definition of vulnerability was provided. Only 4 operators of BWRs identified vulnerabilities and only 16 operators of PWRs did so. Over 500 plant improvements were identified, but few vulnerabilities were. 

The analysis of accidents and disasters in real systems makes it clear that it is not sufficient to consider error and its effects purely from the perspective of individual human failures. Major accidents are almost always the result of multiple errors or combinations of single errors with preexisting vulnerable conditions (Wagenaar et al., 1990). Another perspective from which to define errors is in terms of when in the system life cycle they occur. In the following discussion of the definitions of human error, the initial focus will be from the engineering and the accident analysis perspective. More detailed consideration of the definitions of error will be deferred to later sections in this chapter where the various error models will be described in detail (see Sections 5 and 6). 

Definition of Terms (American Petroleum Institute/National Petroleum Refiners Association, Security Vulnerability Assessment Methodology for the Petroleum Industry, 2004.)... 

It is clear that we still do not fully understand how the CpG moieties of the CpG islands resist the action of DNA methyltransferases or become vulnerable to it, thus maintaining or losing their characteristic pattern of methylation. More research is definitely needed to answer this intriguing and important question. 

The role of biomass in the natural carbon cycle is not well understood, and in the light of predictions of a future atmospheric energy balance crisis caused by carbon dioxide accumulation, in turn the result of an exponential increase in the consumption of carbon fuel, the apparent lack of concern by scientists and policy makers is most troubling. Yet there is no other single issue before us in energy supply which will require action long before the worst effects of excess production will be apparent. The only satisfactory model is the action taken by the R D community with respect to the SST in nitric oxide potential and chloro-halocarbon emissions, when it was realised that the stratospheric ozone layer was vulnerable to interference. Almost all other responses to pollution" have been after definitive effects have become apparent. 

Because there are also some data that concurrent use of antidepressants can lead to rapid cycling in vulnerable patients, these agents may best be cautiously used on an as-needed basis or as adjuncts when there are early signs of breakthrough depressive, psychotic, or anxious symptoms. In particular, antidepressants do not prevent manic episodes, and may even precipitate them. The fact that many patients on antidepressants experience a manic phase, however, could be coincidental, rather than drug-induced. To definitively answer this question, we need to show that the number who switch to mania is higher on, as opposed to off, antidepressant therapy. Given these concerns, however, we advocate the initial use of a mood stabilizer alone to lessen the chance of a switch to mania in bipolar depressed patients. If this is insufficient, a mood stabilizer should be used concurrently with an antidepressant. 

The definitions of threats and of defeat criteria for targets are combined mathematically in the next step in the process, ie, computation of component conditional kill probability. Essentially, the target is dissected and vulnerability of its individual components analyzed. Again, the word kill has a very broad general connotation, but is given specific meaning in developing defeat criteria... 

As pipelines per se are fairly vulnerable to sabotage and terrorist actions, the social and political stability in the involved countries are of greatest importance for the security of natural gas supply. This especially applies to transit countries that - per definition - are not part of the gas supply contracts. It is therefore mandatory that transit countries are enabled to make use of their compensation in a prosperous manner for the sake of improving the social stability. It is assumed that this in the next run will increase the safety of energy supply that is crucial to all parties. 

Automation users would like to apply the CII for automating functions that are crucial for them and for society (this is intrinsic to the definition of critical infrastructure ). The functions can be related for example to supply chains, production or financial operations. The positive side is given by the possibility to conduct fast and efficient reactions to unwanted conditions (e.g., unsafe states, security breaches). However this exposes those critical functions to the vulnerabilities and uncertainties of the CII - which can neither ensure the availability of the connection, nor the secure treatment of the data. 

Naghavi M, Libby P Falk E, et al. From vulnerable plaque to vulnerable patient a call for new definitions and risk assessment strategies Part I, Circulation 20037 108(14) 1664-1672. 

It is important to note that hatching in H. nana is somewhat different from that of H. diminuta (204) and this may be related to the fact that hatching not only takes place in the insect intermediate host but also in the intestine of the definitive rodent host. It has been pointed out earlier (p. 183) that the embryophore in H. nana (in contrast to that of H. diminuta) is thin and discontinuous (Fig. 7.11) and this may make it more readily vulnerable to the host s enzyme action and hence facilitates intestinal hatching. The presence of polar filaments in this species may serve to delay expulsion of the hatched oncosphere from the rodent intestine by becoming entangled in the intestinal mucus and villi. This process would also serve to bring the oncosphere into close contact with the gut wall and hence facilitate successful penetration (204). 

Thirdly, the organic behavioural state produced by ECT, with its euphoria and disinhibition, may be mistaken for improvement. Often it is misdiagnosed as mania even in people who have no history of manic depression. It is credible that ECT may precipitate mania in people with a vulnerability, but this has not been definitively demonstrated (Devanand et al. 1988). 

For propellant charges the insensitivity is also playing an increasingly important role. Since approximately 1970 propellant charges have been developed and used under the title LOVA (low-vulnerability ammunition). Under bullet impact, shaped charge impact or fire they respond with fire in the worst case scenario, but not in deflagration and definitely not in detonation. As energetic fillers mainly RDX... 

Inhibition of liver MAO leaves the patient vulnerable to the so-called wine-and-cheese syndrome, with adverse cardiovascular effects caused by absorption of such vasoactive amines as tyramine into the general circulation [for review, see Blackwell et al. (23)], The syndrome can include severe headache and hypertension and may lead to cerebral hemorrhage and death. Although this is a real risk, it seems likely that fears of MAOfood interactions may have been grossly exaggerated. Pare (24) reviewed the evidence in 1985 and noted that despite the widespread use of MAO inhibitors in the previous decade there had only been 17 reports of food interactions with phenelzine (19) and none of these proved fatal. With tranylcypromine (23) seven deaths had been reported, but in only two of these could a definite relationship with diet be established. 

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