Mobile Health in Remote Patient Monitoring for Chronic Diseases: Principles, Trends, and Challenges

Chronic diseases are becoming more widespread. Treatment and monitoring of these diseases require going to hospitals frequently, which increases the burdens of hospitals and patients. Presently, advancements in wearable sensors and communication protocol contribute to enriching the healthcare system in a way that will reshape healthcare services shortly. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is the foremost of these advancements. RPM systems are based on the collection of patient vital signs extracted using invasive and noninvasive techniques, then sending them in real-time to physicians. These data may help physicians in taking the right decision at the right time. The main objective of this paper is to outline research directions on remote patient monitoring, explain the role of AI in building RPM systems, make an overview of the state of the art of RPM, its advantages, its challenges, and its probable future directions. For studying the literature, five databases have been chosen (i.e., science direct, IEEE-Explore, Springer, PubMed, and science.gov). We followed the (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) PRISMA, which is a standard methodology for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A total of 56 articles are reviewed based on the combination of a set of selected search terms including RPM, data mining, clinical decision support system, electronic health record, cloud computing, internet of things, and wireless body area network. The result of this study approved the effectiveness of RPM in improving healthcare delivery, increase diagnosis speed, and reduce costs. To this end, we also present the chronic disease monitoring system as a case study to provide enhanced solutions for RPMsThis research work was partially supported by the Sejong University Research Faculty Program (20212023)S

AdPExT: designing a tool to assess information gleaned from browsers by online advertising platforms

The world of online advertising is directly dependent on data collection of the online browsing habits of individuals to enable effective advertisement targeting and retargeting. However, these data collection practices can cause leakage of private data belonging to website visitors (end-users) without their knowledge. The growing privacy concern of end-users is amplified by a lack of trust and understanding of what and how advertisement trackers are collecting and using their data. This paper presents an investigation to restore the trust or validate the concerns. We aim to facilitate the assessment of the actual end-user related data being collected by advertising platforms (APs) by means of a critical discussion but also the development of a new tool, AdPExT (Advertising Parameter Extraction Tool), which can be used to extract third-party parameter key-value pairs at an individual key-value level. Furthermore, we conduct a survey covering mostly United Kingdom-based frequent internet users to gather the perceived sensitivity sentiment for various representative tracking parameters. End-users have a definite concern with regards to advertisement tracking of sensitive data by global dominating platforms such as Facebook and Google

Improved faulted phase selection algorithm for distance protection under high penetration of renewable energies

The high penetration of renewable energies will affect the performance of present protection algorithms due to fault current injection from generators based on power electronics. This paper explains the process followed for analyzing this effect on distance protection and the development of a new algorithm that improves its performance in such a scenario. First of all, four commercial protection relays were tested before fault current contribution from photovoltaic system and full converter wind turbines using the hardware in the loop technique. The analysis of results obtained, jointly with a theoretical analysis based on commonly used protection strategy of superimposed quantities, lead to a conclusion about the cause of observed wrong behaviors of present protection algorithms under a high penetration of renewables. According to these conclusions, a new algorithm has been developed to improve the detection of faulted phase selection and directionality on distance protection under a short circuit current fed by renewable energy sources. © 2020 by the author

The Rise and Fall of Cryptocurrencies: Defining the Economic and Social Values of Blockchain Technologies, assessing the Opportunities, and defining the Financial and Cybersecurity Risks of the Metaverse

This paper contextualises the common queries of "why is crypto crashing?" and "why is crypto down?", the research transcends beyond the frequent market fluctuations to unravel how cryptocurrencies fundamentally work and the step-by-step process on how to create a cryptocurrency. The study examines blockchain technologies and their pivotal role in the evolving Metaverse, shedding light on topics such as how to invest in cryptocurrency, the mechanics behind crypto mining, and strategies to effectively buy and trade cryptocurrencies. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the research transitions from the fundamental principles of fintech investment strategies to the overarching implications of blockchain within the Metaverse. Alongside exploring machine learning potentials in financial sectors and risk assessment methodologies, the study critically assesses whether developed or developing nations are poised to reap greater benefits from these technologies. Moreover, it probes into both enduring and dubious crypto projects, drawing a distinct line between genuine blockchain applications and Ponzi-like schemes. The conclusion resolutely affirms the continuing dominance of blockchain technologies, underlined by a profound exploration of their intrinsic value and a reflective commentary by the author on the potential risks confronting individual investors

Cyber resilience and incident response in smart cities: A systematic literature review

© 2020 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities3030046The world is experiencing a rapid growth of smart cities accelerated by Industry 4.0, including the Internet of Things (IoT), and enhanced by the application of emerging innovative technologies which in turn create highly fragile and complex cyber–physical–natural ecosystems. This paper systematically identifies peer-reviewed literature and explicitly investigates empirical primary studies that address cyber resilience and digital forensic incident response (DFIR) aspects of cyber–physical systems (CPSs) in smart cities. Our findings show that CPSs addressing cyber resilience and support for modern DFIR are a recent paradigm. Most of the primary studies are focused on a subset of the incident response process, the “detection and analysis” phase whilst attempts to address other parts of the DFIR process remain limited. Further analysis shows that research focused on smart healthcare and smart citizen were addressed only by a small number of primary studies. Additionally, our findings identify a lack of available real CPS-generated datasets limiting the experiments to mostly testbed type environments or in some cases authors relied on simulation software. Therefore, contributing this systematic literature review (SLR), we used a search protocol providing an evidence-based summary of the key themes and main focus domains investigating cyber resilience and DFIR addressed by CPS frameworks and systems. This SLR also provides scientific evidence of the gaps in the literature for possible future directions for research within the CPS cybersecurity realm. In total, 600 papers were surveyed from which 52 primary studies were included and analysed.Published onlin

Blockchain and IoMT against physical abuse: bullying in schools as a case study

© 2020 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/jsan10010001By law, schools are required to protect the well-being of students against problems such as on-campus bullying and physical abuse. In the UK, a report by the Office for Education (OfE) showed 17% of young people had been bullied during 2017–2018. This problem continues to prevail with consequences including depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and eating disorders. Additionally, recent evidence suggests this type of victimisation could intensify existing health complications. This study investigates the opportunities provided by Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) data towards next-generation safeguarding. A new model is developed based on blockchain technology to enable real-time intervention triggered by IoMT data that can be used to detect stressful events, e.g., when bullying takes place. The model utilises private permissioned blockchain to manage IoMT data to achieve quicker and better decision-making while revolutionising aspects related to compliance, double-entry, confidentiality, and privacy. The feasibility of the model and the interaction between the sensors and the blockchain was simulated. To facilitate a close approximation of an actual IoMT environment, we clustered and decomposed existing medical sensors to their attributes, including their function, for a variety of scenarios. Then, we demonstrated the performance and capabilities of the emulator under different loads of sensor-generated data. We argue to the suitability of this emulator for schools and medical centres to conduct feasibility studies to address sensor data with disruptive data processing and management technologies.This research was funded by Innovate UK, grant number 133891.Published onlin

Developing a usable security approach for user awareness against ransomware

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThe main purpose of the research presented in this thesis is to design and develop a game prototype for improving user awareness against ransomware, which has been reported as the most significant cyber security threat to the United Kingdom by the National Cyber Security Centre. Digital transformation is helping individuals, organisations, governments and Industrial control systems to modernise and improve their effectiveness. At the same time, cyber crimes are evolving and targeting essential services. A successful cyber attack can compromise users’ privacy, bring bad publicity and financial damage to organisations and target national security. A literature review was conducted to understand threats to the cyber social system. Literature in this thesis reports attackers exploit humans as the weakest link to execute successful security breaches. Therefore to address this challenge, a significant gap has been identified as an opportunity to contribute to user awareness of the ransomware cyber security threat. The current thesis proposes RansomAware a novel game prototype to improve user awareness. The game is based on Technology Threat Avoidance Theory (TTAT) model. In this thesis two studies are carried out, study 1 empirically validates the elements of TTAT to be embedded in the RansomAware prototype and reports a significant change in users’ motivation to avoid ransomware cyber security threat 55% and avoidance behaviour 29%, whereas study 2 evaluates game usability and report significant results of SUS average score of 87.58 and statistical results of p < 0.01 indicate user’s satisfaction of the RansomAware. Finally, the research provides guidelines on how the proposed RansomAware game can be adopted by practitioners and individuals to improve their awareness against the ransomware cyber security threat

Novel approaches to applied cybersecurity in privacy, encryption, security systems, web credentials, and education

Applied Cybersecurity is a domain that interconnects people, processes, technologies, usage environment and vulnerabilities in a complex manner. As a cybersecurity expert at CTI Renato Archer- a research institute from Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations, author developed novel approaches to help solve practical and practice-based problems in applied cybersecurity over the last ten years. The needs of the government, industry, customers, and real-life problems in five categories: Privacy, Encryption, Web Credentials, Security Systems and Education, were the research stimuli. Based on prior outputs, this thesis presents a cohesive narrative of the novel approaches in the mentioned categories consolidating fifteen research publications. The customers and society, in general, expect that companies, universities, and the government will protect them from any cyber threats. Fifteen research papers that compose this thesis elucidate a broader context of cyber threats, errors in security software and gaps in cybersecurity education. This thesis's research points out that a large number of organisations are vulnerable to cyber threats and procedures and practices around cybersecurity are questionable. Therefore, society expects a periodic reassessment of cybersecurity systems, practices and policies. Privacy has been extensively debated in many countries due to personal implications and civil liberties with citizenship at stake. Since 2018, GDPR has been in force in the EU and has been a milestone for people and institutions' privacy. The novel work in privacy, supported by four research papers, discusses the private mode navigation in several browsers and shows how privacy is a fragile feeling. The secrets of different companies, countries and armed forces are entrusted to encryption technologies. Three research papers support the encryption element discussed in this thesis. It explores vulnerabilities in the most used encryption software. It provides data exposure scenarios showing how companies, government and universities are vulnerable and proposes best practices. Credentials are data that give someone the right to access a location or a system. They usually involve a login, a username, email, access code and a password. It is customary to have a rigorous demand for security credentials a sensitive system of information. The work on web credentials in this thesis, supported by one research paper, examines a novel experiment that permits the intruder to extract user credentials in home banking and e-commerce websites, revealing common cyber flaws and vulnerabilities. Antimalware systems are complex software engineering systems purposely designed to be safe and reliable despite numerous operational idiosyncrasies. Antimalware systems have been deployed for protecting information systems for decades. The novel work on security systems presented in the thesis, supported by five research papers, explores antimalware attacks and software engineering structure problems. Cybersecurity's primary awareness is expected through school and University education, but the academic discourse is often dissociated from practice. The discussion-based on two research papers presents a new insight into cybersecurity education and proposes an IRCS Index of Relevance in Cybersecurity (IRCS) to classify the computer science courses offered in UK Universities relevance of cybersecurity in their curricula. In a nutshell, the thesis presents a coherent and novel narrative to applied cybersecurity in five categories spanning software, systems, and education

IoT Forensics Readiness - influencing factors

The Internet of Things (IoT) is increasingly becoming a part of people’s lives and is progressively revolutionizing our lives and businesses. From a Digital Forensics (DF) point of view, this connection turns an IoT environment into a valuable source of evidence containing diverse artifacts that could significantly aid DF investigations. Therefore, DF must adapt to the characteristics of IoT Forensics (IoTF). With the increasing deployment of IoT, organizations are compelled to revise their approaches to planning, developing, and implementing Information Technology (IT) security strategies. The IoT presents new business opportunities but also simultaneously creates various challenges related to cyber-attacks and their resolution. For optimal preparedness in the face of future incidents, companies should consider implementing Forensics Readiness (FR). This paper thus examines the factors that influence IoT-FR within organizations. By systematically analyzing research efforts from 2010 to 2023, we identified the following factors influencing IoT-FR: (1) Legal Aspect, (2) Standardization Approach, (3) Technological Resource and Technique, (4) Management Process and (5) Human Factor. Furthermore, these influencing factors are not only considered individually but also in terms of the dependencies between them. This results in the creation of a holistic model including the interdependencies and influences of the factors to provide a novel overview and enhance the integrated perspective on IoT-FR. The knowledge of factors influencing the integration of IoT-FR into organizations is valuable. It thus can be of enormous importance, as it can save time and money in the event of a subsequent incident. Additionally, alongside these factors, various challenges, techniques, models, and frameworks are highlighted to offer profound insights into the relatively novel subject of IoT-FR and to inspire future research

Measuring Behavioural Intention to Accept Autonomous Vehicles: A Structural Equation Model

For decades, the user acceptance of information technology has been a vital field of study for psychologists and sociologists investigating new insights into the acceptance of behaviour at individual and organisational levels. Despite numerous models being proposed to predict consumer use of the behaviour of technology; the latest models and theories are still not able to fully capture the complexity of the factors influencing people behavioural intention to adopt Autonomous Vehicles (AV). The research adopts a pragmatic approach using multiple methods that was executed in the following phases. In phase I, the key factors influencing behavioural intention to use AV were identified using an initial survey with 408 participants, interviews were conducted with experts in the field of Psychology, Sociology and Computer Science, then the model was developed, and finally the hypothesis defined. In phase II, the conceptual model was empirically validated and refined by employing a survey research approach with another 482 participants. The constructs were operationalised by developing and validating the research instrument with content validity, reliability, construct validity approach and Structure Equation Modelling (SEM). In phase III a tool for information visualisation was developed bridging the gap between theoretical concepts and practical industry requirements. The findings suggested that all the constructs included in the conceptual model significantly influence the consumers’ behavioural intention (BI) to adopt AVs. Based on our evaluation we take the determinants self-efficacy, perceived safety, trust, anxiety and legal regulations into consideration and propose a theoretical AV technology acceptance model (AVTAM) by incorporating these determinants into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model. The results show that anxiety is negatively correlated with BI. The contribution of this research towards theory is the development and validation of a research instrument that future studies can utilize to examine AV and other similar emerging technologies from a consumers’ perspective. An added contribution to practice is the development of an information visualisation tool to further explain different group behaviours towards technology adoption