Personal Privacy Protection within Pervasive RFID Environments

Recent advancements in location tracking technologies have increased the threat to an individual\u27s personal privacy. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology allows for the identification and potentially continuous tracking of an object or individual, without obtaining the individual\u27s consent or even awareness that the tracking is taking place. Although many positive applications for RFID technology exist, for example in the commercial sector and law enforcement, the potential for abuse in the collection and use of personal information through this technology also exists. Location data linked to other types of personal information allows not only the detection of past spatial travel and activity patterns, but also inferences regarding past and future behavior and preferences. Legislative and technological solutions to deal with the increased privacy threat raised by this and similar tracking technologies have been proposed. Such approaches in isolation have significant limitations. This thesis hypothesizes that an approach may be developed with high potential for sufficiently protecting individual privacy in the use of RFID technologies while also strongly supporting marketplace uses of such tags. The research develops and investigates the limits of approaches that might be us,ed to protect privacy in pervasive RFID surveillance environments. The conclusion is ultimately reached that an approach facilitating individual control over the linking of unique RFID tag ID numbers to personal identity implemented though a combination of legal controls and technological capabilities would be a highly desirable option in balancing the interests of both the commercial sector and the information privacy interests of individuals. The specific model developed is responsive to the core ethical principle of autonomy of the individual and as such is also intended to be more responsive to the needs of individual consumers. The technological approach proposed integrated with enabling privacy legislation and private contract law to enable interactive alteration of privacy preferences should result in marketplace solutions acceptable to both potential commercial users and those being tracked

Personal Privacy Protection within Pervasive RFID Environments

Recent advancements in location tracking technologies have increased the threat to an individual\u27s personal privacy. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology allows for the identification and potentially continuous tracking of an object or individual, without obtaining the individual\u27s consent or even awareness that the tracking is taking place. Although many positive applications for RFID technology exist, for example in the commercial sector and law enforcement, the potential for abuse in the collection and use of personal information through this technology also exists. Location data linked to other types of personal information allows not only the detection of past spatial travel and activity patterns, but also inferences regarding past and future behavior and preferences. Legislative and technological solutions to deal with the increased privacy threat raised by this and similar tracking technologies have been proposed. Such approaches in isolation have significant limitations. This thesis hypothesizes that an approach may be developed with high potential for sufficiently protecting individual privacy in the use of RFID technologies while also strongly supporting marketplace uses of such tags. The research develops and investigates the limits of approaches that might be us,ed to protect privacy in pervasive RFID surveillance environments. The conclusion is ultimately reached that an approach facilitating individual control over the linking of unique RFID tag ID numbers to personal identity implemented though a combination of legal controls and technological capabilities would be a highly desirable option in balancing the interests of both the commercial sector and the information privacy interests of individuals. The specific model developed is responsive to the core ethical principle of autonomy of the individual and as such is also intended to be more responsive to the needs of individual consumers. The technological approach proposed integrated with enabling privacy legislation and private contract law to enable interactive alteration of privacy preferences should result in marketplace solutions acceptable to both potential commercial users and those being tracked

Characterizing Everyday Objects using Human Touch: Thermal Dissipation as a Sensing Modality

We contribute MIDAS as a novel sensing solution for characterizing everyday objects using thermal dissipation. MIDAS takes advantage of the fact that anytime a person touches an object, it results in heat transfer. By capturing and modeling the dissipation of the transferred heat, e.g., through the decrease in the captured thermal radiation, MIDAS can characterize the object and determine its material. We validate MIDAS through extensive empirical benchmarks and demonstrate that MIDAS offers an innovative sensing modality that can recognize a wide range of materials - with up to 83% accuracy - and generalize to variations in the people interacting with objects.Peer reviewe

Eyes-Free Vision-Based Scanning of Aligned Barcodes and Information Extraction from Aligned Nutrition Tables

Visually impaired (VI) individuals struggle with grocery shopping and have to rely on either friends, family or grocery store associates for shopping. ShopMobile 2 is a proof-of-concept system that allows VI shoppers to shop independently in a grocery store using only their smartphone. Unlike other assistive shopping systems that use dedicated hardware, this system is a software only solution that relies on fast computer vision algorithms. It consists of three modules - an eyes free barcode scanner, an optical character recognition (OCR) module, and a tele-assistance module. The eyes-free barcode scanner allows VI shoppers to locate and retrieve products by scanning barcodes on shelves and on products. The OCR module allows shoppers to read nutrition facts on products and the tele-assistance module allows them to obtain help from sighted individuals at remote locations. This dissertation discusses, provides implementations of, and presents laboratory and real-world experiments related to all three modules

After Heparin: Protecting Consumers From the Risks of Substandard and Counterfeit Drugs

Based on case studies, examines globalization and quality management trends in pharmaceutical manufacturing, barriers to Federal Drug Administration oversight, and the security of pharmaceutical distribution. Makes policy recommendations to ensure safety

A Comprehensive Analysis of Blockchain Applications for Securing Computer Vision Systems

Blockchain (BC) and Computer Vision (CV) are the two emerging fields with the potential to transform various sectors.The ability of BC can help in offering decentralized and secure data storage, while CV allows machines to learn and understand visual data. This integration of the two technologies holds massive promise for developing innovative applications that can provide solutions to the challenges in various sectors such as supply chain management, healthcare, smart cities, and defense. This review explores a comprehensive analysis of the integration of BC and CV by examining their combination and potential applications. It also provides a detailed analysis of the fundamental concepts of both technologies, highlighting their strengths and limitations. This paper also explores current research efforts that make use of the benefits offered by this combination. The effort includes how BC can be used as an added layer of security in CV systems and also ensure data integrity, enabling decentralized image and video analytics using BC. The challenges and open issues associated with this integration are also identified, and appropriate potential future directions are also proposed

Implementation of the IoT-Based Technology on Patient Medication Adherence: A Comprehensive Bibliometric and Systematic Review

The dynamic field of the Internet of Things (IoT) is constantly increasing, providing a plethora of potential integration across various sectors, most notably healthcare. The IoT represents a significant technological leap in healthcare management systems, coinciding with the rising preference for personalized, proactive, cost-effective treatment techniques. This review aimed to thoroughly assess the existing literature through a systematic review and bibliometric analysis, identifying untapped research routes and possible domains for further exploration. The overarching goal was to provide healthcare professionals with significant insights into the impact of IoT technology on Patient Medication Adherence (PMA) and related outcomes. An extensive review of 314 scientific articles on the deployment of IoT within pharmaceutical care services revealed a rising trend in publication volume, with a significant increase in recent years. Pertinently, from the 33 publications finally selected, substantial data support the potential of the IoT to improve PMA, particularly among senior patients with chronic conditions. This paper also comments on various regularly implemented IoT-based systems, noting their unique benefits and limitations. In conclusion, the critical relevance of PMA is highlighted, arguing for its emphasis in future discussions. Furthermore, the need for additional research endeavors is proposed to face and overcome existing constraints and establish the long-term effectiveness of IoT technologies in maximizing patient outcomes

How Does Ultrasound Simulation during High Fidelity Simulation Contribute to the Development of Emergency Ultrasound Skills Amongst Emergency Medicine Trainees?

The growing worldwide use of clinician-performed ultrasound (CPU) marks a dramatic change in bedside medicine and patient care. With steadily improving portability, accessibility and technology, ultrasound use continues to grow amongst many medical specialties. Likewise, the application of CPU in emergency medicine is increasing. Emergency Medicine (EM) is a medical specialty “based on the knowledge and skills required for the prevention, diagnosis and management of acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury…” (International Federation for Emergency Medicine, 1991). Increasingly, emergency physicians are using emergency department ultrasound (ED U/S) to enhance their assessment of critically-ill patients (American College of Emergency Physicians, 2008). The purpose of this study was to evaluate and describe those aspects of ultrasound simulation (during HFS) that contribute to the development of critical care ED U/S skills. Secondly, it was of interest to assess how a novel ultrasound simulator (edus2) compared to video playback on a laptop in terms of the above-mentioned aspects. The population of interest included both EM trainees and faculty. This investigation was a randomized, prospective, crossover study with two intervention treatments for all participants. In Phase I, EM trainees and faculty from London, UK, were invited to participate in one of four day-long critical-care HFS sessions during which they participated in four critical-care scenarios. Faculty were involved in assisting with session debriefing and feedback. All participants completed two cases with each intervention. In Phase II, faculty in Saskatoon, SK, Canada, were invited to review video recordings of the sessions from Phase I and evaluate the educational merits of the two ED U/S simulation interventions. iii This study produced both quantitative and qualitative data. As this study looked at two interventions and how they could contribute to the development of ED U/S skills, pre- and postintervention changes were analysed for statistically significant differences between them. T-test analyses were used for comparisons. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated where statistically significant findings were observed. Qualitative data was assessed through emergent thematic analysis and triangulation. The findings of the study support the integration of ED U/S simulation into HFS. Integration was found to be of value to both trainees and faculty by allowing trainees to demonstrate knowledge of indications as well as correct image interpretation and general integration of ED U/S into critical care (p<0.05). Trainees described an increased motivation to develop their ED U/S skills as well as greater desire to use ED U/S in everyday practice. Furthermore, the edus2 was identified as being the preferred training intervention. The edus2 met functional fidelity through its real time and hands-on applicability. Faculty preferred the edus2 as it allowed for better assessment of trainee skills that then influenced session debriefing and formative feedback. Faculty in Phase II found the edus2 intervention sufficient in offering basic insights into trainee ED U/S skills and mastery (p<0.05). Implications of the study include support for the use of ultrasound simulation during HFS for the development of critical care ED U/S skills amongst EM trainees. Further study on the effects of such hybrid simulation on clinical performance is warranted

The development of a novel rugby league match simulation protocol

The effectiveness of recovery interventions following prolonged multiple sprint team sports matches has rarely been studied despite the potential for exercise-induced muscle damage to adversely affect training in the days following games. The lack of research related to this topic is probably owing to the wide variability that exists in the movement demands of players between matches and the impact that this has on the subsequent rate and magnitude of recovery which makes it difficult to detect meaningful differences when conducting research with small sample sizes. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to develop a rugby league-specific match simulation protocol that replicates the movement demands, physiological responses and subsequent recovery from matches in order to study the effectiveness of recovery interventions. Hence, two time-motion analysis studies were conducted using a semi-automated image recognition system to inform the development of the rugby league match simulation protocol (RLMSP). Whilst mean total distance covered over the duration of the match was 8,503 m, ball in play and stoppage work-to-rest ratios were 1:6.9 and 1:87.4, respectively, for all players. Furthermore, a significant decline in high and very high intensity running locomotive rates were observed between the initial and final 20 min periods of the match. Thus a RLMSP was devised to replicate the overall movement demands, intra-match fatigue and recovery from a senior elite rugby league match. Not only was there a low level of variability in the movement demands during the RLMSP over consecutive trials, but with the exception of creatine kinase, the rate and magnitude of recovery following the RLMSP was similar to that that has been published following competitive matches. Therefore, the RLMSP devised in this thesis may be a more appropriate research tool for assessing the effectiveness of recovery interventions following match related exercise than following actual match play.Sponsored by Warrington Wolves Rugby League Football Clu