Medical data processing and analysis for remote health and activities monitoring

Recent developments in sensor technology, wearable computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and wireless communication have given rise to research in ubiquitous healthcare and remote monitoring of human\u2019s health and activities. Health monitoring systems involve processing and analysis of data retrieved from smartphones, smart watches, smart bracelets, as well as various sensors and wearable devices. Such systems enable continuous monitoring of patients psychological and health conditions by sensing and transmitting measurements such as heart rate, electrocardiogram, body temperature, respiratory rate, chest sounds, or blood pressure. Pervasive healthcare, as a relevant application domain in this context, aims at revolutionizing the delivery of medical services through a medical assistive environment and facilitates the independent living of patients. In this chapter, we discuss (1) data collection, fusion, ownership and privacy issues; (2) models, technologies and solutions for medical data processing and analysis; (3) big medical data analytics for remote health monitoring; (4) research challenges and opportunities in medical data analytics; (5) examples of case studies and practical solutions

A Methodology for Trustworthy IoT in Healthcare-Related Environments

The transition to the so-called retirement years, comes with the freedom to pursue old passions and hobbies that were not possible to do in the past busy life. Unfortunately, that freedom does not come alone, as the previous young years are gone, and the body starts to feel the time that passed. The necessity to adapt elder way of living, grows as they become more prone to health problems. Often, the solution for the attention required by the elders is nursing homes, or similar, that take away their so cherished independence. IoT has the great potential to help elder citizens stay healthier at home, since it has the possibility to connect and create non-intrusive systems capable of interpreting data and act accordingly. With that capability, comes the responsibility to ensure that the collected data is reliable and trustworthy, as human wellbeing may rely on it. Addressing this uncertainty is the motivation for the presented work. The proposed methodology to reduce this uncertainty and increase confidence relies on a data fusion and a redundancy approach, using a sensor set. Since the scope of wellbeing environment is wide, this thesis focuses its proof of concept on the detection of falls inside home environments, through an android app using an accelerometer sensor and a micro- phone. The experimental results demonstrates that the implemented system has more than 80% of reliable performance and can provide trustworthy results. Currently the app is being tested also in the frame of the European Union projects Smart4Health and Smart Bear.A transição para os chamados anos de reforma, vem com a liberdade de perseguir velhas pai- xões e passatempos que na passada vida ocupada não eram possíveis de realizar. Infelizmente, essa liberdade não vem sozinha, uma vez que os anos jovens anteriores terminaram, e o corpo começa a sentir o tempo que passou. A necessidade de adaptar o modo de vida dos menos jovens, cresce à medida que estes se tornam mais propensos a problemas de saúde. Muitas vezes, a solução para a atenção que os mais idosos necessitam são os lares de idosos, ou similares, que lhes tiram a tão querida independência. IoT tem o grande potencial de ajudar os cidadãos idosos a permanecerem mais saudá- veis em casa, uma vez que tem a possibilidade de se ligar e criar sistemas não intrusivos capa- zes de interpretar dados e agir em conformidade. Com essa capacidade, vem a responsabili- dade de assegurar que os dados recolhidos são fiáveis e de confiança, uma vez que o bem- estar humano possa depender dos mesmos. Abordar esta incerteza é a motivação para o tra- balho apresentado. A metodologia proposta para reduzir esta incerteza e aumentar a confiança no sistema baseia-se numa fusão de dados e numa abordagem de redundância, utilizando um conjunto de sensores. Uma vez que o assunto de bem-estar e saúde é vasto, esta tese concentra a sua prova de conceito na deteção de quedas dentro de ambientes domésticos, através de uma aplicação android, utilizando um sensor de acelerómetro e um microfone. Os resultados expe- rimentais demonstram que o sistema implementado tem um desempenho superior a 80% e pode fornecer dados fiáveis. Atualmente a aplicação está a ser testada também no âmbito dos projetos da União Europeia Smart4Health e Smart Bear

The Impact of the Criminalization of HIV Non-Disclosure on the Health and Human Rights of “Black” Communities

The criminalization of HIV non-disclosure has become a hot topic for discussion and debate amongst human rights advocates, HIV/AIDS service providers, and people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. This paper explores the inherent problems with HIV non-disclosure laws. These laws are ambiguous and pose a serious threat to public health policy and programming by obstructing the fundamental human rights of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Using a human rights framework, this paper explores the impact of non-disclosure laws on the health and rights of African, Caribbean, and Black-Canadian communities and proposes ways to address the shortcomings of HIV non-disclosure laws and inadequate social policies

Beyond 'Global Production Networks': Australian Fashion Week's Trans-Sectoral Synergies

When studies of industrial organisation are informed by commodity chain, actor network, or global production network theories and focus on tracing commodity flows, social networks, or a combination of the two, they can easily overlook the less routine trans-sectoral associations that are crucial to the creation and realisation of value. This paper shifts attention to identifying the sites at which diverse specialisations meet to concentrate and amplify mutually reinforcing circuits of value. These valorisation processes are demonstrated in the case of Australian Fashion Week, an event in which multiple interests converge to synchronize different expressions of fashion ideas, actively construct fashion markets and enhance the value of a diverse range of fashionable commodities. Conceptualising these interconnected industries as components of a trans-sectoral fashion complex has implications for understanding regional development, world cities, production location, and the manner in which production systems “touch down” in different places