Efficacy of Fixed Infrared Thermography for Identification of Subjects with Influenza-like Illness

Due to pandemic threats and the occurrence of biological terrorism, technological advancements are being vetted, developed, and implemented as part of surveillance systems and tools. A potential surveillance tool is infrared thermography (IRT), and its efficacy for screening was the focus of this dissertation. IRT-screened participants\u27 temperatures were compared to laboratory diagnostics to confirm the presence or absence of influenza-like illness (ILI). An archival dataset of personnel on United States Navy and Marine vessels that were identified as exceeding an ILI threshold limit provided the data for the 320 study participants. Using a guiding thermo-science framework, derived from past IRT studies, the primary research question concerned whether IRT could statistically differentiate between afebrile participants (without ILI) and febrile participants (with ILI) using receiver operating characteristics (ROC). Results showed that IRT could differentiate between febrile and afebrile participants 91% of the time (ROC = 0.91; χ 2 = 230.71, p = \u3c 0.01), indicating excellent efficacy in this study setting. In addition, the correlation between oral temperatures and IRT surface temperatures was analyzed by gender. A strong correlation between the two variables for males (r = 0.90, n = 226, p \u3c 0.01) and females (r = 0.87, n = 94, p \u3c 0.01) was shown with little variance between the genders (observed z = 1.12, SE= 0.26). These findings have significant positive social change implications as they could provide senior public health decision makers with informed knowledge of IRTs benefits and limitations for rapid screening of febrile individuals in public settings to impede the transmission of ILI

Digital watermarking methods for data security and authentication

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDCryptology is the study of systems that typically originate from a consideration of the ideal circumstances under which secure information exchange is to take place. It involves the study of cryptographic and other processes that might be introduced for breaking the output of such systems - cryptanalysis. This includes the introduction of formal mathematical methods for the design of a cryptosystem and for estimating its theoretical level of securit

Tematski zbornik radova međunarodnog značaja. Tom 3 / Međunarodni naučni skup “Dani Arčibalda Rajsa”, Beograd, 10-11. mart 2016.

In front of you is the Thematic Collection of Papers presented at the International Scientific Conference “Archibald Reiss Days”, which was organized by the Academy of Criminalistic and Police Studies in Belgrade, in co-operation with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, National Police University of China, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Volgograd Academy of the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry, Faculty of Security in Skopje, Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security in Ljubljana, Police Academy “Alexandru Ioan Cuza“ in Bucharest, Academy of Police Force in Bratislava and Police College in Banjaluka, and held at the Academy of Criminalistic and Police Studies, on 10 and 11 March 2016. The International Scientific Conference “Archibald Reiss Days” is organized for the sixth time in a row, in memory of the founder and director of the first modern higher police school in Serbia, Rodolphe Archibald Reiss, PhD, after whom the Conference was named. The Thematic Collection of Papers contains 165 papers written by eminent scholars in the field of law, security, criminalistics, police studies, forensics, informatics, as well as by members of national security system participating in education of the police, army and other security services from Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom. Each paper has been double-blind peer reviewed by two reviewers, international experts competent for the field to which the paper is related, and the Thematic Conference Proceedings in whole has been reviewed by five competent international reviewers. The papers published in the Thematic Collection of Papers contain the overview of contemporary trends in the development of police education system, development of the police and contemporary security, criminalistic and forensic concepts. Furthermore, they provide us with the analysis of the rule of law activities in crime suppression, situation and trends in the above-mentioned fields, as well as suggestions on how to systematically deal with these issues. The Collection of Papers represents a significant contribution to the existing fund of scientific and expert knowledge in the field of criminalistic, security, penal and legal theory and practice. Publication of this Collection contributes to improving of mutual cooperation betw

Internet of Things From Hype to Reality

The Internet of Things (IoT) has gained significant mindshare, let alone attention, in academia and the industry especially over the past few years. The reasons behind this interest are the potential capabilities that IoT promises to offer. On the personal level, it paints a picture of a future world where all the things in our ambient environment are connected to the Internet and seamlessly communicate with each other to operate intelligently. The ultimate goal is to enable objects around us to efficiently sense our surroundings, inexpensively communicate, and ultimately create a better environment for us: one where everyday objects act based on what we need and like without explicit instructions

Assessment of the myelination of cerebral tissue using MRI

The aim of this study was to assess the myelination process of cerebral tissue in vivo using different Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques at high field strength and to suggest the optimum MRI technique for the correlation of myelination with the gestational age in the rat brain. Several different techniques have been implemented in order to assess brain maturation. The first approach has been to quantitatively measure the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Ti and T2 relaxation times of brain gray and white matter which is shown to provide a certain degree of tissue characterization (Davis et al 1981). The second approach has been to measure the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) which has proven to be of value in cerebral white matter which has been shown to demonstrate anisotropy of water diffusion (Chevert et al 1990). Sprague Dawley (S/D) rats with different age groups ranging from 7 days to adult were used for this study. Studies were carried out in a 7T, 20 cm clear bore magnet (Bruker Biospec). Data were acquired using two different diameter inductively coupled saddle coils. Imaging pulse sequences used were the Spin Echo (SE) and the Stimulated Echo (STEAM). Images were obtained with sufficient resolution to permit clear delineation of selected regions of interest in both gray and white matter. T1 values did not show any significant difference with age in the selected regions of interest whereas T2 and ADC values showed a marked change in signal intensity as the animals age increase. The results obtained have demonstrated the feasibility of accurate high resolution quantitative MRI measurements in S/D rat brain. These techniques may be applied in the assessment of myelin related or white matter pathologies

Influencing T Helper Cell Bias in Autoimmunity

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects approximately 400,000 people in the United States every year and results in neurological deficits. Inflammatory events associated with MS include activation of auto-reactive T cells and migration of these and other immune cells into the CNS, leading to a coordinated attack upon oligodendrocytes and demyelination. Most current therapies only treat the symptoms of disease, not the cause, which is still in large part unknown. Therefore, the identification of the etiology of this complex disease and the development of new therapies is of great importance. Targeting these T cells by several mechanisms may prove a valuable strategy for addressing the complex nature of MS. Improvement in clinical signs has occurred in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of MS, with the use altered peptide ligands (APLs) as well as calpain inhibitors. APLs produced hypersensitivity reactions in clinical trials at high doses so the hypothesis was formulated that altering these APLs with non-natural amino acids will improve bioavailability. Calpain is a calcium-mediated neutral protease involved in many normal physiological as well as pathological events. We hypothesize that calpain plays a role in several cellular processes involving T cells including migration as well as subtype bias. Three specific aims were designed to test these hypotheses. First, that aza-amino acid incorporation into APLs would increase protease resistance while preserving antigen recognition. Next, that calpain is involved with T cell migration, specifically chemotaxis, as well as, T helper cell bias, by negatively regulating Th2 type cells. Finally, the combination of APL and calpain inhibitor treatment in an EAE model will result in a therapy that is more effective at reducing clinical signs at lower concentrations than either treatment alone. The data obtained from these experiments indicated: (1) aza-amino acids increase APL protease resistance, (2) calpain is involved with T cell chemotaxis, (3) calpain inhibition results in Th2 proliferation and potentiation and (4) combined calpain inhibitor/APL treatment is effective at reducing clinical signs of EAE; thus suggesting, that combined therapy is a viable strategy for developing MS treatments

Measurement and monitoring of atheromatous lesions of the femoral artery by duplex ultrasound.

In Western Societies atheromatous stenosis and occlusion of the superficial femoral artery cause intermittent claudication in up to 5% of the population over 55 years of age, and the associated morbidity and disability are considerable. A foreknowledge of impending lesion progression might allow prevention of clinical deterioration by early intervention. However, the natural history of these lesions needs to be more fully evaluated. Critical to the monitoring of early lesions is the need for accurate, repeatable and non-invasive investigations. The role of duplex ultrasound in this area is largely unexplored. In this thesis clinical and laboratory data demonstrate the accuracy and repeatability of duplex ultrasound in the measurement of femoral stenoses. A prospective study was carried out to determine the incidence of progression from stenosis to occlusion. There has been an enormous increase in the use of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the treatment of patients with claudication. However, the relative benefits of PTA over conventional treatment have not been established. A study to determine the role of duplex in screening patients with claudication prior to PTA was carried out. The results demonstrate its accuracy and the consequent clinical benefits. A randomised controlled trial of PTA for patients with intermittent claudication has been established and the early patient data at trial entry are presented

Recent Application in Biometrics

In the recent years, a number of recognition and authentication systems based on biometric measurements have been proposed. Algorithms and sensors have been developed to acquire and process many different biometric traits. Moreover, the biometric technology is being used in novel ways, with potential commercial and practical implications to our daily activities. The key objective of the book is to provide a collection of comprehensive references on some recent theoretical development as well as novel applications in biometrics. The topics covered in this book reflect well both aspects of development. They include biometric sample quality, privacy preserving and cancellable biometrics, contactless biometrics, novel and unconventional biometrics, and the technical challenges in implementing the technology in portable devices. The book consists of 15 chapters. It is divided into four sections, namely, biometric applications on mobile platforms, cancelable biometrics, biometric encryption, and other applications. The book was reviewed by editors Dr. Jucheng Yang and Dr. Norman Poh. We deeply appreciate the efforts of our guest editors: Dr. Girija Chetty, Dr. Loris Nanni, Dr. Jianjiang Feng, Dr. Dongsun Park and Dr. Sook Yoon, as well as a number of anonymous reviewers

Modern Socio-Technical Perspectives on Privacy

This open access book provides researchers and professionals with a foundational understanding of online privacy as well as insight into the socio-technical privacy issues that are most pertinent to modern information systems, covering several modern topics (e.g., privacy in social media, IoT) and underexplored areas (e.g., privacy accessibility, privacy for vulnerable populations, cross-cultural privacy). The book is structured in four parts, which follow after an introduction to privacy on both a technical and social level: Privacy Theory and Methods covers a range of theoretical lenses through which one can view the concept of privacy. The chapters in this part relate to modern privacy phenomena, thus emphasizing its relevance to our digital, networked lives. Next, Domains covers a number of areas in which privacy concerns and implications are particularly salient, including among others social media, healthcare, smart cities, wearable IT, and trackers. The Audiences section then highlights audiences that have traditionally been ignored when creating privacy-preserving experiences: people from other (non-Western) cultures, people with accessibility needs, adolescents, and people who are underrepresented in terms of their race, class, gender or sexual identity, religion or some combination. Finally, the chapters in Moving Forward outline approaches to privacy that move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions, explore ethical considerations, and describe the regulatory landscape that governs privacy through laws and policies. Perhaps even more so than the other chapters in this book, these chapters are forward-looking by using current personalized, ethical and legal approaches as a starting point for re-conceptualizations of privacy to serve the modern technological landscape. The book’s primary goal is to inform IT students, researchers, and professionals about both the fundamentals of online privacy and the issues that are most pertinent to modern information systems. Lecturers or teacherscan assign (parts of) the book for a “professional issues” course. IT professionals may select chapters covering domains and audiences relevant to their field of work, as well as the Moving Forward chapters that cover ethical and legal aspects. Academicswho are interested in studying privacy or privacy-related topics will find a broad introduction in both technical and social aspects