Securing the Internet of Things Infrastructure - Standards and Techniques

The Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure is a conglomerate of electronic devices interconnected through the Internet, with the purpose of providing prompt and effective service to end-users. Applications running on an IoT infrastructure generally handle sensitive information such as a patient’s healthcare record, the position of a logistic vehicle, or the temperature readings obtained through wireless sensor nodes deployed in a bushland. The protection of such information from unlawful disclosure, tampering or modification, as well as the unscathed presence of IoT devices, in adversarial environments, is of prime concern. In this paper, a descriptive analysis of the security of standards and technologies for protecting the IoT communication channel from adversarial threats is provided. In addition, two paradigms for securing the IoT infrastructure, namely, common key based and paired key based, are proposed

Genome sequence of the hyperinvasive Campylobacter jejuni strains

Campylobacter jejuni is the world’s major cause of gastroenteritis in humans. Although motility, toxin production, adhesion and invasion are some of the key factors associated with C. jejuni pathogenesis, their mechanism in the disease process remains unclear. The key aim of this project is to study the genetic basis of hyperinvasiveness in a group of six C. jejuni strains which have been reported as hyperinvasive into human intestinal cell lines. Here, genomotyping of the hyperinvasive C. jejuni was performed by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) against four low invasive C. jejuni strains. A group of 67 genes were identified as being present or highly divergent/absent in the hyperinvasive versus low invasive C. jejuni strains. Of these, nine genes were present and six genes were highly divergent/absent in all hyperinvasive C. jejuni. The PCR screening of these 15 genes in nine additional low invasive C. jejuni strains showed a significant association with the hyperinvasive phenotype. The majority of identified genes encoded proteins with essential cellular and metabolic functions along with some genes with known virulence related roles. Thus, the hyperinvasive phenotype is characterised by different functional networks rather than a single gene or gene cluster. All strains showed an overall genetic variability and the capsule, lipooligosaccharide, flagellar biosynthesis and restriction modification regions were the most diverse. The hierarchical clustering based on comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) did not group together the hyperinvasive C. jejuni as a single group and these strains possessed different MLST profiles

Fixed boundary conditions analysis of the 3d Gonihedric Ising model with κ=0\kappa=0

The Gonihedric Ising model is a particular case of the class of models defined by Savvidy and Wegner intended as discrete versions of string theories on cubic lattices. In this paper we perform a high statistics analysis of the phase transition exhibited by the 3d Gonihedric Ising model with $k=0$ in the light of a set of recently stated scaling laws applicable to first order phase transitions with fixed boundary conditions. Even though qualitative evidence was presented in a previous paper to support the existence of a first order phase transition at $k=0$, only now are we capable of pinpointing the transition inverse temperature at $\beta_c = 0.54757(63)$ and of checking the scaling of standard observables.Comment: 14 pages, 5 tables, 2 figures, uses elsart.cls packag

Numerical simulation of random paths with a curvature dependent action

We study an ensemble of closed random paths, embedded in R^3, with a curvature dependent action. Previous analytical results indicate that there is no crumpling transition for any finite value of the curvature coupling. Nevertheless, in a high statistics numerical simulation, we observe two different regimes for the specific heat separated by a rather smooth structure. The analysis of this fact warns us about the difficulties in the interpretation of numerical results obtained in cases where theoretical results are absent and a high statistics simulation is unreachable. This may be the case of random surfaces.Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX, 4 eps figures. Final version to appear in Mod. Phys. Lett.

Introduction to Medical Genetics

Medical genetics is the key to modern biochemistry and underlying mechanisms of many diseases

The Role of Notch1 Signaling in Regulating Neurogenesis in the Olfactory Bulb Following Traumatic Brain Injury

In the United States, more than 20.5 million adults over the age of 40 suffer from olfactory dysfunction, with TBI attributing to 5-17% of all olfactory dysfunction cases. Although often initially undetected and less conspicuous than other cognitive and behavioral impairments, olfactory dysfunction may have a significant negative impact on patients\u27 quality of life and ability to accomplish activities of daily living, therefore the pathophysiology of these disorders should be understood. The production of neural stem cells enhances the repair and regeneration of the injured brain following a TBI. One of the primary endogenous neural stem cell generation sites in the adult mammalian brain is the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles. Neuroblasts born in the SVZ migrate via the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb (OB), giving rise to fully functional integrated cells. One of the major issues with new cells is their ability to survive to maturation and integrate into the neuronal network. Following a TBI, the generation of new neurons and the regulatory mechanism driving their maturation and integration into the neuronal circuitry of the olfactory bulb is poorly understood. Notch1, a highly conserved transmembrane pathway plays a critical role in neural stem cell proliferation, differentiation, dendritic complexity, and apoptosis. In this current study, experiments were conducted to better understand neurogenesis in the OB following TBI and the regulatory role of Notch1 signaling. We hypothesized that TBI alters the developmental processes of adult generated neurons in the olfactory bulb and Notch1 signaling plays and important role in regulating this process. To test this hypothesis, we used transgenic mice with conditional knockout of Notch1 in nestin+ cells, along with matched control mice aged approximately 2-3 months. These mice underwent either a lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI) or sham surgery. Following the injury, they received intraperitoneal injections of BrdU (50mg/kg) immediately after for 7 days to label newly generated injury-induced cells. At 4 or 8 weeks post-injury, the animals were sacrificed, and sections of the olfactory bulb were processed to detect the total number of cells positive for GFP and BrdU alone, or double and triple-labeled with the mature neuronal marker NeuN. The sections were then quantified using stereology. We found that the absence of Notch1 in nestin+ cells significantly affected neural stem cell survival in the OB particularly at 8 weeks post-injury (WPI), where the injury group showed significantly higher numbers of BrdU+ and BrdU+/NeuN+ cells. These results suggest a time-dependent proliferation of neural stem cells, with notable differences observed at 8WPI compared to 4WPI. Additionally, consistent findings at 8WPI highlight the granule cell layer (GCL) as a crucial site for understanding injury\u27s impact on OB neurogenesis and cell survival. For future studies, examining time points beyond 8 weeks could provide insights into the long-term survival of injury-dependent neurons and the effects of Notch1 inactivation on neural stem cell differentiation and proliferation in the OB. Additionally, incorporating a more severe injury model and functional assessments of olfaction would enhance our understanding of these processes

The Power of Community Engagement and Patient Voices

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Securing the internet of things infrastructure – standards and techniques

The Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure is a conglomerate of electronic devices interconnected through the Internet, with the purpose of providing prompt and effective service to end-users. Applications running on an IoT infrastructure generally handle sensitive information such as a patient’s healthcare record, the position of a logistic vehicle, or the temperature readings obtained through wireless sensor nodes deployed in a bushland. The protection of such information from unlawful disclosure, tampering or modification, as well as the unscathed presence of IoT devices, in adversarial environments, is of prime concern. In this paper, a descriptive analysis of the security of standards and technologies for protecting the IoT communication channel from adversarial threats is provided. In addition, two paradigms for securing the IoT infrastructure, namely, common key based and paired key based, are proposed