Blockchains' federation: Developing Personal Health Trajectory-centered health systems

The current world is a globalized and connected one. Even without moving around, a person interacts with personnel from different institutions treating him as a patient in their daily life. Each of these institutions keeps their patients' data stored in their own information system, in an isolated way. Due to this, each patient has their data scattered among all these institutions and services with which she interacts along her life. This can complicate the take of the proper decision when the patient is under treatment. To solve this situation, new patient-centered health systems have been proposed as a replacement to the actual institution-centered ones, storing all health information of a patient into a unique global vision. However, some questions have arisen around the actual proposals, as who should store and maintain this vision of a given patient, and how should this information be made available for other systems. The proposal presented in this paper advocate for the achievement of a Personal Health Trajectory that can be useful both for patients and health professionals, using the concept of blockchains' federation. The proposal has been validated using 5689 records from 50 different institutions, belonging to 1156 actors

Context-aware and automatic configuration of mobile devices in cloud-enabled ubiquitous computing

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00779-013-0698-3. Copyright @ Springer-Verlag London 2013.Context-sensitive (or aware) applications have, in recent years, moved from the realm of possibilities to that of ubiquity. One exciting research area that is still very much in the realm of possibilities is that of cloud computing, and in this paper, we present our work, which explores the overlap of these two research areas. Accordingly, this paper explores the notion of cross-source integration of cloud-based, context-aware information in ubiquitous computing through a developed prototypical solution. Moreover, the described solution incorporates remote and automatic configuration of Android smartphones and advances the research area of context-aware information by harvesting information from several sources to build a rich foundation on which algorithms for context-aware computation can be based. Evaluation results show the viability of integrating and tailoring contextual information to provide users with timely, relevant and adapted application behaviour and content

The measurement of ice velocity, mass balance and thinning-rate on Johnsons Glacier, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Amb l’objectiu d’estudiar el funcionament de la Glacera de Johnsons, s’han instal·lat vint estaques a la seva superfície. Durant els estius australs compresos entre els anys 1994-95 i 1997-98, s’ha mesurat la velocitat superficial, el balanç de massa i la variació del gruix de gel. La velocitat horitzontal augmenta aigües avall amb valors entre 1 m a-1 a la divisòria d’aigües fins 40 m a-1 aprop del penya-segat terminal. La zona d’acumulació presenta taxes d’acumulació baixes, amb màxims de 0,6 m a- 1 (gel), mentres que a la part baixa de la glacera, la taxa d’ablació és de 4,3 m a-1 (gel). Durant el període d’estudi i tant a la zona d’acumulació com a la d’ablació, s’ha detectat una reducció del nivell de la superfície del gel que oscil·la entre els 2 i els 10 m. A partir de les dades de velocitat ve rtical i taxa d’aprimament, s’ha obtingut el balanç de massa i s’ha contrastat amb les dades obtingudes al camp per aquest mateix paràmetre, resultant en un bon ajust. S’han estimat valors de flux a partir de considerar la secció del canal i velocitats horitzontals. La comparació d’aquests valors amb els obtinguts mitjançant l’equació de continuitat, que considera el balanç de massa i la taxa d’aprimament, dóna resultats similars.A network of twenty stakes was set up on Johnsons Glacier in order to determine its dynamics. During the austral summers from 1994-95 to 1997-98, we estimated surface velocities, mass balances and ice thickness variations. Horizontal velocity increased down-stream from 1 m a-1 near the ice divides to 40 m a-1 near the ice terminus. The accumulation zone showed low accumulation rates (maximum of 0,6 m a-1(ice)), whereas in the lower part of the glacier, ablation rates were 4,3 m a-1(ice). Over the 3-year study period, both in the accumulation and ablation zones, we detected a reduction in the ice surface level ranging from 2 to 10 m from the annual vertical velocities and ice-thinning data, the mass balance was obtained and compared with the mass balance field values, resulting in similar estimates. Flux values were calculated using cross-section data and horizontal velocities, and compared with the results obtained by means of mass balance and ice thinning data using the continuity equation. The two methods gave similar results

Synthesis and characterization of three new Cu(II) paddle-wheel compounds with 1,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid

Three different paddle wheel compounds have been synthesized, each one via a different synthetic pathway. The first method is the reaction of Cu(MeCO2)2 H2O with 1,3-benzodioxole-5-carboxylic acid (Piperonylic acid, HPip) in a MeOH solution, yielding [Cu(m-Pip)2(MeOH)]2 (1). The second method is the transformation of the heteroleptic core paddle-wheel compound [Cu(m-MeCO2)(m-Pip)(MeOH)]2 into the homoleptic core paddle-wheel [Cu(m-Pip)2(DMSO)]2 2DMSO (2). Lastly, the third method is the substitution of the solvent molecule (DMF) present in the molecular array [Cu(m-Pip)2(DMF)]2 by 2-benzylpyridine (2-Bzpy) ligand, resulting in [Cu(m-Pip)2(2-Bzpy)]2 2.5MeOH H2O (3a). All compounds are characterized via EA, PXRD, ATR-FTIR, Far-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. For all three compounds, the X-ray crystal structure has been determined and their extended structures are discussed. Finally, TG/DTA measurements have been recorded

Geomorphic impact and assessment of flexible barriers using multi-temporal LiDAR data: The Portainé mountain catchment (Pyrenees)

Multi-temporal digital elevation models (DEMs) obtained from airborne LiDAR surveys are widely used to detect geomorphic changes in time and quantify sediment budgets. However, they have been rarely applied to study the geomorphic impact of engineering structures in mountain settings. In this study, we assessed the influence and behavior of flexible sediment retention barriers in the Portainé catchment (Spanish Pyrenees), using three LiDAR data sets (2009, 2011 and 2016) that covered a 7-year period. Densely forested mountainous areas present some limitations for reliable DEM analysis due to spatial variabilities in data precision, accuracy and point density. A new methodological approach for robust uncertainty analysis along channels, based on changes in cross-sectional elevations, was used to discriminate noise from real geomorphic changes. The obtained results indicated that erosion occurs along most reaches covering a large area, whereas deposition is localized in specific areas such as those upstream of sediment retention barriers and in the debris cone. Despite the presence of 15 flexible sediment retention barriers, the channels presented net degradation during both 2009-2011 and 2011-2016, with 2838 and 147m3 of material exported from the basin, respectively. For the same periods, the barriers retained 33% and 25% of the total deposition (up to 1300m3 per barrier), respectively, but also induced lateral and downstream incision, the latter reaching 703m3 for a single barrier. We detected a horizontal displacement of the net of up to 1.2m in filled barriers, resulting from net flexion. The interference of the natural river evolution by defense measures has resulted in a complex erosion-deposition pattern. The presented methods show high potential for the hydrogeomorphic study of mountain catchments, especially for a high-resolution assessment of flexible barriers or other engineering structures in remote areas

Reactivity of homoleptic and heteroleptic core paddle wheel Cu(II) compounds

The compound [Cu(μ-Pip)(μ-OAc)(MeOH)]2 (1) (Pip=Piperonylate, OAc=acetate, MeOH=methanol) has been obtained in high percentage yield. Its reactivity with pyridine/pyrazole derivative ligands (pyridine (py), 3-phenylpyridine (3-Phpy) and 4-acetylpyridine (4-Acpy)) and 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (3,5-dmpz) leads to four monomeric compounds: [Cu(Pip)2(dPy)2(H2O)] (dPy=py (2), 3-Phpy (3) and 4-Acpy (4a)) and [Cu(Pip)2(3,5-dmpz)2] (5). Furthermore, the reaction of 1 with HPip in MeOH:DMF solvent under reflux conditions yields the homoleptic core paddle-wheel compound [Cu(μ-Pip)2(DMF)]2·2DMF (6). The reaction between 6 and 2-benzylpyridine (2-Bzpy) yields the paddle-wheel core compound [Cu(Pip)2(2-Bzpy)]2 (7). All compounds have been fully characterized by analytical and spectroscopic techniques and their X-ray crystal structures have been determined. In this set of compounds, the carboxylate ligand (Pip) displays different coordination modes (monodentate (2-4), bidentate chelate (5) and bridged (1, 6 and 7)). Moreover, their extended structures are discussed: the crystal packing indicates hydrogen bond propagation, which defines 1D (2-5) or 2D (6 and 7) supramolecular networks

Defining the Behavior of IoT Devices through the MUD Standard: Review, Challenges, and Research Directions

With the strong development of the Internet of Things (IoT), the definition of IoT devices' intended behavior is key for an effective detection of potential cybersecurity attacks and threats in an increasingly connected environment. In 2019, the Manufacturer Usage Description (MUD) was standardized within the IETF as a data model and architecture for defining, obtaining and deploying MUD files, which describe the network behavioral profiles of IoT devices. While it has attracted a strong interest from academia, industry, and Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), MUD is not yet widely deployed in real-world scenarios. In this work, we analyze the current research landscape around this standard, and describe some of the main challenges to be considered in the coming years to foster its adoption and deployment. Based on the literature analysis and our own experience in this area, we further describe potential research directions exploiting the MUD standard to encourage the development of secure IoT-enabled scenarios

Datación de avenidas torrenciales y flujos de derrubios mediante metodologías dendrogeomorfológicas (barranco de Portainé, Lleida, España).

La dendrogeomorfología resulta una herramienta muy útil en el análisis científico-técnico de las avenidas y flujos de derrubios en torrentes de alta montaña, en los que las fuentes de datos convencionales (caudales o precipitaciones) son escasas o inexistentes y presentan una cierta problemática social. El barranco de Portainé, en cuya cabecera se sitúa la estación de esquí homónima de Port Ainé (Lleida, España), cumple estas características. Fenómenos erosivos y deposicionales asociados, sobre todo, a períodos de lluvias intensas de verano, afectan periódicamente a la carretera de acceso a la estación de esquí, que atraviesa el barranco en varios puntos, con las consiguientes pérdidas económicas y potenciales daños personales y a los servicios. Con este trabajo se pretende estimar, mediante técnicas dendrogeomorfológicas, el número y la distribución temporal de avenidas y flujos torrenciales en el barranco, para conocer si las interacciones antrópicas en la red hidrográfica, asociadas a la apertura y operación de la estación de esquí y los accesos a la misma, pueden haber modificado su frecuencia y magnitud. Se han muestreado principalmente aquellos ejemplares arbóreos que presentaban daños externos manifiestos, originados por el impacto de los materiales arrastrados por las avenidas. Además se ha realizado un detallado estudio geomorfológico y se han recopilado los datos históricos disponibles. Con toda esta información se ha generado una base de datos de eventos pretéritos de avenidas para un periodo de 50 años, en la que se ha determinado un incremento significativo de estos eventos en las últimas décadas

Efficient Security and Authentication for Edge-Based Internet of Medical Things

Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)-driven smart health and emotional care is revolutionizing the healthcare industry by embracing several technologies related to multimodal physiological data collection, communication, intelligent automation, and efficient manufacturing. The authentication and secure exchange of electronic health records (EHRs), comprising of patient data collected using wearable sensors and laboratory investigations, is of paramount importance. In this article, we present a novel high payload and reversible EHR embedding framework to secure the patient information successfully and authenticate the received content. The proposed approach is based on novel left data mapping (LDM), pixel repetition method (PRM), RC4 encryption, and checksum computation. The input image of size $M imes N$ is upscaled by using PRM that guarantees reversibility with lesser computational complexity. The binary secret data are encrypted using the RC4 encryption algorithm and then the encrypted data are grouped into 3-bit chunks and converted into decimal equivalents. Before embedding, these decimal digits are encoded by LDM. To embed the shifted data, the cover image is divided into $2 imes 2$ blocks and then in each block, two digits are embedded into the counter diagonal pixels. For tamper detection and localization, a checksum digit computed from the block is embedded into one of the main diagonal pixels. A fragile logo is embedded into the cover images in addition to EHR to facilitate early tamper detection. The average peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) of the stego-images obtained is 41.95 dB for a very high embedding capacity of 2.25 bits per pixel. Furthermore, the embedding time is less than 0.2 s. Experimental results reveal that our approach outperforms many state-of-the-art techniques in terms of payload, imperceptibility, computational complexity, and capability to detect and localize tamper. All the attributes affirm that the proposed scheme is a potential candidate for providing better security and authentication solutions for IoMT-based smart health