Rights and services interoperability for multimedia content management

The main goal of the work presented in this thesis is to describe the definition of interoperability mechanisms between rights expression languages and policy languages. Starting from languages interoperability, the intention is to go a step further and define how services for multimedia content management can interoperate by means of service-oriented generic and standardised architectures. In order to achieve this goal, several standards and existing initiatives will be analysed and taken into account. Regarding rights expression languages and policy languages, standards like MPEG-21 Rights Expression Language (REL), Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) and eXtensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML) are considered. Regarding services for content management, the Multimedia Information Protection And Management System (MIPAMS), a standards-based implemented architecture, and the Multimedia Service Platform Technologies (MSPT), also known as MPEG-M standard, are considered. The contribution of this thesis is divided into two parts, one devoted to languages interoperability and the other one devoted to services interoperability, both addressed to multimedia content management. They are briefly described next. The first part of the contribution describes how MPEG-21 REL, ODRL and XACML can interoperate, defining the mapping mechanisms to translate expressions from language to language. The mappings provided have different levels of granularity, starting from a mapping based on a programmatic approach coming from high-level modelling diagrams done using Unified Modelling Language (UML) and Entity-Relationship (ER). The next level of mappings includes specific mappings between MPEG-21 REL and XACML and ODRL and XACML. Finally, a more general solution is proposed by using a broker. Part of this work was done in the context of the VISNET-II Network of Excellence and the AXMEDIS Integrated Project. The findings done prove the validity of the interoperability methods described. The second part of the contribution describes how to describe standards based building blocks to provide interoperable services for multimedia content management. This definition is based on the analysis of existing content management use cases, from the ones involving less security over multimedia content managed to the ones providing full-featured digital rights management (DRM) (including access control and ciphering techniques) to support secure content management. In this section it is also presented the work done in the research projects AXMEDIS, Musiteca and Culturalive. It is also shown the standardisation work done for MPEG-M, particularly on elementary services and service aggregation. To demonstrate the usage of both technologies a mobile application integrating both MPEG-M and MIPAMS is presented. Furthermore, some conclusions and future work is presented in the corresponding section, together with the refereed publications, which are briefly described in the document. In summary, the work presented can follow different research lines. On the one hand, further study on rights expression languages and policy languages is required as new versions of them have recently appeared. It is worth noting the standardisation of a contract expression language, MPEG-21 CEL, which has also to be further analysed in order to evaluate its interoperability with rights and policy languages. On the other hand, standard initiatives must be followed in order to complete the map of SB3's, considering MPEG standards and also other standards not only related to multimedia but also other application scenarios, like e-health or e-government

Implementing mobile applications with the MIPAMS content management platform

New mobile devices (pda’s, tablets) permit the implementation of new business models as they are always connected and provide multimedia capabilities for capturing images, videos, music or even conversations. Together with an architecture for the secure management and distribution of multimedia content called MIPAMS, we propose a mobile business model with the implementation of a mobile application based on iOS (Apple operating system for mobile devices) for publishing added value content captured with a mobile device.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

A web-based rights management system for developing trusted value

We present an innovative architecture that enables the digital representation of original works and derivatives while implementing Digital Rights Management (DRM) features. The architecture’s main focus is on promoting trust within the multimedia content value networks rather than solely on content access and protection control. The system combines different features common in DRM systems such as licensing, content protection, authorization and reporting together with innovative concepts, such as the linkage of original and derived content and the definition of potential rights. The transmission of reporting requests across the content value network combined with the possibility for authors to preserve rights over derivative works enables the system to distribute income amongst all the actors involved in different steps of the creation and distribution chain. The implementation consists of a web application which interacts with different external services plus a desktop user application used to render protected content. It is currently publicly accessible for evaluation.Postprint (published version

Ultrassonografia cardíaca en individus adietes a l'heroína intravenosa assimptomàtics: evidencia de lesions valvulars induïdes per l'adicció

Echocardiograph

Access control issues in social networks

Social Networks, as the main axis of Web 2.0, are creating a number of interesting challenges to the research and standardisation communities. In this paper, we analyse the current and future use of access control policies in Social Networks. Subsequently, two main issues are addressed: the interoperability amongst systems using different policy languages and the lack of elements in the existing policy languages when trying to express Social Networks’ access control. In particular, our approach is based on the use of the XACML standard.Postprint (published version

The LRRC8-mediated volume-regulated anion channel is altered in glaucoma.

Regulation of cellular volume is an essential process to balance volume changes during cell proliferation and migration or when intracellular osmolality increases due to transepithelial transport. We previously characterized the key role of volume-regulated anion channels (VRAC) in the modulation of the volume of trabecular meshwork (TM) cells and, in turn, the aqueous humour (AH) outflow from the eye. The balance between the secretion and the drainage of AH determines the intraocular pressure (IOP) that is the major casual risk factor for glaucoma. Glaucoma is an ocular disease that causes irreversible blindness due to the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. The recent identification of Leucine-Rich Repeat-Containing 8 (LRRC8A-E) proteins as the molecular components of VRAC opens the field to elucidate their function in the physiology of TM and glaucoma. Human TM cells derived from non-glaucomatous donors and from open-angle glaucoma patients were used to determine the expression and the functional activity of LRRC8-mediated channels. Expression levels of LRRC8A-E subunits were decreased in HTM glaucomatous cells compared to normotensive HTM cells. Consequently, the activity of VRAC currents and volume regulation of TM cells were significantly affected. Impaired cell volume regulation will likely contribute to altered aqueous outflow and intraocular pressure

CSF Chitinase 3–Like 2 Is Associated With Long-term Disability Progression in Patients With Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis; ChitinaseEsclerosis múltiple; QuitinasaEsclerosi múltiple; QuitinasaObjective This study aimed to identify long-term prognostic protein biomarkers associated with disease progression in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods CSF samples were collected from a discovery cohort of 28 patients with progressive MS who participated in a clinical trial with interferon beta. Patients were classified into high and low disability progression phenotypes according to numeric progression rates (NPR) and step-based progression rates (SPR) after a mean follow-up time of 12 years. Protein abundance was measured by shotgun proteomics. Selected proteins from the discovery cohort were quantified by parallel reaction monitoring in CSF samples from an independent validation cohort of 41 patients with progressive MS classified also into high and low disability progression phenotypes after a mean follow-up time of 7 years. Results Of 2,548 CSF proteins identified in the discovery cohort, 10 were selected for validation based on their association with long-term disability progression: SPATS2-like protein, chitinase 3–like 2 (CHI3L2), plasma serine protease inhibitor, metallothionein-3, phospholipase D4, beta-hexosaminidase, neurexophilin-1, adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1, cathepsin L1, and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein. Only CHI3L2 was validated, and patients with high disability progression exhibited significantly higher CSF protein levels compared with patients with low disability progression (p = 0.03 for NPR and p = 0.02 for SPR). CHI3L2 levels showed good performance to discriminate between high and low disability progression in patients with progressive MS (area under the curve 0.73; sensitivity 90% and specificity 63%). Conclusions Although further confirmatory studies are needed, we propose CSF CHI3L2 as a prognostic protein biomarker associated with long-term disability progression in patients with progressive MS.This work was funded by grants from the International Progressive MS Alliance (grant no. PA0020), Asociación Esclerosis Múltiple (EME)—Red Española de Esclerosi múltiple (REEM), REEM (RD16/0015/002 and RD16/0015/003) cofunded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, Otra manera de hacer Europa)

Diagnosis by ultrastructural study of primary ciliary dyskinesia

[ES] Introducción y objetivo: La discinesia ciliar primaria (DCP), también conocida como síndrome de inmotilidad ciliar (SIC), es un trastorno hereditario, que incluye un grupo de enfermedades en las que los cilios respiratorios son inmóviles, el movimiento ciliar es discinético e ineficaz o no hay cilios. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar la ultraestructura ciliar en pacientes con sospecha de DCP. Método: En 8 pacientes con sospecha de DCP se realizó una biopsia de mucosa nasal mediante endoscopia a nivel del cornete inferior en su tercio medio por el Servicio de ORL bajo anestesia local. Resultados: En 2 casos no se encontraron defectos ultraestructurales a nivel ciliar. En dos casos junto a anomalías en la ultraestructura ciliar hay presente un síndrome de Kartagener. En un caso no se observaron cilios en la mucosa nasal. Discusión: La DCP y el SIC son términos sinónimos desde el punto de vista clínico y patogénico. La inmovilidad y la discinesia conducen a una ausencia de transporte mucociliar, estasis de las secreciones respiratorias y sus consecuencias, infecciones crónicas de vías respiratorias altas y bajas desde el nacimiento. El defecto ultraestructural más frecuente es la ausencia total o parcial de dineína. Conclusiones: El estudio ultraestructural permite el diagnóstico de la DCP dada la dificultad para el diagnóstico genético y por tanto, conseguir un diagnóstico temprano de esta patología lo cual sirve para mejorar la morbimortalidad de estos pacientes. [EN] Introduction and objective: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), also known as ciliary immotility (SIC) syndrome is an inherited disorder that includes a group of diseases in which respiratory cilia are immobile, ciliary movement is dyskinetic and ineffective or no cilia . The aim of this study is to determine the ciliary ultrastructure in patients with suspected DCP. Method: In 8 patients with suspected DCP nasal mucosa biopsy is performed with endoscopy at the inferior turbinate in the middle third by the ENT service under local anesthesia. Results: Of the 8 cases studied in 2 cases no ciliary ultrastructural level defects were found. In two cases with abnormal ciliary ultrastructure is present Kartagener syndrome. In a case no cilia were observed in the nasal mucosa. Discussion: The DCP and SIC are synonymous terms from clinical and pathogenetic view: immobility and dyskinesia lead to an absence of mucociliary transport, stasis of respiratory secretions with their consequences: chronic infections of lower respiratory tract and from birth . The most common ultrastructural defect is the total or partial absence of dynein. Conclusions: The ultrastructural study allows the diagnosis of PCD because genetic diagnosis is complicated and therefore get an early diagnosis of this condition which serves to improve the morbidity and mortality of these patients