Patient privacy protection using anonymous access control techniques

Objective: The objective of this study is to develop a solution to preserve security and privacy in a healthcare environment where health-sensitive information will be accessed by many parties and stored in various distributed databases. The solution should maintain anonymous medical records and it should be able to link anonymous medical information in distributed databases into a single patient medical record with the patient identity. Methods: In this paper we present a protocol that can be used to authenticate and authorize patients to healthcare services without providing the patient identification. Healthcare service can identify the patient using separate temporary identities in each identification session and medical records are linked to these temporary identities. Temporary identities can be used to enable record linkage and reverse track real patient identity in critical medical situations. Results: The proposed protocol provides main security and privacy services such as user anonymity, message privacy, message confidentiality, user authentication, user authorization and message replay attacks. The medical environment validates the patient at the healthcare service as a real and registered patient for the medical services. Using the proposed protocol, the patient anonymous medical records at different healthcare services can be linked into one single report and it is possible to securely reverse track anonymous patient into the real identity. Conclusion: The protocol protects the patient privacy with a secure anonymous authentication to healthcare services and medical record registries according to the European and the UK legislations, where the patient real identity is not disclosed with the distributed patient medical records

Location Aware Data Aggregation for Efficient Message Dissemination in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

An intelligent location-aware data aggregation mechanism for real-time observation, estimation, and efficient dissemination of any kind of traffic information in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) is presented in this paper. The mechanism introduces a location awareness algorithm, enabling spatiotemporal database indexing and providing the location context of the messages without the use of advanced positioning systems such as satellite navigation and digital maps. Intelligent passive clustering and adaptive broadcasting are used to minimize the number of messages exchanged, packet collisions, and network load. The incoming messages are fused by a Kalman filter, allowing the description of the traffic-related information as a system characterized by as many variables as needed, depending on the application design. The scheme allows the comparison of aggregates and single observations, which enables their merging and better overall accuracy. Old information in aggregates is removed by real-time database refreshing, thus leaving only newer relevant information for the driver to make real-time decisions in traffic. The mechanism is generic and can be used for any kind of VANET information. It is evaluated by extensive simulations to show the efficiency and accuracy

Ritmicidade de crescimento e ramificações provocadas pelos diferentes tipos de traumatismo nas plantas jovens de erva-mate (Ilex paraguariensis St.Hil.).

.Organizado por Patricia Póvoa de Mattos, Celso Garcia Auer, Rejane Stumpf Sberze, Katia Regina Pichelli e Paulo César Botosso

Aspectos fotomorfogenéticos de plantas jovens de jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril L.).

Organizado por Patricia Póvoa de Mattos, Celso Garcia Auer, Rejane Stumpf Sberze, Katia Regina Pichelli e Paulo César Botosso

Propriedades fisiológicas e estruturais de braquiária (Brachyaria bryzantha Hochst. ex A. Rich) em consórcio com eucalipto (Eucalyptus citriodora Hook.) em um sistema silvipastoril no noroeste do Paraná.

1 CD-ROM

Aspectos fotomorfogenéticos de plantas jovens de erva-mate.

O objetivo deste experimento foi determinar as respostas fotomorfogenéticas de ervamate na fase juvenil em condições controladas, para o estudo de estratégias utilizadas pela espécie na sombra. O crescimento de mudas de erva-mate foi acompanhado na câmara climatizada (fitotron), com período diurno de 12 horas com fluxo de fótons de radiação fotossinteticamente ativa (PPFD) de 510µmol.m-2.-1, razão vermelho: vermelho extremo (V:VE) de 2,35, temperatura de 25°/18°C e umidade relativa de 80%. No fim do dia (tratamento EOD), durante 1 hora e 15 minutos, as plantas foram submetidas à radiação de intensidade reduzida - à sombra, simulando a radiação no nível de sub-bosque de V:VE = 0,31 com PPFD = 13 µmol.m-2s-1 e à sombra do sub-bosque profundo e denso de V:VE = 0,06 com PPFD = 7,2 µmol.m-2s-1. As observações foram realizadas a cada 10 dias. As plantas de erva-mate sob tratamento de sombra no fim de dia com V:VE = 0,31 alongaram o caule mais rápido que as plantas submetidas aos tratamentos V:VE = 0,06 e controle (V:VE = 2,35). As plantas mais sombreadas (EOD V:VE=0,06) mostraram menor emissão de folhas quando comparadas com as plantas controle. Tanto plantas na sombra menos severa (EOD V:VE = 0,31) quanto plantas mais sombreadas (EOD V:VE = 0,06), mostraram o aumento de área foliar total por planta, embora com o número total de folhas menor. Assim, as plantas jovens de erva-mate mostraram respostas de "shade - avoiding" ao gradiente de sombra, com estratégia de aumento de área foliar individual.Seção: Manejo e Extensão. Feira do Agronegócio da Erva-mate, 1., 2003, Chapecó. Integrar para promover o agronegócio da erva-mate

Alternative Topology Construction for Cooperative Data Distribution in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Ad hoc networks of mobile nodes can be used to extend or improve connectivity, and cooperative data distribution represents the basis of this approach. Cooperation in such networks can be improved by providing nodes with information on network dynamics and topology changes. This paper proposes a proactive approach to handling mobility-induced network topology changes. The approach uses signal strength trends to predict the future locations and connectivity between the network nodes. Our research is aimed towards the creation of an alternative topology in each node, where a node would keep other nodes suitability for cooperation in the data distribution. In this paper we present the initial algorithm and test the prediction method using a simulation. The algorithm is then applied in an experimental testbed where its performance was tested using real moving nodes executing a real data distribution process. The performance results show a significant improvement in terms of file transfer delay

Distributed Road Traffic Congestion Quantification Using Cooperative VANETs

The well-known traffic congestion problem in urban environments has negative impact on many areas including economy, environment, health and lifestyle. Recently, a number of solutions based on vehicle-to-vehicle communications were proposed for traffic congestion detection and management. In this paper we present an algorithm designed to enable each vehicle in the network to detect and quantify the level of traffic congestion in completely distributed way, independent of any supporting infrastructure and additional information such as traffic data from local authorities. Based on observations of traffic congestion by every vehicle, and by adapting the broadcast interval, it enables dissemination of the traffic information to other vehicles. The algorithm also makes every vehicle aware about the congestion level on the streets that are spatially separated from their current location by several streets. Its robustness keeps the vehicle's overall knowledge about congestion consistent, despite the short-term changes in vehicle's motion. Since the quantification of congestion is based on per-vehicle basis, the algorithm is able to operate even when only 10% of vehicles in the network are VANET enabled. Data aggregation and adaptive broadcasting are used to ensure that vehicles do not send redundant information about the traffic congestion. The simulations are conducted in Veins framework based on OMNeT++ network simulator and SUMO vehicular mobility simulator