Security Issues in a SOA-based Provenance System

Recent work has begun exploring the characterization and utilization of provenance in systems based on the Service Oriented Architecture (such as Web Services and Grid based environments). One of the salient issues related to provenance use within any given system is its security. Provenance presents some unique security requirements of its own, which are additionally dependent on the architectural and environmental context that a provenance system operates in. We discuss the security considerations pertaining to a Service Oriented Architecture based provenance system. Concurrently, we outline possible approaches to address them

The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 2: two interglacials, scientific objective and experimental design for Holocene and last interglacial simulations

Two interglacial epochs are included in the suite of Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP4) simulations in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The experimental protocols for Tier 1 simulations of the mid-Holocene (midHolocene, 6000 years before present) and the Last Interglacial (lig127k, 127,000 years before present) are described here. These equilibrium simulations are designed to examine the impact of changes in orbital forcing at times when atmospheric greenhouse gas levels were similar to those of the preindustrial period and the continental configurations were almost identical to modern. These simulations test our understanding of the interplay between radiative forcing and atmospheric circulation, and the connections among large-scale and regional climate changes giving rise to phenomena such as land-sea contrast and high-latitude amplification in temperature changes, and responses of the monsoons, as compared to today. They also provide an opportunity, through carefully designed additional CMIP6 Tier 2 and Tier 3 sensitivity experiments of PMIP4, to quantify the strength of atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and land-surface feedbacks. Sensitivity experiments are proposed to investigate the role of freshwater forcing in triggering abrupt climate changes within interglacial epochs. These feedback experiments naturally lead to a focus on climate evolution during interglacial periods, which will be examined through transient experiments. Analyses of the sensitivity simulations will also focus on interactions between extratropical and tropical circulation, and the relationship between changes in mean climate state and climate variability on annual to multi-decadal timescales. The comparative abundance of paleoenvironmental data and of quantitative climate reconstructions for the Holocene and Last Interglacial make these two epochs ideal candidates for systematic evaluation of model performance, and such comparisons will shed new light on the importance of external feedbacks (e.g., vegetation, dust) and the ability of state-of-the-art models to simulate climate changes realistically

Risk factors for Colles' fracture in men and women: results from the European Prospective Osteoporosis Study

The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of constitutional and lifestyle variables on the subsequent risk of distal forearm (Colles') fracture in a multinational, multicenter, population-prospective study. A total of 15,745 subjects from the European Vertebral Osteoporosis Study, who had completed a baseline questionnaire on lifestyle and constitutional factors, were followed up annually using a validated questionnaire to ascertain the occurrence of new fractures. Risks are expressed as hazard ratios (with 95% confidence intervals) derived from a Cox proportional hazards regression model. The incidence of Colles' fracture was 1.7 and 7.3 per 1000 person years in men and women, respectively. In women delayed menarche, over the age of 15 years, was associated with a modest increased risk [HR 1.5 (range 1.1–2.0)]. Regular walking in that group also increased the risk [HR 1.6 (1.2–2.2)] perhaps reflecting the increased exposure to risk of falling. None of the other factors examined revealed any important influences. The results are broadly in line with the few other published prospective studies suggesting only a modest role for these factors in influencing susceptibility to fracture