Digital identity modelling and management

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Engineering.User identification and authentication is the first and most important aspect of identity management in maintaining security and privacy of users and their assets. Due to the open nature of the Internet, without reliable identification and authentication, subsequent security and privacy protections become worthless. Amid the increase of the number of online services and users, identity fraud is on the increase. It has been widely reported that identity fraud costs the industry many billions of dollars each year around the world. Perpetrators use false identities to engage in fraudulent activities. False identities can be established in one of two ways: (i) creating fictitious identity by manufacturing, forging or fraudulently obtaining legitimate documentation to satisfy proof of identity (POI) requirements, and (ii) stealing or forging someone else’s identity from an actual person (living or dead) such as passwords, security tokens or biometric information. One of the effective ways to prevent identity fraud is to build defence against the use of false identities. Use of false identities can be prevented by implementing strong authentication, using multi-factor identity proofing (during service enrolment phase) and multifactor identity authentication (during service delivery sessions). To balance convenience and security, the strength of the authentication needs to match the required level of trust. If the implemented strength is lower than the required level of trust, it may introduce risk of fraudulent activities. On the other hand if the implemented strength is higher than the required level of trust, it may introduce inconvenience to the user, preventing the usage. To solve this issue, we propose CaMa (Credential Attribute Mapping) models to calculate the strength of authentication for multi-factor identity proofing and multifactor identity authentication scenarios. The strengths are calculated from the desired properties of identities and presented in two ways, (i) a process of summation of the weighting index of the desirable properties, and (ii) application of information theory. Further, a scheme for constructing digital representations of personal identities from conventional identity documents such as birth certificates, citizenship certificates, passports, driving licences, bank card and photo ID is also proposed. This digital representation of personal identity along with the concept of (i) active credentials, (ii) trusted identity providers, (iii) secure assertion protocol such as SAML and with the (iv) established policies and procedures, enable a user to assert their identity to a remote online service provider that request the proof of identity (POI) requirements. Thus, it will help freeing users from the limitation of personal presence during service enrolment. For example, in this way, it will be possible to open a bank account in the USA by remotely submitting trusted identity credentials online from Australia

Requirements for identity management in next generation networks

Identity management will become crucial to the success of Next Generation Networks (NGN). However, until now very little research has been done in this fieid. This paper presents the requirements for identity management in NGN which are currently being investigated by our research group. Our analysis is based on the characteristics and requirements of NGN architectures, services, network operators, end users, identity management requirements for web services, recent standardization efforts by various bodies, etc

G2677T polymorphism can predict treatment outcome of Malaysians with complex partial seizures being treated with Carbamazepine

ABSTRACT. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is used as the first line of treatment of complex partial seizures (CPS) in Malaysia. While this drug is known to be effective for the treatment of CPS, more than 30% of patients remain drug resistant to CBZ mono-therapy. We examined a possible relationship between patients' response to CBZ mono-therapy and the G2677T SNP of the ABCB1 gene. Three hundred and fourteen patients with CPS were recruited from the Neurology Department of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, of whom 152 were responders and the other 162 were non-responders to CBZ mono-therapy. DNA was extracted from blood samples and real-time PCR was performed to detect the G2677T SNP of the ABCB1 gene. Results were described as genotype frequencies and compared by logistic regression analysis. Among the 152 responders, 74% had the GG genotype. However, among the 162 non-responders, 26.5% had the GT genotype and 39% had the TT genotype. There was a significant difference in genotype frequency (TT vs GG; odds ratio 4.70; 95% confidence interval,) between responders and nonresponders. The presence of the T allele of the G2677T SNP appears to be a useful screening marker to determine if a patient is going to be resistant to CBZ as a single drug therapy in the treatment of CPS

Polymorphic variants of SCN1A and EPHX1 influence plasma carbamazepine concentration, metabolism and pharmacoresistance in a population of Kosovar Albanian epileptic patients

Aim The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of gene variants in key genes influencing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic of carbamazepine (CBZ) on the response in patients with epilepsy. Materials & Methods Five SNPs in two candidate genes influencing CBZ transport and metabolism, namely ABCB1 or EPHX1, and CBZ response SCN1A (sodium channel) were genotyped in 145 epileptic patients treated with CBZ as monotherapy and 100 age and sex matched healthy controls. Plasma concentrations of CBZ, carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZE) and carbamazepine-10,11-trans dihydrodiol (CBZD) were determined by HPLC-UV-DAD and adjusted for CBZ dosage/kg of body weight. Results The presence of the SCN1A IVS5-91G>A variant allele is associated with increased epilepsy susceptibility. Furthermore, carriers of the SCN1A IVS5-91G>A variant or of EPHX1 c.337T>C variant presented significantly lower levels of plasma CBZ compared to carriers of the common alleles (0.71±0.28 vs 1.11±0.69 μg/mL per mg/Kg for SCN1A IVS5-91 AA vs GG and 0.76±0.16 vs 0.94±0.49 μg/mL per mg/Kg for EPHX1 c.337 CC vs TT; PG showed a reduced microsomal epoxide hydrolase activity as reflected by a significantly decreased ratio of CBZD to CBZ (0.13±0.08 to 0.26±0.17, pT SNP and SCN1A 3148A>G variants were not associated with significant changes in CBZ pharmacokinetic. Patients resistant to CBZ treatment showed increased dosage of CBZ (657±285 vs 489±231 mg/day; P<0.001) but also increased plasma levels of CBZ (9.84±4.37 vs 7.41±3.43 μg/mL; P<0.001) compared to patients responsive to CBZ treatment. CBZ resistance was not related to any of the SNPs investigated. Conclusions The SCN1A IVS5-91G>A SNP is associated with susceptibility to epilepsy. SNPs in EPHX1 gene are influencing CBZ metabolism and disposition. CBZ plasma levels are not an indicator of resistance to the therapy