Smart Home or Smart Hell?: Modeling Smart Home IoT-Facilitated Abuse as a Cybersecurity Threat

Smart homes are just one application of IoT or the “Internet of Things.” As a solution to create a more automated “smart home” experience, users have the ability to control the temperature, or turn off their lights with a single command. However, smart home technology is vulnerable to unique cybersecurity and privacy issues due to the personal nature of user-device interactions. In addition, the multi-user environments in which IoT has been implemented has considerable social nuances which play a factor in interpersonal cybersecurity threats. Smart Home-IoT Facilitated Abuse (SH-IoTFA) is an alarming phenomenon of users weaponizing smart home technology as a tool to perpetrate “Intimate Partner Violence” (IPV) using the built-in, convenient features. Despite the emergence of research on SH-IoTFA, there is a need to implement greater consideration for potentially abusive affordances in the development process through an attacker-centric threat model framework. This thesis explores how Sh-IoTFA has emerged and evolved from traditional Technology- Facilitated Abuse (TFA) and demonstrates, through a thematic review of the current literature, how attacker motivations influence their relationship with a device, and in turn, transform seemingly innocuous convenience features into tools for surveillance, power exertion, and harassment. Furthermore, this thesis breaks down the relational aspect between the attacker’s motivations, the device features, and the assets at risk for a victim. Utilizing the threat scenario, the Google Nest Hub was then analyzed to identify how an abuse perpetrator may potentially misuse the device. Overall, through an integration of interdisciplinary perspectives, this research highlighted interpersonal threats as a cybersecurity concern and proposed a threat model that may reduce inadvertent harm to consumers

Buffering...

Buffering… focuses on scenes from everyday life such as cooking breakfast or a day at the office which are presented in a half-rendered frozen form. The works are partially pixilated in certain areas to create a sense of perpetual buffering illustrating a never-ending frustration between advancement and expectation. This body of work is meant to create an opportunity for viewer to experience a sensation of tension while information perpetually buffers. This sensation reflects how society has been conditioned by its technological devices and their implied promises of instant gratification. This body of work aims to shed light on the frustration that happens when the promises are broken. This body of work uses visuals of modern technology to explore our culture of instant gratification. Technological speeds increase at the expense of human patience and tolerance for even the minutest delays this causes people to experience frustration after mere seconds of interruption while streaming a video or downloading a webpage. These few seconds of “buffering” contribute to the growing disconnect between advanced technology and the perception of the delays such devices eventually experience. It often seems that we are caught in a three-legged race where technological improvement and human expectation are attempting to run in tandem yet the two are never exactly in sync

The Effects of Instruction on Landing Strategies in Female College-Aged Dancers and Non-Dancers: A Pilot Study

Background Female athletic participation has increased over the past decade and with it the prevalence of knee injuries. Current research demonstrates an increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury for female athletes. However, a number of studies have pointed out that ballet and modern dancers exhibit a lower incidence of ACL injuries despite the fact that they perform jumping and landing frequently. Objective The objective of this study was to examine how dance experience and instruction affect the lower extremity biomechanics during drop landings. Specifically, lower extremity joint alignment and muscle activation of gluteus maximus and gluteus medius were assessed. Design Quasi-experimental, cross-sectional Methods Thirteen active women, 5 dancers and 8 non-dancers, 18-22 years of age, were recruited to participate in this study. In the non-instructed (NI) condition, participants were shown a video demonstrating the drop landing movement in a leg turned out (externally rotated) position. The participants performed the drop landing based on their interpretation of the movement on the video. They were then shown the same video with additional verbal instructions (VI) on how to perform the landing, and asked to perform the same drop landing again. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to measure muscle activation of the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus during the landings. Kinematics of the lower extremity joints during the deceleration phase of landing were acquired using a digital motion capture system. 2x2 repeated measures ANOVA’s were used to assess the effect of dance experience (dancers and non-dancers) and verbal instruction (NI and VI) on lower extremity biomechanics and gluteal muscle activation. Results The 2-way ANOVA revealed a significant group by condition interaction with right gluteus medius (p=0.003) and right glut maximus (p=0.009). Dancers showed a significant increase in gluteus medius (p=0.02) while non-dancers showed a significant decrease in gluteus medius (p=0.04) with verbal instruction. Both groups showed significant changes in knee valgus (p\u3c0.001), hip abduction (p=0.027), and hip internal rotation (p=0.031) with verbal instruction. No significant differences were found when comparing those kinematic variables between groups. Discussion and Conclusion Our results demonstrated that brief verbal instruction has an effect on landing kinematics in college aged women. For both dancer and non-dancers, decreased knee valgus, decreased hip internal rotation, and increased hip abduction were found after verbal instruction was given. In addition, dancers exhibited increased gluteal muscle activation with instruction whereas non-dancers showed a decrease in gluteal muscle activation with instruction. Our findings indicated that explicit movement instruction may result in diminished muscle activation in non-dancers. The heightened awareness of neuromuscular control from dance training may be related to the reduced knee injury risk

Evaluation of Three Amorphous Drug Delivery Technologies to Improve the Oral Absorption of Flubendazole

AbstractThis study investigates 3 amorphous technologies to improve the dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of flubendazole (FLU). The selected approaches are (1) a standard spray-dried dispersion with hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) E5 or polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate 64, both with Vitamin E d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate; (2) a modified process spray-dried dispersion (MPSDD) with either HPMC E3 or hydroxypropylmethylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS-M); and (3) confining FLU in ordered mesoporous silica (OMS). The physicochemical stability and in vitro release of optimized formulations were evaluated following 2 weeks of open conditions at 25°C/60% relative humidity (RH) and 40°C/75% RH. All formulations remained amorphous at 25°C/60% RH. Only the MPSDD formulation containing HPMCAS-M and 3/7 (wt./wt.) FLU/OMS did not crystallize following 40°C/75% RH exposure. The OMS and MPSDD formulations contained the lowest and highest amount of hydrolyzed degradant, respectively. All formulations were dosed to rats at 20 mg/kg in suspension. One FLU/OMS formulation was also dosed as a capsule blend. Plasma concentration profiles were determined following a single dose. In vivo findings show that the OMS capsule and suspension resulted in the overall highest area under the curve and Cmax values, respectively. These results cross-evaluate various amorphous formulations and provide a link to enhanced biopharmaceutical performance

In vivo evaluation of different formulation strategies for sustained release injectables of a poorly soluble HIV protease inhibitor

At present no scientific rationale exists for selecting a particular enabling strategy to formulate a poorly water-soluble drug, although this is crucial as it will influence the in vivo performance of the resulting formulation. This study provides an insight into this complicated decision making process for a poorly soluble human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitor based upon in vivo test results. A formulation strategy based on the molecular dispersion of this active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) into a biphasic matrix consisting of water-insoluble poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and water-soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was evaluated. The long-term in vivo performance of this strategy was compared to that of other solubility enhancing approaches by evaluating the exposure in male Beagle dogs. Solid dispersions, based on a PLGA/PVP matrix, were compared to solid dispersions in a pure water-insoluble PLGA matrix. Additionally these solid dispersion strategies were compared to the strategy of particle size reduction by means of an API microsuspension. The in vivo performance of the various formulations over a period of 28 days after intramuscular injection was evaluated by the observed initial burst release, plasma concentration-time profiles, time at which maximum plasma levels were reached (tmax,obs) and the estimated bioavailability. Compared to the other formulation strategies assessed, it was concluded that the addition of PVP in a PLGA matrix resulted in vivo in a more sustained release as well as a higher amount of drug released from the polymeric matrix. This was explained based on the structure of these binary PLGA/PVP matrices where the pore network originating from rapidly dissolving PVP plays a crucial role. Moreover, the results suggest that the release of this type of formulations could be delayed by increasing the amount of PLGA in the formulation

Mesoporous matrices for the delivery of the broad spectrum bacteriocin, Nisin A

peer-reviewedMesoporous matrices of different pore size and chemical composition were explored as potential delivery matrices for the broad spectrum bacteriocin, nisin A. The adsorption of nisin A onto two mesoporous silicates (MPS - SBA-15, MCM-41) and two periodic mesoporous organosilanes (PMO - MSE, PMO-PA) was examined. It was found that hydrophobic interactions dominated in the adsorption of this peptide to the matrices, lending the highest adsorption to MCM-41 with a small pore size of 2.8 nm. The hydrophobic ethylene-bridged MSE (6 nm pore) improved the loading and protection of nisin A from degradation by a non-specific protease pepsin, over un-functionalised SBA-15 which had a slightly larger pore size and less hydrophobic moieties. Nisin A did not adsorb onto an amine-functionalised PMO. Upon suspension in modified fasted state simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.6), the highest release of nisin A was observed from MCM-41, with a lower release from SBA-15 and MSE, with release following Higuchi release kinetics. No release was detected into modified fasted state simulated intestinal fluid (pH 6.5) but despite this, the suspended matrices loaded with nisin A remained active against Staphylococcus aureus

Oral dosage form development of mesoporous silica for enhanced release of poorly soluble compounds

The interest in mesoporous silica as a drug release enhancer for poorly soluble drugs is one of the more recent and burgeoning areas of drug development research. While their abundance of silanol groups, large specific surface area and porosity are attractive from a development perspective; these features attribute to low bulk density and hygroscopicity, resulting in undesirable tablet properties. Because oral drugdelivery is undoubtedly the most attractive and extensively used approach to administer drugs, the objective of this research was to assess thedown-stream processability of mesoporous silica for the development of an immediate release solid oral dosage form. First, assessments in structure and release behavior following compression of itraconazole loaded and non-loaded ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) materials SBA-15 and COK-12 were evaluated. Due to the thicker pore walls and a higher degree of silicate condensation, COK-12 was more resistant to compression than SBA-15. This material strength translated into superior in vitro release behavior following compression. Based on these findings, COK-12 was the OMS selected for further investigations. Granulationwas identified as a necessary step to improve OMS powder flow, compression and compaction properties required for tableting. The classic approach, wet granulation, was investigated as a feasibility study using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to determine the risk of extracting the drug out of the pores during processing. This phenomenon, referred to as prematuredrug release (PDR), was determined as dependent on both compound and processing conditions. Four poorly water-soluble compounds were selected for this investigation: itraconazole (weakly basic), fenofibrate (neutral) and naproxen and ibuprofen (weakly acidic). Due to the lack of hydrogen bond donors and large molar volume, itraconazole was identified as thehighest risk for premature drug release. The usefulness of granulation techniques able to reduce or avoid the employment of waterduring the process was considered. Therefore, agglomeration with steam and melting were considered as a more suitable alternative to wet granulation. All granulates were prepared in a laboratory-scale high-shear mixer. In this two part study, we first assess the difference in granulation behavior and granule properties of disordered mesoporous silica (DMS) and OMS material, Syloid® 244 and COK-12, respectively. Granules prepared with PVP from steam resulted in the overall largest size but slowest in vitro drug release. PDR was most prevalent in melt-granulated samples. However, no additional drug extraction was observed following 6months storage at 25°C/60%RH and 40°C/75%RH. In vitro release following storage slightly increased and decreased for 244 and COK-12 melt-granulated material, respectively . Analysis of the melt granulation binder, Poloxamer 188, indicated that degradation already occurs during the granulation process itself. Compressibility between the two silica materials differed, in which granulated material from DMS resulted as the best performers. Chapter 6 identifies the key the process variables using a quarter-fraction factorial design with six factors at two levelsand compares various physicochemical properties of steam-granulated 244prepared with PVP and HPMC from six responses. Results show that granules prepared from PVP resulted in an overall higher bulk density, granulesize, increased flow properties and better compression and compaction behavior. However, PDR was most prevalent with PVP. These analyses indicate the risk of extracting the drug from the pores during processing is not only governed by the amount of solvent used but more so by the binderproperties. Due to poor binder distribution, results from granules prepared with HPMC were more variable but resulted in superior in vitro release behavior. These studies elucidate the understanding ofmesoporous silica structural and release behavior following compressionfor the advancement as a drug delivery carrier. Furthermore, factors that increase the risk of unwanted drug extraction during mesoporous silica material are identified. The key process parameters are also identified that potentially will play a significant role for preparation for a successful scaled-up manufacturing process.status: publishe

The relations between perceptions of the school psychological environment and adaptive functioning among early adolescents: A longitudinal study.

In this study, a cohort of early adolescents (n = 176) was followed through their first two years of junior high school. The sample was predominantly white, and lower-middle to middle income from one school district in the Midwest. Their perceptions of teacher support and the task and ability goal focus of the school and of their own academic and social functioning were examined using self-report measures administered over four waves, twice each year. Measures showed good internal consistency (alphas from.67 to.94). The academic functioning dependent variables included self-efficacy, self-regulation, academic problem behavior, and task value. The social functioning variables included socially responsible behavior, peer social acceptance, and popularity goal endorsement. Repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed that students' perceptions of the school environment and of their own adaptive functioning were less positive over time. Path models showed that a school environment that was perceived to be high in teacher support and task focus, and low in ability focus was associated with more adaptive academic and social functioning than an environment perceived to be low in teacher support and task focus, and high in ability focus. However, the three aspects of the perceived school environment appeared to be related differentially to outcomes over time and appeared to ffect some dimensions of academic and social functioning more than others. For example, student outcomes were related in particular to teacher support in seventh grade and task focus in eighth grade. Moreover, interactions from repeated-measures ANOVAs between teacher support, task focus and ability focus and time of measurement were found that suggest that changes in how students perceived the environment over the two years were related critically to certain positive and negative outcomes, especially for certain groups of students. Results support and extend findings of other studies concerning the relations between perceptions of the school environment and adaptive functioning in early adolescence and suggest that the nature of the experienced environment does play an important role in either supporting positive outcomes or exacerbating problems for early adolescents as they progress through school.Ph.D.EducationEducational psychologySecondary educationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/130695/2/9811065.pd

Risk assessment of premature drug release during wet granulation of ordered mesoporous silica loaded with poorly soluble compounds itraconazole, fenofibrate, naproxen, and ibuprofen

In this study, the potential of wet granulation of ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) material was evaluated to assess the risk of premature drug release during processing and to improve the bulk powder flow properties and compactibility for the development of an immediate release oral dosage form. The poorly water soluble model compounds, itraconazole, fenofibrate, naproxen, and ibuprofen were loaded into the model OMS, COK-12, and granulated using a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) binder solution. Preliminary assessments were made with itraconazole loaded COK-12 to study the effects of the initial drug load, binder concentration, binder addition rate, and granulation temperature on premature drug release. Comparison to pure COK-12 revealed particle size enlargement and enhanced powder flow based on Carr Index and Hausner Ratio results. Following compression to 120 MPa, the compactibility of the granulated material also improved when compared to the untreated COK-12. In vitro release of itraconazole from the compressed granulated material was assessed with and without the disintegrant, croscarmellose sodium. Incorporation of 2.4 wt. croscarmellose sodium prior to compression successfully recovered the slight release loss following compression. To assess premature drug release, developments made with itraconazole loaded COK-12 were applied to loaded fenofibrate, naproxen, and ibuprofen. Results from modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) indicated that the risk of premature drug release during wet granulation was primarily compound dependent. These findings highlight challenges in preparation for a successful manufacturing process of OMS based formulations.status: publishe