Improving Air Interface User Privacy in Mobile Telephony

Although the security properties of 3G and 4G mobile networks have significantly improved by comparison with 2G (GSM), significant shortcomings remain with respect to user privacy. A number of possible modifications to 2G, 3G and 4G protocols have been proposed designed to provide greater user privacy; however, they all require significant modifications to existing deployed infrastructures, which are almost certainly impractical to achieve in practice. In this article we propose an approach which does not require any changes to the existing deployed network infrastructures or mobile devices, but offers improved user identity protection over the air interface. The proposed scheme makes use of multiple IMSIs for an individual USIM to offer a degree of pseudonymity for a user. The only changes required are to the operation of the authentication centre in the home network and to the USIM, and the scheme could be deployed immediately since it is completely transparent to the existing mobile telephony infrastructure. We present two different approaches to the use and management of multiple IMSIs

Luokanopettajien luontosuhteen vaikutus oppilaiden luontosuhteen tukemiseen alakoulussa

Tiivistelmä. Luontosuhde tarkoittaa sitä, kuinka ihminen kokee luonnon, millainen asema luonnolla on hänen elämässään ja millaisen arvon hän luonnolle antaa. Luontosuhde vaikuttaa siihen, miten ihminen kohtelee luontoa ja millaisen luonnonvarojen käytön hän hyväksyy. Positiivinen luontosuhde voi olla myönteinen voimavara, mutta se muuttuu myös helposti toiminnaksi eli haluksi vaikuttaa luonnon tilaan. Luontosuhde muodostuu kokemusten kautta, johon vaikuttaa elinympäristön lisäksi myös läheiset ihmiset. Näiden ohella myös koulu ja siellä saadut luontokokemukset ja opitut asiat vaikuttavat lapsen luontosuhteen muodostumiseen. Ympäristökasvatuksella pyritään tukemaan positiivisen luontosuhteen syntyä. Ympäristökasvatuksen keskeisiä sisältöjä ovat toiminnallinen oppiminen, luonnon tarkkailu ja tutkiminen. Näiden avulla lapsella on mahdollista saada kosketus luontoon myönteisten kokemusten kautta. Tämän Pro gradu -tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää, millä tavoin luokanopettajat pyrkivät tukemaan oppilaiden luontosuhteen kehittymistä ja millä tavalla luokanopettajan oma henkilökohtainen luontosuhde ohjaa hänen opetustaan. Keskeistä on saada selville, millaisia ympäristökasvatuksellisia menetelmiä luokanopettajat hyödyntävät osana opetustaan ja mikä on ympäristökasvatuksen sekä luokanopettajan luontosuhteen välinen yhteys. Pro gradu -tutkielman teoreettisessa keskiössä ovat luontosuhde ja sen muodostuminen sekä ympäristökasvatus. Lisäksi tutkielmassa käsitellään ympäristökasvatuksen keskeisiä näkökulmia alakoulussa sekä opettajuuteen liittyviä ympäristökasvatuksen eettisiä haasteita. Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen ja sen tutkimusote on fenomenografinen. Tutkimuksen aineisto on kerätty verkkokyselyllä 15 luokanopettajalta ja se on analysoitu aineistolähtöistä sisällönanalyysiä mukaillen. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että luokanopettajat toteuttivat ympäristökasvatusta ja pyrkivät tukemaan oppilaan luontosuhteen kehittymistä monipuolisesti. Tutkimuksen perusteella luokanopettajan luontosuhteella ei ole suoraa yhteyttä siihen, millä tavalla hän toteuttaa ympäristökasvatusta ja pyrkii tukemaan oppilaan luontosuhteen kehittymistä. Tutkimuksella saatiin kuitenkin selville, että luokanopettajan luontosuhteella on yhteys siihen, kuinka tärkeänä hän kokee oppilaan luontosuhteen kehittymisen tukemisen ja mitkä tekijät ohjaavat hänen ympäristökasvatuksellista toimintaansa. Ne opettajat, joiden luontosuhde oli vahva, motivaattorina toimi oma kiinnostus ja halu tukea luontosuhteen muodostumista. Sen sijaan ne luokanopettajat, joiden luontosuhde oli etäinen, toteuttivat ympäristökasvatusta pääsääntöisesti vain silloin, kun opetuksen aihe sitä vaati

Kaahaajat : Finnish Attitudes towards Speeding

People driving in excess of the posted speed limit (referred to as speeding in English or Kaahaajat in Finnish) is a common road user behaviour. In Finland, between 2000 and 2020, speeding was identified as the key contributing factor in 41% of fatal motor vehicle collisions. This may be because disregarding speed limits on motorways and on residential roads are the most common violations performed by Finnish drivers. This study identifies factors influencing speeding while driving in Finland. In particular, 703 responses from Finnish drivers of the ESRA2 (E-Survey of Road users’ Attitudes) were analysed to understand the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) factors underpinning speeding behaviours in three road environments: inside built-up areas; outside of built-up areas; and on motorways and freeways. Three binary logistic regression analyses were used to understand which elements of TPB were associated with self-reported speeding in each of these environments. Approximately two thirds of participants reported speeding in each of the three road environments. Attitudes and subjective norms were associated with speeding in built-up areas and on motorways or freeways. In addition, perceived behavioural control and age were significantly associated with speeding outside of built-up areas. The findings highlight how a systematic approach is needed to address speeding considering enforcement, engineering, legislation, and education.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Euclid preparation : XV. Forecasting cosmological constraints for the Euclid and CMB joint analysis

The combination and cross-correlation of the upcoming Euclid data with cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements is a source of great expectation since it will provide the largest lever arm of epochs, ranging from recombination to structure formation across the entire past light cone. In this work, we present forecasts for the joint analysis of Euclid and CMB data on the cosmological parameters of the standard cosmological model and some of its extensions. This work expands and complements the recently published forecasts based on Euclid-specific probes, namely galaxy clustering, weak lensing, and their cross-correlation. With some assumptions on the specifications of current and future CMB experiments, the predicted constraints are obtained from both a standard Fisher formalism and a posterior-fitting approach based on actual CMB data. Compared to a Euclid-only analysis, the addition of CMB data leads to a substantial impact on constraints for all cosmological parameters of the standard ?-cold-dark-matter model, with improvements reaching up to a factor of ten. For the parameters of extended models, which include a redshift-dependent dark energy equation of state, non-zero curvature, and a phenomenological modification of gravity, improvements can be of the order of two to three, reaching higher than ten in some cases. The results highlight the crucial importance for cosmological constraints of the combination and cross-correlation of Euclid probes with CMB data.Peer reviewe

Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus placebo surgery for a degenerative meniscus tear : a 2-year follow-up of the randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess if arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) is superior to placebo surgery in the treatment of patients with degenerative tear of the medial meniscus. Methods In this multicentre, randomised, participant-blinded and outcome assessor-blinded, placebo-surgery controlled trial, 146 adults, aged 35-65 years, with knee symptoms consistent with degenerative medial meniscus tear and no knee osteoarthritis were randomised to APM or placebo surgery. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in the change from baseline in the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET) and Lysholm knee scores and knee pain after exercise at 24 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes included the frequency of unblinding of the treatment-group allocation, participants' satisfaction, impression of change, return to normal activities, the incidence of serious adverse events and the presence of meniscal symptoms in clinical examination. Two subgroup analyses, assessing the outcome on those with mechanical symptoms and those with unstable meniscus tears, were also carried out. Results In the intention-to-treat analysis, there were no significant between-group differences in the mean changes from baseline to 24 months in WOMET score: 27.3 in the APM group as compared with 31.6 in the placebo-surgery group (between-group difference, -4.3; 95% CI, -11.3 to 2.6); Lysholm knee score: 23.1 and 26.3, respectively (-3.2; -8.9 to 2.4) or knee pain after exercise, 3.5 and 3.9, respectively (-0.4; -1.3 to 0.5). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in any of the secondary outcomes or within the analysed subgroups. Conclusions In this 2-year follow-up of patients without knee osteoarthritis but with symptoms of a degenerative medial meniscus tear, the outcomes after APM were no better than those after placebo surgery. No evidence could be found to support the prevailing ideas that patients with presence of mechanical symptoms or certain meniscus tear characteristics or those who have failed initial conservative treatment are more likely to benefit from APM.Peer reviewe

Establishing an online resource to facilitate global collaboration and inclusion of underrepresented populations:Experience from the MJFF Global Genetic Parkinson's Disease Project

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder, currently affecting ~7 million people worldwide. PD is clinically and genetically heterogeneous, with at least 10% of all cases explained by a monogenic cause or strong genetic risk factor. However, the vast majority of our present data on monogenic PD is based on the investigation of patients of European White ancestry, leaving a large knowledge gap on monogenic PD in underrepresented populations. Gene-targeted therapies are being developed at a fast pace and have started entering clinical trials. In light of these developments, building a global network of centers working on monogenic PD, fostering collaborative research, and establishing a clinical trial-ready cohort is imperative. Based on a systematic review of the English literature on monogenic PD and a successful team science approach, we have built up a network of 59 sites worldwide and have collected information on the availability of data, biomaterials, and facilities. To enable access to this resource and to foster collaboration across centers, as well as between academia and industry, we have developed an interactive map and online tool allowing for a quick overview of available resources, along with an option to filter for specific items of interest. This initiative is currently being merged with the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2), which will attract additional centers with a focus on underrepresented sites. This growing resource and tool will facilitate collaborative research and impact the development and testing of new therapies for monogenic and potentially for idiopathic PD patients.</p

Hydroclimatic Controls on the Isotopic (δ18 O, δ2 H, d-excess) Traits of Pan-Arctic Summer Rainfall Events

Arctic sea-ice loss is emblematic of an amplified Arctic water cycle and has critical feedback implications for global climate. Stable isotopes (delta O-18, delta H-2, d-excess) are valuable tracers for constraining water cycle and climate processes through space and time. Yet, the paucity of well-resolved Arctic isotope data preclude an empirically derived understanding of the hydrologic changes occurring today, in the deep (geologic) past, and in the future. To address this knowledge gap, the Pan-Arctic Precipitation Isotope Network (PAPIN) was established in 2018 to coordinate precipitation sampling at 19 stations across key tundra, subarctic, maritime, and continental climate zones. Here, we present a first assessment of rainfall samples collected in summer 2018 (n = 281) and combine new isotope and meteorological data with sea ice observations, reanalysis data, and model simulations. Data collectively establish a summer Arctic Meteoric Water Line where delta H-2 = 7.6.delta O-18-1.8 (r(2) = 0.96, p 0.75 parts per thousand/degrees C) were observed at continental sites, while statistically significant temperature relations were generally absent at coastal stations. Model outputs indicate that 68% of the summer precipitating air masses were transported into the Arctic from mid-latitudes and were characterized by relatively high delta O-18 values. Yet 32% of precipitation events, characterized by lower delta O-18 and high d-excess values, derived from northerly air masses transported from the Arctic Ocean and/or its marginal seas, highlighting key emergent oceanic moisture sources as sea ice cover declines. Resolving these processes across broader spatial-temporal scales is an ongoing research priority, and will be key to quantifying the past, present, and future feedbacks of an amplified Arctic water cycle on the global climate system

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Man-in-the-Middle in Tunnelled Authentication Protocols

Recently new protocols have been proposed in the IETF for protecting remote client authentication protocols by running them within a secure tunnel. Examples of such protocols are PIC, PEAP and EAP-TTLS. One goal of these new protocols is to enable the migration from legacy client authentication protocols to more secure protocols, e.g., from plain EAP type to, say, PEAP. In these protocols, the security of the subsequent session credentials are based only on keys derived during the unilateral authentication where the network server is authenticated to the client. Client authentication is mentioned as an option in PEAP and EAP-TTLS, but is not mandated. Naturally, the PIC protocol does not even o er this option, because the goal of PIC is to obtain credentials that can be used for client authentication