Complete Analysis of Configuration Rules to Guarantee Reliable Network Security Policies

Peer-reviewed

Security Authentication using Phase-Encoded Nanoparticle Structures and Polarized Light

Phase encoded nano structures such as Quick Response (QR) codes made of metallic nanoparticles are suggested to be used in security and authentication applications. We present a polarimetric optical method able to authenticate random phase encoded QR codes. The system is illuminated using polarized light and the QR code is encoded using a phase-only random mask. Using classification algorithms it is possible to validate the QR code from the examination of the polarimetric signature of the speckle pattern. We used Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test and Support Vector Machine algorithms to authenticate the phase encoded QR codes using polarimetric signatures.

Security and Privacy in a Ubiquitous Information Screen

We expose the ubiquitous interaction between an information screen and its��� viewers mobile devices, highlights the communication vulnerabilities, suggest mitigation strategies and finally implement these strategies to secure the communication. The screen infers information preferences��� of viewers within its vicinity transparently from their mobile devices over Bluetooth. Backend processing then retrieves up-to-date versions of preferred information from content providers. Retrieved content such as sporting news, weather forecasts, advertisements, stock markets and aviation schedules, are systematically displayed on the screen. To maximise users��� benefit, experience and acceptance, the service is provided with no user interaction at the screen and securely upholding preferences privacy and viewers anonymity. Compelled by the personal nature of mobile devices, their contents privacy, preferences confidentiality, and vulnerabilities imposed by screen, the service���s security is fortified. Fortification is predominantly through efficient cryptographic algorithms inspired by elliptic curves cryptosystems, access control and anonymity mechanisms. These mechanisms are demonstrated to attain set objectives within reasonable performance.

Features extraction based on the Discrete Hartley Transform for closed contour

In this paper the authors propose a new closed contour descriptor that could be seen as a Feature Extractor of closed contours based on the Discrete Hartley Transform (DHT), its main characteristic is that uses only half of the coefficients required by Elliptical Fourier Descriptors (EFD) to obtain a contour approximation with similar error measure. The proposed closed contour descriptor provides an excellent capability of information compression useful for a great number of AI applications. Moreover it can provide scale, position and rotation invariance, and last but not least it has the advantage that both the parameterization and the reconstructed shape from the compressed set can be computed very efficiently by the fast Discrete Hartley Transform (DHT) algorithm. This Feature Extractor could be useful when the application claims for reversible features and when the user needs and easy measure of the quality for a given level of compression, scalable from low to very high quality.

Clinical features of oral lichen planus. A retrospective study of 65 cases

Objectives: To describe the clinical features of patients diagnosed with oral lichen planus (OLP) and to establish the prevalence of its malignant transformation in our setting. Study design: A retrospective study was made of 65 patients clinically and histologically diagnosed with OLP in the Service of Oral Surgery (Dental Clinic of the University of Barcelona, Spain) in the period 1990-2005. A descriptive and bivariate statistical analysis was made. Results: The mean patient age was 59 years (SD �� 14.9). Most of the patients (61%) were women, and the most frequent location of the lesions was the buccal mucosa (90.8%). White forms of OLP were noted in 66% of the cases, and 46.2% of the patients reported symptoms of some kind. The patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (20%) showed a larger proportion of red lesions (p=0.088). No statistically significant association was observed between chronic liver disease and the OLP lesion types or symptoms. Two cases of squamous cell carcinoma were identified in two patients previously or simultaneously diagnosed with OLP. A statistically significant correlation was observed between dysplastic changes / malignization of the lesions and smoking habit (p=0.019). An association to alcohol abuse was also noted, though in this case statistical significance was not reached (p=0.085). Conclusions: The clinical features of our study population were similar to those described in other studies. Diabetic patients with OLP were seen to be more susceptible to the development of atrophic-erosive lesions. Smokers and/or patients with alcohol abuse in turn showed a greater tendency to develop dysplastic changes / malignization in the histopathological study of the lesions

Sharp mandibular bone irregularities after lower third molar extraction: Incidence, clinical features and risk factors

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and clinical symptoms associated with sharp mandibular bone irregularities (SMBI) after lower third molar extraction and to identify possible risk factors for this complication. Study Design: A mixed study design was used. A retrospective cohort study of 1432 lower third molar extractions was done to determine the incidence of SMBI and a retrospective case-control study was done to determine potential demographic and etiologic factors by comparing those patients with postoperative SMBI with controls. Results: Twelve SMBI were found (0.84%). Age was the most important risk factor for this complication. The operated side and the presence of an associated radiolucent image were also significantly related to the development of mandibular bone irregularities. The depth of impaction of the tooth might also be an important factor since erupted or nearly erupted third molars were more frequent in the SMBI group. Conclusions: SMBI are a rare postoperative complication after lower third molar removal. Older patients having left side lower third molars removed are more likely to develop this problem. The treatment should be the removal of the irregularity when the patient is symptomatic

Generic features of eighteenth-century American runaway slave advertisements

Pro-gradu ���tutkielmani aiheena ovat 1700-luvun ���karanneet orjat��� ��� sanomalehtiilmoitusten genrelle ominaiset piirteet. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu 190 ilmoituksesta, jotka ovat alkuper��isesti ilmestyneet virginialaisissa, pennsylvanialaisissa ja newyorkilaisissa sanomalehdiss�� 1730-luvulta 1770-luvulle. Tutkimuksen kohteeksi on rajattu ilmoitukset, joissa yksityishenkil��t ilmoittavat orjan/orjien karanneet ja lupaavat kiinniottajalle palkkion. Tutkielman tarkoituksena on tarkastella, millaisia ovat tyypilliset kielelliset piirteet n��iss�� teksteiss�� ja millainen on prototyyppinen genren edustaja. Genreteorian lis��ksi teoriaosuudessa k��sittelen jonkin verran 1700- luvun englannin kielen yleisi�� piirteit�� sek�� orjuuden ja sanomalehtien syntyhistoriaa Amerikassa taustoittaakseni tutkimusta. Analyysissa hy��dynn��n mm. Swalesin ja Bhatian k��ytt��m���� k��sitett�� siirroista (moves). Tutkin ilmoituksien tyypillist�� rakennetta jakamalla ne yhdeks����n siirtoon, joilla kaikilla on oma teht��v��ns�� ilmoituksessa. Jotkut siirrot, kuten karkulaisen kuvailu ja palkkion lupaaminen, esiintyv��t kaikissa ilmoituksissa, kun taas toiset siirrot ovat l��sn�� harvemmin. Muita t��lle genrelle tyypillisi�� ominaisuuksia ovat esim. ilmoituksissa toistuvat kiinte��t fraasit ja tietyt sanastolliset erikoisuudet. Lis��ksi tutkin ilmoituksissa k��ytett��vi�� tapoja viitata asiaan liittyviin henkil��ihin, sek�� erilaisia toimia, joita ilmoitusten j��tt��j��t ilmoituksien avulla suorittavat. Genress�� on havaittavissa pieni�� reilun nelj��nkymmenen vuoden kuluessa tapahtuneita muutoksia, mutta my��s eroavaisuuksia eri siirtokuntien ilmoitusten v��lill��. Yleisesti voidaan todeta, ett�� vaikka ���karanneet orjat��� ���ilmoitukset voivat vaihdella rakenteeltaan ja sanavalinnoiltaan, suuri osa ilmoituksista seuraa kuitenkin melko prototyyppist�� muottia.

��lykk����t l����kkeenjakoratkaisut:Liiketoimintakonseptien nykytila

��lykk��ille l����kkeenjakoratkaisuille tulee luultavasti olemaan tulevaisuudessa suuri kysynt��, sill�� asiakasm����r��t ja julkisen terveydenhuollon resurssit eiv��t kohtaa toisiaan. S��ilytt����ksemme yhteiskuntamme terveydenhuollon tason kohtuullisilla kustannuksilla on ainoana mahdollisuutena alan uudet innovaatiot. ��lykk��ill�� l����kkeenjakoratkaisuilla tarkoitetaan ��lykk��it�� l����kepakkauksia tai muita l����kint����n liittyvi�� tuotteita tai palveluja, jotka mahdollistavat teknologisen edistyksellisyyden avulla ihmisty��m����r��n v��hent��misen terveydenhuollossa. Raportti esittelee tapaustutkimuksen alustavia tuloksia, joissa on tarkoituksena tuoda esille yleiskatsaus tuotteista ja asiakaseduista. Tuotteet on kuvattu niihin liittyvien liiketoimintamallinen tarjoomien avulla. Analyysi rakentuu liiketoimintamallin nelj��n peruspilarin mukaisesti, Tuote, Asiakassuhde, Rakenne, ja Talous, jotka m����ritt��v��t mallin asiakasarvon. L��ht��kohtana liiketoimintamallien mittaamisessa on nelj�� arvon p����mittaria: tekniset, taloudelliset, palvelulliset, ja sosiaaliset attribuutit. Esimerkin avulla voidaan huomata, ett�� tarjoamaa markkinoilla on vakiintumaton. Yksi malli painotti l����kkeiden annosjakelun tehokkuutta, toinen nautittujen l����kkeiden oton valvontaa ja kolmas yritti p��rj��t�� molemmissa. Suurimmat hy��dyt voidaan n��hd��, jos pystyt����n yhdist��m����n koneellinen jakelu ��lykk��isiin jakelulaitteisiin.

Consumer valuation of energy-saving features of residential air conditioners with hedonic and choice models

The promotion of energy-efficient appliances is necessary to reduce the energetic and environmental burden of the household sector. However, many studies have reported that a typical consumer underestimates the benefits of energy-saving investment on the purchase of household electric appliances. To analyze this energy-efficiency gap problem, many scholars have estimated implicit discount rates that consumers use for energy-consuming durables. Although both hedonic and choice models have been used in previous studies, a comparison between two models has not yet been done. This study uses point of sale data about Japanese residential air conditioners and estimates implicit discounts rates with both hedonic and choice models. Both models demonstrate that a typical consumer underinvests in energy efficiency. Although choice models estimate a lower implicit discount rate than hedonic models, the latter models estimate the values of other product characteristics more consistently than choice models.

Designing features for supporting social interactions in online communities

This Master's thesis studies the development of interaction and socialization in online communities. A large number of online communities fade away even before they really get started. In many occasions the reason is that the community does not give anything new, or even if they do, the delivery does not satisfy the users. In this thesis guidelines were developed to help to see important things, which might be forgotten when developing an online community. The thesis goes through the characteristic of an online community and human behaviour related to them and also compares behaviour in the Internet and real life. In addition, usability is an important part of the online communities and thus it is also covered in this thesis. As a result of this thesis an 8-step guideline was developed to ease the design of an online community. Guidelines were also applied to two real life cases which are described as one part of this work.

Security, Privacy and Anonymity in Legal Distribution of Copyrighted Multimedia Content over Peer-to-Peer Networks: A Brief Overview

Peer-reviewed

Palveluv��yl��n hy��dynt��minen palvelukeskeisess�� arkkitehtuurissa

Palvelukeskeinen arkkitehtuuri on uusi tapa rakentaa tietoj��rjestelmi��. Se perustuu siihen, ett�� logiikasta koostetaan yleisk��ytt��isi�� palveluita, joita tarjotaan muiden j��rjestelm��n osien k��ytt����n. T��ll��in samoja asioita ei tarvitse toteuttaa moneen kertaan ja j��rjestelm���� voidaan hy��dynt���� tehokkaasti ja monipuolisesti. N��iden palveluiden hallinnassa voidaan hy��dynt���� palveluv��yli��, eli ESB -tuotteita. Palveluv��yl��t sis��lt��v��t erilaisia mekanismeja, joiden avulla palveluihin liittyv���� viestiliikennett�� voidaan reititt����, muokata ja valvoa eri tavoin. Nykyisiss�� palvelukeskeisiss�� toteutuksissa k��ytet����n usein XML -kieleen pohjautuvia Web Service -m����rityksi��. Ne tarjoavat ymp��rist��riippumattoman pohjan, joka t��ytt���� suoraan useita palvelukeskeisen arkkitehtuurin vaatimuksia. M����ritysten ymp��rille on my��s paljon valmiita laajennuksia, joiden avulla palveluihin voidaan liitt���� lis��toiminnallisuutta. Lahden kaupunki l��hti Fenix -projektin yhteydess�� kehitt��m����n uutta kuntien k��ytt����n soveltuvaa j��rjestelm����, joka hy��dynt���� palvelukeskeisen arkkitehtuurin periaatteita. J��rjestelm�� jaettiin selkeisiin kerroksiin siten, ett�� k��ytt��liittym�� erotettiin palvelulogiikoista palveluv��yl��n avulla. T��ll��in j��rjestelm�� saatiin jaettua loogisiin kokonaisuuksiin, joilla on selke�� rooli. Taustapalvelut hoitavat k��sitteiden hallinnan, sek�� niihin liittyv��t liiketoimintas����nn��t. K��ytt��liittym��kerros hoitaa tiedon esitt��misen ja tarjoaa graafisen, selainpohjaisen k��ytt��liittym��n palveluihin. Palveluv��yl�� hoitaa liikenteen reititt��misen, sek�� huolehtii palveluihin liittyvist�� k��ytt��oikeuksista ja tilastoinnista. Lopputuloksena on loputtomiin laajennettavissa oleva j��rjestelm��, jonka p����lle voidaan kehitt���� erilaisia s��hk��isi�� palveluita kunnan ja sen asukkaiden v��lille.

Distinct features of Pepper yellow mosaic virus isolates from tomato and sweetpepper

Determination of virus diversity in the field is vital to support a sustainable breeding program for virus resistance of horticultural crops. The present study aimed to characterize four field potyvirus isolates found naturally infecting sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) (Sa66 and Sa115) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) (IAC3 and Sa21) plants. Their biological characteristics revealed differences among the isolates in their ability to infect distinct Capsicum spp. and tomato genotypes, and in the severity of symptoms caused by these isolates compared to the infection caused by an isolate of Pepper yellow mosaic virus (PepYMV). Absence of cross-reaction was found among the studied isolates with antiserum against Potato virus Y (PVY). However, all isolates reacted, at different intensities, with antiserum against PepYMV. All isolates showed high identity percentage (97 to 99%) of the amino acid sequence of the coat protein with PepYMV (accession AF348610) and low (69 to 80%) with other potyvirus species. The comparison of the 3' untranslated region also confirmed this finding with 97 to 98% identity with PepYMV, and of 47 to 71% with other potyviruses. The results showed that PepYMV isolates were easily differentiated from PVY by serology and that the host response of each isolate could be variable. In addition, the nucleotide sequence of the coat protein and 3' untranslated region was highly conserved among the isolates.

Quantitative analysis of two important epidemiological features of the common bean: Phaeoisariopsis griseola pathosystem

This work quantifies two important epidemiological features of the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)/Phaeoisariopsis griseola pathosystem. The first is the effect of the number of nights of leaf wetness on infection efficiency. Infection efficiency was below 10% when inoculated leaflets were exposed to less than two nights of leaf wetness. Optimum infection efficiencies were obtained after three to four nights of leaf wetness, at about 50%. Further nights of leaf wetness did not increase the infection efficiency. The second feature quantified is the relative rate of leaflet defoliation for varying levels of angular leaf spot severity. It increased with disease severity according to a logarithm-like curve, and a relative rate of 0.23 day-1 was estimated for a severity of 18%. The implications of these results on the disease epidemiology are discussed.