User-Adapted Web Services by Extending the eIDAS Specification with Functional Attributes

To provide web services adapted to the users’ functional capabilities, diversity must be considered from the conceptualization and design phases of the services’ development. In previous work, we proposed a model that allows the provisioning of adapted interfaces based on users’ identity and their functional attributes to facilitate this task for software designers and developers. However, these identities and attributes are self-declared by the users, which may impact reliability and usability. In this work, we propose an extension of our model to resolve these deficiencies by delegating the identity and attributes’ provision to external certified entities. The European electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services (eIDAS) regulation established a solution to ensure the cross-border mutual recognition of Electronic Identification (eID) mechanisms among the European Member States. This research aims to provide an extension of this regulation mentioned above (eIDAS) to support functional attributes and connect our previously proposed model to this extended eIDAS network. Thanks to this proposal, web services can guarantee adapted and personalized interfaces while improving the functionalities offered without any previous configuration by users and, in a reliable way, since the functional attributes belong to the users’ official eID. As the attribute set provided by eIDAS nodes only contains citizens’ personal and legal ones, we also propose a mechanism to connect the eIDAS network to external attribute providers that could extend the eIDAS profile of users with their functional attributes. We deployed a pilot to validate the proposed model consisting of an identity provider, an eIDAS node supporting the extended reference code, and an attribute provider supporting functional attributes. We also designed and implemented a simple service that supports eID authentication and serves adapted interfaces based on the retrieved extended eIDAS profile. Finally, we developed an experience for getting feedback from a set of real users with different functional capabilities. According to the results, we concluded that the generalized adoption of the proposed solution in the European digital web services will significantly improve their accessibility in terms of ease of use and adaptability to users’ capacities.

Evaluation of an IoT Application-Scoped Access Control Model over a Publish/Subscribe Architecture Based on FIWARE

The Internet of Things (IoT) brings plenty of opportunities to enhance society’s activities, from improving a factory’s production chain to facilitating people’s household tasks. However, it has also brought new security breaches, compromising privacy and authenticity. IoT devices are vulnerable to being accessed from the Internet; they lack sufficient resources to face cyber-attack threats. Keeping a balance between access control and the devices’ resource consumption has become one of the highest priorities of IoT research. In this paper, we evaluate an access control architecture based on the IAACaaS (IoT application-Scoped Access Control as a Service) model with the aim of protecting IoT devices that communicate using the Publish/Subscribe pattern. IAACaaS is based on the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework, which externalizes the identity and access control infrastructure of applications. In our evaluation, we implement the model using FIWARE Generic Enablers and deploy them for a smart buildings use case with a wireless communication. Then, we compare the performance of two different approaches in the data-sharing between sensors and the Publish/Subscribe broker, using Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocols. We conclude that the integration of Publish/Subscribe IoT deployments with IAACaaS adds an extra layer of security and access control without compromising the system’s performance.

Industrial Data Space Architecture Implementation Using FIWARE

We are in front of a new digital revolution that will transform the way we understand and use services and infrastructures. One of the key factors of this revolution is related to the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT). Connected sensors will be installed in cities and homes affecting the daily life of people and providing them new ways of performing their daily activities. However, this revolution will also affect business and industry bringing the IoT to the production processes in what is called Industry 4.0. Sensor-enabled manufacturing equipment will allow real time communication, smart diagnosis and autonomous decision making. In this scope, the Industrial Data Spaces (IDS) Association has created a Reference Architecture model that aims to provide a common frame for designing and deploying Industry IoT infrastructures. In this paper, we present an implementation of such Reference Architecture based on FIWARE open source software components (Generic Enablers). We validate the proposed architecture by deploying and testing it in a real industry use case that tries to improve the maintenance and operation of milling machines. We conclude that the FIWARE-based IDS implementation fits the requirements of the IDS Reference Architecture providing open source software suitable to any Industry 4.0 environment.

Evaluation and selection of indicators for land degradation and desertification monitoring: types of degradation, causes, and implications for management

Indicator-based approaches are often used to monitor land degradation and desertification from the global to the very local scale. However, there is still little agreement on which indicators may best reflect both status and trends of these phenomena. In this study, various processes of land degradation and desertification have been analyzed in 17 study sites around the world using a wide set of biophysical and socioeconomic indicators. The database described earlier in this issue by Kosmas and others (Environ Manage, 2013) for defining desertification risk was further analyzed to define the most important indicators related to the following degradation processes: water erosion in various land uses, tillage erosion, soil salinization, water stress, forest fires, and overgrazing. A correlation analysis was applied to the selected indicators in order to identify the most important variables contributing to each land degradation process. The analysis indicates that the most important indicators are: (i) rain seasonality affecting water erosion, water stress, and forest fires, (ii) slope gradient affecting water erosion, tillage erosion and water stress, and (iii) water scarcity soil salinization, water stress, and forest fires. Implementation of existing regulations or policies concerned with resources development and environmental sustainability was identified as the most important indicator of land protection.

Evaluation and selection of indicators for land degradation and desertification monitoring: methodological approach

An approach to derive relationships for defining land degradation and desertification risk and developing appropriate tools for assessing the effectiveness of the various land management practices using indicators is presented in the present paper. In order to investigate which indicators are most effective in assessing the level of desertification risk, a total of 70 candidate indicators was selected providing information for the biophysical environment, socio-economic conditions, and land management characteristics. The indicators were defined in 1,672 field sites located in 17 study areas in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Based on an existing geo-referenced database, classes were designated for each indicator and a sensitivity score to desertification was assigned to each class based on existing research. The obtained data were analyzed for the various processes of land degradation at farm level. The derived methodology was assessed using independent indicators, such as the measured soil erosion rate, and the organic matter content of the soil. Based on regression analyses, the collected indicator set can be reduced to a number of effective indicators ranging from 8 to 17 in the various processes of land degradation. Among the most important indicators identified as affecting land degradation and desertification risk were rain seasonality, slope gradient, plant cover, rate of land abandonment, land-use intensity, and the level of policy implementation.

[Axillary recurrences after sentinel lymph node biopsy in initial breast cancer]

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our study was to analyze the application of the Selective Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) in early Breast Cancer of our population, through the analysis of axillary recurrences in patients with false negative sentinel node procedures without complete axillary lymphadenectomy, after a subsequent clinical follow-up.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 218 early Breast Cancer patients who underwent SLNB after being diagnosed of early breast cancer (T1-2N0) with complete axillary dissection only when the SLNB was positive in the histopathological analysis. In every case, a 2-day protocol was used to localize the sentinel node after injection of (⁹⁹m)Tc-Nanocolloid.

RESULTS

The mean subsequent clinical follow-up was 27 months. A total of 413 sentinel nodes were removed with a median of 1.89/p (range 1-5). Infiltration was detected in 33.9% of patients (59.45% macrometastasis, 22.97% micrometastasis and 17.5% Isolated Tumor Cells (ITC)) and negative for the other nodes excised after conventional lymphadenectomy in 60% of cases. In our population, there was only one case of false negative (FN) SLN due to massive lymphatic blockage, and an abnormal lymph node without uptake adjacent to the SLN was identified intraoperatively. No case of axillary recurrence was detected during an average follow-up of 27 months.

CONCLUSION

The absence of axillary recurrences in our population with negative SLNB without complete axillary dissection demonstrates the appropriate local control offered by this procedure in early Breast Cancer.

Successful related umbilical cord blood transplantation for graft failure following T cell-depleted non-identical bone marrow transplantation in a child with major histocompatibility complex class II deficiency

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II deficiency is a rare form of primary combined immunodeficiency that can only be corrected by stem cell transplantation. We report a 4(1/2)-year-old girl with MHC class II deficiency who underwent a related CBT due to graft failure following T cell-depleted non-identical BMT. The patient is alive and well 2 years after the second transplant. A sustained hematopoietic engraftment and a progressive immune recovery have been detected. We conclude that cord blood may be an effective source of hematopoietic stem cells for patients with immuno- deficiency disorders including diseases with a high rate of graft failure.

Host Specificity of Phytophthora infestans on Tomato and Potato in Ecuador

ABSTRACT Sixty Ecuadorian isolates of Phytophthora infestans from potato and 60 isolates from tomato were compared for dilocus allozyme genotype, mitochondrial DNA haplotype, mating type, and specific virulence on 11 potato R-gene differential plants and four tomato cultivars, two of which contained different Ph genes. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) fingerprints of subsamples of isolates from each host were compared by using RG57 as the probe. All potato isolates had the allozyme genotype, haplotype, and mating type of the clonal lineage EC-1, which had been previously described in Ecuador. With the same markers, only one isolate from tomato was classified as EC-1; all others belonged to the globally distributed US-1 clonal lineage. RFLP fingerprints of isolate subsets corroborated this clonal lineage classification. Specific virulence on potato differentials was broadest among potato isolates, while specific virulence on tomato cultivars was broadest among tomato isolates. Some tomato isolates infected all tomato differentials but no potato differentials, indicating that specific virulence for the two hosts is probably controlled by different avirulence genes in P. infestans. In two separate experiments, the diameters of lesions caused by nine isolates from potato and 10 from tomato were compared on three tomato and three potato cultivars. All isolates produced larger lesions on the host from which they were isolated. No isolates were found that were highly aggressive on both tomato and potato. We conclude that there are two different populations of P. infestans in Ecuador and that they are separated by host.

[A cohort study of patients with chronic pathology who frequently consult: the results of corrective health measures]

The results from a cohort of frequent consulters with chronic diseases that were followed up for 20 years were evaluated according to morbidity and use of health services; these indicators were compared in two subgroups, not randomly selected, defined on whether any type of health intervention was carried out or not. Although the intervention group consulted more times, this difference disappeared when the comparison was stratified for the number of chronic diseases; in addition, there were no differences in the mean number of prescriptions between both groups. It is concluded that the effects of social factors should receive a greater attention; effort should be focused in approaches not exclusively based on health care, as these only partially explain the morbidity and use of health services by frequent consulters.