Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Security Risks Of Medical Devices In Wireless Environments, Krishnun Sansurooah

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

The advancement of wireless medical devices technology, that has developed in hospitals and migrated into the home environment, has created unsustainability in in terms of the management of security for such devices. Through this paper, we shall attempt to explain how medical devices have completely changed the way security needs to be approached in the medical field. We shall also explore the history of medical devices and the organizational problems faced for the development of these devices, the different stakeholders strengths and weaknesses, especially if the device is implanted inside the body of a patient. Once the risk is understood …

An Appraisal Of Experiences Of Climate Change And Adaptive Response To Heat Stress By Farmers In Rural Ghana, Kwasi Frimpong

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With the increase in average global temperatures, heat-related illnesses and deaths have unfolded as occupational and health issues. Periods of high to extreme temperatures are becoming more common and are a leading cause of weather-related deaths in many countries. In agricultural settings of African countries, heat stress is a major concern as many smallholder farmers work outdoors with limited access to cooling systems even in their resting and living environments. This study, conducted in the Bawku East part of Northern-East Ghana in 2013, examines, in the context of climate change, the trends and impacts of heat stress on smallholder farmers, …

The Hare And The Hortoise [Sic]: The Potential Versus The Reality Of Etp Implementation, Kyaw Kyaw Htat, Patricia A. H Williams, Vincent Mccauley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In a health system increasingly driven by cost constraints, there is a focus on improved electronic transfer of information to support healthcare delivery. One area of healthcare that has moved more quickly than others to achieve this is prescribing in the primary care environment. Whilst the move to electronic transfer of prescriptions has reduced transcription errors, the regulatory environment persists with handwritten signatures. This constraint, whilst addressed slowly with technology solutions, needs support from legislative change. The ultimate step is to have a secure mobile model, which would support the move to a fully-electronic, paperless transaction model.

Security Of Eprescription: Security Of Data At Rest In Prescription Exchange Services Vs On Mobile Devices, Kyaw Kyaw Htat, Patricia A. H. Williams, Vincent Mccauley

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

One area of healthcare that has moved more quickly than others in adopting electronic transfer of information is prescribing in the primary care environment. Several Acts and Regulations have been repealed and amended at Commonwealth and State levels to enable this progress over the past decade, as medication provision is a strictly controlled area of healthcare. Further, numerous standards and specifications have been developed and adopted to support and safeguard the regulatory changes and facilitate the electronic transfer of prescriptions. However, the current model of electronic prescription transfer comes with a substantial price tag for ongoing use. With the Nation’s …

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities In Medical Devices: A Complex Environment And Multifaceted Problem, Patricia A.H. Williams, Andrew J. Woodward

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The increased connectivity to existing computer networks has exposed medical devices to cybersecurity vulnerabilities from which they were previously shielded. For the prevention of cybersecurity incidents, it is important to recognize the complexity of the operational environment as well as to catalog the technical vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity protection is not just a technical issue; it is a richer and more intricate problem to solve. A review of the factors that contribute to such a potentially insecure environment, together with the identification of the vulnerabilities, is important for understanding why these vulnerabilities persist and what the solution space should look like. This …

Effects Of Ambient Coarse, Fine, And Ultrafine Particles And Their Biological Constituents On Systemic Biomarkers: A Controlled Human Exposure Study, Ling Liu, Bruce Urch, Raymond Poon, Mieczyslaw Szyszkowicz, Mary Speck, Diane R. Gold, Amanda J. Wheeler, James A. Scott, Jeffrey R. Brook, Peter S. Thorne, Frances S. Silverman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Ambient coarse, fine, and ultrafine particles have been associated with mortality and morbidity. Few studies have compared how various particle size fractions affect systemic biomarkers. Objectives: We examined changes of blood and urinary biomarkers following exposures to three particle sizes. Methods: Fifty healthy nonsmoking volunteers, mean age of 28 years, were exposed to coarse (2.5–10 μm; mean, 213 μg/m3) and fine (0.15–2.5 μm; mean, 238 μg/m3) concentrated ambient particles (CAPs), and filtered ambient and/or medical air. Twenty-five participants were exposed to ultrafine CAP (< 0.3 μm; mean, 136 μg/m3) and filtered medical air. Exposures lasted 130 min, separated by ≥ 2 weeks. Blood/urine samples were collected preexposure and 1 hr and 21 hr postexposure to determine blood interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein (inflammation), endothelin-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; vascular mediators), and malondialdehyde (lipid peroxidation); as well as urinary VEGF, 8-hydroxy-deoxy-guanosine (DNA oxidation), and malondialdehyde. Mixed-model regressions assessed pre- and postexposure differences. results: One hour postexposure, for every 100-μg/m3 increase, coarse CAP was associated with increased blood VEGF (2.41 pg/mL; 95% CI: 0.41, 4.40) in models adjusted for O3, fine CAP with increased urinary malondialdehyde in single- (0.31 nmol/mg creatinine; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.60) and two-pollutant models, and ultrafine CAP with increased urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in single- (0.69 ng/mg creatinine; 95% CI: 0.09, 1.29) and two-pollutant models, lasting < 21 hr. Endotoxin was significantly associated with biomarker changes similar to those found with CAPs. conclusions: Ambient particles with various sizes/constituents may influence systemic biomarkers differently. Endotoxin in ambient particles may contribute to vascular mediator changes and oxidative stress.

Investigation Of Interferences And Development Of Pre-Treatment Methods For Arsenic Analysis By Anodic Stripping Voltammetry, Paul Lewtas

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Contamination of drinking water is a serious health issue in many developing countries and there is a recognised need for low cost portable systems that are capable of analysing drinking water down to low ppb levels. Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV) instruments meet these requirements but suffer interferences from other species which may also be present in the sample, particularly organics, other metals and sulfides. The last of these has received surprisingly little attention in the literature, despite being a proven interferent.

This study investigates the impact of each of these interference types, as well as a number of traditional and …