Search Results (5)

Smart farming, as a branch of the Internet of Things (IoT), combines the recognition of agricultural economic competencies and the progress of data and information collected from connected devices with statistical analysis to characterize the essentials of the assimilated information, allowing farmers to make intelligent conclusions that will maximize the harvest benefit. However, the integration of advanced technologies requires the adoption of high-tech security approaches. In this paper, we present a framework that promises to enhance the security and privacy of smart farms by leveraging the decentralized nature of blockchain technology. The framework stores and manages data acquired from IoT devices installed in smart farms using a distributed ledger architecture, which provides secure and tamper-proof data storage and ensures the integrity and validity of the data. The study uses the AWS cloud, ESP32, the smart farm security monitoring framework, and the Ethereum Rinkeby smart contract mechanism, which enables the automated execution of pre-defined rules and regulations. As a result of a proof-of-concept implementation, the system can detect and respond to security threats in real time, and the results illustrate its usefulness in improving the security of smart farms. The number of accepted blockchain transactions on smart farming requests fell from 189,000 to 109,450 after carrying out the first three tests while the next three testing phases showed a rise in the number of blockchain transactions accepted on smart farming requests from 176,000 to 290,786. We further observed that the lesser the time taken to induce the device alarm, the higher the number of blockchain transactions accepted on smart farming requests, which demonstrates the efficacy of blockchain-based poisoning attack mitigation in smart farming. Full article

Synbiotic 2000, a pre + probiotic, reduced comorbid autistic traits and emotion dysregulation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients. Immune activity and bacteria-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are microbiota–gut–brain axis mediators. The aim was to investigate Synbiotic 2000 effects on plasma levels of immune activity markers and SCFAs in children and adults with ADHD. ADHD patients (n = 182) completed the 9-week intervention with Synbiotic 2000 or placebo and 156 provided blood samples. Healthy adult controls (n = 57) provided baseline samples. At baseline, adults with ADHD had higher pro-inflammatory sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 and lower SCFA levels than controls. Children with ADHD had higher baseline sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, IL-12/IL-23p40, IL-2Rα, and lower formic, acetic, and propionic acid levels than adults with ADHD. sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, and propionic acid levels were more abnormal in children on medication. Synbiotic 2000, compared to placebo, reduced IL-12/IL-23p40 and sICAM-1 and increased propionic acid levels in children on medication. SCFAs correlated negatively with sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1. Preliminary human aortic smooth-muscle-cell experiments indicated that SCFAs protected against IL-1β-induced ICAM-1 expression. These findings suggest that treatment with Synbiotic 2000 reduces IL12/IL-23p40 and sICAM-1 and increases propionic acid levels in children with ADHD. Propionic acid, together with formic and acetic acid, may contribute to the lowering of the higher-than-normal sICAM-1 levels. Full article

The Internet of Things (IoT) has rapidly progressed in recent years and immensely influenced many industries in how they operate. Consequently, IoT technology has improved productivity in many sectors, and smart farming has also hugely benefited from the IoT. Smart farming enables precision agriculture, high crop yield, and the efficient utilization of natural resources to sustain for a longer time. Smart farming includes sensing capabilities, communication technologies to transmit the collected data from the sensors, and data analytics to extract meaningful information from the collected data. These modules will enable farmers to make intelligent decisions and gain profits. However, incorporating new technologies includes inheriting security and privacy consequences if they are not implemented in a secure manner, and smart farming is not an exception. Therefore, security monitoring is an essential component to be implemented for smart farming. In this paper, we propose a cloud-enabled smart-farm security monitoring framework to monitor device status and sensor anomalies effectively and mitigate security attacks using behavioral patterns. Additionally, a blockchain-based smart-contract application was implemented to securely store security-anomaly information and proactively mitigate similar attacks targeting other farms in the community. We implemented the security-monitoring-framework prototype for smart farms using Arduino Sensor Kit, ESP32, AWS cloud, and the smart contract on the Ethereum Rinkeby Test Network and evaluated network latency to monitor and respond to security events. The performance evaluation of the proposed framework showed that our solution could detect security anomalies within real-time processing time and update the other farm nodes to be aware of the situation. Full article

Every consumer’s buying decision at the supermarket influences food brands to make first party claims of sustainability and socially responsible farming methods on their agro-product labels. Fine wines are often subject to counterfeit along the supply chain to the consumer. This paper presents a method for efficient unrestricted publicity to third party certification (TPC) of plant agricultural products, starting at harvest, using smart contracts and blockchain tokens. The method is capable of providing economic incentives to the actors along the supply chain. A proof-of-concept using a modified Ethereum IGR token set of smart contracts using the ERC-1155 standard NFTs was deployed on the Rinkeby test net and evaluated. The main findings include (a) allowing immediate access to TPC by the public for any desired authority by using token smart contracts. (b) Food safety can be enhanced through TPC visible to consumers through mobile application and blockchain technology, thus reducing counterfeiting and green washing. (c) The framework is structured and maintained because participants obtain economic incentives thus leveraging it´s practical usage. In summary, this implementation of TPC broadcasting through tokens can improve transparency and sustainable conscientious consumer behaviour, thus enabling a more trustworthy supply chain transparency. Full article

Background: Vaccination hesitancy and skepticism among parents hinders progress in achieving full vaccination coverage. Swedish measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine coverage is high however some areas with low vaccination coverage risk outbreaks. This study aimed to explore factors influencing the decision of Somali parents living in the Rinkeby and Tensta districts of Stockholm, Sweden, on whether or not to vaccinate their children with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Method: Participants were 13 mothers of at least one child aged 18 months to 5 years, who were recruited using snowball sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted in Somali and Swedish languages and the data generated was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Both written and verbal informed consent were obtained from participants. Results: Seven of the mothers had not vaccinated their youngest child at the time of the study and decided to postpone the vaccination until their child became older (delayers). The other six mothers had vaccinated their child for MMR at the appointed time (timely vaccinators). The analysis of the data revealed two main themes: (1) barriers to vaccinate on time, included issues surrounding fear of the child not speaking and unpleasant encounters with nurses and (2) facilitating factors to vaccinate on time, included heeding vaccinating parents’ advice, trust in nurses and trust in God. The mothers who had vaccinated their children had a positive impact in influencing other mothers to also vaccinate. Conclusions: Fear, based on the perceived risk that vaccination will lead to autism, among Somali mothers in Tensta and Rinkeby is evident and influenced by the opinions of friends and relatives. Child Healthcare Center nurses are important in the decision-making process regarding acceptance of MMR vaccination. There is a need to address mothers’ concerns regarding vaccine safety while improving the approach of nurses as they address these concerns. Full article