ABSTRACT
Owing to the spread of COVID-19, the digitalization of various services is rapidly being promoted. In particular, online services such as obtaining a digital certificate (e.g., digital signature) from an authority are becoming increasingly important. Therefore, systems that can autonomously generate digital signatures are urgently required. However, the autonomous generation of signatures is difficult because the secret key for signatures must be strictly managed. Moreover, a decentralized autonomous systems should be publicly verifiable. Thus, schemes that preclude strict control of the secret key are desirable. In this study, we propose a new decentralized scheme that autonomously generates a digital signature without a secret key, using blockchain-based smart contracts. The fundamental concept behind our scheme is to eliminate secret keys by leveraging the closed nature of the processing operations of smart contracts within the blockchain;thus, the process of generating signatures and their output values satisfies the condition of immutability. Finally, we perform a security evaluation and feasibility study of our proposed scheme and show that it works securely on the Ethereum blockchain. © 2023 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Building Information Modelling is being adopted worldwide and universities are thus expected to provide the market with new professionals with BIM knowledge and skills. However, introduction of this theme into the curriculum can be challenging to teaching staff. Having successful implementation examples can help carrying on this task. This paper presents the structure, syllabus, adopted tools and activities of an introductory BIM course offered to first-year engineering students. Implemented with only 2 credits, it covers BIM fundamental concepts and develops collaboration skills and abilities with BIM software tools. It was effectively deployed on big classes and successfully offered both in face-to-face and remote modes, adopting a practice focus. An innovative organization for student group projects was adopted, enabling student participation on several projects, performing a different role in each one. Perceived benefits to students' development are reported. The covid-19 pandemics impact is discussed. Future improvements in the course are suggested. Overall results achieved were considered very good. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
Mobile applications for triggering Covid-19 exposure notifications without sacrificing the users' privacy are a promising tool for complementing manual contact tracing that is a resource-demanding and labor-intensive task when the infections grow rapidly. This advanced seminar presents the fundamental concepts behind the realization of large-scale Mobile Contact Tracing Apps (MCTA). We provide an overview of this emerging field, while focusing on Bluetooth-based privacy-preserving solutions. We tackle the topic from multiple perspectives: background, state-of-the-art technologies, protocols, real-life implementations, performance indicators, security and privacy aspects, as well as future directions. The seminar presents the big picture, so that the target audience can further expand their knowledge by studying the material and following the references. Our presentation will be delivered through the lens of 2 country-wide MCTA, namely the Corona-Warn-App (CWA) and the CovTracer-Exposure Notification (CovTracer-EN) app deployed in Germany and Cyprus, respectively. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Building Information Modelling is being adopted worldwide and universities are thus expected to provide the market with new professionals with BIM knowledge and skills. However, introduction of this theme into the curriculum can be challenging to teaching staff. Having successful implementation examples can help carrying on this task. This paper presents the structure, syllabus, adopted tools and activities of an introductory BIM course offered to first-year engineering students. Implemented with only 2 credits, it covers BIM fundamental concepts and develops collaboration skills and abilities with BIM software tools. It was effectively deployed on big classes and successfully offered both in face-to-face and remote modes, adopting a practice focus. An innovative organization for student group projects was adopted, enabling student participation on several projects, performing a different role in each one. Perceived benefits to students’ development are reported. The covid-19 pandemics impact is discussed. Future improvements in the course are suggested. Overall results achieved were considered very good. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
Public health is an important issue that involves a substantial segment of a certain population with diseases, such as Type II diabetes, infectious diseases (e.g. Tuberculosis (TB), COVID-19, etc.), mental health challenges, and motor vehicle accidents. Unlike the healthcare field, public health is further concerned about safeguarding the entire population. The focus of public health is to slash health inequalities. The fundamental concepts are to protect the public from contagious diseases, enhance service facilities, and elevate the population’s health by a healthy lifestyle. Despite the rapid evolution and advancement of medical treatments and technologies, many public health problems vexing technologically advanced nations worldwide. This chapter discusses prominent global health issues and illustrates the effect from the COVID-19 pandemic perspective. The chapter will further focus on significant threats to global public health during the worldwide pandemic. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.