PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

McDonald to investigate privacy ecosystems among vulnerable populations

2023-08-21
(Press-News.org)

Nora McDonald, Assistant Professor, Information Sciences and Technology, is set to receive funding from the National Science Foundation for the project: "Collaborative Research: SaTC: CORE: Medium: Beyond App-centric Privacy: Investigating Privacy Ecosystems among Vulnerable Populations."

Prior research shows that people who have privacy concerns may be reluctant to access medical services. This is especially true for vulnerable populations, such as those who because of their gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or other marginalizations are more susceptible to privacy risk. These risks go beyond individual apps to encompass an interlocking web of dataveillance—everything from credit card purchases to location history to communications metadata.

Using qualitative research that includes in-depth interviews and systematic analysis, McDonald will characterize the understanding of risk experienced by vulnerable individuals in the context of their health care, taking into account the broad privacy ecosystem.

She will interview vulnerable individuals about their privacy behaviors in the health care context as well as interview health care providers about their vulnerable patients' privacy concerns, how this impacts the medical guidance and care that providers provide, how the providers (attempt to) assuage these concerns, and other related questions. 

Using participatory design, she will develop and evaluate a toolkit that can help health care providers support their vulnerable clients' privacy. 

In addition to providing a freely available privacy toolkit designed for those who provide support and guidance to vulnerable individuals to help mitigate privacy harms, this research will contribute much needed understanding about the broader landscape of privacy risk and management for vulnerable individuals. Ultimately, it aims to provide a new frame for privacy and security researchers in the study of privacy protection for vulnerable communities.

McDonald will receive $393,256 from NSF for this project. Funding will begin in Oct. 2023 and will end in late Sept. 2026. 

###

About George Mason University

George Mason University is Virginia's largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 38,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Acosta & Burls using weather model & geologic data to test tectonic mechanisms in intercontinental setting

2023-08-21
Paul Acosta, Postdoctoral Scholar, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences (AOES), and Natalie Burls, Associate Professor, AOES; Graduate Program Director, Climate Dynamics, received funding from the National Science Foundation for the project: "Collaborative Research: Using a weather model and geologic data to test tectonic mechanisms in an intercontinental setting: The Altai Mountains of Central Asia."  This project seeks to apply new advances in atmospheric and geosciences to ...

Ye receives National Science Foundation CAREER Award

2023-08-21
Jinwei Ye, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, received funding for the project: "CAREER: Towards Polarimetric Visual Understanding."  In this project, Ye will study how the way surfaces reflect polarized light can be used to help recognize objects more effectively.   Ye will address the following two questions: (1) How does the polarization of light change after interacting with various types of surfaces? (2) What can polarized light tell us about the kinds of objects that it has interacted with?   Addressing these questions can lead to significant improvements in machine vision systems by strengthening their capability to do geometric ...

Intermittent fasting improves Alzheimer’s pathology

Intermittent fasting improves Alzheimer’s pathology
2023-08-21
One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is disruption to the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock that regulates many of our physiological processes. Nearly 80% of people with Alzheimer’s experience these issues, including difficulty sleeping and worsening cognitive function at night. However, there are no existing treatments for Alzheimer’s that target this aspect of the disease. A new study from researchers at University of California San Diego School ...

New “bandit” algorithm uses light for better bets

New “bandit” algorithm uses light for better bets
2023-08-21
How does a gambler maximize winnings from a row of slot machines? This is the inspiration for the "multi-armed bandit problem," a common task in reinforcement learning in which "agents" make choices to earn rewards. Recently, an international research team led by Hiroaki Shinkawa at the University of Tokyo developed an extended photonic reinforcement learning scheme that moves from the static bandit problem towards a more challenging dynamic environment. This study was published July 25 in Intelligent Computing, a Science Partner Journal. The success of ...

For men with erectile dysfunction, penile implants are usually covered by insurance – but not always

2023-08-21
August 21, 2022 – Implantable penile prostheses (IPPs) are an established treatment option for erectile dysfunction (ED), and are covered by insurance in about 80% of cases, reports a paper in the September issue of Urology Practice®, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. However, some employer-sponsored insurance plans specifically exclude this guideline-recommended treatment option for ED, according to the new research by Dr. Mohit Khera, MD, MBA, MPH, of Baylor College ...

Adversities permanently change our brains

2023-08-21
Neuroscientists at Radboudumc show that adversities permanently change the functioning of the brain. Furthermore, an aberrant reaction of the brain to adversities is related to anxiety symptoms. This may have predictive value for the development of psychiatric disorders. Your brain is shaped by the things you experience. That sounds logical, but can you really measure that? And what can you do with it? Neuroscientists at Radboud university medical center investigated the influence of adversities in life on patterns in the brain. They found remarkable associations that may have predictive value for the development of psychiatric disorders. Special ...

MSU hires Judd Herzer for new mobility director role

2023-08-21
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University today named Judd Herzer as the director of MSU Mobility to help amplify and focus the university’s vast research activities in the smart-vehicle landscape. Satish Udpa, University Distinguished Professor in the College of Engineering at MSU and co-founder of MSU Mobility, has been fulfilling the duties of this newly created role in an interim capacity while the university looked for the ideal candidate. Mobility is among MSU’s principal areas of research and innovation, and MSU Mobility and its ...

Antil receives funding for workshop on digital twins

2023-08-21
Harbir Antil, Director, Center for Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, and Professor, Mathematical Sciences, received funding for: "Mathematics for Digital Twins (MATH-DT)." This award will provide support for a workshop titled "Mathematical Opportunities in Digital Twins" to be held on Dec. 11-13, 2023, at George Mason University's campus in Arlington, VA.  The workshop will bring together key experts working in many aspects of mathematics, key application fields, and industry with the goal of determining ...

Understanding mechanisms of alcohol-associated bowel disease

Understanding mechanisms of alcohol-associated bowel disease
2023-08-21
Alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor for gastrointestinal diseases, including cancer. Alcohol can damage the gastrointestinal tract in several ways. It can promote an impairment of several intestinal barrier functions, leading to leaky gut and dysbiosis. Ethanol metabolism can also produce toxic substances such as acetaldehyde and acetate, further damaging the gut and potentially promoting cancer.  Ethanol and its metabolites enhance DNA damage response and dysregulate the epithelial proliferation/differentiation program, thereby increasing the risk of cancer development. In a new paper published in eGastroenterology, ...

SARS-CoV-2: The grasping fingers of the viral N protein

SARS-CoV-2: The grasping fingers of the viral N protein
2023-08-21
#FRANKFURT. Immediately after the infection of a cell in the throat or lungs, the SARS-CoV-2 virus works very hard to replicate, using the human cell’s metabolic pathways to produce its proteins and make sure that its genetic material (the RNA genome) is copied. The RNA genome is then packaged very compactly into new virus particles that are released from the cell to infect more cells. One viral protein, called the nucleocapsid protein (N), is particularly important for rapid and efficient replication. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Research alert: Bacterial chatter slows wound healing

American Society of Anesthesiologists names Patrick Giam, M.D., FASA, new president

High-entropy alloy nanozyme ROS biocatalyst treating tendinopathy via up-regulation of PGAM5/FUNDC1/GPX4 pathway

SwRI’s Dr. Pablo Bueno named AIAA Associate Fellow

Astronomers detect radio signals from a black hole tearing apart a star – outside a galactic center

Locking carbon in trees and soils could help ‘stabilize climate for centuries’ – but only if combined with underground storage

New research shows a tiny, regenerative worm could change our understanding of healing

Australia’s rainforests first to switch from carbon sink to source

First-trimester mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and risk of major congenital anomalies

Glucose-lowering medication classes and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes

Rising seas and sinking cities signal a coastal crisis in China

Discovery of hundreds of new human gut viruses provides a new approach to studying the gut microbiome

Study indicates dramatic increase in percentage of US adults who meet new definition of obesity

Astrocytes are superstars in the game of long-term memory

WSU study finds positive framing can steer shoppers toward premium products

Study finds ending universal free school meals linked to rising student meal debt and stigma

Innovations in organoid engineering: Construction methods, model development, and clinical translation

Rescheduling coca: Aligning global drug policy with science, tradition, and indigenous rights

BIOFAIR roadmap for an integrated biological and environmental data network

SwRI, 8 Rivers patent more cost-effective, efficient power generation system with liquid oxygen storage

A sacred leaf on trial: Scientists urge WHO to support decriminalizing coca

World’s largest superconducting fusion system will use American technology to measure the plasma within

Mount Sinai receives $4.5 million NIH award to launch a pioneering women’s environmental health research training program

Strong grip strength may protect against obesity-related complications

How to double lung cancer screening rates

Researchers ‘zoom’ in for an ultra-magnified peek at shark skin

AI system finds crucial clues for diagnoses in electronic health records

Gut microbiota disruption predicts severe steatosis in MASLD patients

WSU project reduces hospitalizations among home health-care patients

Rain in the Sahara? UIC researchers predict a wetter future for the desert

[Press-News.org] McDonald to investigate privacy ecosystems among vulnerable populations