A platform for the development of patient applications in the domain of personalized health

Personalized health (p-health) systems can contribute significantly to the sustainability of healthcare systems, though their feasibility is yet to be proven. One of the problems related to their development is the lack of well-established development tools for this domain. As the p-health paradigm is focused on patient self-management, big challenges arise around the design and implementation of patient systems. This paper presents a reference platform created for the development of these applications, and shows the advantages of its adoption in a complex project dealing with cardio-vascular diseases.     

Methodological design and comparative evaluation of a MAS providing AmI

Researches on Ambient Intelligent and Ubiquitous Computing using wireless technologies have increased in the last years. In this work, we review several scenarios to define a multi-agent architecture that support the information needs of these new technologies, for heterogeneous domain. Our contribution consists of designing in a methodological way a Context Aware System (involving location services) using agents that can be used in very different domains. We describe all the steps followed in the design of the agent system. We apply a hybridizing methodology between GAIA and AUML. Additionally we propose a way to compare different agent architectures for Context Aware System using agent interactions. So, in this paper, we describe the assignment of weight values to agents interaction in two different MAS architectures for Context Aware problems solving different scenarios inspired in FIPA standard negotiation protocols.     

Open Innovation in an Enterprise 3.0 framework: Three case studies

Nowadays, especially after the recent financial downturn, companies are looking for much more efficient and creative business processes. They need to place better solutions in the market in a less time with less cost. There is a general intuition that communication and collaboration, especially mixed with Web 2.0 approach within companies and ecosystems, can boost the innovation process with positive impacts on business indicators. Open Innovation within an Enterprise 2.0 context is a one of the most chosen paradigm for improving the innovation processes of enterprises, based on the collaborative creation and development of ideas and products. The key feature of this new paradigm is that the knowledge is exploited in a collaborative way flowing not only among internal sources, i.e. R&D departments, but also among external ones as other employees, customers, partners, etc. In this paper we show how an ontology-based analysis of plain text can provide a semantic contextualization of content support tasks, such as finding semantic distance between contents, and can help in creating relations between people with shared knowledge and interests. Along this paper we will present the results obtained by the adoption of this technology in a large corporate environment like Bankinter, a financial institution, Telefonica I+D, an international telecommunication firm and Repsol, a major oil company in Spain.     

A case based reasoning model for multilingual language generation in dialogues

The process of Natural Language Generation for a Conversational Agent translates some semantic language to its surface form expressed in natural language. In this paper, we are going to show a Case Based Reasoning technique which is easily extensible and adaptable to multiple domains and languages, that generates coherent phrases and produces a natural outcome in the context of a Conversational Agent that maintains a dialogue with the user.     

Petri net-based engine for adaptive learning

In this paper, an IMS LD engine based on a Petri net model that represents the operational semantics of units of learning based on this specification is presented. The Petri nets of this engine, which is called OPENET4LD, verify the structural properties that are desirable for a learning flow and also facilitate the adaptation of the engine if potential changes in the IMS LD specification were proposed. Furthermore, OPENET4LD has an open and flexible architecture based on a set of ontologies that describe both the semantics of the Petri nets execution and the semantics of each learning flow component of IMS LD. Furthermore, the implementation of this architecture has been exhaustively validated with a number of UoLs that are compliant with the levels A and B of IMS LD.     

Modular proofs for key exchange: rigorous optimizations in the Canetti–Krawczyk model

Various optimizations in the Canetti–Krawczyk model for secure protocol design are proven to preserve security. In particular it is shown that multiple authenticators may be safely used together; that certain message components generated by authenticators may be reordered (to be sent at a different time) or replaced with other values with certain precautions; and that protocols may be defined in the ideal world with session identifiers constructed during protocol runs. Consequently protocol designers now have a set of clear rules to optimize and customize their designs without fear of breaking the security proof. In order to obtain the required proofs, we find it necessary to slightly revise the authenticated links part of the Canetti–Krawczyk model. Research funded by Australian Research Council through Discovery Project DP0345775     

Two‐phase thermo‐mechanical and macrosegregation modelling of binary alloys solidification with emphasis on the secondary cooling stage of steel slab continuous casting processes

As an approach towards a better modelling of solidification problems, we introduce a thermo‐mechanical and macrosegregation model that considers a solidifying alloy as a binary mixture made of a liquid and a solid phase. Macroscopic conservation laws for mass, momentum and solute are obtained by spatial averaging of the respective microscopic conservation equations. Assuming local thermal equilibrium, a single equation for the conservation of the mixture energy is then written. A single equation can be obtained for the solute as well by invoking a proper microsegregation rule. The numerical implementation in a two‐dimensional finite element code is then detailed. Lastly, some examples of simulations of academic tests as well as industrial applications for continuous casting of steel slabs are discussed. They particularly enlighten the ability of the formulation to describe the formation of central macrosegregation during the secondary cooling of slab continuous casting processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Model of Precipitation Kinetics Induced by Strain for Microalloyed Steels

In microalloyed steels, static recrystallisation is temporarily inhibited by precipitation which is occurring at the same time. A high number of microalloyed steels containing various combinations of carbon, nitrogen and precipitate forming elements like V, Nb and Ti were recrystallised at different temperatures and strain rates. From these results recrystallisation‐precipitation–time‐temperature (RPTT) diagrams were established. The influence of grain size and strain rate on the RPTT diagrams was studied. The precipitation kinetics were mathematically described for isothermal conditions and converted to cooling conditions, which enables an application to hot rolling. Under cooling conditions, completion of recrystallisation is prevented, especially for Nb alloyed steels.     

A new methodology to solve non‐linear equation systems using genetic algorithms. Application to combined cyclegas turbine simulation

This paper shows a methodology to sort out the equations of a non‐linear system in order to solve it by the fixed‐point method. The arrangement of the equations is established by a genetic algorithm that deals with a population of possible resolution processes of the system. The method is specially useful in the following situations: first, when the system is very non‐linear and has many variables (where the Newton–Raphson method does not work properly); second, when the number of equations and variables may be altered because the equation system may change in each simulation and, therefore, more than one only solution process is needed if the fixed‐point process is employed. As an example, the methodology has been applied to solve the equation system that models the behaviour of a heat recovery steam generator of a combined cycle power plant at full load and part load conditions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic Simulation of Multi-Body Systems on Internet Using CORBA,Java and XML

In this paper a prototype of a computer program for multi-bodysimulation based on the use of CORBA, Java and XML is presented. Thisprototype makes use of a recursive dynamic formalism which outperformsmany implementations based on global formulations. The prototypepresented has been implemented using distributed Object OrientedProgramming techniques. The definition of the multi-body system is donethrough a data file defined using XML (eXtendible Markup Language). Thisprototype implements a `simulation service' on a network of computers,following a client-server scheme. This `simulation service' can operatein two different ways: offering a remote simulation on the server, orproviding a Java compiled code for local simulation on the client. Thepaper describes the practical implementation of such a service. The useof recursive functions and OOP permits the implementation of ageneral-purpose simulation code, which is compact, clear, clean,re-usable and easy to maintain. Once this Java code is compiled, it isstored in less than 125 Kbytes (including the numerical integrators).The Java programming language is used in order to assure compatibilitybetween different platforms. Finally, practical examples which make useof this approach are shown.