Design of computer‐based information systems for the Greek local government

A new centrally‐planned approach for the development of computer‐based information systems required by the Greek government is proposed. The overall structure and the technical characteristics of the new Greek local government information system at national level is outlined. A methodology is also proposed for the identification of the hardware and software needs of the individual local authorities and for the development of the necessary software.     

Self-Management for Access Points Coverage Optimization and Mobility Agents Configuration in Future Access Networks

A key challenge for the management systems of future networks is the reduction of human interventions in the fundamental management functions. These include mechanisms that render the networks capable to configure, optimize, heal and protect itself, but also handle the emerging complexity. Demands for the future internet networks mandate the rapid assessment of the feasibility of such cognitive management architectures that shall bridge the gap between conceptual design and practical network deployments. In this paper, a novel architecture is introduced, based on organized distribution of control feedback cycles at locations allocated across network’s operational elements. Two realisations of self-management in the operations of wired and wireless access network segments are presented. The first one is focused on organization of the wireless access regions in networks by the use of compartments of access points for enabling coverage optimization. A compartment-based approach facilitates the more efficient usage of network resources, exploiting local situation awareness and local optimisation features, according to the varying traffic needs. The second realization shows the control of mobility management processes in wired parts of access networks for balancing utilization of network resources. A dynamic deployment and re-configuration of mobility agents permit to tackle the problem of congestion induced by mobility agents in mobile protocols and combined with a dynamic access router assignment, network resources are efficiently balanced within the network. The paper concludes with findings and recommendations on how common principles of self-management evolve from design theory to practice.     

Confirming Connectivity in Interworked Broadcast and Mobile Networks

Industry reactions to major shifts such as mobile broadcast convergence are typically a mixture of opportunities and threats. Both the mobile and the broadcast industries acknowledge the role that convergence will play in their commercial futures, but both would prefer to achieve convergence "on their own patch." For this reason, the most appealing solution to fulfil the contrasting requirements from the different players is represented by interworking between these networks rather than integration. This approach avoids integration, thereby minimizing the changes required in each network and ensuring each network remains an autonomous, independently managed entity. The Internet protocol (IP) is chosen as the "glue" between these heterogeneous networks, providing the generic interworking platform. The main reason behind this choice is that IP was designed as an "interworking protocol" to connect multiple, physically-different networks in such a way as to remain independent of the underlying transport mechanisms used. This article concentrates on the confirm connectivity architecture definition of the interworking model between WLAN, 3G, and DVB. Broadcast networks are uni-directional in nature. When a user wants to receive a service over a broadcast network, there is no way to know whether the broadcast interface of the terminal is configured correctly. In this article we describe a method to automatically configure and test, without user intervention, that the DVB interface of the terminal can receive datagrams from the broadcast network. Furthermore, an optimization method to reduce the total number of confirm connectivity messages (CCMs) sent by the multimode terminals is introduced with simulation results to validate and prove its effectiveness     

A methodology for reliability analysis in health networks

A reliability model for a health care domain based on requirement analysis at the early stage of design of regional health network (RHN) is introduced. RHNs are considered as systems supporting the services provided by health units, hospitals, and the regional authority. Reliability assessment in health care domain constitutes a field-of-quality assessment for RHN. A novel approach for predicting system reliability in the early stage of designing RHN systems is presented in this paper. The uppermost scope is to identify the critical processes of an RHN system prior to its implementation. In the methodology, Unified Modeling Language activity diagrams are used to identify megaprocesses at regional level and the customer behavior model graph (CBMG) to describe the states transitions of the processes. CBMG is annotated with: 1) the reliability of each component state and 2) the transition probabilities between states within the scope of the life cycle of the process. A stochastic reliability model (Markov model) is applied to predict the reliability of the business process as well as to identify the critical states and compare them with other processes to reveal the most critical ones. The ultimate benefit of the applied methodology is the design of more reliable components in an RHN system. The innovation of the approach of reliability modeling lies with the analysis of severity classes of failures and the application of stochastic modeling using discrete-time Markov chain in RHNs.     

KnowBaSICS-M: an ontology-based system for semantic management of medical problems and computerised algorithmic solutions

In this paper, an ontology-based system (KnowBaSICS-M) is presented for the semantic management of Medical Computational Problems (MCPs), i.e., medical problems and computerised algorithmic solutions. The system provides an open environment, which: (1) allows clinicians and researchers to retrieve potential algorithmic solutions pertinent to a medical problem and (2) enables incorporation of new MCPs into its underlying Knowledge Base (KB). KnowBaSICS-M is a modular system for MCP acquisition and discovery that relies on an innovative ontology-based model incorporating concepts from the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS). Information retrieval (IR) is based on an ontology-based Vector Space Model (VSM) that estimates the similarity among user-defined MCP search criteria and registered MCP solutions in the KB. The results of a preliminary evaluation and specific examples of use are presented to illustrate the benefits of the system. KnowBaSICS-M constitutes an approach towards the construction of an integrated and manageable MCP repository for the biomedical research community.     

Molecular cloning, expression and tissue distribution of glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-3 (GFRalpha-3)

A grounded theory of Salvaging Quality of Life provided the conceptual framework for the development of the Living with HIV scale which was validated in this study. The HIV + convenience sample (n = 187) was 66% male, with a mean age of 40.6 years, 69% African-American, and with an average CD4 count of 229 mm3. A principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation was conducted on the final 32-item scale and nine factors with Eigenvalues > 1 explained 60% of the variance. A second order factor analysis of these nine factors resulted in a two factor solution (HIV Struggles and HIV Reverence) which explained 49.4% of the variance. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient for the total scale was 0.84. Differences between gender, ethnicity, education and presence of an AIDS diagnosis, and quality of life, were explored. Females had higher total scores which suggested they had a more positive quality of life than males. The Living with HIV scale can be used as a method of obtaining input from patients for care planning and for evaluating the effectiveness of nursing care intervention using quality of life as an outcome of care.     

A tutorial on secure database systems

Database security plays an important role in the overall security of information systems and networks. This is both because of the nature of this technology and its widespread use today. The development of appropriate secure database design and implementation methodologies is therefore an important research problem and a necessary prerequisite for the successful development of such systems. The general framework and requirements for database security are given and a number of parameters of the secure database design and implementation problem are presented and discussed in this paper. A secure database system development methodology is then presented which could help overcome some of the problems currently encountered.     

Adaptive Coding and Modulation‐enabled satellite triple play over DVB‐S2 (Digital Video Broadcasting ‐ Satellite ‐ Second Generation): a techno‐economic study

This article looks at the techno‐economic perspectives of the use of DVB‐S2 (Digital Video Broadcasting ‐ Satellite ‐ Second Generation) and its unique feature, Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) in the provision of satellite triple play. For this study, current market economic data were used, in conjunction with technical results derived within the European Union‐funded IST IMOSAN project. IMOSAN (Integrated Multi‐Layer Optimisation in DVB‐S2 Satellite Networks) succeeded in realising the provision of satellite triple play over an interactive DVB‐S2/DVB‐RCS (Return Channel via Satellite) platform. The ACM feature of DVB‐S2 was exploited, yielding increased spectrum efficiency and thus decreasing service cost. One‐user‐per‐terminal scenarios are examined, as well as terrestrial redistribution of satellite services to a group of users via WiMAX. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.