INSPIRE Network Services SOAP Framework

The goal of this document is to provide a definition and rationale for a proposed INSPIRE SOAP framework (SOAP nodes policy, RPC, attachments, WS-I, WSDL) and description of issues and solutions for the specific geospatial domain, for example GML handling in SOAP messages or interfaces definition of the OGC specifications.JRC.H.6-Spatial data infrastructure

Enhanced SOAP Performance for low bandwidth environments

It is desirable that SOAP performs efficiently in environments where there are a large number of transactions. However, SOAP is based on XML and therefore inherits XML's disadvantage of having voluminous messages. Firstly, the performance of different SOAP bindings is investigated. A benchmark of different SOAP bindings in wireless environments demonstrates the unsuitability of HTTP and TCP bindings in limited bandwidth environments. UDP is recommended as an alternative transport protocol for SOAP. Secondly, the thesis examines the use of multicast in reducing the traffic caused by SOAP messages in low bandwidth environments to deal with challenges described. A novel SOAP-level multicast protocol based on the similarity of SOAP messages, called SMP (Similarity-based SOAP Multicast Protocol), is proposed. In particular, issues of traffic, network optimization, response time and scalability are investigated. Lastly, two extensions of SMP are proposed to further improve the performance of SMP. SMP's extensions are two algorithms, greedy and incremental tc-SMP, for traffic-constrained similarity-based SOAP multicast. Tc-SMP optimizes network traffic by building its own spanning trees instead of using the one built by traditional methods, such as Dijkstra's algorithm. A new client is added to a tc-SMP tree through an existing tc-SMP node that causes minimal additional traffic for that connection. Detailed analytical models and experimental evaluations of the proposed methods demonstrate that combining SOAP messages of similar content and multicasting them as aggregated messages can significantly lower total network traffic. These improvements are advantageous for Web service applications that involve a high number of simultaneous similar transactions such as stock quotes, weather and sport event reports

XML Messaging for Mobile Devices

In recent years, XML has been widely adopted as a universal format for structured data. A variety of XML-based systems have emerged, most prominently SOAP for Web services, XMPP for instant messaging, and RSS and Atom for content syndication. This popularity is helped by the excellent support for XML processing in many programming languages and by the variety of XML-based technologies for more complex needs of applications. Concurrently with this rise of XML, there has also been a qualitative expansion of the Internet's scope. Namely, mobile devices are becoming capable enough to be full-fledged members of various distributed systems. Such devices are battery-powered, their network connections are based on wireless technologies, and their processing capabilities are typically much lower than those of stationary computers. This dissertation presents work performed to try to reconcile these two developments. XML as a highly redundant text-based format is not obviously suitable for mobile devices that need to avoid extraneous processing and communication. Furthermore, the protocols and systems commonly used in XML messaging are often designed for fixed networks and may make assumptions that do not hold in wireless environments. This work identifies four areas of improvement in XML messaging systems: the programming interfaces to the system itself and to XML processing, the serialization format used for the messages, and the protocol used to transmit the messages. We show a complete system that improves the overall performance of XML messaging through consideration of these areas. The work is centered on actually implementing the proposals in a form usable on real mobile devices. The experimentation is performed on actual devices and real networks using the messaging system implemented as a part of this work. The experimentation is extensive and, due to using several different devices, also provides a glimpse of what the performance of these systems may look like in the future.Matkapuhelimien ja muiden mobiililaitteiden määrä on kasvanut erittäin nopeasti viime vuosina. Laitteiden pieni koko, niiden tarjoamat ohjelmointimahdollisuudet ja langattomat verkkoyhteydet mahdollistavat Internet- ja muiden verkkosovellusten käytön kaikkialla. Akusta johtuva rajallinen käyttöaika, heikko suoritusteho ja verkkokäytön vaatima virta ja aika toimivat kuitenkin selkeinä rajoitteina mobiililaitteiden mahdollisuuksille, ja jotta mobiilimaailma ei joutuisi kokonaan tulevaisuuden Internetin ulkopuolelle, järjestelmien ja sovellusten suunnittelussa on otettava sen erityispiirteet huomioon. Tulevaisuuden verkkosovelluksissa suoran päätelaitteiden välisen viestinnän odotetaan olevan keskeinen osa sovelluksen toimintaa. Nyky-Internetissä tällaisessa viestinnässä käytetään yhä useammin XML-kieltä, joka laajennettavuutensa ja helppokäyttöisyytensä ansiosta vähentää sovelluskehittäjän taakkaa. XML-kielen ongelmina ovat kuitenkin sen vaatimat suuret tiedonsiirto- ja käsittelyajat, jotka ovat olleet esteenä XML:n laajalle käytölle mobiiliympäristöissä. Väitöskirja tutkii XML-pohjaisen laitteiden välisen viestinnän perusedellytyksiä mobiililaitteilla langattomissa verkoissa. Keskeiset tutkimuskohteet ovat tiivis ja tehokkaasti käsiteltävä XML-esitysmuoto, XML:n käsittelyyn paremmin sopivat ohjelmointirajapinnat ja mobiiliympäristön viestiprotokollat. Työn tuloksena on syntynyt mobiililaitteille suunniteltu XML-pohjainen viestintäjärjestelmä, joka on sellaisenaan käytettävissä verkkosovellusten perustana. Järjestelmälle on suoritettu kattavat mittaukset, jotka osoittavat järjestelmän sopivuuden käyttötarkoitukseensa. Tulosten analyysissa otetaan myös huomioon, miten järjestelmän eri ominaisuudet sopivat kuhunkin mobiililaitteiden tukemaan ympäristöön, sekä tarkastellaan, miltä tulevaisuuden mobiililaitteiden suorituskyky saattaisi näyttää

Sparse Predictive Modeling : A Cost-Effective Perspective

Many real life problems encountered in industry, economics or engineering are complex and difficult to model by conventional mathematical methods. Machine learning provides a wide variety of methods and tools for solving such problems by learning mathematical models from data. Methods from the field have found their way to applications such as medical diagnosis, financial forecasting, and web-search engines. The predictions made by a learned model are based on a vector of feature values describing the input to the model. However, predictions do not come for free in real world applications, since the feature values of the input have to be bought, measured or produced before the model can be used. Feature selection is a process of eliminating irrelevant and redundant features from the model. Traditionally, it has been applied for achieving interpretable and more accurate models, while the possibility of lowering prediction costs has received much less attention in the literature. In this thesis we consider novel feature selection techniques for reducing prediction costs. The contributions of this thesis are as follows. First, we propose several cost types characterizing the cost of performing prediction with a trained model. Particularly, we consider costs emerging from multitarget prediction problems as well as a number of cost types arising when the feature extraction process is structured. Second, we develop greedy regularized least-squares methods to maximize the predictive performance of the models under given budget constraints. Empirical evaluations are performed on numerous benchmark data sets as well as on a novel water quality analysis application. The results demonstrate that in settings where the considered cost types apply, the proposed methods lead to substantial cost savings compared to conventional methods

NASA patent abstracts bibliography: A continuing bibliography. Section 2: Indexes (supplement 13)

This issue of the Index Section contains entries for 3386 patent and application for patent citations covering the period May 1969 through June 1978. The Index Section contains five indexes --- subject, inventor, source, number, and accession number

HAVcR-1 and the prevention of metastatic disease in human prostate cancer

Introduction: Prostate cancer is a significant burden in the UK, despite continuing research our understanding of disease progression and at present treatment options are still limited. In small studies, Hepatitis A virus cellular receptor (HAVcR-1) has been linked to cancer aetiology and may regulate junctional complexes. Its role in prostate cancer remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the expression of HAVcR-1 in prostate cancer samples and explore the cellular and molecular impact of HAVcR-1, with particular focus on junctional complexes, using in vitro models. Methods: Clinical serum samples from prostate cancer patients were tested for HAVcR-1 ectodomain levels through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical prostate cancer samples were tested for the expression of HAVcR-1 through immunohistochemistry. Cell models based on bone metastatic site prostate cancer (PC-3) and normal prostate epithelia (PZ-HPV-7) were employed to evaluate the influence of HAVcR-1 on cellular functions involved in cancer aetiology by use of in vitro functional assays. Cell signalling changes were explored by was or Kinex™ antibody microarray, western blotting analysis, immunofluorescence and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Results: Levels of HAVcR-1 ectodomain in the serum of patients decreased in the serum of prostate cancer patients compared to healthy controls. Within prostate cancer patients ectodomain levels had no correlation to Gleason score. Histologically, total protein and gene expression of HAVcR-1 were increased in prostate cancer. Manipulation of HAVCR-1 levels within PC-3 cells had no impact on cell growth, invasion, adhesion, transepithelial resistance (TER) and paracellular permeability (PCP). Increased HAVcR-1 expression did however result in decrease PC-3 wound healing. Both increased as well as decreased HAVcR-1 expression increased constrain on current flow beneath cells during initial attachment and spreading as well as decreased barrier function resistance during electrical wound healing. Overexpression of HAVcR-1 in PZ-HPV-7 cells increased invasive potential, adherence to a cell matrix, whilst no changes in migration, TER, PCP and barrier function resistance were observed. At a protein level phosphorylation of β-catenin Y333 was observed in PZ-HPV-7 cells overexpressing HAVcR-1. Further analysis revealed HAVcR-1 overexpression decreased membranous E-cadherin, increased nuclear β-catenin and increased Cyclin D1 protein expression within PZ-HPV-7 cells. Conclusion: This study preliminary shows HAVcR-1 expression and ectodomain release coincides with the presence of prostate cancer thus indicating a potential of HAVcR-1 as a biomarker to aid in diagnostics. Furthermore, it also potentially indicates the involvement ofHAVcR-1 in cancer development, altering cancer associated cellular behaviours. Initial evidence from this study implicates HAVcR-1 in the process of EMT and the dysregulation of junctional complexes. Therefore, highlighting the potential involvement of HAVcR-1 in prostate cancers development and metastatic potential. Differences between cell models may suggest differences in signalling pathways that involve HAVcR-1 and thus further research is required to characterize HAVcR-1 signalling

NASA patent abstracts bibliography: A continuing bibliography. Section 2: Indexes (supplement 12)

For abstract, see N78-27983

Problems of international cooperation to improve standards of aviation security with reference to the passenger

Crimes of violence involving civil aviation interests and airline passengers have developed and diversified since their original perpetration in the 1930s. Intergovernmental cooperative efforts to suppress the offences have largely been based upon international legal, administrative activities, with the intention of producing a near-global, standardised regime of norms concerning the apprehension, extradition, prosecution and punishment of persons responsible for acts of aviation hijacking, sabotage and airport attack. While the suppressive dualities of the regime have been demonstrated in terms of common air crimes, the internationally recognised norms have had little effect in countering the act ions of fanatical offenders motivated by political aims. While concentrating upon law-based policy options premised on the notion of deterrence, governments have failed fully to recognise a pressing need for preventive activities to be improved as a principal component of crime suppression machinery. With terrorist weaponry and abilities becoming increasingly sophisticated, with most available aviation security staff and apparatus being unreliable in processes of detection and with the civil aviation market expanding rapidly, imprecise and unenforced state-imposed standards of aviation security require radical and global upgrading - an expensive and politically difficult option for most governments to consider. Proposals for intergovernmental security development schemes need urgent consideration, with passenger-financed options offering some practical solutions to otherwise potentially insoluble problems. Ultimately, prospects of advancement must depend upon the political will of major governments, which continue to regard the integrity of aviation security systems as a low priority for global standardisation

The Molecular Cloning and Expression of Human Placental Matrix and Surface Proteins

Fibronectin protein isoforms have several functions in the body and play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of human placenta. The multifunctional properties of FN may have been mediated by the ability of FN isoforms to bind to cells and other extracellular matrix components such as collagens and fibrin. These and other functional properties which have been assigned to FN are thought to have been made possible by the existence of multiple FN isoforms