Towards Flexible Process Support on Mobile Devices

Ubiquitous computing is considered as enabler for linking everyday life with information and communication technology. However, developing pervasive and mobile applications that provide personalized user assistance still constitutes a challenge. Mobile application scenarios are diverse and encompass domains like healthcare, logistics, and sales. For their support two fundamental technologies with increasing maturity are emerging: development frameworks for mobile devices and light-weight process engines. Their integrated use, however, is in a rather premature state. Generally, the use of a process engine for supporting mobile collaboration raises many challenging issues. This paper picks up some of these challenges and shows how we have coped with them in the MARPLE project. MARPLE targets at a tight integration of process management technology with mobile computing frameworks in order to enable mobile process support in advanced application scenarios. We give insights into the MARPLE architecture and its components.In particular, we introduce the MARPLE process engine, which enables light-weight as well as flexible process support on mobile devices. This will be key for mobile user assistance in advanced application scenarios

Cognitive pilot channel: A radio enabler for spectrum awareness and optimized radio resource management

Today’s wireless communications landscape is characterized by the coexistence of a plethora of disparate radio access technologies (RATs), which exhibit varying features in terms of capacity and coverage capabilities, mobility support etc. and also offer a great number of applications and services to different types of devices. In such a miscellaneous environment, mobile terminals are provided with a great set of options while setting up the parameters of their operation including among others the RAT, carrier frequency, and must also take into account the latest trend towards a flexible spectrum framework in heterogeneous radio access networks (RANs). As a result, in order to implement the optimal action, a mobile terminal needs to be enabled to acquire knowledge of its environment and established policies. Apart from mobilizing a rather time- and power-consuming operation such as spectrum sensing, the Cognitive Pilot Channel (CPC) concept has been proposed as a solution for providing the terminal with the necessary radio awareness at a given time and place, in a possible flexible spectrum management context. Framed within the above, this paper, developed within the E3 project, aims at describing the CPC concept by showcasing its twofold role. First, as an enabler of the switch-on process for assisting the mobile terminal to camp onto the network side and second, as an enabler of an efficient decentralized and network-assisted radio resource management during the on-going communication phase.Postprint (published version

Fast parallel volume visualization on cuda technology

In the medical diagnosis and treatment planning, radiologists and surgeons rely heavily on the slices produced by medical imaging scanners. Unfortunately, most of these scanners can only produce two dimensional images because the machines that can produce three dimensional are very expensive. The two dimensional images from these devices are difficult to interpret because they only show cross-sectional views of the human structure. Consequently, such circumstances require highly qualified doctors to use their expertise in the interpretation of the possible location, size or shape of the abnormalities especially for large datasets of enormous amount of slices. Previously, the concept of reconstructing two dimensional images to three dimensional was introduced. However, such reconstruction model requires high performance computation, may either be time-consuming or costly. Furthermore, detecting the internal features of human anatomical structure, such as the imaging of the blood vessels, is still an open topic in the computer-aided diagnosis of disorders and pathologies. This study proposed, designed and implemented a visualization framework named SurLens with high performance computing using Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), augmenting the widely proven ray casting technique in terms of superior qualities of images but with slow speed. Considering the rapid development of technology in the medical community, our framework is implemented on Microsoft .NET environment for easy interoperability with other emerging revolutionary tools. The Visualization System was evaluated with brain datasets from the department of Surgery, University of North Carolina, United States, containing 109 datasets of MRA, T1-FLASH, T2-Weighted, DTI and T1-MPRAGE. Significantly, at a reasonably cheaper cost, SurLens Visualization System achieves immediate reconstruction and obvious mappings of the internal features of the human brain, reliable enough for instantaneously locate possible blockages in the brain blood vessels without any prior segmentation of the datasets

Towards NFC payments using a lightweight architecture for the Web of Things

The Web (and Internet) of Things has seen the rapid emergence of new protocols and standards, which provide for innovative models of interaction for applications. One such model fostered by the Web of Things (WoT) ecosystem is that of contactless interaction between devices. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology is one such enabler of contactless interactions. Contactless technology for the WoT requires all parties to agree one common definition and implementation and, in this paper, we propose a new lightweight architecture for the WoT, based on RESTful approaches. We show how the proposed architecture supports the concept of a mobile wallet, enabling users to make secure payments employing NFC technology with their mobile devices. In so doing, we argue that the vision of the WoT is brought a step closer to fruition

Using activity-oriented design methods (AODM) to investigatemobile learning

The past few years have witnessed significant interest and developments in researching mobile learning, with a lot of important contributions being made towards understanding and defining mobile learning. However, current research efforts are being redirected towards a new agenda to establish appropriate methods for investigating mobile learning, as this book testifies. This chapter contributes to this research effort by articulating how to adapt Activity-Oriented Design Methods (AODM – see Mwanza, 2002) for use in mobile learning research

Impacts for m-Internet applications and perspectives in agriculture

Mobile communication and the mobile Internet can provide important opportunities, economic advantages for enterprises end organisations and support their more efficient operating as they can use it anytime and anywhere. We can make their wide spread usage, innovation effect and advantages economical way if we consider the effect system of technologies and services. The technological, social and economical complex effect system puts pressure on spreading of business applications. The types of applicable equipment are increasing. There can be found four player groups according to social aspects: manufacturers, enterprises, customers and workers. The Internet technology and the Internet network have become essential communication tools in business processes recently. Using the Internet by means of mobile appliances increases the possibilities. If we study the business process the expenses, advantages, disadvantages can be seen well. Nowadays these applications are more and more successful in the following areas such as in agriculture, in different parts of food industry, in extension services, precision agriculture, logistics

Enabling virtual radio functions on software defined radio for future wireless networks

Today's wired networks have become highly flexible, thanks to the fact that an increasing number of functionalities are realized by software rather than dedicated hardware. This trend is still in its early stages for wireless networks, but it has the potential to improve the network's flexibility and resource utilization regarding both the abundant computational resources and the scarce radio spectrum resources. In this work we provide an overview of the enabling technologies for network reconfiguration, such as Network Function Virtualization, Software Defined Networking, and Software Defined Radio. We review frequently used terminology such as softwarization, virtualization, and orchestration, and how these concepts apply to wireless networks. We introduce the concept of Virtual Radio Function, and illustrate how softwarized/virtualized radio functions can be placed and initialized at runtime, allowing radio access technologies and spectrum allocation schemes to be formed dynamically. Finally we focus on embedded Software-Defined Radio as an end device, and illustrate how to realize the placement, initialization and configuration of virtual radio functions on such kind of devices

Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences

Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education. This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience