The AliEn system, status and perspectives

AliEn is a production environment that implements several components of the Grid paradigm needed to simulate, reconstruct and analyse HEP data in a distributed way. The system is built around Open Source components, uses the Web Services model and standard network protocols to implement the computing platform that is currently being used to produce and analyse Monte Carlo data at over 30 sites on four continents. The aim of this paper is to present the current AliEn architecture and outline its future developments in the light of emerging standards.Comment: Talk from the 2003 Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP03), La Jolla, Ca, USA, March 2003, 10 pages, Word, 10 figures. PSN MOAT00

Intelligent systems for monitoring and preventing in healthcare information systems

Nowadays the interoperability in Healthcare Information Systems (HIS) is a fundamental requirement. The Agency for Integration, Diffusion and Archive of Medical Information (AIDA) is an interoperability healthcare platform that ensures these demands and it is implemented in Centro Hospitalar do Porto (CHP), a major healthcare unit in Portugal. Therefore, the overall performance of CHP HIS depends on the success of AIDA functioning. This paper presents monitoring and prevention systems implemented in the CHP, which aim to improve the system integrity and high availability. These systems allow the monitoring and the detection of situations conducive to failure in the AIDA main components: database, machines and intelligent agents. Through the monitoring systems, it was found that the database most critical period is between 11:00 and 12:00 and the resources are well balanced. The prevention systems detected abnormal situations that were reported to the administrators that took preventive actions, avoiding damage to AIDA workflow

Air traffic management evaluation tool

Methods for evaluating and implementing air traffic management tools and approaches for managing and avoiding an air traffic incident before the incident occurs. A first system receives parameters for flight plan configurations (e.g., initial fuel carried, flight route, flight route segments followed, flight altitude for a given flight route segment, aircraft velocity for each flight route segment, flight route ascent rate, flight route descent route, flight departure site, flight departure time, flight arrival time, flight destination site and/or alternate flight destination site), flight plan schedule, expected weather along each flight route segment, aircraft specifics, airspace (altitude) bounds for each flight route segment, navigational aids available. The invention provides flight plan routing and direct routing or wind optimal routing, using great circle navigation and spherical Earth geometry. The invention provides for aircraft dynamics effects, such as wind effects at each altitude, altitude changes, airspeed changes and aircraft turns to provide predictions of aircraft trajectory (and, optionally, aircraft fuel use). A second system provides several aviation applications using the first system. Several classes of potential incidents are analyzed and averted, by appropriate change en route of one or more parameters in the flight plan configuration, as provided by a conflict detection and resolution module and/or traffic flow management modules. These applications include conflict detection and resolution, miles-in trail or minutes-in-trail aircraft separation, flight arrival management, flight re-routing, weather prediction and analysis and interpolation of weather variables based upon sparse measurements. The invention combines these features to provide an aircraft monitoring system and an aircraft user system that interact and negotiate changes with each other

Software Engineering Tools For Secure Application Development

Software security has become a crucial part of an organization’s overall security strategy due to increasingly sophisticated attacks at the application layer. One of the major concerns in software engineering is the inadequate use of secure software development methods and tools. Such deficiency is caused by a lack of knowledge and training on available secure tools among software developers. This project conducts a thorough investigation of the tools that can be used by developers throughout the software development life cycle to assist in the development of secure applications, including tools used by individuals and teams, classified by open-source or commercial, tools based on project size, etc. This paper also includes a summary table that provides a quick overview of all the tools listed for developers and individuals to use

Resource materials on technology-enabled crime

Designed to assist prosecutors and members of the judiciary faced with proceedings involving technology-enabled crime, the report will be a useful general guide to concepts and terms for other non-technical people

Selection of aptamers for human serum albumin and its glycated form

Diabetes prevalence is increasing above and beyond what can be attributed to population growth as reduced physical activity and increased sugar in people's diets is leading to an epidemic that is pushing healthcare systems to breaking point. While therapeutic treatments remain limited for diabetes patients, measurement and management of their glycemic status can prove beneficial. Glucose and HbA1C are currently utilised to manage diabetes in the short and long term respectively. However, problems with the accuracy of the HbA1c in certain diabetes patients, particularly those with renal problems and/or anaemia make it not ideal in all situations. Additionally its half life of 2-3 months make it slow to respond to glycemic changes. Measurement of human serum albumin may be beneficial in both filling the gap between glucose and HbA1c and being less susceptible to interferents. HSA has a half life of between 2-3 weeks and like haemoglobin is readily glycated. Any changes in glycated HSA will demonstrate changes in a patient's glycemic status over the preceding weeks instead of months like HbA1c. Additionally it has been demonstrated to be a better representation of glucose levels in certain patient groups. The relative lack of GHSA testing in the clinic comes down to the cost, complexity and lack of specificity of current techniques. A simple test is needed which can determine the GHSA/HSA ratio of a patient more accurately then current techniques while at a cost that is viable for restrained healthcare budgets. Within this thesis the selection and subsequent testing of aptamers to HSA and early stage glycated HSA (GHSA) is demonstrated.Open Acces

A Study of J/psi Production at the LEP e+e−e^{+} e{-} Collider; and the Implementation of the DELPHI Slow Controls System

This thesis describes two separate areas of work conducted for the DELPHI detector at LEP. The first concerns the Slow Controls of the DELPHI detector, which enable a single operator to oversee the proper functioning of the apparatus and to diagnose faults as they occur. The hardware and software of this system, as well as their interface to the experiment and the operator, are described. Some conclusions are drawn from seven years' design work and the initial six years' operation of DELPHI. Secondly, a study is made of the production, at e+e- collision centre of mass energies close to the Z0 resonance, of J/psi mesons, decaying to mu+ mu-. J/psi mesons produced via a B-hadron are used to measure the mean B lifetime, tau_B = (1.53 +- 0.11 (stat.) +- 0.06 (syst.)) ps A measurement is also made of the fraction of J/psis produced promptly at the e+e- collision point, N(Z0 -> prompt J/psi X) / N(Z0 -> J/psi X) = (9.6 +- 3.2 (stat.) +- 1.2 (syst.))%. This method is largely model-independent