Semantics in the wild : a digital assistant for Flemish citizens

Public service fragmentation across more than 800 digital channels of government administrations in the region of Flanders (Belgium), causes administrative burden and frustrations, as citizens expect a coherent service. Given the autonomy of the various entities, the fragmentation of information and budget constraints, it is not feasible to rewire the entire e-gov ecosystem to a single portal. Therefore, the Flemish Government is building a smart digital assistant, which supports citizens on the governmental portals, by integrating status information of various transactions. This paper outlines our ongoing research on a method for raising semantic interoperability between different information systems and actors. In this approach, semantic agreements are maintained and implemented end-to-end using the design principles of Linked Data. The lessons learned can speed-up the process in other countries that face the complexity of integrating e-government portals

Acute jejunoileal obstruction due to a pseudopolyp in a child with undiagnosed crohn disease: A case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Crohn's disease (CD) can affect any part of the alimentary tract from the mouth to the anus, with most common site being the terminal ileum.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A child suffering from undiagnosed Crohn disease (CD), presented with an acute abdominal obstruction due to a large pseudopolyp in the jejunoileal area. At laparotomy, a jejunoileal segment of 45 cm, containing multiple areas of damage to the small intestine, was excised and a primary end – to – end anastomosis was performed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The coexistence of an intestinal pseudopolyp with undiagnosed Crohn's disease may be the cause of acute abdominal obstruction in children.</p

Bilateral giant femoropopliteal artery aneurysms: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Popliteal artery aneurysms are the most common peripheral arterial aneurysms, and are frequently bilateral. Acute limb ischemia, rupture and compression phenomena can complicate these aneurysms when the diameter exceeds 2 cm.</p> <p>Case Presentation</p> <p>We report an 82-year-old male patient with two giant femoropopliteal aneurysms, 10.5 and 8.5 cm diameters, managed in our institution. Both aneurysms were resected and a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) femoropopliteal interposition graft was placed successfully. Management and literature review are discussed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We believe this is the first report in the medical literature of bilateral giant femoropopliteal aneurysms.</p

Secure network management within an open-source mobile agent framework

Mobile agents (MAs) have been proposed for de-centralized network management. This paper explains how Aglets, a Java open-source MA framework, not a proprietary system, can be used for secure network management, offering an alternative to or complementing SNMPv3 security. The solution prototyped is a hybrid environment where network management applications use MAs to interact locally with SNMP agents via the SNMP protocol. The implemented class libraries extend the security infrastructure of Aglets, by incorporating cryptographic functions through the Java Cryptography Extensions (JCEs). The extension enables data fields to be encrypted, while code is to be digitally signed. Legacy SNMPv1 and v2 enabled devices, with elementary security, can also be upgraded through this approach, which can effectively avoid a range of attacks. Consideration has been given to auxiliary functionality such as responding to SNMP traps, key distribution, logging, and secure clock synchronization

Determination of uranium concentration in ground water samples of Northern Greece

The activity concentration of 238U and 234U has been determined in groundwater samples of hot springs and deep wells from the region of Northern Greece. The analysis was performed by alpha spectroscopy after pre-concentration and separation of uranium by cation exchange (Chelex 100 resin) and finally its electro-deposition on stainless steel discs. The uranium concentration in deep wells and springs varies strongly between 0.15 and 7.66 μg l−1. Generally the springs present higher uranium concentration than the deep wells, except of the Apol-lonia spring, which has shown the lowest value of 0.15 mg l−1. 238U and 234U activity concentration ranged between 1.8–95.3 mBq l−1 and 1.7–160.1 mBq l−1, respectively. The obtained isotopic ratio 234U/238U varies between 0.95 and 1.74 which means that the two isotopes are not in radioactive equilibrium. The highest 234U/238U activity ratio values correspond to the Langada springs, indicating most probably old-type waters. On the other hand, ground waters from wells with relatively low uranium activity concentration and low 234U/238U isotopic ratios, point to the presence of younger waters with a stronger contribution of a local recharge component to the groundwater

Kinetic study of phosphorus desorption by alfisols and entisols

The kinetics of phosphorus (P) desorption by six Greek soils, four Alfisols and two Entisols, have been studied. By the addition of several amounts of P fertilizers at different water/soil rations and different contact times, that amount of P fertilizer required for the two major categories for Greek soils in order to avoid enviromental pollution from overdoses was determined. The experimental data lead to the same desorption model as given by Sharpley (1981): Pd = kPot∂wb; where, Pd is the amount of P desorption from the soil in μg P/g soil, Po the amount of P fertilizers in grams added into the soil, t the contact time of P fertilizers with the soil, w the water/soil rations, and k, ∂, and b constants. The values of the ∂, k, and b constants for each soil are nearly the same for all the experimental conditions. For the Entisols, the ∂ values are lower than for the Alfisols. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and exchangeable Ca of the Entisols influenced negatively the desorption-time relationship, while exchangeable Fe and Mn, and the low CEC of the Alfisols had a positive influence. For the Entisols,. © 1993, Taylor &amp;amp; Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved