On the Deployment of Healthcare Applications over Fog Computing Infrastructure

Fog computing is considered as the most promising enhancement of the traditional cloud computing paradigm in order to handle potential issues introduced by the emerging Interned of Things (IoT) framework at the network edge. The heterogeneous nature, the extensive distribution and the hefty number of deployed IoT nodes will disrupt existing functional models, creating confusion. However, IoT will facilitate the rise of new applications, with automated healthcare monitoring platforms being amongst them. This paper presents the pillars of design for such applications, along with the evaluation of a working prototype that collects ECG traces from a tailor-made device and utilizes the patient's smartphone as a Fog gateway for securely sharing them to other authorized entities. This prototype will allow patients to share information to their physicians, monitor their health status independently and notify the authorities rapidly in emergency situations. Historical data will also be available for further analysis, towards identifying patterns that may improve medical diagnoses in the foreseeable future

Advanced observation and telemetry heart system utilizing wearable ECG device and a Cloud platform

Short lived chest pain episodes of post PCI patients represent the most common clinical scenario treated in the Accidents and Emergency Room. Continuous ECG monitoring could substantially diminish such hospital admissions and related ambulance calls. Delivering community based, easy-To-handle, easy to wear, real time electrocardiography systems is still a quest, despite the existence of electronic electrocardiography systems for several decades. The PATRIOT system serves this challenge via a 12-channel, easy to wear, easy to carry, mobile linked, miniaturized automatic ECG device and a Cloud platform. The system may deliver high quality electrocardiograms of a patient to medical personnel either on the spot or remotely both in a synchronous or asynchronous mode, enhancing autonomy, mobility, quality of life and safety of recently treated coronary artery disease patients

THUCYDIDES AND BREXIT: PARALLELS AND FUNCTIONAL PRINCIPLES

When the majority of UK citizens voted to exit the EU almost nobody could tell the main impact of the most important event in global politics in the beginning of the 21st century. Two years after the referendum none is sure what exactly Brexit means, especially on the relationship the UK will have with EU in the future. The UK invoked the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and until 1 January 2021 there will be a transition period which is necessary for both parts to prepare and strike their own new trade deals. What lessons can a modern political thought learn from antiquity? According to Thucydides, the inventor of political science, and theorist of political and financial autonomy, there might be a new set of ways of thinking and values, for both UK’s major political parties. Through his political view of the cultural and institutional explanation of the democratic Athenian paradigm we could find some of the fundamentals of the first known democracy in the world and transfer them to our times. How could an observer conceive the risks and the opportunities of the future UK role after Brexit putting Thucydides’ theory into praxis? What is the relationship between modern UK politics decisions with the strategies of Pericles, Cleon, and Alcibiades, during the Peloponnesian War? Article visualizations

Code Quality Evaluation Methodology Using The ISO/IEC 9126 Standard

This work proposes a methodology for source code quality and static behaviour evaluation of a software system, based on the standard ISO/IEC-9126. It uses elements automatically derived from source code enhanced with expert knowledge in the form of quality characteristic rankings, allowing software engineers to assign weights to source code attributes. It is flexible in terms of the set of metrics and source code attributes employed, even in terms of the ISO/IEC-9126 characteristics to be assessed. We applied the methodology to two case studies, involving five open source and one proprietary system. Results demonstrated that the methodology can capture software quality trends and express expert perceptions concerning system quality in a quantitative and systematic manner.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure

The impact of service privatization-The case of a container terminal at the Port of Limassol

The Cyprus government has signed agreements for the commercialization of the activities of the Port of Limassol, with the aim to increase the financial viability of port operation and sustain competitive advantage. This paper aims to examine effects of and expectation from port privatization based on port stakeholders’ perspectives such as port authorities, concessionaire and port customers. Firstly, this study investigates how the port authority intends to verify and control the performance of the concessionaire with regard to the operational and functional domains that directly influence a container terminal’s performance and to identify all the possible effects of privatization. Secondly, it explores how the concessionaire intends to improve the performance of the container port. Thirdly, it examines port users’ expectations of the services and satisfaction with port services after privatization. A mixed methodology is employed involving interviews and a questionnaire survey with practitioners at the Port of Limassol. The impact of its privatization is provided in the discussion and conclusion section

Ventricular Pace Suppression Function: Prophylaxing from Iatrogenic Dyssynchrony

A patient with an implanted dual-chamber pacemaker (DDDR) for sick sinus syndrome had a pulse generator exchange due to battery depletion. Apropos with the procedure, it was noted that the patient had continuous ventricular pacing via a pacing lead located at the right ventricular apex. In order to avoid possible deleterious effects of the iatrogenic dyssynchrony conferred by this kind of pacing, the algorithm of ventricular pace suppression function was activated in the new device that practically led to functional AAI pacing, deemed a more physiologic mode of pacing that could prevent the potential harmful effects of right ventricular apical pacing. Rhythmos 2018;13(3):59-61

Burning Socrates’ School down with Aristophanes: Learning and Teaching under Clouds

In Clouds (Nubes) of Aristophanes, Socrates appears as a sophist school owner, the Phrontisterion (‘thinkery’), in which he hosts students of all ages, in order to teach them not only philosophy, literature, physics but also effective sophistic techniques. In Clouds opposed ideas can be found like the aims of historical Socrates’ educational method, combined with Sophists’ modern ones. Aristophanes by using specific educational techniques, points out the educational contrasts and disagreements (Just Cause Vs Unjust Cause) and highlights the chasm between the empty theoretical discourse of young intellectuals and the real educational practical needs (learning skills, practical adjustment etc.). In this comedy, Aristophanes deals with many educational issues, which are common in every culture. What is his goal, however, when he appears with the Socratic method of learning and teaching (use of initiation vocabulary and terminology, ‘borrowings’ from the philosophic activity at the Thinkery?) What are the benefits for an apprentice student at Aristophanes’ Socrates and what is the purpose of the critical view of Aristophanes educational system of his time

THUCYDIDES AND BREXIT: PARALLELS AND FUNCTIONAL PRINCIPLES

When the majority of UK citizens voted to exit the EU almost nobody could tell the main impact of the most important event in global politics in the beginning of the 21stcentury. Two years after the referendum none is sure what exactly Brexit means, especially on the relationship the UK will have with EU in the future. The UK invoked the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and until 1 January 2021 there will be a transition period which is necessary for both parts to prepare and strike their own new trade deals. What lessons can a modern political thought learn from antiquity? According to Thucydides, the inventor of political science, and theorist of political and financial autonomy, there might be a new set of ways of thinking and values, for both UK’s major political parties. Through his political view of the cultural and institutional explanation of the democratic Athenian paradigm we could find some of the fundamentals of the first known democracy in the world and transfer them to our times. How could an observer conceive the risks and the opportunities of the future UK role after Brexit putting Thucydides’ theory into praxis? What is the relationship between modern UK politics decisions with the strategies of Pericles, Cleon, and Alcibiades, during the Peloponnesian War

Letting Nietzsche inside schools? Educational potential and an acknowledgement of the optimism of his philosophy

The aim of this article is to identify the educational interest of Nietzsche’s funda-mental philosophical principles. To this end, Nietzsche’s work “The Gay Science”and corresponding references from other fragments of his corpus have been aggre-gated for the needs of this goal. An analysis of the book’s major propositions indi-cates an epistemological approach to educational matters, based on knowledge’s ref-utability and its validation through experimentation. Other parts of this work, stressout the incompatibility of Nietzsche’s philosophy with a democratic education. Hisphilosophical concepts of social order and destiny’s accomplishment are presentedin favour of this claim. Finally, the most unique propositions in The Gay Science areunveiled and their potential incorporation into the educational process is proposed.In particular, the values of appearance and fallacy emerge, illuminating the optimis-tic side of his philosophy. From an educational perspective, these values recommendlimiting excess rationalism in classrooms and maintaining students’ learning interestby focusing on their emotional need