Technology transfer of dynamic IT outsourcing requires security measures in SLAs

For the present efforts in dynamic IT outsourcing environments like Grid or Cloud computing security and trust are ongoing issues. SLAs are a proved remedy to build up trust in outsourcing relations. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether SLAs can improve trust from the perspective of the outsourcing customer by integration of security measures. The conducted survey indicates that customers see SLAs as an approach to increase their level of trust in IT outsourcing partners. In addition, security measures in SLAs are of high relevance to support trust but not yet integrated appropriately. However, SLAs are very important for the technology transfer of eScience projects in Grid computing. Again, Grid based outsourcing of biomedical IT services requires security measures in SLAs. Thus, the technology transfer process of dynamic IT outsourcing infrastructures requires adequate SLAs in order to be successful

Development of an information platform for new grid users in the biomedical field

Bringing new users into grids is a top priority for all grid initiatives and one of the most challenging tasks. Especially in life sciences it is essential to have a certain amount of users to establish a critical mass for a sustainable grid and give feedback back to the technological middleware layer. Based on the presumable lack of grid IT knowledge it is notably more arduous to satisfy user demands although here the requirements are especially demanding. Therefore, the development of an information- and learning platform could support the efforts of grid experts to guide new users. By providing a platform about grid technology and their feasibilities for users of the community of biomedicine potential, users could be supported using the high potential of their discipline

Development of an information platform for new grid users in the biomedical field

Bringing new users into grids is a top priority for all grid initiatives and one of the most challenging tasks. Especially in life sciences it is essential to have a certain amount of users to establish a critical mass for a sustainable grid and give feedback back to the technological middleware layer. Based on the presumable lack of grid IT knowledge it is notably more arduous to satisfy user demands although here the requirements are especially demanding. Therefore, the development of an information- and learning platform could support the efforts of grid experts to guide new users. By providing a platform about grid technology and their feasibilities for users of the community of biomedicine potential, users could be supported using the high potential of their discipline

Auf dem Weg zur individualisierten Medizin - Grid-basierte Services für die EPA der Zukunft.

Personalized Medicine is of paramount interest for many areas in Medical Informatics. Therefore genotype data as well a phenotype data about patients have to be available. This data will be stored in Electronic Health Records or – patient controlled - in Personal Health Records. As the amount of (raw) data is rising continuously, methods for a secure data administration have to be found. Grid Services offer data storage, can support data retrieval and the presentation of the data. The basic security services could be provided by the German health professional infrastructure, but there are many security challenges to be faced

Integrity in and beyond contemporary higher education: What does it mean to university students?

Research has focused on academic integrity in terms of students' conduct in relation to university rules and procedures, whereas fewer studies examine student integrity more broadly. Of particular interest is whether students in higher education today conceptualize integrity as comprising such broader attributes as personal and social responsibility. We collected and analyzed qualitative responses from 127 students at the National University of Singapore to understand how they define integrity in their lives as students, and how they envisage integrity would be demonstrated in their lives after university. Consistent with the current literature, our data showed that integrity was predominantly taken as "not plagiarizing (in school)/giving appropriate credit when credit is due (in the workplace)", "not cheating", and "completing tasks independently". The survey, though, also revealed further perceptions such as, in a university context, "not manipulating data (e.g., scientific integrity)", "being honest with others", "group work commitments", "conscience/moral ethics/holding true to one's beliefs", "being honest with oneself", "upholding a strong work ethic", "going against conventions", and "reporting others", as well as, in a workplace context, "power and responsibility and its implications", "professionalism", and "representing or being loyal to an organization". The findings suggest that some students see the notion of integrity extending beyond good academic conduct. It is worthwhile to (re)think more broadly what (else) integrity means, discover the gaps in our students' understanding of integrity, and consider how best we can teach integrity to prepare students for future challenges to integrity and ethical dilemmas

Indivo: a personally controlled health record for health information exchange and communication

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Personally controlled health records (PCHRs), a subset of personal health records (PHRs), enable a patient to assemble, maintain and manage a secure copy of his or her medical data. Indivo (formerly PING) is an open source, open standards PCHR with an open application programming interface (API).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We describe how the PCHR platform can provide standard building blocks for networked PHR applications. Indivo allows the ready integration of diverse sources of medical data under a patient's control through the use of standards-based communication protocols and APIs for connecting PCHRs to existing and future health information systems.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The strict and transparent personal control model is designed to encourage widespread participation by patients, healthcare providers and institutions, thus creating the ecosystem for development of innovative, consumer-focused healthcare applications.</p

Cellular Radiosensitivity: How much better do we understand it?

Purpose: Ionizing radiation exposure gives rise to a variety of lesions in DNA that result in genetic instability and potentially tumorigenesis or cell death. Radiation extends its effects on DNA by direct interaction or by radiolysis of H2O that generates free radicals or aqueous electrons capable of interacting with and causing indirect damage to DNA. While the various lesions arising in DNA after radiation exposure can contribute to the mutagenising effects of this agent, the potentially most damaging lesion is the DNA double strand break (DSB) that contributes to genome instability and/or cell death. Thus in many cases failure to recognise and/or repair this lesion determines the radiosensitivity status of the cell. DNA repair mechanisms including homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) have evolved to protect cells against DNA DSB. Mutations in proteins that constitute these repair pathways are characterised by radiosensitivity and genome instability. Defects in a number of these proteins also give rise to genetic disorders that feature not only genetic instability but also immunodeficiency, cancer predisposition, neurodegeneration and other pathologies. Conclusions: In the past fifty years our understanding of the cellular response to radiation damage has advanced enormously with insight being gained from a wide range of approaches extending from more basic early studies to the sophisticated approaches used today. In this review we discuss our current understanding of the impact of radiation on the cell and the organism gained from the array of past and present studies and attempt to provide an explanation for what it is that determines the response to radiation

Therapeutic Modulation of Apoptosis: Targeting the BCL-2 Family at the Interface of the Mitochondrial Membrane

A vast portion of human disease results when the process of apoptosis is defective. Disorders resulting from inappropriate cell death range from autoimmune and neurodegenerative conditions to heart disease. Conversely, prevention of apoptosis is the hallmark of cancer and confounds the efficacy of cancer therapeutics. In the search for optimal targets that would enable the control of apoptosis, members of the BCL-2 family of anti- and pro-apoptotic factors have figured prominently. Development of BCL-2 antisense approaches, small molecules, and BH3 peptidomimetics has met with both success and failure. Success-because BCL-2 proteins play essential roles in apoptosis. Failure-because single targets for drug development have limited scope. By examining the activity of the BCL-2 proteins in relation to the mitochondrial landscape and drawing attention to the significant mitochondrial membrane alterations that ensue during apoptosis, we demonstrate the need for a broader based multi-disciplinary approach for the design of novel apoptosis-modulating compounds in the treatment of human disease

Implementing infection prevention practices across European hospitals: an in-depth qualitative assessment

Objective: The Prevention of Hospital Infections by Intervention and Training (PROHIBIT) project included a cluster-randomised, stepped wedge, controlled study to evaluate multiple strategies to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infection. We report an in-depth investigation of the main barriers, facilitators and contextual factors relevant to successfully implementing these strategies in European acute care hospitals. Methods: Qualitative comparative case study in 6 of the 14 European PROHIBIT hospitals. Data were collected through interviews with key stakeholders and ethnographic observations conducted during 2-day site visits, before and 1 year into the PROHIBIT intervention. Qualitative measures of implementation success included intervention fidelity, adaptation to local context and satisfaction with the intervention programme. Results: Three meta-themes emerged related to implementation success: ‘implementation agendas’, ‘resources’ and ‘boundary-spanning’. Hospitals established unique implementation agendas that, while not always aligned with the project goals, shaped subsequent actions. Successful implementation required having sufficient human and material resources and dedicated change agents who helped make the intervention an institutional priority. The salary provided for a dedicated study nurse was a key facilitator. Personal commitment of influential individuals and boundary spanners helped overcome resource restrictions and intrainstitutional segregation. Conclusion: This qualitative study revealed patterns across cases that were associated with successful implementation. Consideration of the intervention–context relation was indispensable to understanding the observed outcomes