BETaaS: A Platform for Development and Execution of Machine-to-Machine Applications in the Internet of Things

The integration of everyday objects into the Internet represents the foundation of the forthcoming Internet of Things (IoT). Such “smart” objects will be the building blocks of the next generation of applications that will exploit interaction between machines to implement enhanced services with minimum or no human intervention in the loop. A crucial factor to enable Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications is a horizontal service infrastructure that seamlessly integrates existing IoT heterogeneous systems. The authors present BETaaS, a framework that enables horizontal M2M deployments. BETaaS is based on a distributed service infrastructure built on top of an overlay network of gateways that allows seamless integration of existing IoT systems. The platform enables easy deployment of applications by exposing to developers a service oriented interface to access things (the Things-as-a-Service model) regardless of the technology and the physical infrastructure they belong

Opposition in transition: pre-electoral coalitions and the 2018 electoral breakthrough in Malaysia

In May 2018, the Malaysian opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan or Hope Alliance won the federal elections for the first time in the history of the country. The electoral authoritarian system is now in a state of transition. The electoral breakthrough was the result of longer-term socio-economic transformations, but the formation of a strong pre-electoral coalition was ultimately decisive for the victory. The article compares various coalitions and their performance during seven elections since 1990. The structured, focused comparison analyses the coalitions during this period because prior to 1990 the opposition was fragmented. On the basis of a three-level concept regarding the strength of pre-electoral coalitions, the article argues that Pakatan Harapan was successful because the coalition was sufficiently comprehensive (as indicated by the number and the competitiveness of candidates), cohesive (concerning ideological proximity and behavioural routinization) and well-rooted in society (in terms of linkages to voters/supporters and to civil society networks or organizations)

ASCETiC: adapting service lifeCycle towards efficienT clouds

Reducing energy consumption is increasingly gaining attention in the area of Cloud computing, as means to reduce costs and improve corporate sustainability image. ASCETiC is focused on providing novel methods and tools to support software developers to optimise energy efficiency and minimise the carbon footprint resulting from developing, deploying and running software in Clouds. At the same time, quality of service, experience and perception are still taken into account, so energy efficiency will complement them and boost Cloud efficiency at several dimensions. ASCETiC primary focus is to relate software design and energy use, which will depend on the deployment conditions and the correct operation of the software by means of an adaptive environment. This paper presents specific objectives for the project, as well as requirements, business goals and architecture for the resultant Open Source Cloud stack providing energy efficiency at software, platform and infrastructure Cloud layers.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

ASCETiC: adapting service lifeCycle towards efficienT clouds

Reducing energy consumption is increasingly gaining attention in the area of Cloud computing, as means to reduce costs and improve corporate sustainability image. ASCETiC is focused on providing novel methods and tools to support software developers to optimise energy efficiency and minimise the carbon footprint resulting from developing, deploying and running software in Clouds. At the same time, quality of service, experience and perception are still taken into account, so energy efficiency will complement them and boost Cloud efficiency at several dimensions. ASCETiC primary focus is to relate software design and energy use, which will depend on the deployment conditions and the correct operation of the software by means of an adaptive environment. This paper presents specific objectives for the project, as well as requirements, business goals and architecture for the resultant Open Source Cloud stack providing energy efficiency at software, platform and infrastructure Cloud layers.Peer Reviewe