Centralized Information System Research Articles

Combining deep learning methods and rule-based systems for automatic parking space detection

This paper presents an Automatic Parking Space Detection (APSD) algorithm designed to reduce traffic in cities while offering an information system of available parking zones. The main aim of such a system lies in its ability to identify parking spaces in a distributed manner, achieved by installing multiple APSD systems across a fleet of vehicles. This fleet, during its regular operations, communicates the availability of parking spaces to a centralized information system. Our methodology employs a rule-based system that seamlessly integrates a variety of neural networks for different specific tasks. These tasks include depth estimation, road segmentation, and vehicle detection. This approach would fall into a modular category instead of an end-to-end solution, using the Málaga Urban Dataset in the experiments. We present a preliminary experiment for parameter settings and an ablation study to quantify each subsystem contribution to the results. The proposed system achieves a parking space detection F1 score of 0.726.

Driving sustainable energy transitions with a multi-source RAG-LLM system

By 2035, the UK aims to upgrade all homes to achieve a net-zero economy by 2050, thereby reducing energy consumption, household costs, and improving living conditions. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in this transition. However, many SME contractors lack essential information on Sustainable Energy Initiatives (SEIs) and the relevant Energy landscape necessary for driving Sustainable Energy Transitions (SETs). This knowledge gap poses risks to SME interventions, potentially leading to increased costs and inefficiencies. Accessing timely information on SEIs including government policies, funding, technologies, and environmental impacts from various media sources is essential for guiding effective SETs and understanding the relevant Energy landscape, thereby facilitating informed decision-making. Currently, SMEs lack an integrated system that consolidates data from diverse media sources into a centralized Information System (IS), limiting their ability to effectively navigate SEIs. To address this gap, this research introduces an Energy Chatbot, a sustainable IS that utilizes Large Language Models (LLMs) integrated with multi-source Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). This system encompasses diverse media sources, including news articles, government reports, industry publications, academic research, and social media. The Energy Chatbot is designed to enhance decision-making for SMEs by providing comprehensive Energy sector insights through a Question Answering (QA) system. Key findings emphasize that this approach reduces costs by utilizing open-source models. Moreover, the Energy Chatbot provides SMEs with access to up-to-date information, enabling them to identify long-term sustainability strategies and maintain a competitive edge in the evolving Energy landscape.

The roadblocks to success – Identifying challenges in implementing a surgery support E-health solution: A qualitative interview study

BackgroundSurgery accounts for 30 % of the global disease burden, but healthcare systems struggle with managing surgical waitlists, optimising operations, and minimising cancellations, leading to poor patient outcomes and financial strain. E-health technologies offer promising solutions to enhance perioperative care and improve surgical outcomes, yet their integration faces significant organisational and structural challenges. This paper aims to explore and analyse the perspectives of decision-making personnel regarding the challenges and opportunities of implementing a surgery support e-health application. MethodsThis study utilised an explorative qualitative approach, employing a rapid cycle qualitative evaluation informed by the NASSS framework. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with decision-making personnel conducted. Framework analysis guided by the NASSS framework was used to analyse the interview transcripts. ResultsA total of 15 participants from public health and external organisations participated in the study. The analysis, framed by the seven domains of the NASSS framework, critical challenges in integrating new health technologies, emphasising the need for compatibility, cybersecurity, and demonstrating clear benefits. Key factors for successful adoption included early and continuous stakeholder engagement, organisational readiness, and ongoing support. Additionally, participants highlighted the importance of centralised information systems and continuous adaptation of health IT solutions to meet evolving needs. ConclusionThis paper reveals that implementing surgical e-health interventions is a complex process fraught with organisational, technical, financial, and political challenges, particularly due to insufficient end-user involvement and the intricate healthcare landscape. Despite the recognised benefits, successful implementation necessitates comprehensive stakeholder engagement and co-design approaches. Additionally, while a partnership between commercial vendors and public health developers presents an attractive solution, significant obstacles such as intellectual property disputes and resource allocation must be overcome.

Human Activities and Urban Green Spaces of Slum-Dwelling Areas : A Case of Dandora Estates, Nairobi County

Rapid urbanization, coupled with population influx in many developing countries worldwide, is a prominent cause of the depletion of urban green spaces (UGS). These beautiful, green, and tranquil areas within urban forms are being depleted due to increased human interference in cities and urban areas globally. This paper examines the implications of various human activities that dominate the urban green spaces of Dandora by engaging with household heads and those found undertaking activities within the UGS. The results indicate that residents' participation in social and economic activities had a positive correlation (0.18 and 0.304, respectively) with the negative effects on UGS, while residents' participation in environmental activities had a negative correlation (-0.502) with the latter. The findings establish that the primary positive effect resulting from human activities practiced in the UGS in Dandora was increased UGS users who increased utility and made use of these spaces. Some of the recommendations include: the county government should reclaim and rehabilitate any open space that may have been encroached upon to facilitate other unplanned and haphazard developments. This move will tend to increase the green space size as they originally were, making them more functional, usable, and accessible to the public. The Ministry of Land needs to invest in a centralized land information system and Geographic Information System as a tool in innovative land use planning to reduce encroachments. There is a dire need for architects, engineers, and environmentalists within the country to advise and educate real estate developers on the importance of biophilic design to the contemporary urban form.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Opportunities, Benefits and Implementation Challenges in Bangladesh

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a software system used by organizations to manage and integrate the core functions like manufacturing, finance, human resources, supply chain, and customer management of their business processes in a unified system which has been proved to be a vital instrument for improving operational efficiency, reducing manual work, enhancing data accuracy and thus facilitates timely and accurate decision-making which help an organization to adapt and craft an appropriate proactive response to evolving challenges and problems of today's changing market trends, rising customer expectations, and growing global competition. With this backdrop, the aim of this study is to know the status of available opportunities that create facilitating conditions for effective ERP implementation in Bangladesh and the resulting benefits of ERP implementation as well as the challenges of ERP implementation in Bangladeshi enterprises. This paper used secondary data sources that include browsing internet databases like Google scholar, emerald, web of science, and research gate to find research papers, articles, and study materials on ERP. The study reveals that supportive policies of government, increasing technological infrastructure, growing IT expertise, financial support from different financial institutions create major opportunities for ERP implementation in Bangladesh. Moreover, improved efficiency, centralized information systems, facilitating better decision-making, automatic process identified as the major benefits of adopting ERP and cost constraint, resource constraint, inadequate IT infrastructure, organizational resistance, customization challenges, vendor dependency are the prime challenges of implementing ERP system in Bangladeshi organizations. Finally, the paper proposes some suggestions to overcome the challenges.

Detecting unexpected growths in health technologies expenditures: the case of MIPRES in Colombia

We developed an algorithm to explore unexpected growth in the usage and costs of health technologies. We exploit data from the expenditures on technologies funded by the Colombian government under the compulsory insurance system, where all prescriptions for technologies not included in an explicit list must be registered in a centralized information system, covering the period from 2017 to 2022. The algorithm consists of two steps: an outlier detection method based on the density of the expenditures for selecting a first set of technologies to consider (39 technologies out of 106,957), and two anomaly detection models for time series to determine which insurance companies, health providers, and regions have the most notorious increases. We have found that most medicines associated with atypical behavior and significant monetary growth could be linked to the use of recently introduced drugs in the market. These drugs have valid patents and very specific clinical indications, often involving high-cost pharmacological treatments. The most relevant case is the Burosumab, approved in 2018 to treat a rare genetic disorder affecting skeletal growth. Secondly, there is clear evidence of anomalous increasing trend evolutions in the identified enteral nutritional support supplements or Food for Special Medical Purposes. The health system did not purchase these products before July 2021, but in 2022 they represented more than 500,000 USD per month.

Entropy Optimization by Redesigning Organization in Hospital Operations.

A redesign of hospitals (i.e., partitioning departments and delegating decision authority) may be needed to deal with variable demand. Uncertain demands and throughput times often need short reaction times. In this study, we develop quantitative methods to guide a redesign through an information-processing approach. To demonstrate how the methods can be used in practice, we tested them by applying them to a large perinatology care system in the Netherlands. We used the following two methods: 1. portfolio optimization and 2. efficient coordination of workload and reallocation of nurses. Our case study of a large perinatology care system showed that several designs of clustered units minimized the demand uncertainty in the perinatology care system. For the coordination strategy, the information and decision uncertainty is minimized when the decision power is positioned at the operation level and with the help of a centralized information system. When the operation decision-making power is not supplemented with the centralized and system-wide information system, hospitals can better use the hierarchy model, where the manager holds decision-making power with a system-wide overview. We also found that the speed of decision-making in real-time depends on the level of information aggregation set up by the system. We conclude that combining the correlation perspectives and the entropy theory is a way of quantifying how organizations can be (re)designed.

PERANCANGAN DAN PEMBUATAN SISTEM INFORMASI CAÉ ACEH BERBASIS WEBSITE

This research is spurred by the absence of a dedicated website to showcase caé, coupled with the significant number of young Acehnese individuals in the information age who lack awareness about caé. Leveraging existing technology, the aim of this study is to develop a website-based centralized information system exclusively devoted to caé Aceh. This system not only offers public access to view the caé present in the database but also encourages users to suggest any caé that might not have been included yet. The primary objective of this system is to serve as a platform for preserving the nation's cultural heritage, with a specific emphasis on caé. Furthermore, it seeks to enhance the understanding of caé among the general public, particularly the younger generation in Aceh, and foster increased interest in studying Aceh caé through the website. The development process employed the prototype methodology, with experts conducting black box testing—a method where the system's internal workings are not disclosed—to ensure thorough evaluation. The testing results for this system yielded a perfect score of 100%, indicating its high suitability and effectiveness.

The Reef Environment Centralized InFormation System (RECIFS): An integrated geo‐environmental database for coral reef research and conservation

AbstractMotivationHost to intricate networks of marine species, coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. Over the past few decades, major degradations of coral reefs have been observed worldwide, which is largely attributed to the effects of climate change and local stressors related to human activities. Now more than ever, characterizing how the environment shapes the dynamics of the reef ecosystem (e.g., shifts in species abundance, community changes, emergence of locally adapted populations) is key to uncovering the environmental drivers of reef degradation, and developing efficient conservation strategies in response. To achieve these objectives, it is pivotal that environmental data describing the processes driving such ecosystem dynamics, which occur across specific spatial and temporal scales, are easily accessible to coral reef researchers and conservation stakeholders alike.Main types of variable containedMultiple environmental variables characterizing various facets of the reef environment, including water chemistry and physics (e.g., temperature, pH, chlorophyll concentration), local anthropogenic pressures (e.g., boat traffic, distance from agricultural or urban areas) and sea currents patterns.Spatial location and grainWorldwide reef cells of 5 by 5 km.Time period and grainLast 3–4 decades, monthly and yearly resolution.Major taxa and level of measurementEnvironmental data important for coral reefs and associated biodiversity.Software formatInteractive web application available at https://recifs.epfl.ch.

ICPDS: Design and Analysis of PSSOA and Blockchain Fusion Scheme for Cross-Hospital Medical Systems

<p>With the rapid development of information technology, medical treatments are gradually transforming into digitalization and informatization. The diverse sources and scopes of the medical data are sensitive and significant. As important data assets, medical data are constantly being analyzed and mined. Because of the huge commercial value of medical data, the problems of privacy leakage exist in the centralized information system. They cannot adapt to complex medical environment. Most of the current authentication mechanisms use passwords for verification. It is not easy for users to remember all usernames and passwords. Based on these problems, we design single-sign-on (called SSO) authentication (Password Single-Sign-On Authentication scheme, PSSOA) and blockchain (Improved Cross-Blockchain based Privacy-Preserving Date Sharing scheme, ICPDS) fusion schemes. Users are verified by multiple identity servers in this scheme. Then identity servers issue authentication tokens with threshold manners. The protected identity servers regularly update their master secret shares to defend against malicious adversaries.</p> <p> </p>

Juggling quality labels with centralised analytics: How the first Nordic triple-crowned business school does it

ABSTRACT Higher education (HE) is a challenging area for quality professionals because of its highly complex operational nature. While neither quality management (QM) in HE nor applications of analytics in QM is a new research discipline, few studies have examined the applications of analytics in the context of QM in HE. This study calls for more attention to bridge the gap between these two established research disciplines by conducting a systematic literature review and an in-depth single-case study. A systematic literature review illustrates the missing link of analytics in quality management in HE in the literature; however, in practice, highly ranked universities worldwide demonstrate various ways in which an HE institution can embed analytics and business intelligence into their QM practices. The first Nordic triple-crowned business school was selected as a single-case study to illustrate how analytics can be a powerful tool for QM in HE. This study found that analytics and business intelligence, enabled by a centralised information system, offer great tools for quality professionals at HE institutions to manage by fact and consequently allow them to make more fact-based, data-based operational, tactical, and strategic decisions. The centralised information system also alleviates the challenges associated with applying for multiple accreditations. As this is a highly contextual phenomenon, this study also calls for future research in other contexts, such as in other disciplines or in other regions where HE has significantly different operational characteristics.

A trusted IoT data sharing and secure oracle based access for agricultural production risk management

Agricultural risks associated with weather events, soil conditions, diseases, and pests have risen in recent years due to climate change. These risks have burdened farmers with the shock of financial stress and endangered the region’s food security. Despite increasing risks, notable risk management tools like agricultural insurance have not effectively reached marginal farmers in developing economies. This can be attributed to the fact that existing centralized agricultural information systems lack trust factors in sharing and accessing agricultural risk data, which is accompanied by processing delays in insurance payouts. To this end, the emergence of promising technologies like blockchain helps establish trust and automates insurance-based payments with smart contracts. This work proposes a framework called AgriSSIOracle with two key contributions. The first is to have a trusted agricultural Internet of Things (IoT) data sharing that employs blockchain-based Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and provable credentials. Second is the decentralized oracle-based access control mechanism for smart contracts in agricultural insurance. A method for privacy-preserved authentication and data provenance for agricultural IoT devices is developed with SSI-based Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs). Next, the IoT data sharing scheme is illustrated using publish–subscribe and request–response communication patterns based on the device data credentials. Finally, the decentralized oracle mechanism for smart contracts is built based on multiparty computation for risk-related data access. The implementation of the framework is realized using a permissioned identity blockchain called Hyperledger Indy and Ethereum, which is a public blockchain for smart contracts. The security and privacy analysis confirms that the AgriSSIOracle framework ensures trust factors, particularly authenticity, privacy, data provenance, data integrity, and access control. The framework is evaluated with respect to the transaction throughput, latency, credential issue-verify-revoke time, and resource utilization metrics. The evaluation results prove that the AgriSSIOracle solution is scalable and efficient and meets the requirements of real-time deployment.

PENGEMBANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI PENANGANAN PENDERITA GANGGUAN JIWA DENGAN PENDEKATAN ENTEPRISE SYSTEMS

The health information system is a digital system that is quite complex so that in the development and evaluation stages, it is necessary to consider cultural, political, social and organizational structure factors. In Bali, the number of people with mental disorders is considered high and the need for treatment is in a fairly long time, that is the reason a management information system is needed to organize data and information about the patients. This study aims to develop a centralized management information system that can be utilised specifically for health workers to manage information regarding people with mental disorders. The development of the management information system in this study involves doctors, volunteers, and admin or organizational staff in every critical process. The prototyping method was chosen as a system development method because it considered more adaptive in capturing the needs of prospective system users. At the evaluation stage, functional evaluation through the Black-box method was used to test the functional capabilities of the system. In addition, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Task Load Index (TLX) were used to evaluate the non-functionality of the system where all users agree that the developed management information system is useful, easy to use, and requires a small cognitive workload.

ANALISIS DAN PERANCANGAN WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN) BERBASIS IP VPN PADA PT. AUTOCOMP SYSTEMS INDONESIA

The purpose of this research is to analyze and design an IP VPN-based Wide Area Network (WAN) at PT. Autocomp Systems Indonesia to facilitate employees in accessing a centralized information system quickly, stably and securely. The company currently uses a Leased Line-based WAN network, but there are many disadvantages such as high costs and low bandwidth capacity. so the authors try to solve this problem. The methodology used in this research is NDLC (Network Development Life Cycle). The NDLC method consists of Analysis, Design, Simulation Prototyping, Implementation, Monitoring and Management. To design this network the author uses GNS3 simulation software (Graphical Network Simulator-3).The conclusion obtained from this study is that IP VPN-based WAN networks can reduce costs and provide higher network speeds than Leased Line-based WAN networks.

Entangled in the technology-driven borderscape: Border crossers rendered to their digital self

EU management of migration is undergoing an unprecedented transformation because of the use of databases and information systems. Drawing on the concept of border performativity, this article discusses how data is transforming the border. In particular, the article focuses on 1) how the EU JHA databases are evolving, from separate systems each with one purpose to multi-purpose databases, and 2) how the new EU plan – the interoperability regulation – connects and merges biometric and biographical data, as part of a shift from a silo-based approach towards a single centralised information system. The article – based on results of several research projects carried out between 2011 and 2019 adopting mixed methodology – discusses the border crossers’ role in challenging this digital border control, both in light of the current practices of data collection and processing and newly approved EU regulations. The article argues that the transformation of border control practices into practices driven by data processing makes it more difficult for border crossers to manoeuvre the system and legally challenge decisions based on data processing, thus, hampering the transformation of the border from below.

COVID-19 vaccine coverage and factors associated with vaccine uptake among 23 247 adults with a recent history of homelessness in Ontario, Canada: a population-based cohort study

BackgroundPeople experiencing homelessness face a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission, as well as health complications and death due to COVID-19. Despite being prioritised for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in many regions, little data are available on vaccine uptake in this vulnerable population. Using population-based health-care administrative data from Ontario, Canada—a region with a universal, publicly funded health system—we aimed to describe COVID-19 vaccine coverage (ie, the estimated percentage of people who have received a vaccine) and determinants of vaccine receipt among individuals with a recent history of homelessness.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, population-based cohort study of adults (aged ≥18 years) with a recent experience of homelessness, inadequate housing, or shelter use as recorded in routinely collected health-care databases between June 14, 2020, and June 14, 2021 (a period within 6 months of Dec 14, 2020, when COVID-19 vaccine administration was initiated in Ontario). Participants were followed up from Dec 14, 2020, to Sept 30, 2021, for the receipt of one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine using the province's real-time centralised vaccine information system. We described COVID-19 vaccine coverage overall and within predefined subgroups. Using modified Poisson regression, we further identified sociodemographic factors, health-care usage, and clinical factors associated with receipt of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.Findings23 247 individuals with a recent history of homelessness were included in this study. Participants were predominantly male (14 752 [63·5%] of 23 247); nearly half were younger than 40 years (11 521 [49·6%]) and lived in large metropolitan regions (12 123 [52·2%]); and the majority (18 226 [78·4%]) visited a general practitioner for an in-person consultation during the observation period. By Sept 30, 2021, 14 271 (61·4%; 95% CI 60·8–62·0) individuals with a recent history of homelessness had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 11 082 (47·7%; 47·0–48·3) had received two doses; in comparison, over the same period, 86·6% of adults in the total Ontario population had received a first dose and 81·6% had received a second dose. In multivariable analysis, factors positively associated with COVID-19 uptake were one or more outpatient visits to a general practitioner (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] 1·37 [95% CI 1·31–1·42]), older age (50–59 years vs 18–29 years: 1·18 [1·14–1·22], ≥60 years vs 18–29 years: 1·27 [1·22–1·31]), receipt of an influenza vaccine in either of the two previous influenza seasons (1·25 [1·23–1·28]), being identified as homeless via a visit to a community health centre versus exclusively a hospital-based encounter (1·13 [1·10–1·15]), receipt of one or more SARS-CoV-2 tests between March 1, 2020, and Sept 30, 2021 (1·23 [1·20–1·26]), and the presence of chronic health conditions (one condition: 1·05 [1·03–1·08]; two or more conditions: 1·11 [1·08–1·14]). By contrast, living in a smaller metropolitan region (aRR 0·92 [95% CI 0·90–0·94]) or rural location (0·93 [0·90–0·97]) versus large metropolitan regions were associated with lower uptake.InterpretationIn Ontario, COVID-19 vaccine coverage among adults with a recent history of homelessness has lagged and, as of Sept 30, 2021, was 25 percentage points lower than that of the general adult population in Ontario for a first dose and 34 percentage points lower for a second dose. With high usage of outpatient health services among individuals with a recent history of homelessness, better utilisation of outpatient primary care structures might offer an opportunity to increase vaccine coverage in this population. Our findings underscore the importance of leveraging existing health and service organisations that are accessed and trusted by people who experience homelessness for targeted vaccine delivery.FundingThe Public Health Agency of Canada.TranslationFor the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECT: POTENTIAL OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

It has been well established through research works and experience of construction professionals that smooth, transparent, traceable information flow is absolutely essential for better coordination among stakeholders in a project. This challenge of information management has been met to a good extent through centralized information systems, tailor made for each organization. However, poor information management and resulting poor coordination still persists in projects. Through extensive literature reviews as well as detailed discussion with construction professionals, identification & categorization of issues with the present Information system has been done. Blockchain technology as an alternate solution to the information management issues in Construction projects has been studied in detail starting with basic understanding of the technology itself to development of concept framework models for its potential applications in the construction projects. Further, some case studies have also been reviewed to get a better understanding of overall advantages, challenges & limitations associated with the technology. For assessment of features of technology and its potential in addressing the requirements, detailed discussion with Blockchain professionals and survey was done. The features of the technology have been compared with the issues and an analysis of the same has been done to review and analyze the potential of applicability of blockchain to address the requirements. Recommendations have been provided at the end which provide way for future works in this regard.

Государство в цифровом преобразовании управленческих процессов: от электронного документооборота к цифровым экосистемам

This article explores the changes arising from the introduction of information and communication technologies in public administration using an institutional approach. Practical examples are used to consider transformations in the way government institutions interact with citizens and organizations, as well as new emerging opportunities in the provision of public and socially important services. The author analyses both the retrospective formation of centralised government information systems in countries that have reached digital maturity, the formation of electronic, digital and smart governments, and the emerging trends of the next round of digital transformation - the development of interstate digital ecosystems and regional digital environments of megacities and urban agglomerations. In particular, the article examines the steps taken by the US government in the early 21st century to establish electronic interaction between government agencies and to create a system for delivering public services that excludes personal contact by citizens and companies. It then identifies technologies that have subsequently enabled other countries to make the transition to fully digital governmental information. A significant innovation that, in the author's opinion, determined the further vector of transformation of administrative processes was the integration of payment and government information systems. Such a technological solution, implemented through a closer partnership between government and corporate entities, combined with the spread of individual mobile digital devices – smartphones and tablets – has become the basis for the development of unified digital platforms designed to optimize both the provision and receipt of virtually all socially important services. The article also examines the role of government information systems in the development of the data economy and highlights emerging models of government regulation in this area. The following trends of digitalization in the public sector are analysed as relevant: regulators of digital ecosystems acquiring the ability to provide digital services to extraterritorial communities, scaling digital infrastructure in territories with high population concentration when implementing economic development projects and introducing digital technologies in the social sphere.

Retrospective Analysis of Six Years of Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance and Polio Vaccine Coverage Reported by Italy, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Malta, and Greece.

Here we analyzed six years of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance, from 2015 to 2020, of 10 countries linked to the WHO Regional Reference Laboratory, at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy. The analysis also comprises the polio vaccine coverage available (2015–2019) and enterovirus (EV) identification and typing data. Centralized Information System for Infectious Diseases and Laboratory Data Management System databases were used to obtain data on AFP indicators and laboratory performance and countries’ vaccine coverage from 2015 to 2019. EV isolation, identification, and typing were performed by each country according to WHO protocols. Overall, a general AFP underreporting was observed. Non-Polio Enterovirus (NPEV) typing showed a high heterogeneity: over the years, several genotypes of coxsackievirus and echovirus have been identified. The polio vaccine coverage, for the data available, differs among countries. This evaluation allows for the collection, for the first time, of data from the countries of the Balkan area regarding AFP surveillance and polio vaccine coverage. The need, for some countries, to enhance the surveillance systems and to promote the polio vaccine uptake, in order to maintain the polio-free status, is evident.

From Harmony to eHarmony: Charles Fourier, Social Science, and the Management of Love

This essay examines techniques of amorous matching in the work of the “utopian socialist” Charles Fourier (1772–1837), recovering the practices and the institutions he proposed for the management of love, as well as his political arguments for their centrality in a perfected society. In doing so, it argues more broadly for the need to position the management of love at the origin of early social science. Much as early defenses of capitalism had at their core a discourse of the passions, so too was Fourier’s socialism invested in exploring how problems of political economy were those of passional economy. To rectify the latter, Fourier attempted to articulate both a mathematical system—a calcul des passions—and a centralized information system for the gathering and sorting of personal data. The recovery of his vision thus has the potential to inform critically a radical politics of algorithmic matching through Big Data—the province today not of utopian socialism but of online dating apps.