European Union Funded Research Project Research Articles

HealthAgents: distributed multi-agent brain tumor diagnosis and prognosis

We present an agent-based distributed decision support system for the diagnosis and prognosis of brain tumors developed by the HealthAgents project. HealthAgents is a European Union funded research project, which aims to enhance the classification of brain tumors using such a decision support system based on intelligent agents to securely connect a network of clinical centers. The HealthAgents system is implementing novel pattern recognition discrimination methods, in order to analyze in vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and ex vivo/in vitro High Resolution Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (HR-MAS) and DNA micro-array data. HealthAgents intends not only to apply forefront agent technology to the biomedical field, but also develop the HealthAgents network, a globally distributed information and knowledge repository for brain tumor diagnosis and prognosis.

The European farm entrepreneur: a comparative perspective

Entrepreneurship in agriculture is an important issue in Europe. Policymakers, researchers, farmers' unions and advisory services are concerned with the development of entrepreneurship in agriculture. This paper reports on the interim findings of a European Union funded research project established to examine the socio-economic and cultural factors hindering or stimulating the development of entrepreneurial skills of farmers. One hundred and twenty (120) stakeholders in the farming sector were interviewed to explore their views concerning the entrepreneurial capability of farmers. Entrepreneurship is connected with finding ways and means to create and develop a profitable farm business. Skills are the competencies required to accomplish tasks and activities related to the farm business which can be developed by learning and experience.

Adjusted fair scheduling and non-linear workload prediction for QoS guarantees in grid computing

In this paper, we propose an efficient non-linear task workload prediction mechanism incorporated with a fair scheduling algorithm for task allocation and resource management in Grid computing. Workload prediction is accomplished in a Grid middleware approach using a non-linear model expressed as a series of finite known functional components using concepts of functional analysis. The coefficient of functional components are obtained using a training set of appropriate samples, the pairs of which are estimated based on a runtime estimation model relied on a least squares approximation scheme. The advantages of the proposed non-linear task workload prediction scheme is that (i) it is not constrained by analysis of source code ( analytical methods), which is practically impossible to be implemented in complicated real-life applications or (ii) it does not exploit the variations of the workload statistics as the statistical approaches does. The predicted task workload is then exploited by a novel scheduling algorithm, enabling a fair Quality of Service oriented resource management so that some tasks are not favored against others. The algorithm is based on estimating the adjusted fair completion times of the tasks for task order selection and on an earliest completion time strategy for the grid resource assignment. Experimental results and comparisons with traditional scheduling approaches as implemented in the framework of European Union funded research projects GRIA and GRIDLAB grid infrastructures have revealed the outperformance of the proposed method.

Business networks and innovation in selected lagging areas of the European Union: A spatial perspective

The present paper examines the operation of business networks and the associated level of innovative activity in rural areas of the European Union by adopting a macro view. The empirical evidence is derived from field work carried out in 12 European Union areas located in six member states in the framework of a European Union funded research project. Results show that the spatial extension of business networks and businesses' innovative activity are highly influenced by a region's accessibility to central markets taking into account its level of economic development.

Stability of NF membranes under extreme acidic conditions

Two commercial nanofiltration (NF) membranes (FilmTec NF-45 and Desal-5 DK) and two new NF-1 membranes made by BPT (Bio Pure Technology) for the purpose of a European Union funded research project (RENOMEM) were tested under extreme acidic conditions. The polyethersulphone (PES) ultrafiltration (UF) supports used for casting the BPT-NF-1 membranes were also tested under similar conditions. The 006 and 015 UF supports were found to be stable in 5% nitric acid at 20 and 80 °C for 4 and 3 months, respectively. Both supports (006 and 015) showed a significant reduction in flux after immersion in sulphuric acid at both temperatures. The BPT-NF-1 membranes showed excellent resistance to 20% sulphuric acid for up to 4 months at 20 °C but were attacked by the nitric acid solution. The resistance of the two commercial membranes in 20% sulphuric acid at 20 °C was generally lower than that of the BPT-NF-1 membranes. The NF-45 membrane was slightly more stable in 5% nitric acid at 20 °C. Degradation of the membrane occurred only after 2 months while both the Desal-5 DK and BPT-NF-1 membranes degraded during the first month. At the higher temperature of 80 °C in 5% nitric acid all membranes degraded in the first month. The cause of membrane degradation was attributed to oxidation of the thin NF selective skin layer in nitric acid and to acid-catalysed hydrolysis of this layer in sulphuric acid. Knowing the cause of membrane degradation is a step forward in developing a better and more stable nanofiltration membrane.

The metabolic syndrome

SummaryThe metabolic syndrome has been described as a ‘clustering’ of several risk factors for cardiovascular disease, namely obesity (particularly abdominal obesity), dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance and hypertension. Globally, the incidence of this syndrome is rising at an alarming rate. Treatments involve pharmacological therapies and diet and lifestyle changes. In order to reduce the incidence of this disease, and to minimise costs to health services, increasing emphasis must be placed on prevention, and on the education of health professionals and the public regarding the importance of diet and exercise in preventing this disease. Research is urgently required to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this syndrome, to evaluate prognostic biomarkers identifying this disease and to isolate and evaluate potential therapeutic agents. The OB‐AGE and LIPGENE projects are European Union funded research projects which aim to enhance our understanding of this syndrome (at a whole body, cellular and molecular level) and to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary fatty acids in preventing/ameliorating this disease.

Sustaining Rural Landscapes: The role of integrated tourism

The aim of a European Union-funded research project entitled 'Supporting and Promoting Integrated Tourism in Europe's Lagging Rural Regions' (SPRITE) is to analyse and develop the potential for better-integrated tourism in the rural landscapes of Europe. Integrated tourism can be defined as that which is explicitly linked to the localities in which it takes place and, in practical terms, has clear connections with local resources, activities, products, production and service industries, and a participatory local community. Enhancing the sustainable economic potential of rural landscapes requires partnerships among rural people and the sustainable yet productive use of rural resources. A 'culture economy' approach to integrated tourism is proposed, which emphasizes the importance of local identity, the strategic commodification of resources and of place, and the importance of extra-local forces in enabling local activities. It is suggested that this approach may represent a shift beyond more traditional approaches to rural development.

Advanced QoS provisioning in IP networks: the European premium IP projects

This article describes the current evolution of QoS architectures, mechanisms, and protocols in the Internet, as it is ongoing in the framework of the European Union funded research projects on premium IP networks. A short review of the proposed standard approaches to QoS (e.g., differentiated services, integrated services, and label switching technologies) is given. Then we focus on the state-of-the-art architectures, mainly based on DiffServ concepts. Several issues arise when trying to implement these architectures in the real world: QoS aspects, network monitoring of the offered QoS, and end-user control of received QoS. The article then discusses the existing results and the current direction of European research and development in these areas.

Poverty, deprivation and the politics of educational inclusion in Thanet and Lille

The paper reports on one outcome of a European Union-funded research project into some transnational aspects of youth marginalization. It discusses different discourses of inclusion and notes that poverty, deprivation and other social factors increase barriers to inclusive practices. The structure, provision and functioning of the education systems in the city of Lille, France, and the District of Thanet, England, are then compared and contrasted, and some barriers that prevent a proportion of the pupil populations from fully accessing school provision are identified. Both countries espouse inclusion but provide very different cultural contexts for its enactment. In Thanet, the market context inhibits equity of access to education and deepens social and educational disadvantages, while in Lille, despite French egalitarian ideals, the benign market between the private, largely denominational, secondary school sector and the public state provision, together with the informal systems of entry into the more prestigious lycées, are biased against the disadvantaged. Poverty and deprivation in both areas add to the difficulties of educational access and contribute to the formation of a group of disaffected young people who are marginalized as a consequence of an inability to participate fully and effectively in the education services provided. Some structural solutions to these problems are suggested and the paper concludes by advocating transnational policy considerations that could help to mitigate these difficulties.

Evaluation of the technical performance of concrete vegetable oil based release agents

Within an European Union funded research project, a series of standard tests was devised in order to evaluate the technical performance of release agents in general and vegetable oil based ones in particular. In this paper, these tests are described in some detail.