Multi-platform Environment Research Articles

A new web-based tool for data visualization in MDSplus

The Java tool jScope has been widely used for years to display acquired waveform in MDSplus. The choice of the Java programming language for its implementation has been successful for several reasons among which the fact that Java supports a multiplatform environment and it is well suited for graphics and the management of network communication. jScope can be used both as a local and remote application. In the latter case, data are acquired via TCP/IP communication using the mdsip protocol. Exporting data in this way however introduces several security problems due to the necessity of opening firewall holes for the user ports. For this reason, and also due to the fact that JavaScript is becoming a widely used language for web applications, a new tool written in JavaScript and called WebScope has been developed for the visualization of MDSplus data in web browsers.Data communication is now achieved via http protocol using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) technology. At the server side, data access is carried out by a Python module that interacts with the web server via Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI).When a data item, described by an MDSplus expression, is requested by the web browser for visualization, it is returned as a binary message and then handled by callback JavaScript functions activated by the web browser.Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) technology is used to handle graphics within the web browser and to carry out the same interactive data visualization provided by jScope. In addition to mouse events, touch events are supported to provide interactivity also on touch screens. In this way, waveforms can be displayed and manipulated on tablet and smartphone devices.

멀티플랫폼 환경에서 의료정보표준 기반 게이트웨이 설계 및 성능 평가

최근 병원정보 시스템은 의료서비스의 질과 효율성을 제고하기 위해 스마트폰 및 태블릿 PC를 활용한 스마트 진료서비스가 대형병원을 중심으로 도입되고 있으며 개인의 진료정보를 PC, 스마트폰 등을 통해 관리하는 개인건강기록(PHR) 서비스에 대한 관심 및 기술개발이 활발히 진행 중에 있다. 이러한 차세대 병원정보 시스템을 구축하기 위해서는 상이한 병원정보 시스템 간의 데이터 연동과 다양한 사용자 기기 간의 UX 일관성이 보장되어야 한다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 이러한 멀티플랫폼 환경 하에서 의료정보를 통합하여 연동할 수 있는 게이트웨이 시스템을 설계하기 위해 개인의 진료정보 표준과 성능 향상을 위한 연구를 수행하였다. 본 연구를 통해 게이트웨이 시스템의 핵심 기능인 데이터 간의 매핑 방법에 있어서 CCR 표준을 적용하고 다중 테이블 기반 매핑 방법을 사용하여 시스템 설계를 하였다. 이에 대한 성능 평가를 위해 실험을 한 결과 응답속도가 약 20% 향상된 결과를 얻을 수 있었다. Recently, to enhance the quality and efficiency of health care services, smart health care services utilizing a smart phone and tablet pc are mainly being introduced into the large hospital and the interest for personal health record service which manages personal medical information utilizing PC and smart phone and technology development is actively underway. In order to build a next generation hospital information systems, the interoperability of data between the different hospital information systems and UX consistency between the various user devices must be assured. Therefore, in this paper, medical information standard and the study for improving the performance is conducted to design the gateway system which converting and integrating the medical information under multi-platform environment. In this paper, CCR standard is adapted to the mapping method between the data which is the key feature of the gateway system and design the system utilizing multi-table-based mapping method. To evaluate the performance of the system, experiment was done and the result has been improved approximately 20 percent for response rate.

The Concept of the Remote Devices Content Management

Modern mobile communication devices which are often used as remote access to information systems bring up many advantages for user. Unfortunately in some cases when user has several different mobile devices for the same remote access, a problem of multiplatform and multivendor environment fragments productivity by user knowledge in principals of approach to possible services, controlling or management of devices as well as features is available. The customizable interface of remote device management benefits by the control of all owned, authorized, or publically accessible devices from single point of user perspective. We propose a concept of such information system which takes into account mobile devices and their content. Concept is suitable not only for Apple iOS or Google Android, but also it covers all mobile platforms as well as the sensors capabilities of mobile devices which can turn such mobile Smart Device to Smart and mobile sensor concentrator.

Numerical methods with Sage

Numpy and SciPy are program libraries for the Python scripting language, which apply to a large spectrum of numerical and scientific computing tasks. The Sage project provides a multiplatform software environment which enables one to use, in a unified way, a large number of software components, including NumPy and SciPy, and which has Python as its command language. We review several examples, typical for scientific computation courses, and their solution using these tools in the Sage environment.

멀티플랫폼 환경의 만성 질환자 건강관리를 위한 유헬스 서비스 모델

만성질환자가 증가함에 따라서 유헬스 서비스는 특정 질병의 치료 및 관리에서 서비스 대상자에 대한 행동수정기반의 예방서비스로 진화하고 있다. 기존의 유헬스 서비스는 원격진료나 상담을 통한 서비스나 생체정보의 모니터링만을 제공하여 대사증후군 등 만성질환자를 예방하거나 관리하는 것에는 한계가 있다. 이에 본 논문에서는 만성질환자의 건강관리를 위한 멀티플랫폼 기반의 유헬스 서비스 모델를 제안한다. 멀티플랫폼 기반의 유헬스 서비스는 PC와 스마트폰을 통하여 사용자의 위치와 제한없이 지속적으로 건강 정보 및 식이, 운동에 대한 서비스가 가능하다. 또한 임상정보를 바탕으로 CDS(Clinical Decision Support) 모듈을 활용한 처방 서비스를 의사와 간호사에게 제공한다. 의사는 행동수정 프로그램을 통해 서비스 대상자의 생활패턴을 파악하고 맞춤화된 서비스의 제공이 가능하다. 본 유헬스 서비스 모델은 서비스 대상자에게 멀티플랫폼 환경에서 효과적인 서비스를 제공하여 만성질환자의 건강증진에 기여할 것으로 기대된다. U-health services have been progressed as treatment and management for specific diseases and prevention services for providing the behavior management to customers according to the increase in chronic patients. The conventional U-health services provide required services and bio-information monitoring only through remote diagnoses and counsels and that represent limitations in preventing and managing metabolic syndrome patients like chronic patients. Thus, in this study a multi platform based U-health service model for managing the health of chronic patients is proposed. The multi-platform based U-health service model can provide continuous health information, diet, and exercise services regardless of the location of customers through PCs and smart phones. In addition, it is able to provide prescription services to doctors and nurses using a CDS (Clinical Decision Support) module based on clinical information. Doctors can identify the life pattern of patients through a behavior modification program and provide customized services to patients. The U-health service model provides effective services in multi-platform environments to customers and that will improve the health of chronic patients.

Developing the Upgrade Detection and Defense System of SSH Dictionary-Attack for Multi-Platform Environment

Based on the improved algorithm for analyzing log and the detection and defense system of SSH Dictionary-Attack for Multi-Platform Environment (Su, Chen, Chung & Wu), we developed the upgrade detection and defense system of SSH Dictionary-Attack for Multi-Platform Environment. In this study, we introduced the current threats and the types of SSH Dictionary-Attack. Then, we explained the functions and differences between the current defense software and defense types of SSH Dictionary-Attack; and described the current system of SSH Dictionary-Attack for Multi-Platform Environment. Moreover, based on the study of Su, Chen, Chung and Wu, we improved the algorithm of analyzing log in order to increase the defense capability of SSH Dictionary-Attack. After that, we designed the upgrade detection and defense system of SSH Dictionary-Attack for Multi-Platform Environment. The contribution of this study is to provide the upgrade detection and defense system of SSH Dictionary-Attack which was to keep the functions of original system of SSH Dictionary-Attack, and to improve the effectiveness of the algorithm of analyzing log.

A new object-oriented interface to MDSplus

The MDSplus data acquisition and management software package is widely used in the international fusion research community. Its core Application Programming Interface (API) remained unchanged since the system was ported to a multiplatform environment in the late nineties. Originally written in C, the MDSplus API did not fully exploit several object-oriented features of the system that were included in the original architecture. In 2008 a project was initiated by the authors to provide the core MDSplus functionality with an object-oriented API. A generic, language-independent class structure has been defined and modeled in Uniform Modeling Language (UML). Based on this description the new API has been implemented so far in C++, Python, and Java. The new API provides data type management, allowing the full exploitation of the rich set of data types defined in MDSplus by means of composition of data object instances, and pulse file access, for writing and reading data objects as well as managing database components properties. The definition of a language-independent class organization allows the MDSplus object-oriented API to be consistent across all the object oriented languages that will be supported. Regardless of the language used, this approach provides a much more natural programming interaction with MDSplus.

FreeNA: A Multi-Platform Framework for Inserting Upper-Layer Network Services

Networking technologies have recently been evolving and network applications are now expected to support flexible composition of upper-layer network services, such as security, QoS, or personal firewall. We propose a multi-platform framework called FreeNA that extends existing applications by incorporating the services based on user definitions. This extension does not require users to modify their systems at all. Therefore, FreeNA is valuable for experimental system usage. We implemented FreeNA on both Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems, and evaluated their functionality and performance. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of FreeNA including details on how to insert network services into existing applications and how to create services in a multi-platform environment. We also give an example implementation of a service with SSL, a functionality comparison with relevant systems, and our performance evaluation results. The results show that FreeNA offers finer configurability, composability, and usability than other similar systems. We also show that the throughput degradation of transparent service insertion is 2% at most compared with a method of directly inserting such services into applications.

FPGA solution for matrix converter double sided space vector modulation algorithm

Matrix Converters (MCs) present several advantages, but yet several barriers must be overcome, such as MC modulation and control technique complexity. This article proposes a multiplatform environment that allows the implementation of the Double Sided Space Vector Modulation (DS-SVM) algorithm in a last-generation Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. The traditional digital control architecture, based on a SP and some additional devices, is improved by means of a last generation FPGA where the main processor (PowerPC), internal memory, communication interfaces, I/O capabilities and a hardware core that executes the DS-SVM have been connected using on-chip buses. The methodology begins by defining the DS-SVM in a Matlab-Simulink environment. The PowerPC delivers 680 MIPS, but it is not a good candidate to execute the DS-SVM algorithm because it is not possible to achieve the modulation frequency that is necessary for an MC. A new configurable hardware circuit that implements the whole DS-SVM algorithm is proposed. This solution achieves modulation frequencies over 100 kHz. This hardware core is connected to one of the PowerPC buses and the processor can configure it or get feedback information at any time. As the processor is liberated from the very time-consuming DS-SVM computation, it can execute many higher level tasks.

Editorial

In a time of rapid technological, social and economic development, news journalism is undergoing some spectacular changes. New communication technologies, a globalizing media and intense commercial pressures are impacting on the way in which news organisations and journalists operate, as well as opening up new ways of disseminating and consuming news. At the same time, news audiences are adjusting to an everyday life permeated by an abundance of media content and formats, with journalists now seeking audience attention in a multimedia, multi-platform environment.

The Social Contract and Beyond in Broadcast Media Policy

This article undertakes an institutionalist analysis of broadcast media policy, analyzing sources of both stability and change over time. It draws attention to the distinctive features of broadcast licenses as a form of soft property and the significance of policy settlements as ways in which regulators in different countries have managed the relationship between private ownership and public interest. It traces the development of broadcast media policy in Australia from the 1950s to the present in this light, arguing that continuities in policy over time that have favored incumbent commercial interests have been the prevailing pattern of policy outcomes. The article concludes by raising issues about whether a social democratic approach to media policy should support the introduction of greater market competition in a multiplatform environment rather than seek to maintain the existing broadcasting order and draws on so-called new public interest literature to make this argument.

Distributed, multiplatform high fidelity human-patient simulation environment: a global-range simulation-based medical learning and training network

Simulation offers the most efficient adjunct in education and "refresher" training of medical personnel. However, simulation devices and facilities are expensive and the combination of cost, distance from the training centres, and professional constraints prevent medical personnel in rural and remote regions from simulation-based training. We have demonstrated that these barriers can be overcome by the already developed distance simulation methods. However, whenever High Fidelity Patient Simulators are used in a multi-unit training environment (e.g., mass casualties) the problems of simulator incompatibility may introduce major problems in the orchestration and control of the simulated events. The paper discusses problems of international large scale "just-in-time" training, and the initial solutions to simulation-based preparation of medical personnel using multiple simulators simulator sites separated by ultra-long distances.

Multitracer: a Java-based tool for anatomic delineation of grayscale volumetric images

A Java-based tool for delineating anatomic boundaries in 8- and 16- bit grayscale volumetric images is described. Modern features implemented by the tool include the ability to simultaneously view the current cursor position and the previously delineated boundaries on three orthogonal planes, the ability to magnify images during delineation using high-quality interpolation, the ability to encode and save boundaries with subvoxel resolution, and the ability to utilize coregistered images interchangeably during delineation. Additional features facilitate use of the tool in a multiuser, multiplatform environment and provide support for the documentation of anatomic delineation protocols. In addition to providing direct estimates of structure volumes, areas, and lengths, the tool allows contoured boundaries to be exported for more sophisticated analyses. The tool also provides support for manual editing of image volumes to remove confounding structures and for manual correction of image volumes that have been inaccurately edited. In addition to its research utility, the tool also has potential value in education, allowing students to interact with volumetric data and structural boundaries in three dimensions.

Specifying and enforcing application-level web security policies

Application-level Web security refers to vulnerabilities inherent in the code of a Web-application itself (irrespective of the technologies in which it is implemented or the security of the Web-server/back-end database on which it is built). In the last few months, application-level vulnerabilities have been exploited with serious consequences: Hackers have tricked e-commerce sites into shipping goods for no charge, usernames and passwords have been harvested, and confidential information (such as addresses and credit-card numbers) has been leaked. We investigate new tools and techniques which address the problem of application-level Web security. We 1) describe a scalable structuring mechanism facilitating the abstraction of security policies from large Web-applications developed in heterogeneous multiplatform environments; 2) present a set of tools which assist programmers in developing secure applications which are resilient to a wide range of common attacks; and 3) report results and experience arising from our implementation of these techniques.

MOLDA for Protein Modeling: A Molecular Modeling Program for Biological Molecules.

A molecular modeling program for biological molecules has been developed as a 3D data-interaction tool for computational chemistry and structural bioinformatics. This program named MOLDA for Protein Modeling is written in the Java language and works multiplatform environment. MOLDA for Protein Modeling has been implemented with various functions useful for studying biological molecules by structural bioinformatics. The functions are as follows: (1) the importing function of the PDB file is implemented, (2) 3D structure of polypeptides can be generated by inputting the sequences, (3) the conformation of the polypeptide can be changed by reading the dihedral angle matrix, and (4) an amino acid residue can be changed by the point mutation operation. MOLDA for Protein Modeling is expected to be a useful tool for drug design.

128 Channel PCI-based data acquisition system for MDSplus

With the increasing demand for analogue channel acquisition on the TCV tokamak, a new PCI based acquisition has been specified, designed, built and installed into our MDSplus acquisition environment. The design criteria were to not only improve the cost/channel, as compared to our conventional hub based acquisition (CAMAC), but to provide some distributed processing power to avoid the associated acquisition server saturation, both in terms of CPU and network bandwidth. These units were initially intended to satisfy the requirements of general variable rate acquisition from a variety of sources, and many channel acquisition from modern multi-channel diagnostics. Hosted by a i386-Linux PC in a crate with four available PCI slots, each single-PCI slot 32-channel digitiser features sampling frequencies up to 200 kHz, and 64 MB of memory, providing 1 Msample of 16-bit data per channel. The local hard disk is used for immediate local storage of all the acquired data from the selected channels into a local MDSplus database. The host is then accessed as a MDS/IP server that provides, on demand, down-sampled and software filtered traces. The local hard disk capacity is used for medium to long-term storage and availability of the full data set with optional mirror technology to guard against hard disk failure. We have thus obtained a general solution for high resolution, multi-channel routine acquisition using the multi-platform MDSplus environment, in which different software and hardware architectures are intelligently linked across a standard TCP/IP network. The implementation presented here uses ONLY standard components of the MDSplus environment.

Evolution of transparent manufacturing: An architecture for a Java-based controller of a CIM cell

Because of recent advances in the area of networking and information systems, today's manufacturing systems face an increasing demand for easy access, and easy integration. This demand has driven the area of factory automation towards a more transparent structure, especially at the shop-floor control level. In this light, the cell level controller must not only allow consistent operation within the cell, but also provide networking facilities to the applications in the higher tier. In this paper, a Java-based architecture for such a controller is proposed, and pertinent design issues discussed. An implementation of this architecture is also investigated for feasibility in a multi-platform environment. Case studies and evaluation of the controller are presented.

SearchPad: explicit capture of search context to support Web search

Experienced users who query search engines have a complex behavior. They explore many topics in parallel, experiment with query variations, consult multiple search engines, and gather information over many sessions. In the process they need to keep track of search context — namely useful queries and promising result links, which can be hard. We present an extension to search engines called SearchPad that makes it possible to keep track of ‘search context’ explicitly. We describe an efficient implementation of this idea deployed on four search engines: AltaVista, Excite, Google and Hotbot. Our design of SearchPad has several desirable properties: (i) portability across all major platforms and browsers; (ii) instant start requiring no code download or special actions on the part of the user; (iii) no server side storage; and (iv) no added client–server communication overhead. An added benefit is that it allows search services to collect valuable relevance information about the results shown to the user. In the context of each query SearchPad can log the actions taken by the user, and in particular record the links that were considered relevant by the user in the context of the query. The service was tested in a multi-platform environment with over 150 users for 4 months and found to be usable and helpful. We discovered that the ability to maintain search context explicitly seems to affect the way people search. Repeat SearchPad users looked at more search results than is typical on the Web, suggesting that availability of search context may partially compensate for non-relevant pages in the ranking.

Coping with file formats on the internet

The emergence of the Internet has thrown many new and unfamiliar file formats at the end users' doorstep. In this brave new multiplatform environment world, consisting mostly of UNIX workstations, PCs and Macs, and multi-media Web, end users now need to deal with a complex variety of files. This paper offers an easy-to-follow overview of common tools for archiving, compression and encoding (A/C/E) and their associated file formats on all these platforms. The purpose and benefits of A/C/E are explained. Common tools and file formats are discussed, including the global encoding standard MIME. An outlook into the immediate future of automated Java-based A/C/E technology is also given.

Developing an Integrated Intelligent Framework to Support an Engineering Change Process for an Axial Piston Pump

Since the concepts of concurrent engineering were introduced in mid 1980s, the product design process has become complicated. This is because many factors related to the life cycle of the product may need to be considered during the design stage. Therefore, shortening product development time becomes important for the survival of an enterprise. In this paper, an integrated intelligent environment to support concurrent engineering is proposed. Two major modules are provided by this system to assist change management. One is a constraint network module that analyses the related constraints about a design change to find the design variables influenced. Another is a product assembly module that extracts the design data from a CAD database to analyse the spatial relationships relating to an assembly. The data in the above two modules are integrated in a data integrated module, in which an entity relational data model was developed to describe the integrated data. Finally, a web-based query system was developed to provide a multiplatform environment for the user to refer to the data in the constraint network module and the product assembly module during a design change process. The proposed environment is implemented in the design change process for an axial piston pump.