Efficient Learning of Communication Profiles from IP Flow Records

Poster (2016, November)

The task of network traffic monitoring has evolved drastically with the ever-increasing amount of data flowing in large scale networks. The automated analysis of this tremendous source of information ... [more ▼]

The task of network traffic monitoring has evolved drastically with the ever-increasing amount of data flowing in large scale networks. The automated analysis of this tremendous source of information often comes with using simpler models on aggregated data (e.g. IP flow records) due to time and space constraints. A step towards utilizing IP flow records more effectively are stream learning techniques. We propose a method to collect a limited yet relevant amount of data in order to learn a class of complex models, finite state machines, in real-time. These machines are used as communication profiles to fingerprint, identify or classify hosts and services and offer high detection rates while requiring less training data and thus being faster to compute than simple models. [less ▲]

Notes on a Lie algebraic relation

E-print/Working paper (2016)

We exhibit explicit orthogonal decompositions of every multidimensional restricted root space of a real semi-simple Lie algebra. We then show a link between this result and a radiality property of smooth ... [more ▼]

We exhibit explicit orthogonal decompositions of every multidimensional restricted root space of a real semi-simple Lie algebra. We then show a link between this result and a radiality property of smooth functions on G-homogeneous spaces when G is a real semi-simple Lie group. [less ▲]

Using the Empowerment Scale with unemployed people in lifelong learning: Is the tool sound and useful?

in Psychology Research (2016), 6(11), 648-659

Empowerment is a widely used construct in research on social work, mental health and community interventions, but has only been exploited indirectly with the unemployed. But job finding is an important ... [more ▼]

Empowerment is a widely used construct in research on social work, mental health and community interventions, but has only been exploited indirectly with the unemployed. But job finding is an important dimension of empowerment and could be used to test the accuracy of the concept and of its measures. The Making Decisions Empowerment Scale was used with 97 unemployed people who had been jobless for 6 months. Even though the psychometric qualities of the 5 subscales and the total scale were mixed, convergent and discriminant validity with several adaptive and non-adaptive dimensions could be established for the global scale and for the Esteem, Power, Control and, to a lesser degree, the Activism subscales. The results were only marginally better for the 28 items global scale compared to the 9 items Esteem scale. Empowerment could be adequately modelled by using three dimensions: change coping, depression, and chance control of unemployment. Comparing 6 months later those who had found a job with the still unemployed, the 2 groups differed significantly on 2 of the 5 subscales (Activism and Control) though not on the total empowerment scale, nor on the other psychometric scales. The results throw some doubt on the accuracy of an aggregate measure that sums up divergent dimensions. Instead, it is proposed that more specific and individualized constructs be used, at least in unemployment research. [less ▲]

Solar pumped Nd:YAG laser systems

in Tezpur University (2016, November)

Solar radiation from sunlight is abundant on our earth during daytime. In order to utilise it, here we report a new design and development of solar pumped Nd:YAG laser system. Sun Light is collected using ... [more ▼]

Solar radiation from sunlight is abundant on our earth during daytime. In order to utilise it, here we report a new design and development of solar pumped Nd:YAG laser system. Sun Light is collected using a large Fresnel lens concentrator of diameter 46 cm, which is then used for side pumping of the Nd:YAG laser rod. Horizontal cavity design with a variable cavity length of 14 cm to 25 cm is proposed in which it accommodates mirror, output coupler, laser rod as well the cooling mechanism. Water cooling is employed to remove extra heat generated around the laser rod. The developed system is low cost and portable. Experimental results of the measurement are solar radiation spectrum, laser line width and output power of laser. Successfully Nd:YAG laser emissions with Full Width Half Maximum of about 1.67 nm at 1064 nm wavelength and Output power of the system has been achieved up to 200 mW. The potential applications of the solar powered laser are laboratory experiments, generation of second harmonic and imaging. [less ▲]

Eigenheime. Hauskonstrukte in Thomas Bernhards „Korrektur“.

in Christians, Heiko; Mein, Georg (Eds.) In Da House. Das Haus und seine Vorstellung in den Künsten und Wissenschaften. (2016)

Transformationen von Regionalität in wissenschaftlichen und literarischen Diskursen.

in Caspers, Britta; Hallenberger, Dirk; Jung, Werner (Eds.) et al Theorien, Modelle und Probleme regionaler Literaturgeschichtsschreibung. (2016)

Achieving Universal Health Coverage: Technology for innovative primary health care education

Report (2016)

The challenges to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) are obvious yet vast in their scope: leading these is a lack of strong primary health care (PHC) systems and a global shortage of well-trained ... [more ▼]

The challenges to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) are obvious yet vast in their scope: leading these is a lack of strong primary health care (PHC) systems and a global shortage of well-trained health care professionals. Addressing these challenges is paramount, as it is well-trained health care professionals who will build the strong PHC systems that are necessary for UHC. Due to the continuing spread and evolution of information and communications technology (ICT) in health care and education, ICT should be considered as an essential tool for innovative primary health care education.  Many nations face a distinct lack of UHC, grossly unequal health services and an acute shortage of suitably qualified family doctors, nurses and allied health care professionals that constitute the primary health care team. It is estimated that by 2035, the world will have a shortage of 12.9 million health care professionals, however an additional 1.9 billion people will require health care. Recruiting, educating and retaining these primary health care teams is therefore fundamental to meet ongoing demands.  Family doctors contribute to high quality, cost-effective and accessible primary health care. However, PHC faces considerable challenges, including a preference from policymakers, the public, and members of the health care community for specialisation. Specialist-focused care may be attractive, but it is often economically unsustainable and absorbs resources that are necessary for PHC. Yet, cooperation between primary and secondary care is essential for delivering the best care to patients and communities. It should not be a matter of choosing between primary and secondary care, but rather of recognising and adequately supporting the unique attributes and skillsets that each has to offer.  Family medicine lies at the heart of primary health care. The key to producing skilled family doctors is good family medicine training, particularly at a postgraduate level. There is great potential to improve the scale and quality of family medicine training, starting with exposure to the field as early as possible. For the delivery of primary care to be effective – and lead to the achievement of universal health coverage – the composition of the primary care team should reflect the demography and health needs of the local population. Thus, the composition of the primary care team will differ from location to location, depending on the age/sex/ health needs of the local population. Family doctors and all of the PHC professionals should have a set of universal core skills, in addition to skills specific to the population and geography they serve. To provide effective care, health professionals need to understand the importance of social factors in influencing population health; therefore, training curricula must be adapted to local contexts  Career development through postgraduate training strongly motivates health professionals to stay in their own localities, as well as being vital for patient safety and improved outcomes. Yet, despite a thirst for postgraduate training among family doctors and other primary health care professionals, it is often difficult to access. ICT may be used to address recruitment and retention issues by providing easily accessible and good quality education.  This report examines a key question: Can ICT facilitate the education of PHC professionals worldwide in order to address the challenges facing PHC and UHC? Through in-depth literature reviews, analysis, and targeted interviews with key experts, the report concludes that ICT can indeed support, enhance and accelerate the education of the primary health care team’s members, in six key ways:  1. It is an effective means of developing workforce capacity. By overcoming geographical barriers and supplementing traditional instruction with online delivery from international and regional tutors, ICT can substantially increase health care professionals’ access to postgraduate education without the need for travel, thus helping to avoid disruption to healthcare delivery.  2. It helps to recruit and retain professionals. E-learning overcomes issues of access and isolation, and can be done flexibly to suit the learner. By providing access to specialist support, postgraduate courses and mentoring opportunities, e-learning and telehealth encourage in-country and rural retention of health care workers.  3. It is cost-saving. Traditional models of health professional education are expensive, both for the provider and for health care professionals. Developing ICT solutions may entail high initial costs but these are reduced over time, and with more users, achieve economies of scale.  4. It facilitates social and collaborative learning which has been shown to have the greatest impact on patient outcomes. A blend of synchronous and asynchronous e-learning is likely to be the most effective way of achieving interprofessional learning. Communities of practice are encouraged using ICT and social media, reducing professional isolation and improving collaboration.  5. It can help to bring contextualised care to where it is needed. For example, simulation-based medical education enables problem-based, interactive and contextualised learning. End-user (including patient) participation is paramount when designing ICT-based educational programmes.  6. It improves the quality of care by facilitating access to evidence-based medicine and reflective learning. Email alerts can support education by reaching a large audience and providing trustworthy information tailored to individual needs; social media can aid in streamlining vast amounts of information into a small number of tailored-to-the-individual articles; blogs and electronic portfolios can encourage reflective life-long learning. Capturing these opportunities will require stakeholders to consider the following:  a) Securing political and financial support to establish and maintain strong PHC systems  b) Adopting a collaborative interprofessional approach between health professionals, from medical school through to the workplace  c) Providing education and training relevant to the context and to user needs  d) Improving recruitment and retention through training  e) Encouraging the standardisation and accreditation of health professional education  f) Investing in ICT training for learners, educators and patients  g) Planning and developing programmes that use technology meaningfully to improve care quality, cost-effectiveness, accessibility, equity and patient safety  h) Recognise and consolidate the interdependence of all the health professionals in the PHC setting.  [less ▲]

Conditions for duality between fluxes and concentrations in biochemical networks

in Journal of Theoretical Biology (2016), 409(21), 1-10

Comparing Legal Clinics: is there a way to a European Clinical Culture? The Luxemburg Experience

in Abbignente, Angelo (Ed.) Diffusione dell'insegnamento clinico in Italia e in Europa: radici teoriche e dimensioni pratiche (2016)

Report on the Oberwolfach Workshop "Computations in the Cohomology of Arithmetic Groups"

in Oberwolfach Reports (2016, November)

Explicit calculations play an important role in the theoretical development of the cohomology of groups and its applications. It is becoming more common for such calculations to be derived with the aid of ... [more ▼]

Explicit calculations play an important role in the theoretical development of the cohomology of groups and its applications. It is becoming more common for such calculations to be derived with the aid of a computer. This mini-workshop assembled together experts on a diverse range of computational techniques relevant to calculations in the cohomology of arithmetic groups and applications in algebraic K-theory and number theory with a view to extending the scope of computer aided calculations in this area. [less ▲]