Applying fair intelligent congestion control in a hybrid QoS architecture for wireless environment

This simple and scalable Differentiated Services (DiffServ) QoS control model is acceptable for the core of the network. However, more explicit and stringent admission and reservation based QoS mechanisms are required in the wireless access segment of the network, where available resources are severely limited and the degree of traffic aggregation is not significant, thus rendering the DiffServ principles less effective. In this paper we present a suitable hybrid QoS architecture framework to address the problem. At the wireless access end, the local QoS mechanism is designed in the context of IEEE 802.11 WLAN with 802.11e QoS extensions. At the edge and over the DiffServ domain, the Fair Intelligent Congestion Control (FICC) algorithm is applied to provide fairness among traffic aggregates and control congestion at the bottleneck interface between the wireless link and the network core.

Privacy and the access of information in a smart house environment

In this paper we present a framework for addressing privacy issues raised by the monitoring of assisted living smart house environments. In home environments, the conflict between the goals of the surveillance, and the private nature of the home, raises the issue of occupant privacy. This issue needs to be addressed if applications are to be accepted by the occupant. We identify four key properties required for the design of privacy sensitive ubiquitous computing applications. Subsequently, we develop a dynamic and flexible method for implementing privacy measures through controlling access to data, and an interface to provide feedback to the occupant, enabling them to control the implemented privacy measures. We form a generic framework for implementing privacy sensitive ubiquitous computing applications based on previous applications within the field. This framework was then extended and used to develop a specific framework for a privacy sensitive smart house. The approach proposed in the framework dynamically applies privacy measures to multi-modal data according to the situation, or context, of the environment. We further test an implementation of the privacy measures, and detail methods to implement feedback and control. The approach aims to decrease the invasiveness of the surveillance, while retaining the purpose of the assisted living environment.

Global health governance : framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC), the Doha Declaration, and democratisation

Global public health agreements are heralded as a success for the affirmation of the right to health within a complex and contested political landscape. However, the practical implementation of such agreements at the national level is often overlooked. This article outlines two radically different global health agreements: The Doha Declaration on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement and Public Health; and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). We identify significant challenges in their implementation, particularly for low and middle income countries. Shifts in the policy network constellations around these two agreements have allowed for some positive influence by civil society. Yet industry influence at the national level constrains effective implementation and those affected by these policies have largely been left on the periphery. The broader provisions of these two agreements have been watered down by vested interests and donor conditions. We advocate for both activist and academic actors to play a significant role in highlighting the consequences of these power asymmetries. Deliberative democracy may be the key to addressing these challenges in a way that empowers those presently excluded from effective participation in the policy process.

A shared framework for the common mental disorders and Non-Communicable Disease: key considerations for disease prevention and control.

BACKGROUND: Historically, the focus of Non Communicable Disease (NCD) prevention and control has been cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Collectively, these account for more deaths than any other NCDs. Despite recent calls to include the common mental disorders (CMDs) of depression and anxiety under the NCD umbrella, prevention and control of these CMDs remain largely separate and independent. DISCUSSION: In order to address this gap, we apply a framework recently proposed by the Centers for Disease Control with three overarching objectives: (1) to obtain better scientific information through surveillance, epidemiology, and prevention research; (2) to disseminate this information to appropriate audiences through communication and education; and (3) to translate this information into action through programs, policies, and systems. We conclude that a shared framework of this type is warranted, but also identify opportunities within each objective to advance this agenda and consider the potential benefits of this approach that may exist beyond the health care system.

Restricting access to invasion hubs enables sustained control of an invasive vertebrate

Biological invasions often occur through expansion of satellite populations that become established at 'invasion hubs'. Invasion hubs can result from random dispersal events, but frequently arise when invading individuals actively choose habitats using cues that signify high-quality environments where the fitness consequences are positive. Theoretical studies suggest that targeted control at invasion hubs can effectively suppress the populations and impacts of invaders. In arid Australia, small dams that provide water for livestock function as invasion hubs by providing an invasive vertebrate, the cane toad Rhinella marina, with refuge from extreme aridity during the annual dry season. Toads are attracted to dams and use them as stepping stone habitats from which they disperse during rainy periods. Here, we ask whether sustained control of this invasive vertebrate can be achieved by converting invasion hubs into ecological traps. We did this by manipulating invasion hub habitats to induce a mismatch between toads' habitat preference and the fitness consequences of their habitat choice to cause high mortality. We constructed fences to exclude toads from dams and maintained these fences for 1 year. This period encompassed periods of dry and wet seasonal climatic conditions. Our manipulation did not alter the attractive cues for invading toads which died en masse while attempting to settle at fenced dams that prevented toads from reaching water. Toad populations at the fenced dams were suppressed by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared to unfenced controls and procedural controls. Toad populations remained suppressed for a year after exclusion. By excluding toads from dams, we converted invasion hubs into ecological traps and effectively thwarted the reinvasion of cane toads. Our research suggests that water exclusion devices could be used to prevent toad invasion or to control cane toad populations in arid landscapes colonized by toads. Synthesis and applications. Our study demonstrates that sustained control of invader populations can be achieved by restricting their access to invasion hubs. Control of invasive species via elimination of invasion hubs could be conducted reactively, to control established populations of invaders, or conducted strategically, by rendering invasion hubs unsuitable for colonization ahead of the invasion front to prevent further population spread.

The e-health literacy framework: A conceptual framework for characterizing e-health users and their interaction with e-health systems

In current e-health research and development there is a need for a broader understanding of the capabilities and resources required for individuals to use and benefit from e-health services, i.e. their e-health literacy. The aim of
this study was to develop a new conceptualisation of e-health literacy with consideration of the experiences of a wide range of stakeholders and in alignment with current technologies. Concept mapping was used to generate a comprehensive and grounded model of e-health literacy. Concept mapping workshop participants included patients, health professionals and medical informatics experts. Eight workshops, carried out in Denmark and United Kingdom, generated 450 statements, separated into 128 clusters. Through an inductive structured analysis, seven domains were identified: 1. Ability to process information, 2. Engagement in own health, 3. Ability to engage actively with digital services, 4. Feeling safe and in control, 5. Motivation to engage with digital services, 6. Having access to systems that work, and 7. Digital services that suit individual needs. These empirically derived domains form an e-health literacy framework (eHLF) and provide new insights into the user’s ability to understand, access and use e-health technologies. The eHLF offers a framework for evaluating an individual’s or a population’s capacity to understand, use and benefit from technology to promote and maintain their health. Such a framework also provides a potential checklist for the development and improvement of e-health services.