Web Application for Actuarial Calculations for Insurance

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2013

Web-application for Presentation of Bulgarian Language Heritage: Bilingual Digital Corpora and Dictionaries

The paper describes three software packages - the main components of a software system for processing and web-presentation of Bulgarian language resources – parallel corpora and bilingual dictionaries. The author briefly presents current versions of the core components “Dictionary” and “Corpus” as well as the recently developed component “Connection” that links both “Dictionary” and “Corpus”. The components main functionalities are described as well. Some examples of the usage of the system’s web-applications are included.

ArrayMining: a modular web-application for microarray analysis combining ensemble and consensus methods with cross-study normalization

Background: Statistical analysis of DNA microarray data provides a valuable diagnostic tool for the investigation of genetic components of diseases. To take advantage of the multitude of available data sets and analysis methods, it is desirable to combine both different algorithms and data from different studies. Applying ensemble learning, consensus clustering and cross-study normalization methods for this purpose in an almost fully automated process and linking different analysis modules together under a single interface would simplify many microarray analysis tasks. Results: We present ArrayMining.net, a web-application for microarray analysis that provides easy access to a wide choice of feature selection, clustering, prediction, gene set analysis and cross-study normalization methods. In contrast to other microarray-related web-tools, multiple algorithms and data sets for an analysis task can be combined using ensemble feature selection, ensemble prediction, consensus clustering and cross-platform data integration. By interlinking different analysis tools in a modular fashion, new exploratory routes become available, e.g. ensemble sample classification using features obtained from a gene set analysis and data from multiple studies. The analysis is further simplified by automatic parameter selection mechanisms and linkage to web tools and databases for functional annotation and literature mining. Conclusion: ArrayMining.net is a free web-application for microarray analysis combining a broad choice of algorithms based on ensemble and consensus methods, using automatic parameter selection and integration with annotation databases.

Progettazione e realizzazione di una web application per automatizzare campagne pubblicitarie attraverso Google Shopping

In questo progetto di tesi vengono descritte le fasi che hanno portato alla creazione di una web application per automatizzare campagne pubblicitarie attraverso Google Shopping. Partendo dall'analisi dello stato dell'arte del web advertising, vengono successivamente trattate le fasi di progettazione ed implementazione. Infine vengono valutati i risultati ottenuti e discussi i possibili sviluppi futuri.

Not losing the plot : creating, collecting and curating qualitative data through a web-based application

Collecting regular personal reflections from first year teachers in rural and remote schools is challenging as they are busily absorbed in their practice, and separated from each other and the researchers by thousands of kilometres. In response, an innovative web-based solution was designed to both collect data and be a responsive support system for early career teachers as they came to terms with their new professional identities within rural and remote school settings. Using an emailed link to a web-based application named goingok.com, the participants are charting their first year plotlines using a sliding scale from ‘distressed’, ‘ok’ to ‘soaring’ and describing their self-assessment in short descriptive posts. These reflections are visible to the participants as a developing online journal, while the collections of de-identified developing plotlines are visible to the research team, alongside numerical data. This paper explores important aspects of the design process, together with the challenges and opportunities encountered in its implementation. A number of the key considerations for choosing to develop a web application for data collection are initially identified, and the resultant application features and scope are then examined. Examples are then provided about how a responsive software development approach can be part of a supportive feedback loop for participants while being an effective data collection process. Opportunities for further development are also suggested with projected implications for future research.

Extending Web Modeling Language to exploit stigmergy : intentionally recording unintentional trails

Software development and Web site development techniques have evolved significantly over the past 20 years. The relatively young Web Application development area has borrowed heavily from traditional software development methodologies primarily due to the similarities in areas of data persistence and User Interface (UI) design. Recent developments in this area propose a new Web Modeling Language (WebML) to facilitate the nuances specific to Web development. WebML is one of a number of implementations designed to enable modeling of web site interaction flows while being extendable to accommodate new features in Web site development into the future. Our research aims to extend WebML with a focus on stigmergy which is a biological term originally used to describe coordination between insects. We see design features in existing Web sites that mimic stigmergic mechanisms as part of the UI. We believe that we can synthesize and embed stigmergy in Web 2.0 sites. This paper focuses on the sub-topic of site UI design and stigmergic mechanism designs required to achieve this.

Secure modular password authentication for the web using channel bindings

Secure protocols for password-based user authentication are well-studied in the cryptographic literature but have failed to see wide-spread adoption on the Internet; most proposals to date require extensive modifications to the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, making deployment challenging. Recently, a few modular designs have been proposed in which a cryptographically secure password-based mutual authentication protocol is run inside a confidential (but not necessarily authenticated) channel such as TLS; the password protocol is bound to the established channel to prevent active attacks. Such protocols are useful in practice for a variety of reasons: security no longer relies on users' ability to validate server certificates and can potentially be implemented with no modifications to the secure channel protocol library. We provide a systematic study of such authentication protocols. Building on recent advances in modelling TLS, we give a formal definition of the intended security goal, which we call password-authenticated and confidential channel establishment (PACCE). We show generically that combining a secure channel protocol, such as TLS, with a password authentication protocol, where the two protocols are bound together using either the transcript of the secure channel's handshake or the server's certificate, results in a secure PACCE protocol. Our prototype based on TLS is available as a cross-platform client-side Firefox browser extension and a server-side web application which can easily be installed on deployed web browsers and servers.

Patient perspectives of using a web based intervention program for patients with type 2 diabetes and acute coronary syndrome

Introduction Research highlights patients with dual diagnoses of type 2 diabetes and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have higher readmission rates and poorer health outcomes than patients with singular chronic conditions. Despite this, there is a lack of education programs targeted for this dual diagnosis population to improve self-management and decrease negative health outcomes. There is evidence to suggest that internet based interventions may improve health outcomes for patients with singular chronic conditions, however there is a need to develop an evidence base for ACS patients with comorbid diabetes. There is a growing awareness of the importance of a participatory model in developing effective online interventions. That is, internet interventions are more effective if end users’ perceptions of the intervention are incorporated in their final development prior to testing in large scale trials. Objectives This study investigated patients’ perspectives of the web-based intervention designed to promote self-management of the dual conditions in order to refine the intervention prior to clinical trial evaluation. Methods An interpretive approach with thematic analysis was used to obtain deeper understanding regarding participants’ experience when using web-application interventions for patients with ACS and type 2 diabetes. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken on a purposive sample of 30 patients meeting strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to obtain their perspectives on the program. Results Preliminary results indicate patients with dual diagnoses express more complex needs than those with a singular condition. Participants express a positive experience with the proposed internet intervention and emerging themes include that the web page is seen as easy to use and comforting as a support, in that patients know they are not alone. Further results will be reported as they become available. Conclusion The results indicate potential for patient acceptability of the newly developed internet intervention for patients with ACS and comorbid diabetes. Incorporation of patient perspectives into the final development of the intervention is likely to maximise successful outcomes of any future trials that utilise this intervention. Future quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention is being planned.

Diseño e implementación de una herramienta web para el análisis y ayuda para la toma de decisiones de tecnologías de acceso.

[EN]Nowadays the use of web applications is a routine not only for companies but also for anyone interested in them. Thus, this market has risen hugely since the introduction of The Internet in our daily lives. Everyone has experienced the moment when you have to choose an access service and you do not know which one to select. At that moment, it is when this web application comes into action. It provides a useful interface in order to choose between access services as well as an analysis tool for the different access technologies in the market. Written in Java language, this web application is as simple as it can be, offering a complete interface that meets the needs of everyone, from the people at home to the largest company.

一种Web应用服务器集群管理系统的设计与实现

随着计算机的普及和网络技术的发展，Internet上的Web用户爆炸性增长。作为Web应用主要支撑平台的Web应用服务器经常面临过载的问题。Web应用服务器集群技术是解决这一问题的有效手段。然而，集群规模变大导致的集群拓扑结构复杂、计算环境的高度异构以及应用对性能等非功能需求的多样化使得Web应用服务器集群的安装、配置和维护等管理过程难度大大增加。Web应用服务器集群迫切需要改变目前静态、被动的管理方式，而通过自管理方式来降低其管理成本、适应计算环境变化以及应用的个性化非功能需求。 Web应用服务器集群管理主要包括拓扑结构、资源以及负载等方面的管理。本文设计了一个Web应用服务器集群管理系统。针对集群拓扑结构管理，设计了基于广播的集群节点自配置设施，并通过基于Cookie Insertion的请求会话粘滞设计实现了多个负载均衡器的协同工作；针对集群资源管理，设计了基于Java规则引擎的动态资源管理框架，并在此基础上实现了集群规模的动态调整；针对集群负载管理，设计了基于反馈-控制机制的动态负载均衡算法，可根据节点负载动态调整权值，使集群能够适应负载变化。 基于上述设计，本论文在Web应用服务器系统OnceAS中实现了该集群管理系统，包括支持多种通信模式的集群通信组件，拓扑结构管理器，资源管理器，负载均衡器，以及节点管理器，同时提供了相应的管理工具。系统测试结果表明，该系统支持集群拓扑结构、资源和负载的管理，能够更好地适应负载变化，提高Web应用服务器的整体性能表现。

Web应用服务器的可扩展管理模型及其实现

Web应用服务器是为事务性web应用提供一系列运行时服务的分布式系统。它既要管理多种不同类型的资源，又要集成以往成熟的网络管理协议和系统，因此，如何统一有效地管理Web应用服务器的资源、应用和服务成为实现web应用服务的一个难点。为此，本文基于JMX(Java~(TM) Management Extensions)技术，提出了一种可扩展管理模型，该模型具有较好的灵活性和开放性，可扩展能力强。同时，本文还给出了实现该模型的若干关键技术包括可扩展管理内核的实现技术、资源远程管理技术、服务可扩展管理技术。目前该模型已在我们研制的Web应用服务器 WebFrame2．O中成功实现。

EWAF:一种Web应用程序框架

随着Web应用开发变得越来越复杂,如何快速开发出稳定健壮的Web应用程序成为开发者面临的巨大挑战,Web应用程序框架(WAF)就是为了适应这种挑战而出现的.提出了一种基于J2EE的Web应用程序框架EWAF,框架通过其特有的服务层、层次性的控制方式、组合式的视图结构及应用程序级的安全支持,使得Web开发者能够快速高效地构建安全的Web应用程序.目前,EWAF已应用到企业信息门户OncePortal的实现中.

Web应用服务器研究综述

Web应用服务器是Web计算环境下产生的新型中间件，为创建、部署、运行、集成和管理事务性Web应用提供一个跨平台的运行环境，被认为是自关系型数据库以来最令人激动的企业应用技术。诸多IT企业纷纷推出其各自的Web应用服务器产品和系统，学术界也对这种热门领域产生了浓厚的兴趣。在分析Web计算环境下传统中间件发展所遇到的问题的基础上，介绍Web应用服务器的起源和发展、运行模式以及评测基准，然后对Web应用服务器研究现状进行综述，主要包括Web应用服务器的定义、体系结构、组件容器、分布事务处理、负载平衡、高速缓存、Web Service等研究热点和关键技术。根据评测基准，对若干主流Web应用服务器从功能和性能两个文献进行分析和比较。此外，还指出了Web应用服务器目前存在的不足以及未来的发展趋势。

OnceAS/Q:一个面向QoS的Web应用服务器

网络分布计算环境下应用系统的需求多样化和复杂性的增长,要求位于中间件层次的Web应用服务器(web application server,简称WAS)从原来的尽力而为服务模型转变为服务质量(quality of service,简称QoS)保障模型,为具有不同需求的应用分别提供适宜的服务质量保障.目前的WAS系统在此方面仍然比较薄弱.OnceAS/Q是一个面向QoS的WAS系统,它以QoS规约为基础,为不同应用提供不同的QoS保障能力.OnceAS/Q实现了一个应用QoS保障框架,提供了一组QoS服务组件支持具有QoS需求的应用开发和运行.介绍了OnceAS/Q的体系结构和主要组件,详细阐述了两个关键问题,一是QoS规约的定义及其映射,另一个是面向QoS的服务组件和资源的动态重配.OnceAS/Q原型在Ecperf测试基准下,对其QoS保障能力进行了实验.实验数据表明,在较大规模的应用环境下,OnceAS/Q能够提供更好的服务质量,并且开销是可接受的.

Web应用服务器的适应性失效检测

失效检测是分布式系统的基本可靠性保障技术，它对运行时系统的存活状态进行及时检测．作为网络分布计算环境中的主流中间件，Web应用服务器（Web application server简称WAS）需要提供良好的检测机制，并且要能满足适应性的需求．适应性失效检测要求失效检测器能够根据应用需求和系统环境的变化而动态地改变检测的质量．首先给出了WAS的多层失效检测模型，然后基于失效检测器的服务质量规约，提出了适应性失效检测算法，并设计了一个WAS的适应性失效检测框架．它能够满足动态调整失效检测质量和灵活集成失效检测器的要求．该工作在OnceAS应用服务器中进行了实现，并给出了OnceAS平台上的实验及数据．