Maintenance process development for remote administration of network servers

Maintenance is a part of system development and it is possible to develop operation models for accomplishing maintenance tasks. These models can be applied to individual maintenance tasks, maintenance projects and version management. Beneficial operation models makes maintenance more effective and they assist in managing various changes. The purpose of this thesis was to develop a maintenance process which can be used to remote administer network servers. This consisted of defining those operation models and technical specifications which enable to set up, manage changes, maintain and monitor resources of information systems that are located in several different sites. At first in this thesis the needs of the process were determined and requirements were defined based on those needs. The meaning of processes in maintenance of information systems, maintenance workflows and challenges were studied. Then current practical problems and disadvantages of maintenance work were analyzed in order to focus the development to proper issues. Because available operation models did not cover all the recent needs, new maintenance process which fulfilled the requirements was developed.

Platform Architectures for Policy-Based Network Access Control

Tämä diplomityö käsittelee sääntöpohjaisen verkkoon pääsyn hallinnan (NAC) ratkaisuja arkkitehtonisesta näkökulmasta. Työssä käydään läpi Trusted Computing Groupin, Microsoft Corporationin, Juniper Networksin sekä Cisco Systemsin NAC-ratkaisuja. NAC koostuu joukosta uusia sekä jo olemassa olevia teknologioita, jotka auttavat ennalta määriteltyyn sääntökantaan perustuen hallitsemaan suojattuun verkkoon pyrkivien laitteiden tietoliikenneyhteyksiä. Käyttäjän tunnistamisen lisäksi NAC pystyy rajoittamaan verkkoon pääsyä laitekohtaisten ominaisuuksien perusteella, esimerkiksi virustunnisteisiin ja käyttöjärjestelmäpäivityksiin liittyen ja paikkaamaan tietyin rajoituksin näissä esiintyviä puutteita verkkoon pääsyn sallimiseksi. NAC on verraten uusi käsite, jolta puuttuu tarkka määritelmä. Tästä johtuen nykymarkkinoilla myydään ominaisuuksiltaan puutteellisia tuotteita NAC-nimikkeellä. Standardointi eri valmistajien NAC-komponenttien yhteentoimivuuden takaamiseksi on meneillään, minkä perusteella ratkaisut voidaan jakaa joko avoimia standardeja tai valmistajakohtaisia standardeja noudattaviksi. Esitellyt NAC-ratkaisut noudattavat standardeja joko rajoitetusti tai eivät lainkaan. Mikään läpikäydyistä ratkaisuista ei ole täydellinen NAC, mutta Juniper Networksin ratkaisu nousee niistä potentiaalisimmaksi jatkokehityksen ja -tutkimuksen kohteeksi TietoEnator Processing & Networks Oy:lle. Eräs keskeinen ongelma NAC-konseptissa on työaseman tietoverkolle toimittama mahdollisesti valheellinen tietoturvatarkistuksen tulos, minkä perusteella pääsyä osittain hallitaan. Muun muassa tähän ongelmaan ratkaisuna voisi olla jo nykytietokoneista löytyvä TPM-siru, mikä takaa tiedon oikeellisuuden ja koskemattomuuden.

Synaptic depression and slow oscillatory activity in a biophysical network model of the cerebral cortex

Short-term synaptic depression (STD) is a form of synaptic plasticity that has a large impact on network computations. Experimental results suggest that STD is modulated by cortical activity, decreasing with activity in the network and increasing during silent states. Here, we explored different activity-modulation protocols in a biophysical network model for which the model displayed less STD when the network was active than when it was silent, in agreement with experimental results. Furthermore, we studied how trains of synaptic potentials had lesser decay during periods of activity (UP states) than during silent periods (DOWN states), providing new experimental predictions. We next tackled the inverse question of what is the impact of modifying STD parameters on the emergent activity of the network, a question difficult to answer experimentally. We found that synaptic depression of cortical connections had a critical role to determine the regime of rhythmic cortical activity. While low STD resulted in an emergent rhythmic activity with short UP states and long DOWN states, increasing STD resulted in longer and more frequent UP states interleaved with short silent periods. A still higher synaptic depression set the network into a non-oscillatory firing regime where DOWN states no longer occurred. The speed of propagation of UP states along the network was not found to be modulated by STD during the oscillatory regime; it remained relatively stable over a range of values of STD. Overall, we found that the mutual interactions between synaptic depression and ongoing network activity are critical to determine the mechanisms that modulate cortical emergent patterns.

Les principes régissant la TVA : de l'utopie à la réalité ?

La contribution examine le rôle joué par les principes régissant la TVA dans la mise en oeuvre de cet impôt. Ces principes, aussi appelés « principes directeurs », sont immanents à la TVA et déploient leurs effets depuis l'apparition de la TVA en Suisse, indépendamment de leur codification dans la loi. L'article examine donc la portée de ces principes qui jouent avant tout un rôle de guide à l'interprétation, censé garantir l'application de la TVA conformément à sa nature d'impôt à la consommation finale. Or, par le passé, malgré l'énoncé des principes directeurs dans la loi depuis 2001, ils ne suffirent pas à assurer la mise en place d'une TVA neutre pour les entreprises. La contribution montre comment la Loi fédérale régissant la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (LTVA) entrée en vigueur en 2010 a repris les principes directeurs, mais les a également concrétisés dans de nombreuses règles techniques qui devraient permettre d'en assurer effectivement une mise en pratique plus efficace.

Making SENSE - Sustained Effort Network for treatment of Status Epilepticus as a multicenter prospective registry.

BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the different treatment options of status epilepticus (SE) in adults is scarce. Large randomized trials cover only one treatment at early stage and suggest the superiority of benzodiazepines over placebo, of intravenous lorazepam over intravenous diazepam or over intravenous phenytoin alone, and of intramuscular midazolam over intravenous lorazepam. However, many patients will not be treated successfully with the first treatment step. A large randomized trial covering the treatment of established status (ESETT) has just been funded recently by the NIH and will not start before 2015, with expected results in 2018; a trial on the treatment of refractory status with general anesthetics was terminated early due to insufficient recruitment. Therefore, a prospective multicenter observational registry was set up; this may help in clinical decision-making until results from randomized trials are available. METHODS/DESIGN: SENSE is a prospective, multicenter registry for patients treated for SE. The primary objective is to document patient characteristics, treatment modalities and in-house outcome of consecutive adults admitted for SE treatment in each of the participating centres and to identify predictors of outcome. Pre-treatment, treatment-related and outcome variables are documented systematically. To allow for meaningful multivariate analysis in the patient subgroups with refractory SE, a cohort size of 1000 patients is targeted. DISCUSSION: The results of the study will provide information about risks and benefits of specific treatment steps in different patient groups with SE at different points of time. Thus, it will support clinical decision-making and, furthermore, it will be helpful in the planning of treatment trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: DRKS00000725.

Building an Access Network for Triple-Play Services

This final project was made for the Broadband department of TeliaSonera. This project gives an overview on how internet service provider might build an access network so that they can offer triple-play services. It also gives information on what equipment is needed and what is required from the access, aggregation and edge networks. The project starts by describing the triple-play service. Then it moves on to optical fiber cables, the network technology and network architecture. At the end of the project there is an example of the process and construction of the access network. It will give an overview of the total process and problems that a network planner might face during the planning phase of the project. It will give some indication on how one area is built from the start to finish. The conclusion of the project presents some points that must be taken into consideration when building an access network. The building of an access network has to be divided to a time span of eight to ten years, where one year is one phase in the project. One phase is divided into three parts; Selecting the areas and targets, Planning the areas and targets, and Documentation. The example area gives indication on the planning of an area. It is almost impossible to connect all targets at the same time. This means that the service provider has to complete the construction in two or three parts. The area is considered to be complete when more than 80% of the real estates have fiber.

International STakeholder NETwork (ISTNET): creating a developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) testing road map for regulatory purposes.

A major problem in developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) risk assessment is the lack of toxicological hazard information for most compounds. Therefore, new approaches are being considered to provide adequate experimental data that allow regulatory decisions. This process requires a matching of regulatory needs on the one hand and the opportunities provided by new test systems and methods on the other hand. Alignment of academically and industrially driven assay development with regulatory needs in the field of DNT is a core mission of the International STakeholder NETwork (ISTNET) in DNT testing. The first meeting of ISTNET was held in Zurich on 23-24 January 2014 in order to explore the concept of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) to practical DNT testing. AOPs were considered promising tools to promote test systems development according to regulatory needs. Moreover, the AOP concept was identified as an important guiding principle to assemble predictive integrated testing strategies (ITSs) for DNT. The recommendations on a road map towards AOP-based DNT testing is considered a stepwise approach, operating initially with incomplete AOPs for compound grouping, and focussing on key events of neurodevelopment. Next steps to be considered in follow-up activities are the use of case studies to further apply the AOP concept in regulatory DNT testing, making use of AOP intersections (common key events) for economic development of screening assays, and addressing the transition from qualitative descriptions to quantitative network modelling.

Considering tourist perceptions and network configuration in destination management

The competitiveness of tourism destinations is a relevant issue for tourism studies, moreso, is a key element on the daily basis of tourism destinations. In this sense, the management of tourism destinations is essential to maintain competitive advantages. In this article tourism destination is considered as a relational network, where interaction and cooperation is needed among tourist agents, to achieve major levels of competitive advantage and a more effective destination management system. In addition, the perceptions of tourists are obtained from two main sources. The first one is the social construction of a tourism destination previous to the visit and the second one is obtained from the interaction between tourists and tourism destination agents during the visit. In this sense, the management of tourism destination to emit a homogenous and collective image is a factor that can reduce the gap if dissatisfaction from the previous and real tourist perception. The discussion is centered on the relationship within a destination, between the supply network and the targeted demand, considering these two approaches jointly, to benefit destination management. The main result is a conceptual model that shows how tourism agents and tourists in the tourism destination interact to improve the destination competitiveness

Entry Regulation Asymmetries and Gasoline Competition in a Mixed Motorway Network

Regulatory and funding asymmetries in the Spanish motorway network produce huge differences in the structure of gasoline markets by motorway type: free or toll. While competition is encouraged among gas stations on free motorways, the regulations for toll motorways allow private concessionaires to auction all gas stations to the same provider, thereby limiting competition and consolidating market power. This paper reports how this regulatory asymmetry results in higher prices and fewer gas stations. Specifically, we show that competition is constrained on toll motorways by the granting of geographical monopolies, resulting in a small number of rivals operating in close proximity to each other, and allowing gas stations to operate as local monopolies. The lack of competition would seem to account for the price differential between toll and free motorways. According to available evidence, deregulation measures affecting toll motorway concessions could help to mitigate price inefficiencies and increase consumer welfare.

Privatization and PPPS in transportation infrastructure: Network effects of increasing user fees

PPPS: Problem: Public-private-partnerships in transport infrastructure characteristically increase user-fees. Purpose: We aim to identify the network effects of the use of PPPs and increased user tolls in road infrastructure. Methods: We study the increases in user tolls on motorways due to the use of PPPs in the US. Results and conclusions: Among other things, the monetization of motorways is associated with an increase in toll levels that has consequences for their users, and also for the rest of the sections of the network.

Performance Management of a Next Generation Network

Today's communication networks consist of numerous interdependent network components. To manage these networks and to ensure their reliable and efficient operation to meet the increasing customer usability demands, extensive network management tools are required from the service provider. The goal of this study was to adapt the Next Generation Network (NGN) providing VoIP services within a performance oriented network management system. This study focuses only on NGN network and the project was implemented as an assignment of the Network Operations Center of Elisa Corporation. The theoretical part of this study introduces the network environment of the Elisa NGN platform: its components and used signalling protocols as well as other exploitable communication protocols. In addition, the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is closely examined since it is commonly used as the basis of IP (Internet Protocol) network management. Also some primary applications enabled by the NGN technology are introduced. The empirical part of this study contains a short overview of the implemented network performance management system and its properties. The most crucial monitored MIB modules, SNMP parameters and implemented performance measurements are described. The trap topology and the role of the traps for management of the NGN platform are considered and finally, the conclusion based on the several disquisitions is made supported with suggestions for future improvements.

Infrastructure and nation building: The regulation and financing of network transportation infrastructures in Spain (1720-2010)

This paper analyzes Spanish infrastructure policy since the early 1700s: Road building in the eighteenth century, railway creation and expansion in the nineteenth, motorway expansion in the twentieth, and high speed rail development in the twenty-first. The analysis reveals a long-term pattern, in which infrastructure policy in Spain has been driven not by the requirements of commerce and economic activity, but rather by the desire to centralize transportation around the country’s political capital.

Price rivalry in airline markets: A study of a successful strategy of a network carrier against a low-cost carrier

Competition in airline markets may be tough. In this context, network carriers have two alternative strategies to compete with low-cost carriers. First, they may establish a low-cost subsidiary. Second, they may try to reduce costs using the main brand. This paper examines a successful strategy of the first type implemented by Iberia in the Spanish domestic market. Our analysis of data and the estimation of a pricing equation show that Iberia has been able to charge lower prices than rivals with its low-cost subsidiary. The pricing policy of the Spanish network carrier has been particularly aggressive in less dense routes and shorter routes.

An integrative computational analysis provides evidence for FBN1-associated network deregulation in trisomy 21

Although approximately 50% of Down Syndrome (DS) patients have heart abnormalities, they exhibit an overprotection against cardiac abnormalities related with the connective tissue, for example a lower risk of coronary artery disease. A recent study reported a case of a person affected by DS who carried mutations in FBN1, the gene causative for a connective tissue disorder called Marfan Syndrome (MFS). The fact that the person did not have any cardiac alterations suggested compensation effects due to DS. This observation is supported by a previous DS meta-analysis at the molecular level where we have found an overall upregulation of FBN1 (which is usually downregulated in MFS). Additionally, that result was cross-validated with independent expression data from DS heart tissue. The aim of this work is to elucidate the role of FBN1 in DS and to establish a molecular link to MFS and MFS-related syndromes using a computational approach. To reach that, we conducted different analytical approaches over two DS studies (our previous meta-analysis and independent expression data from DS heart tissue) and revealed expression alterations in the FBN1 interaction network, in FBN1 co-expressed genes and FBN1-related pathways. After merging the significant results from different datasets with a Bayesian approach, we prioritized 85 genes that were able to distinguish control from DS cases. We further found evidence for several of these genes (47%), such as FBN1, DCN, and COL1A2, being dysregulated in MFS and MFS-related diseases. Consequently, we further encourage the scientific community to take into account FBN1 and its related network for the study of DS cardiovascular characteristics.