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Sdn And Nfv: A New Dimension To Virtualization
No full textSoftware-defined network (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) are two technology trends that have revolutionized network management, particularly in highly distributed networks that are used in public, private, or hybrid cloud services. SDN and NFV technologies, when combined, simplify the deployment of network resources, lower capital and operating expenses, and offer greater network flexibility. The increasing usage of NFV is one of the primary factors that make SDN adoption attractive. The integration of these two technologies; SDN and NFV, offer a complementary service, with NFV delivering many of the real services controlled in an SDN. While SDN is focused on the control plane, NFV optimizes the actual network services that manage the data flows. Devices such as routers, firewalls, and VPN terminators are replaced with virtual devices that run on commodity hardware in NFV physical networking. This resembles the 'as-a-service' typical model of cloud services in many aspects. These virtual devices can be accessed on-demand by communication, network, or data center providers.
This book illustrates the fundamentals and evolution of SDN and NFV and highlights how these two technologies can be integrated to solve traditional networking problems. In addition, it will focus on the utilization of SDN and NFV to enhance network security, which will open ways to integrate them with current technologies such as IoT, edge computing and blockchain, SDN-based network programmability, and current network orchestration technologies. The basics of SDN and NFV and associated issues, challenges, technological advancements along with advantages and risks of shifting networking paradigm towards SDN are also discussed. Detailed exercises within the book and corresponding solutions are available online as accompanying supplementary material
The enhanced paper grip test can substantially improve community screening for the risk of falling
Full text linkBackground
Lower-limb strength measures can enhance falls risk assessment but due to the lack of clinically applicable methods, such measures are not included in current screening. The enhanced paper grip test (EPGT) is a simple-to-use and cost-effective test that could fill this gap. However, its outcome measure (EPGT force) has not yet been directly linked to the risk of falling.
Research question
Is the EPGT a good candidate for falls risk screening in older people in the community?
Methods
Seventy-one older people living independently in the community were recruited for this prospective observational study (median age 69 y, range 65y-79y). Lower-limb and whole-body strength were assessed at baseline using the EPGT and a standardised hand-grip method respectively. Incident falls were recorded monthly for a year through follow-up telephone conversations. The capacity of individual strength measures to predict falls and to enhance an established falls risk assessment tool (FRAT) commonly used by UK’s national health service (NHS) was assessed using binomial logistic regression. The analysis was repeated for the subset of participants without history of falling at baseline (prediction of first-ever falls).
Results
Increased EPGT force and increased symmetry in strength between limbs were significantly associated with reduced risk of falling. Compared to the NHS-FRAT, the EPGT correctly classified more people (73% vs 69%), it achieved higher sensitivity (56% vs 26%) and higher negative predictive value (76% vs 68%). Complementing the NHS-FRAT with the EPGT produced a more comprehensive model that correctly classified 91% of participants and achieved 98% specificity, 81% sensitivity, 89% negative and 96% positive predictive value. Replacing the EPGT with hand-grip strength consistently undermined prediction accuracy. The EPGT remained highly accurate when focused on the prediction of first-ever falls.
Significance
The EPGT can substantially enhance falls screening in the community. These results can also inform effective personalised strength exercise interventions
“Everything will be okay in the morning” / ‘alles komt goed in de ochtend’
No full textThis project addressed essential questions regarding the historical significance of Kamp Westerbork, which is better known as a transit camp during the Holocaust. However, it also served as a site that has undergone several transformations, many of which are often overlooked. The initiative aimed to engage audiences more deeply with the camp's extensive archives and complex history, encouraging reflection on its historical context and its implications for future generations.
The exhibtion incorporated a variety of media-based artworks, including installations that combined visual elements, auditory components, and authentic archival items. These curated artistic strategies were designed to create a coherent narrative that promotes reflection on the lessons learned from history. Ultimately, the project sought to emphasize the critical importance of memory and awareness in fostering a more empathetic and equitable society.
The exhibition opened with a symposium featuring a roundtable discussion that included myself, artist Raphaela Kula, photographer Jacob Ganslmeier, and exhibition designer Ronit Eden. The catalogue 'De herinnering aan Kamp Westerbork' was published at the conclusion of the program
Neural reshaping: the plasticity of human brain and artificial intelligence in the learning process
Full text linkThis study explores the concept of neural reshaping and the mechanisms through which both human and artificial intelligence adapt and learn. Objectives: To investigate the parallels and distinctions between human brain plasticity and artificial neural network plasticity, with a focus on their learning processes. Methods: A comparative analysis was conducted using literature reviews and machine learning experiments, specifically employing a multi-layer perceptron neural network to examine regression and classification problems. Results: Experimental findings demonstrate that machine learning models, similar to human neuroplasticity, enhance performance through iterative learning and optimization, drawing parallels in strengthening and adjusting connections. Conclusions: Understanding the shared principles and limitations of neural and artificial plasticity can drive advancements in AI design and cognitive neuroscience, paving the way for future interdisciplinary innovations
Chor_alis _Choralis
No full textCor_alis _Choralis is a choral piece that employs the human voice to invite audiences to explore trust in the use of Artificial Intelligence in medicine. A collaboration between artists Emma O’Connor and Michael Day, and composer Michael Betteridge. Performed by Kantos Chamber Choir. Cor_alis _Choralis aims to increase understanding of AI in diagnostic medicine, staging a conversation with the viewer about the investment of trust in machine-learning
The Rwanda Asylum Plan: Investigating the Impact of International Law on the UK Government’s Recent Policies on the Refugees
No full textThe UK has a long history of responding to global displacements through resettlement and integration. However, its recent policies and initiatives have critically impacted the refugee protection regime which goes against the UK’s perennial commitment to international refugee law and human rights principles. Taking instances from the Rwanda Asylum Plan, this paper investigates the impact of international law on the UK Government’s recent policies on the refugees. It argues that the impact of international law on such policy is somehow weaker as reflected in its recent refugee-related moves. It also argues that these policies are less than satisfactory, even though strictly they are not against international law. Two examples are used to substantiate these arguments: 1) the latest plan for immigration (2021) and the Nationality and Borders Act (2022), and 2) the absence of more equal treatment across schemes (Ukrainian and Afghan schemes). The significance of this paper lies in exploring the intricacies associated with the UK legal regime, insular national politics, and recent policies for the refugees so that they could better align with international law and respond more humanely to the refugee crisis as the consequences otherwise could create an unsafe global society where the dignity and moral claims of refugees are subordinated to legalisms
Nationality, statelessness, and human rights: Does ‘everyone’ really have the right to nationality under Article 15 of the UDHR?
No full textThe inclusion of the right to nationality in article 15 of the UDHR in 1948 was driven by the impulse to respond to the Second World War’s mass denationalisation. Since then, this article has been a polestar to guide states to address statelessness that may accrue in absence of nationality of any group or individual. But, despite that, statelessness has been a major challenge until now. This chapter investigates to what extent the right to nationality has been achieved to everyone’s right. After a critical analysis of the history, politics, and laws on the right to nationality and statelessness, it focuses on the contents and influences of article 15 at different levels. It then reveals the challenges, which intensify denationalisation, and thus, defy the main purpose of article 15 through two contemporary examples of statelessness, i.e., Rohingya, and Roma. In conclusion, a few recommendations are made so that the practices of (non)granting nationality are better aligned with human rights principles and secure ‘other’ human rights which are contingent upon having the right to a nationality
Unsettled Responsibilities: Antiquity, Resistance, and Rubble in Mandate Palestine
Full text linkThe 1927 Jericho earthquake caused widespread damage across Palestine and Transjordan, both ruled at the time by Britain. The worst-hit city was Nablus, where the Old City’s historic buildings became a field for conflict. Drawing on G. Gordillo’s differentiation between ruins and rubble and his analysis of colonial anxiety, power, and oppression, this article considers local and colonial reactions and competition over the material heritage of Nablus, particularly in the city’s Samaritan Quarter and the Crusader wall of the Great Mosque. Entangled in these are definitions of antiquity and ideas of archaeological value for the Ottoman and British rulers of Palestine. Decisions made and contested in Nablus and Jerusalem highlight the fine line between ruin and rubble, the mechanisms by which the mandatory administration sought to tame the built environment and indigenous communities of Nablus, and the way their confrontations reverberated in the city’s rebellious history and insurrectionary future
Advancing neural computation: experimental validation and optimization of dendritic learning in feedforward tree networks
Full text linkObjectives: This study aims to explore the capabilities of dendritic learning within feedforward tree networks (FFTN) in comparison to traditional synaptic plasticity models, particularly in the context of digit recognition tasks using the MNIST dataset. Methods: We employed FFTNs with nonlinear dendritic segment amplification and Hebbian learning rules to enhance computational efficiency. The MNIST dataset, consisting of 70,000 images of handwritten digits, was used for training and testing. Key performance metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, were analysed. Results: The dendritic models significantly outperformed synaptic plasticity-based models across all metrics. Specifically, the dendritic learning framework achieved a test accuracy of 91%, compared to 88% for synaptic models, demonstrating superior performance in digit classification. Conclusions: Dendritic learning offers a more powerful computational framework by closely mimicking biological neural processes, providing enhanced learning efficiency and scalability. These findings have important implications for advancing both artificial intelligence systems and computational neuroscience
Death, Dying and Bereavement: New Sociological Perspectives
No full textWhile death, dying and bereavement are universal life events, the social conditions under which death takes place are fundamental in shaping how it is experienced by the individual. Bringing together contributors from around the world, this collection of chapters provides sociological insights into death, dying and bereavement.
Drawing upon a range of sociological theorists, including Émile Durkheim, Zygmunt Bauman and C. Wright Mills, the book reviews the historical contribution of sociology to the field of thanatology. In doing so, the book challenges individualistic psychological approaches to death, dying and bereavement and demonstrates how sociological approaches can shape, constrain and empower experiences by imbuing them with both collective and individual meaning. Chapter-length case studies explore a wide range of issues, from digital aspects of remembrance and memorialisation and continued threats to liberties that permit life and death decisions to discussions of the impact and likely legacy of COVID-19 and climate change.
This collection will be of interest to students and researchers in the social sciences with an interest in societal attitudes towards death and bereavement
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