In recent years the development of distributed fusion systems for real-world services (tracking, surveillance...) has remarked the importance of good design choices for both logical and physical architecture. The main objective of this paper is to implement a model of a distributed fusion architecture in order to evaluate the overall performance as well as the interactions of its subparts. The ...

The decision to use a new test should be based on evidence that it will improve patient outcomes or produce other benefits without adversely affecting patients. In principle, long-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of test-plus-treatment strategies offer ideal evidence of the benefits of introducing a new test relative to current best practice. However, long-term RCTs may not always be ne...

Although a growing body of clinical research has begun to evaluate the efficacy and safety of t'ai chi as a therapeutic tool for a variety of health conditions, little attention has been devoted to evaluating "how" t'ai chi is scientifically studied, and the advantages or limitations of different methodological approaches. In a companion to this paper (Part I), we argued that t'ai chi is a comp...

Both HAPS and satellite as stand alone systems represent a flexible infrastructure to provide telecommunication capabilities for a broad set of services. Nevertheless, each of the two technologies can greatly help the other to reduce the impact of some intrinsic limitation in performance. For example, the use of HAPS as intermediate point of access can greatly reduce physical layer requirements...

Users of social networking sites such as Facebook frequently post self-portraits on their profiles. While research has begun to analyze the motivations for posting such pictures, less is known about how selfies are evaluated by recipients. Although producers of selfies typically aim to create a positive impression, selfies may also be regarded as narcissistic and therefore fail to achieve the i...

AIM This research examined 1) the extent and nature of smokefree outdoor area (SFOA) policies in New Zealand, and 2) the process of developing, implementing and promoting compliance with a SFOA policy. METHOD An online survey was carried out with 43 of the 67 Local and District Councils, supplemented by other means. The survey assessed whether the council had a smokefree policy and if so, wha...

A flexible embedded test solution for high-speed analogue front-end subsystems is presented. A novel concept of a flexible test solution that addresses virtual component test requirements in particular is introduced. The integration and application of the non-invasive digital test solution is demonstrated for a representative design. Its area overhead is assessed for different depths in on-chip...

Software architecture evaluation methods aim at identifying potential maintainability problems for a given architecture. Several of these methods exist, which typically prescribe the structure of the evaluation process. Often left implicit, however, are the concrete system attributes that need to be studied in order to assess the maintainability of implemented architectures. To determine this s...