Dual connectivity (DC) has been included in the Release 12 of the long-term evolution (LTE) standard. In this paper, we perform a formal security verification of the key establishment protocol for DC in small cell LTE networks. In particular, the security verification is performed using a popular tool called Scyther. The considered security properties include secrecy and reachability. We also simulate a key leakage and show that some security claims in this case can be falsified. Keywords–Dual connectivity; long-term evolution (LTE); key establishment; Scyther tool.

We consider a multirate loss model of a link that accommodates Poisson calls. Calls compete for the available link bandwidth under the combination of the Threshold (TH) and the Bandwidth Reservation (BR) policies. The TH policy limits calls of each service-class up to a threshold, which can be different for each service-class. The BR policy reserves part of the available link bandwidth to benefit calls of high bandwidth requirements. In the proposed model, the calculation of call blocking probabilities and link utilization is based on approximate, recursive formulas whose accuracy is verified through simulation and found to be quite satisfactory.

Nowadays, the telecom network traffic environment is composed mostly of emerging multirate services whose calls can tolerate bandwidth compression either by extending their service-time (elastic services) or not (adaptive services). The co- existence of elastic and adaptive services makes the call-level performance analysis and evaluation of modern networks much more complicated. To contribute, in this paper, we present a new multirate loss model for elastic and adaptive services with finite traffic-source population. Thus, the call arrival process is a quasi-random process which is, in many cases, a more realistic consideration than a random (Poisson) process. The proposed model does not have a product form solution, and therefore, we propose approximate but recursive formulas for the efficient calculation of the call-level performance metrics, such as time and call congestion probabilities and link utilization. The consistency and the accuracy of the new model are verified through simulation and found to be quite satisfactory.

Standard Communication Protocol for Computer-assisted Electrocardiography (SCP-ECG) provides standardized communication among different ECG devices and medical information systems. This paper extends the use of this protocol in order to be included in health monitoring systems. It introduces new sections into SCP-ECG structure for transferring data for positioning, allergies, and five additional biosignals: noninvasive blood pressure (NiBP), body temperature (Temp), Carbon dioxide (CO2), blood oxygen saturation (SPO2), and pulse rate. It also introduces new tags in existing sections for transferring comprehensive demographic data. The proposed enhanced version is referred to as e-SCP-ECG(+) protocol. This paper also considers the pilot implementation of the new protocol as a software component in a Health Telemonitoring System.

An evaluation of a wide area Telemedicine System (TS) designed for a country with singular geomorphology like Greece is presented. It targets to improve the outcome in emergency cases, by means of an early and specialized pre-hospital treatment. The TS makes use of modern technologies leading to the cooperation of 30 mobile medical units, 3 Telemedicine Coordination Centers and 7 Regional Teleconference Rooms. An adaptive protocol is used to reduce the data transmission time and the resources required for archiving. An automated network switching keeps the communication live in most cases while a telemedicine service co-ordinates all the co-operating endpoints, providing call and connection management, remote healthcare assistance, teleconference capabilities and real-time vital signs' transmission.

Standard Communication Protocol for Computer-assisted Electrocardiography (SCP-ECG) has been standardized in order different ECG devices to be able to communicate with computers through the same language. This paper proposes specific extensions on SCP-ECG protocol structure and introduces the enhanced SCP-ECG+ (e-SCP-ECG+) protocol. e-SCP-ECG+ is backward compatible to the SCP-ECG protocol while it is able to handle more vital sign and demographic data. It also overrides some limits of the original protocol. The proposed extension has been implemented both as new tags in existing sections and as new sections of the SCP-ECG protocol appended to the original file format.

Bursty traffic is dominant in modem communication networks and keeps the call-level QoS assessment an open issue. ON-OFF traffic models are commonly used to describe bursty traffic. We propose an ON-OFF traffic model of a single link which accommodates service-classes of finite population (f-ON-OFF). Calls compete for the available link bandwidth under the complete sharing policy. Accepted calls enter the system via state ON and then may alternate between ON-OFF states. When a call is transferred to state OFF it releases the bandwidth held in state ON, while when a call tries to return to state ON, it re-requests its bandwidth. If it is available a new ON-period (burst) begins; otherwise the call remains in state OFF (burst blocking). We prove that the proposed f-ON-OFF model has a product form solution, and we provide an accurate recursive formula for the call blocking probabilities calculation. For the burst blocking probabilities calculation we propose an approximate but robust formula. In addition, we show the relation between the f-ON-OFF model and other call-level loss models. Furthermore, we generalize the f-ON-OFF model to include service-classes of both finite and infinite population. Simulation results validate our analytical methodology.

We consider an ON-OFF traffic model of a single link which accommodates service-classes of finite population. Calls arrive according to a quasi-random process and, if accepted, enter the system via state ON; then calls may alternate between ON-OFF states. When a call is transferred to state OFF, it releases the bandwidth held in state ON, while when it tries to return to state ON it re-requests its bandwidth. If it is available a new ON-period (burst) begins; otherwise burst blocking occurs and the call remains in state OFF. We prove that the proposed finite source ON-OFF model (f-ON-OFF) has a product form solution and provide an accurate recursive formula for the call blocking probabilities calculation. For the burst blocking probabilities calculation we propose an approximate formula. Finally, we generalize the f-ON-OFF model to include a mixture of service-classes of finite and infinite number of sources. Simulation results validate our analytical methodology.

All users of informatics applications need rapid and reliable access to the kind of information they are interested in. Web technology provides such capabilities. Thus, the evolution of medical systems and especially PACS that is the issue of this paper comes through World Wide Web. DICOM Standard committees attended these trends. They developed WADO (Web Access to DICOM Object) Service in order that system interaction inside PACS takes place through Web, in a standardized way, allowing interoperability and proper information management. The authors have recently began a project of a WADO based Web PACS development, according to the Standard specifications. In this paper a PACS Server, providing through a Web portal platform all DICOM Services to Internet users, is presented. Java technology is used to satisfy design considerations and dynamic data exchanges.

We focus on the computation of Call Blocking Probabilities (CBP) in a single link loss model where calls come from service-classes of finite sources, as it happens in the environment of wireless networks. We review the Engset Multirate Loss Model and the Single Retry Loss Model for finite sources in which blocked calls may immediately retry once to be connected in the system with reduced bandwidth and increased service time requirements. We extend these models to the Single Threshold Model for finite sources (f-STM), which is a state dependent model where calls, prior to being blocked, may adjust their traffic requirements according to a threshold, which indicates the occupied bandwidth. The f-STM does not have a product form solution; therefore we prove approximate but recursive formulas for the CBP calculation. Furthermore we apply in the f-STM the bandwidth reservation policy (f-STM/BR), used for QoS guarantee (e.g. CBP equalization among different service-classes). The accuracy of the f-STM/BR is evaluated by comparing analytical with simulation CBP results.

This paper presents an integrated decision support platform for medical specialists, which use the signals from different points of the human body as a part of the patient examination. This platform is a software application for the acquisition, archiving, presenting and processing of medical signals. Moreover, this application preserves data that concern patient's history and past medical treatment. The coexistence of medical signals and patient history data in a functional interface supports doctors to result in the potentially more accurate diagnosis and treatment for each incident. Application's architecture provides the user with an integrated electronic working domain handling diverse types of information and medical records. The design and the implementation of the platform was a result of a close collaboration between engineers and doctors in order the development of a real efficient tool for the medical specialists to be achieved.

Despite telemedicine's applications evolution to cover a wide area of users' needs, data centralization is not achieved yet. Also, access to patient data from any remote location, through a secure environment, is necessary to achieve remote data handling and doctor's collaboration. A remote access has been implemented through a Portal using only web modules, which do not require the users do meet any special requirements. Through an integrated environment, which is fully customized to each user's requirements, we provide doctors with the ability to organize their registered patients in an electronic manner, and civilians with the option of viewing their personal medical data from anywhere. Furthermore, an extra interface facilitates doctors' collaboration through secure communication channels and hence allowing them to view a patient's medical records. Java technology is used to satisfy design considerations and security issues concerning medical secret policy.

The Standard Communication Protocol for ElectroCardioGrams (SCP-ECG) is used for the ECG data communication and handling. This paper presents an enhancement of SCP-ECG, which makes possible the transmission of more vital signs (apart ECG data), such as Oxygen Saturation (SPO2), Pulse Rate, Temperature, Non Invasive Blood Pressure (NiBP) and Carbon dioxide (CO2). The enhanced protocol has been utilized in the design and development of a prototype medical information network. This medical network can be used to supply doctors not only with the current patient information, but also with information concerning patient's previous state. In that way, the network helps doctors to make a more accurate diagnosis.

The innovative features of an advanced radiology information system (RIS) are presented in this paper. The interoperability of RIS with the other intra-hospital information systems that interacts with, dealing with the compatibility and open architecture issues, are accomplished by two novel mechanisms. The first one is the particular message handling system that is applied for the exchange of information, according to the Health Level Seven (HL7) protocol's specifications and serves the transfer of medical and administrative data among the RIS applications and data store unit. The same mechanism allows the secure and HL7-compatible interactions with the hospital information system (HIS) too. The second one implements the translation of information between the formats that HL7 and Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) protocols specify, providing the communication between RIS and Picture and Archive Communication System (PACS). The whole structure ensures the automation of the every-day procedures that the 'medical protocol' specifies and provides its services through a friendly and easy to manage graphical user interface