Loizos Papaloizou

On the Design, Installation, and Evaluation of a Radio-Frequency Identification System for Healthcare Applications [Wireless Corner]

In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and testing of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for healthcare applications. The constantly growing passive RFID technology at ultra-high frequencies (UHF), in conjunction with current state-of-the-art information and communication technologies (ICTs), was used for the system design. The end product was installed at an oncology hospital in Cyprus, where it was thoroughly evaluated by medical staff and hospital administrators. This pilot project had three main objectives: a) automatic and error-free patient identification of in-hospital patients using RFID-enabled cards or wristbands; b) Real-time location service (RTLS) for locating and tracking medical assets and high-value equipment in the hospital ward; c) quick and hassle-free drug inventory management through the use of inexpensive smart labels and cost-effective stationary readers. Here, we present a detailed description of the three major subsystems of the pilot project, emphasizing the main features and capabilities of the system, important design and implementation issues, as well as system evaluation and testing. During the design stage of the project, special emphasis was placed on user friendliness, system capabilities, adequate coverage and tag readability, privacy and security of sensitive patient data, system reliability, and the daily practices of medical personnel and hospital administrators.

Investigating the seismic response of ancient multi-drum colonnades with two rows of columns using an object-oriented designed software

A software application, based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM), has been developed, using a modern object-oriented design and programming approach, in order to enable the effective simulation of multi-drum columns and colonnades under harmonic and earthquake excitations. This paper examines specifically colonnade systems with two rows of columns, one over the other, under various ground motions. The computed results show that the frequency content of the ground motion affects mostly the response. The displacements of the upper level columns in respect to the displacements of the lower level columns are affected more by the frequency content of the excitation.

Design and Implementation of a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) System for Healthcare Applications

This paper presents the use of RFID technology in the healthcare sector. A highly sophisticated RFID system, which also incorporates advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), was carefully designed in order to be implemented as a pilot project at the premises of the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Center (BOCOC) in Cyprus. The RFID system will be used for automatic and error-free patient identification through the use of RFID wristbands and/or tagequipped plastic cards, for Real Time Location Service (RTLS) in order to locate medical equipment (e.g., infusion pumps, walkers, wheelchairs, etc.) in the premises of the hospital, and inventory control for the pharmacy. The RFID technology that is used in this pilot project is based on the UHF-band EPC C1 Generation 2 data exchange protocol. A Graphical User Interface for a medical tablet PC was developed which interfaces the RFID hardware (e.g., stationary and handheld readers, RFID printers, etc.) with the everyday routine tasks of the hospital’s medical personnel. The application platform developed by the research team is extremely easy-to-use by doctors and nurses, powerful, effective, and superior to traditional paper-bound processes.

Seismic Behaviour of Ancient Multidrum Structures

Strong earthquakes are common causes of destruction of ancient monuments, such as classical columns and colonnades. Ancient columns of great archaeological significance can be found in high seismicity areas in the Eastern Mediterranean. Understanding the behaviour and response of these historic structures during strong earthquakes is useful for the assessment of conservation and rehabilitation proposals for such structures. The seismic behaviour of ancient columns and colonnades involves complicated rocking and sliding phenomena that very rarely appear in modern structures. Analytical study of such multi-block structures under strong earthquake excitations is extremely complicated if not impossible. Computational methods can be used to simulate the dynamic behaviour and seismic response of these structures. The discrete element method (DEM) is utilized to investigate the response of ancient multi-drum columns and colonnades during harmonic and earthquake excitations by simulating the individual rock blocks as distinct rigid bodies.

A UHF Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) System for Healthcare: Design and Implementation

This paper presents a customized design of a UHF Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system to be installed at the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Center (BOCOC) in Cyprus. This is a pilot project that aims at evaluating the effectiveness and overall benefits of UHF RFID technology in the healthcare sector. The purpose of the project is threefold: a) Error-free identification of in-hospital patients through the use of RFID wristbands/cards; b) drug inventory control and monitoring; c) Real Time Location Service (RTLS) capable of locating tagged objects within the premises of the hospital. For the three main pillars of the project, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed in order to run on light-weight medical tablet PCs. The application can access data from a secured central database hosting sensitive information regarding patients, drugs, medical assets, and high-value equipment. The communication between the server and the medical tablet PCs is done over an encrypted wireless local access network.

COMPUTER-AIDED INVESTIGATION OF SPECIAL ISSUES OF THE RESPONSE OF SEISMICALLY ISOLATED BUILDINGS

This paper presents indicative results from the numerical investigation of two special issues of the seismic behaviour of base-isolated buildings, using custom-made software that utilizes modern objectoriented design approaches. The first issue concerns the modelling of the nonlinear behaviour of seismic isolation systems, focusing on the lead rubber bearings (LRBs), which are among the most commonly used seismic isolation systems. In particular, the inaccuracies between the actual behaviour of the LRBs, which can be more precisely represented by the Bouc–Wen model, and the usage of a bilinear inelastic model, which is often used in practice, are assessed through numerical simulations and parametric analyses. The second issue concerns potential pounding of base-isolated buildings with adjacent structures, when the available clearance around a seismically isolated building is limited, during very strong earthquakes. The consequences of potential pounding and the influence of certain parameters on the overall seismic response of base-isolated buildings are also assessed through numerical simulations and parametric analyses using custom-made software.