System integration | EPFL Graph Search

System integration is defined in engineering as the process of bringing together the component sub-systems into one system (an aggregation of subsystems cooperating so that the system is able to deliver the overarching functionality) and ensuring that the subsystems function together as a system, and in information technology as the process of linking together different computing systems and software applications physically or functionally, to act as a coordinated whole. The system integrator integrates discrete systems utilizing a variety of techniques such as computer networking, enterprise application integration, business process management or manual programming. System integration involves integrating existing, often disparate systems in such a way "that focuses on increasing value to the customer" (e.g., improved product quality and performance) while at the same time providing value to the company (e.g., reducing operational costs and improving response time).

Optimal Process Design for Power Production from Wet Waste Biomass by Hydrothermal Gasification coupled to a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

This report presents a system analysis of the production of electricity from wet waste biomass. A system of Hydrothermal Gasification is coupled with a Hybrid Cycle composed by a SOFC and two Gas Turbines, driven in an inverted Brayton--‐Joule cycle. A thermodynamic optimization approach, based on the system energy integration, is used to analyze several configuration options. The influence of the process design on performances is discussed for the most representative scenario that highlights the key aspects of the system. Optimization results prove that a systematic system design may reaches efficiencies higher than 60%.

2011

Institutions, Innovation and Public Health

Viviana Carolina Munoz Tellez de Kieffer

This study concerns the economics of innovation in the area of medical innovation -new diagnostics, medicines and vaccines-, and in particular how innovation contributes to meeting public health needs. Significant advances have taken place in medical science and technological innovations to prevent and treat diseases that are associated to the strong research and innovation system characteristic of the biomedical and pharmaceutical industry in developed countries. However, firms are reluctant to mobilize this capacity towards disease areas where there are significant health needs but the market is not profitable. As a result, less socially valuable innovation takes place than would otherwise be desirable. This problem is analysed in this study through institutional analysis, applied to the area of neglected diseases. The term neglected diseases is used to refer to a group of diseases that affect over 1 billion people worldwide, persist under conditions of poverty and are concentrated mainly in developing countries. Previous studies of the problem of the gap of innovation in neglected diseases have focused on identifying the market failures that cause for-profit firms to invest very little in R&D and innovation in neglected diseases, and advance ideas for new or additional incentives that could encourage greater participation of firms in this area, such as guaranteed payments for R&D efforts or new medical products developed. This study takes on a different approach, centred on analyxing the institutional framework in which R&D and innovation dynamics take place. In particular, the study analyses a recent phenomena: the appearance of a new form of institutional experiment - private non-profit entities organized as product development partnerships (PDPs) that act as "system integrators" to leverage the resources and capabilities of a network of public, philanthropic and private sector partners towards R&D in neglected diseases. The study also examines how this novel PDP institution responds to a well-known incentive mechanism in medical innovation - intellectual property rights. The study finds that PDPs respond differently to IPRs than for-profit firms, and this indicates there are variations in the value, use and impact of IPRs under different institutional settings, beyond the firm. Finally, the study analyses the challenges in leveraging traditional medicinal knowledge to address health needs, particularly in developing countries, and finds that as the traditional institutions that have supported traditional medicine are under strain, new institutions are needed to support this knowledge as it becomes fragile and is more likely to suffer from deterioration or even disappearance, as compared to scientific knowledge.

EPFL2015

IoT for Telemedicine Practices enabled by an Android (TM) Application with Cloud System Integration

Sandro Carrara, Danilo Demarchi, Thiébaud Modoux, Francesca Stradolini, Nadia Tamburrano, Abuduwaili Tuoheti

Connected medical devices are already paving the way towards the realization of Smart Hospitals where patient care is improved thanks to Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Following this trend, in this paper we propose an IoT cloud-based network for anesthesia on-line monitoring. This architecture allows the anesthesiologist to remain simultaneously connected to all the sedated patients through an Android app. Moreover, medical data from the patients can be shared on a cloud solution accessible by a web application enabling teleconsulting. Hence, by accessing the cloud, medical specialists can consult the shared data from everywhere and at any time. The flexibility and the portability of our monitoring architecture ensure the possibility to interface with any medical device which can wirelessly send the measured data. Therefore, other medical monitoring applications can also be addressed.

IEEE2018

Institutions, Innovation and Public Health

Viviana Carolina Munoz Tellez de Kieffer

EPFL2015