Towards a compendium of process technologies: The jBPT library for process model analysis

This paper presents the idea of a compendium of process technologies, i.e., a concise but comprehensive collection of techniques for process model analysis that support research on the design, execution, and evaluation of processes. The idea originated from observations on the evolution of process-related research disciplines. Based on these observations, we derive design goals for a compendium. Then, we present the jBPT library, which addresses these goals by means of an implementation of common analysis techniques in an open source codebase

Implementing change in primary care practice: lessons from a mixed-methods evaluation of a frailty initiative

© 2018, BJGP Open. Background: The NHS is facing increasing needs from an aging population, which is acutely visible in the emerging problem of frailty. There is growing evidence describing new models of care for people living with frailty, but a lack of evidence on successful implementation of these complex interventions at the practice level. Aim: This study aimed to determine what factors enable or prevent implementation of a wholesystem, complex intervention for managing frailty (the PACT initiative) in the UK primary care setting. Design & setting: A mixed-methods evaluation study undertaken within a large clinical commissioning group (CCG). Design and analysis was informed by normalisation process theory (NPT). Method: Data collection from six sites included: observation of delivery, interviews with staff, and an online survey. NPT-informed analysis sought to identify enablers and barriers to implementation of change. Results: Seven themes were identified. PACT was valued by professionals and patients but a lack of clarity on its aims was identified as a barrier to implementation. Successful implementation relied on champions pushing the work forward, and dealing with unanticipated resistance. Contracts focused on delivery of service outcomes, but these were sometimes at odds with professional priorities. Implementation followed evidence-informed rather than evidence-based practice, requiring redesign of the intervention and potentially created a new body of knowledge on managing frailty. Conclusion: Successful implementation of complex interventions in primary care need inbuilt capacity for flexibility and adaptability, requiring expertise as well as evidence. Professionals need to be supported to translate innovative practice into practice-based evidence

Design and Development of a Class EF2 Inverter and Rectifier for Multi-megahertz Wireless Power Transfer Systems

This paper presents the design and implementation of a Class EF2 inverter and Class EF2 rectifier for two -W wireless power transfer (WPT) systems, one operating at 6.78 MHz and the other at 27.12 MHz. It will be shown that the Class EF2 circuits can be designed to have beneficial features for WPT applications such as reduced second-harmonic component and lower total harmonic distortion, higher power-output capability, reduction in magnetic core requirements and operation at higher frequencies in rectification compared to other circuit topologies. A model will first be presented to analyze the circuits and to derive values of its components to achieve optimum switching operation. Additional analysis regarding harmonic content, magnetic core requirements and open-circuit protection will also be performed. The design and implementation process of the two Class-EF2-based WPT systems will be discussed and compared to an equivalent Class-E-based WPT system. Experimental results will be provided to confirm validity of the analysis. A dc-dc efficiency of 75% was achieved with Class-EF2-based systems

Isogeometric analysis in HPC: object oriented design and open source massively parallel implementation

Isogeometric analysis, commonly addressed as IGA, is a technique that has become popular since. In a broad sense it refers to computational mechanics applications that encapsulate computational geometry techniques or vice versa. The direct application of this concept is to use the shape functions describing the geometry as a discrete space for a Galerkin method. Numerous computational techniques benefit from this encapsulation. One of the major outcomes of IGA is a vigorous cooperation between computational mechanics and computational geometry communities. The result is a combination of techniques that was unknown to each community for decades. The number of successful applications is great and most modern computational mechanics aspects are covered. Worth mentioning are fluid dynamics applications in turbulent flows, divergence conforming type of spaces and fluid structure interaction applications. Structural mechanics IGA applications include shell theory, vibration analysis, contact mechanics and biomechanic applications. Application of the isogeometric concept to potential flows and Stokes flows through boundary element techniques have also seen recent advances..

Biodiversity Offset Program Design and Implementation

Biodiversity offsets are applied in many countries to compensate for impacts on the environment, but research on regulatory frameworks and implementation enabling effective offsets is lacking. This paper reviews research on biodiversity offsets, providing a framework for the analysis of program design (no net loss goal, uncertainty and ratios, equivalence and accounting, site selection, landscape-scale mitigation planning, timing) and implementation (compliance, adherence to the mitigation hierarchy, leakage and trade-offs, oversight, transparency and monitoring). Some more challenging aspects concern the proper metrics and accounting allowing for program evaluation, as well as the consideration of trade-offs when regulations focus only on the biodiversity aspect of ecosystems. Results can be used to assess offsets anywhere and support the creation of programs that balance development and conservation.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel – 201

MalwareLab: Experimentation with Cybercrime Attack Tools

Cybercrime attack tools (i.e. Exploit Kits) are reportedly responsible for the majority of attacks affecting home users. Exploit kits are traded in the black markets at different prices and advertising different capabilities and functionalities. In this paper we present our experimental approach in testing 10 exploit kits leaked from the markets that we deployed in an isolated environment, our MalwareLab. The purpose of this experiment is to test these tools in terms of resiliency against changing software configurations in time. We present our experiment design and implementation, discuss challenges, lesson learned and open problems, and present a preliminary analysis of the results

Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of a Coriolis Mass Flowmeter using a Lattice Boltzmann Method

In this paper we use a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) approach to simulate a Coriolis mass flowmeter (CMF). The fluid dynamics are calculated by the open source framework OpenLB, based on the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). For the structural dynamics we employ the open source software Elmer, an implementation of the finite element method (FEM). A staggered coupling approach between the two software packages is presented. The finite element mesh is created by the mesh generator Gmsh to ensure a complete open source workflow. The Eigenmodes of the CMF, which are calculated by modal analysis are compared with measurement data. Using the estimated excitation frequency, a fully coupled, partitioned, FSI simulation is applied to simulate the phase shift of the investigated CMF design. The calculated phaseshift values are in good agreement to the measurement data and verify the suitability of the model to numerically describe the working principle of a CMF

Algorithm Engineering in Robust Optimization

Robust optimization is a young and emerging field of research having received a considerable increase of interest over the last decade. In this paper, we argue that the the algorithm engineering methodology fits very well to the field of robust optimization and yields a rewarding new perspective on both the current state of research and open research directions. To this end we go through the algorithm engineering cycle of design and analysis of concepts, development and implementation of algorithms, and theoretical and experimental evaluation. We show that many ideas of algorithm engineering have already been applied in publications on robust optimization. Most work on robust optimization is devoted to analysis of the concepts and the development of algorithms, some papers deal with the evaluation of a particular concept in case studies, and work on comparison of concepts just starts. What is still a drawback in many papers on robustness is the missing link to include the results of the experiments again in the design