Open Models as a Foundation of Future Enterprise Systems (Dagstuhl Seminar 12131)

This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 12131 ``Open Models as a Foundation of Future Enterprise Systems\u27\u27. Research on open models introduces a new model of collaboration among researchers, developers, and prospective users of reference enterprise models-leading to the prospect of shaping future enterprise systems. This seminar brought together researchers and practitioners with expertise in a broad range of fields including conceptual modelling, model-driven engineering, enterprise systems, software architectures, and modelling tool development. The seminar mixed short presentations on the attendees\u27 perspectives on open models with keynote presentations and working groups on selected research issues. Topics discussed include the shape of future enterprise systems amalgamated with open reference enterprise models, business domains to be addressed in first open models, requirements towards a technical infrastructure as well as organisational issues of open model initiatives. The seminar\u27s discussions benefitted from the different perspectives of attendees on the common topic, raised important new questions on open models, and brought to light overlooked aspects important to future research activities

The “Eyeball Test” for Risk Assessment in Aortic Stenosis: Characterizing Subjective Frailty Using Objective Measures

Background: Subjective frailty assessment is widely employed in risk stratification of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), but the association with objective frailty parameters is poorly characterized. Methods: Frailty was subjectively assessed (dichotomously as frail or not frail) in high-risk patients with AS referred to a Heart Valve Clinic. An objectively derived composite frailty score was derived by summing quartiles of the following frailty measures: 15-foot walk time, grip strength, independence in activities of daily living (ADL), and serum albumin. The objective measures and composite score were compared between those considered frail and not frail by subjective assessment. The relationship between frailty status and outcomes was analyzed. Results: Of 100 subjects, 31 were frail by subjective assessment. When compared to those considered not frail, there were no differences in age, sex, and BMI. However, frail subjects had higher STS scores and had significantly greater dependence in ADL, slower gait speed, weaker grip strength, and lower albumin than non-frail subjects. The composite frailty score was highly correlated with frailty designation by subjective assessment. Subjective and objective frailty were both highly predictive of treatment assignment to either medical therapy or aortic valve replacement, and of mortality. Conclusion: Among patients with AS evaluated in a Heart Valve Clinic, those considered frail by subjective assessment were slower, weaker, more malnourished, and had greater ADL impairment. Subjective assessment of frailty and objective frailty measures were similarly predictive of treatment assignment and mortality.</p

Metadata and Cooperative Knowledge Management

Cooperative knowledge management refers to the work practice or culture facet of information systems engineering; it plays a key role especially in engineering and consulting domains. However, in comparison to technology-centered and business-process-centered meta modeling approaches (exemplified by UML and ERP), this aspect has received significantly less attention in research and is much less mature in terms of international standardization. We claim that additional interdisciplinary research effort is needed in this direction, and discuss different points of attack, largely in terms of their implications for better metadata management and meta modeling