A Capability Approach for Designing Business Intelligence and Analytics Architectures

Business Intelligence and Analytics (BIA) is subject to an ongoing transformation, both on the technology and the business side. Given the lack of ready-to-use blueprints for the plethora of novel solutions and the ever-increasing variety of available concepts and tools, there is a need for conceptual support for architecture design decisions. After conducting a series of interviews to explore the relevance and direction of an architectural decision support concept, we propose a capability schema that involves actions, expected outcomes, and environmental limitations to identify fitting architecture designs. The applicability of the approach was evaluated with two cases. The results show that the derived framework can support the systematic development of fundamental architecture requirements. The work contributes to research by illustrating how to capture the elusive capability concept and showing its relation to BIA architectures. For further generalization, we created an open online repository to collect BIA capabilities and architectural designs

Hapniku elektrokeemiline redutseerumine Fe-N/C tüüpi katalüsaatoritel happelises ja aluselises keskkonnas

Hapniku redutseerumisreaktsiooni (ingl k oxygen reduction reaction ehk ORR) aeglase kineetika tõttu kasutatakse kütuseelementides sageli plaatinakatalüsaatoreid, millele otsitakse mitteväärismetallidel põhinevaid alternatiive. Käesolevas töös sünteesiti kõrgtemperatuursel pürolüüsil Fe-N/C tüüpi katalüsaatorid, kasutades selleks FeSO4∙7H2O-i, viit erinevat lämmastikku sisaldavat orgaanilist ühendit ehk nn N-ligandi ja süsinikkandjana ränikarbiidist sünteesitud süsinikmaterjali (C(SiC)). Uuriti kasutatud N-ligandi ja sünteesiparameetrite nagu raua sisalduse, Fe ioonide ja N-ligandi moolsuhte ning happega järeltöötluse mõju saadud katalüsaatorite ORR-i aktiivsusele. Lisaks uuriti aktiivsemate katalüsaatorite ajalist stabiilsust. Leiti, et Fe-N/C tüüpi katalüsaatorite ORR-i aktiivsus sõltub olulisel määral sünteesil kasutatud N-ligandist. Sünteesiparameetrite varieerimine antud töö raames ei avaldanud sünteesitud katalüsaatorite aktiivsusele mõju. Kasutades N-ligandina 2,2’-bipüridiini saadi kõige aktiivsem katalüsaator, mille ORR-i aktiivsus on aluselises keskkonnas võrreldav kommertsiaalse 20%Pt-Vulcan materjaliga. Seevastu 1,10-fenantroliinil põhinev katalüsaator oli ajas oluliselt stabiilsem nii aluselises kui ka happelises keskkonnas ja pärast ~150 h kestnud stabiilsustesti ka kõrgema ORR-i aktiivsusega kui algselt kõige aktiivsemaks osutunud 2,2’-bipüridiinil põhinev katalüsaator

On the Security of the Winternitz One-Time Signature Scheme

We show that the Winternitz one-time signature scheme is existentially unforgeable under adaptive chosen message attacks when instantiated with a family of pseudo random functions. Compared to previous results, which require a collision resistant hash function, our result provides significantly smaller signatures at the same security level. We also consider security in the strong sense and show that the Winternitz one-time signature scheme is strongly unforgeable assuming additional properties of the pseudo random function. In this context we formally define several key-based security notions for function families and investigate their relation to pseudorandomness. All our reductions are exact and in the standard model and can directly be used to estimate the output length of the hash function required to meet a certain security level

Haemostatics in surgery and our experience in the enucleoresection of renal cell carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>30 patients, with T1 renal cell carcinomas (RCC) who underwent open enucleoresection of the tumour, were randomized to the use of a topical haemostatic agent (Floseal) or to an infrared-sapphire coagulator (ISC), to compare their efficacy in achieving haemostasis. Methods: Successful intra-operative haemostasis, intra- and post-operative bleeding, operative time, hospital discharge were evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Statistically higher rates of successful haemostasis and shorter time-to-haemostasis (8,1 vs 12,9 min) were observed in the FloSeal group (p < 0.001 both). Patients operative time was not different between Group 1 vs 2 (58.7 ± 12 vs 62.4 ± 15; p > 0.05). The average blood loss during surgery was less (60 +/- 25.5 mL) for the FloSeal group than for the ISC group (85 +/- 40.5 mL) (p < 0.05). Postoperative blood loss was 25 +/- 5 mL and 40 +/- 45 mL for Floseal and ISC respectively, (p < 0.05). Length of the postoperative hospital discharge was 2.5 +/- 1.2 days for FloSeal group and 3.5 +/- 1.3 for the Group 2 (p < 0.05). No major immediate or delayed complications were observed in either Groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The use of Floseal and ISC offer a safe and efficacy haemostasis in the enucleoresection of RCC. Moreover, our results show a less intra-operative and post-operative blood loss as well as a shorter time to haemostasis of Floseal in respect to ISC.</p

The Role of miR-107 in Prostate Cancer: A Review and Experimental Evidence

Over the past two decades, several research groups have focused on the functioning of microRNAs (miRNAs), because many of them function as positive or negative endogenous regulators of processes that alter during the development of cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most commonly occurring cancer in men. New biomarkers are needed to support the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Although it is necessary to deepen the research on this molecule to explore its potential utility in the diagnosis, follow-up, and prognosis of cancer, our results support a role of miR-107 in the signaling cascades that allow cancer progression, and as shown here, in the progression of Prostate Cancer (PCa). These findings strongly suggest that miR-107 may be a potential circulating biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer

An Open label, Randomised Controlled trial on the effectiveness of the Orve+ Wrap® versus Forced Air Warming in restoring normothermia in the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the clinical effectiveness and safety of the Orve+Wrap® thermal blanket. BACKGROUND: Inadvertent peri-operative hypothermia is a common problem in Post Anaesthetic Care Units and can have significant effects on patients' post-operative morbidity. Despite its commercial availability there is no clinical evidence on the effectiveness of Orve+Wrap®. DESIGN: A single centre prospective, open label, non-inferiority randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Post-operative hypothermic (35.0°C - 35.9°C) patients who had undergone elective surgery were randomised to receive either Orve+Wrap® or Forced Air Warming for the during their PACU stay. Patient temperatures we recorded every 10 minutes using Zero Heat Flux Thermometry. This study is reported using CONSORT Extension checklist for non-inferiority and equivalence trials. RESULTS: Between December 2016 and October 2018, 129 patients were randomised to receive either Orve+wrap® blanket, (n=65, 50.3%) or Forced Air Warming, (n= 64, 49.7%). The mean 60-minute post-operative temperature of patients receiving Orve+wrap® blanket was 36.2°C and 36.3°C for the patients receiving Forced Air Warming. The predefined non-inferiority margin of a mean difference in temperature of 0.3°C, was not reached between the groups at 60 minutes. Additionally, there were no statistical differences between adverse event rates across these groups. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of this study warming patients with the Orve+wrap® was non-inferior to Forced Air Warming. There were comparable rates of associated post-operative consequences of warming (shivering, hypotension, arrhythmias or surgical site infections), between the groups. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The Orve+wrap® potentially provides an alternative warming method to Forced Air Warming for patients requiring short term post-operative warming. However, there are still a number of unknowns regarding the Orve+wrap® performance and further exploration is required

ArchiCap – A tool for capability-based IT architecture exploration

IT architects often face high uncertainty and a lack of methodical support when it comes to architectural decisions in emerging IT environments. Here, a capability-based approach can help to ensure business-orientation and strategic alignment. However, in practice, it turns out to be difficult to identify relevant capabilities and adequate architectural possibilities. The prototype presented in this proposal constitutes a web-based software tool to support the exploration of capabilities and link them to architectural decisions. For this, the software allows (i) the definition of environmental setups for certain application areas (e.g. capabilities and architectural possibilities for the internet of things) and (ii) the application to certain use cases (i.e. the analysis of the IT landscape and the exploration of relevant capabilities and architectural possibilities). The prototype is part of overarching research and was developed and used to explore the area of distributed analytics systems