Towards an Intelligent Workflow Designer based on the Reuse of Workflow Patterns

In order to perform process-aware information systems we need sophisticated methods and concepts for designing and modeling processes. Recently, research on workflow patterns has emerged in order to increase the reuse of recurring workflow structures. However, current workflow modeling tools do not provide functionalities that enable users to define, query, and reuse workflow patterns properly. In this paper we gather a suite for both process modeling and normalization based on workflow patterns reuse. This suite must be used in the extension of some workflow design tool. The suite comprises components for the design of processes from both legacy systems and process modeling

Inventing Less, Reusing More and Adding Intelligence to Business Process Modeling

Recently, a variety of workflow patterns has been proposed focusing on specific aspects like control flow, data flow, and resource assignments. Though these patterns are relevant for implementing Business Process Modeling (BPM) tools and for evaluating the expressiveness of BPM languages, they do not contribute to reduce redundant specifications of recurrent business functions when modeling business processes. Furthermore, contemporary BPM tools do not support process designers in defining, querying, and reusing activity patterns as building blocks for process modeling. Related to these problems this paper proposes a set of activity patterns, evidences their practical relevance, and introduces a BPM tool for the modeling of business processes based on the reuse of these activity patterns. Altogether our approach fosters reuse of business functions specifications and helps to improve the quality and comparability of business process models

The Origin of Neutral Hydrogen Clouds in Nearby Galaxy Groups: Exploring the Range Of Galaxy Interactions

We combine high resolution N-body simulations with deep observations of neutral hydrogen (HI) in nearby galaxy groups in order to explore two well-known theories of HI cloud formation: HI stripping by galaxy interactions and dark matter minihalos with embedded HI gas. This paper presents new data from three galaxy groups, Canes Venatici I, NGC 672, and NGC 45, and assembles data from our previous galaxy group campaign to generate a rich HI cloud archive to compare to our simulated data. We find no HI clouds in the Canes Venatici I, NGC 672, or NGC 45 galaxy groups. We conclude that HI clouds in our detection space are most likely to be generated through recent, strong galaxy interactions. We find no evidence of HI clouds associated with dark matter halos above M_HI = 10^6 M_Sun, within +/- 700 km/s of galaxies, and within 50 kpc projected distance of galaxies.Comment: 35 pages, 10 figures, AJ accepte

Anomalous HI in NGC 2997

We present deep HI observations of the moderately inclined spiral galaxy, NGC 2997. The goal of these observations was to search for HI clouds in the vicinity of NGC 2997 analogous to the high velocity clouds of the Milky Way and gain insight into their origins. We find evidence for the presence of a galactic fountain as well as the accretion of intragalactic material, however we do not identify any large clouds of HI far from the disk of the galaxy. NGC 2997 has a thick, lagging HI disk that is modeled with a vertical velocity gradient of 18-31 km/s/kpc. Anomalous velocity HI clouds with masses of order 10^7 Msun, which cannot be explained by galactic fountain models allow us to estimate a lower limit to the accretion of extragalactic gas of 1.2 Msun/yr. The number and mass of these clouds have implications for cosmological simulations of large scale structure and the presence of dark matter halos. We have used values from the the literature to estimate a star formation rate of 5 +/- 1 Msun/yr and to derive a new distance to NGC 2997 of 12.2 +/- 0.9 Mpc using published Tully-Fisher relations.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

The Chest Pain Choice trial: a pilot randomized trial of a decision aid for patients with chest pain in the emergency department

Background: Chest pain is a common presenting complaint in the emergency department (ED). Despite the frequency with which clinicians evaluate patients with chest pain, accurately determining the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and sharing risk information with patients is challenging. The aims of this study are (1) to develop a decision aid (CHEST PAIN CHOICE) that communicates the short-term risk of ACS and (2) to evaluate the impact of the decision aid on patient participation in decision-making and resource use. Methods/Design: This is a protocol for a parallel, 2-arm randomized trial to compare an intervention group receiving CHEST PAIN CHOICE to a control group receiving usual ED care. Adults presenting to the Saint Mary's Hospital ED in Rochester, MN USA with a primary complaint of chest pain who are being considered for admission for prolonged ED observation in a specialized unit and urgent cardiac stress testing will be eligible for enrollment. We will measure the effect of CHEST PAIN CHOICE on six outcomes: (1) patient knowledge regarding their short-term risk for ACS and the risks of radiation exposure; (2) quality of the decision making process; (3) patient and clinician acceptability and satisfaction with the decision aid; (4) the proportion of patients who decided to undergo observation unit admission and urgent cardiac stress testing; (5) economic costs and healthcare utilization; and (6) the rate of delayed or missed ACS. To capture these outcomes, we will administer patient and clinician surveys after each visit, obtain video recordings of the clinical encounters, and conduct 30-day phone follow-up. Discussion: This pilot randomized trial will develop and evaluate a decision aid for use in ED chest pain patients at low risk for ACS and provide a preliminary estimate of its effect on patient participation in decision-making and resource use