Cloud Computing: New Business Opportunities for Telecommunications Companies?

Cloud computing has recently shifted into the center of attention of Telecommuications Companies. Deutsche Telekom, for example, just announced the importance of cloud computing as one of their leading growth sectors (Deutsche Telekom Press Release, 2010). Also other important telecommunication players such as AT&T, Vodafone and Telefónica are expanding their cloud computing business. Clearly, these developments indicate that telcos believe that cloud computing provides significant business opportunities, particularly by further driving the convergence of telecommunications and information technology. Some researchers, however (cf. Greelan, 2009) state that cloud computing is nothing more than a marketing buzzword. On the other hand, Weiss (2007) mentions that although cloud computing "is a buzzword almost designed to be vague, [it] is more than just a lot of fog". In an effort to shed more light on this debate, we investigate the business opportunities of cloud computing for telecommunication companies in more detail. Thereby, we focus especially on the factors that might especially qualify telcos in becoming a significant player in this emerging domain. More specifically, our contribution is twofold: First, we indentify technical and economic factors that are relevant for the telcos' competitive position in the cloud computing market. Second, we identify future scenarios on how telcos position themselves in this market. --Cloud Computing,Telecommunications,Conjoint Analysis

Real Time Validation of Online Situation Awareness Questionnaires in Simulated Approach Air Traffic Control

Measuring Situation Awareness (SAw) to evaluate an operator's ability to handle complex dynamic situations and the use of assistance systems have become a standard approach in Human Factors research. Ideally, the operators should be supported by enabling and disabling assistance systems depending on their SAw. On the one hand, if the situation's complexity increases and therefore SAw is likely to be reduced, additional systems may help to prevent overextension by taking control over the specific task or task components. On the other hand, there has been evidence that high levels of automation may reduce the ability to intervene in a timely manner if needed due to mental underload. Adjusting the usage of assistance systems based on the operator's SAw may help to overcome both limitations. However, existing measurement tools for SAw require post-simulation analysis. This way it is not possible to make decisions based on the operator's SAw in parallel with the situation at hand. Software capable of analyzing the current state of a given situation has been developed to allow real time assessment of SAw. This software was designed to measure SAw of approach air traffic controllers in the real time NLR ATM Research Simulator. SAw was measured by presenting questionnaires during three different scenarios. Before an item was presented, the simulation's log files were analyzed to provide the software with the correct answer. This way, validating responses and evaluating SAw immediately was possible. In a first study, 57 non-expert subjects were presented with online probe questionnaires in real time simulated approach air traffic control scenarios. It was found that the software was able to measure SAw in real time. In the future, such systems could be used to make decisions about the need for further assistance while the situation is still happening. This way, operators would only get the necessary amount of assistance without reducing their work to passive monitoring

Генезис либерализма и прагматизма в современном образовании

В статье представлен анализ возможности комплементарного сочетания двух базовых образовательных стратегий в системе высшего образования. Актуальность исследования обусловлена коренными изменениями, происходящими в мировом образовательном пространстве. В современном обществе ключевую роль играет уже не знание как абсолютная истина, которым с необходимостью должен овладеть человек в процессе обучения, а, скорее, информация, в которой нам необходимо научиться ориентироваться. Это, в свою очередь, приводит к изменениям в понимании задачи образования. В частности, становится необходимым сделать акцент не только на раз- витии профессиональных, компетентностных, но и социокультурных навыков студентов. На данный момент достаточно сложно выделить в образовательном процессе какую- либо ключевую, системообразующую и оригинальную идею, которая была бы понята и принята как в современной Европе, так и в России. Цель работы: проанализировать генезис и специфику либерального и прагматического подходов в современных образовательных системах, выявить общее и отличное, а также показать возможность и перспективы их гармоничного сочетания в современном университете. Методы исследования: основу работы составляет междисциплинарный метод, который формируется посредством синтеза методологических принципов: философского анализа, социологических методов, принципа историзма. Результаты: обосновано, что одним из важнейших условий продуктивного развития современного университета является сочетание либеральной и прагматической стратегий образовательного процесса. Первая связана с социокультурной миссией университета, последняя - с потребностями современного общества. The paper shows the analysis of the possibilities of complemental unity of two basic educational strategies in higher education system. We argue that leading modern universities are educational and training ones. The global changes in higher education have happened. In the modern society, knowledge plays a key role but not as the absolute truth, which people must obtain in the learning process, rather the information that we need to learn to navigate. This leads to the change in the understanding of the problem of education. In today's world the emphasis should be put not only on the development of professional competency, but also on socio-cultural skills of students. At the moment, it is quite difficult to point out a key, system and original idea in the educational process that would be understood and accepted both in modern Europe and Russia. The main aim of the study is to reveal the specifics of liberal and pragmatic approaches in the modern education systems, to identify something common and different, as well as to demonstrate the possibility of their harmonious combination at a modern university. Methods. The authors have applied interdisciplinary principle, which is formed by the synthesis of the methodological principles: philosophical analysis, sociological methods, principle of historicism. Results. The authors acknowledged that there are several trends in higher education today: multilevel system; modern information technologies; distant educational system and development; university complexes; new educational standards; new educational technologies and management structures, etc. We at the same time argue that there are at least two systems (tendencies) in the theory of university development: liberal and pragmatic. The former is connected with educational university's mission; the later is related with the needs of the modern society

Cardio-Respiratory Coordination Increases during Sleep Apnea

Funding: MR, NW, AM, TP and JK acknowledge financial support from RI2916/2-1, WE2834/5-1, PE628/4-1, and KU837/23-1 (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Quantifying Effects of Pharmacological Blockers of Cardiac Autonomous Control Using Variability Parameters

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the most sensitive heart rate and blood pressure variability (HRV and BPV) parameters from a given set of well-known methods for the quantification of cardiovascular autonomic function after several autonomic blockades. Methods: Cardiovascular sympathetic and parasympathetic functions were studied in freely moving rats following peripheral muscarinic (methylatropine), β1-adrenergic (metoprolol), muscarinic + β1-adrenergic, α1-adrenergic (prazosin), and ganglionic (hexamethonium) blockades. Time domain, frequency domain and symbolic dynamics measures for each of HRV and BPV were classified through paired Wilcoxon test for all autonomic drugs separately. In order to select those variables that have a high relevance to, and stable influence on our target measurements (HRV, BPV) we used Fisher's Method to combine the p-value of multiple tests. Results: This analysis led to the following best set of cardiovascular variability parameters: The mean normal beat-to-beat-interval/value (HRV/BPV: meanNN), the coefficient of variation (cvNN = standard deviation over meanNN) and the root mean square differences of successive (RMSSD) of the time domain analysis. In frequency domain analysis the very-low-frequency (VLF) component was selected. From symbolic dynamics Shannon entropy of the word distribution (FWSHANNON) as well as POLVAR3, the non-linear parameter to detect intermittently decreased variability, showed the best ability to discriminate between the different autonomic blockades. Conclusion: Throughout a complex comparative analysis of HRV and BPV measures altered by a set of autonomic drugs, we identified the most sensitive set of informative cardiovascular variability indexes able to pick up the modifications imposed by the autonomic challenges. These indexes may help to increase our understanding of cardiovascular sympathetic and parasympathetic functions in translational studies of experimental diseases.Peer Reviewe

Intraoperative Beat-to-Beat Pulse Transit Time (PTT) Monitoring via Non-Invasive Piezoelectric/Piezocapacitive Peripheral Sensors Can Predict Changes in Invasively Acquired Blood Pressure in High-Risk Surgical Patients

Background: Non-invasive tracking of beat-to-beat pulse transit time (PTT) via piezoelectric/piezocapacitive sensors (PES/PCS) may expand perioperative hemodynamic monitoring. This study evaluated the ability for PTT via PES/PCS to correlate with systolic, diastolic, and mean invasive blood pressure (SBPIBP, DBPIBP, and MAPIBP, respectively) and to detect SBPIBP fluctuations. Methods: PES/PCS and IBP measurements were performed in 20 patients undergoing abdominal, urological, and cardiac surgery. A Pearson’s correlation analysis (r) between 1/PTT and IBP was performed. The predictive ability of 1/PTT with changes in SBPIBP was determined by area under the curve (reported as AUC, sensitivity, specificity). Results: Significant correlations between 1/PTT and SBPIBP were found for PES (r = 0.64) and PCS (r = 0.55) (p < 0.01), as well as MAPIBP/DBPIBP for PES (r = 0.6/0.55) and PCS (r = 0.5/0.45) (p < 0.05). A 7% decrease in 1/PTTPES predicted a 30% SBPIBP decrease (0.82, 0.76, 0.76), while a 5.6% increase predicted a 30% SBPIBP increase (0.75, 0.7, 0.68). A 6.6% decrease in 1/PTTPCS detected a 30% SBPIBP decrease (0.81, 0.72, 0.8), while a 4.8% 1/PTTPCS increase detected a 30% SBPIBP increase (0.73, 0.64, 0.68). Conclusions: Non-invasive beat-to-beat PTT via PES/PCS demonstrated significant correlations with IBP and detected significant changes in SBPIBP. Thus, PES/PCS as a novel sensor technology may augment intraoperative hemodynamic monitoring during major surgery.German Government sponsored ZIM (Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand) programPeer Reviewe

The Different Facets of Heart Rate Variability in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a heterogeneous and multifactorial sleep related breathing disorder with high prevalence, is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Autonomic dysfunction leads to adverse cardiovascular outcomes in diverse pathways. Heart rate is a complex physiological process involving neurovisceral networks and relative regulatory mechanisms such as thermoregulation, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone mechanisms, and metabolic mechanisms. Heart rate variability (HRV) is considered as a reliable and non-invasive measure of autonomic modulation response and adaptation to endogenous and exogenous stimuli. HRV measures may add a new dimension to help understand the interplay between cardiac and nervous system involvement in OSA. The aim of this review is to introduce the various applications of HRV in different aspects of OSA to examine the impaired neuro-cardiac modulation. More specifically, the topics covered include: HRV time windows, sleep staging, arousal, sleepiness, hypoxia, mental illness, and mortality and morbidity. All of these aspects show pathways in the clinical implementation of HRV to screen, diagnose, classify, and predict patients as a reasonable and more convenient alternative to current measures.Peer Reviewe

TRITON: a graphical tool for ligand-binding protein engineering

Summary: The new version of the TRITON program provides user-friendly graphical tools for modeling protein mutants using the external program MODELLER and for docking ligands into the mutants using the external program AutoDock. TRITON can now be used to design ligand-binding proteins, to study protein–ligand binding mechanisms or simply to dock any ligand to a protein

Microcirculatory Monitoring in Children with Congenital Heart Disease Before and After Cardiac Surgery

In this prospective observational study, we investigated whether congenital heart disease (CHD) affects the microcirculation and whether the microcirculation is altered following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Thirty-eight children with CHD undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB and 35 children undergoing elective, non-cardiac surgery were included. Repeated non-invasive sublingual microcirculatory measurements were performed with handheld vital microscopy. Before surgery, children with CHD showed similar perfused vessel densities and red blood cell velocities (RBCv) but less perfused vessels (p < 0.001), lower perfusion quality (p < 0.001), and higher small vessel densities (p = 0.039) than children without CHD. After cardiac surgery, perfused vessel densities and perfusion quality of small vessels declined (p = 0.025 and p = 0.032), while RBCv increased (p = 0.032). We demonstrated that CHD was associated with decreased microcirculatory perfusion and increased capillary recruitment. The microcirculation was further impaired after cardiac surgery. Decreased microcirculatory perfusion could be a warning sign for altered tissue oxygenation and requires further exploration