Next-generation Process Management with ADEPT2

Short time-to-market, easy adaptation to changes in business environment, and robustness of processes are key requirements in today’s business world. In the IT area of Business Process Management (BPM), solutions claim to satisfy these new demands, but are still not sufficient.\ud In this paper we present a short overview on how these challenges are tackled by the ADEPT and AristaFlow projects and demonstrate a prototypical implementation

On Representing Instance Changes in Adaptive Process Management Systems

By separating the process logic from the application code process management systems (PMS) offer promising perspectives for automation and management of business processes. However, the added value of PMS strongly depends on their ability to support business process changes which can affect the process type as well as the process instance level. This does not only impose challenging conceptual issues (e.g., correctness of process schemata after changes) but also requires sophisticated implementation concepts with respect to efficient algorithms, flexible architectures, and reasonable treatment of resources. In this paper we sketch the general implementation concepts for representing process type and process instance data as well as for realizating process schema evolution. All these concepts have been developed and are currently implemented in the ADEPT2 prototype within the AristaFlow project

Architectural Design of Flexible Process Management Technology

To provide effective support, process-aware information systems (PAIS) must not freeze existing business processes. Instead they should enable authorized users to deviate on-the-fly from the implemented processes and to dynamically evolve them over time. While there has been a lot of work on the theoretical foundations of dynamic process changes, there is still a lack of PAIS implementing this dynamics. Designing the architecture of respective technology constitutes a big challenge due to the high complexity coming with dynamic processes. Besides this, performance, robustness, security and usability of the system must not be affected by the added flexibility. In the AristaFlow project we have taken a holistic approach to master this complexity. Based on a conceptual framework for flexible process enactment and dynamic processes, we have designed a sophisticated architecture for next generation process management technology. This paper discusses major design goals and basic architectural principles, gives insights into selected system components, and shows how change support features can be realized in an integrated and effective manner

ADEPT Next Generation Process Management Technology - Tool Demonstration

In the ADEPT project we have been working on the design and implementation of a next generation process management technology for several years. Based on a conceptual framework for dynamic process changes, on innovative process support functions, and on advanced implementation concepts, the developed system enables the realization of adaptive, process-aware information systems (PAIS). Basically, process changes can take place at the process type as well as the process instance level: Changes of single process instances may have to be carried out in an ad-hoc manner (e.g., to deal with an exceptional situation) and must not affect system robustness and consistency. Process type changes, in turn, must be quickly accomplished in order to adapt the PAIS to business process changes. This may also include the migration of (thousands of) instances to the new process schema (if desired). Important requirements are to perform respective migrations on-the-fly, to preserve correctness, and to avoid performance penalties

Osseointegration of zirconia implants compared with titanium : an in vivo study

Background Titanium and titanium alloys are widely used for fabrication of dental implants. Since the material composition and the surface topography of a biomaterial play a fundamental role in osseointegration, various chemical and physical surface modifications have been developed to improve osseous healing. Zirconia-based implants were introduced into dental implantology as an altenative to titanium implants. Zirconia seems to be a suitable implant material because of its tooth-like colour, its mechanical properties and its biocompatibility. As the osseointegration of zirconia implants has not been extensively investigated, the aim of this study was to compare the osseous healing of zirconia implants with titanium implants which have a roughened surface but otherwise similar implant geometries. Methods Forty-eight zirconia and titanium implants were introduced into the tibia of 12 minipigs. After 1, 4 or 12 weeks, animals were sacrificed and specimens containing the implants were examined in terms of histological and ultrastructural techniques. Results Histological results showed direct bone contact on the zirconia and titanium surfaces. Bone implant contact as measured by histomorphometry was slightly better on titanium than on zirconia surfaces. However, a statistically significant difference between the two groups was not observed. Conclusion The results demonstrated that zirconia implants with modified surfaces result in an osseointegration which is comparable with that of titanium implants

A case of Prinzmetal angina diagnosed by Holter monitoring who survived a sudden cardiac death: Case report

AbstractA 47-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital after a syncope. She reported episodes of angina in previous weeks. On admission, there were no electrocardiographic changes but elevated troponin. Coronary angiogram showed minimal arteriosclerosis and normal left ventricle. Holter monitoring showed severe ST-segment changes during an anginal episode.With calcium antagonists, the patient experienced no further episodes of angina or ST changes during telemetry.Six weeks later, calcium antagonist was stopped for unknown reason. After that, the patient experienced a second prolonged syncope with cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation of ventricular fibrillation.Discussion“A variant form of angina pectoris” was first described by Myron Prinzmetal. He postulated coronary vasospasm as the underlying cause, however, after 50 years the exact pathophysiology is still not known.Patients with “variant angina” usually present with “spontaneous” attacks of typical retrosternal anginal pain during rest or normal activities, but not with physical exercise.Sudden cardiac deaths were reported in patients with Prinzmetal angina in only a few case reports.ConclusionIn cases of variant angina accompanied by syncope, a provocation test and an electrophysiological study should be considered

Towards Truly Flexible and Adaptive Process-Aware Information Systems

If current process management systems shall be applied to a broad spectrum of applications, they will have to be significantly improved with respect to their technological capabilities. Particularly, in dynamic environments it must be possible to quickly implement and deploy new processes, to enable ad-hoc modifications of running process instances on-the-fly (e.g., to dynamically add, delete or move process steps), and to support process schema evolution with instance migration (i.e., to propagate process schema changes to already running instances if desired). These requirements must be met without affecting process consistency and by preserving the robustness of the process management system. In this paper we describe how these challenges have been addressed and solved in the ADEPT2 Process Management System. Our overall vision is to provide a next generation process management technology which can be used in a variety of application domains

NUT Carcinoma—An Underdiagnosed Malignancy

NUT carcinoma (NC) is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy with a dismal prognosis and a median survival of 6–9 months only. Although very few cases of NC are reported each year, the true prevalence is estimated to be much higher, with NC potentially widely underdiagnosed due to the lack of awareness. NC primarily occurs in midline structures including thorax, head, and neck; however, other sites such as pancreas and kidney are also affected, albeit at lower frequencies. NC is characterized by a single translocation involving the NUTM1 (NUT midline carcinoma family member 1) gene and different partner genes. The resulting fusion proteins initiate tumorigenesis through a mechanism involving BET (bromo-domain and extra-terminal motif) proteins such as Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) and inordinate acetylation of chromatin, leading to the dysregulation of growth and differentiation genes. While no clinical characteristics are specific for NC, some histologic features can be indicative; therefore, patients with these tumor characteristics should be routinely tested for NUTM1. The diagnosis of NC using immunohistochemistry with a highly specific antibody is straightforward. There are currently no standard-of-care treatment options for patients with NC. However, novel therapies specifically addressing the unique tumorigenic mechanism are under investigation, including BET inhibitors. This review aims to raise awareness of this underdiagnosed cancer entity and provide all patients the opportunity to be properly diagnosed and referred to a clinical study