A Three-Level Process Framework for Contract-Based Dynamic Service Outsourcing

Service outsourcing is the business paradigm, in which an organization has part of its business process performed by a service provider. In dynamic markets, service providers are selected on the fly during process enactment. The cooperation between the parties is\ud specified in a dynamically made electronic contract. This contract includes a process specification that is tailored towards service matchmaking and crossorganizational process enactment and hence has to conform to specific market and specification standards. Process enactment, however, relies on intraorganizational process specifications that have to comply with the infrastructure available in an organization. In this position paper, we present a three-level process specification framework for dynamic contract-based\ud service outsourcing. This framework relates the two process specification levels through a third, conceptual level. This approached is inspired by the well-known ANSI-SPARC model for data management. We show how the framework can be placed in the context of infrastructures for cross-organizational process support

On deep e-contracting

The use of electronic contracts is emerging as a way to improve the effi-ciency of contracting processes. Electronic contracts are, however, often used as a direct replacement for traditional paper contracts - which we call shallow e-contracting. Consequently, business processes in general and contracting processes in particular do not change much through the use of electronic contracts. New business scenarios caused by e-business developments, however, do require new contracting paradigms in which the use of electronic contracts becomes an essential element to obtain a radical paradigm shift in contractual business relations - which we call deep e-contracting. In this position paper, we explore these new para-digms. We link the paradigms to exchanged values described in e-contracts to obtain a mapping from business requirements. We next map the paradigms to contracting activities. Finally, we map the activities to information technology required for their automated support. Based on the paradigms and mappings, this paper provides a concise framework for the exploration of deep e-contracting.\ud

Patterns to Enable Mass-Customized Business Process Monitoring

Mass-customization challenges the one-size-fits-all assumption of mass production, allowing customers to specify the options that best fit their requirements when choosing a product or a service. In business process management, to achieve mass-customization, providers offer to their customers the opportunity to customize the way in which a process will be enacted. We focus on monitoring as a specific customization aspect. We propose a multidimensional classification of modeling patterns for customized monitoring infrastructures. Patterns enable the provider to offer a set of customizable options to customers and design a monitoring infrastructure that fits the preferences specified by customers on such options. An example in the online advertising industry demonstrates how our framework can improve the services currently offered by providers

Transverse momentum spectra of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at s=900\sqrt{s} = 900 GeV with ALICE at the LHC

The inclusive charged particle transverse momentum distribution is measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 900$ GeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region $(|\eta|<0.8)$ over the transverse momentum range $0.15<p_{\rm T}<10$ GeV/$c$. The correlation between transverse momentum and particle multiplicity is also studied. Results are presented for inelastic (INEL) and non-single-diffractive (NSD) events. The average transverse momentum for $|\eta|<0.8$ is $\left<p_{\rm T}\right>_{\rm INEL}=0.483\pm0.001$ (stat.) $\pm0.007$ (syst.) GeV/$c$ and \left_{\rm NSD}=0.489\pm0.001 (stat.) $\pm0.007$ (syst.) GeV/$c$, respectively. The data exhibit a slightly larger $\left<p_{\rm T}\right>$ than measurements in wider pseudorapidity intervals. The results are compared to simulations with the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/390

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Evaluation of the E-contracting reference architecture

Reference architectures provide the major guidelines for the structure and functionalities of a class of information systems. Because of their fundamental role, reference architectures must offer a high degree of excellence. In our previous work, we have defined an initial version of an econtracting reference architecture. In order to determine its degree of excellence, we performed an evaluation of the initial design. In this report, we present the evaluation process and the main results from it. We discuss the improvements that were introduced to the initial design of the architecture due to the evaluation process

Support for B2B e-Contracting - The Process Perspective

In business-to-business relations, contracts serve both as a protection mechanism of trading partners, as well as a prescription document for activities to be executed by the parties. The processes of contract establishment and its enactment are often expensive and time consuming. E-contracting aims at automation of these processes, making them faster and cheaper. For the design of an information system for support of e-contracting, a clear vision of the e-contracting processes is required. In this paper, we introduce a process model for flexible business-to-business e-contracting. To separate concerns, we distinguish structured function and communication perspectives of econtracting processes complemented with consistency rules. The proposed approach allows achieving completeness and consistency in building complex contracting processes

An approach to the construction of flexible B2B E-contracting processes

In business-to-business relations, contracts serve both as a protection mechanism of trading parties, as well as a prescription document for activities to be executed by them. The processes of contract establishment and its enactment are often expensive and time-consuming. E-contracting aims at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the contracting process. Additionally, it offers new opportunities to the contracting parties, e.g. micro-contracting. For the design of an information system for support of e-contracting, a clear description of the e-contracting processes is required. In this report, we introduce a process model for flexible business-to-business e-contracting. To separate concerns, we distinguish structured function and communication perspectives of e-contracting processes supplemented with consistency rules. Using the defined model we propose an approach for elaboration of concrete e-contracting process specifications and their implementation in real-life business scenarios. The approach is a basis for complete functional e-contracting process specifications, with coherent communication between contracting parties and coupling between the internal and external activities of a company. 2Table of Content

Three-Level Process Specification for Dynamic Service Outsourcing: From Petri Nets to ebXML and WFPDL.

Service outsourcing is the business paradigm, in which an organization has part of its business process performed by a service provider. In dynamic markets, service providers are selected on the fly during process enactment. The cooperation between the parties is specified in a dynamically made electronic contract. This contract includes a process specification that is tailored towards service matchmaking and cross-organizational process enactment and hence has to conform to market and specification standards. Process enactment, however, relies on intra-organizational process specifications that have to comply with the infrastructure available in an organization. In this paper, we present a three-level process specification framework for dynamic contractbased service outsourcing. This framework relates the two process specification levels through a third, conceptual level. Petri nets are used for conceptual process specification, whereas the external and internal levels are based on the ebXML standard respectively workflow management technology. We show how the framework can be placed in the context of infrastructures for cross-organizational process support

On t-, m-, p- and e-contracting

The use of electronic contracts is emerging as a way to improve the efficiency of contracting processes. Electronic contracts are, however, often used as a direct replacement for traditional paper contracts ¿ which we call shallow e-contracting. Consequently, business processes in general and con-tracting processes in particular do not change much through the use of elec-tronic contracts. New business scenarios caused by e-business developments, however, do require new contracting paradigms in which the use of electronic contracts becomes an essential element to obtain a radical paradigm shift in contractual business relations ¿ which we call deep e-contracting. In this posi-tion paper, we explore these new paradigms. We link the paradigms to ex-changed values described in e-contracts to obtain a mapping from business requirements. We next map the paradigms to contracting activities. Finally, we map the activities to information technology required for their automated sup-port. Based on the paradigms and mappings, this paper provides a concise framework for the exploration of deep e-contracting