Induced hypothermia after cardiopulmonary resuscitation: possible adverse effects

The last several years have seen an increased interest in the use of induced hypothermia after witnessed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The main reason for its use is protection of the brain and hence, better neurological outcome in these patients. Therefore, induced hypothermia after CPR has become a part of standard recommendations in the 2005 Resuscitation Guidelines. At the same time, hypothermia can have many adverse effects. In the event of pre-hospital and/or in-hospital induction of hypothermia, without adequate monitoring and controlled cooling, hypothermia can cause serious complications, without beneficial effects on the brain. This article explains the most frequent adverse effects of hypothermia and possible hazardous outcomes for patients

Model-based Semantic Conflict Analysis for Software- and Data-Integration Scenarios

The semantic conflict analysis, which is the focus of this technical report, is an approach to automate various design-time verification activities which can be applied during software- or data-integration processes. Specifically, the aspects of semantic matching of business processes and the underlying IT infrastructure as well as of technical aspects of the composite heterogeneous systems will be investigated. The report is part of the BIZYCLE project, which examines applicability of model-based methods, technologies and tools to the large-scale industrial software and data integration scenarios. The semantic conflict analysis is thus part of the overall BIZYCLE conflict analysis process, comprising of semantic, structural, communication, behavior and property analysis, aiming at facilitating and improving standard integration practice. Therefore, the project framework will be briefly introduced first, followed by the detailed semantic annotation and conflict analysis descriptions, and further backed up with the semantic conflict analysis motivation/illustration scenario

Induced hypothermia after cardiopulmonary resuscitation: possible adverse effects

The last several years have seen an increased interest in the use of induced hypothermia after witnessed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The main reason for its use is protection of the brain and hence, better neurological outcome in these patients. Therefore, induced hypothermia after CPR has become a part of standard recommendations in the 2005 Resuscitation Guidelines. At the same time, hypothermia can have many adverse effects. In the event of pre-hospital and/or in-hospital induction of hypothermia, without adequate monitoring and controlled cooling, hypothermia can cause serious complications, without beneficial effects on the brain. This article explains the most frequent adverse effects of hypothermia and possible hazardous outcomes for patients

Metamodels and Transformations for Software and Data Integration

Metamodels define a foundation for describing software system interfaces which can be used during software or data integration processes. The report is part of the BIZYCLE project, which examines applicability of model-based methods, technologies and tools to the large-scale industrial software and data integration scenarios. The developed metamodels are thus part of the overall BIZYCLE process, comprising of semantic, structural, communication, behavior and property analysis, aiming at facilitating and improving standard integration practice. Therefore, the project framework will be briefly introduced first, followed by the detailed metamodel and transformation description as well as motivation/illustration scenarios

Multilevel Contracts for Trusted Components

This article contributes to the design and the verification of trusted components and services. The contracts are declined at several levels to cover then different facets, such as component consistency, compatibility or correctness. The article introduces multilevel contracts and a design+verification process for handling and analysing these contracts in component models. The approach is implemented with the COSTO platform that supports the Kmelia component model. A case study illustrates the overall approach.Comment: In Proceedings WCSI 2010, arXiv:1010.233

Modelle, Methoden und Werkzeuge für die Verfügbarkeitsbestimmung von IT-Services und Geschäftsprozessen

Die Verfügbarkeit von IT-Services und Geschäftsprozessen ist eine wichtige Voraussetzung für den Erfolg des modernen Geschäfts. Es herrscht die Erwartung dass alle IT-Services auf Knopfdruck und 365 Tage im Jahr Verfügbar sind. Aus diesem Grund stellt die Verfügbarkeit von IT-Services eine kritische Herausforderung dar. Jedoch ist das jetzige Verständnis von Serviceverfügbarkeit zum größten Teil empirisch und ungenau. Die Serviceverfügbarkeit kann oft nur mit einer Mischung von qualitativen (z. B. Interview) und quantitativen (z. B. Messungen) Methoden sehr grob bestimmt werden. Diese Arbeit stellt eine neue Methode vor, welche es ermöglicht die Serviceverfügbarkeit analytisch und modellbasiert zu bestimmen. Der Vorteil dieser Methode ist die Möglichkeit, Serviceverfügbarkeitsmodelle automatisch zu generieren. Dadurch entstehen sehr präzise analytische Werte, welche für die Bestimmung und Testing von Service-Level-Agreements benutzt werden können.In the world where on-demand and trustworthy service delivery is one of the main preconditions for successful business, service and business process availability is of paramount importance and cannot be compromised. For that reason service availability is in central focus of the IT operations management research and practice. This work presents foundations, models, methods and tools that can be used for comprehensive service and business process availability assessment and management. As many terms in this emerging field are used colloquially, Chapter 2 provides detailed background and definitions. The problem of service availability assessment and management is interdisciplinary, combining fields of fault-tolerance, service oriented architecture and business process management. Another role of this chapter is to make the text accessible to readers with different backgrounds. After the context of service availability has been introduced, Chapter 3 presents existing models for availability and performability assessment. The emphasis is on formal availability models, such as combinatorial (e.g., reliability block diagrams, fault trees) and state-space (e.g., Markov chains, Petri net) models, but qualitative models (e.g., maturity models such as ITIL or CobiT or standards such as ISO 27002 and ISO 12207) are also covered, albeit with limited scope as they are not the primary focus of this work. In Chapter 4, more than 60 commercial, public domain and academic tools for availability assessment are surveyed and compared. Downsides and limitations of standard availability models, both from methodical and practical perspective, are identified and a novel approach for quantitative service availability assessment is presented in Chapter 5. It treats service and process availability as complex functions of availability properties of underlying ICT infrastructure elements and enables automatic generation of availability models, based on service or process description. Finally, Chapter 6 positions presented work in the context of a comprehensive vision for model-based IT service management