Predictive Task Monitoring for Business Processes

Information sources providing real-time status of physical objects have drastically increased in recent times. So far, research in business process monitoring has mainly focused on checking the completion of tasks. However, the availability of real-time information allows for a more detailed tracking of individual business tasks. This paper describes a framework for controlling the safe execution of tasks and signalling possible misbehaviours at runtime. It outlines a real use case on smart logistics and the preliminary results of its application.European Union FP7/2007-2013 / 318275 (GET Service

Investigaciones sobre la ocurrencia, epidemiología e importancia económica de los helmintos en terneros en el departamento de Córdoba, Colombia.

El objetivo del trabajo, fué investigar los aspectos epidemiológicos y económicos de las infestaciones con helmintos en terneros del departamento de Córdoba (Colombia). Las investigaciones se realizaron durante un año (mayo 1987-julio 1988) con grupos de terneros tratados y no tratados con antihelmínticos en 2 fincas. Se estudió el curso de la excreción de huevos y la dinámica estacional de la infestación del pasto con L3 en terneros centinelas (29 Holstein - Friesian comprados en la Sabana de Bogotá y aclimatados en Turipaná-Monteria). Las muestras de materia fecal y de sangre se examinaron a intervalos mensuales para determinar los estadios parasitarios, el hematocrito y las concentraciones de hemoglobina, albúmina y proteina total. en ambas haciendas se expusieron los terneros centinelas en forma continua. La reducción de la excreción de huevos debida al desarrollo de la inmunidad para strongyloides papillosus, ocurrió cuando los terneros tenian 5 meses de edad, la inmunidad a Trichostrongylidae apareció a los 8 meses. Los géneros que predominaron fueron: Cooperia (punctata, oncophora), Haemonchus (similis, placei, mecistocirrus), Oesophagostomum radiatum, Dictyocaulus viviparus, Strongyloides papillosus. Se encontró un bajo número de larvas hipobióticas en la membrana mucosa de abomaso de terneros centinelas durante el verano. Los animales tratados con antihelmínticos presentaron ganancias de peso, mas altas, respecto a los no tratados. Se observó correlación entre la ganancia de peso y los componentes sanguíneos independientes de si habian recibido o no tratamiento antihelmíntico. Las diferencias en los niveles de albúmina entre terneros tratados o no, se encontró en una sola finca. En el período siguiente al de máxima carga de vermes.;Se recomienda como medida de control para Trichostrongylidae: tratamientos antihelmínticos al comienzo, mediados y final del verano, descontaminación de los potreros para vacas con terneros lactantes, destinados a pastura durante el verano, haciendo relevos (8 a 12 semanas) anticipados y removiendo la materia fecal depositada en los mismos en el verano, no concentrar terneros recién destetados en grupos separados, se puede dejar pastar en potreros con animales mayores de 18 mese

La lutte contre la tique du bétail en Nouvelle Calédonie : quelle stratégie pour l'an 2000 ? Rapport de mission en Nouvelle Calédonie du 15 au 22 janvier 1996

La tique Boophilus microplus est un des obstacles au développement de l'élevage bovin en Nouvelle Calédonie. L'apparition de résistances à la deltaméthrine dans quelques élevages est l'occasion de réfléchir à une meilleure stratégie à mettre en place. Un suivi du développement de la résistance dans des élevages représentatifs selon les protocoles standards doit être instauré, et la deltaméthrine remplacée par l'amitraze là où cette résistance est confirmée. Un effort de communication et d'information doit être fait auprès des éleveurs pour restreindre l'usage des acaricides, les initier à la biologie des tiques et aux principes de lutte, éviter les erreurs dans l'utilisation des systèmes de détiquage. Des méthodes de lutte complémentaire (vaccin, lutte génétique et agronomique) devront être vulgarisées. L'éradication ne semble pas réalisable dans la situation actuell

Estimating pathway-specific contributions to biodegradation in aquifers based on dual isotope analysis: Theoretical analysis and reactive transport simulations

At field sites with varying redox conditions, different redox-specific microbial degradation pathways contribute to total contaminant degradation. The identification of pathway-specific contributions to total contaminant removal is of high practical relevance, yet difficult to achieve with current methods. Current stable-isotope-fractionation-based techniques focus on the identification of dominant biodegradation pathways under constant environmental conditions. We present an approach based on dual stable isotope data to estimate the individual contributions of two redox-specific pathways. We apply this approach to carbon and hydrogen isotope data obtained from reactive transport simulations of an organic contaminant plume in a two-dimensional aquifer cross section to test the applicability of the method. To take aspects typically encountered at field sites into account, additional simulations addressed the effects of transverse mixing, diffusion-induced stable-isotope fractionation, heterogeneities in the flow field, and mixing in sampling wells on isotope-based estimates for aerobic and anaerobic pathway contributions to total contaminant biodegradation. Results confirm the general applicability of the presented estimation method which is most accurate along the plume core and less accurate towards the fringe where flow paths receive contaminant mass and associated isotope signatures from the core by transverse dispersion. The presented method complements the stable-isotope-fractionation-based analysis toolbox. At field sites with varying redox conditions, it provides a means to identify the relative importance of individual, redox-specific degradation pathways

Modeling population patterns of chemotactic bacteria in homogeneous porous media

The spatio-temporal distribution of subsurface microorganisms determines their efficiency in providing essential ecosystem services such as the degradation of organic matter, the remineralization of carbon and nitrogen, or the remediation of anthropogenic contaminants. Populations of motile, chemotactic bacteria have been shown to be capable of pattern formation even in the absence of environmental heterogeneities. Focusing on the water saturated domain of the subsurface (e.g., aquatic sediments, porous aquifers), we analyze this innate capability of bacterial populations in an idealized model of a homogeneous, saturated porous medium. Considering a linear array of connected, identical microhabitats populated by motile, chemotactic bacterial cells, we identify prerequisites for pattern formation, analyze types of patterns, and assess their impact on substrate utilization. In our model, substrate supplied to the microhabitats facilitates bacterial growth, and microbial cells can migrate between neighboring microhabitats due to (i) random motility, (ii) chemotaxis towards substrate, and (iii) self-attraction. A precondition for inhomogeneous population patterns is analytically derived, stating that patterns are possible if the self-attraction exceeds a threshold defined by the random motility and the steady state population density in the microhabitats. An individual-based implementation of the model shows that static and dynamic population patterns can unfold. Degradation efficiency is highest for homogeneous bacterial distributions and decreases as pattern formation commences. If during biostimulation efforts the carrying capacity of the microhabitats is successively increased, simulation results show that degradation efficiency can unexpectedly decrease when the pattern formation threshold is crossed

Linear exchange model for the description of mass transfer limited bioavailability at the pore scale

Reactive transport simulations are a common approach for the quantitative assessment of contaminant biodegradation in the subsurface. To use knowledge on microbial kinetics for the simulation of in situ biodegradation, the mass transfer processes controlling the bioavailability of the contaminants need to be described appropriately. A common approach to account for this problem is using a linear exchange model controlling the link between bulk and bioavailable concentration. Assuming that the subsequent degradation is controlled by the bioavailable concentration, only, these two steps can be combined to an analytical expression for the overall reaction rate know as the Best-Equation. In our work, we evaluate this approach for its ability to describe biodegradation kinetics limited by pore-scale mass transfer. Results from explicit numerical and analytical simulations of mass transport and reactive consumption at the pore scale are used to test the accuracy of results obtained using the Best-Equation. Our analysis shows that strictly spoken the Best-Equation is not valid. However, a good approximation can be achieved with errors of less than 6% in cases of moderate bioavailability and much lower errors in cases of either low or high bioavailability. These results support the description of mass transfer processes used in many reactive transport models. Furthermore, we present a method to obtain an accurate estimate of the unknown rate parameter controlling the diffusive mass transfer processes at the pore scale

How the chemotactic characteristics of bacteria can determine their population patterns

Spatial distribution of soil microorganisms is relevant for the functioning and performance of many ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling or biodegradation of organic matters and contaminants. Beside the multitude of abiotic environmental factors controlling the distribution of microorganisms in soil systems, many microbial species exhibit chemotactic behavior by directing their movement along concentration gradients of nutrients or of chemoattractants produced by cells of their own kind. This chemotactic ability has been shown to promote the formation of complex distribution patterns even in the absence of environmental heterogeneities. Microbial population patterns in heterogeneous soil systems might be, hence, the result of the interplay between the heterogeneous environmental conditions and the microorganisms' intrinsic pattern formation capabilities.In this modeling study, we combined an individual-based modeling approach with a reactive pore-network model to investigate the formation of bacterial patterns in homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media. We investigated the influence of different bacterial chemotactic sensitivities (toward both substrate and bacteria) on bacterial distribution patterns. The emerging population patterns were classified with the support of a geostatistical approach, and the required conditions for the formation of any specific pattern were analyzed.Results showed that the chemotactic behavior of the bacteria leads to non-trivial population patterns even in the absence of environmental heterogeneities. The presence of structural pore scale heterogeneities had also an impact on bacterial distributions. For a range of chemotactic sensitivities, microorganisms tend to migrate preferably from larger pores toward smaller pores and the resulting distribution patterns thus resembled the heterogeneity of the pore space. The results clearly indicated that in a porous medium like soil the distribution of bacteria may not only be related to the external constraints but also to the chemotactic behavior of the bacterial cells