Open Access

Patterns-descriptions of proven and well-documented solutions for recurring problems have gained widespread interest and acceptance in the area of business process modeling. In the past years, a large number of such patterns have been documented in the literature. However, it is still difficult to find patterns that can be useful in a given context. The reason is that the relevant publications are spread in various journals and other types of publications, and there is no guidance for locating a pattern that can be useful for solving a given problem. In this demo, we present an interactive web-site that provides a comprehensive overview on published work in the field of business process modeling patterns. It allows finding publications on business process modeling patterns based on various search criteria. It is intended to be useful both for business process modeling practitioners as for researchers in need of sound literature references. Currently, this catalog (meant to be a growing resource) provides an categorization of 95 publications on patterns as well as 50 publication on anti-patterns.

Hintergrund/Zielstellung: Aufgrund des gestiegenen Informationsbedürfnisses von Patienten wird für Ärzte ein eigener Webauftritt als Informationsmittler mit dem Ziel der Patientengewinnung und -bindung zunehmend bedeutsam. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde daher die Patientenorientierung der Internetauftritte niedergelassener Fachärzte für Orthopädie und/oder Unfallchirurgie in Sachsen untersucht. Methode/Stichprobe: Alle Websites der im Arztregister der Kassenärztlichen Vereinigung Sachsen gelisteten Fachärzte für Orthopädie und/oder Unfallchirurgie wurden mithilfe einer standardisierten Checkliste analysiert. Ergebnisse: Von allen untersuchten Fachärzten (n = 349) besaßen 140 (40,1 %) einen eigenen Internetauftritt. In der Arztpraxis durchgeführte diagnostische Methoden und Therapiemaßnahmen wurden auf je ca. 90,0 % der Websites genannt und auf ca. der Hälfte hiervon erklärt. Der Kontrast konnte auf 10 Websites angepasst werden. Eine Meinungsäußerung wurde den Patienten auf 28 Websites ermöglicht. Rechtlich verpflichtende Impressuminhalte wurden auf 45,0 % der Internetauftritte nicht hinreichend beachtet. Diskussion/Schlussfolgerung: Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass die Gestaltung der Internetauftritte sowie deren Informationsgehalt differieren und Verbesserungspotenziale existieren. Ein standardisierter Kriterienkatalog könnte ein einheitliches Qualitätsniveau gewährleisten und von den Ärzten als Handlungsempfehlung genutzt werden.

Objectives: Evidence-based clinical guidelines play an important role in healthcare and can be a valuable source for quality indicators (QIs). However, the link between guidelines and QI is often neglected and methodological standards for the development of guideline-based QI are still lacking. The aim of this qualitative study was to get insights into experiences of international authors with developing and implementing guideline-based QI. Setting: We conducted semistructured interviews via phone or skype (September 2017–February 2018) with guideline authors developing guideline-based QI. Participants: 15 interview participants from eight organisations in six European and North American countries. Methods: Organisations were selected using purposive sampling with a maximum variation of healthcare settings. From each organisation a clinician and a methodologist were asked to participate. An interview guide was developed based on the QI development steps according to the ‘Reporting standards for guideline-based performance measures’ by the Guidelines International Network. Interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis with deductive and inductive categories. Results: Interviewees deemed a programmatic approach, involvement of representative stakeholders with clinical and methodological knowledge and the connection to existing quality improvement strategies important factors for developing QI parallel to or after guideline development. Methodological training of the developing team and a shared understanding of the QI purpose were further seen conducive. Patient participation and direct patient relevance were inconsistently considered important, whereas a strong evidence base was seen essential. To assess measurement characteristics interviewees favoured piloting, but often missed implementation. Lack of measurability is still experienced a serious limitation, especially for qualitative aspects and individualised care. Conclusion: Our results suggest that developing guideline-based QI can succeed either parallel to or following the guideline process with careful planning and instruction. Strategic partnerships seem key for implementation. Patient participation and relevance, measurement of qualitative aspects and piloting are areas for further development. Trial registration number: German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS00013006).

Context: VR as an application to enhance well-being is sparsely researched in the elderly population. The aim of the pilot study was to analyze the effect of 360° videos of different categories on the state of mind of seniors in nursing facilities. Furthermore, for the implementation in everyday life, the usability of the system and the experience for seniors should be evaluated. Methods: The VR experience was used as a supplement to existing care services in three facilities on eight subjects. Mood state was assessed using the Questionnaire for the Assessment of Happiness before and after the intervention. Demographic data and technology acceptance were collected beforehand. After the intervention, subjects were interviewed about confounding factors and side effects, and nursing home staff were interviewed about the usability of the system and the organizational concept of implementation. Results: There was a positive effect on state of mind. Gender and spatial mobility turned out to be influencing factors. Categories containing people, animals and action achieved the highest increases in the state of mind. Interest in using technical devices correlated negatively with the change in mood state. None of the subjects found the VR goggles distracting or reported motion sickness. Very good usability was indicated by the employees. Conclusion: A very high willingness to use this technology was found among nursing staff and residents. The tendencies of the positive effect of 360° videos on the state of mind, as well as differentiation based on the mentioned characteristics gender and spatial mobility, should be verified by a larger sample to empirically validate the use of this technology to increase the quality of life.

This paper provides a critical reading of Janek Wasserman’s The Marginal Revolutionaries: How Austrian Economists Fought the War of Ideas. Wasserman depicts the evolution of the Austrian School from the 1860s until today, a particularly illuminating narrative for the readers of this journal. The breadth of portrayed economists, their cultural embeddedness in Austrian and US contexts, and the complexity of configurations across the school’s generations create a rich and readable story. The last third of the book suffers from allegations about the ideological agenda and institutional power of the Austrian economists which sometimes lack sufficient substantiation. The paper indicates how both in their theorizing and in their political activities, the Austrian economists can be seen as reformers instead of revolutionaries, and as constitutionalists instead of anti-democrats. Despite these disagreements, Wasserman’s portrayals evoke largely fair and challenging impulses both to scholars working in the Austrian research program and to those interested in the Austrian School’s long history, regardless of one’s ideological positions.

The classes of band-dominated operators and the subclass of operators in the Wiener algebra W are known to be inverse closed. This paper studies and extends partially known results of that type for one-sided and generalized invertibility. Furthermore, for the operators in the Wiener algebra W invertibility, the Fredholm property and the Fredholm index are known to be independent of the underlying space lp, 1≤p≤∞. Here this is completed by the observation that even the kernel and a suitable direct complement of the range as well as generalized inverses of operators in W are invariant w.r.t. p. [Mathematische Symbole nur unzureichend darstellbar.]

For use in micromechanical simulations of continuous fiber reinforced polymers, a more general form of the paraboloid failure criterion by Stassi‐D'Alia for matrix failure was developed with explicit consideration of the hydrostatic tension strength. Regarding polymers, limits for hydrostatic tensile strength based on isotropic linear elasticity could be derived. The comparison of the newly developed extended paraboloid criterion with experimental data for yielding as well as for material separation (fracture) shows good agreement.

In this work, a new method for selecting suitable materials is presented. This method has a high potential for a variety of engineering applications, such as the design of sound-absorbing and vibration-loaded structures, where a large number of different requirements have to be met. The method is based on the derivation of functional dependencies of selected material parameters. These dependencies can be used in parameter studies to consider parameter combinations that lie in the range of real existing and targeted material groups. This allows the parameter space to be reduced, the calculation to be accelerated, and suitable materials to be (pre-)selected for the respective application, which contributes to a more target-oriented design. The method is applied to the example of a plate resonator. For this purpose, a semi-analytical model is implemented to calculate the transmission loss as well as the reflected and dissipated sound power of plate silencers, taking into account the influence of flow velocity and fluid temperature on the performance of plate silencers.

The atomizing gas dynamics and the applied process energy have a significant influence on the produced particles. The melting process of the two wires can be influenced by current modulation. As for arc welding processes, more and more electronic and software-controlled machines are being used for arc spraying and will have replaced conventional power sources in the future. Due to the highly dynamic, fast regulating computing technology in the latest energy source, technology arcs can be operated with different current forms and types. The modern machines allow process-stable, reproducible variation of the particles and heat input into the substrate. Constant and pulsed current can be used as current forms. Usable current types are direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). The electrical parameters must be analyzed to evaluate the process behavior. The consumable used is a wire-shaped iron-based alloy with a diameter of 1.6 mm. Relevant process parameters such as basic current Iground, pulse current Ipulse, pulse duration tpulse, impulse frequency fpulse, and alternating current frequency, fAC, are varied and recorded using appropriate measurement technology. The aim is to change the process performance and thereby the particle formation in a broad band. High-speed images are used to observe the arc and the deposition process. In addition, particle sizes are determined.