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Effektives Risiko-Management sollte neben quantifizierbaren, bekannten Risiken auch Ereignisse berücksichtigen, die entweder in ähnlicher Art bereits eingetreten oder grundsätzlich vorstellbar sind. Für eine Identifikation dieser "Grauen Schwäne" müssen institutionell-organisatorische Voraussetzungen geschaffen und analytisch-konzeptionelle Instrumente bereitgestellt werden.
The cloud evolved into an attractive execution environment for parallel applications, which make use of compute resources to speed up the computation of large problems in science and industry. Whereas Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings have been commonly employed, more recently, serverless computing emerged as a novel cloud computing paradigm with the goal of freeing developers from resource management issues. However, as of today, serverless computing platforms are mainly used to process computations triggered by events or user requests that can be executed independently of each other and benefit from on-demand and elastic compute resources as well as per-function billing. In this work, we discuss how to employ serverless computing platforms to operate parallel applications. We specifically focus on the class of parallel task farming applications and introduce a novel approach to free developers from both parallelism and resource management issues. Our approach includes a proactive elasticity controller that adapts the physical parallelism per application run according to user-defined goals. Specifically, we show how to consider a user-defined execution time limit after which the result of the computation needs to be present while minimizing the associated monetary costs. To evaluate our concepts, we present a prototypical elastic parallel system architecture for self-tuning serverless task farming and implement two applications based on our framework. Moreover, we report on performance measurements for both applications as well as the prediction accuracy of the proposed proactive elasticity control mechanism and discuss our key findings.
Unternehmen wenden insbesondere bei IT-nahen Projekten seit einigen Jahren auch im Controlling verstärkt ein agiles Vorgehen an. Erfahrungen zeigen jedoch, dass dies nicht bei allen Projekten in jedem Unternehmen funktioniert. Hybride Ansätze, die agile mit klassischen Projekt-Management-Methoden verbinden, bieten eine Lösung.
Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State (HATEOAS) is one of the core constraints of REST. It refers to the concept of embedding hyperlinks into the response of a queried or manipulated resource to show a client possible follow-up actions and transitions to related resources. Thus, this concept aims to provide a client with a navigational support when interacting with a Web-based application. Although HATEOAS should be implemented by any Web-based API claiming to be RESTful, API providers tend to offer service descriptions in place of embedding hyperlinks into responses. Instead of relying on a navigational support, a client developer has to read the service description and has to identify resources and their URIs that are relevant for the interaction with the API. In this paper, we introduce an approach that aims to identify transitions between resources of a Web-based API by systematically analyzing the service description only. We devise an algorithm that automatically derives a URI Model from the service description and then analyzes the payload schemas to identify feasible values for the substitution of path parameters in URI Templates. We implement this approach as a proxy application, which injects hyperlinks representing transitions into the response payload of a queried or manipulated resource. The result is a HATEOAS-like navigational support through an API. Our first prototype operates on service descriptions in the OpenAPI format. We evaluate our approach using ten real-world APIs from different domains. Furthermore, we discuss the results as well as the observations captured in these tests.
Annotations of character IDs in news images are critical as ground truth for news retrieval and recommendation system. Universality and accuracy optimization of deep neural network models constitutes the key technology to improve the precision and computing efficiency of automatic news character identification, which is attracting increased attention globally. This paper explores the optimized deep neural network model for automatic focus personage identification in multi-lingual news. First, the face model of the focus personage is trained by using the corresponding face images from German news as positive samples. Next, the scheme of Recurrent Convolutional Neural Network (RCNN) + Bi-directional Long-Short Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) + Conditional Random Field (CRF) is utilized to label the focus name, and the RCNN-RCNN encoder–decoder is applied to translate names of people into multiple languages. Third, face features are described by combining the advantages of Local Gabor Binary Pattern Histogram Sequence (LGBPHS) and RCNN, and iterative quantization (ITQ) is used to binarize codes. Finally, a name semantic network is built for different domains. Experiments are performed on a dataset which comprises approximately 100,000 news images. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a significant improvement over other algorithms.
We discuss the fabrication technologies for IC chips in this chapter. We will focus on the main process steps and especially on those aspects that are of particular importance for understanding how they affect, and in some cases drive, the layout of ICs. All our analyses in this chapter will be for silicon as the base material; the principles and understanding gained can be applied to other substrates as well. Following a brief introduction to the fundamentals of IC fabrication (Sect. 2.1) and the base material used in it, namely silicon (Sect. 2.2), we discuss the photolithography process deployed for all structuring work in Sect. 2.3. We will then present in Sect. 2.4 some theoretical opening remarks on typical phenomena encountered in IC fabrication. Knowledge of these phenomena is very useful for understanding the process steps we cover in Sects. 2.5–2.8. We examine a simple exemplar process in Sect. 2.9 and observe how a field-effect transistor (FET) – the most important device in modern integrated circuits—is created. To drive the key points home, we provide a review of each topic at the end of every section from the point of view of layout design by discussing relevant physical design aspects.
Das ZD.BB - Digitaler Hub für kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen in der Region Stuttgart
(2020)
Die Digitale Transformation ist eines der meistdiskutierten Themen in der heutigen Geschäftswelt. Viele Unternehmen, vor allem kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen (KMU), tun sich schwer die Chancen und Risiken der Digitalisierung einzuschätzen. Mit all den Möglichkeiten und Chancen, welche die Digitalisierung birgt, droht Unternehmen, die sich vor den Entwicklungen verschließen, der Verlust ihrer Markt- und Wettbewerbsposition. Mit dem im Februar 2019 eröffneten Digital Hub ZD.BB (Zentrum Digitalisierung) besteht in der Region Stuttgart eine neue, zentrale Anlaufstelle für Fragen rund um das Thema Digitalisierung. Am ZD.BB erhalten kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen (KMU) sowie Startups für ihre digitalen Transformationsprozesse eine kompetente Beratung und Betreuung. Sie geht von der Sensibilisierung über die Analyse bis zur Lösungsentwicklung für digitale Prozesse. Mithilfe einer digitalen Qualifizierungsoffensive und mittelstandsgerechten Methoden zur Geschäftsmodellentwicklung werden Unternehmen im ZD.BB umfassend bei ihren Digitalisierungsvorhaben unterstützt. Dazu werden in Innovationslaboren, in Coworking Spaces und bei Events unterschiedliche Kompetenzen, Disziplinen, Ideen, Technologien und Kreativität vernetzt und auf diese Weise digitale Innovationen hervorgebracht.
Additive Manufacturing is increasingly used in the industrial sector as a result of continuous development. In the Production Planning and Control (PPC) system, AM enables an agile response in the area of detailed and process planning, especially for a large number of plants. For this purpose, a concept for a PPC system for AM is presented, which takes into account the requirements for integration into the operational enterprise software system. The technical applicability will be demonstrated by individual implemented sections. The presented solution approach promises a more efficient utilization of the plants and a more elastic use.
Personalmanagement
(2020)
Auch wenn der Wert in keiner Bilanz auftaucht: das Humankapital entscheidet über den Unternehmenserfolg. Während Kapital im Überfluss vorhanden ist, ist das Personal zunehmend der Engpassfaktor. Wurde bis in die 1980er-Jahre der Mensch als Produktionsfaktor und die Personalabteilung als seine Verwaltungsinstanz gesehen, so ist die Personalarbeit heute ein integratives Element des Managementprozesses und die Personalabteilung aktiver Teil des Managementteams (Scholz 2014c). Damit verbunden ist der begriffliche Wandel von Personalwirtschaft bzw. Personalverwaltung hin zum Personalmanagement bzw. Human Ressource Management (HRM). Die Begriffe signalisieren eine stärker strategisch ausgerichtete Auseinandersetzung mit allen Fragen, die den Einsatz von Personal und die Verknüpfung der Personal- mit der Unternehmensstrategie zum Gegenstand haben.
Wichtige Aufgaben der Personalarbeit sind Personalplanung, Personalbeschaffung, Personalentwicklung, Personaleinsatz, Personalkostenmanagement, Personalführung. Diese werden in der Regel von unterschiedlichen Stellen wahrgenommen – neben der Personalabteilung spielen dabei auch die direkte Führungskraft sowie die Unternehmensleitung eine wichtige Rolle.
Context: Nowadays, companies are challenged by increasing market dynamics, rapid changes and disruptive participants entering the market. To survive in such an environment, companies must be able to quickly discover product ideas that meet the needs of both customers and the company and deliver these products to customers. Dual-track agile is a new type of agile development that combines product discovery and delivery activities in parallel, iterative, and cyclical ways. At present, many companies have difficulties in finding and establishing suitable approaches for implementing dual-track agile in their business context.
Objective: In order to gain a better understanding of how product discovery and product delivery can interact with each other and how this interaction can be implemented in practice, this paper aims to identify suitable approaches to dual-track agile.
Method: We conducted a grey literature review (GLR) according to the guidelines to Garousi et al.
Results: Several approaches that support the integration of product discovery with product delivery were identified. This paper presents a selection of these approaches, i.e., the Discovery-Delivery Cycle model, Now-Next-Later Product Roadmaps, Lean Sprints, Product Kata, and Dual-Track Scrum. The approaches differ in their granularity but are similar in their underlying rationales. All approaches aim to ensure that only validated ideas turn into products and thus promise to lead to products that are better received by their users.
Context: A product roadmap is an important tool in product development. It sets the strategic direction in which the product is to be developed to achieve the company’s vision. However, for product roadmaps to be successful, it is essential that all stakeholders agree with the company’s vision and objectives and are aligned and committed to a common product plan.
Objective: In order to gain a better understanding of product roadmap alignment, this paper aims at identifying measures, activities and techniques in order to align the different stakeholders around the product roadmap.
Method: We conducted a grey literature review according the guidelines to Garousi et al.
Results: Several approaches to gain alignment were identified such as defining and communicating clear objectives based on the product vision, conducting cross-functional workshops, shuttle diplomacy, and mission briefing. In addition, our review identified the “Behavioural Change Stairway Model” that suggests five steps to gain alignment by building empathy and a trustful relationship.
A fast way to test business ideas and to explore customer problems and needs is to talk to them. Customer interviews help to understand what solutions customers will pay for before investing valuable resources to develop solutions. Customer interviews are a good way to gain qualitative insights. However, conducting interviews can be a difficult procedure and requires specific skills. The current ways of teaching interview skills have significant deficiencies. They especially lack guidance and opportunities to practice. Objective: The goal of this work is to develop and validate a workshop format to teach interview skills for conducting good customer interviews in a practical manner. Method: The research method is based on design science research which serves as a framework. A game-based workshop format was designed to teach interview skills. The approach consists of a half-day, hands-on workshop and is based on an analysis of necessary interview skills. The approach has been validated in several workshops and improved based on learnings from those workshops. Results: Results of the validation show that participants could significantly improve their interview skills while enjoying the game-based exercises. The game-based learning approach supports learning and practicing customer interview skills with playful and interactive elements that encourage greater motivation among participants to conduct interviews.
Background
The actual task of electrocardiographic examinations is to increase the reliability of diagnosing the condition of the heart. Within the framework of this task, an important direction is the solution of the inverse problem of electrocardiography, based on the processing of electrocardiographic signals of multichannel cardio leads at known electrode coordinates in these leads (Titomir et al. Noninvasiv electrocardiotopography, 2003), (Macfarlane et al. Comprehensive Electrocardiology, 2nd ed. (Chapter 9), 2011).
Results
In order to obtain more detailed information about the electrical activity of the heart, we carry out a reconstruction of the distribution of equivalent electrical sources on the heart surface. In this area, we hold reconstruction of the equivalent sources during the cardiac cycle at relatively low hardware cost. ECG maps of electrical potentials on the surface of the torso (TSPM) and electrical sources on the surface of the heart (HSSM) were studied for different times of the cardiac cycle. We carried out a visual and quantitative comparison of these maps in the presence of pathological regions of different localization. For this purpose we used the model of the heart electrical activity, based on cellular automata.
Conclusions
The model of cellular automata allows us to consider the processes of heart excitation in the presence of pathological regions of various sizes and localization. It is shown, that changes in the distribution of electrical sources on the surface of the epicardium in the presence of pathological areas with disturbances in the conduction of heart excitation are much more noticeable than changes in ECG maps on the torso surface.
The recovery of our body and brain from fatigue directly depends on the quality of sleep, which can be determined from the results of a sleep study. The classification of sleep stages is the first step of this study and includes the measurement of vital data and their further processing. The non-invasive sleep analysis system is based on a hardware sensor network of 24 pressure sensors providing sleep phase detection. The pressure sensors are connected to an energy-efficient microcontroller via a system-wide bus. A significant difference between this system and other approaches is the innovative way in which the sensors are placed under the mattress. This feature facilitates the continuous use of the system without any noticeable influence on the sleeping person. The system was tested by conducting experiments that recorded the sleep of various healthy young people. Results indicate the potential to capture respiratory rate and body movement.
Today, many companies are adapting their strategy, business models, products, services as well as business processes and information systems in order to expand their digitalization level through intelligent systems and services. The paper raises an important question: What are cognitive co-creation mechanisms for extending digital services and architectures to readjust the usage value of smart services? Typically, extensions of digital services and products and their architectures are manual design tasks that are complex and require specialized, rare experts. The current publication explores the basic idea of extending specific digital artifacts, such as intelligent service architectures, through mechanisms of cognitive co-creation to enable a rapid evolutionary path and better integration of humans and intelligent systems. We explore the development of intelligent service architectures through a combined, iterative, and permanent task of co-creation between humans and intelligent systems as part of a new concept of cognitively adapted smart services. In this paper, we present components of a new platform for the joint co-creation of cognitive services for an ecosystem of intelligent services that enables the adaptation of digital services and architectures.
Intelligent systems and services are the strategic targets of many current digitalization efforts and part of massive digital transformations based on digital technologies with artificial intelligence. Digital platform architectures and ecosystems provide an essential base for intelligent digital systems. The paper raises an important question: Which development paths are induced by current innovations in the field of artificial intelligence and digitalization for enterprise architectures? Digitalization disrupts existing enterprises, technologies, and economies and promotes the architecture of cognitive and open intelligent environments. This has a strong impact on new opportunities for value creation and the development of intelligent digital systems and services. Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, service computing, cloud computing, blockchains, big data with analysis, mobile systems, and social business network systems are essential drivers of digitalization. We investigate the development of intelligent digital systems supported by a suitable digital enterprise architecture. We present methodological advances and an evolutionary path for architectures with an integral service and value perspective to enable intelligent systems and services that effectively combine digital strategies and digital architectures with artificial intelligence.
While many maintainability metrics have been explicitly designed for service-based systems, tool-supported approaches to automatically collect these metrics are lacking. Especially in the context of microservices, decentralization and technological heterogeneity may pose challenges for static analysis. We therefore propose the modular and extensible RAMA approach (RESTful API Metric Analyzer) to calculate such metrics from machine-readable interface descriptions of RESTful services. We also provide prototypical tool support, the RAMA CLI, which currently parses the formats OpenAPI, RAML, and WADL and calculates 10 structural service-based metrics proposed in scientific literature. To make RAMA measurement results more actionable, we additionally designed a repeatable benchmark for quartile-based threshold ranges (green, yellow, orange, red). In an exemplary run, we derived thresholds for all RAMA CLI metrics from the interface descriptions of 1,737 publicly available RESTful APIs. Researchers and practitioners can use RAMA to evaluate the maintainability of RESTful services or to support the empirical evaluation of new service interface metrics.
Cloud resources can be dynamically provisioned according to application-specific requirements and are payed on a per-use basis. This gives rise to a new concept for parallel processing: Elastic parallel computations. However, it is still an open research question to which extent parallel applications can benefit from elastic scaling, which requires resource adaptation at runtime and corresponding coordination mechanisms. In this work, we analyze how to address these system-level challenges in the context of developing and operating elastic parallel tree search applications. Based on our findings, we discuss the design and implementation of TASKWORK, a cloud-aware runtime system specifically designed for elastic parallel tree search, which enables the implementation of elastic applications by means of higher-level development frameworks. We show how to implement an elastic parallel branch-and-bound application based on an exemplary development framework and report on our experimental evaluation that also considers several benchmarks for parallel tree search.
The advent of chatbots in customer service solutions received increasing attention by research and practice throughout the last years. However, the relevant dimensions and features for service quality and service performance for chatbots remain quite unclear. Therefore, this research develops and tests a conceptual model for customer service quality and customer service performance in the context of chatbots. Additionally, the impact of the developed service dimensions on different customer relationship metrics is measured across different service channels (hotline versus chatbots). Findings of six independent studies indicate a strong main effect of the conceptualized service dimensions on customer satisfaction, service costs, intention to service reusage, word-of-mouth, and customer loyalty. However, different service dimensions are relevant for chatbots compared to a traditional service hotline.
This book describes the current state of the art in integrated ring resonators, covering more than two decades in the development of this exciting device. It discusses in depth one of the most fascinating and versatile integrated optical filters, providing readers with a panoramic view spanning from design and simulation to implementation in various material systems. Written by authors with extensive experience in both academia and industry, this second edition offers a much-needed, major update as interest in integrated ring resonators undergoes a global revival. The new edition includes a comprehensive technological update, and a timely discussion of recent advances in new application areas, such as optofluidics and microfluidics, telecom operations and biosensors. This aptly named compendium is the ideal guide for researchers and engineers looking to review the field as a whole while exploring several of its possible and exciting future trajectories.