Unified Monitoring Research Articles

SCALEA‐G: A Unified Monitoring and Performance Analysis System for the Grid

This paper describes SCALEA‐G, a unified monitoring and performance analysis system for the Grid. SCALEA‐G is implemented as a set of grid services based on the Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA). SCALEA‐G provides an infrastructure for conducting online monitoring and performance analysis of a variety of Grid services including computational and network resources, and Grid applications. Both push and pull models are supported, providing flexible and scalable monitoring and performance analysis. Source code and dynamic instrumentation are implemented to perform profiling and monitoring of Grid applications. A novel instrumentation request language for dynamic instrumentation and a standardized intermediate representation for binary code have been developed to facilitate the interaction between client and instrumentation services.

Is unified monitoring improving patient care?

We compared our standard method of data presentation in the operating room (i.e., using "front end" equipment) with a newly developed, computerized monitoring system called the data acquisition and display system. These two systems differed in that data presentation using the standard front-end equipment was scattered and poorly structured, whereas data obtained from the newly developed system were unified and integrated. To effect the comparison, we examined the "controllability" (i.e., the precision of control) by the anesthesiologist of hemodynamic variables: arterial systolic, mean, and diastolic pressures, mean pulmonary artery pressure, mean central venous pressure, and heart rate. Controllability was assumed to be an indictor of the quality of anesthesia. All perioperative data were stored every 15 seconds on a floppy disk, and these data were available for analysis. The controllability was quantified by calculating the surface area of the signal of a variable outside a defined control zone; the smaller this surface area, the greater the controllability. A Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon statistical test was done to test whether the two different data presentation systems would result in different levels of controllability (the first zero hypothesis). A Kruskal-Wallis test was done to examine the "inter-anesthesiologist variability" between the two systems (the second zero hypothesis). Our data showed great variability. Looking for factors that might explain this, we found that if preoperative systolic blood pressure was greater than 160 mm Hg and diastolic pressure was greater than 95 mm Hg, hemodynamic variables fluctuated more widely. We could show no differences in controllability when the two systems were compared overall.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Environmentally sound management of the Zambezi river basin

This paper reviews existing knowledge of water resources management and related environments in the Zambezi river basin, and identifies areas where the available information is inadequate. The natural environment is first considered, followed by the region's socioeconomic condition. Next there is an analysis and discussion of the Zambezi Action Plan, its major components and implementation plans for the environmentally sound development of the basin. It is noted that during the first phase of the plan activities such as the compilation of ongoing and planned development projects, a survey of national capabilities and means of responding to environmental problems and the development of a unified monitoring system have been given priority. An appendix describes the programme categories for the plan.

Toward a unified monitoring system during anesthesia.

A conceptual framework is proposed for the selection of monitored parameters during anesthesia, and a new device for monitoring the parameters in a unified manner is briefly presented. A 'basic set' of 6 parameters is proposed to cover the needs of most routine anesthesia: Blood Pressure, ECG/Heart Rate, Temperature, FiO2, FetCO2, and, Cortical Activity (by EEG spectral analysis). Additional parameters are added in accordance with specified factors such as patient status and complexity of the surgical procedure. An initial version of a new monitor, 'Cerebro Trac', designed for neurosurgery and cardiovascular surgery, is briefly presented, along with planned future capabilities and directions for its use.