Devices in industrial automation systems are becoming more and more intelligent. Consequently, functions such as server services are migrating into the device level. To solve the resulting connection mesh, this paper entails the concept of aggregation of servers connected to devices in an industrial automation scenario. The first section discusses the basic requirements for aggregation and proposes an architecture for server aggregation as a solution. The following section describes the building blocks of the architecture. Finally, the paper presents a prototype based on this architecture model as a proof of concept implementation of the concept introduced in this paper. The last section discusses the results of the prototyping phase including the possible improvements of the same.
BackgroundPatients’ treatment expectations are a key factor in psychotherapy. Several studies have linked higher expectations to better treatment success. Therefore, we want to evaluate the impact of a targeted video-based intervention on patients’ expectations and the treatment success of inpatient rehabilitation.Methods/designAll patients who will be referred to inpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation in three clinics will receive a study flyer with information about how to log in to the study platform together with the usual clinic information leaflet. Patients will receive the study information and informed consent upon login and will be randomized into the intervention or the control group. The intervention group (n = 394) will get access to our virtual online clinic, containing several videos about inpatient rehabilitation, until their admission to inpatient rehabilitation. The control group (n = 394) will receive no special treatment preparation. Questionnaires will be given at study inclusion (T0), two weeks before admission to (T1), and at the end of (T2) inpatient rehabilitation. The primary outcome is the outcome expectancy measured with the Credibility Expectancy Questionnaire at T1. Secondary outcomes include treatment motivation, mental health, work ability, depression, anxiety, and satisfaction with and usage of the Internet platform.DiscussionWe expect the intervention group to benefit from the additional preparation concerning their outcome expectancy. If successful, this approach could be used in the future to enhance the efficacy of inpatient rehabilitation.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02532881. Registered on 25 August 2015.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-016-1417-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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