Building an embedded enterprise performance management solution : an exploratory case study

Project Work presented as partial requirement for obtaining the master’s degree in Statistics and Information Systems and Information Technologies ManagementNowadays most companies are struggling to manage large data and spending a lot of money on storing and capturing. To benefit from the stored data, enterprises implement Business Intelligence solutions and technology-driven processes. The most significant advantage of BI is analyzing actionable information and data-driven business decisions for executives and managers. Since technology is evolving very fast, Business Intelligence processes are getting more advanced every day. These advancements are promoting accountability, visibility, timely actionable information, increased return on investment, connected business processes, standardized management processes and augmented organizational flexibility. In a relationship with BI, enterprise performance management provides more predictable answers on these advancements by improving planning, budgeting, financial reporting, and consolidation. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the implementation processes of embedded Enterprise Performance Management Solutions in ERP Embedded BI Platforms by revealing its methodology, steps, significant milestones, and effectiveness of the organizational structure. The embedded approach is going to be maintained by Business Intelligence based Business Planning and Consolidation tool on Enterprise Resource Planning System. Embedded Enterprise Performance Management solutions consist of Analysis Reporting, Business Planning, and Consolidation. Thoroughly they cover budgeting, planning, and consolidation as an advance altogether. The Implementation of an artefact aims to satisfy market competition requirements and to compete with financial demands which are originated from the growth rate at the organizational level There are several studies in the literature focuses on the critical success factors of BI projects, but there are not many studies which are mainly focused on the process evaluation of embedded enterprise performance management solutions and their success on organizations. This study will be an exploratory design research case study of a Group Company which is professionalized in language translation in 30 different countries on five different continents

Undiagnosed Hypothyroidism in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Objective Lethargy, apathy, daytime sleepiness are common features of Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). These features are already seen in hypothyroidism. OSAS is more frequent in obese patients and overt hypothyroidism may substantially add to this risk. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of hypothyroidism in cases applying with OSAS symptoms who have no known clinical thyroid disease to evaluate the necessity of thyroid hormone screening in OSAS. Materials and Methods The study population consisted of patients with no known history of thyroid disease. All patients were screened in the sleep laboratory for one night and polysomnography. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were measured by chemiluminescence method in patients referred to our sleep center for an overnight sleep study. Results Of 1473 subjects, 1406 (95.5%) were diagnosed as OSA (Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)>5). Elevated TSH levels were detected in 3 cases in the nonapneic group (4.47%) and 54 cases in the OSAS group (3.90%). In mild-moderate OSAS group, the mean TSH value was 2.02 µU /ml and in patients with severe OSAS this value was 2.44 µU/ml, though the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.08). AHI was found to be weakly correlated with TSH values, though the correlation was statistically significant (r=0.05, p=0.04). Mean TSH values were not correlated with oxygen desaturation index (ODI) or lowest oxygen saturation values (r=0.02 and r=-0.02, respectively). Conclusion The measurement of TSH levels in suspected OSAS cases may help both differential diagnosis between OSAS and hypothyroidism, but subclinical hypothyroidism was not found more common in patients with OSAS

Mitochondrial DNA common deletion is not associated with thyroid, breast and colorectal tumors in Turkish patients. Genet Mol Biol

Abstract Recently, efforts have been focused on mitochondrial DNA changes and their relation to human cancers. Among them, a 4977 bp deletion of mitochondrial DNA, named "common deletion", has been investigated in several types of tumors, with inconsistent results. In this study, we investigated the presence of the common deletion in tissues from 25 breast, 25 colorectal and 50 thyroid tumors and in the adjacent healthy tissues from Turkish patients. Samples from healthy volunteers were also evaluated for comparison. Two PCR-based methods were used for the detection of the common deletion. First, two pairs of primers were used to amplify wild-type and deleted mtDNA. Then, a highly sensitive nested-PCR was performed, to determine low amounts of deleted genomes. By the first method, wild-type mtDNAs were observed in all samples, but a deletion was observed in only six thyroid samples, by using the nested-PCR method. In conclusion, the mitochondrial common deletion was very rare in our study group and did not appear to be not related with cancer

Sustained and intermittent hypoxia differentially modulate primary monocyte immunothrombotic responses to IL-1β stimulation

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of preventable deaths in hospitals, and its incidence is not decreasing despite extensive efforts in clinical and laboratory research. Venous thrombi are primarily formed in the valve pockets of deep veins, where activated monocytes play a crucial role in bridging innate immune activation and hemostatic pathways through the production of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and tissue factor (TF) – a principal initiator of coagulation. In the valve pocket inflammation and hypoxia (sustained/intermittent) coexist, however their combined effects on immunothrombotic processes are poorly understood. Inflammation is strongly associated with VTE, while the additional contribution of hypoxia remains largely unexplored. To investigate this, we modelled the intricate conditions of the venous valve pocket using a state-of-the-art hypoxia chamber with software-controlled oxygen cycling. We comprehensively studied the effects of sustained and intermittent hypoxia alone, and in combination with VTE-associated inflammatory stimuli on primary monocytes. TF expression and activity was measured in monocytes subjected to sustained and intermittent hypoxia alone, or in combination with IL-1β. Monocyte responses were further analyzed in detailed by RNA sequencing and validated by ELISA. Stimulation with IL-1β alone promoted both transcription and activity of TF. Interestingly, the stimulatory effect of IL-1β on TF was attenuated by sustained hypoxia, but not by intermittent hypoxia. Our transcriptome analysis further confirmed that sustained hypoxia limited the pro-inflammatory response induced by IL-1β, and triggered a metabolic shift in monocytes. Intermittent hypoxia alone had a modest effect on monocyte transcript. However, in combination with IL-1β intermittent hypoxia significantly altered the expression of 2207 genes and enhanced the IL-1β-stimulatory effects on several chemokine and interleukin genes (e.g., IL-19, IL-24, IL-32, MIF), as well as genes involved in coagulation (thrombomodulin) and fibrinolysis (VEGFA, MMP9, MMP14 and PAI-1). Increased production of CCL2, IL-6 and TNF following stimulation with intermittent hypoxia and IL-1β was confirmed by ELISA. Our findings provide valuable insights into how the different hypoxic profiles shape the immunothrombotic response of monocytes and shed new light on the early events in the pathogenesis of venous thrombosis

Mitochondrial DNA common deletion is not associated with thyroid, breast and colorectal tumors in Turkish patients

Recently, efforts have been focused on mitochondrial DNA changes and their relation to human cancers. Among them, a 4977 bp deletion of mitochondrial DNA, named “common deletion”, has been investigated in several types of tumors, with inconsistent results. In this study, we investigated the presence of the common deletion in tissues from 25 breast, 25 colorectal and 50 thyroid tumors and in the adjacent healthy tissues from Turkish patients. Samples from healthy volunteers were also evaluated for comparison. Two PCR-based methods were used for the detection of the common deletion. First, two pairs of primers were used to amplify wild-type and deleted mtDNA. Then, a highly sensitive nested-PCR was performed, to determine low amounts of deleted genomes. By the first method, wild-type mtDNAs were observed in all samples, but a deletion was observed in only six thyroid samples, by using the nested-PCR method. In conclusion, the mitochondrial common deletion was very rare in our study group and did not appear to be not related with cancer

Morphological Hierarchies for Satellite Image Time Series

Although morphological hierarchies are today a well-established framework for single frame image processing, their extension to time-related data remains largely unexplored. This thesis aims to tackle the analysis of satellite image time series with tree-based representations. To do so, we distinguish between three kinds of models, namely spatial, temporal and spatio-temporal hierarchies. For each model, we propose a streaming algorithm to update the tree when new images are appended to the series. Besides, we analyze the structural properties of the different tree building strategies, thus requiring some projection methods for the spatio-temporal tree in order to obtain comparable structures. Then, trees are compared according to their node distribution, filtering capability and cost, leading to a superiority of the spatio-temporal tree (a.k.a. space-time tree). Hence, we review spatio-temporal attributes, including some new ones, that can been extracted from the space-time tree in order to compute some multiscale features at the pixel or image level. These attributes are finally involved in tools such as filtering and pattern spectrum for various remote sensing based applications.Bien que les hiérarchies morphologiques représentent aujourd’hui un cadre méthodologique bien établi en traitement d’image, leur extension aux données temporelles reste largement inexplorée. Cette thèse aborde la problématique de l’analyse de séries temporelles d’image satellites en utilisant les hiérarchies morphologiques ou représentations arborescentes. Pour ce faire, nous distinguons trois types de modèles, à savoir les hiérarchies spatiales, temporelles et spatio-temporelles. Pour chaque modèle, nous proposons un algorithme de calcul en flux pour le mettre à jour lorsque de nouvelles images sont ajoutées à la série temporelle. Nous analysons les propriétés structurelles des différentes stratégies de construction d’arbres, ce qui nécessite des méthodes de projection de l’arbre spatio-temporel afin de disposer de structures comparables. Nous comparons également les arbres en fonction de leur distribution de noeuds, de leur capacité de filtrage et de leur coût, et concluons à la supériorité de l’arbre spatio-temporel aussi appelé arbre espace-temps. Nous passons ensuite en revue les différents attributs spatiotemporels, dont certains originaux, qui peuvent être extraits de l’arbre spatio-temporel afin de produire des caractéristiques multiéchelle aux niveaux pixel ou image. Ces attributs sont finalement exploités avec des outils de type filtrage ou spectre de forme pour différentes applications en télédétection

Hiérarchies Morphologiques pour l’Analyse de Séries Temporelles d’Images Satellites

Bien que les hiérarchies morphologiques représentent aujourd’hui un cadre méthodologique bien établi en traitement d’image, leur extension aux données temporelles reste largement inexplorée. Cette thèse aborde la problématique de l’analyse de séries temporelles d’image satellites en utilisant les hiérarchies morphologiques ou représentations arborescentes. Pour ce faire, nous distinguons trois types de modèles, à savoir les hiérarchies spatiales, temporelles et spatio-temporelles. Pour chaque modèle, nous proposons un algorithme de calcul en flux pour le mettre à jour lorsque de nouvelles images sont ajoutées à la série temporelle. Nous analysons les propriétés structurelles des différentes stratégies de construction d’arbres, ce qui nécessite des méthodes de projection de l’arbre spatio-temporel afin de disposer de structures comparables. Nous comparons également les arbres en fonction de leur distribution de noeuds, de leur capacité de filtrage et de leur coût, et concluons à la supériorité de l’arbre spatio-temporel aussi appelé arbre espace-temps. Nous passons ensuite en revue les différents attributs spatiotemporels, dont certains originaux, qui peuvent être extraits de l’arbre spatio-temporel afin de produire des caractéristiques multiéchelle aux niveaux pixel ou image. Ces attributs sont finalement exploités avec des outils de type filtrage ou spectre de forme pour différentes applications en télédétection.Although morphological hierarchies are today a well-established framework for single frame image processing, their extension to time-related data remains largely unexplored. This thesis aims to tackle the analysis of satellite image time series with tree-based representations. To do so, we distinguish between three kinds of models, namely spatial, temporal and spatio-temporal hierarchies. For each model, we propose a streaming algorithm to update the tree when new images are appended to the series. Besides, we analyze the structural properties of the different tree building strategies, thus requiring some projection methods for the spatio-temporal tree in order to obtain comparable structures. Then, trees are compared according to their node distribution, filtering capability and cost, leading to a superiority of the spatio-temporal tree (a.k.a. space-time tree). Hence, we review spatio-temporal attributes, including some new ones, that can been extracted from the space-time tree in order to compute some multiscale features at the pixel or image level. These attributes are finally involved in tools such as filtering and pattern spectrum for various remote sensing based applications

Screening boredom : the history and aesthetics of slow cinema

This thesis examines Slow Cinema, a stylistic trend within contemporary art cinema, although one with a longer pre-history. Its distinguishing characteristics pertain ultimately to narration: the films, minimalistic by design, retard narrative pace and elide causality. Specifically, its aesthetic features include a mannered use of the long take and a resolute emphasis on dead time; devices fostering a mode of narration that initially appears baffling, cryptic and genuinely incomprehensible and offers, above all, an extended experience of duration on screen. This contemporary current emerges from a historical genealogy of modernist art films that for decades distended cinematic temporality and, furthermore, from the critical and institutional debates that attended to it. This thesis, therefore, investigates Slow Cinema in its two remarkable aspects: firstly, as an aesthetic practice, focusing on the formal aspects of the films and their function in attaining a contemplative and ruminative mode of spectatorship; and, secondly, as a historical critical tradition and the concomitant institutional context of the films’ mode of exhibition, production and reception. As the first sustained work to treat Slow Cinema both as an aesthetic mode and as a critical discourse with historical roots and a Janus-faced disposition in the age of digital technologies, this thesis argues that the Slow Cinema phenomenon can best be understood via an investigation of an aesthetic experience based on nostalgia, absurd humour and boredom, key concepts that will be explored in respective case studies. My original contribution to knowledge is, therefore, a comprehensive account of a global current of cultural practice that offers a radical and at times paradoxical reconsideration of our emotional attachment and intellectual engagement with moving images. The introduction chapter begins with a discussion of the Slow Cinema debate and then establishes the aims of the thesis, its theoretical framework and elaborates on the adopted methodologies, namely formal analysis and aesthetic historiography. Chapter 2 examines Béla Tarr in light of the evolution of the long take and attributes Tarr’s use of this aesthetic device as a nostalgic revision of modernist art cinema. Chapter 3 explores the films of Tsai Ming-liang, which embrace incongruous aesthetic features, envision an absurdist view of life, create humour through duration and are situated within the minimalist trends of the international film festival circuit. Chapter 4 focuses on Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose films emerge from the aftermath of the collapse of a domestic film industry and intervene into its historical heritage by adopting fundamental features of boredom as well as transforming its idleness into an aesthetically rewarding experience. The conclusion chapter incorporates the case studies by stressing the role of Slow Cinema within the complex negotiations taking place between indigenous filmmaking practices and the demands of global art cinema audiences as well as the circulation of art films through networks of film festivals and their respective funding bodies