A comparison of erp-success measurement approaches

ERP projects are complex purposes which influence main internal and external operations of companies. There are different research approaches which try to develop models for IS / ERP success measurement or IT-success measurement in general. Each model has its own area of application and sometimes a specific measurement approach based, for instance, on different systems or different stakeholders involved. This research paper shows some of the most important models developed in the literature and an overview of the different approaches of the models. An analysis which shows the strengths, weaknesses and the cases in which the specific model could be used is made

Activation of the JAK-STAT pathway is necessary for desensitization of 5-HT2A receptor-stimulated phospholipase C signalling by olanzapine, clozapine and MDL 100907

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5564880&fileId=S1461145708009590We have previously demonstrated that olanzapine-induced desensitization of 5-HT2A receptor-stimulated phospholipase C (PLC) activity is associated with increases in RGS7 protein levels both in vivo and in cells in culture, and the increase in RGS7 is dependent on activation of the JAK-STAT pathway in cells in culture. In the present study, we found that desensitization of 5-HT2A receptor-stimulated PLC activity induced by olanzapine is dependent on activation of the JAK-STAT pathway. Similar to olanzapine, clozapine-induced desensitization of 5-HT2A receptor signalling is accompanied by increases in RGS7 and activation of JAK2. Treatment with the selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist MDL 100907 also increased RGS7 protein levels and JAK2 activation. Using a JAK2 inhibitor AG490, we found that clozapine and MDL 100907-induced increases in RGS7 are dependent on activation of the JAK-STAT pathway. Olanzapine, clozapine, and MDL 100907 treatment increased mRNA levels of RGS7. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay we found STAT3 binding to the putative RGS7 promoter region. Taken together, olanzapine-induced activation of the JAK-STAT pathway, and STAT3 binding to the RGS7 gene could underlie the increase in RGS7 mRNA which could subsequently increase protein expression. Furthermore, the increase in RGS7 protein could play a role in the desensitization of 5-HT2A receptor signalling by terminating the activated Gαq/11 proteins more rapidly. Overall, our data suggest that the complete desensitization of 5-HT2A receptor-stimulated PLC activity by olanzapine, clozapine and MDL 100907 requires activation of the JAK-STAT pathway, which in turn increases RGS7 expression probably by direct transcriptional activity of STAT3

Policy vs practice: The use, implementation and enforcement of human rights clauses in the European Union’s international trade agreements

In the mid-1990s, the EU adopted a general policy of including human rights clauses in all of its international trade agreements. Through these human rights clauses, in addition to other tools such as Human Rights Dialogue and sanctions, the EU seeks to promote the protection of human rights in its external relations. There are, however, some issues arising regarding the content, use, implementation and activation of these clauses. Not only do human rights clauses in different agreements vary in wording and scope, but also the actual implementation and enforcement by the EU differ from case to case, raising questions as to the selective character and the consistency of the EU’s action and, consequently, as to the EU’s credibility as a normative international actor. The main deficiencies in this regard are the selective and at times inconsistent inclusion and activation of human rights clauses, as shown by an examination of the EU’s agreements and their implementation and enforcement in practice. This article examines human rights clauses in the EU’s international trade agreements and the implementation and enforcement thereof, in order to shed light on the promises and pitfalls of the EU’s human rights efforts

FPGA basierte, konfigurierbare OFDM Sender-Plattform für die Positionsbestimmung mittels TDoA

Für die Evaluierung von Algorithmen zur Positionsbestimmung nach dem Time Difference of Arrival – Verfahren wird eine frei konfigurierbare OFDM Sender-Plattform benötigt. Da die Berechnung in Echtzeit erfolgen soll, ist eine Implementierung in rekonfigurierbarer Hardware (FPGA) erforderlich. Das Manuskript gibt sowohl einen Überblick über die Hintergründe und die Architektur des Sendesystems, als auch einen tieferen Einblick in verschiedene Lösungsdetails

Development of electrically conductive microstructures based on polymer/CNT nanocomposites via two-photon polymerization

Femtosecond laser-induced two-photon polymerization (2PP) of carbon nanofiller doped polymers was utilized to produce electrically conductive microstructures, which are expected to be applicable as microelectronic components or micro-electromechanical systems in sensors. The nanocomposites were processed by compounding an inorganic-organic hybrid material with two different types (short and long) of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Different SWCNT contents were dispersed in the polymer by sonication to adjust the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites. Low surface resistivity values of ~ 4.6 × 105 Ω/sq. could be measured for coated reference films with a thickness of 30 μm having an exceptionally low SWCNT content of 0.01 wt% of the long type of SWCNTs. In contrast, a higher minimum resistivity of 1.5 × 106 Ω/sq. was exhibited for composites with a higher content, 2 wt%, of short SWCNTs. The structural quality of the microstructures processed by 2PP was mainly influenced by the dispersion quality of the SWCNTs. To characterize the electrical conductivity, conductive atomic force microscopy was applied for the first time. In microstructures with 0.05 wt% of the long type of SWCNTs, a contact current could be detected over a wide range of the measured area visualizing the electrical conductive CNT network, which has not been reported before

Counteracting Green Alder Shrub Expansion by Low-Input Grazing

In the past decades, the decline of traditional agriculture has caused an abandonment of marginal pastures in many mountain areas of Europe. In the Swiss Alps, green alder (Alnus viridis) is the most abundant successional shrub. A survey of 24 pasture-shrub gradients showed that the encroachment by green alder, in contrast to other shrubs, is associated with a substantial decline in plant species richness. The understorey of alder is primarily populated by very few, broad-leaved herbaceous species benefitting from the atmospheric nitrogen fixed by actinomycetes in symbiosis with green alder. However, the understory vegetation also provides an underestimated forage, rich in protein and comparable in productivity and digestibility to nearby open pastures. A two-year grazing experiment with cattle (Dexter), sheep (local Engadine sheep) and mixed-breed goats in the Eastern Swiss Alps demonstrated that robust breeds were able to exploit these resources as they readily penetrated the thickets. The Engadine sheep and the goats consumed green alder bark and thus actively counteracted shrub encroachment. Dexter cattle did not forage on alder bark but on leaves and opened the thickets by their movement through them. Since goats preferred other woody species to green alder and depleted them before the alder, they may impair the regeneration of late-successional forest. Dexter heifers and Engadine lambs performed equally well on pastures with high shrub cover and on open pastures in terms of average daily weight gain, carcass and meat quality. This was facilitated by the comparatively low productivity of these breeds. In this way, low-input grazing systems utilizing adapted breeds, especially sheep, can add to conservation goals and sustain a viable meat production in marginal areas

Effects of mometasone furoate/formoterol fumarate fixed-dose combination formulation on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): results from a 52-week Phase III trial in subjects with moderate-to-very severe COPD

RATIONALE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose combination of mometasone furoate/formoterol fumarate (MF/F) administered via a metered-dose inhaler in subjects with moderate-to-very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: This multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial had a 26-week treatment period and a 26-week safety extension. Subjects (n = 1196), at least 40 years old, were current or ex-smokers randomized to twice-daily inhaled MF/F 400/10 μg, MF/F 200/10 μg, MF 400 μg, F 10 μg, or placebo. The trial\u27s co-primary endpoints were mean changes from baseline, as area under the curve (AUC), in forced expiratory volume (FEV1) over 0-12 hours (AUC0-12 h FEV1) with MF/F versus MF, and in morning (AM) pre-dose (trough) FEV1 with MF/F versus F after 13 weeks of treatment. Key secondary endpoints were the effects of MF/F on respiratory health status using the Saint George\u27s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), symptom-free nights, partly stable COPD at 26 weeks, and time to first COPD exacerbation. RESULTS: The largest improvements in AUC0-12 h FEV1 were observed with MF/F 400/10 μg and MF/F 200/10 μg. Serial spirometry results demonstrated that bronchodilator effects with MF/F occurred rapidly (within 5 minutes), persisted for 12 hours after dosing, and were sustained over the 26-week treatment period. Similar findings were observed for AM pre-dose FEV1, for which effects were further investigated, excluding subjects whose AM FEV1 data were incorrectly collected after 2 days from the last dose of study treatment. Improvements in SGRQ scores surpassed the minimum clinically important difference of more than four units with both MF/F treatments. At 26 weeks, no notable between-treatment differences in the occurrence and nature of adverse events (AEs) were reported. No unexpected AEs were observed. Overall, 90 subjects reported AEs considered to be treatment-related, the most common of which were lenticular opacities, dysphonia, and oral candidiasis. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, MF/F treatments improved lung function and respiratory health status, reduced exacerbations, and were well tolerated in subjects with moderate-to-very severe COPD

Protein Targets of Thioacetamide Metabolites in Rat Hepatocytes

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Chemical Research in Toxicology, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx400001xThioacetamide (TA) has long been known as a hepatotoxicant whose bioactivation requires S-oxidation to thioacetamide S-oxide (TASO) and then to the very reactive S,S-dioxide (TASO2). The latter can tautomerize to form acylating species capable of covalently modifying cellular nucleophiles including phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids and protein lysine side chains. Isolated hepatocytes efficiently oxidize TA to TASO but experience little covalent binding or cytotoxicity because TA is a very potent inhibitor of the oxidation of TASO to TASO2. On the other hand hepatocytes treated with TASO show extensive covalent binding to both lipids and proteins accompanied by extensive cytotoxicity. In this work, we treated rat hepatocytes with [14C]-TASO and submitted the mitochondrial, microsomal and cytosolic fractions to 2DGE which revealed a total of 321 radioactive protein spots. To facilitate the identification of target proteins and adducted peptides we also treated cells with a mixture of TASO/[13C2D3]-TASO. Using a combination of 1DGE- and 2DGE-based proteomic approaches, we identified 187 modified peptides (174 acetylated, 50 acetimidoylated and 37 in both forms) from a total of 88 non-redundant target proteins. Among the latter, 57 are also known targets of at least one other hepatotoxin. The formation of both amide- and amidine-type adducts to protein lysine side chains is in contrast to the exclusive formation of amidine-type adducts with PE phospholipids. Thiobenzamide (TB) undergoes the same two-step oxidative bioactivation as TA, and it also gives rise to both amide and amidine adducts on protein lysine side chains but only amidine adducts to PE lipids. Despite their similarity in functional group chemical reactivity, only 38 of 62 known TB target proteins are found among the 88 known targets of TASO. The potential roles of protein modification by TASO in triggering cytotoxicity are discussed in terms of enzyme inhibition, protein folding and chaperone function, and the emerging role of protein acetylation in intracellular signaling and the regulation of biochemical pathways

Diseño, construcción y experimentación de un horno solar como experiencia educativa en el nivel medio de enseñanza

En el presente trabajo se presenta la fundamentación y los objetivos de un Proyecto Educativo Institucional para el diseño, construcción y experimentación de un homo solar. El proyecto está enmarcado en la necesidad de encauzar la capacidad técnica y humana para el fortalecimiento de las actividades innovativas en al ámbito educativo, la construcción social del saber y la cooperación en el desarrollo científico-tecnológico. El homo está formado por un reflector en forma de casquete esférico protegido con una cáscara exterior de chapa metálica Una aislación de lana de vidrio y poliestireno expandido se ubica entre la cara interna y extema del casquete. Un vidrio y un policarbonato alveolar integran la tapa del homo. Fue factible la cocción de alimentos con el aprovechamiento de la energía solar.Tema: Educación en Energías Renovables.Asociación Argentina de Energía Sola