Information Technology,Process Reengineering, and Performance Measurement: A Balanced Scorecard Analysis of Compaq Computer Corporation

The personal computer industry is characterized by fierce competition for market share. The pace of technological change results in ever-shorter product lives and a continuous search for enhanced efficiency. To achieve these goals, firms must use information technology insightfully to redesign business processes, improve supply chain management and increase the value provided to the customer. This competitive environment in the personal computer (PC) industry provides an exceptional laboratory for evaluating how companies use information technology to create business value. Compaq Computer Corporation is one of the most successful PC manufacturers. This case study, based on publicly available data, provides a comprehensive analysis of how strategic business use of information technology in concert with business process redesign improved the economic performance of this large-scale manufacturing company. Compaq has relied on strategic use of enterprise-wide IT to enhance its competitive position as the number one supplier of personal computers in the world. This analysis begins with a review of the economics and competitiveness of the PC industry, and the role of information technology. To place Compaq\u27s performance in perspective, we compare it to Dell Computer Company and Gateway Computer Company. We then profile the changes in Compaq\u27s business strategy and its use of process reengineering and enterprise-wide information technology to implement strategic changes. To understand Compaq\u27s financial success better, we use the Balanced Scorecard to develop a causal model of firm performance that highlights the contribution of information technology to four different dimensions of that performance. We conclude that 1) information technology, along with 2) process reengineering, when properly aligned with 3) Compaq\u27s business strategy contributed substantially to Compaq\u27s overall success and market leadership

Misfit-dislocation generation by dissociated dislocations in quantum-well heterostructures

The mechanisms whereby 60° misfit dislocations are generated from dissociated threading dislocations in quantum-well heterostructures are considered. The two partial dislocations experience different misfit stresses, resulting in each partial having a different critical thickness. As a consequence, a number of different dislocation configurations are predicted, including the possibility of producing stacking faults of infinite width. © 1994 The American Physical Societ

A new species of Cheiriphotis (Amphipoda, Corophiidae) from the southwestern Atlantic Ocean

A new species, Cheiriphotis petronioi sp. nov., is described from the Brazilian coast. This species is recognizable amongst its congeners by the carpus of adult male gnathopod 2 not fused with propodus and the palm acute and uropod 1 of adult males without a group of apical setae between rami. Specimens studied herein were collected between 23º and 34ºS (Brazil - São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul) from 16 to 38 m depth. An updated key to all species of the genus is provided

First record of the genus Ruffojassa Vader & Myers, 1996 (Amphipoda, Corophiidea) from Brazilian waters, with description of a new species

A new species, Ruffojassa petronioi sp. nov., is described from southern Brazilian coast. The new species was collected at 56 m depth at the coordinates 21º42'S / 40º15'W with a mini biological trawl aboard of R.V. Prof.W.Besnard. In this paper we recorded the genus for the first time from Brazilian waters

Joint profiling of DNA methylation and chromatin architecture in single cells.

We report a molecular assay, Methyl-HiC, that can simultaneously capture the chromosome conformation and DNA methylome in a cell. Methyl-HiC reveals coordinated DNA methylation status between distal genomic segments that are in spatial proximity in the nucleus, and delineates heterogeneity of both the chromatin architecture and DNA methylome in a mixed population. It enables simultaneous characterization of cell-type-specific chromatin organization and epigenome in complex tissues

Safety and Efficacy of the FRED Jr Flow Re-Direction Endoluminal Device for Intracranial Aneurysms: Retrospective Multicenter Experience With Emphasis on Midterm Results

Background and Purpose: Flow diversion is increasingly used as an endovascular treatment for intracranial aneurysms. In this retrospective multicenter study, we analyzed the safety and efficacy of the treatment of intracranial, unruptured, or previously treated but recanalized aneurysms using Flow Re-Direction Endoluminal Device (FRED) Jr with emphasis on midterm results. Materials and Methods: Clinical and radiological records of 150 patients harboring 159 aneurysms treated with FRED Jr at six centers between October 2014 and February 2020 were reviewed and consecutively included. Clinical outcome was measured by using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Anatomical results were assessed according to the O’Kelly-Marotta (OKM) scale and the Cekirge-Saatci Classification (CSC) scale. Results: The overall complication rate was 24/159 (16%). Thrombotic-ischemic events occurred in 18/159 treatments (11%). These resulted in long-term neurological sequelae in two patients (1%) with worsening from pre-treatment mRS 0–2 and mRS 4 after treatment. Complete or near-complete occlusion of the treated aneurysm according to the OKM scale was reached in 54% (85/158) at 6-month, in 68% (90/133) at 1-year, and in 83% (77/93) at 2-year follow-up, respectively. The rates of narrowing or occlusion of a vessel branch originating from the treated aneurysm according to the CSC scale were 11% (12/108) at 6-month, 20% (17/87) at 1-year, and 23% (13/57) at 2-year follow-up, respectively, with all cases being asymptomatic. Conclusions: In this retrospective multicenter study, FRED Jr was safe and effective in the midterm occlusion of cerebral aneurysms. Most importantly, it was associated with a high rate of good clinical outcome

I just want to count them! Considerations when choosing a deer population monitoring method

Effective management of any population involves decisions based on the levels of abundance at particular points in time. Hence the choice of an appropriate method to estimate abundance is critical. Deer are not native to Australia and are a declared pest in some states where their numbers must be controlled in environmentally sensitive areas. The aim of this research was to help Australian land managers choose between widely used methods to count deer. We compared population estimates or indices from: distance sampling, aerial surveys, spotlight counts, and faecal pellet counts. For each we estimated the labour input, cost, and precision. The coefficient of variation varied with method and time of year from 8.7 to 36.6%. Total labour input per sampling event varied from 11 to 136 h. Total costs of vehicles and equipment per sampling event varied from AU$913 to$2966. Overall, the spotlight method performed the best at our study site when comparing labour input, total cost and precision. However, choice of the most precise, cost effective method will be site specific and rely on information collected from a pilot study. We provide recommendations to help land managers choose between possible methods in various circumstances

The World Amphipoda Database: history and progress

We provide an overview of the World Amphipoda Database (WAD), a global species database that is part of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Launched in 2013, the database contains entries for over 10,500 accepted species names. Edited currently by 31 amphipod taxonomists, following WoRMS priorities, the WAD has at least one editor per major group. All accepted species are checked by the editors, as is the authorship available for all of the names. The higher classification is documented for every species and a type species is recorded for every genus name. This constitutes five of the 13 priorities for completion, set by WoRMS. In 2015, five LifeWatch grants were allocated for WAD activities. These included a general training workshop in 2016, together with data input for the superfamily Lysianassoidea and for a number of non-marine groups. Philanthropy grants in 2019 and 2021 covered more important gaps across the whole group. Further work remains to complete the linking of unaccepted names, original descriptions, and environmental information. Once these tasks are completed, the database will be considered complete for 8 of the 13 priorities, and efforts will continue to input new taxa annually and focus on the remaining priorities, particularly the input of type localities. We give an overview of the current status of the order Amphipoda, providing counts of the number of genera and species within each family belonging to the six suborders currently recognized