21 research outputs found
Software architecture as a means of communication in a globally distributed software development context
The management and coordination of globally distributed development poses many
new challenges, including compensating for informal implicit communication,
which is aggravated by heterogeneous social and engineering traditions between
development sites. Although much research has gone into identifying challenges
and working with practical solutions, such as tools for communication, little
research has focused on comparing communication mechanisms in terms of their
ability to provide large volumes of rich information in a timely manner. Data
was collected through in-depth interviews with eleven practitioners and
twenty-eight responses through a web-based questionnaire from three product
lines at an international software development organization. This paper
assesses the relative importance of ten commonly used communication mechanisms
and practices across local and global development sites. The results clearly
indicate that some communication mechanisms are more important than others in
providing large volumes of rich information in a timely manner. The prevalence
of architecture in providing rich information in large volumes for both local
and global communication can be clearly observed
Erlotinib in African Americans With Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Prospective Randomized Study With Genetic and Pharmacokinetic Analyses
Prospective studies focusing on EGFR inhibitors in African Americans with NSCLC have not been previously performed. In this phase II randomized study, 55 African Americans with NSCLC received erlotinib 150mg/day or a body weight adjusted dose with subsequent escalations to the maximum allowable, 200mg/day, to achieve rash. Erlotinib and OSI-420 exposures were lower compared to previous reports, consistent with CYP3A pharmacogenetics implying higher metabolic activity. Tumor genetics revealed only two EGFR mutations, EGFR amplification in 17/47 samples, 8 KRAS mutations and 5 EML4-ALK translocations. Although absence of rash was associated with shorter time to progression (TTP), disease control rate, TTP, and 1-year survival were not different between the two dose groups, indicating the dose-to-rash strategy failed to increase clinical benefit. Observed low incidence of toxicity and low erlotinib exposure suggest standardized and maximum allowable dosing may be suboptimal in African Americans