Developing a taxonomy for the understanding of business and it alignment paradigms and tools

The alignment of information technology with business objectives tends to be a managerial priority in modern organisations. Thus, practitioners and researchers have proposed different approaches to assess this relationship, some following similar approaches whilst others proposing different ones. The variety of approaches proposed, however, has created confusion about the applicability and context in which these approaches can be used. Thus, aiming to tackle this challenge, this paper proposes a taxonomy that organises and compares studies of alignment assessment in terms of their theoretical constructors and their practical use. The taxonomy is build around two research sources: a) a review of the literature of alignment and b) a framework for comparing IS methodologies. The structure of the taxonomy permits insights into studies by means of six theoretical (objective, nature of strategy, paradigm, dimension, type of measurement, model) and six practical constructors (audience, scope, output, techniques, product, target). The taxonomy is then applied to six assessment studies. The benchmarking analysis of these helped to identify their theoretical basis and its practical use, and confirms the need for more practical mechanisms to assess alignment. Additionally, it becomes apparent that process perspectives and social understanding of alignment are the two main paradigms for alignment

Using tactical and operational factors to assess strategic alignment: an SME study

The strategic use of Information Technology (IT), better known as strategic alignment, has significantly increased, as a result of the strong dependence of organisational activity on Information Systems (IS) and their related technologies. Strategic alignment is considered as a key element to improve performance on organisations, enhance efficiency and allow organisations to be more competitive in their respective industry. One of the first steps towards achieving strategic alignment is to have adequate means to measure it. Current assessment approaches, though, are mainly focused at the strategic level but provide little insight at tactical and operational levels, which are recognized as important areas for achieving strategic alignment. Furthermore, most of the existing approaches are tested in large organisations and there is little research on assessing the effectiveness of these approaches for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This paper proposes an alternative instrument that rather than focusing only at the strategic level it aims to have a better understanding by measuring alignment at tactical and operational levels. Finally this paper presents the findings of applying this instrument on an SME

Comparing alignment factors in SMEs and large organizations: a planning integration perspective

Measurement of the alignment between business strategies and information systems (IS) has demonstrated positive impact for the organizational performance. The factors that have proved relevant when assessing the maturity level of alignment are: communication, competency/value measurement, governance, partnership, architecture & scope, and skills. Existing research, however, has focused on the assessment of these factors on large organizations and has barely explored their impact on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). This paper uses the data provided by 127 participants from large and SMEs in order to identify whether the aforementioned factors are also relevant for assessing the level of alignment maturity in SMEs. The results from this research suggest that there are not significant differences between large organizations and SMEs when assessing those factors. In addition, this research also explored the relation between different planning integration of alignment (independent, sequential and simultaneous) in order to measure the perceived relevance of the factors. The results suggest that the planning integration identified on SMEs and large organizations has a positive correlation on how these factors are ranked. For both SMEs and large organizations where the formulation is simultaneous, the relevance of the factors is higher perceived than it is for those where the formulation is independent or sequential

Quasi-switched inverter using space vector pulse width modulation with triangular comparison for photovoltaic applications

Este trabajo analiza un prototipo para un inversor elevador cuasi-conmutado (qSBI) alimentando una carga resistiva aislada desde una fuente de CC. Se propone el uso de una modulación de ancho de pulso de vectores espaciales (SPWM) con comparación triangular que genera un incremento en el factor de ganancia del qSBI, y se contrasta su desempeño con otro tipo de modulaciones de vectores espaciales, tales como las modulaciones discontinuas. Para verificar la validez de la extensión de rango de tensión en el convertidor qSBI, se desarrolló una plataforma de pruebas semi-personalizada. Esta plataforma utiliza una tarjeta DSP de punto flotante (Analog Devices ADSP-21369) para el procesamiento de las estrategias de control, y una tarjeta de interfaz que incluye un arreglo lógico programable (FPGA) de Xilinx (Spartan-3), que permite desarrollar la modulación sincronizada que el qSBI necesita. Los resultados experimentales demuestran mejoras en el desempeño del convertidor qSBI en cuanto al factor de ganancia, reducción del estrés de voltaje en el capacitor y los perfiles de corriente de entrada. Las estrategias discontinuas de modulación del vector espacial no presentan un buen desempeño cuando se compara con las modulaciones continuas SVPWM o SPWM, ya que los niveles de rizado en las corrientes tomadas del módulo PV son de aproximadamente el doble que en el caso de las técnicas de modulación continuas. Finalmente, el uso del convertidor qSBI como microinversor es puesto en evidencia por dos casos experimentales prácticos de un sistema fotovoltaico PV con un algoritmo de ajuste del máximo punto de potencia (MPPT).This work analyzes a prototype of a quasi-switched boost inverter (qSBI) feeding an isolated resistive load from a DC source. The use of spatial vector pulse width modulation (SPWM) with triangular comparison is proposed to increase the qSBI gain factor, and its performance is contrasted with other types of spatial vector modulations, such as discontinuous modulations. To verify the validity of the method for voltage range extension in the qSBI converter, a semi-customized test platform was developed. This platform uses a DSP floating point card (Analog Devices ADSP-21369) for processing and control strategies and an interface card that includes a programmable logic array (FPGA) from Xilinx (Spartan-3), which allows to develop the synchronized modulation qSBI needs. The experimental results show improvements in the performance of the qSBI converter in terms of gain factor, voltage reduction in the capacitor, and input current profiles. Discontinuous space vector modulation strategies do not perform well when compared to continuous SVPWM or SPWM modulations, because the ripple levels in the currents taken from the PV module are approximately twice as great as in continuous modulation techniques. Finally, the usefulness of a qSBI as PV microinverter is confirmed by two practical experimental cases of a PV photovoltaic system with a maximum power point adjustment algorithm (MPPT)

Método para el diagnóstico de rodamientos utilizando la complejidad de Lempel-Ziv

La presencia de una falla en un rodamiento hace que el sistema mecánico evolucione de una dinámica débilmente no lineal a una dinámica fuertemente no lineal, por lo tanto los métodos lineales comunes en el dominio del tiempo y la frecuencia no son adecuados para el diagnóstico de rodamientos. En el presente artículo se propone una metodología novedosa no lineal para la detección de fallas en rodamientos, que usa la medida de complejidad sugerida por Lempel y Ziv para caracterizar las señales de vibración. La ventaja principal de este método sobre las demás técnicas de análisis no lineal es que no requiere la reconstrucción de un atractor, por lo que es adecuado para realizar análisis en tiempo real. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la complejidad de LempelZiv es una herramienta efectiva para el diagnóstico de rodamientos.The presence of a fault in a bearing makes the mechanical system evolve from a weakly nonlinear dynamic to a strong non-linear dynamic; therefore the linear methods in time and frequency are not suitable for bearing diagnosis. This article uses a novel nonlinear method for bearing diagnosis, which uses the complexity measure suggested by Lempel and Ziv to characterize the vibration signals. The main advantage of this method over other nonlinear analysis techniques is that it does not require the reconstruction of an attractor; therefore it is suitable for on-line analysis. The results show that the Lempel-Ziv complexity is an effective tool for bearing diagnosis

New On Line Resource for Psycholinguistic

Picture naming is a widely used technique in psycholinguistic studies. Here, we describe new on-line resources that our project has compiled and made available to researchers on the world wide web at http://crl.ucsd.edu/~aszekely/ipnp/. The website provides access to a wide range of picture stimuli and related norms in seven languages. Picture naming norms, including indices of name agreement and latency, for 520 black-and-white drawings of common objects and 275 concrete transitive and intransitive actions are presented. Norms for age-of-acquisition, word-frequency, familiarity, goodness-of-depiction, and visual complexity are included. An on-line database query system can be used to select a specific range of stimuli, based on parameters of interest for a wide range of studies on healthy and clinical populations, as well as studies of language development

Association of STAT4 with rheumatoid arthritis:A replication study in three European populations

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to investigate the previously reported association of the STAT4 polymorphism rs7574865 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 3 different European populations from Spain, Sweden, and The Netherlands, comprising a total of 2,072 patients and 2,474 controls. METHODS: Three different cohorts were included in the study: 923 RA patients and 1,296 healthy controls from Spain, 273 RA patients and 285 healthy controls from Sweden, and 876 RA patients and 893 healthy controls from The Netherlands. DNA from patients and controls was obtained from peripheral blood. Samples were genotyped for the STAT4 single-nucleotide polymorphism rs7574865 using a TaqMan 5'-allele discrimination assay. The chi-square test was performed to compare allele and genotype distributions. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: We observed a significantly increased frequency of the minor T allele in RA patients compared with healthy controls in the Spanish population (24.8% versus 20.8%; P = 0.001, OR 1.26 [95% CI 1.09-1.45]). This association was confirmed in both the Swedish population (P = 0.03, OR 1.35 [95% CI 1.03-1.77]) and the Dutch population (P = 0.03, OR 1.45 [95% CI 1.21-1.73]). The overall P value for all 3 populations was 9.79 x 10(-6) (OR 1.25 [95% CI 1.13-1.37]). No association between rs7574865 and the presence of rheumatoid factor or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide autoantibodies was observed. A meta-analysis of all published STAT4 associations revealed an OR of 1.25 (95% CI 1.19-1.33) (P = 1 x 10(-5)). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate an association between the STAT4 polymorphism rs7574865 and RA in 3 different populations, from Spain, Sweden, and The Netherlands, thereby confirming previous data

Repeated Mechanical Endovascular Thrombectomy for Recurrent Large Vessel Occlusion: A Multicenter Experience

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is now the standard of care for large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke. However, little is known about the frequency and outcomes of repeat MT (rMT) for patients with recurrent LVO. METHODS: This is a retrospective multicenter cohort of patients who underwent rMT at 6 tertiary institutions in the United States between March 2016 and March 2020. Procedural, imaging, and outcome data were evaluated. Outcome at discharge was evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale. RESULTS: Of 3059 patients treated with MT during the study period, 56 (1.8%) underwent at least 1 rMT. Fifty-four (96%) patients were analyzed; median age was 64 years. The median time interval between index MT and rMT was 2 days; 35 of 54 patients (65%) experienced recurrent LVO during the index hospitalization. The mechanism of stroke was cardioembolism in 30 patients (56%), intracranial atherosclerosis in 4 patients (7%), extracranial atherosclerosis in 2 patients (4%), and other causes in 18 patients (33%). A final TICI recanalization score of 2b or 3 was achieved in all 54 patients during index MT (100%) and in 51 of 54 patients (94%) during rMT. Thirty-two of 54 patients (59%) experienced recurrent LVO of a previously treated artery, mostly the pretreated left MCA (23 patients, 73%). Fifty of the 54 patients (93%) had a documented discharge modified Rankin Scale after rMT: 15 (30%) had minimal or no disability (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2), 25 (50%) had moderate to severe disability (modified Rankin Scale score 3-5), and 10 (20%) died. CONCLUSIONS: Almost 2% of patients treated with MT experience recurrent LVO, usually of a previously treated artery during the same hospitalization. Repeat MT seems to be safe and effective for attaining vessel recanalization, and good outcome can be expected in 30% of patients

Classification methods to identify lesions in skin starting from spectra of diffuse reflectance

Con el objetivo de discriminar lesiones benignas y malignas en la piel humana a partir de espectros de reflexión difusa, se han analizado diferentes algoritmos de clasificación usando el software de aprendizaje automático y reconocimiento de patrones WEKA. Además, dada la alta dimensionalidad de la señal espectral, fue empleada una técnica selección de atributos para determinar las variables que aporten la mayor cantidad de información. Se probó la clasificación de la señal usando los algoritmos de máquinas de vectores de soporte, redes neuronales y bosques aleatorios, el desempeño fue evaluado usando el promedio de la k-fold cross-validation tomando en cuenta los porcentajes de instancias clasificadas correctamente, el índice kappa, el área bajo la curva ROC, la sensibilidad, y la especifidad. Finalmente se demuestra que el algoritmo de redes neuronales con los parámetros momentum y learning rate en 0,6 y 0,3 respectivamente, es el que mejor se adapta al problema de reconocimiento de patrones ya que clasifica correctamente al 89,89% de los casos.In order to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions in the human skin using diffuse reflection spectra, different classification algorithms were tested using the WEKA data mining software. In addition, due to the high dimensionality of the spectral signal, an attribute selection technique was applied to determine the variables that contribute with more information. The spectral signal classification was tested using support vector machines, neural networks and random forests, their performance was measured using the k-fold cross-validation percentages of the Kappa statistic, area under the ROC curve, specificity and sensitivity. Finally it is shown that the one layer neural network with 6 neurons and the parameters momentum and learning rate in 0.6 and 0.3 respectively, is best suited to the problem of pattern recognition, achieving correctly classify 89.89% of the cases