On Measuring the Criticality of Various Variables and Processes in Organization Information Systems: Proposed Methodological Procedure

This paper proposes methodological procedures to be used by the accounting, organizational and managerial researchers and executives to ascertain the criticality of the variables and the processes in the measurement of management control system. We have restricted the validation of proposed methods to the extraction of critical success factors (CSF) in this study. We have also provided a numerical illustration and tested our methodological procedures using a dataset of an empirical study conducted for the purpose of ascertaining the CSFs. The proposed methods can be used by the researchers in accounting, organizational information systems, economics, and business and also in other relevant disciplines of organizational sciences. The main contribution of this paper is the extension of Rockart’s work [33] on critical success factors. We have extended the theory of CSF beyond the initially suggested domain of information into management control system decision making. The methodological procedures developed by us are expected to enrich the literature of analytical and empirical studies in accounting and organizational areas where it can prove helpful in understanding the criticality of individual variables, processes, methods or success factors.Success Factors, Criticality Analysis, Perceptual Criticality, Critical Success Factors

Is it T3 thyrotoxicosis? A case of falsely elevated tri-iodothyronine (T3) levels leading to a diagnosis of multiple myeloma

We are presenting a case of falsely elevated T3 levels in a patient due to interference from monoclonal immunoglobulins. A 56-year-old, clinically euthyroid man referred to the endocrinology clinic of the Aga Khan university, Karachi Pakistan, for possible T3 thyrotoxicosis after thyroid function tests revealed total T3 \u3e12.32 nmol/L (reference range 0.6-2.79), normal TSH, and total T4 level. There was a mismatch in clinical and laboratory parameters and preliminary laboratory results were suggestive of thyroid binding globulin abnormalities. Further evaluation in this context unmasked multiple myeloma. The presence of monoclonal immunoglobulins can lead to assay interference and spurious results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case defining the cause of falsely elevated T3 levels, due to assay interferences with binding of T3 only to monoclonal immunoglobulins

GSU Event Portal

This is GSU Event portal platform used for event registrations and also gives access to organizers to create, promote and manage events. Here we have three roles organizer, admin and visitor. This platform will be mobile friendly, easy-to-navigate and communicate which enable organizers to manage events, and help visitors discover events and register. This application allows visitor to search the events by name, date. The application highlights are every role has their access restrictions. Organizer will describe the details about the events in the website. Organizer can give discount to all visitors or for few, by providing the coupon code. The admin can access any data. This GSU Event Portal will solve a major problem with the current student portal - GSU student boredom. The GSU Event Portal will be an excellent addition to the existing GSU Student Portal, and will be used by all GSU students. The GSU Events feature will be ready for release December 4th, 2017

Is adding intra-articular steroid in total knee arthroplasty cocktail obligatory?

Background: The patients can undergo total knee replacement surgery either under general anaesthesia, combined spinal and epidural anaesthesia, nerve root block, spinal combined with intra-articular knee cocktail. There is an ongoing debate amongst Arthroplasty surgeons whether to include steroid in the cocktail or not. The aim of this study is to assess whether there is an added benefit of including steroid in the intraarticular mixture.Methods: This prospective study was conducted at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher education, Chennai between December 2017 to December 2018. The study was conducted in the Arthroplasty unit, Department of Orthopaedics. SRIHER ethics committee clearance was obtained prior to the start of the study. The inclusion criteria were patients who underwent total knee replacement surgery under combined spinal and intra-articular knee cocktail. Patients were divided into two groups based on the use of steroid in the intra-articular mixture. Patients were evaluated using Visual analogue scale, opioids usage as primary endpoint while any joint infection within six months of the surgery and knee society score at 1 month and 6 months as the secondary endpoint.Results: The mean visual analogue score for the 0 pod for the group I and group II were 2.3 and 2.4 respectively. There was no case of infection in both groups.Conclusions: There is no fringe benefit of adding steroid to the knee cocktail. So it is not obligatory to add steroid in intra-articular total knee arthroplasty cocktail

Experimental Study of Wave Forces on an Offshore Wind Turbine Tower Model

study of a tapered wind turbine tower is performed using particle image velocimetry and numerical methods. A 1.5 MW wind turbine base was studied and re-designed. A scaled model of a simple tapered tower base was studied in a wave channel using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to understand the flow phenomena at the tower base. Theoretical and experimental results were found using Morrison equations. The diffraction parameter shows that the linear wave theory is not valid for inertial co-efficient calculations. A direct value of 2.0 resulted for the inertial coefficient values while a lower drag influence was noted at coefficient of drag = 0.315. The turbine’s horizontal force profile is improved in this study to yield a 69% reduction in overturning moment by redesigning the turbines submerged tower

Characterization and evaluation of heavy metal tolerance of bacterial species from soil of waste area near Riyan steel rolling mills, Muzaffarnagar, India

The present study observed a variety of microorganisms from the soil of the waste area near Riyan Steel Rolling Mills , Muzaffarnagar. Among the microorganisms, 10 isolates of Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus showed great potential against detrimental heavy metals like Hg, Pb, Zn. Out of these 10 isolates, only 2 isolates of Bacillus subtilis (N1A2, N1P2), one isolates of P. aeruginosa N1A4 and one isolates of S. aureus A1N3 showed tremendous tolerance against various heavy metals. Bacillus subtilis N1A2 showed15x109 cfu/ml in 100?g/ml of HgCl2 whereas B. subtilis N1P2 showed 15x109 cfu/ml in 400?g/ml of zinc acetatate. Similarily Pseudomonas aeruginosa N1A4 showed 11x109 cfu/ml in 150?g/ml of lead acetate. Staphylococcus aureus A1N3 showed great resistance towards 450?g/ml of zinc sulphate and maintain their growth up to 7x109 cfu/ml. strains were identified as Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus on the basis of their morphological, physiological and biochemical and compared with their standard MTCC strains

Comparative Nutrient Utilization and Growth Performance of Jalauni Lambs and Bundelkhandi Kids Grazed on \u3cem\u3eHardwickia binata\u3c/em\u3e Based Silvopasture System

Goats and sheep play a significant role in the subsistence economy in India. Goats and sheep are multipurpose animals which provide hair, wool, meat, milk and skin. The production of meat from goats and sheep play a vital role in the supply of animal protein for the people of our country. Small ruminant production in village systems in tropical countries is often characterized by poor growth rates and high mortality (Devendra and Burns, 1970). The productivity of small ruminants can be improved by improving the nutrition either through concentrate feeding or provision of additional forage (Pathasarathy et al., 1984). In the present experiment, the animals therefore were allowed to graze in H. binata based silvipasture system to evaluate their nutrient availability from grazing as well as their productive performance

Importance of measuring non-HDL cholesterol in type 2 diabetes patients.

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between Non-high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with Type 2diabetes mellitus and the proportion of patients achieving Adult Treatment Panel III recommended goals. METHODS: The cross sectional study was conducted at the Diabetic Clinic, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. Data of Type 2 diabetesmellitus patients who attended the clinic bewteen 2007 and 2011 was reviewed. All Type 2 diabetic patients of either gender with fasting lipid profile irrespective of taking lipid lowering therapy were included.Type-1 DM, gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes patients with pregnancy and those with incomplete data were excluded. Correlation between the low-density lipoprotein and Non-high-density lipoprotein was assessed by applying Cramer V and phi. Proportion of patients achieving Adult Treatment Panel III recommended goals was checked. Multivariable regression was done to identify common factors associated with elevated Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. RESULTS: A total of 1352 patients fulfilling the eligibility criteria were included in the study. Mean age of the patients was 54.5 +/- 11.3 years; 797 (59%) were males; 1122 (83%) had Body Mass Index above 25; and 1016 (75%) had HbA1c \u3e or = 7%. Mean Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 129 +/- 42 mg/dl. Mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 100 +/- 37 mg/dl. Both low-density lipoprotein \u3c or = 100 and Non-HDL \u3c or = 130 mg/dl was achieved in 645 (48%) patients. It is important to note that although 728 (53.8%) patients achieved target LDL cholesterol of \u3c or = 100 mg/dl, among them 83 (11.4%) had Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol still above the target \u3e 130 mg/dl (p \u3c 0.05). Out of 752 patients with Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol \u3c or = 130 mg/dl, 645 (86%) had low-density lipoprotein cholesterol below 100 mg/dl. Cramer V and Phi showed that correlation between Non-high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 0.71 (p value \u3c 0.01). After adjusting for other covariates, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol \u3e 100 mg/dl was independently associated with having Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol \u3e 130 mg/dl (Adjusted Odds Ratio 38.6; 95% Confidance Interval = 28.1-53.1). Similarly, age \u3c or = 60 years was 60% more likely to have Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol \u3e 130 mg/dl (Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.6; 95% Confidance Interval = 1.01 - 2.3). Whereas having obesity Body Mass Index \u3e 25 was 3.6 times more associated to have Non-high-density lipoprotein \u3e 130 mg/dl (Adjusted Odds Ratio 3.6; 95% Confidance Interval = 1.6-7.7). In patients with coronary artery disease, combined goal achievement of low-density lipoprotein \u3c or = 70 mg/dl and Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol \u3c or = 100 mg/dl was seen in 59 (35%). Among patients with high-density lipoprotein \u3c or = 70 mg/dl, 8 (10%) had Non-high-density lipoprotein \u3e 100 mg/dl (p \u3c 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study showed a correlation between Non-high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. As measuringNon-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in Type 2 DM patients is simple, cost-effective and convenient because it does not require 12-hour fasting which may be a risk for hypoglycaemia in these patients, clinicians may choose Non-high-density lipoprotein as a routine measure in everyday practice

Relationship between estimated average glucose (eAG) and fasting plasma glucose in a cohort of Pakistani diabetic subjects

Introduction: Scientific literature is scarce on the utility of estimated average glucose (eAG) from Pakistan. Hence, there is a dire need to evaluate the relationship between eAG and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), in order to enhance our understanding of eAG and its usefulness. This study aims to investigate the relationship between FPG and eAG in diabetic patients calculated using HbA1C.Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. The medical records of both genders in the age range of 18-60 years, presenting as outpatients at the endocrine clinic, labeled as DM, were reviewed from January 2013 to December 2019. The subjects were divided into three groups A (\u3c130 mg/Dl), B (130-179 mg/Dl), and C (\u3e180 mg/Dl) based on FPG levels. A correlation was compared using Spearman’s correlation. Box, whisker plots, and scatter plots were computed by R studio.Results: After excluding those with missing values for either serum Cr, FPG, and HbA1c and sub-optimal renal function based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) a total of 4,673 cases were analyzed. Subgroup A showed good glycemic control, whereas subgroup C showed poor glycemic control. The difference between eAG and FPG was significant (p \u3c 0.0001). eAG values were found to be elevated than FPG values in groups A and B and almost the same in group C, whereas a moderately significant correlation with eAG and FPG in all three groups.Conclusion: The correlation between eAG and FPG varies with blood glucose control and was significantly higher in the poorly controlled diabetes group. As the association between the FPG and eAG levels varies with the extent of blood glucose control, reporting eAG with HbA1c by a simple formula, at no additional cost will prove to be beneficial for clinical care

Machine Vision System for Early-stage Apple Flowers and Flower Clusters Detection for Precision Thinning and Pollination

Early-stage identification of fruit flowers that are in both opened and unopened condition in an orchard environment is significant information to perform crop load management operations such as flower thinning and pollination using automated and robotic platforms. These operations are important in tree-fruit agriculture to enhance fruit quality, manage crop load, and enhance the overall profit. The recent development in agricultural automation suggests that this can be done using robotics which includes machine vision technology. In this article, we proposed a vision system that detects early-stage flowers in an unstructured orchard environment using YOLOv5 object detection algorithm. For the robotics implementation, the position of a cluster of the flower blossom is important to navigate the robot and the end effector. The centroid of individual flowers (both open and unopen) was identified and associated with flower clusters via K-means clustering. The accuracy of the opened and unopened flower detection is achieved up to mAP of 81.9% in commercial orchard images