Still Not Solved: The Persistent Problem of IT Strategic Planning

The disaffection of information technology managers with IT strategy development and planning goes back a long way. The research that identifies this dissatisfaction is examined briefly. The technology strategy and planning problem is shown to be multi-faceted, with several possible causes that may be operating simultaneously in a particular company. A major ingredient of the problem is the alignment/linkage of IT planning and plans, and the business plans. For IT planners to achieve the desired linkage requires that the planners possess a deep understanding of their company\u27s business planning. Similarly, business managers must possess solid knowledge of their company\u27s IT planning. Using Kiviat Diagrams, business planning approaches are shown to be bewildering in their variety. This variety indicates that IT planning managers must find it difficult to decipher business planning in general and the nature of their company\u27s business planning in particular. Nine approaches to plan alignment and linkage are explored, each with respect to its possible value for linking IT planning and plans to business planning and plans. The development of a Theory of Plan Linkages is proposed. Several sources of the problem are suggested, and several IT management approaches to IT planning are explored briefly. It is unlikely that any single set of IT planning activities can deal satisfactorily with the problem for most companies. Efforts are proposed for developing best practices for IT planning. Steps are proposed for use by IT planners to improve their company\u27s IT strategy development processes. Areas that merit further academic research are explored

Research study on current-value accounting measurements and utility

Originally published by: Touche Ross Foundation

Genome-wide association study identifies common and low-frequency variants at the AMHgene locus that strongly predict serum AMH levels in males

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is an essential messenger of sexual differentiation in the foetus and is an emerging biomarker of postnatal reproductive function in females. Due to a paucity of adequately sized studies, the genetic determinants of circulating AMH levels are poorly characterized. In samples from 2815 adolescents aged 15 from the ALSPAC study, we performed the first genome-wide association study of serum AMH levels across a set of ∼9 M ‘1000 Genomes Reference Panel’ imputed genetic variants. Genetic variants at the AMH protein-coding gene showed considerable allelic heterogeneity, with both common variants [rs4807216 (PMale = 2 × 10−49, Beta: ∼0.9 SDs per allele), rs8112524 (PMale = 3 × 10−8, Beta: ∼0.25)] and low-frequency variants [rs2385821 (PMale = 6 × 10−31, Beta: ∼1.2, frequency 3.6%)] independently associated with apparently large effect sizes in males, but not females. For all three SNPs, we highlight mechanistic links to AMH gene function and demonstrate highly significant sex interactions (PHet 0.0003–6.3 × 10−12), culminating in contrasting estimates of trait variance explained (24.5% in males versus 0.8% in females). Using these SNPs as a genetic proxy for AMH levels, we found no evidence in additional datasets to support a biological role for AMH in complex traits and diseases in men

A Rare Case of Secondary Bacterial Peritonitis from Clostridium perfringens in an Adult Patient with Noncirrhotic Ascites and a Krukenberg Tumor: Report of a Case

Secondary bacterial peritonitis, in comparison to spontaneous, presents with a surgically treatable intraabdominal source for infection such as a gastrointestinal perforation or abscess and is nearly always polymicrobial. We present a rare case of secondary bacterial peritonitis from Clostridium perfringens in an adult patient with noncirrhotic ascites and a Krukenberg tumor

Local Box Adjacency Algorithms for Cylindrical Algebraic Decompositions

AbstractWe describe new algorithms for determining the adjacencies between zero-dimensional cells and those one-dimensional cells that are sections (not sectors) in cylindrical algebraic decompositions (cad). Such adjacencies constitute a basis for determining all other cell adjacencies. Our new algorithms are local, being applicable to a specified 0D cell and the 1D cells described by specified polynomials. Particularly efficient algorithms are given for the 0D cells in spaces of dimensions two, three and four. Then an algorithm is given for a space of arbitrary dimension. This algorithm may on occasion report failure, but it can then be repeated with a modified isolating interval and a likelihood of success

Maternal thyroid function and child educational attainment: prospective cohort study

Objective: To determine if first trimester maternal thyroid dysfunction is a critical determinant of child scholastic performance and overall educational attainment. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort in the UK. Participants: 4615 mother-child pairs with an available first trimester sample (median 10 weeks gestation, interquartile range 8-12). Exposures: Free thyroxine, thyroid stimulating hormone, and thyroid peroxidase antibodies assessed as continuous measures and the seven clinical categories of maternal thyroid function. Main outcome measures: Five age-specific national curriculum assessments in 3580 children at entry stage assessment at 54 months, increasing up to 4461 children at their final school assessment at age 15. Results: No strong evidence of clinically meaningful associations of first trimester free thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormone levels with entry stage assessment score or Standard Assessment Test scores at any of the key stages was found. Associations of maternal free thyroxine or thyroid stimulating hormone with the total number of General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs) passed (range 0-16) were all close to the null: free thyroxine, rate ratio per pmol/L 1.00 (95% confidence interval 1.00 to 1.01); and thyroid stimulating hormone, rate ratio 0.98 (0.94 to 1.02). No important relationship was observed when more detailed capped scores of GCSEs allowing for both the number and grade of pass or when language, mathematics, and science performance were examined individually or when all educational assessments undertaken by an individual from school entry to leaving were considered. 200 (4.3%) mothers were newly identified as having hypothyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism and 97 (2.1%) subclinical hyperthyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Children of mothers with thyroid dysfunction attained an equivalent number of GCSEs and equivalent grades as children of mothers with euthyroidism. Conclusions: Maternal thyroid dysfunction in early pregnancy does not have a clinically important association with impaired child performance at school or educational achievement

Spectral mapping of brain functional connectivity from diffusion imaging.

Understanding the relationship between the dynamics of neural processes and the anatomical substrate of the brain is a central question in neuroscience. On the one hand, modern neuroimaging technologies, such as diffusion tensor imaging, can be used to construct structural graphs representing the architecture of white matter streamlines linking cortical and subcortical structures. On the other hand, temporal patterns of neural activity can be used to construct functional graphs representing temporal correlations between brain regions. Although some studies provide evidence that whole-brain functional connectivity is shaped by the underlying anatomy, the observed relationship between function and structure is weak, and the rules by which anatomy constrains brain dynamics remain elusive. In this article, we introduce a methodology to map the functional connectivity of a subject at rest from his or her structural graph. Using our methodology, we are able to systematically account for the role of structural walks in the formation of functional correlations. Furthermore, in our empirical evaluations, we observe that the eigenmodes of the mapped functional connectivity are associated with activity patterns associated with different cognitive systems

QUANTIFICATION OF CATTAIL (\u3ci\u3eTYPHA\u3c/i\u3e SPP.) IN THE PRAIRIE POTHOLE REGION OF NORTH DAKOTA IN RELATION TO BLACKBIRD DAMAGE TO SUNFLOWER

Sunflower is an important crop for many farmers in the upper Midwest, especially in North Dakota and South Dakota. Blackbirds have been a major problem for the sunflower grower community. Bud depredation to a field can be devastating. The USDA-APHISWS is charged with reducing the conflict between the birds and the farmers. Many methods have been employed by Wildlife Services and other agencies to lessen the damage. One method is the reduction of the cattail (Typha spp.) habitat used by blackbirds in and around wetlands; however, cattails are used by other animals. Consequently, there is a need to insure habitat manipulation is not significantly affecting non-target species, hence knowing what portion of the total cattail habitat is being manipulated is critical. The purpose of this study was to quantify cattail habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota. Remote sensing using aerial infrared photographs was used to sample 120, 10.36 km sq. plots, randomly distributed throughout each of four strata dividing the PPR in ND. ArcInfo 8x Geographic Information System (GIs) software was used to run a supervised classification to delineate cattail from other vegetation. Results found 2,245 =t 257 (S.E.) km sq. of cattail in the PPR. These findings show that less than one percent of the total cattail stand in the PPR is being affected by the USDA cattail management efforts