Some empirical evidence on business-IT alignment processes in the public sector: A case study report

An empirical study that explores business-IT alignment processes in a networked organization among the province Overijssel, the municipalities Zwolle and Enschede, the water board district Regge & Dinkel and Royal Grolsch N.V. in The Netherlands, is summarized in this report. The aim of the study was to identify processes that contribute to improve such alignment. This study represents a continuation of previous validation efforts that help us to confirm the business-IT alignment process areas that should ultimately be included in the ICoNOs MM. Evidence was sought for the alignment of business and IT through the use of information systems to support the requirements of the organization in a specific project. The results of this study in the public sector also are relevant to the private sector where (i) business-IT alignment plays an increasingly valuable role, and (ii) the characteristics of collaborative networked organizations are present

Risk_dash, A Python Framework to Model Portfolio Risk

While there are many Python packages that provide ways to do data analysis, in fact the package utilizes pandas, numpy, and scipy heavily, there are few that apply and handle common tasks that analysts face in quantifying market risk. pyfolio is one of those packages, however it forces you to utilize their infrastructure package Zipline where as risk_dash aims to provide a framework to formalize the data flow while being totally customizable for the analyst. risk_dash is comprised of classes and methods to handle the data flow and calculation of market risk metrics at the asset and portfolio level. In use, this package should ease the developer’s work in building a comprehensive risk analytics application and specifying the underlying risk distribution. This package does not aim to generate trade ideas, but quantify the market risks portfolios of securities face. Included is an example of an application that utilizes this framework focusing on an equity portfolio

Ethiopian-Netherlands Horticulture Partnership : Mission Report Strategy Development Floriculture Capacity Building October 15 - 21, 2006

The Netherlands’ Government has committed itself to contribute to a balanced growth of the horticulture sector in Ethiopia through a public-private partnership program in line with the WSSD partnership programs in South-east Asia and East-Africa. Jointly with the stakeholders a plan of activities for 2006 for this partnership was formulated. In order to address the topic ‘Capacity building in the floriculture sector in Ethiopia’ a mission was conducted in the period October 16-21, 2006 with the following objectives: • Identify needs and priorities for capacity building in the floriculture sector • Formulate a strategy for capacity building activities in the floriculture sector for the period 2007 - 201

Highly birefringent TiO2 nanocylinders : characterization and application in the optical torque wrench

Recent advances in optical tweezers have enabled the direct manipulation and measurement of optical torque using light spin momentum transferred to trapped birefringent particles. This powerful technique, termed Optical Torque Wrench (OTW), relies on trapping of quartz (SiO2) microcylinders which have become a standard and convenient probe for single-molecule studies. Here, we explore an alternative photonic probe based on rutile (TiO2) which has almost thirty-fold larger birefringence compared to quartz particles. By employing this promising material to fabricate rutile nanocylinders whose sizes can be easily tuned, we significantly enhance the accessible range of optical torques and angular frequencies in the OTW. In future, these novel photonic probes will allow us to study not only slowly processing torque-generating biological systems, as the genome processing machinery, but also fast rotating motors, including ATP-synthase and the bacterial flagellar motor

Trapping of highly birefringent rutile nanocylinders in the optical torque wrench

The optical torque wrench (OTW) is a powerful technique to measure the torsional properties of different biomolecules, including DNA, DNA- processing protein complexes and rotary motors. To date, quartz has proven to be a convenient birefringent material out of which to synthesize the micron-sized particles essential for this technique. However, the relatively low birefringence of quartz, which limits the maximal torque that can be applied in OTW, hampers the study of certain biological systems. A more attractive material is rutile, which has a thirty-fold higher birefringence. To date, however, the application of rutile in the trapping has been restricted due to its high refractive index, which results in low trapping efficiency. Here, we have employed finite element method calculations to determine the optimal dimensions of sub-micron-sized rutile cylinders for tight stable optical trapping. Using these calculations as a guideline, we have designed and devel- oped a nanofabrication protocol that allows us to produce rutile cylinders with the desired sizes at high yield. We have characterized the fabricated cylinders in the OTW setup and quantified both their linear and angular trapping proper- ties. In addition, we demonstrate full translational and rotational control of these functionalized cylinders tethered to individual DNA molecules for use in single-molecule applications

Predicting the early therapeutic alliance in the treatment of drug misuse

Aims - To predict the early therapeutic alliance from a range of potentially relevant factors, including clients' social relationships, motivation and psychological resources, and counsellors' professional experience and ex-user status. Design - The study recruited 187 clients starting residential rehabilitation treatment for drug misuse in three UK services. Counsellor and client information was assessed at intake, and client and counsellor ratings of the alliance were obtained during weeks 1, 2 and 3. Measurements - The intake assessment battery included scales on psychological wellbeing, treatment motivation, coping strategies and attachment style. Client and counsellor versions of the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI-S) were used for weekly alliance measurement. Hierarchical linear models were used to examine the relationship between alliance and predictor variables. Findings - Clients who had better motivation, coping strategies, social support and a secure attachment style were more likely to develop good alliances. Findings with regard to counsellor characteristics were not clear cut: clients rated their relationships with ex-user counsellors, experienced counsellors and male counsellors as better, but more experienced counsellors rated their alliances as worse. Conclusions - The findings offer important leads as to what interventions might improve the therapeutic alliance. Further work will need to establish whether the therapeutic alliance and ultimately treatment outcomes can be enhanced by working on improving clients' motivation and psychosocial resources

Get with the guidelines : management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in emergency departments in Europe and Australasia is sub-optimal

Background: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common in emergency departments (ED). Guidelines recommend administration of inhaled bronchodilators, systemic corticosteroids and antibiotics along with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) for patients with respiratory acidosis. Aim: To determine compliance with guideline recommendations for patients treated for COPD in ED in Europe (EUR) and South East Asia/Australasia (SEA) and to compare management and outcomes. Methods: In each region, an observational prospective cohort study was performed that included patients presenting to ED with the main complaint of dyspnoea during three 72-h periods. This planned sub-study included those with an ED primary discharge diagnosis of COPD. Data were collected on demographics, clinical features, treatment, disposition and in-hospital mortality. We determined overall compliance with guideline recommendations and compared treatments and outcome between regions. Results: A total of 801 patients was included from 122 ED (66 EUR and 46 SEA). Inhaled bronchodilators were administered to 80.3% of patients, systemic corticosteroids to 59.5%, antibiotics to 44 and 60.6% of patients with pH Conclusion: Compliance with guideline recommended treatments, in particular administration of corticosteroids and NIV, was sub-optimal in both regions. Improved compliance has the potential to improve patient outcome.Peer reviewe