Performance Benchmarks for Custom Applications: Considerations and Strategies

The motivation for this research came from the need to solve a problem affecting not only the company used in this study, but also the many other companies in the information technology industry having similar problem: how to conduct performance benchmarks for custom applications in an effective, unbiased, and accurate manner. This paper presents the pros and cons of existing benchmark methodologies. It proposes a combination of the best characteristics of these benchmarks into a methodology that addresses the problem from an application perspective considering the overall synergy between operating system and software. The author also discusses a software design to implement the proposed methodology. The methodology proposed is generic enough to be adapted to any particular application performance-benchmarking situation

Exploring Factors Influencing Information Technology Portfolio Selection Process in Government-Funded Bioinformatics Projects

In 2012, the National Cancer Institute\u27s (NCI) Board of Scientific Advisors (BSA) conducted a review of the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology\u27s (CBIIT) bioinformatics program. The BSA suggested that the lack of a formal project selection process made it difficult to determine the alignment of projects with the mission of the organization. The problem addressed by this study was that CBIIT did not have an in-depth understanding of the project selection process and the factors influencing the process. The purpose of this study was to understand the project selection process at CBIIT. The research methodology was an exploratory case study. The data collection process included a phenomenological interview of 25 managers from program management, engineering, scientific computing, informatics program, and health sciences. The data analysis consisted of coding for themes, sensitizing, and heuristic coding, supported by a theoretical framework that included the technology acceptance model, the program evaluation theory, and decision theory. The analysis revealed the need for formal project portfolio governance, the lack of a predefined project selection process, and that the decision-making process was circumstantial. The study also revealed six major themes that affected the decision-making process: the CBIIT mission, the organizational culture, leadership, governance, funding, and organizational change. Finally, the study fills the gap in the literature regarding the project selection process for government-funded initiatives in information technologies. This study may contribute to positive social change by improving the project selection process at CBIIT, allowing for the effective use of public funds for cancer informatics researchers

Global variations in heart failure etiology, management, and outcomes

Importance: Most epidemiological studies of heart failure (HF) have been conducted in high-income countries with limited comparable data from middle- or low-income countries. Objective: To examine differences in HF etiology, treatment, and outcomes between groups of countries at different levels of economic development. Design, Setting, and Participants: Multinational HF registry of 23 341 participants in 40 high-income, upper–middle-income, lower–middle-income, and low-income countries, followed up for a median period of 2.0 years. Main Outcomes and Measures: HF cause, HF medication use, hospitalization, and death. Results: Mean (SD) age of participants was 63.1 (14.9) years, and 9119 (39.1%) were female. The most common cause of HF was ischemic heart disease (38.1%) followed by hypertension (20.2%). The proportion of participants with HF with reduced ejection fraction taking the combination of a β-blocker, renin-angiotensin system inhibitor, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist was highest in upper–middle-income (61.9%) and high-income countries (51.1%), and it was lowest in low-income (45.7%) and lower–middle-income countries (39.5%) (P < .001). The age- and sex- standardized mortality rate per 100 person-years was lowest in high-income countries (7.8 [95% CI, 7.5-8.2]), 9.3 (95% CI, 8.8-9.9) in upper–middle-income countries, 15.7 (95% CI, 15.0-16.4) in lower–middle-income countries, and it was highest in low-income countries (19.1 [95% CI, 17.6-20.7]). Hospitalization rates were more frequent than death rates in high-income countries (ratio = 3.8) and in upper–middle-income countries (ratio = 2.4), similar in lower–middle-income countries (ratio = 1.1), and less frequent in low-income countries (ratio = 0.6). The 30-day case-fatality rate after first hospital admission was lowest in high-income countries (6.7%), followed by upper–middle-income countries (9.7%), then lower–middle-income countries (21.1%), and highest in low-income countries (31.6%). The proportional risk of death within 30 days of a first hospital admission was 3- to 5-fold higher in lower–middle-income countries and low-income countries compared with high-income countries after adjusting for patient characteristics and use of long-term HF therapies. Conclusions and Relevance: This study of HF patients from 40 different countries and derived from 4 different economic levels demonstrated differences in HF etiologies, management, and outcomes. These data may be useful in planning approaches to improve HF prevention and treatment globally

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved