Business process improvement in ERP post-implementation contex

Abstract. The purpose of this research has been studying the role of Business Process Improvement and its tools, techniques and methodologies in such a context, where an ERP system has been fully adopted to the organization. In addition to analyzing the tools relating to BPI, also the subcategories of BPI are researched. These include Business Process Automation, Business Process Optimization, and Business Process Integration. All these can be seen as a subset of BPI, so they cannot be exluded when studying Business Process Improvement. There has been an additional focus on the structures of these business process related terms because there are misintepretations among the concepts and terms even amongst the professionals who have researched the same discipline

Mikronäkökulmia kehitysmaiden talouskasvun ongelmista

Tiivistelmä. Monien köyhimpien maiden talouskasvu on ollut hyvin heikkoa vuosikymmenten ajan ja tänä päivänä useat rikkaimmista maista on jopa monikymmenkertaisesti kehitysmaita rikkaampia. Kehitysmaiden talouskasvuun liittyvät ongelmat ovat hyvin moninaiset ja tässä tutkielmassa keskitytään tutkimaan kehitysmaiden kasvuongelmia pääomien investointien näkökulmasta. Tämä tutkielma tutkii erityisesti erilaisten kehitysmaissa tehtyjen satunnaistettujen kokeiluiden tuloksia talouskasvun tekijöiden näkökulmasta. Tarkemmin tutkielma kuvaa niitä mikrotason tekijöitä, jotka vaikuttavat köyhien maiden ihmisten päätöksiin investoida talouskasvua tuottaviin pääomiin. Tutkielma peilaa kasvuteorian tasolla määriteltyjen kasvutekijöiden merkitystä köyhien maiden mikrotasolle, ja ennen kaikkea sitä minkälaisia ongelmia tutkimuksissa on havaittu näihin kasvutekijöihin investoimiseen liittyen. Kehitysmaissa yleisesti ihmiset kouluttautuvat vähemmän, ovat sairaampia ja käyttävät vähemmän virallisia pankki- ja rahoituspalveluita investointien tekemiseen, jotka taas vaikuttavat selvästi näiden maiden kehitykseen. Tässä tutkielmassa käsitellään nimenomaan juuri näihin kasvua tuottaviin pääomiin — inhimilliseen ja fyysisiin pääomiin — liittyviä ongelmia köyhissä maissa tehtyjen mikrotason tutkimusten kautta, ja kuvattu tarkemmin minkälaisia ongelmia niihin liittyy ja minkälaisia ratkaisuyrityksiä on kokeiltu ongelmien ratkaisemiseksi. Edellä kuvatut kasvutekijät ja näkökulmat on valittu siitä syystä, että ne ovat kasvuteorioiden mukaa määritelty erityisen tärkeiksi talouskasvun tekijöiksi. Kouluttautuminen ja parempi terveys mahdollistavat ihmisten paremman tuottavuuden, ja tehokkaampi ja toimivampi pankki- ja rahoitusmarkkinoiden toiminta mahdollistavat ihmisten vaurastumisen ja tehokkaampien yritysten kasvun. Kokonaisuudessaan tutkielmasta ja käsitellyistä tutkimuksista piirtyy kuva, että monien köyhien maiden kasvutekijöihin liittyvien ongelmien takana on toimimaton ja kansalaistensa hyvinvoinnin kannalta epätäydellisesti toimiva yhteiskunta ja julkinen valta. Monet ongelmista liittyvät juuri julkisen vallan ja yhteiskuntien instituutioiden toimimattomuuteen kansalaisten näkökulmasta. Suuria ongelmia liittyy erityisesti julkisten organisaatioiden toimintaan ja valvontaan, ja siihen miten erilaiset palvelut toimivat yhteiskunnan ihmisten näkökulmasta. Joillakin kokeiluilla on saatu merkittäviä parannuksia edellä kuvattuihin tekijöihin, mutta kokonaisuudessaan tutkimukset viittaavat siihen, että suurimpien ongelmien lähteet liittyvät yhteiskunnan toimimattomuuteen ja julkisen vallan vastuunvelvollisuuden puutteeseen

Association between 5-HT2A, TPH1 and GNB3 genotypes and response to typical neuroleptics: a serotonergic approach

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Schizophrenia is a common psychiatric disease affecting about 1% of population. One major problem in the treatment is finding the right the drug for the right patients. However, pharmacogenetic results in psychiatry can seldom be replicated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We selected three candidate genes associated with serotonergic neurotransmission for the study: serotonin 2A (<it>5-HT2A</it>) receptor gene, tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (<it>TPH1</it>) gene, and G-protein beta-3 subunit (<it>GNB3</it>) gene. We recruited 94 schizophrenia patients representing extremes in treatment response to typical neuroleptics: 43 were good responders and 51 were poor responders. The control group consisted of 392 healthy blood donors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We do, in part, replicate the association between <it>5-HT2A </it>T102C polymorphism and response to typical neuroleptics. In female patients, C/C genotype was significantly more common in non-responders than in responders [OR = 6.04 (95% Cl 1.67–21.93), p = 0.005] or in the control population [OR = 4.16 (95% CI 1.46–11.84), p = 0.005]. <it>TPH1 </it>A779C C/A genotype was inversely associated with good treatment response when compared with non-responders [OR = 0.59 (95% Cl 0.36–0.98), p = 0.030] or with the controls [OR = 0.44 (95% CI 0.23–0.86, p = 0.016], and <it>GNB3 </it>C825T C/T genotype showed a trend-like positive association among the male patients with a good response compared with non-responders [OR = 3.48 (95% Cl 0.92–13.25), p = 0.061], and a clearer association when compared with the controls [OR = 4.95 (95% CI 1.56–15.70), p = 0.004].</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>More findings on the consequences of functional polymorphisms for the role of serotonin in the development of brain and serotonergic neurotransmission are needed before more detailed hypotheses regarding susceptibility and outcome in schizophrenia can be formulated. The present results may highlight some of the biological mechanisms in different courses of schizophrenia between men and women.</p

Linearly polarized 64-element antenna array for mm-wave mobile backhaul application

Abstract The paper presents simulated and measured results of a large millimeter-wave antenna array, designed by keeping mind the particular interests for proof of concepts in 5G demonstrations in South-Korean Winter Olympics 2018. The array consist of 16 (2×8) unit cells, each having four (2×2) linearly polarized patch elements exited with the same amplitude and phase. The desired −10 dB impedance bandwidth for the array is from 25.65 GHz to 27.50 GHz, and the proposed structure achieves lower than −30 dB mutual coupling between the unit cells. The presented simulation and measurement results show good match with each other, as well as with the specifications. The radiation pattern is measured element by element at 27 GHz, and the results are summed in post-processing to perform the array factor. Sidelobe levels are 15 dB below the maximum gain, whereas the measured maximum gain is around 20 dB as the numerical results predicted 21.5 dB

Coupled heat transfer and phase transformations of dual-phase steel in coil cooling

Abstract Dual-phase steels are generally used in the car industry due to high tensile strength and good formability, which are obtained by a mixture of bainite and ferrite phases. This microstructure is achieved through slow rate coil cooling. However, the manufacturing of dual-phase steels introduces various challenges such as the instability of the cold rolling process. An important factor affecting this is the non-uniform coil cooling of a hot rolled strip. In coil cooling the cooling rates are not controlled and there are different thermal contacts during coil conveyance causing unequal cooling of the steel coil. Unequal cooling rates lead to non-uniform coil cooling, producing irregular phase transformations on different sides of the coil, which causes periodical variations of the phase fractions in the steel strip. Varying phase fractions cause thickness deviations in the strip during the cold rolling process. A three-dimensional transient heat transfer finite element model was developed and used for modeling the complete coil conveyance chain and coil field cooling of the coil on an industrial scale. A coupled phase transformation model is implemented as a subroutine into the finite element model for calculating the resulting phase fractions. It was found that the different thermal contacts during the coil conveyance produce uneven cooling rates causing length- and widthwise variations in the phase fractions. The heat transfer model is validated by comparing temperature profiles between the simulated and measured coil edges. The phase transformation model is fitted into experimental data and verification is carried out in industrial conditions by comparing the modeled phase fractions and test samples from a cooled and unwound steel coil

Molecular mechanisms of synaptotoxicity and neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, which is clinically associated with a global cognitive decline and progressive loss of memory and reasoning. According to the prevailing amyloid cascade hypothesis of AD, increased soluble amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomer levels impair the synaptic functions and augment calcium dyshomeostasis, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress as well as the formation of neurofibrillary tangles at specific brain regions. Emerging new findings related to synaptic dysfunction and initial steps of neuroinflammation in AD have been able to delineate the underlying molecular mechanisms, thus reinforcing the development of new treatment strategies and biomarkers for AD beyond the conventional Aβ- and tau-targeted approaches. Particularly, the identification and further characterization of disease-associated microglia and their RNA signatures, AD-associated novel risk genes, neurotoxic astrocytes, and in the involvement of complement-dependent pathway in synaptic pruning and loss in AD have set the outstanding basis for further preclinical and clinical studies. Here, we discuss the recent development and the key findings related to the novel molecular mechanisms and targets underlying the synaptotoxicity and neuroinflammation in AD

Lightweight porous silica foams with extreme-low dielectric permittivity and loss for future 6G wireless communication technologies

Abstract In the next generation wireless communication systems operating at near terahertz frequencies, dielectric substrates with the lowest possible permittivity and loss factor are becoming essential. In this work, highly porous (98.9% ± 0.1%) and lightweight silica foams (0.025 ± 0.005 g/cm³), that have extremely low relative permittivity (εr = 1.018 ± 0.003 at 300 GHz) and corresponding loss factor (tan δ&lt; 3 × 10⁻⁴ at 300 GHz) are synthetized by a template-assisted sol-gel method. After dip-coating the slabs of foams with a thin film of cellulose nanofibers, sufficiently smooth surfaces are obtained, on which it is convenient to deposit electrically conductive planar thin films of metals important for applications in electronics and telecommunication devices. Here, micropatterns of Ag thin films are sputtered on the substrates through a shadow mask to demonstrate double split-ring resonator metamaterial structures as radio frequency filters operating in the sub-THz band

Proof of concept of mmWave high capacity backhaul:RF and antenna components

Abstract In the next generation of mobile network, 5G, mmwave (mmW) communication is considered one of the main disruptive technologies to increase data rates, improve spectrum efficiency and provide new frequency bands for wireless communication. New frequency bands require new radio frequency components and design of radio circuits operating at mmW frequencies is a challenging task. This paper provides simulation and measurement results of a commercial power amplifier, a Wilkinson divider and a distributed element 22 GHz high pass filter used in a proof of concept 5G mmW radio

Diabetes is associated with familial idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus:a case–control comparison with family members

Abstract Background: The pathophysiological basis of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is still unclear. Previous studies have shown a familial aggregation and a potential heritability when it comes to iNPH. Our aim was to conduct a novel case-controlled comparison between familial iNPH (fNPH) patients and their elderly relatives, involving multiple different families. Methods: Questionnaires and phone interviews were used for collecting the data and categorising the iNPH patients into the familial (fNPH) and the sporadic groups. Identical questionnaires were sent to the relatives of the potential fNPH patients. Venous blood samples were collected for genetic studies. The disease histories of the probable fNPH patients (n = 60) were compared with their ≥ 60-year-old relatives with no iNPH (n = 49). A modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to measure the overall disease burden. Fisher’s exact test (two-tailed), the Mann–Whitney U test (two-tailed) and a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis were used to perform the statistical analyses. Results: Diabetes (32% vs. 14%, p = 0.043), arterial hypertension (65.0% vs. 43%, p = 0.033), cardiac insufficiency (16% vs. 2%, p = 0.020) and depressive symptoms (32% vs. 8%, p = 0.004) were overrepresented among the probable fNPH patients compared to their non-iNPH relatives. In the age-adjusted multivariate logistic regression analysis, diabetes remained independently associated with fNPH (OR = 3.8, 95% CI 1.1–12.9, p = 0.030). Conclusions: Diabetes is associated with fNPH and a possible risk factor for fNPH. Diabetes could contribute to the pathogenesis of iNPH/fNPH, which motivates to further prospective and gene-environmental studies to decipher the disease modelling of iNPH/fNPH