Expecting the unexpected during ERP implementations: a complexity view

Implementing an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system is a complex, risky, time-consuming, and very expensive affair. Unfortunately, ERP implementations are often still over budget and time, and below expectations. Ticking off critical success factors (CSFs) and risks is supposed to take care of all intricacies during an implementation. However, complexity theory suggests no perfect foresighted knowledge can exist and one should always be prepared for new and unexpected events happening (“unknown unknowns”). Currently, ERP research does not explicitly address this unexpected behavioral aspect of complexity. Therefore, it seems relevant to explore whether this unexpected complexity aspect of ERP implementations can be observed in actual ERP implementations. We demonstrate through an in-depth and structured case analysis that a normal, well-planned, and managed ERP project shows indeed unexpected behavior. That is to say, totally unforeseen major problems appear. From our observations, it is evident that ERP implementations can show significant unexpected behavior despite the best of knowledge, proper preparation, and project management practice. It seems relevant to perform more research into the relevance of appropriate control mechanisms based on acceptance of the inherent complex, i.e. unpredictable nature of ERP implementations. This awareness should complement existing mechanisms as CSFs and risks

A new look at an old dog : Bonn-Oberkassel reconsidered

The Bonn-Oberkassel dog remains (Upper Pleistocene and 14223 þ- 58 years old) have been reported more than 100 years ago. Recent re-examination revealed the tooth of another older and smaller dog, making this domestic dog burial not only the oldest known, but also the only one with remains of two dogs. This observation brings the total known Magdalenian dogs to nine. Domestication of dogs during the final Palaeolithic has important implications for understanding pre- Holocene hunter-gatherers. Most proposed hunter-gatherer motivations for domesticating dogs have been utilitarian. However, remains of the Bonn-Oberkassel dogs may offer another view. The Bonn-Oberkassel dog was a late juvenile when it was buried at approximately age 27e28 weeks, with two adult humans and grave goods. Oral cavity lesions indicate a gravely ill dog that likely suffered a morbillivirus (canine distemper) infection. A dental line of suggestive enamel hypoplasia appears at the 19-week developmental stage. Two additional enamel hypoplasia lines, on the canine only, document further disease episodes at weeks 21 and 23. Pathological changes also include severe periodontal disease that may have been facilitated by immunodeficiency. Since canine distemper has a three-week disease course with very high mortality, the dog must have been perniciously ill during the three disease bouts and between ages 19 and 23 weeks. Survival without intensive human assistance would have been unlikely. Before and during this period, the dog cannot have held any utilitarian use to humans. We suggest that at least some Late Pleistocene humans regarded dogs not just materialistically, but may have developed emotional and caring bonds for their dogs, as reflected by the survival of this dog, quite possibly through human care

Shallow Cumulus Cloud Fields Are Optically Thicker When They Are More Clustered

Shallow trade cumuli over subtropical oceans are a persistent source of uncertainty in climate projections. Mesoscale organization of trade cumulus clouds has been shown to influence their cloud radiative effect (CRE) through cloud cover. We investigate whether organization can explain CRE variability independently of cloud cover variability. By analyzing satellite observations and high-resolution simulations, we show that increased clustering leads to geometrically thicker clouds with larger domain-averaged liquid water paths, smaller cloud droplets, and consequently, larger cloud optical depths. The relationships between these variables are shaped by the mixture of deep cloud cores and shallower interstitial clouds or anvils that characterize cloud organization. Eliminating cloud cover effects, more clustered clouds reflect up to 20 W/m$^2$ more instantaneous shortwave radiation back to space

Tolerance and safety evaluation of N, N-dimethylglycine, a naturally occurring organic compound, as a feed additive in broiler diets

N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG) is a tertiary amino acid that naturally occurs as an intermediate metabolite in choline-to-glycine metabolism. The objective of the present trial was to evaluate tolerance, safety and bioaccumulation of dietary DMG in broilers when supplemented at 1 g and 10 g Na-DMG/kg. A feeding trial was conducted using 480 1-d-old broiler chicks that were randomly allocated to twenty-four pens and fed one of three test diets added with 0, 1 or 10 g Na-DMG/kg during a 39 d growth period. Production performance was recorded to assess tolerance and efficacy of the supplement. At the end of the trial, toxicity was evaluated by means of haematology, plasma biochemistry and histopathology of liver, kidney and heart (n 12), whereas bioaccumulation was assessed on breast meat, liver, blood, kidney and adipose tissue (n 8). Carcass traits were similar between the control and 1 g Na-DMG/kg feed groups (P.0·05), but the feed:gain ratio was significantly improved at 1 g Na-DMG/kg feed compared with the control or the 10-fold dose (P¼0·008). Histological examinations showed no pathological effects and results of haematology and plasma biochemistry revealed similar values between the test groups (P.0·05). Bioaccumulation occurred at the 10-fold dose, but the resulting DMG content in breast meat was comparable with, for instance, wheat bran and much lower than uncooked spinach. In conclusion, DMG at 1 g Na-DMG/kg improved the feed:gain ratio in broilers without DMG being accumulated in consumer parts. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with DMG up to 10 g Na-DMG/kg did not induce toxicity or impaired performance in broilers

Constitutive IP₃ signaling underlies the sensitivity of B-cell cancers to the Bcl-2/IP₃ receptor disruptor BIRD-2

Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins are upregulated in different cancers, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), enabling survival by inhibiting pro-apoptotic Bcl-2-family members and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor (IP3R)-mediated Ca2+-signaling. A peptide tool (Bcl-2/IP3R Disruptor-2; BIRD-2) was developed to abrogate the interaction of Bcl-2 with IP3Rs by targeting Bcl-2′s BH4 domain. BIRD-2 triggers cell death in primary CLL cells and in DLBCL cell lines. Particularly, DLBCL cells with high levels of IP3R2 were sensitive to BIRD-2. Here, we report that BIRD-2-induced cell death in DLBCL cells does not only depend on high IP3R2-expression levels, but also on constitutive IP3 signaling, downstream of the tonically active B-cell receptor. The basal Ca2+ level in SU-DHL-4 DLBCL cells was significantly elevated due to the constitutive IP3 production. This constitutive IP3 signaling fulfilled a pro-survival role, since inhibition of phospholipase C (PLC) using U73122 (2.5 µM) caused cell death in SU-DHL-4 cells. Milder inhibition of IP3 signaling using a lower U73122 concentration (1 µM) or expression of an IP3 sponge suppressed both BIRD-2-induced Ca2+ elevation and apoptosis in SU-DHL-4 cells. Basal PLC/IP3 signaling also fulfilled a pro-survival role in other DLBCL cell lines, including Karpas 422, RI-1 and SU-DHL-6 cells, whereas PLC inhibition protected these cells against BIRD-2-evoked apoptosis. Finally, U73122 treatment also suppressed BIRD-2-induced cell death in primary CLL, both in unsupported systems and in co-cultures with CD40L-expressing fibroblasts. Thus, constitutive IP3 signaling in lymphoma and leukemia cells is not only important for cancer cell survival, but also represents a vulnerability, rendering cancer cells dependent on Bcl-2 to limit IP3R activity. BIRD-2 seems to switch constitutive IP3 signaling from pro-survival into pro-death, presenting a plausible therapeutic strategy

Interferon-gamma release assays versus tuberculin skin testing for detection of latent tuberculosis in chronic haemodialysis patients

Background. End stage renal disease increases the risk of reactivating latent tuberculosis (LTBI). Interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) are an alternative to the tuberculin skin test (TST) for detecting LTBI. Methods. Sixty-two hemodialysis patients (46 male, 16 female, aged 65 ± 15 years) from 3 hemodialysis facilities in the Geneva area were submitted to a TST, 2 IGRA (T-SPOT.TB and QuantiFERON Gold in tube: QFT), a chest radiography, and a questionnaire to record social status, country of birth, history of prior TST, tuberculosis (TB), BCG (Bacillus of Calmette-Guérin vaccine), and any cause of immuno-suppression. LTBI was defined as prior "at risk” contact with a case of contagious TB and/or a chest X-ray suggestive of prior TB infection. Results. Positivity rate was 19% for TST, 21% for QFT and 29% for T-SPOT-TB; 8% of QFT and 11% of T-SPOT-TB were indeterminate. Agreement between IGRA was fair (κ= 0.60). After adjusting for age and BCG, OR (Odds Ratio) of having a positive QFT was 4.6-fold (p = 0.029) higher in patients with LTBI vs. those without LTBI. In contrast, no association was found between LTBI and having a positive T-SPOT.TB or a positive TST. As expected, there was a strong association between prior BCG vaccination and having a positive TST (OR 5.3, p = 0.017). QFT was the only test with a significant OR of having LTBI (adjusted OR: 4.4; 95%CI: 1.1 − 17.6; p = 0.034). Among 5 patients with definite prior TB, TST and T-SPOT.TB were positive in 1 and QFT, in 2. Conclusions. In this population, QFT was superior to TST for detecting LTBI, but both IGRAs and TST have important limitations, and are unreliable for screening for LTB