Critical success factors for IoT implementation and how they differ for organizations with low digital maturity

The concept Internet of Things has existed for years, but it was just recently the interest around it truly started to grow. With the technological advancement introducing faster, more reliable networks and improved sensors, the true potential of Internet of Things became more evident. An increasing amount of organizations is investing in IoT technology, hoping to achieve benefits in terms of increased productivity, reduction of costs, or opportunities to create new business models. Yet, research shows that many IoT implementation initiatives fail. As the high rate of failure is known, many researchers have attempted to identify what it takes to succeed with these projects. However, nearly all of them present general factors necessary to succeed, without identifying variations caused by context. This study is addressing this issue, by exploring the critical success factors for IoT implementation, and by examining how the factors differ for organizations with low digital maturity. Insights from professionals with solid experience in IoT were gathered through a qualitative study in order to provide an answer to this question. The results suggest that the complexity of IoT implementation is reflected by the large number of critical success factors, which include factors related to characteristics of the organization, project management, level of expertise, and technological aspects of the solution. Additionally, the results show that the critical factors for organizations with low digital maturity are different, but mainly in terms of the significance each factor has, as the digital immaturity entails challenges which the mature companies do not have.O conceito de Internet das Coisas existe há anos, mas foi apenas recentemente que o interesse adjacente começou verdadeiramente a crescer. O avanço tecnológico introduziu redes mais rápidas e fiáveis e sensores melhorados, desvendando o verdadeiro potencial da Internet das Coisas. Um número crescente de organizações tem investido em tecnologia IdC, esperando atingir benefícios em termos de produtividade aumentada, redução de custos ou oportunidades de criação de novos modelos de negócio. Contudo, estudos indicam que muitas iniciativas de implementação de IdC falham. Sabendo que a taxa de insucesso é alta, muitos investigadores têm tentado identificar o que é necessário para ser bem-sucedido nestes projetos. No entanto, quase todos apresentam fatores generalizados necessários para o sucesso, negligenciando as variações contextuais. Este estudo foca-se neste tema, explorando os fatores críticos de sucesso para implementação de IdC e examinando como os fatores diferem para organizações com baixa maturidade digital. Conhecimentos de profissionais com sólida experiência em IdC foram agregados através de um estudo qualitativo no sentido de apresentar uma resposta para esta questão. Os resultados sugerem que a complexidade da implementação de IdC é refletida no extenso número de fatores críticos de sucesso, que incluem características da organização, gestão de projetos, nível de experiência e aspetos tecnológicos da solução. Adicionalmente, os resultados mostram que os fatores críticos para organizações com baixa maturidade digital são diferentes, mas essencialmente em termos da preponderância que cada fator tem, já que a imaturidade digital implica desafios que empresas maduras não enfrentam

Callirhoe, Concubinage, and a Corruption in Chariton 2.11.5

The author posits an unnoted textual corruption in Chariton 2.11.5 (τὸ ἐξ ἄλλου γεννώμενον) and, based on palaeography, the surrounding context, and an internal parallel, proposes a correction (τὸ ἐξ ἐμοῦ γεννώμενον)El autor señala una desconocida corrupción textual en Caritón 2.11.5 (τὸ ἐξ ἄλλου γεννώμενον) y, basándose en la paleografía, el contexto y un paralelo interno, propone una corrección (τὸ ἐξ ἐμοῦ γεννώμενον

Does Age Matter? Examination of Hungarian Basketball Coaches’ Pedagogical Beliefs and Professional Attitudes

Sports coaching in Hungary is an established profession. The coaching workforce, which is diverse in terms of age and coaching experience, is trained and paid. This study aimed to illustrate the impact of age on coaches’ values, beliefs and attitudes towards various aspects of their jobs. A total of 152 basketball coaches (105 male and 47 female) working in Hungary, with an average of 12.9 years (±11.5) coaching experience participated in an online survey. They were categorized into five age-groups i.e. 55 years; one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post hoc tests were used to identify the differences between groups. Regardless of their ages, coaches shared similar viewpoints on a range of aspects concerning coaching. Significant distinctions were mainly seen between coaches aged over 55 years and other age-groups suggesting that age has some effect on coaches’ beliefs and attitudes. Because respondents’ age and coaching experience were closely related, these differences could be attributed to age and commensurate experience

THE MAXIMAL MUSCLE TORQUES DISTRIBUTION AMONG MUSCLE GROUPS IN ELITE ATHLETES IN COMBAT SPORTS

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to point out typical asymmetries in strength distribution among main muscle groups in top athletes representing various kinds of combat sports. The differences in strength between tested groups were also considered and discussed. METHODS: Three groups of high-level sportsmen (11 fencers, 16 judokas and 16 boxers) took part in the experiment. Maximal muscle torques were measured in isometric conditions for flexion and extension in the elbow, shoulder, knee and hip joints for the left and right extremity. Special torquemeter devices (chair and bench) were utilized for measurement. The 2-way MACNOVA for repeated measures (8 variables) was employed to test differences in average strength between sports and sides. The logarithm of the body mass was included as a covariate. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to examine the distributions of the tested variables. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in average strength for both analyzed factors: sports (Rao's R=7.34,), sides (Rao's R=10.66, ) and their interaction (Rao's R=1.86, ). The asymmetrical strength distribution is thought to be the result of specific training methods applied in each tested sport discipline. The tested groups differed in strength in elbow, knee and hip for both flexion and extension. No matter how the body mass influence was controlled, the strength in the group of boxers was found lower, especially for knee and hip extensions. Fig.1. Mean values of maximal muscle torques for elbow (E), arm (A), knee (K), and hip (H) flexion (F) and extension (E) estimated for the athletes representing fencing, judo and boxing

Pericardium: structure and function in health and disease

Normal pericardium consists of an outer sac called fibrous pericardium and an inner one called serous pericardium. The two layers of serous pericardium: visceral and parietal are separated by the pericardial cavity, which contains 20 to 60 mL of the plasma ultrafiltrate. The pericardium acts as mechanical protection for the heart and big vessels, and a lubrication to reduce friction between the heart and the surrounding structures. A very important role in all aspects of pericardial functions is played by mesothelial cells. The mesothelial cells form a monolayer lining the serosal cavity and play an important role in antigen presentation, inflammation and tissue repair, coagulation and fibrinolysis. The two major types of mesothelial cells, flat or cuboid, differ substantially in their ultrastructure and, probably, functions. The latter display abundant microvilli, RER, Golgi dense bodies, membrane-bound vesicles and intracellular vacuoles containing electron-dense material described as dense bodies. The normal structure and functions of the pericardium determine correct healing after its injury as a result of surgery or microbial infection. The unfavorable resolution of acute or chronic pericarditis leads to the formation of adhesions between pericardial leaflets which may lead to serious complications

A nemzetközi női kézilabdázás jellemzői a riói olimpia elődöntőjébe jutott csapatok mérkőzései alapján = Characteristics of international female handball based on the games of semi finalist teams at the Rio Olympics

A kézilabdázás népszerűsége töretlen mind hazai, mind nemzetközi viszonylatokban. A sportági helyzetkép felvázolására és az aktuális nemzetközi erőviszonyok megállapítására a világversenyek elemzése ad lehetőséget számunkra. Jelen munkánkban a 2016-os riói olimpia női kézilabda torna elődöntőjébe jutott csapatok mérkőzéseinek elemzésére vállalkoztunk annak érdekében, hogy képet kapjuk a nemzetközi elit női csapatok támadó játékának irányultságairól. A mérkőzések utólagos elemzése során négy szempontot vettünk figyelembe: 1) a támadás befejezések eloszlása, 2) a 7 méteresek kiharcolásának körülményei, 3) a labdabirtokláson belüli akciók száma és sikeressége, 4) a rendezett védelem elleni támadás alapjátékainak előfordulása. z adatok feldolgozását alapstatisztika, klaszteranalízis és egy mintás t-próba eljárásokkal végeztük. Megállapítható, hogy a nemzetközi női elit támadó játékának jellemzője az átlövésekre és a gyorsindításokra való törekvés. A 7 méteresek kiharcolása legtöbbször a beálló és a betörést végrehajtó játékosnak sikerült. A rendezett védelem elleni támadások során a labdabirtoklások döntő többsége egyszeri rátámadással végződött. Az alkalmazott alapjátékok tekintetében a pozíciós játékok dominanciája figyelhető meg, gyakoriságát tekintve az emberfölényt kialakító húzás előnyben részesítésével. A mérkőzés megfigyelések alapján kapott eredmények háttér információval szolgálnak a hazai felkészítési rendszerhez, ugyanakkor a teljes képhez a csapatok védekezésének vizsgálatára is szükség mutatkozik. Handball is a constantly popular sport on national and international field of interest as well. For the status report of the actual international power relations in handball we have to analyze the international contests. In this study women teams getting into the semi-final in the Olympic Games in Rio were analyzed, in order to get a view about the trends of attacks. During the game analysis we took under consideration four factors: 1) distribution of finished attacks, 2) surroundings of fighting out 7-meter throws, 3) the number and success of actions within a ball possessing, 4)the presence of basic principle based attacks against set defense. For data analysis basic statistics, Cluster-analysis and T-test were made. It was set out that the international elite in attacks uses mostly backcourt shots and fast breaks. Fighting out 7-meters penalty shots is mostly achieved by pivots or players who were trying to penetrate the defence. Possessing of the ball against set defence was finished mostly with one action only. Among basic-principle-based attacks it seems to be dominating when taking up the basic attacking position and teams prefer stretching the defence with passing gaining numerical superiority. Results of game analyis give background information for preparation systems, while for optimal view the trends of defense should be analyzed as well

Use of an integrated clinical trial database to evaluate the effect of timing of drotrecogin alfa (activated) treatment in severe sepsis

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have indicated that early identification and treatment of patients with severe sepsis using standard supportive care improves outcomes. Earlier treatment with drotrecogin alfa (activated) (DrotAA) may also improve outcomes in severe sepsis. Using a recently constructed integrated severe sepsis database, our objectives in this study were to describe the influence of baseline clinical characteristics on timing of DrotAA treatment in patients with severe sepsis, to evaluate the efficacy of DrotAA with respect to timing of administration, and to examine the association between early intervention with DrotAA and patient outcomes, using adjustments for imbalances. METHODS: The database comprises data from 4,459 patients with severe sepsis (DrotAA, n = 3,228; placebo, n = 1,231) included in five clinical trials conducted in tertiary care institutions in 28 countries. Placebo data came only from randomized trials, whereas data for the DrotAA group came from randomized (PROWESS) and open-label/observational (ENHANCE) trials. RESULTS: Increased time-to-treatment with DrotAA was significantly associated with more organ dysfunction, greater need of mechanical ventilation, vasopressor use, or recent surgery. Earlier treatment was associated with higher baseline Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) scores. Adjusted and unadjusted survival analyses suggested that compared with placebo, DrotAA treatment provided a potential survival benefit, regardless of time to treatment. Survival curves of DrotAA patients treated early compared with those treated late began to separate at 14 days. By 28 days, patients treated earlier had higher survival than those treated later (76.4% versus 73.5%, p = 0.03). Sepsis-induced multiorgan dysfunction was the most common cause of death followed by refractory shock and respiratory failure. Modeling of the treatment effect, as a function of time to treatment, suggested increased benefit with earlier treatment. CONCLUSION: Using an integrated database of five severe sepsis trials and appropriate statistical adjustments to reduce sources of potential bias, earlier treatment with DrotAA seemed to be associated with a lower risk-adjusted mortality than later treatment. These data suggest that earlier treatment with DrotAA may provide most benefit for appropriate patients

Ultrastructural visualization of 3D chromatin folding using volume electron microscopy and DNA in situ hybridization.

The human genome is extensively folded into 3-dimensional organization. However, the detailed 3D chromatin folding structures have not been fully visualized due to the lack of robust and ultra-resolution imaging capability. Here, we report the development of an electron microscopy method that combines serial block-face scanning electron microscopy with in situ hybridization (3D-EMISH) to visualize 3D chromatin folding at targeted genomic regions with ultra-resolution (5 × 5 × 30 nm in xyz dimensions) that is superior to the current super-resolution by fluorescence light microscopy. We apply 3D-EMISH to human lymphoblastoid cells at a 1.7 Mb segment of the genome and visualize a large number of distinctive 3D chromatin folding structures in ultra-resolution. We further quantitatively characterize the reconstituted chromatin folding structures by identifying sub-domains, and uncover a high level heterogeneity of chromatin folding ultrastructures in individual nuclei, suggestive of extensive dynamic fluidity in 3D chromatin states