New Avenues for Theoretical Contributions in Enterprise Architecture Principles - A Literature Review

Enterprise Architecture (EA), which has been approached by both academia and industry, is considered comprising not only architectural representations, but also principles guiding architecture's design and evolution. Even though the concept of EA principles has been defined as the integral part of EA, the number of publications on this subject is very limited and only a few organizations use EA principles to manage their EA endeavors. In order to critically assess the current state of research and identify research gaps in EA principles, we focus on four general aspects of theoretical contributions in IS. By applying these aspects to EA principles, we outline future research directions in EA principles nature, adoption, practices, and impact.

Dermatite atopique de l'enfant: principes généraux de la prise en charge [Atopic dermatitis in children: general principles of management].

Atopic dermatitis is the most frequent dermatosis in childhood. Numerous studies underscored the central role of skin barrier alterations in the pathogenesis of the inflammatory skin lesions. The management of atopic dermatitis has to be multidimensional. It combines among others some daily local care and a sporadic topical anti-inflammatory treatment during the acute flare-ups. The objective of this article is to summarize, in light of the recent European guidelines, the general principles of management of atopic dermatitis, for the general practitioner.

France's Charter for the Environment : of Presidents, Principles and Environmental Protection

France amended its constitution in 2005 to include a Charter for the Environment. The Charter lays out France's commitment to supporting the right to a 'balanced environment'. This article first traces the Charter's origins to a legacy-building presidential initiative. Jacques Chirac decided to invest in a neglected policy domain in which his own majority had shown little interest. He was obliged to intervene repeatedly in order to bring this project to a successful conclusion. In doing so, he staked out environmental affairs as an area of potential presidential supremacy. Next, the content of the Charter is examined. In this document, French traditions of universalism come together with an international movement for anticipatory environmental protection. This is reflected in the constitutionalisation of the precautionary principle, which emerged as the most controversial part of the Charter. The debates this provoked tended to caricature a risk-management principle whose meaning has been carefully refined to forestall objections. Finally, the Charter's potential efficacy is analysed. The post-Charter record of legislative and judicial activity concerning the environment is meagre, but not wholly inauspicious.

Plasmid electrotransfer of eye ciliary muscle: principles and therapeutic efficacy using hTNF-alpha soluble receptor in uveitis.

Due to its small size and particular isolating barriers, the eye is an ideal target for local therapy. Recombinant protein ocular delivery requires invasive and painful repeated injections. Alternatively, a transfected tissue might be used as a local producer of transgene-encoded therapeutic protein. We have developed a nondamaging electrically mediated plasmid delivery technique (electrotransfer) targeted to the ciliary muscle, which is used as a reservoir tissue for the long-lasting expression and secretion of therapeutic proteins. High and long-lasting reporter gene expression was observed, which was restricted to the ciliary muscle. Chimeric TNF-alpha soluble receptor (hTNFR-Is) electrotransfer led to elevated protein secretion in aqueous humor and to drastic inhibition of clinical and histological inflammation scores in rats with endotoxin-induced uveitis. No hTNFR-Is was detected in the serum, demonstrating the local delivery of proteins using this method. Plasmid electrotransfer to the ciliary muscle, as performed in this study, did not induce any ocular pathology or structural damage. Local and sustained therapeutic protein production through ciliary muscle electrotransfer is a promising alternative to repeated intraocular protein administration for a large number of inflammatory, degenerative, or angiogenic diseases.

Oxidation of proteins: Basic principles and perspectives for blood proteomics.

Protein oxidation mechanisms result in a wide array of modifications, from backbone cleavage or protein crosslinking to more subtle modifications such as side chain oxidations. Protein oxidation occurs as part of normal regulatory processes, as a defence mechanism against oxidative stress, or as a deleterious processes when antioxidant defences are overcome. Because blood is continually exposed to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, blood proteomics should inherently adopt redox proteomic strategies. In this review, we recall the biochemical basis of protein oxidation, review the proteomic methodologies applied to analyse redox modifications, and highlight some physiological and in vitro responses to oxidative stress of various blood components.

The ciliary smooth muscle electrotransfer: basic principles and potential for sustained intraocular production of therapeutic proteins.

BACKGROUND: We have developed a nonviral gene therapy method based on the electrotransfer of plasmid in the ciliary muscle. These easily accessible smooth muscle cells could be turned into a biofactory for any therapeutic proteins to be secreted in a sustained manner in the ocular media. METHODS: Electrical conditions, design of electrodes, plasmid formulation, method and number of injections were optimized in vivo in the rat by localizing β-galactosidase expression and quantifying reporter (luciferase) and therapeutic (anti-tumor necrosis factor) proteins secretion in the ocular media. Anatomical measurements were performed via human magnetic resonance imaging to design a human eye-sized prototype that was tested in the rabbit. RESULTS: In the rat, transscleral injection of 30 µg of plasmid diluted in half saline (77 mM NaCl) followed by application of eight square-wave electrical pulses (15 V, 10 ms, 5.3 Hz) using two platinum/iridium electrodes, an internal wire and an external sheet, delivered plasmid efficiently to the ciliary muscle fibers. Gene transfer resulted in a long-lasting (at least 5 months) and plasmid dose-/injection number- dependent secretion of different molecular weight proteins mainly in the vitreous, without any systemic exposure. Because ciliary muscle anatomical measurements remained constant among ages in adult humans, an integrated device comprising needle-electrodes was designed and manufactured. Its usefulness was validated in the rabbit. CONCLUSIONS: Plasmid electrotransfer to the ciliary muscle with a suitable medical device represents a promising local and sustained protein delivery system for treating posterior segment diseases, avoiding repeated intraocular injections.

Méta-analyses d'essais randomisés sur données individuelles dans le traitement des cancers ORL non métastatiques : principes, résultats, perspectives [Individual patient data meta-analyses of randomized trials for the treatment of non-metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinomas: Principles, results and perspectives].

Meta-analyses are considered as an important pillar of evidence-based medicine. The aim of this review is to describe the main principles of a meta-analysis and to use examples of head and neck oncology to demonstrate their clinical impact and methodological interest. The major role of individual patient data is outlined, as well as the superiority of individual patient data over meta-analyses based on published summary data. The major clinical breakthrough of head and neck meta-analyses are summarized, regarding concomitant chemotherapy, altered fractionated chemotherapy, new regimens of induction chemotherapy or the use of radioprotectants. Recent methodological developments are described, including network meta-analyses, the validation of surrogate markers. Lastly, the future of meta-analyses is discussed in the context of personalized medicine.

NMR chemical shifts of the rhodopsin chromophore in the dark state and in bathorhodopsin: a hybrid QM/MM molecular dynamics study.

We investigate nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters of the rhodopsin chromophore in the dark state of the protein and in the early photointermediate bathorhodopsin via first-principles molecular dynamics simulations and NMR chemical shift calculations in a hybrid quantum/classical (QM/MM) framework. NMR parameters are particularly sensitive to structural properties and to the chemical environment, which allows us to address different questions about the retinal chromophore in situ. Our calculations show that both the 13C and the 1H NMR chemical shifts are rather insensitive to the protonation state of Glu181, an ionizable amino acid side chain located in the vicinity of the isomerizing 11-cis bond. Thus, other techniques should be better suited to establish its protonation state. The calculated chemical shifts for bathorhodopsin further support our previously published theoretical structure, which is in very good agreement with more recent X-ray data.

Dual-Energy CT: Basic Principles, Technical Approaches, and Applications in Musculoskeletal Imaging (Part 1).

In recent years, technological advances have allowed manufacturers to implement dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) on clinical scanners. With its unique ability to differentiate basis materials by their atomic number, DECT has opened new perspectives in imaging. DECT has been used successfully in musculoskeletal imaging with applications ranging from detection, characterization, and quantification of crystal and iron deposits; to simulation of noncalcium (improving the visualization of bone marrow lesions) or noniodine images. Furthermore, the data acquired with DECT can be postprocessed to generate monoenergetic images of varying kiloelectron volts, providing new methods for image contrast optimization as well as metal artifact reduction. The first part of this article reviews the basic principles and technical aspects of DECT including radiation dose considerations. The second part focuses on applications of DECT to musculoskeletal imaging including gout and other crystal-induced arthropathies, virtual noncalcium images for the study of bone marrow lesions, the study of collagenous structures, applications in computed tomography arthrography, as well as the detection of hemosiderin and metal particles.

Dual-Energy CT: Basic Principles, Technical Approaches, and Applications in Musculoskeletal Imaging (Part 2).

In recent years, technological advances have allowed manufacturers to implement dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) on clinical scanners. With its unique ability to differentiate basis materials by their atomic number, DECT has opened new perspectives in imaging. DECT has been successfully used in musculoskeletal imaging with applications ranging from detection, characterization, and quantification of crystal and iron deposits, to simulation of noncalcium (improving the visualization of bone marrow lesions) or noniodine images. Furthermore, the data acquired with DECT can be postprocessed to generate monoenergetic images of varying kiloelectron volts, providing new methods for image contrast optimization as well as metal artifact reduction. The first part of this article reviews the basic principles and technical aspects of DECT including radiation dose considerations. The second part focuses on applications of DECT to musculoskeletal imaging including gout and other crystal-induced arthropathies, virtual noncalcium images for the study of bone marrow lesions, the study of collagenous structures, applications in computed tomography arthrography, as well as the detection of hemosiderin and metal particles.

Tackling Societal Challenges Related to Ageing and Transport Transition: An Introduction to Philosophical Principles of Causation Adapted to the Biopsychosocial Model

In geriatrics, driving cessation is addressed within the biopsychosocial model. This has broadened the scope of practitioners, not only in terms of assessing fitness to drive, but also by helping to maintain social engagements and provide support for transport transition. Causes can be addressed at different levels by adapting medication, improving physical health, modifying behaviour, adapting lifestyle, or bringing changes to the environment. This transdisciplinary approach requires an understanding of how different disciplines are linked to each other. This article reviews the philosophical principles of causality between fields and provides a framework for understanding causality within the biopsychosocial model. Understanding interlevel constraints should help practitioners overcome their differences, and favor transversal approaches to driving cessation.