Stakeholders' perceptions of data utility in the context of ERP outcomes

A substantial body of literature exists identifying factors contributing to under-performing Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs), including poor communication, lack of executive support and user dissatisfaction (Calisir et al., 2009). Of particular interest is Momoh et al.’s (2010) recent review identifying poor data quality (DQ) as one of nine critical factors associated with ERP failure. DQ is central to ERP operating processes, ERP facilitated decision-making and inter-organizational cooperation (Batini et al., 2009). Crucial in ERP contexts is that the integrated, automated, process driven nature of ERP data flows can amplify DQ issues, compounding minor errors as they flow through the system (Haug et al., 2009; Xu et al., 2002). However, the growing appreciation of the importance of DQ in determining ERP success lacks research addressing the relationship between stakeholders’ requirements and perceptions of ERP DQ, perceived data utility and the impact of users’ treatment of data on ERP outcomes.

Document clustering evaluation : Divergence from a random baseline

Divergence from a random baseline is a technique for the evaluation of document clustering. It ensures cluster quality measures are performing work that prevents ineffective clusterings from giving high scores to clusterings that provide no useful result. These concepts are defined and analysed using intrinsic and extrinsic approaches to the evaluation of document cluster quality. This includes the classical clusters to categories approach and a novel approach that uses ad hoc information retrieval. The divergence from a random baseline approach is able to differentiate ineffective clusterings encountered in the INEX XML Mining track. It also appears to perform a normalisation similar to the Normalised Mutual Information (NMI) measure but it can be applied to any measure of cluster quality. When it is applied to the intrinsic measure of distortion as measured by RMSE, subtraction from a random baseline provides a clear optimum that is not apparent otherwise. This approach can be applied to any clustering evaluation. This paper describes its use in the context of document clustering evaluation.

Utility of corneal confocal microscopy for assessing mild diabetic neuropathy: baseline findings of the LANDMark study

Background:  For those in the field of managing diabetic complications, the accurate diagnosis and monitoring of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) continues to be a challenge. Assessment of sub-basal corneal nerve morphology has recently shown promise as a novel ophthalmic marker for the detection of DPN. Methods:  Two hundred and thirty-one individuals with diabetes with predominantly mild or no neuropathy and 61 controls underwent evaluation of diabetic neuropathy symptom score, neuropathy disability score, testing with 10 g monofilament, quantitative sensory testing (warm, cold, vibration detection) and nerve conduction studies. Corneal nerve fibre length, branch density and tortuosity were measured using corneal confocal microscopy. Differences in corneal nerve morphology between individuals with and without DPN and controls were investigated using analysis of variance and correlations were determined between corneal morphology and established tests of, and risk factors for, DPN. Results:  Corneal nerve fibre length was significantly reduced in diabetic individuals with mild DPN compared with both controls (p < 0.001) and diabetic individuals without DPN (p = 0.012). Corneal nerve branch density was significantly reduced in individuals with mild DPN compared with controls (p = 0.032). Corneal nerve fibre tortuosity did not show significant differences. Corneal nerve fibre length and corneal nerve branch density showed modest correlations to most measures of neuropathy, with the strongest correlations to nerve conduction study parameters (r = 0.15 to 0.25). Corneal nerve fibre tortuosity showed only a weak correlation to the vibration detection threshold. Corneal nerve fibre length was inversely correlated to glycated haemoglobin (r = -0.24) and duration of diabetes (r = -0.20). Conclusion:  Assessment of corneal nerve morphology is a non-invasive, rapid test capable of showing differences between individuals with and without DPN. Corneal nerve fibre length shows the strongest associations with other diagnostic tests of neuropathy and with established risk factors for neuropathy.

The utility of serum CA-125 in predicting extra-uterine disease in apparent early stage endometrial cancer

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical value of pre-operative serum CA125 in predicting the presence of extra-uterine disease in patients with apparent early stage endometrial cancer. Methods: Between October 6, 2005 and June 17, 2010, 760 patients were enrolled in an international, multicentre, prospective randomized trial (LACE) comparing laparotomy with laparoscopy in the management of endometrial cancer apparently confined to the uterus. This study is based on data from 657 patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma who had a pre-operative serum CA125 value, and was undertaken to correlate pre-operative serum CA125 with final stage. Results: Using a pre-operative CA-125 cutpoint of 30U/ml was associated with the smallest misclassification error (14.5%) using a multiple cross-validation method. Median pre-operative serum CA-125 was 14U/ml, and using a cutpoint of 30U/ml, 14.9% of patients had elevated CA-125 levels. Of 98 patients with elevated CA-125 level, 36 (36.7%) had evidence of extra-uterine disease. Of the 116 patients (17.7%) with evidence of extra-uterine disease, 31.0% had elevated CA-125 level. In univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, only pre-operative CA-125 level was found to be associated with extra-uterine spread of disease. Utilising a cutpoint of 30U/ml achieved a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 31.0%, 88.5%, 36.7% and 85.7% respectively. Overall, 326/657 (49.6%) of patients had full surgical staging involving lymph node dissection. When analysis was limited to patients that had undergone full surgical staging, the outcomes remained essentially unchanged. Conclusions: Elevated CA-125 above 30U/ml in patients with apparent early stage disease is associated with a sensitivity of 31.0% and specificity of 88.5% in detecting extra-uterine disease. Pre-operative identification of this risk factor may assist to triage patients to tertiary centres and comprehensive surgical staging.

Circulating tumour cells, their role in metastasis and their clinical utility in lung cancer

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) have attracted much recent interest in cancer research as a potential biomarker and as a means of studying the process of metastasis. It has long been understood that metastasis is a hallmark of malignancy, and conceptual theories on the basis of metastasis from the nineteenth century foretold the existence of a tumour "seed" which is capable of establishing discrete tumours in the "soil" of distant organs. This prescient "seed and soil" hypothesis accurately predicted the existence of CTCs; microscopic tumour fragments in the blood, at least some of which are capable of forming metastases. However, it is only in recent years that reliable, reproducible methods of CTC detection and analysis have been developed. To date, the majority of studies have employed the CellSearch™ system (Veridex LLC), which is an immunomagnetic purification method. Other promising techniques include microfluidic filters, isolation of tumour cells by size using microporous polycarbonate filters and flow cytometry-based approaches. While many challenges still exist, the detection of CTCs in blood is becoming increasingly feasible, giving rise to some tantalizing questions about the use of CTCs as a potential biomarker. CTC enumeration has been used to guide prognosis in patients with metastatic disease, and to act as a surrogate marker for disease response during therapy. Other possible uses for CTC detection include prognostication in early stage patients, identifying patients requiring adjuvant therapy, or in surveillance, for the detection of relapsing disease. Another exciting possible use for CTC detection assays is the molecular and genetic characterization of CTCs to act as a "liquid biopsy" representative of the primary tumour. Indeed it has already been demonstrated that it is possible to detect HER2, KRAS and EGFR mutation status in breast, colon and lung cancer CTCs respectively. In the course of this review, we shall discuss the biology of CTCs and their role in metastagenesis, the most commonly used techniques for their detection and the evidence to date of their clinical utility, with particular reference to lung cancer.

Comparison of PCR, nested PCR, and random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR for detection and typing of Ureaplasma urealyticum in specimens from pregnant women

A PCR assay, using three primer pairs, was developed for the detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum, parvo biovar, mba types 1, 3, and 6, in cultured clinical specimens. The primer pairs were designed by using the polymorphic base positions within a 310- to 311-bp fragment of the 5* end and upstream control region of the mba gene. The specificity of the assay was confirmed with reference serovars 1, 3, 6, and 14 and by the amplified-fragment sizes (81 bp for mba 1, 262 bp for mba 3, and 193 bp for mba 6). A more sensitive nested PCR was also developed. This involved a first-step PCR, using the primers UMS-125 and UMA226, followed by the nested mba-type PCR described above. This nested PCR enabled the detection and typing of small numbers of U. urealyticum cells, including mixtures, directly in original clinical specimens. By using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR with seven arbitrary primers, we were also able to differentiate the two biovars of U. urealyticum and to identify 13 RAPD-PCR subtypes. By applying these subtyping techniques to clinical samples collected from pregnant women, we established that (i) U. urealyticum is often a persistent colonizer of the lower genital tract from early midtrimester until the third trimester of pregnancy, (ii) mba type 6 was isolated significantly more often (P 5 0.048) from women who delivered preterm than from women who delivered at term, (iii) no particular ureaplasma subtype(s) was associated with placental infections and/or adverse pregnancy outcomes, and (iv) the ureaplasma subtypes most frequently isolated from women were the same subtypes most often isolated from infected placentas.

Utility of the Mild Brain Injury Atypical Symptoms Scale to detect symptom exaggeration : an analogue simulation study

Brief self-report symptom checklists are often used to screen for postconcussional disorder (PCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are highly susceptible to symptom exaggeration. This study examined the utility of the five-item Mild Brain Injury Atypical Symptoms Scale (mBIAS) designed for use with the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) and the PTSD Checklist–Civilian (PCL–C). Participants were 85 Australian undergraduate students who completed a battery of self-report measures under one of three experimental conditions: control (i.e., honest responding, n = 24), feign PCD (n = 29), and feign PTSD (n = 32). Measures were the mBIAS, NSI, PCL–C, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2, Restructured Form (MMPI–2–RF), and the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS). Participants instructed to feign PTSD and PCD had significantly higher scores on the mBIAS, NSI, PCL–C, and MMPI–2–RF than did controls. Few differences were found between the feign PCD and feign PTSD groups, with the exception of scores on the NSI (feign PCD > feign PTSD) and PCL–C (feign PTSD > feign PCD). Optimal cutoff scores on the mBIAS of ≥8 and ≥6 were found to reflect “probable exaggeration” (sensitivity = .34; specificity = 1.0; positive predictive power, PPP = 1.0; negative predictive power, NPP = .74) and “possible exaggeration” (sensitivity = .72; specificity = .88; PPP = .76; NPP = .85), respectively. Findings provide preliminary support for the use of the mBIAS as a tool to detect symptom exaggeration when administering the NSI and PCL–C.

Extending the explanatory utility of the EPPM beyond fear-based persuasion

In the 20 years since its inception, the EPPM has attracted much empirical support. Currently, and unsurprisingly given that is a model of fear-based persuasion, the EPPM’s explanatory utility has been based only upon fear-based messages. However, an argument is put forth herein, which draws upon existing evidence, that the EPPM may be an efficacious framework for explaining the persuasive process and outcomes of emotion-based messages more broadly when such messages are addressing serious health topics. For the current study, four different types of emotional appeals were purposefully devised and included a fear, an annoyance/agitation, a pride, and a humour-based message. All messages addressed the serious health issue of road safety, and in particular the risky behaviour of speeding. Participants (N = 551) were exposed to only one of the four messages and subsequently provided responses within a survey. A series of 2 (threat: low, high) x 2 (efficacy: low, high) analysis of variance was conducted for each of the appeals based on the EPPM’s message outcomes of acceptance and rejection. Support was found for the EPPM with a number of main effects of threat and efficacy emerging, reflecting that, irrespective of emotional appeal type, high levels of threat and efficacy enhanced message outcomes via maximising acceptance and minimising rejection. Theoretically, the findings provide support for the explanatory utility of the EPPM for emotion-based health messages more broadly. In an applied sense, the findings highlight the value of adopting the EPPM as a framework when devising and evaluating emotion-based health messages for serious health topics.

On the probability density function of the product of Rayleigh distributed random variables

In this paper we investigate the distribution of the product of Rayleigh distributed random variables. Considering the Mellin-Barnes inversion formula and using the saddle point approach we obtain an upper bound for the product distribution. The accuracy of this tail-approximation increases as the number of random variables in the product increase.

Utility of an alternative bicycle commute route of lower proximity to motorised traffic in decreasing exposure to ultra-fine particles, respiratory symptoms and airway inflammation - a structured exposure experiment

Background: Bicycle commuting in an urban environment of high air pollution is known as a potential health risk, especially for susceptible individuals. While risk management strategies aimed to reduce motorised traffic emissions exposure have been suggested, limited studies have assessed the utility of such strategies in real-world circumstances. Objectives: The potential of reducing exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP; < 0.1 µm) during bicycle commuting by lowering interaction with motorised traffic was investigated with real-time air pollution and acute inflammatory measurements in healthy individuals using their typical, and an alternative to their typical, bicycle commute route. Methods: Thirty-five healthy adults (mean ± SD: age = 39 ± 11 yr; 29% female) each completed two return trips of their typical route (HIGH) and a pre-determined altered route of lower interaction with motorised traffic (LOW; determined by the proportion of on-road cycle paths). Particle number concentration (PNC) and diameter (PD) were monitored in real-time in-commute. Acute inflammatory indices of respiratory symptom incidence, lung function and spontaneous sputum (for inflammatory cell analyses) were collected immediately pre-commute, and one and three hours post-commute. Results: LOW resulted in a significant reduction in mean PNC (1.91 x e4 ± 0.93 x e4 ppcc vs. 2.95 x e4 ± 1.50 x e4 ppcc; p ≤ 0.001). Besides incidence of in-commute offensive odour detection (42 vs. 56 %; p = 0.019), incidence of dust and soot observation (33 vs. 47 %; p = 0.038) and nasopharyngeal irritation (31 vs. 41 %; p = 0.007), acute inflammatory indices were not significantly associated to in-commute PNC, nor were these indices reduced with LOW compared to HIGH. Conclusions: Exposure to PNC, and the incidence of offensive odour and nasopharyngeal irritation, can be significantly reduced when utilising a strategy of lowering interaction with motorised traffic whilst bicycle commuting, which may bring important benefits for both healthy and susceptible individuals.

Social signal processing for pain monitoring using a hidden conditional random field

utomatic pain monitoring has the potential to greatly improve patient diagnosis and outcomes by providing a continuous objective measure. One of the most promising methods is to do this via automatically detecting facial expressions. However, current approaches have failed due to their inability to: 1) integrate the rigid and non-rigid head motion into a single feature representation, and 2) incorporate the salient temporal patterns into the classification stage. In this paper, we tackle the first problem by developing a “histogram of facial action units” representation using Active Appearance Model (AAM) face features, and then utilize a Hidden Conditional Random Field (HCRF) to overcome the second issue. We show that both of these methods improve the performance on the task of pain detection in sequence level compared to current state-of-the-art-methods on the UNBC-McMaster Shoulder Pain Archive.

Sex discrimination and non-random sampling in the Australian labour market

Historically a significant gap between male and female wages has existed in the Australian labour market. Indeed this wage differential was institutionalised in the 1912 arbitration decision which determined that the basic female wage would be set at between 54 and 66 per cent of the male wage. More recently however, the 1969 and 1972 Equal Pay Cases determined that male/female wage relativities should be based upon the premise of equal pay for work of equal value. It is important to note that the mere observation that average wages differ between males and females is not sine qua non evidence of sex discrimination. Economists restrict the definition of wage discrimination to cases where two distinct groups receive different average remuneration for reasons unrelated to differences in productivity characteristics. This paper extends previous studies of wage discrimination in Australia (Chapman and Mulvey, 1986; Haig, 1982) by correcting the estimated male/female wage differential for the existence of non-random sampling. Previous Australian estimates of male/female human capital basedwage specifications together with estimates of the corresponding wage differential all suffer from a failure to address this issue. If the sample of females observed to be working does not represent a random sample then the estimates of the male/female wage differential will be both biased and inconsistent.

Using a Bayesian network to model colonisation with Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE)

Objective: Effective management of multi-resistant organisms is an important issue for hospitals both in Australia and overseas. This study investigates the utility of using Bayesian Network (BN) analysis to examine relationships between risk factors and colonization with Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE). Design: Bayesian Network Analysis was performed using infection control data collected over a period of 36 months (2008-2010). Setting: Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH), Brisbane. Outcome of interest: Number of new VRE Isolates Methods: A BN is a probabilistic graphical model that represents a set of random variables and their conditional dependencies via a directed acyclic graph (DAG). BN enables multiple interacting agents to be studied simultaneously. The initial BN model was constructed based on the infectious disease physician‟s expert knowledge and current literature. Continuous variables were dichotomised by using third quartile values of year 2008 data. BN was used to examine the probabilistic relationships between VRE isolates and risk factors; and to establish which factors were associated with an increased probability of a high number of VRE isolates. Software: Netica (version 4.16). Results: Preliminary analysis revealed that VRE transmission and VRE prevalence were the most influential factors in predicting a high number of VRE isolates. Interestingly, several factors (hand hygiene and cleaning) known through literature to be associated with VRE prevalence, did not appear to be as influential as expected in this BN model. Conclusions: This preliminary work has shown that Bayesian Network Analysis is a useful tool in examining clinical infection prevention issues, where there is often a web of factors that influence outcomes. This BN model can be restructured easily enabling various combinations of agents to be studied.