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The business environment today is a collaborative business environment. These include inter- and intra-enterprise business process collaboration in the areas of supply chain management, customer relationship management, supplier relationship management, e-business and employee-business integration. To achieve this, enterprises also realize the need to implement integrated-enterprise systems, which integrate tightly their intra- and inter-enterprise business processes. With new technologies like web services, wireless applications and advanced software applications that enable collaboration, the enterprise today needs implementation frameworks that consider the requirements of collaborative business scenarios in a holistic manner. Consideration of the various critical success factors in the life cycle of the integrated-enterprise systems implementation reduces the risk of failures. A critical success factor framework is introduced for an integrated-enterprise systems implementation framework in the collaborative manufacturing environment. This framework ensures that the various critical success factors are considered at a very early stage of the project so that the integrated-enterprise system can be designed and implemented. Risks and potential problem areas are identified and mitigation plans can be put in place. A case study of an integrated-enterprise system implementation using the critical success factor framework is also presented. This framework was used successfully to design and implement a collaborative integrated-enterprise system for a manufacturing enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Haemostatic activation during cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with prothrombotic complications. Although it is not possible to detect and quantify haemostatic activation directly, platelet dysfunction, as measured with point‐of‐care‐assays, may be a useful surrogate. In this study, we assessed the association between cardiopulmonary bypass‐associated platelet dysfunction and adverse outcomes in 3010 cardiac surgical patients. Platelet dysfunction, as measured near the end of the rewarming phase of cardiopulmonary bypass, was calculated as the proportion of non‐functional platelets after activation with collagen. Logistic regression and multivariable analyses were applied to assess the relationship between platelet dysfunction and a composite of in‐hospital death; myocardial infarction; stroke; deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism; and acute kidney injury (greater than a two‐fold increase in creatinine). The outcome occurred in 251 (8%) of 3010 patients. The median (IQR [range]) percentage platelet dysfunction was less for those without the outcome as compared with those with the outcome; 14% (8–28% [1–99%]) vs. 19% (11–45% [2–98%]), p < 0.001. After risk adjustment, platelet dysfunction was independently associated with the composite outcome (p < 0.001), such that for each 1% increase in platelet dysfunction there was an approximately 1% increase in the composite outcome (OR 1.012; 95%CI 1.006–1.018). This exploratory study suggests that cardiopulmonary bypass‐associated platelet dysfunction has prognostic value and may be a useful clinical measure of haemostatic activation in cardiac surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a heritable sudden cardiac death (SCD) disease with male predominance. Information on gender difference of BrS remains scarce. Aim To investigate the gender difference of BrS in Han Chinese. Design We consecutively enrolled 169 BrS patients (153 males and 16 females) from Han Chinese in Taiwan from 1998 to 2017. Methods Clinical characteristics, electrocardiographic parameters and SCN5A mutation status were compared between genders. Results The percentage of family history of SCD in females was slightly higher (31.3% vs. 15%, P  =   0.15). Females exhibited longer QTc (457.8 ± 33.0 vs. 429.5 ± 42.1 ms, P  <   0.01). Regarding cumulative event occurrence by age, Mantel-Cox test showed females had earlier age of onset of first cardiac events (SCD or syncope) than males (P  =   0.049), which was mainly attributed to syncope (P  <   0.01). Males with SCD exhibited longer QRS duration (114.2 ± 26.8 vs. 104.8 ± 15.3 ms, P  =   0.02) and QTc (442.5 ± 57.4 vs. 422.9 ± 28.8 ms, P  =   0.02). Males with syncope exhibited longer PR interval (181.2 ± 33.7 vs. 165.7 ± 27.1 ms, P  =   0.01), whereas females with SCD or syncope had a trend towards slower heart rates (69.1 ± 9.6 vs. 82.2 ± 16.3 bpm, P  =   0.10) than female with no or mild symptoms. There was no difference in the percentage of SCN5A mutation between genders. Conclusion Gender difference is present in BrS. Females have longer QTc and suffer from syncope earlier than males. Risk of SCD in males is associated with boarder QRS complex and longer QTc, whereas risk of syncope is associated with longer PR interval in males and slower heart rate in females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which explored the growth of ultrathin silicon dioxide films by silicon irradiation with oxygen electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma at low temperatures. Experimental details; Results and discussion; Conclusions.