Applying the 3C Model to FLOSS communities

Publicado em "Collaboration and technology: 22nd International Conference, CRIWG 2016, Kanazawa, Japan, September 14-16, 2016, proceedings". ISBN 978-3-319-44798-8How learning occurs within Free/Libre Open Source (FLOSS) communities and what is the dynamics such projects (e.g. the life cycle of such projects) are very relevant questions when considering the use of FLOSS projects in a formal education setting. This paper introduces an approach based on the 3C collaboration model (communication, coordination and cooperation) to represent the collaborative learning dynamics within FLOSS communities. To explore the collaborative learning potential of FLOSS communities a number of questionnaires and interviews to selected FLOSS contributors were run. From this study a 3C collaborative model applicable to FLOSS communities was designed and discussed.Programa Operacional da Região Norte, NORTE2020, in the context of project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000037FCT under grant SFRH/BSAB/113890/201

Predictors of Oral Health Behaviors: Examining the Effect of Patient Perceived Humanistic Attitude in the Context of the Health Belief Model

The purpose of this study was to test the explanatory power of The Health Belief Model with the added environmental condition of perceived humanistic attitude of a dental hygienist in its ability to predict individual\u27s performance of oral disease prevention behaviors. A cross section survey of an intact group of 1,943 full time employees of Old Dominion University was conducted. The response rate was 52% (n = 1001). An exclusionary rule eliminated respondents who did not have a dental hygienist provide preventive services during dental visits. Seven hundred and fifty four were included in the study analyses. The study participants included 67% female, 69% White, 63% married with an average age of 45 (SD = 10.78). Classified employees represented 46%, faculty represented 37%, and administrative employees represented 16% of the study population. Partial support for The Health Belief Model was found in predicting oral disease prevention behaviors (brushing, flossing, performing homecare, receiving recommended dental treatment, maintaining regular dental check-up, and visiting a dental provider within a year. Further, support was found for adding perceived humanistic attitude of dental hygienists as an environmental condition for predicting oral disease prevention behaviors of the employees. Data analyses revealed that individuals who perceived that they were susceptible to oral disease were less likely to perform oral disease prevention behaviors. This finding was the opposite of what was expected based upon the precepts of The Health Belief Model. Perceived benefit was not found to be a strong predictor of performing oral disease prevention behaviors. While perceived seriousness, perceived lack of barriers, and perceived humanistic attitude of dental hygienists were found to be strong predictors of engaging in oral disease prevention behaviors

The Effects of Extrinsic Motivations and Satisfaction in Open Source Software Development

As a new phenomenon in the software industry, Open Source Software (OSS) development has attracted a high level of research interest. Examining what motivates participants in OSS projects and how to enhance the effects of motivations has received increased attention in recent years. This study is prompted by the significant but detail-lacking examination of differential effects of various types of extrinsic motivations on participants’ task effort in OSS projects and their interaction effects with participants’ psychological states. Drawing upon self-determination theory, we establish four types of extrinsic motivations in OSS communities (i.e., external, introjected, identified, and integrated motivation) and investigate how these types affect task effort differently. Also, integrating self-determination theory with affective event theory, we study how satisfaction of needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness moderates the relationships between extrinsic motivations and task effort. The research model is largely supported by data from 250 participants in various OSS projects. Theoretical contribution and practical implications are discussed

Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Qatari People

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Qatari people. The convenience sample consisted of 859 Qatari people between the ages of 18-72 from Hamad Medical Corporation Dental Department, Public Dental Health Care Centres, University of Qatar, Police and Army Departments, governmental schools, a private dental clinic, and citizens. Participants were asked to complete a self-designed questionnaire titled Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Qatari People. Prior to the study, 20 Arab college students responded to the questionnaire in a test-retest procedure to establish instrument reliability. The content validity of the questionnaire was established by a panel of dental hygiene experts at Old Dominion University. Questionnaire data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, the chi-square test of independence, and the analysis of residual test. Findings revealed that 74.4% of the respondents visit a dental clinic for dental cleanings, but of this number, 62.2% did not receive any toothbrushing instructions; and 63.2% did not receive flossing instructions. Forty-eight point eight percent visit the dental hygienist or dentist when they experience pain and the majority (61.8%) brush more than once a day. Most of the respondents arrive late for dental care because of other commitments. The majority of respondents willingly accepted oral hygiene instructions given at each dental visit, demonstrate their home care technique to the dentist or dental hygienist, cooperate in an oral hygiene evaluation of their mouths at each dental appointment, and return for professional teeth cleaning appointments if necessary. Almost half of the respondents (46.9%) feel embarrassed when told that their oral hygiene needs improvement, or when they (38.2%) need to learn oral hygiene techniques from a professional of the opposite gender. Chi-square analysis revealed a statistically significant association among the demographic variables of either age, gender, level of education, or distance between their home and a dental clinic and the following items: the frequency of visiting the dental hygienist/dentist, toothbrushing frequency, the time spent each day cleaning the teeth, the reason for arriving late to the dental clinic, the reaction to oral hygiene instructions given at each dental hygiene appointment, the reaction when asked to demonstrate home care techniques at the dental clinic, the reaction when their oral hygiene is checked at each visit, the reaction when asked to return for several professional teeth cleaning appointments, and the embarrassment when told that oral hygiene needs improvement or when taught oral hygiene instructions. Results suggest an association between the demographic variables of age and level of education and the following items: accepting new oral hygiene concepts from dental hygienist/dentist, and following the hygienist\u27s/dentist\u27s instructions. In all, results suggest that the Qatari people surveyed have positive attitudes toward accepting oral healthcare, little knowledge of contemporary oral health concepts, and positive oral health behaviors

The Band Model: contextualising Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sociality within a fission-fusion framework

Since William King’s first description of the species Homo neanderthalensis (1864), assessments of Neanderthal social behaviour have been biased by the assumption that this was a species of simian brutes. However, in recent years, genetic, palaeoanthropological, and archaeological findings have significantly undermined the assumption of specific biological and behavioural differences between Neanderthals and AMHs (Green et al. 2010; Reich et al. 2010; Hammer et al 2011; Mendez et al. 2013; Trinkaus 2011; Zilhão et al. 2010; Henry et al. 2011; Pike et al. 2012; Peresani et al. 2013; Rodriguez-Vidal et al. 2014). Despite these findings, trait-list arguments still dominate research paradigms concerning the sociobehavioural capacities of Neanderthals and AMHs. The current state of the human material, paleontological, and paleogenetic records necessitate a more robust theoretical foundation than the one that trait-list models provide (Barton et al. 2011). A socio-ecological approach based within fission-fusion studies can provide robust test hypotheses with the potential to elucidate the evolution of modern social complexity. Following this direction, this thesis adapts the band model of hunter-gatherer sociality (Layton and O’Hara 2010; Layton et al. 2012) to archaeological investigation. The results of this approach both demonstrate the applicability of the band model to Palaeolithic research and highly suggest that Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans shared a comparable fission-fusion sociality

Determining the context and scale at which functional traits increase Nicotiana attenuata yields

At least 10,000 years ago, humans began domesticating crop plants into consistent, high-yielding food sources. Plants continue to provide 90% of human food energy intake worldwide. However, as human populations increase and arable land becomes scarce or unproductive due to climate instability, plant food sources may no longer be able to sustain human nutritional requirements. Plant populations must become more productive. This dissertation uses an ecological model plant, Nicotiana attenuata, to evaluate the contexts and scales at which plant populations can increase their productivity. I explore the current uses and future potentials of three functional traits that can be selected for, or genetically modified, in crop cultivars to improve agricultural yields. First, I test the efficacy of current agricultural pest-resistance technology in increasing yield. The pest-resistance technology (Cry1Ac expression), conferred through genetic modification to N. attenuata, did not increase yield in comparison to endogenously defended, or even undefended N. attenuata lines. Due to the scarcity of Cry1Ac-targeted insects in this field season, plants with more flexible use of their direct defenses were able to be more productive, demonstrating the benefit of naturally evolved defenses in the face of yearly-inconsistent pests. Resource-use traits such as plant water-use or association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AM) networks that facilitate nutrient access are as important to agricultural productivity as pest-resistance. Current screenings for water-use traits among agricultural varieties are insufficient: they do not account for varying rates of soil water consumption or plant development in applying drought treatments, and therefore, do not lead to reproducible results in the field. We use variance decomposition to quantify the extent to which these factors, when left uncontrolled, can significantly change observed results. I then apply the ecologically established biodiversity-productivity phenomenon to attempt to increase population yields by varying the percentage of plants with a low water-use efficiency trait among control plants in N. attenuata field populations. Low percentages of this trait caused overyielding. Using both novel and developed methodologies, I advance the understanding of the mechanisms behind this effect by identifying one of its genetic bases, and narrowing the spatial scale and plant tissue at which it occurs. Finally, we develop a method for screening agricultural cultivars for association with AM fungal networks by using a high-throughput leaf molecular marker rather than traditional microscopy methods, which are laborious and destructive. This work emphasizes the benefits of methodological development, which can both improve screenings for agriculturally-relevant functional traits and allow for application of ecologically-informed alternatives to increase population yield (e.g. intraspecific diversity).Bereits vor mindestens 10 000 Jahren begannen Menschen Pflanzen zu domestizieren und gewannen damit einheitliche und ertragreiche Nahrungsquellen. Auch heute nehmen Menschen 90% ihrer Nahrungsenergie über Pflanzen auf. Allerdings könnten in Zukunft Pflanzen nicht ausreichen, um die menschlichen Nahrungsbedürfnisse zu decken. Die Weltbevölkerung wächst und Klimainstabilität führt zu schrumpfenden Agrarflächen oder sinkenden Erträgen. Pflanzen müssen dementsprechend ertragreicher werden. In dieser Dissertation wird die Modellpflanze Nicotiana attenuata verwendet, um die Zusammenhänge und Ausmaße zu erforschen, in denen Pflanzenpopulationen ihre Leistungsfähigkeit steigern können. Ich untersuche die derzeitige Anwendung sowie zukünftige Potentiale von drei funktionellen Eigenschaften, die in der Züchtung selektiert oder in Pflanzen genetisch modifiziert werden können, um landwirtschaftliche Erträge zu steigern. Zuerst analysiere ich, wie effizient derzeitige landwirtschaftliche Schädlingsresistenztechnologien die Ausbeute erhöhen. Die Expression des Cry1Ac als Verteidigungssystem, eingebracht in N. attenuata durch genetische Modifikation, führte zu keiner Ertragssteigerung im Vergleich zu Pflanzen mit endogener Verteidigung oder sogar unverteidigten N. attenuata-Linien. Da in der Saison des Feldversuchs nur wenige Insekten vorkamen, gegen die das Cry1Ac-System gerichtet ist, reagierten Pflanzen mit endogener Verteidigung plastischer und damit produktiver auf ganzjährlich variierende Herbivorgemeinschaften. Genauso wichtig wie Schädlingsresistenz sind die Ressourcennutzung sowie die Assoziation mit arbuskulären Mykorrhizapilzen (AM-Pilzen), die den Zugang zu Nährstoffen unterstützen. Derzeitige Untersuchungen zu Wassernutzungseigenschaften verschiedener Agrarsorten sind unzureichend: In Versuchen mit Dürrebehandlung werden Unterschiede im Bodenwasserverbrauch oder die Entwicklung der Pflanzen nicht berücksichtigt und führen dementsprechend nicht zu reproduzierbaren Ergebnissen im Feld. Durch Varianzzerlegung quantifizieren wir, in welchem Ausmaß die einzelnen Faktoren, sollten sie unkontrolliert bleiben, die Ergebnisse signifikant verändern können. Mithilfe des ökologisch etablierten Biodiversitäts-Produktivitäts-Phänomens habe ich versucht die Populationserträge zu erhöhen, indem ich die Anteile von Pflanzen mit geringer Wasserverbrauchseffizienz und Kontrollpflanzen variiert habe. Waren solche Pflanzen zu einem geringen Prozentsatz in N. attenuata Feldpopulationen vorhanden, führte dies zu einer Ertragssteigerung. Mittels sowohl neuer als auch etablierter Methoden ist es mir gelungen zum Verständnis der Mechanismen hinter diesem Effekt beizutragen, indem ich eine der zugrundeliegenden genetischen Ursachen identifiziert habe und das räumliche Ausmaß sowie das Pflanzengewebe, in dem dieser Effekt auftritt, eingegrenzt habe. Abschließend entwickelten wir eine Methode, um Kultivare in Agrarpopulationen auf Assoziation mit AM-Pilzen zu untersuchen, bei der im high-throughput-Verfahren ein molekularer Marker im Blatt statt der traditionellen, aufwendigen und schädlichen Mikroskopiemethode verwendet wurde. Diese Arbeit betont die Vorteile von Methodenentwicklung, welche sowohl die Suche nach landwirtschaftlich relevanten Eigenschaften verbessern kann als auch die Anwendung von ökologisch begründeten Alternativen zur Ertragssteigerung ermöglicht (z.B. intraspezifische Diversität)

Interactive Technologies for the Public Sphere Toward a Theory of Critical Creative Technology

Digital media cultural practices continue to address the social, cultural and aesthetic contexts of the global information economy, perhaps better called ecology, by inventing new methods and genres that encourage interactive engagement, collaboration, exploration and learning. The theoretical framework for creative critical technology evolved from the confluence of the arts, human computer interaction, and critical theories of technology. Molding this nascent theoretical framework from these seemingly disparate disciplines was a reflexive process where the influence of each component on each other spiraled into the theory and practice as illustrated through the Constructed Narratives project. Research that evolves from an arts perspective encourages experimental processes of making as a method for defining research principles. The traditional reductionist approach to research requires that all confounding variables are eliminated or silenced using methods of statistics. However, that noise in the data, those confounding variables provide the rich context, media, and processes by which creative practices thrive. As research in the arts gains recognition for its contributions of new knowledge, the traditional reductive practice in search of general principles will be respectfully joined by methodologies for defining living principles that celebrate and build from the confounding variables, the data noise. The movement to develop research methodologies from the noisy edges of human interaction have been explored in the research and practices of ludic design and ambiguity (Gaver, 2003); affective gap (Sengers et al., 2005b; 2006); embodied interaction (Dourish, 2001); the felt life (McCarthy & Wright, 2004); and reflective HCI (Dourish, et al., 2004). The theory of critical creative technology examines the relationships between critical theories of technology, society and aesthetics, information technologies and contemporary practices in interaction design and creative digital media. The theory of critical creative technology is aligned with theories and practices in social navigation (Dourish, 1999) and community-based interactive systems (Stathis, 1999) in the development of smart appliances and network systems that support people in engaging in social activities, promoting communication and enhancing the potential for learning in a community-based environment. The theory of critical creative technology amends these community-based and collaborative design theories by emphasizing methods to facilitate face-to-face dialogical interaction when the exchange of ideas, observations, dreams, concerns, and celebrations may be silenced by societal norms about how to engage others in public spaces. The Constructed Narratives project is an experiment in the design of a critical creative technology that emphasizes the collaborative construction of new knowledge about one's lived world through computer-supported collaborative play (CSCP). To construct is to creatively invent one's world by engaging in creative decision-making, problem solving and acts of negotiation. The metaphor of construction is used to demonstrate how a simple artefact - a building block - can provide an interactive platform to support discourse between collaborating participants. The technical goal for this project was the development of a software and hardware platform for the design of critical creative technology applications that can process a dynamic flow of logistical and profile data from multiple users to be used in applications that facilitate dialogue between people in a real-time playful interactive experience