An Editorial Workflow Approach For Collaborative Ontology Development

The widespread use of ontologies in the last years has raised new challenges for their development and maintenance. Ontology development has transformed from a process normally performed by one ontology engineer into a process performed collaboratively by a team of ontology engineers, who may be geographically distributed and play different roles. For example, editors may propose changes, while authoritative users approve or reject them following a well defined process. This process, however, has only been partially addressed by existing ontology development methods, methodologies, and tool support. Furthermore, in a distributed environment where ontology editors may be working on local copies of the same ontology, strategies should be in place to ensure that changes in one copy are reflected in all of them. In this paper, we propose a workflow-based model for the collaborative development of ontologies in distributed environments and describe the components required to support them. We illustrate our model with a test case in the fishery domain from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

Uptake of BIM and IPD within the UK AEC Industry: the evolving role of the architectural technologist

Building Information Modelling is not only a tool, but also the process of creation, maintenance, distribution and co-ordination of an integrated database that collaboratively stores 2D and 3D information, with embedded physical and functional data within a project-building model. The uptake of BIM within the UK Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has been slow since the 1980’s, but over recent years, adoptions have increased. The increased collaborative nature of BIM, external data sharing techniques and progressively complex building design, promotes requirements for design teams to coordinate and communicate more effectively to achieve project goals. To manage this collaboration, new or evolved job roles may emerge. This research examined the current use of BIM, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and collaborative working in the UK AEC industry and job roles that have evolved or been created to cater for them. Using semi-structured interviews the interviewees indicated while several of the key enablers of IPD were being used, IPD itself had not been fully adopted. BIM was being used with some success but improvements could be made. New job roles such as the BIM Engineer and BIM Coordinator had been seen in the industry and evidence that the Architectural Technologist (AT) role is evolving into a more multidisciplinary role; this reflects similar findings of recent research

Mitochondrial DNA replication: a PrimPol perspective

PrimPol, (Primase-Polymerase), the most recently identified eukaryotic polymerase, has roles in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA maintenance. PrimPol is able to act as a DNA polymerase, with the ability to extend primers and also bypass a variety of oxidative and photo-lesions. In addition, PrimPol also functions as a primase, catalysing the preferential formation of DNA primers in a zinc finger-dependent manner. Although PrimPol’s catalytic activities have been uncovered in vitro, we still know little about how and why it is targeted to the mitochondrion and what its key roles are in the maintenance of this multi-copy DNA molecule. Unlike nuclear DNA, the mammalian mitochondrial genome is circular and the organelle has a number of unique proteins essential for its maintenance, presenting a differing environment within which PrimPol must function. Here, we discuss what is currently known about the mechanisms of DNA replication in the mitochondrion, the proteins that carry out these processes and how PrimPol is likely to be involved in assisting this vital cellular process

The motivational challenge facing beginner learners of Spanish at a distance

This paper presents some preliminary findings of an on-going longitudinal study of initial motivation and motivation maintenance in beginner distance adult learners of Spanish in the UK. Adapting a framework of executive motivational influences developed in the context of classroom teaching (Dörnyei, 2001a) to the distance learning process, data was obtained from questionnaires and follow-up interviews with a sample of questionnaire respondents. This paper explores meaningful descriptors of the most prevalent types of motivation found within this group. Drawing primarily on the interview data, it also presents early steps towards learner autonomy taken by these learners based on their own perceptions, and highlights the predominance of metacognitive over other strategies at this stage in their learning. Finally it analyses some of the motivational influences of tutors and of other learners, and their roles in supporting and affirming the learning endeavour, and indicates areas for follow-up research with beginner distance language learners within this study

Behaviours of natural organic matter in membrane filtration for surface water treatment : a review

Membrane application in surface water treatment provides many advantages over conventional treatment. However, this effort is hampered by the fouling issue, which restricts its widespread application due to increases in hydraulic resistances, operational and maintenance costs, deterioration of productivity and frequency of membrane regeneration problems. This paper discusses natural organic matter (NOM) and its components as the major membrane foulants that occur during the water filtration process, possible fouling mechanisms relating to reversible and irreversible of NOM fouling, current techniques used to characterize fouling mechanisms and methods to control fouling. Feed properties, membrane characteristics, operational conditions and solution chemistry were also found to strongly influence the nature and extent of NOM fouling. Findings of such studies are highlighted. The understanding of the combined roles of controlling factors and the methods used is very important in order to choose and optimize the best technique and conditions during surface water treatment. The future potential of membrane application for NOM removal is also discussed

Dna2 is a structure-specific nuclease, with affinity for 5'-flap intermediates

Dna2 is a nuclease/helicase with proposed roles in DNA replication, double-strand break repair and telomere maintenance. For each role Dna2 is proposed to process DNA substrates with a 5'-flap. To date, however, Dna2 has not revealed a preference for binding or cleavage of flaps over single-stranded DNA. Using DNA binding competition assays we found that Dna2 has substrate structure specificity. The nuclease displayed a strong preference for binding substrates with a 5'-flap or some variations of flap structure. Further analysis revealed that Dna2 recognized and bound both the single-stranded flap and portions of the duplex region immediately downstream of the flap. A model is proposed in which Dna2 first binds to a flap base, and then the flap threads through the protein with periodic cleavage, to a terminal flap length of ~5 nt. This resembles the mechanism of flap endonuclease 1, consistent with cooperation of these two proteins in flap processing

Rewriting the Constitution: An Economic Analysis of the Constitutional Amendment Process

In this Article, the authors develop an economic theory of the constitutional amendment process under Article V, focusing particularly on the roles that Congress and interest groups play in that process. The authors construct a model to predict when an interest group will seek an amendment rather than a statute to further its interests, highlighting how interest group maintenance costs and anticipated opposition affect that choice. They then discuss the efficiency goals of constitutionalism—precommitment and reduction of agency costs—and argue that the structure of the amendment process under Article V prevents realization of these goals. The authors contrast the Bill of Rights amendments, which established precommitments and reduced the agency costs of government, with the latter seventeen amendments, which expanded the federal government and increased agency costs. They attribute the change in the nature of the amendments to the interest-group domination of the political process and Congress\u27 control over the constitutional amendment agenda. The authors conclude that the Founders\u27 intent to put the Constitution beyond the reach of factions backfired: although factions cannot control the content of the Constitution, neither can the majority. In fact, Article V prevents the majority from precommiting itself and hinders its ability to control the agency costs of government, as evidenced by the history of the failed amendments. Although the authors conclude that Article V thwarts the efficiency goals of constitutionalism, they predict that little can be done to remedy this flaw

The Technological, Financial, and Social Realities That Are Defining the Aircraft Mechanic of Tomorrow

Today it is becoming increasingly difficult to describe maintenance roles because an enormous number of once stable factors affecting the maintenance person and process are changing. Technology changes like software based aircraft, air/ground/satellite/airport system integration, highly complexity systems, and other technology issues are not currently part of a maintenance person’s normal skill set but are already part of aircraft maintenance needs. Many of the change issues that are considered to be “TECHNOLOGY” initiated but usually are caused by changing financial and/or social requirements that has occurred. This is a circular result in that when technology changes occur it further drives financial and social changes. I feel that because this cycle has been going on for so long that people have accepted the spiral and failed to keep track of the state of the industry. All the changing factors must be identified and dealt with as a basis for redefining the role of “Aircraft Maintenance Person”

Parents' experiences of HE choice

This paper challenges the dominant discourse that HE choice is a consumer choice and questions assumptions underpinning government policy and HE marketing. HE choice is largely viewed as a rational, decontextualized process. However, this interpretivist study found it to be much more complex than this, and to be about relationships and managing a transition in roles. It focuses on parents, an under-researched group, who play an increasing part in their child’s HE choice. It finds that they experience this process as parents not consumers, and that their desire to maintain the relationship at this critical juncture takes precedence over the choice of particular courses and universities. The role of relationships, and in this context relationship maintenance, is the main theme. This is experienced in two principal ways - relationship maintenance through conflict avoidance and through teamwork. These are significant findings with implications for the way governments and HEIs consider recruitment

Architecture of the chromatin remodeler RSC and insights into its nucleosome engagement.

Eukaryotic DNA is packaged into nucleosome arrays, which are repositioned by chromatin remodeling complexes to control DNA accessibility. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RSC (Remodeling the Structure of Chromatin) complex, a member of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler family, plays critical roles in genome maintenance, transcription, and DNA repair. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and crosslinking mass spectrometry (CLMS) studies of yeast RSC complex and show that RSC is composed of a rigid tripartite core and two flexible lobes. The core structure is scaffolded by an asymmetric Rsc8 dimer and built with the evolutionarily conserved subunits Sfh1, Rsc6, Rsc9 and Sth1. The flexible ATPase lobe, composed of helicase subunit Sth1, Arp7, Arp9 and Rtt102, is anchored to this core by the N-terminus of Sth1. Our cryo-EM analysis of RSC bound to a nucleosome core particle shows that in addition to the expected nucleosome-Sth1 interactions, RSC engages histones and nucleosomal DNA through one arm of the core structure, composed of the Rsc8 SWIRM domains, Sfh1 and Npl6. Our findings provide structural insights into the conserved assembly process for all members of the SWI/SNF family of remodelers, and illustrate how RSC selects, engages, and remodels nucleosomes