Filling Kinetic Gaps: Dynamic Modeling of Metabolism Where Detailed Kinetic Information Is Lacking

Integrative analysis between dynamical modeling of metabolic networks and data obtained from high throughput technology represents a worthy effort toward a holistic understanding of the link among phenotype and dynamical response. Even though the theoretical foundation for modeling metabolic network has been extensively treated elsewhere, the lack of kinetic information has limited the analysis in most of the cases. To overcome this constraint, we present and illustrate a new statistical approach that has two purposes: integrate high throughput data and survey the general dynamical mechanisms emerging for a slightly perturbed metabolic network.This paper presents a statistic framework capable to study how and how fast the metabolites participating in a perturbed metabolic network reach a steady-state. Instead of requiring accurate kinetic information, this approach uses high throughput metabolome technology to define a feasible kinetic library, which constitutes the base for identifying, statistical and dynamical properties during the relaxation. For the sake of illustration we have applied this approach to the human Red blood cell metabolism (hRBC) and its capacity to predict temporal phenomena was evaluated. Remarkable, the main dynamical properties obtained from a detailed kinetic model in hRBC were recovered by our statistical approach. Furthermore, robust properties in time scale and metabolite organization were identify and one concluded that they are a consequence of the combined performance of redundancies and variability in metabolite participation.In this work we present an approach that integrates high throughput metabolome data to define the dynamic behavior of a slightly perturbed metabolic network where kinetic information is lacking. Having information of metabolite concentrations at steady-state, this method has significant relevance due its potential scope to analyze others genome scale metabolic reconstructions. Thus, I expect this approach will significantly contribute to explore the relationship between dynamic and physiology in other metabolic reconstructions, particularly those whose kinetic information is practically nulls. For instances, I envisage that this approach can be useful in genomic medicine or pharmacogenomics, where the estimation of time scales and the identification of metabolite organization may be crucial to characterize and identify (dis)functional stages

Classifying Information Technologies: A Multidimensional Scaling Approach

Information technologies are an integral part of any organization and are constantly emerging and evolving. Theories explaining the impact of technological innovations on organizations and the individuals that populate them are developed as new technologies emerge, and future business applications are explored. Despite this richness of research, we have a fairly narrow view of how these technologies are related. Furthermore, new technologies are often assigned labels that strongly connote disconnect from existing technologies despite the fact that few true evolutionary leaps exist and, for the most part, information technologies evolve from each other and share many similarities. Consequently, our ability to apply knowledge gained from the application of one technology to interactions with another is limited. Developing general theories of information technologies require strong understanding of the different technologies that exist and how they are related. To this end, this article puts forward a concise classification of information technologies. Using a multidimensional scaling approach and survey data from IS academics, we identify three dimensions which capture the commonalities and differences among information technologies. We believe that the resultant classification will enable researchers to better integrate existing and future theories, and to move away from technology-specific theories toward more general ones

Pengaruh Intellectual Capital Dan Komunikasi Organisasi Terhadap Efektivitas Implementasi Renstra UPI

Strategic palan is one of the tools needed by universities to face any challenge that comes from an environment that is always changing. One of the most important components of the strategic plan is the implementation. Factors affecting the implementation of the strategic plan, i.e. intellectual capital and organizational communication. Intellectual capital is an intangible resource such as knowledge, information, experience and commitment to exploit it. While organizational communication is delivering process and receiving messages within an organization which related with the task. This research purpose is describing and analyzing the affect of intellectual capital and organizational communication toward implementation effectiveness of strategic plan in UPI. This research used survey method with quantitative approach. Data collecting technique used was a questionnaire. Subjects consisted of Dean, Department Chairman, and study Program Chairman with a total 89 people. The result showed that the general description of implementation effectiveness of strategic plan in UPI. Intellectual capital and organizational communication at the high category. Partially, intellectual capital and organizational communication have a significant influence on the implementation effectiveness of strategic plan in UPI. Furthermore, simultaneously it also has a significant influence on the implementation effectiveness of strategic plan in UPI

Mutual shaping in swarm robotics: User studies in fire and rescue, storage organization, and bridge inspection

Many real-world applications have been suggested in the swarm robotics literature. However, there is a general lack of understanding of what needs to be done for robot swarms to be useful and trusted by users in reality. This paper aims to investigate user perception of robot swarms in the workplace, and inform design principles for the deployment of future swarms in real-world applications. Three qualitative studies with a total of 37 participants were done across three sectors: fire and rescue, storage organization, and bridge inspection. Each study examined the users’ perceptions using focus groups and interviews. In this paper, we describe our findings regarding: the current processes and tools used in these professions and their main challenges; attitudes toward robot swarms assisting them; and the requirements that would encourage them to use robot swarms. We found that there was a generally positive reaction to robot swarms for information gathering and automation of simple processes. Furthermore, a human in the loop is preferred when it comes to decision making. Recommendations to increase trust and acceptance are related to transparency, accountability, safety, reliability, ease of maintenance, and ease of use. Finally, we found that mutual shaping, a methodology to create a bidirectional relationship between users and technology developers to incorporate societal choices in all stages of research and development, is a valid approach to increase knowledge and acceptance of swarm robotics. This paper contributes to the creation of such a culture of mutual shaping between researchers and users, toward increasing the chances of a successful deployment of robot swarms in the physical realm

Employer Training Needs in Hawaii

The Survey of Employer Training Needs in Hawaii was undertaken to gather information and data on the needs and preferences of employers in Hawaii regarding government assistance with training. The need for such information was created by passage of Act 68, Session Laws of Hawaii 1991, which created the Hawaii Employment and Training Fund "to assist employers and workers through innovative programs to include, but not be limited to, business-specific training, upgrade training, new occupational skills, management skills, and support services to improve the long-term employability of Hawaii's people." The survey was mailed to a stratified random sample of 5,886 establishments in the State of Hawaii. The response rate was excellent: Of the 5,886 who received the survey, 1,650 (or 28 percent) returned usable responses that are included in the analysis. A unique feature of the survey is that it obtained information on the training needs and deficiencies of seven separate occupational groups: Highly-skilled white-collar workers; sales and sales-related workers; administrative support (including clerical) workers; highly-skilled blue-collar workers; less-skilled blue-collar workers; service workers; and farming, forestry, and fishing workers. The results of the survey present a clear justification for policy along the lines of the Hawaii Employment and Training Fund: For only two occupational groups did more than one-third of employers say that their most recently hired employees were well-prepared for work. This basic finding suggests strongly that the underlying problem facing the labor market of Hawaii can be characterized as a skill shortage. Further, the results of the survey show that between 38 and 47 percent of employers (depending on occupational group) would like to see government provide some form of assistance with their formal training needs. In contrast, 15 to 23 percent of employers believe that government can do little to help with their formal training needs. In other words, about twice as many employers indicated that they would like to see government do something to assist with formal training as indicated that government could do little to help. Findings from the survey point to the importance of implementing policies that would assist two occupational groups and their employers: service workers and highly-skilled blue-collar workers. Seventy percent of employers who had job vacancies for service workers reported that they have difficulty filling those vacancies. Also, service workers stand out as having more acute skill deficiencies than any other group of workers. Finally, service workers' skill deficiencies appear to be of a kind that can be best remedied through formal training, and a relatively high percentage of employers 28 percent would like to see the training costs of their service workers subsidized. Regarding highly-skilled blue-collar workers, there is an acute labor shortage. The percentage of employers who indicate that they have difficulty filling vacancies for highly-skilled blue-collar workers is very high 68 percent and the percentage of these who report that lack of applicant training is a problem in filling skilled blue-collar vacancies 91 percent is far higher than for any other occupational group. For both service and highly-skilled blue-collar workers, the findings point to a problem of skill shortage that could be addressed through appropriate employment and training policy. There is also a somewhat weaker case for directly Employment and Training Fund resources toward two other occupational groups: sales and less-skilled blue-collar workers. The findings do not suggest a strong need to target certain counties or to vary policies from county to county. Neither do the findings suggest a strong case for targeting employers of a certain size, or for targeting employers in certain industries. Rather, the need is for targeting certain occupations in particular service and highly-skilled blue-collar occupations. The last section of the report suggests a two-pronged approach to implementing the Employment and Training Fund. The first approach would provide general training to service workers (and possibly others in need of improved general skills) by improving the linkage between workers who need to upgrade their skills and programs that could help them. The Employment Service as a strategically located information-gathering and counseling organization is the logical organization around which to integrate and link existing education and training programs, and to implement improvements in existing programs. The second approach would continue firm-specific training programs under the Aloha State Specialized Employment and Training Program (ASSET), and occupation-specific entry and upgrade training programs formerly funded by the High Demand Occupations Training program. The findings of the Survey of Employer Training Needs suggest gearing Hawaii's customized and occupation-specific training programs to the needs of service workers and highly-skilled blue-collar workers and their employers with the goal of alleviating skill shortages in these labor markets.employer, employee, job, training, Hawaii, Woodbury

Earth system science frontiers - an early career perspective

The exigencies of the global community toward Earth system science will increase in the future as the human population, economies, and the human footprint on the planet continue to grow. This growth, combined with intensifying urbanization, will inevitably exert increasing pressure on all ecosystem services. A unified interdisciplinary approach to Earth system science is required that can address this challenge, integrate technical demands and long-term visions, and reconcile user demands with scientific feasibility. Together with the research arms of the World Meteorological Organization, the Young Earth System Scientists community has gathered early-career scientists from around the world to initiate a discussion about frontiers of Earth system science. To provide optimal information for society, Earth system science has to provide a comprehensive understanding of the physical processes that drive the Earth system and anthropogenic influences. This understanding will be reflected in seamless prediction systems for environmental processes that are robust and instructive to local users on all scales. Such prediction systems require improved physical process understanding, more high-resolution global observations, and advanced modeling capability, as well as high-performance computing on unprecedented scales. At the same time, the robustness and usability of such prediction systems also depend on deepening our understanding of the entire Earth system and improved communication between end users and researchers. Earth system science is the fundamental baseline for understanding the Earth’s capacity to accommodate humanity, and it provides a means to have a rational discussion about the consequences and limits of anthropogenic influence on Earth. Without its progress, truly sustainable development will be impossible. © 2017 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses)

Local Voices: Citizen Conversations on Civil Liberties and Secure Communities

The informed and active involvement of citizens in government at all levels has long been a goal of the League of Women Voters. The League has also been highly attentive to issues of civil rights and civil liberties throughout its history. As a result, the League of Women Voters Education Fund, the citizen education and research arm of the League, initiated a multi-faceted approach to enhancing both public and policymaker understanding of the issues involved in the complex interaction of civil liberties and homeland security.In 2005, with generous funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Education Fund launched a project entitled Local Voices: Citizen Conversations on Civil Liberties and Secure Communities. The project has three main components.One component involved facilitating ten public deliberations in communities across the country in June 2005. The League asked the Study Circles Resource Center (SCRC), a national organization that works to advance deliberative democracy, to be a partner in this project. In collaboration with the League, SCRC developed a discussion guide, provided advice to local Leagues as they prepared for the public deliberations, and trained local discussion facilitators at the ten sites. The hosts were the Leagues in: Baltimore, Maryland; Black Hawk-Bremer counties, Iowa; Brookhaven, New York; Columbia, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; Lexington, Kentucky; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; North Pinellas County, Florida; and Seattle, Washington. Each site hosted between 50 and 100 community members for four to six hours of conversation. Insights from these forums were collected in two forms: observations recorded by trained note takers in break-out discussions (approximately six to ten participants in each) at every site and a post-deliberation individual participant survey. Questionnaires, developed by Lake Snell Perry Mermin/Decision Research (LSPM/DR), were completed by more than 650 participants. The results areiincluded in the report. (See Appendix A for more information.)The other two components of the project involved qualitative and quantitative public opinion research to explore attitudes and values toward homeland security and civil liberties. The League hired LSPM/DR to conduct six focus groups in three cities: Bakersfield, California; Dallas, Texas; and Richmond, Virginia. In addition, LSPM/DR conducted an analysis of national polling data that provide reflections of Americans' opinions toward homeland security and civil liberties.The findings from all components of the Local Voices project are chronicled in this report. Neither this report nor the ultimate Congressional action on the USA PATRIOT Act by any means signals the end of the issue or the need for conversation on this important topic.The issues -- and the decisions -- involved in the intersection between civil liberties and homeland security will continue to evolve and manifest themselves in various ways. The consequences of the decisions this country makes will have lasting effects on every American, in their lives and communities, and on the nation as a whole.This report presents a number of findings and insights gleaned from the range of public input obtained during the Local Voices project. These findings are identified and then described at length in the following pages. Some are focused on specific topics within the current debate, and some are more general and far-ranging.At the conclusion of this report, the League presents a series of recommendations. These relate to the ways government at all levels, as well as community institutions, the media, and the public itself, can work to strengthen public understanding, public involvement and public confidence in the conversations, decisions and trade-offs that have been and will continue to be made about homeland security and civil liberties

Toward a Strategic Human Resource Management Model of High Reliability Organization Performance

In this article, we extend strategic human resource management (SHRM) thinking to theory and research on high reliability organizations (HROs) using a behavioral approach. After considering the viability of reliability as an organizational performance indicator, we identify a set of eight reliability-oriented employee behaviors (ROEBs) likely to foster organizational reliability and suggest that they are especially valuable to reliability seeking organizations that operate under “trying conditions”. We then develop a reliability-enhancing human resource strategy (REHRS) likely to facilitate the manifestation of these ROEBs. We conclude that the behavioral approach offers SHRM scholars an opportunity to explain how people contribute to specific organizational goals in specific contexts and, in turn, to identify human resource strategies that extend the general high performance human resource strategy (HPHRS) in new and important ways

Interracial Public-Police Contact: Relationships with Police Officers’ Racial and Work-Related Attitudes and Behavior

In a sample of Flemish police officers (N = 172), we examined whether interracial public-police contact is associated with police officers’ racial and workrelated attitudes and self-reported behavior. Complementing previous studies, it was revealed that interracial contact (both positive and negative) is related to prejudiced behavior toward immigrants via the mediating role of racial attitudes. Moreover, intergroup contact was also shown to be related to police officers’ organizational citizenship behavior toward colleagues and superiors via their perceptions of organizational fairness. In the discussion section we elaborate on the severe impact of negative contact as well as the applied consequences of our findings within police organizations

Meaning Management: A Framework for Leadership Ontology

Leadership is a multifaceted and complex subject of research and demands a sound ontological stance that guides studies for the development of more integrative leadership theories. In this paper, I propose the leadership ontology PVA (perception formation – value creation – achievement realization) and associate it with the two existing leadership ontologies: TRIPOD (leader – member – shared goals) and DAC (direction – alignment – commitment). The leadership ontology PVA, based on a new theory called “meaning management,” consists of three circularly supporting functions: cognitive function to form perception, creative function to generate value, and communicative function to realize higher levels of achievement. The PVA is an epistemology-laden ontology since the meaning management theory allows one to make propositions that explicitly link its three functions with the leadership outcomes: perception, value, and achievement. Moreover, the PVA leadership ontology transcends and includes both the conventional TRIPOD ontology and the DAC ontology