Towards transparent and efficient process assessments for IT service management

IT service organisations recognise the value of conducting regular process assessments for continual service improvement. However lack of transparency and substantial costs deter industry adoption. We propose that the use of the international standard for process assessment ISO/IEC 15504 offers a transparent approach to address this challenge. Moreover, efficiency can be realized by a Decision Support System (DSS) tool to automate data collection and process capability calculations. This paper details a Design Science Research project to develop a software-mediated process assessment (SMPA) approach based on ISO/IEC 15504, ISO/IEC 20000 and the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®). We discuss the architecture of the SMPA approach and the role of ISO/IEC 15504 in the approach. This work contributes to practice as it may help IT managers to self-assess their processes using a standard model. The SMPA approach can also support assessors who perform formal assessments

Botrytis cinerea infection accelerates ripening and cell wall disassembly to promote disease in tomato fruit

Postharvest fungal pathogens benefit from the increased host susceptibility that occurs during fruit ripening. In unripe fruit, pathogens often remain quiescent and unable to cause disease until ripening begins, emerging at this point into destructive necrotrophic lifestyles that quickly result in fruit decay. Here, we demonstrate that one such pathogen, Botrytis cinerea, actively induces ripening processes to facilitate infections and promote disease in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Assessments of ripening progression revealed that B. cinerea accelerated external coloration, ethylene production, and softening in unripe fruit, while mRNA sequencing of inoculated unripe fruit confirmed the corresponding upregulation of host genes involved in ripening processes, such as ethylene biosynthesis and cell wall degradation. Furthermore, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based glycomics technique used to assess fruit cell wall polysaccharides revealed remarkable similarities in the cell wall polysaccharide changes caused by both infections of unripe fruit and ripening of healthy fruit, particularly in the increased accessibility of pectic polysaccharides. Virulence and additional ripening assessment experiments with B. cinerea knockout mutants showed that induction of ripening depends on the ability to infect the host and break down pectin. The B. cinerea double knockout Δbc polygalacturonase1 Δbc polygalacturonase2 lacking two critical pectin degrading enzymes was incapable of emerging from quiescence even long after the fruit had ripened at its own pace, suggesting that the failure to accelerate ripening severely inhibits fungal survival on unripe fruit. These findings demonstrate that active induction of ripening in unripe tomato fruit is an important infection strategy for B. cinerea

Building a software tool for transparent and efficient process assessments in IT service management

Process improvements provide a structured approach for organisa-tions to improve the way they operate. A number of process improvement methodologies such as ISO9000, TQM, Six Sigma, Lean, and Agile have been proposed over the last few decades and subsequently software tools have been developed to apply these methodologies. However determination of process ca-pability to measure improvement is predominantly conducted by expert process assessors and consultants with proprietary frameworks. We propose the use of the international standard for process assessment ISO/IEC 15504 for a transpar-ent measurement of process capability. We also demonstrate development of a software tool based on the standard that can facilitate organisations to assess their processes efficiently. In this paper, we explain the development, imple-mentation and preliminary evaluation of a software-mediated process assess-ment approach in the area of IT Service Management at a large public-sector IT organisation in Queensland, Australia. This paper's contribution is the integra-tion of the design science research methodology with the task-technology fit theory for the development of the software tool as a research artefact. For prac-titioners the project demonstrates transparent and efficient assessment of IT service processes to facilitate continual improvement

Minimal disease activity (MDA) in patients with recent-onset psoriatic arthritis : predictive model based on machine learning

Very few data are available on predictors of minimal disease activity (MDA) in patients with recent-onset psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Such data are crucial, since the therapeutic measures used to change the adverse course of PsA are more likely to succeed if we intervene early. In the present study, we used predictive models based on machine learning to detect variables associated with achieving MDA in patients with recent-onset PsA. We performed a multicenter observational prospective study (2-year follow-up, regular annual visits). The study population comprised patients aged ≥18 years who fulfilled the CASPAR criteria and less than 2 years since the onset of symptoms. The dataset contained data for the independent variables from the baseline visit and from follow-up visit number 1. These were matched with the outcome measures from follow-up visits 1 and 2, respectively. We trained a random forest-type machine learning algorithm to analyze the association between the outcome measure and the variables selected in the bivariate analysis. In order to understand how the model uses the variables to make its predictions, we applied the SHAP technique. We used a confusion matrix to visualize the performance of the model. The sample comprised 158 patients. 55.5% and 58.3% of the patients had MDA at the first and second follow-up visit, respectively. In our model, the variables with the greatest predictive ability were global pain, impact of the disease (PsAID), patient global assessment of disease, and physical function (HAQ-Disability Index). The percentage of hits in the confusion matrix was 85.94%. A key objective in the management of PsA should be control of pain, which is not always associated with inflammatory burden, and the establishment of measures to better control the various domains of PsA