Generating Narrative Spaces from Events History

For a successful distributed teamwork it is vital to provide team-members with awareness on collaborative activities. One way of achieving this is through applying a narrative based approach to construct the events that have taken place on documents and folders in a project workspace, as various members make changes to its content. The research presented in this paper investigates the possibility of exploring the history of activities performed by team members. Past events are aggregated in the form of a three dimensional environment time tunnel, providing the team-members with a generative tool to visualize the project?s events history in various configurations, in order to reveal the usually hidden relationships between separate pieces of events. Furthermore we provide a tool for managing and inspecting the folder?s contents: the DocuDrama Timetunnel. Here we present preliminary findings showing how the visualisation of a sequence of connected actions and happenings using a temporal and spatial narrative based approach may lead to a better understanding of the project-related events history

Developing a Small Youth Nonprofit Board of Directors to Support Fundraising and Volunteer Engagement

Nonprofit organizations that provide services for young people are immense assets within urban communities. These organizations impart mentorship and provide positive activities to enrich the lives of young citizens who may or may not have access to these opportunities provided elsewhere at a cost. However, as noteworthy of a benefit, the management of nonprofits often threatens their sustainability. If the understanding of organizational blind spots regarding volunteer retention, sustainability of funding, and board leadership is lacking, decision-making on strategic planning becomes very difficult (Sand, 2005). This consultancy project explores the best practices for managing a small nonprofit that focuses on empowering young girls to chase their dreams and live without limitations. Recommendations were made through scholarly research, interviews, and quantitative and qualitative data collection specific to the concerns of the partnering organization regarding funding, volunteer engagement, and board development. Recommendations were made to help increase the engagement of the above-mentioned concerns to aid in the organization’s annual toy drive and overall effectiveness and sustainability

Identifying gene locus associations with promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies using immuno-TRAP.

Important insights into nuclear function would arise if gene loci physically interacting with particular subnuclear domains could be readily identified. Immunofluorescence microscopy combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (immuno-FISH), the method that would typically be used in such a study, is limited by spatial resolution and requires prior assumptions for selecting genes to probe. Our new technique, immuno-TRAP, overcomes these limitations. Using promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML NBs) as a model, we used immuno-TRAP to determine if specific genes localize within molecular dimensions with these bodies. Although we confirmed a TP53 gene-PML NB association, immuno-TRAP allowed us to uncover novel locus-PML NB associations, including the ABCA7 and TFF1 loci and, most surprisingly, the PML locus itself. These associations were cell type specific and reflected the cell's physiological state. Combined with microarrays or deep sequencing, immuno-TRAP provides powerful opportunities for identifying gene locus associations with potentially any nuclear subcompartment

Adaptation without natural selection

Document is itself an extended abstract

Bank employees’ engagement in corporate social responsibility initiatives at a South African retail bank

Abstract: Many firms encourage employees to undertake corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects. With any project, it is important that firm resources are committed to create valued outcomes for stakeholders. Research purpose: The study purpose was to gain insight into criteria that can practically help define the success of employee run CSR projects. Motivation for the study: CSR activities are reported in literature as creating valuable intangible and tangible assets for firms when planned as strategies to improve brand reputation, customer loyalty and future profit. This research reviews a South African retail bank that promotes CSR undertakings to employees exploring the bank’s support for employees engaged in CSR. Research design, approach and method: Two of the bank’s completed community CSR projects were identified by the bank’s senior CSR managers for this review. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with employees, bank CSR managers and project recipients. Participant interviews were transcribed into text then analysed to identify where stakeholder value diminished on these projects..