Developing a framework of common information space (CIS): grounded theory analysis of airport CIS

The notion of Common Information Space (CIS) has been proposed in the field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) as a conceptual framework for analyzing cooperative work processes. The area is still in its formative years and requires more research to contribute to its development. This paper presents findings from an investigation undertaken for such an endeavor. Three perceptions of CIS are presented, which are, CIS as a sociotechnical arrangement, dynamic arrangement, and dependency management arrangement. These have been derived from review of existing research contributing to CIS notion development and Grounded Theory analysis of collaborative work process in air traffic control setting. The findings presented in this paper provide a comprehensive and consolidated view of the notion development. The paper contributes to the ongoing discussion of CIS notion development by making theoretical as well as methodological contribution

A grounded theory approach towards conceptualizing CIS for heterogeneous work communities

The notion of Common Information Space (CIS) is an area that has been gaining attention in the field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) over the last few years. This paper discusses one aspect of the investigation being undertaken to develop the conceptualization of CIS pertaining to heterogeneous work communities. This is based on empirical study of collaborative decision making involving different work communities in an airport of the air traffic control setting. The theory development is founded on the Grounded Theory approach. We present some of the findings of the ongoing analysis. In particular we discuss how the Grounded Theory methodological process has been adapted to this investigation by presenting illustrations of emergent theory development at the theoretical coding phase of the process

Mediation role of boundary objects in articulating common information spaces.

This paper presents a conceptualization of the mediation role of common information artifacts in articulating collaborative work. These artifacts are perceived as boundary objects which are characterized as device for intermediating local and global articulation, device for interpretive articulation, and device for organizing coordination. This conception is based on grounded theory driven qualitative study of collaboration among heterogeneous work communities in the air traffic control work process. Each work community setting in the airport is taken to be a Common Information Space (CIS), with the airport constituting multiple overlapping interdependent CISs. The common information systems constituting the CIS of different work communities act as boundary objects. These act not only as devices for placing information in common but also as devices that help synthesize multiple perspectives and establish common enough interpretation of shared information to undertake tasks collaboratively

Lo-fi prototyping to design interactive-tabletop applications for children

Interactive tabletops are an exiting new platform for supporting children's collaboration. With design guidelines and standardized interaction principles still immature, there is a considerable need for iterative prototyping to define the task and interface. Lo-fi prototypes-using cardboard, paper, etc.- are easy to develop, flexible to adjust during design sessions, and intuitive for users to manipulate. Using them can be a valuable step in designing tabletop applications. In this paper, we detail the design process of two tabletop applications, concentrating on the role of lo-fi prototyping. TransTime is a pattern game for 5-6 year olds to engage how time progresses. OurSpace is a design tool for 7-9 year olds to arrange desks and assign seats for students in their classroom. By comparing the experiences, we arrive at a better understanding of the benefits, challenges, and limits of using lo-fi prototypes to design interactive-tabletop applications for children

Dark matter from cosmic defects on galactic scales?

We discuss the possible dynamical role of extended cosmic defects on galactic scales, specifically focusing on the possibility that they may provide the dark matter suggested by the classical problem of galactic rotation curves. We emphasize that the more standard defects (such as Goto-Nambu strings) are unsuitable for this task, but show that more general models (such as transonic wiggly strings) could in principle have a better chance. In any case, we show that observational data severely restricts any such scenarios.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. D (Brief Reports). v2: Reference added and some typos corrected, matches published versio

Structurally specific thermal fluctuations identify functional sites for DNA transcription

We report results showing that thermally-induced openings of double stranded DNA coincide with the location of functionally relevant sites for transcription. Investigating both viral and bacterial DNA gene promoter segments, we found that the most probable opening occurs at the transcription start site. Minor openings appear to be related to other regulatory sites. Our results suggest that coherent thermal fluctuations play an important role in the initiation of transcription. Essential elements of the dynamics, in addition to sequence specificity, are nonlinearity and entropy, provided by local base-pair constraints

Towards cyber-physical systems as services: the ASIP protocol

The development of Cyber-Physical Systems needs to address the heterogeneity of several components that interact to build a single application. In this paper we present a model to enable easy integration and interaction of micro-controllers. Specifically, we describe the Arduino Service Interface Protocol (ASIP), we provide an implementation and client libraries for Java, Racket and Erlang, together with the description of a practical example

The application of mHealth to mental health: opportunities and challenges

Recent advances in smartphones and wearable biosensors enable the gathering of ‘real-time’ psychological, behavioural and physiological data, in increasingly precise and unobtrusive ways. It is therefore now possible to collect moment-to-moment information about an individuals’ moods, cognitions and activities, as well as automated data about their whereabouts, behaviour and physiological states. In this paper, we discuss the potential of these new mobile digital technologies for transforming mental health research and clinical practice. By drawing on a recent research project, we illustrate how traditional boundaries between research and clinical practice are becoming increasingly blurred and how in turn, this is leading to exciting new developments in the assessment and management of common mental disorders. The potential risks and key challenges associated with applying mobile technology to mental health are also discussed

Halo White Dwarfs and the Hot Intergalactic Medium

We present a schematic model for the formation of baryonic galactic halos and hot gas in the Local Group and the intergalactic medium. We follow the dynamics, chemical evolution, heat flow and gas flows of a hierarchy of scales, including: protogalactic clouds, galactic halos, and the Local Group itself. Within this hierarchy, the Galaxy is built via mergers of protogalactic fragments. We find that early bursts of star formation lead to a large population of remnants (mostly white dwarfs), which would reside presently in the halo and contribute to the dark component observed in the microlensing experiments. The hot, metal-rich gas from early starbursts and merging evaporates from the clouds and is eventually incorporated into the intergalactic medium. The model thus suggests that most microlensing objects could be white dwarfs (m \sim 0.5 \msol), which comprise a significant fraction of the halo mass. Furthermore, the Local Group could have a component of metal-rich hot gas similar to, although less than, that observed in larger clusters. We discuss the known constraints on such a scenario and show that all local observations can be satisfied with present data in this model. The best-fit model has a halo that is 40% baryonic, with an upper limit of 77%.Comment: 15 pages, LaTex, uses aas2pp4.sty, 7 postscript figures. Substantially revised and enlarged to a full-length article. Somewhat different quantitative results, but qualitative conclusions unchange