Exploring the influence of instant messaging and video conferencing on the quality of project communication

Growth in computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies such as instant messaging (IM) and video conferencing (VC) has led to a need to explore the utilisation and influence of these tools on the quality of project communication, which must still be established. This article reports the results of a survey conducted among 210 project practitioners using CMC in various industries to determine how, why and what each medium is used for, and how these media influence factors that promote quality communication. Some results showed that the use of both instant messaging and video conferencing in projects is moderate and both improve the quality of communication in virtual teams, however in different ways

Exploring the influence of instant messaging and video conferencing on the quality of project communication

Growth in computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies such as instant messaging (IM) and video conferencing (VC) has led to a need to explore the utilisation and influence of these tools on the quality of project communication, which must still be established. This article reports the results of a survey conducted among 210 project practitioners using CMC in various industries to determine how, why and what each medium is used for, and how these media influence factors that promote quality communication. Some results showed that the use of both instant messaging and video conferencing in projects is moderate and both improve the quality of communication in virtual teams, however in different ways.Die groei in rekenaar-bemiddelde kommunikasietegnologie soos kitsboodskappe en videokonferensies het gelei tot ʼn behoefte om die benutting en invloed van hierdie tegnologie op die gehalte van projekkommunikasie te verstaan aangesien dit nog nie vasgestel is nie. Hierdie artikel rapporteer die resultate van ‘n opname wat gedoen was onder 210 projekpraktisyns wat CMC’s gebruik in verskeie industrieë om te bepaal hoe, hoekom en waarvoor elke medium gebruik word, en hoe hierdie media die faktore beïnvloed wat kwaliteitkommunikasie bevorder. Sommige resultate toon dat die gebruik van beide hierdie tipe media in projekte matig is en dat kitsboodskappe en videokonferensies albei die gehalte van kommunikasie in virtuele spanne verbeter maar egter op verskillende maniere.http://reference.sabinet.co.za/sa_epublication/structam2016Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM)Statistic

UV-B antagonises shade avoidance and increases levels of the flavonoid quercetin in coriander (Coriandrum sativum)

Abstract Despite controlling a diverse array of regulatory processes in plants, UV-B wavelengths (280–315 nm) are attenuated by common greenhouse materials such as glass and polycarbonate and are therefore depleted in many commercial growing environments. In this study, we analysed the architecture, pigment accumulation and antioxidant capacity of coriander (Coriandrum sativum, also known as cilantro) plants grown with and without supplementary UV-B (1.5 µmol m−2 s−1). We demonstrate that UV-B limits stem elongation responses to neighbour proximity perception (shade avoidance), promoting a more compact plant architecture. In addition, UV-B increased leaf quercetin content and total antioxidant capacity. Arabidopsis thaliana mutants deficient in flavonoid biosynthesis were not impaired in shade avoidance inhibition, suggesting that UV-B-induced flavonoid synthesis is not a component of this response. Our results indicate that UV-B supplementation may provide a method to manipulate the architecture, flavour and nutritional content of potted herbs whilst reducing the deleterious impacts of dense planting on product quality

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Linking trust and collaboration in project teams to project management success

PURPOSE : The purpose of this paper is to emphasise the importance of high levels of trust and collaboration for increasing the likelihood of project management (PM) success. However, the link between these three constructs remains unclear. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : In this study, the authors use structural equation modelling (SEM) based on the findings from an international survey of 151 project practitioners to demonstrate the significance of project team trust and collaboration for increasing the likelihood of PM success. FINDINGS : The results indicate that PM success becomes more likely as the degree of collaboration improves which, in turn, is influenced by an increase in the level of trust between team members. The two factors of PM success are project performance and knowledge integration and innovation. The six factors of the degree of collaboration that were studied are physical proximity, commitment, conflict, coordination, relationships and incentives. The three factors of the level of trust investigated are expectations, knowledge exchange and imported trust. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : The results of the study are expected to provide insight for project practitioners to increase the likelihood of PM success by taking cognisance of the factors that influence collaboration and trust. The results of the study may also provide insight into teaching and learning in tertiary education, in terms of professionalism and integrity issues. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : This paper presents a new perspective for investigating PM success. SEM techniques are used to determine the likelihood of PM success by promoting trust and collaboration in the project team. This unique approach highlights the “human factors” that influence perceived PM success which should benefit both researchers and practitioners.https://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/ijmpbhj2018Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM)Statistic

Attenuation of virulence in an apicomplexan hemoparasite results in reduced genome diversity at the population level

BACKGROUND: Virulence acquisition and loss is a dynamic adaptation of pathogens to thrive in changing milieus. We investigated the mechanisms of virulence loss at the whole genome level using Babesia bovis as a model apicomplexan in which genetically related attenuated parasites can be reliably derived from virulent parental strains in the natural host. We expected virulence loss to be accompanied by consistent changes at the gene level, and that such changes would be shared among attenuated parasites of diverse geographic and genetic background. RESULTS: Surprisingly, while single nucleotide polymorphisms in 14 genes distinguished all attenuated parasites from their virulent parental strains, all non-synonymous changes resulted in no deleterious amino acid modification that could consistently be associated with attenuation (or virulence) in this hemoparasite. Interestingly, however, attenuation significantly reduced the overall population's genome diversity with 81% of base pairs shared among attenuated strains, compared to only 60% of base pairs common among virulent parental parasites. There were significantly fewer genes that were unique to their geographical origins among the attenuated parasites, resulting in a simplified population structure among the attenuated strains. CONCLUSIONS: This simplified structure includes reduced diversity of the variant erythrocyte surface 1 (ves) multigene family repertoire among attenuated parasites when compared to virulent parental strains, possibly suggesting that overall variance in large protein families such as Variant Erythrocyte Surface Antigens has a critical role in expression of the virulence phenotype. In addition, the results suggest that virulence (or attenuation) mechanisms may not be shared among all populations of parasites at the gene level, but instead may reflect expansion or contraction of the population structure in response to shifting milieus

The virulence of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus requires cooperation between the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway (ERAD) and the unfolded protein response (UPR)

International audienceThe filamentous fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus secretes hydrolytic enzymes to acquire nutrients from host tissues. The production of these enzymes exerts stress on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is alleviated by two stress responses: the unfolded protein response (UPR), which adjusts the protein folding capacity of the ER, and ER-associated degradation (ERAD), which disposes of proteins that fail to fold correctly. In this study, we examined the contribution of these integrated pathways to the growth and virulence of A. fumigatus, focusing on the ERAD protein DerA and the master regulator of the UPR, HacA. A ΔderA mutant grew normally and showed no increase in sensitivity to ER stress. However, expression of the UPR target gene bipA was constitutively elevated in this strain, suggesting that the UPR was compensating for the absence of DerA function. To test this, the UPR was disrupted by deleting the hacA gene. The combined loss of derA and hacA caused a more severe reduction in hyphal growth, antifungal drug resistance and protease secretion than the loss of either gene alone, suggesting that DerA and HacA cooperate to support these functions. Moreover, the ΔderA/ΔhacA mutant was avirulent in a mouse model of invasive aspergillosis, which contrasted the wild type virulence of ΔderA and the reduced virulence of the ΔhacA mutant. Taken together, these data demonstrate that DerA cooperates with the UPR to support the expression of virulence-related attributes of A. fumigatus

<i>Gaussia</i> luciferase encoding vectors used in this study.

<p><i>Gaussia</i> luciferase encoding vectors used in this study.</p

Plasmids used in this study.

<p>Plasmids used in this study.</p

Firefly luciferase encoding vectors used in this study.

<p>Firefly luciferase encoding vectors used in this study.</p