Can anybody help? : mitigating IS development project risk with user

In this paper we aim to gain insight into the relationship between user participation modes and project risk factors, and then we construct a model that can be used to determine how user participation can be successfully applied in ISD projects with a given set of risk factors. We perform an in-depth literature review, which aims to clarify the concept of user participation as part of risk management. We then report on the results of a case study in Cap Gemini where we conduct an exploratory research of the application of user participation in practice. For this exploratory research, a quantitative and qualitative research method was designed in the form of a survey and interviews. Though the results from our case study we gain insight into the relationship between user participation and IS project risk and also determine how user participation can be used to mitigate such risk

Kapitza resistance between superfluid helium and solid: role of the boundary

Kapitza resistance measurements conducted at T > 1 K on silicon and niobium single crystals in contact with helium demonstrate respectively the importance of atomic scale surface roughness and dislocations due to surface damage at the boundary. Two different experimental configurations were used

Involving end users to mitigate risk in IS development projects

In this paper the authors aim to gain insight into the relationship between user participation modes and project risk factors, and then they constructed a model that can be used to determine how user participation can be successfully applied in ISD projects with a given set of risk factors. The authors performed an in-depth literature review, which aims to clarify the concept of user participation as part of risk management. They then report on the results of a case study in Cap Gemini where we conduct an exploratory research of the application of user participation in practice. For this exploratory research, a quantitative and qualitative research method was designed in the form of a survey and interviews. Through the results from their case study, the authors gained insight into the relationship between user participation and IS project risk and also determine how user participation can be used to mitigate such ris

Rice genotype differences in tolerance of zinc-deficient soils: evidence for the importance of root-induced changes in the rhizosphere

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2015.01160Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a major constraint to rice production and Zn is also often deficient in humans with rice-based diets. Efforts to breed more Zn-efficient rice are constrained by poor understanding of the mechanisms of tolerance to deficiency. Here we assess the contributions of root growth and root Zn uptake efficiency, and we seek to explain the results in terms of specific mechanisms. We made a field experiment in a highly Zn-deficient rice soil in the Philippines with deficiency-tolerant and -sensitive genotypes, and measured growth, Zn uptake and root development. We also measured the effect of planting density. Tolerant genotypes produced more crown roots per plant and had greater uptake rates per unit root surface area; the latter was at least as important as root number to overall tolerance. Tolerant and sensitive genotypes took up more Zn per plant at greater planting densities. The greater uptake per unit root surface area, and the planting density effect can only be explained by root-induced changes in the rhizosphere, either solubilizing Zn, or neutralizing a toxin that impedes Zn uptake (possibly HCO − 3 HCO3− or Fe2+), or both. Traits for these and crown root number are potential breeding targets.This research was funded by a grant from the UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, Grant Ref. BB/J011584/1) under the Sustainable Crop Production Research for International Development (SCPRID) programme, a joint multi-national initiative of BBSRC, the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID) and (through a grant awarded to BBSRC) the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Support to AKN in the form of a fellowship awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) is gratefully acknowledged

The effects of modularity on effective communication and collaboration

In this article we explore the consequences associated with a lack of coordination between the requirements engineering process and the development process. We conduct a detailed case study of an ICT department of a large European bank that develops software using the agile software development method. Our current study reveals that the application of a modular organizational design in a dynamic agile environment has a negative effect on the communication and coordination between members of different modules. More specifically, the modular design creates both a semantic and a pragmatic boundary among members of different modules, which is primarily caused by the fact that modules have differentiated tasks and often misaligned interests

A Common Pain in Pregnancy with an Uncommon Cause

Case Diagnosis: We present a case of a patient with hip pain during pregnancy determined to be pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS). Case Description: A 41-year-old woman presented with 9-months of persistent atraumatic left hip pain localized to the groin that had started in her second trimester of pregnancy. Five months after delivery at presentation to clinic, her symptoms had progressively worsened to require a cane for ambulation. On exam, hip range of motion was limited: flexion to 90o, external rotation to 20o, and internal rotation to 10o. She had groin pain with internal and external rotation. She was neurovascularly intact without lymphadenopathy. Radiographs showed significant erosion of the left femoral head and acetabulum with mild protrusio. Apple core erosions were visualized at the femoral neck. MRI showed extensive bone edema on both sides of the joint, with erosion of the femoral head and acetabulum. There was joint effusion, synovial hypertrophy, and excessive synovial tissue. Differential diagnoses included PVNS, avascular necrosis, rapidly progressive osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, septic arthritis, insufficiency fractures, synovial chondromatosis, and transient osteoporosis of the hip. A needle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of PVNS. She was treated with synovectomy and total hip arthroplasty, and has remained pain free and without evidence of disease for the last 5 years. Discussions: PVNS is a disorder characterized by synovial proliferation. There are only two previous case reports of patients who were diagnosed with PVNS during pregnancy, both of whom had monoarticular involvement of the knee. Conclusions: Synovectomy is the mainstay of surgical treatment of PVNS. Although, in patients with extensive articular involvement, synovectomy and arthroplasty may be required. The current understanding is that cytokines have a trophic influence leading to growth of the tumor. Further studies are needed to establish a definitive connection between PVNS and pregnancy

The Progress and Pitfalls of Pharmacogenetics-Based Precision Medicine in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The inadequate efficacy and adverse effects of antipsychotics severely affect the recovery of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). We report the evidence for associations between pharmacogenetic (PGx) variants and antipsychotics outcomes, including antipsychotic response, antipsychotic-induced weight/BMI gain, metabolic syndrome, antipsychotic-related prolactin levels, antipsychotic-induced tardive dyskinesia (TD), clozapine-induced agranulocytosis (CLA), and drug concentration level (pharmacokinetics) in SSD patients. Through an in-depth systematic search in 2010–2022, we identified 501 records. We included 29 meta-analyses constituting pooled data from 298 original studies over 69 PGx variants across 39 genes, 4 metabolizing phenotypes of CYP2D9, and 3 of CYP2C19. We observed weak unadjusted nominal significant (p &lt; 0.05) additive effects of PGx variants of DRD1, DRD2, DRD3, HTR1A, HTR2A, HTR3A, and COMT (10 variants) on antipsychotic response; DRD2, HTR2C, BDNF, ADRA2A, ADRB3, GNB3, INSIG2, LEP, MC4R, and SNAP25 (14 variants) on weight gain; HTR2C (one variant) on metabolic syndrome; DRD2 (one variant) on prolactin levels; COMT and BDNF (two variants) on TD; HLA-DRB1 (one variant) on CLA; CYP2D6 (four phenotypes) and CYP2C19 (two phenotypes) on antipsychotics plasma levels. In the future, well-designed longitudinal naturalistic multi-center PGx studies are needed to validate the effectiveness of PGx variants in antipsychotic outcomes before establishing any reproducible PGx passport in clinical practice.</p

High-Field Magic Angle Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Using Radicals Created by γ-Irradiation

High-field magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS DNP) is often used to enhance the sensitivity of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments by transferring spin polarization from electron spins to nuclear spins. Here, we demonstrate that γ-irradiation induces the formation of stable radicals in inorganic solids, such as fused quartz and borosilicate glasses, as well as organic solids, such as glucose, cellulose, and a urea/polyethylene polymer. The radicals were then used to polarize 29Si or 1H spins in the core of some of these materials. Significant MAS DNP enhancements (ε) of more than 400 and 30 were obtained for fused quartz and glucose, respectively. For other samples, negligible values of ε were obtained, likely due to low concentrations of radicals or the presence of abundant quadrupolar spins. These results demonstrate that ionizing radiation is a promising alternative method for generating stable radicals that are suitable for high-field MAS DNP experiments

The Carbon Footprint of a UK Chemical Engineering Department – The Case of Imperial College London

As the UK strives towards net-zero it is important that all sectors, including Higher Education, take immediate measures to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gases emitted by different Higher Education institutions are studied and are shown to be large. However, these studies are based on aggregated data, and it is therefore uncertain how effective institute-wide policies to cut emissions are at department level. Herein, we present a generic framework for university departments to calculate their carbon footprint considering Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. We estimate the carbon footprint of the Chemical Engineering Department at Imperial College London to be 7,620 and 8,330 tCO2eq in 2018/19 and 2019/20, respectively. Scope 3 emissions account for 54% of the Department's emissions with Scope 1 and 2 accounting for the remaining 46%. Scope 3 emissions are largely driven by purchased goods and travel, while Scope 1 emissions are predominantly from electricity usage