Interpersonal Trust in Virtual Software Development Teams: A Systematic Mapping Study

Context: The progress of Information and Communication Technologies has greatly promoted the relationships among people of different geographical regions. Under this novel context, new settings of software development arise, known as virtual teams, a team of geographically dispersed developers. Objective: to assess the impact of virtual team’s interper-sonal trust on software development process. Method: We conducted a systematic mapping study of peer-reviewed literature up to August 2016. Results: We reviewed 41 primary studies. Some highlights are that virtual team effectiveness is the most affected aspect by the lacking of interpersonal trust, while face-to-face meeting is the most mentioned work strategy to mitigate this problem. Conclusions: This study corroborates the impact of interpersonal trust on virtual software development teams. We identified some work strategies but few advanced tools to mitigate the problems derived from the lack of interpersonal trust.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Interpersonal Trust in Virtual Software Development Teams: A Systematic Mapping Study

Context: The progress of Information and Communication Technologies has greatly promoted the relationships among people of different geographical regions. Under this novel context, new settings of software development arise, known as virtual teams, a team of geographically dispersed developers. Objective: to assess the impact of virtual team’s interper-sonal trust on software development process. Method: We conducted a systematic mapping study of peer-reviewed literature up to August 2016. Results: We reviewed 41 primary studies. Some highlights are that virtual team effectiveness is the most affected aspect by the lacking of interpersonal trust, while face-to-face meeting is the most mentioned work strategy to mitigate this problem. Conclusions: This study corroborates the impact of interpersonal trust on virtual software development teams. We identified some work strategies but few advanced tools to mitigate the problems derived from the lack of interpersonal trust.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Effect of finishing diet on carcass characteristics and meat quality of Mos cockerel

Aim of study: To evaluate the effect of different diets on carcass characteristics and meat quality from Mos free-ranged cockerel.Area of study: Galicia (NW Spain).Material and methods: Cockerels (n=75) were allocated to 3 groups (n=25) according to finishing diets: commercial fodder (CF), 50% wheat and 50% corn (WH) and 33% wheat and 66% corn (CR). Meat quality was assessed in terms of physicochemical, and nutritional features.Main results: The highest live and carcass weight were obtained in CF group. Meat from CF and CR groups were similar in moisture, protein and cholesterol content in drumstick cut, meanwhile in breast piece there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in intramuscular fat (IMF), ash, and lightness (L*). On the other hand, finishing diet affected L* and redness (a*) values, showing the highest L* values in meat samples from CF treatment (49.94 for drumstick) (p<0.01), whereas a* was superior in WH samples (11.30 and 4.61, for drumstick and breast, respectively) (p<0.001). Meat shear force test was not affected (p>0.05) by diets. Finally, the finishing feed affected (p<0.05) the fatty acid and amino acid profile in both cuts (drumstick and breast).Research highlights: Present study allowed to characterize for the first time Mos cockerels fed with different diets. Some carcass features obtained were higher than previous studies with other Mos categories, and some autochthonous and industrial breeds. Meat from cockerels was characterized by a high protein percentage and lower IMF

Interpersonal Trust in Virtual Software Development Teams: A Systematic Mapping Study

Context: The progress of Information and Communication Technologies has greatly promoted the relationships among people of different geographical regions. Under this novel context, new settings of software development arise, known as virtual teams, a team of geographically dispersed developers. Objective: to assess the impact of virtual team’s interper-sonal trust on software development process. Method: We conducted a systematic mapping study of peer-reviewed literature up to August 2016. Results: We reviewed 41 primary studies. Some highlights are that virtual team effectiveness is the most affected aspect by the lacking of interpersonal trust, while face-to-face meeting is the most mentioned work strategy to mitigate this problem. Conclusions: This study corroborates the impact of interpersonal trust on virtual software development teams. We identified some work strategies but few advanced tools to mitigate the problems derived from the lack of interpersonal trust.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Caracterización de uniones material compuesto-hormigón mediante ensayos de pelado, cortadura, tracción plana y torsión

XI CONGRESO NACIONAL DE MATERIALES COMPUESTOS. Celebrado en Móstoles los días 6, 7 y 8 de julio de 2015El presente trabajo se centra en el análisis de diferentes ensayos que permiten determinar la calidad de la unión entre laminados de material compuesto y hormigón. Los ensayos considerados han sido: Pull Off (ensayo a tracción), Shear Torsion (ensayo de torsión), Lap Shear (ensayo de cortadura) y Lap Peeling (ensayo de pelado). La fabricación de las probetas se ha llevado a cabo siguiendo tres procedimientos: por apilado e impregnación manual del material compuesto sobre el hormigón, mediante pegado de laminados de material compuesto prefabricados y mediante impregnación insitu del material compuesto sobre el hormigón a través de técnicas de infusión de resina líquida. Además, dichos ensayos se han realizado sobre probetas de hormigón con dos tratamientos superficiales: amoladora y lija de grano grueso. Tras la realización de los ensayos se ha constatado que predomina la rotura por el hormigón sobre roturas adhesivas o cohesivas, lo que indica una buena adhesión entre éste y el material compuesto, para todos los métodos de fabricación de la unión y tratamientos superficiales del hormigónCentro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTl) lTC-20131020Fondos Europeos de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) lTC-2013102

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation