The Impact of Leadership Style on the Adoption of Agile Software Development: A Correlational Study

Public and private organizations continue to rely prohibitively on classic software development methodologies such as the waterfall. Private industry more so than the public sector has shown evidence for a higher rate of success when using agile software development methods. Consequently, the purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine variables that best predict the adoption of agile methodologies in software development. The study made use of the UTAUT and MLQ–5X surveys. The primary variable under study was leadership style. Secondary variables included: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating factors. A pilot study (N = 30) was conducted in order to evaluate the validity of the study. This was closely followed by a formal study of 384 panelist. Multiple regression was performed against each of the variables along with a hierarchical regression at the end of the study. The regression equation that resulted accounted for 56.4% of the variance in the behavioral intent to adopt agile methods. Leadership style, specifically transformational (Inspirational motivation) was found to have a positive impact on the adoption of agile methods. Facilitating, social influence, effort expectancy, and performance expectancy also had a positive impact on the adoption of agile methods while individual consideration (transformational leadership) had a negative impact on the adoption of agile methods. Implications and recommendations for future research are subsequently presented

Cdt1 degradation to prevent DNA re-replication: conserved and non-conserved pathways

In eukaryotes, DNA replication is strictly regulated so that it occurs only once per cell cycle. The mechanisms that prevent excessive DNA replication are focused on preventing replication origins from being reused within the same cell cycle. This regulation involves the temporal separation of the formation of the pre-replicative complex (pre-RC) from the initiation of DNA replication. The replication licensing factors Cdt1 and Cdc6 recruit the presumptive replicative helicase, the Mcm2-7 complex, to replication origins in late M or G1 phase to form pre-RCs. In fission yeast and metazoa, the Cdt1 licensing factor is degraded at the start of S phase by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis to prevent the reassembly of pre-RCs. In humans, two E3 complexes, CUL4-DDB1CDT2 and SCFSkp2, are redundantly required for Cdt1 degradation. The two E3 complexes use distinct mechanisms to target Cdt1 ubiquitination. Current data suggests that CUL4-DDB1CDT2-mediated degradation of Cdt1 is S-phase specific, while SCFSkp2-mediated Cdt1 degradation occurs throughout the cell cycle. The degradation of Cdt1 by the CUL4-DDB1CDT2 E3 complex is an evolutionarily ancient pathway that is active in fungi and metazoa. In contrast, SCFSkp2-mediated Cdt1 degradation appears to have arisen relatively recently. A role for Skp2 in Cdt1 degradation has only been demonstrated in humans, and the pathway is not conserved in yeast, invertebrates, or even among other vertebrates

Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases: global regulation and activation cycles

Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) comprise the largest known category of ubiquitin ligases. CRLs regulate an extensive number of dynamic cellular processes, including multiple aspects of the cell cycle, transcription, signal transduction, and development. CRLs are multisubunit complexes composed of a cullin, RING H2 finger protein, a variable substrate-recognition subunit (SRS), and for most CRLs, an adaptor that links the SRS to the complex. Eukaryotic species contain multiple cullins, with five major types in metazoa. Each cullin forms a distinct class of CRL complex, with distinct adaptors and/or substrate-recognition subunits. Despite this diversity, each of the classes of CRL complexes is subject to similar regulatory mechanisms. This review focuses on the global regulation of CRL complexes, encompassing: neddylation, deneddylation by the COP9 Signalosome (CSN), inhibitory binding by CAND1, and the dimerization of CRL complexes. We also address the role of cycles of activation and inactivation in regulating CRL activity and switching between substrate-recognition subunits

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TRACK & FIELD INJURIES: A ONE YEAR EXPERIENCE IN ATHLETIC SCHOOLS

The purpose of this study was to record injuries in track & field events that were sustained by students who attended the athletic schools during a one-year period. From September 2009 to May 2010, the researchers observed 2045 students (883 males and 1163 females), who were participating in track and field events at the mentioned schools. During the study period 150 injuries were recorded, which accounted for 13.3% of all injuries sustained by students. Most of the injuries (34%) according to the diagnosis were sprains and strains and occurred during the months of February, December and January. A large percentage of the injuries (45.4%) were sustained by students who attended the Athletic Schools, which operated in the urban region. Students who attended the second class sustained more injuries than the other classes (first and third). Students who were practising or competing on a tartan playing surface were more likely to sustain an injury. Knee and ankle were the most frequent anatomical sites in which injuries (43.9%) occurred. Additionally, 80.0% of injuries occurred in students who were practising or competing in running events. No statistical differences were observed in all above mentioned parameters amongst male and female students. Physical education (P.E.) teachers should place more emphasis on prevention measures. These measures should include proper supervision of students during training, warming up and cooling down sessions with stretching techniques. By following these suggestions students will compete in a safe and healthy environment

Developmental control of the cell cycle: Insights from Caenorhabditis elegans

During animal development, a single fertilized egg forms a complete organism with tens to trillions of cells that encompass a large variety of cell types. Cell cycle regulation is therefore at the center of development and needs to be carried out in close coordination with cell differentiation, migration, and death, as well as tissue formation, morphogenesis, and homeostasis. The timing and frequency of cell divisions are controlled by complex combinations of external and cell-intrinsic signals that vary throughout development. Insight into how such controls determine in vivo cell division patterns has come from studies in various genetic model systems. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has only about 1000 somatic cells and approximately twice as many germ cells in the adult hermaphrodite. Despite the relatively small number of cells, C. elegans has diverse tissues, including intestine, nerves, striated and smooth muscle, and skin. C. elegans is unique as a model organism for studies of the cell cycle because the somatic cell lineage is invariant. Somatic cells divide at set times during development to produce daughter cells that adopt reproducible developmental fates. Studies in C. elegans have allowed the identification of conserved cell cycle regulators and provided insights into how cell cycle regulation varies between tissues. In this review, we focus on the regulation of the cell cycle in the context of C. elegans development, with reference to other systems, with the goal of better understanding how cell cycle regulation is linked to animal development in general