Participative Design Using Soft Systems Methodology

Participative design is an effective tool for designing organizational systems where conflicting and diverse goals of users and clients from different organizations must be reconciled. This paper presents a methodology for participative design based on Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). A brief overview of SSM is first presented. The design methodology is then presented within the SSM framework. The design methodology prescribes a set of activities to accomplish participative design, and uses two design tools from the manufacturing and process engineering fields - Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and the IDEF0 functional modeling method. Experiences using the design methodology are also presented

Virulence Factors of Aeromonas hydrophila: In the Wake of Reclassification

The ubiquitous “jack-of-all-trades,” Aeromonas hydrophila, is a freshwater, Gram-negative bacterial pathogen under revision in regard to its phylogenetic and functional affiliation with other aeromonads. While virulence factors are expectedly diverse across A. hydrophila strains and closely related species, our mechanistic knowledge of the vast majority of these factors is based on the molecular characterization of the strains A. hydrophila AH-3 and SSU, which were reclassified as A. piscicola AH-3 in 2009 and A. dhakensis SSU in 2013. Individually, these reclassifications raise important questions involving the applicability of previous research on A. hydrophila virulence mechanisms; however, this issue is exacerbated by a lack of genomic data on other research strains. Collectively, these changes represent a fundamental gap in the literature on A. hydrophila and confirm the necessity of biochemical, molecular, and morphological techniques in the classification of research strains that are used as a foundation for future research. This review revisits what is known about virulence in A. hydrophila and the feasibility of using comparative genomics in light of this phylogenetic revision. Conflicting data between virulence factors, secretion systems, quorum sensing, and their effect on A. hydrophila pathogenicity appears to be an artifact of inappropriate taxonomic comparisons and/or be due to the fact that these properties are strain-specific. This review audits emerging data on dominant virulence factors that are present in both A. dhakensis and A. hydrophila in order to synthesize existing data with the aim of locating where future research is needed

A study of the photochemical rearrangements of 2-methoxy-3-keto-9-methyl- -hexahydronaphthalene

M.S.Drury S. Caine, II

The Use of IDEF0 for the Design and Specification of Methodologies

This paper presents experiences with the application of the IDEF0 technique in the development and specification of methodologies. Case studies in this novel use of the tool are presented for two projects. The first case describes a methodology for assisting small companies implement continuous improvement. The second case is a methodology for the strategic justification of investments in enterprise-wide technologies. The conversion of the IDEF0 specifications to actual delivery mechanisms is discussed. Advantages, disadvantages, and suggestions for use of IDEF0 for methodology design and specification are also presented. INTRODUCTION IDEF0 is a widely used technique for the structured analysis and design of systems. Its use in improving the productivity and communications in computer integrated manufacturing systems and, more recently, as a tool for business process reengineering efforts are widely documented. In this paper, we present what we believe is a novel application for IDEF..

A Methodology for Research Project Selection

This paper presents a methodology for the identification of benefits for technology research and development projects. It specifically addresses projects involving new process technologies. It focuses on identifying and presenting both financial and strategic benefits of the project in an integrated manner. It uses a proven multi-attribute justification tool and frames it within a larger structured methodology for designing and planning the benefits measurement process through experiments and pilot implementations. The methodology supports the comparison of dissimilar projects having different strategic benefits. Finally, it acts as tool to aid the technologist in identifying and presenting the benefits of his technology. Keywords Project Selection, Multi-Attribute Decision Making, Management of Technology 1. Introduction The selection of research and development projects to be funded from a portfolio of projects is a common problem in many organizations. Internal and external fund..