Dynamics of interdisciplinarity: a microlevel analysis of communication and facilitation in a group model‐building workshop

Participatory system dynamics is assumed to generate inter‐ and transdisciplinary understanding and whole‐system perspectives via scripted workshop structure, facilitation, and the use of visual boundary objects. However, there is little research into how exactly workshop activities and facilitators affect communication dynamics during a workshop and create an interdisciplinary perspective. Thus, we offer an innovative dynamic understanding via a rare microlevel analysis of facilitation and dynamics of communication and interdisciplinarity in a group model‐building workshop. We investigate how the conversation focus unfolds over time and examine in depth disciplinary transitions as well as the facilitator's role. We also analyse participants' perceptions of interdisciplinarity from the workshop and provide a research framework for workshop microlevel analysis. Based on the workshop's heritage science setting, we discuss the recursive nature of generating joint meaning and the use of participatory system dynamics for managing interdisciplinarity in a research project and make recommendations

Small Launch Vehicle SS-88-35

Our goal is to design a 15,000 pound Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) which can carry a 250 kg payload into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The objective is to develop a system to provide the SLV capability at a low cost. A preliminary analysis established for further refinement of the design. The SLV is a two state liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen booster. Alternative fuels and engines are being investigated

Playing the new devil’s advocate role in facilitated modelling processes to address group homogeneity

To address complex issues, facilitated modelling aims to represent and accommodate plural worldviews from many stakeholders and experts. In these contexts, group homogeneity can become problematic when participants’ plurality of perspectives and information is missing and people attending facilitated sessions have similar problem perceptions and interests. This is a challenge because it can lead to narrow discussion, groupthink and undermine output quality. Despite not being uncommon, effective approaches to deal with homogeneity are hardly reported. This paper presents a new role—the New Devil’s Advocate—in which some facilitators leave their neutrality-oriented stance and act as the missing stakeholders. The paper illustrates a first application to a group model building process aimed at supporting the development of energy efficiency policies in the UK. To evaluate the results, workshop transcripts were coded, participants’ and facilitators’ feedback collected, and the modelling output assessed with respect to the New Devil’s Advocate interventions during the workshop. Although the role performance appears to increase facilitators’ workload and be influenced by role performers’ personality and background, the analysis shows positive results as a promising practice to address homogeneity. Additionally, it offers a practical experience of how facilitation teams may temporarily abandon neutrality and intervene on content

Systemic Issues of Social Housing in England: Identifying Archetypes for a Just Transition towards Sustainability

Social housing is fundamental to accommodate a growing urban population within planetary boundaries. However, political, economic, environmental, and societal pressures jeopardize its provision. This study restructures insights on the challenges faced by the English social housing sector, with the aim to identify leverage points to support a just transition towards sustainability. By extracting variables and interconnections from key sources, we obtain six causal loop diagrams depicting interrelated dynamics of mismanagement and exclusion. Two archetypes illustrate how the push for new construction and regeneration as a remedy to housing shortage and segregation is a temporary symptomatic solution, with debatable benefits on health and the environment. On this basis, we outline leverage points to intervene in the system and propose research paths to validate its structure empirically

IL-6 induzierte Signaltransduktion in HaCaT-ras A5 und Fibroblasten

The interactions between tumor cells and the microenvironment play a crucial role in tumor progression. Tumor cells secrete growth factors, cytokines and proteases and are thus able to affect the gene expression of stromal cells. Activate d stromal cells like fibroblasts, immune cells and endothelial cells are able to promote tumor progression by releasing growth factors, cytokines and proteases. One of the factors which play a central role in this tumor - and stroma - interaction is interleuk in - 6. In many tumor entities, the IL - 6 signal pathway is highly dysregulated by overexpression of IL - 6 and otherwise by permanent activation of the STAT3 transcription factor. In this work, we showed that IL - 6 stimulation resulted in an increased prolifera tion of HaCaT - ras A5 benign tumor keratinocytes, but does not affect the fibroblast cell line MSU1.1. This increase correlates with the activation of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. We were able to demonstrate that the amount of activated STAT3 proteins after IL - 6 stimulation in HaCaT - ras A5 cells is strongly up regulated and the inhibition of STAT3 activation also inhibits the proliferation of HaCaT - ras A5 cells. This showed the crucial role of the STAT3 activation in proliferation of HaCaT - ras A5 cells. In contrast, fibroblasts showed a stronger inhibition of the JAK/STAT signal pathway by SOCS3 in comparison with the HaCaT - ras A5 cells. All data where used to establish a mathematical model of JAK/STAT pathway which is able to describe the dynamic behav ior of STAT3 and SOCS3 Proteins. In addition to the effects shown, IL - 6 is also able to affect the proliferation in an indirect manner. To this end, IL - 6 stimulation activates a network of growth factors in HaCaT - ras A5 cells and fibroblasts like HGF, KGF , VEGF or IL - 8. While IL - 6 showed no direct influence of the proliferation of fibroblasts, the addition of the condition media of both IL - 6 stimulated HaCaT - ras A5 and as well as IL - 6 stimulated MSU1.1 resulted in strong up regulation of the cell numbers o f the other cell line. Comparative gene expression analyses clearly showed that upon IL - 6 stimulation of over 16000 analyzed genes in HaCaT - ras A5 and Fibroblasts only a subset of 19 genes was up regulated in both cell types. The up regulated genes were f ound to be closely connected with the interferon signal pathway which gives a potential hint of the cause of the IL - 6 induced inhibition of growth in fibroblasts. Further gene expression analyses showed that the proteinase inhibitor SerpinB4, was permanent ly up regulated in IL - 6 stimulated HaCaT - ras A5 cells. The down regulation of Summary 9 SerpinB4 by siRNA knockdown indicated that SerpinB4 plays an important role in the proliferation of HaCaT - ras A5. The observation of this work of the detailed regulation of IL - 6 in tumor and stroma cells should give information about the tumor promoting effect of IL - 6 and will ultimately serve as a basis for therapeutic therapies

Behavioural Change as a Domestic Heat Pump Performance Driver: Insights on the Influence of Feedback Systems from Multiple Case Studies in the UK

Heat pumps (HPs) are seen as an increasingly important technology able to contribute significantly towards the decarbonisation of the domestic stock in the UK. However, there appears to be a performance gap between predicted and real-life HP performance, with several studies highlighting the need to include the HP’s interaction with users when examining their performance. This study examines the role of user behaviour in mitigating this performance gap from a systems perspective. A sample of 21 case studies was selected from 700 domestic HPs monitored across the UK via the government’s Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme for the collection of qualitative and quantitative socio-technical data. The application of systems thinking facilitated the identification of the underlying interactions between the HP system and its users. The systems analysis revealed that HP performance relies on complex socio-technical system interactions, including behavioural patterns, and that enabling feedback information processes can have a significant impact on user behaviour. The study enabled a deeper perspective on performance influencers relating to behavioural patterns and achieved new insights into the requirements for well-performing HPs. These findings have important implications for policy makers, installers and manufacturers of HP systems and their users

Comparisons of Emotional Boundaries: A case study of water neutrality and sustainable urban development in London

Emotions can shape decisions through the content of thought, depth of thought, goal activation, and interpersonal relationships within groups. While the formal aspects of the system have often been used to compare stakeholders' different perceptions of the system, the role of emotions still needs to be explored in the analysis. Drawing from a case study in London, UK, which explores how local developments contribute to water neutrality (WN) and sustainable growth, this study asks how the emotional boundaries that stakeholders attach to the variables contribute to the dynamics of sustainable urban development. We found that patterns and boundaries of different organizational groups’ emotions towards variables in causal mechanisms were explored. Despite the shared goal of achieving WN in developments, stakeholders have various emotional perceptions of the variables that contribute to WN and long-term sustainable growth. This paper illustrates the proof of the concept of how emotional boundaries impact the dynamics of decision-making in the sustainable urban environment

Studies on oligonucleotides and analogues: from drug candidates to components for high-ordered supramolecular structures

Last century advances in molecular biology and biotechnologies enabled us to understand the exceptionally broad repertoire of nucleic acids functions. For a long time DNA was regarded as a rigid molecule with the sole purpose to store and transmit genetic information. However, this idea has been completely overtaken with the discovery of the catalytic activity of specific RNA molecules. In effect, the early 1970s and the embryonic works on antisense oligonucleotides paved the way for our current understanding and use of oligonucleotides (ONs) and their analogues in numerous and very different application fields, such as gene modulation, i.e. the antisense and antigene strategies, new generation drugs, i.e. the aptamers, but also nanotechnologies. My research activity is included in this general context and, in particular, has been devoted to unravelling ON uses in a broad range of fields, which goes from the development of novel drug candidates to gene regulation and implementation of new approaches for the simple construction of biosensors. Specifically, my search has been focused on: i) Realization of novel antiviral aptamers and consolidation of a new, cost effective and quick binding assay for the optimization of already reported aptamers, not achievable through the universally accepted method for the individuation of selective and efficient aptamers, the SELEX method; ii) Studies on already reported protocols for the functionalization of Porous Silicon (PSi) matrices, in view of the development of optical DNA-based biosensor and discovery of a new efficient protocol for the PSi-friendly in situ oligonucleotide synthesis; iii) Chemical synthesis and structural and biological characterization of PNA sequences for the inhibition of a miRNA, designated as responsible for the downregulation of the Cystic Fibrosis disease-gene. The achievement of these goals required a combination of chemical synthesis, with the optimization of existing protocols, and techniques for the biophysical and biological characterization of our biomolecules