Aligning an ISO/EIC 42010 System Architecture Model and Agile Practice

The ISO/EIC 42010 system architecture description standard evolved over a number of years with substantial practitioner inputs. It presents a high level, top-down view of requirements that may be interpreted as needed for different applications. Agile system development methods have proved effective in practice, but represent a bottom up view drawing on user stories. The question considered in this paper is how they might be harmonised. Experience from using these tools over several years in practical masters degree student projects has been used to explore this question. We suggest a logical compatibility lies in their core themes: stakeholder needs (who) frame architecture descriptions (what) and the associated rationale (why). A particular interpretation of ISO/EIC 42010 and a model outlining the evolution of architecture in an agile environment are presented. Several suggestions for future research are made

Work 4.0 and the Need for Boundary-Spanning

The evolution of a digital world driven by and generating substantial volumes of data is also changing the way people work and associated specializations, characterized as ‘Work 4.0’ in Europe. Smart devices and the use of data analytics is getting work done more effectively but new skills are needed to develop and use these tools. Agility is a requisite capability. Different communities of practice need to work together, possibly with new kinds of users, introducing a need for enhanced boundary-spanning skills and tools. Boundary-spanning activities take place at multiple organizational levels. Teams use boundary object tools as alignment mechanisms, but also create boundary objects (e.g. prototypes) to test alignment. Case observations from agile IS projects associated with large and small firms highlight the influence of context, a need for the use of multiple complementary boundary objects and for learning to use them effectively

The impact of timing in innovation management

vital:17103An innovative idea launched in the wrong place at the wrong time may not deliver the outcomes hoped for. Based on 55 empirical studies, Bowen, Rostami and Steel (2010) suggest ‘timing is everything’ if innovation is to enhance organisational performance, but there is also a need to understand contextual factors. The paper presents a theoretical model representing the interaction of idea, place, resources and temporal factors that draws on the Ancient Greek notion of Kairos linking events in time and timely action. Longitudinal studies of four intermediary organisations intended to enhance SME innovation capabilities are compared at different stages in their evolution. The cases highlight the context-sensitive nature of innovation: an idea that has been successfully implemented in one place at one time may not be successful at another place or another time

Work 4.0 and the Identification of Complex Competence Sets

In our progressively more interconnected world, some people may be displaced from their traditional occupations by intelligent agents and smart machines. At the same time there may be a shortage of people skilled in the development of these technologies, and societal changes may see more people undertaking a succession of short-term project assignments. This is leading to studies of future competency requirements (called Work 4.0 in Europe) and the evolution of agile human resources management systems. A focus on mapping accessible individual competence sets is emerging, facilitated by the identification of associated information systems. In this paper we explore challenges in the identification of current and future competency requirements and in competency mapping to facilitate agile operations. We also introduce the concept of competency relationship mapping

Diaphus taaningi Norman, the principal component of a shallow sound-scattering layer in the Cariaco Trench, Venezuela

A myctophid fish, Diaphus taaningi Norman, is the principal component of a distinct daytime sound-scattering layer lying near 250 m, well above the anoxic, hydrogen-sulfide zone of the Cariaco Trench. The scattering layer produced strong sonar echoes at 12, 25, and 50 kHz; mean sound-scattering strength at layer depth at 25 kHz was approximately --73 dB and at 50 kHz was approximately --67 dB...

Backroom Treasures: CT Scanning of Two Ibis Mummies from the Peabody Museum Collection

Museum collections of Egyptian human and animal mummies have great potential for research and museums often curate larger collections than those on exhibit. Scheduling access for medical imaging projects is often complicated for mummies on display because of the important environmental controls under which they are kept. Consequently, collections in storage are often more numerous and more readily available, in terms of time and physical access, than those on exhibit. Application of computed tomography (CT) to the study of mummified remains allows for detailed three-dimensional evaluations, without the difficulties of superimposition that characterise plain film radiographs. Three-dimensional visualisation, multi-planar reformats (MPR), maximum intensity projections (MIP), and curve-linear reconstructions of these mummies were especially valuable for close examination of the complex curves of the spine and the contents of the gizzard. These manipulations are no less important in the study of animal mummies than they are in those of humans.

Human mummification practices among the Ibaloy of Kabayan, North Luzon, the Philippines

The province of Benguet, situated in North Luzon, the Philippines, holds a large number of ancient mummified remains, mostly located within the municipality of Kabayan. Such bodies are mainly associated to the Ibaloy – one of the indigenous groups collectively known as Igorot – and are stored in natural rockshelters or caves carved into the stone, inside wooden coffins often obtained from hollowed pine tree segments. Recent inspections of some of these corpses, carried out in 2002 and 2012, indicated the nature of their mummification process as well as some details regarding their bioanthropological features. Although very little information was initially available on these bodies, the authors have gathered significant oral information on funerary rituals and attitudes towards the ancestors via interviews with the local elders, as well as data on the vegetal materials employed and the practice of tattooing. This paper is the first critical evaluation of these mummies and demonstrates the uniqueness and preciousness of this biocultural heritage now in danger

Achieving thoracic oncology data collection in Europe : a precursor study in 35 countries

Background: A minority of European countries have participated in international comparisons with high level data on lung cancer. However, the nature and extent of data collection across the continent is simply unknown, and without accurate data collection it is not possible to compare practice and set benchmarks to which lung cancer services can aspire. Methods: Using an established network of lung cancer specialists in 37 European countries, a survey was distributed in December 2014. The results relate to current practice in each country at the time, early 2015. The results were compiled and then verified with co-authors over the following months. Results: Thirty-five completed surveys were received which describe a range of current practice for lung cancer data collection. Thirty countries have data collection at the national level, but this is not so in Albania, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Data collection varied from paper records with no survival analysis, to well-established electronic databases with links to census data and survival analyses. Conclusion: Using a network of committed clinicians, we have gathered validated comparative data reporting an observed difference in data collection mechanisms across Europe. We have identified the need to develop a welldesigned dataset, whilst acknowledging what is feasible within each country, and aspiring to collect high quality data for clinical research

The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 3: Continued innovation for clinical trial improvement

INTRODUCTION: The overall goal of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is to validate biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials. ADNI-3, which began on August 1, 2016, is a 5-year renewal of the current ADNI-2 study. METHODS: ADNI-3 will follow current and additional subjects with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and AD using innovative technologies such as tau imaging, magnetic resonance imaging sequences for connectivity analyses, and a highly automated immunoassay platform and mass spectroscopy approach for cerebrospinal fluid biomarker analysis. A Systems Biology/pathway approach will be used to identify genetic factors for subject selection/enrichment. Amyloid positron emission tomography scanning will be standardized using the Centiloid method. The Brain Health Registry will help recruit subjects and monitor subject cognition. RESULTS: Multimodal analyses will provide insight into AD pathophysiology and disease progression. DISCUSSION: ADNI-3 will aim to inform AD treatment trials and facilitate development of AD disease-modifying treatments