Investigating Multimodal Communication in Virtual Meetings: The Sharing of Dynamic Representations

To manage distributed work, organizations increasingly rely on virtual meetings based on multimodal, synchronous communication technologies. However, despite technological advances, it is still challenging to coordinate knowledge through these meetings with spatial and cultural separation. Against this backdrop, we present a framework for investigating the sharing of dynamic representations of co-created knowledge during such meetings. We illustrate the detailed workings of the framework by analyzing how three software managers coordinated a project over a series of virtual meetings. Grounded in audio recordings of their oral exchanges and video recordings of their shared dynamic representation of the project’s status and plans, our analysis shows how their interrelating of visual and verbal communication acts enabled effective communication and coordination. In conclusion, we offer theoretical propositions that explain how interrelating of verbal and visual acts based on shared dynamic representations enable communication repairs during virtual meetings. We argue that our proposed framework provides researchers with a novel and practical approach to investigate the complex data involved in virtual meetings based on multimodal, synchronous communication

Real-Time Control Mediation in Agile Distributed Software Development

Agile distributed environments pose particular challenges related to control of quality and collaboration in software development. Moreover, while face-to-face interaction is fundamental in agile development, distributed environments must rely extensively on mediated interactions. On this backdrop, we report from an in-depth case study of an agile distributed software project. Applying Kirsch’s elements of control framework, we analyze how actors in this context used different elements of control. We offer a description of the general management context and provide a detailed analysis of how control was mediated over distance by technology through real-time exchanges. Contrary to previous research, the analysis suggests that both formal and informal elements of real-time mediated control were used; that evolving goals and adjustment of expectations were two of the main issues in real-time mediated control exchanges; and, that the actors, despite distances in space and culture, developed a clan-like pattern mediated by technology to help control quality and collaboration in software development

Development of IT-enabled Chronic Care Management for the Medically Underserved: A Contextualist Framework

While efforts to address the management of chronic diseases in the context of large, urban hospitals are underway, the literature is silent on how to facilitate such efforts in the community clinics that provide services to many chronic-care patients who are medically underserved. We offer a contextualist framework for developing IT-enabled chronic care management in community clinics. To understand and support the required collaboration between diverse stakeholders located across institutional boundaries, the framework adapts Pettigrew’s Contextual Inquiry as the overarching analytical lens. The framework focuses on the context of community clinics, including patients, clinicians, administrators, technology providers, and institutional partnerships; it considers the content of developing IT-support based on the Chronic Care Model, and, as basis for the development process, it adapts Holtzblatt and Beyer’s Contextual Design principles. We demonstrate the workings of the framework through a case study of how IT-enabled support for chronic care management was designed and implemented into a community clinic in the Southeast U.S. over a three-year period, and, finally, we discuss its theoretical and practical implications in relation to extant literature

Spatial Modelling of Within-Field Weed Populations - a Review

Concerns around herbicide resistance, human risk, and the environmental impacts of current weed control strategies have led to an increasing demand for alternative weed management methods. Many new weed management strategies are under development; however, the poor availability of accurate weed maps, and a lack of confidence in the outcomes of alternative weed management strategies, has hindered their adoption. Developments in field sampling and processing, combined with spatial modelling, can support the implementation and assessment of new and more integrated weed management strategies. Our review focuses on the biological and mathematical aspects of assembling within-field weed models. We describe both static and spatio-temporal models of within-field weed distributions (including both cellular automata (CA) and non-CA models), discussing issues surrounding the spatial processes of weed dispersal and competition and the environmental and anthropogenic processes that affect weed spatial and spatio-temporal distributions. We also examine issues surrounding model uncertainty. By reviewing the current state-of-the-art in both static and temporally dynamic weed spatial modelling we highlight some of the strengths and weaknesses of current techniques, together with current and emerging areas of interest for the application of spatial models, including targeted weed treatments, economic analysis, herbicide resistance and integrated weed management, the dispersal of biocontrol agents, and invasive weed species

A Generational Perspective on the Software Workforce: Precocious Users of Social Networking in Software Development

Software is the lifeblood of technological advancement, and it progresses not only through emerging technologies, but also through the contributions of new generations of developers who have distinct technology-related experiences. We describe our qualitative investigation into how developers, who began regularly using social networking technology at an early age (referred to as precocious users), demonstrate distinct expectations about the goals of software development. We advance a theoretical perspective that explains how the increasingly socially infused nature of networking applications shapes generations of individuals — some of whom will go on to become creative developers in the software industry. Our perspective suggests software organizations can leverage developers who have been precocious users of more recent social networking technologies to reinforce intuitive usage, promote social impact, and re-energize experimentation and contribution to the software community. Our results also offer a comprehensive set of development goals that focus attention towards contemporary expectations about challenging usability and contribution to software ecosystems. We conclude by discussing how our methodological steps, data collection, and data analysis procedures empower future research to explore generational shifts in the career perceptions and competencies of the digital workforce

A case study evaluating the ergonomic and productivity impacts of partial automation strategies in the electronics industry

A case study is presented that evaluates the impact of partial automation strategies on productivity and ergonomics. A company partly automated its assembly and transportation functions while moving from a parallel-batch to a serial line-based production system. Data obtained from company records and key informants were combined with detailed video analysis, biomechanical modelling data and field observations of the system. The new line system was observed to have 51% higher production volumes with 21% less per product labour input and lower work-in-process levels than the old batch-cart system. Partial automation of assembly operations was seen to reduce the total repetitive assembly work at the system level by 34%. Automation of transportation reduced transport labour by 63%. The strategic decision to implement line-transportation was found to increase movement repetitiveness for operators at manual assembly stations, even though workstations were constructed with consideration to ergonomics. Average shoulder elevation at these stations increased 30% and average shoulder moment increased 14%. It is concluded that strategic decisions made by designers and managers early in the production system design phase have considerable impact on ergonomic conditions in the resulting system. Automation of transport and assembly both lead to increased productivity, but only elements related to the automatic line system also increased mechanical loads on operators and hence increased the risk for work-related disorders. Suggestions for integrating the consideration of ergonomics into production system design are made

Capturing the pattern of physical activity and sedentary behavior: exposure variation analysis of accelerometer data

Background: Capturing the complex time pattern of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) using accelerometry remains a challenge. Research from occupational health suggests exposure variation analysis (EVA) could provide a meaningful tool. This paper (1) explains the application of EVA to accelerometer data, (2) demonstrates how EVA thresholds and derivatives could be chosen and used to examine adherence to PA and SB guidelines, and (3) explores the validity of EVA outputs. Methods: EVA outputs are compared with accelerometer data from 4 individuals (Study 1a and1b) and 3 occupational groups (Study 2): seated workstation office workers (n = 8), standing workstation office workers (n = 8), and teachers (n = 8). Results: Line graphs and related EVA graphs highlight the use of EVA derivatives for examining compliance with guidelines. EVA derivatives of occupational groups confirm no difference in bouts of activity but clear differences as expected in extended bouts of SB and brief bursts of activity, thus providing evidence of construct validity. Conclusions: EVA offers a unique and comprehensive generic method that is able, for the first time, to capture the time pattern (both frequency and intensity) of PA and SB, which can be tailored for both occupational and public health research

Phononically shielded photonic-crystal mirror membranes for cavity quantum optomechanics

We present a highly reflective, sub-wavelength-thick membrane resonator featuring high mechanical quality factor and discuss its applicability for cavity optomechanics. The $88.5~\text{nm}$ thin stoichiometric silicon-nitride membrane, designed and fabricated to combine 2D-photonic and phononic crystal patterns, reaches reflectivities up to $99.89~\%$ and a mechanical quality factor of $2.9 \times 10^7$ at room temperature. We construct a Fabry-Perot-type optical cavity, with the membrane forming one terminating mirror. The optical beam shape in cavity transmission shows a stark deviation from a simple Gaussian mode-shape, consistent with theoretical predictions. We demonstrate optomechanical sideband cooling to mK-mode temperatures, starting from room temperature. At higher intracavity powers we observe an optomechanically induced optical bistability. The demonstrated device has potential to reach high cooperativities at low light levels desirable for e.g. optomechanical sensing and squeezing applications or fundamental studies in cavity quantum optomechanics, and meets the requirements for cooling to the quantum ground state of mechanical motion from room temperature

The structure of Organizational Virtual Social Networks

Organizational virtual social networks (OVSN) reshape social structures due to their ability to strengthen social ties, to change power relations and to enable new forms of cooperation. Research in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has led to various approaches that analyze the impact of OVSN on organizations in terms of structure and behavior. Our study aims to analyze important features related to the structure of OVSN. It also aims to strengthen a network approach to analyze organizational phenomena such as working groups and connected individuals, as well as the impact of online networks in organizations. This study was based on the lines of approach described by Oinas-Kukkonen et al. (2010) and on the research carried out by Bobsin & Hoppen (2012) to understand the process of structuring OVSN. Our main results are an OVSN structure consisting of actors and roles, interactions, operating elements and articulating goals. We also analyzed some structural elements of networks which may contribute to the development of a network based approach to study organizational phenomena

Fission yeast 26S proteasome mutants are multi-drug resistant due to stabilization of the pap1 transcription factor

Here we report the result of a genetic screen for mutants resistant to the microtubule poison methyl benzimidazol-2-yl carbamate (MBC) that were also temperature sensitive for growth. In total the isolated mutants were distributed in ten complementation groups. Cloning experiments revealed that most of the mutants were in essential genes encoding various 26S proteasome subunits. We found that the proteasome mutants are multi-drug resistant due to stabilization of the stress-activated transcription factor Pap1. We show that the ubiquitylation and ultimately the degradation of Pap1 depend on the Rhp6/Ubc2 E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme and the Ubr1 E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase. Accordingly, mutants lacking Rhp6 or Ubr1 display drug-resistant phenotypes