Mediation role of boundary objects in articulating common information spaces.

This paper presents a conceptualization of the mediation role of common information artifacts in articulating collaborative work. These artifacts are perceived as boundary objects which are characterized as device for intermediating local and global articulation, device for interpretive articulation, and device for organizing coordination. This conception is based on grounded theory driven qualitative study of collaboration among heterogeneous work communities in the air traffic control work process. Each work community setting in the airport is taken to be a Common Information Space (CIS), with the airport constituting multiple overlapping interdependent CISs. The common information systems constituting the CIS of different work communities act as boundary objects. These act not only as devices for placing information in common but also as devices that help synthesize multiple perspectives and establish common enough interpretation of shared information to undertake tasks collaboratively

Developing a framework of common information space (CIS): grounded theory analysis of airport CIS

The notion of Common Information Space (CIS) has been proposed in the field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) as a conceptual framework for analyzing cooperative work processes. The area is still in its formative years and requires more research to contribute to its development. This paper presents findings from an investigation undertaken for such an endeavor. Three perceptions of CIS are presented, which are, CIS as a sociotechnical arrangement, dynamic arrangement, and dependency management arrangement. These have been derived from review of existing research contributing to CIS notion development and Grounded Theory analysis of collaborative work process in air traffic control setting. The findings presented in this paper provide a comprehensive and consolidated view of the notion development. The paper contributes to the ongoing discussion of CIS notion development by making theoretical as well as methodological contribution

A grounded theory approach towards conceptualizing CIS for heterogeneous work communities

The notion of Common Information Space (CIS) is an area that has been gaining attention in the field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) over the last few years. This paper discusses one aspect of the investigation being undertaken to develop the conceptualization of CIS pertaining to heterogeneous work communities. This is based on empirical study of collaborative decision making involving different work communities in an airport of the air traffic control setting. The theory development is founded on the Grounded Theory approach. We present some of the findings of the ongoing analysis. In particular we discuss how the Grounded Theory methodological process has been adapted to this investigation by presenting illustrations of emergent theory development at the theoretical coding phase of the process

How analysts think: think-steps as a tool for structuring sensemaking in criminal intelligence analysis

Sensemaking has been described as a process involving information structuring. However, there are few detailed accounts of how this manifests in practice, particularly in relation to the creation and use of external representations such as data visualisations, and how such structuring aids sensemaking. To explore these questions in depth, we present an interview study of police crime analysts from which a model of their analysis process is developed. We describe the model focusing on the notion of 'think-steps', which for the analysts acted as a primary structuring concept. We describe how 'think-steps' propagate throughout the analysis process captured in the model. For the analysts, 'think-steps' are extensible templates that decompose a case into elements, provide a way of storing and visually structuring data, support generation of requests for information, focus research, simulate a case, and shape reporting. We reflect on the implications that our findings might have for design, including the possibility of a repertoire of evolving, sharable and reusable templates for sensemaking within a community of practice

Sequence and structural features of binding site residues in protein-protein complexes: comparison with protein-nucleic acid complexes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Protein-protein interactions are important for several cellular processes. Understanding the mechanism of protein-protein recognition and predicting the binding sites in protein-protein complexes are long standing goals in molecular and computational biology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have developed an energy based approach for identifying the binding site residues in protein–protein complexes. The binding site residues have been analyzed with sequence and structure based parameters such as binding propensity, neighboring residues in the vicinity of binding sites, conservation score and conformational switching.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed that the binding propensities of amino acid residues are specific for protein-protein complexes. Further, typical dipeptides and tripeptides showed high preference for binding, which is unique to protein-protein complexes. Most of the binding site residues are highly conserved among homologous sequences. Our analysis showed that 7% of residues changed their conformations upon protein-protein complex formation and it is 9.2% and 6.6% in the binding and non-binding sites, respectively. Specifically, the residues Glu, Lys, Leu and Ser changed their conformation from coil to helix/strand and from helix to coil/strand. Leu, Ser, Thr and Val prefer to change their conformation from strand to coil/helix.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results obtained in this study will be helpful for understanding and predicting the binding sites in protein-protein complexes.</p

Repeatability of nerve thickness assessment in the clinical examination for leprosy

The assessment of the thickness of the superficial peripheral nerve trunks to document nerve involvement is an important aspect of clinical examination in case finding for leprosy, and is usually done by trained paramedical workers (PMWs). This assessment is subject to variability and has implications on the outcome of the survey. The present study proposes to quantify this variability. In this study, 242 individuals, consisting of 50 neuritic cases, 143 nonneuritic cases of leprosy and 49 normal controls, selected from the records of the trial of BCG prophylaxis in leprosy in South India, were examined by a doctor and paramedical workers. Repeatability of nerve thickness assessment for ulnar aud popliteal nerves between the medical officer (MO) and the PMWs was quantified using Kappa statistics. The Kappa values for repeatability between the MO and the PMWs ranged from 0.45 to 0.54 and 0.52 to 0.69 for ulnar and popliteal nerves, respectively. The implications of the variability in nerve assessment are discussed

Assessment of variability parameters and diversity of panicle architectural traits associated with yield in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The rice panicle, a pivotal reproductive structure, signifies the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth in plants. Comprising components such as the rachis, primary and secondary branches, seed quantities and branch lengths, panicle architecture profoundly influences grain production. This study delves into the diversity of panicle architecture traits and scrutinizes variability parameters across 69 distinct rice genotypes. Our findings underscore substantial variations in panicle architecture traits among genotypes. Particularly noteworthy are traits with the highest coefficient of variation (CV%), encompassing the count of secondary branches, single plant yield, productive tillers per plant, seeds per secondary branch and panicle weight. Correlation analysis reveals robust positive connections between panicle weight, the number of filled grains per panicle, 1000-grain weight and single plant yield. The number of secondary branches exhibits the most substantial phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV%) at 47.14%, accompanied by a genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV%) of 43.57%. Traits such as days to 50% flowering, plant height and number of filled grains per panicle manifest high heritability (97.04%, 91.24% and 76.22% respectively) and notable genetic advancement (23.11%, 39.62% and 47.49%). The principal component analysis identifies the primary component (PC1) as the principal contributor to variance. Biplot analysis accentuates positive correlations between attributes like the number of filled grains per panicle, panicle length, plant height, primary branch count, panicle weight, seeds per primary branch and the number of secondary branches with single plant yield. By employing Mahalanobis D2 statistics, the classification of genotypes into 6 distinct clusters reveals clusters III and IV as distinguished by their significant inter-cluster and intra-cluster distances. This comprehensive analysis unveils the potential for harnessing panicle architecture traits to enhance grain production and advances our comprehension of intricate relationships within diverse rice genotypes

Exploring the Impact of NF- KB1 Gene Polymorphism

This review article extensively explores the influence of NF-κB1 gene polymorphism on a diverse range of health issues. The NF-κB pathway, a crucial controller of immune response, is closely associated with numerous disease mechanisms. The NF-kB1 gene has undergone significant genetic changes, and these changes have shown strong connections with the onset and development of numerous disorders. This article investigates the intricate relationship between mutations in the NF-kB1 gene and a wide range of disorders through a thorough study of the literature. These conditions encompass inflammatory disorders, cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and various other medical ailments. The notable discoveries emphasized within this review underscore the essential role of NF-κB1 gene polymorphism in the development of a range of diseases. Furthermore, these discoveries have important ramifications that could help develop more specialized, successful treatment approaches. To sum up, this work sheds light on the different ways in which NF-kB1 gene variation influences the progression of disorders and highlights the urgent need for more research in this area

Biodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene and crude oil using electro-spray reactors

Biological removal of organic sulfur from petroleum feedstocks offers an attractive alternative to conventional thermochemical treatment due to the mild operating conditions afforded by the biocatalyst. In order for biodesulfurization to realize commercial success, reactors must be designed which allow for sufficient liquid / liquid and gas / liquid mass transfer while simultaneously reducing operating costs. In this study, the use of electric field contactors for the biodesulfurization of the model compound dibenzothiophene (DBT) as well as actual crude oil is investigated. The emulsion phase contactor (EPC) creates an emulsion of aqueous biocatalyst in the organic phase by concentrating forces at the liquid / liquid interface rather than imparting energy to the bulk solution as is done in impeller-based reactors. Characterization of emulsion quality and determination of rates of DBT oxidation to 2- hydroxybiphenyl (2-HBP) were performed for both batch stirred reactors (BSR) and the EPC. The EPC was capable of producing aqueous droplets of about 5 {micro}m in diameter using 3 W/L whereas the impeller-based reactor formed droplets between 100 and 200 {micro}m with comparable power consumption. The presence of electric fields was not found to adversely affect biocatalytic activity. Despite the greater surface area for reaction afforded by the EPC, rates of DBT oxidation in both reactors were similar, demonstrating that the biocatalyst used (Rhodococcus sp. IGTS8) was not active enough to be mass transport limited. The EPC is expected to have tremendous impact upon reactor operating costs and biocatalyst utilization once advances biocatalyst development provide systems that are mass transport limited

Physiological profile of undifferentiated bovine blastocyst-derived trophoblasts.

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