Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

A systems perspective on markets – Toward a research agenda

This paper addresses the implications of an emerging, increasingly important way of thinking about markets: systems thinking. A market is one of the most foundational abstractions in marketing and business research; yet, it often receives too little attention. As a result, the taken-for-granted assumptions about markets spur from over-simplified conceptualizations of neoclassical economics that depict markets as static and mechanistic. Systems thinking represents a major change in perspective that involves transcending this mechanistic worldview and thinking instead in terms of wholes, relationships, processes, and patterns. We argue that building a theory of markets based on systems thinking, would enable scholars to develop more realistic models that correspond with fast-changing business environment and therefore, increase both the rigor and relevance of future research. To further this aim, we identify the main implications of systems thinking and formulate them into a research agenda to further the systemic understanding of markets.

Enterprise Modelling in the Age of Digital Transformation

Part 6: Experience ReportsInternational audienceThe digital transformation forces enterprises to change. In addition, the notion of economic exchange, core to the economy, has shifted from following a goods-dominant logic to a service-dominant logic, putting the focus on continuous value co-creation between providers and consumers. These trends drive enterprises to transform continuously.During enterprise transformations, coordination among the stakeholders involved is key. Shared understanding, agreement, and commitment, is needed on topics such as: the overall strategy of the enterprise, the current affairs of the enterprise and its context, as well as the ideal future affairs.Models, and ultimately enterprise modelling languages and frameworks, are generally seen as an effective way to enable such (informed) coordination. To this end, different languages and frameworks have been developed, including ArchiMate.ArchiMate, which has evolved to become a widely accepted industry standard, was developed at a time where the digital transformation was not yet that noticeable. At that the time, the focus was more on consolidation and optimisation. As such, it is logical to expect that the existing ArchiMate language may require some “updates” to be ready for digital transformations. The objective of this paper is therefore threefold: (1) posit, based on practical experiences and insights, key challenges which the digital transformation puts on enterprise (architecture) modelling languages, (2) assess to what extent ArchiMate meets these challenges, and (3) provide suggestions on how to possibly improve ArchiMate to better meet these challenges

Global perspectives on service

This chapter discusses global perspectives on service