On Resilient Behaviors in Computational Systems and Environments

The present article introduces a reference framework for discussing resilience of computational systems. Rather than a property that may or may not be exhibited by a system, resilience is interpreted here as the emerging result of a dynamic process. Said process represents the dynamic interplay between the behaviors exercised by a system and those of the environment it is set to operate in. As a result of this interpretation, coherent definitions of several aspects of resilience can be derived and proposed, including elasticity, change tolerance, and antifragility. Definitions are also provided for measures of the risk of unresilience as well as for the optimal match of a given resilient design with respect to the current environmental conditions. Finally, a resilience strategy based on our model is exemplified through a simple scenario.Comment: The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40860-015-0002-6 The paper considerably extends the results of two conference papers that are available at http://ow.ly/KWfkj and http://ow.ly/KWfgO. Text and formalism in those papers has been used or adapted in the herewith submitted pape

A Metataxonomic Approach Could Be Considered for Cattle Clinical Mastitis Diagnostics

Mastitis is one of the most costly diseases affecting the dairy industry, and identification of the causative microorganism(s) is essential. Here, we report the use of next-generation sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes for clinical mastitis diagnosis. We used 65 paired milk samples, collected from the mastitic and a contralateral healthy quarter of mastitic dairy cattle to evaluate the technique as a potential alternative to bacterial culture or targeted PCR. One large commercial dairy farm was used, with one trained veterinarian collecting the milk samples. The 16S rRNA genes were individually amplified and sequenced using the MiSeq platform. The MiSeq Reporter was used in order to analyze the obtained sequences. Cattle were categorized according to whether or not 1 of the 10 most abundant bacterial genera in the mastitic quarter exhibited an increase in relative abundance between the healthy and mastitic quarters equal to, or exceeding, twofold. We suggest that this increase in relative abundance is indicative of the genus being a causative mastitis pathogen. Well-known mastitis-causing pathogens such as Streptococcus uberis and Staphylococcus spp. were identified in most cattle. We were able to diagnose 53 out of the 65 studied cases and identify potential new mastitis pathogens such as Sneathia sanguinegens and Listeria innocua, which are difficult to identify by bacterial culture because of their fastidious nature

Photography as an act of collaboration

The camera is usually considered to be a passive tool under the control of the operator. This definition implicitly constrains how we use the medium, as well as how we look at – and what we see in – its interpretations of scenes, objects, events and ‘moments’. This text will suggest another way of thinking about – and using – the photographic medium. Based on the evidence of photographic practice (mine and others’), I will suggest that, as a result of the ways in which the medium interprets, juxtaposes and renders the elements in front of the lens, the camera is capable of depicting scenes, events and moments that did not exist and could not have existed until brought into being by the act of photographing them. Accordingly, I will propose that the affective power of many photographs is inseparable from their ‘photographicness’ – and that the photographic medium should therefore be considered as an active collaborator in the creation of uniquely photographic images

Leadership, the logic of sufficiency and the sustainability of education

The notion of sufficiency has not yet entered mainstream educational thinking, and it still has to make its mark upon educational leadership. However, a number of related concepts – particularly those of sustainability and complexity theory – are beginning to be noticed. This article examines these two concepts and uses them to critique the quasi-economic notion of efficiency, before arguing that the concept of sufficiency arises naturally from this discussion. This concept, originally derived from environmental thinking, has both metaphorical and practical impact for educational organizations and their leadership. An examination of three possible meanings suggests that while an embrace of an imperative concept of sufficiency seems increasingly necessary, its adoption would probably lead to a number of other problems, as it challenges some fundamental societal values and assumptions. Nevertheless, the article argues that these need to be addressed for the sake of both sustainable leadership and a sustainable planet

How older people enact care involvement during transition from hospital to home: A systematic review and model

Background Current models of patient‐enacted involvement do not capture the nuanced dynamic and interactional nature of involvement in care. This is important for the development of flexible interventions that can support patients to ‘reach‐in’ to complex health‐care systems. Objective To develop a dynamic and interactional model of patient‐enacted involvement in care. Search strategy Electronic search strategy run in five databases and adapted to run in an Internet search engine supplemented with searching of reference lists and forward citations. Inclusion criteria Qualitative empirical published reports of older people's experiences of care transitions from hospital to home. Data extraction and synthesis Reported findings meeting our definition of involvement in care initially coded into an existing framework. Progression from deductive to inductive coding leads to the development of a new framework and thereafter a model representing changing states of involvement. Main results Patients and caregivers occupy and move through multiple states of involvement in response to perceived interactions with health‐care professionals as they attempt to resolve health‐ and well‐being‐related goals. ‘Non‐involvement’, ‘information‐acting’, ‘challenging and chasing’ and ‘autonomous‐acting’ were the main states of involvement. Feeling uninvolved as a consequence of perceived exclusion leads patients to act autonomously, creating the potential to cause harm. Discussion and conclusion The model suggests that involvement is highly challenging for older people during care transitions. Going forward, interventions which seek to support patient involvement should attempt to address the dynamic states of involvement and their mediating factors

The Citation Field of Evolutionary Economics

Evolutionary economics has developed into an academic field of its own, institutionalized around, amongst others, the Journal of Evolutionary Economics (JEE). This paper analyzes the way and extent to which evolutionary economics has become an interdisciplinary journal, as its aim was: a journal that is indispensable in the exchange of expert knowledge on topics and using approaches that relate naturally with it. Analyzing citation data for the relevant academic field for the Journal of Evolutionary Economics, we use insights from scientometrics and social network analysis to find that, indeed, the JEE is a central player in this interdisciplinary field aiming mostly at understanding technological and regional dynamics. It does not, however, link firmly with the natural sciences (including biology) nor to management sciences, entrepreneurship, and organization studies. Another journal that could be perceived to have evolutionary acumen, the Journal of Economic Issues, does relate to heterodox economics journals and is relatively more involved in discussing issues of firm and industry organization. The JEE seems most keen to develop theoretical insights

The cognitive-affective-conative model of destination image: a confirmatory analysis

Destination image influences tourist behaviour before, during and after travel, as it is an important instrument which contributes to tourists’ loyalty. Although Gartner (1993) advocates that the cognitive, affective and conative dimensions of destination image are hierarchically interrelated, there is no empirical evidence to support the complete model. This study aims to test the hierarchical nature of the relationship between the dimensions of destination image. The results of structural equation modelling confirm Gartner’s theoretical model, validating the theory that the influence of the cognitive component on the conative dimension is higher when mediated by the affective component, raising managerial implications

A Complexity Architecture for Information Technologies: a Three-Year Didactic Experiment

One medium-term strategy for helping in the management of complexity is the introduction of a conceptual complexity component in the very centre of university curricula. In very few areas is the growth of complexity as evident as in the information technologies (ITs), the focus of the work presented in the current paper. We have therefore developed an integrated way of tackling the specific field of information technologies by means of an approach,to complexity. The content of this paper describes the guidelines of our research effort, placing an emphasis on informatics. Concepts of complexity based on the system metaphor have been substantially drawn upon in this exercise and are thus presented in some detail. Also described is a didactic experiment conducted by the author and designed to provide a new and integrating approach to University curricula for future professionals. The students' "discovery" of complexity is the focal point of the experiment. The findings of this effort are encouraging and call for the continuation and expansion of this experiment

Third party consultation: a method for the study and resolution of conflict

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66597/2/10.1177_002200277201600105.pd

Quality gap of educational services in viewpoints of students in Hormozgan University of medical sciences

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Higher education is growing fast and every day it becomes more and more exposed to globalization processes. The aim of this study was to determine the quality gap of educational services by using a modified SERVQUAL instrument among students in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was carried out at Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences in 2007. In this study, a total of 300 students were selected randomly and asked to complete a questionnaire that was designed according to SERVQUAL methods. This questionnaire measured students' perceptions and expectations in five dimensions of service that consists of assurance, responsiveness, empathy, reliability and tangibles. The quality gap of educational services was determined based on differences between students' perceptions and expectations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results demonstrated that in each of the five SERVQUAL dimensions, there was a negative quality gap. The least and the most negative quality gap means were in the reliability (-0.71) and responsiveness (-1.14) dimensions respectively. Also, there were significant differences between perceptions and expectations of students in all of the five SERVQUAL dimensions (p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Negative quality gaps mean students' expectations exceed their perceptions. Thus, improvements are needed across all five dimensions.</p