DIWA: A hierarchical, object-oriented model for dialog design

In this paper we present DIWA, a model for hierarchical, object-oriented user-interface design. Major part of the model is an abstract language for the description of the dynamic behaviour of the dialog. From such abstract descriptions an interpreter can automatically generate rapid prototypes. Moreover, from the hierarchical structure of a DIWA dialog, the rigorous separation of tasks, the strictly external control and the minimal data transfer the design of a well-structured, modular, resp. object-oriented, software architecture can be derived in a straigthforward manner. Although the canonical implementation of DIWA dialogs is mostly supported by modern tools like NeWS the structural properties of DIWA are also of substantial advantage in more conventional environments

A Software Engineering Approach to User Interface Development

To guide user interface construction, concepts are needed that provide a conceptual basis for modeling, abstract notation, and implementation of tools and concrete interfaces. In this paper, we discuss how general software engineering principles apply in this context. Following these principles, we have developed an object-oriented user interface framework called DIWA which consists of a design model enhanced by a declarative language for the specification of dynamic dialog behavior. We present the main components of the DIWA framework and provide an extended discussion of the underlying design rationales setting them against revealed software engineering principles

Biological processes and links to the physics

Analysis of the temporal and spatial variability of biological processes and identification of the main variables that drive the dynamic regime of marine ecosystems is complex. Correlation between physical variables and long-term changes in ecosystems has routinely been identified, but the specific mechanisms involved remain often unclear. Reasons for this could be various: the ecosystem can be very sensitive to the seasonal timing of the anomalous physical forcing; the ecosystem can be contemporaneously influenced by many physical variables and the ecosystem can generate intrinsic variability on climate time scales. Marine ecosystems are influenced by a variety of physical factors, e.g., light, temperature, transport, turbulence. Temperature has a fundamental forcing function in biology, with direct influences on rate processes of organisms and on the distribution of mobile species that have preferred temperature ranges. Light and transport also affect the physiology and distribution of marine organisms. Small-scale turbulence determines encounter between larval fish and their prey and additionally influences the probability of successful pursuit and ingestion. The impact of physical forcing variations on biological processes is studied through long-term observations, process studies, laboratory experiments, retrospective analysis of existing data sets and modelling. This manuscript reviews the diversity of physical influences on biological processes, marine organisms and ecosystems and their variety of responses to physical forcing with special emphasis on the dynamics of zooplankton and fish stocks

“Service Encounter 2.0” : an investigation into the roles of technology, employees and customers

The service encounter – one of the foundational concepts in service research – is fundamentally changing due to rapid evolutions in technology. In this paper, we offer an updated perspective on what we label the “Service Encounter 2.0”. To this end, we develop a conceptual framework that captures the essence of the Service Encounter 2.0 and provides a synthesis of the changing interdependent roles of technology, employees, and customers. We find that technology either augments or substitutes service employees, and can foster network connections. In turn, employees and customers are taking on the role of enabler, innovator, coordinator and differentiator. In addition, we identify critical areas for future research on this important topic

Knowledge-Level Reflection

This paper presents an overview of the REFLECT project. It defines the notion of knowledge level reflection that has been central to the project, it compares this notion with existing approaches to reflection in related fields, and investigates some of the consequences of the concept of knowledge level reflection: what is a general architecture for knowledge level reflection, how to model the object component in such an architecture, what is the nature of reflective theories, how can we design such architectures, and what are the results of our actual experiments with such systems

Myeloid Zinc Finger 1 (Mzf1) Differentially Modulates Murine Cardiogenesis by Interacting with an Nkx2.5 Cardiac Enhancer

Vertebrate heart development is strictly regulated by temporal and spatial expression of growth and transcription factors (TFs). We analyzed nine TFs, selected by in silico analysis of an Nkx2.5 enhancer, for their ability to transactivate the respective enhancer element that drives, specifically, expression of genes in cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs). Mzf1 showed significant activity in reporter assays and bound directly to the Nkx2.5 cardiac enhancer (Nkx2.5 CE) during murine ES cell differentiation. While Mzf1 is established as a hematopoietic TF, its ability to regulate cardiogenesis is completely unknown. Mzf1 expression was significantly enriched in CPCs from in vitro differentiated ES cells and in mouse embryonic hearts. To examine the effect of Mzf1 overexpression on CPC formation, we generated a double transgenic, inducible, tetOMzf1-Nkx2.5 CE eGFP ES line. During in vitro differentiation an early and continuous Mzf1 overexpression inhibited CPC formation and cardiac gene expression. A late Mzf1 overexpression, coincident with a second physiological peak of Mzf1 expression, resulted in enhanced cardiogenesis. These findings implicate a novel, temporal-specific role of Mzf1 in embryonic heart development. Thereby we add another piece of puzzle in understanding the complex mechanisms of vertebrate cardiac development and progenitor cell differentiation. Consequently, this knowledge will be of critical importance to guide efficient cardiac regenerative strategies and to gain further insights into the molecular basis of congenital heart malformations

Type 2 Diabetes and Acute Myocardial Infarction. Angiographic Findings and Results of an Invasive Therapeutic Approach in Type 2 Diabetic Versus Nondiabetic Patients

WSTĘP. Śmiertelność wśród chorych na cukrzycę w trakcie zawału serca jest wysoka. Nie ma jednoznacznych danych na temat znaczenia zaawansowania choroby wieńcowej u chorych na cukrzycę typu 2 oraz wpływu zastosowania mechanicznej rewaskularyzacji techniką przezskórnej angioplastyki wieńcowej (PTCA &#8212; percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) na wyniki leczenia chorych z zawałem serca. MATERIAŁ I METODY. Wszyscy chorzy na cukrzycę typu 2 z ostrym zawałem serca (n = 54) zostali prospektywnie włączeni do badania polegającego na natychmiastowym wykonaniu koronarografii i dalszej kwalifikacji do udrożnienia zamkniętegogrupy naczynia metodą PTCA. Oceniano wynik leczenia szpitalnego oraz wynik odległy w porównaniu z losowo wybraną grupą chorych bez cukrzycy (n = 358) włączonych do tego samego badania. WYNIKI. Na podstawie badań angiograficznych wykazano, że miejsca zamknięcia naczyń wieńcowych w obu grupach były podobne. Zmiany wielonaczyniowe i wstrząs kardiogenny występowały częściej w grupie chorych na cukrzycę: 69% vs 51% i 21 vs 10% (p < 0,02). Bezpośredni wynik PTCA w obu grupach był dobry u 90% chorych. Śmiertelność po 30 dniach wyniosła 13% w grupie chorych na cukrzycę typu 2 i 5% wśród chorych bez cukrzycy (p < 0,04). Frakcja wyrzutowa lewej komory w grupie chorych na cukrzycę przed wypisaniem ze szpitala wyniosła 48 &plusmn; 17% vs 55 &plusmn; 15% (p < 0,05). Śmiertelność rok po wypisie wyniosła 11% vs 4%, odpowiednio w grupach z cukrzycą i bez cukrzycy (p < 0,02). Analiza wieloczynnikowa wykazała, że cukrzyca typu 2 jest niezależnym czynnikiem ryzyka śmiertelności wczesnej, ale nie późnej. WNIOSKI. Bezpośrednio wykonywane PTCA jest bezpiecznym i skutecznym postępowaniem u chorych z cukrzycą typu 2 i ostrym zawałem serca. Śmiertelność po 30 dniach w grupie niewyselekcjonowanych chorych na cukrzycę w tym badaniu wyniosła < 15%. Bardziej zaawansowana miażdżyca tętnic wieńcowych oraz wstrząs kardiogenny są odpowiedzialne za większą śmiertelność w przebiegu ostrego zawału serca u chorych na cukrzycę typu 2 w porównaniu z osobami bez cukrzycy.OBJECTIVE. Mortality in diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) is high. The significance of the pretreatment coronary status in type 2 diabetic patients with acute MI, as well as the effect of mechanical revascularization using percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), has not been established. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS. All patients with type 2 diabetes and acute MI (n = 54) were prospectively enrolled into a study of immediate coronary angiography to guide PTCA of the occluded infarct vessel. Hospital and long-term course were assessed and compared with an unselected control group of nondiabetic patients (n = 358) who were enrolled in the same study. RESULTS. Angiography showed that sites of occlusion and acute coronary flow were similar in both groups. Multivessel disease and shock were more common in type 2 diabetic versus nondiabetic patients: 69 vs. 51% and 21 vs. 10% (P< 0.02), respectively. Direct PTCA was successful in >90% in both groups. Mortality after 30 days was 13% in type 2 diabetic patients versus 5% in patients without diabetes (P< 0.04). Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction before discharge was lower in diabetic patients (48 &#177; 17 vs. 55 &#177; 15%, P< 0.05). Mortality 1 year after discharge was 11 vs. 4% in diabetic versus nondiabetic patients (P< 0.02). Multivariate analysis identified type 2 diabetes as an independent risk factor for acute, but not for late, mortality. CONCLUSIONS. Direct PTCA is safe and effective in type 2 diabetic patients with acute MI. Mortality after 30 days in unselected diabetic patients i

GWAS and co-expression network combination uncovers multigenes with close linkage effects on the oleic acid content accumulation in Brassica napus

Background: Strong artificial and natural selection causes the formation of highly conserved haplotypes that harbor agronomically important genes. GWAS combination with haplotype analysis has evolved as an effective method to dissect the genetic architecture of complex traits in crop species. Results: We used the 60 K Brassica Infinium SNP array to perform a genome-wide analysis of haplotype blocks associated with oleic acid (C18:1) in rapeseed. Six haplotype regions were identified as significantly associated with oleic acid (C18:1) that mapped to chromosomes A02, A07, A08, C01, C02, and C03. Additionally, whole-genome sequencing of 50 rapeseed accessions revealed three genes (BnmtACP2-A02, BnABCI13-A02 and BnECI1-A02) in the A02 chromosome haplotype region and two genes (BnFAD8-C02 and BnSDP1-C02) in the C02 chromosome haplotype region that were closely linked to oleic acid content phenotypic variation. Moreover, the co-expression network analysis uncovered candidate genes from these two different haplotype regions with potential regulatory interrelationships with oleic acid content accumulation. Conclusions: Our results suggest that several candidate genes are closely linked, which provides us with an opportunity to develop functional haplotype markers for the improvement of the oleic acid content in rapeseed

Implementing complex innovations in fluid multi-stakeholder environments: Experiences of 'telecare'

Accepted versio