Business processes in the agile organisation: a socio-technical perspective

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. This paper takes a cross-disciplinary view of the ontology of “business process”: how the concept is treated in the IS research literature and how related concepts (with stronger human behavioural orientation) from organisation and management sciences can potentially inform this IS perspective. In particular, is there room for socio-technical concepts such as technology affordance, derived from the constructivist tradition, in improving our understanding of operational business processes, particularly human-centric business processes? The paper presents a theoretical framework for understanding the role of business processes in organisational agility that distinguishes between the process-as-designed and the process-as-practiced. How this practice aspect of business processes also leads to the improvisation of various information technology enablers, is explored using a socio-technical lens. The posited theoretical framework is illustrated and validated with data drawn from an interpretive empirical case study of a large IT services company. The research suggests that processes within the organisation evolve both by top-down design and by the bottom-up routinisation of practice and that the tension between these is driven by the need for flexibility

Introducing a socio-technical perspective on business processes into enterprise interoperability frameworks

© IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2015. This paper looks at enterprise interoperability (EI), specifically process-level interoperability, and suggests that the inherent non-determinacy of human-centred business processes introduces another ingredient into the EI puzzle that has thus far been understated in EIF ontologies. A conceptualisation of business process based on socio-technical concepts is presented. It is argued that this provides a better way to accommodate human agency factors, and under the influence of these factors, how business processes inevitably evolve over time, potentially affecting their interoperability. We suggest the extant body of knowledge on the theory of dynamic capabilities is relevant to understanding how organisations can control this potentially undirected process evolution and thereby sustain interoperability. Some initial observations are made concerning how this new ontological element could be accommodated into existing EIFs. The paper aims to stimulate discussion in this area and make a contribution to the EI body of knowledge

Epidemiological investigations into chronic inflammation using the novel biomarker Glycoprotein Acetyls

Chronic inflammation describes a state of long-term inflammation where levels of acute-phase proteins and cytokines are elevated over months to years. Epidemiological studies have provided evidence for the relationship between inflammation and adverse health outcomes, ranging from mental health disorders such as depression to physical health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and even mortality. Additionally, studies have shown that genetic and environmental factors can influence levels of chronic inflammation. Given the proven detrimental outcomes of chronic inflammation, it is a public health concern to better understand its causes and consequences. In this thesis, I investigated whether Glycoprotein Acetyls (GlycA), a novel biomarker of chronic inflammation was more stable in the short and long term compared to C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute phase protein often studied as a marker of inflammation. I also explored several potential causes and consequences of chronic inflammation (as measured by GlycA), including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the mental health disorder depression, depressive symptoms and levels of circulating polyunsaturated fatty acids. I used data from two UK population-based studies: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and; UK Biobank. Where possible, I triangulated findings from multivariable models with Mendelian randomization analyses in order to overcome biases such as confounding and reverse causation. My findings suggest that GlycA behaves similarly to the biomarker CRP in response to pro-inflammatory factors, but that it is more stable than CRP over the long-term. I found that ACEs have a pro-inflammatory effect, but that this effect appears to only emerge in mid-adulthood. Contrary to previous literature, I did not find that inflammation causally increases levels of depression, instead my findings suggest that genetically determined depression causally increases levels of GlycA. I also found that genetically determined omega-3 fatty acid levels, which are posited to reduce inflammation, causally increase levels of CRP and GlycA, although this effect attenuated to the null when controlling for genetically determined omega-6 fatty acids. Finally, I found that genetically determined omega-6 fatty acids causally increase levels of CRP and GlycA and this effect was maintained when controlling for genetically determined omega-3 fatty acids. Results from my thesis suggest that several factors that occur across the life-course can influence levels of GlycA. My findings also highlight the importance of triangulation and replication in research given that, when using GlycA as a measure of inflammation, some of my findings contradict previously published and accepted inflammation-related relationships

III.—Note on some fragments of Belemnites from Somali-land

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LIX.— On some new or little-known Goniatites from the Carboniferous Limestone of Ireland

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L'estructura molecular dels àcids nucleics

L'article on es descriu per primer cop l'estructura de l'DNA i la seva capacitat de copiar el material genèti

Novel designs for Penning ion traps

We present a number of alternative designs for Penning ion traps suitable for quantum information processing (QIP) applications with atomic ions. The first trap design is a simple array of long straight wires which allows easy optical access. A prototype of this trap has been built to trap Ca+ and a simple electronic detection scheme has been employed to demonstrate the operation of the trap. Another trap design consists of a conducting plate with a hole in it situated above a continuous conducting plane. The final trap design is based on an array of pad electrodes. Although this trap design lacks the open geometry of the traps described above, the pad design may prove useful in a hybrid scheme in which information processing and qubit storage take place in different types of trap. The behaviour of the pad traps is simulated numerically and techniques for moving ions rapidly between traps are discussed. Future experiments with these various designs are discussed. All of the designs lend themselves to the construction of multiple trap arrays, as required for scalable ion trap QIP.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure

Cladding strategies for building-integrated photovoltaics

Photovoltaic cladding on the surfaces of commercial buildings has the potential for considerable reductions in carbon emissions due to embedded renewable power generation displacing conventional power utilization. In this paper, a model is described for the optimization of photovoltaic cladding densities on commercial building surfaces. The model uses a modified form of the ‘fill factor’ method for photovoltaic power supply coupled to new regression-based procedures for power demand estimation. An optimization is included based on a defined ‘mean index of satisfaction’ for matched power supply and demand (i.e., zero power exportation to the grid). The mean index of satisfaction directly translates to the reduction in carbon emission that might be expected over conventional power use. On clear days throughout the year, reductions of conventional power use of at least 60% can be achieved with an optimum cladding pattern targeted to lighting and small power load demands

Synchronized dynamics of cortical neurons with time-delay feedback

The dynamics of three mutually coupled cortical neurons with time delays in the coupling are explored numerically and analytically. The neurons are coupled in a line, with the middle neuron sending a somewhat stronger projection to the outer neurons than the feedback it receives, to model for instance the relay of a signal from primary to higher cortical areas. For a given coupling architecture, the delays introduce correlations in the time series at the time-scale of the delay. It was found that the middle neuron leads the outer ones by the delay time, while the outer neurons are synchronized with zero lag times. Synchronization is found to be highly dependent on the synaptic time constant, with faster synapses increasing both the degree of synchronization and the firing rate. Analysis shows that presynaptic input during the interspike interval stabilizes the synchronous state, even for arbitrarily weak coupling, and independent of the initial phase. The finding may be of significance to synchronization of large groups of cells in the cortex that are spatially distanced from each other.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure