Building Enterprise Transition Plans Through the Development of Collapsing Design Structure Matrices

The United States Air Force (USAF), like many other large enterprises, has evolved over time, expanded its capabilities and has developed focused, yet often redundant, operational silos, functions and information systems (IS). Recent failures in enterprise integration efforts herald a need for a new method that can account for the challenges presented by decades of increases in enterprise complexity, redundancy and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs. Product or system-level research has dominated the study of traditional Design Structure Matrices (DSMs) with minimal coverage on enterprise-level issues. This research proposes a new method of collapsing DSMs (C-DSMs) to illustrate and mitigate the problem of enterprise IS redundancy while developing a systems integration plan. Through the use of iterative user constraints and controls, the C-DSM method employs an algorithmic and unbiased approach that automates the creation of a systems integration plan that provides not only a roadmap for complexity reduction, but also cost estimates for milestone evaluation. Inspired by a recent large IS integration program, an example C-DSM of 100 interrelated legacy systems was created. The C-DSM method indicates that if a slow path to integration is selected then cost savings are estimated to surpass integration costs after several iterations

Perspectives of modern researches of kinship

The article presents perspectives of study of kinship relations in modern society. The difficulties related with kinship relations as well as with its study logic and conceptualization. The main characteristics of modern kinship relations such as complication of kinship relations’ space, viewing kinship as process, variability, flexible and voluntary character are presented.В статье рассмотрены перспективы исследования родственных отношений в современных обществах. Обозначены трудности, связанные как с самими отношениями, так и с логикой их изучения и концептуализации. Сформулированы основные характеристики современных отношений родства: усложнение сферы родственных отношений, процессуальность, изменчивость, гибкий и волюнтаристский характер

State of the Birds in Exurbia

Low density rural sprawl, or exurban development, results in significant negative impacts on wildlife including birds. We describe the results of a decade of field studies to document the response of birds and other taxa to exurban development in the Park. We have investigated: the size of the ecological impact zone associated with exurban houses and roads in the Adirondacks, the characteristics of avian communities before and after residential construction, whether exurban development alters the health of individual birds, whether the ecological context of the development regulates the intensity of its impacts, and how individual land ethics and land use decisions, operating with a regional land use context, shape human impacts on biological communities. We briefly describe these studies and draw conclusions across them to provide insight into the state of the birds in the exurban Adirondacks. Broadly, we find that: the size of the impact resulting from exurban development can exceed its physical footprint significantly, changes in avian communities associated with exurban development do not appear to be driven solely by the associated road network, these changes can be very rapid and are consistent across some taxa and ecosystems, predation pressure may be a key mechanism, the attraction effect of exurban development may be stronger than the deterrent effect, and the most prevalent pattern of change is one of simplification of avian communities. Neotropical migrants may be a particularly sensitive group in the Adirondacks

Housing Trends in Franklin and Brighton Townships (Franklin County, N.Y.), 1990-2000

Housing conditions in US. Census Tract 9508, the Towns of Franklin and Brighton in Franklin County New York, potentially reflect the influence of being situated inside a high-amenity area, the Adirondack Park. I used data from the US. Census Bureau to compare County Level housing character­istics to Tract Level characteristics. All analy­ses were conducted in Excel. At first glance, the Tract appears to be doing quite well with high homeownership rates and increasing house values. However, evidence of increasing housing costs, transience, and undercrowding suggest that community officials must explore the potential negative impacts of two emerging issues resulting from these three problems. First, an unstable community may result from aging structures housing an aging population who arrived prior to 1980 combined with an influx of newer and possibly smaller or retiree families. Second, rising house values and gross rents coupled with a decline in multiple family units, mobile homes, and other options far Low and Lowest income families suggest gentrification may be occurring. Officials should consider the following recommendations: confirm trends through a more in-depth analysis of the Tract compared to other Adirondack Tracts, assess the impacts of a changing population on existing community services, and implement more inclusionary housing practices to provide Low-cost housing opportunities

Science to Inform Policy in the Adirondacks: Case Studies from the Great Experiment

The abundant natural resources of the Adirondack Park, positioned in a setting of interspersed public and private ownerships and multiple jurisdictional layers of management, make for a place in which the competing interests of human use and enjoyment of the landscape and protection of its resources can create significant challenges. It is also a place where there is a critical role for applied science in informing policy and management decisions. Here we describe four examples in which applied science, combined with education and outreach, have been used to inform management responses to critical threats impacting the Adirondack landscape. This paper describes the work of two organizations who have invested heavily in the region, using place-based and collaborative approaches to inform important policy issues. We describe each as a case study and draw conclusions across all of them that provide useful lessons for conservation in the region

Direct SIMS Determination of the InxGa1-xN Mole Fraction

We demonstrate that our secondary mass ion spectroscopy (SIMS) method for the determination of the mole fraction in solid InxGa1-xN solutions is accurate and reproduceable without need of reference samples. The method is based on measuring relative current values of CsM+ (M=Ga, In) secondary ions. The claim of reliable SIMS determination without reference samples was confirmed by four independent analytical methods on the same samples with a relative error in the InN mole fraction determination below 15

Rethinking ME/CFS Diagnostic Reference Intervals via Machine Learning, and the Utility of Activin B for Defining Symptom Severity

Biomarker discovery applied to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a disabling disease of inconclusive aetiology, has identified several cytokines to potentially fulfil a role as a quantitative blood/serum marker for laboratory diagnosis, with activin B a recent addition. We explored further the potential of serum activin B as a ME/CFS biomarker, alone and in combination with a range of routine test results obtained from pathology laboratories. Previous pilot study results showed that activin B was significantly elevated for the ME/CFS participants compared to healthy (control) participants. All the participants were recruited via CFS Discovery and assessed via the Canadian/International Consensus Criteria. A significant difference for serum activin B was also detected for ME/CFS and control cohorts recruited for this study, but median levels were significantly lower for the ME/CFS cohort. Random Forest (RF) modelling identified five routine pathology blood test markers that collectively predicted ME/CFS at ≥62% when compared via weighted standing time (WST) severity classes. A closer analysis revealed that the inclusion of activin B to the panel of pathology markers improved the prediction of mild to moderate ME/CFS cases. Applying correct WST class prediction from RFA modelling, new reference intervals were calculated for activin B and associated pathology markers, where 24-h urinary creatinine clearance, serum urea and serum activin B showed the best potential as diagnostic markers. While the serum activin B results remained statistically significant for the new participant cohorts, activin B was found to also have utility in enhancing the prediction of symptom severity, as represented by WST class.This research was funded by the Judith. J. Mason and Harold S. Williams Memorial Foundation (The Mason Foundation), grant number CT23141–23142

CCL2 and CCR2 regulate pain-related behaviour and early gene expression in post-traumatic murine osteoarthritis but contribute little to chondropathy

SummaryObjectiveThe role of inflammation in structural and symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) remains unclear. One key mediator of inflammation is the chemokine CCL2, primarily responsible for attracting monocytes to sites of injury. We investigated the role of CCL2 and its receptor CCR2 in experimental OA.DesignOA was induced in 10 weeks old male wild type (WT), Ccl2−/− and Ccr2−/− mice, by destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM). RNA was extracted from whole joints at 6 h and 7 days post-surgery and examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Gene expression changes between naïve and DMM-operated mice were compared. Chondropathy scores, from mice at 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks post DMM were calculated using modified Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) grading systems. Changes in hind paw weight distribution, as a measure of pain, were assessed by Linton incapacitance.ResultsAbsence of CCL2 strongly suppressed (>90%) selective inflammatory response genes in the joint 6 h post DMM, including arginase 1, prostaglandin synthase 2, nitric oxide synthase 2 and inhibin A. IL6, MMP3 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 were also significantly suppressed. Similar trends were also observed in the absence of CCR2. A lower average chondropathy score was observed in both Ccl2−/− and Ccr2−/− mice at 12, 16 and 20 weeks post DMM compared with WT mice, but this was only statistically significant at 20 weeks in Ccr2−/− mice. Pain-related behaviour in Ccl2−/− and Ccr2−/− mice post DMM was delayed in onset.ConclusionThe CCL2/CCR2 axis plays an important role in the development of pain in murine OA, but contributes little to cartilage damage