An agile business process improvement methodology

Adoption of business process improvement strategies are now a concern of most organisations. Organisations are still facing challenges and finding transient solutions to immediate problems. The misalignment between IT solutions and organisational aspects evolves across space and time showing discrepancies. Unfortunately, existing business process approaches are not according with continuous business process improvement involving business stakeholders. Considering this limitation in well-known Business Process (BP) methodologies, this paper presents a comparative study of some approaches and introduces agility in the Business Process and Practice Alignment Methodology (BPPAM). Our intention is to present observed problems in existing approaches and introduce agility in our proposal to address features, like the alignment between daily work practices and business process descriptions, in a simple and agile way. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V

Understanding sprint velocity fluctuations for improved project plans with Scrum: a case study

Starting from the documentation of high sprint velocity fluctuations in a Scrum project, this paper presents a thorough approach to identify the sources of issues arising in the context of Scrum implementation. Given that Scrum provides guidance on identifying process issues but not their root causes, various approaches are explored. This is of great relevance because Scrum defines project schedules relying heavily on sprint velocity and because it is the most widely used agile methodology. The findings provide a new approach to evaluate such fluctuations and establish a more realistic project assessment than what is currently defined by Scrum. In this respect, this paper contributes to improve the understanding of the software development process using this agile framework

The effect of antimicrobial resistance on patient outcomes: importance of proper evaluation of appropriate therapy

The impact of antimicrobial resistance on patient outcomes can be effectively measured only if the appropriateness of the antimicrobial therapy received is properly measured. Definition of appropriate therapy should include not only in vitro susceptibility but also the clinical adequacy of the antibiotic used, taking into account the pathogen isolated, the site of infection, known pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the drug, and dosing. In the absence of these data, the effect of delay or absence of appropriate therapy in patients infected with resistant bacterial pathogens is subject to confounding, and the true effect of resistance on outcomes may be obscured

In Response to Need: An Analysis of Social Work Roles Over Time

Submitted to Social Work for future publication Let us know how access to this document benefits you

Global Health

Within its 150 year history, public health has grown from a focus on local communities, to include country-wide, then international and now global perspectives. Using the United Nation’s Millennium Goals as its primary framework, this article provides an overview of global public health within the broadest possible context of the world and all of its peoples. Also provided are discussions of the global burden of disease as measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), global health statistics, current health priorities and recommendations for action by social workers and other health professionals

Global Health

Within its 150 year history, public health has grown from a focus on local communities, to include country-wide, then international and now global perspectives. Using the United Nation’s Millennium Goals as its primary framework, this article provides an overview of global public health within the broadest possible context of the world and all of its peoples. Also provided are discussions of the global burden of disease as measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), global health statistics, current health priorities and recommendations for action by social workers and other health professionals

Epilepsy Postings on You Tube: Exercising Individuals’ and Organizations’ Right to Appear

Philosopher Hannah Arendt maintains that everyone has the right to appear in public as an embodied, singular individual. Because of the stigma attached to epilepsy, many with this condition are denied this right. Using grounded theory techniques, the authors analyze uploads of epilepsy on YouTube. The authors argue that personal uploads on YouTube are the only mass media examples in which those with epilepsy can exercise their right to appear without the interpretation of intermediaries. Emerging themes relating to ”the right to appear” allow social workers to deepen understanding of this and other devastating, often invisible and sometimes life-threatening illnesses

Gut Microbiome Analysis in Morphine Exposure and Naltrexone-Induced Withdrawal

Introduction and Objectives: Relatively little is understood about the underlying physiological changes that occur in the withdrawal state of opiate users. Research on the effects of alcohol withdrawal on the Gut-brain axis (GBA) has revealed shifts in relative numbers of specific bacterial species that correlate with increased central nervous system (CNS) inflammation via neurological crosstalk. The purpose of this research was to determine if similar shifts in the relative abundance of bacterial populations occur in the opiate withdrawal state. Methods: Fourteen rats were randomized into four groups. Control and experimental rats were administered 75 mg morphine pellets or placebo (sugar) pellets subdermally. Within these two groups, the rats were given either naltrexone (simulates withdrawal) or nothing. Rats given naltrexone injections were sacrificed on day five and control rats on day 6. The rats were dissected, and stool from the cecum was extracted using the Qiagen DNA extraction mini kit. Finally, qPCR was run to examine changes in bacterial colonies in the control, opiate, and withdrawal groups. Results: The results showed a general shift in genus predominance from Firmicutes (control) to Bacteroides (withdrawal). This shift was only seen in rats in the withdrawal state and not in those only exposed to morphine or in the control conditions. Discussion: These bacterial shifts were similar to those seen in the numerous alcohol withdrawal studies that this research was modeled after. This may suggest similar underlying pathogenesis of gut dysbiosis from opiate withdrawal leading to CNS inflammation via vagal nerve signaling in the GBA