The Realities of CASE

To help manage a large and increasingly complex backlog of systems development projects, more IS departments are turning to computer-aided software engineering (CASE) as their solution. However, this technology has certain barriers to its easy implementation, as shown by the response to a recent Deloitte & Touche survey that addressed (among other things) CASE use in organizations. This article discusses some of the problems of CASE implementation these organizations encountered as well as ways IS departments can overcome these barriers and effectively integrate CASE.     

Calibration and validation of coarse-grained models of atomic systems: application to semiconductor manufacturing

Coarse-grained models of atomic systems, created by aggregating groups of atoms into molecules to reduce the number of degrees of freedom, have been used for decades in important scientific and technological applications. In recent years, interest in developing a more rigorous theory for coarse graining and in assessing the predictivity of coarse-grained models has arisen. In this work, Bayesian methods for the calibration and validation of coarse-grained models of atomistic systems in thermodynamic equilibrium are developed. For specificity, only configurational models of systems in canonical ensembles are considered. Among major challenges in validating coarse-grained models are (1) the development of validation processes that lead to information essential in establishing confidence in the model’s ability predict key quantities of interest and (2), above all, the determination of the coarse-grained model itself; that is, the characterization of the molecular architecture, the choice of interaction potentials and thus parameters, which best fit available data. The all-atom model is treated as the “ground truth,” and it provides the basis with respect to which properties of the coarse-grained model are compared. This base all-atom model is characterized by an appropriate statistical mechanics framework in this work by canonical ensembles involving only configurational energies. The all-atom model thus supplies data for Bayesian calibration and validation methods for the molecular model. To address the first challenge, we develop priors based on the maximum entropy principle and likelihood functions based on Gaussian approximations of the uncertainties in the parameter-to-observation error. To address challenge (2), we introduce the notion of model plausibilities as a means for model selection. This methodology provides a powerful approach toward constructing coarse-grained models which are most plausible for given all-atom data. We demonstrate the theory and methods through applications to representative atomic structures and we discuss extensions to the validation process for molecular models of polymer structures encountered in certain semiconductor nanomanufacturing processes. The powerful method of model plausibility as a means for selecting interaction potentials for coarse-grained models is discussed in connection with a coarse-grained hexane molecule. Discussions of how all-atom information is used to construct priors are contained in an appendix.     

External tools for collaborative medication scheduling

Medication adherence—taking medication as prescribed—is critical for successful self-care, especially among older adults. Adherence depends on developing and implementing plans for taking medications. Age-related cognitive declines that affect adherence may be mitigated using external tools that support patient-provider collaboration needed to develop these adherence plans. We tested the effectiveness of structured collaborative medication tools to support better medication planning and adherence practices. Evidence for benefits of collaborative tools has been mixed in terms of their usefulness for medication-scheduling tasks, perhaps because the tools have not been explicitly designed to support patient-provider collaboration. A total of 144 community-dwelling older adults participated in pairs and performed the role of a patient or provider in a simulated patient-provider medication-scheduling task. Each pair worked with a structured (MedTable^? and e-MedTable) or unstructured (Medcard) scheduling tool and completed four problems (2 simple and 2 complex). Performance was measured using the following: problem-solving (medication schedule) accuracy, problem-solving time, solution (schedule) optimality, tool usability, collaborative effectiveness, and subjective workload involved in creating the medication schedules. Participants using structured tools produced more accurate and optimal schedules. They also rated subjective workload as lower and thought that the structured tools were easier to use, reduced subjective workload associated with creating the schedules. There was also suggestive evidence that participants using the structured tools rated more highly the quality of their collaboration. Structured medication-scheduling tools have the potential to improve medication adherence among older adults because they support collaborative planning and reduce the cognitive load involved in creating these adherence plans.     

Impact of air‐handling system exhaust failure on dissemination pattern of simulant pathogen particles in a clinical biocontainment unit

Biocontainment units (BCUs) are facilities used to care for patients with highly infectious diseases. However, there is limited guidance on BCU protocols and design. This study presents the first investigation of how HVAC (heating, ventilation, air‐conditioning) operating conditions influence the dissemination of fluorescent tracer particles released in a BCU. Test conditions included normal HVAC operation and exhaust failure resulting in loss of negative pressure. A suspension of optical brightener powder and water was nebulized to produce fluorescent particles simulating droplet nuclei (0.5‐5 μm). Airborne particle number concentrations were monitored by Instantaneous Biological Analyzers and Collectors (FLIR Systems). During normal HVAC operation, fluorescent tracer particles were contained in the isolation room (average concentration = 1 × 10⁴ ± 3 × 10³/L_air). Under exhaust failure, the automated HVAC system maximizes airflow into areas adjacent to isolation rooms to attempt to maintain negative pressure differential. However, 6% of the fluorescent particles were transported through cracks around doors/door handles out of the isolation room via airflow alone and not by movement of personnel or doors. Overall, this study provides a systematic method for evaluating capabilities to contain aerosolized particles during various HVAC scenarios. Recommendations are provided to improve situation‐specific BCU safety.     

Synthesis of porous oxide ceramics using a soft responsive scaffold

Ceramic materials have significant utility. Developing synthetic protocols that are facile and provide low energy alternatives to traditional methods remains a major driver in materials synthesis. We present here the adaptation of a method recently developed in our group for the synthesis of porous silica using a non-ionic emulsion template. The silicate materials are porous on both the nanometre and micrometre length scales and surface-to-volume ratios may be readily modified by altering the volume fraction of the emulsion template. Switching the silica precursor for an alumina or titania precursor resulted in the formation of porous alumina and titania materials which were prepared as thin films or monoliths. The pores formed in the amorphous alumina materials were ~0.8 μm and ~50 nm, with a primary particle size of 50–100 nm. The titania materials had pores on one length scale only: ~0.8 μm, with a smaller primary particle size of 20–60 nm. As-synthesized materials were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.     

Human Response to Emergency Communication: A Review of Guidance on Alerts and Warning Messages for Emergencies in Buildings

The purpose of this article is to provide guidance on enhancing human response to emergency communication. This guidance can, in turn, help engineers improve the design of emergency notification and messaging systems, which, as a result, can help inform occupant response, reduce occupant evacuation time, and increase occupant safety. The article begins with a literature review on how people respond to emergencies. The Protective Action Decision Model, which describes the decision-making process that precedes human response in disaster events, is used as a framework for the literature collected as part of this review. This model is divided into three pre-decisional and five decisional processes. The method used to create the guidance document is then explained, including the six steps taken to review the literature collected (from 162 engineering and social science sources), generate findings from this literature, and compile the key statements found in the guidance document. Guidance on alerts, visual/audible warnings and dissemination of warning messages are provided. These are organized according to alert/warning type and dissemination method. The findings of the literature review include five guidance statements on alerts, 16 guidance statements on visual warnings, seven guidance statements on audible warnings and eight guidance statements on the dissemination of warning messages. Finally, guidance on emergency message testing, including language, readability and fire drills as a means of response testing, is provided. It is envisioned that this guidance will inform practitioners on the design of future emergency communications and subsequently enhances evacuee performance through a better understanding of the manner in which emergency information is processed and the tools available to provide such information.     

Do natural amenities influence undergraduate student migration decisions?

The primary objective of this paper is to examine the influence of natural amenities on student migration decisions using institution-level data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. We surpass the scope of previous studies focused on natural amenities, which rely on a limited selection of state-level measures, by matching interpolated weather station- and county-level climate data to each post-secondary institution. Results suggest that students consider natural amenities in their migration to college decision and, in a number of cases, preferences for natural amenities vary based on origin state amenity conditions. Nonetheless, migration decisions are dominated by origin state educational opportunities and by proximity of the student’s origin state to the state of college attendance.     

Evaluating interfaces with children

Children are very different from adults—they have developing motor skills, limited reach, short attention spans, limited exposure to traditional user interfaces and social protocols. How do we evaluate user interfaces for children? In this paper, we present four evaluative techniques that we have successfully used with children.     

The Innate Immune Glycoprotein Lactoferrin Represses the Helicobacter pylori cag Type IV Secretion System

Chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori increases risk of gastric diseases including gastric cancer. Despite development of a robust immune response, H. pylori persists in the gastric niche. Progression of gastric inflammation to serious disease outcomes is associated with infection with H. pylori strains which encode the cag Type IV Secretion System (cag T4SS). The cag T4SS is responsible for translocating the oncogenic protein CagA into host cells and inducing pro-inflammatory and carcinogenic signaling cascades. Our previous work demonstrated that nutrient iron modulates the activity of the T4SS and biogenesis of T4SS pili. In response to H. pylori infection, the host produces a variety of antimicrobial molecules, including the iron-binding glycoprotein, lactoferrin. Our work shows that apo-lactoferrin exerts antimicrobial activity against H. pylori under iron-limited conditions, while holo-lactoferrin enhances bacterial growth. Culturing H. pylori in the presence of holo-lactoferrin prior to co-culture with gastric epithelial cells, results in repression of the cag T4SS activity. Concomitantly, a decrease in biogenesis of cag T4SS pili at the host-pathogen interface was observed under these culture conditions by high-resolution electron microscopy analyses. Taken together, these results indicate that acquisition of alternate sources of nutrient iron plays a role in regulating the pro-inflammatory activity of a bacterial secretion system and present novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of H. pylori-related disease.     

Targeting NF-κB-Inducing Kinase (NIK) in Immunity,Inflammation, and Cancer

NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK), the essential upstream kinase, which regulates activation of the noncanonical NF-κB pathway, has important roles in regulating immunity and inflammation. In addition, NIK is vital for maintaining cellular health through its control of fundamental cellular processes, including differentiation, growth, and cell survival. As such aberrant expression or regulation of NIK is associated with several disease states. For example, loss of NIK leads to severe immune defects, while the overexpression of NIK is observed in inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, and the development and progression of cancer. This review discusses recent studies investigating the therapeutic potential of NIK inhibitors in various diseases.