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Holistic View (holistic + view)
Selected AbstractsBUILDING A DATA-MINING GRID FOR MULTIPLE HUMAN BRAIN DATA ANALYSISCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 2 2005Ning Zhong E-science is about global collaboration in key areas of science such as cognitive science and brain science, and the next generation of infrastructure such as the Wisdom Web and Knowledge Grids. As a case study, we investigate human multiperception mechanism by cooperatively using various psychological experiments, physiological measurements, and data mining techniques for developing artificial systems which match human ability in specific aspects. In particular, we observe fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and EEG (electroencephalogram) brain activations from the viewpoint of peculiarity oriented mining and propose a way of peculiarity oriented mining for knowledge discovery in multiple human brain data. Based on such experience and needs, we concentrate on the architectural aspect of a brain-informatics portal from the perspective of the Wisdom Web and Knowledge Grids. We describe how to build a data-mining grid on the Wisdom Web for multiaspect human brain data analysis. The proposed methodology attempts to change the perspective of cognitive scientists from a single type of experimental data analysis toward a holistic view at a long-term, global field of vision. [source] Innovation and Knowledge Management: The Long ViewCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2001Michael Lester The challenge of the e,Economy is one of technological change and the innovation process affords insights into how this new knowledge can be harnessed across the economy to increase productivity and generate wealth. The conceptual framework for this paper is National Systems of Innovation (NSI) as applied to Australia Edquist (1997); Freeman (1995). NSI allows us to take a holistic view of innovation that realistically blends technology with institutional elements, particularly including issues of collaboration. Taking a Long View (Schwartz (1991), that is, looking back on the legacy of experience with the innovation process, will also facilitate looking forward strategically from Australia's current practices, and to speculate on the prospects. This paper illustrates selectively and not comprehensively, from my own direct experience, the evolution of innovation policies in Australia and speculates on their implications for collaboration in the e,Economy by drawing on selected case studies in Research and Development, Industry and Trade, and the e,Economy. It also draws upon work for my doctorate in knowledge management at the University of Technology. The selection and synthesis of theory inevitably also reflect, however idiosyncratically, my academic training in engineering, politics and economics. [source] A plaidoyer for cutaneous enzymology: our view of some important unanswered questions on the contributions of selected key enzymes to epidermal homeostasisEXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2008John M. Wood Abstract:, This review highlights the importance of enzymology, a field of great neglect in current cutaneous biology research. It was therefore the aim by using selected examples of epidermal enzymes and their action including some open questions to demonstrate the importance of this area. Clearly a thorough understanding of basic knowledge in this field is needed which in turn offers a plethora of innovative research projects for a curious mind. Moreover, in order to gain the closest understanding to the truth instead of generating esoteric results, emphasis is put forward on a holistic view utilizing a combination of modern and sometimes old methods to get the answer. Last but not least the bench work is only useful for the welfare of our patients if we can apply our basic knowledge. [source] A strategy for correlative microscopy of large skin samples: towards a holistic view of axillary skin complexityEXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Katrin Wilke Abstract:, Knowledge about the structural elements of skin and its appendices is an essential prerequisite for understanding their complex functions and interactions. The hence necessary morphological description across several orders of scale not only requires the investigation at the light microscopic level but also ultrastructural investigation, ideally on the identical sample. For a correlative and multimodal observation one unique preparation protocol is mandatory. As a compromise between sample sizes of >500 ,m in diameter on the one hand and optimal preservation of antigenicity and morphology on the other, we developed a new preparation protocol that allows (i) 3D reconstruction of the resin-embedded sample by confocal light microscopy prior to (ii) direct immunolocalization of target proteins within selected sample planes by light and fluorescence microscopy or transmission electron microscopy. Alternatively, (iii) serial cryosections of the frozen sample can be taken for characterizing the sample in toto. With this unique approach we were able to fully demonstrate the structural complexity of axillary skin samples, increasing the structural resolution from 3D reconstruction of the whole gland up to ultrastructural investigations at the subcellular level. We could demonstrate that axillary sweat glands are not separately distributed, as has been assumed to date; instead, they seem to be intricately twisted into one another. This promotes the concept of a complex axillary sweat gland organ instead of single sweat gland entities. [source] Hyporheic Exchange in Mountain Rivers II: Effects of Channel Morphology on Mechanics, Scales, and Rates of ExchangeGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2009John M. Buffington We propose that the mechanisms driving hyporheic exchange vary systematically with different channel morphologies and associated fluvial processes that occur in mountain basins, providing a framework for examining physical controls on hyporheic environments and their spatial variation across the landscape. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of hyporheic environments within mountain catchments represents a nested hierarchy of process controls. Large-scale process drivers (geology, climate, fire, and land use) impose a suite of watershed conditions (topography, streamflow, sediment supply, and vegetation) on the fluvial system. Different combinations of imposed watershed conditions result in different reach-scale channel morphologies (e.g. step-pool, pool-riffle, and braided) that, in turn, structure hyporheic processes (e.g. pressure divergence, spatial variation of hydraulic conductivity) and resultant hyporheic environments (scales and rates of hyporheic exchange). Consequently, a holistic view of natural and anthropogenic drivers over a range of spatial and temporal scales is needed for understanding hyporheic ecosystems. [source] Views of xerostomia among health care professionals: a qualitative studyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 6 2009Solgun Folke Aim., To explore and describe views of xerostomia among health care professionals. Background., Xerostomia (dry mouth) is caused by changes in quality and quantity of saliva due to poor health, certain drugs and radiation therapy. It is a common symptom, particularly among older people and has devastating consequences with regard to oral health and general well-being. Methods., Data were obtained and categorised by interviewing 16 health care professionals. Qualitative content analysis was chosen as the method of analysis. Design., Qualitative. Results., The latent content was formulated into a theme: xerostomia is a well-known problem, yet there is inadequate management of patients with xerostomia. The findings identified three categories expressing the manifest content: awareness of xerostomia, indifferent attitude and insufficient support. Conclusions., Although xerostomia was recognised as commonly occurring, it was considered to be an underestimated and an ignored problem. Proper attention to conditions of xerostomia and subsequent patient management were viewed as fragmentary and inadequate. Additional qualitative studies among patients with xerostomia would be desirable to gain further understanding of the problems with xerostomia, its professional recognition and management. Relevance to clinical practice., A holistic view, positive professional attitudes and enhanced knowledge of xerostomia seem essential to augment collaboration among health care professionals and to improve compassion for and support of patients with xerostomia. [source] Nurses' altered conceptions of work in a ward with all-RN staffingJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 2 2002Dip NursEd, SOLVEIG M. LUNDGREN MSc ,,The aim of this study was to investigate how nurses' conceptions of their patients and work changed after reorganization to all RN-staffing and the adoption of a patient-in-focus philosophy on the ward. ,,The study builds on the perspective that the individual's conception of work precedes and forms the basis for the development of knowledge, skills and attributes used in accomplishing work. ,,The findings are based on a secondary analysis of two open interviews with 22 nurses on the ward. These interviews were conducted on two occasions with an interval of 2 years. The third interview was carried out 6 months later, when 10 nurses were asked to talk about a patient's care episode in a narrative form. ,,The nurses' conceptions changed towards a holistic view of the patient, they developed a new approach to work and they used the altered circumstances in their work. [source] NTT DoCoMo's Launch of I-Mode in the Japanese Mobile Phone Market: A Knowledge Creation Perspective*JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 1 2007Vesa Peltokorpi abstract While innovation and knowledge creation processes and context are interlinked in the real world, scholars frequently ignore or separate context from knowing due to an entrenched sense of ontological and analytical dualism. This paper builds on the organizational knowledge creation theory (Nonaka, 1994) to provide a holistic view of contextual innovation and knowledge creation processes. The phenomenon is demonstrated by a longitudinal case description of i-mode mobile Internet innovation at NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese mobile communications company. This case explains how three key managers created and organized an interlinked system of shared contexts, called ba, that enabled the combination and open flow of diverse knowledge and led to the creation and launch of the i-mode mobile Internet, which unites novel technologies and services. Managerial implications and limitations are discussed. [source] Evidence-based human resource management: a study of nurse leaders' resource allocationJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2009LISBETH FAGERSTRÖM RN Aims, The aims were to illustrate how the RAFAELA system can be used to facilitate evidence-based human resource management. Background, The theoretical framework of the RAFAELA system is based on a holistic view of humankind and a view of leadership founded on human resource management. Methods, Nine wards from three central hospitals in Finland participated in the study. The data, stemming from 2006,2007, were taken from the critical indicators (ward-related and nursing intensity information) for national benchmarking used in the RAFAELA system. The data were analysed descriptively. Results, The daily nursing resources per classified patient ratio is a more specific method of measurement than the nurse-to-patient ratio. For four wards, the nursing intensity per nurse surpassed the optimal level 34% to 62.2% of days. Resource allocation was clearly improved in that a better balance between patients' care needs and available nursing resources was maintained. Conclusions, The RAFAELA system provides a rational, systematic and objective foundation for evidence-based human resource management. Implications for nursing management, Data from a systematic use of the RAFAELA system offer objective facts and motives for evidence-based decision making in human resource management, and will therefore enhance the nurse leaders' evidence and scientific based way of working. [source] Measuring the complexity of class diagrams in reverse engineeringJOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 5 2006Frederick T. Sheldon Abstract Complexity metrics for object-oriented systems are plentiful. Numerous studies have been undertaken to establish valid and meaningful measures of maintainability as they relate to the static structural characteristics of software. In general, these studies have lacked the empirical validation of their meaning and/or have only succeeded in evaluating partial aspects of the system. In this study we have determined, through limited empirical means, a practical and holistic view by analyzing and comparing the structural characteristics of UML class diagrams as those characteristics relate to or impact maintainability. Class diagrams are composed of three kinds of relation, association, generalization, and aggregation, which make their overall structure difficult to understand. We propose combining these three relations in such a way that enables a comprehensive measure of complexity. Theoretically, this measure is applicable among different class diagrams (including different domains, platforms or systems) to the extent that the measure is widely comparative and context free. Further, this property does not preclude comparison within a specific class diagram (or family) and is therefore very useful in evaluating a given class diagram's strengths and weaknesses. We are reporting empirical results that provide a small measure of validity to enable an objective appraisal of both complexity and maintainability without equating the two. Therefore, to evaluate our structural complexity metric, we determined the level of understandability of the system by measuring the time needed to reverse engineer source code into class diagrams including the number of errors produced while creating the diagram. The number of errors produced offers one indicator of maintainability. The results, as compared with other complexity metrics, indicate that our metric shows promise especially if proven to be scalable. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Satellite Precipitation Measurements for Water Resource Monitoring,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 3 2009Chris Kidd Abstract:, Satellites offer an unrivaled vantage point to observe and measure Earth system processes and parameters. Observations of meteorological phenomena permit a more holistic view of the weather and climate that is not possible through conventional surface observations. Precipitation (rain and snow) in particular, benefit from such observations since precipitation is spatially and temporally highly variable: conventional gauge and radar measurements tend to be land-based with variable coverage. This paper provides an overview of the satellite systems that provide the observations, the techniques used to derive precipitation from the observations, and examples of the precipitation products available for users to access. [source] The linkage between cell wall metabolism and fruit softening: looking to the futureJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 8 2007Ariel R Vicente Abstract The softening that accompanies ripening of commercially important fruits exacerbates damage incurred during shipping and handling and increases pathogen susceptibility. Thus, postharvest biologists have studied fruit softening to identify ways to manage ripening and optimise fruit quality. Studies, generally based on the premise that cell wall polysaccharide breakdown causes ripening-associated softening, have not provided the insights needed to genetically engineer, or selectively breed for, fruits whose softening can be adequately controlled. Herein it is argued that a more holistic view of fruit softening is required. Polysaccharide metabolism is undoubtedly important, but understanding this requires a full appreciation of wall structure and how wall components interact to provide strength. Consideration must be given to wall assembly as well as to wall disassembly. Furthermore, the apoplast must be considered as a developmentally and biochemically distinct, dynamic ,compartment', not just the location of the cell wall structural matrix. New analytical approaches for enhancing the ability to understand wall structure and metabolism are discussed. Fruit cells regulate their turgor pressure as well as cell wall integrity as they ripen, and it is proposed that future studies of fruit softening should include attempts to understand the bases of cell- and tissue-level turgor regulation if the goal of optimising softening control is to be reached. Finally, recent studies show that cell wall breakdown provides sugar substrates that fuel other important cellular pathways and processes. These connections must be explored so that optimisation of softening does not lead to decreases in other aspects of fruit quality. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Framework for availability characterization by analyzing outage durationsBELL LABS TECHNICAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006Eric J. Bauer Telecommunications service providers that maintain their own networks tend to be very good at diagnosing and repairing equipment failures. Careful analysis of service providers' own trouble ticket data can reveal actual failure rates, failure modes, failure footprints, and outage duration information. As trouble tickets inherently include both small capacity-loss events and fast switchover,which may ordinarily be excluded from TL9000 calculations, as well as planned/scheduled downtime, this offers a holistic view of product availability. This paper presents a taxonomy for analyzing these downtime events and guidance on both extracting salient product attributes from the data and on using the data to calibrate both unplanned and planned downtime models. © 2006 Lucent Technologies Inc. [source] Internal and External Corporate Governance: An Interface between an Organization and its EnvironmentBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2010Igor Filatotchev Most corporate governance research focuses on a universal link between corporate governance practices (e.g. shareholder activism, board independence) and performance outcomes, but neglects how interdependences between the organization and diverse environments lead to variations in the effectiveness of different corporate governance practices. This paper develops an organizational approach to corporate governance and focuses on two dominant streams that analyse internal and external governance mechanisms. First, we explore governance practices aimed at dealing with a complex set of problems internal to an organization, such as conflicts of interest between managers and shareholders, different types of shareholders, and block-holder opportunism. Second, we discuss the importance of formal and informal governance arrangements that organizations use in managing their relationships with external parties, such as alliance partners, overseas subsidiaries and network members. We argue that an integrated approach bringing these two streams together helps to develop a more holistic view on the effectiveness and efficiency of various corporate governance mechanisms, and suggests a number of avenues for future research. This paper also sets the scene for this thematic issue on corporate governance, scopes the field and introduces 11 papers which make significant contributions towards our understanding of corporate governance. [source] Organizational Slack and Corporate Greening: Broadening the DebateBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2002Frances E. Bowen Organizational slack seems to have an ambiguous relationship with corporate greening. On the one hand, excess resources can be used to experiment with new environmental innovations, or potential green market segments. On the other, excess resources can be used to build corporate buffers against pressures for environmental improvement, such as large corporate environmental departments or environmental lobbying activity, and resist changes to the core of the organization. This paper begins to resolve these conflicting arguments by broadening the debate on organizational slack and corporate greening. It builds on recent empirical studies of slack and corporate greening, and recognizes the many potential roles that different types of slack may play in a dynamic decision,making context. Using a theoretical framework suggested by Bourgeois (1981), the paper systematizes and draws lessons from examples of the roles of slack encountered in a recent series of 35 interviews within UK public limited companies. It concludes that future treatments of slack and environmental management should incorporate a more holistic view of slack, which recognizes its dynamic, complex and often contradictory effects on decision,making in organizations. [source] Closer interaction with paediatricians in everyday practice as well as in research gives a more holistic view of the child and offers a new dimension for the paediatric ophthalmologistACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 3 2008Kristina Teär Fahnehjelm [source] | ||||||||||||||||