Inter-team communication in large-scale co-located software engineering: a case study

Large-scale software engineering is a collaborative effort where teams need to communicate to develop software products. Managers face the challenge of how to organise work to facilitate necessary communication between teams and individuals. This includes a range of decisions from distributing work over teams located in multiple buildings and sites, through work processes and tools for coordinating work, to softer issues including ensuring well-functioning teams. In this case study, we focus on inter-team communication by considering geographical, cognitive and psychological distances between teams, and factors and strategies that can affect this communication. Data was collected for ten test teams within a large development organisation, in two main phases: (1) measuring cognitive and psychological distance between teams using interactive posters, and (2) five focus group sessions where the obtained distance measurements were discussed. We present ten factors and five strategies, and how these relate to inter-team communication. We see three types of arenas that facilitate inter-team communication, namely physical, virtual and organisational arenas. Our findings can support managers in assessing and improving communication within large development organisations. In addition, the findings can provide insights into factors that may explain the challenges of scaling development organisations, in particular agile organisations that place a large emphasis on direct communication over written documentation.

The Origin of the SARS‑CoV‑2 in the United States as a Biological Weapon

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 virus was first reported in Wuhan China in Dec 2019, since then 279 million have been infected and 5.4 million have died. This has raised the question where did the SARs-CoV-2 virus originate? Methodology: In this study, the literature was reviewed, and the scientific and intelligence evidence assessed. Interviews were made with scientists and victims involved in the creation of the virus in both the United States and China. Results: The evidence suggest that the SARs-CoV-2 virus began as bat virus which was then manipulated in the lab via gain of function research in the United States funded by the National Institutes of Health under Dr. Fauci. This proto-biological weapon was then given to the Chinese and passed through Uighur prisoners. It is hypothesized that the modest common Altaic ancestry between American Native Americans and the Uighur from North Central Asia may in part account for the increased death rates of Native Americans in the United States. Conclusion: The SARS- CoV-2 virus with near scientific certainty originated in the United States as a proto-biological weapon which was further clinically developed in China in a collaborative effort as a biological weapon to target ethnic and racial minorities by both China and the United States.

Reflections on Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg and Native Voices

Personal reflections on Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D. are offered by four Native American leaders who were instrumental in the successful development of the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Native Voices Exhibition: Stories of Health and Wellness from American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. A uniquely collaborative effort, the exhibition features nearly 100 videographed interviews conducted by Dr. Lindberg with Native elders, healers, leaders, and people. He is credited with the incorporation of indigenous peoples’ healing knowledge in a personal and relational way, making for a wonderful journey together that was a very large chapter in his life and that of the authors.

Coronavirus and the Law in Europe

On 30 January 2020, in response to the globalisation of COVID-19, the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The deadly outbreak has caused unprecedented disruption to travel and trade and is raising pressing legal questions across all disciplines, which this book attempts to address. <br><br>The aims of this book are twofold. First, it is intended to serve as a 'toolbox' for domestic and European judges, who are now dealing with the interpretation of COVID-19-related legislation and administrative measures, as well as the disruption the pandemic has caused to society and fundamental rights. Second, it aims to assist businesses and citizens who wish to be informed about the implications of the virus in the existence, performance and enforcement of their contracts. <br><br><i>Coronavirus and the Law in Europe</i> is probably the largest academic publication on the impact of pandemics on the law. This academic endeavour is a joint, collaborative effort to structure the recent and ongoing legal developments into a coherent and pan-European overview on coronavirus and the law. It covers practically all European countries and legal disciplines and comprises contributions from more than 80 highly reputed European academics and practitioners.

Myles Brand’s Philosophy of the Value of Intercollegiate Athletics: A Collaborative Effort and the Perspective of Two Black Males on Educational Achievement at the NCAA

The value of intercollegiate athletics in universities has increased since Dr. Myles Brand’s presidency. Brand believed strongly in the integrated view of education and sport. This paper follows the emergence and value of the personal narrative by two African American males working together within the structural forces of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), higher education, and intercollegiate athletics. The personal narrative collaborative effort occurred in the early stages of the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate movement during Brand’s leadership decision to harmonize education and sport. The personal narrative structure focuses on one of Brand’s major initiatives: improving academic standards. One culturally relevant program that resulted in a collaborative moment during Brand’s leadership tenure will be the focus of this paper, as well as the potential contributions to theory and practice.

Co-Expression of Nogo-A in Dopaminergic Neurons of the Human Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta Is Reduced in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is mainly characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Together with the small number, the high vulnerability of the dopaminergic neurons is a major pathogenic culprit of Parkinson’s disease. Our previous findings of a higher survival of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra co-expressing Nogo-A in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease suggested that Nogo-A may be associated with dopaminergic neurons resilience against Parkinson’s disease neurodegeneration. In the present study, we have addressed the expression of Nogo-A in the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in postmortem specimens of diseased and non-diseased subjects of different ages. For this purpose, in a collaborative effort we developed a tissue micro array (TMA) that allows for simultaneous staining of many samples in a single run. Interestingly, and in contrast to the observations gathered during normal aging and in the animal model of Parkinson’s disease, increasing age was significantly associated with a lower co-expression of Nogo-A in nigral dopaminergic neurons of patients with Parkinson’s disease. In sum, while Nogo-A expression in dopaminergic neurons is higher with increasing age, the opposite is the case in Parkinson’s disease. These observations suggest that Nogo-A might play a substantial role in the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease.

Utilisation of South African Research on Higher Education

The relationship between research, on the one hand, and policy/practice on the other hand, is complicated and collaboration between scholars in research on higher education (RHE) and institutional research (IR) practitioners is often lacking. This book marks a collaborative effort of a diverse range of South African RHE and IR scholars and asks the overarching questions: What do we know about the utilisation of South African research on higher education (SARHE) and its subset of research known as Institutional Research? How and by whom is this research used? The book begins by looking at the historical underpinnings of SARHE and delineating the shape and size of this body of research. This is followed by a series of case studies on South African Higher Education institutions and governmental bodies, investigating how, when and by whom are research on higher education and institutional research used in the decision-making of these organisations. This book is the first of its kind in South Africa and sets out to lay the groundwork for further research into the use, uptake and utilisation of RHE and IR in this country.

Bridging the gap: A geroscience primer for neuroscientists with potential collaborative applications

While neurodegenerative diseases can strike at any age, the majority of afflicted individuals are diagnosed at older ages. Due to the important impact of age in disease diagnosis, the field of neuroscience could greatly benefit from the many of the theories and ideas from the biology of aging – now commonly referred as geroscience. As discussed in our complementary perspective on the topic, there is often a “silo-ing” between geroscientists who work on understanding the mechanisms underlying aging and neuroscientists who are studying neurodegenerative diseases. While there have been some strong collaborations between the biology of aging and neuroscientists, there is still great potential for enhanced collaborative effort between the two fields. To this end, here, we review the state of the geroscience field, discuss how neuroscience could benefit from thinking from a geroscience perspective, and close with a brief discussion on some of the “missing links” between geroscience and neuroscience and how to remedy them. Notably, we have a corresponding, concurrent review from the neuroscience perspective. Our overall goal is to “bridge the gap” between geroscience and neuroscience such that more efficient, reproducible research with translational potential can be conducted.

Living With Assistive Robotics: Exploring the Everyday Use of Exoskeleton for Persons With Spinal Cord Injury

Background: Recent advancements in sensor technology and artificial intelligence mechanisms have led to a rapid increase in research and development of robotic orthoses or “exoskeletons” to support people with mobility problems. The purpose of this case study was to provide insight into the lived reality of using the assistive robotic exoskeleton ReWalk.Method: We used ethnographic techniques to explore the everyday experience and use of the assistive robotic device.Results: We found that the appropriation and integration of the technology within the patient's everyday lives required a social and collaborative effort, which continued into use. The decisions to utilise the technology (or not) was closely tied to physical, social, cultural, environmental, and psychological factors. Consequently, there was much variation in patients' perception of the technology and opportunities for support. Four themes emerged:(a) Meaning of mobility—physical mobility represents more than functional ability. Its present socio-cultural meaning is associated with an individual's self-identity and life priorities.(b) Accomplishing body-technique—integration with the body requires a long process of skill acquisition and re-embodiment.(c) Adaptation and adjustment in use—successful use of the technology was characterised by ongoing adjustment and adaptation of the technology and ways of using it.(d) Human element—introduction and sustained use of the exoskeleton demand a social and collaborative effort across the user's professional and lay resources.Conclusions: This study highlights that the development and implementation of the technology need to be grounded in a deep understanding of the day-to-day lives and experiences of the people that use them.

Cross-fertilization in Teaching and Learning between Institutions after COVID-19 Shutdown: A Collaborative Effort

Research reported in this article investigated the effectiveness of collaborative effort between schools to bridge the existing gaps that erupted during the outbreak of COVID-19. There are gaps in teaching and learning within the previously privileged institutions and the marginalised institutions in South Africa. Such gaps might have a negative impact on how teaching and learning are conducted. The purpose of this article was to investigate the creative and constructive ways of managing the anxiety related to socio-economic impacts in schools, amongst which were the introduction of online teaching and learning technologies, new methodologies and contents. This article is underpinned by the concepts of the establishment of advantageous strategies for collaboration, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. Qualitative document analysis has been adopted as a methodology to collect information for this study. The outbreak of COVID-19 has evoked inequalities amongst the communities. However, the re-opening of schools exacerbated multiple challenges. While teaching and learning is the centre of the education project in South Africa, which the country has to adapt to, most institutions were faced with a number of challenges. This study’s major finding revealed that collaboration is synergistic and can bring out the best contribution that might currently perceive partnership within the school system. This article recommends ways of bridging the gap between schools through developing partnerships between institutions through cross-fertilisation.