Value stream mapping (VSM) has been successfully applied in the context of software process improvement. However, its current adaptations from Lean manufacturing focus mostly on the flow of artifacts and have taken no account of the essential information flows in software development. A solution specifically targeted toward information flow elicitation and modeling is FLOW. This paper aims to prop

Lack of recovery from everyday strains and demands is connected to increased levels of stress-related problems and development of ill-health. There is much research on how to handle and prevent fatigue and stress in leisure time, but research on working time is more scarce. A recent study found that employees' experience of recovery during working hours was related to high self-rated health. OBJEC

Scrubbing is widely used in biomass gasification plants for tar removal. However, the cost of the scrubber liquid and its disposal once used can represent a non-negligible part of the plant operating cost. It is possible to lower this cost by regenerating and reusing the scrubber liquid by removing ash and heavy tars with the help of a centrifuge. Data from the two biomass gasification plants Hort

This volume presents a series of case studies that trace the ways in which audiences across Europe have attempted to return to Pompeii by emulating its interior decorations since the city’s rediscovery in the mid-eighteenth century. As such, it is about both the impact of Pompeian antiquity on the present and the reception in the present of that antique past, exploring the variety of ways in whichThis volume presents a series of case studies that trace the ways in which audiences across Europe have attempted to return to Pompeii by emulating its interior decorations since the city’s rediscovery in the mid-eighteenth century. As such, it is about both the impact of Pompeian antiquity on the present and the reception in the present of that antique past, exploring the variety of ways in which

Much debate has revolved around nutrient limitation in estuaries. A common view today is that nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) act as co-limiting nutrients, both for processes carried out by phytoplankton and by bacterioplankton, although recent studies show that also carbon (C) may control estuarine bacterioplankton, even in systems with large inputs of terrestrial organic matter (tOM). We conduct

Physical activity (PA) may modify the genetic effects that give rise to increased risk of obesity. To identify adiposity loci whose effects are modified by PA, we performed genome-wide interaction meta-analyses of BMI and BMI-adjusted waist circumference and waist-hip ratio from up to 200,452 adults of European (n = 180,423) or other ancestry (n = 20,029). We standardized PA by categorizing it int

This paper explores the changing meanings and understandings of the concept of care in parenting support policies in Sweden since the 1990s. Caring responsibilities and practices has historically been framed and negotiated within general family policy reforms, comprising universal child allowances and generous parental leave schemes combined with publicly funded childcare, in turn closely related

Previous work has shown that reduced expression of PLCXD3, a member of the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases (PI-PLC) family, impaired insulin secretion with an unclear mechanism. In the current study, we aim to investigate the mechanism underlying this effect using human islets and rat INS-1 (832/13) cells. Microarray and RNA sequencing data showed that PLCXD3 is among the highly expressed

In order to meet the EU's climate and resource efficiency targets, changes in our daily-life behaviours, as well as business models, are urgently necessary. More insights are needed to make real changes based on research with a systems perspective. We developed a system dynamics model to analyse the environmental benefits of a transition from ownership-based to access-based household laundry activ

Informal caregiving is increasingly considered a health care delivery-resource within the North European welfare states. While ‘informal’ often refers to non-professional, ‘caregiving’ connotes both affective concern (caring about) and practical action (caring for). This duality of meanings, however, often refers to the one direction in which care is given. Care, we suggest, is relational and also

Previous research highlights the impact of care and treatment in ICUs on the patient recovery process and wellbeing. However, little is known about how the interior design in the ICU settings may affect patients' wellbeing. Objective: The aim of this study is, by using a lifeworld perspective, to reveal the meanings of the ICU settings as a place of care. Design: Nine patients from three ICUs in S

Orthostatic hypertension, which appears to be mediated through excess neurohumoral activation while standing, is a common blood pressure trait among patients with and without arterial hypertension. However, lack of consensus regarding the definition of orthostatic hypertension makes it difficult to assess the true prevalence of this condition. Orthostatic hypertension appears to predict the risk f

Walking is an important transport mode for sustainable cities, but the usability of pedestrian environments for people with impaired vision is very limited after dark. This study compares the usability of a walkway, operationalized in terms of (i) the pedestrian's ability to orient themselves and detect infrastructure elements, and (ii) the perceived quality of lighting in the environment (evaluat

The discovery, at the beginning of the 20th century, that elements can transform into other elements, due to the spontaneous decay of an instable to a stable atomic nuclei, gave rise to a powerful source for age information in many fields of earth science. For impact structures, it is crucial to establish well-defined and precise ages in order to understand how impact events affect the Earth’s geoThe discovery, at the beginning of the 20th century, that elements can transform into other elements, due to the spontaneous decay of an instable to a stable atomic nuclei, gave rise to a powerful source for age information in many fields of earth science. For impact structures, it is crucial to establish well-defined and precise ages in order to understand how impact events affect the Earth’s geo

A large proportion of apartment buildings in Europe were built between 1950 and 1990 and many of them are today in need of renovation due to inherently poor quality of design, a lack of subsequent maintenance and the present-day imperative of energy-efficiency. The limited extent of renovation compared with new-build projects suggests that developers find renovation unattractive. The purpose of th

The presentation and underlying pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is complex and heterogeneous. Recent studies attempted to stratify T2D into distinct subgroups using data-driven approaches, but their clinical utility may be limited if categorical representations of complex phenotypes are suboptimal. We apply a soft-clustering (archetype) method to characterize newly diagnosed T2D based on