Contemporary Tools Research Articles

Forensic examination of digitally captured handwriting - a review of contemporary tools and techniques

Forensic examination of digitally captured handwriting - a review of contemporary tools and techniques

Improvised Pyrography Designer Kit

Pyrography, an ancient art form, has experienced a resurgence due to DIY culture and the introduction of various kits. The Improvised Pyrography Designer Kit is an innovative tool that offers enthusiasts the opportunity to explore creativity and enhance woodburning abilities. This art form, which involves creating intricate designs on wood surfaces using heated tools, has gained popularity for its therapeutic benefits. However, limited access to suitable materials poses challenges for beginners and those with developmental needs. The kit caters to various skill levels and combines traditional artistry with contemporary tools and materials. Research on heat-modified wood (TMW) explores its impact on wood stability and durability, addressing the science behind pyrography. Pyrography's non-erasable and paint-resistant nature allows for high visualization and planning, making it a specialized medium for artistic expression. The "Improvised Pyrography Designer Kit" development focuses on accessibility and user satisfaction, offering adjustable temperature settings, interchangeable tips, diverse wooden surfaces, safety equipment, and an instructional guide. The research methodology involves a sampling procedure using online platforms and academic institutions to gather diverse participant groups, including Sumacab Elementary School's Technology and Livelihood Education program participants. The Enhanced Pyrography Designer Kit plays a transformative role in industrial arts education, catering to various skill levels, facilitating hands-on learning, and empowering teachers and students in the realm of pyrography. The design phase involves systematic critical studies to enhance the kit's features, providing a conceptual design through orthographic and isometric projections. The development phase emphasizes prototyping as a crucial component of product development, ensuring improved decision-making, learning, and communication.

Review of strategic alignment: Accounting and cybersecurity for data confidentiality and financial security

In the contemporary landscape of rapidly evolving technological advancements and the increasing prevalence of cyber threats, organizations face a critical imperative to align their accounting practices with robust cybersecurity measures. This review explores the symbiotic relationship between accounting and cybersecurity in safeguarding data confidentiality and ensuring financial security. Focusing on the intersection of these two domains, we examine the strategic alignment required to fortify organizations against the escalating challenges posed by cyber threats to sensitive financial information. The review begins by delving into the intricate connection between accounting processes and the protection of financial data, emphasizing the pivotal role of accurate financial reporting and transparent disclosure in maintaining stakeholder trust. Subsequently, it scrutinizes the evolving threat landscape, identifying cyber risks that specifically target financial systems and data. The analysis underscores the need for a comprehensive strategic approach that integrates accounting practices with cybersecurity protocols to effectively mitigate these risks. Furthermore, the review investigates the contemporary tools and technologies that facilitate the integration of accounting and cybersecurity, enhancing organizations' ability to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats. It explores the adoption of advanced encryption methods, intrusion detection systems, and artificial intelligence-driven analytics to bolster data confidentiality and financial security. In examining case studies and best practices, this review highlights successful instances of organizations aligning accounting and cybersecurity strategies to achieve a cohesive defense against financial cyber threats. Lessons learned from these cases offer valuable insights for practitioners and decision-makers seeking to implement effective measures within their own organizational contexts. Ultimately, this review contributes to the evolving discourse on strategic alignment by emphasizing the imperative of synergizing accounting practices with cybersecurity initiatives. As organizations navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected business environment, a holistic approach that unifies financial integrity and cyber resilience becomes paramount for ensuring sustained success and safeguarding against the multifaceted challenges of the digital age.

The Evaluation of a Technology-Embedded Solar Energy STEM (SESTEM) Module: A Pilot Implementation of Modern Teaching Tool for Diploma Science Students

Utilising an excellent teaching tool is vital for students' education nowadays. In contrast to the traditional teaching way, Technology-Embedded Solar Energy STEM (SESTEM) module was created as a modern teaching tool for physics subject. In order to develop and evaluate the students’ perception towards the complete SESTEM module, developmental research and technology acceptance model (TAM) were applied in this research study. 52 randomly selected diploma students from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) were involved as respondents in this work. After the development of the SESTEM module using the analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation (ADDIE) model, the perceptions of students as respondents towards this module were evaluated based on the TAM via questionnaire. Based on the responses from the respondents, the majority of the respondents demonstrated positive attitudes and behaviour intention, as well as agreed that the SESTEM module was useful as a teaching tool. Besides, the respondents showed a positive technological acceptance towards SESTEM module. The respondents' acceptance was contingent on the employment of technology for educational purposes in the future. Consequently, SESTEM module could be utilised by educators as a contemporary tool for enhancing student learning for future benefits.

Flash boiling and pressure recovery phenomenon during venting from liquid ammonia tank ullage

Liquid ammonia stored at elevated pressures undergoes phase change during tank venting. The paper describes a CFD model able to reproduce the INERIS experiment performed using 12 m3 volume tank when 300 kg of ammonia were vented during 460 s from the ullage through the pipe to the atmosphere. The model is based on the volume-of-fluid method combined with Lee’s model for mass transfer between phases. Extensive calibration trials were conducted to examine the impact of surrounding temperature conditions. It allowed to establish the range of time relaxation parameter values of Lee evaporation-condensation model specific for liquid ammonia tank venting. Simulations reproduced accurately the experimentally measured final pressure in the tank and the amount of ammonia released during venting. Liquid ammonia boiling is triggered by reduction of pressure and takes place throughout the liquid causing the pressure recovery phenomenon. Numerical simulations demonstrated that pressure recovery phenomenon is driven by the characteristic time delay associated with the rise of vapour bubbles generated by flash boiling and the subsequent release of evaporated ammonia into the tank ullage space. The developed CFD model can be used as a contemporary tool for safety engineering and development of tank management strategies for liquid ammonia storage.

Developing Health Management Competency for Digital Health Transformation: Protocol for a Qualitative Study

Background Globally, the health care system is experiencing a period of rapid and radical change. In response, innovative service models have been adopted for the delivery of high-quality care that require a health workforce with skills to support transformation and new ways of working. Objective The aim of this research protocol is to describe research that will contribute to developing the capability of health service managers in the digital health era and enabling digital transformation within the Australian health care environment. It also explains the process of preparing and finalizing the research design and methodologies by seeking answers to the following three research questions: (1) To what extent can the existing health service management and digital health competency frameworks guide the development of competence for health service managers in understanding and managing in the digital health space? (2) What are the competencies that are necessary for health service managers to acquire in order to effectively work with and manage in the digital health context? (3) What are the key factors that enable and inhibit health service managers to develop and demonstrate digital health competence in the workplace? Methods The study has adopted a qualitative approach, guided by the empirically validated management competency identification process, using four steps: (1) health management and digital health competency mapping, (2) scoping review of literature and policy analysis, (3) focus group discussions with health service managers, and (4) semistructured interviews with digital health leaders. The first 2 steps were to confirm the need for updating the current health service management curriculum to address changing competency requirements of health service managers in the digital health context. Results Two initial steps have been completed confirming the significance of the study and study design. Step 1, competency mapping, found that nearly half of the digital competencies were only partially or not addressed at all by the health management competency framework. The scoping review articulated the competencies health service managers need to effectively demonstrate digital health competence in the workplace. The findings effectively support the importance of the current research and also the appropriateness of the proposed steps 3 and 4 in answering the research questions and achieving the research aim. Conclusions This study will provide insights into the health service management workforce performance and development needs for digital health and inform credentialing and professional development requirements. This will guide health service managers in leading and managing the adoption and implementation of digital health as a contemporary tool for health care delivery. The study will develop an in-depth understanding of Australian health service managers’ experiences and views. This research process could be applied in other contexts, noting that the results need contextualization to individual country jurisdictions and environments. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/51884

Development and Practical Application of Hybrid Decision-Making Model for Selection of Third-Party Logistics Service Providers

Abstract In this study a problematic of logistics service provider selection is discussed. Traditional decision-making techniques are functionally limited and must be adjusted. Modern approach must be based on contemporary tools and information. The aim of this study is to develop a modern, industry-oriented decision-making model for selection of strategic logistics service providers. Main tasks of this study include: to perform critical analysis and comparison of multiple-criteria decision-making methods; to adapt decision-making framework for specific needs of selection of third-party logistics service providers; to collect and analyze industry data related to procurement projects; to develop modern decision-making model for selection of logistics service providers; to perform practical application of developed decision-making model based on collected industry data. The key novelties of this study are developed methodology for collection of industry data for decision-making process, developed hybrid decision-making model for selection of third-party logistics service provider, as well as application of the model. As the result, there is developed decision-making model for selection of 3PL service providers that includes 6 steps.

Technological innovation for sustainable development: Is agricultural and food nanotechnology a viable alternative?

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are two sources of cutting-edge scientific and technological knowledge that provide innovative solutions for different fields of specialization on a scale of 10−9 m. Their relationship with agriculture and food production is fairly recent. The extensive development of contemporary tools and techniques in the field points to a promising potential, although working intensively and simultaneously on security, legislation, regulations, ethics, and other elements to guarantee their feasibility and commercialization is essential to seize that potential. The purposes of the present study were, first, to present an overview of basic research on agricultural and food nanotechnology, and second, to carry out a patent analysis to outline the technological potential of these disciplines. For these purposes, bibliographic data were modeled using networks. Then, data on granted patents (current technology) and patent applications (technological trends) were also subjected to network modeling tools to identify thematic clusters and nodes of interest, as well as other important indicators, such as the main technological sectors, countries, and applicants. Our results show an interesting dynamic that portrays the multidisciplinary task of nanotechnology, its key actors and current topics of discussion, dominant technologies, and emerging technologies over time in the context of both basic research and concrete application.

Retrospective and Prospective Approaches to Christian Education in Church of Christ Schools in Zimbabwe

This article explores the past, present, and future of Christian education (CE) in the Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (COCZ) schools under the Dadaya, Mashoko, and Chidamoyo clusters. It highlights the retrospective and prospective aspects of CE within the church by emphasizing the adaptability, collaboration, and utilization of contemporary tools and resources to effectively carry out the mission of CE in Zimbabwean schools. It acknowledges the strong historical foundation of COCZ schools in providing biblical teachings, moral formation, and faith integration. However, it also highlights the challenges faced by the COCZ in maintaining this foundation posed by church politics and oppressive family ministries. This study assesses the patterns, dynamics, and consequences of intentional CE influenced by the COCZ’s ethical and moral principles, commonly known as the Restoration Movement principles or the Stone–Campbell theories of “restoring the church to its first century forms”. It recognizes the impact of COCZ school education on the development of church leaders as well as civil and secular leaders from COCZ-mission school graduates. However, it acknowledges that the historical foundation has been gradually fading in the post-missionary era. Looking ahead, this article emphasizes the need for a comprehensive and holistic approach to CE that addresses all aspects of individuals’ well-being in that church. This includes adapting to societal changes, developing CE-conscious leaders, engaging in community outreach, embracing digital tools and resources, and fostering collaborative networks with other CE-conscious church schools and institutions. This article suggests that by embracing these prospects, the COCZ can enhance its commitment to CE and positively impact the lives of its members and the wider community at its mission stations. Using WhatsApp interviews for data collection, it discusses these prospects by focusing on transformative leadership, embracing diversity, effective communication, and addressing power dynamics to facilitate the church’s mission and vision in Zimbabwe.

Legacy effects of rhizodeposits on soil microbiomes: A perspective

Plant legacy effects observed in plant-soil feedback experiments have largely been attributed to the root or litter material of the previous plant. The legacy effects of rhizodeposits are defined as changes in the soil microbiome that remain after a plant has died or been removed from the soil and caused by the release of substances of various compositions by living plants (rhizodeposits). Rhizodeposit-mediated legacy effects have been largely ignored mainly due to the high spatial and temporal variability of rhizodeposits and difficulties quantifying and tracking them in the rhizosphere. In this perspective article, we discuss what is known about the legacy effects of rhizodeposits and provide ideas for future experiments to improve understanding of this phenomenon. Only a few studies separate rhizodeposit-mediated plant legacy effects from legacy effects of root decomposition. Results from these experiments indicate that rhizodeposit-mediated legacy effects on soil microbial communities may persist for several months to several years, especially if the same crop is cultivated persistently for several years in a ‘conditioning’ phase. Rhizodeposit-mediated legacy effects on fungal communities usually last longer than those on bacterial communities due to fungal life-cycle strategies (spore formation) and slower reproduction rates, compared to bacterial communities. We highlight the need for further experimentation to investigate the influence that the length of a conditioning phase has on the persistence of the legacy effect, differentiate the effect of root exudates from the effects of sloughed root cells, separate the influence of simple sugars from that of high molecular-weight exudates and plant derived compounds with antimicrobial properties, and explore whether plant species diversity influences the nature of the legacy. To address these questions, we propose the use of contemporary tools such as stable isotope probing, plant genetics, and reverse microdialysis. We think that harnessing rhizodeposit-mediated plant legacy effects could be a promising approach to improve sustainable crop production by creating disease-suppressive soils and simulating plant growth-promoting micro-organisms within soil systems.

Традиционные институты публичной власти на монгольских землях имперского и республиканского Китая на сломе эпох (первая четверть ХХ в.): пространственная локализация и визуализация

Introduction. The territorial organization of Inner Asian polities underwent significant transformations in the first quarter of the 20th century, which resulted in a need for its visualization. Goals. The article attempts to reconstruct the system of key public governance institutions in Mongol-inhabited lands of China in the mentioned period, and to describe tools of their visualization supposed to spot the former across present-day geographical points of the region. So, the study aims to examine some basic institutions of princely power and khoshun administration, religious and aimag/league-level authorities, impacts of the Chinese colonization on Mongol-inhabited territories, investigate sources, tools and methods instrumental in spatial localization and visualization of territorial /governance structures across the lands. Materials and methods. The work focuses on two groups of sources, namely: unpublished materials from P. Dudin’s doctoral thesis (manuscript) (Statehood of Inner Mongolia: Late 19th to Mid-20th Centuries) discussing public governance structures of Mongolian banners (counties); and unique maps of 1914/1925 mentioning khoshuns, aimags and leagues of almost all Mongol-inhabited domains. The research methodology rests on an interdisciplinary approach, methods of historical science to comprise the ideographic (descriptive-narrative) and retrospective ones, a narrative approach, and principles of historicism; knowledge of political science yields an opportunity to employ functional and behavioral approaches. The geographical methods involved rest on the scheme of analysis proposed in works of O. Medushevskaya (1957) and L. Goldenberg (1958), as well as on some analysis of the data generalization degree. Results. The work has reconstructed the early 20th-century system of key Mongolian public governance institutions, outlines how the system of princely power functioned, how khoshun-level administrative bodies took shape and worked, identifies the governance role of religious institutions, while insights into different levels of the administrative/territorial organization facilitates further understanding as to actual scopes of power attributed thereto, and makes it possible to visualize the investigated space with the aid of contemporary tools and techniques. Conclusions. The paper points to the efficiency of the then management system where it was the khoshun that had served — and remained — a key structural element. The latter’s detailed illustrations on V. Surin’s maps make it possible to restore the ancient territorial organization of Mongolia using the GIS system, free access be provided for researchers of the region.

Experimental Analysis of Tear Fluid and Its Processing for the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.

A pilot analysis of the tear fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) collected by glass microcapillary was performed using various experimental methods: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and atomic-force microscopy. Infrared spectroscopy found no significant difference between the tear fluid of MS patients and the control spectra; all three significant peaks were located at around the same positions. Raman analysis showed differences between the spectra of the tear fluid of MS patients and the spectra of healthy subjects, which indicated a decrease in tryptophan and phenylalanine content and changes in the relative contributions of the secondary structures of the polypeptide chains of tear proteins. Atomic-force microscopy exhibited a surface fern-shaped dendrite morphology of the tear fluid of patients with MS, with less roughness on both oriented silicon (100) and glass substrates compared to the tear fluid of control subjects. The results of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry showed downregulation of glycosphingolipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and lipid metabolism. Proteomic analysis identified upregulated proteins in the tear fluid of patients with MS such as cystatine, phospholipid transfer protein, transcobalamin-1, immunoglobulin lambda variable 1-47, lactoperoxidase, and ferroptosis suppressor protein 1; and downregulated proteins such as haptoglobin, prosaposin, cytoskeletal keratin type I pre-mRNA-processing factor 17, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and phospholipase A2. This study showed that the tear proteome in patients with MS is modified and can reflect inflammation. Tear fluid is not a commonly used biological material in clinico-biochemical laboratories. Experimental proteomics has the potential to become a promising contemporary tool for personalized medicine, and it might be applied in clinical practice by providing a detailed analysis of the tear-fluid proteomic profile of patients with MS.

Combination of SVI/S' and diagnostic scores for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

The diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains a challenge. There are three methods proposed as diagnostic tools. H2 FPEF score was determined by six weighted clinical characteristics and echocardiographic variables. Heart Failure Association (HFA)-PEFF algorithm consists of various functional and morphological variables as well as natriuretic peptides. SVI/S' is a novel echocardiographic parameter calculated by stroke volume index and mitral annulus systolic peak velocity. This study aimed to compare the three approaches in patients with suspected HFpEF. Patients referred to right heart catheterization for suspected HFpEF were classified into low-, intermediate- and high-likelihood groups according to H2 FPEF or HFA-PEFF scores. A diagnosis of HFpEF was confirmed by pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) of ≥15 mm Hg according to the guidelines. In result, a total of 128 patients were included. Of these, 71 patients with PCWP ≥15 mm Hg and 57 patients with PCWP <15 mm Hg. Moderate correlations were observed between H2 FPEF score, HFA-PEFF score, SVI/S' and PCWP. The area under curve of SVI/S' was 0.82 for diagnosis of HFpEF, compared with 0.67 for H2 FPEF score and 0.75 for HFA-PEFF score by receiver-operating characteristics analysis. Combining SVI/S' with diagnostic scores showed higher Youden index and accuracy than each score alone. Kaplan-Meier analysis reported that the high-likelihood group showed poorer outcomes regardless the method used for diagnosis. Among the contemporary tools for identifying HFpEF in this study, the combination of SVI/S' with risk scores showed best diagnostic ability. Each of the strategies can determine rehospitalisation because of heart failure.

Contemporary Tools for Leadership Growth: An Interview With Rose O. Sherman.

The complex and ever-changing healthcare environment can leave leaders scrambling to find the right tools in their toolbox to lead, and previous tools may no longer be working. In this column, nurse leadership expert Dr Rose Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, shares the best tools that contemporary leaders can learn to use to excel in leading others.

Planning of forest traffic infrastructure

Planning of forest traffic infrastructure is the main task in the future because of overuse of timber in the areas that near forest roads. This process is the nesseccary to prepare, support and lead by using contemporary information technology (IT). Quality of planning of forest traffic infrastructure requires analysis of larger number of criteria in order to support decission making and sustainability of the selected solutions. Forestry is the very interesting field study for using of Geographical information sysistem (GIS) because of diversity of terrain and stand conditions. GIS contains the tools for spatial and statistical analysis and its strength is in connecting different information into one whole and simple data processing. Data processing means analysis of current state of forest accessibility, planning and designing of new primary and secondary forest traffic infrastructure and analysis of achieved forest accessibility. Beside of utilization of timber, comperhansive planning of forest traffic infrastructure should be taken into account the interes of stakeholders from medicine, sport, turism, ecology and protection of cultural and historical heritage. Their needs and requairements are necessary to evaluate and used the results of questioning of stackeholders for final decision making. Optimal primary forest accessibility should be from 20 to 30 m/ha from the point of forest management intensity, terrain conditions etc. The optimal secondary forest accessibility could be considered excellent relative secondary forest accessibility what means 90% of compartment area is accessible for double winching distance arround secondary traffic infrastructure. These aimed forest accessiblities could be achived by designing of new primary and secondary forest traffic infrastructure in the field by contemporary tools based on ultrasonic and laser technology like Vertex Laser Geo and in office by softwares for forest road designing like RoadEng. At the end it is necessary to take into account economic analysis of planning and designing of forest traffic infrastructures.

Big Data for a Small World: A Review on Databases and Resources for Studying Microbiomes.

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature and form complex community networks to survive in various environments. This community structure depends on numerous factors like nutrient availability, abiotic factors like temperature and pH as well as microbial composition. Categorising accessible biomes according to their habitats would help in understanding the complexity of the environment-specific communities. Owing to the recent improvements in sequencing facilities, researchers have started to explore diverse microbiomes rapidly and attempts have been made to study microbial crosstalk. However, different metagenomics sampling, preprocessing, and annotation methods make it difficult to compare multiple studies and hinder the recycling of data. Huge datasets originating from these experiments demand systematic computational methods to extract biological information beyond microbial compositions. Further exploration of microbial co-occurring patterns across the biomes could help us in designing cross-biome experiments. In this review, we catalogue databases with system-specific microbiomes, discussing publicly available common databases as well as specialised databases for a range of microbiomes. If the new datasets generated in the future could maintain at least biome-specific annotation, then researchers could use those contemporary tools for relevant and bias-free analysis of complex metagenomics data.

The self in selfies-Conceptualizing the selfie-coordination of marginalized youth with sociology of engagements.

This article develops a theory of selfies as reflexive practices of self-coordination. Building on pragmatist sociology of engagements, I conceptualize selfies as digital practices of coordinating with the self in formats that are recognizable for others. This framework allows approaching the self as an act of coordination, simultaneously shaped by, and equipped to subvert the cultural conditions of how we ought to be. As these conditions are increasingly enforced and negotiated in the socio-technological arrangements of digital platforms, the article proposes an approach for making sense of selfies as key contemporary tools of self-making. Based on ethnographic work among activists with marginalizing experiences, I ask how the self is coordinated in the activists' selfies. I identify four ways of coordinating with the self in selfies: the self in a plan, the self in exploration, the affirmed self, and the self as public critique. The article contributes to our understanding on how practices of self-making evolve in an increasingly visual-digital society, and provides an approach for conceptualising the self as plural. By approaching the selfie as different formats of relating to the self, the framework proposed accounts for the possibility of multiple selves now afforded by digital technologies and enables analysing their politicizing potential.

Spatial design in recent housing developments in Copenhagen: a perspective of social mix and mixing

PurposeThis study attempts to reveal the contemporary tools of spatial design – policy, planning, urban design and architecture – for social mix (SMX) and social mixing (SMXG) by focusing on the recent undertakings in Denmark, the case in point being Copenhagen.Design/methodology/approachThe study applies a combined research methodology consisting of qualitative strategies. By making use of regulatory document reviews and interviews with key respondents, the study puts together the tools for SMX which are, otherwise, disorganised. Dwelling on reviews of municipal local plans, site visits and semi-structured interviews with municipal agents in charge, it provides a comparative urban morphology analysis of three recently developed neighbourhoods on the basis of SMX and SMXG.FindingsThis study presents the untitled “toolbox” of Danish authorities to regulate the SMX policies and spatial efforts within a variety of planning/design scales to facilitate SMXG among the inhabitants of the neighbourhoods. The examination of successive cases manifests that SMX strategies have been integrated with those of SMXG, with a gradual upwards inclination, since mixing different tenures, types, sizes and prices have not been successful in guaranteeing social interaction. In doing so, the “in-between” zones have become the primary realm of control with an observable differentiation in the studied cases.Originality/valueStudies are scant concerning the spatial design efforts regarding social mix and mixing. The present work contributes to filling this gap by examining a cutting-edge practice in a mature milieu and describing it in a thorough and comparative manner.

Artistic Responses to Crossing the Kālā Pānī

Between 1838 and 1917, a British system of indentured servitude replaced the enslavement of African peoples with Indian labor in the Americas and the Caribbean. Almost a quarter of a million indentured Indian laborers came to British Guiana and would form the foundation of the majority of the Indian population in present-day Guyana. These men and women would spend nearly eight decades toiling on sugar plantations and rice fields before the brutal system of labor was abolished. This curatorial essay explores the work of three key contemporary artists of Guyanese heritage—Maya Mackrandilal, Michael Lam, and Suchitra Mattai—who underscore St. Vincent-born poet Derek Walcott’s seminal words “the sea is history” with an exploration of the sea as a weapon of rupture. Collectively, their artworks return us to a British past to offer a visceral reminder of the perilous kālā pānī crossing [Hindi for “black waters”], marking the sea the place where ancestral histories, trauma, and survival all share space. Grounding us in the present and pointing us to a future, I illustrate how these artworks also function as contemporary tools of remembrance and repair.

ESPRESSO: Robust discovery and quantification of transcript isoforms from error-prone long-read RNA-seq data.

Long-read RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) holds great potential for characterizing transcriptome variation and full-length transcript isoforms, but the relatively high error rate of current long-read sequencing platforms poses a major challenge. We present ESPRESSO, a computational tool for robust discovery and quantification of transcript isoforms from error-prone long reads. ESPRESSO jointly considers alignments of all long reads aligned to a gene and uses error profiles of individual reads to improve the identification of splice junctions and the discovery of their corresponding transcript isoforms. On both a synthetic spike-in RNA sample and human RNA samples, ESPRESSO outperforms multiple contemporary tools in not only transcript isoform discovery but also transcript isoform quantification. In total, we generated and analyzed ~1.1 billion nanopore RNA-seq reads covering 30 human tissue samples and three human cell lines. ESPRESSO and its companion dataset provide a useful resource for studying the RNA repertoire of eukaryotic transcriptomes.