Era Of Science Research Articles

Post-genomic era in agriculture and veterinary science: successful and proposed application of genetic targeting technologies.

Gene editing tools have become an indispensable part of research into the fundamental aspects of cell biology. With a vast body of literature having been generated based on next generation sequencing technologies, keeping track of this ever-growing body of information remains challenging. This necessitates the translation of genomic data into tangible applications. In order to address this objective, the generated Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data forms the basis for targeted genome editing strategies, employing known enzymes of various cellular machinery, in generating organisms with specifically selected phenotypes. This review focuses primarily on CRISPR/Cas9 technology in the context of its advantages over Zinc finger proteins (ZNF) and Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) and meganucleases mutagenesis strategies, for use in agricultural and veterinary applications. This review will describe the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in creating modified organisms with custom-made properties, without the undesired non-targeted effects associated with virus vector vaccines and bioactive molecules produced in bacterial systems. Examples of the successful and unsuccessful applications of this technology to plants, animals and microorganisms are provided, as well as an in-depth look into possible future trends and applications in vaccine development, disease resistance and enhanced phenotypic traits will be discussed.

The analysis of students' attitudes towards chemistry in class 11

In this era of science and technology, education determines human welfare. In any democratic society, decisions are taken by the citizens in the form of voters through which they convey their feelings to the government and officials. In this era of scientific progress, scientific literacy is essential. In the absence of proper knowledge of science and technology, a person expresses his thoughts bound by fear and superstitions. In the present study, the attitude of class 11 students towards chemistry was studied. Survey method has been used in the study. As a sample, 50 students of class 11 of Shahjahanpur district were selected through lottery method. A self-made ‘Chemistry Aptitude Scale’ was used as an instrument. Mean, standard deviation and t-test were used to analyze the data. The study concluded that male students were found to have more attitude towards chemistry than female students and urban students were found to have more attitude towards chemistry than rural students.

The known, unknown, and the intriguing about members of a critically endangered traditional medicinal plant genus Aconitum.

Humanity will always be indebted to plants. In the ongoing scientific era, the 'Herbal Revolution' has helped discover several valuable medicinal plants and associated novel secondary metabolites from the diverse unexplored ecosystems, treating several diseases via phytotherapy. The Aconitum genus comprises several economically-important poisonous mountainous medicinal plant species whose unique biodiversity is on the verge of extinction due to illegal human intervention triggered habitat loss, over-harvesting, and unrestricted trading. Owing to its vast diversity of diterpene alkaloids, most species are extensively used to treat several ailments in rural parts of the world. Irrespective of this, many unexplored and intriguing prospects exist to understand and utilize this critical plant for human benefit. This systematic review tries to fill this gap by compiling information from the sporadically available literature known for ~300 Aconitum spp. regarding its nomenclature and classification, endangerment, plant morphology, ploidy, secondary metabolites, drug pharmacokinetics, conservation, and omics-based computational studies. We also depicted the disparity in the studied model organisms for this diverse genus. The absence of genomic/metagenomic data is becoming a limiting factor in understanding its plant physiology, metabolic pathways, and plant-microbes interactions, and therefore must be promoted. Additionally, government support and public participation are crucial in establishing conservation protocols to save this plant from endangerment.

Modeling and analysis of Bödewadt hybrid nanofluid flow triggered by a stretchable stationary disk under Hall current

In the recent era of science and technology scientists have influenced by the hybridization of nanofluids due to their advanced thermophysical features. Hybrid nanofluids have superior response to thermal conductivity than any other conventional nanofluids. Therefore, the present study investigates the Bödewadt flow of hybrid nanoliquid above a stretchable static disk located in the plane z=0. Bödewadt flow describes a stable and uniform angular rotation of liquid at a higher distance from the static disk. Such flow is characterized through pressure gradient in radial direction and is balanced with centrifugal forces. An incompressible homogeneous electrically conducting flow occupies its space at z≥0. Hybrid nanofluid is a mixture of nanoparticles Cu (copper) and TiO2 (titanium dioxide) with water considered as a base-fluid. Titanium dioxide reveals excellent photo catalytic attributes and hence is implemented in antibacterial/antiseptic compositions. Moreover, copper nano-ingredients metallic particles suggest suitable dye diminution and catalytic potential properties. Hall effect is encountered in the momentum equations to measure the magnetic field while radiation term is considered to address the energy analysis. The convective flow phenomenon is normalized by executing similarity functions. The reduced governing system is then solved in numerical manner using Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg (RKF-45) procedure. The flow phenomenon on velocity and thermal fields is discussed in graphical way. Three-dimensional flow visualization with two-dimensional contours and streamlines are portrayed as well. Moreover, the numeric data of local-Nusselt number shear stresses is computed against selected values of the physical parameters. The modification in Hall current magnifies the radial velocity field and reduces the velocity field along axial direction. The temperature field is enhanced by the increased variations in heat transfer Biot number. The influence of volume fractions results in modification of thermal profiles.

Sistem Informasi Pengolahan Data Siswa di SMA Informatika Ciamis Menggunakan Microsoft Visual Basic

In order to face the era of globalization, science and technology are developing rapidly, this must also be supported by qualified human resources (HR). With these quality human resources, an institution or company can make good use of technological advances, especially in the field of computers. In educational activities it is also necessary to have a computerized system for various purposes. especially in the management of student data. In SMA INFORMATIKA KABUPATEN CIAMIS, student data processing is still written directly into the main book because there is no application program that can process student data. To increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the authors make a simple application to facilitate jobs related to processing student data. Information system for processing student data will be made using Visual Basic programming and using Microsoft Access as the database. The results of this study are in the form of a student data processing information system that can help overcome problems in searching student data and student data reports.

Online attention dynamics: The triangle framework of theory, big data and simulations

In computational social science era, the theory, big data and simulations should be well combined and deeply integrated, and this work serves as a typical example. Online collective actions have great impacts to societies, and we focus on the life cycle pattern of coexisting multiple online cases. We propose the analysis framework of “Theory-Big Data-simulation” (TDS). The theory includes two essential action rules of netizens. We combined macro-level analysis (big data analysis) and micro-level behavior (agent-based modeling), to surpport the theory. For the big data, macro-level life cycle pattern (persistent) is caused by micro-level individual actions. For macro-level verification, basic assumption is that netizens are allocating limited attentions to limited coexisting online events, which has been supported by our big data from the Weibo platform (N=197,985). For the micro-level, we use agent-based modeling to verify the behavioral rules of Netizens. We set two agent categories (Netizens & Hots), which behave and interact autonomously. Based on multiple-round simulations, we obtained optimal solution outcomes. Besides, we have implemented mutual validation between big data and agent-based modeling, which has not been considered before. Three big data sets have been applied to check both validity and robustness of our solutions. For the dataset A, we use 89 online cases of the Shaanxi Province in China. For the dataset B, we used 147 online cases of the whole China in 2021. For the dataset C, we used 138 online cases under specific topic (the pandemic). It suggests that three optimal solutions have both validity and robustness. As three big data sets have different levels, cases, topics and durations, the model’s generality can be well supported. Hence, general behavior pattern of the Netizens can be revealed, which is of great significance for investigating human behavior online. Moreover, our work contains rich managerial implications, which helps to improve social simulation and prediction. Also, our TDS analysis framework can support or inspire other researches.

A new 3D myeloarchitectonic map of the human neocortex based on data from the Vogt–Vogt school

During the period extending from 1900 to 1970, Oskar and Cécile Vogt and their numerous collaborators (‘the Vogt–Vogt school’) published a large number of studies on the myeloarchitecture of the human cerebral cortex. During the last decade, we have concerned ourselves with a detailed meta-analysis of these now almost totally forgotten studies, with the aim to bringing them into the modern era of science. This scrutiny yielded inter alia a myeloarchitectonic map of the human neocortex, showing a parcellation into 182 areas (Nieuwenhuys et al. in Brain Struct Funct 220:2551–2573, 2015; Erratum in Brain Struct Funct 220: 3753–3755, 2015). This map, termed 2D’15, which is based on data derived from all of the 20 publications constituting the myeloarchitectonic legacy of the Vogt–Vogt school, has the limitation that it is two-dimensional i.e. it shows only the parts of the cortex exposed at the free surface of the cerebral hemispheres and not the extensive stretches of cortex hidden in the cortical sulci. However, a limited set of data, derived from four of the 20 publications available, has enabled us to create a 3D map, showing the myeloarchitectonic parcellation of the entire human neocortex. This map, designated as 3D′23, contains 182 areas: 64 frontal, 30 parietal, 6 insular, 19 occipital and 63 temporal. We have also prepared a 2D version (2D′23), of this 3D′23 map to serve as a link between the latter and our original 2D′15 map. Detailed comparison of the parcellations visualized in our three maps (2D′15, 2D′23 and 3D′23) warrants the conclusion that our new 3D′23 map may be considered as representative for the entire myeloarchitectural legacy of the Vogt–Vogt School. Hence it is now possible to compare the rich amount of myeloarchitectonic data assembled by that school directly with the results of current 3D analyses of the architecture of the human cortex, such as the meticulous quantitative cyto- and receptor architectonic studies of Zilles, Amunts and their numerous associates (Amunts et al. in Science 369:988–992, 2020), and the multimodal parcellation of the human cortex based on magnetic resonance images from the Human Connectome Project, performed by Glasser et al. in Nature 536:171–178, 2016).

Food safety among and beyond: the power of market actors, institutions and researchers in the new era of food safety from farm-to-table

Purpose. The study objective is to assess the impact of a number of factors, such as buying and psychological behaviours, experience, knowledge and information about food quality and safety, trust in actors and institutions, risk perceptions, safety knowledge and willingness to pay, increased risks in last years and change in consumption, on the food safety of conventional agricultural products (vegetables) in the markets of the city of Tirana, Albania. Methodology / approach. The questionnaire used for achieving the study objective was initially discussed at the level of a focus group and after improvements was used in food markets of agri-products in the city of Tirana, Albania. Interviewing process (220 persons) was carried out according to the procedure of the random choice and an appropriate statistical model was used. Results. The study presents an assessment of the impact of some important factors to food safety and the specifics of recent years, illustrated by a research on the markets of conventional agri-products in Tirana, Albania. The results suggest special attention to the sustainability of food safety in the new era through coordinated actions of the key actors in the agri-food chain, governmental institutions, and especially researchers, considering the material and social concerns of the functioning of markets, building new consumption models and risk managements strategies. Originality / scientific novelty. In addition to a simplistic approach, the problem of food safety in Albania is related to the multi-plane development, regarding the functioning of institutions (eg formal, informal) and trust in them, actors in markets (eg producers, retailers, wholesalers, etc.) or socio-economic phenomena (eg migration, etc.), as factors that may affect differently to food safety. Sustainability of food safety is important for agricultural production, sustainable consumption and trade, which represent sectors with scope and importance for the country’s economy. Based on the multidisciplinary and multidimensional aspects of a wide group of factors (eg external, internal, etc.) acting in a predictable or unpredictable way and influencing food safety, the identification of possible links of some more specific ones in the case of Albania is of particular research interest and in its essence it represents a new approach applied in the country’s studies in that field. Practical value / implications. In the new era of science and innovations, of smart techniques and policies and consumers’ behaviours, characterized by the interaction of a multitude of factors, the research focus on the food safety is reasonable and makes a particular sense. The study may be useful in several aspects, and especially for (1) consumer protection agencies; (2) agricultural producer units; and (3) future research given the challenges of food safety in the new era.

Importance and role of neotaphonomic collections: the example of microvertebrate and experimental collection management

ABSTRACT The development of taphonomy has improved our knowledge of site formation and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. It has also stimulated many neotaphonomic analyses that bring clues to some of the alterations and modifications processes of fossilisation and accumulations. This article aims to show that such neotaphonomic analyses and experiments, by generating a lot of valuable material and associate data, need to be integrated into official collections for future preservation. We will focus here upon two examples of neotaphonomic collections: 1 owl pellet microvertebrate collections and 2 collections resulting from experimental work (simulation and monitoring). We detail some problems for incorporating such new type of materials in Museums and some requirements for their curation. In the era of open science, there is a need to improve the management and curation of such unconventional collections to incorporate them into future classical comparative research, training and education as well as exhibitions.

The end of the particle era?

The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 at CERN completed the experimental confirmation of the Standard Model particle spectrum. Current theoretical insights and experimental data are inconclusive concerning the expectation of future discoveries. While new physics may still be within reach of the LHC or one of its successor experiments, it is also possible that the mass of particles beyond those of the Standard Model is far beyond the energy reach of any conceivable particle collider. We thus have to face the possibility that the age of “on-shell discoveries” of new particles may belong to the past and that we may soon witness a change in the scientists' perception of discoveries in fundamental physics. This article discusses the relevance of this questioning and addresses some of its potential far-reaching implications through the development, first, of a historical perspective on the concept of particle. This view is prompt to reveal important specificities of the development of particle physics. In particular, it underlines the close relationship between the evolution of observational methods and the understanding of the very idea of particle. Combining this with an analysis of the current situation of high-energy physics, this leads us to the suggestion that the particle era in science must undergo an important conceptual reconfiguration.

Research on practical teaching of Ideological and political education based on VR technology in the information age

Abstract With the popularity and maturity of VR technology, maximizing the utility advantages of relevant technologies and teaching projects has become a new topic. Because of the current era of science and technology’s best ideas, relevant methods of Ideological and political education learning have become richer in form and connotation. In order to make relevant methods better, true adoption experimental teaching of Ideological and political education here explores the true adoption of relevant methods in Ideological and political education college students’ learning. Through questionnaire survey to study the effect of relevant methods used by college students’ learning Ideological and political education and fuzzy analysis judging method to argue the teaching effect of integrating VR in Ideological and political education classroom, using comparative analysis method to compare and reference the traditional means of communication of Ideological and political education college students’ learning VR (virtual reality) The advantages of VR over traditional means of communication are summarized. Finally, the reasonableness and Probability of possible realization of relevant methods of college Ideological and political education are demonstrated by considering the needs and feasibility of the presented audience. The results show that most students’ applicability of the confirmation method and optimistic ideas and expressions for future development prospect of applying VR, a real simulated scenes relevant methods, to the practical college students’ learning for patriotic learning at the ideological level of college students learning. During the implementation of learning activities, about 89% of the students think that it can increase immersion, 80% think that it can be interactive, and most think that VR can make learning emotions high, highly concentrate on learning, and improve learning efficiency. Therefore, adopting relevant methods improves children’s enthusiasm for Ideological and political Education and transforms passive education into active participation.

The Relationship between Nepal and Japan: Diplomacy and Development

After learning that Japan had developed and made marvelous progress because of education development, the then reformist Rana Prime Minister Dev Shumsher decided to send eight Nepalese students with the spirit of "Let's learn from the East". Later, the students sent to Japan during the Chandra Shumsher era became beneficial and effective not only for the transfer of knowledge, skills, and technologies; it has also helped to bud the relationship between Nepal and Japan. Later the diplomatic relation was established on September 1, 1965. Furthermore, the relationship between both nations has been strengthening through high-level exchange visits, people-to-people relationships, and development diplomacy. Japan has been helping Nepal in key sectors such as human resource development, health, agriculture development, infrastructure development, environment protection, culture, etc. through grants, loans and technical support This has made a great contribution to the socioeconomic development of Nepal. Nepal and Japan's relationship is without any problems since the establishment of the relation between the two countries and put similar views on the international agenda in the United Nations (UN) and international platform based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, sovereign equality of the states, and non-alignment. In this context, this paper tries to advocate for the promotion and integration of science diplomacy to deepen ties between Nepal and Japan in the era of science and technology so that more long-term benefits could be achieved from Japan for the sustainable development of Nepal.

Synthesis of CuS/CNTs/gCN ternary nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic response of harmful organic effulents

To find such materials which assist to cope environmental pollution issues especially water contamination is thought-provoking task in the scientific era. Herein, we synthesized 2D CuS materials through hydrothermal method and their composite with a well-known carbonaceous material CNTs. The CuS/CNTs/gCN ternary nanocomposite was synthesized via ultrasonication with a metal free co-catalyst graphitic carbon nitride (gCN). The as-prepared CuS, CuS/CNTs binary nanocomposite, and CuS/CNTs/gCN ternary nanocomposite were efficiently utilized to study photocatalytic response of a cationic dye (Rhodamine B) and an anionic dye (Methyl orange). The CuS/CNTs/gCN photocatalyst divulges best photodegradation response of RhB and MO dyes by degrading them up to 95.3% and 93.2% under solar light respectively. Important photo active species involved in photocatalysis progression were trapped by using different trapping agent and found hydroxyl radicals are highly photoactive during photocatalytic mechanism. The graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) as a metal free co-catalyst meaningfully heightened the surface area of the ternary composite and delivers extra active sites for redox reaction. The consequences concludes that CuS/CNTs/gCN composite have potential to compete in water pollution applications for remediation of both cationic and anionic contaminants.

Research on Firm Recruitment on Adverse Selection under the Game Theory Model

In the era of global economic integration, economy and science and technology have in-creasingly become the decisive factors of international competition, and among them, enter-prises have increasingly become the main body of competition. Therefore, in recent years, major enterprises have increasingly improved the core competitiveness of their enterprises, and the research on human resources has become more and more in-depth. To maximize the benefits, in recent years, companies around the world have gradually realized the im-portance of high-level talent to their company's capabilities. However, due to various prob-lems, such as information asymmetry caused by adverse selection, it is increasingly difficult for companies to select real talents to contribute more to themselves. Through the estab-lishment of the game theory model, this paper discusses the benefits and losses for employ-ers and applicants and finds the best employment recruitment scheme. The research results show that the information asymmetry in the recruitment process will greatly reduce the effi-ciency of enterprises to find talents, and cause losses to both recruiters, so this paper puts forward relevant suggestions for the problem of information asymmetry to make up for the information asymmetry of the double-reverse, to promote the absorption of outstanding tal-ents by enterprises and drive the development of enterprises and economic recovery.

Intracranial Aneurysm In a Case of Tubercular Meningoencephalitis, a Rare Presentation (P3-10.001)

<h3>Objective:</h3> NA <h3>Background:</h3> In this era of advanced medical science and technology, tuberculosis remains as a major health problem in developing countries like India. While pulmonary TB is the most common manifestation of TB, incidence of extrapulmonary TB is also gradually increasing. Affliction of central nervous system is considered one of the most severe forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Central nervous system (CNS) tuberculosis(TB) comprises 15%–20% of the total cases of extra-pulmonary TB and it is associated with a high mortality rate. Surprisingly a little less than 5% of patients with pulmonary TB develop CNS TB and not all patients with CNS TB have pulmonary TB. Although CNS involvement by tuberculosis is seen in all age groups, there is a predilection for younger and immunocompromised patients. Central nervous system tuberculosis may present as tubercular meningitis, meningoencephalitis, tuberculoma, tubercular abscess. Vasculitis, secondary to TBM can cause infarcts commonly but development of an intracranial tuberculous aneurysm is a rare complication. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> NA <h3>Results:</h3> <h3>Case Report:</h3> A 33-year-old male presented with a low grade fever, meningism for weeks, diagnosed to have tubercular meningoencephalitis after supportive brain imaging and CSF assay. During course of hospitalization developed left ptosis, binocular horizontal diplopia, dimness of vision of left eye with diminished left periorbital sensation suggestive of a left anterior cavernous sinus syndrome. Brain imaging with angiogram of cerebral vasculature revealed an aneurysm at left ICA-MCA junction, probably a sequalae of granulomatous vasculitis <h3>Conclusions:</h3> <h3>Discussion:</h3> This case report shows an unusual case of intracranial tuberculomas complicated by intralesional haemorrhage due to an infective tubercular aneurysm. During disease course, MTB may colonize the arterial wall and erode its entire thickness with caseating necrosis, forming an aneurysm. These aneurysms are prone to rupture with fatal complications. Early identification of the disease with proper treatment is critical for the prevention of fatal complications. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Biswas has nothing to disclose. Dr. Das has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chintha has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bhattacharya has nothing to disclose. Dr. Biswas has received personal compensation in the range of $0-$499 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for INTAS Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Biswas has received personal compensation in the range of $0-$499 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for lupin Limited. Dr. Biswas has received personal compensation in the range of $0-$499 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Roche Diagnostic. Dr. Biswas has received personal compensation in the range of $0-$499 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Health N U. Dr. Chakraborty has nothing to disclose.

Research on the Development Status of Features and Evaluation Model of Scientific Literacy

With the advent of the era of science and technology, research on scientific literacy has been highly valued by all sectors of society, and scientific literacy evaluation can promote the improvement of scientific literacy. By summarizing the relevant research on the evaluation of scientific literacy, which can provide reference for scholars at home and abroad in the field of research. The research object is the literature related to scientific literacy evaluation. Firstly, defines and differentiates the connotation and concept of scientific literacy; Secondly, introduces the progress of scientific literacy evaluation from three levels: scientific literacy evaluation model, indicators and dimensions; Finally, summarize and prospect the relevant research of scientific literacy evaluation. Although different groups have different understanding of the connotation of scientific literacy in different periods, and the connotation of scientific literacy is also changing with the development of science and technology, the core content of scientific literacy is basically the same; The evaluation model is mainly represented by three major international evaluation projects; Different scholars have different views on the evaluation dimension, but scientific attitude and scientific identity are the main research directions at present.

Functional neuroimaging in the era of Big Data and Open Science: A modern overview

AbstractIn the past 30 years, the statistical analysis of functional neuroimaging data has made much progress, and spurred many new research directions. At the same time, problems with reproducibility and replicability have plagued the field, owing in part to small sample sizes, a plethora of choices at the data preprocessing stage, and overall lack of transparency in reporting. The latter two in particular pose barriers to statisticians who want to become involved in the area. Recent efforts by some in the neuroimaging community to address these problems represent a turning point. This article highlights the current landscape and provides an introduction to some of the relevant resources in “open neuroimaging.”This article is categorized under: Software for Computational Statistics &gt; Software/Statistical Software

Representations of Materials for Machine Learning

High-throughput data generation methods and machine learning (ML) algorithms have given rise to a new era of computational materials science by learning the relations between composition, structure, and properties and by exploiting such relations for design. However, to build these connections, materials data must be translated into a numerical form, called a representation, that can be processed by an ML model. Data sets in materials science vary in format (ranging from images to spectra), size, and fidelity. Predictive models vary in scope and properties of interest. Here, we review context-dependent strategies for constructing representations that enable the use of materials as inputs or outputs for ML models. Furthermore, we discuss how modern ML techniques can learn representations from data and transfer chemical and physical information between tasks. Finally, we outline high-impact questions that have not been fully resolved and thus require further investigation.

A historical overview of textbook presentations of statistical science

AbstractWe discuss the evolution in the presentation of statistical science in English‐language textbooks, focusing on the period 1900–1970 as the field became increasingly influenced by research contributions of R. A. Fisher and Jerzy Neyman. George Udny Yule authored an early popular book that had 14 editions. Methods books authored by Fisher and George Snedecor guided scientists in implementing modern statistical methods. In the World War 2 era, textbooks authored by Maurice Kendall, Samuel Wilks, and Harald Cramér presented a dramatically different “mathematical statistics” portrayal that centered on theoretical foundations. The textbook emergence of the Bayesian approach occurred later, influenced by books by Harold Jeffreys and Leonard J. Savage. The quarter century after World War 2 saw an explosion of books in mathematical statistics and in particular topic areas. In addition to his highly cited research contributions, Sir David Cox was a prolific author of books on a great variety of topics. Most were published after the 1900–1970 period considered in this article, but we also summarize them as part of this special issue to honor his memory. We conclude by discussing the future of textbooks on the foundations of statistical science in the emerging, ever‐broader, era of data science.

Re-Reading Deming’s 14 Points in the Era of Data Science: 14 Questions for Vibrant Management of Statistical Information Systems

This article is based on the Deming Lecture presented at the 2018 Joint Statistical Meetings and reconsiders the "14 Points" on management that were developed by W. Edwards Deming and suggests that these points reflect fundamental concepts and principles that can offer important insights for the statistical community as it responds to these opportunities and challenges related to improvement of the quality, integrity, and societal value of statistical information. The concepts un-derlying Deming's 14 Points can provide a useful lens for considering a wide range of management opportunities and challenges that arise in many complex organizations, especially those that produce or use statistical information.