Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge Management in the Brazilian Organisational Context: a shift towards the concept of "Ba"

The paper investigates the theme known as “Knowledge Management” (KM) in three large Brazilian organisations trying to discuss its concepts, constituent elements, managerial approaches and tools, while aiming at leaving behind the purely terminological discussion, which is innocuous and naive. The basic presuppositions were two: (i) most of what is referred to or named KM is actually “Information Management” (IM) and IM is just one of the components of KM. KM is more than simply IM due to the fact that it includes and incorporates other concerns, such as the creation, use and sharing of information and knowledge in the organisational context; (ii) a conceptual model or map can be formulated based on three basic concepts: (a) a strategic concept of information and knowledge, (b) the introduction of such strategy in the tactical and operational levels through the several managerial approaches and information technology tools and (c) the creation of an organisational space for knowledge. The main objective is to investigate and analyse the concepts, motivations, practices and results of KM effectively implemented in three large Brazilian organisations. The qualitative research strategy used was the study of multiple cases with incorporated units of analysis and three criteria were observed for the judgment of the quality of the research project: validity of the construct, external validity and reliability. Multiple sources of evidence were used and data analysis consisted of three flows of activities: data reduction, data displays and conclusion drawing/verification. The results confirmed the presuppositions and the fact that KM means a rethinking of management practices in the information era. Knowledge as such cannot be managed; it is just promoted or stimulated through the creation of a favourable organisational context, namely “Ba”. It was also identified that the main challenges facing organisations committed to KM have its focus on change management, cultural and behavioural issues and the creation of an enabling context that favours the creation, use and sharing of information and knowledge.
Spatial knowledge and cyberworlds

"Spatialization" refers to the creation of a graphic representation based on a spatial metaphor and the transformation that condenses large complex semantic domains into their essential components. Spatialization can be defined as the projection of elements of a high-dimensional information space into a low-dimensional, potentially experiential, interactive, representational space. Spatialization can involve a mathematical transformation that creates a logically defined coordinate system for rearranging a set of data items or documents based on their content and functional relationships. The transformation may be constructed semantically (on the basis of attributes), geometrically (on the basis of links or structural relationships between items), or by a combination of the two. This paper surveys this idea with respect to the problem of knowledge management. In doing so, it passes judgment on the prospects for cyberworlds in the knowledge management context and illustrates the cognitive principles for cyberworlds by examples encountered in the author's own work.
Application and demonstration of a digital test core: optoelectronic test bed and wafer-level prober

Abstract A multi-purpose digital test core utilizing programmable logic has been introduced [1,2] to implement many of the functions of traditional automated test equipment (ATE). While previous papers have described the theory, this paper quantifies the results and presents additional applications with improved methods operating up to 4.4Gpbs. The digital test core provides a substantial number of programmable I/O for testing circuits and systems. It may be used either to enhance the capabilities of ATE or to provide autonomous testing within large systems or arrays of components. This technique has been expanded upon to produce greater functionality at higher frequencies. Based upon limitations of current ATE and BIST, the need for the digital test core is described. The test core concept is reviewed within an opto-electronic pattern generator and sampler with an eventual goal of terabit-per-second aggregate data rate. The performance of the device is discussed, and a second application of the digital test core is introduced as a nano-scale wafer-level embedded tester.
Spice modeling of 4H-SiC MOSFET based on the advanced mobility model

SPICE modeling of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET based on the advanced mobility model has been carried out. This modeling employs the SPICE level-1 model of MOSFET, but the constant mobility in the piecewise current equations has been replaced by the advanced mobility expressions, which can exactly reflect the effect of SiC/SiO2 interface traps on the electrical characteristics of 4H-SiC MOSFET. Key parameters in this advanced mobility model are obtained according to charge-sheet model (CSM) of MOS system. The transfer characteristics of the developed 4H-SiC MOSFET model have been validated with the production Datasheet, the switching characteristics have been experimentally verified in Boost converter. Based on the developed model, the effect of SiC/SiO2 interface-trap densities on the switching characteristics of 4H-SiC MOSFET has been quantitatively discussed, reasonable gate driving voltage of 4HSiC MOSFET with different interface-trap densities has been revealed.
Low-Power AES Design Using Parallel Architecture

This paper presents a design of AES (advanced encryption standard) with parallel architecture. The proposed architecture maintains throughput as it is but consumes lower power than the original architecture by using 1/2 clock-rate and reducing supply voltage. Models were designed using VHDL and verified by both functional and gate-level simulation. They were logically synthesized using 0.25 um, 90 nm cell library by Synopsys Design compiler. Power consumption was computed by Synopsys PrimePower.
Structural and Gas Retention Changes Induced by Ozonization of Cobalt(II) and Manganese(II) Hexacyanocobaltates(III)

Transition metal hexacyanocobaltates are porous materials with open metal sites and a wide variety of pores. In this work, manganese(II) and cobalt(II) hexacyanocobaltates(III) have been selected to explore the interactions between the open metal sites located in their pores and the guest molecules: hydrogen, carbon dioxide, water and methanol. An experimental setup was designed and implemented to conduct post-synthesis modification of the solids with ozone. Samples were dehydrated, ozonized and saturated with methanol in situ. Ozone molecules acted on the open metal sites changing their oxidation state, causing a contraction of the unit cell and inducing a stronger interaction of the molecules of water and methanol with the lattice. This strengthening prevented the lattice from being evacuated without compromising its framework stability. The decomposition temperature decreased in all ozonized samples as a consequence of the elongation and weakening of the cobalt-carbon bond. Active infrared and Raman bands were used to monitor the interaction between the open metal sites at the framework surface and the guest molecules. The cell contraction and the presence of residual methanol molecules in the porosity reduced the hydrogen and carbon dioxide retention capacity of the samples.
Two-step correction of speech recognition errors based on n-gram and long contextual information

This paper presents a fully automatic word error correction on a confusion network that makes use of long contextual information. However, a problem with long contextual information is that improvement of the recognition accuracy is minimal because of the word errors surrounding words. In this paper, recognition errors are first reduced by error correction using Ngram features. After that, the long-distance context scores are applied to the correction of the residual recognition errors. Index Terms: confusion network, conditional random fields, word-error correction, long contextual information
Prevalence and Psychosocial Correlates of After-School Activities among Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong

Using a cross-sectional design, this study (a) explores the prevalence of after-school activities among Chinese early adolescents and (b) assesses the relationships between participation in after-school activities, personal well-being, and family functioning. A total of 3,328 Grade 7 students (mean age = 12.59 years, SD = 0.74) completed a self-administered questionnaire. Results showed that the majority of adolescents returned home under adult supervision. Further analyses showed the associations between after-school activities, positive youth development qualities, academic and school competence, family functioning, and risky behavior. Implications regarding efforts aimed at designing high quality and structured after-school youth programs are discussed.
Jenaer Schriften zur Wirtschaftswissenschaft Innovation races : An experimental study on strategic research activities

In an experimental setting, firms in a duopoly market engage in a patent tournament and compete for profit-enhancing product advancements. The firms generate income by matching exogenously defined demand preferences with an appropriately composed product portfolio of their own. Demand preferences are initially unknown and first need to be revealed by an investigation of the possible product variations. The better firms approximate demand preferences, the higher their profits. In the ensuing innovation race, firms interact through information spillovers resulting from the imperfect appropriability of research successes. In the random period of the experiment, the continuity of the search process is disturbed by an exogenous shock that affects both the supply and demand side and again spurs research competition. Firms may henceforth explore an enlarged product space in attempting to match the equally modified demand preferences. In our analysis, we explore the behavioural regularities of agents who are engaged in innovation activities. As a key element we test to what extend relative economic performance exercises a stimulating effect on the implementation of innovation and imitation strategies.
A improved GAF clustering algorithm for three-dimensional underwater acoustic networks

This paper analysis the principle of GAF clustering algorithm, extends the GAF algorithm to three-dimensional underwater acoustic communication networks and proposes a clustering algorithm based on the GAF called BGAF. In the cluster-heads selection phase, the BGAF gives full consideration to the importance of the node residual energy and the distance between the node and the sink node and introduces the transit nodes mechanism which makes the average distribution of energy consumption throughout the network. In this paper, simulation results verify the rationality of the algorithm, the algorithm reduces the energy consumption across the network nodes and balances the network load and extends the network life cycle.
Evaluation of safety and efficacy of elective PCI in patients with cardiac insufficiency

We analyzed the safety and the efficacy of the treatment with elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with coronary heart disease complicated with cardiac insufficiency. We enrolled 217 patients diagnosed with chronic ischemic heart disease complicated with cardiac failure. According to the type of treatment they received, patients were divided into 3 groups: i) The conservative treatment group with 60 patients (they received standard medication); ii) the early PCI group with 82 cases (their condition was stabilized, surgical risk was assessed and PCI was taken as early as possible); and iii) the advanced PCI group with 75 cases (ischemic myocardium was corrected and then elective PCI was applied and for aggravated myocardial ischemia cases, PCI was applied after assessing the risk of surgery). Follow-up visits were set for approximately 3 years and clinical outcomes were compared. Our results showed that the survival time in the early PCI group was significantly prolonged and the survival rate was considerably increased during 3 years. Left ventricular ejection fraction in the early PCI group markedly increased and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and pro-BNP level decreased significantly. The occurrence rates of perioperative complications in the early PCI group and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during the follow-up period were significantly reduced. Quality of life scores in the early PCI group markedly improved. We concluded that in patients with coronary heart disease complicated with cardiac insufficiency, early PCI treatment was safe and effective.
Region of interest displays: addressing a perceptual problem?

When viewing multimedia presentations, a user can only be attending to a relatively small part of the video display at any one point in time. Accordingly, by shifting allocation of bandwidth from peripheral regions of the screen to regions-of-interest (RoI), which are measured or highly probable positions of user attention, attentive displays can be produced. This paper reports a perceptual comparison between two region of interest displays (RoIDs) approaches, manipulating two sources of data: eye-gaze data (extracted using eye tracking technology) and video-dependent data (determined from the physical characteristics of the video data). Results show that over a broad range of different subject matter, no net variation is measured in user level of information assimilation and understanding as a result of a change in the type of presentation display. Interestingly, use of frame rates less than 15 frames per second, for any video adaptation technique, caused a reduction in user perceived quality, suggesting that users are aware of video quality reduction. Results also emphasize that user level of enjoyment is affected by video type, yet is not affected by the quality of video adaptation.
DETERMINANTS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES IN NIGERIA

Small and medium scale industries usually tend to develop and grow into medium and large scale industries. This form of growth yields to the development of the economy. However, the path to development of the economy has some challenges which are classified into internal and external factors. This study theoretically and empirically examined the various factors that affect the performance of SMEs in Nigeria. It employed the logistic regression method to establish that corruption is the major external factor that affects growth of SMEs. The study recommended that in order to achieve the desired objective of functional SMEs, the fight against corruption must be tackled from the foundation and then to the leadership position.
Supernova kicks and misaligned microquasars

The low-mass X-ray binary microquasar GRO J1655–40 is observed to have a misalignment between the jets and the binary orbital plane. Since the current black hole spin axis is likely to be parallel to the jets, this implies a misalignment between the spin axis of the black hole and the binary orbital plane. It is likely the black holes formed with an asymetric supernova which caused the orbital axis to misalign with the spin of the stars. We ask whether the null hypothesis that the supernova explosion did not affect the spin axis of the black hole can be ruled out by what can be deduced about the properties of the explosion from the known system parameters. We find that this null hypothesis cannot be disproved but we find that the most likely requirements to form the system include a small natal black hole kick (of a few tens of kms 1 ) and a relatively wide pre-supernova binary. In such cases the observed close binary system could have formed by tidal circularisation without a common envelope phase.
Disordered Control of Intestinal Sweet Taste Receptor Expression and Glucose Absorption in Type 2 Diabetes

We previously established that the intestinal sweet taste receptors (STRs), T1R2 and T1R3, were expressed in distinct epithelial cells in the human proximal intestine and that their transcript levels varied with glycemic status in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here we determined whether STR expression was 1) acutely regulated by changes in luminal and systemic glucose levels, 2) disordered in type 2 diabetes, and 3) linked to glucose absorption. Fourteen healthy subjects and 13 patients with type 2 diabetes were studied twice, at euglycemia (5.2 ± 0.2 mmol/L) or hyperglycemia (12.3 ± 0.2 mmol/L). Endoscopic biopsy specimens were collected from the duodenum at baseline and after a 30-min intraduodenal glucose infusion of 30 g/150 mL water plus 3 g 3-O-methylglucose (3-OMG). STR transcripts were quantified by RT-PCR, and plasma was assayed for 3-OMG concentration. Intestinal STR transcript levels at baseline were unaffected by acute variations in glycemia in healthy subjects and in type 2 diabetic patients. T1R2 transcript levels increased after luminal glucose infusion in both groups during euglycemia (+5.8 × 104 and +5.8 × 104 copies, respectively) but decreased in healthy subjects during hyperglycemia (−1.4 × 104 copies). T1R2 levels increased significantly in type 2 diabetic patients under the same conditions (+6.9 × 105 copies). Plasma 3-OMG concentrations were significantly higher in type 2 diabetic patients than in healthy control subjects during acute hyperglycemia. Intestinal T1R2 expression is reciprocally regulated by luminal glucose in health according to glycemic status but is disordered in type 2 diabetes during acute hyperglycemia. This defect may enhance glucose absorption in type 2 diabetic patients and exacerbate postprandial hyperglycemia.
An integrated approach to metaphor and framing in cognition, discourse and practice, with an application to metaphors for cancer

In this article, we examine the notion of ‘framing’ as a function of metaphor from three interrelated perspectives—cognitive, discourse-based, and practice-based—with the aim of providing an adaptable blueprint of good practice in framing analysis. We bring together cognitive and discourse-based approaches in an integrated multi-level framework, and demonstrate its value to both theory and practice by applying it to a corpus-based study of violence-related metaphors for cancer. Through the application of this framework, we show that there are merits in applying the notion of framing at different levels of generality in metaphor analysis (conceptual metaphors, metaphor scenarios, and linguistic metaphors), depending on one’s research aims. We warn that researchers and practitioners need to remain aware of what conclusions can and cannot be drawn at each level, and we show the theoretical and practical advantages of taking all three levels into account when considering the use of metaphor for communicating about sensitive topics such as cancer. We emphasize the need for a ‘rich’ definition of framing, including aspects such as agency, evaluation, and emotion.
Effect of Trolox addition to cryopreservation media on human sperm motility

Background: Sperm parameters and motion kinetics are affected by cryopreservation. Objective: The main purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of different concentrations of Trolox as an antioxidant to freezing-thawing procedure on human sperm kinematic parameter. Materials and Methods: Semen was collected from 20 normal donors and divided into five aliquots prior to cryopreservation. The first aliquot was analyzed by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Other aliquots were mixed with cryo-protective agent containing 0, 20, 40, and 80 µmol Trolox and treated samples were cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. After two weeks samples were thawed and sperm motion kinematics was measured by CASA. Percent motility (Mot), curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight-line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP), linearity (LIN), and amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) were compared before and after freeze. Results: Addition of 40µmol Trolox resulted in significantly higher (p<0.05) post thaw VCL, VSL and VAP compared to other groups. Therefore the percentage of post thaw motile spermatozoa were significantly higher (p<0.01). Conclusion: The supplementation of Trolox significantly improved the post-thawed human semen quality, especially progressive motility and average path velocity.
What do we need to hear a beat? The influence of attention, musical abilities, and accents on the perception of metrical rhythm

In this dissertation, I examine beat perception, the process that allows us to make music together. I explore the effects of attention, musical abilities, and accents on beat perception. Additionally, I address several methodological issues that arise when probing beat perception with event-related potentials (ERPs). Using a web-based setup, we show that musical training increases the sensitivity of listeners to the structure of accents in rhythm that indicates the beat. Furthermore, listeners responded qualitatively differently to different types of accents. Using a speeded detection task, we show that the influence of a perceived beat on processing of rhythmic events can be characterized both by temporal fluctuations in attention and temporal predictions. Using EEG, we provide evidence for the presence of beat perception when attention is directed away from rhythm. In highly trained musicians we found that the P1 response, an obligatory ERP response to sound, was larger for events on the beat than off the beat. In both musically trained and untrained participants, unexpected silences and intensity decreases elicited larger mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a responses on the beat than off the beat, even when attention was not directed at a rhythm. Throughout this dissertation, I show the importance of differentiating between beat perception and other factors that may influence ERP responses, such as acoustic variation and statistical learning of a sound sequence. Finally, I propose that beat perception can be regarded as an ability that consists of several different mechanisms that together allow us to synchronize to music.
Beliefs and Behaviors of Two High School Principals in Developing a Sense of School Community for Students

This qualitative study investigated two high school principals’ articulation of establishing a sense of community. The principals’ narratives, values, beliefs, and behaviors are examined through the lens of community membership, fulfillment of needs, influence, and emotional connections. Findings show that the principals, leading schools with different contexts, both implemented structures and processes that addressed elements of the frame as foundation for student success. While the principals expressed similar beliefs regarding community, behavioral approaches differed in implementation.
Driver Body-Height Prediction for an Ergonomically Optimized Ingress Using a Single Omnidirectional Camera

Maximizing passengers comfort is an important research topic in the domain of automotive systems engineering. In particular, an automatic adjustment of seat position according to driver height significantly increases the level of comfort during ingress. In this paper, we present a new method to estimate the height of approaching car drivers based on a single omni directional camera integrated with the side-view mirror of a car. Towards this, we propose mathematical descriptions of standard parking scenarios, allowing for an accurate height estimation. First, approaching drivers are extracted from image frames captured by the camera. Second, the scenario and height are initially estimated based on gathered samples of angles to head and foot-points of an approaching driver. An iterative optimization process removes outliers and refines the initially estimated scenario and height. Finally, we present a number of experimental results based on image sequences captured from real-life ingress scenarios.