Comparative knowledge management: A pilot study of Chinese and American universities: Book Reviews
Comparative study of knowledge management (KM) promises to lead to more effective knowledge use in all cultural environments. This pilot study compares KM priorities, needs, tools, and administrative structure components in large Chinese and American universities. General KM theory and literature related to KM in higher education are analyzed to develop the four components of the study. Comparative differences in KM practice at large Chinese and American universities are analyzed for each component. A correlation matrix reveals statistically significant co-variation among all but one of the study components. Four conclusions related to comparative KM and suggestions for future research are presented.

title: Comparative knowledge management: A pilot study of Chinese and American universities
abstract: Comparative study of knowledge management (KM) promises to lead to more effective knowledge use in all cultural environments. This pilot study compares KM priorities, needs, tools, and administrative structure components in large Chinese and American universities. General KM theory and literature related to KM in higher education are analyzed to develop the four components of the study. Comparative differences in KM practice at large Chinese and American universities are analyzed for each component. A correlation matrix reveals statistically significant co-variation among all but one of the study components. Four conclusions related to comparative KM and suggestions for future research are presented.

title: Minitrack: E-Government Information and Knowledge Management
abstract: The public sector realizes the strategic importance of methods, tools and concepts applied to the efficient and effective Information and Knowledge resource Management (IKM). Because governments and public administrations deal with vast amounts of information and knowledge, it is particularly important to leverage research agendas that advance tenets related to the management of these resources. For example, much of the work of public authorities and governments is related to the collection, processing, interpretation, and use of data, information and knowledge on citizens, businesses, governments themselves, the society, the market, the environment, laws, politics, etc.

title: A Color Indexing Scheme Using Two-level Clustering Processing for Effective and Efficient Image Retrieval
abstract: In this paper, we present a clustering-based color indexing scheme for effective amd efficient image retrieval, which is essentially an exploration on the application of clustering technique to image retrieval. In our approach, the color features are clustered automatically using a color clustering algorithm twice (called two-level clustering processing) and two color feature summarizations are obtained, e.g. Local Color Centriods (LCCs) and Global Color Centroids (GCCs). Based upon LCCs and GCCs, a three-level R-tree is bulit for indexing database images and performing effecitve and efficient image retrieval. The experiments show that this indexing scheme is effective and efficient in performing image retrieval.

title: Divergent approaches and converging views: drawing sensible linkages between knowledge management and organizational learning
abstract: Knowledge management (KM) and organizational learning (OL) have developed in both divergent and convergent ways. In particular, these fields have relatively distinct intellectual traditions and conditions that gave rise to disciplines, as well as a certain level of disparity in research focus and view of knowledge. For example, KM focuses more on the content of knowledge and products of managing the knowledge, while OL emphasizes the process of meaning creation, decision making, and growth of learning capability. The two literatures also reveal, however, convergences with regard to the nature of knowledge and knowledge sharing in the organizational context. Thus the two fields have started to establish a consolidated view of knowledge, in which knowledge is related to practice and situated in the historical, social, and cultural context where it is created and acquired. In addition, both fields recognize the multi-level nature of knowledge and learning and are striving to bridge the gap between individual knowledge and collective memories.

title: SOA Middleware Support for Service Process Reconfiguration with End-to-End QoS Constraints
abstract: In SOA, services may become volatile and fail to deliver the quality of service as requested by users. In this paper, we present an approach for repairing failed services by replacing them with new services and ensuring the new service process still meets the user specified end-to-end QoS constraints. An iterative structural inspection algorithm is designed to produce reconfiguration regions that include one or more failed service. By reconfiguring only services in the selected regions, the business process will not be affected significantly. The algorithm may also utilize those available QoS constraints to relax the original constraints of a reconfiguration region and to provide more effective reconfiguration solutions. We also present the middleware components to support the service reconfiguration in the LLAMA framework.

title: Fabrication of strained Si channel PMOSFET on thin relaxed Si1-xGex virtual substrate
abstract: A novel MBE-grown method using low-temperature Si technology is introduced into the fabrication of strained Si channel PMOSFETs. The thickness of relaxed Si 1− x Ge x epitaxy layer on bulk silicon is reduced to approximate 400 nm ( x =0.2). The Ge fraction and relaxation of Si 1− x Ge x film are confirmed by DCXRD (double crystal X-ray diffraction) and the DC characteristics of strined Si channel PMOSFET measured by HP 4155B indicate that hole mobility μ p has an maximum enhancement of 25% compared to similarly processed bulk Si PMOSFET.