Measuring Knowledge Management: A Strategic Approach to Library Information Services

In the study of theoretical trends in Administration, the management of information follows the development of theories of Administration; constant-adaptations are suffered. Information Science area understands and concerns itself with the changes wrought in these endeavour of the knowledge society as new forms of communication and integration. The libraries interact in ways that maximize access to information and facilitate the improvement on their structural environment as strategic approach for your services. The research aims at identifying the requirements and specifications of an information system for knowledge management in the public’s library environment and proposes to achieve a pre-defined structure for the implementation of administration management. The research is conducted with public’s library of the metropolitan region of the North’s Portugal. Portugal libraries are institutions that operate in the social process of their communities reflecting the society and its organic sphere of informational performance. These libraries have developed the organizational theories to make a framework easily for effective management practices and have been using their produced knowledge in the optimization of their actions. In the improvement of systems, theoretical administrative trends become management decisions and result in the ultimate success of the organization. In order to achieve its objectives the study verified an economy based on knowledge management, and its production emphasizes the human capital that permeates the condition of the information in support for the development of communities.

Maternal Thyroid and Glucocorticoid Hormone Interactions in Larval Fish Development, and Their Applications in Aquaculture

Thyroid hormones (THs) have long been known to have regulatory roles in the differentiation and maturation of vertebrate embryos, beginning with the knowledge that hormones of maternal origin are essential for human fetal central nervous and respiratory system development. Precise measurements of circulating THs led to insights into their critically important actions throughout vertebrate growth and development, initially with amphibian metamorphosis and including embryogenesis in fishes. Thyroid cues for larval fish differentiation are enhanced by glucocorticoid hormones, which promote deiodinase activity and thereby increase the generation of triiodothyronine (T-3) from the less bioactive thyroxin (T-4). Glucocorticoids also induce the expression of thyroid hormone receptors in some vertebrates. Maternally derived thyroid hormones and cortisol are deposited in fish egg yolk and accelerate larval organ system differentiation until larvae become capable of endogenous endocrine function. Increases in the T-3/T-4 ratio during larval development may reflect the regulatory importance of maternal thyroid hormones. Experimental applications of individual hormones have produced mixed results, but treatments with combinations of thyroid and corticoid hormones consistently promote larval fish development and improve survival rates. The developmental and survival benefits of maternal endocrine provisioning are increased in viviparous fishes, in which maternal/larval chemical contact is prolonged. Treatments with exogenous thyroid and corticoid hormones consistently promote development and reduce mortality rates in larval fishes, with potential hatchery-scale applications in aquaculture.

Estudo da utilização do balanced scorecard na gestão da qualidade e excelência operacional aplicadas a projetos de engenharia em sistemas de potência

The expansion of the electrical system is currently a subject of great importance to the development of Brazil. For its realization, large projects are needed, requiring large-scale investment and realization processes of great complexity. Thus, this type of project has a high strategic importance for the performance of companies that conduct. Seeking a way to determine a method to align traditional practices for measuring quality to the corporate strategic needs, this work is the study of the use of the balanced scorecard methodology, applying quality management and operational excellence, with a focus on projects in power systems. We analyzed some cases of successful application of the methodology in business segments in the next study, culminating in a proposed model of the method

Output only based modal analysis of a reduced scale building using digital camera images

The article discusses a proposal of displacement measurement using a unique digital camera aiming at to exploit its feasibility for Modal Analysis applications. The proposal discusses a non-contact measuring approach able to measure multiple points simultaneously by using a unique digital camera. A modal analysis of a reduced scale lab building structure based only at the responses of the structure measured with the camera is presented. It focuses at the feasibility of using a simple ordinary camera for performing the output only modal analysis of structures and its advantage. The modal parameters of the structure are estimated from the camera data and also by using ordinary experimental modal analysis based on the Frequency Response Function (FRF) obtained by using the usual sensors like accelerometer and force cell. The comparison of the both analysis showed that the technique is promising noncontact measuring tool relatively simple and effective to be used in structural modal analysis

Development of a synbiotic low-calorie beverage made from soy and yacon extracts

The objective of this study was to develop a new low-calorie symbiotic beverage made from yacon (prebiotic source) and soy extracts, containing probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB-12. The synbiotic beverage was first produced with a range of sucrose concentrations in order to determine ideal sweetness by an acceptance test using a “just-about-right scale”. Sucrose was then replaced by sucralose or aspartame to produce sugar-free beverages. Characteristics including viable cell numbers, physicochemical properties, sensorial characteristics and fructooligosaccharides content were investigated. The ideal sweetness of the beverages with sucrose, aspartame and sucralose were 7.28%, 0.0486% and 0.0167%, respectively. Sucralose exhibited higher scores in acceptance test and was used to replace sucrose in the low-calorie symbiotic beverage. The synbiotic beverage exhibited counts of Bifidobacterium spp. of 108 CFU·mL-1 , sufficient condition to be considered probiotic. The chemical composition of the product was (g/100 g): 2.91 of protein, 1.41 of fat, 2.41 of total carbohydrate; 0.82 of FOS and 148.22 Kj of energy value. The synbiotic beverage developed in this study may be successful in health applications, due to their functional ingredients (soy, probiotic bacteria and yacon prebiotics) that can afford benefits to health or can present disease-preventing properties, beyond their inherent nutritional value. In addition this low-calorie beverage can be consumed by diabetic individuals and people concerned about the ingestion of calories.

Using landscape metrics to analyze micro-scale soil erosion processes

Methods of recording soil erosion using photographs exist but they are not commonly considered in scientific studies. Digital images may hold an expressive amount of information that can be extracted quickly in different manners. The investigation of several metrics that were initially developed for landscape ecology analysis constitutes one method. In this study we applied a method of landscape metrics to quantify the spatial configuration of surface micro-topography and erosion-related features, in order to generate a possible complementary tool for environmental management. In a 3.7 m wide and 9.7 m long soil box used during a rainfall simulation study, digital images were systematically acquired in four instances: (a) when the soil was dry; (b) after a short duration rain for initial wetting; (c) after the first erosive rain; and (d) after the 2nd erosive rain. Thirteen locations were established in the box and digital photos were taken at these locations with the camera positioned at the same orthogonal distance from the soil surface under the same ambient light intensity. Digital photos were converted into bimodal images and seven landscape metrics were analyzed: percentage of land, number of patches, density of patches, largest patch index, edge density, shape index, and fractal dimension. Digital images were an appropriate tool because they can generate data very quickly. The landscape metrics were sensitive to changes in soil surface micro-morphology especially after the 1st erosive rain event, indicating significant erosional feature development between the initial wetting and first erosive rainfall. The method is considered suitable for spatial patterns of soil micro-topography evolution from rainfall events that bear similarity to landscape scale pattern evolution from eco-hydrological processes. Although much more study is needed for calibrating the landscape metrics at the micro-scale, this study is a step forward in demonstrating the advantages of the method.