A conceptual framework of knowledge integration in multisourcing arrangements

As organizations are increasingly outsourcing interdependent IT and business services to multiple vendors, the issue of knowledge integration between client and multiple vendors is becoming of high relevance today. This paper explores the antecedents and mechanisms which facilitate the success of knowledge integration across multiple stakeholders in multisourcing and the outcomes of successful knowledge integration in this context. The paper develops a conceptual framework of knowledge integration in the multisourcing arrangements, based on a detailed review of current literature on knowledge integration and applying it to the multi-vendor environment. This paper concludes by calling for further empirical study to examine the integrative framework of the key antecedents, mechanisms and consequences of knowledge integration in the multisourcing arrangements.

Motivations for servitization:the impact of product complexity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the commonalities and differences in manufacturers’ motivations to servitise. Design/methodology/approach – UK study based on interviews with 40 managers in 25 companies in 12 sectors. Using the concept of product complexity, sectors were grouped using the Complex Products and Systems (CoPS) typology: non-complex products, complex products and systems. Findings – Motivations to servitise were categorised as competitive, demand based (i.e. derived from the customer) or economic. Motivations to servitise vary according to product complexity, although cost savings and improved service quality appear important demand-based motivations for all manufacturers. Non-complex product manufacturers also focus on services to help product differentiation. For CoPS manufacturers, both risk reduction and developing a new revenue stream were important motivations. For uniquely complex product manufacturers, stabilising revenue and increased profitability were strong motivations. For uniquely systems manufacturers, customers sought business transformation, whilst new service business models were also identified. Research limitations/implications – Using the CoPS typology, this study delineates motivations to servitise by sector. The findings show varying motivations to servitise as product complexity increases, although some motivational commonality existed across all groups. Manufacturers may have products of differing complexity within their portfolio. To overcome this limitation the unit of analysis was the strategic business unit. Practical implications – Managers can reflect on and benchmark their motivation for, and opportunities from, servitisation, by considering product complexity. Originality/value – The first study to categorise servitisation motivations by product complexity. Identifying that some customers of systems manufacturers seek business transformation through outsourcing.

A számítási felhő az Európai Unió egén (Cloud computing on the sky of European Union)

Napjaink informatikai világának talán legkeresettebb hívó szava a cloud computing, vagy magyar fordításban, a számítási felhő. A fordítás forrása az EU-s (Digitális Menetrend magyar változata, 2010) A számítási felhő üzleti modelljének részletes leírását adja (Bőgel, 2009). Bőgel György ismerteti az új, közműszerű informatikai szolgáltatás kialakulását és gazdasági előnyeit, nagy jövőt jósolva a számítási felhőnek az üzleti modellek versenyében. A szerző – a számítási felhő üzleti előnyei mellett – nagyobb hangsúlyt fektet dolgozatában a gyors elterjedést gátló tényezőkre, és arra, hogy mit jelentenek az előnyök és a hátrányok egy üzleti, informatikai vagy megfelelőségi vezető számára. Nem csökkentve a cloud modell gazdasági jelentőségét, fontosnak tartja, hogy a problémákról és a kockázatokról is szóljon. Kiemeli, hogy a kockázatokban – különösen a biztonsági és adatvédelmi kockázatokban – lényeges különbségek vannak az Európai Gazdasági Térség és a világ többi része, pl. az Amerikai Egyesült Államok között. A cikkben rámutat ezekre a különbségekre, és az olvasó magyarázatot kap arra is, hogy miért várható a számítási felhő lassabb terjedése Európában, mint a világ más részein. Bemutatja az EU erőfeszítéseit is a számítási felhő európai terjedésének elősegítésére, tekintettel a modell versenyképességet növelő hatására. / === / One of the most popular concept of the recent web searches is cloud computing. Several authors present detailed description of the new service model and it's business benefits and cite the optimistic prognoses of the cloud experts regarding the competition of information system service models. The author analyses the operational benefits of the cloud application and give a detailed description of the inhibitors of the fast expansion of the service modell. He also analyses the pros and cons of the cloud for a business manager, an information and a compliance officer. When understanding the advantages of the cloud, it is equally important to review the problems and risks associated with the model. The paper gives a list of the expected cloud-specific risks. It also explains the differences in security and data protection approach between the European Economic Area and the rest of the world, including the USA. The explains why slower expansion of the cloud modell is expected in Europe than in the rest of the world. The efforts of the EU Committee in helping to spread the cloud model is also presented, as the EU's officers consider the model as an important element of competitiveness.

Características dos programas de residência médica em cardiologia do estado do Rio Grande do Norte

The present study had as goal to evaluate Rio Grande do Norte state’s medical residency programs (MRP) in Cardiology. It’s a descriptive study, including a documental analysis of the program’s accreditation processes (PAP) of cardiology’s medical residency in Rio Grande do Norte state in 2014 and the analysis of the resident’s perception about his professional education as a specialist in Cardiology. Beside the documental analysis of the PAPs, it was applied a semi-structured questionnaire with closed questions Likert style and open questions to all the current and former residents of the MRPs analyzed. Two MRPs in Cardiology were identified in Rio Grande do Norte state, one hosted in a public institution and the other in a private institution. The documental analysis showed a greater amount of preceptors with a good level of ownership on the public institution in comparison with the private one, as well as a bigger number of publications, participation in congresses and in book’s publications. The private institution presents a better Urgency’s infrastructure, with emergency room and cardiologic ICU. It IS clear that the residents are aware of how a good residency must work, as well as the strengths and fragilities of their own residences. Most of Onofre Lopes Universitary Hospital’s residents point out as a strength the organization, participation and quality of the preceptors, practice activities and scientific debates, great amount of patients and the visits and debates with the preceptors on the sickrooms. As the greatest fragilities, they emphasize the lack of a urgency service of their own and a specialized ICU. In Coração Hospital of Natal (HCor), it is listed as weak points the theoretic scheduling and the few ambulatory practices. As positive aspects, they report the preceptors, the agility on the execution of exams, a good number of serious patients and procedures. In both residences, it is seen a certain difficulty in accepting the important and mandatory items imposed by the rules of the Medical Residences’ National Committee, such as: biostatistics, bioethics, medical ethic, epidemiology and research methodology. Besides that, the residents recognize that both hospitals have a good infrastructure and technological support, especially in imaging methods. The evaluation of PRMCs identifies the strengths of each program and the aspects to be improved in both programs. It also allowed the observation of difficulties in accepting some regulations contained in the CNRM resolution by the resident, such as participation in activities such as biostatistics, epidemiology and research methodology as well as the improvement needs of specific technical training, such as in emergency care. Thus, our results make possible to develop strategies for continued improvement of PRMC in RN state. In addition, it enabled the preparation of the resident’s manual in cardiology, containing even a breakdown of resident evaluation system, which could serve as a model for other residency programs.

Increased hippocampal excitability and impaired spatial memory function in mice lacking VGLUT2 selectively in neurons defined by tyrosine hydroxylase promoter activity

Three populations of neurons expressing the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) were recently described in the A10 area of the mouse midbrain, of which two populations were shown to express the gene encoding, the rate-limiting enzyme for catecholamine synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH).One of these populations (‘‘TH– Vglut2 Class1’’) also expressed the dopamine transporter (DAT) gene while one did not ("TH–Vglut2 Class2"), and the remaining population did not express TH at all ("TH-Vglut2-only"). TH is known to be expressed by a promoter which shows two phases of activation, a transient one early during embryonal development, and a later one which gives rise to stable endogenous expression of the TH gene. The transient phase is, however, not specific to catecholaminergic neurons, a feature taken to advantage here as it enabled Vglut2 gene targeting within all three A10 populations expressing this gene, thus creating a new conditional knockout. These knockout mice showed impairment in spatial memory function. Electrophysiological analyses revealed a profound alteration of oscillatory activity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. In addition to identifying a novel role for Vglut2 in hippocampus function, this study points to the need for improved genetic tools for targeting of the diversity of subpopulations of the A10 area

Aspectos do gerenciamento de riscos de tecnologia da informação nas empresas: um estudo de caso múltiplos

The information technology - IT- benefits have been more perceived during the last decades. Both IT and business managers are dealing with subjects like governance, IT-Business alignment, information security and others on their top priorities. Talking about governance, specifically, managers are facing it with a technical approach, that gives emphasis on protection against invasions, antivirus systems, access controls and others technical issues. The IT risk management, commonly, is faced under this approach, that means, has its importance reduced and delegated to IT Departments. On the last two decades, a new IT risk management perspective raised, bringing an holistic view of IT risk to the organization. According to this new perspective, the strategies formulation process should take into account the IT risks. With the growing of IT dependence on most of organizations, the necessity of a better comprehension about the subject becomes more clear. This work shows a study in three public organizations of the Pernambuco State that investigates how those organizations manage their IT risks. Structured interviews were made with IT managers, and later, analyzed and compared with conceptual categories found in the literature. The results shows that the IT risks culture and IT governance are weakly understood and implemented on those organizations, where there are not such an IT risk methodology formally defined, neither executed. In addition, most of practices suggested in the literature were found, even without an alignment with an IT risks management process

Locus de controle e a efetividade empresarial em microempresários do estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Entrepreneurs are individuals who can transform economic and social realities by promoting development, so it became important tools in generating externalities in regions where they operate. In Brazil, 59.9% of new ventures do not reach the fourth year of life, the mortality rate of new ventures is high. The causes of mortality are numerous, and within the behavioral aspects, one is the locus of control. This study determines the degree of association between internal locus of control and achieving business success of entrepreneurs in Rio Grande do Norte who participated in the workshop EMPRETEC. The approach that studies the behavior entrepreneurs agreed that there are psychological characteristics associated with a set of values, attitudes and needs that determine the behavior and induce the entrepreneur to achieve success. Among these features is the locus of control, a skill that individuals must identify in their actions, or lack of them, the causes of their successes and failures. The locus is external when the individual attributes to factors outside themselves as causes of their results, and is built in when you can identify the actions that led to success. We surveyed 223 entrepreneurs statewide who answered the questionnaire for assessing the scale of locus of control, selfassessment questionnaire of entrepreneurial characteristics of EMPRETEC and a questionnaire assessing the business success. 71.9% were identified as having success. Among the behavioral characteristics strongest in the group of entrepreneurs are setting goals and commitment. Was found for locus of control mean value of 7.35, confidence interval between 7.05 and 7.66. Showing that the locus of control group is predominantly internal. We also found a correlation between the locus and commitment, between setting goals and commitment; calculated risks and information search; search of information and commitment, and between commitment and independence and self confidence. Dependence was not identified among the set of features and business success, determining the absence of an ideal profile. However, logistic regression significant association was found indicating that the smaller the individual's locus of control increased the likelihood of it achieving business success

Increased hippocampal excitability and impaired spatial memory function in mice lacking VGLUT2 selectively in neurons defined by tyrosine hydroxylase promoter activity

Three populations of neurons expressing the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) were recently described in the A10 area of the mouse midbrain, of which two populations were shown to express the gene encoding, the rate-limiting enzyme for catecholamine synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH).One of these populations (‘‘TH– Vglut2 Class1’’) also expressed the dopamine transporter (DAT) gene while one did not ("TH–Vglut2 Class2"), and the remaining population did not express TH at all ("TH-Vglut2-only"). TH is known to be expressed by a promoter which shows two phases of activation, a transient one early during embryonal development, and a later one which gives rise to stable endogenous expression of the TH gene. The transient phase is, however, not specific to catecholaminergic neurons, a feature taken to advantage here as it enabled Vglut2 gene targeting within all three A10 populations expressing this gene, thus creating a new conditional knockout. These knockout mice showed impairment in spatial memory function. Electrophysiological analyses revealed a profound alteration of oscillatory activity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. In addition to identifying a novel role for Vglut2 in hippocampus function, this study points to the need for improved genetic tools for targeting of the diversity of subpopulations of the A10 area

Aspectos do gerenciamento de riscos de tecnologia da informação nas empresas: um estudo de caso múltiplos

The information technology - IT- benefits have been more perceived during the last decades. Both IT and business managers are dealing with subjects like governance, IT-Business alignment, information security and others on their top priorities. Talking about governance, specifically, managers are facing it with a technical approach, that gives emphasis on protection against invasions, antivirus systems, access controls and others technical issues. The IT risk management, commonly, is faced under this approach, that means, has its importance reduced and delegated to IT Departments. On the last two decades, a new IT risk management perspective raised, bringing an holistic view of IT risk to the organization. According to this new perspective, the strategies formulation process should take into account the IT risks. With the growing of IT dependence on most of organizations, the necessity of a better comprehension about the subject becomes more clear. This work shows a study in three public organizations of the Pernambuco State that investigates how those organizations manage their IT risks. Structured interviews were made with IT managers, and later, analyzed and compared with conceptual categories found in the literature. The results shows that the IT risks culture and IT governance are weakly understood and implemented on those organizations, where there are not such an IT risk methodology formally defined, neither executed. In addition, most of practices suggested in the literature were found, even without an alignment with an IT risks management process

Locus de controle e a efetividade empresarial em microempresários do estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Entrepreneurs are individuals who can transform economic and social realities by promoting development, so it became important tools in generating externalities in regions where they operate. In Brazil, 59.9% of new ventures do not reach the fourth year of life, the mortality rate of new ventures is high. The causes of mortality are numerous, and within the behavioral aspects, one is the locus of control. This study determines the degree of association between internal locus of control and achieving business success of entrepreneurs in Rio Grande do Norte who participated in the workshop EMPRETEC. The approach that studies the behavior entrepreneurs agreed that there are psychological characteristics associated with a set of values, attitudes and needs that determine the behavior and induce the entrepreneur to achieve success. Among these features is the locus of control, a skill that individuals must identify in their actions, or lack of them, the causes of their successes and failures. The locus is external when the individual attributes to factors outside themselves as causes of their results, and is built in when you can identify the actions that led to success. We surveyed 223 entrepreneurs statewide who answered the questionnaire for assessing the scale of locus of control, selfassessment questionnaire of entrepreneurial characteristics of EMPRETEC and a questionnaire assessing the business success. 71.9% were identified as having success. Among the behavioral characteristics strongest in the group of entrepreneurs are setting goals and commitment. Was found for locus of control mean value of 7.35, confidence interval between 7.05 and 7.66. Showing that the locus of control group is predominantly internal. We also found a correlation between the locus and commitment, between setting goals and commitment; calculated risks and information search; search of information and commitment, and between commitment and independence and self confidence. Dependence was not identified among the set of features and business success, determining the absence of an ideal profile. However, logistic regression significant association was found indicating that the smaller the individual's locus of control increased the likelihood of it achieving business success

Just imaginary: delimiting social inclusion in higher education

This paper explores the notion of a 'just imaginary' for social inclusion in higher education. It responds to the current strategy of OECD nations to expand higher education and increase graduate numbers, as a way of securing a competitive advantage in the global knowledge economy. The Australian higher education system provides the case for analysis. Three dilemmas for social inclusion policy in this context are identified: questions of sustainability, aspiration and opportunity. The paper argues that while social inclusion policy has 'first-order' effects in higher education, a just imaginary is required for more inclusive 'second-order' effects to be realized. It concludes that transformation of the current imaginary will require a more robust theorization of relations between social inclusion and higher education, to give new and unifying meaning to existing practices and to generate new ones. Short of this, social inclusion may be little more than just imaginary.

The design philosophy of Edenic gardens: tracing ‘Paradise Myth’ in landscape architecture

This paper explores the Eden mythology in both western and eastern cultures, and its reflection on people’s perception and use of nature. It aims to examine how cultural ideologies and systems of beliefs in relation to Eden have affected landscape making and how landscape icons influenced other cultures subsequently. This study describes how narratives of Eden evolved and influenced landscape design by explaining the narratives of Paradise and Arcadia in eastern and western cultures as two distinct landscape narratives, with a brief history of their emergence and evolution. It discusses the ways in which landscape architecture reflects the prevailing attitudes towards nature in a society by studying the ancient world’s philosophies and ideologies as a starting-point for this investigation. The paper then focuses on the Persian paradise garden and explains the notion of iconography, as a visual explanation of an idea in landscape design. It projects the transformation of Persian paradise gardens’ icons and patterns in landscape architecture through historical and spatial explorations.

Automatic Counting of Microglial Cells in Healthy and Glaucomatous Mouse Retinas

Proliferation of microglial cells has been considered a sign of glial activation and a hallmark of ongoing neurodegenerative diseases. Microglia activation is analyzed in animal models of different eye diseases. Numerous retinal samples are required for each of these studies to obtain relevant data of statistical significance. Because manual quantification of microglial cells is time consuming, the aim of this study was develop an algorithm for automatic identification of retinal microglia. Two groups of adult male Swiss mice were used: age-matched controls (naïve, n = 6) and mice subjected to unilateral laser-induced ocular hypertension (lasered; n = 9). In the latter group, both hypertensive eyes and contralateral untreated retinas were analyzed. Retinal whole mounts were immunostained with anti Iba-1 for detecting microglial cell populations. A new algorithm was developed in MATLAB for microglial quantification; it enabled the quantification of microglial cells in the inner and outer plexiform layers and evaluates the area of the retina occupied by Iba-1+ microglia in the nerve fiber-ganglion cell layer. The automatic method was applied to a set of 6,000 images. To validate the algorithm, mouse retinas were evaluated both manually and computationally; the program correctly assessed the number of cells (Pearson correlation R = 0.94 and R = 0.98 for the inner and outer plexiform layers respectively). Statistically significant differences in glial cell number were found between naïve, lasered eyes and contralateral eyes (P<0.05, naïve versus contralateral eyes; P<0.001, naïve versus lasered eyes and contralateral versus lasered eyes). The algorithm developed is a reliable and fast tool that can evaluate the number of microglial cells in naïve mouse retinas and in retinas exhibiting proliferation. The implementation of this new automatic method can enable faster quantification of microglial cells in retinal pathologies.

A collaborative autoethnography study to inform the teaching of reflective practice in STEM

The paper explores a collaborative self-study, autoethnography research project, which aided in informing practice for the teaching of reflective practice in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at an Australian university. Self-report methods were used, because it enabled the collection of a variety of self-awareness data generated processes to help produce insights and understandings. This was achieved by undertaking a systematic approach to the exploration of a critical friendship between two academic support staff members alongside reflections from a recorded, focus group interview with nine STEM teachers. Four self-awareness data generated processes were used: (1) self-reflections; (2) collaborative reflections; (3) reflections on pertinent literature findings and (4) reflections from nine STEM teachers. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken, which resulted in the discovery of three turning points such as moments of understandings that challenge assumptions and/or lead to new insights. The findings indicated that a STEM-centric, scaffolded approach that utilised the scientific method for reflective practice enabled the development of a shared understanding around teaching and assessing reflective practice for STEM teachers. First, because it boosted self-confidence and second, because it reduced scepticism around reflective practice as a non-scientific form of learning.

Análisis de la relación entre la gestión del riesgo y la vulnerabilidad. Caso de estudio: Brisas del Volador, Ciudad Bolívar

Este estudio analiza la relación entre la gestión del riesgo y la vulnerabilidad en el barrio Brisas del Volador, ubicado en Ciudad Bolívar, Bogotá. Se explicó el cambio en el enfoque de estudio y manejo de los desastres a partir de la consolidación de términos relacionados a procesos sociales, como lo son la vulnerabilidad y el riesgo. Así mismo, se describieron los cambios que se han establecido en la forma de abordar el riesgo en Colombia, tanto a nivel nacional como distrital. La investigación reveló la forma como se ha generado la vulnerabilidad a partir de la intersección de distintos procesos en un asentamiento informal y como se materializan diferentes elementos para conformar la vulnerabilidad global. A partir de esto, se recopilaron las acciones implementadas en la zona de estudio desde la gestión del riesgo, se clasificaron en cada uno de los tres procesos: conocimiento, reducción o manejo del desastre y posteriormente se estudiaron. Con base en esto, se analizaron las medidas que tuvieron una incidencia en la reducción de la vulnerabilidad y los resultados que generaron.