Towards an inter-organisational knowledge transfer framework for SMEs

This paper aims to develop a framework for SMEs to help them understand, and thus to improve, the process of knowledge exchange with their customers or suppliers. Through a review of the literature on knowledge transfer, organisational learning, social network theory and electronic networks, the key actors, key factors and their relationships in the process are identified. Finally, a framework containing all above points is proposed.

Electronic Presentation of Bulgarian Educational Archives: an Ontology-Based Approach

The paper presents an ongoing effort aimed at building an electronic archive of documents issued by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education in the 40ies and 50ies of the 20th century. These funds are stored in the Archive of the Ministry of the People’s Education within the State Archival Fund of the General Department of Archives at the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria. Our basic concern is not the digitization process per se, but the subsequent organization of the archive in a clear and easily-searchable way which would allow various types of users to get access to the documents of interest to them. Here we present the variety of the documents which are stored in the archival collection, and suggestions on their electronic organization. We suggest using ontologies- based presentation of the archive. The basic benefit of this approach is the possibility to search the collection according to the stored content categories.

Impact of reduced complexity inverse Volterra series transfer function-based nonlinear equalizer in coherent OFDM systems for next-generation core networks

A modern electronic nonlinearity equalizer (NLE) based on inverse Volterra series transfer function (IVSTF) with reduced complexity is applied on coherent optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) signals for next-generation long- and ultra-long-haul applications. The OFDM inter-subcarrier crosstalk effects are explored thoroughly using the IVSTF-NLE and compared with the case of linear equalization (LE) for transmission distances of up to 7000 km. © 2013 IEEE.

Electroproduction of hyperons at low momentum transfer

A high resolution study of the H(e,e'K+)Λ,Σ0 reaction was performed at Hall A, TJNAF as part of the hypernuclear experiment E94-107. One important ingredient to the measurement of the hypernuclear cross section is the elementary cross section for production of hyperons, Λ and Σ0. This reaction was studied using a hydrogen (i.e. a proton) target. Data were taken at very low Q2 (∼0.07 (GeV/c)2) and W∼2.2 GeV. Kaons were detected along the direction of q, the momentum transferred by the incident electron (θCM~6°). In addition, there are few data available regarding electroproduction of hyperons at low Q2 and θCM, and the available theoretical models differ significantly in this kinematical region of W. The measurement of the elementary cross section was performed by scaling the Monte Carlo cross section (MCEEP) with the experimental-to-simulated yield ratio. The Monte Carlo cross section includes an experimental fit and extrapolation from the existing data for electroproduction of hyperons. Moreover, the estimated transverse component of the electroproduction cross section of H(e,e'K+)Λ was compared to the different predictions of the theoretical models and exisiting data curves for photoproductions of hyperons. None of the models fully describe the cross-section results over the entire angular range. Furthermore, measurements of the Σ0/Λ production ratio were performed at θCM, where data are not available. Finally, data for the measurements of the differential cross sections and the Σ0/Λ production were binned in Q2, W and θCM to understand the dependence on these variables. These results are not only a fundamental contribution to the hypernuclear spectroscopy studies but also an important experimental measurement to constrain existing theoretical models for the elementary reaction.

Numerical heat transfer analysis of carbon-based foams for use in thermal protection system

The applicability of carbon-based foams as an insulating or active cooling material in thermal protection systems (TPSs) of space vehicles is considered using a computer modeling. This study focuses on numerical investigation of the performance of carbon foams for use in TPSs of space vehicles. Two kinds of carbon foams are considered in this study. For active cooling, the carbon foam that has a thermal conductivity of 100 W/m-k is used and for the insulation, the carbon foam having a thermal conductivity of 0.225 W/m-k is used. A 3D geometry is employed to simulate coolant flow and heat transfer through carbon foam model. Gambit has been used to model the 3D geometry and the numerical simulation is carried out in FLUENT. Numerical results from this thesis suggests that the use of CFOAM and HTC carbon foams in TPS's may effectively protect the aluminum structure of the space shuttle during reentry of the space vehicle.

Lattice Boltzmann Method for Flow and Heat Transfer in Microgeometries

Recent technological developments have made it possible to design various microdevices where fluid flow and heat transfer are involved. For the proper design of such systems, the governing physics needs to be investigated. Due to the difficulty to study complex geometries in micro scales using experimental techniques, computational tools are developed to analyze and simulate flow and heat transfer in microgeometries. However, conventional numerical methods using the Navier-Stokes equations fail to predict some aspects of microflows such as nonlinear pressure distribution, increase mass flow rate, slip flow and temperature jump at the solid boundaries. This necessitates the development of new computational methods which depend on the kinetic theory that are both accurate and computationally efficient. In this study, lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) was used to investigate the flow and heat transfer in micro sized geometries. The LBM depends on the Boltzmann equation which is valid in the whole rarefaction regime that can be observed in micro flows. Results were obtained for isothermal channel flows at Knudsen numbers higher than 0.01 at different pressure ratios. LBM solutions for micro-Couette and micro-Poiseuille flow were found to be in good agreement with the analytical solutions valid in the slip flow regime (0.01 < Kn < 0.1) and direct simulation Monte Carlo solutions that are valid in the transition regime (0.1 < Kn < 10) for pressure distribution and velocity field. The isothermal LBM was further extended to simulate flows including heat transfer. The method was first validated for continuum channel flows with and without constrictions by comparing the thermal LBM results against accurate solutions obtained from analytical equations and finite element method. Finally, the capability of thermal LBM was improved by adding the effect of rarefaction and the method was used to analyze the behavior of gas flow in microchannels. The major finding of this research is that, the newly developed particle-based method described here can be used as an alternative numerical tool in order to study non-continuum effects observed in micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS).

Development of Innovative Load Transfer Mechanism to Reduce Hurricane-Induced Failures in New and Existing Residential Construction

Implicit in current design practice of minimum uplift capacity, is the assumption that the connection's capacity is proportional to the number of fasteners per connection joint. This assumption may overestimate the capacity of joints by a factor of two or more and maybe the cause of connection failures in extreme wind events. The current research serves to modify the current practice by proposing a realistic relationship between the number of fasteners and the capacity of the joint. The research is also aimed at further development of non-intrusive continuous load path (CLP) connection system using Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) and epoxy. Suitable designs were developed for stud to top plate and gable end connections and tests were performed to evaluate the ultimate load, creep and fatigue behavior. The objective was to determine the performance of the connections under simulated sustained hurricane conditions. The performance of the new connections was satisfactory.

Simulation and analysis of network traffic for efficient and reliable information transfer

With the growing commercial importance of the Internet and the development of new real-time, connection-oriented services like IP-telephony and electronic commerce resilience is becoming a key issue in the design of TP-based networks. Two emerging technologies, which can accomplish the task of efficient information transfer, are Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Differentiated Services. A main benefit of MPLS is the ability to introduce traffic-engineering concepts due to its connection-oriented characteristic. With MPLS it is possible to assign different paths for packets through the network. Differentiated services divides traffic into different classes and treat them differently, especially when there is a shortage of network resources. In this thesis, a framework was proposed to integrate the above two technologies and its performance in providing load balancing and improving QoS was evaluated. Simulation and analysis of this framework demonstrated that the combination of MPLS and Differentiated services is a powerful tool for QoS provisioning in IP networks.

Ground and Electronic Excited States from Pairing Matrix Fluctuation and Particle-Particle Random Phase Approximation

The accurate description of ground and electronic excited states is an important and challenging topic in quantum chemistry. The pairing matrix fluctuation, as a counterpart of the density fluctuation, is applied to this topic. From the pairing matrix fluctuation, the exact electron correlation energy as well as two electron addition/removal energies can be extracted. Therefore, both ground state and excited states energies can be obtained and they are in principle exact with a complete knowledge of the pairing matrix fluctuation. In practice, considering the exact pairing matrix fluctuation is unknown, we adopt its simple approximation --- the particle-particle random phase approximation (pp-RPA) --- for ground and excited states calculations. The algorithms for accelerating the pp-RPA calculation, including spin separation, spin adaptation, as well as an iterative Davidson method, are developed. For ground states correlation descriptions, the results obtained from pp-RPA are usually comparable to and can be more accurate than those from traditional particle-hole random phase approximation (ph-RPA). For excited states, the pp-RPA is able to describe double, Rydberg, and charge transfer excitations, which are challenging for conventional time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Although the pp-RPA intrinsically cannot describe those excitations excited from the orbitals below the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), its performances on those single excitations that can be captured are comparable to TDDFT. The pp-RPA for excitation calculation is further applied to challenging diradical problems and is used to unveil the nature of the ground and electronic excited states of higher acenes. The pp-RPA and the corresponding Tamm-Dancoff approximation (pp-TDA) are also applied to conical intersections, an important concept in nonadiabatic dynamics. Their good description of the double-cone feature of conical intersections is in sharp contrast to the failure of TDDFT. All in all, the pairing matrix fluctuation opens up new channel of thinking for quantum chemistry, and the pp-RPA is a promising method in describing ground and electronic excited states.

Transfert de connaissances et politiques publiques : le cas de la politique de gratuité des soins au Niger

Au Niger, le taux de mortalité maternelle est estimé à 535 décès pour 100 000 naissances vivantes (INS, 2013) et la probabilité pour un nouveau-né de mourir avant l’âge d’un mois est de 33 ‰. Depuis 2006, le Niger a mis en place une politique de gratuité des soins pour les femmes enceintes et les enfants de 0 à 5 ans, ce qui a contribué à une amélioration significative de la fréquentation des centres de santé. En mars 2012, un processus délibératif fut organisé pendant une conférence de trois jours pour échanger sur les acquis, limites et perspectives de cette nouvelle politique avec 160 participants dont des chercheurs, des humanitaires, des décideurs politiques et des intervenants sur le terrain. L’objectif de cette recherche est de comprendre les effets de cette conférence ainsi que d’explorer les activités du comité de suivi de la feuille de route. La recherche a été réalisée durant deux mois en été 2014 à Niamey et à N’guiguimi. Elle a reposé sur l’utilisation du cadre conceptuel de Boyko et al., (2012) qui permet de décrire les principales caractéristiques et les effets attendus des dialogues délibératifs et comprendre comment les dialogues délibératifs peuvent contribuer à l’élaboration de politiques sur la base de données probantes. Nous avons mis un accent particulier sur les trois formes d’utilisation des connaissances présentées par Dagenais et al., (2013) : instrumentale, conceptuelle et persuasive. Des entretiens semi-directifs ont été effectués avec 22 acteurs impliqués dans la mise en oeuvre des recommandations. Ils ont été enregistrés, retranscrits intégralement et traités avec le logiciel QDA Miner. Les résultats de l’analyse des discours recueillis révèlent une utilisation instrumentale des recommandations et plus visible chez les humanitaires que les décideurs et les acteurs de la société civile. Il ressort aussi de cette analyse une utilisation conceptuelle et persuasive des recommandations à un degré plus faible parmi tous les acteurs. Le comité de suivi de la feuille route de la conférence n’a pratiquement pas fonctionné, par conséquent, le processus n’a pas eu l’impact souhaité. Les principales raisons de cet échec sont liées au contexte de mise en oeuvre des recommandations (arrestation de plusieurs agents du ministère de la Santé publique qui sont des membres clés du comité de suivi à cause du détournement des fonds GAVI, manque de volonté technique et politique) et/ou aux conditions financières (absence de primes pour les membres du comité et de budget de fonctionnement.). Les iv résultats obtenus ont permis de comprendre les énormes défis (contextuels, financiers notamment) qui restent à relever en matière de transfert de connaissance dans le secteur de santé publique au Niger. En ce qui concerne la suite de la conférence, il faudrait accélérer la redynamisation du comité de suivi en le dotant d’un fonds de fonctionnement et en créant une agence autonome de gestion de la gratuité des soins; et renforcer le soutien politique autour de l’Initiative Santé Solidarité Sahel.

Numerical Investigation on the Heat Transfer Enhancement Using Micro/Nano Phase-Change Particulate Flow

The introduction of phase change material fluid and nanofluid in micro-channel heat sink design can significantly increase the cooling capacity of the heat sink because of the unique features of these two kinds of fluids. To better assist the design of a high performance micro-channel heat sink using phase change fluid and nanofluid, the heat transfer enhancement mechanism behind the flow with such fluids must be completely understood. A detailed parametric study is conducted to further investigate the heat transfer enhancement of the phase change material particle suspension flow, by using the two-phase non-thermal-equilibrium model developed by Hao and Tao (2004). The parametric study is conducted under normal conditions with Reynolds numbers of Re=600-900 and phase change material particle concentrations ¡Ü0.25 , as well as extreme conditions of very low Reynolds numbers (Re < 50) and high phase change material particle concentration (0.5-0.7) slurry flow. By using the two newly-defined parameters, named effectiveness factor and performance index, respectively, it is found that there exists an optimal relation between the channel design parameters, particle volume fraction, Reynolds number, and the wall heat flux. The influence of the particle volume fraction, particle size, and the particle viscosity, to the phase change material suspension flow, are investigated and discussed. The model was validated by available experimental data. The conclusions will assist designers in making their decisions that relate to the design or selection of a micro-pump suitable for micro or mini scale heat transfer devices. To understand the heat transfer enhancement mechanism of the nanofluid flow from the particle level, the lattice Boltzmann method is used because of its mesoscopic feature and its many numerical advantages. By using a two-component lattice Boltzmann model, the heat transfer enhancement of the nanofluid is analyzed, through incorporating the different forces acting on the nanoparticles to the two-component lattice Boltzmann model. It is found that the nanofluid has better heat transfer enhancement at low Reynolds numbers, and the Brownian motion effect of the nanoparticles will be weakened by the increase of flow speed.

Comparing Remote Data Transfer Rates of Compact Muon Solenoid Jobs with Xrootd and Lustre

To explore the feasibility of processing Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) analysis jobs across the wide area network, the FIU CMS Tier-3 center and the Florida CMS Tier-2 center designed a remote data access strategy. A Kerberized Lustre test bed was installed at the Tier-2 with the design to provide storage resources to private-facing worker nodes at the Tier-3. However, the Kerberos security layer is not capable of authenticating resources behind a private network. As a remedy, an xrootd server on a public-facing node at the Tier-3 was installed to export the file system to the private-facing worker nodes. We report the performance of CMS analysis jobs processed by the Tier-3 worker nodes accessing data from a Kerberized Lustre file. The processing performance of this configuration is benchmarked against a direct connection to the Lustre file system, and separately, where the xrootd server is near the Lustre file system.

Ultrafast charge-transfer in organic photovoltaic interfaces: geometrical and functionalization effects

Understanding the microscopic mechanisms of electronic excitation in organic photovoltaic cells is a challenging problem in the design of efficient devices capable of performing sunlight harvesting. Here we develop and apply an ab initio approach based on time-dependent density functional theory and Ehrenfest dynamics to investigate photoinduced charge transfer in small organic molecules. Our calculations include mixed quantum–classical dynamics with ions moving classically and electrons quantum mechanically, where no experimental external parameter other than the material geometry is required. We show that the behavior of photocarriers in zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and C60 systems, an effective prototype system for organic solar cells, is sensitive to the atomic orientation of the donor and the acceptor units as well as the functionalization of covalent molecules at the interface. In particular, configurations with the ZnPc molecules facing on C60 facilitate charge transfer between substrate and molecules that occurs within 200 fs. In contrast, configurations where ZnPc is tilted above C60 present extremely low carrier injection efficiency even at longer times as an effect of the larger interfacial potential level offset and higher energetic barrier between the donor and acceptor molecules. An enhancement of charge injection into C60 at shorter times is observed as binding groups connect ZnPc and C60 in a dyad system. Our results demonstrate a promising way of designing and controlling photoinduced charge transfer on the atomic level in organic devices that would lead to efficient carrier separation and maximize device performance.

The role of metalinguistic awareness and of L2 proficiency in positive lexical transfer from English (L2) to German (L3) by French-speaking Quebeckers

Il a été avancé que des apprenants expérimentés développeraient des niveaux élevés de conscience métalinguistique (MLA), ce qui leur faciliterait l’apprentissage de langues subséquentes (p.ex., Singleton & Aronin, 2007). De plus, des chercheurs dans le domaine de l’acquisition des langues tierces insistent sur les influences positives qu’exercent les langues précédemment apprises sur l’apprentissage formel d’une langue étrangère (p.ex., Cenoz & Gorter, 2015), et proposent de délaisser le regard traditionnel qui mettait l’accent sur l’interférence à l’origine des erreurs des apprenants pour opter pour une vision plus large et positive de l’interaction entre les langues. Il a été démontré que la similarité typologique ainsi que la compétence dans la langue source influence tous les types de transfert (p.ex., Ringbom, 1987, 2007). Cependant, le défi méthodologique de déterminer, à la fois l’usage pertinent d’une langue cible en tant que résultat d’une influence translinguistique (p.ex., Falk & Bardel, 2010) et d’établir le rôle crucial de la MLA dans l’activation consciente de mots ou de constructions reliés à travers différentes langues, demeure. La présente étude avait pour but de relever ce double défi en faisant appel à des protocoles oraux (TAPs) pour examiner le transfert positif de l’anglais (L2) vers l’allemand (L3) chez des Québécois francophones après cinq semaines d’enseignement formel de la L3. Les participants ont été soumis à une tâche de traduction développée aux fins de la présente étude. Les 42 items ont été sélectionnés sur la base de jugements de similarité et d’imagibilité ainsi que de fréquence des mots provenant d’une étude de cognats allemands-anglais (Friel & Kennison, 2001). Les participants devaient réfléchir à voix haute pendant qu’ils traduisaient des mots inconnus de l’allemand (L3) vers le français (L1). Le transfert positif a été opérationnalisé par des traductions correctes qui étaient basées sur un cognat anglais. La MLA a été mesurée par le biais du THAM (Test d’habiletés métalinguistiques) (Pinto & El Euch, 2015) ainsi que par l’analyse des TAPs. Les niveaux de compétence en anglais ont été établis sur la base du Michigan Test (Corrigan et al., 1979), tandis que les niveaux d’exposition ainsi que l’intérêt envers la langue et la culture allemandes ont été mesurés à l’aide d’un questionnaire. Une analyse fine des TAPs a révélé de la variabilité inter- et intra-individuelle dans l’activation consciente du vocabulaire en L2, tout en permettant l’identification de niveaux distincts de prise de conscience. Deux modèles indépendants de régressions logistiques ont permis d’identifier les deux dimensions de MLA comme prédicteurs de transfert positif. Le premier modèle, dans lequel le THAM était la mesure exclusive de MLA, a déterminé cette dimension réflexive comme principal prédicteur, suivie de la compétence en anglais, tandis qu’aucune des autres variables indépendantes pouvait prédire le transfert positif de l’anglais. Dans le second modèle, incluant le THAM ainsi que les TAPs comme mesures complémentaires de MLA, la dimension appliquée de MLA, telle que mesurée par les TAPs, était de loin le prédicteur principal, suivie de la dimension réflexive, telle que mesurée par le THAM, tandis que la compétence en anglais ne figurait plus parmi les facteurs ayant une influence significative sur la variable réponse. Bien que la verbalisation puisse avoir influencé la performance dans une certaine mesure, nos observations mettent en évidence la contribution précieuse de données introspectives comme complément aux résultats basés sur des caractéristiques purement linguistiques du transfert. Nos analyses soulignent la complexité des processus métalinguistiques et des stratégies individuelles, ce qui reflète une perspective dynamique du multilinguisme (p.ex., Jessner, 2008).

Electronic Publishing -- a Journal and its Production

The use of the term "Electronic Publishing" transcends any notions of the paperless office and of a purely electronic transfer and dissemination of information over networks. It now encompasses all computer-assisted methods for the production of documents and includes the imaging of a document on paper as one of the options to be provided by an integrated processing scheme. Electronic publishing draws heavily on techniques from computer science and information technology but technical, legal, financial and organisational problems have to be overcome before it can replace traditional publication mechanisms. These problems are illustrated with reference to the publication arrangements for the journal `Electronic Publishing Origination, Dissemination and Design'. The authors of this paper are the co-editors of this journal, which appears in traditional form and relies on a wide variety of support from electronic technologies in the pre-publication phase.