Knowledge and perception of Ghanaian cocoa farmers on mirid control and their willingness to use forecasting systems

Annual losses of cocoa in Ghana to mirids are significant. Therefore, accurate timing of insecticide application is critical to enhance yields. However, cocoa farmers often lack information on the expected mirid population for each season to enable them to optimise pesticide use. This study assessed farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of mirid control and their willingness to use forecasting systems informing them of expected mirid peaks and time of application of pesticides. A total of 280 farmers were interviewed in the Eastern and Ashanti regions of Ghana with a structured open and closed ended questionnaire. Most farmers (87%) considered mirids as the most important insect pest on cocoa with 47% of them attributing 30-40% annual crop loss to mirid damage. There was wide variation in the timing of insecticide application as a result of farmers using different sources of information to guide the start of application. The majority of farmers (56%) do not have access to information on the type, frequency and timing of insecticides to use. However, respondents who are members of farmer groups had better access to such information. Extension officers were the preferred channel for information transfer to farmers with 72% of farmers preferring them to other available methods of communication. Almost all the respondents (99%) saw the need for a comprehensive forecasting system to help farmers manage cocoa mirids. The importance of accurate timing for mirid control based on forecasted information to farmer groups and extension officers was discussed.

Using locally available components and local knowledge to build sustainable stand-alone power systems

The aim of this paper is to point out benefits as well as disadvantages associated with the use of locally available, not necessarily standardized, components in stand-alone electrical power systems at rural locations. Advantages and challenges arising when the direct involvement in design, construction and maintenance of the power system is reserved to people based in the area of implementation are discussed. The presented research is centered around one particular PV-diesel hybrid system in Tanzania; a case study in which technical and social aspects related to the particular power system are studied.

Does absorptive capacity affect project performance? A study based on project management practices, organization learning, and knowledge

The literature has emphasized that absorptive capacity (AC) leads to performance, but in projects its influences still unclear. Additionally, the project success is not well understood by the literature, and AC can be an important mechanism to explain it. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of absorptive capacity on project performance in the construction industry of São Paulo State. We study this influence through potential and realized absorptive capacity proposed by Zahra and George (2002). For achieving this goal, we use a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative research is based on 15 interviews with project managers in different sectors to understand the main constructs and support the next quantitative phase. The content analysis was the technique used to analyze those interviews. In quantitative phase through a survey questionnaire, we collected 157 responses in the construction sector with project managers. The confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical linear regression were the techniques used to assess the data. Our findings suggest that the realized absorptive capacity has a positive influence on performance, but potential absorptive capacity and the interactions effect have no influence on performance. Moreover, the planning and monitoring have a positive impact on budget and schedule, and customer satisfaction while risk coping capacity has a positive impact on business success. In academics terms, this research enables a better understanding of the importance of absorptive capacity in the construction industry and it confirms that knowledge application in processes and routines enhances performance. For management, the absorptive capacity enables the improvements of internal capabilities reflected in the increased project management efficiency. Indeed, when a company manages project practices efficiently it enhances business and project performance; however, it needs initially to improve its internal abilities to enrich processes and routines through relevant knowledge.

Mapping the knowledge covered by library classification systems

This study explores, in 3 steps, how the 3 main library classification systems, the Library of Congress Classification, the Dewey Decimal Classification, and the Universal Decimal Classification, cover human knowledge. First, we mapped the knowledge covered by the 3 systems. We used the 10 Pillars of Knowledge: Map of Human Knowledge, which comprises 10 pillars, as an evaluative model. We mapped all the subject-based classes and subclasses that are part of the first 2 levels of the 3 hierarchical structures. Then, we zoomed into each of the 10 pillars and analyzed how the three systems cover the 10 knowledge domains. Finally, we focused on the 3 library systems. Based on the way each one of them covers the 10 knowledge domains, it is evident that they failed to adequately and systematically present contemporary human knowledge. They are unsystematic and biased, and, at the top 2 levels of the hierarchical structures, they are incomplete.

The Approach To The Administrative Mapping In Knowledge Management For Portugal Libraries

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 as Museums, Archives and Libraries, understands and concerns itself with the changes wrought in these endeavour of the knowledge society as new forms of communication and integration. They interact in ways such as to maximize access to information and facilitate improvement on their structural environment. The research aims at identifies the requirements and specifications of an information system for knowledge management in the public's library enviromnent and proposes to achieve a pre-defined structure for the implementation of administration management. The research is conducted with public's library of the metropolian region of the North's Portugal. In the improvement of systems theoretical administrative trends become management decisions and result in the ultimate success of the organization.

Organization of Repeated DNA Elements in the Genome of the Cichlid Fish Cichla kelberi and Its Contributions to the Knowledge of Fish Genomes

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Radon and progeny (Pb-214 and Bi-214) in urban water-supply systems of São Paulo State, Brazil

Many water-supply systems in South America utilize the waters of the Guarani aquifer at least as part of their networks. However, there is little present knowledge in Brazil of the factors affecting Rn presence in the water supplied for end-users, despite the economic importance of Guarani aquifer. Rn-222 analyzes of 162 water samples were performed at 8 municipalities in São Paulo State, Brazil, with the aim of investigating the major factors affecting its presence in solution. The Rn-222 activity concentration ranged from 0.04 up to 204.9 Bq/L, with three samples exceeding the World Health Organization maximum limit of 100Bq/L. Aeration was confirmed as the most important factor for Rn release, as expected due to its gaseous nature. Accumulation in pipes and stratification in the water column were other significant factors explaining the data obtained in some circumstances. The Rn daughters Ph-214 and Bi-214 were also determined in a set of selected samples and their presence was directly related to the occurrence of Rn dissolved in water. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sistemas de organización administrativa para el desarrollo integrado de cuencas hidráulicas = Systems of administrative organization for the integrated development of river basins

Incluye Bibliografía

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.

Intelligence systems methodology: a systemic approach to the organizational intelligence function

Organizational intelligence can be seen as a function of the viable structure of an organization. With the integration of the Viable System Model and Soft Systems Methodology (systemic approaches of organizational management) focused on the role of the intelligence function, it is possible to elaborate a model of action with a structured methodology to prospect, select, treat and distribute information to the entire organization that improves the efficacy and efficiency of all processes. This combination of methodologies is called Intelligence Systems Methodology (ISM) whose assumptions and dynamics are delimited in this paper. The ISM is composed of two simultaneous activities: the Active Environmental Mapping and the Stimulated Action Cycle. The elaboration of the formal ISM description opens opportunities for applications of the methodology on real situations, offering a new path for this specific issue of systems thinking: the intelligence systems. Knowledge Management Research & Practice (2012) 10, 141-152. doi:10.1057/kmrp.2011.44

Knowledge management in intelligent tutoring systems

In the last years, Intelligent Tutoring Systems have been a very successful way for improving learning experience. Many issues must be addressed until this technology can be defined mature. One of the main problems within the Intelligent Tutoring Systems is the process of contents authoring: knowledge acquisition and manipulation processes are difficult tasks because they require a specialised skills on computer programming and knowledge engineering. In this thesis we discuss a general framework for knowledge management in an Intelligent Tutoring System and propose a mechanism based on first order data mining to partially automate the process of knowledge acquisition that have to be used in the ITS during the tutoring process. Such a mechanism can be applied in Constraint Based Tutor and in the Pseudo-Cognitive Tutor. We design and implement a part of the proposed architecture, mainly the module of knowledge acquisition from examples based on first order data mining. We then show that the algorithm can be applied at least two different domains: first order algebra equation and some topics of C programming language. Finally we discuss the limitation of current approach and the possible improvements of the whole framework.

Self-Organizing Mechanisms for Task Allocation in a Knowledge-Based Economy

A prevalent claim is that we are in knowledge economy. When we talk about knowledge economy, we generally mean the concept of “Knowledge-based economy” indicating the use of knowledge and technologies to produce economic benefits. Hence knowledge is both tool and raw material (people’s skill) for producing some kind of product or service. In this kind of environment economic organization is undergoing several changes. For example authority relations are less important, legal and ownership-based definitions of the boundaries of the firm are becoming irrelevant and there are only few constraints on the set of coordination mechanisms. Hence what characterises a knowledge economy is the growing importance of human capital in productive processes (Foss, 2005) and the increasing knowledge intensity of jobs (Hodgson, 1999). Economic processes are also highly intertwined with social processes: they are likely to be informal and reciprocal rather than formal and negotiated. Another important point is also the problem of the division of labor: as economic activity becomes mainly intellectual and requires the integration of specific and idiosyncratic skills, the task of dividing the job and assigning it to the most appropriate individuals becomes arduous, a “supervisory problem” (Hogdson, 1999) emerges and traditional hierarchical control may result increasingly ineffective. Not only specificity of know how makes it awkward to monitor the execution of tasks, more importantly, top-down integration of skills may be difficult because ‘the nominal supervisors will not know the best way of doing the job – or even the precise purpose of the specialist job itself – and the worker will know better’ (Hogdson,1999). We, therefore, expect that the organization of the economic activity of specialists should be, at least partially, self-organized. The aim of this thesis is to bridge studies from computer science and in particular from Peer-to-Peer Networks (P2P) to organization theories. We think that the P2P paradigm well fits with organization problems related to all those situation in which a central authority is not possible. We believe that P2P Networks show a number of characteristics similar to firms working in a knowledge-based economy and hence that the methodology used for studying P2P Networks can be applied to organization studies. Three are the main characteristics we think P2P have in common with firms involved in knowledge economy: - Decentralization: in a pure P2P system every peer is an equal participant, there is no central authority governing the actions of the single peers; - Cost of ownership: P2P computing implies shared ownership reducing the cost of owing the systems and the content, and the cost of maintaining them; - Self-Organization: it refers to the process in a system leading to the emergence of global order within the system without the presence of another system dictating this order. These characteristics are present also in the kind of firm that we try to address and that’ why we have shifted the techniques we adopted for studies in computer science (Marcozzi et al., 2005; Hales et al., 2007 [39]) to management science.

Three essays in industrial organization

This dissertation comprises three essays on the topic of industrial organization. The first essay considers how different intellectual property systems can affect the incentives to invest in R&D when innovation is cumulative. I introduce a distinction between plain and sophisticated technological knowledge, which plays a crucial role in determining how different appropriability rules affect the incentives to innovate. I argue that the positive effect of weak intellectual property regimes on the sharing of intermediate technological knowledge vanishes when technological knowledge is sophisticated, as is likely to be the case in many high tech industries. The second essay analyzes a two-sided market for news where advertisers may pay a media outlet to conceal negative information on the quality of their own product (paying positive to avoid negative) and/or to disclose negative information on the quality of their competitors products (paying positive to go negative). It is shown that whether advertisers have negative consequences on the accuracy of media reports or not, ultimately depends on the extent of correlation among advertisers products. The third essay considers the role of social learning in the diffusion of a new technology. A population of agents can choose between two risky technologies: an old one for which they know the expected outcome, and a new one for which they have only a prior. Different environments are confronted. In the benchmark case agents are isolated and can perform costly experiments to infer the quality of the new technology. In the other cases agents are settled in a network and can observe the outcomes of neighbors. We observe that in expectations the quality of the new technology may be overestimated when there is a network spread of information.

Structure, organization and dynamics of functional supramolecular materials studied by solid-state NMR

Functional materials have great importance due to their many important applications. The characterization of supramolecular architectures which are held together by non-covalent interactions is of most importance to understand their properties. Solid-state NMR methods have recently been proven to be able to unravel such structure-property relations with the help of fast magic-angle spinning and advanced pulse sequences. The aim of the current work is to understand the structure and dynamics of functional supramolecular materials which are potentially important for fuel-cell (proton conducting membrane materials) and solar-cell or plastic-electronic applications (photo-reactive aromatic materials). In particular, hydrogen-bonding networks, local proton mobility, molecular packing arrangements, and local dynamics will be studied by the use of advanced solid-state NMR methods. The first class of materials studied in this work is proton conducting polymers which also form hydrogen-bonding network. Different materials, which are prepared for high 1H conduction by different approaches are studied: PAA-P4VP, PVPA-ABPBI, Tz5Si, and Triazole-functional systems. The materials are examples of the following major groups; - Homopolymers with specific functional groups (Triazole functional polysiloxanes). - Acid-base polymer blends approach (PAA-P4VP, PVPA-ABPBI). - Acid-base copolymer approach (Triazole-PVPA). - Acid doped polymers (Triazole functional polymer doped with H3PO4). Perylenebisimide (PBI) derivatives, a second type of important functional supramolecular materials with potent applications in plastic electronics, were also investigated by means of solid-state NMR. The preparation of conducting nanoscopic fibers based on the self-assembling functional units is an appealing aim as they may be incorporated in molecular electronic devices. In this category, perylene derivatives have attracted great attention due to their high charge carrier mobility. A detailed knowledge about their supramolecular structure and molecular dynamics is crucial for the understanding of their electronic properties. The aim is to understand the structure, dynamics and packing arrangements which lead to high electron conductivity in PBI derivatives.