Workflow data exchange semantics, object discovery & integration architecture for cross media production & distribution

There has been a clear lack of common data exchange semantics for inter-organisational workflow management systems where the research has mainly focused on technical issues rather than language constructs. This paper presents the neutral data exchanges semantics required for the workflow integration within the AXAEDIS framework and presents the mechanism for object discovery from the object repository where little or no knowledge about the object is available. The paper also presents workflow independent integration architecture with the AXAEDIS Framework.

On producing and sharing knowledge across boundaries: experiences from the interfaces of an international development research network

The number of large research networks and programmes engaging in knowledge production for development has grown over the past years. One of these programmes devoted to generating knowledge about and for development is National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North–South, a cross-disciplinary, international development research network funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Swiss National Science Foundation. Producing relevant knowledge for development is a core goal of the programme and an important motivation for many of the participating researchers. Over the years, the researchers have made use of various spaces for exchange and instruments for co-production of knowledge by academic and non-academic development actors. In this article we explore the characteristics of co-producing and sharing knowledge in interfaces between development research, policy and NCCR North–South practice. We draw on empirical material of the NCCR North–South programme and its specific programme element of the Partnership Actions. Our goal is to make use of the concept of the interface to reflect critically about the pursued strategies and instruments applied in producing and sharing knowledge for development across boundaries.

Building up and sharing knowledge for better decision making on soil and water conservation in a changing mountain environment - the WOCAT experience

For successful implementation of any soil and water conservation (SWC) or sustainable land management practice, it is essential to have a proper understanding of the natural and human environment in which these practices are applied. This understanding should be based on comprehensive information concerning the application of the technologies and not solely on the technological details. The World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) is documenting and evaluating SWC practices worldwide, following a standardised methodology that facilitates exchange and comparison of experiences. Notwithstanding this standardisation, WOCAT allows flexible use of its outputs, adapted to different users and different environments. WOCAT offers a valuable tool for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of SWC practices and their potential for application in other areas. Besides collecting a wealth of information, gaps in available information are also exposed, showing the need for more research in those fields. Several key issues for development- oriented research have been identified and are being addressed in collaboration with a research programme for mitigating syndromes of global change.

Enabling knowledge creation through outsiders: towards a push model of open innovation

Open innovation is increasingly being adopted in business and describes a situation in which firms exchange ideas and knowledge with external participants, such as customers, suppliers, partner firms, and universities. This article extends the concept of open innovation with a push model of open innovation: knowledge is voluntarily created outside a firm by individuals and organisations who proceed to push knowledge into a firm’s open innovation project. For empirical analysis, we examine source code and newsgroup data on the Eclipse Development Platform. We find that outsiders invest as much in the firm’s project as the founding firm itself. Based on the insights from Eclipse, we develop four propositions: ‘preemptive generosity’ of a firm, ‘continuous commitment’, ‘adaptive governance structure’, and ‘low entry barrier’ are contexts that enable the push model of open innovation.

Bicarbonate uptake via an anion exchange protein is the main mechanism of inorganic carbon acquisition by the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) under variable pH

Macrocystis pyrifera is a widely distributed, highly productive, seaweed. It is known to use bicarbonate (HCO3-) from seawater in photosynthesis and the main mechanism of utilization is attributed to the external catalyzed dehydration of HCO3- by the surface-bound enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CAext). Here, we examined other putative HCO3- uptake mechanisms in M. pyrifera under pHT 9.00 (HCO3-: CO2 = 940:1) and pHT 7.65 (HCO3-: CO2 = 51:1). Rates of photosynthesis, and internal CA (CAint) and CAext activity were measured following the application of AZ which inhibits CAext, and DIDS which inhibits a different HCO3- uptake system, via an anion exchange (AE) protein. We found that the main mechanism of HCO3- uptake by M. pyrifera is via an AE protein, regardless of the HCO3-: CO2 ratio, with CAext making little contribution. Inhibiting the AE protein led to a 55%-65% decrease in photosynthetic rates. Inhibiting both the AE protein and CAext at pHT 9.00 led to 80%-100% inhibition of photosynthesis, whereas at pHT 7.65, passive CO2 diffusion supported 33% of photosynthesis. CAint was active at pHT 7.65 and 9.00, and activity was always higher than CAext, because of its role in dehydrating HCO3- to supply CO2 to RuBisCO. Interestingly, the main mechanism of HCO3- uptake in M. pyrifera was different than that in other Laminariales studied (CAext-catalyzed reaction) and we suggest that species-specific knowledge of carbon uptake mechanisms is required in order to elucidate how seaweeds might respond to future changes in HCO3-:CO2 due to ocean acidification.

A personal data framework for exchanging knowledge about users in new financial services

Personal data is a key asset for many companies, since this is the essence in providing personalized services. Not all companies, and specifically new entrants to the markets, have the opportunity to access the data they need to run their business. In this paper, we describe a comprehensive personal data framework that allows service providers to share and exchange personal data and knowledge about users, while facilitating users to decide who can access which data and why. We analyze the challenges related to personal data collection, integration, retrieval, and identity and privacy management, and present the framework architecture that addresses them. We also include the validation of the framework in a banking scenario, where social and financial data is collected and properly combined to generate new socio-economic knowledge about users that is then used by a personal lending service.

Efficient exchange of the primary quinone acceptor QA in isolated reaction centers of Rhodopseudomonas viridis

A key step in the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy by photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) occurs at the level of the two quinones, QA and QB, where electron transfer couples to proton transfer. A great deal of our understanding of the mechanisms of these coupled reactions relies on the seminal work of Okamura et al. [Okamura, M. Y., Isaacson, R. A., & Feher, G. (1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 3491–3495], who were able to extract with detergents the firmly bound ubiquinone QA from the RC of Rhodobacter sphaeroides and reconstitute the site with extraneous quinones. Up to now a comparable protocol was lacking for the RC of Rhodopseudomonas viridis despite the fact that its QA site, which contains 2-methyl-3-nonaprenyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menaquinone-9), has provided the best x-ray structure available. Fourier transform infrared difference spectroscopy, together with the use of isotopically labeled quinones, can probe the interaction of QA with the RC protein. We establish that a simple incubation procedure of isolated RCs of Rp. viridis with an excess of extraneous quinone allows the menaquinone-9 in the QA site to be almost quantitatively replaced either by vitamin K1, a close analogue of menaquinone-9, or by ubiquinone. To our knowledge, this is the first report of quinone exchange in bacterial photosynthesis. The Fourier transform infrared data on the quinone and semiquinone vibrations show a close similarity in the bonding interactions of vitamin K1 with the protein at the QA site of Rp. viridis and Rb. sphaeroides, whereas for ubiquinone these interactions are significantly different. The results are interpreted in terms of slightly inequivalent quinone–protein interactions by comparison with the crystallographic data available for the QA site of the two RCs.

Evolution of a quadripartite hybrid virus by interspecific exchange and recombination between replicase components of two related tripartite RNA viruses

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and tomato aspermy virus (TAV) belong to the Cucumovirus genus. They have a tripartite genome consisting of single-stranded RNAs, designated 1, 2, and 3. Previous studies have shown that viable pseudorecombinants could be created in vitro by reciprocal exchanges between CMV and TAV RNA 3, but exchanges of RNAs 1 and 2 were replication deficient. When we coinoculated CMV RNAs 2 and 3 along with TAV RNAs 1 and 2 onto Nicotiana benthamiana, a hybrid quadripartite virus appeared that consisted of TAV RNA 1, CMV RNAs 2 and 3, and a distinctive chimeric RNA originating from a recombination between CMV RNA 2 and the 3′-terminal 320 nucleotides of TAV RNA 2. This hybrid arose by means of segment reassortment and RNA recombination to produce an interspecific hybrid with the TAV helicase subunit and the CMV polymerase subunit. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the evolution of a new plant or animal virus strain containing an interspecific hybrid replicase complex.

The urease locus of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its utilization for the demonstration of allelic exchange in Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin.

The ureABC genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were cloned. By using a set of degenerate primers corresponding to a conserved region of the urease enzyme (EC 3.5.1.5), a fragment of the expected size was amplified by PCR and was used to screen a M. tuberculosis cosmid library. Three open reading frames with extensive similarity to the urease genes from other organisms were found. The locus was mapped on the chromosome, using an ordered M. tuberculosis cosmid library. A suicide vector containing a ureC gene disrupted by a kanamycin marker (aph) was used to construct a urease-negative Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin mutant by allelic exchange involving replacement of the ureC gene with the aph::ureC construct. To our knowledge, allelic exchange has not been reported previously in the slow-growing mycobacteria. Homologous recombination will be an invaluable genetic tool for deciphering the mechanisms of tuberculosis pathogenesis, a disease that causes 3 x 10(6) deaths a year worldwide.

Library of universal knowledge.

Mode of access: Internet.

Library of universal knowledge.

Mode of access: Internet.

Differences in sharing knowledge interpersonally and via databases: The role of evaluation apprehension and perceived benefits

Knowledge sharing is an essential component of effective knowledge management. However, evaluation apprehension, or the fear that your work may be critiqued, can inhibit knowledge sharing. Using the general framework of social exchange theory, we examined the effects of evaluation apprehension and perceived benefit of knowledge sharing ( such as enhanced reputation) on employees' knowledge sharing intentions in two contexts: interpersonal (i.e., by direct contact between two employees) and database (i.e., via repositories). Evaluation apprehension was negatively associated with knowledge sharing intentions in both contexts while perceived bene. it was only positively associated with knowledge sharing intentions in the database context. Moreover, compared to the interpersonal context, evaluation apprehension was higher and knowledge sharing lower in the database context. Finally, the negative effects of evaluation apprehension upon knowledge sharing intentions were worse when perceived benefits were low compared to when perceived benefits were high.

The sensitivity of US banks' stock returns to interest and exchange rate changes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of foreign exchange and interest rate changes on US banks’ stock returns. Design/methodology/approach – The approach employs an EGARCH model to account for the ARCH effects in daily returns. Most prior studies have used standard OLS estimation methods with the result that the presence of ARCH effects would have affected estimation efficiency. For comparative purposes, the standard OLS estimation method is also used to measure sensitivity. Findings – The findings are as follows: under the conditional t-distributional assumption, the EGARCH model generated a much better fit to the data although the goodness-of-fit of the model is not entirely satisfactory; the market index return accounts for most of the variation in stock returns at both the individual bank and portfolio levels; and the degree of sensitivity of the stock returns to interest rate and FX rate changes is not very pronounced despite the use of high frequency data. Earlier results had indicated that daily data provided greater evidence of exposure sensitivity. Practical implications – Assuming that banks do not hedge perfectly, these findings have important financial implications as they suggest that the hedging policies of the banks are not reflected in their stock prices. Alternatively, it is possible that different GARCH-type models might be more appropriate when modelling high frequency returns. Originality/value – The paper contributes to existing knowledge in the area by showing that ARCH effects do impact on measures of sensitivity.

What's in a handshake? Exploring business-to-business relational exchange

Despite its importance in the development of competitive advantage, attempts to unify diverse classifications of business-to-business relational exchange (B2B RE) have been largely unsuccessful. We used 18 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with managers from a range of industries to explore the B2B RE construct. Analysis of the data revealed that B2B RE comprises five key dimensions. These are communication, understanding, commitment, trust and power symmetry. The research identifies the importance of personal interaction in business relationships and provides additional insights into the importance of affective commitment. In addition we uncover a number of negative consequences of affective commitment, which have been previously unexplored. This research contributes to the domain of B2B research by synthesising and advancing knowledge in this area to provide a new conceptual framework of B2B RE and directions for future research.

Evidence and implications of multiple paradigms in accounting knowledge production

This paper uses evidence gathered in two perception studies ofAustralasian and British accounting academics to reflect on aspects of the knowledge production systemwithin accounting academe. We provide evidence of the representation of multiple paradigms in many journals that are scored by participants as being of high quality. Indeed most of the journals we surveyed are perceived by accounting academics as incorporating research from more than one paradigm. It is argued that this ‘catholic’ approach by journal editors and the willingness of many respondents in our surveys to score journals highly on material they publish from both paradigm categories reflects a balanced acceptance of the multi-paradigmatic state of accounting research. Our analysis is set within an understanding of systems of accounting knowledge production as socially constructed and as playing an important role in the distribution of power and reward in the academy. We explore the impact of our results on concerns emerging from the work of a number of authors who carefully expose localised 'elites'. The possibilities for a closer relationship between research emerging from a multi-paradigm discipline and policy setting and practice are also discussed. The analysis provides a sense of optimism that the broad constituency of accounting academics operates within an environment conducive for the exchange of ideas. That optimism is dampened by concerns about the impact of local 'elites' and the need for more research on their impact on accounting academe.