Exploring knowledge management implementation in large-sized service organizations – Saudi Arabia as a case

Whereas there is a growing literature that investigates knowledge management (KM) in service corporates, yet the overview and understanding of KM in large-sized service organisations is yet limited and sparse. Transitional economies, like of Saudi Arabia, are highly motivated to establish a knowledge based structure both economically and socially. There is an urgent need for exploring the current situation of KM tools usage and of perspectives on knowledge and knowledge management, as a start by large sized service organisations. Towards further understanding in this regard, this paper explores the status and potentials of KM implementation scoped to Saudi large-sized service organisations. The paper triangulated an interviewer-administrated questionnaire and focus groups to gather the data. The results indicate that although the weighted average of KM tools/methods deployment (being deployed or can possibly be deployed) reaches 79%; however, the written comments in front of each tool indicates that the participants’ understanding of what KM seems distorted, which is confirmed in the coding of their definitions of the term ‘Knowledge’. The participants identified leadership and strategy formulation as the top two critical success factors. A number of other results are presented and several issues were identified for future research.     

Mobile Agents for Distributed and Heterogeneous Information Retrieval

The heterogeneous, distributed and voluminous nature of many government and corporate data sources impose severe constraints on meeting the diverse requirements of users who analyze the data. Additionally, communication bandwidth limitations, time constraints, and multiple data formats impose further restrictions on users of these distributed data sources. In this paper, we present an Agent-based Complex QUerying and Information Retrieval Engine (ACQUIRE) for large, heterogeneous, and distributed data sources. ACQUIRE acts as a softbot or interface agent by presenting users with a view of a single, unified, homogenous data source, against which users can pose high-level declarative queries. ACQUIRE translates each such user query into a set of sub-queries by employing a combination of planning and traditional database query optimization techniques. ACQUIRE then spawns a set of mobile agents corresponding to these sub-queries, which in turn retrieve the data from various distributed data sources by dynamically optimizing the retrieval strategy as it is carried out. These mobile agents carry with them data-processing code that can be executed at the remote site, thus reducing the size of data returned by the agent. When all mobile agents have returned, ACQUIRE filters and merges the retrieved data and presents the results to the user. While the system is still very much a work in progress, current validation experiments on simulated NASA Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) have demonstrated that complex queries can be effectively decomposed and retrieved by this approach.     

Sensory exotropia subsequent to senile cataract

INTRODUCTION Sensory exotropia is a condition of unilateral divergence as a sequela to loss of vision or long-standing poor vision in one eye,which was caused by refractive errors,unilateral aphakia or other organic reasons.Convergence insufficiency or disruption is possible.The most important aspect of the manage-ment is to find and/or eliminate and/or reverse a treatable cause of the exotropia.In clinic,the sensory exotropia secondary to senile cataract was often ob-served.Prospectively…     

Mathematical model of cylindrical form tolerance

Tolerance is essential for integration of CAD and CAM.Unfortunately,the meaning of tolerances in the national standard is expressed in graphical and language forms and is not adaptable for expression,processing and data transferring with computers.How to interpret its semantics is becoming a focus of relevant studies.This work based on the mathematical definition of form tolerance in ANSI Y 14.5.1 M-1994,established the mathematical model of form tolerance for cylindrical feature.First,each tolerance in the national standard was established by vector equation.Then on the foundation of tolerance's mathematical definition theory,each tolerance zone's mathematical model was established by inequality based on degrees of feature.At last the variance area of each tolerance zone is derived.This model can interpret the semantics of form tolerance exactly and completely.     

Intrathymic inoculation of donor liver specific antigen alleviates rejection of liver allotransplantation

Use and effects of liver specific antigen in orthotopic liver transplantations were researched in this study. Group I: syngeneic control (Wistar-to-Wistar); Group II: acute rejection (SD-to-Wistar); Group III: Thymic inoculation of SD rat LSA day 7 before transplantation. The observation of common situation and survival time, rejection grades, NF-κB activity of splenocytes and IL-2mRNA expression of grafted liver were used to analyze acute rejection severity and immune state of animals in different groups. The common situation of group I was very well after transplantation and no signs of rejection were found. Recipients of group II lost body weight progressively All dead within day 9 to day 13 posttransplantation; median survival time was 10.7 ±0.51 days. It was an optimal acute rejection control. As for group III, 5 out of 6 recipients survived for a long time and common situation was remarkably better than that of group II. Its rejection grades were significantly lower than that of group II(P<0.05). NF-κB activity was only detected in group I at day 5 and day 7 after transplantation, whereas high activity of NF-κB was detected at all time points in groupII and the low NF-κB activity detected in group III was significantly lower than that of group II (P<0.05). No IL-2mRNA expression was detected at any time point in group I, whereas high level expression was detected at all time points in group II and the low level expression only detected at day 3 in group III was significantly lower than that of group II (P<0.05). Conclusion: LSA is an important transplantation antigen which is involved directly in the immunorejection of liver transplantation. We report here for the first time that intrathymic inoculation of LSA can alleviate the rejection of liver allotransplantation; and that grafts can survive for a long time thereby, thus leading to a novel way to achieve liver transplantation immunotolerance. Project (NO. 011106206) supported by the Science and Technology Bureau of Zhejiang Province Foundation     

Counselling for Educational Problems of School Children with a Sensory Disability

This is a study of deaf children in Bhimavaram, West Godavari district Andhra pradesh. Physical disability hampers personality development of the child, because of the social stigma that such disability conditions carry. Children with hearing disability cannot speak also as they are deprived of learning and imitating sounds in the environment. Because of the disability of hearing and speaking they are segregated from the rest of world due to the lack of communication. Due to its invisible nature, the disability does not evoke the necessary response from the public. Compared to other human positions, hearing is next to mind itself, mans most important assistant for an integrated and satisfying social existence. It can isolate a person from his/her family, peers and community. Those who do not understand this disability may subject the victim to extremely negative attitudes.     

Products of sets: Ordered and unordered

In this article we study the (Cartesian) Products of sets. As a prelude to it, we examine various definitions offered by different mathematicians to the concept of an ordered pair. The subtle difference between the notions of ordered products of sets and unordered products of sets is highlighted.