Three dimensional norm-based knowledge management for knowledge intensive business service organizations: an organizational semiotics perspective

The utilization of knowledge enables knowledge intensive business service (KIBS) organizations, such as law firms, to perform and deliver value to their customers. Organizational semiotics views norms as knowledge that are developed through practical experience of human agents in organizations. Building on organizational semiotics and knowledge management, this paper proposes a three dimensional norm-based knowledge management (3DNKM) framework for legal sector in the UK. Abductive reasoning is adopted for guiding the research process in this paper. The three identified contextual dimensions of knowledge include customer, practice area and lawyer. For each dimension, there are informal, formal and technical norms establishing context-based knowledge. The proposed framework provides a way for KIBS organizations to manage the intertwined norms from the three dimensions and various levels

Evolution of Fermion Resonance in Thick Brane

In this work, we investigate numerical evolution of massive Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes of a Dirac field on a thick brane. We deduce the Dirac equation in five-dimensional spacetime, and obtain the time-dependent evolution equation and Schr\"odinger-like equation of the extra-dimensional component. We use the Dirac KK resonances as the initial data and study the corresponding dynamics. By monitoring the decay law of the left- and right-chiral KK resonances, we compute the corresponding lifetimes and find that there could exist long-lived KK modes on the brane. Especially, for the lightest KK resonance with a large coupling parameter and a large three momentum, it will have an extremely long lifetime.Comment: 26 pages, 12 figure

Understanding Proximity Mobile Payment Adoption through Technology Acceptance Model and Organisational Semiotics: An Exploratory Study

Mobile technologies, in particular, smartphones are reshaping individual and organisational behaviour at different levels and pace. This research focuses on the multi-cultural use and acceptance of proximity mobile payment (m-payment) which is more prevalent in some countries than other countries. Previous analysis of m-payment adoption extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to include external factors of use and acceptance identified through Organisational Semiotics (OS). This paper presents the development of constructs and measurements based on the identified requirements for m-payment adoption. It also presents the exploratory study results to validate the salient factors. This study furthers m-payment research by addressing the technical and social aspects via TAM and OS, as well as identifying empirical factors to increase m-payment adoption in multi-cultural context

Developing the Digital Business Readiness Assessment Framework (DBRAF) for Fashion Retail SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria

The adoption and use of digital technologies have been a growing area of research focus in recent years. Despite the popularity in developed countries, digital technology adoption amongst SMEs in developing countries, e.g. Nigeria, is still relatively low. Such low adoption hinders the digital transformation of SMEs in the developing countries, and the low level of adoption is often the result of the low level of digital business readiness. Therefore, this paper proposes the digital business readiness assessment framework (DBRAF) based on Socio-Technical Systems (STS), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), Organisational Semiotics (OS) and Enterprise Architecture (EA). The DBRAF is designed to understand and examine the enablers and barriers of digital business adoption for SMEs in developing countries. A pilot study, based on a pilot study in fashion retail SMEs in Lagos, was conducted to test the validity of the proposed framework. The DBRAF aims to assist fashion retail SMEs to identify the specific areas that they need to be address in order to reach the desired level of digital business readiness

Exploring Consumer Mobile Payment Adoption: A Multi-Country Study

The increasing popularity of mobile technologies is reshaping human activities including financial transactions. This research focuses on the use and acceptance of NFC-enabled proximity mobile payment (m-payment). This research builds on previous research highlighting the various factors influencing the use and acceptance of m-payment through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation of (DoI). The results indicate a statistically significant relationship between compatibility, personal innovativeness, and behavioural intention to use m-payment. The findings of this study confirm the influence of external factors, i.e., compatibility and personal innovativeness, determines the end-users’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of m-payment which subsequently determines their attitude towards using m-payment and the intention to use m-payment

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Diorganotin dihalide complexes with bidentate nitrogen ligands exhibit some pharmaceutical activities such as antitumour activity, antiviral activity and anti-microbiological activity[1-3], we have synthesized some diorganotin dihalide complexes with bidentate nitrogen ligands, one of which is dibutyldichloro(1,10-phenanthroline-N 1,N 10)tin. A solution of dibutyltin dichloride (1.22 g, 4 mmol) in benzene (20 ml) was added to a solution of 1,10-phenanthroline (0.72 g, 4 mmol) in benzene (20 ml). The mixture was refluxed for 4 h, the solid that appeared upon cooling was filtered and recrystallized from absolute ethanol to give the title compound as white crystal (1.82 g, 94%)

MOAP-1 Mediates Fas-Induced Apoptosis in Liver by Facilitating tBid Recruitment to Mitochondria

SummaryFas apoptotic signaling regulates diverse physiological processes. Acute activation of Fas signaling triggers massive apoptosis in liver. Upon Fas receptor stimulation, the BH3-only protein Bid is cleaved into the active form, tBid. Subsequent tBid recruitment to mitochondria, which is facilitated by its receptor MTCH2 at the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), is a critical step for commitment to apoptosis via the effector proteins Bax or Bak. MOAP-1 is a Bax-binding protein enriched at the OMM. Here, we show that MOAP-1-deficient mice are resistant to Fas-induced hepatocellular apoptosis and lethality. In the absence of MOAP-1, mitochondrial accumulation of tBid is markedly impaired. MOAP-1 binds to MTCH2, and this interaction appears necessary for MTCH2 to engage tBid. These findings reveal a role for MOAP-1 in Fas signaling in the liver by promoting MTCH2-mediated tBid recruitment to mitochondria

Duration of untreated bipolar disorder: A multicenter study

Little is known about the demographic and clinical differences between short and long duration of untreated bipolar disorder (DUB) in Chinese patients. This study examined the demographic and clinical features of short (≤2 years) and long DUB (\u3e2 years) in China. A consecutively recruited sample of 555 patients with bipolar disorder (BD) was examined in 7 psychiatric hospitals and general hospital psychiatric units across China. Patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics were collected using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. The mean DUB was 3.2 ± 6.0 years; long DUB accounted for 31.0% of the sample. Multivariate analyses revealed that longer duration of illness, diagnosis of BD type II, and earlier misdiagnosis of BD for major depressive disorder or schizophrenia were independently associated with long DUB. The mean DUB in Chinese BD patients was shorter than the reported figures from Western countries. The long-term impact of DUB on the outcome of BD is warranted

The small GTPase HRas shapes local PI3K signals through positive feedback and regulates persistent membrane extension in migrating fibroblasts

Self-amplification of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is believed to regulate asymmetric membrane extension and cell migration, but the molecular organization of the underlying feedback circuit is elusive. Here we use an inducible approach to synthetically activate PI3K and interrogate the feedback circuitry governing self-enhancement of 3'-phosphoinositide (3-PI) signals in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Synthetic activation of PI3K initially leads to uniform production of 3-PIs at the plasma membrane, followed by the appearance of asymmetric and highly amplified 3-PI signals. A detailed spatiotemporal analysis shows that local self-amplifying 3-PI signals drive rapid membrane extension with remarkable directional persistence and initiate a robust migratory response. This positive feedback loop is critically dependent on the small GTPase HRas. Silencing of HRas abrogates local amplification of 3-PI signals upon synthetic PI3K activation and results in short-lived protrusion events that do not support cell migration. Finally, our data indicate that this feedback circuit is likely to operate during platelet-derived growth factor-induced random cell migration. We conclude that positive feedback between PI3K and HRas is essential for fibroblasts to spontaneously self-organize and generate a productive migratory response in the absence of spatial cues

Extending Technology Acceptance Model for Proximity Mobile Payment via Organisational Semiotics

The growth of mobile technologies and smartphones is reshaping the individual and organisational behaviour which affect the business environment. One of the key challenges of mobile payment is how to understand and manage user expectations and technology acceptance. Therefore, to better understand mobile payment use and acceptance, we need to analyse the factors and barriers that influence technology use. The investigation uses Technology Acceptance Model in conjunction with Organisational Semiotics, a socio-technical method of design, to overcome possible limitations addressed in research. This approach offers methods that can help to develop a research model for mobile payment use focusing on technical and social aspects