Cross-cultural Knowledge Management

The success of international companies in providing high quality products and outstanding services is subject, on the one hand, to the increasing dynamic of the economic environment and on the other hand to the adoption of worldwide quality standards and procedures. As market place is becoming more and more global, products and services offered worldwide by international companies must face the multi-cultural environment challenges. These challenges manifest themselves not only at customer relationship level but also deep inside companies, at employee level. Important support in facing all these challenges has been provided at cognitive level by management system models and at technological level by information cutting edge technologies Business Intelligence & Knowledge Management Business Intelligence is already delivering its promised outcomes at internal business environment and, with the explosive deployment of public data bases, expand its analytical power at national, regional and international level. Quantitative measures of economic environment, wherever available, may be captured and integrated in companies’ routine analysis. As for qualitative data, some effort is still to be done in order to integrate measures of social, political, legal, natural and technological environment in companies’ strategic analysis. An increased difficulty is found in treating cultural differences, common knowledge making the most hidden part of any foreign environment. Managing cultural knowledge is crucial to success in cultivating and maintaining long-term business relationships in multicultural environments. Knowledge Management provides the long needed technological support for cross-cultural management in the tedious task of improving knowledge sharing in multi-national companies and using knowledge effectively in international joint ventures. The paper is approaching the conceptual frameworks of knowledge management and proposes an unified model of knowledge oriented enterprise and a structural model of a global knowledge management system.Global Business, Intercultural Competencies, Business Intelligence, Multicultural Knowledge Management, Business Knowledge Frameworks, Knowledge Capital

Rheological Effects of Some Xylanase on Doughs from High and Low Extraction Flours

AbstractThe xylanases are widely used in breadmaking with positive effects on bread quality but how they act in doughs is not fully understand yet. The aim of this study is to determine how different xylanolytic preparations modify the rheology of dough prepared from low and high extraction flours and the correlation between the rheological changes induced in dough and the viscosity and xylan content of flour extracts. Four flours, two white and two black, and three xylanolytic preparation was used in study. The rheological characteristics of dough were measured with the Extensograph. The xylan content and viscosity of flour extracts with xylanase were determined. In doughs from white flours xylanases increased the energy, maximum resistance and extensibility while in doughs from black flours decreased the energy and maximum resistance and increased the extensibility. The extensographic effects of xylanases were compared with their capacity to modify the viscosity and xylan content of aqueous flours extracts. The changes of extensographic indicators are well correlated with the changes of xylan content of extracts for white flour while for black flour correlations were observed with the changes of extracts viscosity. The capacity of xylanases to modify the viscosity of extract and convert the insoluble xylans in soluble xylans could be used to predict the performance of xylanases

Terapijska izmjena plazme i plazmafereza s dvostrukim filtriranjem u teškim neuroimunim bolestima

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an extracorporeal blood purification technique, which removes large molecular weight particles such as autoantibodies from plasma. TPE is accepted by the American Society for Apheresis as first line treatment for some severe neuroimmune disorders. Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) is a newer technique in which plasma is not entirely removed, only the antibodies, using special filters. High-dose intravenous immunoglobulins are an alternative treatment for these patients but are much more expensive. We reviewed medical records of 20 patients with severe neurological diseases requiring TPE or DFPP. We analyzed the indications, complications and efficacy of these procedures. After completing the procedures, neurological improvement was recorded in 80% of the patients, 5% had no improvement, and the mortality was 15%. The rate of neurological improvement was similar to other studies. None of the patients presented catheter related complications. Systemic complications were mild, transient and completely reversible.Terapijska izmjena plazme (TIP) je izvantjelesna tehnika pročišćavanja krvi kojom se iz plazme uklanjaju čestice velike molekularne težine poput autoantijela. Američko udruženje za aferezu prihvatilo je TIP kao liječenje prvog izbora za neke teške neuroimune bolesti. Plazmafereza s dvostrukim filtriranjem (PFDF) je nova tehnika kojom se ne uklanja sva plazma, nego samo antitijela, i to pomoću specijalnih filtara. Visoke doze intravenskih imunoglobulina su alternativna terapija za ove bolesnike, ali su znatno skuplji. Pregledali smo medicinske zapise 20 bolesnika s teškim neurološkim bolestima koji su trebali TIP ili PFDF. Analizirali smo indikacije, komplikacije i učinkovitost ovih postupaka. Nakon završetka postupaka poboljšanje neurološkog statusa zabilježeno je u 80% bolesnika, 5% ih nije imalo nikakvo poboljšanje, a smrtnost je bila 15%. Stopa neurološkog poboljšanja bila je slična onoj opisanoj u drugim istraživanjima. Komplikacije povezane s kateterom nisu zabilježene ni u jednog bolesnika. Sistemske komplikacije bile su blage, prolazne i u potpunosti reverzibilne

Occupational exposure recorded before and after new radioprotection regulations

Radioprotection regulations contained a lot of rules and rational explanations in order to protect occupational exposed workers, patients undergoing radioactive procedures and the environment, too. Since radiation harmful effect has been discovered and until today, the radioprotection rules were changed and improved. In Romania the new radioprotection legislation began to emerge in 2000 and in 2002 the first new rules of radioprotection were issued. This paper presents the new radioprotection legislation effect on the doses recorded by the occupational exposures from research area. In this way, it was calculated the annual collective effective dose and individual doses over the period 1990-2000 for workers who activated in nuclear research laboratories and then compared with the similar radiological statistical data obtained over the period [2001][2002][2003][2004][2005][2006][2007][2008][2009][2010], the number of workers on dose range over the studied period. The mean number of workers who recorded doses over minimum detection limit was about 404 from 843 total number, during 1990-2000 and about 170 from 430 researchers, over 2001-2010. It was observed that the individual and collective doses achieved by the workers in the period 1990-1999 were higher than those recorded after 2000

Investigating barriers that prevent students attaining their full potential during their degree

Social and economic barriers that students face during their studies can impact severely on their attainment and can be due to many factors. This study investigated how different socio-economic factors, with a focus on digital poverty and workspace availability may have affected students' attainment (during October 2021 - March 2022) at university post-COVID-19. Quantitative data collected during the first teaching block of the 2021-2022 academic year using specific questions in a paper-based questionnaire indicated that a good proportion of life science students did not have access to a home internet source (35%) or proper workspace facilities (34%) and had the requirement to work alongside their degree in order to fund their studies. In contrast to the lack of internet students experienced, many of the surveyed students did have access to a personal computer within their household. Possible reasons for some of the findings, and the implications of the findings, are discussed here