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Performance management: Assessing the gap between theory and practice in an SME

This study seeks to assess issues which may prevent performance management theory being applied effectively in practice. In particular it is interested in performance management in an SME. A single case study was used to test the author’s theoretical propositions and assess them against previous academic research. Findings were validated through a multi-method approach. Many issues found in prior performance management research were present in the study organisation, with behavioural factors, management capabilities and past experience of performance management as potential barriers to a successful PMS. Although this research is based on a single case study and therefore not generalisable, it can be concluded that for a performance management system to be effective companies must be clear about their goals, develop a coherent PM strategy and show commitment at each stage of the process. This study was based on a privately-owned micro-organisation in the service sector and adds to previous research conducted into performance management issues in SMEs

Force platform recordings in the diagnosis of primary orthostatic tremor

Primary orthostatic tremor (OT) consists of rhythmical muscle contractions at a frequency of around 16 Hz, causing discomfort and/or unsteadiness while standing. Diagnosis has hitherto relied on recording Electromyography (EMG) from affected muscles. The main aim of this study was to see if the characteristic postural tremor in OT can be identified with force platforms. We also quantified postural sway in OT patients to assess their degree of objective unsteadiness. Finally, we investigated the time relations between bursts of activity in the various affected muscle groups. Subjects stood on a force platform with concurrent multichannel surface EMG recordings from the lower limbs. Seven patients with clinical and EMG diagnosis of OT were examined and the force platform data compared with those of 21 other neurological patients with postural tremor and eight normal controls. All OT patients had high frequency peaks in power spectra of posturography and EMG recordings (12–16 Hz). No such high frequency activity was evident in patients with Parkinson's disease, cerebellar degenerations, essential tremor or in healthy controls. Additionally, OT patients showed increased sway at low frequencies relative to normal controls, suggesting that the unsteadiness reported by OT patients is at least partly due to increased postural sway. Examination of EMG timing showed fixed patterns of muscle activation when maintaining a quiet stance within but not across OT patients. These data show a high correlation between EMG and posturography and confirm that OT may be diagnosed using short epochs of force platform recordings

Visual Vertigo, Motion Sickness and Disorientation in vehicles

The normal vestibular system may be adversely affected by environmental challenges which have characteristics that are unfamiliar or ambiguous in the patterns of sensory stimulation they provide. A disordered vestibular system lends susceptibility even to quotidian environmental experiences as the sufferer becomes dependent on potentially misleading, non-vestibular sensory stimuli. In both cases the sequela may be dizziness, incoordination, imbalance and unpleasant autonomic responses. Many forms of visual environmental motion, particularly busy places such as supermarkets, readily induce inappropriate sensations of sway or motion and imbalance referred to as visual vertigo. All people with intact vestibular function can become motion sick although individual susceptibility varies widely and is partially determined by inheritance. Motorists learn to interpret sensory stimuli in the context of the car stabilised by its suspension and guided by steering. A type of motorist disorientation occurs in some individuals that develop a heightened awareness of false perceptions of car orientation, readily experiencing stereotypical symptoms of threatened rolling over on corners and veering on open highways or in streaming traffic. This article discusses the putative mechanisms, consequences and approach to managing patients with visual vertigo, motion sickness and motorist disorientation syndrome in the context of chronic dizziness and motion sensitivity

Digital forensic analysis of internet history using principal component analysis

A modern Digital Forensic examination, even on a small-scale home computer typically involves searching large-size hard disk drive storage, a variety of host and web-based applications which may or may not be known to the investigator, and a proliferation of web-based Internet history artefacts that may be highly significant to showing the motivation of a suspect. Faster keyword searching and larger and more accurate sets of file hashes may point the investigator to relevant artefacts but when dealing with the new or the unknown, or there is a need to holistically profile the activity of the computer, the investigator is left with a manual and labour-intensive investigation. This paper proposes using an unsupervised statistical learning technique called Principal Component Analysis to provide a novel approach to the analysis of Digital Forensic Internet history. The approach groups and analyses artefacts to produce a high-level context view of the timeline data. The paper proposes a Principal Component Analysis approach and the selection of the appropriate number of Principal Components is described using the Scree test method. A case study of the approach is shown, first using a simulated set of data test comprising of 820 Mozilla Internet History artefacts and then using a set of 5900 Internet Explorer history artefacts from real-world browser data. The results of the analysis are presented in a tabular format that provides an accessible overall view of the activity within the timeline. They show a promising approach to effectively and simply represent large quantities of timeline data at a high-level where basic patterns of usage can be determined. Further work on enhancing the proposed approach to include low-level pattern rules is discussed

Impairment of spatial cognitive function with preservation of verbal performance during spatial disorientation

Spatial disorientation, which is responsible for up to 30% of aircraft accidents causes impairment of cognitive function which may further compromise a pilot's ability to think his way out of the situation and regain control [1,]. The functional-anatomical separation of spatial and verbal processing [10,11] raises the possibility of selective interference between the task of resolving spatial disorientation and the ability to perform concurrent spatial, as opposed to verbal, secondary tasks. We report for the first time a degradation of spatial task performance with preservation of verbal performance when subjects in a simulator are disoriented by conflict between self- motion and visual flow in the view of the external environment

Perbedaan Kadar Gula Darah Antara Anak SD Dengan Obesitas Dan Tidak Obesitas Padasiswa SD Di Kota Manado

: Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat accumulation, so that one\u27s weight is well above normal and can endanger the health of overweight and obesity in children may lead to diabetes or type 2 diabetes known as a disease characterized by the inability of insulin to control sugar levels dara within the normal range study aimed to determine differences in blood sugar levels among elementary school children dengaan obesity and obesity in elementary school children in the city of Manado with analytic survey research design using a cross sectional design. 136 samples using t-test, at the 95% significance level (α 0,05). The results there are different levels of blood sugar and obesity among elementary school children are not obese in Manado City For readers advice that can be references for the development of materials keperawatan.Bagi adolescents to pay attention to diet seta healthy foods that can prevent, increase sugar levels blood as early as possible For further research in order to examine the levels of LDL cholesterol, HDL and fasting blood sugar levels (GDP) as well as other factors that can affect blood sugar levels in childre