The Error Of Fixed Strategies In IT Innovation Investment Decisions

Allocating an IT Innovation budget to technologies in different maturity stages (mature vs. fashionable IT innovations) is a demanding task for companies. Due to the dynamic innovation cycles with new emerging technologies, many IT innovation investment decisions follow a bandwagon behavior or fixed investment strategies. Instead of optimizing the IT innovation budget’s allocation to mature or fashionable IT innovations and following a mindful investment strategy, fixed strategies with naïve diversification are the rule in practice. To contribute to the decision making process regarding the IT innovation budget’s allocation, we aim on the optimized allocation to mature and fashionable IT innovations via a dynamic optimization model incorporating the idiosyncrasies of IT innovations and a company’s innovator profile. Though determining the optimum in practice seems to be virtually impossible, we argue that deviating above or below the theoretical optimum leads to a substantial difference regarding the IT innovation budget’s value contribution. For that we examine the valuation error resulting from under- or overinvesting in mature and fashionable IT innovations due to deviating from the theoretical optimum. By providing our ex ante dynamic optimization model and analysis we contribute to the decision making process regarding the engagement in new emerging IT innovations

THE ROLE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPETENCIES FOR THE EMPLOYABILITY OF UNIVERSITY GRADUATES

The goal of this work is to explore the effects of various factors that affect the employmentof graduates of the University of Zenica. Additional analysis of variablesas well as the links between variables will offer the input information that can contributeto the decision-making process in the development of new curriculums. The surveywas conducted in Zenica-Doboj Canton, which involved n = 47 respondents. Toprocess data, the following programs were used: Microsoft Excel, SPSS and SmartPLS3 - SEM program. The verification of the validity and the reliability of the measuringscale was carried out by calculating the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. Thereview of the set of the hypotheses was carried out by the Regression analysis. Thefindings revealed that three hypotheses were accepted and one of them was rejected.The set hypotheses confirmed that the adopted expertise of graduates, the level ofacquired skills and cooperation of the University with companies has a statisticallysignificant impact on the employability of graduates. The organizational skills ofgraduates do not have a statistically significant impact on the employability of theUniversity of Zenica graduates

Further development of a multimodal pushover analysis procedure for seismic assessment of bridges

An improvement is first suggested to the modal pushover analysis (MPA) procedure for bridges initially proposed by the writers (Earthquake Engng Struct. Dyn. 2006; 35(11):1269–1293), the key idea being that the deformed shape of the structure responding inelastically to the considered earthquake level is used in lieu of the elastic mode shape. The proposed MPA procedure is then verified by applying it to two actual bridges. The first structure is the Krystallopigi bridge, a 638 m-long multi-span bridge, with significant curvature in plan, unequal pier heights, and different types of pier-to-deck connections. The second structure is a 100 m-long three-span overpass bridge, typical in modern motorway construction in Europe, which, although ostensibly a regular structure, is found to exhibit a rather unsymmetric response in the transverse direction, mainly due to torsional irregularity. The bridges are assessed using response spectrum, ‘standard’ pushover (SPA), and MPA, and finally using non-linear response history analysis (NL-RHA) for a number of spectrum-compatible motions. The MPA provided a good estimate of the maximum inelastic deck displacement for several earthquake intensities. The SPA on the other hand could not predict well the inelastic deck displacements of bridges wherever the contribution of the first mode to the response of the bridge was relatively low

Secondary implementation of interactive engagement teaching techniques: Choices and challenges in a Gulf Arab context

We report on a "Collaborative Workshop Physics" instructional strategy to deliver the first IE calculus-based physics course at Khalifa University, UAE. To these authors' knowledge, this is the first such course on the Arabian Peninsula using PER-based instruction. A brief history of general university and STEM teaching in the UAE is given. We present this secondary implementation (SI) as a case study of a novel context and use it to determine if PER-based instruction can be successfully implemented far from the cultural context of the primary developer and, if so, how might such SIs differ from SIs within the US. With these questions in view, a pre-reform baseline of MPEX, FCI, course exam and English language proficiency data are used to design a hybrid implementation of Cooperative Group Problem Solving. We find that for students with high English proficiency, normalized gain on FCI improves from = 0.16+/-0.10 pre- to = 0.47+/-0.08 post-reform, indicating successful SI. We also find that is strongly modulated by language proficiency and discuss likely causes. Regardless of language skill, problem-solving skill is also improved and course DFW rates drop from 50% to 24%. In particular, we find evidence in post-reform student interviews that prior classroom experiences, and not broader cultural expectations about education, are the more significant cause of expectations at odds with the classroom norms of well-functioning PER-based instruction. This result is evidence that PER-based innovations can be implemented across great changes in cultural context, provided that the method is thoughtfully adapted in anticipation of context and culture-specific student expectations. This case study should be valuable for future reforms at other institutions, both in the Gulf Region and developing world, facing similar challenges involving SI of PER-based instruction outside the US.Comment: v1: 28 pages, 9 figures. v2: 19 pages, 6 figures, includes major reorganization and revisions based on anonymous peer review. v3: 19 pages, 6 figures, minor revisions based on anonymous peer revie

Utilización de la ilustración digital en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje en el área de educación plástica visual y audiovisual.

En la presente propuesta de intervención educativa innovadora, se diseña la introducción de los recursos en materia de tecnología relativos a la ilustración digital en la asignatura de Educación Plástica Visual y Audiovisual del nivel educativo de 3º curso de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria con la finalidad de mejorar los aspectos curriculares de la materia y de adquisición de nuevas habilidades a través del empleo de herramientas digitales durante el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Los aspectos metodológicos implementados, los destinatarios para quienes se ha diseñado, así como los objetivos educativos, competencias, contenidos, criterios de educación y estándares de aprendizaje, recursos necesarios, la temporalización y descripción de las correspondientes actividades y las consiguientes evaluaciones de la propuesta se encuentran expuestas en este trabajo con la finalidad de que la propuesta innovadora pueda ser implementada en las aulas españolas. Tras los resultados expuestos, se concluye que la propuesta de intervención educativa resulta adecuada en relación con el problema detectado en el aula y supone un incremento de la motivación de los alumnos para el aprendizaje de la asignatura.In the present proposal of innovative educational intervention, the introduction of the resources in matter of technology related to the digital illustration in the subject of Visual and Audiovisual Plastic Education of the educational level of 3rd year of Compulsory Secondary Education is designed in order to improve during the teaching and learning process. The methodological aspects implemented, the recipients for whom it has been designed, as well as the educational objectives, competences, contents, criteria of education and learning standards, necessary resources, the timing and description of the corresponding activities and the consequent evaluations of the proposal. They are exposed in this work for this innovative proposal to be implemented in Spanish classrooms. After the exposed results, it is concluded that the educational intervention proposal is adequate in relation to the problem detected in the classroom and it supposes an increase of the motivation of the students for the learning of the subject

Atomic structure and charge-density waves of blue bronze K0.3MoO3 (20[overline 1]) by variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy

Blue bronze (K0.3MoO3) has been the focus of a number of scattering, transport, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and theoretical studies that have provided insight into the relation between atomic structure and charge-density wave (CDW) formation. However, the full extent of a relation of the CDWs to the atomic lattice and the microscopic origin of CDW pinning are still not completely resolved. In this study STM is used to distinguish the atomic structure and CDWs at the (201) surface. Within the STM\u27s spatial resolution, the CDWs are incommensurate with the lattice at midrange temperatures and approach commensurability at low temperatures. Incommensurate CDWs are present on the surface and the degree of the incommensurability between blue bronze lattice and CDW lattice agree well with those determined from bulk scattering technique

Effect of cholecalciferol on unsaturated model membranes

Vitamin D plays an important role in many physiological processes, particularly calcium and phosphorous homeostasis. The biochemistry of vitamin D is also complex, encompassing a range of active molecules that may be either endogenous or dietary in origin. The role of lipids and fats in the production, processing and use of vitamin D is an interesting one, with a relative paucity of model studies into the interactions of vitamin D with lipidic systems such as micelles and vesicles. Here, we have studied the effect of vitamin D3 in simple unsaturated phospholipid systems. We used NMR and FTIR spectroscopy to investigate the effect of increasing vitamin D concentration on the structure and dynamics of the lipid chains and interfacial region. In order to link these model studies with more complex biomimetic environments, we compare results in the presence of buffer and vitamin D binding protein. We have also used DLS to determine that vitamin D3-DOPC vesicles can retain their size distribution for varying amounts of time in different conditions. We find that the acyl chain region of vitamin D3-DOPC membranes are generally disordered, and that the addition of buffer and/or protein alters the properties of the interfacial region

Inelastic seismic shear in multi-storey cantilever columns

Seismic shear magnification in the columns of multi-storey precast structures entering far into inelastic domain is addressed in the paper. Such structures consist of an assemblage of cantilever columns connected with ties. Considering analogy with cantilever walls, it has been expected that during inelastic response the actual shear forces in multi-storey cantilever columns could be considerably higher than the forces foreseen by traditional equivalent elastic analytical procedures (equivalent lateral force or modal spectrum). A parametric study of a set of realistic three-storey structures/columns was performed. These structures were designed according to Eurocodes and shear forces were determined by the equivalent elastic (modal spectrum) analysis. Average values of the shear forces obtained by the inelastic response analysis were compared to those of the traditional (modal spectrum) procedure. They were also compared to magnified shear forces predicted using the shear magnification factor ε suggested in Eurocode 8 for RC ductile walls. In parallel, modelling issues related to the inelastic response analysis of multi-storey cantilever columns were also discussed. Very large seismic force magnifications (up to 3 times and more) were observed. Therefore it is essential to account for this phenomenon in the seismic (capacity) design of cantilever columns in multi-storey precast buildings. It was demonstrated that for this purpose the expression given in Eurocode 8 to account for seismic shear magnification in ductile cantilever walls could be used with some minor modifications