560 research outputs found
A conceptual framework for managing relationships between all participants during IT service and support activities
Since the early days of computing, IT professionals have been struggling with their end users
(customers) to such an extent that end users became sceptic about the quality of service and
support IT professionals can offer. As such, relationships between IT professionals and end users
were in many cases very poor, which impacts negatively on the efforts to use information
technology to the advantage of organizations or communities as a whole. This paper briefly
describes the historical reasons therefor and gives a theoretical foundation for the establishment
of IT-end user relationships. The paper describes IT-end user relationships as intriguing and
complex and proposes a conceptual framework that explains all the important elements involved
during the establishment and maintenance of sound relationships as well as for managing change.
This paper is based on a research study conducted into the working relationship between IT
departments and its end users. The research was done by means of a qualitative approach in
which thought experiments were used to inductively refine the results of the research study.Sedert die ontstaan van die rekenaarwese en die gepaardgaande dienslewering via
inligtingstegnologie bestaan die neiging by eindpuntgebruikers om skepties te staan teenoor die
gehalte van diens wat deur inligtingstegnoloĂŤ gebied kan word. Dit het daartoe gelei dat die
verhoudinge tussen eindpuntgebruikers en die inligtingstegnoloĂŤ vertroebel is. Voordelige
gebruik van inligtingstegnologie deur ondernemings en die gemeenskap is gevolglik daardeur
benadeel. Hierdie stuk behandel kortliks die historiese oorsake vir die toedrag van sake. Dit
beskryf ook die teoretiese grondslae vir die skepping van wedersydse verhoudings vir die
probleemsituasie. Die stuk ondersoek die aandagwekkende en komplekse verhoudingsmilieu.
Dit beskryf vervolgens ân voorgestelde konsepraamwerk waarmee die belangrik elemente by
die daarstelling en instandhouding van gesonde verhoudings blootgelĂŞ kan word. Dit
behandel ook die gepaardgaande begrip van veranderingsbestuur. Die navorsing is gebaseer
op werklike praktykgegewens. Die navorsings maak gebruik van kwalitatiewe metodes en
induksie om die resultate tot bruikbaarheid te verfyn.http://sajie.journals.ac.z
Progressive trust formation within the South African fresh produce industry through the use of self-service technologies
When using self-service solutions to deliver services, the challenge is to retain the trust of the end user.
This is specifically the case when dealing with end users in the fresh produce market environment. This
sector has not seen the adoption of self-service technologies, specifically in southern Africa. In this
paper we propose a model to enhance our understanding of trust formation using self-service
technologies. A qualitative research approach based on a case study was followed to create the model.
This case study offers insight into how the dynamics of the product, supporting services, and the
technology shapes trust forming behavior.http://www.ajisonline.comam2016Informatic
Fabrication and aero dynamic levitation of chalcogenide glass spheres
Spheres of gallium-lanthanum sulphide (GLS) and gallium lanthanum sulphite (GLSO) have been produced by laser irradiation on a copper hearth. Although similar fabrication techniques have been applied to oxide glasses, the technique has been overlooked for the production of chalcogenide glasses due to the perceived problem of the volatility of the chalcogens. In this work, glass microspheres of GLS/GLSO have been fabricated by laser irradiation of micron size irregular shaped glass particles on a Cu plate. In this material we found that evaporation of sulphur was not substantial as it appears to be more strongly chemically bound [1]. In addition to this method we have also established that it is possible to form larger spheres (mm diameter) of GLSO by aerodynamic levitation and laser heating using a CO2 laser (10.6 Âľm wavelength). Our studies involve overheating and supercooling of liquids and melts, outgassing analysis, high temperature resistivity measurements, and crystallization/structural studies [1-3]. In both fabrication methods the glasses could be melted and re-vitrified with low sulphur mass loss. We conclude that the production of glass spheres by laser irradiation[4] from irregular shaped starting material on a substrate using the wetting principle has substantial benefits for making microspheres and nanospheres
Guidance for SMEs with the adoption of technology : a conceptual framework
When starting up a new small or medium sized company, it is crucial to understand what the
requirements are in terms of Information and communication technologies (ICT). Bentellis
and BoufaĂŻsa (2008) note that over the last twenty years the markets have been changing
fast, which has led to the evolution of the business environment. In many instances
companies cannot keep up with the change occurring in the ICT arena. Entering the market
as a small competitor, you need to ensure that you implement ICT that will support your
business strategies. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research study done to
determine how SMEs cope with the adoption of technology. The paper explores the typical
problems and challenges faced by SMEs, within South Africa, with regard to ICT and
propose a conceptual framework to support managers in their decision making on ICT
implementation. As such, this framework supports them in choosing the relevant technology,
as well as supporting them with the effective application of the chosen technologies.http://sajesbm.com/am201
Social relationships in IT project teams : Â its role, complexity and the management thereof
Compared to other projects, information technology (IT) projects, characterized by emergency and uncertainty, are
unique. To implement an IT project successfully, many aspects need to be monitored and carefully controlled and
managed. One such aspect is social relationships. All IT professionals are exposed to, and in many cases involved, in
the phenomenon of social relationships. These relationships are used by software project team members for personal as
well as professional purposes. In most cases the impact of these relationships on the success or failure of any given IT
project is ignored by IT management. Little attention is given thereto in the literature and this paper attempts to make a
contribution in terms of giving a broad perspective of the complexity, the impact, as well as the management of such
relationships. This paper demonstrates that these relationships play a significant role and should be managed in such a
way that the team members and the project as a whole can reap the benefits thereof. A conceptual framework is
proposed for the management of these relationships.http://www.sciencesphere.org/ijispmam201
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Construction of radial basis function networks with diversified topologies
In this review we bring together some of our recent work from the angle of the diversified RBF topologies, including three different topologies; (i) the RBF network with tunable nodes; (ii) the Box-Cox output transformation based RBF network (Box-Cox RBF); and (iii) the RBF network with boundary value constraints (BVC-RBF). We show that the modified topologies have some advantages over the conventional RBF topology for specific problems. For each modified topology, the model construction algorithms have been developed. These proposed RBF topologies are respectively aimed at enhancing the modelling capabilities of; (i)flexible basis function shaping for improved model generalisation with the minimal model;(ii) effectively handling some dynamical processes in which the model residuals exhibit heteroscedasticity; and (iii) achieving automatic constraints satisfaction so as to incorporate deterministic prior knowledge with ease. It is shown that it is advantageous that the linear learning algorithms, e.g. the orthogonal forward selection (OFS) algorithm based leave-one-out (LOO) criteria, are still applicable as part of the proposed algorithms
Analysis of EGFR and HER-2 expressions in ductal carcinomas in situ in canine mammary glands
Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset
corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected
during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV.
The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the
couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and
right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary
mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b,
leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing
transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W'
boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to
the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for
masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC
data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed
coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant
improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe
Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV
A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The
analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC
from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an
integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross
section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected
exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the
standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The
analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model
Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The
largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is
observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance
of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local
significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is
estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of
this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
Search for new physics in events with opposite-sign leptons, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in final
states with a pair of opposite-sign isolated leptons accompanied by jets and
missing transverse energy. The search uses LHC data recorded at a
center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector, corresponding to
an integrated luminosity of approximately 5 inverse femtobarns. Two
complementary search strategies are employed. The first probes models with a
specific dilepton production mechanism that leads to a characteristic kinematic
edge in the dilepton mass distribution. The second strategy probes models of
dilepton production with heavy, colored objects that decay to final states
including invisible particles, leading to very large hadronic activity and
missing transverse energy. No evidence for an event yield in excess of the
standard model expectations is found. Upper limits on the BSM contributions to
the signal regions are deduced from the results, which are used to exclude a
region of the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric
extension of the standard model. Additional information related to detector
efficiencies and response is provided to allow testing specific models of BSM
physics not considered in this paper.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
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