82 research outputs found
Success or failure in knowledge management systems: a universal issue
This paper takes a sociotechnical viewpoint of knowledge management system (KMS) implementation in organizations considering issues such as stakeholder disenfranchisement, lack of communication, and the low involvement of key personnel in system design asking whether KMS designers could learn from applying sociotechnical principles to their systems. The paper discusses design elements drawn from the sociotechnical principles essential for the success of IS and makes recommendations to increase the success of KMS
in organizations. It also provides guidelines derived from Cleggâs Principles (2000) for KMS designers to enhance their designs. Our data comes from the
application of a plurality of analysis methods on a large comprehensive global survey conducted from 2007 to 2011 of 1034 participants from 76 countries.
The survey covers a variety of organizations of all types and sizes from a comprehensive selection of economic sectors and industries. Our results showed
that users were not satisfied with the information and knowledge systems that they were being offered. In addition to multiple technology and usability issues,
there were human and organisational barriers that prevented the systems from being used to their full potential. We recommend that users of KMS are integrated
into the design team so that these usability and other barriers can be addressed during the feasibility stage as well as the actual design and implementation
phases
Measuring neutrino masses with a future galaxy survey
We perform a detailed forecast on how well a Euclid-like photometric galaxy
and cosmic shear survey will be able to constrain the absolute neutrino mass
scale. Adopting conservative assumptions about the survey specifications and
assuming complete ignorance of the galaxy bias, we estimate that the minimum
mass sum of sum m_nu ~ 0.06 eV in the normal hierarchy can be detected at 1.5
sigma to 2.5 sigma significance, depending on the model complexity, using a
combination of galaxy and cosmic shear power spectrum measurements in
conjunction with CMB temperature and polarisation observations from Planck.
With better knowledge of the galaxy bias, the significance of the detection
could potentially reach 5.4 sigma. Interestingly, neither Planck+shear nor
Planck+galaxy alone can achieve this level of sensitivity; it is the combined
effect of galaxy and cosmic shear power spectrum measurements that breaks the
persistent degeneracies between the neutrino mass, the physical matter density,
and the Hubble parameter. Notwithstanding this remarkable sensitivity to sum
m_nu, Euclid-like shear and galaxy data will not be sensitive to the exact mass
spectrum of the neutrino sector; no significant bias (< 1 sigma) in the
parameter estimation is induced by fitting inaccurate models of the neutrino
mass splittings to the mock data, nor does the goodness-of-fit of these models
suffer any significant degradation relative to the true one (Delta chi_eff ^2<
1).Comment: v1: 29 pages, 10 figures. v2: 33 pages, 12 figures; added sections on
shape evolution and constraints in more complex models, accepted for
publication in JCA
Weak lensing, dark matter and dark energy
Weak gravitational lensing is rapidly becoming one of the principal probes of
dark matter and dark energy in the universe. In this brief review we outline
how weak lensing helps determine the structure of dark matter halos, measure
the expansion rate of the universe, and distinguish between modified gravity
and dark energy explanations for the acceleration of the universe. We also
discuss requirements on the control of systematic errors so that the
systematics do not appreciably degrade the power of weak lensing as a
cosmological probe.Comment: Invited review article for the GRG special issue on gravitational
lensing (P. Jetzer, Y. Mellier and V. Perlick Eds.). V3: subsection on
three-point function and some references added. Matches the published versio
Why âGood Governanceâ Fails: Lessons from Regional Economic Development in Colombia
By critically reviewing different strands of literature on institutional change and development, this essay argues that, in order to fully understand subnational economic development, we need to move away from âgood governance' explanations in which geographyâspecific analyses of power structures and elite interests are largely absent. Using findings for Colombia and insights from economic geography and heterodox political economy theories, this essay gives theoretical and conceptual guidelines and approximations for future studies on regional economic development. The contribution provides a placeâbased discussion of how the historically evolved distribution of power balances, contextâspecific elite interests, and the interaction between placeâbound actors and placeâless dynamics affect subnational institutional arrangements shaping policies and development outcomes. The conclusions drawn are not limited to Colombia and will prove beneficial to researchers studying regional economic development in subnational contexts elsewhere in the world
Galaxy structure with strong gravitational lensing: decomposing the internal mass distribution of massive elliptical galaxies
We investigate how strong gravitational lensing can test contemporary models of massive elliptical (ME) galaxy formation, by combining a traditional decomposition of their visible stellar distribution with a lensing analysis of their mass distribution. As a proof of concept, we study a sample of three ME lenses, observing that all are composed of two distinct baryonic structures, a âredâ central bulge surrounded by an extended envelope of stellar material. Whilst these two components look photometrically similar, their distinct lensing effects permit a clean decomposition of their mass structure. This allows us to infer two key pieces of information about each lens galaxy: (i) the stellar mass distribution (without invoking stellar populations models) and (ii) the inner dark matter halo mass. We argue that these two measurements are crucial to testing models of ME formation, as the stellar mass profile provides a diagnostic of baryonic accretion and feedback whilst the dark matter mass places each galaxy in the context of LCDM large scale structure formation. We also detect large rotational offsets between the two stellar components and a lopsidedness in their outer mass distributions, which hold further information on the evolution of each ME. Finally, we discuss how this approach can be extended to galaxies of all Hubble types and what implication our results have for studies of strong gravitational lensing
Age and Eruptive Style of Volcanic Rocks Dredged from the Alpha Ridge, Arctic Ocean
The AlphaâMendeleev ridge complex is a prominent physiographic and
geological feature of the Arctic Amerasia Basin. The Alpha and Mendeleev
ridges are, respectively, the eastern and western components of a continuous
seafloor high that is approximately 2000 km long and 200â400 km wide.
A surge of interest in the tectonic evolution of Arctic submarine features has
led to a wealth of new geophysical data collected from the Alpha Ridge. Current
interpretations of its origin vary but there is compelling evidence that the Alpha Ridge
may have formed as an oceanic plateau during the Late Cretaceous. Geological
samples are rare but most samples recovered indicate a genetic link with the High
Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP).
In August 2016, Canadaâs Extended Continental Margin-United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea Program dredged approximately 100 kg of volcanic rocks from
the Alpha Ridge. The large size and pristine state of the samples enabled the first
comprehensive study of a single eruptive event in the volcanic record of the Alpha
Ridge. The dredge sample is a lapilli tuff containing vitric and basaltic clasts. Textural
evidence and the coexistence of juvenile and cognate clasts suggest a phreatomagmatic
eruption. The vitric fragments consist of sideromelane glass with abundant plagioclase
microlites. Texturally, these basaltic glass lapilli display a fresh glassy core surrounded
by Fe- and Ti-rich zones and a palagonite rim. Major and trace element analyses of
glassy cores indicate remarkably uniform, mildly alkaline basaltic compositions. The plagioclase-bearing glass yielded a 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 90.40±0.26 Ma (2Ï error) which included 89% of 39 Ar
released. We interpret this result to represent the eruption age of the plagioclase microlites
and consequently, of the host basaltic glass lapilli in the tuff. Volatile species analyses by
infrared spectroscopy on the fresh basaltic glass suggests that the melt was effectively
degassed to shallow level. Assuming equilibrium degassing, the homogeneous resulting
values of H2O total in the range 0.1 to 0.19 wt.% (1Ï error) indicate subaerial or shallow
eruption (surface to 80 m).
The new 40Ar/39Ar age for the sample is consistent with a 40 Ar/39Ar age of 89±1 Ma
obtained for a sample of tholeiitic basalt dredged from the central part of the
Alpha Ridge, and with the range of ages reported for HALIP igneous rocks exposed
onshore in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (130-80 Ma). Our new data provide
evidence for local emergence of the Alpha Ridge in the Late Cretaceous. A comparison
the Alpha Ridge and Kerguelen PlateauâBroken Ridge Large Igneous Province (LIP)
provides new insights on the episodic nature of LIP magmatism and variations in
eruptive style through time
The Value of User Centered Design in Product Marketing: A Simulated Manufacturing Company Product Offering Market Strategy
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