AN ONTOLOGY-BASED COMPETENCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR IT COMPANIES

The paper presents a generic framework of an intelligent information system for competence management based on ontologies for information technology companies. The advantage of using an ontology-based system is the possibility of the identification of new relations among concepts based on inferences starting from the existing knowledge. The inferences may be performed in our approach by a reasoning engine, using classifiers in the Descriptions Logics tab associated with the Protégé ontology environment. The user can choose to query instances of one type of concept, based on the relations that are displayed for him/her in a dropping menu. In addition to choosing relations modeled in the ontology, the user may also query inferred relations that are not explicitly stored in the knowledge base. The paper also presents some use-cases and further developments.competencies, ontology, competence management system, information technology, knowledge acquisition.

Creating Value Beyond Microfinance Through Entrepreneurship Development in Kenya

This article looks at current microfinance practices in Kenya and some of the inherent challenges that hinder human development of microfinance clients beyond accessing financial services. As microfinance providers and supporters continue to promote the importance of improving access to financial services amongst micro and small business owners, they will need to augment their microfinance services with basic entrepreneurial training.Entrepreneurship; Development; Microfinance; Microenterprise; Kenya

Validating the Automated Assessment of Participation and of Collaboration in Chat Conversations

International audienceAs Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) gains a broader usage as a viable alternative to classic educational scenarios, the need for automated tools capable of supporting tutors in the time consuming process of analyzing conversations becomes more stringent. Moreover, in order to fully explore the benefits of such scenarios, a clear demarcation must be made between participation or active involvement, and collaboration that presumes the intertwining of ideas or points of view with other participants. Therefore, starting from a cohesion-based model of the discourse, we propose two computational models for assessing collaboration and participation. The first model is based on the cohesion graph and can be perceived as a longitudinal analysis of the ongoing conversation, thus accounting for participation from a social knowledge-building perspective. In the second approach, collaboration is regarded from a dialogical perspective as the intertwining or overlap of voices pertaining to different speakers, therefore enabling a transversal analysis of subsequent discussion slices

Inclusive Teaching Practices in a French for Professional Purposes Course at the U.S. Air Force Academy

This essay aims to explore inclusive teaching practices to be implemented in an advanced course on French for Professional Purposes at the U.S. Air Force Academy. It will equally illustrate how cadets explore economic, legal, political, and military aspects of the professional world in French-speaking countries, which enhance not only their personal future careers’ interests, but also contribute to the success of the Air Force’s military strategic interest in Francophone Africa. Cadets become acquainted with specialized vocabulary necessary in professional settings, as well as engage with questions relating to cultural differences and business ethics across different Francophone countries and regions

Improving Access to Justice in Kenya through Horizontal Application of the Bill of Rights and Judicial Review

Article 20 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 states that the Bill of Rights binds all state organs and all persons. However, the extent to which natural persons and private legal persons can be held liable for human rights violations has become an issue. The courts have differed and provided mixed directions as to liability for human rights violations by private persons. Under the previous constitutional era, only decisions of public entities could be reviewed through judicial review. This article is an attempt to illustrate, with the aid of case law, the increased possibility for access to justice by the litigant in constitutional rights matters post-2010. We move from the previous era where human rights could not generally be sought against private persons to one where there is an attitude of acceptance, albeit a very cautious one, where rights can now be sought against any private persons. Also, there is hope for justice and a better society in general, if private bodies’ decisions can also be judicially reviewed. Private entities wield immense power over individuals and it is crucial to lift the veil of privacy and go to the root of the matter by evaluating their decision-making processes

“ZDRAVLJE ZA SVE”. MEDICINSKI SUSTAV U POKRAJINI VLAŠKA POD VODSTVOM PROTOMEDIKUSA NICOLAEA GUSSIJA 1848. – 1859.

The main objective of this study is to provide an overview of the evolution of the medical system in Wallachia between 1840 and 1860 and the very important role of physician Nicolae Gussi (1802-1869), protomedicus of Wallachia between 1840 and 1859, to transform medicine into a modern public service, accessible to the entire population. Particularly, we will refer to the medical reform project of 1853, which Gussi implemented during the time he headed the medical-sanitary administration. We will insist on the details of the project because it was designed to create a network of county hospitals that would improve the health of the population and, in the medium and long term, would reduce mortality and increase life expectancy. Another dimension of the study aims at the tenure of physicians in county hospitals and describes the medical services they provided to patients, particularly from the poor population.Glavni je cilj ovog istraživanja dati pregled razvoja medicinskog sustava u pokrajini Vlaškoj između 1840. i 1860. i vrlo važne uloge liječnika Nicolaea Gussija (1802. – 1869.), protomedikusa Vlaške između 1840. i 1859., u preobrazbi medicine u modernu javnu uslugu, dostupnu cjelokupnom stanovništvu. Osobito ćemo se osvrnuti na projekt medicinske reforme iz 1853., koji je Gussi proveo u vrijeme dok je bio na čelu medicinsko-sanitarne uprave. Usredotočit ćemo se na detalje projekta koji je osmišljen kako bi stvorio mrežu regionalnih bolnica koja bi poboljšala zdravlje stanovništva te bi, u srednjoročnom i dugoročnom razdoblju, smanjila smrtnost i produžila životni vijek. Sljedeća dimenzija istraživanja usmjerena je na rad liječnika u regionalnim bolnicama te opisuje medicinske usluge koje su pružali pacijentima, posebice siromašnoj populaciji

Poster: Informing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) by Analysing Human Users’ Problem-solving Strategies

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has emerged as an important topic for the industry and for the scientific literature, given its great potential to reduce the costs and to increase the efficacy of business processes. RPA tools are generally developed as rule-based system which mimic the actions of a human users on a software interface in order to automate repetitive, well-defined tasks. Because these solutions follow the same exact steps, they might be less flexible to changes in the interface or the task specifications. Artificial intelligence might overcome some limitations but has its disadvantages. In this paper, we argue that cognitive models inspired from the ways in which human users perform a business task might represent a sound basis to define flexible and efficient RPA solutions. We propose the think aloud protocol as an adequate methodology to develop such cognitive models and we exemplify how this methodology can be applied

The Design of a Low-Cost Traffic Calming Radar - Development of a radar solution intended to demonstrate proof of concept

This study aimed to develop a radar solution that would aid the traffic calming efforts of the CSIR business campus. The Institute of Transportation Engineers defined traffic calming as "The combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use." Radar-based solutions have been proven to help reduce the speeds of motorists in areas with speed restrictions. Unfortunately, these solutions are expensive and difficult to import. Thus, this dissertation's main focus is to produce a detailed blueprint of a radar-based solution, with technical specifications that are similar to those of commercial and experimental systems at relatively low-cost. With the above mindset, the project was initiated with the user requirements being stated. Then a detailed study of current experimental and commercial radar-based traffic calming systems followed. Thereafter, the technical and non-technical requirements were derived from user requirements, and the technical specifications obtained from the literature study. A review of fundamental radar and signal processing principles was initiated to give background knowledge for the design and simulation process. Consequently, a detailed design of the system's functional components was conceptualized, which included the hardware, software, and electrical aspects of the system as well as the enclosure design. With the detailed design in mind, a data-collection system was built. The data-collection system was built to verify whether the technical specifications, which relate to the detection performance and the velocity accuracy of the proposed radar design, were met. This was done to save on buying all the components of the proposed system while proving the design's technical feasibility. The data-collection system consisted of a radar sensor, an Analogue to Digital Converter (ADC), and a laptop computer. The radar sensor was a k-band, Continuous Wave (CW) transceiver, which provided I/Q demodulated data with beat frequencies ranging from DC to 50 kHz. The ADC is an 8-bit Picoscope 2206B portable oscilloscope, capable of sampling frequencies of up to 50 MHz. The target detection and the velocity estimation algorithms were executed on a Samsung Series 7 Chronos laptop. Preliminary experiments enabled the approximation of the noise intensity of the scene in which the radar would be placed. These noise intensity values enabled the relationship between the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and the velocity error to be modelled at specific ranges from the radar, which led to a series of experiments that verified the prototypes' ability to accurately detect and estimate the vehicle speed at distances of up to 40 meters from the radar. The cell-averaging constant false alarm rate (CA-CFAR) detector was chosen as an optimum detector for this application, and parameters that produced the best results were found to be 50 reference cells and 12 guard cells. The detection rate was found to be 100% for all coherent processing intervals (CPIs) tested. The prototype was able to detect vehicle speeds that ranged from 2 km/h up to 60 km/h with an uncertainty of ±0.415 km/h, ±0.276 km/h, and ±0.156 km/h using a CPI of 0.0128 s, 0.256 s, and 0.0512 s respectively. The optimal CPI was found to be 0.0512 s, as it had the lowest mean velocity uncertainty, and it produced the largest first detection SNR of the CPIs tested. These findings were crucial for the feasibility of manufacturing a low-cost traffic calming solution for the South African market

The Encounter between Television News and the Television News Viewer: A Literature Review

The aim of this paper is to review literature on the interaction between the television news viewer and the television (hereafter, TV). The paper begins by identifying the key symbols generated at the encounter. Literature on the various types or manifestations at the encounter are then highlighted followed by a review on viewer types and preoccupations. The paper also delves into the literature on the encounter as hypertext. Finally, the emerging issue of news aesthetics is briefly espoused. The review then indicates potential areas of research on the subject