Exploring the Influence of Ethical Norms on Organizaional Knowledge Management: An Ethical Climate Perspective

Since 1990, knowledge management has been developed and adopted as an essential strategy to foster the creation as well as utilization of organizational intellectual resources. Organizational intellectual capital is derived both individually and collectively from the process to create, store, share, acquire and apply the personal and organizational knowledge. Numerous studies have proposed that organizational culture is essential to support organizational knowledge management activities and effectiveness. However, many organizations put much emphasis on the individuals’ knowledge contribution and subsequent performance, neglecting the importance of brainstorming or contribution of knowledge sharing with others. In addition, some organizations only focus on the development of public goods, despite the concerns of individuals’ self-interest or possible risk. The only single aspect of individual or collective approach toward knowledge management will inevitably lead to the ethical conflicts in the organization. The purpose of this study intends to examine the ethical norms within an organization and its possible influence on the members’ evaluation, satisfaction, engagement, and job performance about the organizational knowledge management process. The research constructs are identified and measuring items will be developed on the basis of literature review. The method to carry out this study will utilize survey methodology. Meanwhile, statistical analysis will also be conducted to test our hypothesized relationships between constructs

Meeting the challenge? Transitions out of long-term homelessness

Journey to Social Inclusion (J2SI) is a pilot project designed to break the cycle of long-term homelessness. The project provides intensive support for up to three years to assist people who are long-term homeless receive the range of services they need. This is the second of four reports evaluating the J2SI project. It documents the social outcomes and the economic costs and benefits from the first 24 months. The evaluation uses a randomised controlled trial that tracks the outcomes of J2SI participants (Group J) and compares their outcomes with those of a comparison group (Group E) who are being supported by existing services. After 24 months the evidence shows a sustained improvement in the housing circumstances of the J2SI participants compared to those in the control group. Critically, most (86%) have maintained their housing. While the move to independent housing was difficult in the beginning, the high rate of housing retention suggests that most of the participants are developing the skills and confidence needed to keep their housing. The report contains the results of a cost-benefit analysis of the program after 2 years of operation. The evaluation was conducted by researchers from RMIT University and the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research. Authors: Guy Johnson, Daniel Kuehnle, Sharon Parkinson, Yi-Ping Tseng

Solution structure of a repeated unit of the ABA-1 nematode polyprotein allergen of ascaris reveals a novel fold and two discrete lipid-binding sites

Parasitic nematode worms cause serious health problems in humans and other animals. They can induce allergic-type immune responses, which can be harmful but may at the same time protect against the infections. Allergens are proteins that trigger allergic reactions and these parasites produce a type that is confined to nematodes, the nematode polyprotein allergens (NPAs). These are synthesized as large precursor proteins comprising repeating units of similar amino acid sequence that are subsequently cleaved into multiple copies of the allergen protein. NPAs bind small lipids such as fatty acids and retinol (Vitamin A) and probably transport these sensitive and insoluble compounds between the tissues of the worms. Nematodes cannot synthesize these lipids, so NPAs may also be crucial for extracting nutrients from their hosts. They may also be involved in altering immune responses by controlling the lipids by which the immune and inflammatory cells communicate. We describe the molecular structure of one unit of an NPA, the well-known ABA-1 allergen of Ascaris and find its structure to be of a type not previously found for lipid-binding proteins, and we describe the unusual sites where lipids bind within this structur

A combined analysis of PandaX, LUX, and XENON1T experiments within the framework of dark matter effective theory

Weakly interacting massive particles are a widely well-probed dark matter candidate by the dark matter direct detection experiments. Theoretically, there are a large number of ultraviolet completed models that consist of a weakly interacting massive particle dark matter. The variety of models makes the comparison with the direct detection data complicated and often non-trivial. To overcome this, in the non-relativistic limit, the effective theory was developed in the literature which works very well to significantly reduce the complexity of dark matter-nucleon interactions and to better study the nuclear response functions. In the effective theory framework for a spin-1/2 dark matter, we combine three independent likelihood functions from the latest PandaX, LUX, and XENON1T data, and give a joint limit on each effective coupling. The astrophysical uncertainties of the dark matter distribution are also included in the likelihood. We further discuss the isospin violating cases of the interactions. Finally, for both dimension-five and dimension-six effective theories above the electroweak scale, we give updated limits of the new physics mass scales.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figures, PandaX run10 data included and version accepted in JHEP, "code is available at the LikeDM website, https://likedm.hepforge.org/

Explicit and Implicit Processes in Human Aversive Conditioning

The ability to adapt to a changing environment is central to an organism’s success. The process of associating two stimuli (as in associative conditioning) requires very little in the way of neural machinery. In fact, organisms with only a few hundred neurons show conditioning that is specific to an associated cue. This type of learning is commonly referred to as implicit learning. The learning can be performed in the absence of the subject’s ability to describe it. One example of learning that is thought to be implicit is delay conditioning. Delay conditioning consists of a single cue (a tone, for example) that starts before, and then overlaps with, an outcome (like a pain stimulus). In addition to associating sensory cues, humans routinely link abstract concepts with an outcome. This more complex learning is often described as explicit since subjects are able to describe the link between the stimulus and outcome. An example of conditioning that requires this type of knowledge is trace conditioning. Trace conditioning includes a separation of a few seconds between the cue and outcome. Explicit learning is often proposed to involve a separate system, but the degree of separation between implicit associations and explicit learning is still debated. We describe aversive conditioning experiments in human subjects used to study the degree of interaction that takes place between explicit and implicit systems. We do this in three ways. First, if a higher order task (in this case a working memory task) is performed during conditioning, it reduces not only explicit learning but also implicit learning. Second, we describe the area of the brain involved in explicit learning during conditioning and confirm that it is active during both trace and delay conditioning. Third, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we describe hemodynamic activity changes in perceptual areas of the brain that occur during delay conditioning and persist after the learned association has faded. From these studies, we conclude that there is a strong interaction between explicit and implicit learning systems, with one often directly changing the function of the other.</p