Investigating the Impact of the Implementation of a Legal Practice Management System on Employee Productivity at a Small Law Firm

This paper focuses on the impacts of the implementation of a software package [the Legal Practice Management System (LPMS)] to support the operation and management of a legal practice on employee productivity. The focal organization is a law firm in Thailand employing thirty-two people, which has been facing various business challenges from both internal and external factors. This Information Technology-enabled business process was identified as the key organizational development intervention to address some of the existing organizational challenges. The implementation of the LPMS was carried out in eight months. The researcher developed the 6As Implementation Framework, which is a combination of the Appreciative Inquiry principle and Socio-Technology Theory (STS). It was used as the Implementation Framework for this project. A series of intervention activities were conducted throughout the implementation period to align the socio structure with the technical structure of the system in order to minimize any resistance to the changes. The post implementation results show significant improvement in the area of employee productivity, specifically a reduction in time when searching and managing documentation, increasing accuracy and visibility in managing everyone’s calendar and schedule, and mitigating risks losing documents. Additionally, employees have been empowered to be more responsive to client queries through a centralized and on-line information system with minimum waiting time

The Correlation between Defined Daily Dose/1000 Patient-day of Antimicrobials and the Resistance Rate of P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii : A Case Study at Hua-Hin Hospital

Objective: To determine the trends of defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 patient-day among antimicrobial agents, drug resistance to P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii and the relationship between DDD per 1000 patient-day of antimicrobial agents and drug resistance rate. Method: We collected and defined 1) DDD per 1000 patient-day of ceftazidime, imipenem, meropenem, ertapenem, ciprofloxacin, amikacin and gentamicin and 2) the percentage of carbapenem resistant- and multi drug resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii at Hua-Hin hospital in 2010 - 2014. Correlation coefficients from simple linear regression were used to test the trends. Results: DDD/1000 patient-day of meropenem had increased while those of imipenem and gentamicin had decreased with statistical significance. The increased use of amikacin (r = 0.894, P = 0.041) and imipenem (r = 0.957, P = 0.011) each was associated with lower rates of MDR-P. aeruginosa while increased ertapenem use was correlated with decreasing MDR-P. aeruginosa (r = -0.90, P = 0.037). Moreover, the lesser use of amikacin associated with reducing rates of imipenem resistant P. aeruginosa (r = -0.90, P = 0.042) but with increasing rate of MDR (r = -0.948, P = 0.014), imipenem (r = -0.950, P = 0.013) and meropenem (r = -0.939, P = 0.018) resistant A. baumannii. Conclusion: The use of amikacin imipenem and ertapenem was related to rate of antimicrobial resistance. Thus, drug use evaluation is needed to solve antibiotic resistance.Keywords: DDD/1000 patient-day, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii, resistant rat

A fuzzy array-based clustering method in team building.

International audienceAn array-based approach is proposed as an effective mean for providing an alternative solution in team building problem. The proposed approach generates a systematic formation of task and team member families by sequencing the rows and the columns of a task-personnel incidence matrix. To obtain the task-personnel incidence matrix, a fuzzy sets approach will be proposed to combine two fundamental incidence matrices : the task-discipline and personnel-discipline incidence matrices. The proposed method is demonstrated by applying to an example in team building problem

Affectation multi-périodes de tâches de conception en fonction de l'évolution des compétences.

International audienceLes projets de conception de produits complexes nécessitent des acteurs pluridisciplinaires afin de réaliser l'intégralité des activités du projet. Les chefs de projet ont besoin d'outils d'aide à l'affectation des ressources humaines en fonction de l'évolution des compétences. Dans cet article, un modèle d'affectation permettant de modéliser le développement des compétences sur plusieurs périodes et sur plusieurs projets est proposé. Nous cherchons un compromis entre le coût supplémentaire lié au manque de compétence et le coût pénalisant dû à l'écart de l'objectif de compétences. Un cas d'études est présenté. Nous utilisons un algorithme de recuit simulé pour résoudre le problème

A multidisciplinary team building method based on competency modelling in design project management.

International audienceThis research aims to develop a new team building method on competency modelling in the field of project management. This method is divided into three main stages. First, a competency matrix based on a task-actor compatibility indicator helps to characterise the competency levels. Second, we apply a clustering algorithm in order to reduce the problem complexity and favour the employees expertise. The clustering algorithm will decompose large sets of tasks and actors into smaller task groups related to different actor groups. It facilitates the project leaders to organise the actors into teams. Finally, the proposed task assignment model incorporates a learning curve in order to take the competency dynamics into account. Our computational experiments suggest that incorporating a clustering algorithm as a step of the method results in preserving expertise and thus helps project managers to find better tradeoffs between project cost (short term goal) and competency dynamics (long term goal)

Determining Critical Rail Line Blocks and Minimum Train Headways for Equal and Unequal Block Lengths and Various Train Speed Scenarios

This paper presents a primary model to maximize rail line capacity by minimizing the train headway, defining block time as the time when a train first enters until it leaves the block. The analysis was conducted under a fixed-block system, which allows only a single train to remain in the block. A critical block was identified to determine the minimum safe headway as a function of the train speed, train length, number of trains, and block length. A time–distance diagram was used to analyze operations with equal and unequal block lengths. For two trains operating at the same speed on unequal blocks, the maximum block length defined the minimum headway. For two trains operating at different speeds, a hierarchical analysis was required to identify the minimum headway. Shorter block lengths and a strategic train order affected rail line capacity. The maximum capacity was achieved when two trains operated at the same speed.This paper presents a primary model to maximize rail line capacity by minimizing the train headway, defining block time as the time when a train first enters until it leaves the block. The analysis was conducted under a fixed-block system, which allows only a single train to remain in the block. A critical block was identified to determine the minimum safe headway as a function of the train speed, train length, number of trains, and block length. A time–distance diagram was used to analyze operations with equal and unequal block lengths. For two trains operating at the same speed on unequal blocks, the maximum block length defined the minimum headway. For two trains operating at different speeds, a hierarchical analysis was required to identify the minimum headway. Shorter block lengths and a strategic train order affected rail line capacity. The maximum capacity was achieved when two trains operated at the same speed

A team building approach for competency development.

International audienceAn approach for multidisciplinary team building is proposed through three steps. We suppose that tasks and team members are characterized by a set of attributes (technical competencies). First, the calculation of distance measure between task and team member (profile matching) are proposed. Second, an array-based clustering algorithm is used as an effective means for providing an alternative solution in task and team-member clustering. The proposed approach generates a systematic formation of task and team member families by sequencing the rows and the columns of a task/team member incidence matrix. Finally, an integer programming model is formulated to solve the task assignment problem. The proposed method is demonstrated by applying it to an example in a team building problem

Méthodologie pour la constitution d'équipes de projet de conception.

International audiencePiloter un projet comporte plusieurs dimensions organisationnelles comme l'organisation des tâches du projet, la formation des équipes et le développement des compétences. Dans la littérature, à notre connaissance, il n'existe pas le travail considérant simultanément ces trois aspects. Dans ce papier, nous présentons une méthodologie d'aide à la constitution des équipes d'un projet de conception comme un premier pas vers la prise en compte de ces trois aspects. Deux étapes fondamentales de notre approche seront présentées : l'organisation des tâches et la constitution des équipes. En premier lieu, la théorie de la logique floue et un algorithme de regroupement (Rank Order Clustering-ROC) seront utilisés pour regrouper des tâches du projet. Ensuite, on s'appuiera sur une méthode d'aide à la décision multicritères pour constituer les équipes, avec prise en compte d'un critère portant sur le développement des compétences

Identification of Thai cassava cultivars using SCAR markers and multiplex PCR

บทคัดย่อ มันสำปะหลังเป็นพืชเศรษฐกิจที่มีความสำคัญ และมีการคัดเลือกพันธุ์ปลูกที่มีเปอร์เซ็นต์แป้งสูงเพื่ออุตสาหกรรม แต่พันธุ์ปลูกที่ได้รับการพัฒนาอาจมีลักษณะสัณฐานวิทยาคล้ายคลึงกัน ดังนั้นการจำแนกพันธุ์ปลูกจึงต้องอาศัยบุคลากรที่มีความชำนาญ การศึกษานี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อพัฒนาเครื่องหมายโมเลกุลสำหรับระบุพันธุ์ปลูกของมันสำปะหลังไทยจำนวน 16 พันธุ์ปลูกที่ได้จากแหล่งเชื้อพันธุกรรมในศูนย์วิจัยพืชไร่ระยอง โดยนำแถบดีเอ็นเอซึ่งมีความแตกต่างกันในพันธุ์ปลูกต่างๆ ที่ได้จากการทำ HAT-RAPD มาโคลนและหาลำดับนิวคลีโอไทด์ เพื่อออกแบบไพรเมอร์สำหรับ SCAR ที่มีความจำเพาะจำนวน 4 คู่ โดย SCAR marker ที่ได้สามารถใช้จำแนกพันธุ์ปลูกของมันสำปะหลังได้ ดังนี้ (1) 308-bp marker และ 850-bp marker ใช้ระบุอัตลักษณ์ของพันธุ์ปลูกระยอง 60 และห้านาที ตามลำดับ (2) 414-bp marker ใช้ระบุกลุ่มพันธุ์ปลูกระยอง 1 ระยอง 11 ระยอง 90 ระยอง 86-13 ห้วยบง 60 และเกษตรศาสตร์ 50 (3) 273-bp marker ใช้ระบุกลุ่มพันธุ์ปลูกระยอง 3 ระยอง 9 และระยอง 72 และ (4) 414-bp marker และ 273-bp marker ใช้ระบุกลุ่มพันธุ์ปลูกระยอง 5 และห้วยบง 80 นอกจากนี้ ยังได้มีการพัฒนาเทคนิค multiplex PCR ที่เหมาะสมกับการใช้ไพรเมอร์สำหรับ SCAR พร้อมกันทั้ง 4 คู่ในหนึ่งปฏิกิริยา เพื่อให้การตรวจสอบดีเอ็นเอเป้าหมายมีความรวดเร็วและประหยัดยิ่งขึ้น ABSTRACT   Cassava is an important economic crop which has been artificially selected to improve cultivars with high industrial yield of starch. Based on their morphoagronomic descriptors however, several improved cultivars are similar. Hence, accurate identification of each cultivar requires well-trained personnel. This study aimed to establish molecular markers for the identification of 16 Thai cassava cultivars from the germplasm collection in Rayong Field Crops Research Center. HAT-RAPD amplicons which were distinctive among the cultivars were employed for molecular cloning. Based on nucleotide sequences obtained four SCAR primer pairs were designed. SCAR markers were generated and used to differentiate the cultivars as follows: (1) 308-bp marker and 850-bp marker for Rayong 60 and Hanatee, respectively; (2) 414-bp marker for Rayong 1, Rayong 11, Rayong 90, Rayong 86-13, Huay Bong 60 and Kasetsart 50; (3) 273-bp marker for Rayong 3, Rayong 9 and Rayong 72; and (4) 414-bp and 273-bp markers for Rayong 5 and Huay Bong 80. For the procedure to be less time-consuming and more cost-effective, efficient multiplex PCR with optimal conditions was developed to incorporate all four pairs of SCAR primers in a single PCR reaction