Antecedents and consequences of knowledge management performance: the role of IT infrastructure

Purpose: In this paper, we assess the role of knowledge management (KM) practices as a key antecedent of KM performance. Also, we examine how Information technology (IT) infrastructure is used as a driver of KM performance, organizational performance and innovation. In addition, the effects of IT infrastructure can be indirect. Specifically, we show that KM performance is a mediator between organizational performance and innovation. Design/methodology/approach: Applying a variance-based structural equation modelling (PLS), we have carried out a study among a sample of 82 Andalusian technology-intensive innovative companies. Findings: First, KM practices and IT infrastructure are significant antecedents of KM performance. Second, KM performance has a direct influence on business performance and innovation outcomes. Third, IT infrastructure does not have a direct influence on business performance and innovation outcomes, but does have a significant indirect effect on them via KM performance. Practical implications: This research provides insights for why some firms may not be realizing benefits from investing in IT infrastructure. KM performance is strongly needed for the successful implementation of IT infrastructure in the organizations. Originality/value: The findings are important for practitioners and researchers because this study makes a contribution to the literature in KM by supporting the perspective that the business and organizational performance are function of the KM performance, a complementary resource through the value of IT infrastructure is enhanced.Peer Reviewe

Antecedents and consequences of knowledge management perfomance. the role of IT infrastructure.

Purpose: In this paper, we assess the role of knowledge management (KM) practices as a key antecedent of KM performance. Also, we examine how information technology (IT) infrastructure is used as a driver of KM performance, organizational performance and innovation. In addition, the effects of IT infrastructure can be indirect. Specifically, we show that KM performance is a mediator between, on the one hand, IT infrastructure and, on the other hand, organizational performance and innovation. Design/methodology: Applying Partial Least Squares (PLS), a composite-based structural equation modeling, we have carried out a study among a sample of 82 Andalusian technology-intensive innovative companies adopting both a confirmatory and predictive purposes. Findings: First, both IT infrastructure and KM practices are key drivers of KM performance. Second, KM performance shows a significant direct impact on business performance and innovation outcomes. Third, the influence of IT infrastructure on business performance and innovation outcomes is not direct but indirect through KM performance. Finally, the model shows good fit values and appropriate predictive power to predict new observations of KM performance and organizational performance. Practical implications: This research provides insights for why some firms may not be realizing benefits from investing in IT infrastructure. KM performance is strongly needed for the successful implementation of IT infrastructure in the organizations. Originality/value: This study has a double research purpose, confirmatory and predictive. In this vein, it applies new PLS developments focused on the goodness of fit as well as on the predictive performance of the model. The findings are important for practitioners and researchers because this study makes a contribution to the literature on KM by supporting the perspective that the business and organizational performance are functions of the KM performance, a complementary resource through which the value of IT infrastructure is enhanced

Percepción del beneficio de los deportes y actividades recreativas en habilidades para la vida en niños y adolescentes de Ciudad Juárez, México

The present exploratory research aims to describe the perceptions of the benefit encouraged by sports practice in physical-motor, cognitive, social and interpersonal skills in Juarenses children and young people from 6 to 16 years who participated in the summer school. The population consisted of 46 subjects, divided into two groups: infants and preteens participants of a summer sports teaching experience designed and controlled by the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez. For the information-collecting the Natural Semantic Networks technique and questionnaire was used, at the same time, for the analysis, the theory of social representations and HJ-Biplot for the data´s representation and interpretation was used. Among the most outstanding findings is evidenced at a perceptive level on the physical-motor skills development  with the practice of the following sports disciplines: swimming (59%), aerial dance (58%), indoor soccer (55%) and basketball (54% ), in turn, tennis (30%), flag football (26%) and recreation (24%) activities promoted the improvement of cognitive skills; likewise, social skills were encouraged with recreation (33%), flag football (24%) and handball (15%) and interpersonal skills were encouraged with sports such as swimming (31%), karate (28%) and dance (14%). In conclusion, the aforementioned learning space called summer school offers participants a perceived benefit of sport beyond the enjoyment by practice, recreation and health. And enables to observe the relationships that our mind and body have with other everyday learning.El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en describir la percepción que tienen los niños, niñas y jóvenes juarenses de 6 a 16 años, participantes en el Campamento de Verano promovido por la Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), respecto de los beneficios que estimulan las actividades deportivas y recreativas en las habilidades físico-motoras, cognitivas, sociales e interpersonales. La investigación se asume de carácter exploratoria, tipo mixta. La técnica utilizada para recuperación de la información fue Redes Semánticas Naturales (RSN); y el cuestionario, a su vez —para el análisis, representación e interpretación de los datos— se usó la teoría de la percepción y el HJ-Biplot. Entre los hallazgos más sobresalientes se evidencia, a nivel perceptivo, que el desarrollo de habilidades físico-motoras se potencia con la práctica de las siguientes disciplinas deportivas: natación (59%), danza aérea (58%), fútbol rápido (55%) y basquetbol (54%); a su vez, las actividades de tenis (30%), tochito (26%) y recreación (24%) promovieron la mejora de habilidades cognitivas. De igual forma, las habilidades sociales se vieron estimuladas con recreación (33%), tochito (24%) y handball (15%) y en las habilidades interpersonales influyeron deportes como la natación (31%), karate (28%) y baile (14%). En conclusión, el Campamento de Verano con orientación deportiva y recreativa estimula y condiciona, en los participantes, una percepción de beneficio del deporte más allá del gusto por la práctica, el esparcimiento y la salud. Y posibilita la observación de las relaciones que la mente y cuerpo tienen con otros aprendizajes cotidianos

First report of an HIV-1 triple recombinant of subtypes B, C and F in Buenos Aires, Argentina

We describe the genetic diversity of currently transmitted strains of HIV-1 in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Buenos Aires, Argentina between 2000 and 2004. Nearly full-length sequence analysis of 10 samples showed that 6 were subtype B, 3 were BF recombinant and 1 was a triple recombinant of subtypes B, C and F. The 3 BF recombinants were 3 different unique recombinant forms. Full genome analysis of one strain that was subtype F when sequenced in pol was found to be a triple recombinant. Gag and pol were predominantly subtype F, while gp120 was subtype B; there were regions of subtype C interspersed throughout. The young man infected with this strain reported multiple sexual partners and sero-converted between May and November of 2004. This study reported for the first time the full genome analysis of a triple recombinant between subtypes B, C and F, that combines in one virus the three most common subtypes in South America

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia in middle-income countries

Background: Adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines are extensively used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Remarkably, cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) have rarely been reported from LMICs. Aims: We studied the frequency, manifestations, treatment, and outcomes of CVST-VITT in LMICs. Methods: We report data from an international registry on CVST after COVID-19 vaccination. VITT was classified according to the Pavord criteria. We compared CVST-VITT cases from LMICs to cases from high-income countries (HICs). Results: Until August 2022, 228 CVST cases were reported, of which 63 were from LMICs (all middle-income countries [MICs]: Brazil, China, India, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey). Of these 63, 32 (51%) met the VITT criteria, compared to 103 of 165 (62%) from HICs. Only 5 of the 32 (16%) CVST-VITT cases from MICs had definite VITT, mostly because anti-platelet factor 4 antibodies were often not tested. The median age was 26 (interquartile range [IQR] 20–37) versus 47 (IQR 32–58) years, and the proportion of women was 25 of 32 (78%) versus 77 of 103 (75%) in MICs versus HICs, respectively. Patients from MICs were diagnosed later than patients from HICs (1/32 [3%] vs. 65/103 [63%] diagnosed before May 2021). Clinical manifestations, including intracranial hemorrhage, were largely similar as was intravenous immunoglobulin use. In-hospital mortality was lower in MICs (7/31 [23%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 11–40]) than in HICs (44/102 [43%, 95% CI 34–53], p = 0.039). Conclusions: The number of CVST-VITT cases reported from LMICs was small despite the widespread use of adenoviral vaccines. Clinical manifestations and treatment of CVST-VITT cases were largely similar in MICs and HICs, while mortality was lower in patients from MICs.</p

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Search for stop and higgsino production using diphoton Higgs boson decays

Results are presented of a search for a "natural" supersymmetry scenario with gauge mediated symmetry breaking. It is assumed that only the supersymmetric partners of the top-quark (stop) and the Higgs boson (higgsino) are accessible. Events are examined in which there are two photons forming a Higgs boson candidate, and at least two b-quark jets. In 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded in the CMS experiment, no evidence of a signal is found and lower limits at the 95% confidence level are set, excluding the stop mass below 360 to 410 GeV, depending on the higgsino mass