Knowledge Measurement Barriers: Results from a Case Study

The discussion about barriers is primarily involved with knowledge sharing issues and the implementation of knowledge management in general. The successful application of measurement strategies requires an understanding on how knowledge measurement processes are perceived by the participants. Measuring the skills and capabilities of knowledge workers is increasingly recognized as a source of competitive advantages and has to be embedded in the organizational culture. The objective of this paper is to increase the understanding of barriers associated with knowledge measurement processes. An exploratory study with 100 interviews at an European Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) vendor was conducted to establish a knowledge measurement system and identify associated measurement barriers. The analysis of the results identified 21 measurement barriers in three categories: (1) individual, (2) organizational, (3) measurement process. It is concluded that these barriers need to be minimized to improve measurement acceptance and to support a knowledge measurement culture in organizations

Cost of Controlling Modern Healthcare With Information Systems

The notion of controlling performance in modern healthcare constitutes a key justification for implementing large IT systems. By examining the relationship between healthcare performance and IS cost we significantly improve our understanding of healthcare delivery profile. In the absence of an appropriate fit between the goals of IS projects and smooth healthcare delivery, this research satisfies information needs for healthcare decision-makers. Drawing upon contingency research the authors develop a framework to analyze fit between healthcare delivery strategies and IS focus. They review empirical evidence from the English National Health Service implementation of a nationwide healthcare system with functional and interpretive paradigms. The results not only suggest a monumental gap between the two and but also explains how attempts to control healthcare performance can easily lead to even higher costs. It also elaborates on current pragmatic thoughts about costing IS projects before outlining the research approach

Assyrians and Babylonians in Classical Sources

Peer reviewe

Familiäre Ressourcen beim Übergang Schule-Beruf für Jugendliche mit einer intellektuellen Beeinträchtigung

In dieser Diplomarbeit wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche Ressourcen von Eltern von einem jugendlichen Kind mit einer intellektuellen Beeinträchtigung aktiviert werden können, um dem/der betroffenen Jugendlichen den Übergang von der Schule in den Beruf zu erleichtern. Um diese Forschungsfrage zu bearbeiten, wird auf die Unterteilung der Ressourcen nach Hillmert (2002) zurückgegriffen. Hillmert unterscheidet zwischen den Ressourcen „emotionale Unterstützung“, „kognitive Unterstützung“, den sozialen Ressourcen und den ökonomischen Ressourcen. Diese Ressourcen werden sowohl theoretisch als auch empirisch untersucht. Im Zuge dessen wird auch die Übergangssituation Schule-Beruf für Jugendliche mit einer intellektuellen Beeinträchtigung, die die allgemeine Sonderschule besucht haben, dargestellt. Insgesamt werden vier problemzentrierte Interviews durchgeführt und nach der zusammenfassenden Inhaltsanalyse nach Mayring ausgewertet. Dabei konnte eruiert werden, dass die Erkenntnisse, die aus den Interviews gewonnen werden konnten, mit denen der theoretischen Bearbeitung der Forschungsfrage übereinstimmen. Die Eltern nehmen eine zentrale Rolle bei dem Übergang von der Schule in den Beruf ein, die sich sowohl positiv als auch negativ auf das Kind mit einer intellektuellen Beeinträchtigung auswirken kann. Dabei ist die Art der elterlichen Unterstützung bereits von der Verarbeitung der Diagnose „intellektuelle Beeinträchtigung“ abhängig und kann sich in verschiedenen „Rollen“, die die Eltern innehaben können, wiederspiegeln. Die Schule spielt ebenfalls eine große Rolle für die berufliche Zukunft des/der Jugendlichen mit einer intellektuellen Beeinträchtigung, da sie durch das Berufsvorbereitungsjahr und die Zusammenarbeit mit verschiedenen Organisationen Einfluss darauf nehmen kann. Der Zusammenarbeit der Eltern und der Schule ist dabei großer Bedeutung beizumessen.In this master thesis it was investigated what parents of a mentally handicapped teenager can do to alleviate his/her transition from school to employment. Division of resources according to Hilmert (2002) was used to treat this question. Hillmert is thereby comparing the resources “emotional support”, “cognitive support”, social resources and economic resources. They were investigated theoretically as well as empirically. As part of this work the transition school-employment for teenagers who were visiting a school for mentally handicapped children was illustrated. In total four interviews were conducted using the methodology of Witzel. They were studied according to the recapitulatory qualitative data analysis by Mayring. It could be demonstrated that the insight gained from the interviews correlated with the theoretical findings. Parents play a key role in the transition from school to employment which can influence the mentally handicapped teenager positive as well as negative. But also the school is of significant importance for the future career of such a teenager due to its influence during the vocational preparatory class and its joint work with different organisations. The cooperation of parents and school is thereby of considerable relevance

Liquiditätsrisiko

Aufsichtsrechtliche und betriebswirtschaftliche Anforderungen für Banken

Intestinal Colonization of IL-2 Deficient Mice with Non-Colitogenic B. vulgatus Prevents DC Maturation and T-Cell Polarization

BACKGROUND: IL-2 deficient (IL-2(-/-)) mice mono-colonized with E. coli mpk develop colitis whereas IL-2(-/-)-mice mono-colonized with B. vulgatus mpk do not and are even protected from E. coli mpk induced colitis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated if mono-colonization with E. coli mpk or B. vulgatus mpk differentially modulates distribution, activation and maturation of intestinal lamina propria (LP) dendritic cells (DC). LP DC in mice mono-colonized with protective B. vulgatus mpk or co-colonized with E. coli mpk/B. vulgatus mpk featured a semi-mature LP DC phenotype (CD40(lo)CD80(lo)MHC-II(hi)) whereas mono-colonization with colitogenic E. coli mpk induced LP DC activation and maturation prior to onset of colitis. Accordingly, chemokine receptor (CCR) 7 surface expression was more strikingly enhanced in mesenteric lymph node DC from E. coli mpk than B. vulgatus mpk mono- or co-colonized mice. Mature but not semi-mature LP DC promoted Th1 polarization. As B. vulgatus mpk promotes differentiation of semi-mature DC presumably by IL-6, mRNA and protein expression of IL-6 was investigated in LP DC. The data demonstrated that IL-6 mRNA and protein was increased in LP DC of B. vulgatus mpk as compared to E. coli mpk mono-colonized IL-2(-/-)-mice. The B. vulgatus mpk mediated suppression of CCR7 expression and DC migration was abolished in IL-6(-/-)-DC in vitro. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: From this data we conclude that the B. vulgatus triggered IL-6 secretion by LP DC in absence of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-12 or TNF-alpha induces a semi-mature LP DC phenotype, which might prevent T-cell activation and thereby the induction of colitis in IL-2(-/-)-mice. The data provide new evidence that IL-6 might act as an immune regulatory cytokine in the mucosa by targeting intestinal DC

In vivo labelling of resting monocytes in the reticuloendothelial system with fluorescent iron oxide nanoparticles prior to injury reveals that they are mobilized to infarcted myocardium

Aims To evaluate the feasibility of loading resting monocytes/macrophages by intravenous (i.v.) injection of fluorescent iron oxide nanoparticles prior to injury and tracking of these cells in the very same animal to myocardial infarction (MI) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical imaging. Methods and results Rats were injected with fluorescent iron oxide nanoparticles (10 mg/kg) (n = 15) prior to injury. After disappearance of the nanoparticles from the blood, MI was induced. Monocytes/macrophages were then tracked in the very same animal by MRI and optical imaging. Control groups were (i) non-injected animals (n = 15), (ii) injected animals associated with a sham operation (n = 8), and (iii) animals treated with an anti-inflammatory agent (n = 6). The presence of iron-loaded cells can be detected by MRI in vivo in the infarcted myocardium. Here, we showed that the detection of inflammatory cells in vivo correlated well with ex vivo imaging (MRI and reflectance fluorescence) and histology. We also showed that the method is robust enough to depict changes in the inflammatory response. Conclusion This study demonstrates that resting monocytes/macrophages can be loaded in vivo by a simple i.v. injection of fluorescent superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles prior to injury and then tracked, in the same animal, in a model of ischaemia-reperfusion leading to myocardial infarct. Although previous studies of macrophages infiltration following MI have labelled the macrophages after injury, this study, for the first time, has pre-load the resting monocytes with fluorescent iron oxide nanoparticle

Filarial antigenemia and Loa loa night blood microfilaremia in an area without bancroftian filariasis in the democratic republic of Congo

Implementation of mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis (LF) has been delayed in central Africa because of incomplete mapping and coendemic loiasis. We mapped two regions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that were suspected to have LF. Night blood samples were collected from 2,724 subjects in 30 villages. Filarial antigenemia rates by card test exceeded 1% in 28 villages (range = 0–14%). Prevalence rates for large sheathed microfilariae (Mf) ranged from 4% to 40%; Mansonella perstans rates ranged from 22% to 98%. Large Mf were exclusively Loa loa by microscopy, and only 1 of 337 samples tested by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was positive for Wuchereria bancrofti DNA. Filarial antigen positivity was strongly associated with high L. loa Mf counts. Periodicity studies revealed atypical patterns, with no significant diurnal periodicity in some individuals. Thus, methods routinely used for LF mapping may not be reliable in areas in central Africa that are highly endemic for loiasis

Immune gene expression in the spleen of chickens experimentally infected with Ascaridia galli

Ascaridia galli is a gastrointestinal nematode infecting chickens. Chickens kept in alternative rearing systems or at free-range experience increased risk for infection with resulting high prevalences. A. gall infection causes reduced weight gain, decreased egg production and in severe cases increased mortality. More importantly, the parasitised chickens are more susceptible to secondary infections and their ability to develop vaccine-induced protective immunity against other diseases may be compromised. Detailed information about the immune response to the natural infection may be exploited to enable future vaccine development. In the present study, expression of immune genes in the chicken spleen during an experimental infection with A. galli was investigated using the Fluidigm (R) BioMark (TM) microfluidic qPCR platform which combines automatic high-throughput with attractive low sample and reagent consumption. Spleenic transcription of immunological genes was compared between infected chickens and non-infected controls at week 2, 6, and 9 p.i. corresponding to different stages of parasite development/maturation. At week 2 p.i. increased expression of IL-13 was observed in infected chickens. Increased expression of MBL, CRP, IFN-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-8, IL-12 beta and IL-18 followed at week 6 p.i. and at both week 6 and 9 p.i. expression of DEF beta 1 was highly increased in infected chickens. In summary, apart from also earlier reported increased expression of the Th2 signature cytokine IL-13 we observed only few differentially expressed genes at week 2 p.i. which corresponds to the larvae histotrophic phase. In contrast, we observed increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins in infected chickens, by week 6 p.i. where the larvae re-enter the intestinal lumen. Increased expression of DEF beta 1 was observed in infected chickens at week 6 p.i. but also at week 9 p.i. which corresponds to a matured stage where adult worms are present in the intestinal lumen. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved