Finding the right answer: an information retrieval approach supporting knowledge sharing

Knowledge Management can be defined as the effective strategies to get the right piece of knowledge to the right person in the right time. Having the main purpose of providing users with information items of their interest, recommender systems seem to be quite valuable for organizational knowledge management environments. Here we present KARe (Knowledgeable Agent for Recommendations), a multiagent recommender system that supports users sharing knowledge in a peer-to-peer environment. Central to this work is the assumption that social interaction is essential for the creation and dissemination of new knowledge. Supporting social interaction, KARe allows users to share knowledge through questions and answers. This paper describes KARe�s agent-oriented architecture and presents its recommendation algorithm

Latin America and East Asia in the Context of an Insurance Model of Currency Crises

This paper focuses on the 1995 Latin American and 1997 East Asian crises using an insurance-based model of financial crises. First the model of Dooley (forthcoming) is described. Second, some empirical evidence for an insurance model is presented. The key variables in this approach include the ratio of foreign exchange reserves to bank loans (domestic credit) extended to the private sector, the ability of the private sector to appropriate government assets, and appropriation as measured by capital flight. We argue that the insurance model is consistent with the observed evolution of these variables in the recent crises in Latin America and Asia. Finally, we examine the statistical evidence in favor of the model using panel regressions. We find that the econometric results are consistent with the insurance model, and tend to support this approach over some competing explanations.

Pemanenan Berwawasan Lingkungan untuk Minimasi Kerusakan Hutan

Tulisan ini mengetengahkan hasil penelitian tentang pemanenan berwawasan lingkungan dan pemanenan konvensional. Penelitian telah dilakukan di suatu Perusahaan hutan di Kalimantan Barat pada tahun 1999. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemanenan berwawasan lingkungan terhadap terjadinya kerusakan tegakan tinggal. keterbukaan lahan, penurunan lapisan tanah atas, produktivitas traktor sarad dan biaya produksi penyaradan.Data yang dikumpulkan adalah: jumlah pohon ditebang, jumlah pohon berdiameter 20 cm ke atas, tiang yang rusak, lahan terbuka, penurunan lapisan tanah atas, produktivitas traktor sarad dan biaya produksi penyaradan. Data dianalisis dengan uji-t.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tingkat kerusakan tiang dan pohon pada sistem pemanenan berwawasan lingkungan lebih rendah daripada tingkat kerusakan tiang dan pohon pada sistem konvensional. Lebih lanjut, penurunan lapisan tanah atas dan keterbukaan lahan pada sistem pemanenan berwawasan lingkungan lebih rendah daripada penurunan lapisan tanah konvensional. Berdasarkan pertimbangan lingkungan, disarankan agar sistem pemanenan berwawasan lingkungan diterapkan

Effect of Time-Temperature Abuse on Microbiological and Physiochemical Properties of Barramundi (Lates Calcarifer, Bloch) Fillets

The effect of time-temperature abuse on quality and shelf life of barramundi (Lates calcarifer) fillets using microbiological and physiochemical tools was investigated. Fillets were subjected to three different pre-blast freezing (PBF) temperatures viz. 5, 0 and -20C for 0 h, 1 h, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 days, after which fillets were exposed to -80C for 8 h and then stored at -20C for 20 days. Color and rheological parameter values changed as PBF time period progressed at each temperature tested. There was minimal change to the microbiological and physiochemical properties of fillets stored at -20C from 0 h to 16 days. Total viable count, total volatile base nitrogen, pH, protein, color and rheological parameters of fillets that underwent PBF temperature period at 0 and 5C for 16 days deteriorated significantly compared with those treated at -20C. The shelf life of PBF barramundi fillets at 0 and 5C was 8 days

Luas Petak Tebang Optimal Pemanenan Kayu Di Areal Hutan Tanaman Rawa Gambut

Kegiatan penyaradan dan pembuatan/ pemeliharaan kanal di hutan rawa gambut membutuhkan perencanaan yang matang mengingat lahan gambut merupakan lahan yang labil, apabila rusak sulit untuk pulih. Diperlukan luas petak tebang yang optimal, sehingga dari aspek teknis, ekonomis dan lingkungan ukuran tersebut layak diterapkan. Penelitian dilaksanakan pada bulan Juni 2013 di PT Bina Silva Nusa (PT BSN), Kalimantan Barat. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui luas petak tebang yang optimal di hutan tanaman rawa gambut dan peningkatan produktivitas penyaradan dan pembuatan/ pemeliharaan kanal. Data diambil secara deskriptif dan purposif serta dianalisis dengan regresi kuadratik. Berdasarkan analisis regresi kuadratik antara luas petak tebang (Y) dengan biaya sarad+kanal (X), 1. Didapatkan model petak tebang optimal sebagai berikut Y trans = 55.7 - 6.8 Xtrans + 0.21 Xtrans2; atau Ln Y = 55.7 - 6.8 Ln X + 0.21 Ln2 X , dengan R2 = 0.1532** atau R = 0.3914** (lebih besar dari R tabel = 0.254 atau R2 tabel = 0.0645 pada db = 117, dengan peluang P = 0.99), luas petak tebang optimal (Yopt ) sebesar 22,21 ha dengan biaya minimal (Xmin) sebesar Rp 612.644.033; 2. Rata-rata peningkatan produktivitas sarad, pembuatan/pemeliharaan kanal sekunder, kanal kolektor dan kanal tersier masing-masing 1,37 m3/jam (9,5%), 1,298 m/jam (5,3%), 1,706 m/jam (2,33%), dan 1,4 m/jam (1,3%)

Description of nuclear octupole and quadrupole deformation close to the axial symmetry and phase transitions in the octupole mode

The dynamics of nuclear collective motion is investigated in the case of reflection-asymmetric shapes. The model is based on a new parameterization of the octupole and quadrupole degrees of freedom, valid for nuclei close to the axial symmetry. Amplitudes of oscillation in other degrees of freedom different from the axial ones are assumed to be small, but not frozen to zero. The case of nuclei which already possess a permanent quadrupole deformation is discussed in some more detail and a simple solution is obtained at the critical point of the phase transition between harmonic octupole oscillation and a permanent asymmetric shape. The results are compared with experimental data of the Thorium isotopic chain. The isotope Th-226 is found to be close to the critical point.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, 8 tables; 3 new references added, misprints correcte

Uav Photogrammetry: Block Triangulation Comparisons

UAVs systems represent a flexible technology able to collect a big amount of high resolution information, both for metric and interpretation uses. In the frame of experimental tests carried out at Dept. ICA of Politecnico di Milano to validate vector-sensor systems and to assess metric accuracies of images acquired by UAVs, a block of photos taken by a fixed wing system is triangulated with several software. The test field is a rural area included in an Italian Park ("Parco Adda Nord"), useful to study flight and imagery performances on buildings, roads, cultivated and uncultivated vegetation. The UAV SenseFly, equipped with a camera Canon Ixus 220HS, flew autonomously over the area at a height of 130 m yielding a block of 49 images divided in 5 strips. Sixteen pre-signalized Ground Control Points, surveyed in the area through GPS (NRTK survey), allowed the referencing of the block and accuracy analyses. Approximate values for exterior orientation parameters (positions and attitudes) were recorded by the flight control system. The block was processed with several software: Erdas-LPS, EyeDEA (Univ. of Parma), Agisoft Photoscan, Pix4UAV, in assisted or automatic way. Results comparisons are given in terms of differences among digital surface models, differences in orientation parameters and accuracies, when available. Moreover, image and ground point coordinates obtained by the various software were independently used as initial values in a comparative adjustment made by scientific in-house software, which can apply constraints to evaluate the effectiveness of different methods of point extraction and accuracies on ground check points