A Strategy for Reducing I/O and Improving Query Processing Time in an Oracle Data Warehouse Environment

In the current information age as the saying goes, time is money. For the modern information worker, decisions must often be made quickly. Every extra minute spent waiting for critical data could mean the difference between financial gain and financial ruin. Despite the importance of timely data retrieval, many organizations lack even a basic strategy for improving the performance of their data warehouse based reporting systems. This project explores the idea that a strategy making use of three database performance improvement techniques can reduce I/O (input/output operations) and improve query processing time in an information system designed for reporting. To demonstrate that these performance improvement goals can be achieved, queries were run on ordinary tables and then on tables utilizing the performance improvement techniques. The I/O statistics and processing times for the queries were compared to measure the amount of performance improvement. The measurements were also used to explain how these techniques may be more or less effective under certain circumstances, such as when a particular type of query is run. The collected I/O and time based measurements showed a varying degree of improvement for each technique based on the query used. A need to match the types of queries commonly run on the system to the performance improvement technique being implemented was found to be an important consideration. The results indicated that in a reporting environment these performance improvement techniques have the potential to reduce I/O and improve query performance

Causes of Posting Strategic Organizational Information on Social Media by Employees: A Case of One State Agency in Kenya

This article explains why employees post strategic organizational information on social media. Social media though has come with better ways of conducting business in organizations, has also brought in challenges. Employees have the potential to generate content pertaining to the organization’s business strategy and post it online using their internet-enabled phones or iphones which reside outside organizations’ control. Such content goes viral before being noticed by management and could injure reputation. When reputation is affected, employees concerned face disciplinary action which may result in dismissal or impeding career progression yet establishing organizations and careers requires huge resources and when any organization goes under many stakeholders lose their source of livelihood. In addition unemployment rate becomes a challenge to the government. While organizations use social media to enhance their activities, previous studies demonstrated how organizations and employees suffered from the effect of social media content they post. The aim of this study was to find out why employees post strategic organizational information on social media. The research approach was qualitative with case study being the research method. Employees and managers constituted the population of this study in one state agency in Kenya. The sampling technique was purposive; sample size was twenty two participants. Seventeen employees based at Eldoret branch and the management drawn as follows from the Head Office Nairobi: Two Human resource managers (Admin & Training), Information Communication Technology (ICT) manager, Corporate Communication Manager and Manager in-charge of consumer protection. Data was generated using interview schedules and analyzed thematically. The study established that posting of strategic organizational information through social media was driven by the environment and personality. Keywords: causes, strategic information, social media

MIRA Modular Interchangeable Robotic Arm

Low-cost robotic arms are becoming much more popular in educational settings. The goal of this project is to create a proof of concept for a modular robotic arm. To accomplish this, we have modified an existing arm to use our own modular control system, created a removable joint that can be connected to the end of the arm, and created an end-user interface which allows visualization of the arm’s movement in real time. Creating this arm will make robotics education accessible to a larger number of people, without compromising the potential for each person to gain a high quality understanding of the way robotic arms behave

Between the Golden Age and the Gilded Age : A History of the Southern Thames Street Neighborhood

The Southern Thames St. Neighborhood is located on the west side of Newport, Rhode Island, and occupies the southern half of its harbor. This neighborhood is an outstanding example of 19th-century immigrant neighborhood built according to local, vernecular traditions. This area was home to a substantial portion of Newport\u27s Irish immigrant population, a working class group who arrived in Newport between 1820 and 1920

Characterization of some food formulation functional properties of flour processed from roasted African breadfruit (Treculia africana) seeds

This study used Response Surface Methodology was used to roast, identify and characterize the optimum values of functional properties of African breadfruit (Treculia africana) seed flour processed for industrial applications. The central Composition Rotable Design of treatment variables at 3 process variables (Roasting temperature RT, Roasting Time RM, and feed quantity FQ) and 5 process levels (-1.682, -1, 0, 1, 1.682) was used to optimize bulk density water and oil absorption capacities, gelation and emulsion capacity of the produced flour. Functional properties of the flour increased above the value of control and relative to process treatment. The effect of roasting temperature was significant (p < 0.05) for bulk density, gelation and emulsion capacity. Roasting time and feed quantity significantly (p˂0.05) influenced water absorption and emulsion capacities of the flour. Optimum values were bulk density 0/79 g/cm3, water absorption capacity 4.00ml/g, oil absorption capacities 2.90m/g, gelation 8.92 w/v. The unified optimum values of the functional properties occurred at process treatment combination of 126.360C, 45.85min and 505.09g, respectively for temperature, time and quantity. Processing African breadfruit seeds into flour at the optimal point will enhance its usefulness in industrial applications were functional properties of flour are of processing important

Athletics & Recreation Master Plan Sub‐Committee Final Report

In 2000 the Athletics & Recreation Department at UMass Boston Implemented a five year strategic plan that would more realistically align sports sponsorship with available financial and facility resources. We reduced the number of sports sponsored from 20 to 14 maintaining 7 sports for women and 7 sports for men. The only sports maintained without a facility were Men’s baseball and Cross Country Track. We eliminated football, swimming and indoor & outdoor track and field for men and women. Since 2005 The Athletics & Recreation Department has been focused on University wide transition and planning efforts. In that period we have experienced three changes in the Chancellors office, two changes in Athletics Director Position and our operation has moved from a university department to a university division. We have engaged in university‐wide strategic planning and master planning while redefining the role of athletics within the campus community. This four year process of transition & planning has been at the same time taxing and invigorating while allowing the Division of Athletics & Recreation, Special Programs & Projects to emerge as a university service entity supportive of the primary mission of the university. The division has engaged in areas of the university heretofore out of its purview. It has established internal and external partnerships that are transformative and beneficial to the entire community. This report focuses on facilities that will allow for the established partnerships to flourish, that will uphold the new standards for high quality facilities that have been implemented over the last four years on our campus and most importantly this report addresses in a comprehensive way a vision for athletics & recreation at UMass Boston that will put us in the fore front of those institutions that offer athletics & recreation for the purpose of the health and both physical and mental wellness of students, faculty and staff. It does begin with a pride of place

If the Mask Fits: Psychological Correlates with Online Self-Presentation Experimentation in Adults

Online self-presentation refers to the ways in which individuals share aspects of the self to portray a particular image. Being online presents opportunities for individuals to experiment with different versions of the self as part of identity development but also to manage how others perceive them. Research has shown that personality can influence online self-presentation behaviors, but these studies have mainly focused on internal characteristics, and more research is needed exploring the relational facets of personality. This study aims to investigate the extent to which an individual's self-concept clarity, self-monitoring tendency, self-esteem, and social anxiety predict different presentations of the online self. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 405 adult participants from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results show that individuals with higher self-concept clarity and self-monitoring are more likely to present a single consistent online and offline self. Younger adults and those with greater social anxiety are more likely to present idealized self-images online, and participants with higher social anxiety and lower self-esteem are more likely to prefer online, rather than offline, communication. Findings are broadly consistent with the literature, and suggest the need for more systematic investigation into a variety of personality variables that take into account the relational nature of identity formation and impression management. This research emphasizes the multifaceted nature of online self-presentation behaviors, and the ways in which they are differentially influenced by personality variables

Lurking towards empowerment: Explaining propensity to engage with online health support groups and its association with positive outcomes

Online health support groups (OHSGs) offer opportunities for people with various health conditions to gain support and associated physical and mental health benefits, however evidence suggests that those who choose to lurk in OHSGs may be less likely to accrue benefits (e.g. empowering outcomes) than those who actively contribute. Most research to date has focused on comparing the outcomes of OSHG engagement for lurkers and participators, yet there has been little research which has considered how the different reasons for lurking might be associated with levels of participation and empowering processes. In this investigation we used a survey to gather data from 237 participants to develop a new scale to measure factors influencing the Propensity for Online Community Contribution (POCCS), and to explore the relationship between these factors and OHSG engagement behaviour and empowering processes accrued from OHSG use. The POCCS comprised nine factors, 1) poor sense of community; 2) struggles with self-expression; 3) inhibited disclosure and privacy; 4) negative online interactions; 5) ease of access and use; 6) health preventing contribution; 7) delayed and selective contribution; 8) goals met without contribution; and 9) lack of time. Five of these factors (1, 3, 6, 7, and 8) significantly predicted OHSG contribution and positive experiences in the form of empowering processes. Findings advocate a more nuanced approach to OHSG engagement, rather than a simple lurking/engaging dichotomy, and may enhance understanding of the relationship between OHSG use and perceived benefits