U migration was studied in order to better understand to processes of safety relevant elements, particularly U. The rock sequence on the site can be analogous to a potential rock overburden of deep geology repositories. A multidisciplinary approach was undertaken in order to identify and characterise U mobilisation/immobilisation processes within sedimentary clayey rocks with organic matter enriched interlayers. Both conventional methods and modern sophisticated spectroscopic methods were combined. Sequential extraction, wet chemical method and even spectroscopic methods proved that U prevailed in the U(IV) form in low-oxidised samples. It moved towards more easily releasable fractions with sample ageing (oxidation). The combination of SE, µ-XRF and µ-XAFS results proved U to be unexpectedly associated with As and P, leading to the presumption that U(VI) from groundwater was reduced to U(IV) on As pyrite. The evaluation of the hydrogeochemical conditions and isotope analyses then brought the results into broader context: Sedimentary organic matter within the sedimentary layers was microbially oxidised, releasing dissolved organic matter and providing H+ in order to dissolve sedimentary inorganic carbonates. SO4 2- could be reduced under reducing groundwater conditions, thus causing FeS2 formation....

Learning object repositories, a form of digital libraries, are robust systems that provide educators new ways to search for educational resources, collaborate with peers, and provide instruction to students in unique and varied ways. This study examines a learning object repository created by a large suburban school district to increase teaching information and encourage collaboration among teachers. Despite investing nearly $2 million to develop the software and seed the repository with materials, data suggest that teacher use falls below set goals. This document explores five years of site traffic, user engagement, social interaction, asset growth, as well as the authoring of instructional materials as a means to evaluate the repository. The results of the study may inform the policy decisions of educational organizations when considering digital learning environments.

The diploma thesis focuses on metadata as important means which are able to stop a trend of increasing costs of development, operation and maintenance of decision support systems -- Business Intelligence. The theoretical part of the thesis is elaborated based on such assumption. Its goal is to produce an extensive analysis of the term metadata -- starting with a general definition of the term, then dealing with the categorization and analyzing the issues and benefits. Further on, the term metadata management is discussed as well as metadata repository which is the key element of metadata solutions. The aim of the practical part of the thesis is to analyze the selected commercial metadata management solutions and answer the question whether there is currently a suitable comprehensive solution which would suit the needs of a chosen financial institution, Komerční banka. Furthermore, another question is discussed in the thesis and that is if a suitable solution is to either purchase a commercial solution or decide for own development. The analysis in both parts of the thesis, theoretical and practical, is mainly based on foreign sources, above all articles by specialists in the area of data warehousing, and numerous consultations with an expert on metadata from Komerční banka, Mr. Jiří Omacht.

Knowledge is power, and in business, an essential part in creating a competitive edge. Throughout history, the acquisition and reuse of knowledge has always been the key to success. Today, the systems and infrastructure for knowledge reuse are in place and very effective, but we must abandon the reliance on technology to answer all our remaining needs in this area. Computer databases are only as good as the individuals who enter the data. It's time to refocus on the human, natures own mechanism, which holds in it, perhaps the most powerful and vast of all database systems, the brain. We must nurture, guide, encourage, and train it to fulfill its own amazing potential. The theme of this research is to explore Markus¡¦ (2001) nascent theory of knowledge reuse, which focuses on the greater importance of the system, rather than the individual. This research focuses on the individual, and a conceptual framework is developed for future empirical research. Within this framework, there are seven factors: characteristics of knowledge producers and re-users, the role of human intermediaries, social presence, knowledge quality, document quality, and organization factors all of which affect the intention of knowledge reuse. There are four human factors which stand at the forefront of improving knowledge reuse today: 1. The knowledge provider who can express tacit knowledge in the most explicit manner; 2. The intermediary who can not only grasp the importance contained within the source material, but anticipate how best to format it so it will be useful to a wide variety of re-users; 3. The level of feedback from re-user, and the willingness of providers and intermediaries to accept this feedback, and adapt to the ever-changing needs of the re-user; and 4. Social presence enhances the ability to obtain tacit knowledge and has a positive affect for strong intention of reuse.

Last year at the ECDL 2004 conference, we reported some initial progress and experiences developing DSpace as an open source community-driven project [8], particularly as seen from an institutional manager’s viewpoint. We also described some challenges and issues. This paper describes the progress in addressing some of those issues, and developments in the DSpace open source community. We go into detail about the processes and infrastructure we have developed around the DSpace code base, in the hope that this will be useful to other projects and organisations exploring the possibilities of becoming involved in or transitioning to open source development of digital library software. Some new challenges the DSpace community faces, particularly in the area of addressing required system architecture changes, are introduced. We also describe some exciting new possibilities that open source development brings to our community.

As more and more output from research institutions is born digital, a means for capturing and preserving the results of this investment is required. To begin to understand and address the problems surrounding this task, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories collaborated with MIT Libraries over two years to develop DSpace, an open source institutional repository software system. This paper describes DSpace in the context of the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model. Particular attention is given to the preservation aspects of DSpace, and the current status of the DSpace system with respect to addressing these aspects. The reasons for various design decisions and trade-offs that were necessary to develop the system in a timely manner are given, and directions for future development are explored. While DSpace is not yet a complete solution to the problem of preserving digital research output, it is a production-capable system, represents a significant step forward, and is an excellent platform for future research and development.

Conferencia realizado del 12 al 14 de setiembre en Lima, Peru del 2012 en el marco del 15º Simposio Internacional de Tesis y Disertaciones Electrónicas (ETD 2012). Evento aupiciado por la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) y la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC). / The advent of open access, digitised institutional repositories (IR) changed the way that research at universities and research institutions are stored, archived, accessed and generally managed. Statistics shows that only 3% of IRs in the world is situated in Africa. Most of these are found in institutions in Southern Africa. Nyambi (2011), Anbu (2008) and other authors report that there are more IRs in Africa, but lament that most are not accessible in open access. Research (Van Deventer & Pienaar, 2008; Rieger, 2011; Wells, 2009) and others, shows that effective information- and knowledge management, and an awareness of the value of open access to digital research information are pre-requisites for effective and sustainable IRs operations. Successful planning and implementation of an IR do not guarantee sustainability over time. This paper explores possible indicators of sustainability for IRs who are facing the well documented challenges experienced in African IRs.

Conferencia realizado del 12 al 14 de setiembre en Lima, Peru del 2012 en el marco del 15º Simposio Internacional de Tesis y Disertaciones Electrónicas (ETD 2012). Evento aupiciado por la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) y la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC). / In the age of Information Technology it is very important to keep a pace with the rapid changes that has been taking place all over the world. Institutional repository play a vital role in dissemination of intellectual output of the organization hence it is essential to all the organization to develop and digitize their collection and scholarly communication. Keeping in view the technological changes and importance of creating digital repository of electronic theses, the proposal has been prepared for creation of institutional repository of electronic theses of social-sciences of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University , Nagpur . This proposal is submitted to Indian Council of Social-Science Research, (ICSSR) New Delhi and has been approved recently, now it is in execution stage. The proposal, constraints and measures for Institutional Repository have been also discussed in detail.

Business process management is fast becoming one of the most important approaches for designing contemporary organizations and information systems. A critical component of business process management is business process modelling. It is widely accepted that modelling of business processes from scratch is a complex, time-consuming and error-prone task. However the efforts made to model these processes are seldom reused beyond their original purpose. Reuse of business process models has the potential to overcome the challenges of modelling business processes from scratch. Process model repositories, properly populated, are certainly a step toward supporting reuse of process models. This thesis starts with the observation that the existing process model repositories for supporting process model reuse suffer from several shortcomings that affect their usability in practice. Firstly, most of the existing repositories are proprietary, therefore they can only be enhanced or extended with new models by the owners of the repositories. Secondly, it is difficult to locate and retrieve relevant process models from a large collection. Thirdly, process models are not goal related, thereby making it difficult to gain an understanding of the business goals that are realized by a certain model. Finally, process model repositories lack a clear mechanism to identify and define the relationship between business processes and as a result it is difficult to identify related processes. Following a design science research paradigm, this thesis proposes an open and language-independent process model repository with an efficient retrieval system to support process model reuse. The proposed repository is grounded on four original and interrelated contributions: (1) a set of requirements that a process model repository should possess to increase the probability of process model reuse; (2) a context-based process semantic annotation model for semantically annotating process models to facilitate effective retrieval of process models; (3) a business process relationship meta-model for identifying and defining the relationship of process models in the repository; and (4) architecture of a process model repository for process model reuse. The models and architecture produced in this thesis were evaluated to test their utility, quality and efficacy. The semantic annotation model was evaluated through two empirical studies using controlled experiments. The conclusion drawn from the two studies is that the annotation model improves searching, navigation and understanding of process models. The process relationship meta-model was evaluated using an informed argument to determine the extent to which it meets the established requirements. The results of the analysis revealed that the meta-model meets the established requirements. Also the analysis of the architecture against the requirements indicates that the architecture meets the established requirements. / Processhantering, också kallat ärendehantering, har blivit en av de viktigaste ansatserna för att utforma dagens organisationer och informationssystem. En central komponent i processhantering är processmodellering. Det är allmänt känt att modellering av processer kan vara en komplex, tidskrävande och felbenägen uppgift. Och de insatser som görs för att modellera processer kan sällan användas bortom processernas ursprungliga syfte. Återanvändning av processmodeller skulle kunna övervinna många av de utmaningar som finns med att modellera processer. En katalog över processmodeller är ett steg mot att stödja återanvändning av processmodeller. Denna avhandling börjar med observationen att befintliga processmodellkataloger för att stödja återanvändning av processmodeller lider av flera brister som påverkar deras användbarhet i praktiken. För det första är de flesta processmodellkatalogerna proprietära, och därför kan endast katalogägarna förbättra eller utöka dem med nya modeller. För det andra är det svårt att finna och hämta relevanta processmodeller från en stor katalog. För det tredje är processmodeller inte målrelaterade, vilket gör det svårt att få en förståelse för de affärsmål som realiseras av en viss modell. Slutligen så saknar processmodellkataloger ofta en tydlig mekanism för att identifiera och definiera förhållandet mellan processer, och därför är det svårt att identifiera relaterade processer. Utifrån ett designvetenskapligt forskningsparadigm så föreslår denna avhandling en öppen och språkoberoende processmodellkatalog med ett effektivt söksystem för att stödja återanvändning av processmodeller. Den föreslagna katalogen bygger på fyra originella och inbördes relaterade bidrag: (1) en uppsättning krav som en processmodellkatalog bejöver uppfylla för att öka möjligheterna till återanvändning av processmodeller; (2) en kontextbaserad semantisk processannoteringsmodell för semantisk annotering av processmodeller för att underlätta effektivt återvinnande av processmodeller; (3) en metamodell för processrelationer för att identifiera och definiera förhållandet mellan processmodeller i katalogen; och (4) en arkitektur av en processmodellkatalog för återanvändning av processmodeller. De modeller och den arkitektur som tagits fram i denna avhandling har utvärderats för att testa deras användbarhet, kvalitet och effektivitet. Den semantiska annotationsmodellen utvärderades genom två empiriska studier med kontrollerade experiment. Slutsatsen av de två studierna är att modellen förbättrar sökning, navigering och förståelse för processmodeller. Metamodellen för processrelationer utvärderades med hjälp av ett informerat argument för att avgöra i vilken utsträckning den uppfyllde de ställda kraven. Resultaten av analysen visade att metamodellen uppfyllde dessa krav. Även analysen av arkitekturen indikerade att denna uppfyllde de fastställda kraven.

A tecnologia apóia o processo de ensino de diversas maneiras ao mesmo tempo em que traz desafios para sua utilização. A produção e disponibilização de materiais instrucionais é um dos pilares dos sistemas de ensino, sendo o repositório de objetos de aprendizagem uma forma possível para realização. Essa solução possui poucos anos de existência se comparada a outras, o que impõe desafios para o seu planejamento. Em parte significativa das organizações de ensino observa-se lacuna de conhecimentos nas áreas que envolvem a planificação desse empreendimento. O interesse do estudo e do pesquisador é a integração dos campos de conhecimento envolvidos, nesse caso o técnico, o gerencial, o legal e o pedagógico, para o aumento da capacidade desse processo, na qual se possa identificar as atividades, boas práticas e resultados necessários, em formato flexível, para que se estruture em bases sustentáveis para implantação. O objetivo geral foi o desenvolvimento de um modelo de planejamento para repositório de objetos de aprendizagem. A hipótese da pesquisa é que a formalização, a mobilização de recursos, a aceitação, a integração, a descentralização, o controle, a avaliação ambiental e a interação entre os planejadores estão contemplados no modelo e possibilitam o aumento da capacidade de planejamento do repositório de objetos de aprendizagem em organizações de ensino. De forma a alcançar o resultado requerido foi realizado estudo de múltiplos casos, que decorreram ao longo do ano de 2009 até meados do ano de 2010. A unidade de análise foi o planejamento de repositório de objetos de aprendizagem em organizações com fins educacionais. Realizou-se pesquisa das referências, que envolviam documentos científicos e organizacionais, da área de gestão de projetos e repositório, para que se chegasse a primeira versão da proposta. De forma integrante utilizou-se entrevistas, análise de documentos, observação e instrumento de pesquisa, para a realização de melhorias e o alcance dos resultados e análises quanto a funcionalidade do modelo, com o intuito de melhorar a capacidade do planejamento. O instrumento foi desenvolvido com a utilização de protocolo de modo a ser testado e validado. A hipótese de pesquisa foi confirmada, porém a dimensão mobilização teve concordância interavaliadores baixa, o que demanda atenção especial, de modo que não faltem recursos e pessoas para a realização do trabalho. A pesquisa contribuiu ao proporcionar aos gestores, fases, processos, atividades, boas práticas e questões que possibilitam o aumento da capacidade do planejamento desse tipo de empreendimento. / Technology has supported the teaching process in several ways whereas it poses challenges to its use. The production and availability of instructional materials is one of the pillars of education, and the learning object repository is a possible way to achieve this task. This solution has few years of existence, which poses challenges for planning, In a considerable number of educational organizations there is a knowledge gap in the areas surrounding the planning of learning object repository. The interest of this study and of the researcher is integrating the fields of knowledge involved, which, in this case, are the technical, managerial, legal and pedagogical. The purpose is to increase the capacity of this process, where one can identify the activities, best practices and necessary results, in a flexible format, so that it is structured on a sustainable basis for deployment. The overall objective was the development of a model for planning learning object repository. The hypothesis is that, formalization, resource mobilization, acceptance, integration, decentralization, control, environmental assessment and interaction between planners are included in the model allowing to increase the capacity to plan the learning object repository in educational organizations. ln order to achieve the required result multiple case study was realized, during the year of 2009 until mid-2010. The unit of analysis was the planning of learning object repository in organizations with educational purposes. We performed a review of the literature, involving scientific and organizational documents, in the area of project management and learning object repository, to reach the first version of the proposal. We used interviews, document analysis, observation and research tool for the realization of improvement and achievement of results and analysis regarding the functionality of the model, in order to improve the capacity of planning. The instrument was tested and validated by means of a protocol. The research hypothesis was confirmed, but the dimension resource mobilization had low interrater agreement, which requires special attention, so that there is no lack of resources and people to do the work. The research contributed by providing managers with, phases, processes, activities, best practices and issues that make it possible to increase the capacity of planning this type of project.