Quantum recurrences versus stability

Consequences of quantum recurrences on the stability of a broad class of dynamical systems is presented.Comment: to appear in Physics Lett.

Why are Orlicz spaces useful for Statistical Physics?

We review a new formalism based on Orlicz spaces for the description of large regular statistical systems. Our presentation includes both classical and quantum systems. The presented approach has the advantage that statistical mechanics is much better settled.Comment: 11 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1302.346

On applications of Orlicz Spaces to Statistical Physics

We present a new rigorous approach based on Orlicz spaces for the description of the statistics of large regular statistical systems, both classical and quantum. This approach has the advantage that statistical mechanics is much better settled. In particular, a new kind of renormalization leading to states having a well defined entropy function is presented.Comment: 20 page

Factors impacting on the adoption of biometric technology by South African banks: An empirical investigation

The aim of this paper was to identify factors impacting on the adoptionof biometric authentication in the South African banking sector as a means of authentication. The study constitutes exploratory research and is limited to the use of biometric technology within the fi nancial services sector. Within this sector, specifi c focus is placed on the four leading South African banks. A survey was conducted, and the fi ndings show common agreement and acceptance of biometric authentication as a way to improve information security in the various banking channels despite its not being widely implemented. With regard to factors infl uencing the adoption of biometric authentication, the study identifi ed three main adoption inhibitors. This study contributes to the greater body of knowledge on the use of biometrics for banking applications by providing insight into current practices and perceptions

Deriving projects from the organisational vision using the Vision-to-Projects (V2P) Framework

Organisations initiate and execute projects at an ever-increasing ratein order to achieve their strategic intentions. Many of these, however,find it difficult to measure the contribution that these projects maketowards the realisation of the organisational vision. In order to effectthese changes in a cumulatively beneficial way, a holistic approachis needed. The Vision-to-Projects (V2P) Framework was developed tofacilitate such an approach and can be applied to all organisationaltypes. This article shows how participatory action research was appliedin the development of the V2P Framework. While largely validatingthe theoretical framework, it did indeed reveal several beneficialmodifications to improve its applicability. The main results of this research are twofold. It firstly provides organisations with a framework that can be used to derive projects from the organisational vision and strategies, thereby ensuring continuous alignment. Secondly, it shows the successful use of participatory action research in the field of project management thathas been dominated, thus far, by quantitative research methods

One-carbon metabolism in cancer

Cells require one-carbon units for nucleotide synthesis, methylation and reductive metabolism, and these pathways support the high proliferative rate of cancer cells. As such, anti-folates, drugs that target one-carbon metabolism, have long been used in the treatment of cancer. Amino acids, such as serine are a major one-carbon source, and cancer cells are particularly susceptible to deprivation of one-carbon units by serine restriction or inhibition of de novo serine synthesis. Recent work has also begun to decipher the specific pathways and sub-cellular compartments that are important for one-carbon metabolism in cancer cells. In this review we summarise the historical understanding of one-carbon metabolism in cancer, describe the recent findings regarding the generation and usage of one-carbon units and explore possible future therapeutics that could exploit the dependency of cancer cells on one-carbon metabolism

Establishing the relationship between IT project management maturity and IT project success in a South African context

Proceedings of the PMSA Global Knowledge Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa, pp. 183-192.Good project management is often considered the make or break of many an IT project. As a discipline,project management has grown significantly, with standards, methodologies, international best practice and bodies of knowledge abound. Despite this, project failures are still prevalent. In the USA, according to the CHAOS report, only one in three IT projects succeed. While the CHAOS Chronicles represents the state of IT projects in the USA, there are no comparable statistics for South Africa. The goal of this paper is to provide the results from an empirical research survey done in South Africa. The results show the current success and failure rates as well as the reasons for these. IT projects in South Africa are unique and face different challenges than our USA and European counterparts. A survey was undertaken to investigate the state of IT projects in South Africa, allowing comparisons to be made between the South African IT industry and IT Project Management in particular, and that of the USA. The survey combined the nine knowledge areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) with a Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM), in order to answer the following questions: 1. How mature is IT Project Management in South Africa? 2. What is the success rate of IT projects in South Africa? 3. What is the relationship between IT Project Management Maturity and project success? 4. How does South Africa compare with the rest of the world? 5. Are there any shortcomings in IT Project Management in South Africa? 6. How can we address these problem areas? Based on the results, three key areas are highlighted that need special attention and suggestions are made on how to improve each. This knowledge, if harnessed, can have a positive effect on the chances of project success