In this article we examine the integration of communities of practice supported by a wiki into work processes. Linear structures are often inappropriate for the execution of knowledge-intensive tasks and work processes. The latter are characterized by non-linear sequences and dynamic social interaction. Communities of practice, however, often lack the guiding light needed to structure their work. We discuss the primary requirements for the integration of formally described knowledge-intensive processes into the dynamic social processes of knowledge generation in communities of practice and use the wiki approach for their support. We present our approach for an appropriate interface to integrate wiki communities into process structures and an information retrieval algorithm based on it to connect the process-oriented structures with community-oriented wiki structures. We show the prototypical realization of the concept by a brief example

In the modern pig reproduction system, artificial insemination (AI) doses are delivered from AI centers to sow farms via logistics vehicles. In this study, six breeding companies in three countries (Brazil, Germany, and the USA) were interviewed about their delivery process. It was found that there is currently no comprehensive monitoring system for the delivery of semen. The entire process “shipping of boar semen” was documented using Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN). Although it is not currently known which vibrations occur at all, it is suspected that vibration emissions affect the quality of boar semen. For this reason, a prototype of a measuring system was developed to calculate a displacement index (D_i), representing vibration intensities. Vibrations were analyzed in standardized road trials (n = 120) on several road types (A: smooth asphalt pavement, B: rough asphalt pavement, C: cobblestone, and D: dirt road) with different speeds (30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 km/h). A two-way ANOVA showed significant differences in mean D_i, depending on road surface and speed as well as an interaction of both factors (p < 0.001). A field study on a reference delivery from a German AI center to several sow farms indicated that 33% of the observed roads are in good quality and generate only a few vibrations (D_i ≤ 1), while 40% are of a moderate quality with interrupted surfaces (D_i = 1–1.5). However, 25% of the roads show markedly increased vibrations (D_i ≥ 1.5), as a consequence of bad conditions on cobblestones or unpaved roads. Overall, more attention should be paid to factors affecting sperm quality during transport. In the future, an Internet of Things (IoT) based solution could enable complete monitoring of the entire transport process in real time, which could influence the courier’s driving behavior based on road conditions in order to maintain the quality of the transported AI doses.

Vibration emissions during the transport of boar semen for artificial insemination (AI) affect sperm quality. In the present study, the common influence of the following factors was investigated: vibrations (displacement index (D_i) = 0.5 to 6.0), duration of transport (0 to 12 h) and storage time (days 1 to 4). Normospermic ejaculates were collected from 39 fertile Pietrain boars (aged 18.6 ± 4.5 months) and diluted in a one-step procedure with an isothermic (32 °C) BTS (Minitüb) extender (n = 546 samples). Sperm concentration was adjusted to 22 × 10⁶ sperm·mL⁻¹. Extended semen (85 ± 1 mL) was filled into 95 mL QuickTip Flexitubes (Minitüb). For transport simulation on day 0, a laboratory shaker IKA MTS 4 was used. Total sperm motility (TSM) was evaluated on days 1 to 4. Thermo-resistance test (TRT), mitochondrial activity (MITO) and plasma membrane integrity (PMI) were assessed on day 4. Sperm quality dropped with increasing vibration intensity and transport duration, and the effect was enhanced by a longer storage time. A linear regression was performed using a mixed model, accounting for the boar as a random effect. The interaction between D_i and transport duration significantly (p < 0.001) explained data for TSM (−0.30 ± 0.03%), TRT (−0.39 ± 0.06%), MITO (−0.45 ± 0.06%) and PMI (−0.43 ± 0.05%). Additionally, TSM decreased by 0.66 ± 0.08% with each day of storage (p < 0.001). It can be concluded that boar semen extended in BTS should be transported carefully. If this is not possible or the semen doses are transported a long way, the storage time should be reduced to a minimum.

This article deals with the support potential of knowledge communities for a co-operative knowledge generation and problem solving before the background of the increasing economic importance of knowledge-intensive processes. Therefore, requirements for an IT-support of a co-operative knowledge generation and problem solving via knowledge communities are being developed that are of significance in the induction and dissemination of knowledge within communities. Special emphasis is put on the integration of the knowledge of the community into relevant work processes aiming at an initiation of synergies with this combination. According to the above- mentioned requirements, we will present the realisation of a knowledge community with the help of the Wiki-approach. Thereupon, a concept for integrating knowledge communities in process-oriented knowledge structures will be developed by creating an adequate interface. This concept could be realised in a prototype way in an implementation. The developed prototype will be described in a brief case study.

The present work describes a DokuWiki based solution to automatically analyze the structural quality of wiki pages by gathering and evaluating predefined metrics. By providing immediate quality feedback, users are educated and the overall quality of the wiki is increased