Social media readiness in small businesses

Information Technologies (IT) have helped businesses to look for new ways of competing. Social Media (SM) are considered as one of these technologies. There are ample examples in the literature about its effectiveness in business. Especially for small businesses (SMEs) SM have given an opportunity to create a global customer base in a cost effective manner which was not possible in other business model. The main aim of this research was to investigate how SMEs whose businesses are dependent on their networks can benefit from SM. Although there are many IT adoption models, only a very few focus on SM alone. According to our knowledge there is none which focuses on SM adoption by SMEs. This research aimed to come up with a suitable model which will help SMEs to evaluate their readiness in adopting SM

Evaluating social media frameworks for small and large organisation

The nature of the business today is very competitive for small businesses (SMEs) since they have limited resources comparing to large organisations. ITs have helped businesses to look for new competing ways in persuading their customers. Social media (SM) are considered one of these technologies and there have been successful existing practical examples in the literature about its effectiveness in business. SM have given SMEs an opportunity to create a global customer base in a cost effective manner which was not possible in other business model. The main aim of this research was to investigate how SMEs can benefit from SM. Although there are many IT adoption models but there are very few which focuses on SM alone. According to our knowledge there is none which focuses on SM adoption by SMEs until the Before, Process and After (BPA) framework has been proposed (Abeysinghe & Alsobhi 2013). This research also aimed to critically review of existing frameworks

Sustainable Way to Minimize the Solid Fabric Wastes using Peroxidase Extracts of Ipomoea palmate Forssk. and Saccharum officinarum L.

One of the major environmental problems currently existing in the Sri Lankan apparel Industry is the aggregation of huge amounts of solid fabric wastes. This study was conducted to find out the optimum time and concentration taken to decolorise solid fabric wastes and investigate reuse and recycle methods of fabrics in order to minimise the impact upon the environment. The decolorisation was practiced by the peroxidase extracts of Ipomoea palmate Forssk. and Saccharum officinarum L. which are abundantly found in home gardens of Kandy District and Kurunegala District. The purification of biomolecules was done by a novel yet simple method of purification known as Three-Phase Partitioning (TPP). Butanol-water solvent system was used in this method. The concentration of purified solvents was measured using Potassium Permanganate and were tested upon Polyester and Cotton fabrics. The decolorisation activity shown in I. palmate extract was higher than that of S. officinarum. The highest decolorisation capacity was shown for a concentration of 1.6375×10ˉ⁵ mol dm-1 of I. palmate extract, and a minimum time of 9 days was taken for complete decolorisation. For S. officinarum extract, it has taken a minimum time of 15 days for a concentration of 3.125×10ˉ⁶ mol dm-1. The decolorisation capability was measured using a standard colour matrix. A slight deviation of peroxidase contents was observed in the plant materials collected from Kandy District and in Kurunegala District. Without aggregating huge amounts of solid wastes to the environment it has been stressed out that using simple and cheap methods of managing the solid fabrics in sustainable ways can minimize the damage on the environment by this study.Keywords: Decolorisation, Solid fabric waste, Ipomoea palmate, Saccharum officinarum, Three phase partitionin

Investigation of shock waves in explosive blasts using fibre optic pressure sensors

The published version of this article may be accessed at the link below. Copyright @ IOP Publishing, 2006.We describe miniature all-optical pressure sensors, fabricated by wafer etching techniques, less than 1 mm(2) in overall cross-section with rise times in the mu s regime and pressure ranges typically 900 kPa (9 bar). Their performance is suitable for experimental studies of the pressure-time history for test models exposed to shocks initiated by an explosive charge. The small size and fast response of the sensors promises higher quality data than has been previously available from conventional electrical sensors, with potential improvements to numerical models of blast effects. Results from blast tests are presented in which up to six sensors were multiplexed, embedded within test models in a range of orientations relative to the shock front.Support from the UK Engineering&Physical Sciences Research Council and Dstl Fort Halstead through the MoD Joint Grants Scheme are acknowledged. WN MacPherson is supported by an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship

A phase II clinical trial to assess the safety of clonidine in acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An estimated 2–3 million people are acutely poisoned by organophosphorus pesticides each year, mostly in the developing world. There is a pressing need for new affordable antidotes and clonidine has been shown to be effective in animal studies. Our aim was to determine the safety of clonidine given as an antidote in adult patients presenting with signs or symptoms of acute organophosphate ingestion.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study was a dose finding, open-label, multicentre, phase II trial. Forty eight patients with acute organophosphate poisoning were randomized to receive either clonidine or placebo: Four to receive placebo and twelve to receive clonidine at each dose level. The first dose level was an initial loading dose of 0.15 mg followed by an infusion of 0.5 mg of clonidine over 24 hours. The initial loading dose was increased to 0.3 mg, 0.45 and 0.6 mg. at all dosing levels however the subsequent infusion remained at 0.5 mg of clonidine over 24 hours.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The baseline characteristics of both groups were similar. The trial was stopped after completion of the 3^rddosing level. At the 1^stand 2^nddosing level there were no reported adverse drug reactions. At the 3^rddosing level 5 patients (42%) developed significant hypotension during clonidine treatment that responded to intravenous fluids. There were no statistical differences in ventilation rate, pre and post GCS, and mortality rates over all levels.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings suggest use of moderate doses of clonidine in acute organophosphate poisoning can be used without causing frequent clinical problems but that higher doses are associated with a high incidence of hypotension requiring intervention. Further studies are needed to study the efficacy of clonidine as an antidote in organophosphate poisoning.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trial ISRCTN89917816.</p

Patterns of dominant flows in the world trade web

The large-scale organization of the world economies is exhibiting increasingly levels of local heterogeneity and global interdependency. Understanding the relation between local and global features calls for analytical tools able to uncover the global emerging organization of the international trade network. Here we analyze the world network of bilateral trade imbalances and characterize its overall flux organization, unraveling local and global high-flux pathways that define the backbone of the trade system. We develop a general procedure capable to progressively filter out in a consistent and quantitative way the dominant trade channels. This procedure is completely general and can be applied to any weighted network to detect the underlying structure of transport flows. The trade fluxes properties of the world trade web determines a ranking of trade partnerships that highlights global interdependencies, providing information not accessible by simple local analysis. The present work provides new quantitative tools for a dynamical approach to the propagation of economic crises

Use of distributed generation to control reactive power at the transmission distribution interface

There is an increasing interest in obtaining reactive power services for the transmission system from distributed energy resources. This involves coordination between the transmission and distribution companies, and the distributed generators. This paper presents a methodology to quantify the extent of reactive power provided by distributed generators to the reactive power seen at the transmission and distribution interface. Two case studies using computer load flow simulations are presented based on a real-world network. Results showed that when the distributed generators connected to the distribution network absorb reactive power there will be a multiplier of around 110 % in the reactive power drawn from the transmission system. Similarly, if the distributed generators export reactive power the multiplier is around 90%. This study shows that there is a potential for providing reactive power support from distribution networks to the transmission system at the expense of additional active power losses in the distribution system

The International-Trade Network: Gravity Equations and Topological Properties

This paper begins to explore the determinants of the topological properties of the international - trade network (ITN). We fit bilateral-trade flows using a standard gravity equation to build a "residual" ITN where trade-link weights are depurated from geographical distance, size, border effects, trade agreements, and so on. We then compare the topological properties of the original and residual ITNs. We find that the residual ITN displays, unlike the original one, marked signatures of a complex system, and is characterized by a very different topological architecture. Whereas the original ITN is geographically clustered and organized around a few large-sized hubs, the residual ITN displays many small-sized but trade-oriented countries that, independently of their geographical position, either play the role of local hubs or attract large and rich countries in relatively complex trade-interaction patterns