The Use of Hosted Enterprise Applications by SMEs: A User Perspective

This paper seeks to deepen our understanding of the engagement of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in hosted enterprise applications (high complexity e-business applications) in the UK by investigating the relevance of organisational and technical factors through conducting interviews with SME users of hosted applications. The emergence and development of the application service provider (ASP) sector has attracted much interest and highly optimistic forecasts for revenues. Of particular interest in this paper is the emergence of service offerings targeted specifically at SMEs. The paper starts by considering information technology (IT) adoption by SMEs in general before reviewing the provision of hosted enterprise applications in the US and UK. The empirical data collected from SME users of hosted enterprise applications is then analysed in order to produce the key findings and conclusions. From an SME user perspective the key findings to emerge from the study include: i) confirmation that ICT infrastructure was no longer a barrier to adoption, ii) the pragmatic approach taken to security issues, iii) the use of both multiple information systems (hosted and resident) and service providers, iv) the attractiveness of the rental cost model and v) the intention to continue or extend their use of hosted applications within the enterprise. The early promise of the ASP sector appears not to have been generally realised for SMEs in the UK. This study explores the experience of early adopters of this new IT related innovation and identifies some significant business gains experienced by SME users. It also highlights the opportunity for gaining competitive advantage by using hosted enterprise applications to reduce costs. There are very few empirical studies of hosted applications which take a deliberately SME user perspective and this paper make an important contribution in this emerging field

Triggering information by context

With the increased availability of personal computers with attached sensors to capture their environment, there is a big opportunity for context-aware applications; these automatically provide information and/or take actions according to the user's present context, as detected by sensors. When wel l designed, these applications provide an opportunity to tailor the provision of information closely to the user's current needs. A sub-set of context-a ware applications are discrete applications, where discrete pieces of i nformation are attached to individual contexts, to be triggered when the user enters those contexts. The advantage of discrete applications is that authori ng them can be solely a creative process rather than a programming process: it can be a task akin to creating simple web pages. This paper looks at a general system that can be used in any discrete context- aware application. It propounds a general triggering rule, and investigates how this rule applies in practical applications

Two Types of K⁺ Channel Subunit, Erg1 and KCNQ2/3, Contribute to the M-Like Current in a Mammalian Neuronal Cell

The potassium M current was originally identified in sympathetic ganglion cells, and analogous currents have been reported in some central neurons and also in some neural cell lines. It has recently been suggested that the M channel in sympathetic neurons comprises a heteromultimer of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 (Wang et al., 1998) but it is unclear whether all other M-like currents are generated by these channels. Here we report that the M-like current previously described in NG108–15 mouse neuroblastoma x rat glioma cells has two components, “fast” and “slow”, that may be differentiated kinetically and pharmacologically. We provide evidence from PCR analysis and expression studies to indicate that these two components are mediated by two distinct molecular species of K+ channel: the fast component resembles that in sympathetic ganglia and is probably carried byKCNQ2/3 channels, whereas the slow component appears to be carried by merg1a channels. Thus, the channels generating M-like currents in different cells may be heterogeneous in molecular composition

Disrupted in schizophrenia 1 and synaptic function in the mammalian central nervous system

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene is found at the breakpoint of an inherited chromosomal translocation, and segregates with major mental illnesses. Its potential role in central nervous system (CNS) malfunction has triggered intensive investigation of the biological roles played by DISC1, with the hope that this may shed new light on the pathobiology of psychiatric disease. Such work has ranged from investigations of animal behavior to detailed molecular-level analysis of the assemblies that DISC1 forms with other proteins. Here, we discuss the evidence for a role of DISC1 in synaptic function in the mammalian CNS.M. Kurihara was supported by a Medical Research Council Industrial collaborative studentship in collaboration with Pfizer, who also supported aspects of DISC1-related work in A. D. Randall’s laborator

AN INVESTIGATION OF ASPECTS OF NORMAL AND ABNORMAL WOUND RESOLUTION

PhDKeloids are classically regarded as scars that `outgrow the boundary of the original injury'. Ambiguous data concerning certain characteristics of keloid fibroblasts (such as proliferation rates and collagen production), however, have served only to confuse researchersT. he lack of an in vivo model and of detailed clinical accounts are added problems. In this study, a murine granulomatous tissue resolution model was used to investigate the profile of a number of cytokines suspectedto be involved in the aetiology of keloids. The results obtained from these experiments were then extrapolated to clarify the observations made in keloids. The results of these extrapolated comparisons revealed elevated levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF)-ß in keloid samples and decreasedle vels of interferon (IFN)-y and IL-2. The murine model was also used to investigate the implications of the low levels of IFN-y known to be present in the serum of keloid patients and shown here to be present in clinical samples. The results were found to support the hypothesis that the addition of IFN-y reduces the fibrosis so typical of keloids by rectifying the abnormality of the absence of IFNy content. The same model was used to provide evidence that the inhibition of VEGF activity in resolving wounds may halt the development of keloid lesions. The immunohistochemical profiles of cellular proliferation, apoptosis, lymphokines and cytokines for resolution (and, to a certain extent, the model) were used to compare with the abnormally resolved wounds which were available as clinical samples. Immunohistochemistry was also employed to describe the cellular nature of the clinical tissue samples in detail and to facilitate the development of the following hypothesis for keloid formation and propagation: lymphocytes migrate to the site of an (alleged) endogenous antigen present in the skin. The nature of these lymphocytes is characteristic of a type 2 immune response, they produce IL-4 (and IL-10) which in turn inhibit(s) the production of IFN-y and IL-2. Aside from this immunological response, wound resolution is taking place: fibroblasts are producing PDGF, EGF and TGF-ß to aid matrix remodelling and collagen synthesis. The provisional matrix is being vascularised by the action of VEGF, to allow the replenishment of nutrients; regression of blood vessels occurs through the action of an apoptosis-dependent mechanism, as does the `normalisation' of fibroblastic populations. The keloid scar continues to grow after the cessation of resolution because the immune response to the `endogenous' antigen continues and the lymphocytes continue to migrate to the site of the wound and continue to stimulate fibroblast proliferation andONO PharmaceuticalsJapan

Scaling and Correlation Functions in a Model of a Two-dimensional Earthquake Fault

We study numerically a two-dimensional version of the Burrige-Knopoff model. We calculate spatial and temporal correlation functions and compare their behavior with the results found for the one-dimensional model. The Gutenberg-Richter law is only obtained for special choices of parameters in the relaxation function. We find that the distribution of the fractal dimension of the slip zone exhibits two well-defined peaks coeersponding to intermediate size and large events.Comment: 14 pages, 23 Postscript figure

Letter to Andrew Inglis Clark, Tasmania from Nicholas J. Brown, 18 Feb 1887

Letter to Andrew Inglis Clark, Tasmania from Nicholas J. Brown, 18 Feb 1887 praising Clark's abilities and his defence of Mr. Moore. C4/C1

Comparison of human uterine cervical electrical impedance measurements derived using two tetrapolar probes of different sizes

BACKGROUND We sought to compare uterine cervical electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements employing two probes of different sizes, and to employ a finite element model to predict and compare the fraction of electrical current derived from subepithelial stromal tissue. METHODS Cervical impedance was measured in 12 subjects during early pregnancy using 2 different sizes of the probes on each subject. RESULTS Mean cervical resistivity was significantly higher (5.4 vs. 2.8 Ωm; p < 0.001) with the smaller probe in the frequency rage of 4–819 kHz. There was no difference in the short-term intra-observer variability between the two probes. The cervical impedance measurements derived in vivo followed the pattern predicted by the finite element model. CONCLUSION Inter-electrode distance on the probes for measuring cervical impedance influences the tissue resistivity values obtained. Determining the appropriate probe size is necessary when conducting clinical studies of resistivity of the cervix and other human tissues

Genetic Algorithm with Optimal Recombination for the Asymmetric Travelling Salesman Problem

We propose a new genetic algorithm with optimal recombination for the asymmetric instances of travelling salesman problem. The algorithm incorporates several new features that contribute to its effectiveness: (i) Optimal recombination problem is solved within crossover operator. (ii) A new mutation operator performs a random jump within 3-opt or 4-opt neighborhood. (iii) Greedy constructive heuristic of W.Zhang and 3-opt local search heuristic are used to generate the initial population. A computational experiment on TSPLIB instances shows that the proposed algorithm yields competitive results to other well-known memetic algorithms for asymmetric travelling salesman problem.Comment: Proc. of The 11th International Conference on Large-Scale Scientific Computations (LSSC-17), June 5 - 9, 2017, Sozopol, Bulgari