A case-based model for assessing the effectiveness of information systems outsourcing

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The objective of the research reported in this paper is to construct a model for assessing the effectiveness of Information Systems (IS) outsourcing. “Lack of in-house expertise” and “cost effectiveness” are widely accepted as major factors of motivation for IS outsourcing. In contrast with the decision models which are executed before an outsourcing engagement (a-priori), this effectiveness assessment model will be an a-posteriori guide which will enable clients to assess their outsourcing performance and re-evaluate their business and management strategies. Although various decision models and analytical frameworks have been proposed before, the literature is not abundant on a complete qualitative model. This paper examines the factors for outsourcing effectiveness through qualitative research conducted with multiple case studies for information systems developed for public organizations in the specific context of Turkey. A conceptual model consisting of various hypotheses is constructed and qualitatively evaluated

A low complexity DSP driven analog impairment mitigation scheme for low-IF GNSS receivers

Due to the increasing demands for location based services within the wireless mass-market; there has been relentless pressure to reduce both the chip area and power dissipation of the user terminal. Low-IF receivers combine the advantages of superheterodyne and direct-conversion architectures offering a highly integrated solution while avoiding the issues associated with DC offsets and flicker noise. The main drawback of the low-IF architecture is its limited image rejection due to analog impairments. In this paper, the sources of the impairments are analyzed for a low-IF receiver operating at the GPS/Galileo L1 band together with a novel low-complexity solution to compensate for them in the DSP domain is proposed. For processing the combined GPS/Galileo L1 signal, a signal simulator we call GNSScope has been developed together with a low-IF receiver model to analyze the influence of the analog impairments. The idea behind our proposed novel adaptive compensator which estimates and compensates for the imbalances and mismatches is that in the absence of these mismatches no correlation exists between the desired and the image channels, which is not the case when impairments are present. Results show that through the deployment of the proposed approach, image-rejection performance can be enhanced by 75 dB. This enhancement in the image-rejection performance subsequently results in relaxed analog front-end specifications leading to high levels of integration making it possible for highly integrated software-defined Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver to be realistically and economically designed and implemented

Post-injection normal closure of fractures as a mechanism for induced seismicity

Understanding the controlling mechanisms underlying injection-induced seismicity is important for optimizing reservoir productivity and addressing seismicity-related concerns related to hydraulic stimulation in Enhanced Geothermal Systems. Hydraulic stimulation enhances permeability through elevated pressures, which cause normal deformations, and the shear slip of pre-existing fractures. Previous experiments indicate that fracture deformation in the normal direction reverses as the pressure decreases, e.g., at the end of stimulation. We hypothesize that this normal closure of fractures enhances pressure propagation away from the injection region and significantly increases the potential for post-injection seismicity. To test this hypothesis, hydraulic stimulation is modeled by numerically coupling fracture deformation, pressure diffusion and stress alterations for a synthetic geothermal reservoir in which the flow and mechanics are strongly affected by a complex three-dimensional fracture network. The role of the normal closure of fractures is verified by comparing simulations conducted with and without the normal closure effect

Parallel Frequent Item Set Mining with Selective Item Replication

Cataloged from PDF version of article.We introduce a transaction database distribution scheme that divides the frequent item set mining task in a top-down fashion. Our method operates on a graph where vertices correspond to frequent items and edges correspond to frequent item sets of size two. We show that partitioning this graph by a vertex separator is sufficient to decide a distribution of the items such that the subdatabases determined by the item distribution can be mined independently. This distribution entails an amount of data replication, which may be reduced by setting appropriate weights to vertices. The data distribution scheme is used in the design of two new parallel frequent item set mining algorithms. Both algorithms replicate the items that correspond to the separator. NoClique replicates the work induced by the separator and NoClique2 computes the same work collectively. Computational load balancing and minimization of redundant or collective work may be achieved by assigning appropriate load estimates to vertices. The experiments show favorable speedups on a system with small-to-medium number of processors for synthetic and real-world databases

Aqua­[4-(hydroxy­imino­meth­yl)pyridine-κN 1](pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl­ato-κ3 O 2,N,O 6)copper(II)

In the title compound, [Cu(C7H3NO4)(C6H6N2O)(H2O)], the coordination geometry of the CuII atom can be described as distorted square pyramidal. The basal plane is defined by one N atom and two O atoms from the deprotonated pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl­ate ligand, and a pyridyl N atom from the 4-pyridyl aldoxime ligand. The apical position is occupied by a water mol­ecule. O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of a two-dimensional network

Volume XCIII, Number 15, February 22, 1974

11th International Conference of Inborn Errors of Metabolism -- AUG 29-SEP 02, 2009 -- San Diego, CAWOS: 00026894260018

Impacto de diferentes niveles de nisina como agente bioconservador en la calidad química, sensorial y microbiológica de filetes de lubina (Dicentrarchus labrax) envasados al vacío y almacenados a 4 ± 2 °C.

Nisin is produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and is also known as an antimicrobial agent especially effective against gram-positive bacteria. It has long been used as a preservative in foods and beverages and is generally regarded as safe (GRAS). In the present work, the effects of different concentrations of nisin (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8%) on the sensory, chemical and microbiological quality and shelf-life of vacuum-packed sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fillets were investigated during chilled (4 ± 2 °C) storage. The sensory points for raw and cooked fillets increased with time during the storage period (p < 0.05). The control group, with scores of 9.08, was rejected by panelists on day 12; whereas nisin-treated groups were rejected on day 14 with scores ranging from 9.00-9.17 score. As a result of chemical analyses, lower values (p < 0.05) were obtained from the nisin groups with low oxidative rancidity. Moreover, nisin inhibited microbial growth, which shows antimicrobial activity. Consequently, it was concluded that the application of nisin (especially 0.8%) preserved the organoleptic quality and extended the shelf-life of sea bass fillets.La nisina es producida por Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis y conocida como agente antimicrobiano, especialmente contra las bacterias grampositivas. Se ha utilizado como conservante en alimentos y bebidas durante mucho tiempo y generalmente se considera seguro (GRAS). En el presente trabajo, se investigaron los efectos de diferentes concentraciones de nisina (0,2, 0,4 y 0,8%) sobre la calidad sensorial, química y microbiológica y la vida útil de los filetes de lubina (Dicentrarchus labrax) envasados al vacío durante el enfriamiento y almacenamiento (4 ± 2 °C). La puntuación sensorial de los filetes crudos y cocidos aumentó con el tiempo durante el período de almacenamiento (p <0,05). El grupo de control con puntuación de 9,08 fue rechazado por los panelistas el día 12, mientras que los grupos de tratamiento con nisina fueron rechazados el día 14 con un rango de puntuación de 9,00-9,17. Como resultado de los análisis químicos, se obtuvieron valores más bajos (p < 0,05) de los grupos de nisina con baja rancidez oxidativa. Además, la nisina inhibió el crecimiento microbiano que muestra actividad antimicrobiana. En consecuencia, se evaluó que la aplicación de nisina (especialmente 0,8%) conservó la calidad organoléptica y prolongó la vida útil de la lubina

The effect of distributed exchange parameters on magnetocaloric refrigeration capacity in amorphous and nanocomposite materials

The temperature dependent magnetization of nanocomposite alloys has been fit with a modified Handrich-Kobe equation with an asymmetric exchange fluctuation parameter combined with the Arrott-Noakes equation. The two equations of state are combined to calculate the entropy change in the magnetocaloric effect associated with the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transformation. The complete fit for the M(T) of (Fe70Ni30)88Zr7B4Cu nanocomposite powder is accomplished by combining the two theories. We investigate the broadening of the second-order transition arising from asymmetric exchange parameters and resulting from the fluctuations of interatomic spacing found in an amorphous matrix and the asymmetric dependence of exchange energy on interatomic spacing. The magnetic entropy curve revealed extra broadening with a refrigeration capacity (RC) value of 135 J/kg at 5 T, which is comparable to (Fe76Cr8-xMoxCu1B15) ribbons, which have a RC value of 180 J/kg for the same applied field. Broadening of the magnetic entropy can lead to larger RC values and a wider working temperature range, making nanocomposite alloys promising for magnetocaloric applications

Combined XPS and contact angle studies of ethylene vinyl acetate and polyvinyl acetate blends

Cataloged from PDF version of article.In this study, we prepared thin films by blending ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA) containing 12-33 (wt.%) vinyl acetate (VA) with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and high density polyethylene homopolymers. Large area micropatterns having controlled protrusion sizes were obtained by phase-separation especially for the PVAc/EVA-33 blends using dip coating. These surfaces were characterized by XPS and contact angle measurements. A reasonably linear relation was found between the VA content on the surface (wt.%) obtained from XPS analysis and the VA content in bulk especially for PVAc/EVA-33 blend surfaces. PE segments were more enriched on the surface than that of the bulk for pure EVA copolymer surfaces similar to previous reports and VA enrichment was found on the EVA/HDPE blend surfaces due to high molecular weight of HDPE. Water theta(e) decreased with the increase in the VA content on the blend surface due to the polarity of VA. A good agreement was obtained between gamma(-)(s) and atomic oxygen surface concentration with the increase of VA content. The applicability of Cassie-Baxter equation was tested and found that it gave consistent results with the experimental water contact angles for the case where VA content was lower than 55 wt.% in the bulk composition. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved