Antecedents to successful adoption of e-Procurement in textile and apparel firms in Kenya

This study examined the factors that affect implementation of e-procurement within the textile and apparel firms in Kenya.Specifically it sought to investigate the effect of organizational issues, environmental factors and technological factors on the implementation of e-procurement.A survey approach was employed, using stratified random sampling to ensure representativeness.Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were used.Descriptive statistics as well as regression analysis were used to facilitate examination of the relationship between variables of interest.The study findings indicate that the environmental factors have the most influence on e-procurement implementation, followed by technological and organizational factors respectively.The study points out that management support, employee empowerment, policy strengthening in ICT use are key to effective e-procurement implementation and therefore should be given due attention.This study examined the factors that affect implementation of e-procurement within the textile and apparel firms in Kenya.Specifically it sought to investigate the effect of organizational issues, environmental factors and technological factors on the implementation of e-procurement.A survey approach was employed, using stratified random sampling to ensure representativeness.Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were used.Descriptive statistics as well as regression analysis were used to facilitate examination of the relationship between variables of interest.The study findings indicate that the environmental factors have the most influence on e-procurement implementation, followed by technological and organizational factors respectively.The study points out that management support, employee empowerment, policy strengthening in ICT use are key to effective e-procurement implementation and therefore should be given due attention.This study examined the factors that affect implementation of e-procurement within the textile and apparel firms in Kenya.Specifically it sought to investigate the effect of organizational issues, environmental factors and technological factors on the implementation of e-procurement.A survey approach was employed, using stratified random sampling to ensure representativeness.Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were used.Descriptive statistics as well as regression analysis were used to facilitate examination of the relationship between variables of interest.The study findings indicate that the environmental factors have the most influence on e-procurement implementation, followed by technological and organizational factors respectively.The study points out that management support, employee empowerment, policy strengthening in ICT use are key to effective e-procurement implementation and therefore should be given due attention

Participatory orientation to strategic planning process : does it pay?

It is postulated that a participatory orientation to the strategic planning process could influence the realization of the expected strategic planning outcomes. Past studies investigating the relationship between strategic planning and performance mainly focuses on the direct relationship between these two variables. This study examines the influence of employee participation on the expected relationship between strategic planning and strategic planning outcomes. The study was carried out in Kenya, within the insurance sector. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the required data from 31 firms. Study findings reveal that employee participation does influence the strength of the relationship between strategic planning and strategic planning outcomes and this influence is statistically significant.It is postulated that a participatory orientation to the strategic planning process could influence the realization of the expected strategic planning outcomes. Past studies investigating the relationship between strategic planning and performance mainly focuses on the direct relationship between these two variables. This study examines the influence of employee participation on the expected relationship between strategic planning and strategic planning outcomes. The study was carried out in Kenya, within the insurance sector. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the required data from 31 firms. Study findings reveal that employee participation does influence the strength of the relationship between strategic planning and strategic planning outcomes and this influence is statistically significant

HIGH VERTICAL RESOLUTION NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SUMMER FLOWS IN CATALONIA. IMPLICATIONS TO SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF OZONE AND PM10 LEVELS

The aim of this study is to analyze the dynamics of the sea-breeze and its effects on the 3D pollution transport using ground based monitoring station, Sodar measurements and numerical simulation. We use the non-hydrostatic atmospheric model MM5 coupled to the photochemical model CMAQ. Measurements are basically focused on the determination of the propagation of the sea breeze front inland and on the validation of the model outputs. Numerical simulation is useful not only to study the inland propagation, but also to analyze the thermal internal boundary layer, the head wind and all the interesting components of the sea breeze circulation phenomena, including the transport of pollutants inside it

Evaluating the Performance of a Regional-Scale Photochemical Modelling System: Part I Ozone Predictions

We present a detailed evaluation of the seasonal performance of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modelling system and the PSU/NCAR meteorological model coupled to a new Numerical Emission Model for Air Quality (MNEQA). The combined system simulates air quality at a fine resolution (3 km as horizontal resolution and 1 h as temporal resolution) in north-eastern Spain, where problems of ozone pollution are frequent. An extensive database compiled over two periods, from May to September 2009 and 2010, is used to evaluate meteorological simulations and chemical outputs. Our results indicate that the model accurately reproduces hourly and 1-h and 8-h maximum ozone surface concentrations measured at the air quality stations, as statistical values fall within the EPA and EU recommendations. However, to further improve forecast accuracy, three simple bias-adjustment techniques mean subtraction (MS), ratio adjustment (RA), and hybrid forecast (HF) based on 10 days of available comparisons are applied. The results show that the MS technique performed better than RA or HF, although all the bias-adjustment techniques significantly reduce the systematic errors in ozone forecasts

A performance evaluation of MM5/MNEQA/CMAQ air quality modelling system to forecast ozone concentrations in Catalonia

We examine the ability of a modelling system to forecast the formation and transport of ozoneover Catalonia, at the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. To this end, the Community MultiscaleAir Quality (CMAQ) modelling system developed by the United States Environmental ProtectionAgency (US EPA) and the PSU/NCAR mesoscale modelling system MM5 are coupled to a newemission model, the Numerical Emission Model for Air Quality (MNEQA). The outputs of themodelling system for the period from May to October 2008 are compared with ozone measure-ments at selected air-monitoring stations belonging to the Catalan Government. Results indicatea good behaviour of the model in reproducing diurnal ozone concentrations, as statistical valuesfall within the EPA and EU regulatory frameworks

Serum/plasma potassium monitoring using potentiometric point-of-care microanalyzers with improved ion selective electrodes

Different causes can trigger imbalances on homeostatic mechanisms between intracellular and extracellular compartments resulting in abnormal blood potassium concentrations (hypo or hyperkalemia). This can lead to serious consequences, even a life-threatening situation. Early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up are essential to minimize critical impacts in patients. Bedside determination of blood potassium is not accessible in all health care centers or in all emergency departments and far less common in this kind of centers in emerging countries. We have therefore proposed a portable, economic and long-lifetime potentiometric point-of-care (POC) analytical microsystem to deal with this question. It is a continuous flow microfluidic platform, made of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), which combines microfluidics and a detection system based on the potentiometric technique containing a potassium selective electrode with a novel composition of polymeric membrane, which improves lifetime. Its size is smaller than a credit card and shows a linear range of Nernst calibration equation from 1 to 26 mM K+, a detection limit of 0.16 mM K+, a satisfactory repeatability and reproducibility, and an analysis frequency of 20 samples h−1, requiring only 25 μL as sample volume. Moreover, lifetime is as long as 9 months by intensive use. All these features comply with medical requirements. Human serum samples were analyzed with the developed device and the obtained results were compared with those provided by two methods: ICP-OES and another using ion selective electrodes. No significant differences were observed, demonstrating the suitability of the developed POC microanalyzer for bedside health applications

Defective Induction of COX-2 Expression by Psoriatic Fibroblasts Promotes Pro-inflammatory Activation of Macrophages

Fibroblasts play an important role as members of the innate immune system through the secretion of COX-2-derived inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). However, it has been described that dermal fibroblasts behave like mesenchymal stem cells reducing lymphocyte recruitment and dendritic cell activation through PGE2 release. As the role of fibroblasts in psoriasis remains poorly characterized, in the present study we have evaluated the possible influence of PGE2 derived from dermal fibroblasts as modulator of the immune response in psoriatic skin. Our results indicate that under inflammatory conditions, psoriatic fibroblasts showed defective induction of COX-2, which resulted in diminished production of PGE2, in contrast to healthy fibroblasts. This phenotype correlated with deficient c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, in accordance with the hypothesis that alterations in members of the JNK pathway are associated with psoriasis. Furthermore, conditioned medium from psoriatic fibroblasts promoted the polarization of monocytic cells toward a pro-inflammatory profile, effect that was mimicked in healthy fibroblasts after pre-incubation with indomethacin. These results are consistent with a prominent role of dermal fibroblasts in the regulation of inflammatory response through the participation of COX-derived metabolites. This resolutive behavior seems to be defective in psoriatic fibroblasts, offering a possible explanation for the chronification of the disease and for the exacerbation triggered by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as indomethacin

Novel LTCC-potentiometric microfluidic device for biparametric analysis of organic compounds carrying plastic antibodies as ionophores: Application to sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim

Monitoring organic environmental contaminants is of crucial importance to ensure public health. This requires simple, portable and robust devices to carry out on-site analysis. For this purpose, a low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) microfluidic potentiometric device (LTCC/μPOT) was developed for the first time for an organic compound: sulfamethoxazole (SMX). Sensory materials relied on newly designed plastic antibodies. Sol–gel, self-assembling monolayer and molecular-imprinting techniques were merged for this purpose. Silica beads were amine-modified and linked to SMX via glutaraldehyde modification. Condensation polymerization was conducted around SMX to fill the vacant spaces. SMX was removed after, leaving behind imprinted sites of complementary shape. The obtained particles were used as ionophores in plasticized PVC membranes. The most suitable membrane composition was selected in steady-state assays. Its suitability to flow analysis was verified in flow-injection studies with regular tubular electrodes. The LTCC/μPOT device integrated a bidimensional mixer, an embedded reference electrode based on Ag/AgCl and an Ag-based contact screen-printed under a micromachined cavity of 600 μm depth. The sensing membranes were deposited over this contact and acted as indicating electrodes. Under optimum conditions, the SMX sensor displayed slopes of about −58.7 mV/decade in a range from 12.7 to 250 μg/mL, providing a detection limit of 3.85 μg/mL and a sampling throughput of 36 samples/h with a reagent consumption of 3.3 mL per sample. The system was adjusted later to multiple analyte detection by including a second potentiometric cell on the LTCC/μPOT device. No additional reference electrode was required. This concept was applied to Trimethoprim (TMP), always administered concomitantly with sulphonamide drugs, and tested in fish-farming waters. The biparametric microanalyzer displayed Nernstian behaviour, with average slopes −54.7 (SMX) and +57.8 (TMP) mV/decade. To demonstrate the microanalyzer capabilities for real applications, it was successfully applied to single and simultaneous determination of SMX and TMP in aquaculture waters