Addressing business agility challenges with enterprise systems

It is clear that systems agility (i.e., having a responsive IT infrastructure that can be changed quickly to meet changing business needs) has become a critical component of organizational agility. However, skeptics continue to suggest that, despite the benefits enterprise system packages provide, they are constraining choices for firms faced with agility challenges. The reason for this skepticism is that the tight integration between different parts of the business that enables many enterprise systems\u27 benefits also increases the systems\u27 complexity, and this increased complexity, say the skeptics, increases the difficulty of changing systems when business needs change. These persistent concerns motivated us to conduct a series of interviews with business and IT managers in 15 firms to identify how they addressed, in total, 57 different business agility challenges. Our analysis suggests that when the challenges involved an enterprise system, firms were able to address a high percentage of their challenges with four options that avoid the difficulties associated with changing the complex core system: capabilities already built-in to the package but not previously used, leveraging globally consistent integrated data already available, using add-on systems available on the market that easily interfaced with the existing enterprise system, and vendor provided patches that automatically updated the code. These findings have important implications for organizations with and without enterprise system architectures

Matlab application for fitting progress curves to the Equilibrium Model

The general procedures for carrying out the necessary rate determinations required for accurate determination of the Equilibrium Model parameters, and fitting this data to the mathematical model to generate the parameters, are described in "Peterson, M.E., Daniel, R.M., Danson, M.J. & Eisenthal, R. (2007) The dependence of enzyme activity on temperature: determination and validation of parameters. Biochemical Journal, 402, 331-337". It should be borne in mind that the Equilibrium Model equation contains exponentials of exponentials – quite small deviations from ideal behaviour, or a failure to obtain true Vmax values, may lead to difficulty in obtaining reliable Equilibrium Model parameters

Power systems research at MSFC

Power systems research reviews at Marshall Space Flight Cente

Carbon isotope record (d13Ccarbonate) of the Middle to Late Jurassic (Callovian - Oxfordian) from the Algarve Basin, Portugal

The Algarve Basin is an important Mesozoic depocentre located in southern Portugal which formed during the succesive phases of the North Atlantic rifting following the break-up of Pangea [1]. Several unconformities related to compressive episodes are observed in the stratigraphic record of the Algarve Basin. One of these episodes ocurred in the transition from Middle to Upper Jurassic times and is marked by an important tectonic episode, observed throughout Iberia [1], that caused the tilting and folding of the Middle Jurassic strata. This situation can be observed at Benaçoitão, where Oxfordian limestones rest unconformably over tilted Middle Callovian marly limestones. In this work we present !13Ccarbonate data across the Middle and Upper Jurassic rocks from the Algarve Basin at Benaçoitão

Geospatial drivers of the groundwater δ18O isoscape in a temperate maritime climate (Republic of Ireland)

In recent years, the concept of “isoscapes” has been used to describe spatiotemporal stable isotope distributions within natural environments including groundwater systems at multiple scales. This study presents an updated groundwater δ18O isoscape for the Republic of Ireland and describes the climatic and geological drivers influencing 18O composition. In all, 142 geographically and geologically representative groundwater installations were sampled and analysed, in addition to 35 samples from six nested boreholes. Geospatially, Irish groundwater exhibits high δ18O values in southern and western coastal regions, becoming progressively depleted inland before reaching lowest measured values along the eastern coast, equating to a national groundwater δ18O profile range of approximately 3‰. Groundwater δ18O composition is primarily driven by location with respect to orographically influenced rainfall deposition and annual precipitation volume, with a bias towards winter recharge. Results also demonstrate that local/regional (hydro)geological setting exerts a secondary influence on δ18O composition via infiltration and recharge mechanisms. “Flashy” groundwater systems (e.g. karst limestones) are more likely to exhibit seasonal groundwater δ18O patterns, whereas low productivity systems with high residence times (e.g. granites), tend to display a dampened composition to groundwater recharge and exhibit more temporally constant δ18O values. The derived δ18O isoscape enhances current understanding of what is a geologically distinct groundwater setting, whilst also potentially serving as a δ18O “sentinel” for continental Europe, with respect to both groundwater and precipitation, due to Ireland’s geographic location

Indirect Wafer Bonding and Epitaxial Transfer of GaSb-Based Materials

Results from a study of indirect wafer bonding and epitaxial transfer of GaSb-based materials are presented. Benzocyclobutene (BCB) was used as a bonding agent to bond GaSb and epitaxial structures lattice matched to GaSb onto Si, GaAs, and sapphire carrier substrates. To better understand sources of stress during the bonding process, which can result in cracking and subsurface damage of the GaSb-based materials, BCB’s hardness and reduced elastic modulus were measured at various stages during the curing process. Based on the results of curing experiments, a bonding and epitaxial transfer process for GaSb-based materials was then developed. Following bonding, using an experimentally determined low-stress cure cycle, GaSb substrates were removed from epitaxial layers of InAsSb using a combination of mechanical thinning and polishing followed by selective chemical etching using a hydrofluoric and chromic acid solution. Etch selectivity data are also presented where selectivity greater than 100:1 is achieved for GaSb:InAsSb

Preliminary account of the Silurian carbon isotope record (d13Corg) from the Barrancos region, Ossa Morena Zone, Portugal

The Barrancos region provides one of the reference sections for the Silurian of the Ossa Morena Zone in Portugal. In this area the Silurian succession is condensed, with a maximum thickness of 50 m and the ages provided by graptolite faunas indicates that all the Silurian system is represented here. The lithologies are fairly homogenous throughout the succession consisting of black carbonaceous shales interbedded with black cherts, that were deposited in marine basins that developed at the northen margins of the Gondwana continent. This study is the first attempt to characterize the variation of 13Corg in this region, in order to assess well-documented Silurian climatic events. The studied section is located at Monte do Carreba, near Barrancos village, and consists of a 45 m thick succession of black shales and cherts with graptolite faunas that indicates a Llandovery to lower Ludlow age. The base of the section is faulted against Upper Ordovician greywackes and quartzites. In this section 13Corg shows a baseline of consistent low values ranging from -25.88 to -25.10%. This is interrupted by three positive excursions with maximum values of: -22.73% at the transition between the Llandovery (Telychian) and Wenlock (Sheinwoodian), -23.33% at the Homerian and -23.09% at the transition between the Wenlock and Ludlow (Gorstian). The excursions have positive shifts between +2.55 and +3.15% and are tentatively related to the three first global climatic events recognized for the Silurian (Ireviken, Mulde and Linde). Although this study is a preliminary account of 13Corg in this region, it could provide usefull data for the recognition and discussion of climatic global events in high latitude regions as was the OMZ located during Silurian times and for sections with high level of thermal maturation.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (PhD grant SFRH/BD/48534/2008)

Variação isotópicas d13C carbonatos na Sucessão da Baía de Três Angras: afloramento Mesozóico da Carrapateira (Kimeridgiano Inferior)

O afloramento Mesozóico da Carrapateira (AMC), localizado a 20 km a norte de Sagres é formado por sedimentos do Triássico Superior ao Kimmeridgiano. Para compilar os valores δ 13C para esta secção, sessenta e cinco amostras de carbonatos foram estudadas. Os valores δ 13C variam gradualmente ao longo da sucessão mostrando uma linha de base com uma tendência geral negativa. No entanto, a curva de δ 13C indica duas principais excursões negativas δ 13C, a primeira relacionada com a presença de um nível conglomerático, com um valor mínimo de -1,38 ‰ e uma segunda excursão com um valor mínimo de -3,10 ‰, imediatamente abaixo das camadas de calcário bioclástico do topo da sucessão. Em geral, a tendência negativa inicial está de acordo com a curva de δ 13C global, para o Kimeridgiano no Domínio Tetsiano, onde o AMC se insere. As duas excursões negativas são tendencialmente relacionadas com as perturbações no ciclo regional de carbono. Assim, ambos são interpretados como um resultado da entrada de grande quantidade de 12C para a bacia, como resultado de impulsos regressivos como sugerido pela análise sedimentológica, TOC e de palinofácies

The thermal history and hydrocarbon source rock potential of the mid Carboniferous Quebradas Formation in SW Portugal and its correlatives in western Atlantic offshore basins

The mid Carboniferous Quebradas Formation of the ‘South Portuguese Zone’ (SPZ) comprises 80m of post-mature black mudrocks with a mean TOC of 2.5%. Lithostratigraphic units of similar facies and age such as the Holywell Shale, the Edale Shale and the Bowland Shale are important HC source rocks in the UK, having sourced a considerable proportion of the hydrocarbons in the East Irish Sea, East Midlands and Formby oilfields respectively. The kerogen content of the Quebradas Formation is mixed but slightly more oil-prone in its lower part. At outcrop, it is strongly post-mature with vitrinite reflectance (Rr) ca. 4%. Illite crystallinity results from the Quebradas Formation and associated units suggest lower maturity than vitrinite reflectance. Analysis of the optic fabric of very thin coal lenses within the Brejeira Formation which overlies the Quebradas Formation suggests that peak temperatures were attained before the Variscan (late Carboniferous – early Permian) deformation. Triassic rocks unconformably overlying the Carboniferous sequence are much less mature, with Rr ca. 1.2%. Although the the Quebradas Fm has no HC source potential onshore due to its high maturity, Carboniferous rocks offshore may not have experienced the same extreme thermal history as the SPZ