An Examination The Implicit Costs on Emerging ICT-Driven Innovations

Innovations have been regarded as the key driver for business to achieve business competitive advantages and survive in a rigorous environment. Businesses need to continuously adopt innovative business models and exploit opportunities from new technologies. The information and communication technologies (ICT) are claimed not only important sources for efficiency, effectiveness, and quality but also essential drivers for business innovations. In particular, the recently emerged social networks and mobile applications have increased the speed of evolving business models and the content of a variety of services. Social networking services have radically changed our life over past few years. McKinsey & Company indicated that “It took 13 years for commercial television to reach 50 million households and 3 years for Internet service providers to sign their 50 millionth subscribers. Facebook hit the 50 million–user mark in just a year and Twitter in 9 months.” With continuous and seamless interaction between entities, the nature of social networking services keeps consumers stick with these innovations. On the other hand, mobile applications are also accelerating the pace of adoption by worldwide consumers, even in the developing nations. Given the continuously development of networking, mobile devices, and social media applications, those technologies have changed not only the way messages transferring but also the cost, frequency, and speed of transferring. While those innovations have accumulated a pervasive population, more businesses are interested in adopting those emerging ICT-driven innovations in order to capture opportunities in building channels and creating values. However, the characteristics of emerging ICT are totally different from traditional ICT, such as the adopting cost and implementation time. In difference to traditional technologies such as enterprise resources systems and supply chain systems which require great investment in money and time, emerging ICT present a more accessible and easier way to implement. For instances, Facebook’s Fan-page is a new channel for brands in social networking. This application is effective to access a great number of consumers that most of the worldwide brand such as Coca-Cola, Disney, and McDonald\u27s have created Fan-pages to seamlessly promote services and closely interact with netizen. In addition, this application is free and even a start-up company can offer. As a platform to communicate with consumers, Fan-page communication as well as other innovative applications, such instant messaging, social games, and mobile ordering, are characterized with a consumer-to-consumer communication and a low cost of establishment. In spite of the convenience characteristics of the social technology, potential problems may exist. The technological convenience may lead businesses easy adopt and easy drop the innovation without further consideration. This research tries to examine the unexpected results associated with the dropping of the emerging social technology and provide a framework of the implicit costs associated with the termination of business model innovations. Related to the explicit costs such as material, equipment, wage, and other expenses, the implicit costs are easily hidden, unavoidable, and immeasurable. The implicit costs may occur when companies adopt and drop emerging ICT-driven innovations without elaborated consideration. First, distorted messages. The frequency and speed of message transferring is the key characteristics of emerging ICT. While complex and plenty of messages are provided, enterprise decision-makers may become overwhelmed and confused in make accurate and proper decision. Second, the deployed deficiency in the human resources may occur. While all enterprises rely on the deployment of human resources to coordinate the physically and virtually networked resources, most enterprises may notice the cost of human resources in physical stores but ignore the service support needed on virtual platforms. Emerging ICT-driven applications require adequate deployment of the human resources to survive and react to the quickly distributing online WOM (word-of-mouth). Third, the disruption of consumer loyalty. While the online WOM quickly distribute, it would be a crisis when companies don’t deal well with any emergency or negative rumors. Moreover, the nature of Internet have intensified the negotiating power of consumers online. Companies have to carefully treat every consumers and keep away from concentrating and activating the angry netizens. The objective of this research is to discuss the realistic result of quickly adopted and dropped business innovations with emerging ICT. There are three contributions to the field of innovation study. Given the different characteristics between traditional and emerging technology, the study of emerging ICT innovations can lead to unexpected effects and additional costs which is rarely discussed so far. Second, in difference to most literatures which are focused on the benefit and competitive advantages gained by innovation adopters, this research tries to examine the causes of innovation failures. Lastly, this research tries to provide a framework of implicit costs for companies to plan for the risks in adopting emerging ICT-driven innovations

1/N expansion formalism for high-spin states

The 1/$N$ expansion solutions for the interacting boson model are extended to higher orders using computer algebra. The analytic results are compared with those obtained from an exact diagonalization of the Hamiltonian and are shown to be very accurate. The extended formulas for level energies and E2 transitions will be useful in the analysis of high-spin states in both normal and superdeformed nuclei.Comment: 11 pages, Latex, 3 figures available upon reques

Annealing Effect on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Thin Titanium Nitride Film

Titanium nitride (TiN) films were deposited by the D.C. magnetron sputtering process on a SUS 304 steel substrate. The effect of postdeposition annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of thin TiN films was studied in detail using atomic force microscopy, a potentiostat and nano-indentation tests. The TiN films were annealed at temperatures ranging from 100 to 300C. Surface roughnesses of TiN films estimated by atomic force microscopy decreased from 3.83 to 2.43 nm as the annealing temperatures increased from 100 to 300°C. The corrosion rates of the films measured by a potentionstat in a 0.5-molar H₂SO₄ solution decreased from 8.57•10⁻² to 4.59•10⁻² mmPY as the annealing temperatures increased from 100 to 300°C. An increase in corrosion resistance was attributed to an increase in hardness and a modulus of the film with the annealing temperature. Atomic force microscopy images of the film revealed fine-grained morphology for TiN films annealed at higher temperature. Experimental results show that the mechanical properties of TiN films could be significantly improved by annealing. The control of the annealing process was proved to be critical for the improvement of TiN film properties.Методом магнетронного напыления при постоянном токе на стальную подложку SUS 304 наносили нитрид-титановые пленки. Детально исследовано влияние отжига после нанесения пленок на микроструктуру и их механические свойства с помощью метода атомно-силовой микроскопии, стабилизатора напряжения и наноиндентирования. Нитрид-титановые пленки обжигали при температуре 100…300С. Шероховатость их поверхности, исследуемая методом атомно-силовой микроскопии, уменьшилась с 3,83 до 2,43 нм при повышении температуры отжига в интервале 100…300°С. Скорость коррозии пленок, измеренная с помощью стабилизатора напряжений в 0,5%-ном молярном растворе H₂SO₄, снизилась с 8,57•10⁻² до 4,59•10⁻² мм, тогда как температура отжига повысилась с 100 до 300°С. Рост коррозионной стойкости зависит от увеличения твердости и модуля упругости пленки с температурой отжига. Исследование пленки посредством метода атомно-силовой микроскопии показало, что нитрид титана, который обжигался при более высокой температуре, имеет мелкозернистую структуру. Установлено, что механические свойства нитрид-титановых пленок можно значительно улучшить путем отжига. Получил подтверждение тот факт, что контроль процесса отжига крайне необходим для усовершенствования свойств нитридтитановых пленок.Методом магнетронного напилення під дією постійного струму на стальну підкладку SUS 304 наносили нітрид-титанові плівки. Детально досліджено вплив відпалу після нанесення плівок на мікроструктуру та їх механічні властивості за допомогою методу атомно-силової мікроскопії, стабілізатора напруги і наноіндентування. Нітрид-титанові плівки випалювали за температури 100...300C. Шорсткість їхньої поверхні, що досліджувалася методом атомно-силової мікроскопії, зменшилася з 3,83 до 2,43 нм із підвищенням температури відпалу в інтервалі 100...300°С. Швидкість корозії плівок, яку вимірювали за допомогою стабілізатора напруги в 0,5%-ному молярному розчині H₂SO₄, зменшилася з 8,57•10⁻² до 4,59 •0⁻² мм, у той час як температура відпалу підвищилась із 100 до 300°C. Зростання корозійної стійкості залежить від збільшення твердості і модуля пружності плівки з температурою відпалу. Дослідження плівки за допомогою методу атомно-силової мікроскопії показало, що нітрид титану, який випалювався за більш високої температури, має дрібнозеренну структуру. Установлено, що механічні властивості нітрид-титанових плівок можна значно покращити шляхом відпалу. Отримав підтвердження той факт, що контроль процесу відпалу необхідний для удосконалення властивостей нітрид-титанових плівок

A simpler and more efficient algorithm for the next-to-shortest path problem

Given an undirected graph $G=(V,E)$ with positive edge lengths and two vertices $s$ and $t$, the next-to-shortest path problem is to find an $st$-path which length is minimum amongst all $st$-paths strictly longer than the shortest path length. In this paper we show that the problem can be solved in linear time if the distances from $s$ and $t$ to all other vertices are given. Particularly our new algorithm runs in $O(|V|\log |V|+|E|)$ time for general graphs, which improves the previous result of $O(|V|^2)$ time for sparse graphs, and takes only linear time for unweighted graphs, planar graphs, and graphs with positive integer edge lengths.Comment: Partial result appeared in COCOA201

High-spin states in boson models with applications to actinide nuclei

We use the 1/$N$ expansion formalism in a systematic study of high-spin states in the $sd$ and $sdg$ boson models with emphasis on spin dependence of moment of inertia and E2 transitions. The results are applied to the high-spin states in the actinide nuclei $^{232}$Th, $^{234-238}$U, where the need for $g$ bosons is especially acute but until now, no realistic calculation existed. We find that the $d$-boson energy plays a crucial role in description of the high-spin data.Comment: 11 pages Latex, 4 figures available upon request (to appear in Phys. Lett. B

Non-equilibrium surface diffusion in the O/W(110) system

In this Letter, we present results of an extensive Monte Carlo study of the O/W(110) system under non-equilibrium conditions. We study the mean square displacements and long wavelength density fluctuations of adatoms. From these quantities, we define effective and time-dependent values for the collective and tracer diffusion mobilities. These mobilities reduce to the usual diffusion constants when equilibrium is reached. We discuss our results in view of existing experimental measurements of effective diffusion barriers, and the difficulties associated with interpreting non-equilibrium data.Comment: 14 pages LaTeX and five PostScript figures; tarred, gzip'ed, and uuencoded. Uses elsart.sty and elsart12.sty which are included in the package. To appear in Surface Science Letter

On the Potts model partition function in an external field

We study the partition function of Potts model in an external (magnetic) field, and its connections with the zero-field Potts model partition function. Using a deletion-contraction formulation for the partition function Z for this model, we show that it can be expanded in terms of the zero-field partition function. We also show that Z can be written as a sum over the spanning trees, and the spanning forests, of a graph G. Our results extend to Z the well-known spanning tree expansion for the zero-field partition function that arises though its connections with the Tutte polynomial

Spin-orbit coupling-induced magnetic phase in the d-density-wave phase of La2-xBaxCuO4 superconductors

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Bailout Embeddings, Targeting of KAM Orbits, and the Control of Hamiltonian Chaos

We present a novel technique, which we term bailout embedding, that can be used to target orbits having particular properties out of all orbits in a flow or map. We explicitly construct a bailout embedding for Hamiltonian systems so as to target KAM orbits. We show how the bailout dynamics is able to lock onto extremely small KAM islands in an ergodic sea.Comment: 3 figures, 9 subpanel

Hybrid CuCoO-GO enables ultrasensitive detection of antibiotics with enhanced laser desorption/ionization at nano-interfaces

The soaring concerns globally on antibiotic overuse have made calls for the development of rapid and sensitive detection methods urgent. Here we report that the hybrid CuCoO-GO matrix allows for sensitive detection of various antibiotics in combination with MALDI TOF MS. The new matrix is composed of few-layered GO nanosheets decorated with CuCoO nanoparticles with an average size of 10 nm, and exhibits excellent aqueous suspensibility. Accurate quantitation of the sulfonamide antibiotics in milk samples have been demonstrated using a CuCoO-GO matrix and a stable isotope (C13)-labeled analyte as the internal standard. Our experiments have achieved lower limits of detection (LOD) by several hundred fold for the detection of a panel of representative antibiotics, in comparison with the literature reports. Both intrabacterial and extrabacterial residual antibiotics can be sensitively detected with our method. We have further investigated the molecular mechanism of the enhanced desorption/ionization efficiency by the CuCoO-GO matrix with synchrotron radiation techniques for the first time. This work provides a sensitive matrix enabling MALDI-TOF MS to be applied in small molecular analysis, but also presents a distinct perspective on the mechanism behind the material functions