A Combined Model of IT Outsourcing Partnerships and Success

Outsourcing has the potential to decrease costs, increase focus, improve productivity, add flexibility and innovation, and increase operating income by taking advantage of another organization’s expertise, innovation, or cheaper labor. However, many managers have admitted that outsourcing initiatives have not fulfilled many of their expectations. Furthermore, studies have reported that more than half of outsourcing relationships fail within the first five years of implementation. This paper introduces a comprehensive theoretical model that combines two models proposed previously by Lee and Kim (1999) and Alborz, Seddon, and Scheepers (2003). Both models include sets of factors believed to influence the quality of the outsourcing partnership and, in turn, influence outsourcing success. This paper also extends these two works by proposing two important missing factors: Process Factors and Cultural Factors. The model presented in this paper should be of interest to both practitioners and researchers. For managers in an organization, the proposed model attempts to reduce the complexity of an outsourcing relationship so that both partners can focus on the most important factors that have the greatest potential to increase the likelihood of success. For IS researchers, this paper provides a new theoretical model grounded upon previous research to offer a more comprehensive framework to guide discussion and future research

The FastMap Algorithm for Shortest Path Computations

We present a new preprocessing algorithm for embedding the nodes of a given edge-weighted undirected graph into a Euclidean space. The Euclidean distance between any two nodes in this space approximates the length of the shortest path between them in the given graph. Later, at runtime, a shortest path between any two nodes can be computed with A* search using the Euclidean distances as heuristic. Our preprocessing algorithm, called FastMap, is inspired by the data mining algorithm of the same name and runs in near-linear time. Hence, FastMap is orders of magnitude faster than competing approaches that produce a Euclidean embedding using Semidefinite Programming. FastMap also produces admissible and consistent heuristics and therefore guarantees the generation of shortest paths. Moreover, FastMap applies to general undirected graphs for which many traditional heuristics, such as the Manhattan Distance heuristic, are not well defined. Empirically, we demonstrate that A* search using the FastMap heuristic is competitive with A* search using other state-of-the-art heuristics, such as the Differential heuristic

Two-Hop Routing with Traffic-Differentiation for QoS Guarantee in Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper proposes a Traffic-Differentiated Two-Hop Routing protocol for Quality of Service (QoS) in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). It targets WSN applications having different types of data traffic with several priorities. The protocol achieves to increase Packet Reception Ratio (PRR) and reduce end-to-end delay while considering multi-queue priority policy, two-hop neighborhood information, link reliability and power efficiency. The protocol is modular and utilizes effective methods for estimating the link metrics. Numerical results show that the proposed protocol is a feasible solution to addresses QoS service differenti- ation for traffic with different priorities.Comment: 13 page

Calculating the impact of event using emotion detection.

Regardless of the extraordinary advancements in artificial intelligence, we are still far from having the capacity to normally associate with machines. Feature analysis in emotion recognition is significantly less concentrated than the facial recognition. In events like lectures and meetings, it is common for speakers to request feedback in the form of reviews; however, sometimes people do not have sufficient time to adequately write down all their opinions about the event. We suggest that using an AI system, it would be possible to assess an audience's emotional state over the course of an event without needing to ask them to write down their feedback

Correlation of lipid profile and anthropometry with aortic intima-media thickness in newborns of diabetic and non-diabetic mothers

Background: Exposure to diabetes in utero has been established as a significant factor for certain component of the clinical syndrome. Although complications of atherosclerosis occur in adult life, the process begins in early childhood. Hence, measuring aortic intima-media thickness (AIMT) in the newborn is a feasible, accurate, and sensitive marker of atherosclerotic risk. Objective: The objective of the study was to find an association of AIMT with cord blood lipid levels and anthropometric factors. Methods: Babies born to diabetic mothers (gestational diabetes mellitus/type 2 diabetes mellitus (34 weeks–42 weeks) who were taken as one group and babies born to non-diabetic mothers (34 weeks–42 weeks) who were taken as the other group were enrolled in this study. Lipid values were measured of umbilical cord blood, collected immediately after delivery. Atherogenic-indices were calculated; neonatal anthropometric measurements were taken within 24 h after delivery. Abdominal AIMT (aAIMT) was measured within 4 days of delivery using a high-resolution ultrasound B mode by a trained radiologist. Maternal age, parity, height, pre-pregnancy weight, gestational age, and other investigations were taken from maternal records. Results: In this study, birth weight (BW) was positively correlated with triglycerides (TG), cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and atherogenic-indices, whereas, it was negatively correlated with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p<0.01). A positive correlation was found between aAIMT and BW, abdominal circumference, TG, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL, and atherogenic-indices (p<0.001). Conclusions: In this study, infants born to diabetic mothers had higher anthropometry, lipid values, aAIMT compared to babies born to non-diabetic mothers without risk factors

Knowledge, Food and Place: a way of producing a way of knowing

The article examines the dynamics of knowledge in the valorisation of local food, drawing on the results from the CORASON project (A cognitive approach to rural sustainable development: the dynamics of expert and lay knowledge), funded by the EU under its Framework Programme 6. It is based on the analysis of several in-depth case studies on food relocalisation carried out in 10 European countries

Study of length of umbilical cord and fetal outcome: a study of 1000 deliveries

Background: Human embryo develops inside the body of the mother. One of the important part of the fetoplacental unit is the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord is the lifeline of the fetus. Objective of present study was to investigate the correlation of umbilical cord length with fetal parameters like APGAR score, sex, weight, and length, and its effect on labor.Methods: This prospective study conducted in the Department of OBG of VIMS, Bellary, from 1st February 2016 to 31st January 2017. The 1000 pregnant women of >37 weeks were studied following delivery for length of umbilical cord, any loop around neck, trunk, shoulder and number of loops of cord; knots of cord etc. Fetal parameters recorded were sex, weight, and length of the newborn and APGAR score at 1 and 5 min.Results: Cord length varied from 22 to 126 cm. The mean cord length was 66 cm (±10 cm). Maximum cases have cord length of 61and 70 cm. Lower 5th percentile and upper 5th percentile considered as short and long cord. Short-cord group was associated with significantly higher (p<0.05) incidence of LSCS cases. The incidence of all types of cord complications increases as the cord length increases (p<0.001). Nuchal cords had higher mean cord length and as the number of loops in a nuchal cord increases to two or more loops, the operative interference and fetal heart abnormalities increases. Fetal heart rate abnormalities and birth asphyxia increase with extremes of cord length (p<0.001).Conclusions: Short and long cords are associated with increased incidence of cord complications, operative interference, intrapartum complications, increased fetal heart rate abnormalities, and birth asphyxia. But cord length did not vary according to the weight, length, and sex of the baby