Towards a cloud migration decision support system for Small and Medium enterprises in Tamil Nadu

Cloud computing is a promising computing paradigm which has the potential to speed up Information Technology adoption among SMEs in developing economies like India. The user friendly, pay per use cloud computing model offers SMEs access to highly scalable and reliable cloud infrastructure without having to invest on buying and maintaining expensive Information Technology resources. However, moving data and application to a cloud infrastructure is not straightforward and can be very challenging as decision makers need to consider numerous aspects before deciding to adopt cloud infrastructure. A review of the literature reveals that there are frameworks available to support cloud migration. However, there are no frameworks, models or tools available to support the whole cloud migration process. This research aims to fill that gap by proposing a conceptual framework for cloud migration decision support system targeted for SMEs in Tamil Nadu

Optical Force Measurements In Concentrated Colloidal Suspensions

This work concerns the construction and testing of an optical tweezers-based force transducer, and its application to a hard-sphere colloidal system. A particle in an optical trap forward-scatters a fraction of the trapping light, which is collected in order to give high-resolution information on the trapped particle’s position relative to the trap centre. The system is then calibrated to convert particle displacements to forces. The colloid used in this study is a density- and refractive index-matched suspension of PMMA particles, radius 860 ± 70nm, with volume fractions in the range φ = 40 → 62%. Passive microrheological measurements have yielded information about rearrangements in a tracer’s cage of nearest neighbours, as well as highly localised measurements of the high-frequency viscosity, where the presence of the colloidal host causes around a tenfold increase compared to the bare solvent case. Measurements have also demonstrated the effect of sample history on local short-time self-diffusion coefficient, with perturbations caused by translating a particle within the sample taking up to an hour to relax in a φ = 58% sample. The high resolution particle tracking offered by this technique has also allowed for the first measurement of structure at a shorter lengthscale than the ‘dynamic cage size’ observed using other experimental techniques. In addition, active measurements have shown the emergence of a yield stress on the order of 5Pa as the volume fraction approaches the glass transition at φ ≈ 58%

Applying an integrated approach to the design, implementation and evaluation of a telemedicine system.

One characteristic of telemedicine evaluations is that they are usually decoupled from other aspects of design and implementation, and therefore not considered until late in the project cycle.  In addition to this, evaluations are often performed by outside bodies without an interest in the outcome, a practice intended to strengthen the independence and objectivity of the findings.  In this paper, we describe an alternative approach in which the design, implementation and evaluation of a telemedicine system were considered to be complementary stages of the project occurring in parallel and where members of the project team were involved in all three.  We demonstrate the advantages of this approach through the ECHONET project - a trial of an experimental system implemented in the context of Intensive Care across two hospitals in Tasmania, Australia.This paper describes benefits associated with this integrated approach. Innovative aspects of the approach include the number of pre-implementation activities such as stakeholder interviews, design workshops and a baseline study, which enabled the project to adapt to the complex needs of its health context.The integration of the design, implementation and evaluation activities enabled the project to adapt to changing needs as the project evolved, and ensured that it was evaluated against appropriate criteria

Basotho Women Migrants : a Case Study

SUMMARY The focus of most research on Lesotho has been the political, social, and economic impact of male migrant labour. But under the resultant strains of agricultural decline, rural poverty, and marital instability, many Basotho women also went as migrants during the first half of this century, they are now prohibited from legally doing so by ‘influx control’ measures which maintain oscillating male migration. The social life of rural Basotho women has been profoundly affected by the experience of those who once lived and worked in South Africa but are now relegated to unemployment on the rural periphery. RÉSUMÉ Migration des femmes du Basotho : Une étude de cas Le thème central de la plupart des recherches sur le Lesotho a été l'effet économique, social et politique de la migration de la main?d'oeuvre masculine. Mais le résultat a été que les tensions causées par le déclin de l'agriculture, la pauvreté rurale et l'instabilité maritale, ont amené un grand nombre de femmes du Basotho à émigrer elles aussi tout au long de la première moitié de ce siècle; la loi leur interdit maintenant d'émigrer au moyen de mesures contrôlant les entrées et maintenant une émigration masculine fluctuante. La vie sociale des femmes rurales du Basotho a été profondément affectée par l'expérience de celles qui ont vécu et travaillé en Afrique du Sud et sont maintenant réduites au chômage dans la périphérie rurale. RESUMEN Las mujeres emigrantes de Basotho: un estudio de caso La mayoría de la investigación en Lesotho se ha enfocado hacia las repercusiones políticas, sociales y económicas de la mano de obra emigratoria masculina. Pero bajo las tensiones resultantes de la decadencia agrícola, la pobreza rural y la inestabilidad matrimonial, numerosas mujeres de Basotho también se convirtieron en emigrantes durante la primera mitad de este siglo, aunque en la actualidad les está prohibido hacerlo legalmente mediante medidas de ‘control de influjo’ que mantienen una emigración masculina oscilante. La vida social de las mujeres rurales de Basotho se ha visto profundamente afectada por la experiencia de las que trabajaron y vivieron alguna vez en Africa del Sur pero en la actualidad se hallan condenadas al paro en la periferia rural

Cloud adoption decision support for SMEs Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

For a successful cloud adoption, decision makers need to consider numerous aspects before deciding to adopt cloud infrastructure. In this paper, we propose a framework to support cloud adoption decisions for SMEs in Tamil Nadu (India) using the established principles of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). This study is focused on SMEs in Tamil Nadu, one of the constituent states of the Indian Union. This paper reports on the findings of applying AHP to real data collected from decision makers and demonstrates its usefulness as a decision support tool for SMEs in Tamil Nad

A cloud migration decision support system for SMEs in Tamil Nadu (India) using AHP

Cloud computing is a new computing paradigm which has the potential to speed up Information Technology (IT) adoption among SMEs in developing economies. Its successful implementation can present SMEs with various benefits like reduced IT costs, high scalability and faster time to market. In recent years, many research have been carried in both academia and in businesses to explain the features, benefits and risks of cloud adoption. Literature review reveals that there are existing frameworks available to support cloud migration. However, there is very little literature available to support cloud migration decisions, which covers the whole cloud migration process for SMEs in Tamil Nadu. This paper aims to fill that gap by presenting the SME decision makers (DMs) with a decision support tool. The proposed cloud migration decision support system (CMDSS) will be based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and will aid decision makers to make cloud migration decision effectively by suggesting a path from where to start, to how to complete the migration

Investigating the Swimming of Microbial Pathogens Using Digital Holography.

To understand much of the behaviour of microbial pathogens, it is necessary to image living cells, their interactions with each other and with host cells. Species such as Escherichia coli are difficult subjects to image: they are typically microscopic, colourless and transparent. Traditional cell visualisation techniques such as fluorescent tagging or phase-contrast microscopy give excellent information on cell behaviour in two dimensions, but no information about cells moving in three dimensions. We review the use of digital holographic microscopy for three-dimensional imaging at high speeds, and demonstrate its use for capturing the shape and swimming behaviour of three important model pathogens: E. coli, Plasmodium spp. and Leishmania spp

A global review of the ecosystem services provided by bivalve aquaculture:Services of bivalve aquaculture

Bivalve shellfish aquaculture provides many benefits to society, beyond their traditional market value. This study collates the evidence available on the provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services provided by the bivalve species commonly used in aquaculture. For the first time, it synthesises this evidence to provide a global assessment of the potential market and non‐market economic value of bivalve aquaculture. Bivalves are filter feeders, filtering water and particulates, creating substrates which provide habitat to act as nursery grounds for other species. Goods from provisioning services include meat, worth an estimated $23.9 billion as well as, pearls, shell and poultry grit, with oyster shell being the most important, with a global potential worth of$5.2 billion. The most important regulating services are nutrient remediation. Cultivated bivalves remove 49,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 6,000 tonnes of phosphorus, worth a potential $1.20 billion. Currently, there is little evidence on the cultural services per year of bivalve aquaculture, but we argue that these cultural values are broad ranging, although difficult to quantify. Our assessment indicates that the global, non‐food bivalve aquaculture services are worth$6.47 billion ($2.95 billion–9.99 billion) per annum. However, this is likely to be an underestimate of the true value of bivalve aquaculture as there are significant gaps in evidence of the value for a number of key services. The analysis presented here can be used to indicate the likely scale of payments for ecosystem services provided by bivalve aquaculture, prior to more detailed assessments