Factors considered when outsourcing an IS system: an empirical examination of the impacts of organizational size,strategy and the object of a decision

As IT expenditures have been growing over the last few years, organizations have started to scrutinize them more closely and some are deciding to outsource parts of their Information Systems (IS) operations. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on the impact that the object of an outsourcing decision may have on the factors considered when making such a decision. The impact of organizational size and the firm's strategy has also not been conclusively established in the literature. This paper examines and compares the different supplier, internal, technology and cost factors considered when outsourcing Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) or Decision Support Systems (DSSs) (the object of a decision). It also examines the divergent decision factors for large, medium and small organizations, and the competitive strategy's impact on the factors that are considered. The paper is based on a study with samples from four large SAP Conferences and includes 1889 individuals working in organizations that use enterprise resource planning software. This research found that the object being outsourced, the firm's competitive strategies, and the organizational size are factors that significantly influence the outsourcing decision process. We found that the relative importance of decision factors for the outsourcing of OLTP is significantly different from those for a DSS and that, where the outsourcing object is of strategic importance, there is a closer attention to internal factors. Our findings confirm that outsourcing strategies are aligned with organizational strategies. For example, cost factors dominate in the outsourcing decision among organizations that employ a low-costs strategy as compared to those following a differentiation or niche strategy. Also, compared to firms pursuing other competitive strategies, for the outsourcing of DSS, differentiators place a significantly higher emphasis on supplier factors. Regarding the role of company size, we found significant differences in the importance given to supplier, internal, technology, and cost factors by organizations of different sizes. For example, compared to smaller organizations, larger organizations gave less importance to supplier and technology factors and more importance to cost factors.     

A nonlinear model predictive control scheme for sensor fault tolerance in observation processes

This article addresses the problem of designing a sensor fault‐tolerant controller for an observation process where a primary, controlled system observes, through a set of measurements, an exogenous system to estimate the state of this system. We consider sensor faults captured by a change in a set of sensor parameters affecting the measurements. Using this parametrization, we present a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) scheme to control the observation process and actively detect and estimate possible sensor faults, with adaptive controller reconfiguration to optimize the use of the remaining sensing capabilities. A key feature of the proposed scheme is the design of observability indices for the NMPC stage cost to improve the observability of both the state of the exogenous system and the sensor fault parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is illustrated through numerical simulations.     

Jgroup/ARM: a distributed object group platform with autonomous replication management

This paper presents the design and implementation of Jgroup/ARM, a distributed object group platform with autonomous replication management along with a novel measurement‐based assessment technique that is used to validate the fault‐handling capability of Jgroup/ARM. Jgroup extends Java RMI through the group communication paradigm and has been designed specifically for application support in partitionable systems. ARM aims at improving the dependability characteristics of systems through a fault‐treatment mechanism. Hence, ARM focuses on deployment and operational aspects, where the gain in terms of improved dependability is likely to be the greatest. The main objective of ARM is to localize failures and to reconfigure the system according to application‐specific dependability requirements. Combining Jgroup and ARM can significantly reduce the effort necessary for developing, deploying and managing dependable, partition‐aware applications. Jgroup/ARM is evaluated experimentally to validate its fault‐handling capability; the recovery performance of a system deployed in a wide area network is evaluated. In this experiment multiple nearly coincident reachability changes are injected to emulate network partitions separating the service replicas. The results show that Jgroup/ARM is able to recover applications to their initial state in several realistic failure scenarios, including multiple, concurrent network partitionings. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new optimization algorithm with application to nonlinear MPC

This paper investigates application of SQP optimization algorithms to nonlinear model predictive control. It considers feasible vs. infeasible path methods, sequential vs. simultaneous methods and reduced vs. full space methods. A new optimization algorithm coined rFOPT which remains feasibile with respect to inequality constraints is introduced. The suitable choices between these various strategies are assessed informally through a small CSTR case study. The case study also considers the effect various discretization methods have on the optimization problem.     

Protein Spin Labeling with a Photocaged Nitroxide Using Diels–Alder Chemistry

EPR spectroscopy of diamagnetic bio-macromolecules is based on site-directed spin labeling (SDSL). Herein, a novel labeling strategy for proteins is presented. A nitroxide-based spin label has been developed and synthesized that can be ligated to proteins by an inverse-electron-demand Diels–Alder (DA_inv) cycloaddition to genetically encoded noncanonical amino acids. The nitroxide moiety is shielded by a photoremovable protecting group with an attached tetra(ethylene glycol) unit to achieve water solubility. SDSL is demonstrated on two model proteins with the photoactivatable nitroxide for DA_inv reaction (PaNDA) label. The strategy features high reaction rates, combined with high selectivity, and the possibility to deprotect the nitroxide in Escherichia coli lysate.     

聚烯烃脱模剂和抗静电剂

本文比较了几种甘油单硬脂酸 (GMS)产品在均聚无规与耐冲击共聚PP的注塑应用中作为抗静电剂和脱模剂的效果。抗静电以及脱模性与各助剂的迁移力有关。阐述了GMS产品 ,如蒸馏单甘油酯和单双甘油酯的功能特性。并在研究过程中 ,开发成功了一种用于耐冲击共聚PP的改良型抗静电剂     

Effects of dietary marine oils and olive oil on fatty acid composition, platelet membrane fluidity, platelet responses, and serum lipids in healthy humans

The influence of various dietary marine oils and olive oil on fatty acid composition of serum and platelets and effects on platelets and serum lipids were investigated as part of an extensive study of the effects of these oils on parameters associated with cardiovascular/thrombotic diseases. Healthy volunteers (266) consumed 15 mL/d of cod liver oil (CLO); whale blubber oil (refined or unrefined); mixtures of seal blubber oil and CLO; or olive oil/CLO for 12 wk. In the CLO, seal oil/CLO, and whale oil groups, serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were increased. In platelets, EPA was increased in the CLO, seal/CLO, and olive oil/CLO groups. The localization of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the triacylglycerols did not seem to influence their absorption. Intake of oleic acid is poorly reflected in serum and platelets. No significant differences in triacylglycerols (IG), total cholesterol, or high density lipoprotein cholesterol were observed, even though TG were reduced in the CLO, CLO/seal oil, and whale oil groups. Mean platelet volume increased significantly in both whale oil groups and the CLO/olive oil group. Platelet count was significantly reduced in the refined whale oil group only. Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated blood tended to generate less thromboxane B₂ in CLO, CLO/seal, and CLO/olive groups. The whale oils tended to reduce in vivo release of β-thromboglobulin. In conclusion, intake of various marine oils causes changes in platelet membranes that are favorably antithrombotic. The combination of CLO and olive oil may produce better effects than these oils given separately. The changes in platelet function are directly associated with alterations of fatty acid composition in platelet membranes.     

Effect of particle granularity on smoldering fire in wood chips made from wood waste: An experimental study

Fires in wood waste storages cause financial losses, are difficult to extinguish, and emit large amounts of fire effluents. The mechanisms related to fires in wood chip piles are not well elucidated. To find suitable preventive measures for handling such fires in wood waste, a better understanding of the physical properties of wood waste is needed. The present study investigates how granularity affects mechanisms of smoldering fire and transition to flaming in wood chip piles. Eighteen experiments with samples inside a top-ventilated, vertical cylinder were conducted. Heating from underneath the cylinder induced auto-ignition and smoldering fire, and temperatures and mass loss of the sample were measured. The results showed that granularity significantly affects the smoldering fire dynamics. Material containing larger wood chips (length 4-100 mm) demonstrated more irregular temperature development, higher temperatures, faster combustion, and higher mass losses than material of smaller wood chips (length <4 mm). The larger wood chips also underwent transition to flaming fires. Flaming fires were not observed for small wood chips, which instead demonstrated prolonged and steady smoldering propagation. The differences are assumed to be partly due to the different bulk densities of the samples of large and small wood chips affecting the ventilation conditions. Increased knowledge about these combustion processes and transition to flaming is vital to develop risk-reducing measures when storing wood chips made from wood waste in piles.     

Specific energy consumption of vacuum filtration: Experimental evaluation using a pilot-scale horizontal belt filter

Abstract

Horizontal vacuum belt filters are used for continuous solid–liquid separation in a wide variety of industrial processes. Despite the low pressure difference (usually Δp?<?0.8?bar), the high air pumping requirement to maintain the pressure difference results in considerable energy consumption. In this article, the specific energy consumption of vacuum filtration and air flow rates of a pilot-scale horizontal vacuum belt filter unit are investigated. The results show that a claw-type vacuum pump consumes only half the energy compared to a conventional liquid ring vacuum pump at corresponding operating points. A comparison between the specific energy consumption of vacuum filtration and thermal drying of the filter cake to zero moisture revealed that vacuum filtration accounted for less than half of the total energy consumption in the applied experimental conditions at Δp?=?0.2–0.5?bar. The majority of the total pumping requirement of the pilot-scale filter resulted from leaks, and only 2–25% of the air flow found its way through the cake and the filter medium. The results suggest that there is a combination of the pressure difference level and the mass of solids deposited per filtration area that together with thermal drying consumes the least amount of energy per solids mass.     

Large-Scale Fire Tests on Sliding Doors for Building Applications

Fire Technology - The performance of fire doors is essential for the fire safety in buildings. In the present study, a series of large-scale fire tests on sliding doors is performed in the...