Facilitating enterprise application integration adoption: An empirical analysis of UK local government authorities

local government authorities (LGAs) are organised around operational structures with business processes spanning within departments and across other government organisations. In such an organisational setting, the harmonisation of Information Technology (IT) operations, integration of cross-departmental processes and the underlying Information Systems (IS) signifies a challenge in delivering integrated services. This paper attempts to explore enterprise application integration (EAI) adoption in the UK local government authorities (LGAs). Despite the hype of EAI adoption in private domain, its application in LGAs is inadequate as there is a lack of adoption models/frameworks that can be used by the public sector. The context of the study is to consider the transformation of IT infrastructure management and operations with EAI technologies. The empirical findings, generated through a detailed case analysis, manifestly exemplify that EAI predominantly acts as a ‘back-office’ technology that facilitates operations by developing a flexible and maintainable integrated IT infrastructure. Our proposed framework is believed to be imperative and unique as it provides a more systematic way to examine the adoption of integration technologies, extends the established norms for EAI adoption by utilising a prioritisation technique to classify the importance of factors. The contribution of the research extends the literature on EAI and identifies theoretical and practical opportunities that facilitate LGAs in their decision-making process to produce more robust proposals for EAI adoption.     

Assessment of indoor air quality and the risk of damage to cultural heritage objects using MEMORI® dosimetry

Air pollution is one of the environmental influences that degrade cultural heritage objects situated indoors. Other essential influences, such as temperature, relative humidity, and light are often well monitored. The presence of air pollutants is less often measured or included in risk assessment. The MEMORI^® technology presented in this paper was developed as a tool for easy measurement and assessment of the general risk of degradation of heritage objects situated indoors due to indoor exposure to air pollutants. MEMORI dosimetry was performed in locations belonging to English Heritage and Tate (both located in London) and the National Archives of Norway in Oslo, to assess air quality. The related damage risk for collection objects and the protection offered by display and storage designs was assessed. A high level of acidic effect was observed inside a number of showcases, and a high level of oxidizing effect was observed in some room locations. Relatively simple mitigation measures, such as constructing tightly sealed showcases using low emitting materials, installing active carbon absorbing media inside a ‘microclimate’ frame, and using cardboard storage boxes for paper, significantly improved air quality. Overall, implementation of such measures is likely to improve the preservation of objects and reduce conservation costs.     

Influence of aerobic versus anaerobic exercise on the relationship between reproductive hormones in men

This study examined the effects of equal anaerobic and aerobic total work outputs on the relationship between reproductive hormones in men. Nine subjects performed three randomized trials on separate days: (1) 1 h period of rest (control), (2) 1 h continuous aerobic exercise (65% VO₂ max), and (3) 1 h intermittent anaerobic exercise (which included 2 min exercise periods at 110% FO₂ max). The total work output of the aerobic and anaerobic trials were equated. For the 8 h after each experimental trial, blood samples were collected hourly and analysed for testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin and cortisol. Diet, physical activity and circadian influences were all controlled. Compared with the control, the aerobic and anaerobic trials significantly (P < 0.05) elevated testosterone, prolactin and cortisol; however, these changes were transient and returned to control levels within 1–2 h of recovery. Neither exercise produced significant (P > 0.05) changes from control for LH and FSH. The area under the hormonal response curves (AUC) was calculated for the 8‐h recovery period. The testosterone and LH AUC results did not differ (P > 0.05) among the trials (the FSH AUC was not calculated). The prolactin AUC for the aerobic and anaerobic trials were greater (P < 0.01) than the control trial. The cortisol AUC for the anaerobic trial was greater than both the control and aerobic trials (P < 0.05), but the aerobic and control trials did not differ from one another. Correlation analysis among the AUC results within each trial showed testosterone and LH to be significantly related during the control (r = 0.723, P < 0.05) and aerobic (r = 0.801, P < 0.01) trials, but not so during the anaerobic trial (r = 0.430, P > 0.05). No other significant correlations were found. The present findings suggest the relationship between testosterone and LH is affected by anaerobic exercise but not aerobic exercise. However, the effect of anaerobic exercise upon the testosterone‐LH relationship did not seem related to the concurrently induced prolactin or cortisol changes. Anaerobic exercise may produce some degree of temporary alteration within the testosterone‐LH component of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐gonadal axis; however, the mechanism for this phenomenon remains unclear.     

Colour measurement of acid-detector strips for the quantification of volatile organic acids in storage conditions

Acid-detector (A-D) strips were originally developed to assess the deterioration of acetate film stock, but they can also be used more generally within enclosures to detect volatile acidic pollution. A hand-held reflectance spectrophotometer was used to record the colour of individual strips in order to make consistent and reproducible readings. Calibration was carried out using the yellow-blue axis b*(D65) value in the CIELAB1976 system to measure the colour of A-D strips suspended in enclosed containers over solutions of acetic acid in combinations with glycerol to control the relative humidity (RH). A-D strips were found to be sensitive to changes in high RH (60–90%) but affected little by changes in lower RH or temperatures in the museum display and storage range. A-D strips can be used to establish the presence of volatile acids, record the indication of acid vapour concentration, explore conditions within a container, and to find sources of volatile acidity. They respond very quickly and several can be placed around an object. They therefore show promise for measuring slowly changing conditions, such as seasonal changes and the gradual accumulation of acidity in poorly ventilated containers and spaces. A-D strips proved useful in assessing air quality in storage and display enclosures. Examples and test results are presented. Well-sealed plywood transit frames and storage cases were found to be most polluted with volatile acids. Storage rooms with air filtration systems but filled with wooden objects had significantly reduced air quality.     

Group Coleadership: A Critical Review

A review of group literature, much of which is anecdotal or theoretical, revealed that coleadership has been a common practice in training and therapeutic settings for well over 50 years. Careful examination of group practice reveals a surprisingly small amount of empirical evidence to support what apparently is a widely practiced method for the training of group leaders. However, the anecdotal support of group coleader practice is impressive if not convincing. That scholarly work is summarized in this article, and research implications for coleader practice are discussed as they relate to counselor preparation.     

Pollution monitoring by dosimetry and passive diffusion sampling for evaluation of environmental conditions for paintings in microclimate frames

Pollutants and their potential degradation of paintings have been measured for the first time in microclimate frames (mc-frames), which are used to protect paintings. The pollutants that were measured include both inorganic pollutants, which originate mainly from external sources, and organic pollutants from mainly internal sources. Those originating from the outdoors enter rooms and subsequently mc-frames at a rate depending on the ventilation rates (air exchange rates) of the mc-frames. The concentration of gaseous pollutants emitted within the mc-frames will depend on net emission rates of the materials used to make the mc-frames, their design, and their ventilation rates. In the EU PROPAINT project measurements of gaseous air pollutants and climatic conditions were performed at various locations both inside and outside different state-of-the-art mc-frames. Diffusive passive pollution gas samplers were used together with different types of dosimeters. Results show that the dosimeters respond to either the photo-oxidizing conditions or the level of volatile organic acids in the environments both in the museums and within the mc-frames. Two dosimeters, the Early Warning Organic (EWO) made from a synthetic polymer and the Resin Mastic coated Piezo electric Quartz Crystals (RM-PQC) respond to photo-oxidation and showed higher values outside than inside the mc-frames. Two other dosimeters, the Glass Slide Dosimeter (GSD) and the Lead coated Piezo electric Quartz Crystals (L-PQC) respond to volatile organic acids and yielded higher values inside than outside the mc-frames. This study emphasizes the need for further work to determine environmental damage functions for paintings, in particular for the effects of organic acids. Such information is essential for the evaluation of the protective effects of mc-frames for paintings. The use of mc-frames is increasing and it is very important to know that this protective measure does not introduce new risks.