Application Integration Technology Research Articles

Physical and Chemical Preparation Techniques and Applications of Photonic Crystals: A Review

Photonic crystals, which are important functional materials, are formed by the periodic arrangement of materials with different dielectric constants that have photonic bandgaps and localization properties. Their preparation methods are primarily physical and chemical. Physical methods include mechanical drilling, layer-by-layer stacking, and precision processing. Chemical methods primarily involve colloidal self-assembly methods. Various colloidal crystal self-assembly methods have been reported, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Photonic crystals have important applications in many fields, such as optical communications, information technology, energy, biomedicine, and sensors, including high-performance optical fiber fabrication, photonic chip development, and solar cell efficiency enhancement. This paper reviews the latest progress in the preparation of photonic crystals using physical and self-assembly methods. Currently, the preparation and application of photonic crystals have made significant achievements; however, there are still challenges in terms of preparation accuracy, efficiency, cost, and application integration technology. With the future development of science and technology, breakthroughs are expected in novel structural development, preparation process optimization, and cross-field integration, which will continue to promote the progress of photonic crystals and social development.

Vapor-Deposited Amino Coupling of Hybrid Perovskite Single Crystals and Silicon Wafers toward Highly Efficient Multiwavelength Photodetection.

The complementary integration of perovskite single crystals (PSCs) and silicon-based circuitry provides a feasible way to combine their superiority toward efficient multiwavelength photodetection and imaging readout; however, it suffers from distinct lattice mismatch as well as the ambiguous coupling interface effect. Herein, we develop a vacuum-assisted vapor deposition strategy to realize an ultrauniform aminosiloxane interface-modified silicon wafer, which enables the monolithic epitaxial growth of PSCs with the highest mechanical coupling strength up to 340,000 N m-2 achieved so far. According to the molecular coupling engineering development with different aminosiloxanes, we achieve a highly efficient multiwavelength-responsive integrated photodetector, possessing specific photodetectivity values of 4.36 × 1012 jones and 4.55 × 1011 jones within the visible and NIR regions, respectively, as well as the lowest X-ray detection limit of 42.6 nGyair s-1. Moreover, a particularly wide -3dB cut-off frequency of 6350 Hz as well as a 120 dB linear dynamic range (LDR) also endows the integrated device with excellent dynamic photodetection capability. This work provides an efficacious approach in the integration technology for PSC-based optoelectronic applications.

Trade-Offs in Sensor Systems Design: A Tutorial

In this tutorial, we discuss trade-offs in sensor system design. With examples from engineered systems in our laboratories, we address design considerations at the different system levels, from the choice of a particular sensor to the signal conditioning circuits, the choice of data converter, and data communication physical interfaces. Fundamental concepts from communication and information theory, as well as practical considerations applied to specific case studies, are presented for sensor readout systems. In particular, we address both fundamental trade-offs such as choice of signal representation for signal conditioning and conversion, as well as practical and technological trade-offs such as place of quantization (signal data conversion) application demands and integration technologies. The tutorial deals with what is commonly referred to as the Analog Front End (AFE) up to the point where the physical signal is represented in digital symbols. Although the discussion focuses on all the processing steps of the AFE, a more system-level approach is further explored, including stand-alone system approaches and system communication. Major system trade-offs during system design are discussed, providing important methodology insights towards the design of sensory systems operating within demanding constraints.

Development of Software for Measuring the Electrical Characteristics of the Information Storage Micromodule with Increased Radiation Resistance

Development of software for automation of electrical characteristics measurement plays an important role, because this approach contributes to a significant time reduction. This article discusses the development and application of software for the study of electrical characteristics of miniature data storage modules developed by 3D integration technology for aerospace applications. In outer space there are a number of problems affecting the functioning of microelectronic equipment, in particular - heavy charged particles (HCP) that can lead to both single failures and latch-up effect, which is critical for memory chips. Therefore, there is a need to check the electrical parameters, such as the response time of protection against HCP. The software is developed in LabVIEW and can be used in manual and automatic modes, what allows to improve the efficiency of the testing process. The full range of measurements can be done by one operator in a short period of time.

Track and Trace Solution for Pharma Industry Using - Enterprise Application Integration Technology

Track and Trace Solution for Pharma Industry Using - Enterprise Application Integration Technology

Critical Factors of Adopting Enterprise Application Integration Technology: An Empirical Study on Larger Hospitals

As hospitals extend their service scope, they adopt more information systems. These systems are implemented in different timelines and the interfaces of databases become varied. Frequently, the exchange of information between various systems requires additional coordination or even manual input for unifying data. To embrace automation, the solution is to adopt enterprise application integration (EAI) technology, the middleware, to convert data from among various information systems to enable an efficient flow of data in the hospital. In this paper, we discuss and verify the impact factors on the integration levels of EAI by surveying larger hospitals above the regional level in Taiwan and testing a proposed research model. The findings of this study show that information technology infrastructure, hospital size, external pressure, internal pressure, and external support significantly affect the EAI level.

Investments in enterprise integration technology: An event study

This study examines stock market reactions to investments in enterprise resource planning and enterprise application integration technologies, using signaling theory concepts as explaining theory. The empirical results presented in this paper indicate that financial markets differentiate among technologies that companies invest in to integrate their information systems. In addition, this study confirms that technology maturity, financial health of the investing company, and stock market conditions are important factors influencing the stock market reaction.

Implementing Educlouds using Virtualization with Cloud Mashup's

In recent years, technologies have been introduced offering a large amount of computing and networking resources. Traditional application integration technology takes a long time to build and deploy, requiring professional developers and domain experts. They are server-centric and thus do not fully utilize the computing power and storage capability of client systems. Cloud computing is a new infrastructure deployment environment that delivers on the promise of supporting on-demand services like computation, software and data access, storage etc. Clouds provide inexpensive access to remote resources. Academia has not remained unaware of this trend, and several educational solutions (LMS) based on cloud technologies are already in place, especially for software as a service (SAAS) cloud. Extending the functionality to infrastructure and platform clouds (IAAS,PAAS) has not been explored yet. Learning process in academia has different stages and there is no design to classify clouds for each of them especially for computer science students. In this paper, we use the architecture and the organization of a Mashup Container that supports the deployment and the execution of Event Driven Mashups. In collaboration with PaaS, Virtualization provides an opportunity for extension of independent virtual resources based on available physical systems. Finally, the results of virtualization of mashup container through its supporting scalability and fault tolerance in cloud computing environment.

Research and Implementation of Enterprise Application Integration Based on SOA

In essence, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is distributed and shall not have any centralized control point. Any application can access an SOA network for interaction as long as it complies with the corresponding standards. A centralized SOA architecture can also be regarded as a part of SOA. The birth and development of SOA provides a new integration technology for enterprise applications. At the same time, the IT infrastructure could provide a better service, let the enterprise, customer, partner, supplier and distributor attend commercial activity conveniently and get information what they want. In order to attain this aim, they always use integration. Through this way all business entities would be related in together, share commercial data, and complete the commercial activity together. But tradition "point-to-point" integrated method unable to satisfy the enterprise's electronic commerce demand and cause high cost and low efficiency. An integration solution based on SOA(face service construction) is put forward, which utilizes the open standard and protocol, from the global viewpoint, connect the enterprise's business process and IT infrastructure. Then a unified, standardized integration platform will be established.

Working of SOA with BPM

Business processes which are the set of logical tasks related to fulfil some greater purpose. These tasks must be performed in sequence according to the business rules. SOA reuses services to automate a business process using a standard interface and message structure. BPM, based on workflow technology, enterprise application integration and XML technologies, manages the enterprise from the perspective of business processes. In software development there is a gap between the implementers andthe users/customers in their understanding of the system. SOA is the driver for minimizing the gap between business analysis and IT development. The idea of Business Processes based on web services stem from the thought that a Business Process can be composed from one or more web services. Service orchestration should be flexible and adaptable to meet changing Business Process requirements. Separating the business process logic from the service components promotes flexibility. Choreography languages are WS-CDL, Let’s Dance, and BPEL4Chor.The purpose of using several choreographies simultaneously is to establish a cross-enterprise organized way of collaborating with services.

A New Framework for Evaluating the Functional Capabilities of Intra-Enterprise Application Integration Technologies

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) technologies facilitate the sharing of information and business processes of interrelated information systems in order to achieve the target integrated systems. Different EAI solutions and technologies provide various capabilities which lead to the complexity of their evaluation process. To reduce this complexity, appropriate tools for evaluating the functional capabilities of EAI technologies are required. This paper proposes a new framework for evaluating the functional capabilities of EAI technologies, which simplify the process of evaluating the functional capabilities of intra-enterprise integration technologies and solutions. The proposed framework for evaluating the EAI technologies was enhanced using the structural and conceptual aspects of previous frameworks. It offers a new schema for which various EAI technologies are categorized in different classes and are evaluated based on their supporting level for functional integration capabilities' criteria. The new framework offers two lists containing integration technologies and their associated classifications, and functional capabilities of integration technologies. The proposed framework is a novel one which can be used by information system experts for evaluation and comparison purposes of various integration technologies.

Examining the Role of Stakeholder’s in Adopting Enterprise Application Integration Technologies in Local Government Domain

The realisation of innovative technological transformation in providing electronic services (e-Services) has often been associated with the presence of a number of prime stakeholders who perform their requisite functions in the organisation. In context of this research, the authors examine the potential role of key stakeholders involved in the Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) adoption process. Literature exemplifies that EAI technologies are large, comprehensive solutions that are complex to adopt and manage. Similar to adopting other technologies, there are several stakeholders involved with adopting EAI solutions, each with specific domain knowledge and expertise that are crucial to the success of EAI projects. In this regard, it would be judicious to give greater contemplation to research examining the role of stakeholders in the EAI adoption process in Local Government Authorities (LGAs). This paper applies concepts of the stakeholder theory to analyse the importance of stakeholders during the EAI adoption process with regards to EAI adoption factors. To conduct this research, the authors follow a qualitative multiple case study approach. Empirical findings highlight that each stakeholder involved in the EAI adoption process has a significant role utilising their expertise by contributing towards the success of EAI projects.

The impact of enterprise application integration on stock prices

PurposeEnterprise application integration (EAI) technologies are critical to functionally integrate diverse corporate computer systems, and as such may be expected to have a positive effect on business value. The purpose of this paper is to examine the market reaction to announcements of EAI investments as a surrogate for investor perceived business value of such technology.Design/methodology/approachAn event study approach is used with 81 announcements of EAI investments between 1998 and 2005, taken from Lexis‐Nexis database.FindingsThe results suggest that investors do not always receive EAI investments positively, especially if the announcements are from financially distressed companies and if market conditions are unfavorable.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include the possibility of confounding events, possible bias in the identified announcements, and our focus on EAI technology only. Future research may try to better account for confounding events, identify a more comprehensive list of relevant announcements, and also look at other technologies.Practical implicationsManagers should not view EAI technology as a panacea for organizational problems. Financial markets mostly respond negatively to EAI announcements when the announcing company is perceived as an investment risk or the announcement is released during bear market conditions.Originality/valueThis study expands the existing body of knowledge on IT contribution to market value. The focus on EAI technology allows for better comparison of results and testing of hypotheses. Also new is the finding that perceived company risk as well as market conditions play an important role in the reaction to IT investment announcements.

Investigating the importance of factors influencing integration technologies adoption in local government authorities

PurposeThe application of enterprise application integration (EAI) technologies in integrating heterogeneous information systems (IS) has been pursued by several private and public organisations. However, where EAI has added effectiveness and strengthened the information technology infrastructures in the private domain, local government authorities (LGAs) have been slow in adopting cost‐effective EAI solutions to significantly expand the capabilities of their conventionally inflexible IS. Despite EAI represents an attractive proposition to LGAs and offers the opportunity to leverage the IS into a seamless chain of processes, EAI has not been widely investigated in LGAs. Literature indicates several research studies mainly focusing on a number of different factors (e.g. benefits, barriers) influencing EAI adoption. However, due to plethora of different factors, it may not be sufficient for LGAs to take decisions by merely focusing on factors. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to assess and prioritise the factors influencing EAI adoption in LGAs through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique.Design/methodology/approachTo investigate the less acknowledged phenomena like EAI adoption in LGAs, the author follows an interpretive, qualitative case study approach to conduct this research. This approach will assist in examining the phenomenon in its natural setting, examine the in‐depth complexities and processes, e.g. analysing and prioritising the importance of factors influencing the decision‐making process for EAI adoption, and provide considerable flexibility during interviews and observations.FindingsAccording to the empirical findings, the proposed EAI adoption factors are appropriate for studying the research context. The analysis and study of the factors is made carefully and specifically to fit and be compatible within the context of an LGA. As a result, it is apparent from the empirical findings that most of the factors have influenced the decision‐making process for EAI adoption except two factors that are not tested.Originality/valueThe author takes into consideration the literature void and prioritise the importance the factors by introducing the AHP technique. This technique is substantial as it may enhance the analysis of EAI adoption in LGAs, tests and justifies the feasibility of AHP technique by a case study, and facilitates LGAs in realising the importance of EAI adoption factors. Hence, it significantly contributes to the body of knowledge and practice in this area and providing sufficient support to the management by speeding up the EAI adoption process.

An assessment of facilitators and inhibitors for the adoption of enterprise application integration technology

PurposeEnterprise application integration (EAI) aims to integrate various enterprise applications, such as legacy systems, enterprise resource planning systems, and best‐of‐breed business applications, to aid in promoting organizational goals. EAI is a relatively new area of concern for researchers and practitioners and research on its adoption by organizations remain to be examined.Design/methodology/approachThis paper extends prior research by providing a systematic examination of both generic and specific dimensions of facilitators and inhibitors for the adoption of EAI technology. A rigorous validation of these factors was established. A case study was conducted to refine the developed instrument.FindingsThe results indicate that EAI adoption is facilitated by generic as well as specific factors to this technology.Research limitations/implicationsSeveral limitations of the study need to be mentioned at this stage. First, the research design of this study has incorporated only one site to examine and enrich the list of facilitators and inhibitors of EAI adoption. It is not known whether these results would apply to other organizations, other technologies and whether the project size has some influence on the results. More empirical work is needed to increment the developed instrument. The results of this study have three specific implications for future research. First, this study can be replicated to examine the effect of these facilitators on EAI project performance. Second, more research can be conducted to validate dimensions identified in this study. A survey may strengthen the validation process of the developed instrument and the structure of the dimensions and constructs used. Finally, the results of this study and the developed instrument can be applied on other technologies such as web services, etc.Practical implicationsThe paper extends King and Teo's list to include EAI‐specific factors. Second, it validates the instrument through the card sorting procedure and a case study. The identified dimensions can be used in future research on EAI adoption. The results have also important managerial implications. Managers who are planning to adopt EAI technology can use the developed instrument to assess systematically the facilitators and inhibitors of this technology in their organizational context.Originality/valueThis study extends and accumulates on Teo's framework for inhibitors and facilitators of IT adoption in the EAI context.

Evaluation of investment for enterprise application integration technology in healthcare organisations: a cost-benefit approach

Recent developments in the field of Information Technology (IT), such as integration technologies have promised to bring improvements in the quality of services; however, costs of these technologies are relatively high. Consequently, investment justification for these technologies is one of the many challenges that are faced by managers in healthcare organisations. IT investments in healthcare organisations are usually justified using traditional investment-appraisal techniques such as Return on Investment (ROI) analysis, internal rate of return, net present value and payback approach. The techniques are specifically used to measure the financial impact of the investment; therefore, the techniques are limited to accommodate human and organisational benefits associated with the adoption of integration technologies. In exploring this phenomenon, the paper focuses on benefits and costs of Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) adoption in healthcare organisations. This may be useful for the managers in preparing investment budget proposals.

Is business process integration feasible?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether business process integration is feasible.Design/methodology/approach – This paper employs a single case study strategy to research the aforementioned research question. The case study is exploratory.Findings – Based on the findings and within the context of the case organisation, it appears that enterprise application integration (EAI) technology can integrate business processes. However, since it is not possible to generalize from a single case study, further research is suggested to investigate this area. From the case study, it appears that EAI can easily integrate the business processes when it is combined with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.Research limitations/implications – This is a single case study and thus the results cannot be generalized.Practical implications – The empirical date suggest that organisations may combine ERP with EAI to integrate their business processes in a more flexible way.Originality/value – The cont...

Integrating diverse ERP systems: a case study

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) went through many development cycles since its beginning in the 1970s until it established itself as a backbone of most major enterprises in the world. In spite of its countless advantages, most ERP implementations require heavy customisation to achieve their proclaimed advantages. This paper represents an endeavour to investigate, through a case study, the feasibility of minimising the heavy customisation required by most ERP implementations by selecting the best modules from each vendor and integrating them using enterprise application integration technologies, to form one (integrated) system. In doing so, the paper provides a description of a way to implement a suggested integrated solution, as well as a discussion of how minimising customisation enables enterprises to upgrade their ERP software effortlessly and cost‐effectively.

An enterprise collaborative management system – a case study of supplier relationship management

In this paper, a server‐based enterprise collaborative management system using enterprise application integration technology is developed for trial implementation at Honeywell Consumer Products (Hong Kong) Limited, in the area of supplier relationship management. The system facilitates supplier selection using an integrative case‐based supplier selection and help desk approach to select the most appropriate suppliers, based on their past performance records from a case‐based warehouse. Discusses a case study to integrate Honeywell's supplier rating system and product coding system by case‐based reasoning technique to select preferred suppliers during the new product development process. Finds that the outsource cycle time from the searching of potential suppliers to the allocation of orders is greatly reduced while performance of suppliers can be monitored simultaneously.

Integrating the IS with the enterprise: key EAI research challenges

Enterprise application integration (EAI) technologies provide the means to integrate strategic business solutions within and across the component parts of organisational information system infrastructures. The continuing development of both digitally integrated business models, through various eCommerce and eBusiness initiatives, has meant that the importance of EAI within enterprise IS, has increased significantly. Noting that EAI incurs not only technological but stakeholder‐level commitments, this paper outlines the product of a sustained investigation into key challenges within enterprise IS and EAI, and provides a framework for future research and investigation into this emerging and evolving area.