IT Applications Research Articles

Impact Factors of the Maturity of FSSC in the Digital Age: A Study Based on Structural Equation Modeling

Since the mid-1980s, many multinational companies (MNCs) have transformed their finance functions into financial shared service centers (FSSCs), in order to cut costs and optimize internal operations. When it came to the 21st century, breakthroughs in technology have witnessed the rapid growth of the digital economy, promoting the digital transformation of enterprises and the digital transformation of finance. The construction of a FSSC has laid a solid foundation for the digital transformation of finance and has gained popularity in large companies. However, the practices of FSSC in China are deeply associated with the development of IT. Some scholars see it as a kind of IT application in the finance function, as evidenced by the active involvement of IT companies in the establishment of FSSCs. In this paper, the authors launched a questionnaire to measure the maturity of the FSSC in Chinese companies. Data was analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM), aiming to study the factors that have impacts on the maturity of FSSC and the influencing path of the factors. Influencing factors were designed based on the TOE (Technology-Organization-Environment) theory, and the maturity model of FSSC was modified from the PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) maturity model of FSSC. And then a structural model was constructed. Various tests for SEM were used, and the study showed that the technological and organizational conditions of enterprises have promoted the construction and development of FSSCs, while the external environmental conditions indirectly influenced the maturity of FSSC through affecting the organizational and technological conditions. The paper also showed the influencing path of the factors.

Exploring IT-driven supply chain capabilities and resilience: the roles of supply chain risk management and complexity

Purpose In an era where global supply chains are increasingly susceptible to disruptions, this study aims to unlock the potential of IT integration within the supply chain in enhancing supply chain resilience. It investigates how this integration, combined with IT-driven capabilities, acts as a cornerstone in strengthening supply chain resilience (SCRs). The research navigates through the intricate dynamics of supply chain management to chart a strategic pathway for managers, illuminating the investments necessary to cultivate a resilient supply chain. Design/methodology/approach Grounding their investigation within the theoretical lens of dynamic resource-based theory, the authors designed a conceptual model to investigate the relationship between IT integration and SCR. Through the survey responses from supply chain professionals, the authors applied partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to unravel the complexities of building a resilient supply chain. Findings Their investigation reveals that IT-driven supply chain capabilities (SCCs) are not just beneficial but essential in bridging IT integration with SCR. These capabilities emerge as vital, fully mediating the relationship between IT integration and SCR. Moreover, the significance of robust supply chain risk management (SCRM) in harnessing these IT-driven capabilities to bolster resilience is undeniable, offering organisations a sustainable advantage during times of turbulence. Research limitations/implications The primary limitation of this study is that data collection occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the results may not be representative of different circumstances or periods. This study uncovered several noteworthy findings. The authors found that SCCs fully mediate the relationship between Supply Chain Management IT Integration (SCMITI) and SCR. In addition, the authors found that SCRM positively moderates the relationship between SCMITI and SCCs. The authors observed that Supply Chain Structural Complexity (SCSC) has no significant moderating effect on the relationship between IT-driven SCCs and SCR. Practical implications The results of this study offer managers a clear path forward for investing in SCR. Businesses must invest in SCMITI and SCRM to boost their SCR through developing IT-driven SCCs to ensure consistent business continuity. SCMITI does not necessarily increase SCR resilience when it is done poorly and does not lead to SCCs effectively. In this regard, managers must rely on collective wisdom to determine which technologies and IT applications will best meet their business needs and their peers’ requirements in the supply chain. Originality/value This study sheds light on the mechanisms through which IT enhances SCR. It fills a critical knowledge gap, focusing on the synergy between IT integration, risk management and the cultivation of IT-driven capabilities to navigate supply chain disruptions.

Geo‐spatial traffic behaviour analysis and anomaly detection for ITS applications

AbstractUnderstanding the behaviour of traffic participants within the geo‐spatial context of road/intersection topology is a vital prerequisite for any smart ITS application. This article presents a video‐based traffic analysis and anomaly detection system covering the complete data processing pipeline, including sensor data acquisition, analysis, and digital twin reconstruction. The system solves the challenge of geo‐spatial mapping of captured visual data onto the road/intersection topology by semantic analysis of aerial data. Additionally, the automated camera calibration component enables instant camera pose estimation to map traffic agents onto the road/intersection surface accurately. A novel aspect is approaching the anomaly detection problem by AI analysis of both the spatio‐temporal visual clues and the geo‐spatial trajectories for all type of traffic participants, such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles. This enables recognition of anomalies related to either traffic‐rule violations, for example, jaywalking, improper turns, zig‐zag driving, unlawful stops, or behavioural anomalies: littering, accidents, falling, vandalism, violence, infrastructure collapse etc. The method achieves leading anomaly detection results on benchmark datasets World Cup 2014, UCF‐Crime, XD‐Violence, and ShanghaiTech. All the obtained results are streamed and rendered in real‐time by the developed TGX digital twin visualizer. The complete system has been deployed and validated on the roads of Helmond town in The Netherlands.

MEDICAL IMAGE RESTORATION METHOD BASED ON NEIGHBORHOOD REGISTRATION AND ITS APPLICATION

In this paper, due to factors such as imaging devices and imaging environment, medical images may experience halos, blurring, and unclear contrast. A medical image restoration method based on neighborhood registration is proposed to address this issue. In this repair method, the image is first processed into blocks, then the blocks that need to be repaired are determined. Afterward, based on the surrounding neighborhood information of the image block to be repaired, the image information within the optimal neighborhood block is repaired and replaced. The experimental results show that the repair method based on the best neighborhood registration has completed medical image restoration, with significantly higher repair quality than the reference method. The repaired image results have a high RSNR.

Clinical outcomes following acute sore throat assessment at community pharmacy versus general practice: a retrospective, longitudinal, data linkage study.

To date, no research has compared longer-term outcomes (antibiotic provision; re-consultations; hospital admissions for quinsy; cost-effectiveness) following presentation with acute sore throat at general practice (GP) versus newer, pharmacy-led services. A retrospective, longitudinal cohort study of sore throat consultations between 1 November 2018 and 28 February 2020 either with the Wales pharmacy-led sore throat test and treat (STTT) service or with a healthcare professional at GP. Individual-level pharmacy consultation data from the national Choose Pharmacy IT application were securely uploaded to the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank and linked to routinely collected, anonymized, population-scale, individual-level, anonymized health and administrative data. Of 72 736 index consultations, 6495 (8.9%) were with STTT and 66 241 (91.1%) with GP. Antibiotic provision at the index consultation was 1382 (21%) with STTT and 25 506 (39%) with GP [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 0.30; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.32]. Antibiotic provision within 28 days of index occurred in 1820 (28%) STTT and 26 369 (40%) GP consultations (AOR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.47). GP re-consultation rate within 28 days of index date was 21% (n = 1389) with STTT compared with 7.4% (n = 4916) with GP (AOR, 3.8; 95% CI, 3.5 to 4.1). Coding limitations may lead to overestimates of GP re-consultations rates in the STTT group. Hospital admissions for quinsy were rare in both STTT (n = 20, 0.31%) and GP (n = 274, 0.41%) (AOR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.43 to 1.1). STTT was less costly than consultation with GP. The pharmacy-led STTT service is safe, cost-effective, and contributes to antimicrobial stewardship.

PROGRESS: the sectoral approach to cyber resilience

Each critical infrastructure and vital service represents a unique instance of a complex socio-technical–economic system. Resilience in complex systems is an emergent behaviour that occurs from interactions between components and is not easily predictable from understanding each component in isolation. Yet, cybersecurity practice and maturity models still focus on the robustness of separate components: organizational units, firms, or IT applications. Such a fundamental mismatch between theory and tools is among the causes of pervasive cyber insecurity. We introduce the sectoral capability maturity model to enable a comprehensive improvement of systemic resilience. The promoting global cyber resilience for sectors cyber-capability maturity model incorporates the science of complex systems, cybersecurity frameworks, and two decades of CIP operations experience. The model was successfully applied in resilience assessment projects in a dozen countries. Real-life experience emphasizes the benefits of the sectoral approach to cyber resilience: creating feedback loops within the sector, integrating supply chain and third-party risks, facilitating information flows between stakeholders, enabling cooperation with and among ministries, departments and other authorities, weighting in the links and processes between actors in cybersecurity issues. The established value of the sectoral approach calls for applications that will improve the resilience of essential services while lowering sector-wide cybersecurity expenditures.

Research on the Path of Ideological and Political Education of “Computer Foundation” Course with ITAI

As a mandatory public course in higher education, integrating ideological and political education into the “Computer Foundation” course presents a significant challenge. This paper examines the path for incorporating ideological and political education into the “Computer Foundation” course within the context of IT Application Innovation (ITAI). It explores effective strategies for merging ideological and political education with the computer foundation curriculum to enhance students’ information literacy and ideological quality. By analyzing the current status and issues in the ideological and political education of the “Computer Foundation” course, this paper proposes targeted strategies and implementation measures to provide insights for the ideological and political reform of related professional courses.

Designing and Evaluating IT Applications for Informal Caregivers: Scoping Review.

Informal caregivers, often family members or friends, play a crucial role in supporting individuals with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or age-related needs. However, the demands of caregiving can be overwhelming, leading to stress, burnout, and negative impacts on caregivers' well-being. IT applications have emerged as potential solutions to support informal caregivers, but their design and evaluation often lack a comprehensive understanding of caregivers' needs and preferences. By understanding caregivers' perspectives on these issues, this review aimed to inform the development of more effective and user-centered IT solutions that truly support caregivers' needs. The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review to outline design recommendations for IT applications gathered from informal caregivers. In addition, this study presents evaluations of the use of IT applications by informal caregivers. A five-step scoping review methodology was used to map relevant literature in the following manner: (1) research question identification, (2) relevant study identification, (3) selection of pertinent studies for review, (4) data charting from the selected literature, and (5) summarization and reporting of results. A structured search was conducted across the PubMed, Scopus, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, Web of Science, and ACM Digital Library databases. In addition, reference list hand searches and keyword searches in Google Scholar were undertaken. The inclusion criteria comprised research articles (journal and conference) focusing on IT applications tailored for informal caregivers, primarily qualitative studies. Two reviewers independently identified articles for review and extracted the data. Conflicts were resolved through discussion, with a third reviewer consulted if consensus could not be attained. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. A total of 82 articles were selected for the scoping review-44 (54%) related to design and 39 (48%) related to evaluation of IT applications. Six overarching themes emerged related to designing IT applications: information access, support systems, streamlining care-related tasks, fostering informal caregivers' well-being, communication with formal health care professionals, and task support. Furthermore, 3 broad themes emerged related to the evaluation of IT applications for informal caregivers: facilitators of using IT applications, barriers to using IT applications, and suggestions for improving IT applications for informal caregivers. To our knowledge, this is the first study to map the literature on the design and evaluation of IT applications for informal caregivers. This scoping review outlines current practices and recommendations for designing and evaluating the use of IT applications for informal caregivers. It identifies 6 key design themes and 3 evaluation themes, offering valuable insights for future development in this field. These findings provide a road map for enhancing user-centric IT solutions in informal caregiver support technologies. RR2-10.2196/47650.

LOCAL DIELECTRIC SPECTROSCOPY AND ITS APPLICATION TO POLYMERS

ABSTRACT The advent of nanodielectrics, nanocomposite materials based on a polymeric matrix, and materials with physical properties ruled by interfacial effects in general demands techniques to characterize functional properties on a local scale with high spatial resolution. Scanning probe microscopies (SPMs), in their electrical modes, have emerged as indispensable tools to access physical quantities such as dielectric constant, surface potential, and static charge, with nanometer-scale lateral resolution and with surface selectivity, being influenced mainly by the outermost layer of the specimen. In this tribute, the development of various SPM electrical modes is illustrated, focusing on the measurement of dielectric permittivity and its spectroscopic extension to access the local, frequency-dependent dielectric function (local dielectric spectroscopy [LDS]). The application to nanostructured polymers in the form of ultrathin films, nanometer-scale–separated blends, and self-assembled block copolymer structures is described. LDS appears to be a promising technique for characterizing the electric properties of polymers and their composites as well as other glass formers and nanostructured systems.

Optimizing Cloud Computing Performance by Integrating the Novel PSBR Service Broker Policy and Load Balancing Algorithms

As cloud computing advances, organizations' IT infrastructure and application deployment processes are moving to the cloud because cloud computing provides everything as a service over the Internet. The performance of a cloud-based application is based on proper datacenter selection and workload distribution within the selected datacenter. Service broker policies are used for suitable datacenter selection, and load balancing algorithms(LBA) are applied to distribute workloads. This paper is to evaluate the effect of a proposed service broker policy (PSBR) on the performance of cloud-based applications with LBA. To achieve the objective, the behavior of the TikTok application was modeled using the worldwide users’ statistics on the cloud simulation framework, namely CloudAnalyst. As a result, the average response time and data center processing time are measured. Next, the PSBR provides better results than the existing service proximity-based policy. This paper supports cloud service providers' benefits, from coordination between data center configuration, data center selection, and workload distribution to cloud users' identification of the appropriate procedures for their organization or application. PSBR with Active Monitoring had the best average response time of 75.1 ms, while SPR consistently exhibited higher average times across all algorithms, with the highest being 84.5 ms for Round Robin. Under the PSBR policy, Throttled had the lowest average processing time (4.67), while Round Robin had the highest (5.72). Similarly, under the SPR policy, Throttled maintained its efficiency with the lowest average (4.8), while Round Robin showed the highest (5.79).

Nursing care aspects and indicators impacted by information and communication technology: Systematic review

Background: Information technology is used in healthcare to solve the problems of an aging population, an increase in chronic illnesses, and the growing need for autonomy, independence, and quality of life. The adoption rate of IT applications among professionals such as nurses is relatively low, and it appears that not using them is the norm. Finding nursing care aspects and indications that have been altered by IT was our goal in doing this research. Method: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement (9) was adhered to in this systematic review. Our search objective was to locate papers that addressed nursing care aspects and indicators that were changed by IT. The search method was used in the Google Scholar, CINAHL, and PubMed databases between 2015 and 2023. Result: Five publications were included in this systematic review. Four studies found elements related to teams that affect the adoption of telemedicine. The organizational and team culture is one of the main determinants of technology adoption. One study found that creative companies support employees in adjusting to new circumstances and that telemedicine implementation requires cultural transformation in enterprises. Implementing telemedicine in a company can be hindered by working in a changing environment and resisting change. Employees felt overwhelmed by all of the changes they experienced at work. Workloads increased as other advances were sometimes considered more significant than the use of telemedicine. Conclusion: When technology is used improperly, nurses can get disillusioned with its use for tasks that are traditionally completed by humans. Therefore, if healthcare professionals want to include telemedicine into their regular workflow, they must remove hurdles.

DEVELOPMENT AND MODELING OF AN ELEVATOR CONTROL SYSTEM USING 8051 MICROCONTROLLER

This paper presents the development and simulation of an elevator control system using the 8051 microcontrollers, aimed at creating an effective and practical educational tool. The system was designed for an eight-story building, employing Multisim for hardware simulation and the Keil environment for programming in C. The main objective was to simulate realistic elevator operations, including seamless movement between floors, synchronized with a 7-segment display and LED indicators. The simulation model was rigorously tested to ensure accurate and reliable performance, confirming its potential for both educational and practical applications. Comprehensive testing validated the model's performance, confirming its ability to handle multiple scenarios, synchronize hardware components, and manage user inputs with precision. The results demonstrate that the 8051 microcontroller provides a versatile and cost-effective platform for real-time control applications, making it an ideal choice for IT education and experimentation. This research highlights the potential of microcontroller-based simulations to enhance learning outcomes and drive innovations in IT applications, particularly in developing scalable, efficient, and reliable control solutions.

Enhancing Security and Performance in Vehicular Adhoc Networks: A Machine Learning Approach to Combat Adversarial Attacks

Integrating Machine Learning (ML) techniques into Vehicular Adhoc Networks (VANETs) provides promising features in autonomous driving and ITS applications. In this paper, DSRC data is used to evaluate the effectiveness of different ML models, including Naive Bayes, Random Forest, KNN, and Gradient Boosting, in normal and adversarial scenarios. Since the dataset is relatively imbalanced, the Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) is employed for sampling, and defensive distillation for improving model resilience to adversarial perturbations. From the results, it is clear that models such as Gradient Boosting and Random Forest show high accuracy in both cases, thus showing the potential of using Machine Learning to improve VANET security and reliability when new threats appear. Through this research, the significance of the application of ML in the protection of vehicular communication in order to enhance both traffic safety and flow has been articulated.

Digital Inertia: A Qualitative Study with a Caregiver Association Network About Informal Caregivers' Non-Use of IT Applications.

Informal caregivers, crucial contributors to healthcare, face myriad challenges in supporting individuals with health needs. While IT applications offer promising solutions, some caregivers hesitate to adopt them, favoring traditional communication approaches with healthcare and support providers. This study, conducted in Sweden, presents why caregivers are reluctant to use IT applications. Through a qualitative approach involving group interviews with caregiver association members, four key themes emerged, namely, need for in-person support with grief and stress, need for private support spaces, cognitive impairment, and financial constraints. Understanding these barriers is crucial for developing inclusive caregiving strategies that balance IT-based solutions with in-person assistance, promoting a sustainable caregiving support ecosystem.

A REVIEW ON HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN WOOD DOMAIN

A REVIEW ON HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN WOOD DOMAIN

IT Applications for the Tuvan Language: Regional Practices and Future Plans

In the era of digitalization and globalization, the likelihood of the disappearance of small languages, including the Tuvan language is very high. One of the reliable and promising solutions for preserving a language is its inclusion in the digital space as a language of accumulation, processing and transmission of information, a language of communication on the Internet. Currently, a number of tasks aimed at preserving and popularizing the Tuvan language are being car­ried out within the framework of the state program to support the development of the Tuvan language in the Republic of Tuva. Various government agencies of the Republic of Tuva and interested IT specialists are working on the digitalization of the Tuvan language. Tuvan State University (TuvSU) also makes a significant contribution to the development and popularization of the Tuvan language. Teachers of the Department of Informatics of TuvSU together with scientists from the Faculty of Philology and the "Turkology" scientific and educational centerwork in the following areas: development of software products for teaching the Tuvan language, creation of software tools for text processing in the Tuvan language, creation of linguistic information resources. Along with TuvSU teachers, students from the faculties of physics, mathematics and philology also take part in this research work. The topics of students' coursework and final qualification papers are related to IT developments. This article presents the experience of research and development of teachers of the Department of Computer Science in the field of preservation, study and development of the Tuvan language using information and communication technologies in these three areas. In the first direction, electronic textbooks, interactive simulators, and mobile applications for teaching the Tuvan language are being developed. The second direction is focused on the creation of software products for processing texts in the Tuvan language — a morphological analyzer of the Tuvan language, program for checking Tuvan texts for plagiarism. The last direction is related to the creation of electronic dictionaries and translators for the Tuvan language, which can be used in all spheres of life.

An anomaly detection model for multivariate time series with anomaly perception

Multivariate time series anomaly detection is a crucial data mining technique with a wide range of applications in areas such as IT applications. Currently, the majority of anomaly detection methods for time series data rely on unsupervised approaches due to the rarity of anomaly labels. However, in real-world scenarios, obtaining a limited number of anomaly labels is feasible and affordable. Effective usage of these labels can offer valuable insights into the temporal characteristics of anomalies and play a pivotal role in guiding anomaly detection efforts. To improve the performance of multivariate time series anomaly detection, we proposed a novel deep learning model named EDD (Encoder-Decoder-Discriminator) that leverages limited anomaly samples. The EDD model innovatively integrates a graph attention network with long short term memory (LSTM) to extract spatial and temporal features from multivariate time series data. This integrated approach enables the model to capture complex patterns and dependencies within the data. Additionally, the model skillfully maps series data into a latent space, utilizing a carefully crafted loss function to cluster normal data tightly in the latent space while dispersing abnormal data randomly. This innovative design results in distinct probability distributions for normal and abnormal data in the latent space, enabling precise identification of anomalous data. To evaluate the performance of our EDD model, we conducted extensive experimental validation across three diverse datasets. The results demonstrate the significant superiority of our model in multivariate time series anomaly detection. Specifically, the average F1-Score of our model outperformed the second-best method by 2.7% and 73.4% in both evaluation approaches, respectively, highlighting its superior detection capabilities. These findings validate the effectiveness of our proposed EDD model in leveraging limited anomaly samples for accurate and robust anomaly detection in multivariate time series data.

AI use in Automated Disaster Recovery for IT Applications in Multi Cloud

AI use in Automated Disaster Recovery for IT Applications in Multi Cloud

Digitalization of companies is the main trend in the Russian economy

Russian companies have been actively pursuing digital transformation over the past fi ve years, using new technologies such as cloud services, robotics and artifi cial intelligence. These changes are dictated by new conditions, including the penetration of cloud technologies into all sectors of the economy, the growth of robotization and the rapid development of artifi cial intelligence. The national project “Digital Economy” defi nes the main directions, and since its launch in 2019, many changes have been noted in various areas, including industry, agriculture, trade, healthcare and education. There is an increase in demand for automation and intellectualization of information services in order to reduce costs. Trends include the use of open source codes in Russian IT applications, which provides the opportunity for collaboration and exchange of experience between developers from diff erent companies, accelerating technology development. There are a number of problems associated with updating business applications in non-existent small companies, diffi culties in maintaining computing devices and incompatibility of randomly purchased software, as well as diffi culties in administering and ensuring the security of heterogeneous segmented networks. Currently, Russia is undergoing a large-scale restructuring of the economy in accordance with world standards. It is important not only to transform companies and organizations into a digital format, but also to use domestic components and software for this. However, at the moment there are no analogues of some products, and entrepreneurs, under conditions of sanctions and restrictions, are actively looking for solutions, including permitted parallel imports of foreign IT equipment.

Future of IT Jobs in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is set to reshape IT jobs in the coming years. This paper investigates AI's evolving role in the sector and its implications for employment trends, drawing from a review of secondary sources including various research journal papers, and reports of White House, World Economic Forum, and McKinsey, etc. It analyses the current AI applications in IT, focusing on areas where automation and augmentation will likely impact traditional roles. The study views AI as complementing rather than replacing human labour, foreseeing potential for new job creation and transformations in existing positions, especially in cybersecurity, software development, and IT infrastructure management. Policy recommendations and strategic initiatives from various stakeholders are examined to maximize AI benefits while addressing employment risks. Insights from government and industry reports stress the need for workforce preparation through reskilling and upskilling. Ethical considerations around AI deployment in IT underscore responsible innovation and inclusive growth. Ultimately, this paper aims to offer a comprehensive overview of AI's future impact on IT jobs, providing insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and educators navigating the evolving digital economy. By synthesizing diverse perspectives and empirical evidence, it informs decision-making for a sustainable and equitable future of work in IT.