Exploring Importance of Environmental Factors for Adoption of Knowledge Management Systems in Saudi Arabian Public Sector Organisations

This research aimed to examine importance and influence of environmental factors (mainly from institutional theory perspective) on adoption of KMS in the context of Saudi Arabian public sector. Data collected from a survey of 352 employees from various public sector organisations, was utilised to perform a number of analyses which led to illustrate that the coercive pressure not just directly affects behavioural intention but also exert indirect effect on it via mimetic pressure construct. Coercive pressure along with normative pressure and external IS support determines the strength of mimetic pressure. Findings also indicate that mimetic pressure along with coercive pressure significantly influences behavioural intention to adopt KMS in Saudi Arabian public sector organisations. The paper also outlines contribution, limitations and future research directions emerging from this research.

Evaluation of telemedicine for screening of diabetic retinopathy in the Veterans Health Administration

OBJECTIVE

To explore the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine for the screening of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and identify changes within the demographics of a patient population after telemedicine implementation.

DESIGN

A retrospective medical chart review (cohort study) was conducted.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 900 type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients enrolled in a medical system with a telemedicine screening program for DR.

METHODS

The cost-effectiveness of the DR telemedicine program was determined by using a finite-horizon, discrete time, discounted Markov decision process model populated by parameters and testing frequency obtained from patient records. The model estimated the progression of DR and determined average quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) saved and average additional cost incurred by the telemedicine screening program.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, blindness, and associated QALYs.

RESULTS

The results indicate that telemedicine screening is cost-effective for DR under most conditions. On average, it is cost-effective for patient populations of >3500, patients aged <80 years, and all racial groups. Observable trends were identified in the screening population since the implementation of telemedicine screening: the number of known DR cases has increased, the overall age of patients receiving screenings has decreased, the percentage of nonwhites receiving screenings has increased, the average number of miles traveled by a patient to receive a screening has decreased, and the teleretinal screening participation is increasing.

CONCLUSIONS

The current teleretinal screening program is effective in terms of being cost-effective and increasing population reach. Future screening policies should give consideration to the age of patients receiving screenings and the system's patient pool size because our results indicate it is not cost-effective to screen patients aged older than 80 years or in populations with <3500 patients.

Evaluating the Validity of IS Success Models for the Electronic Government Research

The purpose of this paper is to compare and evaluate the validity of Information systems (IS) success models such as DeLone and McLean’s (1992), Seddon’s (1997), and DeLone and McLean’s (2003) IS success models for an e-government application called the Online Public Grievance Redressal System (OPGRS) in context of India. The paper also provides an integrated model of IS success based on the comparison of the three well-known IS success models. All the existing models of IS success are not considered in their original shapes as this research is not using the variables such as use, individual impact, organizational impact from DeLone and McLean (1992) IS success model, use and net benefits from DeLone and McLean (2003) IS success model, and other measures of net benefits of IS use including net benefits to individuals, organizations, and society, and expectations about the net benefits of future IS use from Seddon’s (1997) IS success model. The proposed model contains the additional constructs relevant to e-government research including complexity, trust, and facilitating conditions and found that the model performs quite satisfactorily as far as the success of the OPGRS system is concerned. The paper also discusses its limitations, provides implications for theory and practice, and proposed future lines of research which will allow the researchers, practitioners, and government to leverage the full potential of the OPGRS system to curb and eradicate corruption and to build a transparent and sanitized society.

A teleological process theory for managing ERP implementations

Purpose

The literature on enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation has been dominated by variance theories which have identified numerous lists of critical success factors (CSFs) for managing implementation but there has been relatively little research adopting a process theory approach which explains how change occurs. One such theory, the teleological process, has been criticised in the IS literature for its capability to evolve and learn due to its convergence towards an end goal. Drawing upon the field of organisational development (OD), the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the usefulness of the theory and contend that, whilst it exhibits planned behaviour, events are adaptive and learned and emerge though social construction of actors in organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

An in‐depth interpretive study of eight public‐sector organisations is used. During the investigation, two primary methods of data collection were analysed: survey questionnaires (2) and in‐depth interviews (38).

Findings

The data were analysed and contrasted with themes and attributes associated with teleological design. The article highlights how the central role of an agent or entity, and its interaction with eight key attributes, is critical to the success of the change process.

Originality/value

The article proposes benefits of applying teleological theory to the context of designing the change, pre and post project implementation. Whilst the data are based in the UK, the framework also provides a useful starting point for further research in ERP implementation in developing and emerging nations of areas likely to be problematic.

Procedure for fabricating biofunctional nanofibers

Electrospinning is an effective processing method for preparing nanofibers decorated with functional groups. Nanofibers decorated with functional groups may be utilized to study material-biomarker interactions i.e. act as biosensors with potential as single molecule detectors. We have developed an effective approach for preparing functional polymers where the functionality has the capacity of specifically binding with a model protein. In our model system, the functional group is 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) and the protein is anti-DNP IgE (Immunoglobulin E). The functional polymer, α,ω-bi[2,4-dinitrophenyl caproic][poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(2-methoxystyrene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)] (CDNP-PEO-P2MS-PEO-CDNP), is prepared by anionic living polymerization. The difunctional initiator utilized in the polymerization was prepared by electron transfer reaction of α-methylstyrene and potassium (mirror) metal. The 2-methoxystyrene monomer was added first to the initiator, followed by the addition of the second monomer, ethylene oxide, and finally the living polymer was terminated by methanol. The α,ω-dihydroxyl polymer [HO-PEO-P2MS-PEO-OH] was reacted with N-2,4-DNP-∈-amino caproic acid, by DCC coupling, resulting in the formation of α,ω-bi[2,4-dinitrophenylcaproic][poly(ethyleneoxide)-b-poly(2-methoxystyrene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)] (CDNP-PEO-P2MS-PEO-CDNP). The polymers were characterized by FT-IR, (1)H NMR and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC). The molecular weight distributions of the polymers were narrow (1.1-1.2) and polymers with molecular weights greater than 50,000 was used in this study. The polymers were yellow powders and soluble in tetrahydrofuran. A water soluble CDNP-PEO-P2MS-PEO-CDNP/ DMEG (dimethoxyethylene glycol) complex binds and achieves steady state binding with solution IgE within a few seconds. Higher molecular weight (water insoluble i.e. around 50,000) CDNP-PEO-P2MS-PEO-CDNP polymers, containing 1% single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) were processed into electroactive nanofibers (100 nm to 500 nm in diameter) on silicon substrate. Fluorescence spectroscopy shows that anti-DNP IgE interacts with the nanofibers by binding with the DNP functional groups decorating the fibers. These observations suggest that appropriately functionalized nanofibers hold promise for developing biomarker detection device.

Tunable bands in biased multilayer epitaxial graphene

We have studied the electronic characteristics of multilayer epitaxial graphene under a perpendicularly applied electric bias. Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy measurements reveal that there is notable variation of the electronic density-of-states in valence bands near the Fermi level. Evolution of the electronic structure of graphite and rotational-stacked multilayer epitaxial graphene as a function of the applied electric bias is investigated using first-principles density-functional theory including interlayer van der Waals interactions. The experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the tailoring of electronic band structure correlates with the interlayer coupling tuned by the applied bias. The implications of controllable electronic structure of rotationally fault-stacked epitaxial graphene grown on the C-face of SiC for future device applications are discussed.

A Conceptual Model for Examining E-Government Adoption in Jordan

In this paper, the authors propose and discuss a conceptual model for examining factors affecting e-government adoption in Jordan. This study evaluates existing empirical studies that examine e-government adoption in developing and under-developed countries. These studies were based on pre-existing theoretical models for explaining and guiding their research frameworks. An in-depth analysis of such models revealed that the technology acceptance model (TAM), the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) were among some of the most frequently used. As the UTAUT is a unified model based on the mapping of eight models, it was deemed appropriate to use the UTAUT as a guiding model for this research. A comprehensive analysis of all studies and constructs revealed that some external factors were also important for explaining e-gov adoption in developing countries. Hence, such external factors also considered relevant were integrated with UTAUT constructs as examining factors affecting e-gov adoption in Jordan. The theoretical and logical arguments and prior empirical validation of the constructs and their relationships allowed for the justification of the proposed integrated model and formulation of the associated hypotheses.

Self-assembly of biofunctional polymer on graphene nanoribbons

Graphene's adhesive properties owing to inherent van der Waals interactions become increasingly relevant in the nanoscale regime. Polymer self-assembly via graphene-mediated noncovalent interactions offers a powerful tool for the creation of anisotropic nanopatterned systems. Here, we report the supramolecular self-assembly of biofunctional-modified poly(2-methoxystyrene) on graphene nanoribbons prepared by unzipping multiwalled carbon nanotubes. This approach promotes the glycol-modified polymer to self-assemble into structured nanopatterns with preserved bioactivity. The self-assembly is attributed to enhanced van der Waals interactions and the associated charge transfer from polymer to graphene. These findings demonstrate that the assembly yields a prospective route to novel nanomaterial systems.

Reflecting on E-Government Research

After more than a decade of research in the field of e-government, it is now timely and appropriate to reflect upon the overall developmental directions in the area. This paper explores research progress to date by systematically analyzing the existing body of knowledge on e-government related issues, and reveal if there is lack of theoretical development and rigor in the area. Usable data relating to e-government research currently available were collected from 779 research articles identified from the ISI Web of Knowledge database, and by manually identifying relevant articles from dedicated journals on electronic government such as Transforming Government: People, Process, and Policy (TGPPP), Electronic Government, an International Journal (EGIJ), and International Journal of Electronic Government Research (IJEGR). Based on the investigation of the various studies, findings reveal that generic e-government applications were explored more than any specific applications, and the technology acceptance model (TAM) was the most utilized theory to explain research models. Although a large number of theories and theoretical constructs were borrowed from the reference disciplines, their utilization by e-government researchers appears largely random in approach. The paper also presents limitations and further research directions for future researchers.

What Drives a Successful Technology Implementation?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is revolutionizing item identification and tracking. The technology demonstrates complexities in terms of (a) huge initial capital investment, (b) validating the need for RFID followed by its implementation decisions, (c) risks associated with consumer acceptance and consequences of incorrect implementation, and (d) capability to support enhancements and upgrades in cordial agreement with the individual implementer organizations. This paper explores the extent of RFID implementation at the Swansea University Library, examining the Social, Technological, Economic, and Managerial (STEM) aspects directly associated with implementation. A focused interview approach was resorted to, for data collection purposes. The core implementation team for RFID at Swansea University was interviewed to gain insights into the study’s areas of interest. It was found that self service is the most sought after benefit. It simplifies stock management and enhances security at the libraries. Although the cost of the system remains a concern, varying on the basis of the scale of implementation, vandalism also continues to exist but to a reduced degree. University libraries are public sector organizations, consequently leading these findings to have an insinuation for RFID implementations in other public sector organizations as well.

Erdheim-Chester disease of the central nervous system: new manifestations of a rare disease

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

ECD is a rare non-Langerhans-cell histiocytosis, which can involve the CNS; therefore, CNS imaging findings have been described in only a small number of patients. To gain additional insight into the CNS manifestations of ECD, we reviewed the findings on imaging of the brain, head and neck, and spine in patients with ECD who presented to our institution. Here, we illustrate manifestations that have not, to our knowledge, been previously described.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CT, MR imaging, and PET/CT studies of the brain, maxillofacial region, and spine were reviewed in 11 patients with ECD.

RESULTS

Four new manifestations of ECD were present, including the following: a stellate appearance of intracranial extra-axial lesions, ependymal enhancement along the lateral ventricle with deep linear extension to the lentiform nucleus, irregular enhancement in the pons, and diffuse involvement of the vertebral column on PET/CT.

CONCLUSIONS

ECD has a variety of imaging appearances in the CNS, including new manifestations described herein. Neuroradiologists should be aware of these manifestations to avoid mistaking them for other disease processes.

Voltage sweep ion mobility spectrometry

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a rapid, gas-phase separation technique that exhibits excellent separation of ions as a standalone instrument. However, IMS cannot achieve optimal separation power with both small and large ions simultaneously. Similar to the general elution problem in chromatography, fast ions are well resolved using a low electric field (50-150 V/cm), whereas slow drifting molecules are best separated using a higher electric field (250-500 V/cm). While using a low electric field, IMS systems tend to suffer from low ion transmission and low signal-to-noise ratios. Through the use a novel voltage algorithm, some of these effects can be alleviated. The electric field was swept from low to high while monitoring a specific drift time, and the resulting data were processed to create a 'voltage-sweep' spectrum. If an optimal drift time is calculated for each voltage and scanned simultaneously, a spectrum may be obtained with optimal separation throughout the mobility range. This increased the resolving power up to the theoretical maximum for every peak in the spectrum and extended the peak capacity of the IMS system, while maintaining accurate drift time measurements. These advantages may be extended to any IMS, requiring only a change in software.

Evidence for activation of inflammatory lipoxygenase pathways in visceral adipose tissue of obese Zucker rats

Central obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation that promotes type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in obese individuals. The 12- and 5-lipoxygenase (12-LO and 5-LO) enzymes have been linked to inflammatory changes, leading to the development of atherosclerosis. 12-LO has also been linked recently to inflammation and insulin resistance in adipocytes. We analyzed the expression of LO and proinflammatory cytokines in adipose tissue and adipocytes in obese Zucker rats, a widely studied genetic model of obesity, insulin resistance, and the metabolic syndrome. mRNA expression of 12-LO, 5-LO, and 5-LO-activating protein (FLAP) was upregulated in adipocytes and adipose tissue from obese Zucker rats compared with those from lean rats. Concomitant with increased LO gene expression, the 12-LO product 12-HETE and the 5-LO products 5-HETE and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) were also increased in adipocytes. Furthermore, upregulation of key proinflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-6, TNFα, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were observed in adipocytes isolated from obese Zucker rats. Immunohistochemistry indicated that the positive 12-LO staining in adipose tissue represents cells in addition to adipocytes. This was confirmed by Western blotting in stromal vascular fractions. These changes were in part reversed by the novel anti-inflammatory drug lisofylline (LSF). LSF also reduced p-STAT4 in visceral adipose tissue from obese Zucker rats and improved the metabolic profile, reducing fasting plasma glucose and increasing insulin sensitivity in obese Zucker rats. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, LSF abrogated the inflammatory response induced by LO products. Thus, therapeutic agents reducing LO or STAT4 activation may provide novel tools to reduce obesity-induced inflammation.