Understanding the Balanced Effects of Belief and Feeling on Information Systems Continuance

There are innumerable studies on technology adoption as well as continuance of usage. A review of previous research shows that cognitive factors are considered prominently in information technology adoption and continuance while the affective feelings of users are not. Although attitude and user satisfaction are common factors considered in information systems research, these factors only involve partial aspects of feelings. Researchers in the marketing areas, as well as the psychology area, begin to note the importance of feelings in understanding and predicting human and customer behavior. In many modern applications, such as mobile Internet services, user feelings are expected to be important, since users are not just technology users but also service consumers. Drawing upon the support of consumer research, social psychology, and computer science, this study proposes a balanced belief–feeling model of IS continuance. In the process of developing this model, the concepts of attitude, belief, and feelings are further articulated, defined, and distinguished. The balanced model is tested in a survey of mobile Internet users. The results established the validity of the model. A comparison with the IS continuance model shows that the new model can explain significantly more variance in continuance intention, taking into account that the new model has more factors. We offer theoretical reasoning for the balanced effects of belief and feeling on IS continuance and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of this study

Spreadsheet Error Correction Using an Activity Framework and a Cognitive Fit Perspective

Errors in a spreadsheet constitute a serious reason for concern among organizations as well as academics. There are ongoing efforts toward finding ways to reduce errors, designing and developing visualization tools to support error correction activities being one of them. In this paper, we propose a framework for classifying activities associated with spreadsheet error correction. The purpose of this framework is to help in understanding the activities that are important for correcting different types of spreadsheet errors and how different visualization tools can help in error correction by effectively supporting these activities. An experiment is designed to test the effectiveness of a visualization tool that supports one of the most important activities from the framework – chaining activity. Two groups of subjects, with and without the visualization tool, are required to correct two types of errors. Our hypotheses are derived based on the notion of cognitive fit between problem representation and task, and the results of the experiment support most of the hypotheses. Thus, this study demonstrates the usefulness of the activity-based framework for spreadsheet error correction, and also provides guidelines for designing and developing tools for spreadsheet audit. It also provides empirical evidence to the cognitive fit theory by showing that performance is significantly better when visual support tools result in a match between problem representation and the task in hand, as in the case of correcting link errors with the tool used in this study. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed

A User Commitment Approach to Information Systems Infusion

Many organizations have huge investments on information systems (IS) but are unable to achieve the maximum benefits expected. The IS infusion stage refers to the state of using IS to its full potential. IS infusion is a form of organizational citizenship behavior because full utilization of IS requires extra-role behaviors (i.e., IS use beyond the mandated usage) beyond intra-role behaviors (i.e., mandated IS usage). As commitment is a key driver of organizational citizenship behavior, IS infusion requires the user’s commitment to IS usage. This study investigates the development of user commitment from the socio-technical system design perspective and the effect of user commitment on IS infusion. We identified five constructs from the socio-technical system design (job fit, task competence, technology competence, self-determination with technology, and self-determination with task). A survey of 236 enterprise system users showed that user commitment has a positive effect on IS infusion. User commitment, in turn, is influenced by job fit, technology competence, and self-determination with task. This study contributes to IS infusion research by introducing the development of user commitment from the socio-technical system design perspective. Managers can promote user commitment in order to reach the infusion stage of fully utilizing information systems

Improving disclosure of medical error through educational program as a first step toward patient safety

Participant’s Response to medical errors. Description of data: Raw data of participant’s response to medical errors (3 clinical cases with different severity of error outcome), satisfaction and change after the education program. (XLSX 18 kb

Development of a standardized in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation set-up

Objective. This study evaluated whether chest compression in a standardized inhospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) set-up can be performed as effectively as when the rescuer is kneeling beside the patient lying on the floor. Specifically, the in-hospital test was standardized according to the rescuers’ average knee height. Methods. Experimental intervention (test 1) was a standardized, in-hospital CPR set-up: first, the bed height was fixed at 70 cm. Second, the height difference between the bed and a step stool was set to the average knee height of the CPR team members (45 cm). Control intervention (test 2) was kneeling on floor. Thirty-eight medical doctors on the CPR team each performed 2 minutes of chest compressions in test 1 and 2 in random order (cross-over trial). A Little Anne was used as a simulated patient who had experienced cardiac arrest. Chest compression parameters, such as average depth and rate, were measured using an accelerometer device. Results. In all tests, the average depths were those recommended in the most recent CPR guidelines (50–60 mm); there were no significant differences between Tests 1 and 2 (53.1 ± 4.3 mm vs. 52.6 ± 4.8 mm, respectively; p = 0.398). The average rate in Test 2 (119.1 ± 12.4 numbers/min) was slightly faster than that in Test 1 (116.4 ± 10.2 numbers/ min; p = 0.028). No differences were observed in any other parameters. Conclusions. Chest compression quality in our standardized in-hospital CPR set-up was similar with that performed in a kneeling position on the floor. Trial Registration: Clinical Research Information Service: KCT000159

Anti-Obesity and Anti-Adipogenic Effects of Chitosan Oligosaccharide (GO2KA1) in SD Rats and in 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes Models

Excess body weight is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and associated metabolic complications, and weight loss has been shown to improve glycemic control and decrease morbidity and mortality in T2D patients. Weight-loss strategies using dietary interventions produce a significant decrease in diabetes-related metabolic disturbance. We have previously reported that the supplementation of low molecular chitosan oligosaccharide (GO2KA1) significantly inhibited blood glucose levels in both animals and humans. However, the effect of GO2KA1 on obesity still remains unclear. The aim of the study was to evaluate the anti-obesity effect of GO2KA1 on lipid accumulation and adipogenic gene expression using 3T3-L1 adipocytes in vitro and plasma lipid profiles using a Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model. Murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were stimulated to differentiate under the adipogenic stimulation in the presence and absence of varying concentrations of GO2KA1. Adipocyte differentiation was confirmed by Oil Red O staining of lipids and the expression of adipogenic gene expression. Compared to control group, the cells treated with GO2KA1 significantly decreased in intracellular lipid accumulation with concomitant decreases in the expression of key transcription factors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBP/α). Consistently, the mRNA expression of downstream adipogenic target genes such as fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), fatty acid synthase (FAS), were significantly lower in the GO2KA1-treated group than in the control group. In vivo, male SD rats were fed a high fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks to induced obesity, followed by oral administration of GO2KA1 at 0.1 g/kg/body weight or vehicle control in HFD. We assessed body weight, food intake, plasma lipids, levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) for liver function, and serum level of adiponectin, a marker for obesity-mediated metabolic syndrome. Compared to control group GO2KA1 significantly suppressed body weight gain (185.8 ± 8.8 g vs. 211.6 ± 20.1 g, p \u3c 0.05) with no significant difference in food intake. The serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were significantly lower in the GO2KA1-treated group than in the control group, whereas the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level was higher in the GO2KA1 group. The GO2KA1-treated group also showed a significant reduction in ALT and AST levels compared to the control. Moreover, serum adiponectin levels were significantly 1.5-folder higher than the control group. These in vivo and in vitro findings suggest that dietary supplementation of GO2KA1 may prevent diet-induced weight gain and the anti-obesity effect is mediated in part by inhibiting adipogenesis and increasing adiponectin level

Interlaminar Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy Versus Microscopic Lumbar Discectomy: A Preliminary Analysis of L5–S1 Lumbar Disc Herniation Outcomes in Prospective Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective A preliminary report from a single institution, noninferiority, prospective randomized controlled trial is conducted to determine the effectiveness of interlaminar endoscopic lumbar discectomy (IELD) versus microscopic lumbar discectomy (MLD) for the treatment of L5–S1 lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Methods This prospective, noncrossover, randomized controlled trials was conducted at a single neurosurgical center. Patients with symptomatic radiculopathy or intermittent neurogenic claudication caused by LDH were enrolled from July 2016 to July 2021. The study compared the effectiveness of microscopic and full-endoscopic discectomy procedures. Outcome measures included visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index scores, radiologic measurements, endurance time of walking, and satisfaction rate. Results Of 37 assessed patients, both IELD and MLD groups demonstrated significant improvements in VAS scores for pain over time, with no significant difference between them. For secondary outcomes, the IELD group had a shorter hospital stay and reduced blood loss but a longer operation time than the MLD group. Radiographic evaluations showed no change compared to preoperative data. Patient satisfaction and recovery rates were slightly higher for the MLD group, but both groups were comparable in most evaluations, with complications being minimal. Conclusion The IELD was noninferior in improving the intensity of back and leg pain and functional disability, compared to the MLD. Additionally, the IELD showed no difference in clinical outcomes for patients in terms of radiographic results and patient satisfaction rates. The results of this research preliminarily demonstrate that the IELD could be considered an effective alternative to MLD for L5–S1 central or paracentral LDH

Potential redox-sensitive Akt activation by dopamine activates Bad and promotes cell death in melanocytes

Dopamine (DA) is a well known oxidative neurotoxin. In addition, Akt has been reported to deliver a survival signal that inhibits apoptosis. However, it has also been reported that chronic Akt activation leads to apoptosis in response to oxidative stress. The objective of the present study was to investigate the possible role of the Akt pathway in vitiligo and its possible relationship with DA-induced cell death using Mel-Ab cells. Cultured Mel-Ab cells were treated with DA with and without N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), which is known to have antioxidative properties. Cell viability was then assessed by a crystal violet assay and Annexin staining was performed. The changes in the expression of Akt were analyzed by western blot analysis. The cell viability was reduced by approximately 60% in response to treatment with 500 µM DA, and NAC effectively prevented this cytotoxic effect. Likewise, treatment with DA produced numerous Annexin positive cells, while treatment with NAC prevented this apoptotic cell death. Akt was slowly phosphorylated after treatment with DA, while NAC clearly inhibited the DA-induced Akt activation. Western blot analysis also showed that treatment with DA induced the activation of Bad. Finally, LY294002 exerted a protective effect against DA-induced apoptotic cell death. DA may induce redox-sensitive Akt activation and increase the level of Bad, which can promote cell death by heterodimerization with survival proteins. Moreover, NAC effectively protects against DA-induced melanocyte death via inhibition of DA-induced Akt activation