Why risk management matters in IT outsourcing - A systematic literature review and elements of a research agenda

Within information systems the design science research (DSR) paradigm aims at the development of useful artifacts, e.g. models or methods, with which relevant IS problems can be solved. In analogy to the engineering discipline construction processes have been proposed for DSR. Although different phases of such construction processes are explicated in several articles, contributions are missing that propose patterns/principles that support the constructor during the different phases of the construction process. Vaishnavi and Kuechler (2007) address this issue by proposing DSR patterns. Their contribution is a substantial one; however, it does not include comparable pattern approaches from the engineering discipline for the foundation of the proposed patterns. Bearing in mind that DSR has its roots in engineering, it is important to analyze so called problem solving patterns from engineering and to compare them to the DSR patterns. Using this as a basis, it is our research goal to examine whether it is possible to expand the existing DSR patterns to include patterns from engineering. As a result, 14 additional DSR patterns are proposed which originate from engineering, have not been discussed so far, but promise to be useful for DSR in information system

Networkability in the Health Care Sector - Necessity, Measurement and Systematic Development as the Prerequisites for Increasing the Operational Efficiency of Administrative Processes

The health care sector is characterised by a low division of labour and annually rising costs. In order to increase effectiveness and efficiency, other sectors have implemented a high division of labour and extensive networking, in particular through the use of IT. In the health care sector, however, networking is only progressing at a very slow pace and not along a wide front. While initial approaches to networking already exist at the technical level or for the purpose of process optimisation, holistic approaches are missing. In this article, the authors first show how a generic, holistic framework for designing networked structures can be transferred to the health care sector. Then the concept of networkability and its design objects are introduced. In order to assess networkability, the use of development levels for design objects is proposed so that a maturity stage model can be derived on this basis for the various players in the health care sector. Thereafter the results of an expert workshop regarding the main design objects which determine networkability in the health care sector are presented. The article concludes with a description of the procedure for validating and further developing the findings obtained

Success Factors of Application Integration: An Exploratory Analysis

The increased deployment of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications creates application integration challenges. However, very few articles focus on application integration success. That is why we first analyze these contributions and derive success factor candidates (SFCs). In addition, contributions dealing with problems and risks of application integration and related research fields are examined—as they allow for the derivation of further SFCs. In total twenty-six SFCs are collected. A factor analysis is conducted to examine interrelations between SFCs. It yields seven success factor groups, e.g., architecture management, IT/business alignment, or use of methods. In a second step, an exploratory analysis is conducted to examine the impact of these SFCs on various success indicators of application integration. These success indicators were defined beforehand by analyzing theories for information system (IS) success. As a result of the exploratory analysis, twenty-seven hypotheses are proposed. These hypotheses need to be corroborated in a future confirmatory study

Problem solving patterns in design science research - Learning from engineering

Within information systems the design science research (DSR) paradigm aims at the development of useful artifacts, e.g. models or methods, with which relevant IS problems can be solved. In analogy to the engineering discipline construction processes have been proposed for DSR. Although different phases of such construction processes are explicated in several articles, contributions are missing that propose patterns/principles that support the constructor during the different phases of the construction process. Vaishnavi and Kuechler (2007) address this issue by proposing DSR patterns. Their contribution is a substantial one; however, it does not include comparable pattern approaches from the engineering discipline for the foundation of the proposed patterns. Bearing in mind that DSR has its roots in engineering, it is important to analyze so called problem solving patterns from engineering and to compare them to the DSR patterns. Using this as a basis, it is our research goal to examine whether it is possible to expand the existing DSR patterns to include patterns from engineering. As a result, 14 additional DSR patterns are proposed which originate from engineering, have not been discussed so far, but promise to be useful for DSR in information system

Identification of distinct transcriptome signatures of human adipose tissue from fifteen depots

The functional and metabolic characteristics of specific adipose tissue (AT) depots seem to be determined by intrinsic mechanisms. We performed a comprehensive transcriptome profiling of human AT from distinct fat depots to unravel their unique features potentially explaining molecular mechanisms underlying AT distribution and their contribution to health and disease. Post-mortem AT samples of five body donors from 15 anatomical locations were collected. Global mRNA expression was measured by Illumina® Human HT-12 v4 Expression BeadChips. Data were validated using qPCR and Western Blot in a subset of ATs from seven additional body donors. Buccal and heel AT clearly separated from the 'classical' subcutaneous AT depots, and perirenal and epicardial AT were distinct from visceral depots. Gene-set enrichment analyses pointed to an inflammatory environment and insulin resistance particularly in the carotid sheath AT depot. Moreover, the epicardial fat transcriptome was enriched for genes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling, inflammation, immune signaling, coagulation, thrombosis, beigeing, and apoptosis. Interestingly, a striking downregulation of the expression of leptin receptor was found in AT from heel compared with all other AT depots. The distinct gene expression patterns are likely to define fat depot specific AT functions in metabolism, energy storage, immunity, body insulation or as cushions. Improved knowledge of the gene expression profiles of various fat depots may strongly benefit studies aimed at better understanding of the genetics and the pathophysiology of obesity and adverse body fat composition

On the reversible deactivation of cobalt ferrite spinel nanoparticles applied in selective 2-propanol oxidation

CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by using a colloidal one-pot synthesis method based on the decomposition of metal acetylacetonates in the presence of oleyl amine. The characterization by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and N2 physisorption revealed non-porous spinel phase CoFe2O4 NPs with an average particle size of 4 nm. The unsupported metal oxide NPs were applied in the selective oxidation of 2-propanol in a continuously operated fixed-bed reactor under quasi steady-state conditions using a heating rate of 0.5 k min-1. 2-Propanol was found to be oxidatively dehydrogenated over CoFe2O4 yielding acetone and H2O with high selectivity. Only to a minor extent dehydration to propene and total oxidation to CO2 was observed at higher temperatures. The detected low-temperature reaction pathway with maxima at 430 and 510 K was inhibited after the initial 2-propanol oxidation up to 573 K, but an oxidative treatment in O2 or N2O atmosphere led to full regeneration. No correlation between the desorbing amount or the surface oxygen species investigated by O2 temperature-programmed desorption experiments and the low-temperature activity was observed. The amounts of evolving CO2 during the TPO experiments indicate deactivation due to formation of carbonaceous species. Inhibition experiments with pre-adsorbed reaction intermediates and infrared spectroscopy identified acetate species as reversible poison, whereas carbonates are rather spectators. In addition, carbon deposition was detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which also revealed a minor influence of cobalt reduction during the deactivation process as confirmed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies