Antecedents and Effect of IT Usage on Performance: A Research Framework and Empirical Study

Information Technology (IT) Usage is an important construct in Information Systems research. While the relationshipbetween IT Usage and Performance is well studied along with the antecedents of IT Usage, extant research has not yet fullyexplored an integrated model of IT Usage, its antecedents and impact on performance. In this paper, we propose an integratedtheoretical framework for such an effort. We detail our preliminary results for a section of the theoretical model todemonstrate the viability of the research model. We find that for our research context, the preliminary results align well withtheoretical predictions. We show strong statistical relationships between actual IT Usage and performance at the business unitlevel in both cross sectional and panel data analysis. We conclude by discussing the proposed data collection and analysisapproach for testing the integrated theoretical framework for the relationship between IT Usage, its antecedents and impacton performance

On the Economies of Scale and Budget Allocations in Information Technology Services Provision

This study reexamines some fundamental questions in the network era of computing using the data after 1995 when firms have made significant investments in newer types of IT systems. Our findings suggest that firms realize some economies of scale in IT services as they grow in size. We also find that the personnel-hardware ratio is not independent of IT budget. Finally, we find that personnel-hardware ratio was declining during 1999-2003 period in response to changes in factor prices of hardware and personnel. We discuss implications of these results for academic research and for managerial practice

Groundwater quality in the alluvial aquifer system of northwest India: new evidence of the extent of anthropogenic and geogenic contamination

Groundwater depletion has been widely studied in northwest India, but water quality concerns are still poorly constrained. In this study, we explore the hydrochemistry of the top 160 m of the aquifer system, through detailed field studies in the Bist-Doab region, considering both anthropogenic and geogenic controls. A detailed comparison is made between sites dominated by urban and agricultural landuse. Salinity, nitrate, chloride and lead concentrations are significantly higher in the shallow (0-50 m ) groundwater system due to surface anthropogenic contaminant loading from agricultural and urban sources. The widespread occurrence of oxic groundwater within the aquifer system means that denitrification potential is limited and also enhances the mobility of selenium and uranium in groundwater. Geogenic trace elements (e.g. As, Se, F), are generally found at concentrations below WHO guideline drinking water values, however elevated U concentrations (50-70 g/L) are found within the deeper part of the aquifer and shallow urban aquifers associated with higher bicarbonate waters. Higher concentration of Se (10-40 g/L) are found exclusively in the shallow groundwater system where Se is mobilised from soils and transported to depth in the shallow aquifer due to the prevailing oxidising aquifer conditions. New evidence from a range of environmental tracers shows elevated concentrations of anthropogenic contaminants in the deeper part of the aquifer (50-160 m deep) and demonstrates vulnerability to vertical migration of contaminants. Continued intensive groundwater abstraction from >100 m deep means that water quality risks to the deep aquifer system need to be considered together with water quantity constraints

Full Reference Image Quality Metrics and their Performance

This paper mainly aims to study the performance of objective assessment methods of image quality. It take into consideration the correlations between each objective assessment and the subjective assessment in order to determine objective test performance. Three objective assessment methods used in this study are the Structural Similarity (SSIM) index, the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and the Mean Squared Error (MSE) calculating algorithm. The resulting data indicate what type of objective assessment was most suitable for which type of impairment imposed upon an image. This is clarified using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient as described in the paper. As an overall, SSIM index had the best correlation characteristics to the subjective assessment, followed by the MSE calculating algorithm. From this study, a better understanding of the requirements for developing an efficient image quality assessment method was gained

Sedimentation record in the Konkan-Kerala Basin: implications for the evolution of the Western Ghats and the Western Indian passive margin

The Konkan and Kerala Basins constitute a major depocentre for sediment from the onshore hinterland of Western India and as such provide a valuable record of the timing and magnitude of Cenozoic denudation along the continental margin. This paper presents an analysis of sedimentation in the Konkan-Kerala Basin, coupledwith a mass balance study, and numerical modelling of flexural responses to onshore denudational unloading and o¡shore sediment loading in order to test competing conceptual models for the development of high-elevation passive margins. The Konkan-Kerala Basin contains an estimated 109,000 km<sup>3</sup>; of Cenozoic clastic sediment, a volume difficult to reconcile with the denudation of a downwarped rift flank onshore, and more consistent with denudation of an elevated rift flank. We infer from modelling of the isostatic response of the lithosphere to sediment loading offshore and denudation onshore that flexure is an important component in the development of the Western Indian Margin.There is evidence for two major pulses in sedimentation: an early phase in the Palaeocene, and a second beginning in the Pliocene. The Palaeocene increase in sedimentation can be interpreted in terms of a denudational response to the rifting between India and the Seychelles, whereas the mechanism responsible for the Pliocene pulse is more enigmatic