Information technology as boundary object for transformational learning

Collaborative work is considered as a way to improve productivity and value generation in construction. However, recent research demonstrates that socio-cognitive factors related to fragmentation of specialized knowledge may hinder team performance. New methods based on theories of practice are emerging in Computer Supported Collaborative Work and organisational learning to break these knowledge boundaries, facilitating knowledge sharing and the generation of new knowledge through transformational learning. According to these theories, objects used in professional practice play a key role in mediating interactions. Rules and methods related to these practices are also embedded in these objects. Therefore changing collaborative patterns demand reconfiguring objects that are at the boundary between specialized practices, namely boundary objects. This research is unique in presenting an IT strategy in which technology is used as a boundary object to facilitate transformational learning in collaborative design work

A Model of Individual Coping with Information Technology Challenges to Identity

Drawing on ideas from identity control theory and coping theory and on a diverse range of social psychology literature, we propose an integrative theoretical framework that unpacks and traces the processes by which information technology comes to affect users’ identity. We define four types of strategies (acting on the situation, adjusting the self, catharsis and distancing) through which people cope with technological challenges to the self. We suggest that these strategies may lead to four individual-level outcomes, namely reinforced identity, redefined identity, ambivalent identity and antiidentity. The model is provided with a preliminary support through reference to real life situations, carefully selected from extant empirical IS enquiries

The Role of Identity in Adopting Building Information Modeling: A Comparative Study

BIM is a modeling technology that allows architects and builders to visually create, analyze, and share building models. BIM is gaining a growing importance which may be reflected in the increasing number of owners who demand BIM use. However, despite the perceived uptick in demand for BIM, an industry wide adoption has not yet been reached. Likewise, the adoption of BIM enhanced business practices within both design and construction has been limited. While there are multiple barriers to BIM use, resistance to change has been identified by scholars as a major restraining force. Indeed, BIM prompts for substantial changes in the ways architects and constructors think and work which may question their performance and challenge their identities as competent workers. In this research, we address these dynamics, we use identity theory to gain an understanding on how identity accounts for acts of resistance and adoption of BIM in AEC industry. AMCIS TV LINK: https://youtu.be/pfUo4pEIjI

From gamestorming to mobile learning : a conceptual framework and a gaming proposition to explore the design of flourishing business models

Cette démarche de thèse débute par la mise au point d'un cadre conceptuel à propos de la durabilité ('sustainability') et du MA (modèle d'affaires), pour cadrer une recherche sur la définition et la conception de MA durable. Grâce notamment à Ehrenfeld (2005), le MAF (modèle d'affaires pour un avenir florissant ou 'flourishing future') est défini. La question est maintenant de savoir comment introduire les gestionnaires à la théorie et la pratique du MAF? Quelle est la nature de l'effort cognitif exigé? Et l'apprentissage peut-il être stimulé par le 'gamestorming' en proposant un espace d'apprentissage ouvert à la formation de nouveaux concepts. Le premier chapitre présente les origines du MA suite à l'affrontement dans les années 1980 entre la finance d'entreprise et la stratégie d'entreprise lors de la naissance du premier logiciel de tableur. Dès lors, le chapitre un propose d'envisager l'histoire du MA en trois périodes : d'abord le MA pour la valeur numérique, ensuite, le MA architectural et finalement, le MA durable. Mais les académiciens et les praticiens ne s'entendent pas sur la définition de MA durable. Il existe une opposition entre les approches faible et forte. Nous adoptons dans cette thèse la définition et l'engagement d'Ehrenfeld (2005) à un avenir florissant, définissant ainsi le MAF ou modèle d'affaires (pour un avenir) florissant. Le chapitre un montre que le MA pour la valeur numérique implique le calcul comme un mode cognitif, le MA architectural est plus associé à l'interprétation comme mode cognitif, tandis que MAF devrait être conçu grâce à la cognition située et à la macrocognition. Le chapitre deux oppose le MA développé sous une vision cognitive plus traditionnelle de computation-interprétation à la construction du MAF exigeant de nouvelles conditions préalables nécessaires à la cognition située et à la macrocognition. De cette façon, les acteurs conçoivent un MAF via leur interface sensorimotrice où le sens se dégage de multiples interactions avec la matérialité sociale et la matérialité physique du modèle. Aussi un MAF devient un objet public partagé, ouvert au développement de la compétence sociale dans une situation où les principes de macrocognition s'appliquent. Le chapitre trois fait le bilan d'une expérience d'enseignement / apprentissage avec une classe d'étudiants au MBA dans laquelle les étudiants devaient gérer dans le même cours, à la fois le canevas dédié au MA (CMA) et une modélisation organisationnelle plutôt abstraite reliée à la gestion des connaissances (Morabito et al., 1999). Cette expérience d'apprentissage est un cas de conception dense ('thick design') à l'intérieur d'une salle de classe inversée qui permet d'explorer l'idée suivante : si la matérialité sociale et physique fait partie du domaine de conception, les exigences de la cognition et la charge cognitive seront plus lourdes. Le chapitre se termine en associant durabilité faible avec un design mince ('thin') et la durabilité forte avec la conception dense ('thick'). Le chapitre quatre plonge plus profondément dans les questions de durabilité. Ce chapitre présente une expérience jeu avec Logim@s© qui s'est produite dans la division du développement durable d'une grande ville canadienne : les quatre joueurs étaient gestionnaires de développement durable ou professionnels dans le domaine. Le jeu est basé sur le livre de Steven Moore (2007) qui expose les scénarios, les modes logiques et les discours qui permettent à trois villes très différentes (Curitiba, Austin et Francfort) de déployer leur leadership en matière de durabilité. Un défi de conception dense est au cœur de l'expérience : comment un joueur peut-il utiliser l'approche CMA alors que des discours contradictoires risquent de le bloquer cognitivement? Les joueurs sont dans un mode logique inductif / déductif. Vont-ils passer en mode abductif? Le chapitre cinq examine comment le jeu Logim@s© pourrait devenir une plateforme ouverte de gamestorming, appelons-la SustAbd©. Ce chapitre comporte deux parties : la première partie est une réflexion sur le processus de conception de jeu pour justifier une approche plate-forme d'architecture composé du noyau SustAbd© et de sa périphérie, et une seconde partie, où cinq cas d'utilisation UML sont proposés. Le chapitre six s'appuie sur l'expérience du chercheur comme un tuteur humain dans les expériences d'enseignement inversé et de 'gamestorming.' Le but de ce chapitre est d'adopter la modélisation cognitive (MC) comme approche pour remplacer un tuteur humain par un robot 'situé.' Ce chapitre se poursuit avec des développements au sujet du caractère situé des robots. Ces idées permettent de concevoir SustAbdPLAY© conformément au caractère situé et aux conditions de macrocognition propres au design d'un MAF. La modélisation sociale avec iStar permet de clarifier la conception. Le chapitre sept termine la thèse. Il décrit les leçons apprises, les limites de l'étude ainsi que la suggestion de recherches futures. Une conclusion générale clôt le chapitre.\ud ______________________________________________________________________________ \ud MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Business model, modèle d'affaires, soutenabilité, développement durable, cognition, matérialité, gamestorming, apprentissage mobile, recherche action, desig

Intergroup Collaboration: An Examination through the Lenses of Identity and IT Affordances

This research seeks to increase our understanding of the relationship between IT affordances and collective identity in the context of intergroup collaboration. Particularly, we investigate the type of IT affordances (i.e., collaborative, organizational memory, or process management) that are more prone to support certain types of identities (i.e., superordinate collective identity, intergroup relational identity, or intergroup ambivalent identity) when groups need to collaborate towards the accomplishment of a common goal. We suggest three hypotheses which we plan to test via a field study within the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry

BREAKING SOCIO-COGNITIVE BARRIERS TO VALUE GENERATION IN INTEGRATED TEAMS

ABSTRACT Value generation is defined as meeting client requirements while minimizing waste. Authors agree on the issues related to sequential design in handling client requirements, and suggest the use of an integrated Design approach as an alternative. Little is said, however, about the impact of adopting integrated Design new organization of work on traditional design practice, processes and tools, and about the importance of breaking down socio-cognitive barriers related to mental model fragmentation between design professionals, clients and users. This may result in cognitive inertia, a major source of waste. The objective of the research is to develop and test the use of boundary objects, such as requirement management tools in the context of integrated teams and organizations to break the cognitive inertia that hinders value generation. The research is conclusive about the effectiveness of using boundary objects such as a requirement management construct to transform practices in construction. The research also contributes to a better understanding of the new purpose of construction projects by framing its context and process dimensions within a theoretical framework, and to the evolution of practices in construction. KEY WORDS integrated design, value management, activity theory, boundary artefact

Prognostic Implications of the Residual Tumor Microenvironment after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients without Pathological Complete Response

Neoadjuvant therapy; Relapse; Triple-negative breast cancerTerapia neoadyuvante; Recaída; Cáncer de mama triple negativoTeràpia neoadjuvant; Recaiguda; Càncer de mama triple negatiuWith a high risk of relapse and death, and a poor or absent response to therapeutics, the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is particularly challenging, especially in patients who cannot achieve a pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Although the tumor microenvironment (TME) is known to influence disease progression and the effectiveness of therapeutics, its predictive and prognostic potential remains uncertain. This work aimed to define the residual TME profile after NAC of a retrospective cohort with 96 TNBC patients by immunohistochemical staining (cell markers) and chromogenic in situ hybridization (genetic markers). Kaplan–Meier curves were used to estimate the influence of the selected TME markers on five-year overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) probabilities. The risks of each variable being associated with relapse and death were determined through univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. We describe a unique tumor-infiltrating immune profile with high levels of lymphocytes (CD4, FOXP3) and dendritic cells (CD21, CD1a and CD83) that are valuable prognostic factors in post-NAC TNBC patients. Our study also demonstrates the value of considering not only cellular but also genetic TME markers such as MUC-1 and CXCL13 in routine clinical diagnosis to refine prognosis modelling.This research was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI13/02501 and PI11/0488) co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). ML acknowledges support from the “PATH-IMAGE” project, which was funded by ERDF (agreement 2903/335-41)

Peritumoral immune infiltrates in primary tumours are not associated with the presence of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study

Background. The axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) in breast cancer patients are the body regions to where tumoral cells most often first disseminate. The tumour immune response is important for breast cancer patient outcome, and some studies have evaluated its involvement in ALN metastasis development. Most studies have focused on the intratumoral immune response, but very few have evaluated the peritumoral immune response. The aim of the present article is to evaluate the immune infiltrates of the peritumoral area and their association with the presence of ALN metastases. Methods. The concentration of 11 immune markers in the peritumoral areas was studied in 149 patients diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma of no special type (half of whom had ALN metastasis at diagnosis) using tissue microarrays, immunohistochemistry and digital image analysis procedures. The differences in the concentration of the immune response of peritumoral areas between patients diagnosed with and without metastasis in their ALNs were evaluated. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to identify the clinical-pathological variables and the peritumoral immune markers independently associated with having or not having ALN metastases at diagnosis. Results. No statistically significant differences were found in the concentrations of the 11 immune markers between patients diagnosed with or without ALN metastases. Patients with metastases in their ALNs had a higher histological grade, more lymphovascular and perineural invasion and larger-diameter tumours. The multivariate analysis, after validation by bootstrap simulation, revealed that only tumour diameter (OR = 1.04; 95% CI [1.00-1.07]; p = 0.026), lymphovascular invasion (OR = 25.42; 95% CI [9.57-67.55]; p<0.001) and histological grades 2 (OR = 3.84; 95% CI [1.11-13.28]; p = 0.033) and 3 (OR = 5.18; 95% CI [1.40-19.17]; p = 0.014) were associated with the presence of ALN metastases at diagnosis. This study is one of the first to study the association of the peritumoral immune response with ALN metastasis. We did not find any association of peritumoral immune infiltrates with the presence of ALN metastasis. Nevertheless, this does not rule out the possibility that other peritumoral immune populations are associated with ALN metastasis. This matter needs to be examined in greater depth, broadening the types of peritumoral immune cells studied, and including new peritumoral areas, such as the germinal centres of the peritumoral tertiary lymphoid structures found in extensively infiltrated neoplastic lesions

Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Expression Is Associated with the Absence of Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is particularly challenging due to the weak or absent response to therapeutics and its poor prognosis. The effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response is strongly influenced by changes in elements of the tumor microenvironment (TME). This work aimed to characterize the residual TME composition in 96 TNBC patients using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization techniques and evaluate its prognostic implications for partial responders vs. non-responders. Compared with non-responders, partial responders containing higher levels of CD83+ mature dendritic cells, FOXP3+ regulatory T cells, and IL-15 expression but lower CD138+ cell concentration exhibited better OS and RFS. However, along with tumor diameter and positive nodal status at diagnosis, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression in the residual TME was identified as an independent factor associated with the impaired response to NAC. This study yields new insights into the key components of the residual tumor bed, such as MMP-9, which is strictly associated with the lack of a pathological response to NAC. This knowledge might help early identification of TNBC patients less likely to respond to NAC and allow the establishment of new therapeutic targets

Massive stars in the giant molecular cloud G23.3−0.3 and W41

Context. Young massive stars and stellar clusters continuously form in the Galactic disk, generating new Hii regions within their natal giant molecular clouds and subsequently enriching the interstellar medium via their winds and supernovae.Aims. Massive stars are among the brightest infrared stars in such regions; their identification permits the characterisation of the star formation history of the associated cloud as well as constraining the location of stellar aggregates and hence their occurrence as a function of global environment.Methods. We present a stellar spectroscopic survey in the direction of the giant molecular cloud G23.3−0.3. This complex is located at a distance of ~4–5 kpc, and consists of several Hii regions and supernova remnants.Results. We discovered 11 OfK+ stars, one candidate luminous blue variable, several OB stars, and candidate red supergiants. Stars with K-band extinction from ~1.3–1.9 mag appear to be associated with the GMC G23.3−0.3; O and B-types satisfying this criterion have spectrophotometric distances consistent with that of the giant molecular cloud. Combining near-IR spectroscopic and photometric data allowed us to characterize the multiple sites of star formation within it. The O-type stars have masses from ~25–45 M⊙, and ages of 5–8 Myr. Two new red supergiants were detected with interstellar extinction typical of the cloud; along with the two RSGs within the cluster GLIMPSE9, they trace an older burst with an age of 20–30 Myr. Massive stars were also detected in the core of three supernova remnants – W41, G22.7−0.2, and G22.7583−0.4917.Conclusions. A large population of massive stars appears associated with the GMC G23.3−0.3, with the properties inferred for them indicative of an extended history of stars formation