When High Touch Meets Low Tech: Knowledge Management in a Small Enterprise

In this article, we propose an analytical framework for investigating how control of knowledge and knowledge workers is achieved in a translation agency. The organizational size and an organizational logic of self-management were found to drive control mechanisms into a minimalist style of joint management. On the one hand, the translators managed themselves through (a) the buy-in of an open and sharing culture and a new psychological contract, (b) information from the appraisal results, and (c) conversation and communication with other experts. On the other hand, the managers manage by employing (a) a strategy centered on the dictionary and directory elements of an open and sharing culture, (b) minimalist interventions to induce and structure spontaneous communication, and (c) freelancers to complement expertise within organizational boundaries. Our analysis establishes a prototype for managing individualistic knowledge work in small organizations. Implications of these findings include a configurational approach to KM research, a shift from the concern of rent appropriation to that of rent sharing, and viewing organizations as the context covered with communication channels that craft, groom and enable communication, conversation and mutual learning. Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol1/iss2/3

Alteration of cystic airway mesenchyme in congenital pulmonary airway malformation.

Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is the most common congenital lesion detected in the neonatal lung, which may lead to respiratory distress, infection, and pneumothorax. CPAM is thought to result from abnormal branching morphogenesis during fetal lung development, arising from different locations within the developing respiratory tract. However, the pathogenic mechanisms are unknown, and previous studies have focused on abnormalities in airway epithelial cells. We have analyzed 13 excised lung specimens from infants (age < 1 year) with a confirmed diagnosis of type 2 CPAM, which is supposed to be derived from abnormal growth of intrapulmonary distal airways. By examining the mesenchymal components including smooth muscle cells, laminin, and elastin in airway and cystic walls using immunofluorescence staining, we found that the thickness and area of the smooth muscle layer underlining the airway cysts in these CPAM tissue sections were significantly decreased compared with those in bronchiolar walls of normal controls. Extracellular elastin fibers were also visually reduced or absent in airway cystic walls. In particular, a layer of elastin fibers seen in normal lung between airway epithelia and underlying smooth muscle cells was missing in type 2 CPAM samples. Thus, our data demonstrate for the first time that airway cystic lesions in type 2 CPAM occur not only in airway epithelial cells, but also in adjacent mesenchymal tissues, including airway smooth muscle cells and their extracellular protein products. This provides a new direction to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms of CPAM pathogenesis in human

Spanning Knowledge Holes In IS Projects

Prior studies have demonstrated the importance of bridging structural holes across functional groups in IS projects. In this study, we argue that bridging structural holes is necessary but insufficient for ensuring project success. An additional requirement is that knowledge holes across functional groups need to be bridged to enable effective problem-solving across functional groups. We propose and empirically study the concept of knowledge holes in a case study of an ERP upgrade. Our findings suggest that complementary to the concept of structural holes, the concept of knowledge holes is useful for explaining different project outcomes. Our findings also demonstrate methods for bridging knowledge holes. Contributions of this study are manifold

Obtaining Top Management Support in IT Projects: A Case Study

Research has argued that one reason for IT project failure is the lack of top management support. However, obtaining top management support is often considered outside the IT project team’s locus of control. Our research demonstrates that top management support can be obtained through continuous engagement. Also, a failure to engage can decrease top management support. We reveal an engagement strategy that starts with small favor requests followed by increasingly onerous favors rewarded by small concessions. This is demonstrated through a case study of the support of three division heads and their corresponding divisions in the implementation of an enterprise system. In case 1, an indifferent division head withdrew support after a lack of IT engagement. In case 2, a hostile division head became an advocate of the system after continuous IT engagement. Finally, in case 3, a supportive division head became more supportive as a result of continuous engagement by IT

Recurrence-Free Survival Prediction for Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Chemoradiotherapy using Planning CT-based Radiomics Model

Objectives: Approximately 30% of non-metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) patients will experience recurrence after chemoradiotherapy (CRT), and currently available clinical variables are poor predictors of treatment response. We aimed to develop a model leveraging information extracted from radiation pretreatment planning CT to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) in ASCC patients after CRT. Methods: Radiomics features were extracted from planning CT images of 96 ASCC patients. Following pre-feature selection, the optimal feature set was selected via step-forward feature selection with a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. The RFS prediction was generated from a radiomics-clinical combined model based on an optimal feature set with five repeats of five-fold cross validation. The risk stratification ability of the proposed model was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: Shape- and texture-based radiomics features significantly predicted RFS. Compared to a clinical-only model, radiomics-clinical combined model achieves better performance in the testing cohort with higher C-index (0.80 vs 0.73) and AUC (0.84 vs 0.79 for 1-year RFS, 0.84 vs 0.78 for 2-year RFS, and 0.86 vs 0.83 for 3-year RFS), leading to distinctive high- and low-risk of recurrence groups (p<0.001). Conclusions: A treatment planning CT based radiomics and clinical combined model had improved prognostic performance in predicting RFS for ASCC patients treated with CRT as compared to a model using clinical features only

Leveraging Social Capital to Obtain Top Management Support in Complex, Cross-Functional IT Projects

Research argues that a major reason for IT project failure is the lack of top management support. However, obtaining top management support is often considered outside the IT project team’s control. In this paper, we investigate how IT project teams can obtain such support. We find that creating and mobilizing social capital through repeated interaction with top managers and their confidants helps a project obtain top management support. Also, a failure to use social capital to engage top management can cause a decrease in their support. We demonstrate these points through a natural experiment of the support of three division heads and their corresponding divisions in the implementation of an enterprise system. We demonstrate how and why top management support may be obtained by (1) building social capital and (2) mobilizing existing social capital—directly with top management or indirectly with individuals with influence on top management

Evaluation of viable dynamic treatment regimes in a sequentially randomized trial of advanced prostate cancer

We present new statistical analyses of data arising from a clinical trial designed to compare two-stage dynamic treatment regimes (DTRs) for advanced prostate cancer. The trial protocol mandated that patients be initially randomized among four chemotherapies, and that those who responded poorly be re-randomized to one of the remaining candidate therapies. The primary aim was to compare the DTRs' overall success rates, with success defined by the occurrence of successful responses in each of two consecutive courses of the patient's therapy. Of the 150 study participants, 47 did not complete their therapy as per the algorithm. However, 35 of them did so for reasons that precluded further chemotherapy, that is, toxicity and/or progressive disease. Consequently, rather than comparing the overall success rates of the DTRs in the unrealistic event that these patients had remained on their assigned chemotherapies, we conducted an analysis that compared viable switch rules defined by the per-protocol rules but with the additional provision that patients who developed toxicity or progressive disease switch to a non-prespecified therapeutic or palliative strategy. This modification involved consideration of bivariate per-course outcomes encoding both efficacy and toxicity.We used numerical scores elicited from the trial's principal investigator to quantify the clinical desirability of each bivariate per-course outcome, and defined one endpoint as their average over all courses of treatment. Two other simpler sets of scores as well as log survival time were also used as endpoints. Estimation of each DTR-specific mean score was conducted using inverse probability weighted methods that assumed that missingness in the 12 remaining dropouts was informative but explainable in that it only depended on past recorded data.We conducted additional worst-and best-case analyses to evaluate sensitivity of our findings to extreme departures from the explainable dropout assumption.Fil: Wang, Lu. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Rotnitzky, Andrea Gloria. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. Departamento de Economía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lin, Xihong. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Millikan, Randall. University of Texas; Estados UnidosFil: Thall, Peter. University of Texas; Estados Unido

Deformation and Failure Behavior of Wooden Sandwich Composites with Taiji Honeycomb Core under a Three-Point Bending Test

A new type of Taiji honeycomb structure bonded outside with wood-based laminates was characterized from a mechanical standpoint. Both theoretical and experimental methods were employed to analyze comprehensively the deformation behavior and failure mechanism under a three-point bending test. The analytical analysis reveals that a Taiji honeycomb has 3.5 times higher strength in compression and 3.44 times higher strength in shear compared with a traditional hexagonal honeycomb. Considering the strength-weight issue, the novel structure also displays an increase in compression strength of 1.75 times and shear strength of 1.72 times. Under a three-point bending test, indentation and core shear failure played the dominant role for the total failure of a wooden sandwich with Taiji honeycomb core. Typical face yield was not observed due to limited thickness-span ratio of specimens. Large spans weaken the loading level due to the contribution of global bending stress in the compressive skin to indentation failure. A set of analytical equations between mechanical properties and key structure parameters were developed to accurately predict the threshold stresses corresponding to the onset of those deformation events, which offer critical new knowledge for the rational structure design of wooden sandwich composites