Moderating online conferences, Revised Manuscript

While considerable lore has accumulated about effective leadership techniques for groups interacting electronically, until now it has not been systematically presented. This material is culled from the experiences of those who have moderated past online conferences, the knowledge common to the EIES User Consultants, and observed behavior from thousands of conferences convened on EIES in the past. While this is a system-specific guide, the general principles ought to be generalizable to other systems, with different structures for group discussion. Robert Burns put it well: The best laid schemes o\u27 mice and men Gang aft a-gley; An\u27 lea\u27e us nought but grief and pain, For promis\u27d joy. Dashed hopes can be prevented. This manual attempts to synthesize the acquired wisdom by presenting a set of guidelines for the effective facilitation of electronic groups, rather than a list of programmed specifications or conventions. Whether or not a conference is successful depends on the leader\u27s skills, which are both intuitive and learned by experience. The leadership techniques needed to moderate an online conference are significantly different from those appropriate for face-to-face meetings. This is a compendium of lessons learned, written to help the leaders of future conferences. But since the rules change for each group, it is meant only as a set of guidelines. Desirable leadership qualities include sensitivity to the needs of participants, knowledge, persistence, willingness to spend the time and effort, enthusiasm, creativity, and flexibility. Although the ideal leader doesn\u27t exist, successful conferences have proliferated. Many items are not covered here, such as pre-conference preparations, selection of the leader and members, invitations, finances and sponsorship, the mechanics of establishing accounts and conferences, intermediary or follow-up face-to-face meetings, and post-conference implementation. Note that this manual references features on the EIES system, which differ from those of other computer-mediated communication systems

Studies of computer mediated communications systems : a synthesis of the findings

This report is an attempt to collect and synthesize current knowledge about computer-mediated communication systems. It focuses on computerized conferencing systems, for which most evaluational studies have been conducted, and also includes those electronic mail and office support systems for which evaluative information is available. It was made possible only through the participation of the many systems designers and evaluators listed below, who took the time to help to build a common conceptual framework and report their findings in terms of that common framework

Determinants of acceptance of computer mediated communication system

Acceptance of Computer-Mediated communication Systems (CMCS) by managers and professionals corresponds to its incorporation into their daily patterns of communication and work. Acceptance includes at least three inter-related dimensions: amount of use, subjective satisfaction with the process of using the system, and a perception that system use has positive impacts upon productivity. Pre-use and follow-up questionnaires were distributed to 150- 250 new users of four different CMCS. Three are conferencing systems, designed to support group work. They differ in terms of comprehensiveness or complexity of design, and size and nature of the user communities; COM/KOM, a Swedish system with mostly European users, was included to provide a cross-cultural dimension. The fourth system is a commercially available electronic mail system used for internal communication within a single corporation. Users\u27 pre-use expectations are the strongest determinants of learning time, getting to know other people online, and subjective satisfaction with the system interfaces. Satisfaction with CMCS as a mode of communication, particularly for emotional or personal content, is most strongly affected by group-level variables. Those who have not previously communicated (offline) with group members and who do not like or trust them have the most problems with expressive communication via CMCS. Group membership and pre-use expectations in combination are the strongest determinants of amount of system use. The dropout rate varied from zero or 1% for some groups to over 50% for others. Among those who did use the three conferencing systems, the best predictor of cumulative time online at four months is the user\u27s own expectation of the amount of time that would be spent online, made at pre-use. In turn, expected usage is explained by a combination of importance of the online task; convenient access to a terminal, especially at home; and previous lack of regular communication channels with the online group. The pattern for the internal mail system was quite different; regular previous communication with the online group (rather than its absence) is correlated with use. The strongest correlate is an expectation that using the system will be hard; those who thought so simply did not use the electronic mail system. The contrasting pattern of association underscores the quite different functions of the two types of CMCS. Mail systems are used as a supplementary channel of communication to support ongoing communication within an organization. Conferencing system usage is maximized when it represents a new opportunity to communicate with others who were not conveniently available via traditional channels, about an important task. An experimental intervention in training and user support suggests that interactive online tutorials can be an effective learning mechanism and increase time online. The placement of a single personal telephone call offering assistance did not increase amount of use, within the context of the availability of a variety of other sources of information and support. Two factors comprising productivity impacts were identified. PRODUCTive is comprised primarily of improvements in the quantity and quality of work, the overall usefulness of the system, and improvements in the ease of reaching people. CAREER encompasses contributions to long-term and short-term career advancement, and the provision of information and ideas. The strongest correlates of PRODUCTivity improvements, for all four systems, are pre-use expectations about whether the system would increase productivity. The second strongest determinant appears to be the perceived leadership skill of the group moderator or leader. Another group-level variable, the level of satisfaction with previous channels of communication with one another, also significantly adds to predictions of productivity increases as a result of system use. Four process variables play an important part in determining positive productivity outcomes. One is the perceived value of the items contributed by the other group members. Another is time spent online, which is positively related to perceived productivity impacts, once pre-use expectations and motivations have been taken into account. A third is whether or not there were mode problems encountered, and the fourth , how many new people users came to know online. SYSTEM software differences do appear to make a significant impact on whether or not there will be productivity increases; but system enters the stepwise regressions in only fifth or sixth place, or not at all, depending on the combination of candidate variables entered. The best equations for predicting productivity increases are markedly different for the four systems. This is the main impact of software differences: given four basically well designed but quite different CMCS, the social context and software differences will interact to affect the most productive way to use the system. The best overall predictor of whether CMCS use will be seen to lead to CAREER advancement is whether the user was able to adequately express social-emotional content in communications in this mode. For individual systems, the specific variables and factors which are included in the best stepwise multiple regression equation to explain variations in CAREER vary markedly from one system to another, but all the equations include a subjective satisfaction factor in the selected variables. Career advancement depends to a large extent on strengthening and widening personal relationships with a network of peers and hoped-for peers. Thus, it is reasonable that this process was most likely to occur for those users who felt most comfortable and satisfied with the system as a communication mode. Only then is a user likely to go beyond the immediate task-oriented online activities and engage in the kinds of information exchanges and relationship-strengthening exchanges that may be related to general career advancement rather than just the efficient completion of a specific task at hand

Users\u27 manual for the Electronic Information Exchange System

The purpose of this manual is to teach you the simpler parts of the system and make you comfortable with using the one-page User\u27s Guide. As you gain more experience with the system, you may wish to learn some of the advanced features available. But EIES (pronounced eyes ) has been designed so that you don\u27t need to learn more than meets your needs. Since the best way to learn how to use a computer system is by direct experience, don\u27t be discouraged if some of this manual is confusing at first. The most effective way to learn is to try the instructions and see what happens. EIES has been designed to be forgiving : that is, nothing terrible will happen if you make a mistake. Since you can\u27t hurt the system, or easily lose anything, be brave about trying new things! Anyone can become proficient sending messages and participating in conferences after experimenting with the system for two to four hours, and EIES users have ranged in age from 8 to 90. After reading this manual, plan to spend about thirty minutes to an hour practicing logging on and learning to send messages. You\u27ll then know enough to begin messaging other people and participating in conferences. This manual is only an introduction to the simpler parts of EIES, which is a rich and evolving communications system that can be customized and tailored to the specific needs of individuals and groups. Feel free to contact the User Consultants (HELP,110) if you have needs not covered here, since there are a large and growing number of advanced and specialized features available

Use of digital measurement of medication adherence and lung function to guide the management of uncontrolled asthma (INCA Sun):a multicentre, single-blinded, randomised clinical trial

BACKGROUND: The clinical value of using digital tools to assess adherence and lung function in uncontrolled asthma is not known. We aimed to compare treatment decisions guided by digitally acquired data on adherence, inhaler technique, and peak flow with existing methods.METHODS: A 32-week prospective, multicentre, single-blinded, parallel, randomly controlled trial was done in ten severe asthma clinics across Ireland, Northern Ireland, and England. Participants were 18 years or older, had uncontrolled asthma, asthma control test (ACT) score of 19 or less, despite treatment with high-dose inhaled corticosteroids, and had at least one severe exacerbation in the past year despite high-dose inhaled corticosteroids. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the active group or the control group, by means of a computer-generated randomisation sequence of permuted blocks of varying sizes (2, 4, and 6) stratified by fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration and recruitment site. In the control group, participants were masked to their adherence and errors in inhaler technique data. A statistician masked to study allocation did the statistical analysis. After a 1-week run-in period, both groups attended three nurse-led education visits over 8 weeks (day 7, week 4, and week 8) and three physician-led treatment adjustment visits at weeks 8, 20, and 32. In the active group, treatment adjustments during the physician visits were informed by digital data on inhaler adherence, twice daily digital peak expiratory flow (ePEF), patient-reported asthma control, and exacerbation history. Treatment was adjusted in the control group on the basis of pharmacy refill rates (a measure of adherence), asthma control by ACT questionnaire, and history of exacerbations and visual management of inhaler technique. Both groups used a digitally enabled Inhaler Compliance Assessment (INCA) and PEF. The primary outcomes were asthma medication burden measured as proportion of patients who required a net increase in treatment at the end of 32 weeks and adherence rate measured in the last 12 weeks by area under the curve in the intention-to-treat population. The safety analyses included all patients who consented for the trial. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02307669 and is complete.FINDINGS: Between Oct 25, 2015, and Jan 26, 2020, of 425 patients assessed for eligibility, 220 consented to participate in the study, 213 were randomly assigned (n=108 in the active group; n=105 in the control group) and 200 completed the study (n=102 in the active group; n=98 in the control group). In the intention-to-treat analysis at week 32, 14 (14%) active and 31 (32%) control patients had a net increase in treatment compared with baseline (odds ratio [OR] 0·31 [95% CI 0·15-0·64], p=0·0015) and 11 (11%) active and 21 (21%) controls required add-on biological therapy (0·42 [0·19-0·95], p=0·038) adjusted for study site, age, sex, and baseline FeNO. Three (16%) of 19 active and 11 (44%) of 25 control patients increased their medication from fluticasone propionate 500 μg daily to 1000 μg daily (500 μg twice a day; adjusted OR 0·23 [0·06-0·87], p=0·026). 26 (31%) of 83 active and 13 (18%) of 73 controls reduced their medication from fluticasone propionate 1000 μg once daily to 500 μg once daily (adjusted OR 2·43 [1·13-5·20], p=0·022. Week 20-32 actual mean adherence was 64·9% (SD 23·5) in the active group and 55·5% (26·8) in the control group (between-group difference 11·1% [95% CI 4·4-17·9], p=0·0012). A total of 29 serious adverse events were recorded (16 [55%] in the active group, and 13 [45%] in the control group), 11 of which were confirmed as respiratory. None of the adverse events reported were causally linked to the study intervention, to the use of salmeterol-fluticasone inhalers, or the use of the digital PEF or INCA.INTERPRETATION: Evidence-based care informed by digital data led to a modest improvement in medication adherence and a significantly lower treatment burden.FUNDING: Health Research Board of Ireland, Medical Research Council, INTEREG Europe, and an investigator-initiated project grant from GlaxoSmithKline.</p

Genetic epidemiology of motor neuron disease-associated variants in the Scottish population

Genetic understanding of motor neuron disease (MND) has evolved greatly in the past 10 years, including the recent identification of association between MND and variants in TBK1 and NEK1. Our aim was to determine the frequency of pathogenic variants in known MND genes and to assess whether variants in TBK1 and NEK1 contribute to the burden of MND in the Scottish population. SOD1, TARDBP, OPTN, TBK1, and NEK1 were sequenced in 441 cases and 400 controls. In addition to 44 cases known to carry a C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion, we identified 31 cases and 2 controls that carried a loss-of-function or pathogenic variant. Loss-of-function variants were found in TBK1 in 3 cases and no controls and, separately, in NEK1 in 3 cases and no controls. This study provides an accurate description of the genetic epidemiology of MND in Scotland and provides support for the contribution of both TBK1 and NEK1 to MND susceptibility in the Scottish population

Preventing AVF thrombosis: the rationale and design of the Omega-3 fatty acids (Fish Oils) and Aspirin in Vascular access OUtcomes in REnal Disease (FAVOURED) study

Background: Haemodialysis (HD) is critically dependent on the availability of adequate access to the systemic circulation, ideally via a native arteriovenous fistula (AVF). The Primary failure rate of an AVF ranges between 20-54%, due to thrombosis or failure of maturation. There remains limited evidence for the use of anti-platelet agents and uncertainty as to choice of agent(s) for the prevention of AVF thrombosis. We present the study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial examining whether the use of the anti-platelet agents, aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids, either alone or in combination, will effectively reduce the risk of early thrombosis in de novo AVF

The effects of market economy and foreign MNE subsidiaries on the convergence and divergence of HRM

This study explores patterns of human resource management (HRM) practices across market economies, and between indigenous firms and foreign MNE subsidiary operations, offering a novel perspective on convergence and divergence. Applying institutional theorizing to improve our understanding of convergence/ divergence as a process and an outcome, data collected from nine countries at three points in time over a decade confirm that convergence and divergence occur to different extents in a non-linear fashion, and vary depending on the area of HRM practice observed. Patterns of adoption and convergence/ divergence are explained through the effect of institutional constraints, which vary between liberal and coordinated market economies, and between indigenous firms and foreign MNE subsidiaries. The study contributes a more graded conceptualization of convergence/ divergence, which reflects the complex dynamic reality of international business

Phylogenetic ctDNA analysis depicts early-stage lung cancer evolution.

The early detection of relapse following primary surgery for non-small-cell lung cancer and the characterization of emerging subclones, which seed metastatic sites, might offer new therapeutic approaches for limiting tumour recurrence. The ability to track the evolutionary dynamics of early-stage lung cancer non-invasively in circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has not yet been demonstrated. Here we use a tumour-specific phylogenetic approach to profile the ctDNA of the first 100 TRACERx (Tracking Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Evolution Through Therapy (Rx)) study participants, including one patient who was also recruited to the PEACE (Posthumous Evaluation of Advanced Cancer Environment) post-mortem study. We identify independent predictors of ctDNA release and analyse the tumour-volume detection limit. Through blinded profiling of postoperative plasma, we observe evidence of adjuvant chemotherapy resistance and identify patients who are very likely to experience recurrence of their lung cancer. Finally, we show that phylogenetic ctDNA profiling tracks the subclonal nature of lung cancer relapse and metastasis, providing a new approach for ctDNA-driven therapeutic studies

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio