How are public sector organizations assessing their IT investments and benefits-An understanding of issues for Benchmarking

Despite the growing IT spending by public sector organizations, evaluation of IT investments still presents a major problem for these organizations. A survey of the top 500 Australian public sector organizations and the in-depth case studies of three Australian public sector organizations were conducted. The main purpose of the study was to examine the key issues of IT investment evaluation and benefits realization in public sector organizations. The results indicated that effective deployment of appropriate IT investment evaluation methodology and benefits realization methodology are critical to the successful outcomes for IT project. A number of key IT evaluation issues were also identified: user satisfaction, top management support, change management, and user involvement

A model to develop effective virtual teams

A reviewof the literature shows the factors that impact on the effectiveness of virtual teams arestill ambiguous. To address this problem we developed a research design that included a metaanalysisof the literature, a field experiment and survey. The meta-analysis identified factorswhich impact on the effectiveness of virtual teams which were then validated by a fieldexperiment and survey. The results of the study indicate that social dimensional factors need tobe considered early on in the virtual team creation process and are critical to the effectivenessof the team. Communication is a tool that directly influences the social dimensions of the teamand in addition the performance of the team has a positive impact on satisfaction with thevirtual team. A major contribution of the paper is an integrated model of factors that contributeto virtual team effectiveness

How Do Virtual Teams Work- A Social Relationship Model By SEM

Virtual teams have been brought the need for organizations to improve the performance of virtual teams. Among these key issues to be successful, social dimensions have been catching researchers and mangers’ attentions. Hence, this study derives a preliminary social relationship model from Powell et al’s (2004) virtual team framework and conduct an experiment to validate it by SEM. The results reveal: (1) Communication has a positive impact on relationship building; (2) Relationship building has a positive impact on cohesion; (3) Relationship building has a positive impact on trust; (4) cohesion and trust have positive impacts on performance

Evaluation Issues in Managing and Realizing Benefits in B2BEC/IT Investments

Organizations have invested substantial amount of financial resources in information technology (IT) over the last few decades. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the impact of IT investment evaluation processes and practices in these organizations. This study extends the Limits-to-Value model to examine the relationship between the levels of IT maturity and the adoption of IT investment evaluation and benefits realization methodologies as well as their effects on B2BEC benefits. The study has found that IT maturity has a direct positive relationship with the adoption of these evaluation methodologies. A number of issues and problems have also emerged from the analysis of the data collected. These findings will assist organizations in making better evaluation of B2BEC/IT investment

Dynamic detection of electron spin accumulation in ferromagnet-semiconductor devices by ferromagnetic resonance

A distinguishing feature of spin accumulation in ferromagnet-semiconductor devices is precession of the non-equilibrium spin population of the semiconductor in a magnetic field. This is the basis for detection techniques such as the Hanle effect, but these approaches become less effective as the spin lifetime in the semiconductor decreases. For this reason, no electrical Hanle measurement has been demonstrated in GaAs at room temperature. We show here that by forcing the magnetization in the ferromagnet (the spin injector and detector) to precess at the ferromagnetic resonance frequency, an electrically generated spin accumulation can be detected from 30 to 300 K. At low temperatures, the distinct Larmor precession of the spin accumulation in the semiconductor can be detected by ferromagnetic resonance in an oblique field. We verify the effectiveness of this new spin detection technique by comparing the injection bias and temperature dependence of the measured spin signal to the results obtained using traditional methods. We further show that this new approach enables a measurement of short spin lifetimes (< 100 psec), a regime that is not accessible in semiconductors using traditional Hanle techniques.Comment: 4 figure

Functional Graph Contrastive Learning of Hyperscanning EEG Reveals Emotional Contagion Evoked by Stereotype-Based Stressors

This study delves into the intricacies of emotional contagion and its impact on performance within dyadic interactions. Specifically, it focuses on the context of stereotype-based stress (SBS) during collaborative problem-solving tasks among female pairs. Through an exploration of emotional contagion, this study seeks to unveil its underlying mechanisms and effects. Leveraging EEG-based hyperscanning technology, we introduced an innovative approach known as the functional Graph Contrastive Learning (fGCL), which extracts subject-invariant representations of neural activity patterns from feedback trials. These representations are further subjected to analysis using the Dynamic Graph Classification (DGC) model, aimed at dissecting the process of emotional contagion along three independent temporal stages. The results underscore the substantial role of emotional contagion in shaping the trajectories of participants' performance during collaborative tasks in the presence of SBS conditions. Overall, our research contributes invaluable insights into the neural underpinnings of emotional contagion, thereby enriching our comprehension of the complexities underlying social interactions and emotional dynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, 5 table

The Proline Regulatory Axis and Cancer

Studies in metabolism and cancer have characterized changes in core pathways involving glucose and glutamine, emphasizing the provision of substrates for building cell mass. But recent findings suggest that pathways previously considered peripheral may play a critical role providing mechanisms for cell regulation. Several of these mechanisms involve the metabolism of non-essential amino acids, for example, the channeling of glycolytic intermediates into the serine pathway for one-carbon transfers. Historically, we proposed that the proline biosynthetic pathway participated in a metabolic interlock with glucose metabolism. The discovery that proline degradation is activated by p53 directed our attention to the initiation of apoptosis by proline oxidase/dehydrogenase. Now, however, we find that the biosynthetic mechanisms and the metabolic interlock may depend on the pathway from glutamine to proline, and it is markedly activated by the oncogene MYC. These findings add a new dimension to the proline regulatory axis in cancer and present attractive potential targets for cancer treatment