The development and test of a relationship model on system use, job learning, and impact

This exploratory study examined the role of job learning on the relationship between information systems use and impact. Data from 308 end-users were analyzed to evaluate the relationship between systems use, job learning, and technology impact. System use was conceptualized as decision support, work integration, and customer service. Technology impact was conceptualized as effect on management control, task innovation, task productivity, and customer satisfaction. Two sets of hypotheses are presented for these relationships. Results suggest that the pattern of system use significantly and positively influenced job learning. Job learning was found to significantly and positively influence technology impact. We theorize that individuals learned about their job as a result of systems usage. In turn, job learning influenced technology impact. The study findings are discussed

Understanding the Influence of Blog on the Development of Social Capital

The rapid use and application of blogs in diverse areas such as education, marketing, journalism, and human resource management in recent years underlines the need for a better understanding of the impact of this new technology on social capital. Social capital reflects the norm of reciprocity and the level of trust among individuals who connect, interact, and benefit from one another. Blog is expected to influence the extent and the scope of this interaction by providing new means of networking among people. This paper examines the relationship between blog use and social capital and reports on the results of an exploratory study that examines this relationship using survey data from 326 blog users. Results suggest a significant and positive impact of blog use on social capital and its components: social connections, reciprocity, and trust. Implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed

Optimum Design and Construction of Hydraulic Sections of Parabolic Water Transmitting Channels using the Harris Hawks Optimization Algorithm

Channels have various types of cross-sectional shapes, including trapezoidal, rectangular, semi-circular, parabolic, chain-curved, semi-cubic parabolic, egg-shaped, and circular as the most common shapes. A channel designer has many design options in different conditions, including hydraulic, economic, and hydrological conditions, leakage, etc. Among the above-mentioned sections, the first two have a horizontal bottom while the other sections are curve-shaped with bottom curvature. The primary goal in the design of hydraulic channels is to achieve the maximum flow capacity considering the minimum channel construction cost. A variety of studies has been conducted on the different types of hydraulic channels so far, each dealing with the subject from a certain perspective. However, most of the studies have focused on circular, rectangular and trapezoidal channels. This study has focused on the parabolic channel. Genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) or GRG algorithms and their combination are usually used for optimization. However, this research adopts a novel and updated meta-heuristic algorithm, namely the Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO) algorithm, to optimize the parabolic channel with a fixed roughness coefficient and determine the optimal dimensions of the channel with different flow rates. This channel uses different flow rates, namely 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 m3/s to solve the optimization problem. Finally, it was found that the lowest construction cost and the highest efficiency for water supply is achieved with a roughness coefficient of 0.015 and a flow rate of 100 m3/s

IT OFFSHORING: History, Prospects and Challenges

Offshore provision of IS/IT related services has been growing rapidly in recent years and seems firmly set to continue. This trend is fueled by the many advantages of offshore service procurement; however, there are dangers in this practice. Furthermore, offshoring requires adaptation of the IS function and IS management. This, in turn suggests the need for modifications of IS curricula in order to prepare graduates for the new environment. The advantages of offshoring are those of outsourcing in general – cost saving and allowing the organization to focus on its core activities. The main dangers include loss of possibly-important business skills and reliance on remote suppliers who face risks that are unfamiliar to the client firm. The loss of jobs due to offshoring also introduces political considerations. Offshore IS activities are generally the responsibility of an organization’s CIO. This management responsibility requires awareness of cultural and legal differences and of risks associated with offshoring and outsourcing in general. Offshoring has an effect on job opportunities for graduates of information systems programs. The number of some jobs will shrink, but new positions with new responsibilities are likely to emerge. Training of students in the U.S. and other countries in the developed world to function in an environment of offshored operations will introduce new IS roles and skills and require the adaptations of IS curricula

Immunohistochemical Assessment of Inflammation and Regeneration in Morphine-Dependent Rat Brain

Background: Opioids are amongst the most common abused drugs. Pathologic studies on opioid abuse are limited since the evaluation of inflammation and regeneration in brain tissue is not as simple as other tissues of the body. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between the dependence on morphine and inflammatory and regenerative processes. Methods: In this experimental study, 48 male wistar rats were divided into 6 groups. The dependent groups (3 groups) received 0.4 mg/ml morphine in drinking water for 7, 28, and 56 days. The control groups (3 groups) received sucrose solution in drinking water for the same period. The histopathological studies of the brain sample were done. The slides were stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining method. The areas of brain were evaluated in terms of lymphocytic infiltration and glial scar. Findings: A significant difference was observed in the mean number of cells in the glial scar of the dependent group 3 (dependent for 56 days) among the control group (P = 0.040). Further, a significant relationship was reported between the increased duration of morphine use and the number of created scar glial cells. Furthermore, a significant increase in the number of astrocytes was observed in the affected areas. Conclusion: After long-term use, opioids can result in increased number of astrocytes and creating glial scar centers in the affected areas in response to the inflammation

Fabrication of a Novel and Ultrasensitive Label-Free Electrochemical Aptasensor Based on Gold Nanostructure for Detection of Homocysteine

The current attempt was made to detect the amino acid homocysteine (HMC) using an electrochemical aptasensor. A high-specificity HMC aptamer was used to fabricate an Au nanostructured/carbon paste electrode (Au-NS/CPE). HMC at high blood concentration (hyperhomocysteinemia) can be associated with endothelial cell damage leading to blood vessel inflammation, thereby possibly resulting in atherogenesis leading to ischemic damage. Our proposed protocol was to selectively immobilize the aptamer on the gate electrode with a high affinity to the HMC. The absence of a clear alteration in the current due to common interferants (methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys)) indicated the high specificity of the sensor. The aptasensor was successful in sensing HMC ranging between 0.1 and 30 μM, with a narrow limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.03 μM

Medium term load forecasting in distribution systems based on multi linear regression & principal component analysis: A novel approach: A novel approach

An accurate medium term load forecast (MTLF) is essential for expansion planning studies of distribution systems. Also the mid-term electric load as a function of time has a complex nonlinear behavior which makes the ordinary linear prediction methods seems insufficient. In this paper, a combination of multi linear regression and principle components analysis is used to predict weekly electrical peak load of Yazd city distribution system. According to the prediction results, main benefits of proposed method are simplicity of calculations and high accuracy forecasting for multi-horizon predictions. MATLAB© is used to implement the forecaster model

Medium term load forecasting in distribution systems based on multi linear regression & principal component analysis: A novel approach:A novel approach

An accurate medium term load forecast (MTLF) is essential for expansion planning studies of distribution systems. Also the mid-term electric load as a function of time has a complex nonlinear behavior which makes the ordinary linear prediction methods seems insufficient. In this paper, a combination of multi linear regression and principle components analysis is used to predict weekly electrical peak load of Yazd city distribution system. According to the prediction results, main benefits of proposed method are simplicity of calculations and high accuracy forecasting for multi-horizon predictions. MATLAB© is used to implement the forecaster model

Comparative transcriptome provides molecular insight into defense-associated mechanisms against spider mite in resistant and susceptible common bean cultivars.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a major source of proteins and one of the most important edible foods for more than three hundred million people in the world. The common bean plants are frequently attacked by spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch), leading to a significant decrease in plant growth and economic performance. The use of resistant cultivars and the identification of the genes involved in plant-mite resistance are practical solutions to this problem. Hence, a comprehensive study of the molecular interactions between resistant and susceptible common bean cultivars and spider mite can shed light into the understanding of mechanisms and biological pathways of resistance. In this study, one resistant (Naz) and one susceptible (Akhtar) cultivars were selected for a transcriptome comparison at different time points (0, 1 and 5 days) after spider mite feeding. The comparison of cultivars in different time points revealed several key genes, which showed a change increase in transcript abundance via spider mite infestation. These included genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis process; a conserved MYB-bHLH-WD40 (MBW) regulatory complex; transcription factors (TFs) TT2, TT8, TCP, Cys2/His2-type and C2H2-type zinc finger proteins; the ethylene response factors (ERFs) ERF1 and ERF9; genes related to metabolism of auxin and jasmonic acid (JA); pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and heat shock proteins