User Acceptance of Virtual Worlds: Towards an Integrative Framework

As a relatively new research area, inquiries into understanding factors which influence the user acceptance of virtual worlds remains an important undertaking. Initial research efforts have been informed largely by theories or frameworks from a rational or utilitarian perspective, such as the technology acceptance model. While results indicate support for the predictive influence of utilitarian factors such as the perceived ease of use in the virtual world context, there is growing recognition that virtual worlds are multi-faceted environments which encompass both utilitarian and hedonic content. This recognition along with the explosive subscriber growth in hedonic virtual worlds such as massively multiplayer online games begs for congruence between the theories and frameworks utilized and the context(s) studied. Drawing from the information systems, marketing, consumer behavior, and gaming literature, we identify 29 factors which may be used to study the user acceptance of virtual worlds. Lastly, we describe a pilot study which investigates the relative predictive power of both utilitarian and hedonic factors with regards to encouraging prospective user participation in virtual worlds. It is hoped that these results will help guide efforts to develop of an integrated framework which provides a richer understanding of the user acceptance of virtual worlds

Offer-of-Judgment Rules and Civil Litigation: An Empirical Study of Automobile Insurance Litigation in the East

Although their express purpose is to adjudicate disputes, courts by their institutional design encourage civil litigants to settle their differences without resorting to trial. Most civil systems impose filing fees, pleading requirements, and a highly formalized presentation of evidence; also, because of crowded civil dockets, courts typically require litigants to wait months, or even years, for their trial date.\u27 For these reasons, and because of the increasing costs of legal representation, it is not surprising that the majority of litigants settle before trial. Notwithstanding these measures, federal courts and most state courts have an additional mechanism to encourage settlement, generally known as an offer-of-judgment rule. Following the leads of Minnesota, Montana, and New York, the Supreme Court promulgated Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 68 (hereinafter Rule 68 ) in 1937. Briefly stated, the rule allows a defending party-at her discretion-to submit a formal settlement offer to the court as well as to the claimant. If the plaintiff does not accept the offer and does not ultimately recover an amount greater than the proposed settlement, then she is required to pay the defendant\u27s post-offer court costs

Offer-of-Judgment Rules and Civil Litigation: An Empirical Study of Automobile Insurance Litigation in the East

Although their express purpose is to adjudicate disputes, courts by their institutional design encourage civil litigants to settle their differences without resorting to trial. Most civil systems impose filing fees, pleading requirements, and a highly formalized presentation of evidence; also, because of crowded civil dockets, courts typically require litigants to wait months, or even years, for their trial date.\u27 For these reasons, and because of the increasing costs of legal representation, it is not surprising that the majority of litigants settle before trial. Notwithstanding these measures, federal courts and most state courts have an additional mechanism to encourage settlement, generally known as an offer-of-judgment rule. Following the leads of Minnesota, Montana, and New York, the Supreme Court promulgated Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 68 (hereinafter Rule 68 ) in 1937. Briefly stated, the rule allows a defending party-at her discretion-to submit a formal settlement offer to the court as well as to the claimant. If the plaintiff does not accept the offer and does not ultimately recover an amount greater than the proposed settlement, then she is required to pay the defendant\u27s post-offer court costs

Enocuraging Participation: Facilitators and Inhibitors of Virtual World Acceptance

Much of the promise implicit in virtual worlds depends on a critical mass of virtual world users, making it important to understand how to encourage individuals to participate in virtual worlds. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose an integrative and parsimonious theoretical framework that is specific to virtual world acceptance. As many existing technology acceptance models have been focused primarily on utilitarian technologies, these models may not be sufficient to explain individual acceptance of virtual worlds because of their unique nature; specifically, virtual worlds may be viewed as both hedonic and utilitarian technologies. Based upon the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and a deep literature review of hedonic influences on acceptance, we parsimoniously identify potential constructs influential in virtual world acceptance by analyzing quantitative and qualitative data using a survey research method designed to elicit feedback from potential adopters. Our proposed model extends UTAUT to include hedonic influences as well as integrating an unexpected finding; acknowledging the role of inhibitors in virtual world acceptance

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Use of Statins Is Associated with a Reduced Incidence of Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma

Purpose: Laboratory studies have suggested that statins may have useful anti-cancer effects against Barrett’s epithelial cancer lines. A variety of effects have been reported in clinical studies. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between statin use and the development of oesophageal cancer. Multiple databases were searched for studies reporting the association of statin use and oesophageal cancer. Meta-analysis on the relationship between statin use and cancer incidence was performed. Results: Twenty publications met eligibility criteria, yielding 22 datasets for meta-analysis. All were observational studies. Population-level studies included 372,206 cancer cases and 6,086,906 controls. Studies examining adenocarcinoma development in Barrett’s oesophagus included 1057 cancers and 17,741 controls. In patients with Barrett’s oesophagus, statin use was associated with a reduced incidence of adenocarcinoma (pooled adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.59 (95% confidence intervals 0.50–0.68)), with no heterogeneity between 11 studies. Population-based studies demonstrated more heterogeneity but showed that statin use was associated with a lower incidence of both oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OR 0.57 (0.43–0.76)) and all oesophageal cancers (OR 0.82 (0.7–0.88)). Information on statin type, dose, and duration was reported too infrequently for statistical analysis but individual studies showed a tendency to a dose- and duration-dependant decrease in cancer incidence. Conclusions: Statin use is associated with a significantly lower incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma. This is seen in both Barrett’s cohorts and general populations. Further studies should focus on drug, dose, and duration and the interaction with other risk and preventative factors

Control of Impurity Phase Segregation in a PdCrO2_2/CuCrO2_2 Heterostructure

PdCrO$_2$ films are synthesized on CuCrO$_2$ buffer layers on Al$_2$O$_3$ substrates. This synthesis is accompanied by impurity phase segregation, which hampers the synthesis of high quality PdCrO$_2$ films. The potential causes of impurity phase segregation were studied by using a combination of experiments and ab initio calculations. X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy experiments revealed impurity phases of Cu$_x$Pd$_{1-x}$ alloy and chromium oxides, Cr$_2$O$_3$ and Cr$_3$O$_4$, in PdCrO$_2$. Calculations determined that oxygen deficiency can cause the impurity phase segregation. Therefore, preventing oxygen release from delafossites could suppress the impurity phase segregation. The amounts of Cr$_2$O$_3$ and Cr$_3$O$_4$ depend differently on temperature and oxygen partial pressure. A reasonable theory-based explanation for this experimental observation is provided