How do teams complete tasks in virtual worlds? Toward an iterative process of task completion

Given the unique affordances of virtual worlds, it is important to study how teams function in such environments to complete tasks. One framework that has been used to understand how teams function is the punctuated equilibrium (PE) model, which provides an explanation for how teams complete tasks in a temporal frame, but falls short in explaining why teams carry out processes in certain ways. Preliminary analysis of data collected from 84 teams performing a complex decision-making task in the virtual world of Second Life shows evidence for the PE model. However, there is also evidence of unique social and contextual affordances of virtual worlds that enable members to use boundary objects and revise individual and shared mental models as they interact. Based on these preliminary results, we hope to arrive at a model of how teams complete tasks in virtual worlds

A Phenomenological Inquiry of Virtual Worlds

In synthetic worlds, such as Second Life, World of Warcraft, or SIMS, the dichotomy between reality and virtuality still remains one of the unsolved philosophical inquiries of our time. There remains skepticism regarding the value of virtual experiences versus those of real life. This research presents a starting point for an ethical discourse on the technology of virtual worlds and addresses two questions: What are unique affordances of virtual worlds? And, what are the ethical implications that emerge due to these unique affordances? Four unique affordances of the technology of virtual worlds - self-expression, co-experience, co-creation, and crowd-sourcing, are identified. Questions from positivist, social-constructivist, and phenomenological perspectives of ethics are recognized and preliminary phenomenological insights of societal pressures contributing to the emergence of virtual worlds are ascertained. This research attempts to analyze virtual worlds from multiple ethical perspectives, starting with a broad phenomenological inquiry within which subsequent impact and discovery studies can be framed. Understanding the societal attitudes and moods that make technologies necessary and valuable help uncover the interests and constraints they embody as well as their potential impacts

The Socialness of Virtual Worlds

The intent of this paper is to explore the implications of the social aspects enabled by virtual world technology on an individual’s intention to use the technology. We identify variables such as social awareness, social interaction, and social quality that may play an important role. We test our research model by means of a controlled laboratory experiment conducted in a virtual world, Second Life. The results show that perceived social interactions and social awareness positively influence the cognitive absorption that an individual feels when using virtual worlds. These are influenced by an individual’s social skills, and his/her perception of the social quality of the technology. Cognitive absorption in turn significantly predicts outcomes such as the satisfaction with, and the intention to return to the virtual world

IT Assimilation: Conceptualization and Measurement

This study examines a new construct—IT Assimilation—that is pertinent to the discourse on information security. We define IT Assimilation as the incorporation of enterprise IT into an individual’s IT repertoire, and then use a multi-phase methodological approach to develop and test our construct. Our findings provide valuable insights about transferring IT behaviors and potential takeaways for researchers and practitioners in cybersecurity

Using Information Systems in Innovation Networks: Uncovering Network Resources

In order to innovate, firms progressively combine complementary abilities through forming networks. Such innovation networks represent temporary assemblages of partners that, in collaboration, pursue new product developments. Existing theories suggest that successful participation in such networks depends on firms’ having certain firm-level dynamic capabilities (i.e., skill in sensing the network and its environment, learning about the network, and coordinating and integrating individual resources across the network). In this paper, we argue that firms also have to develop particular networking capabilities (i.e., they have to understand who they are partnering with, what each partner can contribute, and how exactly each partner can cooperate with others across the network). We show that inter-organizational information systems (IS) are vital for facilitating the development of these networking capabilities. IS are also vital in developing unique constellations of resources (i.e., physical, human, and organizational resources) that we term IS-embedded network resources. These resources are manifested in the IS and are unique to the innovation network because they go beyond resources at the firm level. Using three innovation networks as case studies, we provide empiric evidence on how IS support networking capabilities to arrive at unique resource constellations embedded in IS and how the set of IS-embedded network resources is a determining factor for competitive advantage in innovation networks

Consumer IT at Work: Development and Test of an IT Empowerment Model

The consumerization of IT is gaining momentum. Employees bring their smartphones, notebooks and tablets into the workplace—and with these devices, a growing toolbox of applications. Google Apps, Skype, Dropbox and many others emerge, often pushing aside technologies provided by the IT department. In bypassing the IT department employees seize the power to decide which IT tool best fits their job need. In this study, we define and explicate the concept of IT empowerment, i.e., the level of authority an employee assumes in utilizing IT in order to control or improve aspects of his job, and test the resultant model in the context of IT consumerization. Surveying 529 employees, we find support for a multi-faceted construct, consisting of IT meaning, IT competency, IT self-determination and IT impact. We also find evidence that IT empowerment is a strong precursor for explaining the level of consumer IT adoption within the organization

A cross-sectional study on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy at peri-urban areas in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Vaccination is a potential public health solution for the prevention of infection. It reduces the severity of symptoms in case of COVID-19. Despite the availability of vaccines, some people are hesitant to be vaccinated. The objectives of the study were to measure the proportion of vaccine hesitancy among the peri-urban population and identify its determinants. An adult population of 303 from two peri-urban areas in the field practice area of Urban Health Training Centre, Rama Medical College were interviewed from 22nd February 2021 to 25th March 2021. Epicollect 5 was used for collecting data and STATA 16 was used for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to compute the adjusted odd ratio (95% confidence interval) to find out the determinants of vaccine hesitancy. Three Cs model guided tools of data collection and analyses. More than one fourth (28%) of the participants were vaccine-hesitant whereas 34.6% of participants had no confidence in the vaccine. Other reasons were complacency (40.6%) and convenience (35.9%). Vaccine hesitancy was significantly associated with gender [AOR = 2.40 (1.12-5.16)] and trust in government [AOR = 0.18 (0.08-0.45)] but no association with age group, political affiliation and source of information about the vaccine.  It is important to build the trust of people in vaccines, make it convenient and resolve the issues that are making them complacent. The health system needs to involve non-governmental organisations to reach out to those for whom there are issues of availability and approach

Molecular profiling of ETS and non‐ETS aberrations in prostate cancer patients from northern India

BACKGROUNDMolecular stratification of prostate cancer (PCa) based on genetic aberrations including ETS or RAF gene‐rearrangements, PTEN deletion, and SPINK1 over‐expression show clear prognostic and diagnostic utility. Gene rearrangements involving ETS transcription factors are frequent pathogenetic somatic events observed in PCa. Incidence of ETS rearrangements in Caucasian PCa patients has been reported, however, occurrence in Indian population is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the ETS and RAF kinase gene rearrangements, SPINK1 over‐expression, and PTEN deletion in this cohort.METHODSIn this multi‐center study, formalin‐fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) PCa specimens (n = 121) were procured from four major medical institutions in India. The tissues were sectioned and molecular profiling was done using immunohistochemistry (IHC), RNA in situ hybridization (RNA‐ISH) and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).RESULTSERG over‐expression was detected in 48.9% (46/94) PCa specimens by IHC, which was confirmed in a subset of cases by FISH. Among other ETS family members, while ETV1 transcript was detected in one case by RNA‐ISH, no alteration in ETV4 was observed. SPINK1 over‐expression was observed in 12.5% (12/96) and PTEN deletion in 21.52% (17/79) of the total PCa cases. Interestingly, PTEN deletion was found in 30% of the ERG‐positive cases (P = 0.017) but in only one case with SPINK1 over‐expression (P = 0.67). BRAF and RAF1 gene rearrangements were detected in ∼1% and ∼4.5% of the PCa cases, respectively.CONCLUSIONSThis is the first report on comprehensive molecular profiling of the major spectrum of the causal aberrations in Indian men with PCa. Our findings suggest that ETS gene rearrangement and SPINK1 over‐expression patterns in North Indian population largely resembled those observed in Caucasian population but differed from Japanese and Chinese PCa patients. The molecular profiling data presented in this study could help in clinical decision‐making for the pursuit of surgery, diagnosis, and in selection of therapeutic intervention. Prostate 75:1051–1062, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. The Prostate, published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111808/1/pros22989.pd

Strong impact of TGF-β1 gene polymorphisms on breast cancer risk in Indian women: a case-control and population-based study

Introduction: TGF-β1 is a multi-functional cytokine that plays an important role in breast carcinogenesis. Critical role of TGF-β1 signaling in breast cancer progression is well documented. Some TGF-β1 polymorphisms influence its expression; however, their impact on breast cancer risk is not clear. Methods: We analyzed 1222 samples in a candidate gene-based genetic association study on two distantly located and ethnically divergent case-control groups of Indian women, followed by a population-based genetic epidemiology study analyzing these polymorphisms in other Indian populations. The c.29C>T (Pro10Leu, rs1982073 or rs1800470) and c.74G>C (Arg25Pro, rs1800471) polymorphisms in the TGF-β1 gene were analyzed using direct DNA sequencing, and peripheral level of TGF-β1 were measured by ELISA. Results: c.29C>T substitution increased breast cancer risk, irrespective of ethnicity and menopausal status. On the other hand, c.74G>C substitution reduced breast cancer risk significantly in the north Indian group (p  =  0.0005) and only in the pre-menopausal women. The protective effect of c.74G>C polymorphism may be ethnicity-specific, as no association was seen in south Indian group. The polymorphic status of c.29C>T was comparable among Indo-Europeans, Dravidians and Tibeto-Burmans. Interestingly, we found that Tibeto-Burmans lack polymorphism at c.74G>C locus as true for the Chinese populations. However, the Brahmins of Nepal (Indo-Europeans) showed polymorphism in 2.08% of alleles. Mean TGF-β1 was significantly elevated in patients in comparison to controls (p<0.001). Conclusion: c.29C>T and c.74G>C polymorphisms in the TGF-β1 gene significantly affect breast cancer risk, which correlates with elevated TGF-β1 level in the patients. The c.29C>T locus is polymorphic across ethnically different populations, but c.74G>C locus is monomorphic in Tibeto-Burmans and polymorphic in other Indian populations