This paper presents early findings of a study on how users appropriate a computerised mobile system designed to administer service orders. The theoretical lens used was Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) and focused on Structural Features, Spirit and Appropriation of Structure. In order to accomplish the purpose, two aspects were to be considered: the system’s structure and the user’s appropriati

File-sharing has become synonym with the “digital economy” where large music conglomerates as well as certain artist voice strong concern over the impact on their bottom line. This research analyzes the music industry, which has been heavily impacted by a major technological shift i.e. the invention, and rollout, of the Internet. We look to the technological shift that has enabled the downloading

The recent years of rapid development of mobile technologies creates opportunities for new user-groups in the mobile workforce to take advantage of in-formation systems (IS). However, to apprehend and harness these opportunities for mobile IS it is crucial to fully understand the user group and the mobile tech-nology. In this paper we deductively, from previous research on aspects on mobili-ty, sy

Investigations on remote temperature sensing of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) at the surface and at the bond-coat/top-coat interface were carried out. Using Y2O3:Eu thermographic phosphor as an embedded temperature sensing layer, sub-surface temperature probing through 300 μm of atmospheric plasma sprayed YSZ is demonstrated. The Y2O3:Eu thermographic phosphor di

The concluding study offers reflections and a synthetic analysis of all the studies in the casebook, presented from the perspective of a "first reader". The pattern of external factors, editorial challenges, methodologies and forms of presentation is discussed. It offers an interpretation of how the body of case studies manifest a wide spectrum of methodologies. The case studies are categorized th

With the triumph of the codex, medieval literature became more deeply hermeneutic in character. A vast range of texts, in various languages and genres, were not only copied with the commentaries and glosses of ancient tradition, but also underwent continuous reworking and transformation. Indeed, the very act of transcribing texts into a manuscript was often an incentive to rewrite them. This pract

Background: Vascular risk factors are increasing rapidly in the Middle East. Growing inactivity and obesity have contributed to an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in the Arab population. Microvascular palsies of the third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerves, which occur in an isolated manner, are relatively common in patients with DM, hypertension, or other vascular risk factors. Methods:

Background: The spatial peaks QRS-T (SPQRS-T) angle differentiates hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients from controls. Increased angle confers arrhythmia risk in other populations. Hypothesis: We predict that the SPQRS-T angle will identify HCM patients with sustained ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and those with New York Heart Association class III/IV heart failure. Methods: Corrected QT int

What accounts for the differences in the economic performance across Italian regions in the post-Unification period? This thesis seeks to explain the regional patterns of economic development and industrialization in Italy in the period 1871-1911 by applying various Economic Geography models. The first part follows Overman and Puga (2002) and studies the distribution of industrial employment acros

Italy has been characterized, throughout its unitary history, by large regional differentials in income, level of industrialization, and development. This article aims at testing the New Economic Geography hypothesis on the role of market access in explaining these regional differentials. We first quantify the market potentials of the Italian regions. We then use these estimates to study the causa

Presented here is a novel and efficient method used to improve carrier mobilities of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)-based organic field effect transistors by means of nanowire formation. The treatment, termed solvation, consists of depositing a small quantity of a solvent directly on top of a previously deposited semiconducting film, and allowing the solvent to evaporate slowly. Such treatment resu

This study is aimed at clarifying the microscopic mechanisms that determine a pronounced asymmetry of plastic deformation with respect to tension and compression in magnesium alloys, even having a random texture. The specific object of the present investigation is the Mg-Zn-Zr alloy ZK60. The mechanisms in question are based on a synergistic interplay between dislocation slip and deformation twinn

Creating bimodal grain size distribution in crystalline materials is an effective strategy to improve structural efficiency. Present investigation demonstrates that further control over topology through the formation of bimodal 'harmonic' structure simultaneously increases average values of strength and ductility, reduces the variation of corresponding properties, and thwarts the localization of p

The effects of annealing on the microstructure, texture, tensile properties, and R value evolution of an IF steel sheet after room-temperature symmetric and asymmetric rolling were examined. Simulations were carried out to obtain R values from the experimental textures using the viscoplastic self-consistent polycrystal plasticity model. The investigation revealed the variations in the textures due