The evolution of information systems development approach

The approach to information systems development is changing. A new approach, prototyping, is gaining popularity among practitioners in the field. Twelve information systems development projects using the prototyping approach were studied. For each project, the project manager and at least one systems analyst were interviewed. The underlying premises for prototyping and the interview findings concerning the advantages, practicability, and organizational requirements of prototyping are discussed in this article. With growing experience in the use of the approach and the broader availability of powerful software tools, it is timely to consider using prototyping for information systems development.

OFFICE WORK

Office work has grown explosively in this century. Once a small occupational category, office work now includes about 40 percent of the American work force. Yet office work continues to be “the familiar unknown”: we worry about its growing size, we are concerned about its productivity, and we design systems to improve it; but our real knowledge of what goes on in the office is very shallow. This article discusses only a few of the many subtle facets of office work that vendors and users must understand to meet the needs of this attractive, but difficult market.

Achieving the potential of decision support systems

The notion of “decision support systems” (DSS) has entered the lexicon of strategic management in recent years. Practitioner‐oriented planning journals now carry numerous advertisements for commercially available “decision support systems.” The research literature has also begun to address the topic of strategic DSS (e.g.,[15, 24]).

The MIS area

Management Information Systems has evolved as an area in which teaching and research is common. In order to consolidate advances made to date in this area and to meet new and significant challenges, a number of problems must be overcome. This paper identifies and discusses the problems, suggests methods for their solution, and concludes by looking toward future opportunities for the area.

MIS and the behavioral sciences

Many of the questions of concern to information system (IS) researchers and practitioners are, in essence, behavioral questions. Behavioral considerations in the design and implementation of information systems and in the management of IS professionals are crucial to the successful development and delivery of quality services to users. Implementation of IS may provide a beneficial means to facilitate changes in task design, organizational structure, and social relations. Guidance for interpreting past MIS behavioral research and suggestions for future studies are provided by a proposed research framework. The importance of adopting behavioral science research standards, e.g., theory-based research questions and appropriate methodology, is stressed.

Does testicular mass always require orchiectomy?

Surgical exploration of a testicular mass should follow the basic principles of cancer surgery, including an inguinal approach, occlusion of the spermatic vessels, opening of the tunica vaginalis, and careful exploration of the testicle, epididymis, paratesticular structures, and spermatic cord. In a very few patients, when intratesticular lesion is small and moveable and can be seen through the tunica albuginea, and if there is a long history of scrotal mass, then the tunica albuginea should be opened and intratesticular exploration performed. The opening of the tunica albuginea should be opened and intratesticular exploration performed. The opening of the tunica albuginea does not violate the principles of cancer surgery, and for a few selected cases can prevent unnecessary orchiectomy. The incision of the tunica albuginea should no longer represent a surgical taboo to the urologist. Six cases of rare, benign intratesticular tumors are presented along with a rare indication for intratesticular exploration and testicle-preserving surgery.

Six models for the social accountability of computing

This paper briefly examines six public policy strategies for including the "social accountability of computing". "Social accountability" denotes ways of organizing computer specialists, organized groups that develop, manufacture, sell or use computer-based systems, and their markets, so that the broader public is well served. The six models which are examined here include:1. Market arrangements2. Administrative authority3. Professional control4. Regulatory commissions to administer legislative acts5. Judical enforcement and review of legislative acts6. Citizen actionEach is applicable to a different context in which computer-based services are provided. And collectively, they span the set of policy instruments available in liberal democracies. While these models have been extensively developed and examined in a variety of settings, their appropriateness for computing is usually tacitly assumed, rather than grounded in careful analyses. Upon close inspection, each model is found to have severe problems in either its practical effectiveness or its appropriateness for computing.

The social dynamics of instrumental computer use

During the last three decades, computing has far surpassed its early role as a laboratory device for scientific computation. Computers are presently used for a wide array of purposes. In most of its uses it is portrayed as a problem-solving <u>tool</u> and as a material or intellectual object. Despite continuing technical advances, computer use is still costly in its demands for attention and special skills by people (instrumental users) who try to use it to further their own work, whether they program or not. These problems occur because much computer use is inextricably embedded in a complex set of problematic social relationships between groups of service providers and consumers. In particular, serious and continual use of computing forces users to attend to issues associated with:1. The work setting of computer use;2. Understanding the capabilities of computing;3. The scope and rate of technical change;4. Insuring that data is accurate, complete, and timely;5. Control over computing resources;6. The overall time that attention to these social and technical issues require.The opportunities and problems of instrumental computer use vary when users utilize different technologies and different organizational arrangements for supporting them. However, as software and hardware developments progress, the social arrangements of computer use will increasingly dominate the attention of users.

Metal substitutions incarbonic anhydrase: a halide ion probe study

Monitoring of the mental health status of the population and assessment of its determinants are 2 of the most relevant pillars of public mental health, and data from population health surveys could be instrumental to support them. Although these surveys could be an important and suitable resource for these purposes, due to different limitations and challenges, they are often relegated to the background behind other data sources, such as electronic health records. These limitations and challenges include those related to measurement properties and cross-cultural validity of the tools used for the assessment of mental disorders, their degree of representativeness, and possible difficulties in the linkage with other data sources. Successfully addressing these limitations could significantly increase the potential of health surveys in the monitoring of mental disorders and ultimately maximize the impact of the relevant policies to reduce their burden at the population level. The widespread use of data from population health surveys, ideally linked to electronic health records data, would enhance the quality of the information available for research, public mental health decision-making, and ultimately addressing the growing burden of mental disorders.