The key threat to information security comes from employees who do not comply with information security policies. We developed a new multi-theory based model that explained employees’ adherence to ...security policies. The paradigm combines elements from the Protection Motivation Theory, the Theory of Reasoned Action, and the Cognitive Evaluation Theory. We validated the model by using a sample of 669 responses from four corporations in Finland. The SEM-based results showed that perceived severity of potential information security threats, employees’ belief as to whether they can apply and adhere to information security policies, perceived vulnerability to potential security threats, employees’ attitude toward complying with information security policies, and social norms toward complying with these policies had a significant and positive effect on the employees’ intention to comply with information security policies. Intention to comply with information security policies also had a significant impact on actual compliance with these policies. High level managers must warn employees of the importance of information security and why it is necessary to carry out these policies. In addition, employees should be provided with security education and hands on training.
Although tissue uptake of fatty acids from chylomicrons is primarily via lipoprotein lipase (LpL) hydrolysis of triglycerides (TGs), studies of patients with genetic LpL deficiency suggest additional ...pathways deliver dietary lipids to tissues. Despite an intact endothelial cell (EC) barrier, hyperchylomicronemic patients accumulate chylomicron-derived lipids within skin macrophages, leading to the clinical finding eruptive xanthomas. We explored whether an LpL-independent pathway exists for transfer of circulating lipids across the EC barrier. We found that LpL-deficient mice had a marked increase in aortic EC lipid droplets before and after a fat gavage. Cultured ECs internalized chylomicrons, which were hydrolyzed within lysosomes. The products of this hydrolysis fueled lipid droplet biogenesis in ECs and triggered lipid accumulation in cocultured macrophages. EC chylomicron uptake was inhibited by competition with HDL and knockdown of the scavenger receptor-BI (SR-BI). In vivo, SR-BI knockdown reduced TG accumulation in aortic ECs and skin macrophages of LpL-deficient mice. Thus, ECs internalize chylomicrons, metabolize them in lysosomes, and either store or release their lipids. This latter process may allow accumulation of TGs within skin macrophages and illustrates a pathway that might be responsible for creation of eruptive xanthomas.
Information security was the main topic in this paper. An investigation of the compliance to information security policies were discussed. The author mentions that the insignificant relationship ...between rewards and actual compliance with information security policies does not make sense. Quite possibly this relationship results from not applying rewards for security compliance. Also mentions that based on the survey conducted, careless employee behavior places an organization's assets and reputation in serious jeopardy. The major threat to information security arises from careless employees who fail to comply with organizations' information security policies and procedures.
Telemedicine has recently garnered more attention from healthcare professionals because it provides access to health services to patients in rural areas while making patient healthcare information ...more vulnerable to security breaches. The objective of this research is to identify factors that play a critical role in possible adoption of telemedicine in the United States and Brazil. A model with eight hypotheses was used to establish a research framework. A survey was conducted involving healthcare professionals in the aforementioned countries. The results show that telemedicine adoption is influenced by policies and culture in both countries and influenced by security and privacy in the United States. It can be inferred from the research that perceptions of the American and Brazilian healthcare professionals are similar in telemedicine issues covered in this research. These healthcare professionals, however, disagree on how patients’ privacy should be preserved in the two countries.
Sphingomyelin (SM) is an abundant plasma membrane and plasma lipoprotein sphingolipid. We previously reported that ATP-binding cassette family A protein 1 (ABCA1) deficiency in humans and mice ...decreases plasma SM levels. However, overexpression, induction, downregulation, inhibition, and knockdown of ABCA1 in human hepatoma Huh7 cells did not decrease SM efflux. Using unbiased siRNA screening, here, we identified that ABCA7 plays a role in the biosynthesis and efflux of SM without affecting cellular uptake and metabolism. Since loss of function mutations in the ABCA7 gene exhibit strong associations with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease across racial groups, we also studied the effects of ABCA7 deficiency in the mouse brain. Brains of ABCA7-deficient (KO) mice, compared with WT, had significantly lower levels of several SM species with long chain fatty acids. In addition, we observed that older KO mice exhibited behavioral deficits in cognitive discrimination in the active place avoidance task. Next, we performed synaptic transmission studies in brain slices obtained from older mice. We found anomalies in synaptic plasticity at the intracortical synapse in layer II/III of the lateral entorhinal cortex but not in the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses in KO mice. These synaptic abnormalities in KO brain slices were rescued with extracellular SM supplementation but not by supplementation with phosphatidylcholine. Taken together, these studies identify a role of ABCA7 in brain SM metabolism and the importance of SM in synaptic plasticity and cognition, as well as provide a possible explanation for the association between ABCA7 and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
As business-to-consumer online shopping grows, e-commerce channel providers will need to explore ways to anticipate consumers' needs to deliver an efficient shopping experience. Yet the consumers' ...decision-making process and its relationship to the selection of the online channel are not well understood. Utilizing Simon's decision-making model, we examined support for decision-making phases using 134 online consumers. We also extended the model to include consumers' cost savings and time savings, as well as their satisfaction with the e-commerce channel. Structural equation modeling results indicate that the online shopping channel supported the overall decision-making process. In particular, we found strong support for the design and choice phases of online consumers' decision-making process. Our results also indicate that support for the decision-making process was mediated by the cost savings and time savings gained by the online consumers and led to their greater channel satisfaction.
Electronic commerce is a worldwide phenomenon. Many Internet users browse the Web for information on products and services, but very few actually make purchases on-line. Until now, research on the ...factors that promote on-line shopping behavior has treated them independently and at the national level. The present study, in contrast, uses cross-country data from 26 nations and analyzes constructs with a structural equation model (SEM). The study finds that the factors of trust and economic conditions, but not educational level and technological savvy, make a significant positive contribution to online shopping behavior. In fact they explain more than 80 percent of the variability in online shopping behavior. Empirical guidelines are provided to help managers select one or more macro-level predictors to explain on-line shopping behavior. Future research opportunities are delineated.
The level of end-user satisfaction with information technology (IT) has widely been accepted as an indicator of IT success. The present research synthesizes and validates the construct of IT end-user ...satisfaction using a meta-analysis. It accomplishes this by analysing the empirical results of 45 end-user satisfaction studies published between 1986 and 1998 and by focusing on relationships between end-user satisfaction and nine variables: perceived usefulness, ease of use, user expectations, user experience, user skills, user involvement in system development, organizational support, perceived attitude of top management toward the project and user attitude toward information systems (IS) in widely divergent settings. The present analysis found positive support for the influence of all nine variables on end-user IT satisfaction but to varying degrees. The most significant relationships were found to be user involvement in systems development, perceived usefulness, user experience, organizational support and user attitude toward the IS. This has implications for IS analysis and design as well as user training and the development of training support packages.
This research investigates whether firms using e-commerce technologies are successful in generating business value and, if so, which e-commerce drivers determine this success and how firms should use ...these drivers. There is no systematic empirical evidence in the IT productivity and business value literature regarding the payoffs a business receives from its e-business initiatives. The current research contributes to the literature in the e-commerce area by identifying a set of e-business value constructs, incorporating these constructs in a model in a manner not done before, and empirically validating the model using an Analysis of MOment Structures (AMOS)/ Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. The present research also contributes to the e-business value literature by providing insights into causal relationships among Rogers' innovation and diffusion theory (IDT) factors. This is the first time a research study has empirically established comprehensive causal relationships among these factors. The SEM analysis of the model indicates that the proposed model is able to explain e-commerce success utilizing the constructs identified and grounded using IT business value literature and Rogers' IDT. We conclude by summarizing its contributions to the IT literature, in general, and the e-business literature, in particular, and by providing insights for practice and suggestions for future research.
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