Users’ Preferences for Smart Home Automation – Investigating Aspects of Privacy and Trust

Smart home automation provides residents with relief and convenience in everyday life and allows for self-determined aging in place. Yet, market penetration is offset by user concerns related to privacy and trust issues: With increasing system complexity, users may perceive a loss of control and fear technical unreliability. While barriers to acceptance in terms of privacy and trust are well understood when considered separately, they are hardly investigated in conjunction so far. We conducted a quantitative study using Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis via an online questionnaire. We explored how aspects of privacy and trust determine the willingness to use smart homes from the perspective of (future) users (n = 137, 18 to 64 years of age), and also with respect to the level of automation and application field. Results show that semi-automated systems are rather preferred than fully automated smart home technology. The perceived reliability of automation is the most important acceptance determinant, followed by the location of data storage. Whereas the awareness to use (e.g., recommendations), the type of data, and application field are less important factors for the overall willingness to use smart homes. Findings inform scientists in the field of human-automation interaction and technical developers of smart home automation for technology innovation adapted to user needs.     

Survey of domestic food purchases and related home handling practices in the Abruzzo region (central Italy): Data collection and analysis through a language-independent classification system

A telephone survey was carried out on 13,486 randomly selected households located in the Abruzzo region (central Italy). Three questionnaires were specifically designed in relation to three different groups of foods (Meat and meat products, Fishery products, Fruit and vegetables). Questions were mainly focused on the amount and number of purchases, type of retailer, and home food handling practices with respect to the week prior to the interview. Data were classified according to a multilingual thesaurus system (LanguaL). Results allowed to estimate domestic purchases (in kg) per capita for different food categories. The category “Red meat/Cattle” accounted for a large part of purchases in the “meat and meat products” group (10.9 kg per capita/year; 32.2% of purchases in the group) while the category “Fish or related organism/Fish” was the most purchased in the “fishery products” group (6.9 kg per capita/year; 63.3%). The aggregation of more detailed characteristics enabled the identification of popular categories of foods, such as “Red meat/Cattle/Divided into pieces” (25% of the “meat and meat products” group). Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between the four different provinces (L'Aquila, Chieti, Pescara and Teramo) with respect to “Poultry/Chicken” and “Red meat/Cattle” categories. Householders were also asked about post-purchase food handling practices that might be hazardous to food safety. More than 20% of those surveyed stated that they thawed frozen meat at room temperature. The degree of doneness after cooking of different food categories was generally high: over 90% of products purchased in the majority of meat and fish categories were properly cooked. However a noticeable proportion of householders (about 15%) reported medium or rare cooking of “Red meat/Cattle” and “Red meat/Swine”. Differences (p < 0.05) were also found between consumers of different ages, with people over 65 years old being more prone to freeze meat and cook it thoroughly.The survey was carried out in a specific geographic area and on a statistically significant sample of households, thus allowing a collection of data on domestic habits relating to food purchases and home food handling practices. This information should be included in the framework of quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) models as a measure of the actual exposure of consumers to pathogenic microorganism. The LanguaL system also proved to be a practical language-independent method useful not only to identify and describe food items but also to classify them according to specific food safety characteristics.     

(Re)conceptualising the boundaries between home and homelessness: the unheimlich

A burgeoning cross-disciplinary literature signifies a move towards diversifying understandings of the meanings of ‘home’. Homelessness is inextricably bound up in these definitions. While earlier work has considered meanings of homelessness, attempts to advance understandings of the relationship between home and homelessness have been sporadic. This article attempts to reinvigorate discussion around the home–homelessness relationship by problematizing the binaries in current understandings and poses a different way of theorizing the interplay between the two concepts. Drawing on interviews with women accessing homelessness services in the North of England, discussion interweaves women’s meanings of home and homelessness with the Freudian notion of the ‘unheimlich’. The ‘unheimlich’ captures the uncanny process of inversion whereby the familiar domestic sphere of the house turns into a frightening place; and a typical space of homelessness—the hostel—is considered home. The article seeks to contribute more adequate theoretical tools for future research to better understand and articulate the complexities of home and homelessness.     

建筑的地域性因素

阐述了地域因素是贯穿建筑历史研究的一根线索，揭示出对于建筑地域性的研究，把建筑放在完整的社会、历史、环境背景中，是在动态中研究，指出建筑地域性的研究，对于建筑发展的多元化具有积极的意义。     

一所作为"家"的房子

是什么构成建造一所作为家的房子的基本特征?文章由艾未未对家的自述和一段对他的访谈,构成他对当代中国社会环境状态和个人生存空间的基本特征的看法。     

Home Ownership and Access to Opportunity

Home ownership and access to opportunity are foundations of the American ethos. While little research has explicitly examined a relationship between home ownership and opportunity, considerable empirical work has examined how home ownership impacts important elements of local opportunity structures as well as individual subjective perceptions of those structures. Available evidence suggests that home ownership may affect the opportunity structure by enhancing neighbourhood stability and civic involvement in local voluntary and political affairs. Home ownership may also impact perceptions of opportunity by increasing financial resources, enhancing psychological and physical health, and influencing the behaviour of youth. There is a great need for additional research that directly assesses the impacts of home ownership on local objective opportunity structures and the perception of those structures.     

园林艺术之美与家居环境的融合——杭州历届"花与家居生活"主题花园展的实践与体会

"花与家居生活"为主题的花园创作体现了园林艺术之美与家居环境的有机融合。以杭州历届"花与家居生活"主题花园展几个获奖作品为例,从"巧妙的立意、用材、借景,精心的布局、配置、养护,以及手法、材料、技术手段的创新"等方面着手,论述了现代家居花园营造的理念、手段和方法,倡导园林工作者适应日益更新的社会需求,将园林艺术更好地融入日常生活中。     

探究家庭全景声的国内发展现状(上)——以真力杜比全景声混录棚为例

随着数字科技与音频技术的不断发展,全景声家庭影院开始逐渐进入大众的生活。本文将就以真力(中国)的全景声混录棚为例,分析探究家庭全景声的国内发展现状,旨在通过对全景声混录棚的构建及参数概况等方面进行系统综述和具体案例分析,从而进行家庭全景声混录棚的搭建可行性的先期理论研究。