Determinants of the intention to use non-medical insertable digital devices: The case of Chile and Colombia

In the past, thinking of carrying electronic devices inside our bodies was only posed by non-real scenarios. The emergence of insertable devices has changed this. Since this technology is still in its initial development stages, few studies have investigated factors that influence its acceptance. This paper analyzes the predictors of the intention to use non-medical insertable devices in two Latin American contexts. We used partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine whether six constructs predicted intention to use insertable devices. A questionnaire was administered to undergraduate students located in Colombia and Chile (n = 672). We also examined whether these predictors influenced intention differently for both of them. Four common constructs significantly and positively influenced both Chilean and Colombian respondents to use insertable devices (hedonic motivation, habit, performance expectancy, and social influence). Also, the habit has a complementary mediating effect on the relationship between social influence and behavioral intention. By contrast, effort expectations were a positive and significant predictor, but only among Chilean respondents. Findings suggest that when technologies are emerging, well-known predictors of intention (e.g., performance and effort expectations) are less influential than predictors related to self-efficacy (e.g., habit and hedonic motivation). The use of insertable devices has a significant impact on society. Thus, a better understanding of what motivates their use has implications for both academia and industry.     

The impact of innovation and gratification on authentic experience,subjective well-being,and behavioral intention in tourism virtual reality: The moderating role of technology readiness

Despite the increasing amount of attention paid to virtual reality (VR) tourism and the rising importance of VR tourism, a theoretically integrated model of behavior has not been developed. To fill this void, we build and test a framework based on both innovation diffusion and uses and gratifications theories to explain why people participate in VR tourism. The moderating role of VR tourists’ technology readiness (optimism and innovativeness) between subjective well-being and behavioral intention is also examined. Results demonstrate that authentic experience and subjective well-being are affected by simplicity, benefit, compatibility (attributes of innovation diffusion), informativeness, social interactivity, and playfulness (uses and gratifications attributes). Behavioral intention is more positively influenced by subjective well-being than by authentic experience. The moderating role of technology readiness between subjective well-being and behavioral intention is stronger in individuals with high optimism and innovativeness than their counterparts with low optimism and innovativeness.     

Extending the theory of planned behavior: A study of lifestyles,contextual factors,mobile viewing habits,TV content interest,and intention to adopt mobile TV

This study applied the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain the intentions of Hong Kong consumers to adopt mobile TV and their interests in its content. Using a probability sample of 644 respondents, this study not only demonstrated the robustness of TPB in explaining consumer behavior but also showed that channel deficiency, mobile viewing habits (which were moderated by perceived behavioral control), and content interest could significantly influence consumers’ intentions to adopt mobile TV services. Although lifestyle types were not found a significant predictor of behavioral intention, it had strong effect on content interests in mobile TV. Limitations and practical implications are provided.     

Effect of the electronic state of Ti on M-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (M=Zn,Ga or Ge) with high photocatalytic activities: A experimental and DFT molecular study

In the pursuit of environmental sustainability, nanomaterials with specific characteristics that can improve the environment by various methods have been developed. In this work, M-doped TiO₂ microspheres have been synthesized by a colloidal route and doped with 1% in wt. of M (M=Zn, Ga and Ge). The materials were calcined at 400 °C and they were characterized by means X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, UV–vis spectroscopy coupled with diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), N₂ physisorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The catalytic activity of the materials was studied by evaluating the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in an aqueous solution. Moreover the photocatalytic activity of the doped materials were enhanced compared to pristine material, according the next trend:Ge:TiO₂ >Ga:TiO₂ >Zn:TiO₂>TiO_2. The presence of atoms of Zn, Ga or Ge in the structure of TiO₂ was shown by XPS analysis, indeed these results reveal a diminution of the energy levels of the 2p_3/2 and 2p_1/2 electrons from doped materials compared with pristine material, which is evidence for a strong relationship between the doped cation valence of the TiO₂ and the degradation of the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Theoretical calculations within DFT framework were performed on two models of nanoparticles like-anatase in order to interpret the photocatalytic activity obtained experimentally by means the frontier orbitals (HOMO and LUMO), the morphology and electronic distribution.     

Preparing for the worst (review of The Next Catastrophe: Reducing Our Vulnerabilities to Natural, Industrial, and Terrorist Disasters by Perrow, C.; 2007) [books]

This book is written by Charles Perrow, professor emeritus of sociology at Yale University. Perrow's earlier book, Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologies, was originally published in 1984. In it he argued that most major industrial accidents could be traced not to simple operator error but to the vulnerabilities of what he called complex, highly coupled systems, where each part depended on many others. Now in this book Perrow argues that the United States abounds in complex systems teetering on the edge of disaster, and he wonders what might happen if terrorists were to put their thumbs on the scale. Perrow cites numerous examples of our vulnerabilities and calls for sweeping changes in our infrastructure to reduce the impact of future disasters.     

Pd/Sb(Zn) and Pd/Ge(Zn) ohmic contacts on p-type indium gallium arsenide: The employment of the solid phase regrowth principle to achieve optimum electrical and metallurgical properties

The development of two metallizations based on the solid-phase regrowth principle is presented, namely Pd/Sb(Zn) and Pd/Ge(Zn) on moderately doped In_0.53Ga_0.47As (p=4×10¹⁸ cm⁻³). Contact resistivities of 2–3×10⁻⁷ and 6–7×10⁻⁷ Ωcm², respectively, have been achieved, where both systems exhibit an effective contact reaction depth of zero and a Zn diffusion depth below 50 nm. Exhibiting resistivities equivalent to the lowest values of Au-based systems in this doping range, especially Pd/Sb(Zn) contacts are superior to them concerning metallurgical stability and contact penetration. Both metallizations have been successfully applied for contacting the base layer of InP/In_0.53Ga_0.47As heterojunction bipolar transistors.