Adoption of computer-based technology (CBT) in agriculture in Kentucky,USA: Opportunities and barriers

We conducted a study to understand the factors affecting farmers' decisions to use computer-based technologies (CBT) so that feasible and farmer-friendly CBT can be developed as farm-decision support systems to improve farm productivity and sustainability. We analyzed data from 314 mail and in-person interview surveys from farmers in Kentucky, USA. We used a logistic regression model to identify sociodemographic factors influencing the adoption of CBT in farm management, production, and marketing by Kentucky farmers. Results suggest that the higher the farmer's education level, the more likely they will use CBT. Younger farmers are more likely to use CBT than older farmers, and the more acres a farmer owns, the more likely they are to use CBT. The results could help improve education and outreach strategies to reach out to farmers with innovative farm management and marketing strategies.     

Effects of technology dissemination approaches on agricultural technology uptake and utilization in Northern Ghana

Agricultural productivity growth is considered a key pathway to resolving poverty and food insecurity issues in developing Africa. One such pathway to improving agricultural productivity depends on technology uptake and utilization. A critical binding constraint to technology uptake and utilization is the mode of disseminating improved agricultural technologies. The selected methods of disseminating agricultural technologies to farmers are known to influence the replicative effect on productivity enhancement among target and non-target farmers. Based on activities conducted by the Agriculture Technology Transfer Project in Northern Ghana between 2017 and 2018, this paper assesses how multiple dissemination methods influenced technology uptake and utilization by farmers. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 1009 farmers from the (former) three northern regions, and count data and binary regression methods were further applied to assess the effects of the various dissemination approaches on technology uptake and utilization. Results indicate that a well-designed combination of technology dissemination approaches would be most effective and has adoption potential in Northern Ghana. Lessons from this activity may also be effective in promoting productivity-enhancing technology uptake in similar agricultural communities elsewhere.     

The economic burden of injury: Health care and productivity costs of injuries in the Netherlands

BackgroundDetailed information on health care costs and productivity costs for the whole spectrum of injuries is lacking. We measured the total costs of injuries by external-cause, injury groupings, age and sex.MethodInjury patients visiting an Emergency Department in the Netherlands were included. Health service use and work absenteeism were estimated with national database data and a prospective follow-up study. Health care costs (direct costs) and productivity costs (indirect costs) were determined using the incidence-based Dutch Cost of Injury Model.ResultsTotal costs of injuries were €3.5 billion annually (€210/capita and €4300/patient); €2.0 billion healthcare costs and €1.5 billion productivity costs. Home and leisure injury subcategory falls caused 41% of total costs. Traffic injury was prominent in the 15–54 age group, mainly due to bicycle injuries. Sports injuries, in special football/soccer injuries, resulted in high costs in the 15–24 age group. Although costs per patient were comparable between males and females, health care costs were higher in females, whereas males have more than twice as high productivity costs. Health care costs were highest for hip fractures (€20,000/patient). Extremity fractures had high costs due to high incidences and high productivity costs per patient.ConclusionOur detailed cost model identified known risk groups, such as elderly females with hip fractures resulting from falls, as well as less obvious important high risk groups, such as young children falling from furniture, young males who sustained football/soccer injuries and bicycle injuries among all ages. This information is essential to assess additional priority areas for prevention.     

Cell broadcast trials in The Netherlands: Using mobile phone technology for citizens’ alarming

In emergency situations authorities need to warn the public. The conventionally used method for warning citizens in The Netherlands is the use of a siren. Modern telecommunication technologies, especially the use of text-based features of mobile phones, have great potential for warning the public. In the years 2005–2007 cell broadcast was tested during several large-scale field trials with citizens in The Netherlands. One of the questions was to determine the penetration of cell broadcast for citizens’ alarming. This article argues that the definition of penetration in the light of warning citizens in case of emergencies should include the citizens’ responses to warning messages. In addition, the approach to determining the penetration, the data and validity issues regarding these data is discussed. The trials have shown cell broadcast has potential to become an effective citizens’ alarming technology. This however requires the entire technological and organisational chain of the warning system to function correctly. Attention is required to network management, handset improvements and correct communication to the public about the conditions under which a cell broadcast message can be received. The latter includes managing realistic expectations including circumstances in which cell broadcast will not reach a citizen.     

The impact of staffing and the organization of work on patient outcomes and health care workers in health care organizations

BACKGROUND: Numerous reports in the popular press express concern about the restructuring or lowering of staffing levels in health care organizations and the impact on the quality of patient care. Overtime and other extended shifts also represent work stresses for health care workers. This article reviews the research literature on the relationships among staffing, organization of work, and patient outcomes, and it discusses research findings on the relationship between staffing and the health of health care workers. RESEARCH ON STAFFING, ORGANIZATION, AND PATIENT OUTCOMES/STAFF WELL-BEING: Safe staffing level requirements have been identified for nursing homes, but only in extremely limited cases for hospitals, home care, or other health settings. There is little information about the impact of staffing levels and the organization of work on health personnel or on patient outcomes. There is almost no information about staffing and patient outcomes in home health and ambulatory care. Much of the research on staffing and quality has been discipline specific; future research should reflect the interdisciplinary nature of health care delivery rather than the impact of a particular occupation. RESEARCH USE: Research is conducted to increase the scientific base per se and to inform decision making. Who should decide staffing levels and the organization of work? Professionals, employers/owners, the government, and consumers all have significant interest in staffing levels and the organization of care. Improving health care quality requires research about the critical staffing and organization of work variables. This requires obtaining appropriate data, conducting the research, and widely disseminating the findings.     

The hands of God: spiritual values for coping with technology in the 21st century

Technology is not just hardware but is constituted by a social system that focuses increasingly powerful means on social goals. Such technology defines the future, and demands extraordinary steering proficiency to match the driving forces of technology itself. Three sets of steering mechanisms are examined: the invisible hand of the economic free market, public policy and its generation by democratic government, and Judeo-Christian and Islamic spiritual values that mold conduct and ignite moral vision. The argument is that major decisions about technology are made by public policy rather than the free market. But there is also a key role for religious teachings to play in technological delivery systems. The paper concludes with speculations on possible relations between religious faith and technology.     

The 'ergonomics paradigm': Foundations,challenges and future directions

The challenges confronting the multi-disciplinary human factors and ergonomics profession are rapidly growing as the pace of technological change redefines the way in which people interact with each other at work and at play. Areas such as human-computer interaction, cognitive ergonomics and information technology management are booming. Calls for greater influence on designing for teams and other large groups of people, i.e. macroergonomics are growing rapidly. All the while, physical ergonomics (e.g. occupational biomechanics, manual materials handling) continues to be a strong focus in the US and around the world. To keep pace with these challenges, each human factors professional should understand the history of the field, remember the complexity of the 'user' and be able to see how their efforts unify and expand the ergonomics discipline. This paper reviews the development of the ergonomics paradigm, explores the challenges confronting the ergonomics discipline and presents ways in which those challenges may be addressed using methodologies familiar to human factors practitioners and researchers.     

Bicycling safety and distracted behavior in The Hague,the Netherlands

As planners and public health officials in many cities around the world seek to increase bicycle ridership, bicyclists who are performing a secondary task (such as listening to a portable music device) may pose a risk to public safety. This study examines bicycling safety and potentially distracted behavior in The Hague, the Netherlands, a place where bicycling is a common, everyday travel mode among all walks of life and where bicycling infrastructure is well developed. Based on 1360 observations of bicycling behavior, this study shows that bicyclists who were using a cell phone, listening to a portable music device, or talking with other bicyclists exhibited more unsafe behaviors than those bicyclists who were not performing a secondary task. Furthermore, bicyclists who were performing a secondary task also more frequently created situations where other people had to evade them to avoid an accident. As with distracted car driving, the performance of a secondary task while bicycling may be unsafe for the person engaging in the behavior as well as for other people around them.     

The PSA experience in Sweden: accomplishment, limitations and future development

This paper will describe the Swedish PSA experience, based on a nation-wide review performed within the so called SUPER-ASAR Project.     

The effects of age,gender, and crash types on drivers’ injury-related health care costs

There are many studies that evaluate the effects of age, gender, and crash types on crash related injury severity. However, few studies investigate the effects of those crash factors on the crash related health care costs for drivers that are transported to hospital. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between drivers’ age, gender, and the crash types, as well as other crash characteristics (e.g., not wearing a seatbelt, weather condition, and fatigued driving), on the crash related health care costs. The South Carolina Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (SC CODES) from 2005 to 2007 was used to construct six separate hierarchical linear regression models based on drivers’ age and gender. The results suggest that older drivers have higher health care costs than younger drivers and male drivers tend to have higher health care costs than female drivers in the same age group. Overall, single vehicle crashes had the highest health care costs for all drivers. For males older than 64-years old sideswipe crashes are as costly as single vehicle crashes. In general, not wearing a seatbelt, airbag deployment, and speeding were found to be associated with higher health care costs. Distraction-related crashes are more likely to be associated with lower health care costs in most cases. Furthermore this study highlights the value of considering drivers in subgroups, as some factors have different effects on health care costs in different driver groups. Developing an understanding of longer term outcomes of crashes and their characteristics can lead to improvements in vehicle technology, educational materials, and interventions to reduce crash-related health care costs.     

Frontiers of research and future directions in information and communication technology

Information and communication technology (ICT), characterized by continual innovation and rapid technological change, is having a tremendous impact on society. Research and development in ICT are being conducted throughout the technology sector, and fundamental research is being carried out in many university departments of electronics, computer science, and engineering. This paper deals with frontiers of research and trends in selected areas of ICT, including computer hardware, microelectronics, and semiconductor devices and materials—areas that are leading the innovations in ICT. It briefly describes emerging technological developments, and concludes with advances in software engineering.     

Social norms perspective of agriculture technology adoption and welfare in Ghana: Extending multinomial endogenous treatment effect model

The development of agriculture and improving farmers’ welfare help focus the attention of researchers towards the adoption of individual and combined technology choices which focus on socio-economic and plot features. This paper used current data (2019) from rice farmers in Northern Ghana to extend multinomial endogenous treatment effect model which control selection bias to culture and religion. The research examined predictors of improved rice developed domestically, foreign improved rice varieties and the joint of the two kinds, and how each alternative impact the welfare of farmers (rice yield, per capita income, consumption expenditure and total assets). Our empirical findings show that the adoption of any alternative makes farmers better-off relative to non-adoption. Also, adopters in Guan and Christian faith have higher gains relative to their counter-part cultural and religious units. This paper recommends the importance of including cultural and religious values in technology sensitisation programmes and intense collaboration of crucial stakeholders to offer farmers alternatives to choices.     

Indian science, technology, and society: The changing landscape

Over the centuries, India's scientific and technological position among developed and developing countries has shifted. Several centuries ago, it was characterized by scientific thought, capabilities, and techniques more advanced than many countries. However, when the scientific and industrial revolutions took place in the West, India was in a stagnant period. This paper looks at knowledge production in different countries vis-à-vis their economic strength, and then positions India within this landscape.Science and technology in India rest on four pillars: (1) techno-nationalism, (2) inclusive growth, (3) techno-globalism, and (4) global leadership. Each of these pillars is discussed in some detail, followed by concluding recommendations for steps India should take if it wishes to assume a leadership role among the world's developed nations.     

Information technology and Gen Z: The role of teachers,the internet,and technology in the education of young people

Technological progress has influenced the way we acquire knowledge and learn. On the other hand, the Internet provides fast access to information technology in different fields and thus, improves efficiency and saves time. The importance of online technology is especially emphasized in new methods for learning and education. This is particularly important among Generation Z (“Gen Z″), which derives knowledge from the Internet and is focused on a quick search of information. The aim of this paper is to determine how technology and the Internet affect the acquisition of knowledge by Generation Z, and which forms of knowledge acquisition this generation prefers. In our paper, the problem concerns various forms of learning and acquiring knowledge. Research was conducted among 498 young people actively using an online peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing community. The results of ANOVA analysis showed the respondents being more partial towards learning via mobile applications and video content over the traditional form. It also discovered that the students tended to emulate their teachers who integrated modern technologies into their curriculum and used it outside classroom hours for learning. The results of this research make several important theoretical contributions to the gap in knowledge acquisition by Gen Z, and provide several important practical recommendations for educators.     

Trade-offs in refrigerant selections: past, present, and future

Recent attention to depletion of stratospheric ozone, by chemicals containing bromine and chlorine, resulted in an international accord to halt their production. The most widely used refrigerants are among them. Chemical and equipment manufacturers mounted aggressive research and development programs to introduce alternative and transition refrigerants, associated lubricants and desiccants, and redesigned equipment. The already difficult criteria became even more complex, with subsequent linkage of chemical emissions from human activities to global climate change. The very successful response to protect the ozone layer has led some regulators and users to assume that ideal substitutes will be found. Such chemicals should be free of all environmental and safety concerns, be chemically and thermally stable, and perform efficiently. The analyses presented in this paper demonstrate that the outlook for discovery or synthesis of ideal refrigerants is extremely unlikely. Trade-offs among desired objectives, therefore, are necessary to achieve balanced solutions. The paper also shows that fragmented regulation of the chemicals involved, to address individual issues, jeopardizes the prospect of solving subsequently addressed problems. The paper reviews the history of refrigerants, their roles in ozone depletion and global climate change, and necessary trade-offs in refrigerant selections.     

The engineering aspects of automated prepreg layup: History,present and future

Highly consistent quality and cost-effective manufacture of advanced composites can be achieved through automation. It may therefore open up new markets and applications for composite products in aerospace, automotive, renewable energy, and consumer goods. Automated Tape Laying (ATL) and Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) are the two main technologies used to automate the layup of prepreg. The historical development and past research of both technologies is reviewed; with an emphasis on past issues in application and capability as well as their solution, including both thermoset and thermoplastic material layup. It is shown that past developments have moved away from simply emulating manual layup into the now unique layup procedures for ATL, and into the current AFP technology base. The state of the art for both technologies is discussed and current gaps in the understanding of both processes highlighted. From this, future research needs and developments are derived and discussed.