Investigating impacts of environmental factors on the cycling behavior of bicycle-sharing users

As it is widely accepted, cycling tends to produce health benefits and reduce air pollution. Policymakers encourage people to use bikes by improving cycling facilities as well as developing bicycle-sharing systems (BSS). It is increasingly interesting to investigate how environmental factors influence the cycling behavior of users of bicycle-sharing systems, as users of bicycle-sharing systems tend to be different from regular cyclists. Although earlier studies have examined effects of safety and convenience on the cycling behavior of regular riders, they rarely explored effects of safety and convenience on the cycling behavior of BSS riders. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate how road safety, convenience, and public safety affect the cycling behavior of BSS riders by controlling for other environmental factors. Specifically, in this study, we investigated the impacts of environmental characteristics, including population density, employment density, land use mix, accessibility to point-of-interests (schools, shops, parks and gyms), road infrastructure, public transit accessibility, road safety, convenience, and public safety on the usage of BSS. Additionally, for a more accurate measure of public transit accessibility, road safety, convenience, and public safety, we used spatiotemporally varying measurements instead of spatially varying measurements, which have been widely used in earlier studies. We conducted an empirical investigation in Chicago with cycling data from a BSS called Divvy. In this study, we particularly attempted to answer the following questions: (1) how traffic accidents and congestion influence the usage of BSS; (2) how violent crime influences the usage of BSS; and (3) how public transit accessibility influences the usage of BSS. Moreover, we tried to offer implications for policies aiming to increase the usage of BSS or for the site selection of new docking stations. Empirical results demonstrate that density of bicycle lanes, public transit accessibility, and public safety influence the usage of BSS, which provides answers for our research questions. Empirical results also suggest policy implications that improving bicycle facilities and reducing the rate of violent crime rates tend to increase the usage of BSS. Moreover, some environmental factors could be considered in selecting a site for a new docking station

THE POWER OF BEAUTY: LEVERAGING ON DEEP LEARNING TO DISENTANGLE THE EFFECT OF IMAGE AESTHETICS ON ONLINE PURCHASE

Visuals have been deemed as one of the primary marketing formats in service e-tailing environ-ments to compensate for the abstract and intangible nature of services. Yet, despite the overwhelm-ing empirical evidence attesting to the importance of aesthetics in product and website designs, there is a dearth of research on how the beauty of images depicting service offerings could affect consumers’ behaviour. Subscribing to Stimuli-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, we attempt to elucidate the power of aesthetics in shaping consumers’ cognitive and emotional responses when they are exposed to the portal image of a service offering. Additionally, we endeavour to explore the heterogeneity of consumers’ responses or their centrality of visual aesthetics, to such images. Blending computer vision and deep learning techniques, we advance a computable and decomposable aesthetic assessment method for scoring the aesthetics of portal images belonging to more than 299,000 local service offerings on a leading Chinese group buying site. We then em-ploy Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to yield initial evidence demonstrating that aesthetics ex-erts significant effects on the online sales of services

MetaSpace II: Object and full-body tracking for interaction and navigation in social VR

MetaSpace II (MS2) is a social Virtual Reality (VR) system where multiple users can not only see and hear but also interact with each other, grasp and manipulate objects, walk around in space, and get tactile feedback. MS2 allows walking in physical space by tracking each user's skeleton in real-time and allows users to feel by employing passive haptics i.e., when users touch or manipulate an object in the virtual world, they simultaneously also touch or manipulate a corresponding object in the physical world. To enable these elements in VR, MS2 creates a correspondence in spatial layout and object placement by building the virtual world on top of a 3D scan of the real world. Through the association between the real and virtual world, users are able to walk freely while wearing a head-mounted device, avoid obstacles like walls and furniture, and interact with people and objects. Most current virtual reality (VR) environments are designed for a single user experience where interactions with virtual objects are mediated by hand-held input devices or hand gestures. Additionally, users are only shown a representation of their hands in VR floating in front of the camera as seen from a first person perspective. We believe, representing each user as a full-body avatar that is controlled by natural movements of the person in the real world (see Figure 1d), can greatly enhance believability and a user's sense immersion in VR.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. Video: http://living.media.mit.edu/projects/metaspace-ii

Users' trust in information resources in the Web environment: a status report

This study has three aims; to provide an overview of the ways in which trust is either assessed or asserted in relation to the use and provision of resources in the Web environment for research and learning; to assess what solutions might be worth further investigation and whether establishing ways to assert trust in academic information resources could assist the development of information literacy; to help increase understanding of how perceptions of trust influence the behaviour of information users

Exploring service quality among online sharing economy platforms from an online media perspective

The sharing economy has become a new socioeconomic activity that allows the co-creation, production, distribution and consumption of goods and services between individuals, driven by Web 2.0 and e-word of mouth. How these online platforms communicate their content is critical. This paper seeks to develop a scale for measuring the perceived quality of websites that offer information about sharing economy services focused on online peer-to-peer accommodation. The resulting model is validated by means of structural equations and is composed of four dimensions (efficiency; reliability, privacy/security; and communication). The influence that perceived quality exerts on satisfaction and loyalty is then explored from an online media perspective. A scale resulting from the combination of these two areas of knowledge (online media and e-service quality) may take advantage of the more beneficial features they have to offer and provide us with as balanced and convergent a model as possible. The results of the study show that all of the initial hypotheses are confirmed except one. Efficiency, reliability and privacy/security positively influence the perceived quality of a collaborative accommodation portal, whereas communication does notFunding: This research was funded by MINISTERIO DE ECONOMÍA, INDUSTRIA Y COMPETITIVIDAD, grant id. TURCOLAB ECO2017-88984-R. Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge the support of the Catalan Government for the accreditation as Consolidated Research Group TURESCO (2017 SGR 49)

Application of TOPSIS for Solving Optimal Brand Communication Effect on the Portal

[[abstract]]Based on the cognitive psychology of selective attention and priming effect, and visual display effect, this research aims to explore how banner advertisements in the portal sites affect brand communication after end user enter the web. This study uses online SSI Web questionnaire and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The prime age group selection considers the brand communication effect simultaneously from involvement, advertising attitude, purchase intention and attractiveness of advertisement content. Finally, TOPSIS are presented as an empirical example in brand communication effect on the web portal. The result indicates that the advertising through portal site has optimal brand communication effect on age between 20 to 29 years. The results can help business to make efficient decision. Managerial issues and future work of this paper are discussed.[[notice]]補正完畢[[journaltype]]國外[[incitationindex]]EI[[ispeerreviewed]]Y[[booktype]]電子版[[countrycodes]]US

Influences on the uptake of health and wellbeing apps and curated app portals: a think aloud and interview study

Background: Health and wellbeing smartphone apps can be identified through different routes, including via curated health app portals, but little is known about people’s experiences of this. Objective: This study explored how people select health apps online and their views on curated portals. Methods: Eighteen UK-based adults were recruited and asked to verbalise their thoughts whilst searching for a health or wellbeing app online, including on two curated health app portals. This was followed by semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis, informed by the COM-B model and the Theoretical Domains Framework. Results: Searching for health and wellbeing apps online was described as a ‘minefield’. App uptake appeared to be influenced by i) capabilities (e.g. app literacy skills, health and app awareness), ii) opportunities (e.g. app aesthetics, cost and social influences) and iii) motivation (e.g. the perceived utility and accuracy of the app, and transparency about data protection). Social influences and the percieved utility of an app, in particular, were important. People were not previously aware of curated portals but found the concept appealing and likely to engender trust and address data protection concerns. While apps listed on these were perceived as more trustworthy, their presentation was considered disappointing. Conclusions: The uptake of health and wellbeing apps appear primarily influenced by social influences and the perceived utility of the app. With curated health app portals perceived as credible, app uptake via such portals may mitigate concerns related to data protection and accuracy, but their implementation must better meet user needs. Clinical Trial: N

ADOPTING A LOGIC FRAMEWORK FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE OPERATIONAL PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES OF KNUSTSpace ON RESEARCH, LEARNING AND TEACHING: A CASE OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH OUTPUT BY ACADEMIC STAFFS AND STUDENTS

The study evaluates the status quo, significance and impact of KNUSTSpace on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) academic community. The Logic Framework was adopted and adapted to measure the operational processes and service delivery of the KNUSTSpace with regards to research, learning and teaching activities. The study is based on descriptive analysis; and, it engaged a sample size (n) of 35 lecturers and 141 postgraduate students from the Faculty of Art in KNUST. Results indicated that KNUST has invested considerable resources in warranting the comprehensive operations of the KNUSTSpace. The study also revealed that the KNUSTSpace has had a significant impact on the quality of scholarly outputs of its users in terms of developing novel research skills, empowering and increasing access to myriad scholarly materials, and advancement in knowledge for learning and teaching efficacy. The Logic Framework identified some challenges that KNUSTSpace staffs encounter; recommendations were made to improve and develop better KNUSTSpace operational processes and service delivery to its users’ community