Does Medium Matter? Exploring the Role of Virtual Reality in Journalism

In this Knight Foundation-funded report, researchers from the Media Impact Project at the University of Southern California's Norman Lear Center partnered with Frontline and Emblematic Group to explore the impact of using VR for journalism. They found that, relative to other platforms, VR can have a greater impact on holding attention and inspiring attitude and behavior changes. However, "the platform alone is not a magic bullet— it has unique affordances which, combined with effective storytelling and appropriate choice of subject matter, had an impact on a receptive audience.

Understanding the path to smart home adoption : segmenting and describing consumers across the innovation-decision process

The burgeoning smart home market brings opportunities for home energy management systems (HEMS). Despite hundreds of smart HEM products on the market and many invested stakeholders, consumer adoption is lagging behind expectations. Past research in this space has focused on smart home technology (SHT) in general, rather than particular products with HEM potential. Conflating smart HEMS with all SHT is problematic because there is a wide range of smart home products and functions, toward which consumers may have varying attitudes. Past work has also rarely distinguished between various stages of the adoption process that lead up to smart HEMS purchase (Knowledge, Persuasion, and Decision Stages). This research used a Diffusion of Innovations framework and survey data from 709 California utility customers to assess the current market and barriers to HEM smart hardware adoption. Cluster analysis based on consumer awareness, interest, and ownership of HEMS revealed four consumer segments at different positions along the path to adoption: Unfamiliar, Unpersuaded, Persuaded, and Owners. Each group had a unique demographic and psychographic profile with implications for different sets of relevant barriers to adoption

Phase Ib study of the combination of pexidartinib (PLX3397), a CSF-1R inhibitor, and paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose:To evaluate the safety, recommended phase II dose (RP2D) and efficacy of pexidartinib, a colony stimulating factor receptor 1 (CSF-1R) inhibitor, in combination with weekly paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors. Patients and Methods:In part 1 of this phase Ib study, 24 patients with advanced solid tumors received escalating doses of pexidartinib with weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2). Pexidartinib was administered at 600 mg/day in cohort 1. For subsequent cohorts, the dose was increased by ⩽50% using a standard 3+3 design. In part 2, 30 patients with metastatic solid tumors were enrolled to examine safety, tolerability and efficacy of the RP2D. Pharmacokinetics and biomarkers were also assessed. Results:A total of 51 patients reported ≥1 adverse event(s) (AEs) that were at least possibly related to either study drug. Grade 3-4 AEs, including anemia (26%), neutropenia (22%), lymphopenia (19%), fatigue (15%), and hypertension (11%), were recorded in 38 patients (70%). In part 1, no maximum tolerated dose was achieved and 1600 mg/day was determined to be the RP2D. Of 38 patients evaluable for efficacy, 1 (3%) had complete response, 5 (13%) partial response, 13 (34%) stable disease, and 17 (45%) progressive disease. No drug-drug interactions were found. Plasma CSF-1 levels increased 1.6- to 53-fold, and CD14dim/CD16+ monocyte levels decreased by 57-100%. Conclusions:The combination of pexidartinib and paclitaxel was generally well tolerated. RP2D for pexidartinib was 1600 mg/day. Pexidartinib blocked CSF-1R signaling, indicating potential for mitigating macrophage tumor infiltration

What's energy management got to do with it? Exploring the role of energy management in the smart home adoption process

There are high hopes for smart home technology to deliver Home Energy Management (HEM) solutions, including through smart thermostats, plugs, lights, switches, and appliances. However, adoption of these technologies is lagging behind expectations. Moreover, it is unclear how energy management features in the smart home consumer adoption process. We know there is technical potential for the smart home to support energy management, but we know little about the degree to which energy benefits interest consumers and motivate them to adopt smart home technologies relative to non-energy benefits such as security, comfort, and convenience, which could have implications for increasing rather than decreasing energy consumption. To that point, we know little about whether and how the energy management functionalities of smart home products are actually used by adopters. The present research investigated consumers’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and experiences with smart home technologies that have energy management functionalities (smart HEMS), in order to assess barriers to adoption and to achieving purported energy benefits. Specifically, we studied shoppers at smart home retailers to gauge their existing awareness of and attitudes toward smart HEMS, and we analyzed Amazon customer reviews of smart HEMS to better understand early adopters’ motivations and experiences. Results revealed challenges to achieving energy benefits with existing products and marketing strategies, and implications for shaping the future of these technologies to achieve energy demand reductions and load shifting capabilities at scale for the smart home and smart grid of the future

To what extent has COVID-19 impacted hard-to-reach energy audiences?

Energy users who don’t participate in efficiency and conservation programmes despite ongoing outreach are often referred to as ‘Hard-to-Reach’ (HTR). These individuals or organisations can include, e.g., low income or vulnerable households; renters; and small businesses. More effectively engaging HTR audiences is key to ensuring everyone benefits equitably from low-carbon energy transitions and related (policy) interventions. This is even more so the case in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing implications for energy use and affordability for the most vulnerable (and newly-vulnerable) members of our society.Within this context, the main purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which HTR energy audiences have been impacted by COVID-19. Our primary method for this work was a comprehensive, critical literature review and a compilation of official statistics. We also collected survey, interview and focus group data during 2020 COVID-19 pandemic responses in the U.S., UK, NZ and Sweden. The geographical scope is determined by a 3-year project focusing on HTR energy users and implemented in partnership with the User-Centred Energy Systems Technology Collaboration Programme (Users TCP) by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Key findings we highlight and discuss in this paper:● Sweden has taken a different approach to manage COVID-19, yet when it comes to mobility, declines in demand (~25%) have shown relatively similar patterns to countries with stricter measures. ● In the UK, energy debt is growing due to higher domestic consumption arising from lockdown measures and the reduced income of many households. Most households (72%) have increased their energy (monthly gas and electricity bills are up £32) use. In response, 36% are turning thermostats down and 27% limiting lighting.● In the U.S., a survey of 1,000 energy customers found that more than 50% are using more energy, and monitoring their energy use less; 15% reported postponing a utility bill. ● NZ’s model COVID-19 “elimination” response has included housing, financial support, and specific energy payments to date, though unhealthy and unaffordable housing remains a major issue.Whereas the pandemic has exacerbated several elements of the HTR policy discourse (e.g. impacts on vulnerable and/or low-income households), our findings also reveal several opportunities and critical aspects for policy makers, researchers and utilities to identify and engage HTR energy users

ICT for Sustainability — Current and future research directions

This workshop brings together researchers from the entire iSchools community to propose, share and discuss their current research and future research agendas and foster collaborations on ICT for Sustainability. ICT plays a major role in sustainability. It threatens sustainability as ICT devices cause carbon emissions, produce e-waste, but it can also be an enabler of sustainability, in form of systems that support the protection of natural resources, and that foster social sustainability, in the form of systems that foster communities and participation. These supporting systems come from many intellectual traditions within and beyond the information field and design. The iSchools community provides an excellent place to discuss this crucial topic at the intersection of information, society, and technology. This workshop will bring together scholars from across the information field studying ICT for sustainability, to foster new interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaborations.ye

Insomnia severity as a mediator of the association between mental health symptoms and alcohol use in young adult veterans

PurposePrior research has documented associations between mental health and alcohol use, mental health and insomnia, and insomnia and alcohol use. This study examined insomnia severity as a mediator of the association between mental health and alcohol-related outcomes in young adult veterans.ProceduresVeterans aged 18-34 years (N=622, 83% male) who reported drinking in the past year completed assessments at baseline and one-month follow-up as part of a larger intervention trial. Participants reported symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at baseline, insomnia severity at one month, and alcohol use and related consequences at baseline and one month. Mediation analyses using bootstrapped confidence intervals were used to examine the indirect effects of baseline mental health symptoms on alcohol-related outcomes at one month via insomnia severity.Main findingsInsomnia severity was associated with both drinking quantity and alcohol-related consequences. Greater depressive (but not PTSD) symptoms were associated directly with more alcohol-related consequences. Neither depressive nor PTSD symptoms had direct effects on drinking quantity when controlling for the other mental health symptoms (e.g., depressive symptoms did not predict drinking quantity when controlling for symptoms of PTSD). However, symptoms of depression and PTSD predicted drinks per week and alcohol-related consequences indirectly through insomnia severity.ConclusionsSymptoms of depression and PTSD increase risk for alcohol use and related consequences in part by increasing symptoms of insomnia. Findings suggest that insomnia may be an appropriate target for prevention and intervention efforts among heavy-drinking Veterans reporting symptoms of depression or PTSD

Educating, Empowering & Engaging Through Film-Based Activism: A Survey of Invisible Children Participation and Impacts

This report presents analysis from a study of Invisible Children and its role in developing and leveraging civic capacity for social change. Founded in 2005, Invisible Children (IC) is both a media-based organization as well as an economic development NGO with the goal of raising awareness and meeting the needs youth affected by the ongoing war in central Africa. This study aims to better understand the unique methods Invisible Children has used to empower and engage participants as well as the impacts of participation.  Results suggest that Invisible Children has been successful in creating enhanced social capital and civic capacity of its youth supporters. Participants reported increased motivation to engage in social justice, enhanced leadership and organizational skills, and improved relationships within and beyond their communities. In addition, the various forms in which participants were exposed to and participated in Invisible Children suggest that this capacity is being at least partially channeled back into the organization through fundraising and high levels of social diffusion of their message. These findings may assist in our understanding of the recent viral spread of the Kony2012 video. Learning from the case of Invisible Children can be of great service to other groups trying to leverage youth capacity for social change as well as enhance our understanding about how people are interacting with our changing media ecosystem. Results have implications, not only for other film campaigns, but for any organization trying to leverage media for social change

Residential Energy Feedback: Research, Technology, and Potential for the Informed Home

Scientists and elected officials agree that climate change is an issue that can no longer be ignored and residential energy use is a prime target for reducing emissions. One promising strategy for promoting conservation is the provision of feedback about energy use. Feedback--the process of giving people information about their behavior to reinforce and/or change behavior--is receiving increasing attention due to changes in technology and infrastructure that allow information to be collected, processed, and sent back to consumers quickly and cheaply. Many programs and products have emerged in recent years, demonstrating political and technical potential for wide-scale provision of energy feedback. However, past work has been critiqued for its lack of theoretical rigor; many have called for more attention to the conditions under which theories are successful in explaining conservation. This dissertation presents an interdisciplinary, mixed-methods approach to understanding the role of feedback in residential energy conservation through four distinct yet interrelated studies. The first utilizes meta-analysis of 42 studies to examine whether feedback has an overall effect on energy use and how this effect is moderated by variables related to treatment, study quality, and publication. The second introduces a taxonomy of feedback technology derived from a content analysis of 196 devices; it presents a list of key energy feedback characteristics and a taxonomy structure for categorizing energy feedback according to these features. The third presents mixed-methods analysis of characteristics and user experience of naturalistic users of energy feedback from an online survey of 846 individuals. And the final study introduces and tests the Usability Perception Scale (UPscale) with psychometric analysis from an 1103-person experimental study; it integrates approaches from psychology and human-computer interaction to begin addressing the need for scalable, replicable instruments for testing mediation of feedback effectiveness. As a whole, this manuscript seeks to extend what is known about energy feedback and to make suggestions for future research. While there much research addressing whether feedback works, there has been little research into the more nuanced questions of how and for whom it works best. This dissertation aims to address this need