Enhancing User Trust in Cloud Computing Applications

Despite the surge in activity and interest in cloud computing, there are significant and persistent concerns about cloud computing, particularly with regard to trusting the cloud platform in terms of confidentiality, integrity and availability of user data stored through these applications. These factors are significant in determining trust in cloud computing and thus provide the foundation for this paper. The significant role that trust plays in use of cloud computing was considered in relation to various trust related models, theories and frameworks. The available trust models, frameworks and cloud computing adoption strategies focus on cost reduction and the various benefits that are associated with migrating to the cloud. This paper focused on the lack of user trust in cloud computing applications, and strategies of enhancing user trust with reference to the Proposed Trust Model by Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman, (1995) and the Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability (CIA) Triad. A questionnaire was used as the means of gathering data on trust related perceptions of the use of cloud computing. An initial cloud computing adoption model was proposed based on key portions of cloud computing literature that was explored, combined and expected to enhance trust in cloud computing. This initial model was an important foundation for the establishment of the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and thereafter the framework to enhance user trust in cloud computing applications

A model for enhancing trust in South African automotive supply chains through information technology

The South African automotive industry is recognised as an important sector for the economy and has thus been prioritised by the South African government. The success of the automotive manufacturers depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of their supply chain. Due to the large number of suppliers involved in these supply chains, enhancing trust in the inter-organisational relationships can ensure the competitiveness of the supply chain. Additionally, insufficient trust can disrupt information sharing between supply chain partners which further impacts on supply chain operations and hence supply chain competitiveness. Thus, both insufficient trust and insufficient information sharing are viewed as contributing factors to the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of a supply chain’s operations. The use of Information Technology to facilitate inter-organisational relationships, in particular in terms of improving information sharing, is an important consideration in this research project. As in the Prisoner’s Dilemma, when supply chain members share information freely, trust levels are increased, hence supply chain effectiveness and efficiency is achieved and therefore the competitiveness of the supply chain is optimised. This study addresses the problem of enhancing trust in automotive supply chains using Information Technology. Previous studies have recognised the importance of trust and information sharing in supply chain relationships. These previous studies have also considered the effect of trust on information sharing, or the effect of information sharing on trust in a single direction. Thus, to address this research problem, a cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing is proposed. In this respect, Information Technology should be used to nurture this cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing. A model for the enhancement of trust in automotive supply chains through Information Technology is proposed to achieve the objectives of this research project. This model includes risk perception; information sharing as a means of enhancing trust; a trust area that consists of both supply chain partner trustworthiness and system trust; the resultant trusting behaviour; and the resultant improved information sharing. As this study is concerned with the use of IT to enhance trust, the inclusion of system trust as a component of the model is a significant contribution of this study which is complementary to the proposed cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing

Design of green office buildings to promote green occupants

Few studies focus on researching the potential of sustainable buildings to promote the sustainability of their occupants. Therefore, this study aims at analyzing the use of LEED credits, with the intention of promoting pro-environmental behaviors. The methodology is exploratory in nature, with a descriptive logic, and comparatively analyzes LEED-certified office buildings [Argentina (n = 351); Chile (n = 494); Colombia (n = 432); and Peru (n = 282)], between 2012 and 2020. The results revealed that the most used credits were: "Access to Public Transportation", (99.34%); “Surrounding Density”; (98.34%); and, “Tenant construction and design guidelines”, (96.53%); and the least used ones were: “Enhanced commissioning”, (44.30%); "Daylight" (31.31%); and, "Controllability of systems", (7.53%). It is concluded that those who choose to include the occupant in the design, choose to intervene in the culture, while those who choose not to include them, choose technology.Escasos son los trabajos que se enfocan en investigar el potencial de los edificios sustentables de promover sustentabilidad en sus ocupantes. Por ello, el siguiente estudio tiene como objetivo analizar el uso de créditos LEED para fomentar comportamientos pro-ambientales. La metodología utilizada es de carácter exploratoria y de lógica descriptiva, y analiza comparativamente edificios de oficinas certificados LEED [Argentina (n= 351), Chile (n= 494), Colombia (n= 432), Perú (n= 282)] en el período 2012-2020. Los resultados revelaron que los créditos más empleados fueron: “Acceso a Transporte Público” (99,34%), “Densidad del Entorno” (98,34%) y “Pautas de diseño y construcción para inquilinos” (96,53%); y los menos empleados: “Puesta en servicio mejorada” (44,30%), “Luz diurna” (31,31%) y “Controlabilidad de los sistemas” (7,53%). Se concluye, finalmente, que aquellos que optan por incluir al ocupante en el diseño, eligen intervenir en la cultura, mientras que quienes optan por no hacerlo, eligen la tecnología

A model for enhancing trust in South African automotive supply chains through information technology

The South African automotive industry is recognised as an important sector for the economy and has thus been prioritised by the South African government. The success of the automotive manufacturers depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of their supply chain. Due to the large number of suppliers involved in these supply chains, enhancing trust in the inter-organisational relationships can ensure the competitiveness of the supply chain. Additionally, insufficient trust can disrupt information sharing between supply chain partners which further impacts on supply chain operations and hence supply chain competitiveness. Thus, both insufficient trust and insufficient information sharing are viewed as contributing factors to the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of a supply chain’s operations. The use of Information Technology to facilitate inter-organisational relationships, in particular in terms of improving information sharing, is an important consideration in this research project. As in the Prisoner’s Dilemma, when supply chain members share information freely, trust levels are increased, hence supply chain effectiveness and efficiency is achieved and therefore the competitiveness of the supply chain is optimised. This study addresses the problem of enhancing trust in automotive supply chains using Information Technology. Previous studies have recognised the importance of trust and information sharing in supply chain relationships. These previous studies have also considered the effect of trust on information sharing, or the effect of information sharing on trust in a single direction. Thus, to address this research problem, a cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing is proposed. In this respect, Information Technology should be used to nurture this cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing. A model for the enhancement of trust in automotive supply chains through Information Technology is proposed to achieve the objectives of this research project. This model includes risk perception; information sharing as a means of enhancing trust; a trust area that consists of both supply chain partner trustworthiness and system trust; the resultant trusting behaviour; and the resultant improved information sharing. As this study is concerned with the use of IT to enhance trust, the inclusion of system trust as a component of the model is a significant contribution of this study which is complementary to the proposed cyclical relationship between trust and information sharing

La intermedialidad en la literatura : entrevista a Alejandra Torres y Mariona Masgrau Juanola

Alejandra Torres es doctora y licenciada en Letras, Investigadora del CONICET, investigadora y docente en la Universidad de Buenos Aires y la Universidad Nacional General Sarmiento, Argentina; dirige proyectos de investigación en el área de la Literatura y la Cultura Visual; ha sido profesora en la Universidad de Göttingen, Köln y München, Alemania.Mariona Masgrau Juanola es licenciada en Filología, doctora en Literatura y Educación; es profesora de la Facultad de Educación y Psicología de la Universitat de Girona; ha estado en la Universität zu Köln y en la Universität Bonn como lectora de catalán; ha hecho la tesis sobre poesía visual y didáctica de la literatura con un enfoque intermedial.Alejandra Torres has a PhD and a Bachelor of Arts, is a member of CONICET, a researcher and teacher at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and the Univer-sidad Nacional General Sarmiento, Argentina; prin-ciple investigator of Literature and Visual Cultre's projects. She has been a lecturer at the University of Göttingen, Köln and München, Germany. Mariona Masgrau Juanolahas a degree in Philology, and a PhD in Literature and Education; she is a professor at the Faculty of Education and Psycholo-gy at the University of Girona; she has been a lectur-er of Catalan at the Universität zu Köln and at the Universität Bonn. Her PhD is about visual poetry and didactics in literature with an intermedial ap-proach.Alejandra Torres és doctora i llicenciada en Lletres, Investigadora del CONICET, investigadora i docent a la Universidad de Buenos Aires i la Universidad Nacional General Sarmiento, Argentina; dirigeix projectes de recerca en l'àrea de la Literatura i la Cultura Visual; ha estat professora a la Universitat de Göttingen, Köln i München, Alemanya.Mariona Masgrau Juanola és llicenciada en Filologia, doctora en Literatura i Educació; és professora de la Facultat d'Educació i Psicologia de la Universitat de Girona; ha estat a la Universität zu Köln i a la Universität Bonn com a lectora de català; ha fet la tesi sobre poesia visual i didàctica de la literatura amb un enfocament intermedial.Alejandra Torres est titulaire d'un doctorat et d'un baccalauréat des arts, chercheuse CONICET, chercheuse et enseignante à l'Universidad de Buenos Aires et à l'Universidad Nacional General Sarmiento, Argentine; dirige des projets de recherche dans le domaine de la littérature et de la culture visuelle. Elle a été professeure à l'Université de Göttingen, Köln et München, Allemagne.Mariona Masgrau Juanolaa un diplôme en philologie, un doctorat en littérature et éducation; elle est professeur à la Faculté d'éducation et de psychologie de l'Universitat de Girona; elle a été à l'Universität zu Köln et à l'Universität Bonn en tant que lectrice catalane, et a réalisé la thèse sur la poésie visuelle et didactique de la littérature avec une approche intermédiale

Reseña. The Intermediality of Narrative Literature. Medialities Matter, por Jørgen Bruhn

Obra ressenyada: Jørgen BRUHN, The Intermediality of Narrative Literature. Medialities Matter. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, 2019

The development and usability of a web-based mobile application as a dairy intake screener for South African adults

Paper-based dietary assessment tools such as food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) and especially dietary screeners are making way for versions that use technology. Amidst low intakes of dairy and dairy-related nutrients in South Africa, and to increase public awareness thereof, we aimed to develop and evaluate the usability of an application (app) to screen for dairy intake in higher income South African adults. In a consultative process, a dairy intake screener (‘Dairy Diary’) was developed as an eight-item quantitative FFQ with four types of commonly consumed local dairy products: milk, maas (fermented milk), yoghurt, and cheese. For each dairy product, usual frequency of consumption and portion size per eating occasion were scored resulting in three risk classes: <1 serving daily; 1≤2 servings daily; ≥2 servings daily. Digitalisation included product- and portion-specific graphics with linkage to risk class-relevant preliminary dairy-related guidance as part of a web-based mobile app. For the evaluation of the usability, the 26-item end-user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) was used in an online cross-sectional survey (Qualtrics; April 2020). Items were scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale, resulting in three final app scores. From a conveniently recruited sample of 1102, 703 (64%; 81% female; mean age 29.8 ± 11.0 years) were retained for analysis. uMARS-informed descriptive statistics summarise the findings. The uMARS app mean objective quality score (3.9 ± 0.85), app subjective quality score (3.5 ± 0.77), app-specific score (3.6 ± 0.94), and additional question on e-portion (4.3 ± 0.78) met the minimum acceptability score of ≥3.0. For the subscales, the mean score for aesthetics was the highest (4.4 ± 0.82), followed by information (4.3 ± 0.90) and functionality (4.0 ± 1.33). Engagement scored lowest (3.0 ± 1.55). The ‘Dairy Diary’ is a user-friendly screener for dairy intake.The development of the “Dairy Diary” was supported by the CEP of Milk SA and study is partially funded by Nestle Nutrition Institute of Africa (NNIA).https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-dairy-researchhj2023Human Nutritio

Impact on visual comfort and well-being : integration of wood coating in the space

El acceso a la luz natural y un buen confort luminoso puede mejorar el ambiente interior. Si bien los espacios que integran revestimientos blancos distribuyen de mejor forma la luz natural, el uso de la madera puede entregar otras atribuciones. De acuerdo con la teoría de la biofilia, el uso de la madera produce efectos psicológicos positivos en las personas y cambia la apreciación de los recintos interiores. El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar la relación entre el ambiente luminoso y el grado de satisfacción visual frente a tres configuraciones del espacio en los que se varía el tipo y el porcentaje de madera. Una relación entre el análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo mediante modelos a escala (1:10 – 1:20), fotografías de alto rango dinámico, sistema CIELab y encuestas muestran que el uso de la madera presenta una respuesta favorable en comparación con espacios que solo integran superficies blancasDaylight and lighting comfort may improve indoor environments. While white coatings have the capability to better distribute natural light, the use of wood could provide additional features. According to the biophilia theory, the integration of wood has positive psychological impacts on human beings and changes the appreciation of indoor spaces. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the relationship between the luminous ambiance and the degree of visual satisfaction, considering three spatial configurations, varying wood types and proportions. The relationship between a quantitative and a qualitative analysis with scale models (1:10 – 1:20), high dynamic range photographs, CIELab system and surveys, reveal that the use of wood triggers favourable responses compared with rooms that use white coatings only

Effects of Climatic Conditions, Season and Environmental Factors on CO2 Concentrations in Naturally Ventilated Primary Schools in Chile

peer reviewedBetween the ages of 6 and 18, children spend between 30 and 42 h a week at school, mostly indoors, where indoor environmental quality is usually deficient and does not favor learning. The difficulty of delivering indoor air quality (IAQ) in learning facilities is related to high occupancy rates and low interaction levels with windows. In non-industrialized countries, as in the cases presented, most classrooms have no mechanical ventilation, due to energy poverty and lack of normative requirements. This fact heavily impacts the indoor air quality and students’ learning outcomes. The aim of the paper is to identify the factors that determine acceptable CO2 concentrations. Therefore, it studies air quality in free-running and naturally ventilated primary schools in Chile, aiming to identify the impact of contextual, occupant, and building design factors, using CO2 concentration as a proxy for IAQ. The monitoring of CO2, temperature, and humidity revealed that indoor air CO2 concentration is above 1400 ppm most of the time, with peaks of 5000 ppm during the day, especially in winter. The statistical analysis indicates that CO2 is dependent on climate, seasonality, and indoor temperature, while it is independent of outside temperature in heated classrooms. The odds of having acceptable concentrations of CO2 are bigger when indoor temperatures are high, and there is a need to ventilate for cooling.HERES: Healthy and Resilient schools 2019–202