Towards anchoring users' switching to mobile banking with expectancy theory

The rapid proliferation of advanced mobile devices has made mobile banking (m-banking) an attractive option for banks and mobile service providers; however, consumer demand for m-banking is low. In this study, we develop a model, anchored by expectancy theory, and validate it using data collected from 493 mobile phone users to predict intentions to switch to m-banking. Our findings suggest that perceived mobility, relative advantage, and self-efficacy are positively related to user intentions to switch banking channels. Perceived complexity is negatively related, perceived financial resources, and perceived risk are not related to user intentions to switch

Impacts of technological interventions on fish production and biodiversity of seasonal floodplains in Bangladesh

The Community-based Fish Culture in Seasonal Floodplains and Irrigation Systems (CBFC) project is a five year research project supported by the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF), with the aim of increasing productivity of seasonally occurring water bodies through aquaculture. The project has been implemented in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Mali and Vietnam, where technical and institutional options for community based aquaculture have been tested. The project began in 2005 and was completed in March 2010. The objective of the study was to determine the impacts of technological interventions in the floodplains on fish yield and biodiversity benefiting the poor fisher folk and other community people. Technological interventions for fish culture in the floodplains included (a) the installation of low-cost large meshed bamboo fencing at water inlet and outlet points, and setting of ring culverts for maintaining suitable levels of water for fish culture without hampering the production of rice in the upland areas of the floodplains (b) stocking of larger fingerlings at suitable stocking densities of endemic (rohu, catla, mrigal) and exotic (silver carp, bighead carp, common carp/mirror carp) species at 31-48 kg/ha (c) post stocking management; use of extra fencing during over flooding and mobile guarding using boats (d) harvesting management; regulations in harvest for certain period, use of multiple harvesting techniques. These interventions were carried out through CB participation with initial technological and financial support from the Challenge Program Project (CP35).Flood plains, Freshwater aquaculture

International Dimensions of the Productivity Paradox

Despite the fact that the productivity paradox of IT is an international phenomenon, virtually all of the considerable debate on the subject has been restricted to the U.S. The purpose of this article is to go beyond the U.S. and examine the experiences of other developed countries with respect to returns on IT investments

The effects of learners' personality traits on m-learning

Mobile learning (m-learning) is becoming increasingly significant for educators and businesses. Prior research often examines the effectiveness of m-learning; however, it overlooks that learners with different characteristics may respond to m-learning differently. This research examines how learners with different personalities react to m-learning messages. Specifically, it uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which is one of the most widely-used personality instruments, and uses four dichotomies, namely introversion–extroversion, sensing–intuition, thinking–feeling and judgment–perception, to describe learner personalities. We conducted a 10-week study with 217 students. We used MBTI to categorize these 217 participating learners into sixteen personality groups, and sent short text messages to their mobile devices. These messages stimulated them to access lecture materials and to participate in online class discussions. We observed how learners with different personalities responded to text messages, and confirmed that learners of different personalities showed different levels of responses to m-learning messages

Impacts of fish sanctuaries on the production and diversity of plankton on beels of haor region in Bangladesh

The experiment was carried out to study the impacts of fish sanctuaries on the production and diversity of plankton in beels of haor region at Mithamain Upazila of Kishoreganj district in Bangladesh during July 2004 to June 2005. A total of 75 (60 phyto and 15 zooplankton) and 74 (59 phyto and 15 zooplankton) genera of plankton were recorded in T-1 and T-2 (with sanctuary) respectively while only 50 (39 phyto and 11 zooplankton) genera were obtained in T-3 (control). Chlorophyceae and Copepoda were the most dominant group of phytoplankton and zooplankton respectively in all the treatments. The total phytoplankton numbers were found to range from 5472 to 35,833 cells/l and 5250 to 40,472 cells/l and total zooplankton from 667 to 1722 cells/l and 611 to 1667 cells/l in T-1 and T-2 respectively in sanctuary sites whereas the ranges of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the control site were 1778 to 29,333 cells/l and 56 to 1056 cells/l respectively. The maximum phytoplankton and zooplankton were recorded during winter season in all the treatments. The ranges of total plankton were 6194 to 37,500 cells/l, 6028 to 41,806 cells/l and 1889 to 29,444 cells/l in T-1, T-2 and T-3 respectively. The phytoplankton, zooplankton and total plankton recorded in treatments with sanctuary were significantly higher (p<0.5) than the treatment without sanctuary (control) indicating positive impacts of sanctuaries on the production of plankton. Between two treatments of fish sanctuaries the total plankton populations were comparatively higher in T-2 than T-1

Complementarities in the diffusion of personal computers and the internet: Implications for the global digital divide

This paper studies the cross-country diffusion of personal computers (PCs) and the Internet, and examines how the diffusive interactions across these technologies affect the evolution of the global digital divide. We adopt a generalized diffusion model that incorporates the impact of one technology's installed base on the diffusion of the other technology. We estimate the model on data from 26 developing and developed countries between 1991 and 2005. We find that the codiffusion effects between PCs and the Internet are complementary in nature and the impact of PCs on Internet diffusion is substantially stronger in developing countries as compared to developed ones. Furthermore, our results suggest that these codiffusive effects are a significant driver of the narrowing of the digital divide. We also examine the policy implications of our results, especially with respect to how complementarities in the diffusion of PC and Internet technologies might be harnessed to further accelerate the narrowing of the global digital divide. © 2010 INFORMS

Spatio-temporal analysis of spatial accessibility to primary health care in Bhutan

© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Geographic information systems (GIS) can be effectively utilized to carry out spatio-temporal analysis of spatial accessibility to primary healthcare services. Spatial accessibility to primary healthcare services is commonly measured using floating catchment area models which are generally defined with three variables; namely, an attractiveness component of the service centre, travel time or distance between the locations of the service centre and the population, and population demand for healthcare services. The nearest-neighbour modified two-step floating catchment area (NN-M2SFCA) model is proposed for computing spatial accessibility indices for the entire country. Accessibility values from 2010 to 2013 for Bhutan were analysed both spatially and temporally by producing accessibility ranking maps, plotting Lorenz curves, and conducting spatial clustering analysis. The spatial accessibility indices of the 205 sub-districts show great disparities in healthcare accessibility in the country. The mean-and median-based classification results indicate that, in 2013, 24 percent of Bhutan's population have poor access to primary healthcare services, 66 percent of the population have medium-level access, and 10 percent have good access

The number of privately treated tuberculosis cases in India: an estimation from drug sales data

Background Understanding the amount of tuberculosis managed by the private sector in India is crucial to understanding the true burden of the disease in the country, and thus globally. In the absence of quality surveillance data on privately treated patients, commercial drug sales data offer an empirical foundation for disease burden estimation. Methods We used a large, nationally representative commercial dataset on sales of 189 anti-tuberculosis products available in India to calculate the amount of anti-tuberculosis treatment in the private sector in 2013–14. We corrected estimates using validation studies that audited prescriptions against tuberculosis diagnosis, and estimated uncertainty using Monte Carlo simulation. To address implications for numbers of patients with tuberculosis, we explored varying assumptions for average duration of tuberculosis treatment and accuracy of private diagnosis. Findings There were 17·793 million patient-months (95% credible interval 16·709 million to 19·841 million) of anti-tuberculosis treatment in the private sector in 2014, twice as many as the public sector. If 40–60% of private-sector tuberculosis diagnoses are correct, and if private-sector tuberculosis treatment lasts on average 2–6 months, this implies that 1·19–5·34 million tuberculosis cases were treated in the private sector in 2014 alone. The midpoint of these ranges yields an estimate of 2·2 million cases, two to three times higher than currently assumed. Interpretation India's private sector is treating an enormous number of patients for tuberculosis, appreciably higher than has been previously recognised. Accordingly, there is a re-doubled need to address this burden and to strengthen surveillance. Tuberculosis burden estimates in India and worldwide require revision

Factors Associated with Tuberculosis and Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis amongst Symptomatic Patients in India: A Retrospective Analysis

Background Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge for India. Various studies have documented different levels of TB and multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB among diverse groups of the population. In view of renewed targets set under the End TB strategy by 2035, there is an urgent need for TB diagnosis to be strengthened. Drawing on data from a recent, multisite study, we address key questions for TB diagnosis amongst symptomatics presenting for care: are there subgroups of patients that are more likely than others, to be positive for TB? In turn, amongst these positive cases, are there factors—apart from treatment history—that may be predictive for multi-drug resistance? Methods We used data from a multi-centric prospective demonstration study, conducted from March 2012 to December 2013 in 18 sub-district level TB programme units (TUs) in India and covering a population of 8.8 million. In place of standard diagnostic tests, upfront Xpert MTB/RIF testing was offered to all presumptive TB symptomatics. Here, using data from this study, we used logistic regression to identify association between risk factors and TB and Rifampicin-Resistant TB among symptomatics enrolled in the study. Results We find that male gender; history of TB treatment; and adult age compared with either children or the elderly are risk factors associated with high TB detection amongst symptomatics, across the TUs. While treatment history is found be a significant risk factor for rifampicin-resistant TB, elderly (65+ yrs) people have significantly lower risk than other age groups. However, pediatric TB cases have no less risk of rifampicin resistance as compared with adults (OR 1.23 (95% C.I. 0.85–1.76)). Similarly, risk of rifampicin resistance among both the genders was the same. These patterns applied across the study sites involved. Notably in Mumbai, amongst those patients with microbiological confirmation of TB, female patients showed a higher risk of having MDR-TB than male patients. Conclusion Our results cast fresh light on the characteristics of symptomatics presenting for care who are most likely to be microbiologically positive for TB, and for rifampicin resistance. The challenges posed by TB control are complex and multifactorial: evidence from diverse sources, including retrospective studies such as that addressed here, can be invaluable in informing future strategies to accelerate declines in TB burden