Technology Adoption vs. Continuous Usage Intention: do Decision Criteria Change when Using a Technology?

Various models in Information Systems (IS) research seek to understand why individuals embrace or resist the adoption or use of a technology. Different models analyze the factors shaping user intentions at different stages of technology adoption and use. Yet, less is known how the factors shaping adoption intention subsequently evolve into continuous usage intention as users become (more) familiar with the technology. This paper investigates participants’ (N=549) adoption and continuous usage intention of a smartphone application for energy efficiency twice: at two different stages of experience, but for the same technology, in the same setting, and in particular with the same sample. In both cases, we use the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT1&2). While UTAUT explains adoption intention well, we find only moderate support for continuous usage intention. In line with prior research, our data suggests that beliefs are updated from adoption to continuous usage stage

Mechatronics to drive environmental sustainability : measuring, visualizing and transforming consumer patterns on a large scale

In order to reduce our society’s dependence on fossil fuels, the energy sector has started to undergo massive changes. Information and communications technology (ICT) increasingly plays a key role in this transformation, both on the supply and demand side. While 85% of the residential energy in the DACH region is consumed by space and water heating, the vast majority of work in the energy informatics field does not focus on these two critical end uses. And yet, the discipline could contribute greatly to reducing consumption and emissions in this area – often with a close nexus to electricity. Besides, direct, real- time feedback on hot water consumption has a particularly high savings potential and can further broaden the sphere of impact of the energy informatics discipline. This paper describes a self- powered energy and water meter that provides users with such feedback in the shower. After an earlier proof of concept study with 60 households together with the Swiss Federal Office of Energy that yielded average energy and water savings of 22%, the smart shower meter has been developed into a mass-market compatible application that has been installed in 8,000 households. This was accompanied by a study with 700 households to verify its practical viability, consumer engagement, and effectiveness in the field. The device showcases a practical example of how ICT applications can be successfully implemented at scale to transform consumption patterns in emission-intense domains, also beyond electricity

Complementarities in behavioral interventions: Evidence from a field experiment on resource conservation

Behavioral policy often aims at influencing behavior by mitigating biases due to, e.g., imperfect information or inattention. We study how this is affected by the simultaneous presence of multiple biases arising from different sources, through a field experiment on resource conservation in an energy-and water-intensive everyday activity (showering). One intervention, shower energy reports, primarily targeted knowledge about environmental impacts; another intervention, real-time feedback, primarily targeted salience of resource use. We find a striking complementarity. While only the latter induced significant conservation effects when implemented in isolation, each intervention became more effective when implemented jointly. This is consistent with predictions from a theoretical framework that highlights the importance of targeting all relevant sources of bias to achieve behavioral change

Complementarities in behavioral interventions: Evidence from a field experiment on resource conservation

Behavioral policy often aims at influencing behavior by mitigating biases due to, e.g., imperfect information or inattention. We study how this is affected by the simultaneous presence of multiple biases arising from different sources, through a field experiment on resource conservation in an energy- and water-intensive everyday activity (showering). One intervention, shower energy reports, primarily targeted knowledge about environmental impacts; another intervention, real-time feedback, primarily targeted salience of resource use. We find a striking complementarity. While only the latter induced significant conservation effects when implemented in isolation, each intervention became more effective when implemented jointly. This is consistent with predictions from a theoretical framework that highlights the importance of targeting all relevant sources of bias to achieve behavioral change.ISSN:0047-2727ISSN:1879-231

Biodistribution Study of Intravenously Injected Cetuximab-IRDye700DX in Cynomolgus Macaques

Purpose: The use of receptor-targeted antibodies conjugated to photosensitizers is actively being explored to enhance treatment efficacy. To facilitate clinical testing, we evaluated cetuximab conjugated to IRDye700DX (IR700) in cynomolgus macaques. Procedures: Total IR700 and intact cetuximab-IR700 were measured in 51 tissues at 2 and 14 days after intravenous injection of 40 and 80 mg/kg cetuximab-IR700, respectively, and compared with an unlabeled cetuximab-dosed control group (two each per sex per time point per group). Results: The IR700 retrieved from all tissues at 2 and 14 days after dosing was estimated at 34.9 +/- 1.8 and 2.53 +/- 0.67 % of the total dose, respectively. The tissues with the highest levels of intact cetuximab-IR700 at 2 days after dosing were the blood, lung, and skin. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections at 2 days after dosing showed the highest IR700 signals in the axillary lymph node, mammary gland, and gall bladder. Conclusions: Both IR700 and intact cetuximab-IR700 biodistributions were consistent with known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression, and changes between 2 and 14 days were consistent with rapid metabolism and excretion of the cetuximab-IR700

Prevalence of dance-related injuries and associated risk factors among children and young Chinese dance practitioners

While Chinese dance is a popular dance genre among Chinese teenagers and adults, little is known regarding the prevalence of dance-related injuries or factors associated with such injuries among Chinese dance practitioners. The current cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of dance-related injuries and their associated risk factors among young Chinese dance practitioners in Hong Kong. Online surveys were distributed to dancers through local dance associations, while paper-based surveys were distributed to young Chinese dance performers during the 54th School Dance Festival in Hong Kong. Self-reported hours of dancing, injuries in the last 12 months, injury sites, and related factors were collected. The injury rate, 12-month prevalence of dance-related injuries were determined. Risk factors for common dance injuries were analyzed using separate multivariate regression models. A total of 175 children (aged 10–14 years) and 118 young (aged 15–24 years) Chinese dance practitioners provided their dance injury information. Young dancers had a significantly higher injury rate (6.5 injuries vs 4.6 injuries/1000 dance hours) and 12-month prevalence (52.5% vs 19.4%) than their child counterparts. The most commonly injured sites were the knee (children:7.4%; young:15.3%), lower back (children: 4.6%; young: 9.5%), and ankles (children: 5.1%; young: 16.9%). Age was a significant independent risk factor for dance-related injuries to the upper back, lower back, and pelvis/buttock (odds ratios ranging from 1.2 to 1.3/additional years). Additionally, height was a significant independent risk factor for lower limb injury (odds ratios ranging from 1.0–1.1/additional centimeter). Collectively, young Chinese dance practitioners are more vulnerable to dance-related injuries than are child dancers. Older age increases the risk of trunk injuries, whereas taller dancers are more likely to sustain lower-limb injuries. Future research should determine the mechanisms underlying dance-related injuries among these dancers