Factors influencing adoption and diffusion of mobile payment systems - a holistic framework

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Information Technology.Mobile devices have a potential to become ideal payment devices because they are small, light, personal, convenient, and many people carry them anytime, anywhere. Mobile devices have a number of connectivity options, and their own display and input capabilities. They are already widely used around the world. Mobile payments, despite their potential, have not reached the expected adoption levels. While there may be many reasons for this, previous research focused on few topics only, mainly technology and consumers. The main aim of this study was to find out what is necessary to improve adoption and diffusion of mobile payments. Specific objectives that were proposed to help achieve this aim included: a) identifying all the factors that may influence adoption and diffusion of mobile payments, b) integrating such factors and relations between them in a holistic framework, and c) providing specific recommendations and guidelines in all the various perspectives. Grounded theory was the methodology employed to fulfil these objectives. Qualitative approach was found to be most suitable to this study, and open- ended Web surveys, as well as various kinds of interviews, including email, face-to-face, phone, and focus groups managed to obtain detailed, in-depth information from industry and user participants. The main contribution of this study is the holistic theoretical framework that explains the specific factors that influence adoption and diffusion of mobile payments, provides interesting findings on each of the identified factors, and at the same time integrates such investigations together as one coherent whole that forms a roadmap of success factors for mobile payments. Some of the discovered factors have not been proposed before at all. Some others have been proposed in fragmented explanations that focused on several influences only. Other factors have been proposed before but this study offered more accurate or understandable interpretations or names for them. In addition, this project integrated all the factors together in a holistic framework, pointing out all the important contexts and conditions that providers need to understand and fulfil. Another contribution is a multitude of specific guidelines and recommendations that have been discovered in the participants' data. This study, unlike some other mobile payment projects, additionally devoted much attention to studying mobile payments in relation to other payment methods. The proposed theory with its well explained success factors can be used by providers to improve their current systems or better design new mobile payment initiatives

Typography in motion: A framework of moving type use

Typography is increasingly undertaken with and mediated through Information Technologies. One of the most visible manifestations of this change is the expansion from the printed page to screen environments and device displays. Moving type is an example of a new quality of text made possible by the use of new technologies. In this study we propose a framework that can help answer questions such as why type should move at all, what benefits moving type can offer, and how it can be best used to enhance the visual display of text. The framework categorises the uses of moving type, based on whether the movement of text enhances reading, viewing or using of a text, or a combination of the above. The categories are illustrated with examples of existing moving type works, which provided a basis for discussion of various challenges and issues specific to each category

Awareness of wireless sensor network potential in healthcare industry: A second UTAUT study

This study concentrates on investigating the degree of awareness, future adoption and uptake of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) (in particular Motes) in the Health Monitoring arena via the use of our second Web-based survey. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) has been applied to determine how viable this technology will be for health monitoring in healthcare institutions and patients' homes. Results from our study show positive support for the acceptance of the technology yet reveal some real concerns about the issues of security, privacy, ethics and safety

Heat shock protein-90 dampens and directs signaling stimulated by insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin

AbstractHeat shock protein-90 (Hsp90) buffers cells from genetic mutations and environmental stresses. To test if this capability reflects a normal physiological function of Hsp90 to buffer cellular signals, the effects of Hsp90 inhibition were measured on activation of Akt. Inhibition of Hsp90 with geldanamycin amplified Akt phosphorylation induced by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) or insulin, indicating that Hsp90 normally buffers these signals. Furthermore, with IGF-1 stimulation Hsp90 inhibition increased p38 activation, produced additive activation of p90RSK, and slightly increased the duration of ERK1/2 activation. Hsp90 dampened Akt signaling by facilitating phosphatase-mediated dephosphorylation of Akt. Thus, Hsp90 not only buffers the cellular effects of mutations and stresses, but also buffers the magnitude and duration of activation of proliferative and survival-promoting signaling responses

Effect of neonatal or adult heat acclimation on plasma fT3 level, testicular thyroid receptors expression in male rats and testicular steroidogenesis in vitro in response to triiodothyronine treatment

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of heat acclimation of neonatal and adult rats on their testes response to in vitro treatment with triiodothyronine (T3). Four groups of rats were housed from birth as: 1) control (CR) at 20°C for 90 days, 2) neonatal heat-acclimated (NHA) at 34°C for 90 days, 3) adult heat-acclimated (AHA) at 20°C for 45 days followed by 45 days at 34°C and 4) de-acclimated (DA) at 34°C for 45 days followed by 45 days at 20°C. Blood plasma and both testes were harvested from 90-day old rats. Testicular slices were then submitted to in vitro treatment with T3 (100 ng/ml) for 8 h. Plasma fT3 level was lower in AHA, NHA and DA groups than in CR group. Basal thyroid hormone receptor α1 (Thra1) expression was higher in testes of NHA and DA and β1 receptor (Thrb1) in DA rats vs. other groups. In the in vitro experiment, T3: 1) decreased Thra1 expression in all groups and Thrb1 in DA group, 2) increased Star expression in CR, NHA and DA groups, and Hsd17b3 expression in NHA group, 3) decreased the expression of Cyp11a1 in NHA and DA groups, and Cyp19a1 in all the groups, 4) did not affect the activity of steroidogenic enzymes and steroid secretion (A4, T, E2) in all the groups. These results indicate, that heat acclimation of rats, depending on their age, mainly affects the testicular expression of steroidogenic enzymes in response to short-lasting treatment with T3.</p

Curcuminoid Binding to Embryonal Carcinoma Cells: Reductive Metabolism, Induction of Apoptosis, Senescence, and Inhibition of Cell Proliferation

Curcumin preparations typically contain a mixture of polyphenols, collectively referred to as curcuminoids. In addition to the primary component curcumin, they also contain smaller amounts of the co-extracted derivatives demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Curcuminoids can be differentially solubilized in serum, which allows for the systematic analysis of concentration-dependent cellular binding, biological effects, and metabolism. Technical grade curcumin was solubilized in fetal calf serum by two alternative methods yielding saturated preparations containing either predominantly curcumin (60%) or bisdemethoxycurcumin (55%). Continual exposure of NT2/D1 cells for 4–6 days to either preparation in cell culture media reduced cell division (1–5 µM), induced senescence (6–7 µM) or comprehensive cell death (8–10 µM) in a concentration-dependent manner. Some of these effects could also be elicited in cells transiently exposed to higher concentrations of curcuminoids (47 µM) for 0.5–4 h. Curcuminoids induced apoptosis by generalized activation of caspases but without nucleosomal fragmentation. The equilibrium binding of serum-solubilized curcuminoids to NT2/D1 cells incubated with increasing amounts of curcuminoid-saturated serum occurred with apparent overall dissociation constants in the 6–10 µM range. However, the presence of excess free serum decreased cellular binding in a hyperbolic manner. Cellular binding was overwhelmingly associated with membrane fractions and bound curcuminoids were metabolized in NT2/D1 cells via a previously unidentified reduction pathway. Both the binding affinities for curcuminoids and their reductive metabolic pathways varied in other cell lines. These results suggest that curcuminoids interact with cellular binding sites, thereby activating signal transduction pathways that initiate a variety of biological responses. The dose-dependent effects of these responses further imply that distinct cellular pathways are sequentially activated and that this activation is dependent on the affinity of curcuminoids for the respective binding sites. Defined serum-solubilized curcuminoids used in cell culture media are thus suitable for further investigating the differential activation of signal transduction pathways

A Scoping Review of Quality of Life Questionnaires in Glaucoma Patients

PRECIS: Multiple questionnaires exist to measure glaucoma's impact on quality of life (QoL). Selecting the right questionnaire for the research question is essential, as is patients' acceptability of the questionnaire to enable collection of relevant patient-reported outcomes. PURPOSE: QoL relating to a disease and its treatment is an important dimension to capture. This scoping review sought to identify the questionnaires most appropriate for capturing the impact of glaucoma on QoL. METHODS: A literature search of QoL questionnaires used in glaucoma, including patient-reported outcomes measures, was conducted and the identified questionnaires were analyzed using a developed quality criteria assessment. RESULTS: Forty-one QoL questionnaires were found which were analyzed with the detailed quality criteria assessment leading to a summary score. This identified the top 10 scoring QoL questionnaires rated by a synthesis of the quality criteria grid, considering aspects such as reliability and reproducibility, and the authors' expert clinical opinion. The results were ratified in consultation with an international panel of ophthalmologists (N=49) from the Educational Club of Ocular Surface and Glaucoma representing 23 countries. CONCLUSIONS: Wide variability among questionnaires used to determine vision related QoL in glaucoma and in the responses elicited was identified. In conclusion, no single existing QoL questionnaire design is suitable for all purposes in glaucoma research, rather we have identified the top 10 from which the questionnaire most appropriate to the study objective may be selected. Development of a new questionnaire that could better distinguish between treatments in terms of vision and treatment-related QoL would be useful that includes the patient perspective of treatment effects as well as meeting requirements of regulatory and health authorities. Future work could involve development of a formal weighting system with which to comprehensively assess the quality of QoL questionnaires used in glaucoma

Meso- and macrozooplankton communities in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

The present paper describes composition and abundance of meso- and macrozooplankton in the epipelagic zone of the Weddell Sea and gives a systematic review of encountered species regarding results of earlier expeditions. Material was sampled from 6 February to 10 March 1983 from RV Polarstern with a RMT 1+8 m (320 and 4500 μm mesh size). In agreement with topography and water mass distribution three distinct communities were defined, clearly separated by cluster analysis: The Southern Shelf Community has lowest abundances (approx. 9000 ind./1000 m3). Euphausia crystallorophias and Metridia gerlachei are predominating. Compared with the low overall abundance the number of regularly occurring species is high (55) due to many neritic forms. Herbivores and omnivores are dominating (58% and 35%). The North-eastern Shelf Community has highest abundances (about 31 000 ind./1000 m3). It is predominated by copepodites I–III of Calanus propinquus and Calanoides acutus (61%). The faunal composition is characterized by both oceanic and neritic species (64). Fine-filter feeders are prevailing (65%). The Oceanic Community has a mean abundance of approximately 23 000 ind./1000 m3, consisting of 61 species. Dominances are not as pronounced as in the shelf communities. Apart from abundant species like Calanus propinquus, Calanoides acutus, Metridia gerlachei, Oithona spp. and Oncaea spp. many typical inhabitants of the Eastwind Drift are encountered. All feeding types have about the same importance in the Oceanic Community