Characteristics Of Potential Users Research Articles

ADOPTION AND DIFFUSION OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS GOVERNMENT PROGRAM FIELD SCHOOL INTEGRATED PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT OF IRRIGATION PROGRAM (IPDMIP)

This research details efforts to analyze the adoption and diffusion of agricultural technology innovations through the Integrated Participatory Development Management of Irrigation Program (IPDMIP) Field School Program in Kedungreja District, Cilacap Regency. In the background, the urgency of agriculture as the primary sector in development is illustrated, with technology adoption being the key to increasing productivity and farmer welfare. The IPDMIP program emphasizes the involvement of farmers in irrigation management and implementing modern technology to optimize agricultural yields. However, there has not been much in-depth research on the factors that influence the successful adoption and diffusion of technological innovations in the context of this program. This research aims to identify the factors that influence the adoption and diffusion of agricultural technology innovations in the IPDMIP Field School while measuring the adoption and diffusion of these innovations in the Kedungreja District. The quantitative research method uses a survey approach and statistical data analysis. The research instrument includes variables such as cultivated area, farmer age, education level, innovation characteristics, characteristics of potential users, decision-making, communication channels, and instructor qualifications. Data was collected from 100 respondents who were members of farmer groups receiving IPDMIP Field School activities through questionnaires. Data analysis shows that the IPDMIP Field School Program effectively increases the adoption and diffusion of agricultural technology innovations in the Kedungreja District. Factors such as farmer age, characteristics of the innovation, characteristics of potential users, and communication channels play a significant role in the successful adoption and diffusion of the innovation. The research results provide an in-depth picture of the effectiveness of this program in bringing positive change among farmers. This conclusion can be a basis for formulating further policies to support sustainable agricultural development and improve farmer welfare.

A Systematic Review of Attitudes, Anxiety, Acceptance, and Trust Towards Social Robots

As social robots become more common, there is a need to understand how people perceive and interact with such technology. This systematic review seeks to estimate people’s attitudes toward, trust in, anxiety associated with, and acceptance of social robots; as well as factors that are associated with these beliefs. Ninety-seven studies were identified with a combined sample of over 13,000 participants and a standardized score was computed for each in order to represent the valence (positive, negative, or neutral) and magnitude (on a scale from 1 to − 1) of people’s beliefs about robots. Potential moderating factors such as the robots’ domain of application and design, the type of exposure to the robot, and the characteristics of potential users were also investigated. The findings suggest that people generally have positive attitudes towards social robots and are willing to interact with them. This finding may challenge some of the existing doubt surrounding the adoption of robotics in social domains of application but more research is needed to fully understand the factors that influence attitudes.

Modeling the propensity to join carsharing using hybrid choice models and mixed survey data

Carsharing combines the positive elements of both private and public transportation. This feature renders it attractive to a significant percentage of the population, especially younger people who do not own a car. To maximize the effectiveness of such systems, the characteristics of potential users have been investigated in this research.The propensity of people to join a carsharing scheme is being modeled using mixed data collected from Internet and paper surveys. An ordered logit model is developed to model the willingness of young Greeks to join carsharing. Several types of explanatory variables are used, including demographic characteristics and travel attributes, but also the satisfaction of the commuters about their current travel patterns, which is included as latent attitude in the modeling framework. The combination of the two datasets aims to measure the difference of the variance of the error term, generated from the paper and Internet respondents; the latter are prone to be more positive in their responses, possibly in order to satisfy the interviewer. This is verified in the current research by the positive sign of the scale parameter applied at the utility function of the Internet-based data. The use of latent classes enhances the model estimation, by measuring the parameters that determine the respondents' unobserved, underlying behaviors.The results demonstrate that people who use taxi for social activities, those with medium to low income, and the environmentally conscious, are more willing to join a hypothetical carsharing scheme. The results are compared with a 2013 study, in order to identify the advantages of using this advanced modeling framework.

Artificial neural network models of sound signals in urban open spaces

Sound signals, known as foreground sounds, are important components of soundscape in urban open spaces. Previous studies in this area have shown that sound preferences are different according to social and demographic factors of individual users [W. Yang and J. Kang, J. Urban Des., 10, 69–88 (2005)]. This study develops artificial neural network (ANN) models of sound signals for architects at design stage, simulating subjective evaluation of sound signals. A database for ANN modeling has been established based on large-scale social surveys in European and Chinese cities. The ANN models have consequently been built, where individual’s social and demographic factors, activities, and acoustic features of the space and sounds are used as input variables while the sound preference is defined as the output. Through the process of training and testing the ANN models, considerable convergences have been achieved, which means that the models can be applied as practical tools for architects to design sound signals in urban open spaces, taking the characteristics of potential users into account. Currently ANN models combining foreground and background sounds are being developed.

The Effectiveness of Warning Information in Dietary Supplement Product Labels

A study was carried out to assess the potential effectiveness of warnings on dietary supplement labels. The warnings are intended to convey contraindication and side effect information to potential users. Fifty-three participants completed a survey consisting of questions about the warnings. Two characteristics of potential users in a 25–40 age range were manipulated as variables; gender and amount overweight (25 lbs and 75 lbs). Participants judged women (M = 40%) as more likely than men (M = 26%) to read the entire label. A significant effect showed 33% of those 25 lbs overweight were expected to use a supplement, while 55% of those 75 lbs overweight would be users. Estimates of the number of users who would stop use if experiencing nausea (49%) or irregular heartbeat (44%>) seems to reflect an underestimate of the risks associated with dietary supplements. Participants estimated that 31.4% of people who took the supplement and read the label would understand the information. Overall, warnings on the labels of the dietary supplement products may not be effective in addressing the contraindication and side effects issues.

Market Orientation for the Public Sector Providing Expert Services for SMEs

LERLA HUMERINTA-PELTOMAKI IS A researcher at the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Finland, and Niina Nummela is an Assistant Professor at the same university. In this paper, the authors attempt to characterise the small business market for expert services. The aims of the paper can be summarised as follows: to distinguish the characteristics of users and non-users of expert services; to evaluate the overall potential for future uise of expert services; to analyse the characteristics of potential users of expert services. This paper is part of a large ongoing research project concerning expert services and SMEs in Finland. The empirical analysis is based on the responses of 400 firms. The results reveal that possibilities do exist for a market orientation in the public sector. The authors have suggested a typology of SMEs according to current and future use of expert services. This typology enables the service providers to define their customers and also to design strategies for handling each customer group individually. The identification of different customer types creates an opportunity for exploiting large-scale demand, which is a requirement for the effectiveness of service providers in the public sector. SMEs see a market orientation on the supply side in terins of a more proactive supply effort to provide information regarding the services.