Information Communication Research Articles

Assessing Reusable Packaging: The Importance of Methodological Choices in Carbon Footprint Calculation

The reliability and clarity of environmental assessments represent an important prerequisite for measures towards the sustainable transformation of our economic system. Studies examining the environmental performance of reusables are often used to derive arguments for and against their use. Accordingly, it is important to have clarity about the influence of methodological decisions on the results of such studies. This paper analyses possible approaches to the allocation of environmental impacts of transport processes to reusable shipping packaging in the context of parcel deliveries. A model was developed to conduct comparative analyses of carbon emissions (carbon footprint) from the use of single-use vs. reusable shipping packaging and was subsequently applied to two reusable shipping packaging systems currently available on the market. The results showed that using different allocation models led to significant variations in the results for the carbon footprint of the analysed packaging (single-use and reusable), while at the same time, the calculated environmental break-even point in the comparison between the single-use and reusable options remained rather stable. The results highlight the importance of a clear and standardized methodological framework for the communication of footprint information for reusable shipping packaging. Moreover, for determining the environmental break-even point, the results suggest that aspects like the comparison scenario (i.e., the selection of the single-use packaging) are more important than the methodological choice of the allocation model for transportation processes.

A Framework for Distributed Estimation With Limited Information and Event-Based Communications

A Framework for Distributed Estimation With Limited Information and Event-Based Communications

Wildlife values can inform strategic conservation communication efforts

ABSTRACT The ways in which people value wildlife, or “wildlife value orientations,” shape attitudes and behaviors and can even predict support for environmental issues. As such, wildlife value orientations can be used strategically to inform communication strategies. We used a national, experimental framing survey (n = 1,998) to investigate how the two most predominant wildlife value orientations in the US – domination and mutualism – affect people’s intentions to engage in conservation behaviors. Results showed that respondents on the mutualistic scale were more likely to express strong intentions to donate, engage in political activity, and adopt simple actions in support of conservation. In mutualistic-oriented respondents, pessimistically framed messages generally increased intentions to donate, but both optimistic and pessimistic-framed messages were likely to backfire and reduce intentions to adopt personal conservation actions. Our findings provide preliminary empirical evidence that wildlife value orientations could guide more effective communication approaches leading to behavior change.

Toward Tailored and Targeted Communication for the Promotion of Firearm Safety: A Qualitative Study With Firearm Retailers.

Firearm injury is a major yet understudied public health issue in the U.S. This qualitative study explored firearm retailers' perspectives to inform messaging and communication approaches to promote firearm safety among the gun owning population. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 retailers at a single gun shop in Texas. Thematic analysis identified key themes related to (1) audience segmentation, (2) appropriate use of language, and (3) trusted messengers and modalities for the communication of firearm safety information. This formative work provides practical insights to optimize public health messaging in this arena and ultimately reduce firearm injuries. Overall, this study provides valuable insights to guide the development and implementation of evidence-based, social marketing efforts aiming to promote firearm safety across various gun-owning audiences.

Impact of certification information on consumer behaviour in hybrid retail platforms: empirical evidence from JD.com

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of logistics and merchant certification information on consumer behaviour in hybrid retail platforms. Furthermore, it explores the moderating role of online shopping experience on the certification effect.Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilize transaction-level data from over 2.5 million consumers involving 30,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) on JD.com in March 2018. They analyse the impact of different types of certification information on consumer behaviour using ordinary linear regression and linear probability models.FindingsThe findings reveal that, compared with information without certification, (1) single logistics certification information can enhance consumers' search depth and purchase intention; (2) dual logistics and merchant certification information also has a positive impact on consumer behaviour; and (3) single certification information is more effective for inexperienced consumers, while dual certification is more effective for experienced consumers.Originality/valueTheoretically, this study contributes to the literature on certification information in hybrid retail platforms and broadens information communication methods for online shopping. Our discovery is meaningful for managers in locating customers and allocating resources. In addition, we encourage online retailers to utilize certification information to engage consumer.

Synthesis of robust memory modes for linear quantum systems with unknown inputs

In this paper, the synthesis of robust memory modes for linear quantum passive systems in the presence of unknown inputs has been studied, aimed at facilitating secure storage and communication of quantum information. In particular, we can switch on decoherence-free (DF) modes in the storage stage by placing the poles on the imaginary axis via a coherent feedback control scheme, and these memory modes can further be simultaneously made robust against perturbations to the system parameters by minimizing the condition number associated with imaginary poles. The DF modes can also be switched off by tuning the controller parameters to place the poles in the left half of the complex plane in the writing/reading stage. We develop explicit algebraic conditions guiding the design of such a coherent quantum controller, which involves employing an augmented system model to counter the influence of unknown inputs. Examples are provided to illustrate the procedure of synthesizing robust memory modes for linear optical quantum systems.

Local Community Attitude towards Forest-Based Ecotourism Development in Arbegona and Nensebo Woredas, Southern Ethiopia

Understanding local community awareness and attitude towards forest-based ecotourism welfare is an important input for policymakers to develop and implement sustainable forest resource management strategies. However, the local community’s awareness and attitude towards forest-based ecotourism development have been poorly assessed and documented in remote areas. To this end, the present study assessed the local community’s awareness and attitude in Arbegona and Nensebo woredas’ forests, southern Ethiopia, towards ecotourism development. Household and key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data. Results indicated that more than half (57.9%) of the respondents expressed a negative attitude towards forest-based ecotourism development. The educational status of the respondents, their age, presence of conservation measures, source of energy for household consumption, and biophysical and socio-cultural variations in the study sites are significantly associated with local communities’ attitudes that have been exhibited towards the development of ecotourism and conservation of forest resources. Creating awareness through persuasion and communication of new and well-suited information, promoting alternative livelihood options, encouraging local benefits from the conservation of forest resources, and compensating costs induced by wild animals can minimise negative attitudes, thereby contributing to the enhancement of local communities’ positive attitudes towards forest resource conservation.

Digital tools and digital pedagogy for placemaking

PurposeThe surge of digital technologies and information communication technologies poses a challenge to traditional placemaking, influencing how people live, communicate and connect with their environments. In response, placemaking practices are integrating emerging digital technologies, giving rise to digital placemaking. This digital approach aims to present new opportunities for establishing a sense of place, encouraging unique interactions and adding value to communities in social, economic, cultural and environmental aspects.Design/methodology/approachThis paper aims to examine the current landscape of digital tools and apps that facilitate digital placemaking. Conducting an extensive literature review, the research evaluates these tools based on their positive contributions to placemaking, categorizing them according to the aspects they enhance in the placemaking process. These aspects include social dynamics, cultural influences, environmental considerations, artistic qualities, heritage preservation, support for human well-being, urban development and opportunities for digital collaboration among citizens. Additionally, the paper explores digital pedagogy for placemaking, analyzing various tools for their educational approach, knowledge production methods and learning outcomes.FindingsThe findings indicate a growing trend in utilizing digital tools for placemaking, driven by technological advancements like augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence and the internet of things. Similar to traditional placemaking, digital practices are collaborative and context-dependent, requiring engagement from multiple stakeholders for optimal success. Notably, successful digital placemaking apps often incorporate interactivity and multimodality. Digital collaborative platforms can significantly impact placemaking and sustainable urban design, serving as effective tools for both bottom-up and top-down knowledge production and learning related to placemaking.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study must be seen considering certain limitations. The scoping review utilized analysis of most relevant bibliometric databases, however, in the domain of digital placemaking there are undertakings by private companies, nongovernmental as well as governmental organizations which are not cited in the scientific databases. This limitation was tackled by using conventional search engines like Google and Bing to identify and study such projects. Also, it must be noted that the digital domain is rapidly developing and being integrated in digital placemaking. Even more, the artificial intelligence technology, which is being applied across all disciplines, with so far unforeseen possibilities, should be further examined how it is being adopted and implemented in the domain of digital placemaking and which are its impacts in the placemaking processes and outcomes.Originality/valueDespite these advancements, many digital tools lack a comprehensive approach to address the various aspects of sustainability in placemaking. Consequently, further research is needed to develop digital tools that adopt a holistic approach, ensuring justifiability and feasibility in social, environmental and economic terms. Furthermore, in alignment with the goals of the EU Green Deal, incorporating Circular Economy principles into the development of new digital placemaking methods and tools is crucial.

INQUIRY BASED HIGH-TECH APPROACH: TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Information Communication Technologies (ICT) have gained primary importance in language classes since today each learner has a technological device beside their books in the classroom. Moreover, internet connection is provided in every classroom. Especially the language classes benefit from the internet in different ways. Inquiry-based approach and technology are intertwined. This approach is called the inquiry-based high-tech approach. The inquiry-based high-tech approach is a learning process engaging learners in making real-life connections by high-level inquiry and discovery. Learners discover by experiencing themselves and solving problems through technology usage in the classrooms. Hence, the aim of this study is to reveal the experience of teaching with the inquiry-based high-tech approach in a language class. The inquiry-based High-Tech approach is applied through three general phases after ice-breaking: warm-up for inquiry, data collection and general overview. Although it requires a certain level of language knowledge and motivation to apply, it works perfectly with a suitable group of learners even though there are learners with special needs. Teacher becomes a guide and the learners become the actors of their own learning processes.

Mitochondria-Associated Organelle Crosstalk in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

Organelle damage is a significant contributor to myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This damage often leads to disruption of endoplasmic reticulum protein regulatory programs and dysfunction of mitochondrial energy metabolism. Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum are seamlessly connected through the mitochondrial-associated endoplasmic reticulummembrane (MAM), which serves as a crucial site for the exchange of organelles and metabolites. However, there is a lack of reports regarding the communication of information and metabolites between mitochondria and related organelles, which is a crucial factor in triggering myocardial I/R damage. To address this research gap, this review described the role of crosstalk between mitochondria and the correlative organelles such as endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomal and nuclei involved in reperfusion injury of the heart. In summary, this review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the crosstalk between organelles in myocardial I/R injury, with the ultimate goal of facilitating the development of targeted therapies based on this knowledge.

Impacts of ICT as Tools in Teaching Biology in Senior Secondary Schools

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been pivotal in training across the world. Due to the abstractness of Biology in schools, it is essential to develop an effective strategy of ICT tools to improve student’s learning process. Similarly, biology helps people understand how organisms adapt to their environment and the importance of biodiversity in sustaining our planet's delicate balance. Therefore, this study investigates the impacts of ICT as instructional material in teaching and learning biology and its gender dimension in senior secondary school at Ado-Odo Ota local government area of Ogun State, Nigeria. The sample size for this research was 240 which consisted of 180 Biology students and 60 Biology teachers. The research questions were investigated with descriptive statistics; Frequency and percentage with the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The results show a sizable correlation between information communication and technology and the performance of students offering biology in senior secondary school at Ado Odo Ota local government area of Ogun State. It also showed a notable difference in the performance of male students taught with information and communication technology-related facilities and female students taught with ICT-related facilities in Ado-Odo Ota local government area of Ogun State. It was concluded that ICT tools in Biology class can make students more interested in learning Biology. Therefore, Biology concepts should be incorporated into ICT tools to make learning Biology worthwhile, seamless, and entertaining.

Using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework (TPACK) model to analyse teachers’ use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Primary Physical Education

Using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework (TPACK) model to analyse teachers’ use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Primary Physical Education

Multimodal Co-attention Fusion Network with Online Data Augmentation for Cancer Subtype Classification.

It is an essential task to accurately diagnose cancer subtypes in computational pathology for personalized cancer treatment. Recent studies have indicated that the combination of multimodal data, such as whole slide images (WSIs) and multi-omics data, could achieve more accurate diagnosis. However, robust cancer diagnosis remains challenging due to the heterogeneity among multimodal data, as well as the performance degradation caused by insufficient multimodal patient data. In this work, we propose a novel multimodal co-attention fusion network (MCFN) with online data augmentation (ODA) for cancer subtype classification. Specifically, a multimodal mutual-guided co-attention (MMC) module is proposed to effectively perform dense multimodal interactions. It enables multimodal data to mutually guide and calibrate each other during the integration process to alleviate inter- and intra-modal heterogeneities. Subsequently, a self-normalizing network (SNN)-Mixer is developed to allow information communication among different omics data and alleviate the high-dimensional small-sample size problem in multi-omics data. Most importantly, to compensate for insufficient multimodal samples for model training, we propose an ODA module in MCFN. The ODA module leverages the multimodal knowledge to guide the data augmentations of WSIs and maximize the data diversity during model training. Extensive experiments are conducted on the public TCGA dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed MCFN outperforms all the compared algorithms, suggesting its effectiveness.

Impact of large-scale disasters on breast cancer care: A qualitative analysis of patient experiences during the 2011 triple disaster in Fukushima, Japan

Large-scale disasters can severely impact breast cancer care, leading to treatment disruptions and delays. While empirical studies on these effects are limited, patient narratives provide valuable insights. This study explored treatment continuity and medical access among local breast cancer patients affected by the 2011 triple disaster through qualitative research methods.The study involved 21 local breast cancer patients diagnosed before the disaster. After obtaining consent, semi-structured interviews ranging from 20 min to an hour were conducted, and data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.The analysis identified five key themes: medical challenges, family roles and burdens, information access and communication, mental health effects, and evacuation difficulties. These themes highlight the range of challenges from immediate response to long-term recovery, showcasing the profound impacts of infrastructure damage and treatment disruptions, exacerbated by familial constraints and the need for reliable information, contributing to psychological and logistical complexities during evacuation.The findings underscore the critical need for ongoing care and address key challenges for breast cancer patients during disasters. Future research should focus on developing practical and prompt solutions to address these issues in disaster settings.

Analysis of Barrier and Driver Factors to Risk Monitoring and Control Implementation in Construction Projects

Construction projects inherently involve risks. If proper risk management practices are not employed, the likelihood of cost overruns can reach more than 80%. Risk monitoring and control are essential processes in risk management; however, their implementation is inadequate in construction projects. This research analyzed the main barriers and drivers for implementing risk monitoring and control in construction projects. A questionnaire survey was conducted using a Likert scale to measure respondents' perceptions. Data were collected from 71 respondents: top management, project managers, project risk managers, and risk officers. This study employs descriptive analysis and factor analysis to achieve the objectives. The results indicate that the 19 identified barriers to risk monitoring and control were categorized into 4 main factors: lack of practice, lack of risk awareness, lack of incentives and having difficulty finding methods, and misperceptions about risk monitoring and control. Meanwhile, the 21 drivers were categorized into 5 main factors: management support, tools and information technology, organizational structure and communication, external environment, assigning responsibility, and contingency reserve.

Engineering quantum dots for improved single photon emission statistics.

High fidelity single photon sources are required for the implementation of quantum information processing and communications protocols. Although colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are single photon sources, their efficacy is limited by their tendency to show finite multiphoton emission at higher excitation powers. Here, we show that wave function engineering of CQDs enables the realization of emitters with significantly improved single photon emission performance. We study the ZnS/CdSe/CdS system. It is shown that this system offers significantly improved probabilities of single photon emission. While conventional CQDs such as CdSe/CdS exhibit a g2(0) > 0.5 ± 0.02 at ⟨N⟩ = 2.17, ZnS/CdSe/CdS show a greatly improved g2(0) ≈ 0.04 ± 0.01. Improved single photon emission performance encourages the use of colloidal materials as quantum light sources in emerging quantum devices.

How Does Time Synchronization Affect Innovation Quality?

How location choice influences innovation in MNCs has been the subject of controversy, and the examination of geographic concentration or dispersion is particularly insufficient. The question is, how will the decentralization or centralization of MNCs affect the communication and management of information among employees. To address this deficiency, this study introduces the concept of time synchronization and attempts to examine the relationship between MNCs location choice and corporate innovation quality from a new perspective. By gathering data from the Chinese internationalized firms, we found that time synchronization between parents and subsidiaries is positively associated with the innovation quality of parent firms, and the degree of digitization strengthens this positive relationship. This study underscores the crucial role of overlapping work time for employee interactions between parents and subsidiaries to acquire information in comprehending and absorbing overseas knowledge to improve the innovation quality of parent firms.

Smart resilience through IoT‐enabled natural disaster management: A COVID‐19 response in São Paulo state

AbstractNatural disaster management approach establishes stages of prevention, preparation, response, and recovery. With the Internet of Things (IoT), Bigdata, Business Intelligence, and other Information Communication Technologies, data can be gathered to support decisions in stages of the response to natural disaster events. In biological natural disasters, the ICTs can also support efforts to promote social distancing, public health, and economic monitoring to face the threads. São Paulo state used IoT in scenarios to face COVID‐19, such as monitoring vehicular interurban mobility, social distancing, and economic activity. Frameworks, strategies, data views, and use cases are presented to support the decision‐making process to face this biological natural disaster. The data‐driven approach supports several purposes, including the communication of social distancing indices, economic recovery, the progression of contagion, and deaths. It also played a pivotal role in fostering transparency initiatives for society and supporting the crisis committee by facilitating situational analyses, and this approach became standard practice for pandemic response. Studies and innovative visualisation perspectives have produced positive outcomes, guiding the decision‐making process through data analysis. Noteworthy use cases were interurban traffic fence monitoring; mapping of virus spreading; tracking the economic impact concerning recovery plans; and, evaluating the effectiveness of public policies.

Event-based appointed-time cooperative formation for linear multiagent systems with actuator saturation

This paper considers the time-varying formation (TVF) tracking issue of a class of multiagent systems (MASs) with input saturation. Meanwhile, the prescribed transient and steady-state performance of MASs is guaranteed. Compared to the existing prescribed performance control (PPC) approaches, the maximum convergence time of the designed algorithm is preassigned. To save network resources, an event-based protocol is introduced to achieve lower information communication frequency, where Zeno behavior is excluded. Furthermore, an improved control strategy is employed where an auxiliary system is designed to improve the performance under actuator saturation. According to Lyapunov stability theory, the expected practical TVF tracking control problem is solved for the MASs. Finally, the effectiveness of the designed schemes is demonstrated by the simulation examples.

Evaluation of Customer Service through PLN Mobile Application in the Framework of Electronic Government Maturity Model in Sidoarjo Customer Service Implementation Unit

PT PLN (Persero) created the PLN Mobile application to improve the quality of service to customers with aspects of flexibility, convenience, speed, accuracy and transparency. However, in the Sidoarjo Customer Service Implementation Unit (UP3), there are still many customers who experience problems and submit complaints regarding the performance of the application. This study aims to evaluate PLN Mobile in UP3 Sidoarjo using the Electronic Government Maturity Model framework, namely the five pillars of Information Dissemination, Communication, Transactions, Interoperability, and Participation. This research method uses a qualitative case study to provide an in-depth description of the evaluation of customer service evaluation through the PLN Mobile application within the framework of the e-government maturity model in UP3 Sidoarjo. The results showed that several pillars, especially Transactions and Interoperability, have not been well fulfilled by PLN Mobile in UP3 Sidoarjo. The lack of integration with other services causes some services to be inaccessible through the application, forcing customers to come to the office. Therefore, the goal of PLN Mobile in improving service quality has not been fully achieved.