Indirect Users Research Articles

Global Data Meets 3-D Printing: The Quest for a Balanced and Globally Collaborative Solution to Prevent Patent Infringement in the Foreseeable 3-D Printing Revolution

This Note explores a potential global solution to the foreseeable patent infringement problems with 3-D printing and do-it-yourself users. More specifically, at a time when 3-D printing is quickly gaining popularity and recognition for its many beneficial applications through advancements in printing and scanning technology, the current state of patent law lacks the ability to detect and prevent patent infringement among do-it-yourself users of 3-D printing. I propose a potential global solution that would provide a balance between fostering growth in 3-D printing and upholding patentees’ rights by exploring the possibility of creating a collaborative, intergovernmental 3-D CAD file database that utilizes 3-D CAD file recognition software that must be cross-referenced by 3-D printers as a prerequisite to printing any 3-D CAD file. The creation of this type of collaborative global database would yield benefits to inventors, countries’ patent offices, and patentees, while ensuring 3-D printing continues to benefit direct and indirect users around the world. Ultimately, this proposal, along with the facts and issues presented in this note, helps to convey the importance of why a proactive solution to potential patent infringement issues accompanying quickly advancing 3-D-printing technology should remain on patent attorneys’, legislators’, and patentees’ radars.

Artisanal Recreational Fisheries: Using a Combined Approach to Fishery Assessment Aimed at Providing Insights for Fishery Managers

To provide insights for artisanal recreational fisheries management, using Belize as a case study, our research addressed the following research question: What is the natural resource base in terms of the fish species, typology of users, and general management regulations comprising artisanal recreational fisheries in Belize? To answer it, a mixed method approach, which included social and biological surveys, was used. Our results indicated: (1) there is a mismatch in the very definition of “recreational fisheries” between the fishery managers and resource users; (2) current management regulates the so called “sport fishing,” whereas three other recorded fisheries—reef fishing, blue fishing, and local recreational fishing—remain unregulated; (3) 26 bony fish species in the study area; and (4) the direct users (fishers) are primarily non-residents, whereas the indirect users (service providers) are residents. Our study suggests that any management plan for these fisheries should consider local complexities and stakeholders’ inputs.

Understanding, Enhancing and Automating HCI Work Practices: Malaysian Case Studies

Failing to elicit comprehensive requirements before developing a product can result in poor uptake and wasted efforts in development. One way to overcome this is to apply user centered design and participatory methods in requirement gathering. This study aims to understand, enhance and automate some of the work practices via the extension of development of a tool called URANUS. Based on the prioritized requirements gathered, the URANUS was enhanced which resulted in the successful completion of four case studies. Additionally, the enhancement and automation of the work practices resulted in significant time savings for the primary, secondary and indirect users.

Economics of urban amenities A contingent valuation approach for Bolgoda lake

Bolgoda Lake is known as the largest fresh water body in Colombo Urban Area (CUA) and situatedin the Southern boundary ofCUA. It covers 1,245 hectares. There are 14 Divisional secretariat (OS)divisions and 105 Grama Niladary (GN) divisions. Bolgoda Lake lies along the highly popularizedtownships and it provides a variety of environmental services such as natural environment for fisheriesproduction and estuary function; ground water recharge, potable water supply; recreation/ tourism;and )1atural biotic habitat. In CUA, there are very few lakes like Bolgoda, which provides aestheticvalues for the urban environment. Environment of the Bolgoda Lake is threatened by the disposal ofliquid and solid waste, agricultural run-off, sedimentation and congestion due to recreational uses.However, there wi II be an increasing demand for the environmental services produced by the BolgodaLake in the future.Objectives of the present study are to identify the environmental benefits of the Lake and estimateeconomic value of selected environmental benefits. A pilot survey was carried out and five major usergroups were identified; fishermen, hotel owners, boat owners, recreational users (for swimming andhotel visiting) and indirect users. Selected study area for the present study belongs to five GN divisionsfrom Moratuwa and Panadura OS divisions. Contingent valuation method was applied to estimate theeconomic value of the Bolgoda Lake. Users' willingness to pay (WTP) was elicited on a pre-testedhypothetical market.Depending on the WTP values, the 5 user groups were regrouped into two categories, namely User I(heavy dependency) and User 1/ (less dependency). WTP values per household per year for the UserI and User II are Rs.18, 600 and 514.3 respectively. Estimated economic value of the Bolgoda Lakefor the study area is Rs. 84,192.7 (US$ 809.55) per hectare per year. Regression analysis was carriedout to identify the socio economic characteristics of the users that affect the WTP value of the users.The results were consistent with the theory. However, the values of the study area have not beenextrapolated to the whole lake, due to the high variability of the sample mean from place to place.It was clear that the Bolgoda Lake is a valuable aesthetic asset in the CUA and it should be judiciouslymanaged for sustain the provision of environmental services. However, the ultimate decision over theusefulness of the lake has to be based on weighing the estimated value of the environmental servicesof the Lake against the value of the use of lake as a sink for domestic and industrial waste.

ASSOCIATION OF COSTUMER VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS TO QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT: DIFFERENT IDENTIFIED COSTUMERS AND REQUIREMENTS ON DEVELOPMENT OF CPM DEVICE

This study aims to present the differences between the use of QFD and its association with CVCA tool in the development of a CPM device for elbow and forearm rehabilitation. To achieve this goal, the study was divided into three steps. The development of a conceptual model that integrates the proposed CVCA + QFD tool for application in the health device development was done in the first step. The second step consisted of applying the proposed model, referring to the QFD method using 8 matrixes: quality matrix, product, characteristics of the parts, process, process parameters, human resources, infrastructure and costs matrix. The proposed conceptual model was employed fully in the third step, allowing the comparison between the methods. The results enabled to identify a discrepancy between the critical costumers in the use of mentioned methods. Customers were limited to the direct and indirect users in the QFD application: the patient, physician and physical therapist. This list got a considerable increase when CVCA was applied: the clinical engineering, product engineering, process and reliability engineering, project and product managers, financial sector, quality system and regulatory issues. These results show the importance of analyzing the supply chain systemically in order to consider all stakeholders to the CPM device development. Thus, needs and relationships delineation of all process customers can be done.

Innovation for and by the People with Disabilities: A Case Study in Improvement of the Manual Wheelchair

This paper focuses on information-driven engineering, where information is gathered by means of innovation for people and by the people. This case study was carried out on innovation of a manual wheelchair. Through active participation of person with disability (direct users) and their carers (indirect user), knowledge awareness of the early design was increased. Computer aided engineering tools were used for the development of virtual prototype (VP) and after further feedback from direct and indirect users design was adjusted. Additionally, Physical prototype was built to practically demonstrate the new features to users and finally the prototype was readjusted to bridge user requirement even more. This innovation process identifies additional improvement aspects and contributes beyond fundamental personal needs and increases well being.

Users/consumers differences regarding ergonomics and design theory and practice

This paper presents the concept of direct and indirect users, a key issue to cooperation between ergonomists, designers and managers involved in a sustainable approach to design. What issues for Ergonomics and Design are launched by this concept? User/consumer differences should be approached taking into account Ergonomics and Design theory and practice. What dialogue and tools could help the ergonomist/designer/manager to respond to all the requirements of the future clients of the product?

Water reuse for irrigation in Jordan: Perceptions of water quality among farmers

▶ We compare farmers’ perceptions to reclaimed water at a number of locations in Jordan. ▶ Direct users (irrigating near wastewater treatment plants) tend to hold neutral or positive perceptions. ▶ Indirect users (irrigating at distance from treatment plants) tend to hold negative perceptions. ▶ Perceptions are not necessarily connected to actual water quality. ▶ Perceptions seem to be related to farmers’ capacity to control water quality and manage agricultural challenges presented by reclaimed water. The reuse of treated wastewater (reclaimed water) for irrigation is a valuable strategy to maximise available water resources, but the often marginal quality of the water can present agricultural challenges. Semi-structured interviews were held with Jordanian farmers to explore how they perceive the quality of reclaimed water. Of the 11 farmers interviewed who irrigate with reclaimed water directly near treatment plants, 10 described reclaimed water either positively or neutrally. In contrast, 27 of the 39 farmers who use reclaimed water indirectly, after it is blended with fresh water, viewed the resource negatively, although 23 of the indirect reuse farmers also recognised the nutrient benefits. Farmer perception of reclaimed water may be a function of its quality, but consideration should also be given to farmers’ capacity to manage the agricultural challenges associated with reclaimed water (salinity, irrigation system damage, marketing of produce), their actual and perceived capacity to control where and when reclaimed water is used, and their capacity to influence the quality of the water delivered to the farm.

Economic tradeoffs in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem: Herring and whale-watching

Abstract This research attempts to quantify some of the effects of localized depletion of herring by examining the search times of commercial whale-watching vessels. Whale-watching vessels are indirect users of herring; whales feed on herring and may disperse when prey availability is low. A dataset of daily whale-watching outcomes is combined with fishing effort and oceanographic data to test the hypothesis that intensive fishing effort increases the search time of whale-watching companies. Our results suggest that fishing may have a detrimental impact on search time; however, the magnitude of this effect is fairly small. We find policy that the recently enacted policy which prohibits fishing for herring in whale-watching areas would decrease search times by a small amount. We find some evidence of a localized aggregation effect; search times are the lowest when herring are spawning in the inshore areas. These results should be of interest to policymakers in determining future fishing regulations in an ecosystem-based fisheries management context.

Analysis on the Social Economic Impacts of the Existence of Brondong Nusantara Fishing Port (NFP) Lamongan East Java

Brondong Nusantara Fishing Port (NFP) has a strategic role on the marine and fisheries development, i.e. as a centre of marine fisheries activities, especially for Kabupaten Lamongan east java areas. Brondong NFP is not only as a link between fishermen and the direct and indirect users of the catch, such as traders, processing industries, reatourants etc., but also as an interaction place of coastal community who stays surrounding Brondong NFP. Brondong NFP will become a promising terminal point on land and marine economic activities. The objective of this research was to analyze the social economic impacts of construction and development of Brondong NFP. A study case descriptive survey method was applied. The results showed there was a positive impact, i.e. the increase of efforts acivities and job opportunities for surrounding society, thus, will affect their income. This is because the roles of Brondong NFP as a support system for improving the socialeconomic condition and the welfare of the fishermen.

Characteristics of tissue‐centric biomedical researchers using a survey and cluster analysis

AbstractThe objective of this study was to characterize the types of tissue‐centric users based on tissue use, requirements, and their job or work‐related variables at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, PA. A self‐reporting questionnaire was distributed to biomedical researchers at the UPMC. Descriptive and cluster analyses were performed to identify and characterize the complex types of tissue‐based researchers. A total of 62 respondents completed the survey, and two clusters were identified based on all variables. Two distinct groups of tissue‐centric users made direct use of tissue samples for their research as well as associated information, while a third group of indirect users required only the associated information. The study shows that tissue‐centric users were composed of various types. These types were distinguished in terms of tissue use and data requirements, as well as by their work or research‐related activities.

Access to water resources in Belgium: strategies of public and private suppliers

Water suppliers adopt a variety of strategies to gain access to and control of water resources. In contrast to theoretical approaches which assert that the status of ownership determines water supplier strategies, we argue that supplier strategies depend on the activation of property rights and the specific public policies applied to the resource. These two components of the institutional water regime are thus factors that are more important in explaining the suppliers' strategies than the intrinsic characteristics of the water operator. We thus present two case histories of aquifer exploitation for drinking and mineral water production; we compare two companies in Belgium, one publicly and one privately owned. This comparison shows that the operator strategy is identical in both cases, regardless of whether the ownership status of the water supplier was public or private. Both companies attempted to appropriate the resource privately in order to maximize its security over the resource and its supply. In each case, the winning strategy consisted in gradually excluding all direct or indirect users of the resource such as competitors, farmers and residents. The aquifer was then effectively protected in quantity and quality over time; however this state of affairs does not necessarily entail sustainability of the resource in a broader sense, as social and economic aspects were not directly considered.

Relationship of Internet Health Information Use With Patient Behavior and Self-Efficacy: Experiences of Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients Who Contact the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service

ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship of Internet health information use with patient behavior and self-efficacy among 498 newly diagnosed cancer patients. Subjects were classified by types of Internet use: direct use (used Internet health information themselves), indirect use (used information accessed by friends or family), and non-use (never accessing Internet information). Subjects were recruited from callers of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service, Atlantic Region. They were classified by type of Internet use at enrollment and interviewed by telephone after 8 weeks. There were significant relationships among Internet use and key study variables: subject characteristics, patient task behavior, and self-efficacy. Subjects' Internet use changed significantly from enrollment to 8 week follow-up; 19% of nonusers and indirect users moved to a higher level of Internet use. Significant relationships also were found among Internet use and perceived patient–provider relationship, question asking, and treatment compliance. Finally, Internet use was also significantly associated with self-efficacy variables (confidence in actively participating in treatment decisions, asking physicians questions, and sharing feelings of concern). The results of this study show that patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer perceive the Internet as a powerful tool, both for acquiring information and for enhancing confidence to make informed decisions.

Ski Channel Users: A Discriminating Perspective

While the importance of managing the structure and behavior of distribution channels has been clearly identified in general marketing literature, it has received relatively limited research attention in the context of tourism businesses. This situation is typified in the ski industry where knowledge of the range of channel options and the potential influence of using varying distribution channels on the effectiveness of destination marketing programs is limited. This paper describes the structure of British Columbia's existing ski area distribution channels, and outlines key market features which discriminate direct and indirect channel users from each other. It then details the distinctive characteristics of an indirect channel group-club channelers-in order to illustrate some of the management implications associated with understanding the behavioral characteristics of specific channel users. The paper is written as a contribution to the emerging academic tourism literature on channels of distribution, as well as in response to a ski area industry need for better marketing channel information.

Generating recipient-centered explanations about drug prescription

In this paper we describe how we generated written explanations to ‘indirect users’ of a knowledge-based system in the domain of drug prescription. We call ‘indirect users’ the intended recipients of explanations, to distinguish them from the prescriber (the ‘direct’ user) who interacts with the system. The Explanation Generator was designed after several studies about indirect users' information needs and physicians' explanatory attitudes in this domain. It integrates text planning techniques with ATN-based surface generation. A double modeling component enables adapting the information content, order and style to the indirect user to whom explanation is addressed. Several examples of computer-generated texts are provided, and they are contrasted with the physicians' explanations to discuss advantages and limits of the approach adopted.

Mediating between hearer's and speaker's views in the generation of adaptive explanations

In this article, we examine the case of a system that cooperates with a “direct” user to plan an activity that some “indirect” user, not interacting with the system, should perform. The specific application we consider is the prescription of drugs. In this case, the direct user is the prescriber and the indirect user is the person who is responsible for performing the therapy. Relevant characteristics of the two users are represented in two user models. Explanation strategies are represented in planning operators whose preconditions encode the cognitive state of the indirect user; this allows tailoring the message to the indirect user's characteristics. Expansion of optional subgoals and selection among candidate operators is made by applying decision criteria represented as metarules, that negotiate between direct and indirect users' views also taking into account the context where explanation is provided. After the message has been generated, the direct user may ask to add or remove some items, or change the message style. The system defends the indirect user's needs as far as possible by mentioning the rationale behind the generated message. If needed, the plan is repaired and the direct user model is revised accordingly, so that the system learns progressively to generate messages suited to the preferences of people with whom it interacts.

What do patients want to know: An empirical approach to explanation generation and validation

This article describes an empirical, user-centred approach to explanation design. It reports three studies that investigate what patients want to know when they have been prescribed medication. The question is asked in the context of the development of a drug prescription system called OPADE. The system is aimed primarily at improving the prescribing behaviour of physicians, but will also produce written explanations for indirect users such as patients. In the first study, a large number of people were presented with a scenario about a visit to the doctor, and were asked to list the questions that they would like to ask the doctor about the prescription. On the basis of the results of the study, a categorization of question types was developed in terms of how frequently particular questions were asked. In the second and third studies a number of different explanations were generated in accordance with this categorization, and a new sample of people were presented with another scenario and were asked to rate the explanations on a number of dimensions. The results showed significant differences between the different explanations. People preferred explanations that included items corresponding to frequently asked questions in study 1. For an explanation to be considered useful, it had to include information about side effects, what the medication does, and any lifestyle changes involved. The implications of the results of the three studies are discussed in terms of the development of OPADE's explanation facility.

Defining Decision Support Systems: An Empirical Assessment Of End-User Satisfaction

AbstractA field study of 201 Decision Support Systems (DSS) managers and practitioners was conducted to demonstrate procedures for obtaining effective measurement of satisfaction with a DSS. Because of the broad and conflicting conceptions of desirable DSS characteristics that exist in the present literature, it is difficult to establish universal criteria on which a DSS can and should be subjectively evaluated. The approach presented here emphasizes user determination of criteria important for DSS evaluation. In particular the paper reports (a) the development of a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate DSS according to criteria deemed important by the respondents; (b) the respondents' judgments of important DSS goals, attributes, and functions, and (c) comparisons of criteria importance ratings from managers and practitioners, and from direct and indirect users. Implications of this approach for using subjective evaluations of a DSS and for further research are discussed.

Fishery Resource Allocation: An Exploratory Essay

In Canada our approach to the management of fish resources and their habitats has been in turmoil for several decades, especially during the past decade. That many direct and indirect users of the aquatic ecosystems have been and are continuing to make improper use of them is widely recognized by the public and in formal government policies. Some of the improprieties have been reduced while others are intensifying. How to reduce all improprieties and how to foster meliorative husbandry are being addressed with respect to ecological, social, economic, and political aspects of the man–nature ecosystem. Reconsideration of all rights to the use of fish and their habitats, where the "rights" may be de jure and formally sanctioned, or de facto and informally accepted or imagined and illegal, is leading to proposals that legitimate rights be clarified and be allocated in more explicit and open ways. As allocative devices both the market system and processes of community-level negotiation are being developed further, and the centralized administrative (or bureaucratic) device is being reformed to accommodate the greater use of complementary devices. These issues are here explored with respect to intrajurisdictional problems and opportunities in Canada.

Optimal long‐term control of a multipurpose reservoir with indirect users

A new algorithm for optimal long‐term control of a multipurpose reservoir with direct and indirect users is described. (Indirect users are those who reuse water after some direct user, e.g., the hydro.) In such cases the usual dynamic programing algorithms cannot be used. We have developed a three‐level algorithm for solving such problems: At the first level, optimize the distribution of available water among time intervals; at the second level, allocate water to direct users in one time interval; at the third level, allocate water already used by direct users to indirect users further downstream. Dynamic programing is employed at all three levels, but the recurrence relations are developed in accordance with the decomposition of the control problem.