Interest In New Technologies Research Articles

Nanoparticles for Active and Sustainable Fuel Cell Cathodes

Depletion of fossil fuels and environmental pollution raised interest in new technologies for sustainable energy production, conversion, and storage, among which fuel cell technology is greatly studied, in both academia and industry. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are reputed energy devices, due to their high conversion efficiency and low environmental pollution.1 Nowadays, Pt-based catalysts exhibit the best electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but enhancing their catalytic efficiency and reducing costs are essential for commercializing fuel cell technology.2 Our interest relies with the development of Pt-based nanoalloys2,4 via solution organometallic chemistry approach.3 This approach allows control over the composition, structure, and morphology of metal nanoparticles, and could lead to increased catalytic activity and long-term stability by revealing more active sites of the catalyst. Additionally, the ability to alloy with a range of metals for producing bimetallic compounds is one of the key advantages of this approach.In this communication, the synthesis of Pt-based nanoparticles and their characterization by state-of-the-art techniques such as ICP, EA, IR, TEM and HR-TEM will be described. The influence of the Pt complexes used as precursors and of the reaction conditions on the morphology of the Pt nanoparticles will be shown. The obtained nanostructures offer interesting starting materials to incorporate other metals, such as transition or rare earth metals, in order to have nanoalloys and study their performance in ORR in comparison to pure Pt catalysts.

Identification of Slovak Tourists’ Attitudes Towards Digitalization for Circular Economy and Waste Management

Abstract The research paper explores the perspectives of a chosen group of Slovak tourists on how digitization drives circular economy practices and promotes efficient waste management in tourism. The study involves data from 103 participants, who expressed their opinions on sustainability concepts like digitization, innovation, circular economy, and waste management in tourism, using a 5-point Likert scale. The research’s main objective is to understand sentiments and attitudes towards integrating digitization and innovation for sustainable practices in the tourism sector. The findings reveal differences in attitudes among respondents. Visual aids like box plots are utilized to help interpret the results and emphasize how factors like interest in new technologies impact respondents’ attitudes. Implementing digital technologies in tourism plays a key role in creating efficient waste management systems and reducing the environmental burden. Data tracking and processing systems enable detailed analysis of waste generation patterns, providing valuable information to optimize collection and recycling processes. Digital technologies contribute to the overall reduction of the impact of tourism on the environment through electronic reservations, intelligent transport systems and other innovative solutions. These initiatives increase waste management efficiency and minimise tourism’s negative ecological impact, contributing to more sustainable and ecologically responsible tourism.

Workers’ Attitudes Towards Digital Transformation and Perceived Well-Being At Work: A Case Study

Abstract This study examines workers’ attitudes toward digital transformation and job well-being in the semiconductor industry, focusing on a major German manufacturer, to identify ergonomic and managerial potentials for improvement. Through a standardized paper survey of 46 skilled workers in 2021, it explores the impact of automation and digitalization on well-being and the influence of job characteristics and attitudes on workers’ behavior. For confirmatory hypothesis testing, Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated between the variables. The results show no direct link between company digitalization efforts and worker well-being. However, worker identification with their job and interest in new technologies positively correlate with willingness to embrace digital challenges and participate in further education. These findings suggest fostering job identification and tech interest can enhance engagement in digital initiatives, offering organizational insights for navigating digital transformation.

Survey of dental students’ perception of ubiquitous-based test (UBT)

This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of dental students in a dental school where the ubiquitous-based test (UBT) system has been implemented for several years. The research explored differences in perceptions based on respondents' characteristics and identified possibilities for improving the UBT system.This study surveyed fourth-year dental students who had taken the UBT exams for two years. A questionnaire covered respondent characteristics, UBT system perceptions, convenience, reliability, and comparison of UBT and paper-based test (PBT). The responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale for all items except for some respondent characteristics. Analysis employed descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and Spearman's correlation at a significance-level of p<0.05.A total of 157 responses were analyzed, including 86 respondents in 2021 and 71 in 2022. The respondents' general characteristics were similar across both years. Students exhibited positive perceptions towards the introduction of the UBT system and its convenience. However, their preference for UBT over PBT was less pronounced. Female students had higher tablet ownership rates than males. Gender-based and tablet ownership-based differences were observed in several items, such as tablet usage frequency and interest in new technologies. The strong correlations were identified between PBT and UBT assessment results.With user-centered interface enhancements and the incorporation of multimedia items, the UBT system will be effectively utilized in dental education as a valuable tool for both instruction and assessment.

Analysis of the user experience (On site vs. Virtual Reality) through biological markers and cognitive tests in museums: the case of Museo Cristo de la Sangre (Murcia, Spain)

Digital technologies have changed almost every aspect of our lives, including the way we access heritage. Following the pandemic caused by COVID-19 and the technological evolution of recent years, museums and institutions, among others, have changed the way they display their collections, taking a greater interest in new technologies, platforms and digital software. This technological boom finds its greatest transformation with the implementation of Virtual Reality (VR) and Metaverse in the museum sector. This article shows the concrete influence of VR/Metaverse in a museum room previously digitised through different techniques. Subsequently, the impact over user experience in the VR scenario versus on-site visit has been measured. In parallel, to measure the enzyme alpha-amylase in saliva, a cognitive test and usability test (SUS) were carried out to determine the learning capacity and degree of satisfaction obtained with experience alongside the room of the Museo de la Sangre in Murcia (Spain).

3D printing and 3D bioprinting technology in medicine: ethical and legal issues.

There has been a surge of interest in new technologies in medicine because of their promising clinical applications. Extensive research on additive manufacturing and its applications in the medical field has been carried out with good results and very high expectations. Due to their disruptive nature and potential, 3D printing and even more 3D bioprinting raise many ethical and safety concerns that need to be adequately addressed to provide good regulation before entering clinical practice. This article aims to highlight the general ethical concerns associated with the use of additive manufacturing in medicine and the lack of current international regulatory directives to guide these experiments. Transparency about how these new medical devices are regulated and approved is a fundamental requirement to promote and improve public trust, efficiency, safety and quality.

Preferring stablecoin over dollar: Evidence from a survey of Ethereum platform traders

In a survey to a random group of anonymous participants of Ethereum trading market, one of the most active cryptocurrency trading markets, 60% of the respondents prefer stablecoin over the U.S. dollar despite that stablecoin and dollar are believed to share many similarities in terms of functions of money. Further investigations demonstrate that this preference cannot be explained from the perspective of standard asset pricing arguments including risk-return trade-off and portfolio diversification. We show that the expected return of holding stablecoin is almost zero while the variance of return is significantly larger than that of the dollar. Stablecoin also cannot help improve the efficiency of the portfolio which already includes the U.S. dollar as a financial asset. We find the psychological factors such as the interest in new technology and the preference for political liberty might help explain this preference.

Diffusion of renewable energy technology on Spanish farms: drivers and barriers

The aim of this paper is to identify the drivers and barriers of on-farm adoption of renewable energy systems (RES) in Spain and to determine how the existing mix of policies (subsidies, regulation and communication) affected the decisions of the farmers. The analysis is based on the results of a national survey that was completed by 719 farmers, representing the main types of farms and production regions. Statistically significant correlations have been observed between the probability of on-farm RES adoption and variables such as the use of contract farming, interest in new technologies and risk tolerance. Findings suggest that the diffusion of on-farm RES was at an early stage. Farmers are hesitant to adopt RES because the level of economic and regulatory uncertainty is perceived as too high in relation to the return and payback time typical of RES investments. Tailored business models and financing solutions should be implemented and promoted to overcome the described issues. Furthermore, relevant and reliable information should be available within farmers’ most common professional networks such as cooperatives and farmers’ associations. These aspects should be combined or even prioritized over providing direct economic incentives when producing on-farm RES supporting policies.

Automatized FACEmemory\xae scoring is related to Alzheimer\u2019s disease phenotype and biomarkers in early-onset mild cognitive impairment: the BIOFACE cohort

BackgroundFACEmemory® is the first computerized, self-administered verbal episodic memory test with voice recognition. It can be conducted under minimal supervision and contains an automatic scoring system to avoid administrator errors. Moreover, it is suitable for discriminating between cognitively healthy and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) individuals, and it is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. This study aimed to determine whether FACEmemory scoring is related to performance on classical memory tests and to AD biomarkers of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CSF in patients with early-onset MCI (EOMCI).MethodsNinety-four patients with EOMCI from the BIOFACE study completed FACEmemory, classical memory tests (the Spanish version of the Word Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test -FCSRT-, the Word List from the Wechsler Memory Scale, third edition, and the Spanish version of the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test), and a brain MRI. Eighty-two individuals also underwent a lumbar puncture.ResultsFACEmemory scoring was moderately correlated with FCSRT scoring. With regard to neuroimaging MRI results, worse execution on FACEmemory was associated with lower cortical volume in the right prefrontal and inferior parietal areas, along with the left temporal and associative occipital areas. Moreover, the total FACEmemory score correlated with CSF AD biomarkers (Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio, p181-tau, and Aβ1-42/p181-tau ratio). When performance on FACEmemory was compared among the ATN classification groups, significant differences between the AD group and normal and SNAP groups were found.ConclusionsFACEmemory is a promising tool for detecting memory deficits sensitive to early-onset AD, but it also allows the detection of memory-impaired cases due to other etiologies. Our findings suggest that FACEmemory scoring can detect the AD endophenotype and that it is also associated with AD-related changes in MRI and CSF in patients with EOMCI. The computerized FACEmemory tool might be an opportunity to facilitate early detection of MCI in younger people than 65, who have a growing interest in new technologies.

Money Attitudes and Personal Finances During the COVID-19

Background: Most of the research relates to previous major financial crises. The current coronavirus crisis is still ongoing, so the current analysis focuses primarily on people’s current preferences based on surveys.Research objectives: This work focuses on the analysis of the financial preferences of the group of people living and working in the Małopolskie Voivodeship in the last year. The choice of the form of makingpurchases, payments as well as savings and investments in the face of limitations caused by COVID-19 were analysed.Research design and methods: The adopted analytical-synthetic method is calculated to signal specific areas raising ethical doubts. Their exemplification leads to an attempt to define the key problem of modern finance, which is breaking away from the foundation of ethical values and, consequently, abandoning the common good as the social goal of all human activity.Results: The obtained results do not allow for the conclusion that in the analysed group, money attitudes significantly differentiate the financial choices of respondents during the restrictions related to COVID-19. The analysis of other factors related to the preferences of financial management allows for partial confirmation of hypothesis regarding the interest in online shopping and non-cash forms of payment has increased.Conclusions: The papers proved that the restrictions related to the coronavirus resulted in a significant increase in interest in new technologies, online shopping and modern payment methods.

On the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Scientific Research

The regulatory framework for evaluating the effectiveness of scientific research within the national scientific system, at the level of individual scientific organizations and researchers is considered. The analysis of individual indicators of scientific performance at the national level is carried out. In particular, the following indicators were analyzed: publication and patent activity, development and use of advanced technologies, commercialization of technologies in the domestic market and international technological exchange. The compliance of evaluation indicators at the level of scientific organizations and certification of researchers with indicators used at the national level is analyzed. It is concluded that till now the evaluation system usedhad little impact on decision-making on the allocation of resources for scientific research. Low attention of the expert community to the transfer of developments to the real sector was noted, although the available statistics show that there is an interest in new technologies on the part of manufacturing enterprises.

Children between 9 and 13 years old as internet users

The paper presents the new new media as a contemporary and dominant space in children's lives. Most children begin to use the Internet when they are a few years old, for example, while watching cartoons. The online world can be both an opportunity and a threat to young users. The aim of the research was to determine whether children's growing interest in the Internet has a limiting impact on traditional ways of communication with peers and whether the increasing use of social networking sites by children is determined by the fear of exclusion from their circle of peers. The study was conducted with the use of an online survey distributed among children from the third, fifth, and seventh years of two Polish primary schools. The results include several conclusions regarding children's contact with the new media and their peers. The study showed that the majority of primary school pupils are regular users of the new new media, and their interest in new technologies increases with age.

Distributed Phased Arrays: Challenges and Recent Advances

There has been significant research devoted to the development of distributed microwave wireless systems in recent years. The progression from large, single-platform wireless systems to collections of smaller, coordinated systems on separate platforms enables significant benefits for radar, remote sensing, communications, and other applications. The ultimate level of coordination between platforms is at the wavelength level, where separate platforms operate as a coherent distributed system. Wireless coherent distributed systems operate in essence as distributed phased arrays, and the signal gains that can be achieved scale proportionally to the number of transmitters squared multiplied by the number of receivers, providing potentially dramatic increases in wireless system capabilities enabled by increasing the number of nodes in the array. Coordinating the operations of nodes in a distributed array requires accurate control of the relative electrical states of the nodes. The basic challenge is the synchronization and stability of the relative phases of the signals transmitted or received. Generally, such control requires wireless frequency synchronization, phase calibration, and time alignment. For radar operations, phase control also requires high-accuracy knowledge of the relative positions of the nodes in the array to support beamforming. Various technologies have been developed in recent years to address the coordination challenges for closed-loop applications, such as distributed communications, and more recently, there has been growing interest in new technologies for open-loop applications, such as radar and remote sensing. This article presents an overview of distributed phased arrays, the principal challenges involved in their coordination, and recent research progress addressing these challenges.

English

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is an important regional food source, providing food and income to over 30 million farmers, processors, and traders in Nigeria. Extension programs support awareness and interest in new technologies; they facilitate the adoption and adaptation of new approaches to crop production, post-harvest processing, and marketing. Extension can be understood as an intermediary or catalyst in the dissemination of information to rural farmers.  This study analyzed the effect of cassava farmers’ exposure to extension on a broad measure of cassava technology adoption, while considering the influence of some individual and farm characteristics as control variables. Data were obtained from personal interviews with sample of 952 households conducted in southern Nigeria. Results show a relationship between extension exposure and technology adoption. Farmer-to-farmer interaction played the greatest role in diffusion of the technologies. Interactions with extension agents were low, suggesting that adoption of improved technologies could be enhanced by improved regular contact with extension information. The results underscore the importance of farmer-to-farmer interaction processes that often overshadow extension assistance in supporting and guiding the use of production technology.  The conclusions consider some implications for 21st century extension. Key words: Extension exposure, technology adoption, cassava production.

The use of wearables and health apps and the willingness to share self-collected data among older adults

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine the extent to which older adults utilize mobile health tracking tools in everyday life and their willingness to share the collected health-related data with doctors, health insurance companies, or research institutions. MethodsThis study used a survey to assess mobile device use (smartphone, tablet, fitness tracker, and smartwatch), health app use (e.g., health insurance apps, fitness apps), and willingness to share health-related data in 1,149 Swiss adults aged ≥ 65 years. Results75.0% of the participants used at least one mobile device; 22.9% used health-related apps. Younger individuals and those with a strong interest in new technology had a higher likelihood of using health apps. Participants were more often willing to share their data with doctors than with health insurance companies or researchers; this willingness was also influenced by an affinity for technology. DiscussionThese results support the promotion of mHealth adoption among older adults by developers and policymakers.

Do People Prefer Cars That People Don’t Drive? A Survey Study on Autonomous Vehicles

Only recently, smart cities are taking shape, thanks to the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and other similar technologies. Given the high demands placed on advanced technologies such as autonomous driving, cloud data services, and high-precision sensors, smart cities are creating an intelligent transportation environment conducive to the introduction of autonomous vehicles (AVs). In this context, the use of AVs in transportation is also considered a form of transportation innovation. As a result, AVs are considered more favorable to people interested in new technologies because they appear to be technologically superior. Their association with the most up-to-date technology can serve as a symbol for those who wish to demonstrate their interest in new technologies through their appearance. The positive image of technological innovation projected by AVs may influence their acceptance among technology enthusiasts to a significant degree. In this context, this study investigates the effects of perceived advantage, perceived risk, and perceived safety on the intention to use autonomous vehicles. For this purpose, data were collected from vehicle users living in Turkey by survey method. Secondly, factor analyses and regression analyses were performed with the data set obtained from 611 participants. As a result of the analyses, it has been determined that the perceived advantage and perceived security increase the intention to use autonomous vehicles. In contrast, the perceived risk reduces this intention to use. According to these results, recommendations were made to the companies about the level of acceptance of this technology by the users to assess their investments in autonomous vehicles better.

Foreign Language Learning Gamification Using Virtual Reality—A Systematic Review of Empirical Research

Virtual reality has shown to have great potential as an educational tool when it comes to new learning methods. With the growth and dissemination of this technology, there is a massive opportunity for teachers to add this technology to their methods of teaching a second/foreign language, since students keep showing a growing interest in new technologies. This systematic review of empirical research aims at understanding whether the use of gaming strategies in virtual reality is beneficial for the learning of a second/foreign language or not. Results show that more than half of the articles proved that virtual reality technologies with gaming strategies can be used to learn a foreign language. It was also found that “learning” was the most evaluated dependent variable among the chosen records, augmented reality was the leading technology used, primary education and lower secondary was the most researched school stages, and the most used language to evaluate the use of gamified technology was by far the English language. Given the lack of directed investigation, it is recommended to use these technologies to support second language learning and not entirely replace traditional approaches. A research agenda is also proposed by the authors.

Air passenger attitudes towards pilotless aircraft

This paper presents the results of an investigation into attitudes towards and willingness to fly in pilotless aircraft (PAs) among a sample of 711 UK people known to fly at least occasionally. A problem with past studies in the area is that attitudes have only been measured explicitly, using questionnaire items drawn from literature in the field. Also, distinctions between attitude strength and attitude structure have not been considered. The present investigation employed an implicit measure of attitudes and examined attitudes via (i) a structural topic modelling procedure (in order to measure the structure of attitudes within the sample) and (ii) an Implicit Association Test (to evaluate attitude strength). Outcomes to the Implicit Association Test contributed significantly and substantially to the explanation of the sample members' degrees of willingness to fly in PAs. These are important matters considering the need for airlines, government agencies and aircraft manufacturers to induce public acceptance of PAs. Determinants of attitudes were posited to include self-image congruence, fear of flying, general anxiety syndrome, interest in new technologies, age, gender, and exposure to information about pilotless aircraft. A model containing these variables was assembled and estimated, the results providing a good fit (R2 = 0.58) with data obtained from the sample. Three primary components of attitude emerged from the investigation: risk, excitement and innovation. Four variables exerted the greatest effects on attitude structure, namely self-congruence, interest in new technologies, prior knowledge of PAs, and the age of the participant. Fear of flying and generalised anxiety impacted on the risk element of attitude structure, but not on excitement, innovation or attitude strength. Neither the fear of flying variable nor generalised anxiety had significant influences on attitude strength, although they did have significantly negative effects on willingness to fly in a pilotless airplane. Thirty-one per cent of the sample members disagreed or strongly disagreed with a question (five-point scale) asking whether a person was willing to fly in a pilotless aircraft. The results of the study have important implications for public information campaigns initiated by state agencies and for the marketing activities and promotional messages of airlines that will need to seek public acceptance of pilotless aircraft.

Telemedicine technologies in psychiatry (opinion of experts Orenburg region)

The article presents the results of a survey of specialists from the Orenburg region who provide assistance to patients with mental and behavioral disorders, regarding the experience of using telemedicine technologies. The purpose of the study was to assess the level of awareness of specialists about new technologies, the relevance of their application in the field of psychiatry, as well as to identify problems that arise in the process of implementing telemedicine in the practice of a doctor. The data obtained indicate a high interest in new technologies among doctors who previously participated in remote consultations. At the same time, among specialists who did not have experience with the telemedicine system, a low level of awareness about its capabilities and distrust of new technologies was revealed. Using the survey, it was possible to identify the main problems of telemedicine faced by specialists of the Orenburg region.

MALTE DE CEVADA OBTIDO DA PRODUÇÃO DE CERVEJA ARTESANAL: ANÁLISE FÍSICO-QUÍMICA E DESTINO DESTE SUBPRODUTO

O objetivo do trabalho foi analisar a composição físico-química do malte de cevada antes e após a etapa de mosturação, bem como da farinha obtida a partir deste subproduto, também foi realizada uma avaliação nas cervejarias artesanais da região sobre o destino e as quantidades geradas de cevada residual. Foram submetidas às analises fisico-químicas, (MCI) Malte de cevada integral, (MCL) Malte de cevada após lavagem dos grãos úmido, (FMCL) Farinha de malte de cevada após lavagem dos grãos. A cevada residual apresentou um valor nutricional significante, e com elevado teor proteico e de fibras, além disso, os dados da pesquisa nas cervejarias artesanais da região indicaram interesse das indústrias em novas tecnologias para o aproveitamento desta matéria prima. O subproduto da produção de cerveja é uma matéria prima viável do ponto de vista nutricional que pode ser utilizado na alimentação humana, sendo que sua utilização pode evitar o desperdício de nutrientes e o impacto ambiental.