Continuous usage is crucial for ensuring the longevity of technological advancements. The success of e-government is contingent upon its ongoing use, rather than its initial acceptance. Nevertheless, there has been a dearth of scholarly research on the ongoing use of e-government services. The objective of this study was to identify the primary factors that influences the continued use of e-government services in Indonesia. The research model was created by integrating both Expectation Confirmation Model and Technology Acceptance Model, two theories that are frequently employed in the adoption of technology. The data was obtained by administering an online survey to 217 Indonesian citizens who had previously utilized the Online Citizen Aspiration and Complaints Service (LAPOR) e-Government services. The results indicate that perceived ease of use had a substantial impact on citizen satisfaction and perceived usefulness. In contrast to previous research conducted in the context of e-Government, it was found that perceived usefulness did not have a significant correlation with the intention to continue using the system. The most significant predictor of continued intention to use was citizen satisfaction. Surprisingly, satisfaction was more significantly influenced by perceived ease of use than perceived usefulness. The implications of these findings are elaborated upon.
This study aims to construct an integrative model for understanding the factors that shape Chinese tourists’ intentions to visit Thailand as a gastronomic tourism destination. In detail, we investigate the relationships among cognitive experiences, emotional experiences, cultural experiences, affective destination image, cognitive destination image, and the intention to visit Thailand for culinary experiences. Utilizing an online survey method to gather 562 Chinese tourists who have experienced Thai gastronomy, this study continues to use structural equation model to process data. The findings reveal that cognitive, emotional, and cultural experiences significantly influence tourists’ affective and cognitive destination images, positively impacting their intention to visit Thailand for its culinary offerings. The affective and cognitive destination images act as crucial mediators, intricately linking these experiences with travel intentions. This approach improves our understanding of the dynamics involved. It also provides practical insights for developing targeted marketing strategies.
Digitalization has recently gained significant relevance in the education field. The focus has been on its use and application, as well as on training teachers and students to become responsible, competent, and ethical users of technology. This is connected to the creation of policies and programs that promote online learning and interaction from basic to higher education. In this context, this study aims to analyze the scientific production related to digital citizenship through a bibliometric mapping of publications indexed in the Web of Science database. The goal is to identify the main research trends in this field. The results show a growth in the number of publications since 2016, mainly focusing on topics such as digital citizenship media, digital competences, higher education, teachers, students, adolescents, adults, competence, digital literacy, and citizenship education. The presence of a significant number of journals related to the field of education denotes a close relationship between this field and the topic of study. Also, it is revealing a higher concentration of research production in the United States and Europe, with Latin America being absent from this scenario. The study identifies an intellectual structure of the discipline, particularly regarding the most relevant authors, journals, and descriptors. These results are important for understanding the research practices inherent to the field, which projects digital citizenship as an emerging topic. The study concludes by proposing lines of interest for further research on the topic in education and other fields, as well as acknowledging the limitations found in the present article.
Metal iodide materials as novel components of thermal biological and medical systems at the interface between heat transfer techniques and therapeutic systems. Due to their outstanding heat transfer coefficients, biocompatibility, and thermally activated sensitivity, metal iodides like silver iodide (AgI), copper iodide (CuI), and cesium iodide (CsI) are considered to be useful in improving the performance of medical instruments, thermal treatment processes, and diagnostics. They are examined for their prospective applications in controlling thermal activity, local heating therapy, and smart temperature-sensitive drug carrier systems. In particular, their application in hyperthermia therapy for cancer treatment, infrared thermal imaging for diagnosis, and nano-based drug carriers points to a place for them in precision medicine. But issues of stability of materials used, biocompatibility, and control of heat—an essential factor that would give the tools the maximum clinical value—remain a challenge. The present mini-review outlines the emerging area of metal iodides and their applications in medical technologies, with a special focus on the pivotal role of these materials in enhancing non-invasive, efficient, and personalized medicine. Over time, metal iodide-based systems scouted a new era of thermal therapies and diagnostic instrumentation along with biomedical science as a whole.
Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a promising technological approach for various applications in the biomedical field. Natural polymers, which comprise the majority of 3D printable “bioinks”, have played a crucial role in various 3D bioprinting technologies during the layered 3D manufacturing processes in the last decade. However, the polymers must be customized for printing and effector function needs in cancer, dental care, oral medicine and biosensors, cardiovascular disease, and muscle restoration. This review provides an overview of 3D bio-printed natural polymers—commonly employed in various medical fields—and their recent development.
Global energy agencies and commissions report a sharp increase in energy demand based on commercial, industrial, and residential activities. At this point, we need energy-efficient and high-performance systems to maintain a sustainable environment. More than 30% of the generated electricity has been consumed by HVAC-R units, and heat exchangers are the main components affecting the overall performance. This study combines experimental measurements, numerical investigations, and ANN-aided optimization studies to determine the optimal operating conditions of an industrial shell and tube heat exchanger system. The cold/hot stream temperature level is varied between 10 ℃ and 50 ℃ during the experiments and numerical investigations. Furthermore, the flow rates are altered in a range of 50–500 L/h to investigate the thermal and hydraulic performance under laminar and turbulent regime conditions. The experimental and numerical results indicate that U-tube bundles dominantly affect the total pumping power; therefore, the energy consumption experienced at the cold side is about ten times greater the one at the hot side. Once the required data sets are gathered via the experiments and numerical investigations, ANN-aided stochastic optimization algorithms detected the C10H50 scenario as the optimal operating case when the cold and hot stream flow rates are at 100 L/h and 500 L/h, respectively.
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